My house

I live in a small town which called Wborg. Here I live with my family : father, mother, brother and cat. We have been living in block of flats house since 1994. Our flat placed on the sixth floor, we have a nice view on the nature from our balcony. On the first floor we have fence with hedge and lawn of ours home ornamented with animals. I live in a standard two room flat without facilities like a gym or sauna in flat. Big wardrobe with mirror staying in the passage where we keep our clothes and shoes. The floor is parquet in the passage, living room and kitchen.In the living room a big Persian rug with near standing sofa-bed with cushions, curtain on the window, huge bookcase with fitted place for tv, folding table from wood standing in the center of room. Hole room in bright and brown colors and curtain in brown color too. In the bedroom I live with my older brother who is living here now. Colors of our room are white, brown and red. We have two sofa-bed with pillows where we are s leeping, wardrobe for me and brother, little chest of drawers, large table where standing two computers with acoustic near 80 kilowatt.The main part of our room is horizontal bar with punching bag. It allows doing sport in a room without gym. The bathroom isn't separated with toilet but it's both tiled in bright colors. Ordinary bath with shower standing in the bathroom, washing machine standing there too, washbasin with drawer where we keep thing like shampoo, razor, shaving foam and something for bath. The main difference from kitchen of other people it's bar. It's really comfortable to eat for it or sitting in internet. There are a lot of electronic device such as : fridge, ooker, toaster, microwave, food processor, electronic kettle and laptop.We haven't fitted kitchen and so we have a lot of cupboard and drawers. Big table standing in the center of kitchen where I with my family can have dinner together and share all news with them. Colors of kitchen are silver and blue. Unfort unately it's better to live in the suburbs but I love to live here. It isn't far from city center and it close to all my friend. My home is where I feel safe and happy, where I am always welcome and where I can come in any difficult minute and find help and comfort.

Retailer Companies Essay

Amazon Amazon is an online retailer however there have been talks and news articles of the company planning to open a warehouse store in New York City. However being an online only retailer means the company can meet any customer target and offer shopping to anyone. This removes travel time, travel costs and parking costs which appeal to more customers. This can also appeal to younger shoppers aged 16+ who are unable to drive and must pay out a large charge in travel fare. There is also a larger reach in the consumer area and they now have the ability to reach a worldwide target. Also being an online only business they can give specific and limited discounting to their products. New Look New look is a multiple store that usually located in an in town area. Being located in town has many advantages and disadvantages. One of the advantages to being an in town store is the easy access by both public and personal transport. However a disadvantage to this is the large travel costs both paying for tickets on trains or busses but also petrol and parking costs. A second advantage in the allotted sale space can be increased and the store can have a larger floor space. However due to this the store costs more to rent and run meaning there are only a small amount of discounts the store is able to give. Pandora Pandora is a multinational company using a multiple store which is usually located in out of town areas. Because of the area where they are placed they have a long travel time making the easiest travel option the car however you can travel to them on public transport but many involve changes and larger fares. However due to the travel costs the areas slightly reduce store costs and also allow free parking. This means that although travel time and cost is high it holds more appeal due to the lower prices and free parking. Best One Newsagents Best One Newsagents is a franchised business that is based in local  locations. The areas that these stores are in are specifically placed in accordance to the surrounding area. They will be in an area where there are many houses surrounding them so that customers have east when going to the store. Due to the fact of them being a local store they are smaller than others and are able to sell items at cheaper prices. This appeals to the customers so that they can get bits they need without going to supermarkets and paying a higher price. eBay eBay is an online only auction site where people are able to sell unwanted items securely. This means they can sell items that people are looking for E.G a new iPad Air would usually be sold at retail price for  £399 but on eBay a new but used one could be sold at up to a 90% discount and that could be a set price or they could use the auction and consumers could bid to see who will be the one to purchase the item. As this is a selling site you will need to receive the money and many use PayPal as it is a secure way to pay the money however you can just pay cash if you are collecting the item.

Expected and Unexpected Impact of Sarbanes-Oxley Legislation on IT and Research Paper

Expected and Unexpected Impact of Sarbanes-Oxley Legislation on IT and Business - Research Paper Example After the enactment of this legislation, the collapse of major corporations was imminent as a series of restatements began to emerge from major companies. The presence of this legislation has led to a decrease of restatements and securities class actions that have been filed. However, according to SOX, the number is still high. This paper will examine the impact the legislation had on businesses, and what the future holds for companies that do not comply with the regulations the Act has in place. The most crucial aspect of the legislation was section 404, which focuses on the monitoring of internal controls in the organization. Presently, public companies are required to include reports of internal control reports, which are then monitored by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB). This board works directly with the SEC to conduct reviews. In light of the above operations, accounting firms are now liable for any, and all their audits. This is what has probably pushed f or some reforms in public companies that are present in most parts of the region. Some of the major impacts that have rocked companies expected to comply with Sarbanes-Oxley legislation include; additional costs, additional liability, and even the purchase of internal control software (Harwood & Simmons, 2012). ... The purchase of internal control software has increased the costs that companies, small and large, incur during their annual reviews (Brodkin, 2007). In order to build a control system that works, companies are required to hire skilled personnel to handle these issues. This, ultimately, comes at a price. The cost of planning, tracking, and reviewing internal controls in no easy task, and the outside assistance requires capital. All these factors contribute to the high prices, but it is tantamount for companies to do this. The labor workforce and human resource that is present in most companies was also a factor to consider with the Sarbanes-Oxley legislation. These groups of individuals were at the forefront in pointing out the shortcomings of corporate governance. The issues were that management in most of the financial and accounting institutions were benefitting at the expense of the labor workforce present in their organizations (U.S. SEC, 2009). To most of the individuals in thi s group, the Sarbanes-Oxley legislation was a means of bringing management to account for all their conducts in their organizations. Some of the aspects of the labor workforce that were expected to be addressed by the SOX legislation included; the protection of whistleblowers, proper procedure of handling and tackling complaints (privately), and even the issue of executive pay and compensation. Unexpected impact of SOX After the implementation of SOX, some fields were first to be hit by the waves of transformation. One of the major fields to be hit was the IT field, which experienced some unexpected turns. The rapid implementation of internal controls saw the use of technologies in almost every company that needed the

Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Human Resource Management - Essay Example of HRM The main difference between soft and hard philosophies of HRM is that the soft approach is employee oriented where there is a balance between work and their interests while the hard approach is performance based where organisational productivity is given priority. The other difference between the two is related to the structure of the organisation which has a bearing on the HR functions. A soft approach can be applied to an organisation with a flat structure like Toyota while a hard approach is applicable to organisations with tall structures. In an organisation where a soft approach is applied, employees can contribute towards the decision making process while in a hard approach they are not involved. The other notable difference between the two is that teamwork is encouraged in an organisation which encompasses the soft approach while the one with a hard approach emphasises the element of increased performance. The other difference is that the soft approach encourages innova tion while the hard approach inhibits innovation. Table 1 Differences between soft and hard approaches to HRM Soft approach Hard approach Employee oriented Production/performance centred Suitable in flat organisation structure Ideal for tall organisation structures Involvement in decision making Employees not involved in decision making Teamwork is encouraged Teamwork is not promoted Innovation is promoted Does not promote innovation 1.2.1 Advantages and disadvantages of soft philosophies of HRM Advantages Disadvantages Workers are motivated The organisation can lose money pleasing employees. There is consensus in decision making Some of the ideas may not be incorporated in the decisions A sense of belonging is created Employees may see themselves too powerful Tasks are decentralised to... The paper tells that the main difference between soft and hard philosophies of HRM is that the soft approach is employee oriented where there is a balance between work and their interests while the hard approach is performance based where organisational productivity is given priority. The other difference between the two is related to the structure of the organisation which has a bearing on the HR functions. A soft approach can be applied to an organisation with a flat structure like Toyota while a hard approach is applicable to organisations with tall structures. In an organisation where a soft approach is applied, employees can contribute towards the decision making process while in a hard approach they are not involved. The other notable difference between the two is that teamwork is encouraged in an organisation which encompasses the soft approach while the one with a hard approach emphasises the element of increased performance. The other difference is that the soft approach enc ourages innovation while the hard approach inhibits innovation. The soft approach used by Toyota is commendable given that it is mainly concerned by the welfare and needs of the employees. This helps to motivate them such that they put optimum effort in their performance which is an added advantage to the company as a whole. The other reason is that the employees are satisfied with their job and it is easier for the organisation to retain talent. The other advantage is that continuous improvement of the employee skills helps them to keep pace with the changes that may take place in the environment.

Deviation as an effective strategy for rhetorical effects Essay

Deviation as an effective strategy for rhetorical effects - Essay Example A portion of the critiques argue that the deviation in rhetoric settings infringe the rules of the normal language. For instance, Postner argues that a system of rules would kill poetry, disregarding the assumption that rules could determine the structure of poetry. It may be difficult to have norms for poetry (as each form of poetry will require its norm), but the category or difference from semiotic norms are indispensible in semiotic stylistics and rhetoric (99). Riffaterre expands these ideas by starting with the assumption that poetry expresses things and concepts indirectly, which occur in different forms of semantic and grammatical deviation. He develops a two-phase model for poetry reading (97). The first phase is where the reader encounters poetic ungrammaticalities based on their linguistic competence. At the heuristic stage, a mimetic or coherent referential interpretation is avoided as the reader faces difficulties resulting from textual indirection (saying a certain thing while meaning another). The retroactive (second) stage the reader successfully resolves mimetic deviations through interpreting them into a new system of semantic, thus the text acquires its intended poetic function (101). At extreme levels, mimetic ungrammaticalities become poetically grammatical. Examples of deviation in rhetoric include sentential adverb, omitting conjunctions, and understatement. For instance, writing that â€Å"he was a hero, a winner† rather than â€Å"he was a hero and a

The historian's task is to understand the past; the human scientist, Essay

The historian's task is to understand the past; the human scientist, by contrast, is looking to change the future. To what extent is this true in these areas of knowledge - Essay Example This includes various rational, systematic and verification activities used by human scientists for validating the data obtained through objective specific and subjective phenomena. As human science not only remains confined towards the study of humanities and social sciences but also covers the areas of sociology, history, economics and anthropology, it often overlaps the dimensions of historians. Hence, the area of knowledge of human scientists cannot be firmly polarized from that of learning the past like in the case of historians. On the other hand, the Historian’s task can be quite delicate, which includes understanding the implications of various analytical categories for filling up the historical gaps and framing a proper picture of the past. This way, the area of knowledge relevant to historians tends to be polarized from that of the human scientists who learn the past in pursuit to make the future better. The role of historians, since decades, has been focused to provide conceptualized and factual descriptions about various events and circumstances that had occurred in the past and develop an understanding of the same in order to unveil the past origins of the human society. The area of knowledge relevant to historians can be considered significant to a large extent. They play an important role in reconstructing complex stories from scattered historical sources. Human curiosity about their origin and evolution has always strongly motivated the historians in their efforts of understanding past events that had transformed human civilization or embarks on a secretive paradigm of ancient human society. Historians examine the past in a very broad perspective and facilitate the readers in adding up the historical events as well as actions, triggering their thoughts, motives, and adventurous states of mind (Barton, 2009). They study and extract data from old artifacts, recorded writings, past stories and

America Shopping Cart Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

America Shopping Cart - Essay Example Thirdly, it saves on parking and petrol costs that would have been incurred if one went out shopping the traditional way. In addition, there are no salesmen involved in the process of shopping online, which implies that there are no additional costs. Moreover, online shopping provides a good shopping environment where one has the freedom to shop the way they wanted to shop. Finally, online shopping assists in the case of buying presents to people overseas if one shops online, which eliminates the cost of importation. Despite these disadvantages, online shopping has varying disadvantages. In this case, that it takes a longer period of time in delivery of products bought online than traditional shopping. Secondly, the shopper does not get the advice they may need on the product which is mostly provided by the seller unlike in the case of traditional shopping. Thirdly, the buyer may get the rejected products that have been brought back by other buyers. In addition, the buyer incurs expenses in postage of the product to his residence. It is not possible to test the products hence they is a high risk of purchasing a wrong product. According to (Popcorn and Marigold), traditional shopping was mainly used before the emergence and innovation of online shopping. Like online shopping, traditional shopping has some advantages although they differ from advantages of online shopping. First, the fact that one can see and test the product they want to buy before they actually buy the product makes an individual make an informed decision. Secondly, one gets the product immediately they purchase it, which is crucial when the goods are needed urgently. In addition, traditional shopping provides for direct communication between the seller and the client and this provides a better chance for bargains and in-depth details about the product. Moreover, this

Essay on Employment Law in Australia Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

On Employment Law in Australia - Essay Example It may not have been the intention of the employee to depict the scenario that has been adopted by the employer in the situation. In so doing, the employee lacks the forum to explain his or her actions leading to an unfair dismissal that could have been averted had proper investigations be done. Several reasons that employers issue are common grounds for unfair dismissal and infringement of statutory employment rights that each employee is entitled to according to Ford, Notestine, and Hill (2000). A common cause of unfair dismissal is when an employee makes a public interest disclosure (Stewart, 2011) as seen in the case of Andrea who disclosed information that was of public interest but was not necessarily related to the company's operational information. In order to seek fairness in the termination of her employment, Andrea sought to bring a lawsuit against the company in light of common law actions which are lawsuits governed by the general principles of law derived from court dec isions. Andrea is allowed to approach a court of law and initiate a lawsuit against her employer in which she will seek to show that her actions were in no way intended to cause harm to the organization but merely to inform her friends about the impending danger that may be encountered when one leaves their valuables near unlocked doors. It is allowed that a case be heard in the civil court before a tribunal that will determine whether the employee had been dismissed unfairly and even if the dismissal was justified, it will determine whether the nature in which it was done was appropriate and fair to the employee. Andrea is allowed in court to demonstrate the fact that the email she sent to her friends was only meant to warn them about the dangers she herself had encountered in her home so that they can take better care of their belongings in their houses. She can also demonstrate that the email was only sent to the members of staff within the company and not to outsiders as a means of trying to warn and protect her fellow staff members out of concern for their safety. It would only be natural for a person to try and warn her fellow staff members taking the lesson out of her own personal experiences. This is a common concept that is employed by any person who has the best interest of others at heart and would wish to be also warned in the same manner. Ideally, she may also have believed that email was one of means she could have used to reach many people within a short time. This may have been the only motivating factor that made her resort to the use of the medium and not any other construed ideologies that the company may have indicated. This is the information that Andrea did not get to share with her employers before she was dismissed; an explanation that could have cleared up issues. The depiction of the colored arm in her email may work against her because it is perceived as a gesture of racism. This may work against her considering that the company has got a specific policy on racism. It has clearly stipulated that one may not display or transmit sexually explicit images, messages or cartoons or email communications that may contain ethnic slurs or anything that may be construed as harassment or discredit others based on their national origin, race, sex, age, disability, sexual

The lifting of the blockade Essay Example for Free

The lifting of the blockade Essay Further negotiations took place between Malik and the representatives of the United States, Great Britain, and France on May 2 and May 4. Finally, on May 5, 1949, an agreement was reached and a communique was issued by the four countries. Under their agreement, the USSR would lift the Berlin Blockade on May 12, 1949. Then the Council of Foreign Ministers would meet on May 23, 1949 in Paris to â€Å"consider questions relating to Germany and problems arising out of the situation in Berlin, including also the question of currency in Berlin. † Finally, the barriers which stopped the rail, road, and water traffic to Berlin were removed a little after midnight of May 12, 1949. As a result, supplies started entering Berlin by road, rail, and water for the first time since the start of the Berlin Blockade (Giangreco and Griffin [a]). The aftermath When Clay learned that the USSR had already agreed to the lifting of the blockade, he recommended that the airlift should be continued until the Council of Foreign Ministers had concluded their meeting. He said that the airlift was still necessary for the purpose of building up vital reserves of supplies of fuel and food just in case the Soviets decided, for any reason, to reinstitute the blockade. Washington agreed with him and the airlift continued. Finally, the United States, Great Britain, and France issued another official announcement on July 30, 1949, stating that the airlift of supplies into Berlin would officially end on October 31, 1949 (Barlow). The meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers took place as scheduled on May 23, 1949 in Paris. The United States delegation was headed by Dean Acheson. The British delegation was headed by Bevin while the leader of the French delegation was Robert Schuman. Finally, the head of the Soviet delegation was Andre Vyshinsky. The delegations of the four powers came to the conference with official positions which essentially guaranteed the division of the German nation. The formal division of Germany occurred when the zones occupied by the western powers were unified to give rise to the Federal Republic of Germany while the Russian zone became the German Democratic Republic (Giangreco and Griffin [a]). Works Cited Barlow,Jeffrey G. â€Å"The U. S.Navy’s Participation in the Berlin Airlift. † Naval Historical Center. 5 February 1998. 12 May 2009. http://www. history. navy. mil/download/berlin-n. htm BBC Bitesize. â€Å"The Berlin Blockade and Airlift. † 12 May 2009. http://www. bbc. co. uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/mwh/ir2/berlinblockaderev1. shtml â€Å"Berlin Blockade. † 12 May 2009. http://www. secmyl. com/uploads/BerlinBlockade1948. pdf Berlin Information Group. â€Å"The Berlin Airlift. † 12 May 2009. http://www. berlinfo. com/Traveltime/Sights/sights/divided_city/hist. htm Byrnes, Rebecca. â€Å"The Berlin Blockade: The First Major Battle of the Cold War. † 4 July 2008. 12 May 2009. http://militaryhistory. suite101. com/article. cfm/the_berlin_blockade Giangreco, D. M. and Griffin, Robert E. â€Å"Airbridge to Berlin – Background. † Harry S. Truman Library Museum. 12 May 2009. . http://www. trumanlibrary. org/whistlestop/study_collections/berlin_airlift/large/ Giangreco, D. M. and Griffin, Robert E. [a]. â€Å"Airbridge to Berlin – The Berlin Crisis of 1948, Its Origins and Aftermath. † Harry S. Truman Library Museum. 12 May 2009. http://www. trumanlibrary. org/whistlestop/BERLIN_A/BLOCKADE. HTM PBS Online. â€Å"Berlin Blockade. † 12 May 2009.

IBM Employees Welfare

IBM Employees Welfare Changes that have taken place in the organization IBM has been one of the companies that have been making good progress in the business world. This has been enabled by the strategies that the company has been taking in an effort to create a niche in the market. Operating in one of the emerging sectors in the world of ICT the company has been faced with competition in the market and therefore in the five years it has been carrying out critical evaluation of its operation procedure in order to come up with a more acceptable mode of operation that will help it to cut a niche in the market. (Clegg, 1999) As a result the company has engaged on changes in the workforce relations in order to create an effective working atmosphere for the employees. In this regard the company has realized that the most efficient way to create a competitive workforce only through massive investment in the employee. Employee can help an organization to create a competitive advantage in the market which may become difficult for other organization to replicate. Therefore one of the most important areas that the company has been investing on is in its employee. External influence in the organization In the last 10 years, there have been a lot of changes that have taken place in the organization which has been influenced by external factors. There have been several factors that have been influencing the changes in the organization that have been beyond the control of the organization. These changes have been emanating from the changes in the operation environment. One of the changes that have had a great impact on the industry has been the changes in the external environment. The landscape of technology has been changing and the company has not been left behind. The company has come up with several innovation that are likely to position it in the market in line with other competitors as we entered the new millennium the company came up with a new generation of servers which are all aimed at meeting the changing technology. This was also due to the changes in the demand for the underlying infrastructure that has been supporting e-business which has become the business model of the day. (IBM, 2008f) In the future the change in technology is likely to influence the operation of the company. Since it is operating in a field led by technology, the company is likely to make several changes in its operation in the future in a move that will position it in the market. Change in technology is the most probable external factor that will impact the operation of the organization. The changing concept of corporate social responsibility also had an impact on the company as it become more responsive to the needs of its consumers. As a result the company came up with various CSR activities which were aimed at improving the relationship with its employees. It put in place programs that would help it to respect it employees. The political environment was also changing and the company has to change with it. In this regard there were several rules and laws that were coming in place that were not there before. As a result the company had to adjust its operation and its workforce relations. There have been polices that have been put in place in order to give employees more rights and therefore the company has been forced to rhyme with the changes. Political a and legal changes in the further are likely to impact on the operations of the company in the future as the world moves to more converged world. There have also been environmental factors that have forced the company to enforce several changes in its operation in this regard there has been increasing attention that has been paid on the environment and therefore the company has been adjusting its operation in order to come up with policies that are expected to give respect to the environment. The company has been implementing several eco programs that are aimed at going with the demands on the changes in the environment. Internal influences There have also been several changes that have been implemented in the company in the last 10 years which have all been influenced by internal factors. Changes in the management have been one of the most important factors that have influenced several changes that have taken place in the company. The year 2000 marked a transition in the leadership of the company and it saw the coming of Samuel J Palmisano as the president and the chief operating offices and after two years, he was named the CEO of the company. This saw the exit of Lousi V. Gerstener who was the chairman of the company s up to 2002. The coming of the new CEO saw increase response to the environment factors and also a rise in the Corporate Social responsibility activities by the company. In 2003, the company also undertook an exercise to transfer more the 1,200 employee to IBM I a deal valued $1.1 billion from ABB. Human resources management factors has been another internal influences that has been causing a changing the in the organization. In this regard there have been several changes in the human resource management of the company that have resulted to other changes in its operation. Human resource issues have been given a priority in the organization in line with the changing human resources landscape in most organizations. In the future the human resources are expected to influence several other changes in the organization as well. The direction of the organization is the other factor that has been influencing changes in the organization. The company has come up with new growth strategies that are likely to position it in the changing global business environment and therefore it has carried out several other changes in its management and employee relationship. In next 10 years, the overall strategy of the organization is likely to lead to other several changes in the operation of the company. Employee relationship in IBM The company has come up with a human resource policy which has been integrated in it strategic growth strategy which has given the affairs of the employees a central place in the operation of the organization. As a result the company has been carrying out several strategies which are aimed at enhancing a good working relationship. The company has put in place several initiatives which are all aimed at ensuring that the employees are given their rights. The employee relationship has also been carried out as a part of the CSR activity of the organization. Therefore the company has set up human resource department that is concerned with the welfare of the employee. It has respected the rights of the employee to organization and all the managers have been given a notice on this issue as the most important factor in the human resource management strategy of the company. Therefore the company has been promoting an enabling environment for work in the company and has been encouraging direct communication with the employees. It has held a policy of promoting the welfare of the employees and maintaining a positive working relationship with the employees. There have also been effort that are aimed at fostering the development of the employees as one of the most important factor that can help the organization to come up with a competitive work force. (IBM, 2008d) The changing legal environment has had effects on the workforce relationship the organization. As the legal landscape changes, the company has been moving in line with these changes and therefore it has been putting in place measures that are aimed at ensuring that there is respect of the rights of the employees. It has been complying with the changes that have been taking place in the legal requirements worldwide in regard to the employee and involvement of a third party. (IBM, 2008e) Therefore the company has been putting in place measure that are aimed at ensuing that there is respect of the legal change and the environmental changes that have been taking place in regard to treatment of its employees. At the end of the 1990s the company put in place a policy that scrutinized all it employees even those on the supply chain with an aim of ensuring that there is respect of labor laws in the world. With his change there were several other changes that were made in the human resource department in order to make sure that the company was in line with the demand of the world labor laws. For example the company stopped its supply chain where there was suspicious of use of child labor and unfair treatment of employees. The evolution in technology has not left IBM employees in the cold. There have been several initiative that have been aimed at ensuring that employee share this revolution. Therefore the company has come up with portable computers like lap tops and other which are part of the ergonomics program which is aimed at ensuring the employees finds comfort in their work. Therefore the company has provided its employees with such advanced laptops in order to ensure that there is comfort and productivity for the employees. The company has been providing guidance which is aimed at helping the employees to assess their work environment and it has also been teaching them how to use these devices. It has been giving advanced training on its workforce on the use of these devices and giving them professional support to make it easier for them. These efforts have been directed towards making sure that employees have a good working environment. The ergonomics program was initiated at the turn of the millennium and was continued in 2004 with more focus on communication between employees. Through the use of remote and mobile gadgets, employees can even perform their normal office duties at the comfort of their homes. The company has continued investing in technology in order to enhance its relationship with its employees and in order to come up with a competent workforce. (IBM, 2008a) In line with the changing environment in political health care, the company has come up with incentives to health program which is aimed at ensuring the employee of the company have access to health facility. This was in line with the changing legal requirement of the company to take a more positive role partnership with the government on the health of their employees. Therefore the company has come up with programs that are aimed at ensuring that there is maximum observance of the health of the employees. In the United States the company has been offering Health Living Rebate program. It has also been carrying out several smoking cessation program that award employees who do not smoke with a $ 150 cash rebate. This program has helped to improve the health of its workforce. However the company has been criticized on it police to reduce pensions for the retirees. It has been shown the contribution of the company to the health of its retirees has been decreasing in the recent past. This follows the 2001 initiative which was aimed at cutting the pensions contribution of the company. (IBM, 2008b) The company has given the employee their freedom of association therefore they are allowed to join any union which they want like [emailprotected] This has been in sense of upholding the right of the individuals. This has been one of the most important steps that have helped to improve the relationship between the company and the employees. Currently the company enjoys a warm relationship with the employees. There has been no incidence of employee unrest in the organization. However there have been issues that have been expressed by the human resources department on the cutting of pension contribution by the company. But in general the relationship between the company and the employees is cordial. (IBM, 2008c) Recommendations There are several recommendations that the can be made to the organization in regard to its practice of human resource management. These recommendations are meant to improve the relationship between the organization and its employees. This is in realization that disgruntled employees is one of the worst arsenal that can attach the organization from within and which is likely to lead to underperformance of the word force. Therefore there is need for the organizations to come push for he implementation of the above recommendations. The most important the organist should look at now is the thorniest issue of the pension that has been a cause of dissatisfaction in the employees. Most employees and most workers union have expressed there concern about the way in which the company has been treating the employees especially on matters concerning the workforce and their pensions. Therefore the company should realize that one of the most important factors that it should currently look at is the way in which it will take care of its employee’s pension. The company has to carry out a review of it policy on the pension and come to an agreement with the demands of the employees. The issue of pension has been one of the thorniest issues in the world due to the response that way in which the government has been calling for partnership with the companies in meeting the medical cost of the retirees. It is shameful for any multinational company to have disgruntled retirese as this is likely to have an impact on the culture of the company. Once the retirees express their concerns on the way they have been treated by the company, there is likelihood of having other employee in the company who will also express their concerns which may affect the whole workforce. (Taggart, 2001) In its all branches in the world, the company has also been faced by a thorny issue of lying off its employees. In 2007, the company laid off 1315 workers in United States. There has been a concern with the way in which the company has been rewarding these employees for loss of their livelihood. As such there have been calls from the workers union for the company to make sure that it compensates all those who lose the jobs. There were many complains from the employees who argued that they were given a short notice before their dismissal from their jobs. Therefore it is recommended that the company gives it employees enough time in order to prepare them for any impending lay off. This would give the company credibility on human resource management issue and it will also help to have satisfied employees even if they are laid off. There has also been an issue in the way the company has been carrying out its recruitment. Though it has been working on the point of equity in recruitment there are concerns that have been realized that there are usually disparity in the workforce especially when it comes to the issue of gender balance in the workplace. It has been shown that the recruitment process in the company has also not given the youths enough chance to participate in the workforce and therefore there is a large proportion of the elderly workforce in the company that the young people. This is likely to have a negative impact not only on the society but also on the future of the company since there will always be a succession gap in the leadership and other sections of the company. Therefore it is recommended that the company should come up with a graduate recruitment process that will give young people more chance of participating in the development of the company. This would help the company to come up with a successive generation of workforces. (Hersh, 2000) There has also been an issue of motivation the workforce. Having motivated workforce is one of the most important factors that help an organization to increase its productivity and at the same time increase the productivity of the workforce. In this regard the company needs to come up with a clear program with will give ways in which it will motivate its workforce. The organization should come up with a more defined procedure which will be use to motivate the employee and reward them according to their performance. (Rupert, 2000) Conclusion Employee relation is an important aspect that helps an organization to create a competitive edge in the market. Most of the companies in the world have embarked on programs that are aimed at empowering their employees in order to have a competent workforce. IBM has also come up with several programs that are aimed at ensuring that the company cerates a competitive work force. In this regard it has taken several steps that have been aimed at addressing the welfare of the employees. In the last 10 years that have been many changes that have taken place in the organization that have been influenced by external and internal factors. External factors like the changes that have been taking place in technology have prompted the company to also integrate some technological aspect in the working process of its employees. Therefore it has come up with ergonomics to enhance the productivity the employees. The changes that have been taking place in the legal and political factors have also helped the company to make changes in the management of its workforce. In respect of human rights, the company has streamlined its operation to eliminate labor oppression like use of child labor, unfair working conditions and others not only in its plants but also in its supply chain. However there are some areas of concern that the company still needs to address as far as its relationship with employees is concerned. One of the most critical areas that it need to address is the area of pensions which as been one of the thorny issues in the company. There have been complaints on the way the company has reduced its level of contribution n to the welfare of the retirees. The company also needs to address the area of recruitment and rewarding of employees. References [emailprotected], (2008). IBM: Stop Pay Cuts. Retrieved from http://www.allianceibm.org/ on 9th May 2008 Clegg, S. (1999). Global human resource management issues. London: Sage Hersh, J. (2000). Globalization and social change in workforce. London: Rutledge IBM, (2008a): Employee well-being: Ergonomics. Retrieved from http://www.ibm.com/ibm/responsibility/people/wellbeing/ergonomics.shtml on 9th May 2008 IBM, (2008b): Employee well-being: work/life balance. Retrieved from http://www.ibm.com/ibm/responsibility/people/wellbeing/work-life-balance.shtmlon 9th May 2008 IBM, (2008c): Employee well-being: Incentives to health. Retrieved from http://www.ibm.com/ibm/responsibility/people/wellbeing/incentives-to-health.shtmlon 9th May 2008 IBM, (2008d): Employee well-being: Promoting health and well-being. Retrieved from http://www.ibm.com/ibm/responsibility/people/wellbeing/promoting-health.shtmlon 9th May 2008 IBM, (2008e): Employee well-being: Workforce Relations. Retrieved from http://www.ibm.com/ibm/responsibility/people/wellbeing/workforce-relations.shtmlon 9th May 2008 IBM, (2008f): About IMB. Retrieved from http://www.ibm.com/ibm/us/en on 9th May 2008 Rupert, A. (2000). Globalization and employee relations; Routledge Taggart, J. (2001). Multinationals in a new era: international human resource strategy. London: Palgrave

India Is A Secular Country

India Is A Secular Country I think one of our contradictions and limitations of our democracy was conferral of group rights. Through this provision every religion most importantly Christianity and Muslims can have their own set of religious rights including having their own personal law and all the religious institutions are free to propaganda their own religion and raise money without taxes. Since 1947,Various religions,castes and tribes have been accommodated in our country through group rights, liberal constitutionalism and layered federalism.(Bajpai,2003) I think adopting group rights in our constitution it led to a form of liberalism discourse where as there is a conflict between state sovereignty and Individual rights. In India the concept of religion is deeply rooted, from time to time the ruling classes and the forces which want to control the society has always used religion to mobilise people for electoral votes. In the post-1947 period, all the political parties in order create their exclusive vote banks, they resort to linguistic, regional, religious identities which leads to polarisation among the masses. For eg: targeting Muslim vote banks, congress always appeased the fundamentalists of the community and agreed to all their religious demands while ignoring the basic issues of Muslims which would enable their political participation and economic and cultural development. The political parties to divert the attention of people from miserable ground realities will come up with deceptive slogans and issues. Exploiting the media they will create religious and communal differences among the common masses for their political interests. The decade of 1980s was a decade which saw secular-nationalis t discourse. Its the time when the Indian Identity got fragmented into various smaller sectional identities. To put it in Foucauldian terms Insurrection of littleselves . He notes that this modern form of power is characterized by an immensely flexible braiding of coercion and consent (Nigam,2000).In 80s, BJP, a Hindu nationalist, right wing party dubbed the Congresss secularism as Pseudo-secularism. The secular theory was condemned in the context that it did not respect the wishes and interests of Hindu majority; They felt Hindus were the ones most affected by it. They claimed it pampered the minority, especially Muslims and lower caste. By not respecting Hindu values, it snubs the Indian idea of secularism which calls for à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾equal respect for all religions (sarva dharma-sambhav). According to BJP, true secularism, can only be achieved through true equality, which must start from the premise that Hindus constitute the majority population (Hansen 1996). The real pursuit of the discourse of Hindu Nationalism is to achieve equality through difference. The rise of religious identities in India is questioning the fundamental values of democracy. Though Hindu nationalism was steadily growing in 1980s it got radicalized in 1990s. The actors behind this radicalization were assertiveness of lower caste, underperforming political- administrative system (license Raj), increased insecurity because of Globalisation and feeling of dislocation of nation and national identity. The fervour of Hindu nationalism was at its peak at this time and struck chord with Hindu middle classes. Thus Nation-state became a vehicle to disseminate hindutva Ideology. This dogmatism resulted in the demolition of babri masjid. In this discourse to Hindu Nationalism, Muslims were demonized as operational others as they are constraining India to achieve modernity because their cultural obsoleteness and population overgrowth. Also they are considered to be the reason for the dislocation of the nation in the past and the contemporary times. They according to Hindu nationalism, also block the full realization of democracy due to their block voting and stunt the full development of a tolerant secularism due to their intransigence and intolerance (Hansen 1996). Thus the varied notions of authenticity, sovereignty and superiority among these religious groups especially Hindus and Muslims and discourse of rights and equality among these social groups lead to Hindu Nationalism. Hindu Nationalist discourse sought to portray the muslims as inherently doctrine, undemocratic, anti-modern and patriarchal. Hindutva forces like RSS,BJP used a religious language to create a political discourse. To acquire power Hindtuva forces came up with a political ideology to influence the voters and mobilise them on religious grounds by making them increasingly religious consciousness. Hindutvas manifested Hinduism was more hegemonic, chauvinistic and political in character. Hindutva politics used selective religious symbolism that forms a to promote a particular version of Hinduism that fitted the RSSs larger vision of the nation-state by wiping those ideologically inconvenient components of Hinduism. The whole Hindu nationalist movement promoted a view that religion no longer needs to be hidden from the public space, under the garb of secularism. Hindutva forces adapted an aggressive and chauvinistic form of Hinduism. For eg: They brought out the whole concept of Bharartha Matha who is pictured as one form of Hindu kali. During processions they calls for Hindu unity are common and one frequently heard chant is This country is a Hindu country! Its the Hindu peoples own country! Most prevalent of all is Om Kali! Jai Kali! Bharatmata ki jai! In other words, while proclaiming victory in Hindi to Mother India unambiguously understood as Bharat, Hindu India it is supremely violent Kali who is invoked and praised. RSSs activists say Kalis name inspires courage in them, but almost all slogans are plainly intended, too, to be aggressively Hindu and they are understood as such by Muslims and Christians, who hear them most vigorously, yelled out when a procession passes a mosque or church.  [1]   The thematic Hindu nationalism sought the support of religious institutions, orders and festivals in this regard. Among the various festivals, Hindutva has systematically targeted few religious festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi for political purposes. Through indoctrination of colourful, seductive processions the Hindutva forces on a daily basis succeeds in Hinduisation of the public spheres. Lot of Hindu festivals are no more a symbol of religious and cultural traditions but are symbols of communalism. In the name of nationalist ideology, Hindutva forces manifest Hinduism through various institutions in an attempt to make the public internalise Hinduvta ideas which indirectly influences the masses in everyday life. Thus these political elites artificially constructed this whole atmosphere of Hindu-Muslim antagonism through indoctrination and enfranchisement of manifested religious ideas and portrayed muslims as enemies. This resulted in systematic excorcision of muslims.Thus this resurgence of religious identities is not a problem of democracy or secularism its a problem of political vested interests executed through our democratic institutions. Muslims in India are increasingly facing socially exclusion. Muslims are looked at with suspicion and contempt. Its a very disturbing trend to see reports like Muslims are not able to find homes  [2]  and the highest number of untrailed cases are from muslim community  [3]  . How can we be a good democracy if Minorities of our country doesnt feel at peace? A liberal secular democracy shouldnot tolerate matters of faith triumphing over ourconstitution. Religion should not interfere in state affairs. Understanding tolerance as secularism is wrong.as citizens regardless of which community we belong to we must not tolerate certain things.

Canada and NATO :: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO

In the book entitled Canada, NATO and The Bomb: The Western Alliance in Crisis by Tom Keating and Larry Pratt the main issue discussed was Canada’s position in Europe, North America and their view on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It went into specific issues dealing with political tension within Canada and tension outside Canada with other countries. It went through the years of different political parties and how they dealt with the matters of NATO. It states Canada’s opinion dealing with matters such as the alliance, war, and decision making with other countries involved in NATO. The book came across Canada’s decision making as though Canada went along with the decisions made by other countries. Canada, NATO, and The Bomb is not a book to inform it is a history book. It addressed issues that had happened previously and stated the type of involvement Canada had in it. In most cases, a book dealing with these sensitive issues, which involved other countries, would provide the pros and cons but in this case only the cons of NATO and the alliance were provided. This book showed NATO as being an organization that is very unorganized. It came across as though the countries involved did not respect each other’s thoughts and opinions. It dwells on the mistakes made by countries for example the United States, various other European countries. It made it seem as though NATO was in conflict within each other making the organization as a whole seem incapable of compromise and the defence of anything. At many points NATO wanted to vote the United States out of the organization but this obviously never happened. At one point it was a problem â€Å"about the possibility of being dominated and ultimately overwhelmed by too close an association with the United States† (pg.30) for Canada and their relationship. The themes of the book were Canada and its position in NATO and NATO’s and its position in the world. The theme was not presented clearly. One of the points were Canada and the main focus was any and everything but Canada. It stated over and over again that Canada did not approve of very much but that was it. It came across as if Canada was only complaining and nothing was being done. NATO and its position are expressed as only conflicts within the congress. It was giving history presentation information dealing with NATO, its purpose and its views on important topics.

Brazilian Educational System Essay -- Education, Faith Schools

Whereas, there are few researches related to the impact of non-Christian students in Christian institutions, this study was designed to present the perceptions of insiders to the Brazilian educational system instead of the usual outside perspective. Therefore, were chosen as subject Adventist schools in the North of Brazil due to their expressive number of non-Adventist students enrolled there. The aim of this basic qualitative study is to investigate the characteristics of these schools in particular from denominational and educational leaders’ perceptions about the elevated number of non-believer there. Naturally, methods of data collection used in this study were semi-structured interviews, focus group interviews, and statistical documents from the funding institution. The research questions arising from the above objective were as follows: 1. What are the reasons for enrollment of the non-Adventist students in Adventist schools? 2. What dangers and/or advantages for Adventist schools with high number of students who do not profess the same values and beliefs? 3. What kind of actions can be taken to solve or soften this trend? REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE The expansion on the number of enrollees from other religious denominations or beliefs is a phenomenon perceived by faith schools. Although the debate between the evangelistic and protective social function of the crest schools yet persist in some academic circles, in many places around the world economic, legal, and cultural factors have impact. Tevni, Grajales, & Leon (2010) conducted a study in SDA schools with students and parents from diverse religious beliefs in Chile. They found out that both SDA and Evangelical parents contribute on ratings of emphasis on educati... ...o make distinction in the admission of students based upon race, gender, nationality, religion, or ethnic origin, students from different backgrounds have been enrolled in Adventist schools. Based on statistic report of Education Department of North Brazilian Union, the Low Amazon Conference's schools have presented an increase in number of students in all decades except in 1990s to 2000s where were lost of 1953 students in elementary-level. It happened due to economic crisis from 1996 to 2003 that led to the closure of several small schools (Azevedo, 2005). In 2010, were enrolled 6.715 students from pre-school to high school in eight elementary and two secondary schools where 77% of students belonging to other faiths and ideologies. For this study was included the secondary classes of the recent inaugurated Adventist Amazon College, located in Benevides, Parà ¡.

Women as Crime Victims

It is my belief that everyone has been affected by crime sometime in their life. Crime is inevitable because evil is in the human nature. While this is the case, women tend to experience more violent crimes because they are unwilling or unable to defend themselves appropriately against their attackers. It is a common fear among women of being sexually assaulted, raped, abused, or being the victim of any crime because of their inability to stand up for themselves because of being the weaker sex. While it is true that women have been the victims of other crimes, these three are especially dreaded because of the nature of the crime and the consequences of being the victim. There are many programs that focus on preventing violence against women as well as studies being performed in order to reduce the amount of women becoming victims of crime. These studies are important and may prevent some women from the experience of being a victim; however, ultimately does not eliminate violence against women. Prevention needs to begin from parents to the child while they are young. This can help give the child a structure in which to follow as an adult and provide future skills to help prevent them from becoming victims of violence. In an article by Pat brown, she states, â€Å"It is imperative that you understand the world of psychopaths and criminals: how they think, where they lurk, and how they lure and grab victims† (Brown, 2012, p. 50). She further goes on about a letter she received after a television interview. Brown’s article referenced the letter (2012) I just saw you on ‘The Today Show' speaking about a recent tragedy involving the violent murder of a recent high school graduate by, police believe, her boyfriend â€Å"In that interview you spoke directly to girls who have recently broken up with their partner, advising that if that partner requests a meeting post-breakup that it not be done privately because the partner is counting on the fact that she's nice and will agree to meet. ‘ I can't agree with you enough! I fear, however, that we—in particular women—don't actually teach our girls that it's okay to refuse that ‘one last time' or that it's okay and likely wise to break up in a public place or over the phone even, when one's partner exhibits dangerous traits. â€Å"Moreover, we don't even do a good job of teaching our girls how, in the depths of teenage love, to spot the subtle signs that scream ‘danger. ‘ Nor do we teach them h ow to put words to those gut instincts that tell us something is amiss with our partner and relationship, or, simply, that we deserve better than what we've been experiencing in the relationship at hand. We do, however, do a great job of teaching them that it's important to be nice, understanding, caring, and nurturing without also teaching them to be wise and deeply instinctual, as though the former and latter attributes are mutually exclusive. (p. 50) This woman is absolutely correct in my opinion. We need to educate our children while they are young on ways to prevent becoming a victim to crime. Women especially need to be aware of signs of domestic violence, unstable behaviors, risky behavior and potential situations that can put them in harm’s way. Women are more prone to sexually derived crimes like sexual assault and rape. Although these crimes can also happen to men, I believe that women are more often the target of this type of crime because women tend to be the weaker sex and are more easily overpowered by a man’s strength. According to our text, â€Å"†¦the majority of all women’s non-fatal victimizations are committed by someone the woman knows. In addition, one-third of all women homicide victims are murdered by intimate partners compared to 5% of men† (Northern Arizona University, 2009, p. 142). These statistics are a harsh reality that we as women need to recognize, realize and prepare for. Considering sexually derived crimes as one of the most horrific kind of crime out there, we need to begin to spread awareness on how to protect ourselves. This day in age it is important that every adult woman know how to fire a gun as well as simple life saving techniques for survival when being attacked. After all, violence will continue, and according to Bindel, â€Å"Violence against women is an international epidemic. It has been identified by the World Health Organization as a grave health issue, affecting more people than HIV and Aids† (Bindel, 2010, p. 38).References Bindel, Julie. 2010. â€Å"A weapon against half the world.† New Statesman 139, no. 4991: 38-39. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed July 1, 2013). Brown P. Saving Your Daughter’s Life. USA Today Magazine [serial online]. November 2012;141(2810):50-51. Available from: Academic Search Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed July 1, 2013. Northern Arizona University. (2009). Investigating dif ference: Human and cultural relations in criminal justice. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Men’s Pride Essay

In a story or a work of fiction, the characters are remembered by beliefs and personalities only they possess. These personality and belief make them stand out from all the other characters in the story. They do not have to be the lead protagonist or the main antagonist; rather, their belief or trait makes them the best in the eyes of some readers. In the case of two greatest works of fiction, â€Å"Epic of Gilgamesh† and â€Å"Othello†, it is the pride of the character and their belief in themselves that makes them stand out from the others. It is the pride and later the ability to set it aside and apologize for their deed. In the â€Å"Epic of Gilgamesh†, Gilgamesh, the great king stood out because he was the proudest of the proud. His belief in himself caused most of the misfortune that took place in the story. Only in the end did he realize his mistakes. The same may be said on Othello in the play that Shakespeare wrote. He was also proud, and this pride has caused as much misfortune in the story as did the trait of Gilgamesh. This also made him stand out from among the other characters. The Mighty Gilgamesh The Epic of Gilgamesh is an epic that originated in Iraq. It is a Sumerian legend about a great King, who is like a God. He has a strength that cannot be equaled. He is also as powerful as their gods wherein neither man nor animal can defeat him. As such, the gods decided to create another being that can equal him. When Gilgamesh met this being, whom the gods named, Enkidu, Gilgamesh immediately liked him. They easily became friends despite the initial plan of the gods to have Enkidu kill Gilgamesh. Their bond was instantaneous. They started doing a lot of adventures together, even those that are forbidden and may offend gods (Hooker). Unfortunately, in one of their adventures a god was offended and as punishment for this, Enkidu died. After Enkidu’s death Gilgamesh was almost out of his mind and did more dim-witted decisions that caused misfortunes. However, despite what he saw, he did not apologize but rather remained proud. Only after all his adventures did he come to his knees and realized his mistakes (Hooker). From this short synopsis of the epic, it may be seen that at the very beginning, Gilgamesh already showed his pride and belief in his self. He was aware of his great power and the gift of strength that destiny has gifted upon him. The king of Uruk knew that none of his subjects can defeat him or defy him. As such, he lived by this knowledge and used it to his advantage (â€Å"Epic of Gilgamesh†). He was a proud and tyrannical king and he stood out because of this. Even though his arrogant actions caused the death of his best friend Enkidu, this did not erase the fact that he was a memorable character because of it. He was much known than Enkidu not only because he carried the namesake of the epic’s title, but also because he went against the society. He did not become what other kinds are. He was cruel to his subjects. He was almost an antagonist rather than the lead protagonist due to his pride. He made the story move by not conforming to the people’s expectations (â€Å"Epic of Gilgamesh†). However, despite the seemingly terrible character of Gilgamesh he should also be commended for being proud of himself. It should be noted that to stand up and remain proud despite other people’s constant prodding to become nicer is a hard task especially for a king. Even the gods were urging him to become kinder to his subjects but he never gave in. Also, it should be noted that his pride is his strength. Because of it, he was able to overcome other difficult tasks that saved his kingdom. Had he not been that arrogant, he would not have risked his life for the tasks that he was assigned to and he would not have been able to save his people. Furthermore, he would have committed suicide as a sign of apology for his actions. Thus, with this, the non-conformity and the trait of Gilgamesh made him a character that is very memorable. The Proud Othello Shakespeare’s â€Å"Othello† is about the moor Othello, whose life suddenly made a turn because of the envy of one of the other characters. The great Othello was promoted in his job and his first action was to appoint an assistant. Iago, who was expecting to get the job, was not chosen. Instead Cassio became Othello’s lieutenant. In his fury, Iago sought revenge against Othello and Cassio (Shakespeare). In order to have his revenge realized, Iago weaved lies in the lives of both Cassio and Othello, and even in the lives of other characters involved with the two. This twisted the story to the point that this not only caused Othello and Cassio’s death, but as well as other people whose lives were connected to them. Most of the people, including Othello, believed the lies that Iago told them. By the end of the story, Othello could no longer contain his guilt and killed himself and claimed responsibility (Shakespeare). From this short synopsis it may be derived that Othello’s life had been simple in the beginning. It was only made complex by the lies that Iago weaved in order to realize his revenge. Despite the fact that Iago’s characteristics may actually make him stand out, Othello still is the most memorable character. As in the case of the Epic of Gilgamesh, Othello stood out because of his pride and belief in himself. Being a moor, many would have contradicted his promotion. The society may dislike the fact that a man foreign of nature should not lead the army of Italy. However, because of Othello’s pride and confiedence, he proved himself worthy of the title (Black). To further prove that he was not like anyone else, an instance in the story told that most men try to use potions in order to attract the beautiful Desdemona. Desdemona’s father even believed that Othello did the same when he learned that Othello was sleeping with his daughter. But then, because of Othello’s pride and self-belief, he went against the society’s expectations. He was able to lure Desdemona without potions or magic (Shakespeare). Despite the seeming good results of Othello’s arrogance though, it should not be neglected that the same arrogance killed Desdemona at the end of the story. The inability to accept the truth caused him to kill her. This may be considered saddening as it was not entirely his fault. However, he was still the one who smothered her with the pillow (Shakespeare). Othello’s pride and belief in himself made him stand out from the crowd. He did not conform to the expectations that as a foreigner he cannot be a good soldier to their country. He also proved that he can get the woman he admires with sheer manliness and not through potions or magic. Even the fact that he got himself into trouble because of his pride made his character that is not like any other. He defied society’s expectations especially when he took his life at the end of the play. This was an act of remorse for rebelling against the expectations that he did not want to apologize for. He did not conform because it would have meant hurting his enormous ego. Conclusion From the given information, it may be concluded that the two characters in the two given pieces of literature, â€Å"Epic of Gilgamesh† and â€Å"Othello†, are characters that stood out from the crowd because of their pride and self-belief. Because of being proud, they could not afford to follow what other believed them to follow. They had to show their ability to decide for their own even though it may mean misfortune. They stood out because they went past the people’s expectations and proved themselves better than any other man. They had to act according to their will because of their pride which took great strength. More importantly, in the end of their tales, they showed remorse by killing themselves rather than apologizing which the society expects from them. Works Cited Black, Edward. 2009. â€Å"Oedipus and Othello: Pride and the Tragic Hero†. Lone Star College. 30 April 2009 < http://northharris. lonestar. edu/30938/ >. â€Å"Epic of Gilgamesh. † 2009. Mythmanhelp. 30 April 2009 < http://mythmanhelp. tripod. com/id9. html >. Hooker, Richard. 1999. â€Å"Gilgamesh†. World Civilizations. 30 April 2009 < http://www. wsu. edu/~dee/MESO/GILG. HTM >. Shakespeare, William. 2003. â€Å"Othello†. shakespeare-literature. com. 30 April 2009 < http://www. shakespeare-literature. com/Othello/0. html >.

Causes and Effect of Pollution in Our Environment Essay

INTRODUCTION This chapter presents the overview of the topic about the causes and effects of air pollution to our environment. The term air pollution is a mixture of natural and manmade substances in the air we breath such as fine particles produced by the burning of fossils fuel ground level ozone, which is a reactive form of oxygen that is a primary component of urban smog and noxious gases such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and chemical vapors. The health effects of air pollution have been reported in research studies over the past 30 years. These effects include respiratory diseases such as asthma, cardiovascular diseases changes in lung development in children. What pollutants affect air quality? A few air pollutants, called criteria air pollutants, are common throughout the United States. These pollutants can injure health, harm the environment and cause property damage. The current criteria pollutants are carbon monoxide, lead nitrogen oxide, ozone, particulate matter with aerodynamic size less than or equal to 10 micrometers, and sulfur dioxide. What are the causes of air pollution? There are many causes of air pollution examples of these are burning of plastics, vehicles, heavy factories and scattered garbage.  These research aims to give and share information and knowledge to the readers regarding to the topic. The purpose of conducting this research is to emphasize on how pollution affects are mankind and the environment. It will also help us to know more about pollution and how we can avoid and save our mother earth. And what are the causes and effects of air pollution. The objectives of these research is to understand the environment and its component to human life, it gives information about the cause and effects brought by the fast spreading of pollution, it also determine the sources of pollution. As the fast moving fluid medium in the environment the atmosphere has always been one of the convenient place to despise of unwanted materials. Ever  since we first used fire, the atmosphere has been a sink for waste disposal. Read more:  Essay About Haze CHAPTER II DISCUSSION I. INDOOR POLLUTION We have to spend a considerable of effort and money to control the major outdoor air pollutants but we have only recently become aware of the danger of indoor air pollutants. The EPA has formed that indoor concentration of toxic air pollutants are often higher than outdoor. Furthermore, people generally spend more time inside than out and therefore are exposed to higher closes of these pollutants. In some cases indoor air in home has chemical concentrations that would be illegal outside or when the workplace. Under some circumstances compounds and styrene can be seventy time higher indoor air than in outdoor in. II. POLLUTION CONTROL For dater stationary and mobile sources of air pollutants the most reasonable strategies for control have been to reduce, collect, capture or retain the pollutants before they enter the atmosphere. From an environmental view point, the reduction of emissions through energy efficiency and conservation measures, we disease pollutants control for selected air pollutants. A. POLLUTION CONTROL: PARTICULATES Particulates emitted from fugitive, point, or area stationary source are much easier to control than are the very small particulates of primary or secondary origin release from mobile sources, such as automobile. As you learn more about these very small particles, we will have to devise new methods to control them. Particulates from fugitive sources must be controlled or site so the wind does not blow them the atmosphere. Methods include protecting open areas controlling dust, and reducing the effects of wind. B. POLLUTION CONTROL: AUTOMOBILES Control the pollutants such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and hydro carbon in urban areas is but achieved through pollution control measures for  automobiles. Control of this material will also limit ozone formation in the lower atmosphere. Since ozone forms through reaction, with nitrogen oxide and hydrocarbons in the presence of sunlight. Nitrogen oxides from automobile exhaust are controlled by recirculation exhaust gas diluting the air to fuel mixture being burned in the engine. Delusion reduces the temperatures of combustion and decrease the oxygen concentration in the burning mixtures, resulting in the production of fewer nitrogen oxides. Unfortunately the same process increase hydrocarbons emissions. Nevertheless, exhaust the circulation the reduce nitrogen oxide emissions has been common practice in the United States for more than 20 years. C. POLLUTION CONTROL: SULFUR DIOXIDE Sulfur dioxide emissions can be reducing through basic measures performed before, during or after combustion. Technology to clean up coal so it will burn more cleanly is already available. Although the cause of removing sulfur mix fuel more expensive, the expense must be balanced against the long term consequences of burning sulfur- rich coal. Changing from high- sulfur coal low sulfur coal seems solution to reducing emissions of sulfur dioxide. In some regions, this change will work. Unfortunately most low sulfur coal in the United States is located in the Western part of the country, whereas, must coal is burn in the east. Thus, transportation is an issues use of low- sulfur coal is a solutions only in cases where it is economically feasible. III. GENERAL EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION The effects of air pollution on vegetation are numerous. They include damage to leaf tissue, needles and fruit reduction in growth rates are sufficient of growth, increase susceptibility to a variety of diseases, pests, and adverse weather and disruption of reproductive processes. Air pollutants is a significant factor in the human death rate for many large cities, for example, it has been estimated that in Athens, Greece, the number of death is several times higher on days when the air is heavenly  polluted and in Hungary, where are pollution has been a serious problem in recent years. Air pollution effects many aspects of our environment its visual qualities, vegetation, animals, soils, water quality, natural and artificial structures and human health. Air pollutants affects the visual resources by discoloring the atmosphere and by reducing visual range and atmospheric clarity so that the visual contrast of distant objects is decrease. IV. CLEAN AIR LEGISLATION The clean air act amendments of 1990 are comprehensive revelations enacted by the U.S congress that address acid rain, toxic emissions, ozone depletion, and automobile exhaust. In dealing with acid deposition, the amendments established limits of the maximum permissible emissions 0f sulfur dioxide from utility companies for new coil. The 1990 amendments also call for reduction emission of nitrogen dioxide by approximately 2 million from the 1980 level. Greater reduction would be difficult because large amount of nitrogen oxide emissions are related to automobiles, rather than to coal burning power plants. The clean air amendments also deal with ozone depletion in the stratosphere. The goal is to end the production of all CFC and other chlorine chemicals and steps by 2030. Environmentalist can also purchase these permits to keep them from being bought by utility companies, forcing the utility companies to use more vigorous pollution abatement techno. Buying of permits by environmentalist however, has not been a major factor. An innovative aspect of the legislation is to provide incentives to utility companies to reduced emissions of sulfur dioxide by providing marketable permits that allow companies to buy and sell the right to pollute. VII. SOURCES AND CAUSES Motor vehicle emissions are one of the leading causes of air pollution. China, United States, Russia, Mexico, and Japan are the world leaders in air pollution emissions, however, Canada is the number 2 country ranked per capita. Principal stationary pollution sources include chemical plants, coal fired power plants, oil refineries petro chemical plants nuclear waste  disposal activity, incinerators, large livestock forms, PVC factories, metals production factories, plastics, and other heavy industry. Some of the more common soil contaminations are chlorinated hydrocarbons heavy metals, MTBE, zinc, arsenic, and benzene. Ordinary municipal landfills are the sources of many chemical substances entering the soil environment emanating from the wide variety of refuse accepted especially substances illegally discarded there, are from pre- 1970 landfills that may have been subject to little control in the U.S or EU. There have also been some unusual releases of poly chlorinated dibenzodioxins, commonly called dioxins for simplicity such as TCDD. Pollution can also be the consequences of a natural disaster. For example, hurricanes often involve water contamination from sewage, and petrochemical spills from ruptured boats or automobiles. Larger scale and environmental damage is not uncommon when coastal oil rings or refineries are involved. Some sources of pollution such as nuclear power plants or oil tankers can produce widespread and potentially hazardous releases when accidents occur. In the case of noise pollution dominant source class in the motor vehicles producing abut ninety percent of all unwanted noise worldwide. A. HUMAN HEALTH Adverse air quality can kill many organism including human. Ozone pollution can cause respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, threat inflammation, chest pain, and congestion. Water pollution causes approximately 14,000 deaths per day, mostly due to contamination of drinking water by untreated sewage in developing countries. Oil spiles can cause skin irritation and rashes, Noise pollution induces hearing loss, high blood pressure, stress, and sleep disturbance. B. ECOSYSTEMS Sulfur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen can cause acid rain which reduces the PH value of soil affect other organisms in the flood web. Smog and haze can reduce the amount of sunlight received by plants to carryout photosynthesis. Invasive species can out compete native species plants can contribute debris and biomlecules that can alter soil and chemical compositions of an  environment, often reducing native species competitiveness. Biomagnifications describes a situation where toxins may be pass through tropic levels, becoming exponentially more concentration in the process. C. OZONE Ozone is a gas. It can be good or bad depending on where it is â€Å"good† ozone occurs naturally about 10 to 30 miles above the earth surface. It shields us from the seems ultraviolet rays. Part of the god ozone layer is gone destroyed by manmade chemicals. Without enough god ozone, people may get too much ultraviolet radiation. This may increase the risk of skin cancer, cataracts and immune systems problems. â€Å"Bad† ozone is at ground level. It forms when pollutants from cars, factories, and other sources react chemically with sunlight. It is the main ingredient in smog. It is usually worst in the summer. Breathing lead ozone can be harmful causing throat irritation worsening of asthma, bronchitis and emphysema, and even permanent lung damage, if you are regularly exposed to it. VIII. OUTDOOR AIR POLLUTION: POSSIBLE HEALTH EFFECTS What symptom does air pollution cause? Air pollution can irritate the eyes, throat and lungs. Burning eyes cough and chest tightness are common with exposure to high levels of air pollution.  Different people can react very differently to air pollution. Some people may notice chest tightness are cough, while others may not noticed any effects. Because exercise requires faster deeper breathing, it may increase the symptoms. People with heart disease such as angina or with lung disease asthma or emphysema may be very sensitive to air pollution exposure, and may notice symptoms when others do not. CHAPTER III CONCLUSION This chapter presents the discussion entitled the causes and effects of air pollution to our environment.  Air pollution discussed treats pollution as a result of the rapids rise of the human populations and one of the causes of changes of the environment  which usually being about destruction of biotech communities. The causes and effect of air pollution in our environment cannot be abolish if only the people abuse and neglect the significance of environment and the community.  So, I therefore conclude that the cause and effect of air pollution to our environment can avoided if we make proper used in the environment in the importance and cleanliness of this and needed of human life. In setting standards to protect public health from the effect of air pollutants the concept of their holds may not be useful because certain population groups are very sensitive and effects and detected even at low levels. To enable the development of effective risk reduction strategies based on qualitative and quantitative knowledge, further data analysis and more comprehensive monitoring is recommended. In addition to the pollutants discussed in this study, other aspects of air pollution should also be addressed in the development of air pollution policy in Europe. These include air pollutants such as carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, persistent organic pollutants, certain metals, certain volatile organic compounds, and nitrogen trichloride. The combined effects of the urban air pollution mix also an important issue that remains unresolved. BIBLIOGRAPHY Bolkin B. Principle of Environment Science Inquiry and Application 2nd Ed. Boston: mc Graw-Hill 2004 Cunningham M. Environmental Science Earth as a Living Planet. John Wiley and Sons. Inc. 2005 James S. Earth Science; World Worth, Publication Co. C1998 Kurt F. Annual Edition: Social Problem; Mc Graw- Hill/ Duskin C2003 Oledan T. The Case for Pollution Prevention, Environment and the Law. Vol. VI No. 9 March 2007 Saspa J.P. Environment. Poison in the Air Free Press Vol. XCIV No. 3 January 18,2002 Schaeter T. Sociology -9th Ed. Boston; Mc Graw –Hill Int’l. C2005 Smitch L. Environmental Geology – 6th Ed. Boston: Mc Graw – Hill C2003 Soriano L. Save Mother Earth. Environmental Science Manila: Phoenix Publication: C1995 Thomas M. Elements of Ecology -14th Ed. Addition Wesley Longman Inc. C2002

A Whole New Beginning

The entrance to the school gate was bursting with pupils, teachers and parents, creaking with the strain of opening and shutting as wave after wave of people came through it. The temperature was 5 degrees Celsius and the grass was still wet and appeared bedraggled from the rain that had fallen last night. The air was so cold that even when you breathed your breath was hot enough to create puffs of steam, and after stepping out of your house because of the cold your face feels like it is freezing up and it starts to get numb. Even though it was this cold there were still groups of people standing outside the gates of a high school. There were groups of children scattered around everywhere, some were new pupils and some were old but they were all in different groups; there were the athletes talking non-stop about the latest football match, the nerds all huddled up talking about if they had done all of their homework over the holidays and comparing answers. The grungers just standing silently listening to their music that would probably want to make any normal person want to kill themselves; the Asian minority groups standing around talking about things that no one can understand because it is being spoken in there native tongue. Some of the older girls were wearing the latest fashion and had put on tons of makeup, and the boys were trying to impress them with their aftershave, and sleek haircuts and a swagger in their walk which they thought made them look cool. Looking around one could see the Year Nines looking excited at being in their second year of high school; they were no longer the new kids and they can now look down on the Year Eights. However, they also appeared apprehensive as they would be choosing their GCSEs for next year. You could also see the year tens pretending to mature even though it is a cover for their feelings of worry because they must start their GCSEs this year, and they know that if they fail then they will have failed life. On the opposite side there were the new pupils, some talking with their friends from their old school about what they did in the holidays and others just hanging about walking back and forth like wound up toys, looking nervous and wondering what their first day of high school would be like, with the few who were hanging about with their parents, hoping that they would not get embarrassed and wanting their parents to leave. In the middle of this all there was a small group of teachers talking amongst them selves and the older teachers welcoming the newer ones into the school. There were some of the new teachers looking around at all of the children trying to figure out which ones were the polite students and which one were the dreadful students(the ones that were any teachers worst nightmares). Suddenly, the school bell rings with a deafening volume and all you can see is all of the children and parents staring as the teachers are first to enter the school. Shortly after the teachers entered the building all of the newer students rush towards the gate hoping to get to their classroom in time so that they are not late. All of the upper school pupils are still standing there and talking, like the school bell has not affected them because they know that there is no point in rushing to get to class because every one will make it; unlike normal school in this school it isn't the students that are late it is the teachers.

The Civil Service Examinations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Civil Service Examinations - Essay Example This system was abolished in 1905 to adopt the science and technology-based curricula practiced by the western nations. This set it apart from the Song Dynasty exam system that followed Confucian classical methods. The Qin Dynasty and the Han Dynasty were both built around the same time i.e Qin around 221-208 BC and Chinese rulers’ controlled Han around 206BC-AD 220.Both Dynasties. Under this dynasties heir was no central political force in China and as such, the great nomad empires emerged such Liao and the great Mongol empires. Both tenures were characterized by ruthlessness and tyrannical demands on the people to pay heavy taxes and compulsory labor. These dynasties were effective in the sense that, during these periods there was relative peace in China. However, they both had weak military forces and were easily overrun by the nomadic tribes of the north. Both the Sui and the Tang Dynasty rulers’ were part nomads. These rulers’ were non-Chinese but their reign was considered Chinese. Both regimes were very successful in terms of commerce as the Sui were able to connect Yellow and Yangtze (Grand Canal) eastward waterways starting from Beijing to Hangzhou, thereby enabling nationwide commerce to thrive especially under the more prosperous Tang Dynasty. In addition, both Dynasties occurred after the reign of the Six Dynasties i.e. Sui from 589-617 AD and Tang from 618-907 AD(Ebrey, Walthall & Palais 2009 p89). These Dynasties were effective in the sense that they had stronger military’s that helped re-unify China and that there was an improvement in commerce in this periods. However, under these regimes, the citizens suffered tyranny from the government in the form of forced labor and heavy taxes. in addition, the costly and often disastrous military escapades in Korea combined with corruption, disloyalty, and assas sinations led to popular revolts resulting in the overthrow of the Sui dynasty.

Market Penetration and Branding Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Market Penetration and Branding - Coursework Example Trade promotions, on the other hand, refer to incentives such as discounts, schemes, commissions and freebies that are meant to ensure that the traders stock up and that instances of stock-outs are reduced.Loyalty programs, on the other hand, refer to reward programs that companies offer to loyal customers who frequently purchase their products and services (Davis 169). The loyalty programs are often rolled out such that customers are given specific numbers that they use when making purchases. The long-term purpose of loyalty programs is to reward the customers who the organization considers loyal with free merchandise or to provide them with advanced access to products that have been freshly injected into the market. In as much as both the practice of creating loyalty programs, as well as that embracing sales promotion activities, play a role in ensuring that companies get their expected profits, I presume true the fact that the practice of embracing sales promotion activities is more efficient as compared to that of using loyalty programs. This is because they increase the level of sales when they are floated, and even after their duration has elapsed, organizations normally find themselves in a better position as compared to its competitors within the market. Tasked with the responsibility of developing a branding strategy for Achilles casual shoes, I would settle on Achilles in Trend as the brand name. Similarly, I would embrace sales promotion activities as my branding strategy.

Visitor centre Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Visitor centre - Essay Example Considering that the terrain is a pond, the piles are designed such that the loads from the footings are transmitted to the underlying strata with enough bearing capacity to support the load without settlement. Notice that all columns are within the wall perimeter, both internal and exterior walls. Since all exterior walls shall be of glazing, it would be aesthetically appropriate to have the glazing occupy the full width of a span then being split into two with a central column. As mentioned previously, the footings will convey the loads to the piles which in turn are supported by rigid strata. Lateral loads (wind, ground movement) are countered by beams connected to the columns. The only beams inclined from the horizontal are the roof beams which support the grass roof. The structure in this scheme is fairly stable as long as the beams are of the adequate size and the beam-to-column connections are sufficiently anchored to each other. The only issue would be the stability of the foundation, thus a comprehensive geotechnical study has to be done to determine the most suitable type of foundation. Scheme 2 is recommended for the proposed structure. The addition of intermediate beams to support the slab would translate to the reduction in the size of the members. Although more columns can be introduced in the structure, it may not be economical for the reason that more foundation must be made to support it. However, more columns would result in less loads carried by each footing, there is the danger of differential settlement to deal with. Ultimately, an extensive geotechnical study must be conducted to determine the best foundation in this case. When the type of foundation is determined, the structural framing can then be designed to suit the type of foundation whether be it pile or mat foundation which almost is the case for small bearing capacities typical of soft soils. The structure shall have bigger girders (column-to-column) beams and smaller intermediate beams. References: McCarthy D., (2006) Essentials of Soil Mechanics and Foundations: Basic Geotechnics. Salmon C., Johnson, J., Malhas, F. (2008) Steel Structures: Design and Behavior. USA: Prentice

Hunger and Poverty among African-Americans in the last ten years in Research Paper

Hunger and Poverty among African-Americans in the last ten years in Texas - Research Paper Example The term poverty is defined as the lack of some basic needs of living. As such the research work is done to identify and evaluate the multiple dimensions of poverty and hunger associated with the Afro American group of the state. Therefore, the research question is to identify the reasons and impacts of hunger and poverty of the African-Americans in the last ten years in Texas. The Great Financial Crisis (GFC) of 2008 seems to have had many negative effects on the United States including Texas. One of the main effects of the economic downturn has been the increase in the poverty rates in Texas since the year 2009. Poverty and food insecurity among the Afro American people seem to be closely interlinked. One in four Afro American people live are eligible for an amount of $11, 670 assistance from the government. In case of a single member household the percentage of assistance varies from 100% to 400%. The level of percentage is the same for household size of 1 to 8 but the amount of assistance varies. For example, the amount of assistance for a 2 member household at the 100% level is $15, 730. The 100% assistance is highest for 8 members household where the assistance amount is $40, 090. Lee and Frongillo (2001) have identified in their work that the rate of poverty among the children in the Afro American group living in Texas is alarmingly high which has p ut the whole future generation in a risky state (Lee and Frongillo, 2001). The term of poverty line is denoted as the threshold level or the minimum amount of money a person needs to lead a life in a particular country. Almost 35.7% of the total population of Afro American children belong to the below poverty line group in Texas as compared to only 20% of the American children living below the poverty line specified by the federal government. Despite being a state experiencing high growth and development, the poverty rate in Texas is high. Poverty is Texas seems

305T, Process Description Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

305T, Process Description - Essay Example Blair maintains in his paper that trying to manage time begins with ‘the three Eff words’. â€Å"The three "Eff" words are Effective - having a definite or desired effect; Efficient - productive with minimum waste or effort; Effortless - seemingly without effort; natural, easy.† (Blair) If any company embraces this and passes it on to its workers, then a culture of time management can be inculcated effortlessly. Clemmer lays emphasis on personal organization. True to his work, time management is greatly affected by personal prioritization and scheduling. Lack of these two on personal levels could lead to a highly disorganized work area hence more inefficiency. He has a customized approach abbreviated as PODS. P reflects prioritization, O for organization, D for disciplines and S for systems (Clemmer). The approach he advices, is bound to run only if there are set goals and targets. Organization just like multitasking is not common for many. Therefore one needs dis cipline to manage time and systemization of tasks. Downs holds it that time management is a five step process. â€Å"It generally involves a five-step process: setting priorities, analyzing, filtering, scheduling, and executing† (Downs 1). The suggestion by Downs is interlinked with that of Clemmer. They are all about planning. Both scholars give a step by step rationale for time management hence the notion that time management is all about planning creeps in. This is further supported by another author; Hellsten whose rationale has seven important steps. According to Hellsten, â€Å"Time management is most commonly defined by: (a) time analysis, (b) planning, (c) goal setting, (d) prioritizing, (e) scheduling, (f) organizing, and (g) establishing new and improved time habits†( Hellsten 21). Hellstens approach is broader but it culminates to the same school of thought. In light of all these scholarly contributions, institutions should put in place measures that aim at time management and focus on

Marketing Mix Strategies of Nike and Reebok in India Essay

Marketing Mix Strategies of Nike and Reebok in India - Essay Example The intention of this study is marketing mix as a very important part in crafting marketing strategy of a company. Many companies who do not focus on their marketing mix well enough face troubles. There are a lot of perils for a company that does not devise an excellent marketing mix strategy for its target customers. There are also a lot of examples of firms that despite of having a good product went out of business because their marketing mix efforts was not good. Many firms achieved great success from their average products because their marketing mix catered efficiently to the needs of the target customers. In the case of Nike and Reebok, it is also more about the marketing mix strategies of the two brands than their product offerings. Both companies were producing excellent products, but the differentiating factor between their success and failure had has been their marketing mix strategies. Reebok was a quick learner and it quickly shifted its focus on the marketing mix of its product, whereas it took several years for Nike to adjust its marketing mix in India. Indians are different from the other nations of the world, just like other nations are different from Indians, and hence every nation in the world has different preference in terms of prices they are paying for a category of product, the place they want to buy the product from, and the marketing efforts that would arouse them to make a purchase. Examining the marketing strategies of Nike and Reebok, one can see that their products are almost similar. Both businesses are in the business of producing sportswear and lifestyle product. Similarities between the two companies do not end here. Another common factor between the two giants in sportswear industry was their willingness to target the elite or premium sector of the society. Both company opposed the strategy of targeting masses and instead went for targeting the elites of the society. However, it is also very clear from the case that Nike was no t able to replicate the success of Reebok. The reasons for the failure of Nike lie more in their inefficient or flawed marketing mix strategies than their market offerings. Examining the other elements of the two marketing mix and probing the difference between the marketing mixes of Reebok and Nike brings us to the â€Å"Place† factor of the marketing mix. Place, in the marketing mix, is defined as a physical and virtual channel from which customers want to make the purchases of a product. In other words, it is the marketing channel that a company decides to use for selling its product. The major difference between the two marketing mixes here was the entry of these two companies. Reebok entered as a joint venture, whereas Nike started by acquiring a license with Sierra. Both strategies might look equally good, but there is a big flaw in the Nike’s entry strategy. First of all, most of the decisions regarding Nike’s products were taken by Sierra. It is very dif ficult to make sure that Sierra was taking the same actions as Nike wanted to take in the India market. Since Nike and Sierra are different brands having different objective incompatibility in their thinking would have existed. Sierra plans might not be compatible with Nike objectives and Sierra would have to take into account other factors before making Nike’s decision. In fact, Sierra was unable to market the product well. It was also unable to develop an efficient marketing channel like Reebok. Reebok on the other hand entered the market and made its own decisions. Hence, there was a clear sense of direction for the company regarding what it wants to achieve in the market. Reebok kept a wider distribution channel as compared to Nike. When Reebok had more than 500 outlets and 1500 distributor outlets, Nike just had 75 specialist outlets and around 200-300 distributor outlets. Hence, they were not reaching enough consumers in the Consumer Transformation Funnel. Reebok also t ook an excellent decision of marketing its products in Bata outlet and selling its produc