Knowledge Management Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Knowledge Management - Coursework Example AUTHORITY 9 4.4. ACCESSIBILITY 10 5. CONCLUSION AND SUMMARY 10 5.1. COMPARISON AND CONTRAST 10 5.2. RELATION TO THE MODULE 14 6.0. REFERENCE LIST 16 1. INTRODUCTION Organisations formulate strategies and processes for identifying intellectual assets which enhance the overall performance of the organisation. The objectives of the organisations are easily accomplished and overall performance, competitive advantage and continuous improvement of the organisation are enhanced through this practice (Zheng, Yang, & McLean, 2010). In this report an evaluation of three different articles related to knowledge management will be presented. A comparative analysis will be presented which will show the relative significance of knowledge management in an organisation. The three articles which will be subject of discussion in this report are 1. Developing a corporate knowledge management strategy - Paul Oluikpe (2012) 2. Local Social Knowledge Management: A case study of social learning and knowledg e sharing across organizational boundaries - Johanna Lahtinen (2013) 3. The interactive relationship of corporate culture and knowledge management: a review – Julia Mueller (2011) Understanding the relative significance and importance of knowledge management in an organisation is very important in this age where workforce is treated as an essential asset by the managers. A combined overview and major emphasis of discussions presented in the articles will conclude this report. 2. LOCAL SOCIAL KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT: LAHTINEN(2013) 2.1. KEY POINTS Lahtinen has discussed a range of important aspects of social knowledge management. The main points of this article by Lahtinen are related to How communicating and interacting socially helps in improving knowledge. The importance of inter-organizational networks is important in improving the knowledge. The learning process which enables the individuals to interact socially and enhance their knowledge is referred to as social knowledge management. The emphasis has been built on signifying the importance of communication in the organisation. Social learning plays a significant role with regional networking of the employees working for the same organisation (p.13). This research paper discusses about the role of social learning in knowledge management. This is important for managing inter organisational networks is significantly important. As employees interact within the organization, it helps the employees in better understanding the knowledge practices adopted in the organisation, mixture of differing applicability practices and general confusions which are part of the knowledge practices (p. 4). The three forms of networking which take place within the organisation are elaborated. These include the operational, personal and strategic roles which take place in the organisation. For this assessment data from several different organisations were collected to develop a conclusion about the relative importance of Soc ial knowledge management. Social knowledge management enhances the individual learning capability as an individual learns by sharing information within the organization (Lahtinen, 2013). 2.2. VALUE TO KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT PRACTITIONERS This topic is of great value to the practitioners of knowledge management. This is because it signifies which strategies the managers can use for initiating social learning and transferring knowledge within the organisation through interaction of the employees. Understanding the issue

Involvement of USA in Korean War Essay Example for Free

Involvement of USA in Korean War Essay Different from its involvement in the Vietnam War? In the 40à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s onwards USA got interested in Asian affairs. Taking into account the fact that they were not defending themselves or any other American ally, they had to further extend territorial boundaries to fall on political-ideological frontiers. Indeed, they were defending its territory from enemies in a new scale: the fear against the developing communism over the world. In these lines, Korea and Vietnam portrayed two international hotspots now focused on Asia, as the stage within the fight of the two global powers: USA and the Soviet Union. Anyways, were the circumstances by which USA faced communism in both countries different? First of all, the background in South-East Asia determined in great scale American intervention in the area, since either country were occupied by other foreign powers: while Korea was under Japanese domination, Vietnam still remained part of the French empire (later becoming member of the French Union). The first case of Korea was already been the stage of the war between democracy and communism. USA was quite anxious since the conflict that had already happened in Germany and the one that was going on in Turkey and Greece, both cases falling under soviet beliefs. After the defeat of the Chinese Kuomintang in 1949, by communist Mao, American leaders began fearing that the rapid spread of the system around the world would be successful one more time in Asia. Thus, USA decided to risk and try obtaining new territory that would give them an ally in East Asia, which, in turn, would give it time to plan more attempts and new victory against communism. Thus, they fought against the Japanese settlement as an excuse to free the territory in the name of democracy. However, the Soviet Union was also very interested in the area for the same reasons: a new ally and victory against capitalism. Anyways, the whole territory was firstly freed under the name of United Nations, towards democracy, for support free peoples who are resenting attempt subjugation. However both powers claimed their part very soon. Both powers set up a divisor line along the 38th parallel, where the North would be under Soviet aim and the South by American intervention. Then, although elections were held in South Korea (August 1938) supported by UN, Russia rejected to do so in the North. The South became the independent Republic of Korea and the North adopted the name of Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, very much in the lines of Chinese system. The tension now remained very high at either sides of the line. Since the president of North Korea by the time, Kin IL Sung might have been encouraged by the Chinese government and Russia with military supplies to test USA President, Trumans determination, showing him that communism was the dominant power in Pacific Asia, also with the promise of spreading further very soon. At that stage, the domino theory was beginning in American minds. This concept applies to the idea that the fall of one state to a common system would lead inexorably to a series of the same. Therefore, if communism triumphed in China and Korea was already under its influence, the wave could have an unlimited repercussion in the entire area of South-East Asia. Thus, behind these ideas, American troops were ordered to Korea to withdraw North Koreans troops after their invasion in the south republic, together with forces from another 14 countries all under the command of General McArthur. However, afterwards, South Korea was almost taken by North Korea troops but American troops regained control in the territory later and also two thirds of North Korea, in its advance northwards. With this movement, they eventually placed a fleet between Taiwan and China mainland. Thus, China now feared them to help Chiang Kai-Shek troops from the island to come again and conquer the region of Manchuria as the most important industrial and strategic area. This attempt, if successful, would cut off the problem of communism in Asia, since China would turn back to democracy and therefore either North Korea would remain isolated or without Chinese help, she would not be able to survive in the area for long. These reasons made the Chinese government launch a massive counter offensive in 1951 that captured South Korea capital again. Now McArthur was afraid of Chinese power and thought that the best strategy to defeat communism in the area was only possible with atomic bombs. With this new horizon within the fight, president Truman feared a large-scale war that would provoke a nuclear war, which USA did not want. It pointed out the American limitations that would enclose them within the fight: they feared communism because the nuclear power that could destroy them, but the only force capable to defeat it was their nuclear power, something that, however, they could not use since it would drag them into a fatal war. Thus, now, the only American possibility focused to settle in East Asia to contain communism there: in January 1951 UN troops expelled the North Koreans troops from South Korea and fortified the frontier, until in July 1953, both countries firmed a peace agreement that stated the limit at the 38th parallel. After American impossibility for annexation of territories in East Asia, the new step had to be focused in the South, due to the independence of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia from the French Union (Geneva Agreement, 1954). Then, Vietnam was temporarily divided into two countries, and analogously as Korea, the frontier was established at another parallel, in this case the 17th one. In 1956, elections were to be held in the whole country, but they never were and only in South Vietnam a referendum was held in 1955, which gave Ngo Dinh Diem as the president. He did not want to hold elections for the whole country and USA, with Eisenhower as the new president feared much more intensely the domino effect. Moreover, Diem was unable to rule the country, mainly because he was very unpopular among the peasants, which furthover, in the future encouraged unwilling towards American presence in the south and appetence for communism. At this stage the Vietcong (the guerrillas) in the south were receiving supplies, equipment and troops from North Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh, who was leader of the resistance against French Union and who wanted communism to rule the country, thought that giving aid to South Vietnam against Diem, national elections would not be held and to unify the countries forces would be necessary. Thus, the next American presidencies had to launch a very strong campaign to stop the communism wave in Vietnam: -Kennedy (1961-3) tried to keep American involvement against the guerrilla, by sending advisors, military equipment and enclosing local peasants into fortified villages to isolate the Vietcong outside. However, this failed since most of the peasants were members of the Vietcong. -Johnson (1963-9) decided to bomb North Vietnam (1965), as he thought that Ho Chi Minh controlled directly the Vietcong. He also sent half million troops in the south. However, due to the great pressure of American public against the war, since they saw the conflict as a total failure, Johnson stopped the bombing in March 1968, although he did not want to withdraw. -Nixon (1969-74) based his plan in the new concept of Vietnamization: As public opinion did not allow him to send more troops to Vietnam, he would use the ones that were already there to re-army the Vietnamese army keep their own defence. That would allow gradually American troops to withdraw. However, he began a new wave of bombing in the north, but this time including Cambodia and Laos, as they were receiving supplies and troops from North Vietnam. Despite all the measures and policies, at the end of 1972, the Vietcong controlled almost the entire territory and several factors obligated the American intervention to reach the end. Eventually a ceasefire was agreed in January 1973. Then, American troops were withdrawn and in 1975 the Vietcong unified the whole country under a communism government by occupying Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam. Also in Laos and Cambodia the system was established the same year. Taking all these explanations into account, I can state that there were slight differences between the American policies in both the Korean and the Vietnamese wars. The main reason was the potential force used in each one, and China played an important part. It applies to the fact that the attack against them was not as ruthless as in Vietnam, mainly due to Chinese power. While in Vietnam neither China nor Russia supported the army as directly as in Vietnam, in Korea China was directly involved since the problem was slighted related with the relationship between USA and Chiang Kai-Shek troops. For China, American troops recovered Manchuria, they would give back China mainland to them. Communist China was not willing to accept that, and USA knew that she was capable of fighting bravely to an extent that USA did not want to test, since the split of the Sino-Soviet agreement left China in an uncertain situation from the international point of view: We do not want the fighting in Korea to expand into a general war. Therefore, American government did not risk indeed and the only price was to lose North Korea. Nevertheless, in Vietnam they could use a more violent system as they communist China was already established and did not fear USA any more. Moreover, the conflict was seen under UN eyes: solely for the purpose of restoring the Republic to its status prior to the invasion. For international support, it was a fight towards the human rights, since North Korea under communism did not want to hold elections. However, UN never supported the war in Vietnam and the international view of the war and American methods to be victorious pressed the government to reach the end of the conflict. Therefore, differences between the both wars was mainly due to internal factors of each country, but especially the foreign intervention that encouraged or restrained American actions to act in one way or another.

Genetic Algorithm (GA) as Optimization Technique

Genetic Algorithm (GA) as Optimization Technique Preference learning (or preference elicitation) is a critical problem in many scientific fields, such as decision theory [1,2], economics [3,4], logistic [ref] and database [5]. When modeling user preference, researchers often model the preferences as a solution to an optimization problem which maximizes some utility function. In reality, however, we are not a-priori given a utility but have only access to a finite historical user choice data. Therefore, the passive preference learning problem, that is, how to learn user preferences using her historical choice data, has gained a lot of attention in recent years. When dealing with preference learning, it is often assumed that user preference over the values of each attribute is independent of the values of other attributes. However, this assumption is not a sound in many world scenarios. For example, as it is shown in Fig. 1 for cloth shopping problem, one might choose the color of her shoes depending on the color of dress she will buy, i.e. her preference over shoes color is conditioned by the available dresses. More formally, we say the preferences induced by the users behavior are intrinsically related to textit{conditional preferential independence}, a key notion in multi-attribute decision theory[20]. Conditional preference networks (CP-nets) have been proposed for such problems [4] and have received a great deal of attention due to the compact and natural representation of ordinal preferences in multi-attribute domains [8-12, 17-19,22]. Briefly, a CP-net, fig. 1, is a digraph, whose nodes correspond to alternative attributes and edges correspond to the dependency between nodes and each node is annotated with a conditional preference table which describe the preferences over that particular attribute (chapter 3). It is sometimes claimed that CP-nets are `easy to elicit [16]. That is, we first explain CP-nets to the user, and then ask her to write down the CP-net that best describes her decision-making process [18,30]. However, it has been shown that when facing the choices, people often act differently from what they described previously as their preferences [39,40,97,103]. As an example, Kamishima and Akaho [53] point out that when customers were asked to rank ten sushi items and then later to assign rating scores to the same items, in 68% of the cases, the ordering implied by the ratings did not agree with the ranking elicited directly only minutes before. Based on these experiments, several CP-net learning algorithms have been developed depend on the users choice data. Some algorithms work on the historical choice data [23,64], a process known as passive learning. Others actively offer solutions in an attempt to learn the users preferences as they choose [23,29,47,58].   The work of this paper falls into the category of passive learning, in which the learner uses the recorded users choices and then fits a CP-net model to the observed data. Formally, we collect the set of samples $S = {o_i succ o_i}$, where   $o_i succ o_i$ means that the user strictly prefers outcome $o_i$ over outcome $o_i$ and then find a model $N$ that can best describe $S$. Such set of samples may be gathered, for instance, by observing online users choices. Table1 shows the number of binary CP-nets up to 7 nodes, i.e. each outcome consists of 7 attributes [A250110]. From the values, it is evident that, even for a small number of attributes, finding the best CP-net is not a trivial task due to the huge size of the search space. textbf{inja np-completo begoo.} To the best of our knowledge, there is no existing approach that can perform well on problem with more than 7 attributes hence they are not practical when facing real world problems, in which the alternatives usually consist of tens or even hundreds of attributes. Another problem that rises when learning preferences from human subjects is the possibility of noise or comparison data that are ultimately inconsistent in the chose data-set $S$. While noise is results of the observation of the users behavior,   inconsistency is the result of randomicity of the users behaviors; that   is, the transitive closure of data-set may result in a cycle in which some outcome $o$ is seen to be preferred to itself. The objective of most CP-net learning techniques is to learn (i.e. rebuild) a CP-net that can describe the whole data-set[ref]. However, since the $S$ is not usually clean,   there is no possibility of finding such a CP-net, that is consistent with every example in $S$. This fact motivated us to frame the CP-net learning problem as an optimization problem that is, to identify a model that maximizes some objective function, $f$, with respect to choice data-set. In this work, we utilized the power of Genetic Algorithm (GA) as an optimization technique. GA is an optimization algorithm inspired from the mechanism of natural selection and natural genetics, which can work without any a-priori knowledge about the problem domain and have received a growing interest in solving the complex combinatorial optimization problems especially for their scalability as compared with the deterministic algorithms [1]. In this work, we investigate the feasibility of implementing the GA to solve the passive CP-net learning problem.

A White Lie in the Heart of Darkness Essay -- Essays Papers

A White Lie in the Heart of Darkness â€Å"He cried in a whisper at some image, at some vision, – he cried out twice, a cry that was no more than a breath – ‘The horror! The horror!’† (Conrad, Heart of Darkness, pg112)1. After returning to Brussels, Marlow pays a visit to Kurtz’ intended and brings these final words of Kurtz with him. When asked to reveal Kurtz’ last declaration, Marlow offers this: â€Å"‘The last word he pronounced was – your name.’† (Heart, pg123). He lies. In this situation, with the possibility existing of inflicting severe emotional damage on an already grieving soul, should Marlow have lied? Of course, the answer is neither simple nor short, and depends heavily on who is asked. The most relevant perspective naturally comes from Marlow himself. Marlow makes his feelings about lying clear early in his adventure. â€Å"You know I hate, detest, and can’t bear a lie, not because I am straighter than the rest of us, but simply because it appals me. There is a taint of death, a flavour of mortality in lies, – which is exactly what I hate and detest in the world – what I want to forget. It makes me miserable and sick†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Heart, pp49-50). Marlow doesn’t hold much back here. He believes that lies are what is wrong with the world. That said, it seems that a third-person Marlow would severely disapprove of his actions, and would believe that he should have told the truth. This become s even more evident after a glance at Marlow’s reaction after he does lie. â€Å"It seemed to me that the house would collapse before I could escape, that the heavens would fall upon my head.† (Heart, pg123). Marlow obviously sees his actions as in err, and is waiting for his punishment from above. ... ...(see Sources). 2 This quote, and all other quotes from Immanuel Kant’s article, On the Supposed Right to Lie because of Philanthropic Concerns, comes from the third edition of the James. W. Ellington translation. The citation numbers follow from the section numbers in that edition (see Sources). Sources Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. London: Penguin Books, 1995. Hume, David. A Treatise of Human Nature. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1978. Kant, Immanuel. Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals (Grundlegung zur Metaphysik der Sitten). Translated by James W. Ellington. Cambridge: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc., 1993. Kant, Immanuel. â€Å"On the Supposed Right to Lie because of Philanthropic Concerns† (â€Å"Uber ein vermeintes Recht aus Menschenliebe zu lugen†). Translated by James W. Ellington. Cambridge: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc., 1993.

Compare Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine and Thomas Jefferson Essay

Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine, and Thomas Jefferson all had similar values and ideas about America concerning politics and its economy. They all also had a knack for getting people to follow them. Benjamin Franklin, who had only died about 30 years before William Cullen Bryant wrote To Cole, the Painter, Departing for Europe, seemed to express different views about America vs. Europe in his letters. In a letter Franklin wrote to his grandson, he expressed how he wanted to return to America before his death but didn’t think he would be able to. He seemed so passionate when writing about America. It was as if there was nothing better than America. We also know that Franklin was very involved in politics and economics. He is one of the first people we read about who was very concerned with money and how it affected status and politics. Obviously wealth affects status in at least some aspect. Whether the wealth was measured by money or by land, it defined social class. Only people of the upper class took part in politics. Franklin was one of America’s founding fathers. He helped write the Declaration of Independence, which we still abide by today, over 200 years later. Benjamin Franklin listed 13 virtues with their precepts in one of his documents. He listed these to make sure he abided by all of them and just these 13. One of the precepts was ‘order’. He expanded on this by making a schedule of how his business and his life should run. It listed what should be done for the day, including when he should eat and sleep. He was definitely ahead of his time and set the standards for Americans today. Thomas Paine instilled his ideas onto others in Common Sense. He starts out by saying, â€Å"In the following pages I offer nothing more than simple facts, plain arguments, and common sense†. Just by writing this, he has already captivated the reader and forced them to see his views and just ‘common sense’. Paine seemed to specialize in revolts and working for the ordinary person. This was Paine’s involvement in politics; getting the common person to see how they were oppressed and how things should change. He took action by forming revolutions. Paine felt that America should be free from British control. He stated, â€Å"We have boasted the protection of Great Britain without considering that her motive was interest, not attachment; and that she did not protect us from our enemies on our account, but from her enemies on her own account, from those who had no quarrel with us on any other account, and who will always be our enemies on the same account.† He used this to explain to Americans how Britain had created enemies for us because of their own personal reasons and when we were under attack, Britain didn’t care and sequentially, they had created enemies for both places. Thomas Jefferson took part in politics as well as Franklin and Paine and was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson, unlike Franklin and Paine, was born into his wealth. He was never a commoner and therefore never knew what it was like to be in that position. I find it interesting that someone of his stature would be allowed to help write the Declaration of Independence which helps guide everyone including commoners. He couldn’t possibly understand what would be best for them. This is probably why there are many things in the constitution that don’t seem fair to an ordinary person, such as the Electoral College. This system was basically created because a regular person could not have a vote left in their hands. Although Jefferson seems like he wants independence for America, it also seems like he doesn’t trust America to have this Independence. All three people that I have discussed seem to differ in their views of America vs. Europe from Bryant. Bryant seems to be thrilled that America is based on Europe. Places such as New York and New England were almost exact replicas of the originals. Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine, and Thomas Jefferson were trying to change the way America was to make it a better place to live. It is because of these men that America is everything it is today.

SWOT Analysis Tencent Limited Holding

IntroductionIn March 2010 McKinsey published an article dealing with the obsession of the Internet of the Chinese population by concluding the following statement „People in the country’s 60 largest cities spend 70 percent of their leisure time online. Seismic changes in the consumer market are likely as a result.â€Å"1 China’s Internet population increased at the end of 2012 to a total number of 564 million users compared to approximately 250 million users in 2008, according to the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIN).2 The main reasons for this enormous growth is strongly connected with different aspects, as for instance the general growth of Gross-Domestic-Product (GDP), lower priced computers, more affordable telecom connection fees, government support to Internet usage, and low-cost entertainment aspects. This affected, that also lower income groups started to use the Internet.3 Answering to this fast development and growth of Chinas Internet p opulation, the Internet service industry is about to increase up to 17 percentages in 2013. In the last years, the Internet service industry achieved even annual growing rates up to 20 percentages, resulting of the booming demand.The Internet market seems to be quite satisfied for the moment but even in the next years researches forecast an annual growth of approximately 10 percentages. This is due to the expansion of existing offers in the area of e-commerce and advertisement services.4 Observing the numbers, 148 million people have already experienced Internet shopping since 2010 and it is expected that 30 million people will additionally make use of it by the end of 2015.5 The Economist stated, â€Å"the future of e-commerce is China†.6 Besides the e-commerce and advertisement services also the application services became more and more important over the last years because of the introduction of smartphones and tablets.7Recognizing the trends, Tencent Holdings Limited deci ded 20 years ago to enter the market and finally became the largest Internet Service Portal in China. Tencent still enjoys a quasi monopoly position, which is hardly endangered due to rising competition. That is the reason why they need to think about using new opportunities and fending upcoming threats. Consequently Tencent should carry out a Strengths-, Weaknesses-, Opportunities-, Threats-Analysis (SWOT-Analysis), which includes the study of their own weaknesses and strengths in the internal dimension and the resulting opportunities and threats giving from external influences.This paper will firstly give an overview about the internal strengths and weaknesses. Furthermore Tencent’s external environment will be analyzed and the results will be used for defining the opportunities and threats of the company Before starting with the literal SWOT-Analysis for Tencent the first Chapter gives a short explanation about SWOT-Analysis in general.2 Definition SWOT- Analysis As mentio ned in the introduction, there are two different parts of changes in the environment, which lead to affect the performance of companies. This chapter will explain the difference between internal and external environment and their interaction. Furthermore the next part will explain the so-called SWOT-Analysis in detail.Internal environment analysis points out strengths and weaknesses of a company that in turn, supports decision-making processes concerning the handling of upcoming threats and opportunities.8 Knowing which strengths and weaknesses the company has to face, the internal environment analysis studies aspects like assets, people or knowledge on the one hand and financial deadlines or gaps in capabilities on the other hand.9 Analyzing the internal environment is very important because it defines the capability of the company to deal with the threats and opportunities given by the external environment.10 External environment deals with all developments on the marketplace, inc luding political, economical, social, legal and technical conditions as well as customers, competitors, suppliers and the public. Changes in the external environment or the so-called STEEP (socialcultural, technological, ecological, economical, political/legal)  force the companies in most cases to rethink their actual strategy, to make use of the emerged opportunities and to prevent occurring threats.11 As for instance using the development of a new market as opportunity or dealing with threats as new competitors or decreasing demand.12 To use opportunities means to develop a best-practice strategy. Regarding this, companies have to decide, whether it is the best opportunity to offer something in short supply, to provide something in a better way what already exists, or to create a totally new product.13 Concerning to that, the company has to know if there exists demand, needs and wants for the product they want to provide.14 Facing threats and not trying to fend them often leads to decreasing profits or lower sales. On the one hand knowing these threats gives the opportunity to react and trying to avoid, that threats are going to influence the company’s performance.15 On the other hand firms often do not have control over the threats, which affects the company negatively like for instance new competitors are entering the marketplace. This results in giving up potential customers and thus decreasing demand.16Bringing the internal and external environment analysis together is what you call a SWOT-Analysis. The SWOT-Analysis evaluates all strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of a company, which builds the base for a strategy formulation.17 Meaning that knowing the strengths and reduce weaknesses help companies to use opportunities on the one side, On the other side to use strengths and develop strategies to avoid that weaknesses will become the target of threats. After this short definition of the SWOT-Analysis the next step will be to work out the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the Tencent Holdings Limited. 3 SWOT-Analysis of Tencent Holdings Limited3.2 Internal Environment AnalysisAs mentioned in the Introduction the Internet Industry in China is booming. To cover all possible marketplaces in the Internet Tencent offers a broad range of products and services. Besides the most popular service, the instant Messenger called QQ including numerous added services, Tencent provides online media, (wireless) internet value added services, interactive  entertainment services, especially in the online-gaming sector, e-commerce platforms and services as well as online advertisement services.18 Tencent also follows latest trends, as for instance launching a mobile application of a messaging service and added games and a mobile payment system, because of the latest development of using smartphones and tablets instead of personal computers.19 Tencent is one of the oldest Internet corporations in China and wi th its QQ platform the company reached 798,2 million user accounts by the end of 2012.20 As a result, Tencent influenced the communication world in China fundamentally. Another strengths lies definitely in the broad product and service offer of Tencent and the way in which they create synergies. The company offers seven main business lines, starting from instant messaging to online advertisement services. Besides just offering free services, Tencent tries to bind their users to the company’s value-added and paid services, in order to make profit.21 The strategy aims to offer the Internet population the possibility to use a wide variety of services in one company.Furthermore Tencent could gain a lot of experiences and knowledge over the past 20 years as one of the first providers in the Internet service sector, which significantly strengthened the company’s research and development abilities. Despite having already the mature technology in the market, half of the employ ees of Tencent belong to the Research and Development department, to ensure Tencent’s current market leading position and sustain this competitive advantage. Additionally to that the Tencent Research institute, which is China’s first Internet institute with the main goals in research and development of core technology on the Internet, supports the corporation in being innovative.22 Another strength of Tencent is their workforce as Tencent sees them as the â€Å"most precious asset and emphasized on the training of employees† by using different Training Systems.23 Moreover Tencent Holdings Limited is the third largest Internet operator in the world and the largest listed company in China.24 Benefitting from many advantages due to the companiescompany’s size there are also weaknesses the company has to face. In the following part the internal environment focuses on revealing the weaknesses of Tencent.Regarding the large variety of the product range Tencent, Tencent faces the fear of cannibalization because it creates a competitive situation in between their products. An example can be giving by the different instant  messaging services WeChat and QQ or TM and RTX, which serve the same purpose. Besides that QQ mobile messenger gets more and more the look of WeChat, which makes it even more competitive and leads to higher confusion for the consumers.25 Moreover Tencent greatest weakness is being not really innovative rather than being a â€Å"copy cat†. This occurs with the fact, that Tencent copied a lot from successful western companies. QQ for example is a copy of the Israeli invention ICQ and SOSO, the search engine of Tencent uses especially Google as a model.To conclude the internal environment analysis, one can summarize, that Tencent is a highly developed company with a lot of market power due to their long existence. On the opposite Tencent can notcannot convince with real innovative power. To get an idea what influence s TencentsTencent’s decision externally the next step will be to analyze the current market situation of the Internet market in China.3.1 External Environment AnalysisTencent operates in a highly challenging and rapidly changing environment. To get an idea what external impacts Tencent has to face it is important to know, what external factors the Chinese Internet market is about. As already mentioned China, faces a fast growing market in e-commerce because of the increasing number of Internet shoppers. The government noticed the importance of this growing market as well and plans to â€Å"upgrade the technological capabilities of e-commerce†.27 Another importance opportunity lies in using the governmental support, which is communicated in the 12th five-year plan and includes the support for the â€Å"new-generation IT† and additionally the advance of the information networks, mobile communication and the Internet.28 China is nowadays the largest Internet market in the world, which implicates that it is also one of the most competitive markets in the world.In addition to the high development of the Internet scene many companies entered the market in the last years, which leads to a highly competitive situation in general. Chinas Internet population is still growing but the annual growing ratio halved already from 20 percentages in the last years to 10 percentages as forecasted. Besides that, more and more  startups enter the markets, which results sooner or later in a fully satisfied market and a loss in profit and market share.As an example for the highly competitive market, the image below shows the current competition situation on the search engine market in China.There are already eight providers only for search engines on the market including international companies like Yahoo and Google. The low market share of these international companies underlines the fact, that there are still restrictions from the government concerning the fu lly market entry of these companies.Image : China Search Engine Market Share in August 201330Even if governmental regulations already have relaxed a bit, Chinese Internet sector faces still a lot of restrictions. Chinas Internet companies benefit by this, because many foreign websites are still blocked and they are not exposed to powerful competitors like Facebook. This in consequence creates the possibility to develop and strengthen own applications. On the other hand it could become a threat as soon as the government decides to abolish this restrictions. Chinese Internet companies then have to face the full international competition against global players as for example Google.31 After giving this overview about the external and internal environment the next chapter will use this information by concluding recommendations about Tencent’s future strategy.3.3 SWOT-Analysis and RecommendationsTencent entered the Internet market in many different dimensions and accordingly place s their product and service offering. Due to the previous analysis, there are especially three main product categories where Tencent should use their opportunities in further expansion. Firstly, Tencent should, due to the growth-intensive market segment, expand their e-commerce offer by developing for instance their website Papai.com. To even attract more possible Internet shoppers, they also should expand their online advertisement services. Thus, they can make use of synergies they already created through their broad offers, by linking their advertisements services with the shopping sites they own. This second measure, leads to the creation  of new potential profit zones.Thirdly, Tencent should not only focus on expanding existing offers but also develop new products, as for instance in the sector of cloud computing. By doing so, they can fully exhausting governmental support. Taking into consideration, that the market will be opened up in the long-term, Tencent should emphasis their innovation process on new products and services for the national and also international market. This should not be very difficult to accomplish, since Tencent disposes of a highly experienced workforce in Research and Development. This in consequence will enable the company to expand international and compete with other global players. If Tencent wants to keep their position as the third largest Internet company in the world they have to continue growing their business. Considering the slower growing Internet population in China, Tencent needs to go international to keep their growing position.Tencent did this by investing in foreign companies as for instance in the case of FAB.3233 This expansion should be continued in order to gain international market share and increase their portfolio in other Internet based services, as well as to improve their overall operational capability. Another possibility to do so is by expanding through strategic alliances†¦ By building strat egic business partnerships within China and gaining market share in several sectors Tencent is also able to fend the threat of market entry by international Internet companies in turn. Tencent furthermore has got a highly influence on the communication world in China as one of the oldest Internet company and built already a lot of barriers for international companies.Taking the messenger service QQ as an example for the mostly used messenger in China it enjoys a very high customer liability. Consequently Tencent could prevent loosing their position in China because although of the feared abolishment of several governmental restrictions concerning the entry of international companies. Additionally Tencent should try to avoid that QQ gets more and more the look of WeChat. As already explained, this could tempt users to change to competitors because of confusion. In this case, Tencent should favor cannibalization by offering differentiated products of the same purpose, to avoid losing costumers to competitors. The image below shows a summery of the named points and what the SWOT-Analysis and recommendations for the Tencent Holdings Limited contain.Image 2: SWOTs of Tencent Holdings Limited344 ConclusionInternet business in China is still one of the fastest growing industries in the world and Tencent used and uses this opportunity a lot in expanding existing products, launching new services and developing better solutions for the internet population in general. These actions are supported by the try of going more and more international. Even though the external environment analysis showed that the Internet market is influenced by many factors, which co-determines the performance of Tencent an all the other Internet companies. To reach the best performance they could get, Tencent has to use its strengths and to improve its weaknesses to make the best out of every trend, meaning using opportunities and fending threats.To summarize what the work pointed out in the pr evious chapter, Tencent shouldTencent should expand their e-commerce and their online advertisement services. Moreover there is a big opportunity to create national and international strategic businesses trough the investments or the development of own innovations, which should be easily possible due to he strong research and development activity of Tencent. Additionally to that, Tencent already is the third largest Internet company worldwide, which makes it easier for them to enter international markets and gaining new customers all around the world.Regarding the governmental aspects, Tencent needs to use the supports given by the government and stress the development of new systems. Furthermore Tencent should definitely try to further build their market entry barriers. As a conclusion, the SWOT-Analysis of Tencent Holdings Limited showed, that the company is rightly positioned at the top in the world ´s largest Internet market, due their numerous strengths. But in times of liber alization, globalization and an almost satisfied domestic market, Tencent has to fight against the identified threats in the upcoming years.

Trap-Ease America Essays

Trap-Ease America Essays Trap-Ease America Paper Trap-Ease America Paper Has Martha identified the best target market for Trap-Ease? In other to ascertain whether Martha has identified the best target market for Trap-Ease we will look at what is a market and what does target markets involves. A market is the set of actual and possible buyers of a product or services and marketing involves the process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging products and values with each other. Before targeting a market segmentation has to take place. The division of a market into different homogeneous groups of consumers is known as market segmentation. Rather than offer the same marketing mix to vastly different customers, market segmentation makes it possible for firms to tailor the marketing mix for specific market, thus better satisfying customer needs. A market segment should be: -measurable -accessibly by communication and distribution channels -different in its response to a marketing mix -durable -substantial enough to be profitable The four primary bases on which markets are segmented are: geographic – this is based on regional variables such as region, climate, population density, and population growth rate -demographic – is based on variables such as age, gender, ethnicity, education, occupation, income and family status -psychographic – based on variables such as values, attitudes, and lifestyle -behavioral – based on variables such as usage rate and patterns, price sensitivity, brand loyal ty and benefits sought When the market has been segmented the firm now has to choose its target market. A target market is a set of buyers who share a common need or characteristic that the company decides to serve. The firm does that by evaluating the attractiveness of the segment and the fit between the segment and the firm’s objectives, resources, and capabilities. Martha has chosen women as its target market but Martha has to consider whether the woman is the decision maker when it comes to home improvement items like mousetraps. Martha could try targeting males. The men who see it as their role/duty to deal with pest control in the home thus protecting the women from the gruesome nature that is usually involves in the process. In the case of Trap-Ease the mouse maybe trap alive in the trap and women may not want to deal with that aspect but the man may have no problem of disposing the trap with a live mouse. Businesses such as offices and warehouses are another option Martha may wish to consider. Business owners who need to safeguard their supplies and equipment can well be served by the Trap-Ease. Martha should appeal to these people showing them the benefit of using the Trap-Ease instead of poison or the traditional mousetrap. One of the benefit is when poison is used the mice may end up dead anywhere and stink up the office environment before it is found whereas the Trap-Ease you would know exactly where you place it and can dispose of it in a timely manner. The food service industry such as restaurant, canteens is yet another market Martha can target. The food service industry has to maintain certain health standards one of which is maintaining a pest free environment. Martha can show them the benefit of using the Trap-Ease to achieve these standards thus better serving their customers and at the same time protect their food supplies, ingredients and their business from being infected by mice. Pest control companies would make a great target market for Martha. These companies specialize in finding solutions for their customers and Martha needs to convince them that Trap-Ease would be a great product for their clients. Since a rancher invented the Trap-Ease, ranchers could be a target market because it seems that the inventor was having a problem with mice and other ancher like him can be experiencing the same problem. Martha could use the retired rancher to reach this target market. Describe the current marketing mix for Trap-ease. Do you see any problems with this mix? Marketing mix are the variables that mangers can control in order to best satisfy customers in the target market. A typical marketing mix includes the product offered at price, with some promotion to tell customers about the product and a way to reach the customers’ place. This is often referred to as the 4P’s: Product, Price, Place and Promotion. The product is the physical product or service offered to the consumer. Price is the amount of money the customers have to pay obtain the product. Promotion represents the various aspects of communicating information about he product with the goal of generating a positive customer response. Place is about getting the products to the target customers. The following table summaries the marketing mix, including a list of the aspect of each of the 4Ps. ProductPricePlacePromotion FunctionalityAppearanceQualityPackagingBrandWarrantService/SupportList PriceDiscountAllowancesFinancingLeasing optionsChannel membersChannel motivationMarket coverageLocationsLogisticsService levelsAdvertisingPersonal sellingPublic relationsMessageMediaBudget The marketing mix for Trap-Ease is: Product:Trap-Ease innovative mousetrap Price:Retail = $2. 49 Place: Large Retailers, Safeway, Kmart, Hechingers CB Drugs Promotion:Trade shows, Home-and-Shelter style magazines, Publicity. The Trap-Ease is an above average product that provides a much needed customer solution. There is no variety in the packaging therefore customers do not have a choice as whether they want a package with one or two. There is no mechanism to ascertain whether customers are satisfied with the product. The price is very high when compared to its closest competitors and from the customer’s point of view that may not be worth the added value in the product itself. The retailers are given no motivation to sell the product in their stores and no incentive is offered to entice consumer to purchase. Promotion is one in a medium that is not communicating the message to the correct targeted market. Women are a small segment of the total â€Å"hardware† customers. Good housekeeping and other home and shelter magazines may not appeal to many persons in the targeted market. As it stands right now the product has to sell itself because limited advertising is being as a result the public may not be aware of the product. There is not sufficient communication between Martha and customer or potential customers. Trap-Ease is located in the top hardware, grocery and drug chains; this is not offering enough market coverage. Transportation of orders to retailers is not being done in a timely manner. The Trap-Ease is not sufficiently expose to the customer. The proximity of the stores where the product is sold in relation to where the customers are maybe impacting on the availability of the product to consumers. How would you change Trap-Ease’s marketing strategy? What kind of control procedures would you establish for this strategy? I would use the product innovative aspect to promote it to a larger potential clientele. I would change the fact the design just a little to ensure that once the mouse is trap it dies instantly or offer the customer a choice of purchasing one where the mouse dies instantly or it is caught alive. I would also look into the possibility of packaging the Trap-Ease with the bait as part of the package. Customer may only need one Trap therefore I would offer packages of one and packages of two. I would lower the price for the initial market penetration. This will help to increase sales by attracting new customers or attract them from the traditional product. Once

Essay RenadA ENG3UR U2L7a1

Essay RenadA ENG3UR U2L7a1 Essay RenadA ENG3UR U2L7a1 Lord of the Flies Literary Essay Symbolism is a very important element that is used in many novels. In William Goldings Lord of the Flies, the use of symbolism is very present and is shown through objects and characters. In Lord of the Flies, Simon symbolises the natural goodness in a human being. He is compassionate towards other people's feelings which shows true kindness. He helps other people out without needing any reasons for doing so, and he also is the only boy on the island that finds out the real truth about the beast. Even though Simon didn't really fit in well with the other boys on the island, he still remained very wise and tried his best to make a difference in other people's lives and his too. In the novel, Simon was described as a "skinny, vivid little boy...," (24) showing that he might have been weaker than the others physically, but not mentally. Despite his size, he still tried to help other people out on the island as best as he could. When the littluns could n ot reach the fruit, "Simon found for them the fruit they could not reach, pulled off the choicest from up in the foliage, passed them back down to the endless, outstretched hands." (56) He also was the only person that helped Ralph build shelters, while everybody else was doing their own thing, and having fun. Ralph said, "...I work all day with nothing but Simon...," (54) which shows that even though Simon could be doing his own thing like everybody else was, he stayed and helped Ralph out just for the good of it. The other boys on the island thought of Simon as "..queer...funny," (55) because he was rather odd, always going away in the forest alone for long periods of time. Every time Simon tried to talk to the other boys, his "effort fell about him in ruins; the laughter beat him cruelly and he shrank away defenseless in his seat." (89) Even though he was considered an outcast by the other boys, he still thought of other people's feelings, even though they didn't think of his. In the end, he was trying more to tell the boys what he knew, but they just thought he was weird. He told Ralph, 'You'll get back alright.';(111) Ralph's response was only that he thought Simon was 'batty.'; In another instance, he went to tell the others that he found out what the beast really was (the parachutist), but got caught in their bestial dance. They heard him 'crying something about a body on the hill,'; (152) but it was too late. In the darkness, he had been mistaken for the beast and was killed. Although Simon's life was a short one and he did not have the time to go through much change, he proved that there was hope for being rescued. He may have been an outcast and slightly weird, but he knew that everything would be just fine. Had he lived through the assault that took his life, the other boys would have seen that he was not as strange as they thought he was. It always seems that the children who know the most are mistaken for something else and are automatically sing led out. Finally, the good or moral person should be someone who stands up for what is right regardless of what others think, is willing to sacrifice for the greater good and is a very rational person. In the novel, Simon is the character who is shown as the good that exists in our society. First, Simon openly admits that he does not believe in the beast. Regardless of what the other boys think of him, he stands his ground. Secondly, Simon sacrifices his free time to help Ralph build shelter for all the boys. Although this involves much labour and hard work, he is willing to do anything he can to help out. Lastly, Simon is one of the only boys who does not jump to conclusions when rumors and stories of the beast begin to surface. Simon is the morally good boy. His selflessness and goodness comes from within. He is kind to the little boys, and helps the outcasts. For example, when none of the boys want to give Piggy meat from the first pig, Simon steps up and takes

Balanced Scorecard In Vodafone Group Commerce Essay

Balanced Scorecard In Vodafone Group Commerce Essay McKinsey 7S framework is very important in our working environment, I have to use these theories to analyze Vodafone Company. McKinney 7S are very useful for organization. Even in 21st Century, many company use for analyzing their company. It well know and benefit for analyzing firms, for the fact that 7S. nowadays, a lot of successful firms and organizations used McKinsey 7S to achieving their goals, In the 7S framework, there are 7 important variables can be use into the organization: structures, strategy, systems, staffs, skills, style and shared value. There seven variables can be classified as soft components and hard components. Strategy, structure and system were hard components which are usually feasible and easy to identify because they are usually in the policy statements, business plans, organizational charts, organizational structures and systems as recorded in the report. This is the only viable research organizations are very close, usually by observation or by intervi ew, to understand these poplar. Next, kotter’s 8 step change model also very important for an organization. Kotter;s model of changes work around 8 key steps that need to be planned and executed as part of any change management project. Beside that, balanced scorecard also play very important role in a firms. Kaplan and Norton (1996) had mention that balanced scorecard is a performance tools can be used in strategic map, day by day, connective an organization to the process of organizational goals. Instead of how to capture an organization the current operation, is about creating a strategy, will drive the future direction of development, the construction of a causal link, taking into account the financial and intangible resources, you can determine the success or failure. Overview and Analysis Structure The structure is the skeleton, the form of shape of organizations. It dedicates the way it operates and performs (Waterman et al., 1980). Traditionally,  enterprises and  departments,  sectors and levels  in  the lower layers  to answer  the superstructure.  Today,  planar structure,  where  the work of  the Panel of Experts  to  complete, but also  more common.  The idea is  to  make  the  organization  more elastic,  decentralization, giving  employees and  the  elimination  of  middle  management levels (Boyle, 2007) Strategy The  strategy  to  achieve  the objectives identified  in  the allocation of resources  over time, the  plan of action  or course. It different with tactic, strategy is well thought and often rehearsed. The organization  from its current location  to a new location described in the objectives, subject to constraints of the capabilities (Ansoff, 1965) Systems The  system is a  conventional  process  and  organizes the implementation of  the procedures followed  in  the  strategy and  run  day-to-day  routine matters.  The main purpose  of  these processes  is to achieve  maximum benefit.  Traditionally,  the  higher level management,  the majority of  decisions.  More and more organizations  are using innovation and latest  technology to make faster  decision-making process. Staff Staff  personnel  within the organization,  such as  engineers,  salespeople, marketer  etc.  It is different with old  organizations,  the  new  lead agency for  hiring the best  employees  to  pay more attention to.  Provide them with  strict training  and monitoring  in support of their  worker, and to give  incentives  in order to achieve  the professional distinction of  staff. Based on (Purcell and Boxall, 2008), there are two important can be apply into the organisation-strategy and competitive advantage over their competitors.

Venus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Venus - Essay Example Her genital area has a clear definition. This figurine has a large, round stomach. Her stomach hangs, but does not cover her genitalia She also has large flat buttocks. Her head has a pattern of concentric rings which can represent her hair or a kind of head dress. Her thighs and knees are large. She has no feet. This means she cannot stand on her own. She has no facial features. This makes her anonymous (Lammerhuber 2008). Venus of Willendorf is an exceptionally erotic figure. Her female aura was expressed in her ample bosom and detailed genitals. Her large sexual features depict her as a fertility icon. Her form portrays her nurturing abilities. She lacks a face. This imparts her with universality. She is a universal symbol of womanhood. Her lack of feet could be to provide immobility. Studies show that she may have been a prehistoric fertility goddess. Her power would lie in the ability to procreate. Other translations depict her as a doll for children in the prehistoric age. Venus of Willendorf has also been translated as a self-sculpture of a large woman. This figurine represents an impressive degree of artistic ability in its basic structure and intricate details (Lammerhuber

International Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 15

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Foundations of Risk Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Foundations of Risk Management - Research Paper Example The challenge in cyber security is that it affects different losses from loss of privacy to loss of even finances and it goes to the extent where crucial data can be lost. Hackers can be in the country or outside the country. The challenge is that this war is beyond borders and with the world changing fast it will be a huge challenge in America in the next decade. There are many factors that are contributing to this vice one of it is that it is a channel that terrorist can use so as to further their agenda. By accessing the security intelligence system terrorists may be able to gain some ground they can also steal crucial data that they may use to their advantage such as weapons manufacturing and analyzing the best time to attack (Huffman). The second most crucial factor is greed. There are many way people can access financial transactions using the internet. Banking industry is the most affected whereby hackers try to steal money electronically even though they have really tri ed to do their part the financial losses have been going on for a while. This is what makes America have enemies from within their country. Criminals who want to get easy money. The third challenge that is proving difficult is the lack of trust among countries. American government was recently accused by Germany of hacking their Prime minister cell phone. Such acts have brought about mistrust among trusted allies in the fight against cybercrime. Apart from America Sony entertainment a company subsidiary to Sony limited wanted to release a movie that brought out diplomatic battles where North Korea allegedly hacked into the system and stole all data from Sony then released confidential emails among the Staff to the public. This cannot be ignored as petty as it brought a lot of losses to the company. From a business angle Sony Investors must have been shocked by the turn of events that

Wwek3dicussions Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

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Book Analysis of Ideas and Weapons by Irving Brington Holley Essay

Book Analysis of Ideas and Weapons by Irving Brington Holley - Essay Example This paper extensively examines the perspectives of war according to different scholars and the development of weapons. It also deals with the development of warfare from ancient societies up to the current, sophisticated forms of attacks. Ideas and Concepts There are several ideas and questions according to Keegan warfare. He strongly believes that war has a historical factor. For instance, he is a proponent of Clausewitzian framework, which he describes as being great in providing the foundation of examining warfare but fails to answer some pertinent questions. He tries to answer the question, what is war? In addition, how did war start? Specifically he notes that war has a cultural phenomenon (Keegan 56). War culturally came from militaristic way of life in Europe as compared to other historians who define it as the political struggle. Keegan proves extensively that culture is the focal point to describe warfare. Irving Brington Holley, on the other hand, brings the idea that deve lopment of weapons happened in steps (Holley 34). It is from his fact that those who used the modern weapons had victorious win over their rivals. The allies to the modern US with modern weapons could access the tools and protect themselves better. He provides a well thought idea that the need to get better protection of the US created the need to develop new and advance models of weapons to use in the war. The weapons made in this case were to be used by the American Air force. Themes and Propositions According to Keegan, many people lived unpretentious and pastoralist lifestyles until their cultural attitudes changed towards violence. He proves this by examining four groups of people who lived pastoralist lifestyle (Keegan 66). First, the Zulu originally from Sothern part of Africa lived a gentle life. The Shaka invaded and interrupted Zulu’s lifestyle through attacks, which sparked a war between the two communities. He categorically states that the war intended to protect the cultural systems that existed (Holley 56). More so, through Samurai of Japan, Keegan identifies war as culture protection being one of the aspects that cause it. Irving in his views divided his thoughts about ideas and weapons in three classes. Mainly the three classes are involved with supporting aerial weapons development that could be utilized in the world wars. First and far most, he identifies pursuit as a technique to hunt for the enemy. The US tacked down the skies of Europe to get areas of interest to attack (Holley 67). The second-class was the observation of key areas from the sky to be sure of attacking the correct areas. The last class included final stage, which was to bomb the targeted areas in Europe. He further notes that the minds of those who were responsible for innovating field operational aircrafts were to protect the US interests. The field aircrafts helped US to strike directly at the European ground forces and get away without any injuries. The Europeans were greatly defeated because of lack of sophisticated weapons against their opponent. It made all the US allies admire the innovation that was in place both in the First World War and the Second World War. Similarities and Differences Keegan divides warfare history in four main eras. They include iron, flesh, fire and stone. Each era marks a transition in the innovation of warfare right away from the strengthening and gradual development of the armies. Keegan creatively brings out different kinds of warfare in

Foundations of Risk Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Foundations of Risk Management - Research Paper Example The challenge in cyber security is that it affects different losses from loss of privacy to loss of even finances and it goes to the extent where crucial data can be lost. Hackers can be in the country or outside the country. The challenge is that this war is beyond borders and with the world changing fast it will be a huge challenge in America in the next decade. There are many factors that are contributing to this vice one of it is that it is a channel that terrorist can use so as to further their agenda. By accessing the security intelligence system terrorists may be able to gain some ground they can also steal crucial data that they may use to their advantage such as weapons manufacturing and analyzing the best time to attack (Huffman). The second most crucial factor is greed. There are many way people can access financial transactions using the internet. Banking industry is the most affected whereby hackers try to steal money electronically even though they have really tri ed to do their part the financial losses have been going on for a while. This is what makes America have enemies from within their country. Criminals who want to get easy money. The third challenge that is proving difficult is the lack of trust among countries. American government was recently accused by Germany of hacking their Prime minister cell phone. Such acts have brought about mistrust among trusted allies in the fight against cybercrime. Apart from America Sony entertainment a company subsidiary to Sony limited wanted to release a movie that brought out diplomatic battles where North Korea allegedly hacked into the system and stole all data from Sony then released confidential emails among the Staff to the public. This cannot be ignored as petty as it brought a lot of losses to the company. From a business angle Sony Investors must have been shocked by the turn of events that

Book Analysis of Ideas and Weapons by Irving Brington Holley Essay

Book Analysis of Ideas and Weapons by Irving Brington Holley - Essay Example This paper extensively examines the perspectives of war according to different scholars and the development of weapons. It also deals with the development of warfare from ancient societies up to the current, sophisticated forms of attacks. Ideas and Concepts There are several ideas and questions according to Keegan warfare. He strongly believes that war has a historical factor. For instance, he is a proponent of Clausewitzian framework, which he describes as being great in providing the foundation of examining warfare but fails to answer some pertinent questions. He tries to answer the question, what is war? In addition, how did war start? Specifically he notes that war has a cultural phenomenon (Keegan 56). War culturally came from militaristic way of life in Europe as compared to other historians who define it as the political struggle. Keegan proves extensively that culture is the focal point to describe warfare. Irving Brington Holley, on the other hand, brings the idea that deve lopment of weapons happened in steps (Holley 34). It is from his fact that those who used the modern weapons had victorious win over their rivals. The allies to the modern US with modern weapons could access the tools and protect themselves better. He provides a well thought idea that the need to get better protection of the US created the need to develop new and advance models of weapons to use in the war. The weapons made in this case were to be used by the American Air force. Themes and Propositions According to Keegan, many people lived unpretentious and pastoralist lifestyles until their cultural attitudes changed towards violence. He proves this by examining four groups of people who lived pastoralist lifestyle (Keegan 66). First, the Zulu originally from Sothern part of Africa lived a gentle life. The Shaka invaded and interrupted Zulu’s lifestyle through attacks, which sparked a war between the two communities. He categorically states that the war intended to protect the cultural systems that existed (Holley 56). More so, through Samurai of Japan, Keegan identifies war as culture protection being one of the aspects that cause it. Irving in his views divided his thoughts about ideas and weapons in three classes. Mainly the three classes are involved with supporting aerial weapons development that could be utilized in the world wars. First and far most, he identifies pursuit as a technique to hunt for the enemy. The US tacked down the skies of Europe to get areas of interest to attack (Holley 67). The second-class was the observation of key areas from the sky to be sure of attacking the correct areas. The last class included final stage, which was to bomb the targeted areas in Europe. He further notes that the minds of those who were responsible for innovating field operational aircrafts were to protect the US interests. The field aircrafts helped US to strike directly at the European ground forces and get away without any injuries. The Europeans were greatly defeated because of lack of sophisticated weapons against their opponent. It made all the US allies admire the innovation that was in place both in the First World War and the Second World War. Similarities and Differences Keegan divides warfare history in four main eras. They include iron, flesh, fire and stone. Each era marks a transition in the innovation of warfare right away from the strengthening and gradual development of the armies. Keegan creatively brings out different kinds of warfare in

Contrasting Differences in Family Life in USA and Mexico Essay Example for Free

Contrasting Differences in Family Life in USA and Mexico Essay The family is the basic unit of any particular society or community. It is therefore imperative that for the society to exist the family has to be there to produce members into the community. The community or national character any particular country is basically determined by the nature of the family values. An individual is shaped in the early ages by the family. In the contemporary society there are increased diversity changes in the family a characteristic of the many changes in culture, political, economic, social, and psychological and even the environment. The content definition of has not been agreed upon because of the great changes that are so accommodating. In the previous many years the family was considered as the people who are related by blood. This definition based on the kinship ties has been revoked due to the influence of many forms of families which has stripped off the family its actual definition. For instance there can husband and wife who do not have any kinship ties and they go ahead to adopt children. Another case that has changed such a definition of the family based on kinship ties is the increasing number of intermarriage within the context of race or ethnicity. This brings out a mixture of offspring and therefore it is difficult to trace the family bonds based on kinship ties. The issue of who is next to kin is no longer important in the current families. The most common aspect in the current families is the bonding based on mutual understanding. The many changes of husband and wife have been changed by the introduction of lesbianism and gay. These try to go against the grain of opposite gender type of marriage. The concept of marriage has changed from opposite gender type of marriage to a mixture of gay, lesbianism and opposite gender marriages. These are some of the dynamisms that are facing the contemporary families. This paper shall give an indebt analysis of the family, the changes in roles and functions of the families and the general effects of such changes to the contemporary families. A close reference and examples shall be drawn from the US and Mexico, the countries that border each other geographically. The contrasting differences I n family issues shall be pointed out clearly. Family life in the United States The family relationship in the United States has undergone several transformations due to the effect of globalization. Race and ethnicity are the most significant factors in shaping the variety of values, attitudes and behaviour amongst the families in the United States. There are a number of changes in families in the United States. These changes range from political, social, economic, and psychological to spiritual. The social dislocations have given rise to new ideas and values especially there is increased individualism among the members of the community. In the US there increased diversity in the organizational structures. There are many cases of divorce and separation in the United Stated which has grabbed the family the unity and love that is supposed to be enjoyed. Most the single families that are common in the US are as a result of divorce and remarriage due to greater democratization. (Hines Morrison, 2005) Cultural diversity in the US is accounting for the many different types of families that have emerged in the recent past. The United States constitutes almost all races and ethnic groups in the world. For this reason there are diverse cultural values as a resulting of this contact. The factor that there are free intermarriages between these diverse races and ethnic groups has made the US to have diverse cultural values which transcend the native culture. The immigrants who move to the United State try to maintain their native language despite the fact that they are forced to learn the official language of the United States, which is English. The immigrants from Spanish speaking countries (Hispanic) when they move to the United States they try to maintain their languages. The culture of the people is usually transmitted through language and due to the numerous languages in the United States there exists different cultures. This means that there are very many family clusters formed through the sharing of the languages. For instance most of the Hispanic immigrants have formed family clusters in the sides of Florida. The black American speaks a variety of English as they identify themselves as belonging or originating from one family. These disparities have affected the notion of the family because these people are allowed to mix freely with people from different cultures. The concept of the family in the United States is changing even the more during the advent of the green card where people from different pasts acquire citizenship. Many people from different races and ethnic groups have found their way to the US and as such most of them are allowed to move with their families. The nuclear family still remains an ideal source of the society in the United States. The United States families are characterized by the great social stratification. In the United the families are organized according to different classes. Among these classes there are great disparities in terms of economic value. The choice of families has not taken shift from mutual understanding to materials and resources. This has affected relationships from a sociological point of view. This issue of the class is a dominant phenomenon among the families in the United States as those who are rich wants to maintain the status quo. This is done through the inheritance that is passed within the nuclear families. The nuclear families in the United States are created and broken up and then reconstituted. This has led to the decline of family values which consequently affects the family patterns. This diversity in family pattern has been identified as the cause of problems such as violence, crime and drug use in the united state. The parents are usually very busy with their duties (United States, Congress, 1992). The increasing cases of divorce and separation in the United States have a negative effect on maintaining the ideal norms of the nuclear family value. The families that are exposed to values outside the parental domain are likely to deviate from norms. The human rights in the United States are considered fundamental. There is protection of the universal human right which is a recipe to the process of democratization. This the reason why the US government invest huge amount of money in education health and other basic sectors so as to enhance the promotion of the human rights among the citizens. The Family Life in Mexico Most people have preferred to live in Mexico for a variety of reasons such as social, political, economic and even good climatic reasons. Living in Mexico requires one to learn the Spanish language so as to increase effective communication. This is because the families are socialized in the Spanish language. The Mexican people are extremely warm and friendly as they are organized in smaller communities that come from the mutually intelligible families. This means that the socialization process is high since there tow much contact between the families. The family bonds are tightly held together and for this reason there is cultural uniformity. The society per se is integrated under common cultural values through the common language shared. Piped water is relatively inexpensive, but not always potable (drinkable). Decades of under-investment, combined with an attitude of impertinence towards paying water bills, has left Mexicos mains water system in poor condition. As a result, most people purchase bottled water, often in 20L containers. Bottled water is very expensive. Rents in Mexico can be higher than in equivalent-sized US towns or cities if the place is popular or fashionable, particularly places within easy reach of the US border. Mexico has a centralized economy: that is, most of the countrys economic activity revolves around. The Mexican pace of life is relatively slower than in the US Especially when the life in major cities is given consideration. The families in Mexico are closely tied as most of the families have time to attend to their families. There is a high degree of parental responsibility among the families. This transcends to greater heights of good values that the society enjoys. Mexico’s culture has a rich history in a consolidated family religion, people and tradition. The Mexican people are proud of their culture that they keep on passing from one generation to another. This is because there is little infusion of the foreign cultures. The family is the basic unit in Mexico and a cornerstone to the maintenance of the culture. The rate of socialization and interaction among these people is too high. It is a usual phenomenon to meet two or more families meeting for a common interest or for a special event. This part of the family function in Mexico, people in Mexico have free time to visit resort centers for the purpose of relaxation which is not a common phenomenon in the United States, where people are too busy. (Heymann, 2006) The Mexican People are too religious which is a big contrast with the United States where people feel that they are in control; of their own life. A large number of people are Christian and they are usually committed to going to church. When you walk in the Mexican homes it is easy for you to see the religious images. In America people stay a non-religious life thus an effect of religious intermingling that has made it difficult for the people to which religious practice to adopt. Thus they resign from subscribing to any of the religious practice. The social stratification is not prevalent in the Mexican family as it is in the United States; people are seeking for money the Mexican people strive for titles. The professionals in Mexico prefer to be addressed with the titles that they deserve. This is as a result of the traditional emphasis given to the tittles within the family domain. The economic living standards in Mexico are slightly lower than in the United State. There are many poor people in Mexico than in the United States. The impact of these high levels of poverty in Mexico has necessitated the immigration of most Mexican families to the United States in search of better jobs and pay of most illegal immigrants from Mexico have gotten their way into the United States through the Mexican borders. These immigrants have settled in cities such as Florida. Working in the United States gives them better pay. This aspect of brain drain is lowering the general development of the families in Mexico as most of the people move leaving behind other family members Basically the cost of living in Mexico is lower than that of the US particularly for agricultural produce. Other sectors such as transport and communication are also lower in Mexico than I n the United States. Other utilities as electricity are more expensive compared to the United State. Working families in the United States, observing how parents struggled to find a balance between caring for children and earning a decent income. When parents split and one of the parents went from Mexico to the United States and was no longer available to give the necessary care, families suffer. What significantly exacerbates the problem is when the borders are so tight that they prevent families from reuniting. This has been a common phenomenon when the immigrants are not given the opportunity by the America to even visit their families in back home in Mexico. (Poole M. et al, 1993) Globalization of the economy created increased pressure for workers to accept lower labor standards, accept lower wages, longer hours, fewer benefits, and less paid leave. Both Nations likewise feel pressure from economic globalization not to implement family-friendly policies, such as paid leave for illness or when a child is sick, or paid parental leave. And that leaves working families struggling to balance work and their care-giving duties. The globalization process has affected families in both Mexico and United States economy was transforming the relationship between work and care-giving in similar ways everywhere. Globalization has forcing both countries to at a very high pace as far as labor standards and social policies are concerned hence leaving working parents with less and less time to raise their children. Parents work has shifted markedly around the world and that goes for every region. The child rearing process has been left in the hands of maids who offer supportive care while the parents are away working till late hours of the day. Men in particular have been moving away from one place to another in search of better jobs especially in various industries. Globalization has made men and women to work day and night and this has made them move away from their homes to go work in various places. A good example is that of outsourcing where people work in shifts where some work during the day and others at night. Women, likewise, have moved into the paid labor force and away from the home. From the period between 1960 and 2000 the number of women in the labor force went from 26 to 38 percent in America. The percentage of women in the workplace has increased both in the United States and Mexico. This has adversely affected the family care services that were provided by the women while their men were working in various sectors. This is a result of civilization which been brought about by the factors such as education, religion, work, urbanization among others. These factors have changed the various roles that were supposed to be executed by the family so as to prepare an individual to be a responsible member of the society. (Cecil, 1992) What has happened is that the world has seen women get better job opportunities which has assisted then them raise income to cater for their families. The increased number of single parent families has made it possible for the women to struggle to get money for rearing their families. While this is was going on there is also massive urbanization occurring all across the world. Thats not necessarily a bad thing, as people who move from very poor rural areas to urban areas often get better jobs, and become less dependent on, for instance, a good rain to feed their families. (Rowntree, Lewis, Price Wyckoff, 2006). References Hines D. A. , Morrison K. (2005) Family Violence in the United States: Defining, Understanding, and Combating. Sage Publisher. Heymann J. (2006) Forgotten Families: Ending the Growing Crisis Confronting Children and Working Parents in the Global Economy. Oxford University Press Poole M. et al (1993) Family: Changing Families, Changing Times. Allen Unwin publisher. Robinson, Cecil. (1992). No short journeys: The interplay of cultures in the history and Literature of the borderlands. Tucson: University of Arizona Press. Rowntree L. , Lewis M. , Price M. and Wyckoff W. (2006). Diversity amid Globalization: World Regions, Environment, Development. United States, Congress. House America’s (1992) Families: Conditions, Trends, Hopes, and Fears: Family policy. United States, Congress, House publisher.

Health and Safety in a Childcare Setting

Health and Safety in a Childcare Setting Analyse the working practices that need to be in place in the nursery setting to ensure that children are protected. In every nursery setting there should be a practiced working pattern and a setting. For example there should be practise of food hygiene, safeguarding and health and safety. These are very important because children will be on the safe side. Health and safety In this case the managers and staff should make sure that health and safety checks are carried out as required. In case of an accident failure to check equipment have serious connections. Staff and children should know which areas of the building they have access for. The general environment should be clean and safe for example, all COSHH equipment used should be kept in a locked cupboard. Food Hygiene- when giving children food, one should check the expiring dates and check the expiring dates and check the temperatures of the fridges and freezers. Adequate welfare facilities should be available for health and safety. It is important to put on protective clothes especially when you are cleaning the toilets always wear gloves. A t nursery should consider safeguarding on children. This is whereby staff should know who is going to drop and pick children, also nursery main doors should always be locked, handles should be fitted where children can't reach, and CCTV should be at the nursery always because of abuse. Staff should be trained how to give children medication. Also check the risk assessment of the provision that the safeguarding policy and plans work. The gate should always be shut, and use password to open the gate and doors. For toddlers should use small gates. Always lock the confidential information in a lockable cupboard and only management or responsibly person should have access to the keys. Confidentiality is very important. The other thing which need to be considered at nursery is food hygiene, in this case staff should check the expiring date of the food and check the temperatures of the fridge and the freezer, and always cover the food when it is open and put a date when the food has b een opened. Tinned food should be eaten and finished once they are opened. Always wash your hands before you touch food. Clean the tables before and after serving the food. As staff should know which food is suitable for each and every child (Allergy). Always clean the dishes after every meal and dry them and put them away. Fruits should be washed before you eat. Should teach children how to wash hands after visiting the toilet. Also staff should cook food properly with correct cooking temperature. With all these aspects I think the nursery will run smoothly. 2. Explain the various health and safety requirements that are necessary for children attending the setting and describe the ways in which these health and safety requirements need to be adopted to cater for differing age groups. Health and safety in the nursery environment requires adoption for each different age groups of children that are catered for. In the nursery staff should be very careful with sharp objects like knives, forks and razor blades, because these objects can harm children. Therefore should always put them away as soon as you finish using them. Toys should be put back in their irrespective boxes, some toys are sharp so as staff you must be there to keep an eye when children are playing with toys. Select toys which are suitable to each age group. All substances should be locked up in the cupboards. COSHH control of substance hazardous to health. What might you see in the nursery covered by COSHH is cleaning equipment, chemical sharp objects. Make sure children are supervised when they are doing activities. Staff should clean the floors using chemicals which are not dangerous, but should use like Dettol and antibacterial cream. Make sure the floor is dry enough so that children won't fal l down. After serving the food take away knives and out them were they cannot reach. When sharpening the pencils staff should be very careful because some children can be affected with the dust which comes from the pencils. Make sure all plug sockets are covered because when children touched they will be in danger. Windows should be secured because children will be tempted to climb through them. Kitchen and office areas should have safety gates which remain locked to prevent access to dangerous areas. Doors should contain filled safety guards to prevent children from trapping their fingers. With toys always lock the boxes and cupboards should close the toilet and bathroom doors. 3. Evaluate the procedures required to cover good hygiene and explain how this should be implemented in the nursery setting. This can be presented within a table. There are many procedures required to cover good and hygiene of which am going to write some of them in form of a table. Good hygiene How to implement Washing hands before or after food Make sure sinks are reachable by children Washing hands after visiting the toilet. Flush the toilet after you use it. Toilets and chambers should be of small size , so that children will be able to reach Children should dry their hands after using the toilet. There should be paper towels in the bathroom always. Disposal of nappies and waste Make sure there is correct bins to dispose them eg waste yellow lockable bins. Cleaning or clearing of plates after eating Reachable tables for children Always wash hands before preparing food using soap Make sure the children are prompted to do this by teachers Wash fruits before you eat Make sure the teachers teach children about hygiene and prompt them to do so. Clean the floors Use correct mops to clean floors like blue mops for corridors, green mops for kitchen and red mops for bathrooms. Cut the meat and the vegetables on boards Use the right boards e.g. for meat use red board, for vegetables use green boards. Bread use white board. Cleaning the wounds Make sure teachers follow the proper and correct first aid rules and all the accidents are recorded in the accident book. Making the mattress and beds for children Make sure the use clean linen and make sure that all spoiled linen are washed correctly like separated from non spoiled lined and correct washing temperature like Sluice program in the washing machine. 4. Identify and describe what should be included in a first aid kit for a nursery and discuss why paediatric first aid training for nursery staff is important In every nursery there should be a first aid kit , in the kit it includes 20 adhesive dressings, plasters in assorted sizes, six medium sterile ,two large sterile dressing , one sterile eye pod, six triangular bandages, six safety pins, disposable gloves , two roller bandages , a pair of scissors, alcohol-free wound cleansing wipes , adhesive tape, plastic face shield or pocket mask, notepad and pencil alcohol gel, other useful items blankets survival bag, torch whistle warning triangle and high visibility jacket to keep in the nursery. We should have these things in the nurseries because it will help the staff to cater for the first aid needs of the children attending the nursery before they go to hospital for example when children had wounds staff should use gauze pads as swabs to clean around wounds. Use adhesive tape to secure dressings or the loose ends of bandages, staff should notice that if the children are allergic to the adhesive tape can use a hypoallergenic tape. Always wear gloves whenever you dress wounds or when you handle body fluids or other waste materials, use latex-free gloves because some people are allergic to latex. The gloves are necessary for staff to wear when you are dealing with any body fluids; this is to control the cross contamination and good hygiene. Bandages are used to give support to injured joint secure dressings in place maintain pressure on wounds and limit swelling. Pins and clips are used to secure the ends of bandages.They are some useful items which include kitchen film or clean plastic bags can be used to dress burns and scalds. Non-stick dressings can be kept for larger wounds, keep alcohol, gel to clean your hands when no water is available. To prevent cold injuries always wrap on ice pack in a cloth do not leave it on for more than 10 minutes. Scissors should be used to cut bandages. It is important for staff to be first aid trained for the need to know exactly what to do in an emergency whether they are alone or with other members of the staff. So by staff undertaking paediatric first aid course they will have a peace of mind of knowing that they have the knowledge and skills to tackle a medical emergency. Staff who have had first aid training are trained how to attend to children when they collapsed or when they cut themselves using sharp objects. Also staff will be trained how to cope with stressful and physically demanding procedures. First aid certificates should be renewed every 3 years. From the completion date of the previous qualification . In nursery setting paediatric first aid qualification satisfies ousted requirements. First aid certificates are required to be checked by Ofsted during an inspection and will need to be produced for all trained first aiders.