Bullying Term Paper Essay

Bullying is the use of force or coercion to abuse or intimidate others. The behavior can be habitual and involve an imbalance of social or physical power. It can include verbal harassment or threat, physical assault or coercion and may be directed repeatedly towards particular victims, perhaps on grounds of race, religion, gender, sexuality, or ability. If bullying is done by a group, it is called mobbing. The victim of bullying is sometimes referred to as a â€Å"target†. Bullying may be defined as the activity of repeated, aggressive behavior intended to hurt another person, physically or mentally. Bullying is characterized by an individual behaving in a certain way to gain power over another person. Norwegian researcher Dan Olweus says bullying occurs when a person is: ‘exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more other persons’. He says negative actions occur ‘when a person intentionally inflicts injury or discomfort upon another person, through physical contact, through words or in other ways.(Olweus:1999) The Fifth Volume of the Newgate Calendar contains at least one example where Eton Scholars George Alexander Wood and Alexander Wellesley Leith were charged, at Aylesbury Assizes, with killing and slaying the Hon. F. Ashley Cooper on February 28, 1825 in an incident which might today be described as â€Å"lethal hazing†.(Wood, et al: 1825) Virginia Woolf considered fascism to be a form of bullying, and wrote of Hitler and the Nazis in 1934 as â€Å"these brutal bullies†.(Woolf:1934) The first National Bullying Prevention Week was conceived of in Canada in 2000 by Canadian educator and anti-bullying activist Bill Belsey.(Belsey:2000) There was a effect of bullying like suicide and There was a evidence that bullying increases the risk of suicide. It is estimated that between 15 and 25 children commit suicide every year in the UK alone, because they are being bullied. There are different context of bullying one f this is the very popular cyber-bullying. Cyber-bullying is any bullying done through the use of technology. We also have a Disability Bullying, Gay Bullying, Military Bullying, Prison Bullying, School Bullying, Sexual Bullying, and Work Place Bullying.

Employee Resistance to Change Essay

Contemporary business dynamics are pressuring organisations to change and adapt effective strategies to operate and remain competitive within this competitive environment. As a result, organisations are responding by embracing change as part of the transformation and strategising process (Pieterse, Caniels & Homan, 2012, p. 799). However, when changes in the organisations occur, employees are likely to resist such changes (Zwick,  2002, p. 542). According to Bovey and Hede (2001, p. 372) when people are confronted with major organisational changes, they are likely to go through a reaction process because change involves moving from known to unknown. Employee resistance to change occurs when managers adopt top-down change process, forgetting that employees are important part of the change process; employee inclusion and motivation is crucial and inevitable. This paper is conducted to explore the main problem of employee resistance to change and motivating factors that lead to employ ee resistance. This essay will also propose recommendation of appropriate solutions to this problem. Organisations in the 21st century have to strategise and establish effective competitiveness by undertaking transformational change initiatives. Transformational change requires organisations to make radical modifications to their business models as part of dealing with contemporary uncertain business environment as well as repositioning effectively in the wider business environment (Pieterse, Caniels & Homan, 2012, pp. 799-800). Organisational managers would want to lead relatively smooth and productive change initiatives as part of their responsibilities of managing organisations appropriately. However, when changes do occur, Manuela & Clara (2003, p. 148) has established that employees are likely to resist the changes. Resistance has to  be viewed as a natural process that is bound to happen and should be expected to any change process. Resistance to organisational change manifests in several ways. According to Bovey and Hede (2001, p. 540) major ways in which resistance to change occurs include employees having grievances, level of turnover increasing, efficiency declining, output decreasing, and aggression to management increasing. Many organisations desire to undertake changes that transform and positively impact their organisation, although this does not happen in many cases. According to Pieterse, Caniels and Homan (2012, p. 798) change is becoming a common element of organisational life. Balogun and Hailey (2008) point out that organisation that are keen to remain competitive are those that are continuing to adapt to changing business environment. However, even when this is the case, Grant and Marshak (2011, p. 204) have argued that effective organisational changes are unlikely to be experienced by an organisation when they are initiated. In an earlier research that was carried out by Hughes (2011, p. 451) it was argued that 70% of change programmes that organisations undertake fail to achieve their intended outcomes or purposes. At the same time, Schraeder (2004, p. 340) found out that 34% of organisations that undertake organisational changes are likely to achieve positive results, meaning that 66% of organisations are bound to fail in their change initiatives. As a result, Zwick (2002, p. 542) has noted that implementing change programmes in organisations that realise positive outcomes remain problematic for many organisations in the 21st century. Ayodeji & Oyesola (2011, p. 235) have postulated that organisational change is a dynamic process, which when taken poorly contribute to employee resistance to it, and eventually leads to failure of the whole process. Employees resist changes when they occur in the organisations for several reasons. Many organisations when they introduce changes are likely to stick to the ‘top-down organisational change’ process (Awasthy, Chandrasekaran & Gupta, 2011, pp. 43-45). Top-down change process provides prescription that  has only been developed by top managers and given to lower cadre employees down the ranks to consume without their input. According to Bovey & Hede (2001, p. 540) resistance occurs at the individual level, where employees are motivated by psychological factors to change that include resentment, frustration, low motivation and morale, fear, and feelings of failure. At the same time, earlier publication by Yilmaz & Kilicoglu (2013, pp. 17-18) identified four factors that motivate employees to resist changes in the organisation: employees focusing on self- interests as opposed to those of the organisation, having inadequate understanding of change and its implications, having conviction that change lacks sense for the organisation, and employees having low tolerance. In addition, employees resist change, which according to Martin, Jones & Callan (2005, pp. 265-268) is as a result of developing selective negative perception to the process, having habit of not tolerating change, viewing change as inconveniencing or loss of freedom, fear of economic implications from the process, fear of unknown, and remembering past bad experiences with change process. Organisations can address employee resistance to organisational change by implementing three categories of recommendations based on the Kurt Lewin Change Model. Lewin’s model is also known as ‘Unfreeze-change-refreeze’ approach, where any change process in the organisation should be embraced after having thorough understanding of the process and adequate motivation for those affected has to be facilitated (Brisson-Banks, 2010, p. 244). The first stage of change involves unfreezing, which should involve  organisations making adequate preparations in order for anticipated changes to be accepted. This is a stage where status quo impeding change process should be diluted and broken successfully. During the unfreezing, it is important for organisation to undertake several measures aimed at reducing resistance: have clear picture of what should be changed, research to establish current state of the organisation, have clear understanding of what change should be pursued, and generate adequate support from the management for the process (Brisson-Banks, 2010, p. 244). At the same time, management should create need and desire for change in the organisation by creating an attractive and motivating message about the importance of change for the organisation and communicating it to employees, developing a vision and mission that employees are able to buy into, increasing communication among affected employees, and re-emphasising to employees the importance of change (Smith, 2005, p. 410). Another important step is for management team to understand doubts and concerns that employees are manifesting and be in a position to address and respond to them appropriately. The second stage involves an organisation undertaking and implementing change process while working and diluting all sources that may breed resistance to the process. Change becomes successful when communication and sharing of information takes place frequently (Weber & Weber, 2001, pp. 291-292). Communication is well planned and implemented as part of the change process. At the same time, management should from time to time communicate to employees benefits that are bound to come from implementing change programmes. In this case, it is recommended that management should clearly  explain exact benefits that will occur and how the whole process will affect employees (Burnes, 2004, p. 313). Furthermore, greater effort should be directed towards preparing employees who are affected by the process. The idea should be to introduce change programmes on gradual process, and fostering monitoring, while communicating and sharing information by all stakeholders involved. Consequently, management should work to dispel suspicion, misunderstanding, and fear among employees that compound the process (Wim, 2005, pp. 129-130. This should be achieved through providing timely, open, and honest answers to all concerns by employees, dealing with emerging problems immediately, and developing a positive change picture in the minds of employees (Weber & Weber, 2001, pp. 291-292). More importantly, organisations can foster less resistance to change process when they empower employees by increasing opportunities to enable employees participate in the process, providing proper direction to employees, and enhancing employee engagement in the process (Denise, Rodney & Schmaltz, 2003, p. 317). Additionally, employees should be involved in each stage of change process, develop sense of owning the process, and feeling to participate in the process adequately while their needs are addressed effectively. The last stage of the change process involves refreezing, where effort should be enhanced to ensure changes taking place are being anchored in the culture and employees being motivated to sustain them in their daily activities. In this stage, management of the organisation should ensure employees have greater roles to play in ensuring change process generates long-term benefits (Brisson-Banks, 2010, p. 245). This should involve providing necessary support to employees such as re-training them to acquire new  skills to engage more in the change process. At the same time, effective and adequate participative leadership should be provided to help employees see greater benefits of the change process (Brisson-Banks, 2010, pp. 245-248). In addition, management should create an inclusive reward system to motivate employees and recognise their positive contribution to the change process. Also, effective feedback systems that respect employees should be created to use in monitoring and evaluating the whole process of change in the organisation (Barratt-Pugh, Bahn & Gakere, 2013, p. 752). Besides, information sharing and support for employees should be enhanced and employees should be adequately motivated to a level they feel to be part and parcel of the process, they own it, and their needs are respected and protected (Barratt-Pugh, Bahn & Gakere, 2013, p.756 ). These recommendations aim to ensure employee resistance to organisation change is diluted and where necessary minimised. In conclusion employee resistance to change is a common phenomenon for organisations aiming to transform and change. Resistance to change is motivated by numerous factors within and outside organisation. Employee resist changes in most cases when changes being introduced have a top-down approach that exclude and isolate employees. Employee resistance to change has diverse outcomes, which means that when resistance to any change process occurs, it is important for the management to find appropriate ways to approach the problem. This paper is conducted to analyse and discuss employee resistance to change as a problem and proposed recommendations to address the problem when it occurs. Reference List Awasthy, R., Chandrasekaran, V., Gupta, R. K. 2011. Top-down Change in a Public Sector Bank: Lessons from Employees’ Lived-in Experiences. Journal of Indian Business Research, 3(1), 43-62. Ayodeji, A. A., & Oyesola, R. 2011. Managing Deviant Behaviour and Resistance to Change. International Journal of Business and Management, 6(1), 235-242. Barratt-Pugh, L., Bahn, S., & Gakere, E. 2013. Managers as Change Agents: Implications for Human Resource Managers Engaging with Culture Change. Journal of Organisational Change Management, 25(4), 748-764. Bovey, W. H., & Hede, A. 2001. Resistance to Organisational Change: The Role of Cognitive and Affect Processes. Leadership & Organisation Development Journal, 22(8), 372-382. Brisson-Banks, C. V. 2010. Managing Change and Transitions: A Comparison of Different Models and their Commonalities. Managing Change and Transitions, 31(4/5), 241-252. Burnes, B. 2004. Kurt Lewin and Complexity Theories: Back to the Future? Journal of Change Management, 4(4), 309-325. Denise, L., Rodney, N. L., & Schmaltz, J. 2003. Managing Resistance to Change in Workplace Accommodation Projects. Journal of Facilities Management, 1(4), 306-321. Grant, D., & Marshak, R. J. 2011. Toward a Discourse-Centred Understanding of Organisational Change. The Journal of Applied Behavioural Science, 47(2), 204-235. Hughes, M. (2011). Why Does Change Fail, and What Can We Do About It? Journal of Change Management, 11(4), 451-464. Manuela, P., & Clara, M. F. 2003. Resistance to Change: A Literature Review and Empirical Study. Management Decision, 41(2), 148-155. Martin, A. J., Jones, E. S., & Callan, V. J. 2005. The Role of Psychological Climate in Facilitating Employee Adjustment During Organisational Change. European Journal of Work and Organisational Psychology, 14(3), 263-289. Pieterse, J. H., Caniels, M. C., & Homan, T. 2012. Professional Discourses and Resistance to Change. Journal of Organisational Change Management, 25(6), 798-818. Schraeder, M. 2004. Organisational Assessment in the Midst of Tumultuous Change. Leadership and Organisation Development Journal, 25(4), 332-348. Smith, I. 2005. Achieving Readiness for Organisational Change. Library Management, 26(6/7), 408-412. Yilmaz, D., Kilicoglu, G. 2013. Resistance to Change and Ways of Reducing Resistance in Educational Organisations. European Journal of Research on Education, 1(1), 14-21. Weber, P. S., & Weber, J. E. 2001. Changes in Employee Perceptions During Organisational Change. Leadership & Organisation Development Journal, 22(6), 291-300. Wim, J. L. 2005. The Role of Communication in Organisational Change. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 10(2), 129-138. Zwick, T. 2002. Employee Resistance Against Innovation. International Journal of Manpower, 23(6), 542-552. 10 | P a g e Organisation Behaviour; MGTS 1601; Individual Essay; Employee resistance to change

Human Rights and Intervention in the Rwandan Genocide

Human Rights and Intervention in the Rwandan Genocide Human rights are known as â€Å"inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled to simply because he or she is a human being†. These rights are known to be universal and are the same to everyone living on earth. These rights are said to exist in both national and international law. The Universal Declaration of Human rights, which is supported by fifty countries across the globe, attests to this definition and backs up the idea that all people are equal and have the right to pursue happiness no matter who they are, where they are from, their skin color, age, or sex, etc.If these countries believe these things to be true, why was there not a mass intervention when the Hutu militia in Rwanda took it upon themselves to kill hundreds of thousands of people based solely on their ethnicity? It seems that if these countries are not going to benefit in some way, then they have no desire to help or intervene w hen there is a crisis in another country. The United Nations, which is said to be an international institution that values human rights, should make sure that tragedies, such as the Rwandan genocide, do not occur. Countries cannot act selfish when it comes to war, genocide, and the lives of innocent people.Aiding everyone, treating people with fairness and equality, and fighting for what is right should be far more important than a country’s personal gain.. The one and only deciding factor that manifests what will happen with human rights violations and a countries choice to intervene is the United Nations and the international community. This paper will analyze why it took so long for other countries to intervene in the Rwandan genocide and how the United Nations and the international community directly correlate with human rights violations and interventions in international tragedies.During the Rwandan genocide, thousands of people were killed in the name of ethnic violenc e. Men, women and children were taken out of their own homes and killed for nothing other than their ethnicity. At this time, the Hutu ethnicity made up over eighty percent of the population, and blamed the people of Tutsi, who made up the lower fifteen percent for all of the economic and political problems of the country. This, in turn, led to Hutu rebels who felt that the only way to solve the issues in Rwanda was to eliminate the Tutsi people all together. Hutu extremists and militia aunched plans and were able to almost effectively rid Rwanda of the Tutsi ethnicity. Tutsi people tried to escape but most were killed or attacked before fleeing was even a possible outcome. Thousands and thousands of people participated in the ethnic cleansing of the Tutsi people in Rwanda. This situation was very chaotic and got completely out of control because no countries chose to intervene and help the Rwandan people until it was too late. Is it in a country’s best interest to intervene in another country’s warfare or should the country sit back until it gets worse?Why did it take so long and the loss of so many lives before other countries chose to intervene in the Rwandan genocide? The Rwandan genocide was a mass murder of an estimated million people in Eastern Africa in the state of Rwanda. Over about one hundred days, it is estimated that twenty percent of the country’s total population were killed. This resulted from a longstanding ethnic battle and tensions between the minority party, the Tutsi, who had controlled power for centuries, and the majority, the Hutu, who had come into power through a rebellion in the early 1960’s.In 1990, a rebel group of Tutsi refugees invaded Rwanda in an attempt to defeat the Hutu government. This began the Rwandan Civil War, resulting in far worse tension between the two groups. In response to this, many Hutu people gravitated toward the â€Å"Hutu Power† ideology which consisted of state-controlled and independent Rwandan media. It also consisted that the Tutsi intended to make slaves of the Hutu people and that this must be resisted at all costs. Ethnic strife resulted in the rebels’ displacing large numbers of Hutu in the north and Hutu killing of Tutsi in the south.The assassination of Habyarimana in April of 1994 set off even more violence during which Hutu groups conducted mass killings of Tutsis. The genocide was supported and coordinated by the national government as well as local military. Along with the local military, primary responsibility for all of the Tutsi killings lies with two Hutu militias that were organized for this purpose by political parties, the Interahamwe and the Impuzamugambi. Although once the genocide began, a great number of Hutu civilians took parts in the murders as well.There was no peace agreement in place at this point, the Tutsi rebels started their offensive, defeating the army and seizing control of the country. The Hutu militia gr oups set out to murder any and all Tutsis that they could find regardless of their age or sex. They forced Hutu civilians to participate in the genocide, or be killed in return. The Hutu militia groups used radio airwaves as a way to contact other Tutsis and to provide them with information on what to in order to keep themselves alive. Most nations evacuated their diplomats and nationals from the country and abandoned their embassies in the initial stages of violence.Militia began to set up hundreds of roadblocks around the country and used them to block off areas and make it easier for them to attack certain areas. This militia also sent cables to foreign countries letting them know that ethnicity was the driving factor of all the killings and that their politicians and peacekeepers were not safe in Rwanda. American citizens were evacuated from Rwanda at this point. Most of the victims were killed in their own villages and homes by machetes and rifles. The Hutu gangs searched throu gh homes, schools, and churches and massacred all the people that they found hiding or trying to flee.The Hutu’s attempt to eliminate all Tutsi, men, women, and children was so chaotic that there is no consensus of the amount of people killed on some days, but what is most important to remember is that this was genocide, and that the Hutu’s were trying to eliminate and erase the memory of Tutsi existence. Out of the Rwandan population of 7. 3 million people, 84% were Hutu, and 16% were Tutsi. The official figures posted by the Rwandan government estimated that the number of victims of the genocide to be 1,174,000 in one hundred days. To narrow that down even more, that is 10,000 a day, or 400 very hour, or 7 every minute.It was also estimated that about 300,000 Tutsi were somehow able to survive the genocide. Thousands of these survivors were women, who were raped daily by Hutu men and ultimately became HIV positive. Of the survivors, there were thousands of orphans an d close to all of them were forced to become the head of their household. The world did not act, at least not in a quick manner, to save the Tutsi people of Rwanda. United Nations representatives and commanders were there and there were also peacekeepers in the nation but their efforts were very inimal. Countries did not act at all, even though most countries ratified the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, nothing was done to stop the on-going mass killings of hundreds of thousands of people. There are several reasons why they international community took so long to intervene and why their efforts even at that time were so small. The first is that this might have been a civil war, and foreign states have been advised not to intervene in national self-determinations.Another explanation is that no one knew about the vast amount of massacres occurring in Rwanda until much of the damage had already been done. And unfortunately, the last reason that other countries did not intervene is because they genuinely were not concerned about getting involved in something that would not offer them any personal gain. Rwanda had nothing to off these countries in exchange for their help, and unfortunately no country saw that it would be beneficial for the to get involved solely for good merit. Unfortunately, Rwanda is not the only nation that has been ignored when genocides occurred.Countries such as Iraq, Bosnia, Koscovo, Cambodia, and Sudan have all had some type of ethnic cleansing take place which occurred after United Nations ratification at the convention and yet nothing was done to stop it or even intervene. Intervening, whether humane or not, has always been a dilemma for countries. A state feels that it should not involve itself in a sovereign state in order to preserve autonomy and freedom. Critics argue that an intervention would indeed help preserve the autonomy and freedom of a state where basic rights are being vio lated but it is unlikely that a country would do this.Although the United Nations was created to continue communication and cooperation among nations, it feels that it was not created to solve world problems, especially not within countries. The United Nations feels that some countries are going to have to solve the problems within their own state on their own terms, time, and money. Since the creation of the United Nations, there have been fewer wars but civil wars have exponentially grown. This is result of Western colonizing powers creating artificial boundaries between their colonies and not taking into consideration the ethnic group that they may be dividing and elittling. As a consequence, ethnic clashes are more prevalent in the world now, and the world along with the United Nations is unsure on how to deal with the problem, which is why we see a constant lack of intervention with these types of issues. The United Nations does however always offer basic services to these coun tries that are in need. Services range from food and water relief, to imposing sanctions on countries, to peacekeeping, which was seen in Rwanda during the genocide.These are ways of helping civilian populations whom may not even be involved in the conflict, along with the victims of the horrible tragedy. The United States of America was one country that was the most reluctant to intervene in the Rwandan genocide. During the time of the Rwandan genocide, the United States had just pulled American troops out of a disastrous peacekeeping mission in Somalia. The United States vowed to never again return to a conflict that it was not able to understand, between people, clans, and tribes, that it did not know, and especially in a country where the United States had no national interests.President Clinton tried to keep that promise to the American people by suggesting that the rebels needed to stop the violence themselves, even though he had full support from Congress to intervene at this time. With Congress looking toward Clinton, and Clinton looking toward the United Nations, nothing was done and the genocide was forced to run its course. Choosing not to intervene was at the top of Clinton’s failure list for his time as President of the United States of America. The genocide in Rwanda could have been easily prevented.The international community could have taken many steps to prevent the genocide that would not have involved military action. Solidarity within the United Nations was almost nonexistent win regard to Rwanda. Most countries had no investments and nothing to gain in helping Rwanda, so little was done. Had the United Nations paid more attention to what was going on was genocide much earlier, action could have been taken much sooner and the lives of so many people would not have been lost. Early actions could have prevented China and France from providing weapons which only fueled the genocide and increased the death toll.The United States under Pr esident Bill Clinton refused to take any kind of action in Rwanda because there was no economic interest; apparently moral interest is of no importance at this point in time. The United States also helped in making sure other countries did not interfere as well. Had the countries recognized the conditions in Rwanda early on, there could have been a serious obstacle in the genocide’s execution. Instead, however, the United States argued over what the word genocide actually meant and feared to even use it because they would be compelled to act if it was described as an actual genocide.If the condition in the country were recognized sooner, the international community would have responded more quickly. Rwanda was also not equipped with the technology that is available to most developed countries. Telephone lines were scarce, but the country was heavily saturated with radios and radio frequencies, which was the only way to spread propaganda. The United States had the technology t o jam the radio waves and when presented with this information, the United States refused to lend the technology to help the Rwandan people.This action completely prevented the international community from being able to jam the radio frequencies, further preventing any hope for the Tutsi people. Had the Rwandan people had this technology, they would have been able to stop the spread of hate messages, and later in the genocide, it would have nearly stopped the militia from finding people, as Tutsi locations were broadcast over the radio. Arguably, this could have stopped the genocide in its tracks or at least made it very difficult for the genocide to continue without another country even setting foot on Rwanda soil.The United States and other countries interact with other states on a state level. The problem with that during the Rwandan genocide was that when the United Nations hears a report that genocide may be taking place within a country then its response is to notify that coun try’s government about it. This helped none whatsoever in Rwanda because the government were part of the reason the genocide was happening and taking place. If reports are being leaked to the international community, it is obvious that the community, for some reason, is not taking any sort of action to alleviate the situation.The insistence on only dealing with other countries as states prevents any action being done for the voiceless individuals who have no voice and cannot fight for themselves. Had the United States not blatantly refused in taking action in Rwanda, other countries would have more than likely been more willing to help the innocent victims in Rwanda. The United States refusal made others believe that they were also not expected to help. In the aftermath of the genocide, Rwanda is a very different country.While Hutus ad and Tutsis now live side by side, many feel that the only way for them to survive is to destroy the other ethnic group. The post-genocide gove rnment has tried to establish a greater level of stability within the country in hopes of another genocide never occurring again. The Rwandan government has abolished the ethnic identity cards that were for so long, the only means of distinguishing one group from another. Many citizens still remember what their neighbors are, while others live next door to someone who murdered their families.Most Rwandans now refuse to place themselves in an ethnic category at all in hopes of the new generation of Rwandan people growing up without and identity card and without ethnic tension with the people they are constantly surrounded by. The impact of the United Nations on the intervention in human rights violation most definitely correlates. This was seen in the Rwandan genocide. Since the United Nations decided as a whole that they would not intervene in a beneficial way, then that is what all the other countries decided independently.So if there was not a large governing international institu tion, things may have played out differently. Countries may have seen the horrible things happening in Rwanda and chose to lend a helping hand rather than sitting back and watching Rwanda crumble. If there is a lesson to be learned from everything that happened in Rwanda, it is that the international community needs to avoid giving the impression that it is willing to or is even capable of rescuing civilians in a conflict.If this is not the case, then it is important to build the capacity of people to do the job of protecting themselves, their family, and their country. Beck, Roger B. World History Patterns of Interaction. Evanston, IL: McDougal Littell, 2007. Scherrer, Christian. Genocide and crisis in Central Africa: conflict roots, mass violence, and regional war; foreword by Robert Melson. Praeger, 2002. Weissman, Stephen R. â€Å"Preventing Genocide in Burundi Lessons from International Diplomacy†,  United States Institute of Peace http://www. genocidewatch. org/images /Rwanda-13-Mar-07-First_the_Deed,_Then_the Denial. pdf   Release of Rwanda's mastermind of death promotes genocide denial,  Harvard Law Record, December 4, 2009   UN Security Council Resolution 912 (1994), implementing an â€Å"adjustment† of UNAMIR's mandate and force level as outlined in the  Ã¢â‚¬Å"UNDOC Special Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda†, April 20, 1994 (document no. S/1994/470)   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Rwanda-UNAMIR Background†. United Nations. Retrieved May 30, 2011. Shake Hands With the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda:  ISBN 0-679-31171-8, pg. 213

Law of Business Taxation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Law of Business Taxation - Essay Example It was suggested that about 25% of the deduction for such expenditure is increased. Specifically, it provides that contract work outside of â€Å"any person otherwise than in the course of a trade, profession or vocation the profits of which are chargeable to tax under Case I or II of Schedule D,† (paragraph 4(6)(b) of Schedule 12. It disallows deduction for activity of trade, profession or vocation undertaken in any part of the United Kingdom. The Income Tax (Trading and Other Income) Act 2005 or ITTOIA 2005 imposes charges to income tax under trading income, property income, savings and investment income, and certain miscellaneous income. It also dealt with exemptions from the charges, provisions about rent-a-room relief and foster-care-relief, special rules for foreign income, special rules for partnership, and certain calculation rules and general provisions. The limited guidance provided by the previous legislation makes interpretation problematic such as in determining w hether a particular activity constitutes trading. Under ITTOIA, trading was defined as â€Å"any venture in the nature of a trade† (ITA 2007 s. 989) that leans on the substance of what is being carried on and how it is being carried on. The understanding of the activity by the individual conducting it may be derailed. James (2011) suggested that it â€Å"does not necessarily need to have all the attributes associated with a trade I order to be chargeable,† (16). Previously, under the ITEPA 2003, Schedule D Case 1 provides that profits derived from trade were taxable. Profits from a vocation or profession were taxable under Schedule D Case II. ITTOIA 2005 removed this distinction and trading income has encompassed incomes from vocation, trade, or profession under ITTOIA 2005 section 5 (James, 2011). Other contentions are statutory trades such as farming, market gardening, and occupation of land managed on a commercial basis for the purpose of gaining profits. For the ca se of woodlands, occupation may not be taxable but once an actual trade, an example of which is the selling of timber, occurred, then, a taxable activity is committed (James, 2011). Numerous tests called the â€Å"badges of trade† also help determine trading activities, but already, confusion have proven costly through litigations. One specific example is the American Leaf Blending Co. SDN BHD v Director-General of Inland Revenue (1979) (AC676). Lord Diplock opined that: †¦in the case of a company incorporated for the purpose of making profits for its shareholders any gainful use of which it puts any of its assets prima facie amounts to the carrying on of a business†¦ Assets held as investment due to their nature as income-producing, or have the potential for capital appreciation, or possible profit for its sale cannot be considered a trading profit. An asset acquired by loan with the potential to bear an income but only as a motive to offset interest from income ga ined is also considered of irrelevance. An investment of a property later appropriated as trading stock will have the sale as trading. Such was the case of Wisdom v Chamberlain (1969) 45 (TC 103). In this case, actor Norman Wisdom bought silver bullion as a hedge against devaluation. He then sold it at lower cost but bought more bullion which when sold gave Wisdom a profit. The second transaction was considered a trading because it was bought for short-term profit (James, 2011).

Lifespan Psychology And Ageing Module Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Lifespan Psychology And Ageing Module - Essay Example According to Belsky and Rossman (2007), We do not lie in isolation. We need to socialize and bond with someone.   To get a good start, an attachment to one's caregiver is important.   Insecure attachments mean trouble for the short term†¦[but] attachment is not stable" (pp. 49).   Attachment can be important in terms of the spectrum of nursing in which a patient must be cared for by his or her health assistant.   It is of paramount importance that the patient knows that he or she can depend upon his or her health assistant.   Without that establishment of trust, no amount of experience or best practices is going to work well within a health care setting.   The course content obviously has various elements that are more important than others.   However, what is paramount to being a health assistant in a nursing home is that these various concepts can be applied to my own situation and the course content has been helpful in terms of being able to deal with a variety of situations.We need to socialize and bond with someone.   To get a good start, an attachment to one's caregiver is important.   Insecure attachments mean trouble for the short term†¦[but] attachment is not stable" (pp. 49).   Attachment can be important in terms of the spectrum of nursing in which a patient must be cared for by his or her health assistant.   It is of paramount importance that the patient knows that he or she can depend upon his or her health assistant.... experience that, generally, people are very particular about the care they receive—and they like for it to remain a private matter as much as possible. According to Gallagher (2008), â€Å"[W]hile private nursing home care is represented as providing choice to older people and their families and as part of a mixed economy of welfare for meeting long-term care needs, it can also be argued that the reliance on private nursing homes to provide care [is mainly a private affair]†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (pp. 80). Late adulthood can be a particularly challenging time for an adult, particularly if the person in question must sell all their possessions in order to afford nursing home care. They may have difficulties if they are patients who are not able to care for themselves and cannot function in assisted living units. As a health assistant, it has been my experience that there are several and various types of problems which many adults in nursing home care face, including depression, neglect , and/or loneliness. These issues can be serious if they are not addressed. The topic of loneliness will be discussed more in the next section. IV. What I Have Learned from the Material Covered (175 words) What has been learned from the material covered is so priceless that no one can really put value on such knowledge. From the course material, it has been possible to become a more understanding and compassionate individual as a health assistant—now that an overarching picture of the lifespan and its various dimensions have been presented to me. According to O’Brien (2008), her book â€Å"†¦explains lifespan development from conception to old age, and is supported by Irish facts, research, statistics and context. It introduces and discusses key debates within psychology, such as nature vs. nurture and

America's Involvement in World War Two and How it helped contribute to Research Paper

America's Involvement in World War Two and How it helped contribute to America becoming a Super Power - Research Paper Example America was not directly involved in the war in the early stages. The necessity increased after the fall of France, the Pearl Harbor incident but mainly when Hitler declared war on U.S. This led to America’s direct involvement in the World War II and helped America to transition from a great power to a super power. World war II started by the deep seated anger in German due to the loss in World War I. Hitler a new leader in Germany transformed it from a defeated state to powerful one with a large army of up to 400,000 men which led to the breaking of the treaty of Versailles (Langley). March 16th 1935 Hitler tore up the treaty of Versailles when he started to build up his army (Hills & Barber 10) .Although U.S.A had always been an ally in the Second World War its direct involvement did not came after much later. In 1939 its only involvement was to provide arms and ammunition in turn of cash from countries. America was indirectly helping the allies by starving Japan of oil. Winston Churchill repeatedly tried to convince Franklin D. Roosevelt to enter the war but it was after Hitler’s declaration of war, the attack by Japanese on USA naval base in Pearl Harbor, America got directly involved in the war. ... This attack led to allies invading Italian mainland leading to the capture of Rome. The United States along with other allies continued to attack the Axis powers which led to the retake of Paris in the D-Day Invasion (Hills & Barber 17, 25). In the Tokyo Bombing Raids American bombers destroyed up to 250,000 buildings and killed 83,000 in massive fire bombing. It continued to play an important part in the attacks on the Axis Powers, till the end of the war where it dropped two atomic bombs in Japan bringing the war to an end. These included the two nuclear bombing the world had ever seen one being in Hiroshima and the other in Nagasaki. Both bombings left the city with massive destruction with large number of causalities breaking the strength of Japan totally and only six days after the bombing of Nagasaki Japan surrendered. It is clearly seen by the events of the war that although America was not involved directly at first in the war it played a pivotal role once it became directly involved and it’s most important role was that of bringing the war to an end by destroying one of the main Axis powers, Japan, completely (Langley 56). It is often wondered how U.S.A reached its position of dominance in the world. And it would not be wrong to link its rise a super power to the results and events of World War II. The characteristics of super power are firstly having a strong stable economy, secondly overpowering military, thirdly immense international political power and lastly strong national ideology. Before the war America was seen as a great power along with many other powerful strong nations like Russia and Britain. It was only after the war that U.S.A emerged as a strong super power and still holds that position. Even in years

IT Business Alignment Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7000 words

IT Business Alignment - Coursework Example This essay aims at reviewing how IT should be greater aligned with the business requirements and strategic goals in order to avoid falling into the misalignment trap. This goal could be achieved by realizing that IT has become a critical tool -or even a driver- for the achievement of business strategic goals. The essay defines "IT business alignment" and "IT governance" and the relationship between them in the first place. Then, it gives an idea about the importance of IT business alignment, IT business alignment current state in order to realize the gap between IT and business strategic goals and the increasing awareness and need for alignment. First of all to realize exactly what is meant by IT business alignment concept, the essay will define the "IT business alignment" concept talking into consideration that "the history of theory-building around the concept of alignment is still young and has only been going on approximately 15 years" Ekstedt, Mathias et al (2005). Tapia, Roberto Santana (2006) gives a simple definition for IT Business alignment as "the problem of matching services offered by IT with the requirements of the business". Also, Kavin W. Moody (2003) mentioned, "the term IT alignment is generally used in reference to the alignment of an organization's IT resources with the objectives of its business units". Neil Macehiter and Neil Macehiter and Neil Ward-Dutton (2005), define IT-business alignment as "the process through which businesspeople and IT delivery organizations collaborate to create an environment in which investment in IT and delivery of IT services reflect business priorities, whether IT services are sourced internally or externally; and in which business priorities are influenced by understanding of IT capabilities and limitations." Figure (1): IT-business alignment Source: Neil Macehiter, Neil Ward-Dutton (2005), On IT-Business Alignment So, according to this definition, there are three important elements in IT-business alignment: (1) investment, (2) service delivery, and (3) collaboration in change management. The relationship between the alignment and IT governance is shown in Figure (1). Steven De Haes and Wim Van Grembergen (2004) concluded that IT business alignment is the key element in IT governance so, it can be achieved by acknowledging IT governance as a part of enterprise governance and by setting up an IT governance framework with best practices". They define IT governance as "the leadership and organizational structures, processes and relational mechanisms that ensure that an organization IT sustain and extends its strategy and objectives". However, Ortiz, Aurora Sanchez (2003) defines IT governance as "specifying the decision rights and accountability framework to encourage desirable behavior in the use of IT" After defining IT business alignment giving its elements and its relationship with IT governance, the essay will discuss the transformation of the role of IT in business in order to realize the importance and the need for IT business alignment. Rathnam, R. G. (2004) mentioned that "during the last 30 years, information technology (IT) has become an increasingly integral part of business operations, at the beginning, the use of

Business Law Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Business Law - Research Paper Example As a function of this, the following analysis will seek to utilize a systemic approach to business law while at the same time briefly discussing the history of how it came to be and the ways in which it pervades the current economic system. Earliest business law dates back to the times of the first civilized societies that sought to place restraints on the manner in which goods could be traded within their societies. As the complexity of trade and commerce grew, so too did the constraints of oversight with relation to business. The British Empire enacted some of the highest levels of business law that had been seen previous to its existence. However, the greatest explosion of business law took place within the post industrial period. As a result of the mechanization of production and the rapidly increased rates in which consumer products were integrated within the market, a whole new level of legal constraints were necessitated (Hasnas, 2007). Due to the unethical behavior in which m any actors sought to integrate these goods within the markets, it was determined, just as it is within the current time, that the best means to protect the end consumer and guarantee that a further level of respect for these bounds might be entertained. However, before extolling the virtues of these constraints to a greater degree than is deserved, it should be understood and appreciated by the reader that these constraints cannot and should not be seen as the be all and end all of legal protection from the excess and greed that the business environment might seek to engage. Recent events such as the ponzi scheme of Bernie Madoff, the corruption of Enron, and the ways in which Lehman Brothers and a litany of other financial institution sought to cook the books with regards to the total level so debt they carried and the resiliency of their institutions should underscore the fact that oftentimes extant legal constraints upon business are not sufficient in order to curtail the greed a nd unethical nature that they necessarily exhibit. As a function of this, law and its growth and development and integration within the business environment is something that must continue to grow and evolve as the business environment itself also grows and evolves (Blodgett, 2011). Moreover, the reader should not understand business law to be the remediation of all unethical and immoral behavior due to the fact that law always acts as deterrent and lags behind the common practices that necessitate its legislation in the first place. Finally, although business law is extraordinarily important within the current environment, it cannot be stressed enough that its importance lies not with regards to the level of penalties that exist for disregard for these laws but with relation to the extent to which the deterrence that they reflect can seek to diminish the behavior that they seek to punish. This level of importance helps to underscore the fact that law and its implementation with reg ards to the business field exists as a means to integrate a better level of consumer representation and protection than would otherwise exist. However, protection of consumer interests is not the only reason in which business law exists. For instance, one of the largest segments of applied business law is with relation to

Vintage cloth trade Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Vintage cloth trade - Research Proposal Example Yet the proliferation of online music and change in the customer attitude towards purchase of music has weakened the position of HMV. This paper has conducted a secondary research on HMV to find the loopholes in the current management system and suggest ways in which HMV can improve its future prospects. It has been found that lack of investment in online music business has led to the quick fall of HMV and there are considerable deficiencies in the management system which have further weakened HMV’s share. An analysis of the change noted in the customers’ taste had pointed out the reason behind decline of HMV. Consumers in the digital era have been found to engage in practices such as, piracy and free download, with the support of technology. Improved product differentiation and enhancing customer experience are the possible ways in which HMV can improve its prospects for future. As the last presence of high street music store, HMV, which stands for His Master’s Voice, has a long history of 93 years. HMV is typical enough to represent the whole music entertainment industry as the matter of fact that it is the last remaining music retailer. Their first store was born in 1921 and started to sell gramophones, radios and popular music hall recordings (BBC, 2013). The following new era of CDs (Compact Discs) turned HMV into a hugely profitable music record company successfully during 1980s (BBC, 2013). However, around 2000s, the invention of MP3 has reshaped the traditional pattern that consumers used to listening music. Due to the contribution of digital revolution, which was generated around 2010s, HMV’s retailing experience is no longer as attractive as it was (BBC, 2013). As the HMV’s annual report in 2012 (Figure) proves that the music giant has started suffer from financial losses and sales decline. Nevertheless, since the music retaile r did not react as early enough as it can to embrace the digital trend, HMV formally went into administration in

Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 10

Report - Essay Example empts to analyse the challenges facing an organisation like the United Nations (UN) and the manufacturing / service businesses represented by the General Motors (GM), Norwich Union (Aviva) and Imperial Tobacco. For the UN, the political conflict challenges, for GM, the energy and economic challenges, for Aviva, the climate change challenges and for Imperial Tobacco, the socio-political challenges will be analysed and appropriate recommendations will be presented in this report. The UN took its birth in the aftermath of the 2nd World War and is entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining peace and order among nations. However, it is faced with diminishing status even as political conflicts and wars rage around the globe. This is a leadership issue in conflict resolution for the UN. For example, while there was global consensus for war on Afghanistan in the light of the overwhelming evidence, the same was missing in respect of the US war against Iraq. Iraq ignored UN resolutions and Global challenges for business management 2 US ignored mainstream European opinion against the Iraq war. The situation is not different even in the case of the on-going conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza region, who ignore UN pleas for ceasefire – even the UN relief camp in Gaza is on fire! These are only two examples of the many such events. The issues involved in these conflicts generally revolve round geo-political interests, cultural and religious differences, dominance of few over many, etc. Conflicts and wars impact businesses adversely and to that extent will make the task of achieving Millennium Development Goals set by the UN, more difficult. Important elements of this plan that are to be achieved by 2015 are poverty elimination, universal education, women empowerment, healthcare, disease control, environment sustainability and global partnership for development (UN, Millennium development goals report, 2007). Political conflicts can be also

The basic process Essay Example for Free

The basic process Essay A very big part of the ICT section of the business is the website. The website is an open form of communication with internal and external factors. The performance of the business has rocketed since the introduction of the website www. boots. co. uk. It is used to communicate internally and externally. Internally staff can sign into the website and gain data that they may need from home. The external communication is a lot more effected by the website. The website communicates with customers about products, store information, special offers and online sales. The online shop that Boots operates increases the performance of the business financially as little money is needed in its upkeep compared to the amount the stores require. The website enables Boots to make more money with less input. Less staff is needed to operate the online store so money is saved there. There is no need for a physical shop it is all virtual so this saves money on rent, bills, and general upkeep. Nothing can be broken or damaged by customers like in a Boots store. The online store can be used 24 hours a day 7 days a week and while people shop they may notice new products and they will see advertising around the site that might be of interest. The advertising space is also a benefit to Boots as it is free and unlimited. All these aspects are elements that contribute to the economic and low cost high profit performance of the business. Email Email can be used to enhance the performance of the business internally and externally Internally messages can be typed and sent to many people very quickly. This saves money and time in photocopying and distribution of letters. Emails internally can be used in restricted and open format dependant on the content. They can be used to make staff aware of information about price changes and strategic alterations that may need to be put into place. The use of emails in Boots to make staff aware of extra shift work available and job opportunities that may become available add to the efficiency and economic performance of the business by reducing the time that is used up by alternative methods. Staff can get in hold of the business via email when they need as it is a quick and easy way to do so. Externally emails are used a lot in Boots for advertising. Customer databases are formed with information from the reward card scheme and the email addresses are put into a file. This is used to send customers information about special offers and general advertising. This is a lot cheaper than alternative methods such as the constructing printing and posting of leaflets and brochures. Links are used a lot to make it quick and appealing for customers to explore the online shop and be tempted to purchase goods. This increases the performance of the business by again making more money from as little input as possible. It saves Boots money, time, and manpower, which effectively frees more opportunity for the business to expand and develop. Without ICT Boots would by now have lost out to competition, wasted hundreds of thousands of pounds ineffectively and not bee the multi million pound empire they are today. Production process The production process is typically present within the operation of a manufacturing orientated business. This is the basic process of production INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT Boots is retail service not a manufacturing one. The production process is still however related around the business. Although Boots do not manufacture products the production process is vital in ensuring all elements of the business operation run smoothly. The production process as shown above consists of three sections which are the input the process and the output. Boots is in the tertiary section of the industry as it is an outlet that sells goods. This is the output and this is the main aspect that affects Boots. The inputs are the primary sector and the process is secondary. As Boots is in the tertiary sector and sells goods it must also use the secondary and primary industry also. An example of the process would be involving the secondary section of industry. This would be the purchasing of goods from suppliers to sell in the store. Boots do not directly have a contribution to this area of the production process. They do however contribute to the input section of the production process which represents the primary industry. Boots can investigate medicines and test treatments for sales in their stores. The manufacturing, mass production and distribution to stores are the process part of Boots production process representing secondary industry.

The Book Thief Review Essay Example for Free

The Book Thief Review Essay In,The Book Thief,we learn about the different types of human nature, from the kindness to the cruelty. Death is the narrator and struggles to come to terms with the difference between the evil plans of the Nazi government and the goodwill and courage of a few German people. His curiosity leads him to uncovering Liesel’s story and he becomes attached to certain features for characters such as; Liesel, Rudy, Hans Hubermann and Rosa Hubermann. The Book Thief goes through some of the most evil things in history and it takes us through these various times. We witness the torture of the Jews in the book, from when Liesel and Rudy witness the streets with the destroyed houses and shops. The Nazi’s classify them as subhumans and make them march through Molching, while they are being tortured by the Nazi soldiers which is totally wrong. Hans Hubermann showed great compassion and pity even though there would be consequences, as he rushes to a crowd of Jews and gives and old man a piece of bread. â€Å"The Jew stood before him, expecting another handful of derision, but he watched with everyone else as Hans Hubermann held his hand out and presented a piece of bread, like magic†. This quote says, that even though his punishment is being sent to the war, it is connected to his act of kindness and he provides a much needed role model for both Liesel and Rudy. Ilsa Hermann displays a great amount of warmth and goodwill by inviting Liesel into her library. Although this character may look lonely over the loss of her son, she manages to teach Liesel into her love of literature. She does not react angrily to the fact that Liesel had stolen books from her library, this in turns show compassion in human nature. Even though Liesel and Rudy stole books, death shows this as acts of courage, rather than a criminal offence. The Hubermann’s ( Rosa and Hans) consent to take care of Liesel as a foster child is wonderful and this is also further more explained as they promised to Max’s family, even though knowing being caught hiding a Jew leass to death. The Hubermann family don’t just take in Max, but they also make him feel loved and part of the family. Liesel defies Nazi rules and regulations, by taking education into her own hands, as Rudy puts it after their fathers were sent to war, â€Å"It feels good doesn’t it? To steal something back.† Liesel further more defies the Nazi model of hate of Jews as she grows closer to Max and help each other develop as individuals and also show a lot of affection towards one another. Rudy is a very loveable character and in the start, goes from stealing bread, to giving it to the marching Jews. This act is selfless because at the time he and his family were starving â€Å"Proof again of the contradictory nature of human beings† – Death. Furthermore, â€Å"From the toolbox the boy took out, of all things, a teddy bear. He reached in through the torn windshield and placed it on the pilot’s chest†. This shows a compassionate act of human nature even though the pilot was from an opposite side of the war. Even though, harsh punishments were experienced during the time of Nazi Germany, many examples of human spirit were exposed to overpower the evil and shows that we can have some sort of integrity to face evil times.

Strategic Thinking In Logic Versus Creativity Commerce Essay

Strategic Thinking In Logic Versus Creativity Commerce Essay It is mutually agreed that the converses of intuition and analysis generate tension during the strategic thinking process. Researchers and contributors to strategic management making the case for logic argue that for strategy to be effective, the strategic thinking process must involve extensive formal analyses and objective collection and processing of data both from within and without the corporation (Hill and Jones, 2007; De Wit and Meyer, 2010). Rational reasoning enables managers gain an accurate perspective on the different options available before identifying the strategic option that best serves the organisations cause: achieving its goals and objectives. Logical analysis encompasses assessing internal and external risks, strengths and weaknesses, market need and so on; so that strategy can be thought out to fit each of the above factors. In contrast to logical thinking, creative thinking involves taking a leap of imagination (De Wit and Mayor, 2010, p. 60) without any logically defined reason for taking such a leap. Creative thinking is a divergence from the rules governing rational argumentation towards problem-solving. Strategic thinking from this perspective is therefore not governed by previous arguments or analyses, but is the generation of action plans using intuition (Hill and Jones, 2007). The strategy thinker will use intuitive judgement to derive a vision for the future. Proponents of this approach argue that it is the best way to define problems and generate innovative solutions since rationality has the potential to frustrate the process of generating novel insight, which, they say, should be the objective of strategic thinking (De Wit and Meyer, 2010). See (appendix A) Apple Inc. case study. Strategic Formation: Is strategy deliberate or emergent? From the dichotomy of rational versus creative thinking, the paradox of strategy deliberateness versus emergency arises. The deliberate doctrine opines that strategy creation ought to follow a coherent series of steps, a coordination of efforts, strategic resource allocation and utilisation and a prior, systematic programming of all processes and activities in the organisation (De Wit and Meyer, 2010). Strategy is a deliberate, systematic attempt to achieve fit between an organizations internal and external strengths and weaknesses, threats and opportunities (Sadler and Craig, 2003). The paradox of deliberateness and emergence comes courtesy of the cognitive school of thought. Managers who prefer logic in strategic thinking certainly believe that strategy formation is a deliberate process; whereas those who prefer intuition would go for the opinion that strategy formation is an emergent process. Managers who believe in emergence understand the process of strategy formation as anchored in an organisations capacity and willingness to stay open to new opportunities or trends, maintaining flexibility to changes in the internal and external environment being able to cognitively discern emerging ideas and concepts and the socio-political and cultural factors; and acting in response (Clegg et al., 2005; De Wit and Meyer, 2010). Strategy thus becomes a reactive process. The deliberate school of thought maintains that strategy has to be crafted; that responding to internal and external factors cannot solely be used to provide an organisation with a roadmap for achieving i ts objectives and realising its vision. See (appendix B) United Parcel Services (UPS) case study. Strategy Renewal: Is change Discontinuous or Evolutionary? Organisational change is an integral element of the strategy process. Strategy aims to outline an organisations plan for achieving its objectives. Sometimes, there are abrupt changes in the internal and external environment, shifts in production or project implementation life-cycles or changes in organisation dynamics (De Wit and Meyer, 2010). With such eventualities, the organisation has to renew its strategy. The paradox of revolution (discontinuous change) and evolution (continuous change) is occasioned by the two approaches to strategic renewal. Continuous change advocates for an evolutionary approach in increasing productivity and operational efficiency (Watson, 2000). Continuous change is feasible with emergent strategy formation since change motivators are everyday observed changes or trends in the internal and external environment. On the contrary, discontinuous (revolutionary) change involves performing a radical surgery to an organisations strategy. Unlike evolutionary strategic change, discontinuous change does not involve continual improvement of an organisations corporate strategy: strategic renewal is achieved by making distinct transformations from one strategic approach to another (De Wit and Meyer, 2010). Whether strategic renewal is achieved through revolutionary or evolutionary change is dependent on specific factors. In project management for example, revolutionary change is a suitable approach since typically, projects have predefined implementation timelines and budgets (Whittington, 2000). Continuous change becomes appropriate when the organisation undergoing change wants to maintain or improve its operational efficiency and competitive advantage in the long run. However, when organisations continuously evolve their strategies to maintain a competitive advantage, increase productivity and operational efficiency, counter the effects of changes in the external and external environment and meet changing customer or client requirements, revolutionary change is still unavoidable (De Wit and Meyer, 2010). Every once in a while, an organisation has to initiate revolutionary changes, processes and projects that wholly transform their strategic outlook and business processes. See (Append ix C) Ferrari case study. Conclusion From the analysis done in this report, it is evident that strategy dichotomies or the paradoxes arising from strategic thinking, strategy formation and strategy renewal are closely interrelated. They arise due to the diversity in the contexts with which strategy is interpreted and understood. Effective corporate strategising, it appears, must be conducted by applying opposing perspectives alongside each other. For example, some specific case may call for a combination of logical and creative thinking in strategy formation whereas others may call for logic only (Clegg et al., 2005). Effective managers should be able to identify which approach will be most effective for each specific case.

Charles Dickens Hard Times :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

Charles Dickens' Hard Times When we think of hard times in today’s world, our thoughts might consist of the number of days before we get paid, an argument with our spouse, or simply that our car is not operating so great these days. Most people today can not begin to imagine what hard times were like during the Industrial Revolution. In nineteenth century England, hard times to the factory workers may have consisted of watching one’s nine-year-old child tied to a machine in the mill for fourteen hours a day. It is no wonder why the writers of this period protested society through the voices of their writings. One of the greatest of these writers was Charles Dickens, who made his voice of protest through a literary masterpiece known as Hard Times. There are many aspects of Hard Times, and Dickens manages to capture what life was like for all of the social classes of his day through each individual character with his protests against the horrible ways in which people were treating one another i n the times that truly were hard. Dickens put a great deal of thought and research into all of his works, just as he did in Hard Times. As one writer states, â€Å"He visited Preston to get material for the industrial and trade-union aspects of the novel; a few weeks latter he began to collect circus slang† (Collins 29). He latter obtained the Educational Board’s series of questions for the examination of teachers in schools. On April 1, 1854, Hard Times appeared in a weekly journal, Household Words, which Dickens edited. Some people believe that Dickens â€Å"was determined to create a means where he could communicate his ideas on social reform so in 1850 he began editing Household Words† (Ford 16). One author states that â€Å"by 1851 the twenty-four page Household Words was selling 40,000 copies a week† (Gray 2). The weekly journal included articles on politics, science and history. To increase the number of people willing to buy Household Words, it also contained short stories and humorous pieces. Dickens also used the journal to serialize novels that were concerned with social issues such as Hard Times. The scene is a factory driven English town known as Coketown. The novel begins in a classroom where we meet Mr. Gradgrind, a wealthy parliament member, to whom the school belongs. Charles Dickens' Hard Times :: GCSE English Literature Coursework Charles Dickens' Hard Times When we think of hard times in today’s world, our thoughts might consist of the number of days before we get paid, an argument with our spouse, or simply that our car is not operating so great these days. Most people today can not begin to imagine what hard times were like during the Industrial Revolution. In nineteenth century England, hard times to the factory workers may have consisted of watching one’s nine-year-old child tied to a machine in the mill for fourteen hours a day. It is no wonder why the writers of this period protested society through the voices of their writings. One of the greatest of these writers was Charles Dickens, who made his voice of protest through a literary masterpiece known as Hard Times. There are many aspects of Hard Times, and Dickens manages to capture what life was like for all of the social classes of his day through each individual character with his protests against the horrible ways in which people were treating one another i n the times that truly were hard. Dickens put a great deal of thought and research into all of his works, just as he did in Hard Times. As one writer states, â€Å"He visited Preston to get material for the industrial and trade-union aspects of the novel; a few weeks latter he began to collect circus slang† (Collins 29). He latter obtained the Educational Board’s series of questions for the examination of teachers in schools. On April 1, 1854, Hard Times appeared in a weekly journal, Household Words, which Dickens edited. Some people believe that Dickens â€Å"was determined to create a means where he could communicate his ideas on social reform so in 1850 he began editing Household Words† (Ford 16). One author states that â€Å"by 1851 the twenty-four page Household Words was selling 40,000 copies a week† (Gray 2). The weekly journal included articles on politics, science and history. To increase the number of people willing to buy Household Words, it also contained short stories and humorous pieces. Dickens also used the journal to serialize novels that were concerned with social issues such as Hard Times. The scene is a factory driven English town known as Coketown. The novel begins in a classroom where we meet Mr. Gradgrind, a wealthy parliament member, to whom the school belongs.

Beta Carotene :: essays research papers

Beta Carotene Beta-carotene is a member of the carotenoid family and has over 500 relatives. Carotenoids are yellow-to-red pigments found in all green plant tissues and in some species of algae. So far 21 different carotenoids have been found in human blood. The most abundant ones are alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lutein, lycopene, cryptoxanthin and zeaxanthin. A molecule of alpha-carotene, beta- carotene, or cryptoxanthin can be split into two molecules of vitamin A in the body but the conversion of beta-carotene is by far the most effective. The six carotenoids are all antioxidants. They are very effective in neutralizing a highly reactive for of oxygen called singlet oxygen but also, to some extent, act to break up the chain reactions involved in lipid peroxidation. Numerous studies have shown that people who consume a diet rich in dark yellow orange vegetables (carrots) and dark green vegetables (broccoli) are much less likely to develop cancer and heart disease. It has also been established that people with low levels of beta-carotene in their blood have a higher incidence of heart disease and cancer, particularly lung cancer. The National Cancer Institute endorsed a study which found that women who consume lots of beta-carotene rich fruits and vegetables have a lower chance of getting cancer, including breast cancer. The Institution says that regularly eating lots of fruits and vegetables plays a key roll in cancer prevention, but whether the preventative action comes from beta-carotene or other nutrients in the produce has yet to be determined. For people who don't like eating their fruits and vegetables, a beta-carotene supplement pill was introduced into the market. Millions of vegetable hating Americans hoped that by taking a pill instead of eating vegetables, they could get the same rewards as their counterparts who enjoy the taste of fruits and vegetables. But officials at the National Cancer Institute released the results of two large studies designed to put the benefits of beta- carotene supplements to the test. One followed 22,071 doctors who for 12 years smokers had to be stopped prematurely because it seemed to me making the rate of death from cancer and heart disease worse. Taking a simple chemical supplement is not the same as eating a vegetable. Scientists suspect there are other natural ingredients that work with vitamins to promote health. It is also possible that a beta-carotene supplement derived from natural sources and formulated so as to preserve the normal carotene ratio in the blood may be of benefit for people at high risk for cancer and cardiovascular disease. This, however, needs to proven. So, until the remaining riddles in the carotene

Sammy in A&P by John Updike Essay -- A&P John Updike Working Careers

Sammy in A&P by John Updike Is where you are in your working career where you want to be for the rest of your life? The answer to that question is simple for Sammy in the story â€Å"A&P† by John Updike. Sammy, like many others in this world, is a young man trying to make some money in a small town. But unlike some, he refuses to be stuck in the same job for many years or possibly the rest of his life. One day while working the register at a local grocery store, Sammy notices three girls walk in. The girls are wearing their bathing suits because the beach is close to the store. When the girls reach the register the manager notices the girls attire. He walks over to them and argues with them for a moment and then girls leave. Sammy didn’t understand why the manager had such a problem with what the girls were wearing. Suddenly Sammy decides to quit. He takes off his apron and walks out the door. One of the things that caught my attention the most was Updike’s use of imagery in describing Sammy’s working environment. â€Å"The sheep pushing their carts down the aisle-†(34), I thou...

UCD Workplace Issue

Although this can be a great advantage due to the unique perspective hat people from different backgrounds bring, it can also be detrimental as well to a certain degree. This may become an issue because individuals may sometimes prefer to speak in their own native language which can lead to other colleagues feeling ostracizes. My company is composed of non-Loris Individuals that come from different nationalities. The nationals span from Argentinean, Spanish, American, and Chinese. This creates a melting pot where our Ideas are reflective from the culture that we were brought up in.However, when my colleagues are conversing with each other, hey will often tend to speak Spanish whether It Is talking about a topic related to the company or Just friendly chitchat. Since the rest of the colleagues don't speak Spanish, we end up feeling as If we are missing out on something. However, I have to admit that I am also guilty of this as well too certain degree. Since I can speak Mandarin, I wil l sometimes converse with my Chinese colleague In Mandarin. However, we do not talk about work related topics.Rather, we converse about how our weekend went and talk about our hobbles. However, this can make other leagues feel left out who are going out to lunch with us because they are not able to communicate with us because they do not speak Mandarin. There was an Instance where my Chinese colleague and I spoke Mandarin during lunch and a colleague seemed to be confused and felt left out because she was unable to participate In the conversation due to her not knowing Mandarin. After that Incident, I became much more aware of not excluding Individuals through language.One way to solve the Issue of language boundaries Is to Implement a new many policy that dictates that employees can only speak English during working hours. However, during lunch hours, employees are free to speak their own language to their own discretion. This would allow transparency during the work hours and ensu re that all the employees In the company do not feel left out. Since lunch hours are a time where employees can do their own personal actively, speaking their own language would be appropriate.Using English as a standard would be the most logical option because English Is one of the most popular languages and Is regarded s the business of language. Also, many Europeans have an Intermediate level of English which makes communicating with other nonetheless easier whereas It Is not so efficient the other way around. Although this may Infringe on the rights of as a whole to become more collective and create a more transparent environment. Although there are drastic options such as only allowing English during the entire time at work, this is detrimental to the company as a whole.When companies allow only one language to be spoken at all times, this creates an almost dictatorship like ultra. If an English only rule was implemented in America, it may not be such a big issue but since this company is located in Europe where many different languages are being spoken, this would cause uproar. Furthermore, since English may not be the mother tongue of some employees, this may risk miscommunication which can lead to time and money wasted. Although a company with employees from different nationalities may bring different perspectives, language may sometimes become a deterrent towards the objectives of the company.This is due to people feeling left UT of conversations because they do not know the language. By implanting a policy where only English can be spoken during working hours with the exception of lunch hours, this will prevent alienation. Critics may point out that this infringes on the rights of individuals, but this new policy would foster a sense of community within the company. Although this policy would potentially be difficult to enforce due to employees feeling as if they're being coerced into a foreign language, it is imperative that companies do what is bes t for the objective of the company.

Literary Theme Essay Essay

The Privilege of Freedom â€Å"Only the educated are free.† Said by Epicetus, this simple quote demonstrates the importance of education. A solid education will provide for an excellent future and give one freedom: freedom to take on a career, to jump at opportunities, and to make choices. There is no saying where the future might take an educated man. Dangarembga uses highly educated and successful characters to illustrate the privilege of education and the power, control, and freedom that it provides. Dangarembga shows that education can change a life for the better by presenting the main character, Tambu, with the privilege of attending an outstanding school. When Tambu is given the opportunity to live with her uncle and go to the mission school, she is thrilled to become educated. Before her brother died, â€Å"the needs and sensibilities of the women in† her â€Å"family were not considered a priority,† and school was not an option for her (Dangarembga 12). Education has provided Tambu with the privilege to escape her old life on the homestead and â€Å"take another step upwards in the direction of† her â€Å"freedom† (Dangarembga 186). Also, education has given Tambu the power to use her education to control the rest of her life. â€Å"By the time she has finished Form Four,† she â€Å"will be able to take† her â€Å"course, whatever it is that† she chooses (Dangarembga 183). â€Å"In time,† she â€Å"will be earning money,† which will then lead to a career and onto the rest of her life (Dangarembga 183). The wealth that Tambu will earn when she is successful will provide for her and her entire family. Education builds the foundation of Tambu’s future, and â€Å"the prospect of this freedom† is unlimited (Dangarembga 186). The character, Babamakuru, is used by Dangarmebga to demonstrate that one educated relative effects an entire family. Education is â€Å"not just an individual blessing† but one that extends to all members of a â€Å"less fortunate family† (Dangarembga 89). For example, Dangarembga shows that one educated man can support the whole family. Babamakuru, â€Å"who had obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in South Africa,† is extremely generous and provides resources and opportunities for his entire family (Dangarembga 13). Whenever Babamakuru goes to visit the homestead, he comes bearing food, gifts, and supplies for the family to thrive off of. Also, Babamakuru is responsible for Tambu’s education and her coming to the mission school. To Tambu’s family, â€Å"Babamakuru was God†, â€Å"big brother to all†, and â€Å"his divinity† filled them â€Å"with awe† (Dangarembga 70, 36, 88). â€Å"As an early educated African,† Babamakuru has â€Å"found himself in positions that enable him to organize his immediate world and its contents as he wished† (Dangarembga 88). His great power has insulated him â€Å"from the necessity of considering alternatives unless they were his own† (Dangarembga 88). Education has given him opportunities that have led to great power and control over others; nobody â€Å"dares to challenge his authority† ((Dangarembga 117). Without a well-educated, successful man like Babamakuru, Tambu’s family would not be as the same. Throughout Nervous Conditions ¸ Dangarembga exemplifies the key role that education plays in becoming wealthy and successful. The basis of a good future begins with education. Such a privilege can lead to so many new things, and when one is educated, the possibilities are endless. Works Cited Dangarembga, Tsitsi. Nervous Conditions. New York: Seal, 1989.

Phillis Wheatley Essay

The exotic daughter of Africa whose poetry inspired a cause of freedom and social justice in a different land while using the traditional religious view of her heritage. Whose words and symbolism still resonate through the world as reminders of a dream of equality and freedom from monarchal tyranny. This exemplary figure of true patriotism is Phillis Wheatley an African woman born along the Gambia River in Africa to the Fulani tribe (Shields 473). In two of her finest works â€Å"To his Excellency General Washington† and â€Å"Liberty and Peace† Phillis Wheatley uses the African tradition of solar worship to justify the American Revolution. Phillis Wheatley was born around 1753 to a Fulani woman who either practiced an ancient tribal form of solar worship or was a devout Muslim. Wheatley had only one fond memory of her life in Africa and that memory is of her mother performing a ritual every morning to the sun. ‘â€Å"before the sun at his rising† and then â€Å"prostrating herself† in the direction of the risen sun,†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Shields 473). The theory that Phillis Wheatley’s mother was a Muslim is plausible because the rising sun is in the direction of Mecca. Also, the word of Islam had spread to this part of Africa and the number of Muslims in western Africa was growing during that time period. However, the theory that Phillis Wheatley’s mother is Muslim is discredited through the use of sun allusions in Wheatley’s poetry. â€Å"Her mother’s solar worship surely is the source of her exaltation of the sun, which she names in her poems nine times as Aurora; as Apollo, seven; as Phoebus, twelve, and as Sol, twice,† (Shields). This shows the love and admiration that Phillis Wheatley had for the sun; a love that was instilled in her by her mother when Wheatley was a small child watching her mother praise Apollo. â€Å"To his Excellency General Washington† was published in April of 1776 by Phillis Wheatley in Boston Massachusetts. This poem to George Washington commemorates him for his efforts to promote freedom. This was the first written work to be published that supported him in his endeavor to free the young country (Williams). In the opening lines of the poem Phillis Wheatley uses a muse, a device of neoclassicism, which exposes the inspiration for her literary work. The muse of this poem is the celestial choir which can be interpreted as the sun god because in line one she writes, â€Å"Celestial choir! enthron’d in realms of light,† (CITATION POETRY FOR STUDENTS). â€Å"Enthron’d in realms of light† means that light surrounds the celestial choir which must come from the sun. In lines nine through twelve Wheatley explains a sun goddess that aides the American cause, â€Å"The Goddess comes, she moves divinely fair/†¦Wherever shines this native of the skies/ Unnumber’d charms and recent graces rise,† (CITATION POETRY FOR STUDENTS). This native of the skies shines wherever she roams; she is the female embodiment of the sun god. . She understands the validity of the American cause because she is fair and just that is why she supports America. The goddess shines on America and with this divine light comes unnumbered charms and graces that fall upon the young nation. She helps America by protecting them in the ultimate struggle they have at hand against the British. The theme of the poem is expressed in lines thirty one through thirty two, â€Å"And so may you, whoever dares disgrace/ This land of freedom’s heaven-defended race,† (CITATION POETRY FOR STUDENTS). The theme of this poem is simply freedom; freedom for the common man, woman and child, and that no person should be subject to any form of oppression or tyranny. The message of freedom is exemplified in these lines because America is being defended by the solar goddess. She promotes the continuation of the belief that every man is entitled freedom by birth. Therefore, these lines show that America is justified by heaven to fight the British. This heavenly protection serves as defense and as a means of dissuading any advances on America. The first line shows the warning to all that may want to pose a threat to America because it is a land of freedom that is divinely protected by the sun goddess. So, these two lines show that America is a land of freedom and that it is defende d by the sun goddess against all that transgress against America’s boundaries. After the defeat of the British in the American Revolutionary War and the Treaty of Paris of 1783 was signed, Phillis Wheatley wrote â€Å"Liberty and Peace†; a poem that celebrated the new countries independence (Shields 489-490). The poem was published in 1784 and praised the defeat of Britannia by America, which has just been established as a sovereign state (Doak 86). It was also one of her last notable works because during that same year she passed away (O’Neale). The overall theme and message of the poem is that America is noble and just for fighting for its independence and that she is and will always be divinely protected. Britain is considered a menace and dictator for holding the colonies back for becoming their own separate country (Jamison). In â€Å"Liberty and Peace† on line sixty four Phillis Wheatley explains how her ancestral sun god is on the side of America and that it is the reason why America defeated the British. The line reads, â€Å"And Heavenly Freedom spread her gold Ray,† (O’Neale). This line shows that the golden ray of heaven will be spread by heavenly freedom. The golden ray was graced upon America by the female embodiment of the sun god. This ray of freedom will spread to any land where America spreads its sails. America being able to spread its ray of freedom is shown in lines sixty two through sixty three of â€Å"Liberty and Peace†, â€Å"Where e’er Columbia spreads her swelling Sails/ To every Realm shall Peace her Charms display,† (O’Neale). This quote illustrates that the golden ray placed upon America by the sun goddess will spread to other lands by heavenly freedom. That any land America encounters will be instilled with the American virtues of p eace and freedom. Phillis Wheatley is a true American patriot for the American quest of peace and freedom from the British menace. She uses her ancestral tradition of solar worship to justify the American cause and to support the troops in their enormous endeavor. In â€Å"To his Excellency General Washington† Phillis Wheatley illustrates a sun goddess that aides on the side of the Americans during the revolutionary war. Wheatley goes on to further explain that American people are a group of people that are divinely protected because they exemplify a spirit of freedom that has never been seen in the world to date. In â€Å"Liberty and Peace† Phillis Wheatley shows that the values and beliefs that are at the core of America are protected by the sun god; that is the reason why America was able to triumph over the British. It was able to because it was fighting for freedom and the sun god protects and defends the righteous in all their endeavors. America will also inspire every land she touches to fight for freedom and equality because America is heavenly defended and her virtues are protected by the sun god. It is clear to see the instances of solar allusions in Phillis Wheatley’s work. She uses her mother’s religion of solar worship to show the validity of the American cause in the Revolutionary War. Phillis Wheatley supported and whole-heartedly believed in the American Revolution due to the fact that in â€Å"To his Excellency General Washington† and â€Å"Liberty and Peace she uses her tradition of solar worship to support America.

Critique of Research Article Essay Essay

The purpose of this essay is to recognize specific aspects of the clinical nursing research paper done by Carlee Lehna and Jack McNeil. I will define and discuss these aspects. In clinical research articles there are literature reviews that give background information as to the problem and research that was performed in the study, and why this problem needed to be studied (Burnes & Grove, 2011). The literature review in this particular study explains to the reader about the contrast in health literacy of English speaking only parents and Spanish speaking only parents and what tools the researchers used to measure the parents’ health literacy of their child’s health care. The review was very thorough and understandable. The authors named a couple of different tools and how those tools measured literacy. They also explain why they chose the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults tool (TOFHLA), it was the only test that was available in English and Spanish. After reading another article there is another test called Newest Vital Sign. This test is also in English and Spanish takes less time and has only six questions. (Cornett, 2009). Using one test to measure their healt literacy is a limitation. The problem statement helps the reader identify the dilemma for the target population in the research and why it needs further exploration. Burns & McNeil discuss that the lower health literacy of the parents the poorer outcomes of their children (Lehna & McNeil, 2008). The purpose of this study is to measure the difference in health literacy in two groups of different language speaking parents, i. e. English and Spanish (Lehna & McNeil, 2008). The relationship between the problem statement and purpose statement is that the purpose statement is the how the authors are going to find the fix for the problem. The problem statement in this article very clear that the low health literacy is directly related to poor outcomes. The purpose statement is concise and easy to comprehend. In the Lehna & McNeil article, the word purpose is mentioned several times and it may make it harder for the reader to decipher the purpose statement, this is a limitation. Target population is a larger total sample group that meets a criteria (Burnes & Grove, 2011). Sample is the particular group that participated in the study (Burnes & Grove, 2011). The target group in this particular study meet the criteria of parents/caregivers that either only speak English or Spanish and that their children were treated at Shriners Hospital for Children in Galveston, Texas. The sample group is much smaller, they meet the criteria and participated in the tests, interviews and focus groups. These different ways that the researchers used to gather information is a strength. Two of the limitations with the sample is that they only studied parents from one hospital and the authors just specified the language as Spanish, there are many different dialects in those Spanish speaking countries that some information could be lost in translation. The five parts of the study were very easy to recognize. By dissecting this study it helped me identify and learn those 5 parts. I feel a bit more comfortable in reading research papers. This research study was very interesting because I can relate to the difficulty with trying to explain health issues with Spanish speaking families. References Burnes, N. , & Grove, S. K. (2011). Understanding Nursing Research: Building an Evidence-Based Practice (5th Ed. ). Maryland Heights, MO: Elsevier. Cornett, S. (2009, Sept 30). Assessing and Addressing Health Literacy. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 14. http://dx. doi. org/10. 3912/OJIN. Vol14No03Man02 Lehna, C. , & McNeil, J. (2008, April 2). Mixed-Method Exploration of Parents’ Health Understanding. Clinical Nursing Research, http://cnr. sagepub. com/

Amazon Com An E Commerce Retailer Marketing Essay

Amazon Com An E Commerce Retailer Marketing Essay Aggressive competition, along with the external factors of a poor economy and possible repeal of the Internet sales tax exemption, has forced Amazon.com to reevaluate its current strategies and redevelop an â€Å"effective differentiating strategy† in order to make the company a â€Å"consistent money maker† in the short and long-term time frames, while still continuing to pursue corporate objectives of expanding at reasonable costs and staying ahead of the company’s competition. 2. Summary statement of the recommended solution: Develop and implement a competitive business-to-business (B2B) exchange for suppliers, retailers, manufacturers and distributors. B. THE SITUATION Amazon.com was founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994 and was , â€Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦considered to be the premier online retailer in the world† (Collins, P., Mockler, R., & Gartenfeld, M., p. 2, 2003) in 2003. The company originally only started with selling books, but later expanded into severa l other product lines such as: CD’s, DVD’s & videos, electronics, toys, apparel, and home & garden supplies. Amazon.com also offered services which included: online auctions, partnerships with retailers (i.e. The Gap & Eddie Bauer,) Zshops (store hosting) and website management. In 2003 the company reported its first operating profit of $64.1 million, which was an 115.55% increase from 2001’s $412.2 million operating loss, for the fiscal year ending December 31st, 2002. Amazon continued to meet its internal goals, â€Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦of focusing on increased market share, expanded product offerings, and overall sales growth, the company was still facing pressureà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦to produce consistent operating profits and to prove that its business model worked financially over the long-term.† (Collins, P., Mockler, R., & Gartenfeld, M., p. 3, 2003) The pressure the company was facing, combined with a decreasing consumer confidence, an increased unemploymen t rate, and competitive threats from other online companies, like eBay and Yahoo!, who had started to expand into Amazon.com’s current markets, left Bezos â€Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦with the task of developing an effective differentiating enterprise strategy if Amazon.com was to survive and prosper against aggressive competitionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Collins, P., Mockler, R., & Gartenfeld, M., p. 2, 2003) II. ANALYSIS A. ANALYSIS OF THE SITUATION 1. Management In Amazon.com first year as a company, they focused completely on increasing market share and superior customer service, but when the dotcom â€Å"bubble burst† happened and Amazon.com’s stock prices fell Bezos and his management team struck a good balance between their goal of increasing market share and their goal of producing a profit. This shows that the management team for Amazon.com is rather flexible one and is willing to change strategies when the opportunities arise and the company is willing to modif y its business model if it feels that an opportunity to expand in a new area will be profitable. 2. Operations Amazon.com has a corporate headquarters, which is located in Seattle, WA, and several distribution centers that are located in New Castle Delaware, Coffeyville Kansas, as well as in Campbellsville and Lexington Kentucky. Having these distribution centers allow for a better ability to regionally segment the United States, which allows for faster order fulfillment and higher customer satisfaction. Since they operate online, they have also expanded their website operations into several different countries including: Canada, France, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom.