Organisational Ethics in OPEN24 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Organisational Ethics in OPEN24 - Essay Example For a company organization is a means to an end in order to achieve its goals. In this sense, organizations can be distinguished into two fundamentally different sets of objectives: The team of financial advisors is highly focused, trained up and very aggressive sellers, they concentrate on non walk-in customers and their objective is the selling of business loans. Increasing competition in the marketplace combined with rather draconian cultural internal problems such as bureaucracy, poor communication, and perceived lack of personal job advancement possibilities has led the employees to high levels of frustration many times in the past. 'All organisations begin with some sort of Vision, an initial spark which causes its creation. The organisation's Vision is essentially the dream which unites a core group of people and inspires them to try and make the dream a reality.' We can say that Open24 has a vision on what it wants to achieve in the near future. All employees work towards these visions and indeed if they work as group, then there is no reason as to why they should not achieve their organisational goals. Open24 organisation's pur...'All organisations begin with some sort of Vision, an initial spark which causes its creation. The organisation's Vision is essentially the dream which unites a core group of people and inspires them to try and make the dream a reality.' We can say that Open24 has a vision on what it wants to achieve in the near future. All employees work towards these visions and indeed if they work as group, then there is no reason as to why they should not achieve their organisational goals. (Ping, 1996)Â   Open24 organisation's purpose grew from their vision and in articulating its mission; they should have stated how it will seek to bring the vision to reality. 'It is stating what its 'Unique reason for being' is, and what the values are that will give meaning to its purpose.' (Ping, 1996) When it comes to organisational ethics, it is here in the mission statement that the seed is planted which gives rise to the 'shared set of beliefs' that will determine the organisation's climate of opinion. (Ping, 1996)Â   The main problems that the department faces and can prevent from the above mentioned plans are the following: Strict Management that creates employee dissatisfaction thus, high employee turnover ratio.Poor communication. Internal competition between OPEN 24 and the main net of Eurobank's branches. Â  

Organizational Culture Analysis Essay Example for Free

Organizational Culture Analysis Essay Each organization has a different culture. The culture can help shape how an organization functions and has the potential to set it apart from the competition. There are three levels to culture: observable artifacts, espoused values, and enacted values (Baack, 2012). Each level plays a different part within an organization. State Farm Insurance is the larges mutual property and casualty insurance carrier in the United States. The company was founded over 90 years ago and has had plenty of time to develop their layers of culture. Observable artifacts are the outward viewable signs of an organization. Observable artifacts are viewed not only by the employees of the company but also by outsiders. State Farm has a various artifacts. The company has a recognizable logo and slogan, â€Å"Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there†. These have artifacts are recognizable in most households. On an internal level, yearly there are ceremonies that the company conducts to reinforce the feeling of family. Yearly the company holds Christmas in the Atrium where Santa comes for all of the employees and their families to visit. Annual Easter parties and Founder’s Day celebrations also encourage the neighborly atmosphere, keeping in line with the slogan. According to Baack (2012), espoused values are aspirational opposed to the actual outcome. The values set forth by the company are to act as a guide but are not always achievable. State Farm includes its values within the mission statement, â€Å"†¦quality service and relationships, mutual trust, integrity and financial strength† (State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, 2013). The most recent value set by the company is to be remarkable. Employees not only need to strive to give remarkable service to the agents and the policyholders but also be remarkable in the interactions with fellow employees. The idea of providing remarkable service guides how employees are to work everyday. It defines the product being sold and the interaction with policyholders. The last layer of culture is enacted values. These values are the actual behaviors exhibited by the employees. Rick Darby of Safety Culture (2012) stated, â€Å"the enacted values of an organization†¦may be at a considerable distance from those proclaimed in official statements and public relations material†. In the case of State Farm and being â€Å"remarkable†, employees are having a hard time providing the remarkable service. Slow systems, being short handed, and a disconnect between operation employees and agents, contribute to less than remarkable service. These enacted values differ from what the company would like but not much has been done to rectify the situation. Darby (2012) believed if a great gap was found between enacted values of the employees and the espoused values of upper management, there could be confusion and dissatisfaction. The dissatisfaction found in employees can start to alter the observable artifacts of the company. The recognition of State Farm for being an admired company will stop being awarded if management does not address the enacted value of its employees. The three levels of culture contribute to how an organization is presented to the public. Observable artifacts, espoused values, and enacted values all supply a foundation for the organization’s culture. The culture of the organization is part of what defines their success and growth. State Farm is known as the good neighbor company but needs to address the enacted values of the employees in order to provide the remarkable experience it is striving for. References Baack, D. (2012). Organizational Behavior. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Darby, R. (2012, April). Pyramid Building. Safety Culture , pp. 52-55. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company. (2013). State Farm. Retrieved February 25, 2013, from State Farm web site: www.statefarm.com

Economy stability, standard of living, labour laws and disparity of wea

Economy stability, standard of living, labour laws and disparity of wealth and product. Flowers are beautiful. Flowers can grow in the wild, alone, with only nature affecting their growth, or they can grow in a greenhouse, where all their conditions are controlled. With either option we find different effects on the flowers. In nature the environment can destroy the flower, but the flower in the greenhouse lacks natural nutrients received by the outside world and usually become withered. This can be related to government control within the economy. With too much control, the economy can become smothered and with not enough, it can collapse upon itself, therefore a healthy balance must be found. This brings up the issues of economy stability, standard of living, labour laws and disparity of wealth and product. On the right side of the spectrum we find capitalism. Capitalism is an ideal of free trade with no government involvement in the economy. It was created by Adam smith, and exercises the theories of laissez faire. Although in a capitalist economy the economy can see great times of boom or bust. Monopolies are also prevalent within these societies because there are no laws against such things. On the left of the spectrum we find socialism. Karl Marx created this concept. His was an ideal of scientific, where he stated there would eventually be no class, and a pattern would be followed in the economy. Another form of socialism is utopian created by Robert Owen. Owen believed the same concept, but he believed through providing more he would get more in return. This however did not happen because the workers ended up becoming lazy when they were guaranteed the things they needed. Socialism follows the ... ...risk the consequences of the abuse of people, poor quality goods and lack of advance in products. But if you have too little you face booms and bust, disparity, and an unstable economy. Finding equilibrium of the two extremes is a problem that nations struggle with constantly and a popular choice of many, including the successful Canada, is welfare capitalism. It's the best choice because it promotes the ideals of both capitalism and socialism. The spirit of capitalism with its free trade and market economy with advancing products and aggressive markets and the control of socialism with state programs like healthcare and unemployment coverage, education taxing and the regulation that government can provide. So when asked the question, to what extent should government be involved in the economy an impeccable answer that comes to mind is welfare capitalism.

The Significance of Adult Education

Adult education encompasses planned and organized activities that consists of classes, lecture series, group study and systematic discussions and conference which involves mature men and women acquire new knowledge, understanding, attitudes, interests and values as a means of adapting and coping up with dramatic changes happening in the modern society and environment. It is dedicated to learning improvement and extension of opportunity for adults (encyclopedia Americana). Adult education is a form of continuing education that serves as a way of expanding horizons, developing understanding, creating meaningful activities and bridging the gap between generations. It has a critical role in a rapidly changing world by providing information and knowledge that people need in dealing with changing conditions. It is of great help in perceiving and solving crucial issues of the times. It can be a tool also for sustaining social relationship among aged adults. Adult education is the practice of teaching and educating adults. Adult education takes place in the workplace, through ‘extension' or ‘continuing education' courses at secondary schools, or at colleges or universities. Other learning places include folk high schools, community colleges, and lifelong learning centers. The practice is also often referred to as ‘Training and Development ‘and is often associated with workforce or professional development. It has also been referred to as andragogy (to distinguish it from pedagogy). Adult education is different from vocational education, which is mostly workplace-based for skill improvement; and also from non-formal adult education, including learning skills or learning for personal development. Programs provide one to one tutoring and small group sessions for adults at the 6th grade level or below. Public libraries, nonprofit organizations and school systems administer these programs across the country. Many adult education centers from community colleges receive grants from Welfare and Unemployment departments to offer training to welfare and unemployment recipients to help these individuals gain life and work skills to facilitate their return to the mainstream. They also provide programs for ex-offenders to reintegrate to society. There are underlying factors and forces which paved way for the development and improvement of Adult education. Changes in technological processes, in communication, in knowledge in social organization and in patterns of living implies that a modern man must constantly learn new ideas, new facts, new skills and new attitudes to keep up with the progress of the society. Through this kind of formal literacy education, adults develop the sincerity and aim to learn those things they need to know in order to cope effectively with the real life situation. Adult education is simply a continuation and way of improving prior knowledge of matured individuals. It believes and wanted to prove that adults are pragmatic learners. Adults frequently apply their knowledge in a practical fashion to learn effectively. They must have a reasonable expectation that the knowledge recently gained will help them further their goals. One example, common in the 1990s, was the proliferation of computer training courses in which adults (not children or adolescents), most of whom were office workers, could enroll. These courses would teach basic use of the operating system or specific application software. Because the abstractions governing the user's interactions with a PC were so new, many people who had been working white-collar jobs for ten years or more eventually took such training courses, either at their own whim (to gain computer skills and thus earn higher pay) or at the behest of their managers. Adults by social definition, individual need, and institutional expectation are responsible people that seek to enhance their identity through learning that further develop their competence. They have a strong need to apply what they have acquired and in order for them to be competent in that application, there is a reciprocal needs of interaction between them and the rapidly changing environment to produce a powerful desire for more knowledge.

Issues of Politcs and Pubic Administration Dichotomy

Issues of Political Dichotomy and Public Administration Genyne Coleman South University Online Patricia Wright Kelly, J. , & Wanna, J. (2000). New public management and the politics of government budgeting. International Public Management Review, 1(1), 33-54. Retrieved from http://www3. imp. unisg. ch/org/idt/†¦ /IPMR_1_1_BUDGETING. pdf The article examines the New Public Management (NPM) to address government budget conflicts using the guardian-spender framework of political scientist Aaron Wildavsky’s.Wildavsky explains traditional budgetary politics as missing structure and formal procedure of financial control which resulted in the the dichotomous relationship of guardians and spenders. The guardian and spender relationship is examined under NPM that suggest they are forced to perform together rather than separate which makes for a streamline budget process. (Kelly & Wanna, 2000, â€Å"successful budgeting is portrayed as a product of ongoing guardian and spender rel ations: both roles are legitimate and necessary in resolving budget decisions.Dividing functions and responsibilities between spenders and guardians enables specialization, increases predictability and, therefore, reduces complexity in budget decision-making (p. 34)†. The article describes the current usefulness of guardian and spender as an effective evaluation tool The research used in this article encompasses different budgeting conflicts and strategies used by parliament and government.The relevance of the article to the research of dichotomy in politics and public administration is important as it examines the history of budgetary practices, conflicts, and its evolvement. The author presents an insightful and well drafted interpretation of forward thinking budgetary processes. Hildebrand, D. (2008). public administration as pragmatic, democratic,and objective. Public Administration Review, 222-229. Retrieved from http://www. academia. edu/597816/Public_administration_as_p ragmatic_democratic_

The subject matter of phonetics Essays

The subject matter of phonetics Essays The subject matter of phonetics Essay The subject matter of phonetics Essay Phoneticss is a scientific discipline devoted to the physical analysis of the sounds of human address. including their production. transmittal. and perceptual experience. Phonetics is traditionally divided into two subdivisions: acoustic. concerned with the construction of the acoustic signal itself. and articulative. concerned with the manner these sounds are produced. Theoretical Phonetics surveies speech sounds: 1 ) from every point of position. Articulatory point of position – every address sound is a composite of definite finely coordinated and differentiated motions and places of the assorted address variety meats. Acoustic – address sounds have certain physical belongingss. Phonological – address sounds are studied through the phonological resistances. Auditory – all of address sounds have infinite figure of characteristics. 2 ) surveies mechanisms of vowel and harmonic production: Vibrator mechanism – vocal cords Resonator mechanism – unwritten pit. rhinal pit Obstructer mechanism – lingua. VC. dentition Power mechanism – lungs. stop 3 ) sounds are studied non merely individually but in bunchs and in address. Therefore we’ve come to dynamicss and kinaesthetic factors. 4 ) the affair of analysis: – description – puting down every bit many as possible characteristics which are present in sounds. – categorization – adverting those characteristics by which sounds arrant. One of the chief topics is modulation. Theoretical phonetics positions it from the point of position of different schools and attacks: Russian – modulation consists of address tune. tones. alteration in pitch. British – modulation is a contour. that is a unit of modulation dwelling of pre-head. caput. karyon and tail. American – modulation is pitch. Differences in pitch cause differences in significance. Talking about sounds we normally view them in words. which consist of syllables. This is another topic of theoretical phonetics – syllable division and different attacks to it. 2. The manner phonetics is connected with other subdivisions of linguistics and other scientific disciplines Phonetics is an independent subdivision of linguistics like lexicology. g rammar and stylistics. It surveies the sound affair. its facets and maps. Phonetics is connected with lingual and non-linguistic scientific disciplines: acoustics. physiology. psychological science. logic. etc. The connexion of phonetics with grammar. lexicology and styl ­istics is exercised foremost of all via writing system. which in its bend is really closely connected with phonetics. Phonetics formulates the regulations of pronunciation for separate sounds and sound combinations. The regulations of reading are based on the relation of sounds to orthography and present certain troubles in larning the English linguistic communication. particularly on the initial phase of stud ­ying. Therefore. vowel sounds. for case. are pronounced non merely as we name the letters matching to them: the missive a as /ei/ . the missive vitamin E as i’v. l. the missive I as /ai/ . the missive à ³ as /wai/ . the missive U as one { J ) N: l. the missive à ® as /à ½Ãƒ ©/ . jnq a can be pronounced as: /ae/- can. /a/ - auto. 7sa/- care- . vitamin E can be pronounced as: Id- them. [ à §:1- fern. libl- here. etc. Through the system of regulations of reading phonetics is connected with grammar and helps to articulate right remarkable and plural signifiers of nouns. the past tense signifiers and past participials of English regular verbs. e. g. /d/ is pronounced after sonant consonants ( beg- begged ) . It! - after voiceless consonants ( wish- wished ) . /id/- after It! ( want- wanted ) . It is merely if we know that /s/ is pronounced after voiceless consonants. /z/ after voiced and /iz/ after sibilants. that we can articulate the words books. bags. boxes right. The stoping -ed is pronounced /id/ following /t/ or /d/ . e. g. waited /iweitid/ . folded /ifauldid/ . Some adjectives have a signifier with /id/ . e. g. crooked /’kru-kid/ . bare /ineikid/ . ragged /’rsegid/ . One of the most of import phonic phenomena- sound interchange- is another manifestation of the connexion of pho ­netics with grammar. For case. this connexion can be observed in the class of figure. Therefore. the interchange of It- v/ . /a- z/ . /O- à / helps to distinguish remarkable and plural signifiers of such nouns as: calf- calves II- v/ . leaf- leaves II- v/ . house-houses /s- z/ . Vowel interchange helps to separate the singular and the plural of such words as: basis- bases /’beisis-

buy custom Medicaid Requirements for Florida and California essay

buy custom Medicaid Requirements for Florida and California essay Medicaid is a program that involves all the federal states that aim at providing health insurance to people of low income. The aim of Medicaid is providing medical services to people who cannot afford. The federal government provides the funds required to finance the program. These people include children, adults, people with a disability and pregnant mothers whether single or married. It also covers services in nursing homes for people who qualify. However, each state runs its on Medicaid programs, and makes policies on how the program should be managed. In Florida, children below the age of 18 years, their parents or guardians are eligible for Medicaid if the familys net income does not exceed the set income limit and the asset worthiness are below $ 2000. However, eligibility for Medicaid for the child in California depends on the Childs status and not the status of the parent or guardian. This means a child qualifies for Medicaid services even if the guardian is rich. Therefore, the uniting factor in the two states is that eligibility for Medicaid requires that the child to come from the family of low income and resources. In California, any pregnant woman, whether married or single s eligible for Medicaid. In addition, the Medicaid eligibility extends to both the mother and the child if the Medicaid covered the mother. Considering Florida, the pregnant women can also apply for Medicaid. Although, in Florida, Medicaid is packaged into categories ranging from the prenatal care, which partially coves for the pregnant woman for the short period, fully coverage for pregnant women, and regular Medicaid coverage. In Florida, parents and guardians can apply for Medicaid on behalf of their children, provided their children are below 19 years. However, parents application is possible if the children are living in their homes, or the family income is under the predetermined limit. This is the case in California, though one can apply if the child is sick to the point that he will need nursing home care, and could enjoy quality care at home. In addition, California State allows a child living on his own, to apply for Medicaid on his behalf, or any adult. In both California and Florida states, they consider people of 65 years and above eligible for Medicaid. This is subject to limited income and resources for the individual in question. In both states, blind people receive the same treatment when it comes to Meddicaid eligibility. The blind is eligible for Medicaid provided they have limited income and resources. The disabled living in nursing homes and could live in their homes if given quality home care are eligible for Medicaid. The Medicaid eligibility is allowed to people in both the states, if the person is suffering from chronic diseases. In both California and Florida states, Medicaid is provided to a noncitizen in the case of emergence. The aliens are required to prove that indeed it was an emergence situation. However, the rules of classifying situations to emergence may vary from states to states depending on the rules that govern the classification of emergence situations. Despite the difference that is apparent between the eligibility for the Medicaid, there is a similarity in the way the rules applies. However, a similarity of eligibility seems to concentrate on the low income and resource levels that the person is required to meet. Both of the states focus on the individuals age whether pregnant, the level of income, is he blind or aged. However, in California and Florida Medicaid is a particularly significant program of providing affordable health care services to those who could not meet the basic health requirement. Buy custom Medicaid Requirements for Florida and California essay

The Life of Serial Killer Israel Keyes

The Life of Serial Killer Israel Keyes On March 16, 2012, Israel Keyes was arrested in Lufkin, Texas after he used a debit card that belonged to an 18-year-old Alaska woman that he killed and dismembered in February. During the following months, while awaiting trial for the murder of Samantha Koenig, Keyes confessed to seven other murders during more than 40 hours of interviews with the FBI. Investigators believe there are at least three more victims and possibly much more. Early Influences Keyes was born Jan. 7, 1978 in Richmond, Utah to parents who were Mormon and homeschooled their children. When the family moved to Stevens County, Washington north of Colville, they attended The Ark, a Christian Identity church which is known for racist and anti-Semitic views. During that time, the Keyes family was friends and neighbors with the Kehoe family. Israel Keyes was childhood friends of Chevie and Cheyne Kehoe, known racists who were later convicted of murder and attempted murder. Military Service At age 20, Keyes joined the U.S. Army and served at Fort Lewis, Fort Hood and in Egypt until he was honorably discharged in 2000. At some point during his young adult years, he rejected religion completely and proclaimed he was an atheist. Keyes life of crime had begun before he joined the military, however. He admitted to raping a young girl in Oregon sometime between 1996 and 1998 when he would have been 18 to 20 years old. He told FBI agents that he separated a girl from her friends and raped, but not killed her. He told investigators that he planned to kill her, but decided not to. It was the beginning of a long list of crimes, including burglaries and robberies that authorities are now trying to piece together into a timeline of Keyes criminal career. Sets up Base in Alaska By 2007, Keyes established Keyes Construction in Alaska and began working as a construction contractor. It was from his base in Alaska that Keyes ventured out into almost every region of the United States to plan and commit his murders. He traveled many times since 2004, looking for victims and setting up buried caches of money, weapons, and tools needed to kill and dispose of the bodies. His trips, he told the FBI, were not financed with money from his construction business, but from the money he got from robbing banks. Investigators are trying to determine how many bank robberies that he may have been responsible for during his many trips across the country. It is also unknown at what point Keyes escalated to committing random murders. Investigators suspect it began 11 years before his arrest, shortly after he left the military. Modus Operandi According to Keyes, his usual routine would be to fly to some area of the country, rent a vehicle and then drive sometimes hundreds of miles to find victims. He would set up and bury murder kits somewhere in the targeted area - stashing items like shovels, plastic bags, money, weapons, ammunition and bottles of Drano, to help dispose of the bodies. His murders kits have been found in Alaska and New York, but he admitted to having others in Washington, Wyoming, Texas and possibly Arizona. He would look for victims in remote areas like parks, campgrounds, walking trials, or boating areas. If he was targeting a home he looked for a house with an attached garage, no car in the driveway, no children or dogs, he told investigators. Finally, after committing the murder, he would leave the geographic area immediately. Keyes Makes Mistakes In February 2012, Keyes broke his rules and made two mistakes. First, he kidnapped and killed someone in his hometown, which he had never done before. Secondly, he let his rental car be photographed by an ATM camera while using a victims debit card. On Feb. 2, 2012, Keyes kidnapped 18-year-old Samantha Koenig who was working as a barista at one of the many coffee stands around Anchorage. He was planning to wait for her boyfriend to pick her up and kidnap both of them, but for some reason decided against it and just grabbed Samantha. Koenigs abduction was caught on video, and a massive search for her was conducted by authorities, friends, and family for weeks, but she was killed shortly after she was abducted. He took her to a shed at his Anchorage home, sexually assaulted her and strangled her to death. He then immediately left the area and went on a two-week cruise, leaving her body in the shed. When he returned, he dismembered her body and dumped it in Matanuska Lake north of Anchorage. About a month later, Keyes used Koenigs debit card to get money from an ATM in Texas. The camera in the ATM captured a picture of the rental car Keyes was driving, linking him to the card and the murder. He was arrested in Lufkin, Texas on March 16, 2012. Keyes Begins to Talk Keyes was originally extradited back from Texas to Anchorage on credit card fraud charges. On April 2, 2012, searchers found Koenigs body in the lake. On April 18, an Anchorage grand jury indicted Keyes for the kidnapping and murder of Samantha Koenig. While awaiting trial in the Anchorage jail, Keyes was interviewed for more than 40 hours by Anchorage police detective Jeff Bell and FBI Special Agent Jolene Goeden. Although he was not completely forthcoming with many details, he began to confess to some of the murders that he committed over the past 11 years. The Motive for Murder The investigators tried to determine Keyes motive for the eight murders to which he confessed. There were just times, a couple of times, where we would try to get a why, said Bell. He would have this term; he would say, A lot of people ask why, and I would be, like, why not? Keyes admitted to studying the tactics of other serial killers, and he enjoyed watching movies about killers, such as Ted Bundy, but he was careful to point out to Bell and Goeden that he used his ideas, not those of other famous killers. In the end, the investigators concluded that Keyes motivation was very simple. He did it because he liked it. He enjoyed it. He liked what he was doing, Goeden said. He talked about getting a rush out of it, the adrenalin, the excitement out of it. Trail of Murders Keyes confessed to the murders of four people in three different incidents in Washington state. He killed two individuals, and he kidnapped and killed a couple. He didnt provide any names. He probably knew the names, because he liked to return to Alaska and then follow the news of his murders on the Internet. He also killed another person on the East Coast. He buried the body in New York but killed the person in another state. He would not give Bell and Goeden any other details of that case. The Currier Murders On June 2, 2011, Keys flew to Chicago, rented a car and drove almost 1,000 miles to Essex, Vermont. He targeted the home of Bill and Lorraine Currier. He conducted what he called a blitz attack on their home, tied them up and took them to an abandoned house. He shot Bill Currier to death, sexually assaulted Lorraine and then strangled her. Their bodies were never found. A Double Life Bell believes the reason that Keyes gave them more details about the Currier murders was because he knew they had evidence in that case pointing to him. So he opened up more about those murders than he did the others. It was chilling to listen to him. He was clearly reliving it to a degree, and I think he enjoyed talking about it, Bell said. A couple of times, he would kind of chuckle, tell us how weird it was to be talking about this. Bell believes their interviews with Keyes were the first time he had ever talked with anyone about what he referred to as his double life. He thinks Keyes held back details of his other crimes because he didnt want members of his family to know anything about his secret life of crime. How many more victims? During the interviews, Keyes referred to other murders in addition to the eight to which he confessed. Bell told reporters that he thinks Keyes committed less than 12 murders. However, in trying to piece together a timeline of Keyes activities, the FBI released a list of 35 trips that Keyes made across the country from 2004 to 2012, in hopes that the public and local law enforcement agencies could match up bank robberies, disappearances and unsolved murders to times when Keyes was in the area. Talk Is Over On Dec. 2, 2012, Israel Keyes was found dead in his Anchorage jail cell. He had cut his wrists and strangled himself with a rolled-up bedsheet. Under his body was a blood-soaked, four-page letter written on yellow legal pad paper in both pencil and ink. Investigators could not make out the writing on Keyes suicide note until the letter was enhanced at the FBI lab.​ An analysis of the enhanced letter concluded that it contained no evidence or clues, but was merely a creepy Ode to Murder, written by a serial killer who loved to kill. The FBI concluded there was no hidden code or message in the writings, the agency said in a news release. Further, it was determined that the writings do not offer any investigative clues or leads as to the identity of other possible victims. We may never know how many people Israel Keyes killed.

Summary on Earthquakes, Volcanoes and Landslides Assignment

Summary on Earthquakes, Volcanoes and Landslides - Assignment Example It covers the sea beds and is the foundation of land masses. Tectonic plate shifting along fault lines is the primary cause of major earthquakes. However this is not just the sole reason for earthquakes. Localised low intensity and low impact earthquakes also occur frequently everyday at different parts of the world. They are due to the shifting of underlying layer of soil, and are confined only to small localities in cities, town or rural area. Lisbon, 1755: The Lisbon Earthquake: The Lisbon earthquake in the country of Portugal back in the 1st of November 1755 was one of the most ghastly natural calamities in the memory of mankind. Nothing every of such gigantic destructive scale had ever occurred in the near recallable future, swallowing everything from a huge civilisation, to thousands of people, human constructions etc. The Lisbon earthquake due to its sheer magnitude of destruction is till date studied by geologists, seismologists, construction firms and earthquake experts. The natural disaster on the 1st of November 1755 in Lisbon was a combination of two natural disasters: A series of high and medium intensity earthquakes followed by an equally devastating Tsunami, due to the aftershock of the earthquake. The date was November 1st 1755 at 9:30 am, one of the most scared days in the Roman calendar (All Saints’ Day), thousands of devotees and followers had gathered in the innumerable streets and lanes of Lisbon crowding near Cathedrals or flocking towards the smaller churches. The day was crisp and clear and the priest had just begun chanting â€Å"Gaudeamus omnes in Domino, diem festum†¦Ã¢â‚¬  when the cathedrals and churches started to sway and lurch from side to side. The bronze bells began to ring madly and candles toppled from their stands and fell over. Within seconds from the initial ushering of the tremor, it gathered intensity and magnitude, tossing buildings down like match boxes and dislodging large chunks of masonry that fell on fearful worshippers crushing them to their death. The second larger shock came a few seconds later and caused even more damage compared to the first one, razing damaged construction and building to dust, killing thousands. After 90 minutes from the last major shock, three devastating Tsunamis struck the coast of Lisbon one after the other wiping out human settlement along the coast line and leaving nothing but indistinguishable ruins and mangled remains of construction debris and human bodies washed up on the shores. The extensive damage caused by the earthquake triggered a massive fire outbreak in the entire city, initiated by toppled candles and broken hearths, that set flame to the highly combustible wooden buildings. Soon the entire city was engulfed in the violent lashings of flame, charring to death thousands of people and leaving nothing but roasted remains of human property and burnt dead bodies. This was the horrific natural calamity in Lisbon two and a half centuries ago t hat killed tens of thousands of people and scarred the entire city mercilessly with irreversible damage that took centuries to rebuild. San Francisco, 1906: The San Francisco Earthquake: San Francisco was no stranger to destructive earthquakes and fires. It had burnt down 6 times during the years of gold rush in the years 1849 – 1851. This was because most of the building were made of flimsy

Current issues in second language learning Essay

Current issues in second language learning - Essay Example e constructivist approach, wherein the learner needs to be actively engaged in the learning process through his/her interactions with the environment. The role of a teacher within a constructivist framework would be largely a facilitative one – aiding a student to learn by encouraging him/her to construct, rather than the traditional role of supplier of information. The policy of Constructivism takes into account the nature and development of knowledge and according to Van Glasersfeld, constructivism is a "theory of knowledge with roots in philosophy, psychology and cybernetics."1 Therefore, when learning is examined from a constructivist perspective, there is an underlying implication that the manner in which knowledge is constructed within an individual’s mind is fashioned by the environment that he is subjected to. Therefore teaching methods must be modified accordingly in order to accommodate learning practices. For instance, if students are perceived as mere learning receptacles, then teaching would constitute only the transmission of knowledge however, when applying constructivism, the knowledge that is being transmitted will be additionally processed by a student, then the teaching approach must incorporate attempts to transmit meaning and understanding to the students to help them make sense of their world2. The Constructivist approach transforms the learning process into a one on one process between an individual and his environment. Knowledge becomes intimately associated with and unique to every individual learner, since it is not an absolute entity existing as a separate external reality but rather it is integral to every learner whose knowledge will be conditioned by his/her own experiences. Therefore, applying this principle, reality is made up of â€Å"the network of things and relationships that we rely on in living.†3 Hence reality will be interpreted and constructed in accordance with the individual learner’s experiences and interactions

Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 8

Finance - Essay Example This means they can both be implemented because they add value to the shareholders wealth. However, if only one investment opportunity was to be carried out in a limited period of six years, Penta Ltd should consider investing in retail business because it has a higher net present value of  £ 1,659,000 as compared with that of building a new factory, which has net present value of  £ 1,207,000. The methods used to appraise investment opportunities use either non-discounted values or discounted values. The most appropriate investment appraisal technique for the two investment opportunities anticipated by Penta Ltd is the Discounted Net Present Value method. Discounted Net Present Value method is defined as the summation of all discounted net cash flows that accrue to an investment opportunity in a defined period of time (Brigham and Houston 2009 p. 338). The method considers time value of money received and spent in a given project in a specified period of time. If the net present value is greater than zero (NPV>0), the investment opportunity will be implemented because it adds value to the company. If the net present value is zero (NPV= 0), the investment may or may not be undertaken. Other factors such as competition, socio-cultural and political issues may be considered to enable the manager or project director to invest or not. However, when the net present value is less than zero (NPV

INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT - Essay Example 19). Subject to its wide market network, high quality of its products, and the diversity of its products, Starbucks enjoys a magnificent customer base in the coffee other blend- drinks industry. In the report, the paper identifies the stakeholders groups of the company, its key competitors, and an analysis of its current strategy. The paper will also derive some recommendations on the company’s current strategy. Findings Starbucks Stakeholder Groups Starbucks stakeholders groups refer to persons, groups, or organization that has interest or concern in the company. The company’s stakeholders fall into three categories, which include primary stakeholders, secondary stakeholders, and public stakeholders (Bruhn-Hansen, 2012, p. 19). They specifically entail the shareholders who invented in the company’s shares, customers who purchase the company’s products and employees who work for the company across the world. The stakeholders also include the suppliers who provide raw materials to the company and farmers who produce coffee and benefit from the comprehensive programs that the company initiates to help farmers. Recently, families residing within the Silver Spring, Maryland community with children aged five and under became stakeholders. Governments and government agencies in countries where the Starbucks Company operates are also stakeholders in the company (Bruhn-Hansen, 2012, p. 19). Moreover, non-governmental organizations, which partner with Starbucks Company like Conservation International and Ecologic Enterprise Ventures are also stakeholders of the company. Additionally, all the communities that benefit from the company’s corporate social responsibility are stakeholders of Starbucks Company. Ultimately, franchisees that purchase the right to use the company’s trademarks, related brands, and proprietary knowledge for purposes of opening branches across the world also form part of Starbucks stakeholders. Starbucks Key Competitors Starbucks has close competitors in specialty coffee shops, doughnut shops, and quick service restaurants. Indeed, the completion comes from different sectors across the world thus demeaning the company’s market share. Caribou Coffee, which is specialty coffeehouse with 415 stores in the US, is one of the closest competitors of Starbucks Company. Second Cup which is a Canadian franchiser dealing in coffee is also a significant competitor alongside Java Centrale. Another major competitor is the privately owned Dunkin Donuts, which has about 5,000 stores in the U.S dealing with both doughnuts and coffee. Nestle S.A, which is a Swiss multinational food and Beverage Company and the largest food company in the world in terms of revenues offers great competition to Starbucks market share. Additionally we also have Darden Restaurants, Inc., which are a multi-brand restaurant operator  and Yum! Brands, Inc., Another worthy competitor is the McDonald, which is actually t he world’s largest fast-food chain restaurant (Mourdoukoutas, 2013, p. 1). McDonalds sells its products at a relatively lower price than Starbucks Company thus offering price competition. Indeed, since its upgrade in 2006, McDonalds is becoming an emerging competitor. More so, Panera’s Bread, which offers ambiance of casual dining, is also a competitor of Starbucks Company. Starbucks Company Current Strategy Starbucks adopts various

Greek history reading analyze in comparing character of Helen in two Essay

Greek history reading analyze in comparing character of Helen in two reading - Essay Example In this account, Helen is portrayed as a victim of circumstances who had no choice but to go with Paris and succumb to his every whim and demand in order to save her life. In the poem we see Helen "dressed herself in fine silvery linens and came out of her bedroom crying softly" when she heard of Menelaus' attack on Sparta clearly illustrating she had no alternative but to wait and see what the aftermath of the war will bring for her future. Later, talking to Paris's father, she says, "death should have been a sweeter evil to me" explaining that she should have taken her own life than yield to Paris's seizure. She incriminates herself by calling herself a "shameless bitch" for yielding to his demands. Furthermore, she is seen as very embarrassed to have had her family find her in a situation which she apparently had no choice. There are several colors to Helen's character that are portrayed in Homer's Iliad. She calls herself a "hateful wife" when she thinks of Menelaus winning her away from Paris. On Paris's return and eventual defeat in the Trojan War, Helen reproofs him by telling him he should have been killed by Menelaus, a "real hero" In the Iliad, Helen is represented as a prey plucked from her serene life with her husband and taken away by Paris to be subjected to subservience despite her many objections. She is shown to have compassion, guilt, love and even acceptance in the way she lives her life in Paris's kingdom awaiting her end. However, in Helen a play by Euripides, the playwright puts the theory that Helen was a victim of circumstances down and has something else to say. Helen is sought by Menelaus, a grieving husband, who wants to bring her to justice by killing her following the rumors that she went to Paris willingly and was not abducted after all. Hecuba, Paris's mother describes Helen as a woman who "captivates you with longing", "destroys cities" and "sets homes aflame". While Helen defends herself saying that she was bought and sold for her beauty and has been blameless even attempting to run away, Hecuba negates this by saying she should have hung herself if she was so desperate to get out. Helen states she was kept as a wife by her new husband "in defiance of the Trojans" and Hecuba negates that as well. She is characterized as a vicious and calculating woman who Hecuba states "saw my son in the splendor of gold" and "looked forward to a deluge of extravagance" while Helen says she grieves the death of the Trojans. This is a total contradiction to what the Homer states in the Iliad. Essentially, Helen has been depicted as the cause of the war between the Trojans and the Greeks whatever the truth may or may not have been. Homer too has treated Helen as a cause of war but also as a helpless victim of her celebrated beauty. There could be any number of reasons why Euripides depicted Helen in a negative light. Some scholars say that it is impossible for so many heads of states / cities to leave their work to go all the way to Troy to rescue a chit of a woman to whom they did not have much interest in except for her renowned beauty. At the time this story is placed, a lot of women and children were abducted and sold in slavery in Troy and it is thought by some scholars that this was the reason so many city heads brought about the Trojan War. This theory is followed by the hypothesis that Helen never existed! It was all a ply to put the Trojans down for their illegal slave trade. However, if

White Collar Crime Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

White Collar Crime - Essay Example This paper is a review of white collar crimes in an Australian context and will specifically address the collapse of the HIH Insurance Group, considered to be one the biggest corporate failures ever in the country. The study will cover the crime/ misbehaviour, regulatory failure, the existing literature relevant to the area of crime and regulation, and provide a case analysis, explaining how and why the failure of regulation occurred. According to Sutherland, â€Å"white collar crime may be defined approximately as a crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation† (The evolution of white-collar crime, n.d.). The book, Encyclopedia of white-collar & corporate crime states that Sutherland implicitly makes it clear that crime results not just out of poverty, but due to other reasons as well. Sutherland developed the theory of differential association primarily to state that criminality includes â€Å"the social and business influences that caused persons of high status to violate the law through occupation† (Salinger, 2005, p. 775) One of the earliest among similar researchers was Edward Alsworth Ross, who coined the term criminals, intentionally done to sound familiar with words like an asteroid, crystalloid or anthropoid. Ross feels that such acts were not seen as serious by the general public and the perpetrators themselves. (Geis, 2006, p. 26). Ross adds that there is a ‘shocking leniency’ by the public towards such crimes and the people who perpetrate or are a part of the crime. What is interesting is that the article which originally appeared in The Atlantic Monthly was written in 1907. Over the years, the term white-collar crime has come to be primarily associated with business alone. Hartung undertook a study on violations in price control of wholesale meat in Detroit in 1950. According to him white collar crimes are those committed by a firm or its agent by the violation of statutes and regulations.

Greek history reading analyze in comparing character of Helen in two Essay

Greek history reading analyze in comparing character of Helen in two reading - Essay Example In this account, Helen is portrayed as a victim of circumstances who had no choice but to go with Paris and succumb to his every whim and demand in order to save her life. In the poem we see Helen "dressed herself in fine silvery linens and came out of her bedroom crying softly" when she heard of Menelaus' attack on Sparta clearly illustrating she had no alternative but to wait and see what the aftermath of the war will bring for her future. Later, talking to Paris's father, she says, "death should have been a sweeter evil to me" explaining that she should have taken her own life than yield to Paris's seizure. She incriminates herself by calling herself a "shameless bitch" for yielding to his demands. Furthermore, she is seen as very embarrassed to have had her family find her in a situation which she apparently had no choice. There are several colors to Helen's character that are portrayed in Homer's Iliad. She calls herself a "hateful wife" when she thinks of Menelaus winning her away from Paris. On Paris's return and eventual defeat in the Trojan War, Helen reproofs him by telling him he should have been killed by Menelaus, a "real hero" In the Iliad, Helen is represented as a prey plucked from her serene life with her husband and taken away by Paris to be subjected to subservience despite her many objections. She is shown to have compassion, guilt, love and even acceptance in the way she lives her life in Paris's kingdom awaiting her end. However, in Helen a play by Euripides, the playwright puts the theory that Helen was a victim of circumstances down and has something else to say. Helen is sought by Menelaus, a grieving husband, who wants to bring her to justice by killing her following the rumors that she went to Paris willingly and was not abducted after all. Hecuba, Paris's mother describes Helen as a woman who "captivates you with longing", "destroys cities" and "sets homes aflame". While Helen defends herself saying that she was bought and sold for her beauty and has been blameless even attempting to run away, Hecuba negates this by saying she should have hung herself if she was so desperate to get out. Helen states she was kept as a wife by her new husband "in defiance of the Trojans" and Hecuba negates that as well. She is characterized as a vicious and calculating woman who Hecuba states "saw my son in the splendor of gold" and "looked forward to a deluge of extravagance" while Helen says she grieves the death of the Trojans. This is a total contradiction to what the Homer states in the Iliad. Essentially, Helen has been depicted as the cause of the war between the Trojans and the Greeks whatever the truth may or may not have been. Homer too has treated Helen as a cause of war but also as a helpless victim of her celebrated beauty. There could be any number of reasons why Euripides depicted Helen in a negative light. Some scholars say that it is impossible for so many heads of states / cities to leave their work to go all the way to Troy to rescue a chit of a woman to whom they did not have much interest in except for her renowned beauty. At the time this story is placed, a lot of women and children were abducted and sold in slavery in Troy and it is thought by some scholars that this was the reason so many city heads brought about the Trojan War. This theory is followed by the hypothesis that Helen never existed! It was all a ply to put the Trojans down for their illegal slave trade. However, if

In terms of Human Rights, how revolutionary was the French Revolution Essay

In terms of Human Rights, how revolutionary was the French Revolution - Essay Example Most of these events have had momentous effects on human rights, especially as most of these events have involved bloodshed and violence. One of these events is the French Revolution. The French Revolution from 1789 to 1799 was a period of political and social change in France and in the rest of Europe. Its causes and its eventual results became a turning point in the clamour for better human rights in France and Europe. This paper shall now discuss the statement: in terms of human rights, how revolutionary was the French Revolution. It shall start with an overview of the French Revolution, and then it shall specifically discuss the impact of the war in terms of securing and protecting human rights. It will end with summary and concluding remarks. This essay is being carried out in order to establish a clear and comprehensive discussion of human rights evolution and how events in history have impacted on its formulation. Body Overview of the French Revolution The French Revolution wa s launched in 1789 after the convocation of the Estates-General. Initially, members of the Third Estate proclaimed the Tennis Court Oath in June of 1789; this was followed by the assault on the Bastille, later, by the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, and then, the march on Versailles which pushed the royal court into Paris by October 1789 (Doyle, 2003). In the years that followed, tensions rose between the liberal assemblies and the right wing monarchy; these were parties which were bent on preventing any major reforms from being passed (Doyle, 2003). In 1792, a republic was established and a year later King Louis XVI was executed. The French Revolutionary Wars were initiated in 1792; and it led to French victories which ensured the domination of the Italian Peninsula, the Low Countries and some of the western territories of the Rhine (Doyle, 2003). For a long while, these territories were elusive to the previous French regimes. Various causes and complaints led to the revolution, eventually leading to the rise of Robespierre and the Jacobins, as well as the dominance of the Committee of Public Safety in their Reign of Terror from 1793 to 1793 where thousands were killed (Doyle, 2001). As the Jacobins lost their power and Robespierre was executed, the Directory gained control of France in 1795 until 1799, when Napoleon Bonaparte took over. At the end of the Napoleonic Wars and his First Empire, an absolute monarchy was established; two smaller revolutions were later successfully launched and in the years following, France was again governed by regime changes (Doyle, 2001). The modern age followed in the wake of the French Revolution, and the emergence of the republics, as well as the liberal governments, the birth of secularism, the establishment of modern ideals, and the launching of total war were events which dominated the era of the French revolution (Doyle, 2001). Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen The French Revolutio n also eventually led to the establishment of various human rights laws and policies; specifically, it led to the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (Censer and Hunt, 2001). This declaration specified as universal the individual and the general rights of the realm estates. It is based on the concept of natural right, as well as universal rights which are valid at all times based on human nature and inherent human

Proud to Be a Malaysian Essay Example for Free

Proud to Be a Malaysian Essay I am proud to be a Malaysian because of so many reasons. Firstly, Malaysia is surprisingly beautiful. We have beautiful islands and also the biggest caves in Southeast Asia. Not only that, Malaysia has the tallest twin tower in the world (KLCC). We also have the highest and the longest canopy walk in the world in more than 100 million years old of the tropical rain forest (Taman Negara). Forests are well preserved and the wildlife here is abundant with many protected endangered species. Besides that, Malaysia has modern and efficient public transportation with different types of train, taxis and the best airport in the world, KLIA. Our Malaysia Airlines won the Best Cabin Crew Awards a few times. Malaysians are really friendly and understanding. In my opinion, the most beautiful thing in Malaysia is our variety of culture, belief, and the scrumptious food. We are unique, as we can still get along well even though we’re a multi-racial and multi-cultural country. There are the indigenous tribes, Malays, Chinese and Indians but we get along like close siblings. We also have the freedom of religion and equality in education, which is good. There are also many languages spoken by all Malaysians, the famous one being ‘Manglish’ (Malay + English), and the most famous word being ‘lah’. Malaysia is really truly Asia because of its unity in diversity that can be seen in the various festival celebrations by all the races in Malaysia. Therefore, we have many public holidays, which I’m sure we all love. Also, these festive holidays are participated in by all Malaysians, we usually have open houses whereby everyone is invited to attend, regardless of their background. When it comes to food, there is no other place in the world that can be compared to Malaysian food. It is obvious as we have different races and 14 states where every state has its own specialities. The Malaysian food is so diverse and yummy that the main reason why I wouldn’t migrate to another country is because of the food here. Aside from the traditional sports like wau, gasing and sepak takraw, Malaysia takes part in popular sports such as bowling, badminton, football, hockey and squash. The world number one for badminton, Lee Chong Wei, is from Malaysia, so is the world number one for squash, Nicol David. Because of Malaysia’s location, it is free from natural disasters, the worst we experience is the annual flash floods during the monsoon seasons and also the earthquake tremors from neighbouring countries. Malaysia also has cheap petrol, which explains the number of cars people own here. Even though the government subsidises the cost of petrol here, we have the cheapest petrol rates in Asia. Malaysia may not be great, but Malaysia is my home, and thats more than enough of a reason to love it. Even if we can’t compare to other countries, â€Å"A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush†.

The Importance Of Developing Entrepreneurial Skills Commerce Essay

The Importance Of Developing Entrepreneurial Skills Commerce Essay The importance of the development of entrepreneurial skills by every graduate cannot be over-emphasized because gone are the days when jobs were available everywhere both in the private and public sector of the economy and employers go about looking for potential employees to employ. Indeed, in the past, it is the employers that go round universities in this country to hunt for potential employees. Then there were fewer universities and low university enrolment. But today, things have changed and very drastically too such that many graduates are now sellers of recharge cards and some work as bus conductors. What an economic tragedy and waste! The question of choice of job or employer is gradually being eroded each year. Many graduates are desperate to get any job to keep body and soul going. Indeed there is a paradigm shift in the labour market now. Even the professional disciplines are now fast getting into that problem of unemployment. Employment prospects for the youths are changing with a lot of increasing competition; the openings are equally limited. Also, employment in the public sector is also decreasing and job prospects are diminishing by the day. Added to this ugly situation are the increasing trend of job outsourcing, casualization of labour in the oil and gas industry and the increasing phenomenon of rightsizing of labour among big firms and corporations in the country. As a side effect, the figure of tertiary graduates who have not been able to secure the first employment since graduation for upward of five years is on the increase and even those with professional qualifications like MBA, ICAN, COREN, Medicine and Pharmacy are not spared from the ugly phenomenon. Others are paid peanuts if they are lucky to secure paid job. Some now fall back on their lower qualifications like WASC and OND to secure menial jobs. The recent economic meltdown also has made matters worse. Some companies are as a result operating below expected capacity. The current troubles in the financial sector, particularly the money and the capital markets and their subsequent effects on the economy, particularly on the real sector as well as the remedial efforts of the CBN are very visibly glaring, instructive and challenging. Nevertheless, entrepreneurship and indeed the need for developing the requisite entrepreneurial skills have been suggested to help redress the aforementioned problems by making people not only to be job creators but wealth creators (Midea, 2004 ; Izedonmi, 2009). According to Small Business Service (2005), the possession of entrepreneurial skills to create new knowledge based social enterprises is vital to addressing social and environmental issues effectively. Our nation cannot afford to toy with it. Our tertiary institutions must respond fast and positively towards entrepreneurship education. However, general business skills and general knowledge are considered insufficient to turn graduates into entrepreneurs (Kisby, 2004). Hence, the need to develop specific entrepreneurship skills cannot be overemphasized .This is because entrepreneurship has been vital to creating employment and therefore a special form of employability (Moreland, 2004). Both the government and the academia hav e been attracted to it. In particular, universities are re-designing their curricula and the ways they operate to create opportunities for the training of their students in practical entrepreneurial skills. Due to the way entrepreneurial programmes have assumed a global proliferation and dimension, it was suggested by Volkmann (2004) that it has become the major academic discipline for business education in the 21st century. I totally agree with him. Economic Growth And Entrepreneurship Recent Survey Report in 2008 by the Kauffman Foundation in connection with the relationship between economic growth and entrepreneurship found that all nations with high level of employment activities had above average rate of economic growth. What this translates into is that entrepreneurial deficient economy will have low growth while entrepreneurially good economy tends to enjoy good growth. Hence, Government has come to recognize the importance of entrepreneurship in economic development that entrepreneurial ventures have in-built capacity to promote employment and economic growth. Literature Review One of the first courses specifically addressing entrepreneurship was established at the Harvard Business School in 1947.In the U.K, the first courses in entrepreneurship were launched in the 1980s together with the UKs first initiative for enterprise in higher education (Elton, 1991, Kirby, 1989 2005, Volkmann, 2004). Along this line, Fry (1992) remarks that entrepreneurship has been one of the fastest growing disciplines in the U.S.A in the 1990s.By the turn of the 21st century, as many as 1600 universities in the North-America were offering courses in entrepreneurship compared to merely two dozens in the 1970s (Inegbenebor, 2005). The growth of entrepreneurship education and the subsequent inclusion into the curricula of universities in the United Kingdom has been attributed to the sheer need to serve the innovation need of businesses and to produce graduates with transferable skills for businesses. ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN NIGERIA According to Ekanem (2005), the history and development of entrepreneurship in Nigeria started in the 1960s as supported also by some of the earlier studies such as Schatz and Edokpayi (1962), Harris (1969), Olakanpo (1968) and Akeredolu-Ale (1972). Therefore, the concept of entrepreneurship development in Nigeria is not new. Since the 1970s, several government agencies and institutions in the country have been engaged in different aspects of fostering entrepreneurship in Nigeria, though with short-lived and varied successes. For instance, the Centre for Management Development (CMD), National Directorate of Employment (NDE), former Nigeria Industrial Development Bank (NIDB), Nigerian Bank for Commerce and Industry (NBCI), Nigeria Youth Service Corps (NYSC), among others had programmes for entrepreneurship development in Nigeria. Other entrepreneurial development agencies include government sponsored Entrepreneurial Development Programme (EDP). NGOs, Nigerian Employers Consultative As sociation (NECA).The vigor with which it was pursued then is a different issue for our assessment. If the proofs are available even the blind and deaf can feel it. Only fools dont proof. What Does Entrepreneurship Really Entail? Basically, what entrepreneurship entails includes: The building of skills in negotiation Building leadership skill New product development Creative and innovative thinking and Exposure to technological innovation, (Kuratko, 2003). It shows students and graduates how to believe and behave entrepreneurially. It encourages them to get involved in networking, create and manage businesses of their own and facilitate progress and success in entrepreneurial career. Entrepreneurship could satisfy status and social needs and leads to self-satisfaction and actualization. It can also meet the financial needs for the entrepreneurs and their families. In fact, entrepreneurship is a satisfying process even though it can be risky and may even lead to loss of wealth at times (Fry, 1992). Society-wise, entrepreneurship has made substantial impacts throughout history because of numerous inventions, massive job creations made through small and medium scale enterprises (SMES) in both developed and developing countries. DEFINITIONS OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP Various definitions have been given for entrepreneurship. For instance Inegbenebor and Igbinomwanhia (2008) say that: Entrepreneurship is the process of performing the roles of an entrepreneur. It has been defined as the process of planning, operating and assuming the risk of a business venture. It may also be defined as the process of creating a clique value of pulling together a unique package of resources to exploit an opportunity. Entrepreneurship encompasses various activities which are carried out to ensure the survival and growth of the business Inegbenebor (2006) defines it as: it is about bearing the skills needed to assume the risk of establishing a business. It is about developing the winning strategies and executing them with all vigour, persistence and passion needed to win any game Ekanem (2005): Entrepreneurship is the process of or capacity for organizing, operating and assuming risk for a business venture. It is dynamic risk-taking, creative and growth oriented behavior which involves the use of various resources to create wealth Ekwe (1992): observes that, Entrepreneurship involves the: ability to perceive profitable business opportunities. 2. willingness to act on what is perceived and 3. necessary organizing skills associated with a projects Fry (1992) says that Entrepreneurship involves action rather than static events. It involves taking action necessary to analyze opportunities to launch and/or grow business, to finance the venture and possibly even to invest the venture. Izedonmi (2009) placed entrepreneurship in a continuum form with economic entrepreneurship at the end of the continuum and social entrepreneurship at the other end. In between these you will find some varying characteristics of combinations. The process is also dynamic. In summary, the central issues in entrepreneurship involve uncertainty and risk-taking, innovation, perception and change. For instance, Drucker (1985) posits that innovation is the specification instrument of entrepreneurship. He argued further that the entrepreneurs must always change to respond to it, and exploit it as an opportunity. CHARACTERISTICS OF A DWINDLING ECONOMY The characteristics include: High unemployment rate High inflation rate Low average real income Low saving ratio or high consumption ratio Low levels of technology Low levels of productivity Low per capita income and downward trend of living High poverty rate of a large proportion of the population Low economic growth rate Poorly developed financial and stock markets High level corruption and instability and insecurity of lives and property Although the above factors and many others can be observed in a dwindling economy, they also provide good basis for entrepreneurial development. In fact, of these factors listed above, some can act as either pull or push entrepreneurial factors. Very often they provide good windows of opportunities for entrepreneurial-minded individuals. ROLES OF ENTRENEURSHIP IN REVIVING A DWINDLING SOCIETY Some of the roles include: Generating employment Increases productivity through innovation Facilitates the transfer/ adoption of technology Ensures increase resource utilization Stimulates growth in the supply market Renovates large scale enterprises and public enterprises Encourages and sustains economic dynamism that enables an economy to adjust successfully in a rapidly changing global economy. Linkage effects of various sections of the economy is facilitated Generate income and wealth occur faster Encourages training and development Ensures rapid development Develops indigenous entrepreneurship Provides a training ground for indigenous managers and semi-skilled workers Reduces rural-urban migration Constitutes a vital engine for economic growth development of a nation- increase GDP Skyrocketing of the emergence of SMES and Promotion of self-reliance and economic sustainability ELEMENTS OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP Entrepreneurship may involve the following elements IDEA GENERATION AND SCREENING This is actually the starting point of many new entrepreneurial ventures. Sources of ideas are many and varied. The sources notwithstanding, the would-be entrepreneur must cultivate the habit of documenting those ideas. It should be packaged in form of feasibility report, no matter what. STARTING A BUSINESS This could involve: a. Buying an existing business b. Starting from the scratch or start-up business c. Through Franchise d. By Inheritance CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION Innovation is the development and introduction of a new product, a new process, or a new service to a market. Creativity is the link between pure imagination and the introduction of an innovative product, process or service. Both are necessary ingredients for entrepreneurship. However, creativity is behind innovation. Creativity alone, does not define entrepreneurship. Creativity without innovation does not produce results. And innovation without effective management does not produce marketable products, processes or services. Although creativity and innovation are necessary ingredients, they are not sufficient of themselves to establish successful entrepreneurship (Fry, 1992, Izedonmi, 2009). There must be effective and efficient administrative structure on the ground and a healthy dose of management as well. 3. SEEKING FINANCING Financing could either be debt or equity financing, traditional or venture, internal or external capital. The would-be venture must consider financing the venture. Availability, cost and timeliness must be balanced. Starting small attracts small capital input. However, not all entrepreneurial ventures require start-up capital or equal amount either Creative financing is a basic tenet of entrepreneurship. A growth-oriented venture uses multiple sources of financing. You must be prepared to make your personal sacrifice in this respect. Too often, the banks will request to see your personal inputs in terms of financial commitment. Finance institutions only lend to ventures that have proven records, and history, and those ventures that are also promising economically. 4. ASSUMING RISK Every entrepreneur must assume one risk or the other. However, entrepreneurship is not necessarily risk-taking but risk-assuming. Corporate management deals in risk minimization, entrepreneurship deals in risk management. Corporate management too often generally tends to be risk-averse. They want to reduce risk to a minimum during production so as to be profitable. Entrepreneurship manages risk since it cannot be reduced significantly in entrepreneurial situations whether new or existing ventures. However, entrepreneurs are calculated risk-takers. Risk management involves the acknowledgement that risk exists and the actions that are taken to shift as much risk as possible to others and then control the remainder. Some risk Management ventures include Renting rather than owning equipment and facilities Using multiple sources of financing. Building an entrepreneurial team with distinctive skills. Undertaking multiple ventures simultaneously with varied degrees of risk. Committing a portion of the total resources to any one project. Assigning a team member the responsibility of monitoring short-term performance with the anticipation of cutting losses of early performance indicates unfavorable results. THE PULL AND PUSH ENTREPRENEURSHIP FACTORS There are various factors (negative or positive) which tend to provide the needed motivation in getting into entrepreneurship or becoming an entrepreneur. While the negative factors are called push factors; the positive factors are pull factors. Both factors provide the fundamental attraction either by necessity or by desire and opportunity into the entrepreneurial world. The push factors are: Unemployment / loss of job. Dissatisfaction with pay and job situation. Discrimination and victimization by boss in work place. Middle-age crises. Divorce / widowhood. Relocation. The positive pull factors are: Desire for independence. Desire for increase in wealth. Increased social status and prestige. Spouse support and motivation. Provision of market opportunity. Franchise. Provision of licenses by parent company. Favorable government policies etc. THE ENTREPRENEURSHIP DECISION The entrepreneurial motivation to launch a venture has been grouped into three variables (Fry, 1992) as: Antecedent variables. Triggering variables. Enabling variables. The antecedent factors They cause the individual to begin to consider the possibilities of entrepreneurship either consciously or unconsciously. This could take into consideration the variables listed below Creativity. Background. Personality. Past experience. Education. Current job. Triggering factors: These are the events or situations that specifically trigger the entrepreneurial act. They are salient life events may be quite personal , professional or for instance, financial changes in an entrepreneurs life that are perceived as very important to entrepreneurial decision may set off the alarm to take step .They involve: Loss of Job Invention or Idea Offer from partner Entrepreneurial motivation or willingness to start a venture (M) = Antecedent Variables (A) X Triggering Variables (T). The enabling factors These factors make the actual launching of the venture possible. They include opportunity and resources which are very critical to the successful launch of the venture. The likelihood of a venture launch is made up of these three factors combined. Our youths look outside instead of looking inward. Those who look inward first tend to travel faster on the outside. Several entrepreneurial opportunities exist in the environment. They need to look well to discover some opportunities. Our youths must be ready to start small, learn the ropes and grow up. Hard work, patience and deep commitment are necessary. ENTREPRENEURSHIP OPPORTUNITIES Entrepreneurship tends to be opportunity-driven rather than resource-driven. This is because that once opportunities are identified and properly evaluated resources are deployed to capture them. Opportunity creates or generates its kind of resources. There are thousands of opportunities available to would-be entrepreneurs who present high potential for wealth, growth, self-employment, independence, social status, and prestige. The would-be entrepreneur must conduct a thorough scanning and survey of the environment strategically. But if you do not have any readily available opportunity, you can creatively and innovatively come up with one. However, some of the sources of these opportunities could include: 1).Self-discovery 2).Improvement in the quality of existing product/ service. 3). Use of an existing product/service in an untapped market 4). Invention 5). Consultancy 6). Trade magazines, Journal and Business Newspapers 7). Societal needs 8). Survey of natural resources 9). Government Agencies 10) Research Institutes, Universities, e.t.c 11) Spin-off 12) Work experience 13) Hobby and Vocation ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS REQUIRED TO TRANSFORM CHALLENGES INTO OPPORTUNITIES GENERAL BUSINESS SKILLS Entrepreneurial skills of successful entrepreneurs include: Sales and Marketing skills Financial Know-how skills Self-motivation skill Time management skill Administrative skill Sales and marketing skills To get the right customers and subsequently make target revenues and profits Include communication skills Financial know-how skills To know how to handle money well. After all, not everybody can effectively manage money. Source and manage funds and cash flows Self-motivation skills Internal locus of control Self-starter with a clear desired goal in mind Confidence in yourself and in your ideas Diligent and hardworking Extra drive and commitment to set goals Time management skills Time is money Time is life Entrepreneurship opportunity has time-limit Time management is very important for business success Self-management is very critical for effective time management TYPES OF BUSINESSES AND TIME MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES Have a time table, schedule of activities to be done Employ delegation freely without fear Determine priorities into urgent and important activities as: -Urgent activities demand immediate attention -Urgent but not important activities Not urgent but important activities Not urgent; not important Give priority to (i) and (iii) because by performing them, time is reduced for activities (ii) and (iii) Manage meetings and relationship with others Administrative skills Organizing, coordinating, directing, planning and general management, etc. B). TECHNICAL, ANALYTICAL AND HUMAN RELATION SKILLS Entrepreneurs are expected ordinarily to be sound by training normally technically skilled. They must also develop and possess conceptual, analytical and human relation skills to be successful. Others are business planning, idea creation, negotiation, risk analysis and management skills etc. C). ICT SKILLS They must also have computer and information Technology (CIT) skills because of the era we are and the environment they will have to operate. ENTREPRENEURSHIP OPPORTUNITY AND SKILLS S/N ENTREPRENEURSHIP OPPORTUNITY SKILLS AND ATTITUDES 1. Business/consultancy in area of professional specialization or working as a contractor General Business skills such as marketing, time management e.t.c Confidence enthusiasm, hardworking 2. Sonet Entrepreneurship Idea development, leadership, negotiation, planning, organizing, self belief, confidence General business skill 3. Intrapreneurship Idea development recognizing opportunities for improvements Alliance building, confidence, leadership 4. Non-traditional specialist business General Business Idea development, creativity, confidence Willingness to work hard 5. General Business Ventures Ideas development, creativity, confidence, willingness to work hard General Business skill Source: Andrea: Developing Entrepreneurship skills in the context of higher education. DEVELOPMENT OF ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS These could be through: Attending Entrepreneurial training classes, development programme, seminars, workshops, etc. Universities Job rotation Special (intensive) training Article ship or apprenticeship Organizational learning R D Institution Consultants National and international agencies and bodies NGOs Professional bodies ENTREPRENEURIAL SUCCESS FACTORS Successful entrepreneuring depends on four (4) major factors namely: Knowledge Hard work Skills Attitude(character/ integrity) Lifematics Question Created by (Izedonmi, 2010) Now let us work out this lifematics question together. There are basically four (4) attributes or factors that can enhance our success in life viz: Skills, Knowledge, Hard work and character (Attitude). They are all essential to ingredients of entrepreneurial success. How much does each contribute? Which of these is superior and why? For easy understanding, let us replace character with attitude. Solution Our current roman alphabets are made up of A B C D E F G H I J K L M 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 The alphabets together with their numerical values are stated above. Let us take each attribute one after the other and link up the corresponding numerical value. Start with skill, then knowledge follow this with hard work and finally character but remember to substitute attitude for character. Let us replace numeric value to each alphabet and see their results as indicated below: (i) S K I L L S 19 + 11 + 9 + 12 + 12 + 19 = 82% (ii) K N O W L E D G E 11 + 14 + 15 + 23 + 12 + 5 + 4 + 7 + 5 = 96 % (iii) H A R D W O R K 8 + 1 + 18 + 4 + 23 + 15 + 18 + 11 = 98 % (iv) A T T I T U D E 1 + 20 + 20 + 9 + 20 + 21 + 4 + 5 = 100 % Solution Skills secure only 82 %, Knowledge 96 %, hard work 98 % and Attitude 100 % in that order. Only Attitude which I equate to character for this purpose secures 100 % success in the race of high profile entrepreneurship. Conclusion I must admit that professional certification is good but character is a lot better. Character is the true collateral security of our values, learning and entrepreneurial success. It keeps the society and system going. It prevents a nation from decaying and checkmates unnecessary crisis and even civil war. Therefore in all our entrepreneurial pursuit, character development should be given a prominent place. When character breaks down everything breaks down. True certification in life is only evidenced by character and not papers called certificates or entrepreneurial success alone or quantity of wealth.

How To Pitch :: essays research papers

The most important part of being a good pitcher is throwing strikes. With out that you will not be able to get hitters out and you will walk everyone. To throw strikes you have to have a good wind up and delivery. After you have your fastball mastered you can begin to throw different pitches such as a curveball, change up, or slider. The first thing that you have to do in your wind up is to step back with your right foot behind the rubber. Second you have to swing you right foot up and balance on your left foot. Finally you have to push your left foot off of the mound while balancing and throw the ball towards the plate. After you throw the ball you have to be in a fielder’s position in case the ball is thrown hit back at you.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The most common off speed pitch is a curve ball because it has a lot of movement if it is thrown correctly. To throw this pitch you use the same wind up but when you get to the point of throwing the ball, instead of throwing it regularly you snap your wrist to make the ball spin. In order to get a lot of movement you have to throw the ball with a little bit less velocity. It is important to be able to throw a curve ball while pitching.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another good pitch is a change up. This pitch is simple to throw because it is similar to a fastball but it is only thrown slower. While throwing this pitch the wind up is the same but you throw the ball a little bit slower. This is to get the hitter off balance and not hit the ball on the barrel of the bat.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The third pitch is the slider. It is similar to a curve ball but it is thrown harder. It does not move as much but it does not allow the hitter to recognize the movement. How To Pitch :: essays research papers The most important part of being a good pitcher is throwing strikes. With out that you will not be able to get hitters out and you will walk everyone. To throw strikes you have to have a good wind up and delivery. After you have your fastball mastered you can begin to throw different pitches such as a curveball, change up, or slider. The first thing that you have to do in your wind up is to step back with your right foot behind the rubber. Second you have to swing you right foot up and balance on your left foot. Finally you have to push your left foot off of the mound while balancing and throw the ball towards the plate. After you throw the ball you have to be in a fielder’s position in case the ball is thrown hit back at you.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The most common off speed pitch is a curve ball because it has a lot of movement if it is thrown correctly. To throw this pitch you use the same wind up but when you get to the point of throwing the ball, instead of throwing it regularly you snap your wrist to make the ball spin. In order to get a lot of movement you have to throw the ball with a little bit less velocity. It is important to be able to throw a curve ball while pitching.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another good pitch is a change up. This pitch is simple to throw because it is similar to a fastball but it is only thrown slower. While throwing this pitch the wind up is the same but you throw the ball a little bit slower. This is to get the hitter off balance and not hit the ball on the barrel of the bat.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The third pitch is the slider. It is similar to a curve ball but it is thrown harder. It does not move as much but it does not allow the hitter to recognize the movement.

Discuss the Differences Between Beatrice and Hero Essay

Shakespeare’s play ? Much Ado about Nothing’ has two main female characters, Beatrice and Hero, who are cousins. Both appear to be completely different in the beginning of the play but, as things progress and their characters develop, there are also some very obvious similarities between them. Hero and Beatrice have a very close relationship; they are best friends. Leonato is Hero’s father but Beatrice has no parents, which gives her greater freedom. Where Hero is polite, quiet, respectful and gentle, Beatrice is feisty, cynical, witty, and sharp. Shakespeare uses quite a lot of literary devices and techniques to present the characters of Hero and Beatrice in a way that lets the audience easily compare and contrast them. For example, in the characterisation of Hero and Beatrice, the dialogue used ? what they say, how they say it, what other characters say about them and Hero’s silence are all very important in revealing their characters; in a similar way, their actions ? what the characters do, and their inaction contrasts and creates significant difference between them, bringing each one’s personality. In addition, Shakespeare’s constant use of dramatic irony, exaggeration and contrasting plots, themes and structure all combine in his presentation of the two. At the start of the play Hero is presented as a typical woman of the time, modest and demure ? she says little. In fact, Shakespeare’s first words describing Hero, ? Is she not a modest young lady’ announce her essential qualities of modesty and decorum. In this period, these were vital qualities to have in a wife and Hero possessed them, unlike Beatrice. By contrast, Shakespeare portrays Beatrice as an untypical woman, being outspoken, independent, witty and unconventional ?she is always participating in the conversation even with the men (especially Benedick), which Hero never does. A prime example of this in Act 1 is when Beatrice asks the messenger about Benedick, (a lord, and soldier from Padua) in an offensive way: â€Å"I pray you, is Signor Mountanto returned from the wars or no? † This is part of her â€Å"merry war† with Benedick. Beatrice appears to loathe Benedick and vice versa; they engage in many â€Å"skirmishes of wit. † However, although Beatrice appears hardened and sharp, she is vulnerable, for she loves Benedick. She is disguising her feelings for Benedick by calling him names and disguise is a major theme in this play. Beatrice’s vulnerability is an important point of comparison with Hero, as she is also vulnerable, as we see later in the play. In contrast to her talkative cousin, Hero speaks only once in Act 1 ? in the presence of Beatrice, her father and the messenger, â€Å"My cousin means Signor Benedick of Padua† she says, to explain Beatrice’s jibe. Similarly, in comparing wooing, wedding and repenting to three types of dancing Beatrice describes them as a â€Å"Scotch jig, a measure, and a cinquepace. † This dance image is an inventive one and dance, music, and song are key themes in this play. Here Shakespeare is using an extended metaphor to portray Beatrice’s anti-matrimonial feelings. Of course, these feelings are not genuine. As we see throughout, disguise is one of the key themes in the play and Shakespeare makes it clear that Beatrice is disguising her true feelings, for she admits to Don Pedro that Benedick once â€Å"lent her his heart awhile but won her heart with false dice†. She and Benedick obviously have had a relationship in the past ? one that they would both like to resume. In Act 3, in the absence of men, Shakespeare develops Hero’s character. She is decisive in Scene One and commanding, â€Å"Good Margaret, run thee to the parlour† she orders. We witness a development in Hero’s character; she is dominant and authoritative; she initiates and organises the plot to gull Beatrice, the second benevolent plot in the play. For the first time in the play, Shakespeare also provides Hero with a poetic image, â€Å"Forbid the sun to enter ? like favourites, Made proud princes that advance their pride. † And we see that Hero is clever enough to denigrate Beatrice, â€Å"Of the false sweet bait that we lay for it. † in order to make Beatrice believe that they do not know she’s listening, otherwise they would not discuss her faults. Although Beatrice is intelligent, Shakespeare makes her gullible when she overhears Hero and Ursula discussing Benedick and Beatrice’s relationship. We see that Beatrice does have a softer side, â€Å"Benedick, love on; I will requite thee, Taming my wild heart to thy loving hand. † Enhancing the romance in the play and signifying a transformation in Beatrice. Indeed by the end of Act 3 scene 1, Beatrice and Hero are showing certain similarities. They are now both in love and as we see in Act 3 Scene 4, Beatrice has become quieter and more serious. During the scene of the morning of Hero’s wedding, Shakespeare reveals that Hero is having premonitions, more development of her character. â€Å"God give me joy to wear it for my heart is exceedingly heavy† she states. This is dramatic irony because she feels the wedding may go wrong but it is really a reminder to the audience of Claudio’s intentions to humiliate Hero in the next scene. The audience also find out that Beatrice is lovesick, Hero asks: â€Å"Do you speak in the sick tune? † Beatrice is subdued and Margaret also fills in the comic space and provides the wit by making jokes at Beatrice’s expense. â€Å"God send everyone their heart’s desire! † she says, implying she knows what Beatrice’s heart desires. Margaret makes obscure references to Beatrice’s new mood, saying she should take some â€Å"Carduus Benedictus† for her illness. Shakespeare has developed contrasts between Hero and Beatrice in the way that their relationship with men is presented, particularly the men that they love. Hero and Claudio are the sweet innocent â€Å"young lovers. † Their marriage is arranged by the Prince and Leonato and Claudio is given Hero. On the other hand, Beatrice and Benedick are comedy-makers and Beatrice is not ruled by her father as Hero clearly is. It does take Don Pedro’s benevolent plot to bring Benedick and Beatrice together, however. A modern audience would prefer Beatrice to Hero as she is her own self and admirable. The relationships also differ because Benedick and Beatrice’s relationship slowly grew whereas Claudio and Hero’s relationship was love at first sight. Perhaps it was a little hasty as we see in Act 4 how their love turns sour. Beatrice and Hero are both wonderful and intriguing characters. They develop in interesting ways and they represent two extremely different views of society and what it was like to be a woman in those patriarchal times. Personally, I find Beatrice the more interesting character of the two women; she is more active and has a fuller character which lets you speculate about her whereas this isn’t possible with Hero because her character is so bland. Beatrice’s character is also more entertaining and she stimulates feelings out of the reader, making you like or dislike her and the way she acts and again this isn’t as possible for Hero because her character is so featureless.

Compare Wal-Mart Essay

1.Compare Wal-Mart. com with Amazon.com. What features do the sites have in common? Which are unique to Wal-Mart? To Amazon.com? Walmart.com and amazon.com have a lot of similarities. Some of the common features between the two include setting up a user account, they both have the shopping cart feature, both these websites have the search bar at the top of the page, they both allow you to sort through products based on price, popularity, relevance, customer review, they both show you a list of items viewed that matched what you searched for, they both have a gift registry, purchases made on the Wal-Mart can either be shipped to your home or to a nearest store either by Wal-mart or by a third party vendor from the marketplace. Amazon too has tie ups with a number of vendors all over the world that you can buy from. Both websites graphically display user reviews for each item. Both websites allow you to track your order. Both sites have the deals of the day. Amazon’s is called today’s deal and Wal-Mart’s is called value of the day. The only thing I found unique about Wal-Mart’s website is that it has a button on the top of the page called ‘weekly ad’ that displays little coupons that users can redeem. Amazon does not have this feature. Another difference between the two websites is their return policy. Wal-Mart has a 90 day return policy whereas Amazon has a 30 day return policy. 2.Will Wal-Mart become the dominant e-tailer in the world, replacing Amazon.com, or will Amazon.com dominate Wal-Mart online? What factors would con- tribute to Wal-Mart’s success in the online market place? What factors would detract from its ability to dominate online sales the way it has been able to dominate physical retail sales in many markets? Currently, Amazon.com offers a much larger and more varied inventory as well as a variety of features and benefits that Walmart.com is unable to match. While Walmart’s retail stores have a huge customer base, many of whom will turn to Walmart.com for convenience, Walmart.com’s inventory is mostly composed only of products that are available in Walmart stores. Meanwhile, Amazon has a vast array of products in virtually every category imaginable, from all over the world. In addition, Amazon has many used items that are available for lower prices, as well as rare, vintage, and antique items that are not part of Walmart’s stock. Amazon also offers an online â€Å"marketplace,† where shoppers can connect with sellers anywhere in the world, compare products  and prices, and sometimes even negotiate with sellers. Much of Walmart’s dominance in the physical retail market is due to its business model of buying in such large bulk quantities that it can offer lower prices to customers, as well as being a one-stop shopping destination; however, because Amazon customers have the ability to comparison shop between Amazon sellers, and because Amazon is able to offer a much larger variety of products, both of Walmart’s advantages are negated. Therefore, it is very unlikely that Walmart.com will ever be able to replace Amazon. 3.Check the shopping aids offered at Wal-Mart. com. compare them with those at Amazon. com. Walmart.com has a searchable database as well as categories that allow customers to browse through their available products. Search results can be sorted by relevance, price, customer rating, best-selling, etc. Customers can create profiles that store their shipping and billing info for convenience, as well as previous order information. Orders can be tracked online. Customers who search for items at Walmart.com are also offered recommendations for other products that might also interest them. Gift cards can be purchase online, and gift card balances can be checked. Walmart.com also offers wedding and baby registry services, as well as a â€Å"Wish List† that can be viewed by others. A â€Å"Value of the Day† is offered to showcase items that are on sale for even lower prices. Free shipping is often available on select purchases. All of these shopping aids are comparable to those on Amazon.com. Walmart.com does offer one shopping aid that Amazon does not have; many items can be shipped to the customer’s nearest Walmart store for free, which can lead to significant savings. 4.What online services can be purchased on Walmart.com? Walmart.com offers the following services online: †¢Ã¢â‚¬ Straight Talk No-Contract Phones,† where customers can purchase a pre-paid phone, have it delivered to their address, and activated online or over the phone; †¢Same-Day Photo Pickup,† which allows customers to upload digital photos to Walmart.com, which can then be transferred onto photo prints, mugs, cards, calendars, etc., or even onto posters or faux canvases. Most of these products can then be picked up at the customer’s local store that same day; †¢Ã¢â‚¬ Contact Lenses at Walmart,† which allows customers to enter  their prescription contact lens information and order a variety of brand-name contact lenses at bargain prices; †¢Ã¢â‚¬ Enroll in a Medicare Part D Plan,† a service which helps eligible applicants apply for Medicare, as well as receive discounts at Walmart’s pharmacy; †¢Ã¢â‚¬ Walmart MoneyCenter,† which provides a variety of financial services online, including credit cards, pre-paid deb it cards, money transfers, tax preparation services, and Bluebird, a â€Å"debit and checking alternative† sponsored by American Express that offers many of the same services as traditional banks. In addition, the Walmart Pharmacy offers many services online, including prescription refills and delivery. Walmart also has a Wellness Center that offers health tips and tools online.