Marketing Project Guideline free essay sample

It is essential that all members of the team co-operate and that no member is a ‘passenger’. During the final Tutorial, members of each team will be required to provide the lecturer with confidential ‘peer group evaluations’ on other members of the team. These will be taken into account in awarding the mark for the project to each team member. Students should maintain close communications with other project team members throughout the semester. It is imperative that students collect team member contact details in the first lecture, as the lecturer may not able to provide this information to students. A major problem can occur with project team dynamics if students choose to withdraw from the subject once teams are settled and tasks have been distributed. Students intending to withdraw from the subject must immediately inform their project team members and the tutor/lecturer. The written report must be equivalent in quality to a report a consultant would typically submit to a client. We will write a custom essay sample on Marketing Project Guideline or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The report must be perfect in terms of spelling, punctuation, grammar, page numbering, referencing, footnoting and appropriate use of appendices. Imperfections will count against marks awarded for the project. The body of the report should contain the groups major findings and conclusions from their research of the market, the competitors and the companys capabilities (Situation Analysis), followed by a detailed SWOT Analysis, Evaluation of Alternative Strategies and final recommended Marketing Strategy expressed in detail. It is recognised that research about the target market will largely consist of secondary data gathered from published sources. The mechanism to overcome any information difficulties is to make planning assumptions, and note in a Market Research brief the market research that will be required to provide the information. The detailed research material supporting the major findings in the Situation Analysis, and any Market Research briefs, should be included in an Appendix to the report. Reports will be assessed on the quality of the research and conclusions drawn, and the understanding of marketing strategy and planning demonstrated in the preparation of the plan. The Marketing Project is essentially the development of a marketing plan for a Chinese company. Project teams will be expected to find and work with a Chinese company to develop this plan. Generally high quality interaction and co-operation between the company and the project team should lead to a higher quality final report. However, students should be aware that many of the contacts in their chosen companies will have very limited time. This means that the project team must demonstrate that their project will add value to the company and that the contacts expenditure of time with the team will be worthwhile. Interviews with contacts in companies may have to be supplemented with clearly written faxes, letters or e-mails to request further information and clarification. 4. PROJECT DEADLINES This section outlines the key project deadlines and deliverables. The overall Marketing Plan Format is outlined in Section 6. Elements of the Marketing Plan to be completed for the Progress Report are described in more detail in Section 5. The Final Report details are covered in Section 7. Key deadlines for the project are: i) One page Project Proposal to be submitted in class in 2th week for approval by the tutor (ii) Progress Report to be submitted in class in 5th week. (iii) Final Project Report to be submitted in class in 8th week. (i) Project Proposal The Proposal must contain the following: †¢ Company name †¢ Product or Service description †¢ Target market to which product or service will be marketed, and the opportunity for the company as you see it at this early stage †¢ Comp any contacts †¢ Team members, with co-ordinator nominated. Teams should only go ahead with the project after approval. They should immediately notify their tutor if there are any alterations to their proposal once the project is underway. Should there be a change in the company involved, a new Project Proposal must be submitted to the tutor. Undertaking an assignment where the project is not approved will result in failure of this component of the subject. (ii) Progress Report Undertaking a complete Progress Report is a critical factor in producing a successful Final Report. The Progress Report should be of a high standard and must include the following: †¢ Copy of Project Proposal Situation Analysis †¢ SWOT Analysis †¢ Evaluation of Alternative Marketing Strategies †¢ Summary of preferred strategy and preliminary financial outcome †¢ Progress record of contacts and activities †¢ A project planning chart with timeline forecasts for activities to be completed as part of the project. NOTE: The Situation Analysis, SWOT Analysis and Evaluation of Alternative Marketing Strate gies sections of the Progress Report will be included in the Final Report after review and revisions. (iii) Final Report (dueTutorial 8) The Final Report must be of ‘consultant’ quality, at the highest standard in terms of spellchecking, grammar, paging and referencing. As a guide the report should around 25 pages (exclusive of appendices), and should follow the format shown in Section 5. For assessment, students must submit one written copy of the Final Report in class in week 8. Reports must also be submitted electronically, and students should note that these may be subjected to a plagiarism check using plagiarism-detecting software (see Section 6 of the Subject Outline: Statement On Plagiarism for an explanation of plagiarism). Situation Analysis i. Business Environment This section is concerned with external environment factors that are likely to impact on your company and its marketing strategy for the product or service selected. You will need to identify and discuss the changes, trends, developments and key uncertainties in the business environment that are likely to affect the company. Factors th at you should examine in this section include: economic conditions in the target market selected, and likely future trends †¢ social and cultural factors and any changes or trends emerging that could affect your product or service †¢ technological factors and likely innovations that could affect your product or service †¢ political or legal factors affecting, or likely to affect, the company, the industry/product/service, marketing activities or customers †¢ infrastructure eg ports, rail and road network, telecommunications, media and information technology environment etc †¢ demographic trends The above list is not exhaustive. The textbook should be consulted for other areas you should consider. Most of the information required should be able to be obtained by desk research (using secondary data sources). It is recognised that in some instances you will be unable to obtain the necessary information (but you should identify where further market research is required). Tables or graphs should be used eg to show key economic indicators, demographic statistics etc. All information sources must be disclosed and referenced in this section. See Section 11 of the Subject Outline for an explanation of plagiarism). This section should NOT be a compilation of every fact that you can find out about the business environment in the market. The objective is identify the key forces and trends likely to impact on your company and the marketing opportunity you have identified. Conclusions must be drawn to show the relevance of the information to the marketing plan. It is from this analysis o f the external business environment that the Opportunities and Threats should emerge when subsequently carrying out the SWOT Analysis. ii. Market Analysis In this section you need to demonstrate an understanding of the target country market, and consumer and customer needs in that market. As a guide, you should at least discuss: †¢ †¢ Definition of the market in which you will be competing †¢ †¢ Market size and outlook for the product/service in the target market (ie current size of market [units and values] and likely future trends) †¢ †¢ Market characteristics, including: distribution channels for the product or service category prices and pricing practices affecting the category †¢ †¢ Target market behaviour, including: market segmentation (ie how the market is typically segmented) potential target market segment(s) for the product/service consumer/customer characteristics (eg demographics, geographic, preferences) consumer/customer purchasing behaviour. Generally the best final reports will have detailed market analyses and forecasts (either through research or through es timation) and comprehensive sections on market characteristics, trends and target market behaviour. Some market research (especially of customers and distributors) required to complete this section may be difficult to obtain. If this information is not readily available then your team may note that further research may be required, and attach a Market Research brief as an Appendix. iii. Competitor Analysis †¢ The purpose of this section is to develop an understanding of the competitive environment in which the organisation will operate in the foreign market.. †¢ The ideal competitor analysis section should take the accurate market size (in terms of units and values) and further break it down by competitor market shares, with a commentary on each of the key existing and potential competitors. You should attempt to make a profile of each of the major competitors, so as to assess their products, market share and coverage, as well as their strategy. In looking at competitors you should be trying to identify whether their current skills and assets provide them with some sustainable competitive advantage that you will need to try to neutralise, or opportunities on which you may be able to capitalise, in developing your marketing strategy. The competitor analysis should provide a major input to the Strengths and Weaknesses component of the SWOT Analysis (which assesses your companys assets and skills relative to your competitors). iv. Organisation Assets and Skills Analysis of the companys skills and assets are vital to the SWOT analysis, marketing plan and development of a SCA (sustainable competitive advantage). You should critically look at the companys skills and assets and consider how appropriate they are for the target market you plan to enter. The analysis should consider and discuss the following, where relevant: †¢ †¢ technical/production capabilities, production capacity and resources (including research and development capabilities and facilities, especially where continuing technology development is critical to maintain SCA), †¢ †¢ relationships with distributors (including channels typically used and margins) †¢ †¢ existing supplier or key customer relationships †¢ †¢ market shares, profit margins, cost structures for domestic and other existing export country markets †¢ †¢ company profile and financial capability †¢ company business philosophy and culture. The objective is to understand what the firm is good at, and what shortcomings or limitations might require skills or capabilities to be developed in order to enter the target market chosen. This section must include an Organisation Chart. 5. 2 SWOT Analysis You will need to undertake a Strengths and Weaknesse s analysis of the company (in comparison to competitors or its ability to compete), and a separate analysis of Opportunities and Threats in the marketplace. This analysis should be a culmination of the analysis you have undertaken in the Situation, Market, Competitor and Organisation Assets and Skills Sections, and should be drawn from these sections. You should not introduce significant new information or facts in a SWOT analysis that has not been evaluated earlier in the report. New information introduced into the SWOT without explanation will be contradictory or confusing when viewed against your earlier analysis. After you have completed the SWOT analysis, there is a need to come to conclusions about where the firms situation lies in the spectrum of . These conclusions must be written up in an ‘Implications of SWOT Analysis’ summary at the end of the SWOT, and should focus on the positive aspects ie the opportunity for the company, or remedial action required to create the opportunity, that arises out of the analysis. 5. 3 Evaluation of Alternative Marketing Strategies This is the section in the Progress Report and Final Report that will clearly demonstrate your teams knowledge of marketing concepts and ability to apply them in a marketing context. You must complete a brief but effective evaluation of alternative marketing strategies open to the company in the following areas: †¢ †¢ Target market selection, positioning and marketing mix options The Marketing textbook provides a useful guide to this evaluation process. i. Alternative Target Market, Positioning and Marketing Mix Strategies it is necessary to identify several potential market segments (target markets) in the market and consider how they might be serviced with appropriate marketing mix strategies. This does not require a lot of detail, but you must show your teams understanding of the concepts involved and your ability to think through and express marketing strategy options. You should reduce the options down to a number that would be realistically implementable by your firm. As a guide you should consider at least or two or three alternative target markets (including your preferred option). In examining these alternative strategies, you must: 1. Identify potential target market segments in the market. 2. Outline possible positioning strategies for each of these target markets, and link them to brief alternative marketing mix strategies, covering product, price, distribution and promotion 3. Indicate your preferred strategy, and why. This section should NOT be merely a write-up of the companys preferred marketing strategy without reference to alternative marketing strategies. ii. Preferred Strategy In about one half to one page (maximum) you should now pull together and write up a summary of your recommended marketing strategy (ie target market, positioning and marketing mix) for the market.. A preliminary financial outcome for the preferred strategy MUST also be included here, showing sales, profit margin and market share that you believe might be achievable in the launch year of your strategy, subject to a much more rigorous and detailed analysis that you will provide later in the Final Report under Section 8, Economic Evaluation. This summary will be the springboard for writing the detailed Strategy section of your Final Report.

A Project Management Overview of the Xp Software Development Methodology Essays

A Project Management Overview of the Xp Software Development Methodology Essays A Project Management Overview of the Xp Software Development Methodology Paper A Project Management Overview of the Xp Software Development Methodology Paper A Project Management Overview of XP Software Development Methodology This paper will discuss at a high-level how software development projects are run when implementing the extreme programming (XP) methodology, and explain during which step, XP covers the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) process groups, and management knowledge areas (MKA) [9]. After the XP process is discussed, XP’s unique way of developing code, its documentation management, and user-centric approach are explained. Since XP is written as being easy to implement, a short discussion of where the real work occurs is included, then guidance on what types projects it is best to implement XP. A brief overview of agile methodologies (AM), of which XP is but one, is included first. Agile Methodologies The characteristics of AM are that they the value â€Å"(a) individuals and interaction over processes and tools, (b) working software over comprehensive documentation, (c) customer collaboration over contract negotiation, and (d) responding to change over following a plan†[1]. AM concentrate on developing functionality over managing the development of functionality. The management of traditional software projects favors a well-planned approach – typically called the â€Å"waterfall approach† – documenting all project details before development starts. AM advocates creating a high level design of the whole system, then working on functionality in ascending order from highest to lowest in customer perceived business value. All AM assume requirements will change constantly so shorter development cycles are instituted to accommodate for the new or changed requirements. AM also assume close contact with the business (for the purposes of this paper, business, client, user are used interchangeably) to answer any questions, and help resolve issues related to design, cost, and scheduling. XP Step One – The Planning Game The first step of an XP project encapsulates the PMI Initiating and Planning processes and is called the planning game. The planning game is a meeting in which desired functionality is discussed and analyzed via the creation of user stories [1]. Participants are users, project and development managers, architects, and developers. Other stakeholders, from the business or development side who can add value to the design of the functionality of the proposed system, are included when needed [3]. After business prioritizes the user stories, development estimates how many top priority user stories can be achieved within the first iteration/coding cycle (iteration velocity [5]). This process continues until all user stories are planned for in subsequent iterations, thus creating the project plan. At the beginning of each iteration, another planning game is instituted to get the detailed functionality for each user story to be implemented [5]. This set of user stories/requirements does not change during the iteration. PMI MKAs touched on during the planning games are scope, time, cost, quality, communication, and risk. Time, scope, and cost are documented as an outcome of deciding what user stories are to be solved and when, and how much it will cost for each story. Quality is documented as an outcome through the creation of acceptance tests with measure(s) of quality built in to each test. True XP projects have at least one business representative sitting with the development team which aids in addressing most communication issues. Risk management is thought through in the game and if needed, a spike solution is explored to determine how risky a certain technical aspect of the user story is [4]. A spike solution is a coding effort that is worked on just enough until a high-level design of the potential risk can be foreseen. XP Step Two – Code Iteration Each coding iteration is at most three weeks long. This is when the PMI Execution process occurs via iteration tracking and daily meetings. The daily meetings are called ‘stand-up meetings’ and everyone stands in a circle. They include people working directly on code and the project manager only. The set agenda for each meeting covers what was completed since the last meeting, what is scheduled for the day, and what problems are anticipated so others can offer guidance. Iteration tracking consists of teams reporting on which tasks leading up to a certain piece of functionality have been completed. The team decides to report task completion on a daily, twice a week, or weekly basis [7]. XP Steps Three and Four – Testing Closing Business and development will create acceptance tests for each user story which the programmers (or the test team) will test on a daily basis with each code drop [6]. This is when the PMI Monitoring and Controlling process occurs, and is carried out by passing unit and acceptance tests before a piece of functionality is considered complete. Unit tests are created and run by each developer making sure no errors will be found during the acceptance tests. Acceptance tests show the user that each story’s functionality was developed correctly and meets agreed upon measures of quality. During closing and for proper hand off to the maintenance team, user stories are put in proper order. Then the final high-level architecture and any special design, or code related considerations are documented. Remember, at the end of each iteration, all new features work. It is up to the user when to deploy them. The creation of and carrying out of the unit and acceptance tests is how XP addresses the PMI Quality MKA. The PMI Communication MKA is touched on during the first planning game, stand-up meetings and as a natural outcome of pair programming. Coding in XP – Pair Programming Pair programming is intended to improve communication throughout the development team, develop collective code ownership, and improve maintainability [3]. The main challenge to pair programming is convincing programmers who typically work alone, to work with others on a rotating basis [3]. Some like the social interaction and skill improvement, while others find it difficult to work with other peoples’ styles and see it as a threat to their positions [3]. Documentation in XP – Output of Each Step XP views documentation during the normal plan-driven method as duplicating effort. With the short development cycle in XP, documentation slows the process down. In XP, all decisions are documented as the output of each step in the process and in coordination with the user. For instance, design documentation is in the user stories, which are created with the user, and with all subsequent design decisions written as notes attached to the story [8]. If a user requires documentation produced as an output of the process, that request goes through the same process as a feature request, in a planning game with development estimating effort/cost, and the user deciding if it is truly worth the time and effort. The main point with AM in general and XP in particular, is that â€Å"face-to-face communication, interaction, and the sharing of ideas eliminates the need for documentation that is required for the traditional models† [1, 8]. XP Is User-Centric The user is in control of the process and cost when XP is used, as she decides what goes into each iteration, and how often she wants to see a working version [2]. At the end of an iteration, acceptance tests are run and the user decides if the functionality is acceptable or not. If not, then additional work is documented in the user story and it is scheduled for another iteration. It is added in the next iteration if the user decides it is absolutely mandatory. At the beginning of each iteration, the user is queried again to make sure the functionality about to be developed is what is indeed expected. Since the user is in control of what work is scheduled for each iteration, she is in control of the cost as well. XP – Is It Really That Easy? So, where is the ‘real’ work in XP? The following paragraph is this author’s opinion, based on experience. The planning games can be recipes for disaster. Requiring many people with such diverse backgrounds and experience to agree on many points in a short period of time could be daunting. Keeping people on track and not completely designing each piece of functionality is a hard thing to do as well. One of the key points in the games to remember is that developers need to know what are the requirements, i. e. what will make the user ‘happy’, for each piece of functionality, not jump ahead to what the final technical design will be. Since the user is integral to the creation of user stories and acceptance tests, it takes time, most likely the project manager’s or business analyst’s, to coach the user to proficiency in these matters. Convincing the user to accept shorter development cycles with less functionality can seem counter-intuitive to a person or business used to receiving the whole product delivered at once. For instance, the amount of time needed to develop all functionality on one web page, might require more than one iteration. The user is then tasked with deciding which functionality is enough for that web page to be useful. This is potentially disastrous as the user is actually being asked to OK less functionality – for the short-term – than desired. Daily stand-up meetings are held to figure out which problems need to be resolved quickly before they slow the process down. Running the daily stand-up meeting on a daily/weekly basis requires strong leadership, quality decision-making skills, and resolve. It also must be stated that a three week cycle is for coding only. Meaning planning games, user-run acceptance tests, and code migration to production server need to be incorporated in to the schedule. Documentation is handled in a completely different way than traditional methods with direct communication favored over change requests, addendums to design documentation, etc. It is easy for a programmer to forget to document a verbal decision with the user in code comments, or by updating a user story. XP – When to Use It? The final point to be made in this discussion is when to use the XP method. As with all AM, XP is best suited for projects with a tight schedule, uncertain requirements, a high degree of change, and significant risk [1]. Traditional plan driven projects are best suited for projects where â€Å"(a) Requirements are well understood, [and] (b) Frequent maintenance is expected in the future† [1]. Since XP is user-centric, it requires a technologically advanced customer and one comfortable with the software development lifecycle and processes. The customer should also be able to work effectively with the development team during planning games, as well as comfortable working with developers to resolve any questions or problems during each iteration. References: [1] V. Guntamukkala, J. H. Wen, M. J. Tarn (2006). An empirical study of selecting software development life cycle models. Human Systems Management 25, 265-278 [2] Cusumano, M. A. (2007). Technology Strategy and Management Extreme Programming Compared with Microsoft-Style Iterative Development. Communications of the ACM. 50 (10), 15. [3] Gittins R. , Bass J. , and Hope S. (2004). A Comparison of Software Development Process Experiences. LNCS 3092, pp. 231–236. [4] Wells D. (1999) Extreme Programming: Create A Spike Solution. extremeprogramming. org/rules/spike. html. Retrieved on Nov. 6, 2007. [5] Wake W. C. (2006). Agile Project Management, XP Style. http://xp123. com/xplor/xp0111a/index. shtml. Retrieved on Nov. 6, 2007. [6] Wake W. C. (1999). Intro. to Extreme Programming (XP). http://xp123. com/xplor/xp9912/index. shtml. Retrieved on Nov. 6, 2007. [7] VersionOne, Inc. ( ©2007) Iteration Tracking. versionone. com/Resources/IterationTracking. asp. Retrieved on Nov. 6, 2007 [8] Jefferies, R. (2001) Essential XP: Documentation xprogramming. com/xpmag/expDocumentationInXp. htm. Retrieved on Nov. 7, 2007 [9] Schwalbe, K. (2007). Information Technology Project Management. Boston:Thomson Course Technology.

An Overview Of Volkswagen Group Automobile Industry Marketing Essay

An Overview Of Volkswagen Group Automobile Industry Marketing Essay The main aim from this project is to analyze manufacturing company in term of ratios analysis and common size analysis. We took Volkswagen Group as a manufacturing company and we try to know what are the line business, major competitors, and the goals of Volkswagen Group. Then we start to make common size analysis (vertical and horizontal analysis) for both income statement and balance sheet from year 2005 to 2009 to see the financial performance of the company over the time. Moreover we make ratios analysis to check the liquidity, solvency, profitability, efficiency, and cash flow of the Volkswagen Group.  Finally, the report is going to discuss the data that we found on common size analysis and ratios analysis. Also the report will include all the annual report from 2005 to 2009. Company profile a)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What is the company’s principal line of business and major competitors? Volkswagen Group majorly known as the VW group is a German originated automobile man ufacturing group that is ranked third largest in world as a motor vehicle manufacturer. The core business of the group includes developing vehicles and components for all marques and manufacturing complete vehicles for the Volkswagen Passenger Cars and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles marques. The group has world-wide working of operations but its primary focus is Europe market. Major competitors of Volkswagen are Toyotta, General Motors, Ford and Hyundai. b)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On what day does the company’s fiscal year end? The company Fiscal year ends on Dec, 31st c)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What is the largest source of cash from financing activities? For the year ended Dec 31, 2009 it’s â€Å"Proceeds from issue of Bonds† d)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What is the largest use of cash from investing activities? For the year ended Dec 31, 2009 it’s â€Å"Disposal of Equity Investments† e)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What is the average income tax rate for the fiscal year reported? Income tax rate for 2005 is : 35.2%, 2006: 9.1%, 2007:37.0 %, 2008: 29.1%, 2009: 27.7%. The average tax rate is 27.62%. f)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What is the average issue (sale) price per share of common stock issued as of the end of the fiscal year reported? The average issue (sale) price per share à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 149.42 Company goals and achievements Descriptive information, Compare goals provided in annual reports with achievements in the following periods, seek for any possible predetermined standards and find out whether the company achieved them in the following periods. There are numerous objectives and goals set by the Management of Volkswagen with the motive of enabling the company to expand the scope of its business and generate sustainable success by focusing on its customers and environment. As part of business operations management, the Board has focused on introducing measures to improve cost structures through process optimization overall a nd modular strategy implementation. The implementation of these goals can be seen through the financial performance of Volkswagen where in terms of sales, the related costs are kept in controlled and balanced trend with no irregular hikes. Volkswagen goal of servicing its customers with most innovative and fascinating vehicles is met with its ability to generate increased world-wide sales and improved cost position. In 2007, the company earned a sales record of 6.2 million vehicles.

Creating Web Presence Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Creating Web Presence - Case Study Example Although Wordpress is primarily considered as an authoring platform (Shamah), it has effectively exceeded this reputation and has extended the locus of its influence beyond blogs. Since its inception, Wordpress has continuously added to its arsenal of extremely useful tools and features. Wordpress allows integration of advanced features such as using shopping carts, mailing lists, and integration with social networking websites which helps generate and maintain traffic on a blog, which is essentially its lifeline. Another important factor that tipped the decision scale in Wordpress’ favor was the availability of widgets and plugins. Wordpress allows users to upload information in a very easy, simple and elegant way (Shamah). In a nutshell, these capabilities have allowed Wordpress to become a content management system. Another reason why Wordpress was preferable to other platforms is its multilingual capability as it is available in all the major and minor world languages including some of the archaic ones as well. However, the crucial factor that helped finalize Wordpress as the platform for my Web Presence was the fact that Wordpress is free and easy to set up. Wordpress software is readily available online and can be downloaded for installation on web host of our choice and this allowed me to finalize Wordpress as the platform of my choosing. The process of creation began with signing up for Wordpress and a URL https://yimingzeng.wordpress.com/ was selected. Blogs on Wordpress rely heavily on themes and pre-designed Hemingway theme was chosen. As required by assignment instructions, five pages were created namely Home, About Me, Pizza Hut, Making a Pizza and Exegesis. The theme was customized slightly to include a picture of my choice and to give the blog a Title.  Ã‚  

Principled Investigations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Principled Investigations - Essay Example When the suspects are arrested the police can search them for anything they might use to help them escape or for evidence relating to the offense that has led to their arrest. (Schmalleger, 2002) The police should normally arrest if they have a valid arrest warrant. However, there are some situations where they can affect an arrest without a warrant. The instances include where: suspects are in the act of committing certain offenses, they have reasonable grounds for suspecting commission of certain offenses, they have reasonable grounds for suspecting one has committed certain offenses, suspects are about to commit certain offenses and they have reasonable offense for suspecting that one is about to commit certain offenses. ...The right to legal advice can be delayed in very serious cases and the police detention should not exceed 24 hours without charging suspects. There should be counsel present in the cause of a serious charge and where one is to be interviewed under caution. (Sch malleger, 2002) Charges and Elements The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is entitled by law to draft a charge sheet and present it before a court of law. The charges that the CPS can lodge against the defendant in this case scenario are aggravated arson contrary to section 1(2) as read with section 1(3) of the Criminal Damage Act, 1971. In the alternative, the CPS may lodge the charge of racially aggravated arson, contrary to section 3 of the Criminal and Disorder Act, 1998. The maximum penalty for aggravated criminal damage and arson is life imprisonment. The CPS must, therefore, prove the actus reus and men's rea of the defendant in order to link her to the offenses. (Archbold, 1985) The elements of the felony of aggravated arson include those of simple criminal damage with the additional element of intending or being reckless as to the endangering of life. A person is guilty of criminal damage if they intentionally or recklessly  destroy or damage property belonging to another without lawful excuse. The actus reus of aggravated criminal damage consists of destruction or damage, property, belonging to himself or another and endangering life. (Archbold, 1985) There is no statutory definition of 'destroy or damage', however some principles have emerged from case law.

Venture Budgeting and Forecasting Paper Essay Example for Free

Venture Budgeting and Forecasting Paper Essay Write a 700- to 900-word paper in APA format in which you do the following: †¢Illustrate how your venture would perform by estimating the revenue and expense to calculate operating profit or loss. Include estimates of your venture’s main sources of revenue and the expenses expected in the main cost categories such as the cost of goods, sales and marketing, labor, rent, maintenance, and any other significant expenses. †¢Illustrate your venture’s startup costs by estimating a preopening budget—also termed development budget—that includes startup costs such as building and construction, Web site development, preopening marketing, equipment, merchandise, preopening operations, research and development, working capital, and any other significant preopening expenses. An example of a preopening budget may be found in the materials listed on the course page for the University of Phoenix student Web site for Week Two named Kudler Opening Budget. †¢Develop financial planning goals by illustrating how your venture would be initially funded by using cash on hand, debt, venture capital, or a combination of these. Use a mortgage calculator found on the Internet and calculate your loan payments. Include these expenses in your Operating Budget. Use the information below to help in your calculations: Building and Construction Estimation* Remodeling Fees$200 per Square Foot New Building Construction Fees$450 per Square Foot *Multiply square footage of small business by fee for estimation. Interest Information 10 Year bank Note (Debt)7.5% Interest 5 Year Venture Capital Loan15% Interest Examples of Profit Split for Venture Capital Partnerships* Example 1 Venture Capital Investment 1$300,000 Cost to Develop Business 1$1,000,000 Venture Capital Profits 130% of Business Profits Example 2 Venture Capital Investment 2$500,000 Cost to Develop Business 2$2,000,000 Venture Capital Profits 225% of Business Profits *Profit split is commensurate with the ratio of investment.

Brave New World :: Essays Papers

Brave New World Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley, while fictitiously showing the future possible advances of science and technology, is actually warning people of what science could become. In the Foreword of Brave New World, Huxley states: â€Å"The theme of Brave New World is not the advancement of science as such; it is the advancement of science as it affects human individuals† (xi). He is not suggesting that this is how science should advance, but that science will advance the way that people allow it to. The novel is not supposed to depict a â€Å"utopian† society by any means, but it is supposed to disturb the reader and warn him not to fall into this social decay. Huxley uses satire to exploit both communism and American capitalism created by Ford. Huxley’s first example of satire is that he shows elements of communism in the World State. Dictatorship is an element of communism and is shown in Brave New World by means of the World Controller, Mustapha Mond. In the World State, people â€Å"belong† to everyone else. Mustapha Mond, when lecturing students, says, â€Å"†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢every one belongs to every one else’† (40). This thought in the novel is similar to that of communism where everyone shares everything. In Brave New World, however, Huxley takes this thought to another level. Sex, in the World State, is encouraged to occur with everybody. Even kids are encouraged to participate. People are scolded for having only one partner. Fanny, Lenina’s friends said, â€Å"’I really do think you ought to be careful. It’s such horribly bad form to go on and on like this with one man†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã¢â‚¬  (41). Lenina could possibly be punished for â€Å"having† only one man. This is how Huxley uses satire to exploit communism. Huxley also uses satire to show that consumption is becoming a religion in America. Henry Ford is a god in this novel because he invented the assembly line. The assembly line creates a means for mass production of items. In the novel, mass production is how people are born. Because of this, Ford is an ideal god for the World State. He symbolizes a religion that lets a ruler rob people of their individuality for progress and stability. People in the novel use the name of Ford like people today use God’s name. Bernard, when talking to Lenina, said, â€Å"†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢for Ford’s sake, be quiet!’† (90).

The Lynas Fact Sheet

The Lynas Fact Sheet Note: This Fact Sheet is updated regularly. The last update was made on 2nd June 2011 Rare Earths 1. Despite their name, rare earth elements are relatively plentiful in the earth's crust 2. 3. but are more difficult to mine and extract than many other metals because of their chemical properties and geographical dispersion, making them relatively more expensive to extract. Rare earth metals are used in the manufacture of a wide variety of products including catalytic converters, wind turbines, hybrid car batteries, disk drives, mobile phones, and flat screen displays.Worldwide demand for rare earths is increasing rapidly and is expected to outstrip supply in the future. China currently produces about 97% of the world's supply. Rare Earths & Radioactivity 1. The extraction of rare earths raises a number of environmental and safety concerns 2. 3. 4. because the ore in which rare earths are found are often associated with minerals containing radioactive elements such as uranium and thorium. Health and safety issues that need to be addressed include radiation protection for workers, the public and the environment, the transportation of raw materials nd the management of waste. Human beings are exposed to very small levels of radioactivity in everyday life. Thorium, for example, is naturally present in soil, rocks, ground and surface water, plants and animals in very low concentrations. Ingestion of food and water containing this level of radioactivity does not pose any threat to human health. The radiation exposure limit set by AELB for the public is 1 mSv/year. The annual radiation exposure, in millisieverts (mSv)/year, in a number of daily human activities is as follows: i. Smoking a pack of cigarettes daily 0. 0 mSv ii. Medical or dental x-day 0. 39 mSv iii. Sleeping next to someone for 8 hours 0. 02 mSv iv. Watching television 2 hours daily 0. 01 mSv v. Using a computer terminal 0. 001 mSv (Source: United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, 1982, 1993, 2000; United Nations Environment Protection Agency; US Department of Energy; Health Physics Society) The Lynas Project 1. Lynas Malaysia Sdn Bhd (Lynas) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lynas Corporation 2. Ltd of Australia . Its business is the production and sale of rare earths and related byproducts.Lynas plans to import rare earth ore from its Mount Weld mine in Western Australia, 3. 4. truck it to the port of Fremantle , send it by container ship to Kuantan, and process it at the Gebeng Industrial Estate in Pahang. At Gebeng, the Lynas plant will extract Rare Earths from the ore for export. Lynas says waste from the extraction process will be used to produce commercially applicable products or stored in safe and secure containers. Lynas says it chose to locate its plant at the Gebeng site because of: i. Its proximity to Kuantan port ii.The availability of gas, water and chemical supplies iii. The availability of skilled workers Manufactur ing License 1. On 22 January 2008, Lynas was granted a manufacturing licence to produce â€Å"rare 2. earth oxides and carbonates† at Gebeng Industrial Estate, Kuantan. The approval was granted subject to a number of conditions, in particular, the need to comply with the provisions of the: i. Atomic Energy Licensing Act 1984 ii. Environmental Quality Act 1974. Compliance Requirements 1. The Atomic Energy Licensing Act 1984 is administered by the Atomic Energy 2. 3. Licensing Board (AELB).Among other things, the AELB monitors and assesses the radiological impact of the Lynas project through all stages of construction and operation. This includes matters relating to radiation protection (occupational, public and environmental), safety, waste management, transportation, decommissioning and remediation. The Department of Environment (DOE) is the implementing agency for the Environmental Quality Act 1974. The Act governs issues related to the prevention, abatement and control of p ollution and enhancement of the environment (other than radioactive material and radioactive waste).The safety standards and good practice requirements enforced by the two regulatory bodies are similar to or equivalent to those recognised internationally. Compliance status 1. Lynas began planning and construction of its plant at Gebeng Industrial Estate, 2. Pahang soon after obtaining its manufacturing licence. In April 2011, the company announced that construction had reached the 40% stage and was on target for completion by September, 2011. The AELB confirms that Lynas has complied with all health and safety standards required of the company to date.A site licence and a construction licence have been issued accordingly. The next stage in the multi-tiered approval process requires Lynas to apply to the AELB for a pre-operating licence. To date, the company has not made a submission to the AELB for this purpose. Upon receiving a pre-operating licence, the company will then be requir ed to apply for and obtain an operating licence before it can commence full operations. 3. The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report on the project was approved by 4. 5. the Department of Environment on 15 February 2008.The Department confirms that Lynas has complied with all requirements of the EIA approval to date. The Radiological Impact Assessment (RIA) conducted by the Nuklear Malaysia affirms that operation of the proposed Lynas plant would not pose any radiological risk to workers and members of the public living in the areas surrounding the site beyond what is allowed by the regulatory authorities. Nuklear Malaysia also affirms that the projected radiation exposure levels in the Lynas plant for workers (average of 2 mSv/yr) and members of the public (0. 02 mSv/yr) are within the limits set by AELB. Decision to appoint Independent Panel of International Experts 1. On 22 April, 2011, however, following widespread public concern about the safety of 2. the project, the Go vernment announced a decision to appoint an independent panel of international experts to review all health and safety aspects of the project.Pending completion of this review, the Government also decided that: i. No pre-operating license will be issued to Lynas by AELB. ii. There will be no importation of raw materials for the plant from Australia. ii. A review will be undertaken to ensure that construction of the facility at the site fully complies with national and international safety standards. Independent Panel of International Experts 1. In late April 2011, the Government approached the International Atomic Energy 2. 3. Agency (IAEA) in Vienna , Austria , for assistance to appoint an expert team to: i. Review Lynas' compliance with relevant International Safety Standards and Good Practices, and ii. Provide an independent expert opinion on safety issues, in particular, those relating to radiation safety.The scope of the review included: i. Radiation protection (workplace, publ ic, environment) ii. Safety assessment iii. Waste Management iv. Transportation v. Decommissioning and environmental remediation On 13 May, 2011, the Government announced details of the IAEA-appointed panel. The panel consists of a leader and nine members: four from the IAEA, and five from IAEA member countries. All panel members are recognised experts in their respective 4. 5. 6. 7. disciplines and have knowledge of IAEA standards, in particular, those relating to rare earth processing.Details of individual members of the panel The expert panel began the on-site component of its work on 29 May 2011. During its six-day visit, the panel has scheduled to meet with government officials and representatives of Lynas, and receive representations from members of the public, including residents, community associations, non-governmental organisations and professional bodies. The panel is scheduled to complete its work and submit its report to the Government by 30 June 2011. The Government ha s announced that the report will be made public.

Postmodernism and Feminism

Ailene Brukman-Stivi Professor: Haim Deuel Lusky Postmodernism and Feminism The question of what happened to feminism during the postmodern times is not easily encapsulated in one phrase or idea as it is actually an amalgam of often purposely ambiguous and fluid ideas. One would have to start researching about postmodernism and what it means, let alone search about the history of feminism and its development. After one would research a little bit about postmodernism he or she would realize the knowledge about modernism is also extremely crucial to understand fully about postmodernism and feminism.Therefore this writing will conclude a few words about modernism. How did we as a culture develop into a postmodernist era? And of course how does this era have to do with feminism? This research paper will include different critiques about the subject of postmodernism and feminism as well. Before starting the writing on reviews, critiques and more in depth research of our subject I would li ke to give a general description, and background research, I would like to start with the two main terms: Feminism and postmodernism. FeminismRozen Tali, the writer of the book, What Is Feminism Anyways. Opens her book saying that she never really understood what feminism is exactly. She says people just call her a feminist every time she speaks her opinion about â€Å"differentiating her and a floor rag. † She writes about a sentence that was said in 1913 by a woman, was a British reporter, by the name Rebecca West, saying that if you are waiting for a current and modern definition of feminism, you have nothing to wait for. There is no definition. It is not that a definition does not exist, it exists and that is a for sure thing.It’s just that, there are so many definitions that there is no specific one. (Rozen) Rozen writes that the word ‘feminism’ actually was born about one hundred years ago. In the beginning this word was used as a medical term for a man that has female characteristics. As time passed the word feminism turned in to a term in the psychological world; also got a negative connotation to it, but this time not a male with female characteristics, but as a description of a woman with male character. Examples of a diagnosis for â€Å"feminism† would be like desire to study, courageous, and ambition.Tali Rozen gives a great example of this psychological diagnosis; thirty years ago, people said about the governor of the state of Israel, Golda Meir, that she is â€Å"the only man in the government† and until today the best way to describe a great woman in business is to say â€Å"she got balls. † The reincarnation of the term feminism indicates and highlights the problem of the actual term itself. Not only it was used in negative connotation but also millions in the past and even today have a hard time to define feminism.In the dictionary feminism is written to be the ideology of the emancipation of wo men. According to this definition, there is something in common to all the definitions and ideas that is, the one important belief that women suffer from injustice because of their sex. Rozen Suggests that instead of getting confused with the actual meaning of the word we can agree on the definition: Feminism is a theory that is based on the point of view of a woman, and that point of view give new light to knowledge that already exist.This knowledge could come from anywhere, film, literature, history, everything. But that does not mean that every woman that analyzes a specific subject, is doing a feministic act. To look and analyze something from a woman’s perspective means to put a woman in the center of the discussion. Bottom line is that, the question of what is feminism is not one answer. Rozen asks and answers: is feminism a woman who stands and fight for their right, yes. And is feminism a movement of freedom? Yes!Is it the history of half humanity? Also yes. And there is much more to what is feminism. Postmodernism Postmodernism represents the converge of three distinct cultural trends. These include an attack on the austerity and functionalism of modern art; the philosophical attack on structuralism, spear-headed in the 1970s by poststructuralist scholars such as Jacque Derrida, Michel Foucault and Gilles Deleuze; and the economic theories of postindustrial society developed by sociologist such as Daniel Bell and Alain Touraine. Callinicos 1989) In the book of Jean-Francois Lyotard, The Postmodern condition, where he summarized postmodernism as above all maintaining â€Å"an incredulity toward metanarratives† (1984:xxiii-iv, 5). Postmodernists, he argues, questions the assumption of the modern age, particularly the belief that rational thought and technological innovation can guarantee progress and enlightenment to humanity. They doubt the ability of thinkers from the West either to understand the world or to prescribe solutions for it.T he grand theories of t past, whether liberal or Marxist, have been dismissed as products of an age when Europeans and North Americans mistakenly believed in their own invincibility. The metanarratives of such thought are no longer seen as â€Å"truth,† but simply as privileged discourses that deny and silence competeing dissident voices. (Merchant & Parpart) Michel Foucault, one of the leading postmodernist (and poststructuralist) thinkers, has emphasized the inadequacies of metanarratives and the need to examine the specificities of power and its relation to knowledge and language (discourse. He dismisses â€Å"reason† as a fiction and sees â€Å"truth† as simply a partial, localized version of â€Å"reality† transformed into a fixed form in the long process of history. He argues that discourse- a historical, socially and institutionally specific structure of statements, terms, categories, and beliefs- is the site of where meanings are contested and powe r relations determined (Scott 1988:36. ) The ability to control knowledge and meaning, not only through writing but also through disciplinary and professional institutions, and in social relations, is the key to understanding and exercising power relations in society.According to Foucault, the false power of hegemonic knowledge can be challenged by counter-hegemonic discourses which offer alternative explanation of â€Å"reality† (Foucault 1972; 1979; 1980. ) The search to understand the construction of social meaning has led postmodernists/ poststructuralist scholars to recognize the contingent of the subject. As Judith Butler points out, â€Å"No subject is its own point of departure† (Butler, 1992; 9) Jacque Derrida (1976) emphasizes the crucial role played by binary opposites.Indeed, he argues that Western philosophy largely rests on opposites, such as truth/falsity, unity/diversity, or man/woman, whereby the nature and primacy of the first term is also superior to the second. These pairs are as embedded in the definition of their opposite as they are I the nature of the object being defined, and they shape our understanding in complex and often unrecognized ways. In order to better understand this process, Derrida and others have alled for the critical deconstruction of texts (both written and oral) and greater attention to the way differences, particularly those embedded in binary thinking, are constructed and maintained (Culler 1982) To conclude, postmodernist thinkers reject universal, simplified definitions of social phenomena, which, they argue, essentialize reality and fail to reveal the complexity of life as a lived experience. Drawing on this critique, postmodernists have rejected the search for broad generalizations.They emphasize the need for local, specific and historically informed analysis, carefully grounded in both spatial and cultural contexts. Above all, they call for the recognition and celebration of differences, the impor tance of encouraging the recovery of previously silenced voices and an acceptance of the partial nature of all knowledge claims and thus the limits of knowing. (Marchand &Papart) Postmodernism/feminism Today in the postmodernism era, the women’s identity is not stable, it changes.Postmodern researchers are against this idea, because the â€Å"I† is an autonomic identity that is disconnected from the social conversation. Also feminists and feminist writers, that identify themselves with the postmodernists, are objecting the enlightenment period; because there is an existent subject and because there is a possibility to reach the objective truth through the â€Å"bina† and the straight mind. (Zaken) Zaken claims that feminism is actually leaning on postmodern values, and it exists today to breakdown and defragment in a new way the idea or word â€Å"the woman. Simone de Beauvoir, a French writer, intellectual, existentialist philosopher, political activist, femin ist, and social theorist. While she did not consider herself a philosopher, de Beauvoir had a significant influence on both feminist existentialism and feminist theory. She had claimed that a woman is not born a woman, she is made a woman. Female traits are built through social influence and not biological destiny.She sees the social construction of femininity, which in it exists the subject; isn’t she a woman, the woman who thinks of herself as a woman, in a specific situation that her environment creates. A great example is the fact that most girls and boys play with their gender’s toys, girls with Barbies and dolls while boys with trucks and cars. From her article, The Ethics Ambiguity, comes up that women have internalized their gender hierarchy, to the point where it is hard for them to disconnect from their hierarchal position.Simone de Beauvoir came to a conclusion, in which the female subject had suffered from suppression- the woman is ‘different,’ lower, inferior in relation to men, and because of this suppression, the independence of a woman is destroyed in social situations. With that, there is an argument between postmodernism and feminism, which due to a postmodern claim, that power does not control and there is no axioms like private/public, or motherhood. If there is no category â€Å"woman,† then woman can be anything. She is free from the stereotype and the coercing.That being said, there is no general and unified identity for women. Feminists have responded to postmodern ideas in a number of ways. The strongest opposition has come from feminists working in the liberal (modern) or Marxist traditions, both of which are embedded in Enlightenment thinking (modern era). Liberal feminists, who have been preoccupied with policy formulation and the improvement of women’s statues within the structures of western thought and society, generally write as if postmodern critiques have little or no applicability for their own work.The possibility of â€Å"modernization† and â€Å"progress† may be unobtainable and undesirable goals in a postmodern world have rarely been considered by liberals working within these structures. (like World Bank, United Nations, and the International Labor Organization) Mackinnon Catherine’s influence on shaping feminism is extremely deep in the 80s and the first years of the 90s, so deep that the different â€Å"post-feministic† currents, in many ways are â€Å"post-Mackinnon,† and to be exact, â€Å"anti-Mackinnon. † Therefore whoever wants to become familiar with the feministic thinking there is no better place to do so with Mackinnon’s variables.The starting point of Mackinnon’s feminism is that the group of women are discriminated against and oppressed by the group of men, which are first and foremost caused by the way sexuality is built by society. According to Mackinnon, sexuality is the subject that its social patriarchal meaning changes the men to be in control and the women to be controlled. Dr Yaakov Gorbitz, in his book, â€Å"Postmodernism- Culture and Literature in the End of The 20th Century,† writes on the issue of feminism that modernism and postmodernism needs to remind us of two main phases: the first, the woman who tries to stand and tries to fortify herself against the en. -This is the model where women rebel against men and say we are not going to take of hair from our legs, we will not give you the pleasure of wanting a â€Å"feminine† woman. In the postmodern stage the woman understands that the seed of the problem is that she is always looking at herself in relation to men, and contrary to them, and so she says; â€Å"I am allowed to put makeup on and take care of my beauty- and not for the man but for me or for my friends. † When a woman stops being just an opposite model of a man she can internalize some new heterogeneity.Some feminists beli eve feminist theory has always dealt with postmodern issues and indeed, has more to offer women than male-centric postmodern writers. Feminist anthropologists, Frances Mascia-Lees, Patricia Sharpe and Colleen Cohen (1989), attack postmodern anthropology for it's profoundly sexists nature, nothing that studies such as George Marcus and Michael Fischer's Anthropology as Culture Critique, ignore feminist contributions to the discussion of the â€Å"other† and long-standing feminist critiques of Western notions of â€Å"truth. † Michel FoucaultContrary to liberals and Marxists, Foucault did not see the mechanisms of power in society, as something held by groups or institutions in society, and which does not exist for others; distribution that enables the control of a group of other parts of the society. Foucault referred to †political power†, as network relationships, imaginary strings interwoven within the community, and he saw no, one dominant factor, such as the state or economic elite. This means that in a society there are power centers that are not subject to economic relations (such as madhouses, for example).Foucault goes on to argue with the liberals and the Marxists. According to them every relationship, in which forces, is characterized by imposing restrictions and denial of freedoms. He argued that this approach stems from the fact that they recognize the political power with the legal system and enforcement. But for him, it is only one of the forms of expression of political power, embodied throughout history. Foucault examines the relationship between institutions (social) and the body (human). He opposes the very concept of â€Å"sexuality. According to him, in the 19th century, when sexuality was taboo, it increased desire to break the taboo and talk about sex, that also created behaviors which were categorized as social deviance. For example, sex between men, were â€Å"homosexual. † This was a setting, which has reference for those people, people who were born different. This is one of Foucault's contributions to understanding the relationship between sexual orientation and identity. According to Foucault, identity is created as part of a dialogue, in particular power relations in society.He demonstrates the change in sex ratio from permissiveness of the Middle Ages, where words related to sex revealed associations of â€Å"pleasures† and â€Å"alliance†, and the language of the 19th century, which has the sex talk not allowed or shameful to talk about. Hence, definitions of â€Å"heterosexual† and â€Å"homosexuality† are the product of modern times, from the 19th – century. As someone who has studied the sexual discourse in society, Foucault argued that the discourse on sexuality limits and defines the sexual content and created a social pattern. Once we understand how we talk about sex, we understand sexuality.That is, language reflects the thinking and perception also on sex and sexuality. The mechanisms of power in sexuality, expressed the distinction between what and what is not acceptable in society. Namely, that the discourse on sexuality is a society regime (as expressions of political power mechanisms); language created a situation, when the subject of sex is brought up, the person might feel sinful (sexual). Feeling which helps to suppress the desire for sex, because that person did not want to feel a sinner. The goal behind this repression is, to get the â€Å"different† forms of sex out of the people.That is, except for the non-reproductive sex. The society defines normal sexual norms, from early childhood to old age. Whoever goes beyond the norm, is placed under the situation of the â€Å"controlled mechanism† in order to create helpful sexual drive economically and politically beneficial to society. These mechanisms determine what is allowed and what is not right in society and what is wrong. Foucault arg ued that since the 18th century, the deviation began to violate the law (courts could, not so long ago, to convict homosexuals or partners who betrayed their spouse).By, new sexual settings, to different sexual behaviors (that were always there but never received cultural significance) changed the face of society. This means social definition creates the identity. The new terms â€Å"gay,† â€Å"lesbian† and â€Å"straight†, are the result of modern discourse, which created categorization and sub-categories of conversation. The term â€Å"homosexuality† has two interpretations, one, sexual preference. Second meaning is social labeling. This labeling is the concept of the rule of the person which identifies himself or herself, as †gay†. That is, each character turns shades of defining sexual identity.Experts (such as pedagogues, psychologists and psychiatrists), can be social power, which determine the legitimate content – normal and ide ntify the pathological contents of a person. Their power, according to Foucault, is due to their proximity to the dominant group in society, the bourgeoisie and the political elite. Extreme conclusion is that gender regime serves the interests of those groups, and that by using the institutions of marriage and heterosexuality. (Zaken) Conclusion Society is the cause of sexual identity and what makes the difference between sexual orientation, and how we identify who we are; A woman or a man.But there is change occurring and there could be more change as soon as we, as a society start â€Å"unlabeling† and just living with all types of sexual orientation, genders, and labels that are not labeled. This is all through a social process, of course. A note, it is extremely crucial to know the difference between sex and gender, because then we are giving legitimacy to popular belief, commemorating the situation in which women are subject to male social order. This follows the histori cal tradition of the patriarchal family and society.This approach considers the biological differences between the sexes, as the distribution of the different roles. In other words, gender inequality is prevailing social perceptions. Ultimately, the goal is to get into a relationship of equality between men and women in society, there would be no more women who are discriminated against on the basis of sex and / or gender. For, as de Beauvoir said, man and woman, depend on each other for sex and continuity of human society. Thus, each and every one will be able to shape their identity in accordance with their wishes and needs, and not according to social codes dictated and dried. ———————————————— Work Cited * Ankersmith, F. R. (1990) â€Å"Reply to Professor Zagorin,† History and Theory 29, 3: 275-96 * Beauvoir de Simone. The Ethics of Ambiguity. 1949. Translated by Bernard Frechten: Citadel Press, 2006 * Beauvoir de Simone. The Second Sex. 1949. Translated by Parshley, Penguin 1972. * Butler, J. (1992) â€Å"Contingent Foundations: Feminism and the Question of Postmodernism,† in J. Butler and J. W. Scott (eds) Feminists Theorize the Political, New York and London: Routledge. * Collinicos, A. (1989) Against Postmodernism, Oxford: Polity Press. Culler, J. (1982) On Deconstruction: Theory and criticism after structuralism, Ithaca, NY: Cornell university Press. * Evans, Judith. Feminist Theory Today: An Introduction to Second-Wave Feminism. London: SAGE publication, 1995. * Foucault, M. * † (1972) The Archaeology of knowledge and the Discourse on Language, New York: Tavistock Publications & Harper Colophon. * â€Å"(1979) (published in French, 1975) Discipline and Punish, Translated by S. Sheridan, New York: Penguin Books. * † (1980) Power/Knowledge: Selected Interviews and Other Writings, 1972-1977, translated by C. Gordon, New York: Harvest Press. Jameson, F. (1990) Postmodernism or, the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism, Durham, NC: Duke University Press. * Mackinnon A Catherine, â€Å"Sexuality, Pornography and Methods- Pleasure under Patriarchy,† Towards a Feminist Theory of the State, 1990. Translated and Permission of Harvard University Press. Reprinted by Permission of Catherine A Mackinnon, Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, Copy Right c 1989 by Catherine Mackinnon. * Marchand H. Marianne and Parpart L. Jane. Feminism/Postmodernism/Development. London: Routledge, 1995. * Mascia-Lees, F. Sharpe, P. and Cohen, C.B (1989) â€Å"The Postmodernist Turn in Anthropology: Cautions from a Feminist Perspective,† Signs 15, 1: 394-408. * Palmer, I (1990) Gender and Population in the Adjustment of African Economics; Planning for Change, Women, Work and Development Series No. 19, Geneva: International Labour Organization. * Rozen, Tali. What is Feminism Anyway? And Why don’t we know anything about it. Tel Aviv: Zmora Bitan, 2000. * Scott, J. W. (1988) â€Å"Deconstructing Equality – versus Differences: Or the Use of Poststructuralist Theory of Feminism,† Feminist Studies14, 1: 33-50. * Sylvester Christine. Feminist Theory and International Relations in a Postmodern Era.Cambridge University Press, 1994. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Some western scholars, most notably Marxist reject postmodernism as dangerous and naive (Callinicos 1989; palmer 1990. ) Others , while sympathetic to Marxism, see Postmodernism as an outgrowth of the culture of late capitalism. Fredrick Jameson, for example, endorses an approach which draws on the strength of postmodernism without abandoning political action (Jameson 1991. ) Some scholars find postmodernism’s emphasis on difference and multiplicity useful for their work and not necessarily inimical to other app roaches (Ankersmit 1990; Parkash 1990)

National Greening Program Essays

National Greening Program Essays National Greening Program Essay National Greening Program Essay They come out to take whatever they could before someone else does; not taking into their minds whatever environmental problems may arise. The society is not aware of how he forests have been there to maintain the equilibrium in the environment for they only took into account the economic benefits they could get from it. It is known to all that most individuals have the tendency to learn the importance of an object only if they would experience a dilemma without that object. The people rarely appreciated the ecological benefits provided by the forests, so they continued to be unreasonable until they have been experiencing drastic environmental problems making them resulted to the governments decision of protecting what is left to further sustain what the country wants and needs. The government chose a plan that highlights the need to integrate the contributions of the forests to their actions, and that is through the implementation of a rehabilitation projects. With the information of a government agency, President Benign S. Aquinas carried out the Executive Order no. 26 that made the existence of National Greening Program. NSP is a government project that aims to alleviate poverty, to secure, conserve preserve resources, and to stop the possible negative effects of the occurring climate change. EH 26, together with the IEEE, made the Department of Agriculture, Department of Agrarian Reform, ND the Department of Environment and Natural Resources attain the authority to monitor the program (EDEN). The government has opted to ensure the successful implementation of NSP through the adaptation of well-thought strategies. Although NSP guiding principles subject itself as a multi-participant program which is for the benefit of the country, having a government that causes its own mishaps will only hinder the success of the program by letting private companies use the lands of the public domain according to their will that would aggravate the overexploitation of environmental and human resources. As long as there would be greed and inequity among people and the authorities, no way would there be of having an environment free from destruction. If the government thought that the project would be effective because of their strategy, it would be a problem especially if the officials behind it are the ones who are not in support with the idea. BODY The NSP priorities are conservation, preservation and protection of the human and environmental resources. In 2011, the EH 26 made the program maximize these resources capabilities and offer it for the betterment of the environment and the people (1). NSP clearly shows that its objective is to attain sustainable development to have the available environment and human resources to meet of todays generation, without affecting the capacity of being used by the future generation to meet their own needs. NSP socially assembles the society for taking responsibility of the plantations has become a requirement, and together with the governments assistance to the other sectors, they will be able to monitor the program. Given that trees are being cut down faster than we are able to replace and grow, the said aerogram plans to combine and strengthen development structures wherein resources are efficiently and effectively used. Taking those factors into account, the resources would be properly used and should be prolonged as long as possible. The objective of the NSP could have been much easier to achieve if the authorities behind it are the ones starting the right thing to do. However, as long as there are indifferent, greedy, and unreasonable officials, there would always be conflict that would follow them and their doings. There must have been too much expectations from the government as the program came to reality. Surprisingly, instead of expecting something innovative from the government body, it is only seen that they have been only disregarding the welfare of the community and the environment. The government must have been put into too much pressure that they are not thinking about their actions anymore. They should have been solid when it comes to decision-making, but it looks as if they lack critical thinking. As seen on a 2012 more environmental issues rather than solving it. The IEEE did not totally prohibit logging, only the registration and renewal of permits were halted. Since only permits ere stopped, private companies are still able to do anything as they please with the land for their commercial logging. The order exempted tree cutting sessions if it involves government projects such as expansion of the area for plantation, clearing of roads, etc. This gave the private companies the chance to manipulate the lands for more logging activities. (Boondoggling, Threatened State of Philippine Forests). The private companies were given the chance to get their hands on as much resource for their own without any regard to the effects if could case to the environment and lifer of the country. This occurrence would surely devastate the resources thus lengthening the time of its regeneration before to be of use again. The government has been careless, not thinking of what the possible consequences there is with every point they take. Nag told that private companies holding permits are still able to log more than the supposed boundary. And all of these happened due to the governments lack of skills in a lot of aspects and it seemed that the government is the one helping these private companies to be able to use the forestland to gain refit with (98; par. 2). Regina Benign revealed that President Aquinas signed EH 23 that tackles different aspects about the conservation and preservation of the environment and human resources in a way that he banned most of the activities related to logging. It also says that the President declared that illegally cut logs will be turned over to the other departments for the production of other materials (81). Such command has been known that it has not worked before and will obviously not work today. The NSP should have Just focused on tree planting, for more effectiveness. But due to the inconceivable movements of the government, it is slowly hindering the program from reaching the point of success, though it has Just started two years ago. The NSP established components only served as the way for the communitys own destruction, and also, the different log bans Just resulted to the urge of loggers to cut more trees in the land thinking that trees got more valuable as it is overly receiving attention from the government (De Vera 1). The action made by the President is desirable if the people did stop on extracting materials from the forest. Unfortunately, the restriction of logging activities and cancellation of permits only stemmed to the rampant illegal logging. The need for rehabilitation, which is an aim of the NSP, will never be carried out. Benign has pointed out that those covered by NSP will be prioritize to be the benefactors, as tasked to the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Budget and Management to provide the funds needed (84). Another mistake of the government was that they were not able to issue strict and particular policy decisions regarding the limitations of the use of public domain. The officials has not been careful about every single detail of information about the program that they implemented, hence becoming the reason for further failures that comes along as they continue the program. Marries Vital indicated that the congress, who are supposed to be passing laws that would empower the improvement of the nation, are not doing what they are supposed to do. Instead, they are the ones who start the problem, not prevent them. They gain wealth through these problems while overlooking the nations cry for help and country needs people who will serve truly for the nation. They must have full commitment and dedication towards accomplishing the true intention of the program. There would be no effective leader if they only considered their desires, for a true leader considers the view of his people keeping in mind that what hes doing is for the progress of both the people and the country. It is such a dismay to know that such a beneficial program, NSP, will be going to waste Just because of the person who handles it. EDEN, a department that has the authority to monitor the program, has done a lot of blunders consequently losing the trust of the society. Factor replied, The thrust of the EDEN is to plant trees, not to cut them. Using nostalgic rhetoric, he continued, The amount of money gained from cutting trees is Just illusory, as the ecological damage will be forever. (CTD. N Vital 56) The EDEN is supposed to protect and manage the forests, but they are not doing so. Private companies, intruders, and even officials that illegally extract and exploit the resources are escalating in number. They are being engulfed by the greed and oppressiveness for the sake of gaining benefit more that they should be getting. EDEN itself does not seem to have the power to prevent them, given that some of those intruders belong to the department. Armband Nag indicated that the gover nment should not carelessly give out the right and permit to make use of the public domain. They should be ready with the ecological and practical plants that would secure the land from being overexploited (37). The past years incidents should serve as their lesson and guide in ensuring that the same dilemma would not occur again. Even though they are not supposed to, the government appears that they wanted to get monetary benefits that could be acquired using the environment sources. These resources existed to be of use for the nation, not for themselves. In the Philippines, Congress holds a large part of the purse of the other government agencies and local government. It holds the key to control illegal logging by getting the personnel of the forestry department to be vigilant against illegal logging. If these personnel cannot do their Job well, there is no reason for them to receive any salary. In fact, Nags are doing a better Job than they do in calling the attention of the public. (Nag 100) It is such dismay that these employees are being irresponsible. Looking through, the government should have given the non-government organizations the opportunity to lead the program than the government itself. Nags are much better since they know what the public feel and what they truly want. They act and work well with the society. Having corrupt government workers, the credibility of the administration gets lower and lower as time goes by. Of course, most of the people would neglect other government programs knowing that those who will lead are the crooked people from the government would be the one leading. The government once said that they work or the people, since they are dedicated to serve the people, and was a pretense. They are not doing what they are supposed to, so how come they speak like that when they cannot even handle widespread problems such as robbery and rape. Provided that the government itself was lacking the skill to be conscious about minor the period of the NSP. Nag perceptively stated that every logging activity must be monitored, no matter how big or small the operation is. This is what the government was unable to do. They were not able to foresee what the loggers might possibly do with the property they were given a chance to use. It would have been better if the program will be watched over by Nags since they have the better skills of not taking any senseless action unlike the government (112-113). If the government was aware and alert that they thought of monitoring every activity, any discrepancy that could affect the NSP can easily be pinpointed and analyzed thus would be much easier to put these conflicts to stop. De Vera speculated that the government only thought of making use of any permissible way and has chosen areas that are incapable of holding the impact of sudden projects. Disasters only occurred, and it showed how he government did not learn unless they have experienced the consequences first instead of looking for a way to avoid the destruction of the resources (4). It wasnt fated to happen at all, it was the governments negligence. Therefore, those who got affected by the disasters caused by excessive logging were evacuated to safe areas by the local government units. Instead of using that time to continue being productive with the NSP, Lolls took their time helping the people who had experienced calamities. Notably, this is totally preventable, and it only happened due to hastiness and recklessness of the administration itself. At a study of depletion of natural resources in the Philippines, it was reported that most of the lands resided by small cultural groups for centuries were categorized under the public domain. The people did not truly own the land but their rights were cut off as it was stated under the law (Ooh 54). The people may not have official documents for owning the land, but they were the ones who maintained and protected the area so having their rights to bet cut off is irrational. The NSP is a program that aims to use all the public domain, the people will be highly disregarded. Securing their rights to the land they once occupied will be hard, since theyll be going against the legal system. It was reported on a 2011 newspaper that: Communities want a careful assessment of how carbon rights are assigned to ensure they support the rural poor who rarely hold formal land ownership or tenure rights but who are key players in putting sustainable forest development practice on the ground. (New private property concept may rip off those on the ground Malay) These people wanted not property rights, but the right to support those whose rights were cut off. They are increasing the chance of ensuring that the benefits gained room those lands will not be taken away from them. Thus, having the uplands as a part of public domain, the government was not able to issue impartial rules that would limit the extraction of resources from the public domain. Considering those lands to be of public, they are embracing the arrival of private companies, along with the intruders, to exploit the resources in those lands. What they know gives them power. So knowing that those areas are of public domain, they ought to get benefits from it, and miserably, they get too much. These actions are misconducts both the environment and humanity. Environment and human resources eradication occurs for the government did not enforce any laws for the protection of the environment, penalties. Laws may have been enforced, but there are no punishments for those who do not adhere to it. What the NSP needs are dedicated people who work with true and great intentions and whose Jobs are solely to protect the resources and take legal action against the violators. The NSP aims for reforestation, but before they could plant trees, the government would first have to clear the land for plantation, which is very illogical. To cut trees so as to plant more trees very imprudent. The NSP is also a program that involves the whole nation, meaning every citizen is encouraged to participate since it is for their benefits. But, the government cutting off the rights from the people is cutting of their ties with them, making them lose the skills in assembling the people to take part in the program. And with the government not having human resources, there would be lesser likelihood for them to check on the program if there are problems going on. The people became negligent about the destruction of the environment as long as they get what they want and they are more keel taking into account the act of illegal logging, since they had the idea of having their licenses be of no use otherwise set free by officials or even by the use of bribery (Nag 98; par. 2). The people are slowly transforming into illegal loggers, and if they do, they would not be compelled to do any reforestation work, which will be harder for them to participate in the NSP. Care must be taken that they are not corrupted by the system. Corruption became the reason for the permanent degradation of many forest lands. The government would be strict with the laws from the start, but as gets elder, they will not be enforcing these laws effectively. The NSP, being a multi- participant program, has a problem of widely spreading the information about it. The administration did declare about the program, but not all got to be aware of it. Most of the people who are aware of it are those who are involved mainly in issues: the government and the illegal loggers. The government was not able to uphold the program and its goals. The society was not passed any information about the requirements of participating and surely would be a struggle for the government. Well, there would be aware people, but these people are not even encouraged. If there would be someone to ask the residents if he knows about the NSP, it is sure enough that most of them will answer that they barely know what it is. Failure of utilizing the concept will have a direct influence on the program during the process. Every factor is interrelated with one another the less people who are aware, the less possibility of the success of the program, the greater decline in the number for forest resources. Continued loss of the resources could make human activities be more alienable into having ecological predicaments today and in the future. It was characterized by Nag that the Philippines has been the worst to experience the greatest amount of deforestation, from 100% of forest cover down to 3% (2-3). It is hard to think that this occurrence is still possible, but it is, as it can be seen Just by analyzing the environment. As the environment resources gets consumed by the people every year, Ooh pointed out that further logging activities would surely result to forest degradation and that in time, resources today will not be sufficient anymore or the next generation (44). The consequences of loss of forests are critical. It will not only affect the aim of the program, but also the nation. Maximizing the resources capabilities would be a hard thing to do if the exploitation of resources further remain if protected for a long time. Nag acknowledged that forests have a very important role to the lives of the people. It has the capacity to supply the nation with materials and services. People make use of the forest for human activities and we all know that most of it can only be found and provided solely by the forest (36). The NSP aims for reforestation, and this program should be complemented with good governance and interaction with the people. But the government seems to block its way in reaching success. Private companies, intruders, and corrupt officials are making the country risk our way of lifestyles and weaken the valuable services provided by the resources. Jenny Tease showed that as forests decline in number, the greater its impact on the climate. There would be lesser amount of rainfall making the forests die due to a drier climate cause by the soils increasing temperature (71). Since the government only cares about the forest resources social and economic values, its ecological role gets less and less appreciated. It can be seen in the process, it is where the domino effect steps in. As one would log more than he has to, given that he was able to do so due to the lack of careful decisions of the government, it would be an additional influence that could decrease the amount of resources that could have been available for the people. Then it would affect the society in a way that they would get disabilities. In the end, every move has its own consequences, which the government ought to know. From a simple carelessness and selfishness of the government, it would result to a lot of unbearable consequences. CONCLUSION The NSP goals and strategies are greatly lined up; working it out is the only thing left, which should be done by the government. An outcome of a program is dependent on the potential of the government. But having the officials that lack ideologies, it would lead to corrupt, prejudiced, unconstitutional actions for the NSP. The program aimed for the amendment of the vanishing human and environment resources, but those officials behind it are not acting the way they should. Several issues that lead to the destruction of the environment were found to be the outcomes of the governments negligence. Environmental problems kept on rising, which affects the NSP unfavorable. The officials have been incompetent and irresponsible with their duties causing a lot of immeasurable complications on both the environment and the program. The NSP, along with it strategies, aims for the progress of the country and with an unwise and self-interested government, the programs success will be only held back as it is not be able to do the things it was set out to do.

Articles of Confederation vs. the Constitution Essay

Articles of Confederation vs. the Constitution - Essay Example The Constitution granted the federal government the right to act directly on individuals and states. It provided the legislative basis for creating the Supreme Court, which granted the federal courts the possibility and the right to try the individuals who broke federal laws.The Constitution of the USA also granted the citizens of the country the possibility to affect the policy of their country more directly, as it stated that the state Representatives should be elected by the popular vote unlike the Senators, who are appointed by state legislatures. The Constitution also took the duty of the adjudicator of disputes between states from the Congress and granted it to the Supreme Court. As we can see, the Constitution made a lot of changes in the legislative, executive and forensic system of the USA, it made the connection between the states much tighter, thus making the country more powerful, established the new rights of the Congress and gave it the right to regulate the most import ant processes within the country, which allowed to make the power more centralized.

Managerial Economics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Managerial Economics - Research Paper Example Often, the patient needs to adjust with the hearing aids and usually it takes quite a long time failing the endurance of the patient. Social stigma is also a reason for the people not to use the hearing aids as they are likely to be tagged as old and not-so-smart people in the society. It is general perception that price is a chief attribute to penetrate the market but often it is not true for several reasons as has been found in the case of hearing aids too. Price becomes important when consumers view two or more competitive products fulfilling their needs in equal terms. When product differs in their attributes and users see one of them clearly fulfilling their needs in all respects, price becomes a secondary issue. Often, people pay higher prices for a product that meets their needs in clear terms – establishing superiority over competitive products. Amiani (2007) has explored the various attributes that measure elasticity of demand for a product or service. Demand is said to be elastic when total revenue decreases on raising the product price. In contrast, the demand is said to be inelastic when total revenue increases on raising the product price. Some of the attributes, which can decide about elasticity of demand for the hearing aids, can be described as per the following. Hearing aid is an important product, which must have unique features to satisfy the customer needs. Unfortunately, most of the hearing aids available in the market fail to satisfy the customer needs. Hearing aids are in the market since several decades yet consumer perceptions on this product have not changed. Hearing aids are not perceived to be user friendly at the first place. This is one of the major causes for not an appreciable change in the user perception in last several decades. That is to say till date hearing aids suffer from inelastic demand of the market. Hearing aid technology is not yet matured enough so that consumer can differentiate among the products and its at tributes. In other reason, hearing aids require a considerable investment for the patient as it falls out of insurance coverage. Hearing aid yet does not have any substitute in a real sense making it inelastic to the market demand. Amiani (2007) asserts from the past research of ‘Lee and Lotz’ as well as ‘Kochkin’ that hearing aids do not exhibit high elasticity of demand and the reasons are many and varied as mentioned earlier. From this perspective, it makes no sense to reduce the price to increase the revenue of the firm. On the contrary, any such attempt may bring down the revenue of the company. Question: Evaluate different possible strategies that companies could implement to gain a sound position among their competitors in this hearing aids market. Use relevant theoretical concepts discussed in chapters. Answer: Revenue is a function of product price and the corresponding sale in numbers. Any marketer would be interested to increase the revenue and t hereby the profit of the firm. Amlai (2007) has already demonstrated that hearing aids are price inelastic to their demand. Given inelastic nature of demand, as in the case of hearing aids, any reduction in price does not come with corresponding increase in the sale of the product. Marketer needs to explore some other means to expand the market. Currently, only 23.6 percent of the people use hearing aids of the total potential that makes up to 31 million. Even one percent expansion of the total pote