Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Themes from the Celebration at Heorot :: Celebration at Heorot Essays

Themes from the Celebration at Heorot The passage "Celebration at Heorot" presents a wide variety of subtle themes and ideas. The three main ones are: the foretelling of the doomed future, different Christian and pagan beliefs and rituals, and the enternal battle of men vs. monster (good vs. evil). This section will analyze each one of these themes. To go to a specific page, click on the links above. Men vs Monster The theme of eternal battle between men and monster can be perceived through the different stories told by scopsat the celebration. The main idea behind the stories is that even though Beowulf has heroically defeated Grendel , or mortally wounded him, the greater evil may not be defeated for it comes from a different source. The foreshadowing is that this evil will not come from monsters but from within the men. In other words, the real evil within people is still undefeated. The three stories have different agendas in regards to this theme. The first story, about Sigemund, is a happy one, and in it a hero defeats the dragon: "The hot dragon melted." (Norton, 38) The second story is about a treacherous king, Heremod, who betrays his people, "crime took possession of Heremod" (Norton, 38), and becomes a burden to his tribe. The last story is about Hildeburh, sister of King Hnaef (Norton, 41), who was married to Finn, king of the Jutes. Hnaef paid a friendly visit to his sister's home. Finn and Hnaef had an argument, and a fight broke out. Hnaef and Finn's son were killed practically before Hildeburh's very eyes. In Anglo-Saxon society, killing a relative was considered to be the worst sin of all. (Britannica, online) Thus, the evil that caused this horrible deed comes not from an fictional (imaginary) monster, but rather from the very real monster within people themselves. And, these stories show that the battle between good and evil is far from over. Themes from the Celebration at Heorot :: Celebration at Heorot Essays Themes from the Celebration at Heorot The passage "Celebration at Heorot" presents a wide variety of subtle themes and ideas. The three main ones are: the foretelling of the doomed future, different Christian and pagan beliefs and rituals, and the enternal battle of men vs. monster (good vs. evil). This section will analyze each one of these themes. To go to a specific page, click on the links above. Men vs Monster The theme of eternal battle between men and monster can be perceived through the different stories told by scopsat the celebration. The main idea behind the stories is that even though Beowulf has heroically defeated Grendel , or mortally wounded him, the greater evil may not be defeated for it comes from a different source. The foreshadowing is that this evil will not come from monsters but from within the men. In other words, the real evil within people is still undefeated. The three stories have different agendas in regards to this theme. The first story, about Sigemund, is a happy one, and in it a hero defeats the dragon: "The hot dragon melted." (Norton, 38) The second story is about a treacherous king, Heremod, who betrays his people, "crime took possession of Heremod" (Norton, 38), and becomes a burden to his tribe. The last story is about Hildeburh, sister of King Hnaef (Norton, 41), who was married to Finn, king of the Jutes. Hnaef paid a friendly visit to his sister's home. Finn and Hnaef had an argument, and a fight broke out. Hnaef and Finn's son were killed practically before Hildeburh's very eyes. In Anglo-Saxon society, killing a relative was considered to be the worst sin of all. (Britannica, online) Thus, the evil that caused this horrible deed comes not from an fictional (imaginary) monster, but rather from the very real monster within people themselves. And, these stories show that the battle between good and evil is far from over.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Successfully Teaching Mathematics Essay -- Teaching Education Philosop

Successfully Teaching Mathematics The classroom is a widely diverse environment with many topics to discuss, many discoveries to make, and many different ways to learn. This wide palette of knowledge potential is a blessing and a curse to teachers, challenging them to reach each mind, to convey to everyone an understanding of the world that will improve their lives. The ever-increasing importance of mathematics in the computer age draws attention to the methods with which we teach it. I think that the most successful tool that I might have to teach mathematics is the mastery learning method, because it allows students to move through the many facets of math with great understanding and confidence, allows heavy use of the powerful tools in computers, and ensures that no one lacks the skills necessary to live easily in today’s rapidly advancing intellectual world. As a student, I found that one of the biggest problems my peers encountered in math was that they had very little confidence in their skills, affecting their ability to learn more complex ideas. I also found tha...

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Christopher Pike :: essays research papers

Final Friends Book1: The Vampire Author: Christopher Pike Pages: 211 Published: Pocket Books/ Archway Paperbacks 40 Questions: 1. In chapter 1, what does Sam have a dream of? p. 4. He has a dream that his whole class will die because they will be killed by a vampire. 2. In chapter 1, who is going to be throwing a large party? p. 4. Sam. He doesn’t live in a very big house but he has a big yard. Too, his parents try to act â€Å"cool† so they are letting him have the party. 3. Why does everybody at school think Drake is a vampire? p. 6,7. First of all his name is kind of like Dracula, and second his canine teeth for some reason are distorted and they are really sharp. 4. Why does David get jealous when he sees his girlfriend talking to Drake? p. 7.Because Jolie is usually shy and doesn’t talk to other guys. 5. What does Jolie say is the reason why she is talking to another guy? p. 8 She says she was talking to Drake because she needed help with her homework. But David doesn’t believe her because she is a strait A student. 6. Why does Hanna, David’s sister, get mad at her teacher? p. 19. Because she gets kicked out of class for talking when really it was the girl next to her that was talking to her. 7. Why does Hanna go over to Jane’s house? p. 21. Because they are planning to play a practical joke on Hanna’s teacher for kicking her out of class. 8. What joke is Hanna going to play on her teacher Mr. Torkelson. p. 22. She is going to cut the brakes on his car. 9. Why does David almost get in a fight with Drake? p. 38. Because Drake spills coffee on David, and David thinks it is on purpose because David thinks that Drake wants to take his girlfriend. 10. (related to question 9) What does Drake whisper under his breath as he is walking away? p. 39. He says, â€Å"You better watch out, next time it will hurt a lot more.† 11. How does Hanna feel after she messes with Torkelson’s car? p. 45. She regrets it because she thinks that something bad will happen. 12. Why is David sure now that his girlfriend is cheating on him? p. 50. Because he sees her kissing Drake in the arcade. 13. How does Mr. Torkelson die? p. 61. He dies in a car accident. 14. Why does Hanna seem really depressed? p. 63.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Cmi Level 7 Unit 7006

1. Identify the current strategic aims and objectives 2. Undertake an evaluation of the component parts of a strategic plan 3. Analyze the factors affecting the strategic plan The history of Harley-Davidson began in 1903, in a 10†² x 15†² shed located in the Davidson family's Milwaukee backyard. The Davidson brothers – William D. , Walter, and Arthur – and William S. Harley crafted their first motorcycle using the best tools they had available – mostly their hands and their ingenuity. Since that time Harley-Davidson has learned many lessons on how to operate a business.We are focused on providing our customers with not just a quality product, but also an overall experience. Our mission statement is as follows: honesty, integrity and personal growth in all of our dealings with stakeholders. Our values are the rules by which we operate. At Harley-Davidson, we are equally committed to a corporate vision that mandates how we run our business. Within this vi sion we emphasize the relationships that we deem crucial to our success, including our relationships with customers and suppliers. Our vision states: HARLEY-DAVIDSON, INC.IS AN ACTION-ORIENTED, INTERNATIONAL COMPANY, A LEADER IN ITS COMMITMENT TO CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVE OUR MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH STAKEHOLDERS (CUSTOMERS, SUPPLIERS, EMPLOYEES, SHAREHOLDERS, GOVERNMENT, AND SOCIETY). HARLEY-DAVIDSON BELIEVES THE KEY TO SUCCESS IS TO BALANCE STAKEHOLDERSi INTERESTS THROUGH THE EMPOWERMENT OF ALL EMPLOYEES TO FOCUS ON VALUEADDED ACTIVITIES. Doing Business With Harley-Davidson Our vision is our corporate conscience and it helps us to eliminate short term thinking, such as â€Å"cashing in† on the intense demand for our motorcycles by giving quantity precedence over quality to save a few dollars per unit.It also encourages every employee in our organization to be acutely aware of his or her role in satisfying our stakeholders. Harley-Davidson has become the world leade r in the super-heavyweight (850cc+) motorcycle market because of our unwavering commitment to continuously improve upon the superior quality of our products. This quality commitment is built on the satisfaction of each and every customer, internal and external, including everyone from our production line employees to our end users.This belief is captured within our quality policy statement: HARLEY-DAVIDSON IS COMMITTED TO CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT TO REDUCE WASTE, DEFECTS AND VARIABILITY IN EVERYTHING WE DO, WHILE STRIVING TO MEET / EXCEED CUSTOMERS' EXPECTATIONS. It is the goal of Harley-Davidson to satisfy our customers by not only meeting, but also exceeding their expectations and by giving them superior value for their money. We can accomplish this only if you, as a Harley-Davidson supplier, embrace our company's values and commitment to quality to the extent that we do.Our hope is that you will see reward in satisfying our customers, which are also your customers. Please remember you are not simply selling your products to Harley-Davidson, you are selling them to our customers. 1. Apply a range of strategic analysis tools to audit progress towards strategic aims and objectives 2. Review and assess the expectations of all stakeholders and their influence upon the organizational strategy 3. Analyze, interpret and produce a structured evaluation of organizational strategic positionHarley Davidson has always been known for its differentiated products that have continuously stood out from the norm. This has a lot to do with strategies Harley uses to promote its products and services. Some of the key strategies used throughout 2013 were the promotion of its 110th Anniversary Special Edition Motorcycles and the worldwide Open Road Tour used to advertise their current production line. The stunning 2013 model 110th Anniversary Harley-Davidson motorcycles, which feature rich new paint schemes and special 110th Anniversary identification has been an instant success.Eve ry 2003 motorcycle in the line-up has been designated a 110th Anniversary model. The company has extended the model year to 14 months to give even more customers the opportunity to own a piece of Harley-Davidson history. The Anniversary celebrations began back in late 2011 as the Open Road Tour made its way to Atlanta, Baltimore, Los Angeles, Toronto and Dallas/Fort Worth. The festivities then traveled overseas to Sydney, Tokyo, Barcelona and Hamburg. Billed as the world’s largest rolling birthday party, the Open Road Tour brought the Harley-Davidson experience full throttle to riders and enthusiasts around the world.Receiving worldwide exposure at minimal advertising costs, the Open Road Tour has been a complete success, thus allowing Harley’s unique and differentiated products to be seen up close around the world. Additionally, Harley-Davidson established the Harley Owners Group (HOG) in 1983 in response to a growing desire by Harley riders for an organized way to sh are their passion and show their pride. By 1985, 49 local chapters had sprouted around the 12 country, with a total membership of 60,000.Now in 2013, the promotion of the 110th Anniversary has allowed the membership to include over 1200 chapters and close to 800,000 members. HOG has played a major role in the success of the 110Th Anniversary celebration. This one of a kind, unique strategy which started 20 years ago by Harley and its members, has grown tremendously and will continue to play an important role in the future success of the company. Strategies such as these implemented by internal management and carried out by dedicated customers and members are one of the most precious assets a company can ever dream of.That is the Harley way!! Furthermore, the key strategies relating to the distribution channels have allowed Harley-Davidson the world-wide exposure needed to market its product with tremendous success and demand that has always seemed to exceed supply. To date, there ar e more than 1300 independent dealers worldwide. Over 630 are within the United States alone. Recognizing that to grow sales will take more than just an increase in capacity, the company’s aim has been to add 20-30 dealers per year to grow the dealer network, with an increase of roughly 5-10 domestically and the balance internationally.In addition to its dedicated dealer network, the company also uses smaller, occasionally temporary retail outlets in high-traffic areas, such as airports, to sell accessory products like apparel, collectibles, and licensed products. This gives Harley the additional exposure needed without having to spend millions on other forms of advertising. In order to effectively analyze Harley Davidson, we wanted to present a breakdown of the different price ranges offered based on the current list of the five classes of heavyweight motorcycles produced under the Harley Davidson name. BusinessHarley-Davidson, Inc. was incorporated in 1981, at which time it purchased the Harley-Davidson ® motorcycle business from AMF Incorporated in a management buyout. In 1986, Harley-Davidson, Inc. became publicly held. Unless the context otherwise requires, all references to the â€Å"Company† include Harley-Davidson, Inc. and all of its subsidiaries. The Company operates in two segments: the Motorcycles ; Related Products (Motorcycles) segment and the Financial Services (Financial Services) segment. The Company's reportable segments are strategic business units that offer different products and services.They are managed separately based on the fundamental differences in their operations. The Motorcycles segment designs, manufactures and sells at wholesale heavyweight (engine displacement of 651+cc) Harley-Davidson motorcycles as well as a line of motorcycle parts, accessories, general merchandise and related services. The Company's products are sold to retail customers through a network of independent dealers. The Company conducts business on a global basis, with sales in North America, Europe/Middle East/Africa (EMEA), AsiaPacific and Latin America.In 2009, the Company decided to exit its former Buell product line and ceased production of Buell motorcycles. The sale of remaining Buell motorcycle inventory to independent dealers and/or distributors was substantially completed during 2010. The majority of independent dealers continue to provide ongoing service and replacement parts to Buell owners. In 2010, the Company completed the sale of MV Agusta (MV). The results of MV have been presented as a discontinued operation for all periods. The Motorcycles segment discussion that follows is specific to the Harley-Davidson brand unless otherwise specifically noted.The Financial Services segment consists of Harley-Davidson Financial Services (HDFS). HDFS provides wholesale and retail financing and provides insurance and insurance-related programs primarily to Harley-Davidson dealers and their retail customers. HDFS conduct s business principally in the United States and Canada. Harley-Davidson, Inc. , SWOT Analysis * Overview Harley-Davidson, Inc. (Harley-Davidson) designs, manufactures, and sells heavyweight motorcycles. The company markets, its products in North America, Europe, Asia/Pacific and Latin America.The company’s strong brand image, coupled with its wide range of products, helps it to be a front-runner in the industry. However, dependence on the domestic market and product issues are a few areas of concern to the company. Nonetheless, expansion in global markets, especially Asian markets, and launch of new models could ensure a strong future for the company. New emission standards for two wheelers and the prevailing competition could negatively impact the company’s growth. Harley-Davidson, Inc. SWOT Analysis| Strengths| Weakness| Strong Brand ImageBroad Product and Service PortfolioFocused Research and Development Activities| Product Recalls/IssuesDependence on the Domestic M arket| Opportunities| Treats| Global ExpansionNew Product LaunchesRestructuring Plans| New Emission Standards for Two WheelersProcurement of Raw MaterialsCompetitive Landscape| * Strengths Strong Brand Image Harley-Davidson owns one of the strongest brands in the world, which helps it attract and retain a loyal customer base.The company established a strong brand image with its motorcycles achieving iconic status and being ranked among the world’s most valuable brands. Harley-Davidson has been continuously ranked among the top 100 global brands in the world. The company holds 55. 7% share in the US heavyweight market; and is ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in the heavyweight motorcycle market share in nine countries across Europe. Harley-Davidson’s motorcycles are known for their traditional styling, design simplicity, durability and quality.The company achieved industry recognition for its high quality, best design, robust performance and unflinching customer confidence, loyalt y and trust of its products and services. The Harley-Davidson brand has significantly contributed to the success of the company by building strong market recognition and a loyal customer base. Broad Product and Service Portfolio Harley-Davidson offers a broad array of products and services through its two business segments, namely, the Motorcycles ; Related Products segment and the Financial Services segment.The company offers a variety of products in the motorcycle segment to cater to the various needs of its customer base. Harley-Davidson designs, manufactures and sells heavyweight touring, custom and performance motorcycles, besides a line of motorcycle parts, accessories, general merchandise and related services. Harley-Davidson is well known for its unique motorcycles. Its subsidiary, Harley-Davidson Motor Company (HDMC), manufactures five families of motorcycles, namely, Touring, Dyna, Softail, Sportster and V-Rod.These models are distinguished by their frame, engine, suspensi on, and other characteristics. The company shipped 233,117 motorcycles in the fiscal year ended December 2011, comprising 39. 5% Touring motorcycle units, 39. 2% Custom motorcycle units, and 21. 3% Sportster motorcycle units. Through Harley-Davidson Financial Services (HDFS), the company offers a package of wholesale and retail financial services for its products, providing it a competitive edge in the motorcycles business in the US and Canada regions. HDFS financed 51% and 30. 4% of the new Harley-Davidson otorcycles retailed by independent dealers in the US and Canada respectively in 2011. HDFS provides wholesale financial services to Harley-Davidson motorcycle dealers, including floor plan and open account financing of motorcycles and motorcycle parts and accessories. These specific services provide a competitive edge to the company in capturing a higher market share and enhancing its bottom line. Focused Research and Development Activities Harley-Davidson has a strong research a nd development unit that facilitates innovation and attracts industry attention.Its Product Development Center (PDC) undertakes the development of new and better quality products. The company spent $145. 4m, $136. 2m, $143. 1m and $163. 5m in the fiscal years ended December 2011, 2010, 2009 and 2008 respectively on research and development activities. Harley-Davidson’s continuous focus on R;D helped the company in launching innovative products such as Softail motorcycles with 1584 cc engine with new features such as new hand controls, a larger odometer, and an anti-lock braking system option.Continuous research and development activity enables the company to maintain a leading position in custom and touring motorcycle market and develop products for the performance segment. Focused R;D activities enable the company to offer innovative products and improve its operational performance. * Weaknesses Product Recalls/Issues Product recalls/issues not only affects the companyâ€⠄¢s current revenue, but could also affect its long-term performance by reducing customer confidence.In February 2012, Harley-Davidson launched a repair service campaign to fix faulty brakes in about 1,228 units of 12 models, including the Road King and the Electra Glide Ultra Classic. In October 2011, the company initiated a world-wide recall affecting over 308,000 units of its Touring, CVO Touring and Trike motorbikes. The company made this recall owing to a potentially dangerous glitch with their braking systems, where in the problem with a switch on the bikes could cause the brake lights to stop working, or may even cause the rear brakes to fail.Such recalls would hamper Harley-Davidson’s brand image and have a significant impact on its product sales. Dependence on the Domestic Market Harley-Davidson focuses predominantly on the US and generates a major part of its revenue from that market, which could increase its business risk. For the fiscal year ended December 2011, t he company’s Motorcycles business reported revenue of $4. 67 billion comprising 67. 7% revenue generated from the US, 16. 8% from Europe, 4. 9% from Japan, 3. 3% from Canada, 3% from Australia and 4. 3% from Other foreign countries.In 2011, its Financial Services business reported revenue of $649. 44m comprising 95. 3% from the US, 0. 7% from Europe and 4% from Canada. Such geographical concentration makes Harley-Davidson vulnerable to the risks of economic downturn in any single market. * Opportunities Global Expansion Harley-Davidson has huge opportunities for growth in the overseas market. In October 2011, the company opened a new permanent Latin America headquarters in Miami, Florida, the US. Through this new headquarters, the company can expands its focus on customers in Latin America.In the fiscal year ended December 2011, retail sales of Harley-Davidson motorcycles from the international markets witnesses a rise of 6. 1%. The rising demand in Europe, Asia, Australia, L atin America and Africa offers huge potential for the company. In 2011, Harley-Davidson completed its second CKD (complete knock down) assembly plant in India to further strengthen its operations in the Asia-Pacific region. In 2010, the company opened a 1,000 square meter showroom in Beirut. This is the first and only showroom in the Levant which includes six-station service facilities with staff trained by the company.In a bid to garner a higher market shares in these regions, the company already refined its business and marketing strategies that are attuned to local customer preferences. Focus on international expansion would help the company enhance its business aggressively and reap greater benefits. New Product Launches Harley-Davidson could benefit from its new product launches. The company intends to explore new methods to enhance its value by introducing new products, which provide an edge over other players in the market.In February 2012, Harley-Davidson launched two new mo torcycle models, namely, the Seventy-Two and the Softail Slim, further strengthening its heavyweight custom offerings. In July 2011, the company offered its customers an H-D1, a comprehensive set of customization tools. In January 2011, the company introduced new Softail motorcycles with 1584 cc engine and through its Touring motorcycles line, the company introduced Electra Glide Classic, Road King, Road King Classic, Ultra Classic Electra Glide and Electra Glide Ultra Limited touring bikes.The company’s 2010 models include nine new domestic models of heavyweight motorcycles. New model launches could help the company sustain its leadership position in the highly competitive automotive industry. Restructuring Plans Effective 2009 – 2010, Harley-Davidson announced a series of restructuring measures, which focused on reducing administrative costs, eliminating excess capacity and exiting non-core business operations.In 2009, as a part of the restructuring plan, the company consolidated engine and transmission plants, closed a distribution facility, discontinued the domestic transportation fleet, consolidated vehicle test facilities, and exited the Buell product line. In September 2010, the company’s unionized employees in Wisconsin ratified three separate new seven-year labor agreements, which take effect in April 2012 when the current contracts expire. The new contracts would allow flexibility and increased production efficiency.Harley-Davidson also repurchased expensive debt worth $300m and is expected to save $45m annually for three years. In December 2011, the company announced plans to cease its operations at New Castalloy, its Australian subsidiary producer of cast motorcycle wheels and wheel hubs; and source those components through other existing suppliers. This move was made in line with its overall strategy to develop world-class manufacturing capability throughout the company by restructuring and consolidating operations for greater competitiveness, efficiency and flexibility.Such restructuring initiatives by Harley-Davidson are expected to improve its operational performance in the long-run. * Threats New Emission Standards for Two Wheelers Harley-Davidson could face increased challenges in its two wheeler business due to the stringent emission standards. According to Dealernews. com, motorcycle industry stakeholders in Europe announced plans to increase EURO 3 emission standards to more stringent EURO 5 standards by 2015. Association des Constructeurs Europeens de Motorcycles (ACEM) is likely to introduce EURO 3 standard for mopeds and Euro 4 standard for motorcycles by 2012.It also proposed the introduction of more stringent emission test cycle, and EURO 5 standard for motorcycles by 2015. Such implementations might require the company to redesign its vehicles, which could result in increased operating costs. Failure to comply with the standards could result in penalties and affect its profit margins. Procu rement of Raw Materials Harley-Davidson relies on suppliers to obtain raw materials and provide components for use in manufacturing its motorcycles. It depends on a single supplier for certain of its raw materials.Such a situation makes the company’s business dependent on the ability of the supplier to deliver the ordered raw materials in time. The rising input costs could also have a major impact on the operational costs of Harley-Davidson. Increasing pressure of the costs of commodities leads to capacity constraints, lower production and financial distress to raw material suppliers. In case of a delay in receiving the raw materials, product delivery to its customers could also get delayed, which impacts its business and customer relations.Competitive Landscape Harley-Davidson manufactures motorcycles in the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia. Many of the company’s competitors have more diversified businesses and they may compete in the automotive market or all segments of the motorcycle market. Its motorcycle retail prices are generally higher than that of its competitors. If price becomes a crucial factor for consumers in the heavyweight motorcycle market, Harley-Davidson would be at a competitive disadvantage.Moreover, its financial services operations face stiff competition from various banks, insurance companies and other financial institutions that may have access to additional sources of capital at more competitive rates and terms, particularly for borrowers in higher credit tiers. The company’s failure to address and respond to these competitive pressures worldwide would have a material adverse effect on its market share. 1. Identify and develop a range of alternative strategic options to meet strategic aims and objectives 2. Determine and justify the strategic option that meets the revised strategic position

Friday, August 16, 2019

The current business environment is characterized

The current business environment is characterized by intense competitive rivalry and businesses have to undertake aggressive marketing initiatives in order to counter this threat. The importance of marketing in ensuring that a business organization can develop and maintain a competitive edge is growing exponentially.Corporations are now pouring millions into their promotional campaigns in order to create an image for themselves in the customer mindset. This trend of massive financial resources being thrown into marketing is particularly evident in the area of sports marketing. In this area, massive opportunities exist in terms of public relations events which have global reach.Thus any corporation that can have its logo associated with events like the Olympics which are broadcast throughout the world stand to gain substantially out of investing in the rights to have its logo associated with the event. This is called corporate sponsorship. However the benefits of corporate sponsorship have led to the rise of unethical marketing practices called ambush marketing.Ambush marketing is defined to have taken place when a marketer has its products associated with a sports event without having paid for any of the rights to association (cited in Ironside, 2007). Thus the ambush marketer enjoys all the benefits of being a legitimate corporate sponsor without paying a cent.The trend of ambush marketing has been growing steadily in the last few years as shown in figure 1. As shown in the figure, sports organizers have been experiencing massive revenue losses as result of the phenomenon of ambush marketing which keeps going strong despite efforts to counter the threat.The threat is particularly detrimental because the actual corporate sponsors have hardly anything to gain by seeking recourse to legal means because courts usually rule in favor of ambush marketers.This happens because ambush marketers never engage in any activities that could be defined as infringement of inte llectual property rights (cited in Meenaghan, 1996). Ambush marketers operate through hints and allusions which do not qualify as infringement of rights in legal vernacular.As a result corporate sponsors have to devise pre-emptive strategies on their own and this adds to the cost of buying rights to the sponsorship (cited in Uphoff, 2006).The process of devising counter strategies requires an understanding of the ways and means by which ambush marketers take advantage of their opportunities. However there are so many ways and means in this regard that it is difficult to develop contingency plans for all of them.There are at least six recognized opportunities which ambushers take advantage of from time to time such as purchasing broadcasting rights to an event or broadcasting time around the time of the event broadcast, sponsoring an event other than the organizing body, purchasing advertising space, thematic advertising and counter attraction (cited in Crompton, 2004).What all of th is means is that if the trend of ambush marketing is allowed to go on unmitigated, it will discourage corporate sponsors from sponsorship spending and major sports events will lose an important source of revenue. Therefore sports property owners have the duty of making ambush marketing difficult and expensive for the competitors of official corporate sponsors.ReferencesAaker, David A. (2004). Strategic Market Management. McGraw Hill/Irwin.Crompton, John L. (2004). Sponsorship Ambushing in Sport. Managing Leisure, 9, 1-12.Ironside, Sue. (2007). Combating Ambush Marketing. NZ Marketing Magazine, 26, 26-27.Retrieved March 15, 2008 from Business Source Elite database.Kolah, Ardi. (2005). Essential Law for Marketers. Prentice Hall.Kotler, Philip., and Gary Armstrong. (2005). Principles of Marketing. Prentice Hall.Meenaghan, T. (1996). Ambush Marketing – A Threat to Corporate Sponsorship. SloanManagement Review, 38, 103-13. Retrieved March 15, 2008 from Business SourceElite databas e.Uphoff, Boris., et al. (2006). Kick-off to Ambush Marketing at World Cup. ManagingIntellectual Property, 156, 91-92. Retrieved March 15, 2008 from Business Source The current business environment is characterized The current business environment is characterized by a considerable level of uncertainty and therefore businesses have to continuously reengineer their internal processes in order to build and maintain a sustainable competitive advantage.In this respect, the critical success factor is to build an organizational culture that is built to change. This is a critical consideration because, given the high level of uncertainty, the management in a business organization is no longer in a position to forecast future changes meaningfully.Therefore the organizational structure must be flexible enough to absorb unexpected changes. The question that should be answered is how this flexibility can be built into the organizational structure. In this respect, it is the duty of the management to build the right performance management system.Through this system the management can communicate with the employees regarding which aspects of their work are vital to the strategic focus of the organization. T he right performance management system is a critical consideration in terms of addressing issues related to employee motivation and empowerment.Capital One is empowering its employees through dissemination of information and by maximizing the surface area. This enables the employees to link their work to the strategic focus of the organization (cited in Zairi, 2005).The fact of the matter is that the management at all levels in Capital One is implementing strategic human resource management. In this manner it is addressing the issues of motivation and empowerment. According to the post-modern theory, business organizations need to maintain the continuous improvement process in order to build a sustainable competitive advantage (cited in Hill & Jones, 2007).However the development of a sustainable competitive advantage depends on access to human capital. Capital One has devised its human resource management policies in order to develop human capital. Even through it is not directly a ddressing the issues of motivation and empowerment, its policies are designed to make these issues the top priorities on the management agenda. Job rotation is one of the examples.According to post-modernism, job descriptions are no longer effective because they create a static organizational structure and therefore do not equip the organization with the abilities to adapt to fast-paced change in the external environment (cited in Besterfield, 2002).According to the post-modern theory, employees have to be groomed to assume a wide variety of positions so that changing organizational structures will not be a problem for them. We see Capital One addressing this issue through creating leadership capabilities throughout the organization. The company’s recruitment and selection strategies are implemented accordingly.For example, during the recruitment process, the most important qualification for the candidate is considered to be his ability to lead a change effort. Because of car efully implemented recruitment and selection strategies, the company minimizes the costs associated with training and development (cited in Ross & Perry, 2002).However the management does communicate with the employees in terms of the extent to which formal training and development programs can be arranged for the employees.A built-to-change organizational structure cannot be built without addressing the issues of motivation and empowerment. According to post-modernism, employees must be involved in the change management process (cited in Brigham & Ehrhardt, 2007). This facilitates the process of addressing employee resistance to change. The management at Capital One addresses this issue through building an effective communications structure which facilitates the dissemination of mission-critical information.As mentioned before, this maximizes the level of surface area. Strategy implementation in this regard has been facilitated through the creation of a flat management structure wh ich enables most employees to work in direct touch with the customers. This enables the employees to make the link between their work and the strategic focus of the company because working in direct touch with the customers means that the employees can see in which direction the organization should proceed in terms of customer relationship management (cited in Dess, 2007).Employee motivation and empowerment is the most critical factor in the post-modernist theory. This is because post-modernism as associated with a sustainable competitive advantage in business emphasizes employee motivation and empowerment.According to Michael Porter’s theory for strategy formulation, a business organization has three strategies at its disposal in building a competitive advantage: differentiation, cost minimization and quick response (cited in Baschab, 2005).However, according to the post-modernist theory none of these strategies will lead to the development of a sustainable competitive advan tage because they can be easily copied by competitor organizations in a fast-changing external environment.Therefore, post-modernism in business focuses on the building of a strategically aligned organizational culture as the source of a sustainable competitive advantage. A strategically aligned organizational culture cannot be built without effectively addressing the issues of employee motivation and empowerment.Employees must be involved in the change management process. In this organizational structure, the issues of employee motivation and empowerment are addressed effectively because they are directly involved in building the strategic focus of the company. This is an example of what we see in Capital One.This is one of the few American companies to have been able to weather the current crisis because of its focus on the built-to-change organizational structure based in employee motivation and empowerment. The company is not consciously addressing these issues as such.However b ecause of its strategies in recruitment, selection, job rotation and training and development, it has been able to involve the employees in the constant process of managing change. This has only maximized their productivity as employees are motivated to work for the company because they are empowered to act on behalf of the company.This has created an organizational structure based in motivation and empowerment which aligns employee interests to organizational interests. This is an example of post-modernism in business.ReferencesBaschab, John., et al. (2005). The Executive Guide to Information Technology. McGraw Hill/Irwin.Besterfield, Dale H., et al. (2002). Total Quality Management. McGraw Hill/Irwin.Brigham, Eugene F., and Michael C. Ehrhardt. (2007). Financial Management: Theory & Practice. South western college pub.Dess, Gregory G., et al. (2007). Strategic Management: Creating Competitive Advantage.McGraw Hill/Irwin. Hill, Charles., and Gareth Jones. (2007). Strategic Manageme nt Theory: An Integrated Approach. McGraw Hill/Irwin.Ross, Joel E. and Susan Perry. (2002). Total Quality Management: Text, Cases, Readings. Wiley.Zairi, Mohamed. (2005). Excellence Toolkit: Delivering Sustainable Performance. eTQM College Publishing House. The current business environment is characterized The current business environment is characterized by a considerable level of competitive rivalry and as a result, businesses have to maintain a continuous improvement process in order to build and maintain a competitive advantage. In this respect, the development of a sustainable competitive advantage is the critical success factor.However sustainability cannot be achieved unless the company determines the strategic focus.This is why developing a system for adopting goals becomes a critical consideration. In this respect, the management has to build the right organizational culture in which group dynamics can become facilitated.Employees are the most important assets of an organization and therefore the management has to create the right working conditions which maximize employee satisfaction. For this reason, the management might have to manage change on a continuous basis. In managing change, alignment with the strategic focus has to be maintained. In this respect adopting the righ t goals becomes the critical consideration.The question whether group dynamics are better at adopting goals than individual decision making can be answered depending on the situation that the company is in. There is no doubt that when it comes to managing change a cross-functional project management team must be built in order to adopt the right goals.This is because all the departments that are going to be affected by the change must be represented in the project management team. However the problem with group dynamics is that the process delays decision making (http://www.nysscpa.org/cpajournal/old/15703015.htm).One of the reasons for this delay can be groupthink in which the participants withhold views that may not conform in order to maintain membership (cited in Robbins & DeCenzo, 2003). Outside of change management, in the situation in which the decision making process has to be fast, individual decision making is undoubtedly the better option. Individually, the decision maker can speed up the process of decision making because fewer issues are considered.The problem with facilitating group dynamics in decision making is that the decision making process has to be based upon consensus. This has the advantage that the suggestions that are taken into consideration are diverse. As a result, the same problem is viewed from many different perspectives.The result is a process of brainstorming that can generate a lot of valuable ideas. However, in the situation in which the question is one of adopting goals, diversity of ideas can be a hindrance because it delays the process of decision making in adopting goals. In the event that the complexity of the situation is high then group decision making can be advantageous because too many issues will be considered, thus delaying the process.Therefore in the situation in which adopting goals does not have to take too many issues into consideration, group decision making may be the best option. However in the event that the situation is complex, then the individual decision maker will be in a position to do a better job because he can exercise intuition in arriving at a decision.From the above, it is made clear that there is no specific answer as to whether group dynamics or the individual decision maker will do a better job. The effectiveness of either of the tools depends on the complexity of the situation. The current business environment is characterized by a fast state of change.Therefore the decision making process has to be speeded up. In this respect, even in the situation which calls for many issues to be taken into consideration, the individual decision maker can do the best job. However in the event that the management of the company can afford to spend time on considering all the relevant issues, then group dynamics create the best infrastructure in which to conduct the decision making process (http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/pdf/efop/efo38561.pdf).However when facilitating group dynamics, the management must ensure that the decision making process is not affected by the need to reach a consensus. In such a situation, the participants are afraid of creating a conflict and therefore all the relevant issues are not taken into consideration.ReferencesSchwartz, Andrew E. (1994, August). Group decision-making. The CPA Journal Online.Retrieved February 19, 2009 from http://www.nysscpa.org/cpajournal/old/15703015.htm.Barlow, Jeff. (2005, October). Strategic planning for the Bloomington, Indiana, firedepartment. Retrieved February 19, 2009 from http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/pdf/efop/efo38561.pdf.Robbins, Stephen P., and DeCenzo, David. (2003). Fundamentals of Management. Prentice Hall. Â  

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Admj

3 December 2012 Court Proceedings The best part about criminal procedures here in the United States is that criminal defendants have a lot of protections and guarantees. They have the guarantees of due process, equal protection under the laws, the right to have legal counsel present, the right to confront witnesses, the right to a jury trial, and the right to not testify against themselves. In the movie and in real life we see this all the time.For example the way due process was portrayed in the movie was the way that all the information that was against the boys they had the right to have the documents that had the information against them. All defendants get the same protection regardless of the acts they have committed, in the movie the boys had the right to have a lawyer, they just couldn’t afford one so that’s why Billy had to call his uncle.Confronting witnesses was the exact act that Uncle Vinny did when he was almost out of hope, he managed to cause doubts in t he jury’s eyes when he showed them that the old woman was nearly blind and when the other two men also began questioning what they had really seen. The boys also had the right to trial by jury, which just means that the judge doesn’t convict the defendant, the jury does instead.The last right defendants have is the right to not testify against themselves, in the movie that was the first thing the boys shouldn’t have done because right away they admitted to a crime that they did not do. Moving on to some of the key points and the purpose, criminal procedure deals with the set of rules which the government enforces law.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Cadbury and Kraft

The acquisition of Cadbury faced widespread disapproval from the British public, as well as groups and organisations including trade union Unite,[29] who fought against the acquisition of the company which, according to Prime Minister Gordon Brown, was very important to the British economy. [30] Unite estimated that a takeover by Kraft could put 30,000 jobs â€Å"at risk†,[24][31][32] and UK shareholders protested over the Mergers and Acquisitions advisory fees charged by banks. Cadbury's M;A advisers were UBS, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. 33][34][35] Controversially, RBS, a bank 84% owned by the United Kingdom Government, funded the Kraft takeover. [36][37] http://www. publications. parliament. uk/pa/cm200910/cmselect/cmbis/234/23405. htm High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut ; paste the article. See our Ts;Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. Email ftsales. [email  protected] com to buy additional rights. http://cachef. ft. com/cms/s/a153ff94-595f-11df-99ba-00144feab49a. html#ixzz1dKyAgSEK Cadbury helps Kraft to 26% rise in revenuesBy Greg Farrell in New York and Elizabeth Rigby in London Published: May 6 2010 23:54 | Last updated: May 6 2010 23:54 Kraft Foods reported net revenues of $11. 3bn for the first quarter 2010, a 26 per cent gain over the comparable period in 2009, much of it fuelled by the US food company’s acquisition of Cadbury, completed in February, and aided by favourable currency exchange rates. Organic revenues for Kraft grew 3. 3 per cent for the quarter, while Cadbury’s organic revenue growth was 8. 2 per cent. Net earnings for the company were $1. 9bn, largely from a $1. 6bn gain on the divestiture of Kraft’s pizza business.