Muscle Dysmorphia Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Muscle Dysmorphia - Research Paper Example pite injuries, extreme dieting plus diet supplements and steroids for increasing lean muscles and lack of personal relationships due to limited time required for engaging socially (Grieve & Shacklette, 2012). A driving force behind men developing MD is a sense of them being dissatisfied with their bodies. This occurs when an individual is obese or over weight and has the desire to lose weight or is underweight as well as having the desire to gain some weight. Body distortion is also another factor contributing to contraction of this problem MD. People who feel and believe that they are smaller or bigger than their actual size are at an increased risk of developing MD. The media also plays a big role in development of MD. This is because it depicts the ideal body shape, which has negative effects on body satisfaction in men. Ideal body internalization is the acceptance of the ideal body shape for which all males should strive to achieve and leads to MD (Grieve, Truba & Bowersox, 2009). Men participating in sports have a likelihood of developing MD especially where they have to maintain a certain weight or where they need to increase muscle mass or body size. Low self-esteem is another factor that independently influences the development of MD. People whose self-esteem depends on appearance have a high likelihood of developing MD (Grieve, Truba & Bowersox, 2009). Studies also show that feelings of anxiety and depression directly influence the development of Muscle Dysmorphia. This is because MD provides an individual with the motivation to change appearance and/or behavior (Grieve & Shacklette, 2012). MD is problematic because of the prevalence of sex hormones, anabolic-androgenic steroids and other muscle enhancing substances. As much as anabolic-androgenic steroids increase muscle mass, they have serious psychological and physical side effects that include cholestatic jaundice, stroke, hypertension, pulmonary embolism, blood clots, mood changes, psychotic

Samsung Case Analysis Essay Example for Free

Samsung Case Analysis Essay 1. HISTORY Samsung Electronics is a South Korean multinational electronics and information technology company. It is the chief subsidiary of the Samsung Group that was established in 1969, and its headquarters is located in Samsung Town, Seoul. Samsung Electronics is one of the largest electronics producers in Asia, and its product line includes semiconductors, televisions, telecommunication equipment, computers and many other kinds of home appliances. The Samsung Electronics unit was created to get into the prosperous television and consumer electronics industry. Its first product was a small simple black-and-white television which was sold in the early 1970s. The division developed a diverse line of consumer electronics, and while in its beginning products was only sold domestically; exporting goods began a few years later. It took the company savvy management and huge investments in research and development, but Samsung Electronics expanded their products to creating color televisions and a variety of other consumer electronics and appliances. The company manufactured, shipped and sold a broad range of these appliances and electronic products worldwide by the 1980s. The fast progress and success of Samsung Electronics was not a surprise to people who knew the founder of the Samsung Group, Byung Chull Lee, a highly praised Korean entrepreneur. He overcame several obstacles with the small trading company he founded in 1938. Starting with a $2,000 nest egg and 40 employees, he was one of the ten largest trading companies when the Korean War started. The conquest of Soeul by the North Korean army forced him to give up his operations in 1950. However, one year after losing almost all his inventories and relocating to Pusan, Lee started the company over again with the help of the savings of one of his managers. After only one year, the company had experienced unimaginable growth and its assets twenty folded.Lee, being an entrepreneur that was always looking for more opportunities, founded Cheil Sugar, a sugar refinery in 1953, which became a very profitable business that allowed him to expand into a wide variety of markets. These included insurance, broadcasting, securities and even department stores. Lee was heavily criticized for some of his actions, such as building the â€Å"first manufacturing facility in South Korea after the Korean War† but many of his companies prospered under his vision of making Samsung the leader in every industry he entered. Despite facing major setbacks and fighting political battles in the 1960s, Samsung generated revenues over US $100 million annually. Lee not only broke into â€Å"the mass communication industry by launching a radio and television station†, but also founded Samsung Electronics. Entering the manufacturing televisions and electronics components industry, one that was under the control of US and European companies, seemed to be a risky venture, but Lee succeeded with the help of the national government. The head of the state, Park Chung-Hee encouraged the growth of dominating domestic industries in contradiction to his predecessor, who ruled with favoritism and corruption in order to keep his power. Park protected major industries and the larger companies in South Korea from foreign competition and gave out financial assistance as a part of his economic growth plan. The Samsung Group was one of the main beneficiaries, profiting from the ban on several countries to import consumer electronics, thereby eliminating the big competitors in the home market. As the company was trying to establish itself in the television industry, it added consumer products and appliances to its product lines. In addition to the ban on imports from certain countries, the government also prohibited foreign companies to invest into Samsung, while Samsung was still allowed to invest in overseas businesses. As a consequence, Samsung Electronics rapidly controlled parts of the home market while it also started exported successfully. As Lee had already predicted in the first decade of its existence, Samsungs Electronics division was the main industry for the company’s future. To ensure that Samsung became a major player, he entered the semiconductor business in 1978. Government regulations again played in the entrepreneur’s favor, as foreign telecommunication equipment manufacturers were required to provide semiconductor technology in return for access to the Korean market. In 1983, after receiving proprietary technology from Micron (USA) and Sharp (Japan), Samsung became the first Korean manufacturer of DRAM (dynamic random access memory) chips. Producing relatively low-tech DRAM chips at a lower cost, Samsung Electronics became a large supplier to computer and electronics manufacturers throughout the entire world within the next couple years. Samsung Electronics increased its efforts on other electronics operations in the meantime as well. Assembly plants were built in Portugal (1982), New York (1984) and England (1987). Together these plants produced 1,700,000 televisions, 700,000 microwave ovens and 300,000 VCRs. Thus, Samsung Groups annual revenues rose to $24 billion in 1987 (from $1.3 billion ten years earlier), which equated about a fifth of South Koreas entire GDP. Most of that growth resulted of Samsungs Electronics success. Despite the death of its founder Byung-Chull Lee, sales for the Samsung Group almost triple folded between 1987 and 1992. His successor, his son Kun-Hee Lee, did not only recognize the importance of the electronics division but moved it to the core of the Group. He combined several divisions and removed some operations while introducing different ideas that were put in place to enhance product quality and employee motivation. Lee focused on pushing Samsung to become a technological leader in the semiconductor, electronics and communication industry and doubled research and development investments. He was also credited for intensifying partnering efforts with foreign businesses to make Samsung the pioneer in the semiconductor technology. During the 1990s, Samsung underwent a groundbreaking change. After Samsung begins to reinvent through design (1993), sets up its in-house design school (â€Å"The Innovative Design Lab of Samsung†) and hires design consultancy IDEO to help develop computer monitors (1994), its biggest change had yet to follow. With the appointment of Yun Jong Yong as the President and CEO, Samsung changed its strategy drastically. Despite making profits as an established low cost supplier of many components to larger and well-known companies as well as providing customers with lower-priced appliances that were more affordable than the more expensive products by brands such as Sony, Yun was worried about the company’s future. He could not envision the company continued success on a low cost strategy with products whose technology had been developed by others. Yun believed that it was not secure to expect to be continuously able to scout for low-cost production locations successfully while retaining high volumes of production. This concern mainly a rose out of the emergence of many low-cost producing countries such as China. The CEOs scare became reality as within the first year of his tenure serious financial trouble threatened the company’s survival. Huge debt and the economic crisis in Asian resulted in the loss of millions of dollars and Yun stated that â€Å"if we continued, we would have gone belly-up within three or four years.† (Dess, 2010, p. C123). A turn-around was the much needed consequence. After trying to continuously compete in a price-cutting environment and increasing volume throughout the economic recession, Samsung Electronics had to lay off more than one-third of its workforce, which accumulated to about 30,000 employees. To get rid of its large inventory, many factories were closed down for more than 60 days. The company also sold off $2 billion worth of business that it perceived to be with minimal significance for its future. Yun decided to move Samsung’s future away from a company based on a lower-cost strategy to one emphasizing product development that woul d ultimately impress their consumers with their attractive design and advanced technology. Developing Samsung into a premium brand was the vision of the leader, and he recruited new managers. Yun removed the seniority-based system and put a merit-based system for advancement in place. These efforts resulted in the construction of newly designed products such as the largest flat-panel televisions, cell phones with new features (Cameras, PDAs, etc.) and thinner notebooks and computers than ever before. Hiring Eric Kim, a marketing whiz, who changed the advertisement agencies from 55 to one to create the same brand image anywhere in the world, worked hard to place a more upscale image of Samsung products into consumers’ minds. To undermine this perception, Samsung pulled out its products of big discounters such as Wal-Mart or Kmart and placed these into more expensive retailers (e.g. Best Buy, Circuit City). Yun was aware of the fact that the company would only be able to maintain its higher profit margins if the firm was able to bring its products faster to the market than its competitors. To ensure a sustaining model of this competitive advantage, the CEO removed several layers of bureaucracy to win approval for new products, budgets and marketing plans. Second steps to maintain an advantage are the huge investments in key technologies. The company has invested more than any of its rivals in research and development (RD), as it almost puts 9% of its revenues aside just for RD. To decrease the time of innovative product development, the large number of designers and engineers that are working in 17 locations throughout the entire world are not only facing the pressure from their own management but also competes with outsiders. Samsung attributes these strategies to its success in the effort of decreasing the time from a â€Å"new product concept to rollout† (Dess, 2010, p. C124). from over a year to â€Å"as little as five months† (Dess, 2010, p. C124). The determined work of the firms top manager, designers and engineers in the firms VIP center is at the core of the products rapid innovation and production. The reduced complexity for project teams in the design cycle’s early stages allows the company to move its products quicker to manufacturing while reducing problems and costs. Jung, a senior manager of the center states, explains that: â€Å"Seventy to eighty percent of quality, cost and delivery time is determined in the initial stages of a product.† (Dess, 2010, p. C124). A senior VP of Best Buy, George Danko, affirmed that â€Å"they will get a product to market a lot fast than their counterparts.† (Dess, 2010,p. C125). Among Samsungs first-to-market products are the first voice activated phones, handsets with MP3 Players and digital cameras that send photos over global systems for mobile communications networks. In addition to that, the firm was first to market projection TVs using new chips from Texas Instruments that employ digital-light processing. (Dess, 2010, p. C125).Yun envisioned that the company’s digital technology advances can result in a po ssibility of dominating the â€Å"digital home†, a home where he envisions that all appliances (from computers to refrigerators) are linked to each other and are capable of adapting to the personal needs of every individual consumer. One of the first products that have been brought to the market includes NEXiO, a combination of a cell phone and a handheld computer, or the Zipel, a refrigerator that has a 15-inch touch screen in its door that allows consumers to browse the web. To emphasize the importance of design, Yun implemented quarterly design meetings with top executives and opened or expanded design centers in San Francisco, London, Tokyo, Los Angeles and Shanghai. Additionally, the post of chief design officer was created who ensures that designers can get their ideas to top managers. (Dess, 2010, p. C125). Despite all the improvements that Samsung Electronics made since the mid-1990s, Lee Yoon Woo replaced Yun as the CEO in May 2008. After a tax evasion scandal that involved the parent firm Samsung Group, a major-shakeup along the top executives occurred that not only reassigned over half of its executives to new positions but also introduced many younger executives to various leadership teams. The purpose of the restructuring was to increase efforts and deal better with the prevailing bad economic conditions. Samsung went into the economic recession with a market value of over $100 billion, thus placing them in an elite market position shared only with three other Asian firms. Samsung moved past big players on the market such as Nokia, Sony and Motorola, thanks to their revolutionary products. The efforts to improve design by overhauling it design every two years has been paying off and Samsung won well over 200 awards from internationally prestigious design institutions since 2006. Even though Samsung prides itself of having lower cost structure compared to most of its rivals, the firm experienced its first quarterly losses in the last three months of 2008, when the company lost $14.4 million. This is Samsungs first net loss since it began reporting quarterly results in 2000. The overproduction of memory chips and liquid crystal displays (LCDs) worldwide was mentioned as the main reason resulting in a quarterly loss. Despite recording a quarterly loss, the company still made a yearly profit in 2008 and has increased its revenues steadily in the past decade. Samsung underwent two major restructures in the last three years, one in 2009 when the company began to slim down operations into two divisions from the five separate ones it had the year before. It also appointed Choi Gee Sung the new CEO shortly after the company made him the head of the newly formed digital media and communications unit. Chois appointment was a breakthrough for Samsung Electronic as it previously only picked top managers that had their backgrounds in engineering. In December 2010, Samsung underwent the second restructuring as it switched its management style from the single CEO system of the previous year to a two person management team. Choi Gee Sung remained the CEO of the company but was named Vice President and Lee Jae Yong is now the President and COO (Chief Operating Operator). The firm also added a digital imaging business division so that Samsung Electronic currently consists of eight divisions. (FundingUniverse, 1999) 2. VISION As Samsung stated in its new motto, the company’s vision for the decade is to Inspire the World, Create the Future. his new vision reflects Samsung commitment to inspiring its communities by supplying Samsungs three key strengths: â€Å"New Technology,† â€Å"Innovative Products,† and â€Å"Creative Solutions.† Samsung has also established three strategic approaches in its management: â€Å"Creativity,† â€Å"Partnership,† and â€Å"Talent.† As part of this vision, Samsung has mapped out a specific plan of reaching $400 billion in revenue and becoming one of the world’s top five brands by 2020. Samsung states that it looks forward to increase its diversity by exploring new territories, including health, medicine, and biotechnology. (Samsung, 2010) 3. BUSINESS DIVISIONS 1. Visual Display Business Samsung Electronics has achieved the world’s No. 1 market share in TVs for five years in a row since 2006. After establishing the new market for LED TVs in 2009, the firm has extended its competitive lead with sales of 45.11 million TVs. That included 39.26 million flat panel TVs in 2010, as the Full HD 3D LED TV became readily available. Samsung also leads in the next generation market with total sales of 3D TVs (2 million in 2010). Samsung Electronics announced a monthly record this past October 2011 as it sold more than 1 million units in the United States. A company official was stated: â€Å"Selling over 1 million units in the North American market in just one month is a first for the company, but it is also unprecedented in the industrys history.† According to the official, the company was experiencing increased demand in the â€Å"premium TVs , e.g. the 3D and especially smart TVs, which were just released in 2011 and featured Full HD picture quality and Smart Hub options. Samsung announced that the global share of its 3D TVs came to over fifty percent as of last months ending. Meanwhile plasma display panel (PDP) TVs also reached 40%. [pic] (Samsung,2010) 3.2. IT Solution Business After the implementing of Samsung’s global marketing strategy for mobile PCs, Samsung Electronics realized rapid growth and reached sales of 10 million units in 2010 worldwide. The firm launched a printer for consumers that supports mobile printing. Samsung Electronics provides business customers with a complete product line, including the first dual core CPU-equipped printer on the market, a multifunction printer and an A3 copier. The easy-to-use features and the products powerful performance secured second global market share in the A4 laser printer category in 2010. Samsung Electronics led the world market in the categories of mono laser multifunction printers and color laser multifunction printers for the second consecutive year. In the future, the firm expects to achieve strong growth by launching an ultra-light high-performance laptop for the premium market and by bolstering its business-to-business (B2B) product line. Samsung Electronics anticipates continuing growth in the printer business in the upcoming years. [pic] (Samsung, 2010) 3.3. Digital Appliance Business Samsung Electronics is strengthening its brand image by introducing premium home appliances that offer essential services for daily life. In 2010, innovative products such as the twin cooling side by-side refrigerator; the front loader washer with vibration-reduction technology, the energy-efficient air conditioner; and air purifiers with humidification that maintain clean air quality in rooms resulted in great response worldwide. Samsung brought innovate, smart appliances to the market that deliver gracious and convenient lifestyle options such as Samsung’s autobot vacuum cleaner that cleans rooms automatically. Other products include kitchen ranges and microwaves that offer cooking features suitable for anybody. Samsung Electronics will extend its market leadership by releasing additional premium appliances. These will be supported by strong marketing with the purpose of becoming the world’s most trusted digital appliance brand. [pic] (Samsung, 2010) 3.4. Mobile Communication Business In 2010, Samsung Electronics reinforced its market leadership by achieving sales of 280 million mobile phones worldwide. This number is up 23% compared to 2009. The flagship GALAXY S model posted sales of 10 million units, while the GALAXY Tab also led the Android tablet PC market, earning great customer reviews. The firms leadership in full touch and messaging mobile phones continued in both advanced and emerging markets. Samsung Electronics plans to aggressively challenge a vey competitively growing market. It launched the GALAXY S II, the company’s flagship smartphone, only one day after Apple announced the new iPhone 4S and the Samsung phone received great feedback. The firm plans to keep expanding and improving its unique mobile solutions as it strengthens its competitive lead in both services and content. [pic] (Samsung, 2010) 5. Telecommunication System Business Samsung Electronics develops forward-looking products for two major 4G platforms, the Long Term Evolution (LTE) and the Mobile WiMAX (WiBRO). In 2010, the firm established the first LTE commercial services network in the US and currently expands in North America, Asia and Europe. Mobile WiMAX—introduced by Samsung Electronics and adopted as a global standard in 2007—has been experiencing dramatic growth in major mobile communications markets, including the US, Japan and Saudi Arabia. Based on its established technology leadership, the firm is expecting to lead the worldwide mobile broadband market in the upcoming years. [pic] (Samsung, 2010) 6. Digital Imaging Business Samsung Electronics is working hard on its brand image and recognition to become a premium brand by introducing a rising number of premium digital cameras and digital camcorders. The product line of interchangeable lens digital cameras was extended in the last year and the newly released mirror less digital camera (NX11) secured the firms competitive lead over professional optical brands. Samsung plans to continue to debut world-first and world-best cameras such the ST700 Dual View camera (which offers excellent image quality plus fun and convenient self-portrait option), the EX1 (the world’s first ultra-wide F1.8 zoom lens), the SH100 (which features Wi-Fi (DLNA) functionality) and many others. [pic] (Samsung, 2010) 7. Semiconductor Business Samsung is the worlds second largest semiconductor manufacturer and is the industry sales and technology leader in the areas of DRAM, SRAM, NAND Flash and TFT-LCDs. A key partner and premier supplier to the global IT industry, Samsung Electronics offers the widest range of advanced semiconductor devices and solutions for PC, server and mobile applications. The firm intends to play a major role in the growth of the green IT industry as they implement their Green Memory strategy, which emphasizes high-performance memory products with lower power consumption. Samsung Electronics differentiated product competitiveness has awarded the company the No.1 position in the worldwide memory market for 18 years in a row. The company consistently leads the industry, and began the world’s first mass production of 30nm-class 2Gb DDR3 DRAM, 30nm-class 4Gb LPDDR2 DRAM, 20nm-class NAND flash memory, 512GB SSD and more. In the storage systems division, the firm introduced high-capacity hard disk drives (HDDs) to the market, including a 2.5 inch 334GB HDD and a 3.5 inch 667GB HDD. [pic](Samsung, 2010) 8. LCD Business Being the industry leader, Samsung Electronics has achieved the No. 1 market share for LCD panels for nine consecutive years. The industry-first active 3D technology supports True 240Hz for 3D TV, which has reinforced Samsung’s leadership.Samsung released trendsetting displays as such as an LCD panel for the tablet PC (which offers vivid colors at a wide viewing angle), a low-power IT panel built with advanced LED backlight technology and more innovations were key to the firms leadership. In 2011, Samsung has been improving its product leadership as they developed differentiated offerings, including ultra-large panel technology, a full range of LED LCD panels, high-value IT products and DID panels. For the future, Samsung stays committed to research and development to produce tomorrows best products. That includes focusing on an oxide semiconductor panel, plastic LCD, transparent LCD and developing high efficiency solar modules. The firm’s goal is to develop the industr y’s most efficient and highest quality products. [pic] (Samsung, 2010) 4. FINANCIAL INFORMATION Samsung Electronics has been increasing its sales from 2008 till 2010 by more than 10% annually. These are extraordinary numbers, given the economic circumstances in todays (western) world. Despite big investments in research and development, the firm managed to almost double its net income from 2008 to 2009 and almost triple it from 2008 to 2010. [pic] (Samsung, 2010) Samsung Electronics experienced an increase in revenue in the first 6 month of the fiscal year of 2011 compared to the first two quarters in the previous year. However, this increase in revenue did not result in an increased operational profit in that period. As shown in appendix 1, the main reason for the decline in operational profits are two factors: increased cost of sales and increased research and development expenses. Stock Information Samsung Electronics stock trades on the stock markets in Seoul, London, and Luxemburg. Samsung Electronics stock is listed on the Korean Stock Exchange as 005930. As the chart below indicates, Samsung Electronics stock price has been considerably grown in the last two decades. However, it experienced many setbacks, the latest ones in the latter of half of 2008 and beginning of 2009 as well as during the third quarter of 2011’s fiscal year. The worldwide economic recession and first quarter losses in last decades in the fourth quarter of the year 2008 were responsible for the declining demand of stocks, while this year’s first half decline is probably most attributed to the slowing world economy. However, the stock price rose to the level of the years beginning in the late summer this year. 1 KRW (South Korean Won) = 0.00089 US Dollar (as of 11/9/11) [pic] (Market Watch, 2011) Financial RatiosRatio data as of 06/30/2011 [pic] (Bloomberg Businessweek, 2011) In the following, I will discuss three major financial ratios. 1. Return on Assets: Return on Assets is an indicator of how profitable a company is relative to its total assets. The ratio gives an understanding of how efficient management is at using its assets to generate earning. Samsung Electronics Return on Assets is 6.87%, a number that is a little below industry average and shows that the company can definitely improve its efficiency. 2. Cash Ratio: The cash ratio is the most conservative ratio for measuring liquidity and is often used during periods of economic turmoil because cash is the most important asset many companies possess in difficult times. If a company has a ready supply of cash, it can survive sudden drops in sales that might put another less liquid company out of business. Samsung Electronics Cash Ratio (1.6x) is generally speaking a decent number and as indicated above an above average number compared to the industry. 3. Total Debt/Equity The total debt/equity ratio is calculated by dividing the firm’s total liabilities by stockholders equity and indicated what proportion of equity and debt the company is using to finance its assets. High debt/equity ratios generally mean therefore that a company has been aggressive in financing its growth with debt, which can result in unstable earnings as a result of the additional interest expenses. Samsung Electronics 11.6x Total debt/equity ratio is a high number that gives some room for concern, as high interest rates could have a negative impact on the companies financials. 5. SWOT Analysis The SWOT analysis will examine the internal and external factors influencing Samsung Electronics. It will identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for the company. Samsung electronics has many strengths that can be pointed out. First, they are a very innovative company. As part of their new strategy they have begun developing its own products rather than copying those of other firms. In fact, they invest 9% of their revenues into research and development. This has helped them to gain a competitive edge. Also they switched to a merit-based system for advancement rather than a seniority based system. We believe this is effective because it will motivate employees to work harder knowing that if they perform, they can advance with the company. Interior competition is also healthy to a certain extent. Samsung encourages its two divisions to compete with each other to boost sales and innovation. Also Samsung is very efficient and effective in their product development process as well as getting the product to market. They lead the industry in this and can get a new product developed and released in as little as five months. Another key strength is their brand name. Samsung is recognizable all over the world as a top quality company. Next it is important to exploit Samsung’s weaknesses as a company in order to identify their key issues. The first is interior competition. Note that this was also listed in strengths, but if pushed to far can be a detriment to the company. Too much competition between divisions could cause a loss of focus on the company’s overall vision and more focus on beating each other. This could also cause the divisions to think more short-term rather than focus on sustainability. Also, the company is reluctant to branch out into music, movies and the game industry. Branching out could increase their revenues tremendously and sky rocket the company’s business. Their former low cost structure should be pointed out as well because they focused less on quality and more on cost, which essentially kept them from becoming a premium brand that appeals to a more luxury consumer demand. Overall Samsung has many opportunities to take advantage of. The first is their innovation; with this they hope to expand into creating the full â€Å"digital home† experience. This means that they wish to change the way our homes our designed and essentially used with the use of their technology. This could be a huge cash cow for the company and could create a constant stream of revenues. In addition, they could begin to aggressively pursue and acquire other technology companies in markets that they are not currently in. They have already started this with the failed attempt to acquire SanDisk, a company that makes storage cards and other such products. Furthermore, they should continue to build new factories around the area in low cost areas. Keeping production costs low is a key factor in increasing and maintaining the highest possible profit margin. Due to the innovation and research of Samsung they could penetrate many new markets as well as expand market share. Samsung Electronics also faces many external threats. The current economic state of key areas such as the United States has caused a large decline in demand. This means that they have a large amount of inventory sitting in warehouses. This could put a damper on a company’s financial situation due to holding costs and a decrease in revenues. Also if there is an overcapacity in global production this could drive down prices. When prices are driven down; profit margin decreases and your company could feel the financial impact. Lastly, there is a large amount of competition in the industry. It is important to stay innovative and one step ahead of your competitors to m aintain market share. 6. Porter’s Five Forces The threat of new entrants is relatively low in this industry. The majority of the companies in this industry are established and operating at a very high output. It is hard to enter the market due to the extremely high amounts of costs put forward to research and development, as well as bringing your product to the consumer. Next, there are very many substitutes to the products that Samsung offers. There are many companies competing in the electronics field and they are constantly looking to gain market share. Also companies in the technology industry are constantly copying each other’s innovations in hopes of improving them. The bargaining power of the buyers is high in this industry. The consumer has a large array of options and substitute products. This enables them to have a large impact on the price of the product. This is why it is important to keep your prices competitive. The bargaining power of suppliers for Samsung Electronics is low. This is due to the large market share that the company has. The company develops and manufactures their products in house, which enables them to have more control over their complete supply chain. Ultimately this helps them to be more efficient and keep costs down. Within the electronic industry, there is a very large threat of competition. They face strict competitors such as Sony, Panasonic, Hitachi, Philips, and Sharp to name a couple. This is why it is important to stay innovative and keep emphasis on quality, as well as satisfying your consumers’ needs. 7. Problems There are many problems that Samsung faces as a company. We do not believe they are being aggressive enough in entering new markets. The cost of losing opportunity while it is there could be detrimental to the company. Also, because the technology business is always rapidly changing, they could lose sight on the overall long-term growth of the company. Samsung also has very high operating costs because of the constant amount of research and development they use. The company should actively seek ways to become more efficient to keep costs low. High costs and lack of demand have caused their profit margins to decrease. A lack of an internal distribution system could also drive costs up. A problem in the general environment that diminished Samsung’s return is the global economic slowing growth (or in parts also recessions) that Samsung has to keep considering carefully in its product investments and overall company strategy. Our own research conducted in the local Best Buy store also pointed out that even though Samsung’s smart phone series Galaxy is growing in market share, it consistently has lacks and downtimes, which frustrates many of the customers. 8. Solutions/Suggestions There are many possible solutions to some of the internal and external issues that Samsung is experiencing. First, we believe that Samsung should branch out into music, movies and the game industry. This could help the company to expand in a positive manor and could open up many new markets to them as well. Next it is important to keep planning for long-term sustainable growth. Samsung should continuously invest in new technology to keep its market share. Also, they should take full advantage of opportunities to acquire other business entities in new markets. They should take a proactive approach to expansion to help them gain and maintain a competitive edge. The company should also keep looking for new ways to keep their operating and manufacturing costs low. They could even look into bringing their distributors in house by buying them out, or even implement their own distribution division. This could be very effective in keeping distribution costs low. Samsung also has to solve the ongoing problems with its leading smart phone on the market, the Galaxy. Bibliography Dess, G., Lumpkin, G, Eisner, A. Strategic Management Text and Cases.(2010). New York, New York, McGraw-Hill Irwin FundingUniverse. (1999). FundingUniverse. Retrieved 11 10, 2011, from Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.: http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Samsung-Electronics-Co-Ltd-company-History.html Samsung. (2010). Samsung. Retrieved 11 10, 2011, from Samsung Electronics: http://www.samsung.com/us/aboutsamsung/ir/financialinformation/annualreport/downloads/2010/SECAR2010_Eng_Final.pdf Market Watch. (2011, 11 9). MarketWatch. Retrieved 11 10, 2011, from Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. GDR Pfd. 144A: http://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/ssngy Bloomberg Businessweek. (2011, 11 10). Businessweek. Retrieved 11 10, 2011, from SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD : http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/financials/ratios.asp?ticker=005930:KS

Metamorphosis Of Narcissus - Salvador Dali Essay -- Art Artwork

The painting Metamorphosis of Narcissus was created in 1937 by oil on canvas by Salvador Dali. This painting uses a lot of images to say what it means, for example, a person, a hand, water, a starving dog, a chess board, a canyon or cliff, and people. This is not to fill the paper or distract the viewer from the suggested meaning or point, but to support the idea that hope and despair are reflections of one another; on opposite sides of a coin, spinning in mid-air, waiting to land and fix or destroy everything. The first thing that one thinks upon first seeing it, from far away, is that Dali just painted the same thing twice. From afar, it appears as if he simply cut the canvas down the middle and made one side brown and the other blue, but on closer inspection, one sees that the two sides, although very similar, are nothing alike. On one side, there sits a limp body staring at the reflection of herself in the water that she sinks in. The setting sun glistens off the back of her head, but she just wallows in grim depression and boredom. The canyons trap her in the barren wasteland as she sits motionless, without movement, struggle, or life. This mysterious figure looks so vacant that it might as well be dead. Nothing is happening on this side, so one's attention is directed to the other. On the other side, a blue decaying hand emerges from the ground with ants crawling on it, possibly making their homes in it or finding food on it. Atop this pedestal, rests an egg with a flower sprouting from it. This display of life emerging from the dead is a symbol of hope and beauty. To the left of the hand, a very unhealthy malnourished dog feasts on fresh meat; his salvation is handed to him and he survives. Behind the dog is a chess board with a young man in the middle of it, proudly surveying the battlefield as though it were his kingdom. To his left are people on a road that leads off into the horizon. All these things symbolize new beginnings out of old life and hope from death. The message that Salvador Dali was trying to get across is that hope and despair, failure and victory, and life and death are all equal forces, each one pulling the other in an eternal war to balance everything. It's all a cycle, and like all cycles, it repeats itself forever and ever, and there's no way of having one without the other. Guemi... ...es. Texture is kept to a minimum in the specific work as it is a very two dimensional art work and as is common of the cubism style. He has made extremely good use of space as nearly the entire canvas is used, while maintaining the balance which is necessary to keep the composition aesthetically pleasing. Among the many symbolic images in the work are a bull, a horse a soldier with a broken sword and a woman looking out of a window with a very concerned look on her face. The broken sword in the soldiers hand, which can be seen at the bottom center of the composition was used to symbolize the broken spirits and the failure to resist on the part of the people. The woman is a symbol of concern for the fighting people by people who have succeeded in being able to see the whole picture. The largest contributing factor to "Guernica's" overall appeal is the excellent use of symbolism which encourages it's audience to think. If ever given the opportunity I would be most interested in seeing the original of this work. I have gained a lot of respect for not only the artistic integrity of this painting, but also for Pablo Picasso as an overall intuitive and creative person. Metamorphosis Of Narcissus - Salvador Dali Essay -- Art Artwork The painting Metamorphosis of Narcissus was created in 1937 by oil on canvas by Salvador Dali. This painting uses a lot of images to say what it means, for example, a person, a hand, water, a starving dog, a chess board, a canyon or cliff, and people. This is not to fill the paper or distract the viewer from the suggested meaning or point, but to support the idea that hope and despair are reflections of one another; on opposite sides of a coin, spinning in mid-air, waiting to land and fix or destroy everything. The first thing that one thinks upon first seeing it, from far away, is that Dali just painted the same thing twice. From afar, it appears as if he simply cut the canvas down the middle and made one side brown and the other blue, but on closer inspection, one sees that the two sides, although very similar, are nothing alike. On one side, there sits a limp body staring at the reflection of herself in the water that she sinks in. The setting sun glistens off the back of her head, but she just wallows in grim depression and boredom. The canyons trap her in the barren wasteland as she sits motionless, without movement, struggle, or life. This mysterious figure looks so vacant that it might as well be dead. Nothing is happening on this side, so one's attention is directed to the other. On the other side, a blue decaying hand emerges from the ground with ants crawling on it, possibly making their homes in it or finding food on it. Atop this pedestal, rests an egg with a flower sprouting from it. This display of life emerging from the dead is a symbol of hope and beauty. To the left of the hand, a very unhealthy malnourished dog feasts on fresh meat; his salvation is handed to him and he survives. Behind the dog is a chess board with a young man in the middle of it, proudly surveying the battlefield as though it were his kingdom. To his left are people on a road that leads off into the horizon. All these things symbolize new beginnings out of old life and hope from death. The message that Salvador Dali was trying to get across is that hope and despair, failure and victory, and life and death are all equal forces, each one pulling the other in an eternal war to balance everything. It's all a cycle, and like all cycles, it repeats itself forever and ever, and there's no way of having one without the other. Guemi... ...es. Texture is kept to a minimum in the specific work as it is a very two dimensional art work and as is common of the cubism style. He has made extremely good use of space as nearly the entire canvas is used, while maintaining the balance which is necessary to keep the composition aesthetically pleasing. Among the many symbolic images in the work are a bull, a horse a soldier with a broken sword and a woman looking out of a window with a very concerned look on her face. The broken sword in the soldiers hand, which can be seen at the bottom center of the composition was used to symbolize the broken spirits and the failure to resist on the part of the people. The woman is a symbol of concern for the fighting people by people who have succeeded in being able to see the whole picture. The largest contributing factor to "Guernica's" overall appeal is the excellent use of symbolism which encourages it's audience to think. If ever given the opportunity I would be most interested in seeing the original of this work. I have gained a lot of respect for not only the artistic integrity of this painting, but also for Pablo Picasso as an overall intuitive and creative person.

Protests at Parihaka Essay

The events around the non-violent protests at Parihaka took place mainly from 1860 to 1900 and have not only affected Taranaki culturally, but the whole country politically and spiritually as well. At the end of the second Taranaki war in 1866, Parihaka was created as a Maori settlement after the Government had taken away almost all Maori land in Taranaki as a way of punishing â€Å"rebel† Maori. The settlement was founded by Maori Chief Te Whiti o Rongomai, who had already fought in the previous Taranaki wars. He did this to not only distance himself and his people from European contact, but also to distance himself from warlike Maori tribes. Fellow chief Tohu Kakahi and Te Whiti also joined Rongomai. The pa was stationed between the sight of Mt Taranaki and the sea, in a clearing that was surrounded by hollow hills and a stream. In late 1866, Maori King Tawhiao (leader of the Waikato tribes and second Maori King) sent 12 ‘apostles’ to live at Parihaka to build a bond between the two tribes. By 1871, there was a reported 300 people living in Parihaka. Taranaki’s Medical Officer had said that Parihaka was the cleanest, best-kept pa he had ever visited . Te Whiti o Rongomai and Tohu Kakahi were both committed to non-violent actions in order to resist invasion and protect Maori independence. The both believe in ancestral and Christian spiritual ways, which build on their non-violent views and political leadership. Throughout the wars of the 1860’s, Rongomai and Kakahi forbade the use of arms and violence. Parihaka was a neutral party throughout. They challenged the Government over the illegality of the wars, the confiscation of the land and the policies set against Maori. They developed monthly meetings at Parihaka, which were to take place on the 18th day of each month; both Maori and Pakeha leaders were invited to discuss and strategies for resistance to the Government taking the land. When Europeans intruded on Maori land and caused a threat to all Maori  settlements, Te Whiti sent out his people to block the surveys and to plough the confiscated land. The men who were sent to plough were arrested, but they offered no resistance, even when treated harshly. In 1880, the Parihaka people created barricades, removed survey pegs and escorted road builder and surveyors out of the district. After this, Parliament passed a bill that let the government holding the protesters without trial. By September 1880, hundreds of men and children were exiled to the South Island prisons where they were forced to build the structure of cities. In 1881, resistance and imprisonments continued. On November 5 1881, an invasion force entered Parihaka. More than 2000 people sat quietly on the marae while children met the army. An hour later, Te Whiti and Tohu were led away to the South Island. The destruction of Parihaka began straight after and women and girls were raped.

Flexible Budgets Acc543

Flexible Budgets Team ACC/543 Professor Deborah Fitzgerald Thomas University of Phoenix 2010 Team B, You have done a great job on the assignment. I have noted some minor issues to help you on future assignments. Abstract The purpose of this paper is to give an overview of the budget process. It analyzes flexible budgets, discusses the relationship between fixed and variable cost, explores the differences between static and flexible budgets, and how budgets assist in the cost-volume-profitability analysis. The Purpose of Flexible Budgets A budget is a tool used by businesses to plan for upcoming revenues and expenses.Businesses understand the difficulty of planning for the future. Circumstances inevitably arise that can change the outlook of a company’s financial picture overnight. Intelligent businesses look to increase flexibility. To do this, businesses explore the relationship between fixed and variable costs, incorporate techniques to transform static budgets, and use flex ible budgets to perform cost-volume-profit analysis. The relationship between fixed and variable costs used in a flexible budget A flexible budget is a statement of projected revenue and expenditure based on various levels of production.It shows how costs vary with different rates of output or at different levels of sales volume. The flexible budget responds to changes in activity and may provide a better tool for performance evaluation. It is driven by the expected cost behavior and cannot be prepared before the end of the period. A flexible budget adjusts the static budget for the actual level of output. It is more sophisticated and useful than a static budget. A flexible budget is compared to a company’s static budget to find variances between the levels of expected and actual spending. The following steps are used to prepare a flexible budget:   1.Determine the budgeted variable cost per unit of output. Also [Add comma here for clarity or to offset an afterthought from the rest of the sentence] determine the budgeted sales price per unit of output, if the entity to which the budget applies generates revenue. 2. Determine the budgeted level of fixed costs. 3. Determine the actual volume of output achieved (e. g. , units produced for a factory, units sold for a retailer, patient days for a hospital). 4. Build the flexible budget based on the budgeted cost information from steps 1 and 2, and the actual volume of output from step 3 (Caplan,  2009).Fixed  costs  are expenses that do not change as the activity of a business changes within the relevant period. For example, a  retailer  must pay rent and utility bills regardless of sales. Variable and fixed costs make up one of the two components of  total cost. Variable costs are expenses that do change as the activity of a business changes within the relevant period. The cost’s behavior determines whether it is fixed or variable. In a flexible budget, all costs are estimated. Variable costs are known as standard variable costs since they are the best estimate for production costs determined by management.Variable costs behave in a fixed manner when calculated on a per unit basis. Whether the number of estimate units sold increase or decrease the standard cost will remain the same. Total variable costs in relation to the number of units sold will behave in a variable manner because total variable costs increases or decreases based on the number of units sold. The differences between static and flexible budget A static budget is a budget that remains unchanged regardless of fluctuation in the volume of sales, expenses, or other relevant factors.Static budgets are produced for a given financial period and are compared to actual results. Consideration is not given to revenue changes effecting variable costs. The main budget of a company is generally a static budget, while the budgets associated with departments are more fluid (Byrne & Mather, 1997). Fluid budgets, a lso known as flexible budgets have the ability to adjust for changes in output levels or shifts in income. These budgets differ from static budgets in that they show projected expenses and revenue at a variety of levels (Edmonds, 2007).Like all budgets, the flexible budget establishes line items for expenses and revenue for a given period with a value assigned to each line. This budgeting approach allows for quick changes to line items in the event of unforeseen complications. A rigid, static budget that is based on a single set of projections, and doesn’t [Contractions are inappropriate in academic writing–write it out] readily permit adjustments could be seen as inefficient (Byrne & Mather, 1997). How a flexible budget lends itself to a cost-volume-profit analysis Flexible budgets are a very useful management tool.These types of tools can provide information needed for planning and performance evaluation. Flexible budgets are based on actual volume of activity [Add c omma here for clarity or to offset an afterthought from the rest of the sentence] which assists organizations with achieving desirable profit levels. â€Å"Managers may assess whether the company’s cash position is adequate by assuming different levels of volume. They may judge if the number of employees, amounts of materials, and equipment and storage facilities are appropriate for a variety of different potential levels of volume,† (Edmonds, 2007, p. 5).A flexible budget often compliments a cost volume profit (CVP) analysis. Both of these are tools that evaluate performance and benchmarking. It is helpful in understanding the relationships among cost, volume, and profit. Essentially CVP’s are an extension of the breakeven point. Using the CVP, a manager can calculate the breakeven point, which is a great indicator of a minimum production level. CVP goes further and shows how much to produce to earn a certain amount of profit. Also, CVP identifies the likely ch anges in profit whenever a key factor changes such as price, cost and quantity (Edmonds, 2007, p. ). Conclusion Budgets are useful and necessary tools used to plan for future saving and spending. Like everything in business, there is more than one way to achieve this. Knowledge of the relationships and techniques described in this paper are invaluable to a business. Once a business understands the process, it can increase flexibility. This allows a business to portray a more accurate financial picture and leads to more intelligent spending and a sustainable business plan.References Byrne, M. , & Mather, J. (1997). Managing the budget process. Club Management. Retrieved from https://ecampus. phoenix. edu Caplan, D. (2009). Flexible Budgeting. OSU. Retrieved from https://ecampus. phoenix. edu/secure/aapd/cwe/citation_generator/web_01_01. asp on 11/26/2010 Edmonds, T. P. (2007). Fundamental financial & managerial accounting concepts. Retrieved from https://ecampus. phoenix. edu Elmerra ji, J. (2010). How budgeting works for companies. Investopedia. Retrieved from http://www. investopedia. com/articles/07/budgetingforcompanies. asp

buy custom The Educational Research essay

buy custom The Educational Research essay According to Rich Housers Counseling and educational research: evaluation practice (1998, pg78), effective power size of a sample is the most difficult to determine. It should be determined by the researchers expectation of or predication on the strength of the outcome. The results are best when based on a research done previously. The researcher in this case acknowledges that almost uniform response was received from the respondents. Therefore though the sample size was small the researcher goes a head to prove the reliability of the collected data. According to Rich Houser, (1998, pg102) we have to pass the verdict that the results were much credible though with the benefit of some doubts. Therefore we assume the power of the results were credible and pass the generalization that the research was reliable. The benefits of the internship are many and as the researcher brings out, there is a feeling that all the parties involved benefit accordingly and hence the researchers objective of establishing the effectiveness of internship to both the student and the restaurant involved have been achieved adequately. As the researcher puts it, there needs to be major improvements in the internship design to give it a more effective face and increase the student-institution-organization participation and effectiveness in internships. May be after all the recommendations have been put in place further research should be carried out; this time the sample size should be increased and other data collection methods such as interviews to the respondents be introduced to achieve more credible results. The problems laid down by the researcher involving finance where the candidates cannot afford to cater for all expected needs, lack of supervision in the internship period all worked very negatively for the expected results. All in all the research must be said to be a success since the objectives and the intended results are a high level of agreement and the data collected is a clear indication that the results as intended were very positive. Buy custom The Educational Research essay

Henry VIII Essays - Annulment, House Of Tudor, Free Essays

Henry VIII Essays - Annulment, House Of Tudor, Free Essays Henry VIII subject = History title = Henry VIII papers = On June 28, 1941 Henry the VIII of England was born. This young man will form his own church. He will succeed to the throne in 1509. He will also marry six women! Something good will happen when he is king, he will unite England and Wales and will also do some bad things like executing people who would not follow his rules. In 1539, the Act of Supremacy declared Henry to be the head of the Church of England. King Henry the VIII of England had a good side and a bad side. Though popular with the people of England and also very talented he had many bad times and many good times for himself. Henry was not only selfish but, also handsome and had a hearty personality, he was also a gifted scholar, linguist, composer, and a musician. He was talented at many sports and was also good with the ladies. Henry was the second son and the third child of his father. Henry the VIII died in 1509, the only reason Henry would become king is because of his brothers, Arthur, death in April of 1502. Soon after that, Henry would marry his first wife, his brother (Arthur's) widow, Catherine of Aragon. Many wifes would follow after her. During most of his early reign, Henry relied on Thomas Cardinal Wosley to do much of the political and religious activities. Henry soon got tired of his marriage with Catherine of Aragon, so he decides that he doesn't want to be married to her anymore, so he tells Thomas Wosley to talk to the pope so he can divorce Catherine. But, Cardinal Wosley wasn't able to convince the pope, so in 1529 Henry took Wosley's authority away from him. Henry then appointed Sir Thomas More. Henry then got that divorce through Thomas Cramner, that he wanted with Catherine of Aragon and then married Anne Boleyn. Cramner now the Arch Bishop of Canterbury, made Henry's marriage with Catherine void and his marriage with Anne valid. This made the Pope furious. So in 1534, King Henry had the parliament pass a law saying that the king, not the pope, would from now on be the supreme head of the Church of England. Since Henry was now in charge of the Church , he was going to make some changes. He had all the bibles translated into English. He then had all the people take an oath for this law. But Sir Thomas More and, then Cardinal, John Fisher wouldn't accept the religious supremacy of the English monarch, so they were then executed. These changes gradually led to the formation of the Church of England. In 1536, Henry accused his second wife, Anne Boleyn of adultery, so Henry then executed her. A few days after that, he married a young woman by the name of Jane Seymour. Jane Seymour, Henry's third wife, was the mother of Henry's only legitimate son, Jane Seymour died after bearing this certain child. Edward the VI was Henry's only legitimate son. A couple of years after Jane Seymour had died, Henry decided to marry once again. He married a german princess by the name of Anne of Cleaves. In 1540, Henry was told that Anne of Cleaves was a beautiful and pretty young woman. So then, when Henry finally saw her he thought she was really ugly. So he then divorced Anne of Cleaves and then beheaded Thomas Cromwell for having tricked him. Being unloyal to God as much as Henry possibly could, he made the decision to marry his fifth wife by the name of Catherine Howard. Catherine Howard was then summarily executed in 1542 for being unchaste prior to marriage with Henry the VIII and for committing adultery. Henry had only one more wife to go, in 1543 Henry married his sixth and final wife, Catherine Parr. Catherine then survived Henry and then lived on to marry fourth husband. In 1536, during Henry the VIII's reign, England and Wales were finally united as one country. During the 1280's, after Edward the I had conquered Wales, the Welsh people had revolted several times against the English people, due to Edward's conquer. But, the Welsh people finally accepted the idea of

Last Chance to Join the Freelance Writing Course

Last Chance to Join the Freelance Writing Course Last Chance to Join the Freelance Writing Course Last Chance to Join the Freelance Writing Course By Ali Hale This is your very last chance to join the freelance writing course. We’re going to be closing the doors at midnight (GMT) today, Friday 6th May. We’ve already got an amazing group of students signed up (over 200!), but there’s still room for you to join us too. Heres what one student said about it: What you supplied has far exceeded my expectations both in content and value for money. I congratulate you on a job well done. (Margaret Huggins, Australia) If you’d like to make a full-time living – or a great part-time income – from freelance writing online, then come on board. You’ll get in-depth lessons on everything you need to know, plus an exclusive forum where you can get all your questions answered. We’ve even got a 60-day money back guarantee: you can take the whole course and, if you decide it wasn’t right for you, just let us know and we’ll give you a no-hassle refund. Once you’ve signed up, you’ll receive lessons each week for the duration of the course – and you’ll get lifetime access to all the materials, so you can revisit them whenever you need to. Click here to read all the details and join us!. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Freelance Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:What Does [sic] Mean?40 Synonyms for â€Å"Lie†Conversational Email

This research can focus on any historical topic related to the Essay - 1

This research can focus on any historical topic related to the course.that is, on any topic covered in class or in your dossie - Essay Example The second section will focus on how 1930s cinema, pre-code, portrayed women as having to choose between a career and love. Section 3 will look at the role of women in 1930s film and theorise that some women, notably Norma Shearer, could transcend stereotypes. Finally, I will explore how women’s roles in the cinema evolved from the beginning to the end of the Depression, and section 4 will examine criticisms of women in 1930s cinema and Section 5 will be a conclusion. Annotated Bibliography Berry, S. (2000). Screen style: Consumer fashion and femininity in 1930s Hollywood. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press New. This book will be useful in assessing impact of the 1930s films as it details how Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford and Marlene Dietrich influenced women filmgoers as role models of self-determination, and shows why the public is fascinated with these strong-willed women and others. Dawson, J. E. (1995). Hollywood’s image of the working woman. Las Vegas: Univer sity of Nevada. This dissertation will facilitate to explore the roles, which women have taken on the silver screen, how women are portrayed, and psychological aspects and influence of films to women. Feuer, J. (1993). The Hollywood musical. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. This book will assist in understanding of the origin and evolution of the Hollywood musical, as well as how it has affected society over the years, especially the chapter ‘Dream worlds and dream stages’, which details how Hollywood musical provided audience with escapist entertainment from the difficulties of war and depression faced in 1930s. Kolbjornsen, T. K. (1998). ‘Dansingi Hollywood: punktnedslagi film-musikalenshistorie’, dissertation, Villanova University, Philadelphia, PA. This dissertation explores musical film aesthetically and how spectators are transformed by the experience of watching these Hollywood musicals such as Busby Berkeley shows in the 1930s, and an explorat ion of dance as an aesthetic sign and discussion on how women are transformed into kinetic ornaments. Lovasz, K. (2007). Technologies of self-presentation: Women’s engagement with mediated representation from the era of silent film to the Internet age. dissertation, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ. In this dissertation, Lovasz explores identity theory, which explains how women relate to patriarchal culture, by exploring a woman’s imagined and virtual cultural experiences, including those of film. Davies, C. (1988). New women, new culture: The Women’s Weekly and Hollywood in Australia in the early 1930s. Dissertation Brisbane: Griffith University Press. This book is very important in this research as it explores how the new woman, from the period after the censorship policy came into play, came to be and how she affected culture, including how women were portrayed on the silver screen, and it examines how the Hollywood portrayal of women in the 1930s affected women in Australia. Siegel, M. B. (2009). ‘Busby Berkeley and the projected stage’, Hudson Review, vol. 62, no. 1, pp. 106–114. In this article, Siegel discusses some of the films of Busby Berkeley, a filmmaker of the 1930s who pioneered dance movies, which reveals his projected dance dreams; therefore, it will assist in assessing 1930 films. Streb, J. L. (2004). Minna Citron: A socio-historical study of an artist’s feminist social realism in the 1930s. University Park: Pennsylvania State University. This dissertation

WSJ3 Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

WSJ3 - Article Example Himsagar variety on the other hand has a sweetened aroma and comes from West Bengal. This variety ripens in June and it is not fibrous at all thus very delicious. Kesar variety is yellow in color and it has a tinge of green on the outside. It commonly come from Gujarat and is relatively cheaper than the Alphonso. Rajyasree describes Alphonso as the most beautiful mangoes he has ever seen. The variety comes from Ratangiri, Maharashtra and they have a huge market both locally and internationally. Alphonso mangoes are very delicious though they are highly expensive. The final variety that the article discusses is the Banganapalli type. It usually come fromTamil Nadu, and it was first introduced by the royal family of Banganapalli in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh. Banganapalli mangoes are also very sweet and relatively cheaper compared to Alphonso (Rajyasree para1-9). However, apart from the varieties mentioned by the article, there exist other numerous varieties that are even popular than the above-mentioned. It appears as if Rajyasree covered mango varieties that are only common in India and ignored global varieties like Akbar, Apple, Betti Amba, Beverly, Banana and Batawi. The future of mango fruits is brilliant since there are various researches that are under way in various agricultural research centers in order to ensure that better mango varieties are introduced in the market that are more resistant to diseases, more delicious and varieties that can take a shorter time to mature. Rajyasree Sen. "Top Five Mango Must-Haves - India Real Time - WSJ." eFinancial Careers | Job News & Advice. N.p.,  2014. Web. 16  June  2014.

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT Assignments1-3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT Assignments1-3 - Essay Example The retirement benefit costs are set to increase in the state of Virginia. The pension plan in the state is underfunded and overburdened and the employee would have to pay for the pension benefits. Previously, the employees did not contribute to their pension scheme but now they will be forced to contribute towards the pension scheme. There will be no benefit for the taxpayer and savings are not expected from the shift in contribution back to the employee. Some say the shift to the employee contribution and the mandatory 3 percent raise will put more burdens on the Virginia Retirement Scheme; the effect is set to be long-term (Robertson, 2011). Poor investment in technology is one of the issues that many financial services companies face. The progress is little for these organizations in terms of service provision effectiveness and increased efficiency. The scenario has been creating an industry that is poorly automated or highly manual and use of processes that are time consuming; the processes are demeaning and insufficient to the skilled finance professionals (Worth, 2011). The cloud based systems are growing rapidly and the Intuitive technology wants to offer the clients and prospective clients with complete accounting system and cloud financial management. The company, Intuitive Technologies has noted the demand for cloud computing in the market and the need to replace the old on-premises financial management systems of Intacct with the modernized cloud based financial management application (PR-USA.NET, 2011). The political reforms in China have had an effect on the growth of China. The political system in China though unfavorable, it has created an economic growth spurt in the country. The political reforms aim at tackling the country’s social problems. The problems include the huge income inequality and the absence of a national pension scheme (Mitter,

The Modern Woman Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Modern Woman - Essay Example A majority of the water reserve is being held by a water and power (W&P) plant, therefore taking advantage of the scarce resources to control the earth’s population. The main actress ‘tank girl,’ also referred to as Lori Pretty, is a member of a rebellious crew which aims about stealing any water that they can find, in order to sustain their community. However, Kesslee (W&P’s leader) finds and attacks the crew’s hideout, thereby killing Rebeca’s boyfriend and capturing her young friend Sam. Lori Pretty is also captured but due to her defiant nature, is enslaved and tortured. Tank girl meets a new friend ‘Jet girl,’ who convinces her to make less trouble for W&P but her efforts are futile. Meanwhile, another W&P encounters difficulty with ‘the rippers,’ which consists of a group of mutated Kangaroos. Kesslee uses Tank girl as bait to draw out the rippers but they come out clever. They gravely injure Kesslee and in the process, Tank girl is freed up. Afterwards, Lori Pretty and Jet girl learn where Sam is held and they ask the help of the rippers to help them carry out a mission to free him. This results to a killing of the W&P personnel with Jet girl angrily confronting one of them who in fact had sexually assaulted her. The purpose of this film was to show how the woman could stand up and protect the ones she cares for, against all odds. However, throughout this film, there are a couple of sexual references. Therefore, the film should be watched by young adults with absolute parental guidance. On the other hand, the documentary ‘One woman One Vote,’ is an exceptional account of the long suffrage experiences that the American woman has endured to win the right to vote. This film documents the 70 years period that men and women worked towards enfranchising women. The film emphasizes that this suffrage undertaking did not really depict an amalgamated fight towards equivalent

Marketing Research and Segmentation - Macquarie University Hospital, Paper

Marketing and Segmentation - Macquarie University Hospital, New South Wales - Research Paper Example The marketing techniques chosen in each case depend on many factors, such as the level of the industry competition and the resources available. Current paper focuses on the potential use of marketing research and segmentation for the improvement of performance of a specific organization: the Macquarie University Hospital, one of the most important hospitals in New South Wales, Australia. An appropriately customized lifestyle analysis has been used for helping the organization to proceed to market segmentation. In this way, the relationship between the organization and its customers would be improved leading the organization to a long – term growth. 2. Macquarie University Hospital – Marketing research and segmentation 2.1 Brief description of the hospital The Macquarie University Hospital is located in ‘the North Ryde campus of Macquarie University, New South Wales’ (Macquarie University Hospital, 2012). ... The use of advanced technology in medical treatment is considered as another advantage of the Hospital towards its rivals. 2.2 Market research – psychographic & lifestyle analysis 2.2.1 Activities: work habits The percentage of people who are active in terms of employment in New South Wales has been increased in 2009/2010 reaching the 3.5 million. This is an important increase if having in mind the fact that for the period 2001/2002 the employed people in NSW were just 3.1 million (Australian Bureau of Statistics, NSW State and Regional Indicators, Dec 2010, 2011). This means that the buying power of people in the specific region is increased, compared to the past. Thus, the potentials of the local population to seek for medical assistance of high quality are high. On the other hand, a differentiation seems to exist in NSW between men and women in regard to their status of employment. Indeed, it has been proved that women in NSW are more likely to work part-time compared to me n (Australian Bureau of Statistics, NSW State and Regional Indicators, Dec 2010, 2011). As indicated in the Graph 1 (Appendix), a percentage of about 50% of employed women in NSW are part-time workers. In general, in NSW employed men are more than employed women. More specifically, the percentage of employed male in NSW for 2010 was estimated at 70.6% while for women the above percentage was just 56.4% (Australian Bureau of Statistics, NSW State and Regional Indicators, Dec 2010, 2011). 2.2.2 Psychological attributes According to a report published by the Australian Government in 2012, high cultural diversity is one of the key characteristics of Australia. It seems

Health policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 6

Health policy - Essay Example With the ultimate ruling set for June, the insurance firms must be ready to alter their plans for the coming year. The court lays its focus on federal issues that may help in lowering the insurance costs, with close linkage on the federal taxation system. However, the plaintiff is quick to put it that the law fails to authorize the insurance systems in states offering online insurance packages. Ruling against the subsidies could see over seven million citizens lose the insurance financial aid from the government. Exclusion of the tax credits is likely to lead to detrimental effects on the insurance departments, and an ultimate collapse. For a myriad of people, dropping the coverage they may not afford to pay is the ultimate solution. A few consumers may persist with the payments, since they value their health. The passing of the law will have great repercussions to every American citizens, especially those whose reliance is on government financed insurance. I concur totally with the author of the article. First, she drives her points home so well- making it clear that the passing of the law will lead to a hike in the prices of the insurance packages. He cites several reasons, such as credit removal and its implications. Essentially, an uninsured population is a direct translation to death. His ideologies are real and applicable. I would prefer the court to make a ruling against the Act, as it will diminish the significance of Obama Care. Anna Mathews, Insurers biggest fear: a health-law death spiral, Retrieved from

Marketing Research and Segmentation - Macquarie University Hospital, Paper

Marketing and Segmentation - Macquarie University Hospital, New South Wales - Research Paper Example The marketing techniques chosen in each case depend on many factors, such as the level of the industry competition and the resources available. Current paper focuses on the potential use of marketing research and segmentation for the improvement of performance of a specific organization: the Macquarie University Hospital, one of the most important hospitals in New South Wales, Australia. An appropriately customized lifestyle analysis has been used for helping the organization to proceed to market segmentation. In this way, the relationship between the organization and its customers would be improved leading the organization to a long – term growth. 2. Macquarie University Hospital – Marketing research and segmentation 2.1 Brief description of the hospital The Macquarie University Hospital is located in ‘the North Ryde campus of Macquarie University, New South Wales’ (Macquarie University Hospital, 2012). ... The use of advanced technology in medical treatment is considered as another advantage of the Hospital towards its rivals. 2.2 Market research – psychographic & lifestyle analysis 2.2.1 Activities: work habits The percentage of people who are active in terms of employment in New South Wales has been increased in 2009/2010 reaching the 3.5 million. This is an important increase if having in mind the fact that for the period 2001/2002 the employed people in NSW were just 3.1 million (Australian Bureau of Statistics, NSW State and Regional Indicators, Dec 2010, 2011). This means that the buying power of people in the specific region is increased, compared to the past. Thus, the potentials of the local population to seek for medical assistance of high quality are high. On the other hand, a differentiation seems to exist in NSW between men and women in regard to their status of employment. Indeed, it has been proved that women in NSW are more likely to work part-time compared to me n (Australian Bureau of Statistics, NSW State and Regional Indicators, Dec 2010, 2011). As indicated in the Graph 1 (Appendix), a percentage of about 50% of employed women in NSW are part-time workers. In general, in NSW employed men are more than employed women. More specifically, the percentage of employed male in NSW for 2010 was estimated at 70.6% while for women the above percentage was just 56.4% (Australian Bureau of Statistics, NSW State and Regional Indicators, Dec 2010, 2011). 2.2.2 Psychological attributes According to a report published by the Australian Government in 2012, high cultural diversity is one of the key characteristics of Australia. It seems

What factors affect heart rate Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

What factors affect heart rate - Lab Report Example The heart is an essential and delicate organ of all humans plus animals. This is due to its primary functions, which are indispensable in executing diverse roles and keeping other organs working normally. Mainly, there exists numerous factors, which affect heart functions in diverse ways, but not all of them result in serious life threatening incidences. These factors usually differ radically due to their diverse influences on the heart rate due to their intensities. Principally, heart rate or pulsation is the speed in which it contracts so that it may be able to sustain adequate blood circulation for effective supply of oxygen in all the body tissues. Normally, a healthy person has an average pulsation of 70 – 80 Beats per minute (Bpm), though this owing to certain factors might change. For instance, when the body requires more O2 in its tissues, then the pumping of extra blood is necessary which facilitates more O2, hence escalating pulsation. Hypothesis: Diverse breathing m odes held per minute normally impart noticeable heart pulsation fluctuations. Since, during inspiration it slows down prior resuming to the normal beating (Camm 3). The fluctuations differ drastically depending on the breathing alterations per minute, which is the key exemplification of this report. Heart rate of an individual or any animal is directly comparative to the breathing. Method The experiment implicated measuring of heart rates or pulsation per minute by having diverse breathing modes. This entailed five trials data measuring and recording to ensure attaining of high accuracy during the process, for each set. The independent variable was breathing where for this case to attain reliable results where breathing modes ranges; Normal breathing Holding breath Deep breathing The dependent variable, which will be varying in each set, is the heart rate, where to guarantee its accuracy there is a need for several five recordings per minute. Procedure: Initial set involved taking n ormal breathing pulsation using heart rate monitor per minute and tabulating the five trials in a table prior computing the averages (Telles, Nilkama & Acharya 3). This entailed keen observation meant to ensure consistency of the data. Second measurement encompassed holding the breath for a long period as one would, then tabulating the data within one minute five times to complete the set and calculate the mean. Third set involved breathing deeply for one minute and compute as other sets before taking the average, then followed by computation of the five trials from the three sets. Lastly, there was compiling of the whole class individual records for the three sets coupled with final calculations. Final computations encompassed mean, median standard deviations, modes and diverse graphs to depict their correlations  clearly (Telles, Nilkama & Acharya 2). Data Collection Individual data Table 1: Table for the three sets recorded for five trials. Trials 1 2 3 4 5 Normal set 76.00 75. 00 73.00 75.00 76.00 Average 75.00 Holding breath set 75.00 75.00 77.00 69.00 72.00 Average 73.60 Breathe Deeply set 80.00 76.00 78.00 79.00 78.00 Average 78.20 Whole class average Table 2: Table for Whole class average Rest Hold Breath Breathe Deeply 86.40 84.80 106.80 67.00 65.00 63.00 78.50 74.50 72.50 74.00 84.00 84.00 60.40 74.20 69.00 67.40 73.30 80.30 73.80 79.00 68.20 68.40 69.00 76.20 64.40 72.40 69.20 64.80 68.40 86.20 82.60 83.00 87.40 68.60 76.40 66.60 88.75 102.25 86.00 75.00 73.60 78.20 71.00 73.30 62.00 78.00 74.50 64.80 NB: - Data Assumes 2 Decimal Places. The results attained all through the

Ethical Theory, Business Practice and the Corporation Essay Example for Free

Ethical Theory, Business Practice and the Corporation Essay If I would be about to handle the situation of Speedy Motors, there are some things that I would consider first before making decision especially the crucial ones like this. I think it would be best to solve this problem by finding the equitable welfare for all the stakeholders of the company. Given there are only a few more time before the company shuts down, I would call for a meeting for all of the employees and workers of the company and explain to them the real situation of the company. Moreover, I would also stressed out that they would be receiving additional separation pay for the damages that will be done by the company regarding the short notice of shutting down of operation. I could also possible give them educational plans for their siblings and refer some of them to other close companies of Speedy Motors to enable them to find a job right away. With the said structure of giving information of the company as with the current situation of the operation, there is a big possibility that they would understand the urgency and need to shut down the operation. Although there is a lot of stakeholder that would surely be affected by the said shutting down of the operation of Speedy Motors, at least, the management did made efforts not to happen the worse for all of them. One of the stakeholders of the company would be the workers, of course. With the additional separation pay and other benefits, I think it would be enough to compensate the welfare loss of the workers. Aside from the workers, the community is also part of the stakeholders of the company especially those community that relies on the jobs that are being offered by the company to them. Well, for them, through referring the employees coming from these communities to other close companies of the Speedy Motors, then, in one way or another, the possible loss in the welfare of the community will now be compensated. The last but not the least part of the stakeholders of the company would be their stockholders. With the shutting down of the company, there is a possibility that these investors would earn less from their investments in the company which could pissed them and lost trust on the domestic companies and in order to prevent this kind of scenario, one possible way of compensating the losses of this investors would be to give additional dividend rate for them. The funds that will be used in this strategy are the funds that were produced from the liquidation of the fixed assets of the company like land, building and machineries. The reason why I come up with this kind of solutions would be for the primary reason that it is the responsibility of the company to put the right things into place since in the first place the management of Speedy Motors did made wrong for not disclosing to the stakeholders of the company the financial condition of the company on the right amount of time (O’Toole, 2005). Although competition is already a natural phenomenon in the market, still, the financial aspect of the company, which is an internal matter, should be disseminated to the stakeholders especially to the workers that rely most on their job to the company. One way of informing the workers or disseminating the information would be to release a memo to various department of the company stating the current status of the company and that the management did done its best to prevent the shutting down of the company but unfortunately it did not work out. As for the media, press release would be an effective ways of disclosing the information of the shutting down of the company. With the mass coverage of media, disseminating the said information would be now easier especially in tapping the community that relies on the company and also the loyal customers of the company. Aside from press release, another way by which the company would inform the community regarding the shutting down of the company would be through public announcements to be posted on locations that mostly visited by the members of the community. With this kind of strategy, the welfare of the stakeholders of the company is all considered and I do believe that the efforts of the company to somehow compensate the losses of the identified stakeholders are already enough.

My First Time Home :: essays research papers

Shining brightly, in the darkness below the clouds, the lights of tall buildings rose up to meet us. As the plane turned toward Logan airport my anticipation grew; I became anxious, squirming in my seat. The giant Citgo sign, the Prudential, Copley Plaza, Long wharf, and Fenway Park were lit up, and my mind was filled with nostalgic memories that made the descent longer. Bump, thump, bump, thump went my heart as we lowered to the ground. I felt butterflies rise up in my stomach fluttering about like a small circus. My face grew red as my smile grew wider. The excitement grew; I was unable to speak. My body started shaking, if anyone touched me, I would have exploded. Beep, beep went the seat belt sign, and I launching from my chair, annoying all of the more patient passengers around me, yanked the overhead compartment door. Click, it was open, grabbing my backpack, I dashed up the ramp into the terminal. My first victory: I was the first off the plane. Running down the hallway bump, bump, bump, bump, my heartbeat quickened with the pace of my footsteps. The smell of Starbucks cappuccino filled the air, cell phones of all colors in hand, beep, beep, beep went the pagers, my boyfriend's face was warm and bright, my smile grew inches upon seeing him. I ran to his arms, outstretched. As he put squeezed me, my fantasy, my imagination, became reality; I was home for the weekend. He opened the car door, stepping in, I grabbed the cell phone, and I was off. Quickly dialing, beep, bop, beep, boop, every number I had ever known, "Hi is Kat home? Will you tell her Melissa called? Yeah, I'm home for the weekend! School's fine! Bye." Hitting the "clear" button with my left hand, my right hand began reaching and pushing the familiar, preset buttons, on the car radio; fourteen wonderful stations, all playing various types of rock'n'roll, alternative, and popular music, I knew I was in a metropolitan area, for the only cou ntry music stations were at the far end of the dial. We pulled onto "Salem Street", the sign had not changed, green with white lettering, with rust stains on the upper corners. At night the breeze cools over my back and I relish the salt air from the North Shore. Walking up to the doorway I saw the familiar lights, the kitchen was bright, blue everywhere, the countertops filled with leftovers from dinner that evening.

Children of the Abbey by Roche Essay -- Regina Maria Roche Gothic Genr

The Children of the Abbey as a Hybrid Text Regina Maria Roche’s 1796 The Children of the Abbey is a text that crosses the boundaries of genre: it at once engages with the conventions of the Gothic novel, the pedagogical text, the national tale, the novel of Sensibility, and travel literature. As an Irish-born British woman writing this novel during the politically volatile 1790s, Roche’s historical and temporal location may provide an explanation for her development of this hybrid novel. In its employment of multiple and potentially contradictory genres, The Children of the Abbey may be interpreted as Roche’s reflection of and engagement with the instability of her time. In order to more effectively understand the political and social implications of Roche’s work, it is necessary to disentangle the various literary strands within the novel, identify how each genre functions, and consider the possible reasons why it has been woven into the text. What is Genre? From Literature as Discourse: Textual Strategies in English and History: Genre thus refers to systems of classifications of types of texts. Genre classifications are part of a broader social system of classifications, not all of which use the term 'genre', but which have the same essential characteristics and functions. Genres (or types of texts) are classified in terms of both the semiosic dimension (primarily conditions of production and reception, matching kinds of author and writing to kinds of reader and readings) and the mimetic dimension (primarily what topics, themes or meanings will be included and what will be excluded, and their modality, i.e. how they are understood to relate to the real world). Sometimes the mimetic dimension is emphasized in a definition... ...plicated by â€Å"its actual [inclination] towards emotion that exceeded utility† (89). As Regina Maria Roche’s novel may arguably be connected to both the genre of the pedagogical text as well as to the novel of sensibility, tension may arise in the text as the two potentially-conflicting genres are both engaged with. Hybrid novels, therefore, may provide both clarification as well as confusion in the interpretation they encourage of their readers. Works Cited: Hodge, Robert. Literature as Discourse: Textual Strategies in English and History. Cambridge: Polity Press, 1990. Manning, Susan. "Sensibility." The Cambridge Companion to English Literature, 1740-1830. Eds. Thomas Keymer and Jon Mee. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004. Moynahan, Julian. Anglo-Irish: The Literary Imagination in a Hyphenated Culture. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1995.

Book Report -the Notebook by Nicolas Sparks Essay

Summary The Notebook begins with a man in a nursing home, reading a story to a woman. The story is about two young lovers, Allie Hamilton and Noah, who meet one day at a carnival. Although the two are falling in love, Allie’s parents don’t allow the relationship between the two young lovers and decide to move Allie away from Noah and the town. They moved to New York, but Allie never gave up on Noah and always kept her faith to one day their love would have a way to come back, but after waiting for any sign (such as letters) from Noah from years, Allie meets Lon and becomes engaged. However, Allie still has feelings for Noah. Despite her commitment for Lon, Allie decides to visit Noah to see how he’s doing after seeing his picture in the newspaper in front of a house he said he was going to restore (and did). It soon becomes apparent that they still have feelings for each other. Allie spend wonderful days with Noah, but suddenly her mother Anne Hamilton surprises her finding her in Noah’s house. Allies mother confess her that she kept and hide from her the letters that Noah had been sending to her years ago. Allie now has to choose between Lon, the man she had already scheduled to marry, and Noah, the man who she wants. Allie picks Noah, her one true love, and dumps Lon. Noah and Allie end up having a happy life and die together peacefully in the nursing home, side by side. Characters Major Characters * Noah: The narrator of the book and the main character, Noah is a good and kind man who fell in love with Allie fourteen years before the novel opens. He has never forgotten her and is overwhelmed with how much he still loves her when she returns to tell him she is engaged. * Allison Hamilton: A young woman who comes from a privileged family, she spends a wonderful summer with Noah when they are young, but is forced to leave when her parents disapprove. She meets Lon and becomes engaged to him, but something in her makes her return to Noah to be sure she is not making a mistake. * Lon: He is Allie’s fiancà ©, who fights for her in the end, but is too late. He has allowed his career to disrupt any hope he may have had to win her for himself. Minor Characters * Gus: He is the black man who lives down the road from the house Noah has restored. He becomes Noah’s only family until Allie returns. * Anne Hamilton: She is Allie’s mother and had so disapproved of her being with Noah that she had never delivered his letters to her daughter. She finally gives Allie the letters, when she leaves, she whispers to Allie that she should follow her heart. Plot Love conquers all really, no matter how many times the old man (Noah) has to read the book to the old lad, he will. Hoping that one day she’ll remember him, she was his sweetheart and he would not leave her, for as long as she was there he would stay as well. Climax Noah and Ally die together in the same bed. They are old (she has Alzheimer) and in a nursing home. Noah is still telling the story of when they are young and how they finally ended up together. Ally suddenly remembers and recognized Noah, the she chose and that she is the girl from the story that he has been telling her the whole time.

Literature Review Human Resources Essay

This literature review will seek to research, analyse and evaluate two areas in human resource management (HRM) relating to Ethics and HRM, and Employment relations. Review 1 – Ethics and HRM The study of ethics in Human Relations Management (HRM) seems fraught with a plethora of historical and contemporary theories which seek to find clarity in an ever changing and challenging business environment. This review will identify the challenges faced by human resource professionals in ‘the honouring of duties owed to employees, stakeholders, and society in the pursuit of long-term wealth creation’ (Caldwell, Hayes, Bernal and Karri, 2008: 153) and will conclude that ethical HRM requires an understanding of the theories and principles; the organisational will to integrate these into their organisations strategic human resource management (SHRM) and the need to become a strategic partner in the management of the organisation. Ethical stewardship Smith and Hindman (2007: 16) claim that ‘Most people want to do the â€Å"right thing†. This is true in business as well as in life.’ To consider that this statement has merit, suggests that the debate over the theories and principles of ethics in HRM, can be seen to provide an understanding of how to achieve the best ethical outcome of a given situation. Winstanley and Woodall (2006: 9) clearly state that ‘Ethical reasoning is the ability to draw on relevant theory and frameworks to make more explicit the alternative interpretations and responses that could be made to inform decision-making’. Caldwell, Truong, Linh and Tuan (2011: 178) suggest that the responsibility falls in no small part, to the human resource professionals (HRPs) who ‘must encompass the moral perspectives of ethical stewardship and the unique contributions of transformative leadership’. Caldwell, et al. (2011) asserts that a key to long-term wealth creation is the alignment of the organisations strategic human resource management (SHRM) to their goals, values and priorities coupled with congruent and effective leadership. Smith and Hindman (2007: 21) suggest that the challenge for the human resource professional is to determine ‘how to create a set of employment policies that provide increasing standards of living, fair treatment and adequate job security for employees, while at the same time providing adequate profits for the firm?’ Reason would suggest that this is not enough. Ethical relativism suggests that morality is relative to the norms of each individual’s culture. Schumann (2001: 93) produces an argument ‘that the theory of ethical relativism should be rejected and that it is meaningful to search for universal moral principles’. Schumann (2001) asserts that his moral principles framework incorporating five basic ethical rules or principles, would provide managers guidance, whilst pursuing profits. And yet, Winstanley and Woodall (2006) argue that there are still no universally agreed upon ethical frameworks. Much debate centres on the ethics of organisations human resources. Greenwood, (2002) goes further to suggest concerns regarding the naming of human resources suggesting that this can place staff in the same position as office equipment. Employees are much more that the wheel that turns any organisation. Friedman (2009: 229) identifies ‘†¦ human capital as the critical value driver of corporate reputation’. This reminds us that organisational ethics can impact upon the organisations internal and external stakeholders. Winstanley and Woodall (2006:5) provides a strong case for the ethical ‘rearmament’ of HR professionals, by suggesting practical ways in which the exercise of ethical sensitivity and awareness might become a legitimate reference point alongside the prevalent recourse to arguments justifying ‘the business case’, strategic fit’ and ‘best practice’. Mathenge (2011: 8) makes the observation that ‘A tension often exists between a company’s financial goals and strategies to improve profits, and ethical considerations with right-behavior concerns’. Finally, Smith and Hindman (2007: 29) reinforce the important point that ‘Every business decision must succeed along three dimensions – it must be operationally effective, legally compliant, and morally defensible’. Conclusion ‘Organizations that integrate principles of ethical leadership with a strategic approach to HRM optimize the maximization of values and outcomes and achieve results which pay off long-term (Collins and Clarke, 2003: Caldwell et al, 2011). Friedman (2009: 240) sums up this review by stating that by positively impacting a corporation’s reputation ‘†¦HR managers need to occupy an influential position in the organizational structure, participate in strategic planning and develop efficient organizational practices that are aligned with corporate reputation goals’. Review 2 – Employment Relations Introduction The implementation of the 2009 Fair Work Act had hoped to ‘†¦ usher in a new regime of good-faith workplace relations, support for collective bargaining and vulnerable workers’ access to enforceable labour rights’ (Barnes and Lafferty, 2010: 1). This literature review will identify the salient changes wrought by the 2009 Fair Work Act and suggest that there has been a reduction of managers’ prerogatives to make decisions although Australia has not been forced back to the ‘bad old days’ of conciliation, arbitration and rolling strikes. Neo-liberalism The advent of the Fair Work Act can be considered to have its foundations in neo-liberalism, which espouses the values of deregulated and competitive market place providing free market outcomes. Neo-liberalism was considered to have its modest reforms under the Hawke administration through its 1993 legislation (Michelson, Jamieson and Burgess, 2009: Bray and Underhill, 2009). With the passing of the Coalition government’s Workplace Relations Act of 1996 and Workplace Relations Amendment (WorkChoices) Act of 2005, decollectivisation was advanced ‘by banning compulsory unionism, eliminating legal mechanisms to protect the right of unions to bargain collectively, expanding the availability of non-union agreements and sanctions against unauthorised strikes’ (Lee and Peetz, 1998). Prior to the election of the Rudd Labour Government in 2007, Australian union membership had fallen by 27 percent from 46 per cent in 1986 to 19 per cent in 2007 (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2008). Fair Work Act Far from the hope of a ‘new regime of good-faith workplace relations’, ‘The Fair Work Act has been called ‘Work Choices Lite’ because it has much in common with the legislation it replaced’ (Barnes and Lafferty, 2010: 1 & 5). ‘Rather than overlapping with anti-discrimination legislation, the Fair Work Act provides a new set of general protections against attribute-based conduct by employers’†¦Ã¢â‚¬Ëœto provide a new regime of protection against workplace discrimination’ (Barnes and Lafferty, 2010: 6). Nelson (2009) and Barnes and Lafferty (2010) identify the key features or principles of the Fair Work Act, as: †¢ A safety net of minimum employment conditions †¢ Good faith bargaining obligations and rules †¢ Unfair dismissal provisions †¢ Family life balance †¢ The right to have representation †¢ Fair legislation and protection for low paid employees The Fair Work Act did not return Australia to the unfettered industrial strike action of earlier years. Protected industrial action, strikes and work-to-rules by employees would only be supported under the Act, during enterprise bargaining, if approved by a majority of employees through a mandatory secret ballot and after first obtaining a secret ballot order (Nelson, 2009). To emphasise this point, Hubbard (2012: 18) suggests that there is a large hole in the Fair Work Act that can be found in large scale and intractable disputes where the ‘†¦the legislation places no pressure on Australian employers to do more than sit politely at the table (surface bargaining)’. Hubbard (2012: 18) states that ‘†¦the right to take protected industrial action is hollow for many groups of workers’ where ‘A company makes an application to take away workers rights to protected industrial action, by initiating its own industrial action, which it then claims is significantly harming the Australian economy!’. Hubbard (2012: 19) goes on to state ‘on matters of workplace flexibility and ‘managerial prerogative’, members of Fair Work Australia (FWA) have been historically reluctant to impose conditions or restraints’, especially in economically significant industries, which was highlighted through the Qantas case. Conclusion The Fair Work Act has been shown to have not returned Australia to conciliation, arbitration and rolling strikes and has been shown above to have major weaknesses that can be exploited by organisations. Arbitration through the Act is limited to ‘last resort’ arbitration as outlined by the Australian Government Solicitor (2009). I conclude that although managerial prerogative has been eroded under the Fair Work Act, specifically through removal of the â€Å"operational reasons† clause, seen to be abused under Work Choices, all managerial options have not been removed. With the implementation of good faith bargaining replacing arbitration, there is a clear indication that HRM imbedded in the guiding principles of the Act, can reinforce ethical HRM.