Amazon.com Operational strategy Essay

AQuestion 2: What are Amazon.com’s competitive priorities and what should its operation strategy focus on? Competitive priorities: – Keep the position of market leader. – Maintain the fast delivery. – Low price focus – User friendly website. Operational strategy: Promote the website, especially in this time of the year, during the holidays. People will be reminded of the website, and maybe visit the website because of the promotion. When the visitors are on amazon.com, they must experience a nice shopping-environment. This can be done by constantly improving the website’s user friendliness, this can be done by improving the search engine for example. Or something as easy as changing some colors to match the season. Question 4: FedEx built its business on quick, dependable delivery of items being shipped by air from one business to another. Its early advantages included global tracking of shipments using Web technology. The advancement of Internet technology enabled competitors to become much more sophisticated in order tracking. In addition, the advent of Web-based businesses put pressure on increased ground transportation deliveries. Explain how this change in the environment has affected FedEx’s operations strategy, especially relative to UPS, which has a strong hold on the business-to-consumer ground delivery business. Because FedEx lost their initial competitive advantage (UPS became a threat as they were able to deliver large volume of shipments because of the advanced Internet technology as well), they had to come up with new  operations strategies to remain competitive: – FedEx Ground – FedEx Home FedEx now focuses on low-cost operations and dependable delivery, to gain a new competitive advantage. Question 6: Although all nine of the competitive priorities discussed in this chapter are relevant to a company’s success in the marketplace, explain why a company should not necessarily try to excel in all of them. What determines the choice of the competitive priorities that a company should emphasize for its key processes? It really depends on the specific market you are operating in as a company. The company should focus on the most marketable assets by implementing demographics and forecasting future opportunities. Top quality may influence the development speed and low cost operations could conflict with your volume flexibility. BChad’s Creative Concepts started as a small company producing custom made wooden furniture. Business was good, and Chad Thomas decided to expand his business. Now, Chad added a standard line of furniture to his business. The priority is still on the custom made furniture, therefore the standard line is put on the second place, leading to unfinished products and a big inventory. Question 1: What types of decisions must Chad Thomas make daily for his company’s operations to run effectively? Over the long run? Chad has to make operational decisions. In the long run, these decisions are Strategic decisions. Question 2: How did sales and marketing affect operations when they began to sell standard pieces to retail outlet? By changing to selling standard pieces in retail outlets next to the custom pieces, Chad has start promoting his business, because now there are serious competitors, which are easily reached by the customer. The whole production process changed, because now standard pieces are produced in the factory as well. Question 3: How has the move to producing standard furniture affected the company’s financial structure? The sales of the standard line are increasing steadily, but still the most dollars of the sales come from the custom made pieces. However, the financial situation is not optimal, because lots of dollars are spend on inventory. Question 4: What might Chad Thomas have done differently to avoid some of the problems he now faces? Thomas could make a second factory, focused on only producing standard pieces. By doing this, he can terminate the problem of priorities. So, by doing this, he can decrease the inventory. Extra questions Question 1: Explain the competitive priorities for both product lines (customized furniture and standard furniture) The priority of the company is the department of the customized furniture. But with both departments, there are different priorities. For customized furniture, the priority is to create a creative design, with the highest quality possible. For the standard furniture, the priority is deliver on time and a good price-quality ratio. Question 2: Identify the OPP (Order Penetration Point) of each productlines The OPP for the custom made pieces of furniture is the moment Chad’s staff start working on a project. The whole project is specifically made for one customer from the beginning. The OPP for the Standard pieces is the moment  that a customer buys the (already fully assembled) product. At that moment in time, the pieces are for that specific customer. Question 3: Which flow strategy would be the most effective for each of the product lines? For the custom made pieces flexible is the best strategy. This focuses on individual pieces. For the standard pieces, the line strategy is the best strategy. This strategy focuses on the whole line, not on individual pieces. Question 4: What would you advice Chad’s to do to solve the current problems? We would advise Chad to start a second factory. The current factory should be used for only the custom pieces. The new factory can be used for the standard pieces. With the two production processes separated, you can eliminate the problem of priority. Discussion questions 1It ´s a job process, a process with the flexibility needed to produce a wide variety of products in significant quantities. With considerable complexity and divergence in the steps performed. We think it ´s easy to have high customer contact with internal customers, because internal customers are closer to the company. 2This sign implicates that the employees do not have any word in the company. Some customers could think that the employees are not good in performing their job, without any responsibility. Next to this, the employees could feel like they are not important to the company. So this sign works in a bad way. Furthermore, the sign implicates that the employees are very limited in their actions, and furthermore, this leads to low customer contact. This sign is exactly the opposite of how the employees at Ritz Carlton work. Employees at this hotel have all the resources and responsibilities a man can have. Stories go round that hotel managers fly in products from other  countries, just for customer satisfaction. In this case, with the sign, the employees ´ hands are tied, and by this, customer satisfaction is not at its maximum. CQuestion 3: How do the process strategies of eBay and McDonald’s differ and how do their choices relate to customer-introduced variability? eBay (mass customization) McDonald’s (repetitive focus) eBay customers are less involved regarding the variability. They offer many different products for many different interests, and the customer basically buys whatever he or she wants: low involvement. McDonald’s on the other hand wants to know more specifically, what their customers want as they have less products to offer and are able to change their product line more often during the year. Lately, McDonald’s organised a contest where the customer could compose their ideal hamburger. The winning hamburger is now being sold for a set time period. Question 4: Medical technology can outfit a patient with an artificial heart, or cure vision defects with the touch of a laser. However, hospitals still struggle with their back-office processes, such as getting X-ray files from radiology on the fourth floor to the first-floor view boxes in the emergency room without having to send a runner. More than 30 percent of the estimated 30 billion health transactions each year are conducted by phone, fax or mail. To what extent, and how, can information technology improve productivity and quality for such processes? Remember that some doctors are not ready to give up their pads and pencils, and many hospitals have strong lines drawn around its departments, such as pharmacy, cardiology, radiology ad paediatrics. Basically, information technology cannot only improve productivity and quality, but thinking more practically, it could save lives as all medical systems in a hospital work through faster and more advanced technologies. Understandably, it has to be 100 percent reliable and feasible and that’s  probably the current reason for some doctors, mentioned in the question, to keep working in an old-fashioned way that is – for them – safer and more reliable, but probably not as fast as up to date advanced information technologies available. Question 5: Consider the range of processes in the financial services industry. What position on the customer-contact matrix would the process of selling financial services to municipalities (1) occupy? The process of preparing monthly fund balance reports (2)? Explain why they would differ. 1. Front/Hybrid office 2. Back office The first process requires some interaction to high interaction with the customer (municipality). It lies somewhere in the middle, as you’re not working with individual clients (which require high interaction) but a client (municipality) that needs regular updates and interaction on the process. Preparing monthly fund balance reports is a continued routine process that requires low to none interaction and is the same with all customers.

My life In Hong Kong Essay

Dr. Jose P. Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines, had said, â€Å"Ang taong hindi marunong tumingin sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makakarating sa patutunguhan.†[1]   One must always know how to go back to one’s roots.   The essence of one’s life is greatly reflected by the ability to remember the path taken to get to where one is headed.   One’s achievements are also highlighted by the reflections brought about by the environment that shaped one’s own vision and mission in life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   At this point in my life, where career opportunities are being shot at me from every direction, indecisiveness slowly creeps in to the corners of my mind:   what do I really want to do?   And one answer always keeps coming up:   I want to change the world.   Clichà ©, yes.   Probably impossible as well.   However, all grand actions in this world began with baby steps.   As for me, this research paper is my very own baby step.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Despite still being undecided as to what the conclusion to my studies would be, as to what career path I would take, as to which country I would serve, this research paper will aid me in whatever ministry I decide to do. This research paper will lay down the path of understanding diverse professional and career opportunities.   If I decide to enter the corporate world and work under its marketing, sales or any other economics-related division, this research paper will bring about a deeper understanding of the economic policies of Hong Kong – why Chinese products and services are more acceptable to Hong Kong companies, rather than those offered by other countries, especially the United States and Great Britain.   If I do decide to enter a career in the academe, this research will pave the way for a deeper understanding of colonization, state freedom, and shifts in political, economic, social and cultural environments. On a personal level, this paper will help me understand immigrants in a deeper sense.   Just like Hong Kong nationals, immigrants experience a change in environment, and the struggle to balance embracing a brand new culture and holding on to age-old traditions passed from generation to generation. Either way, this research paper will not go to waste as it brought me back to the place that gave birth to my being. It’s been a long time since I’ve lived in Hong Kong.   Many times, I forget what it means to be Chinese – choosing a burger over dumplings and noodles, partying in Times Square on the eve of the new year and yet sleeping through the eve of Chinese New Year, not calling my family during holidays or even just to tell them how I am doing.   Living in a foreign country brings about either one of two things: craving to go back home or completely forgetting what home is like.   This research paper made me go through a journey that I was trying to evade – to remember where I came from. It is not easy to do a paper on a place that had been a part of my life.   And yet the perspective brought into the paper is the perspective of a third person – one who is not a Hong Kong local, Chinese national or British citizen.   This research paper on Hong Kong is done by someone from Hong Kong and yet all information and data are taken in a very objective view in order to report an unbiased analysis.   The need to present all sides of the issue is necessary for a better understanding of the conflict being presented in the paper. And this is what distinguishes this research paper from other research papers. [1] â€Å"A person who does not know how to remember where he came from will never get to where he wants to go.†

Brainwashing Cases and Freedom of Religion

What is the primary question addressed in this article? What can we learn from this article? Primarily this article delves into detail about certain court cases involving high tolerance sects, referred to as â€Å"cults† and ex-members attempting to sue said cult for various different reasons. The most detailed cases described by the author are of cases in which the plaintiff is accusing the so-called cult of brainwashing the person into joining; seen in cases such as George v. ISKCON (International Society of Krishna Conciousness) as well as Molko and Leal v. The Unification Church [Richardson (1990): 3, 8]. The foremost problem that this presents is whether or not brainwashing is a successful practice that members of sects or â€Å"cults† use to bring in new members. A key person in most cases using the accusation of brainwashing in order to bring a case against a cult religion is Dr. Margaret Singer [Richardson (1990): 3]. She has been used to examine plaintiffs for their emotional distress, symptoms of mental disorders, and come to conclusions if indeed they were brainwashed. Many psychologists and sociologists disagree with her positions, having posted amicus curiae briefs in appeals courts attempting to limit use of â€Å"brainwashing† accusations in cult cases. These scholars claim that psychologists like Dr. Singer ignore a large portion of studies done on new religions that reveal it is unlikely that new members are coerced into joining [Richardson (1990): 2-3]. It represents the research that scholars have put into participants joining new religions voluntarily, for whichever reasons they feel to choose using their free will. This includes the fact that in the 1960’s many people chose different lifestyles that some would refer to as â€Å"hippies† or â€Å"beatniks† instead of what they believe is a hypocritical path following the Second World War and other stresses of the world. The brief also applied that groups such as the Hare Krishna and Unification church have a small number of members and have high drop-off rates; which if brainwashing were true means that they would be expanding rather than contracting [Richardson (1990): 9-10]. The George v. ISKCON case was successful in collecting emotional distress damages and wrongful death of the father (who had heart failure soon after his daughter was returned), totaling $2. 9 million for the plaintiffs. However, now in many courts the position of brainwashing is not accepted as an argument for cult cases [Richardson (1990): 8-9]. What is the next question this article may lead one to answer? A tempting question that this article may lead one to think about is whether or not such circumstances as those presented in court cases against religious sects takes away from their freedom of religion. It does not appear that a Catholic church would be taken to court for handing out pamphlets to spread word of their religion, nor Jehovah Witnesses for walking door to door with the same idea. However, whatever methods smaller sects use to gain more members seem to ultimately deal with lost members claiming them to have used mind control or coercive persuasion to attract the member. In the George case, the claim was that since the Krishna sect helped hide the 15 year old girl from her parents, they were in a sense kidnapping her. This does not take into account that the girl was physically abused and mistreated by her parents, even chained to her bedroom to restrain her from trying different religious practices [Richardson (1990): 6]. While that may not necessarily make the Krishna sect heroic, it does seem to provide insight that the girl was unable to explore religious freedom. In essence, she was not given the choice by her parents of which religion she would like to join, which is exactly how it was argued that ISKCON had brainwashed her; by not giving her freedom of choice. This has to deal with the economics of religion philosophy that humans will make rational choices depending on their knowledge, tastes and preferences. Whether George made a rational decision to join ISKCON in the eyes of her parents, it was a decision she was not obligated to make. Three Finals Questions 1. Name and briefly explain three positions that Dr. Margaret Singer took in the George v. ISKCON case that seem to contradict popular psychologist and sociologist opinion. Singer claims that brainwashing and coercive persuasion used by the accused cults can be likened to that of Korean prisoners of war and those of Chinese Communist reformers. However, there is notable difference that ‘cult brainwashing’ uses psychological coercion while Korean prisoners of war were physically coerced through torture and other extremes. Singer even argues that psychological coercion is more effective despite tons of research that points the opposite [Richardson (1990): 10]. Singer discounts the impact on behavior from George’s parents’ negative reaction to her desire to join the church including the physical abuse she was given. Discredited ISKCON by not recognizing it as a religion having religious practices, that the case did not involve freedom of religion at all, despite the plaintiff George’s claim that she did convert to the religion. Did not accept that the plaintiff may have biases or ulterior motives for the court case, despite only spending a small session with her and claiming that she believes the plaintiff was â€Å"trying to be honest† with her [Richardson (1990): 4]. Does not believe the time in which a patient is examined after the ‘brainwashing’ event is important [Richardson (1990): 6]. 2. Explain what arguments were made by scholars in their amicus curiae briefs in the appeals of cult/brainwashing cases. The Scientific Community agreement argues that a large portion of studies have been done on new religions that reveal it is unlikely that new members are brainwashed [Richardson (1990): 2-3]. This represents the research that scholars have put into participants joining new religions voluntarily, for whichever reasons they feel to choose using their free will. The brief also applied that groups such as the Hare Krishna and Unification church have a small number of members and have high attrition (drop-off) rates; which if brainwashing were true means that they would be expanding rather than contracting [Richardson (1990): 9]. . Explain why these cases provide trouble for the perspective of freedom of religion. Unreliable sciences such as the psychology used by Dr. Singer tend to contradict the majority of scholarly research on small sects, including the study that youth who have joined such a group normally turn out to be in better psychological health individually afterward [Richards on (1990): 10]. It seems as though because of her reputation as a professional psychologist, Dr. Singer can claim whatever she wants to about a religion, using her bias or simply a lack of knowledge, and collect a paycheck for it. Krishna leaders of India fear that â€Å"paying such a large judgment would force the Hare Krishna to sell most of its United States assets, thereby severely limiting its activities here, or even leading to closure of its operations† [Richardson (1990): 9] Cases successful in accusing a small sect of brainwashing can send a negative view to the general population of cults. According to a Gallup Poll, more Americans in a nationwide survey would be less comfortable with sects or cults as neighbors than any other ethnic or religious group in the survey [Richardson (1990): 17]. The general population appears to fear what they believe is brainwashing being done to children of the society and wants to attack religions they are unaware of.

The History of Trade Unions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The History of Trade Unions - Research Paper Example These unions gave a voice to the usually scattered laborers and spoke of their rights for the very first time, starting in the mid of 1800s and this has been the case ever since, trade unions ever since then have been a way of life and though their roles were diminished in the 1990s but they have been gaining much more support now and are almost back to the traditional role they performed. The reason for the downfall of these trade unions midway through the '90s was that they failed to align themselves with the change in the general business environment, this was the time when technical skills required among the laborers were most required and perhaps this was the time when they were required the most but the issue that kept them from playing a pivotal role in the changing environment was that large organizations and industries had somehow found a way to tackle these organizations through awareness amongst the employees and general strategy and policies were designed in such a way th at the role of these organizations was made minimal and hence they started losing their power. It is worth while to mention here that these unions were also used in a positive way by some organizations and there is a usual negative feeling associated with the very name of a trade union but we all have to face the that just like individuals there are different unions with different characteristics and hence the generalization that all trade unions are bad has not been a very smart idea. Slowly and gradually their role has been revived due to the increasing role of technology and this has been a major threat to the laborers because it is now quite evident that the threat of completely technical workplaces is becoming a reality really fast and hence laborers again are looking to these bodies to unite and voice their opinion and fear and also to make sure that the higher authorities know that they are united and will take action if and when needed. Given this brief contemporary history, a detailed history of the reason for their formation and also a detail of the work they perform are given below. Formation: There is a general misconception that trade unions were a by-product of the world turning from an agrarian to an industrialized world but unfortunately it is just that, a misconception, trade unions existed in one form or the other before being actually recognized as trade unions they existed in the form of medieval craftsman guilds. These guilds were basically formed to control the flow of craftsman into a particular field because craftsman were only valued as long as they were limited in number and hence if these guilds would not have been controlled the entry of people the trade would have been virtually barrier less and this would have pushed the value of this trade, in a very similar fashion trade unions also have the right to deny or grant anyone admission although in trade unions the strength of a union is usually associated with the number of people associated with it.  

Paraphrase articles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Paraphrase articles - Essay Example In addition, negotiating a research proposal together with electing some concern for the research to dwell on occurs. Therefore, after addressing and alluding to all these, a strong base for the action research project, is usually laid. A University of A Coruna and a Faculty of Education don, Bello, E. in March 2000, started an action research project. After the initiation of the project, establishing what features must be possessed by the school became a central issue. Stake (1998) as cited by Bello (2006) offered principles that may assist researchers in their school choices. Some particular principles mentioned comprises the stage, which the research will focus on, is instructed at that specific school. Prospects for knowledge that is new will be obtained through; selecting this specific school, various academic or educational programs that are provided at the school, together with/or geographical position is most favorable for study (Bello, 2006). The choice of Bello was informed by the prospects to obtain knowledge that is new. The criteria that Bello viewed as important for selecting a school to conduct the action research project was fulfilled by Andaina Municipal Nursery School (Bello, 2006).Thus, this specific school is reliant on local administration, supervised by teaching cooperation, and was in the course of building a new nursery, primary as well as secondary school at that given time. In addition, teachers in Andaina Municipal Nursery School appreciated teamwork and there was existence of an open invitation for the involvement of parents. The selection of materials was on the basis of need with the existence of a clear admiration not only of the Galician language but also its culture. Apart from the above-mentioned features or recommended criterion to be on the lookout for in consideration of prospective schools to carry out research, it is also essential to look for an individual at a school enthusiastic to work on the project

Midterm Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Midterm Questions - Essay Example The potential improvement of the US-China relations in the future would be achieved using the neoliberal approach of international relations theory. The specific approach is based on the idea that international relations can be promoted through international institutions (Van de Haar 2009). These institutions would set as a priority the achievement of peace between the states involved in the relevant plan (Van de Haar 2009). Still, allowing these institutions to develop critical initiatives is not always easy. In the case of US-China relations the above view would be explained as follows: China is a country based on a centralized political system, meaning that the government has a non-controllable power to define the terms related to the country’s social, political and economic life. In this context, it would be rather difficult for the country’s government to agree to the use of an international institution for improving its relations with US. For the Chinese governmen t providing its consent to such plan could be possibly interpreted as a partial resignation from its rights. This perspective could prevent the Chinese government to agree to the use of the neoliberalism approach for resolving its relations with US. ... for improving states’ relations in the context of the international community: the WTO (World Trade Organization) is an example. The above organization is quite expanded globally and has critical experience in managing such issues. WTO could suggest schemes of cooperation between the two countries, in addition to existing ones, so that the US-China relations are improved. For example, a scheme of lower taxation in imported goods or a scheme for the exchange of knowledge on new products. US and China are already members of this organization for promoting their trade interests. This means that the two countries would not have to set their powers as critical players of global politics and economy. It should be noted that the use of such plan by US for improving its relation with China would be aligned with another approach, the commercial liberalism, a view that it is presented below. (b) The measure suggested above, i.e. the use of an international institution, for preventing co nflict can be characterized as quite effective. This view is verified using another approach, the commercial liberalism. In fact, this approach could be combined with the one mentioned above, i.e. the neoliberalism, for securing that the conflict between US and China will be prevented. The commercial liberalism is based on the idea that freedom in commerce can secure peace (Ralston 2013). This means that the delete of any trade restrictions between US and China could lead to long-term peace between the two countries. In practice, this approach could be considered as non-applicable, taking into consideration the strong competition that already characterizes

The Wine Industry Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Wine Industry Analysis - Essay Example Gradually the industry started modernizing all its processes and using fermentation and refrigeration for producing better quality products. As of now European market comprises of the majority of wine consumers, with other regions gradually joining in. Therefore the industry is indeed an attractive one, but the growing rivalry amongst the competitors has resulted in reduced margins for the industry. In addition threat of substitutes like other soft beverages has always kept the wine industry on the lookout for upgrading their own standards and quality. Some of the major wine producers are Constellation Brands, Inc. E. & J. Gallo Winery, Janton, Pernod Ricard etc. On account of increasing competition some consolidation is also taking place in the industry, with mergers and acquisitions. But the kind of competition amongst the large number of producers can be gauged from the fact that none of the major producers can boast of a market share of 2%. Observing the wine production figures s ince 1994 and projecting an estimate for the next five years till 2005, Morgan Stanley figured out that there could a marked decrease in the production levels in some countries, particularly after 2000, but this is more because of the increasing competition, which again is a pointer towards the attraction of the industry. Wine brings cheers to the consumers and has survived many adverse circumstances. But today the industry has made itself resilient enough towards such circumstances and facing them boldly. Q-2: What is the basis for competitive advantage Ans: Wine industry has in fact inherited some of the competitive strength in the form of its association with prestige and sharing happiness. In general the competitive advantage of wine industry is based upon the following facts; Quality of wine is decided as per the climatic conditions, the land and the ambience, which gives it a unique identity. Its shelf life is much more as compared to other drinks and beverages. Wine is mostly used as a pleasure drink, with friends and colleagues. Therefore the consumption of wine in a group tends to become more. Wine companies generally have a portfolio of products reflecting a wide variety of choices demanded by consumers in various style and price ranges. There are low-cost high volume varieties, premium varieties and ultra premium varieties. The market is ever growing with the drink becoming quite fashionable amongst the youth. Wine if taken in controlled quantity can have medicinal effects as well, therefore even doctors, other health professionals, NGOs too do not feel the need to be up in arms against the drink. It has been observed that citizens above the age of 50 years consume more wine than the younger ones. And with the a sharp rise in the average age of an individual, thanks to the advancements in health care

The Different Aspects of Employee Engagement Term Paper

The Different Aspects of Employee Engagement - Term Paper Example With the evolvement of the workplace and the workforce, organizations realize that to succeed in the search for talent, they have to first succeed in winning over employees through elements such as trust, justice, and perceptions and through practices that make their roles clear. Amongst the major factors that improve employee engagement are changing management and effective communication systems. Theorists have held that companies that can unlock the secrets of employee engagement can benefit from maximum profits (Vance, 2006). Literature Review Research has suggested that employee engagement and a high level of psychological well being of workers plays a major role in achieving organizational objectives related to successful and profitable organizations. The psychological well being of any company is directly associated with performance levels. Studies conducted by Folger and Cropanzano (1998) have revealed that workers experiencing higher levels of psychological well-being work be tter and that this well being is a superior forecaster of work performance than job satisfaction. According to Robinson et al (2004), employee engagement is defined as â€Å"A positive attitude held by the employee towards the organization and its values. An engaged employee is aware of business context and works with colleagues to improve performance within the job for the benefit of the organization† (Robinson et al, 2004, p.5). The concept of employee engagement was first introduced by Kahn (1990) whereby he held that in being engaged, employees are emotional, cognitively and physically involved while working in the organization. Another aspect of employee engagement is the flow relative to holistic sensations that are experienced by workers while performing their roles with complete involvement. This flow is the mental condition whereby a minimal distinction is made amongst the self and the working environment and while employees are in such flow, they do not need to exer t many conscious controls while working.  

Human Resource Management in Sweden Research Paper

Human Resource Management in Sweden - Research Paper Example As per Hofstede there are four broad cultural dimensions along which societies can be differentiated i.e. power distance, individualism, masculinity and uncertainty avoidance. Power distance comprises the extent to which less influential individuals of a society accept discrimination in society. This acceptance level varies along different culture. Individualism culture focuses on societies where people are concerned about self-interest and interest of family only while collectivism refers to a culture where individuals protect the society’s interest. Masculine culture expects men as compared to women of society to play the assertive and ambitious role who strive for material success and it defines a caring and serving role for women. Feminine culture on other hand defines an overlapping role for both men and women and it focuses on interpersonal relationship and shows concern for the weak. Sweden is depicted with a feminine culture as it does not require any gender to be more ambitious and highly competitive. A culture which avoid uncertainty is active, security seeking and intolerant while a culture which accepts uncertainty tolerant, less aggressive and unemotional (Vitell et al). In Table 2 index for Sweden has been given on the basis of power distance (PDI), Individualism (IDV), Masculinity (MAS), Uncertainty avoidance index(UAI). From the Table2 we see that Sweden is not likely to avoid uncertainty. They are risk oriented. We also see that Sweden is more of a feminine country which emphasizes on relationship with people than with money. Swedish businessmen prefer appropriate code of behavior in business meeting. They believe in reaching a solution via joint decisions. They believe in facts, delivery schedule and need a longer period of time to inculcate shared information. Since they believe in consensus for a solution so they worry about what others might think of them

Challenges in Containing Health Care Costs Essay - 1

Challenges in Containing Health Care Costs - Essay Example payments to Medicare Advantage plans will be reduced or how pharmaceutical companies will have to pay rebates to Medicaid plans, among other revenue-generating schemes (Cutler, 2010, p.1131). The question that begs to be addressed, however, is whether they will suffice. Cutler raised the feasibility of the cost reduction requirements, stressing that it is difficult to sustain (p.1131). He pointed out, for instance, how some reductions can only be made once such as how "overpayments" cannot be eliminated twice. It is clear, hence, that there is a need for an effective savings scheme that is consistent and long-term in scope. One of these is the elimination of unnecessary expenditures incurred in erroneous medical practice. According to Chiapelli (2010), medication errors, particularly in the area of patient safety issues affect 1.5 million people and incur billions of dollars in expenses (p.56). In order to treat patient infections resulting from erroneous practices, for instance, an estimated figure of $30 billion is already incurred every year (Scott 2009). Addressing this challenge, thus, can yield huge potentials in terms of savings and the realignment of resources, wherein funds are allocated to areas that need it the most. The current strategies involves variations of mandatory and voluntary regulations such as those implementing process measures, the use of information technology, attention to hygiene, along with performance measures and standards of safety in patient care. Then, there are also mechanisms in place that monitor, maintain, evaluate and improve medical practices. These include public quality reporting and performance benchmarks, including those requirements and evaluation tools in approaches such as incentives-based or pay-for-performance schemes. It is imperative that policymakers are aware of this strategy, especially the benchmarks and their results because they will effectively inform decisions that make public policy. The information

Awake - Creative writingWriting Essay Example for Free

Awake Creative writingWriting Essay The green leaf was melting in my hand. In her pink hair daffodils were sleeping as we were dancing and laughing through the forests thunder. She smiles. I feel like heavens on earth. She is the love if my life. Everything I ever wanted. The sun sparkles in her eyes of sugar while her soft lips kiss mines. Holding my arm around her waist a shiver of happiness explodes in my veins. I wish this kiss last forever. She is mine. I am hers. Forever as one. From the distance, I see like in a tunnel people dancing and drinking; a party. In the woods?! Like a tornado I feel absorbed and transposed by the dark light in that devilish world and the party becomes my reality oh no, where did the forest go? My love?! Dont leave me! The heat. The noise. The lights. The sounds were an apocalypse of evil. I look at my palm. Drugs. Everything was a hallucination, a frenzy I look around and all I see is people with evil smiles, blinded by the discos lights. As I turn my head round, I see a painting on the wall. No, it cant be but yes! Its her! This cant be a dream! Her white dress, hypnotic smile and her pink hair with daffodils and the trees, moaning in the winds wild breath. I approach and I feel how my heart struggles to reject the feeling of the pleasant pain of love which surrounds every inch of my being. Shaking, I hold out her and as my hand sinks into the painting I realize it is real! I can feel her tender skin again but even though my hand is in heaven, my eyes are in pain as I am blinded by a powerful shiny white light The disc of the sun is trapped in the vase on my desk which reflects a huge microscopic dot of light torturing my dreamy eyes. I try to open them as I feel my arm numb under my pillow. Half asleep, I smell a scent of toast and bacon. The sun pierces the curtains as I pull them back to reveal a lovely morning. As I step on the cold floor of my bathroom, trying to brush my teeth, I almost put soap on my toothbrush During my journey to school, I remember the weird dream I had, meanwhile the sun warms up my dreary face as the luring vanilla scent of the car tempts me to go back in the world of dreams, where nothing is impossible I arrived. As I approach my classroom, from the crowded mass, a new face catches my attention. A boy. Short, black straightened hair, round eyes. I dont think Ive seen him before. He is gorgeous. His appearance paralyses me as Im pushed over by the crowd. He fills the emptiness in my heart. His gestures are so perfectly surreal and full of everything I never had and always wanted I want him so bad In my desperate longing I feel a wave of painful hot tears of silence that reflect his image into my eyes. Im crying. Hell never be mine. I try to move but I realize I cant feel my body anymore. My legs are numb meanwhile I wish hed turn around once more. If only hed notice me. I cant even see him anymore because of the tears flooding my eyes. I never wanted something like this before! Therefore I felt like screaming his name? Shannon. Shannon His name was echoing inside me, beyond my being, within my tortured soul of pain, surrounded by weeping tears. I feel caught in a dizzy spin again people around me have no idea how love is supposed to feel like they are chatting and making noise therefore causing the violent tornado to spin me in circles of lights and pain as I hear a bell I need to hurry up no its the agitated alarm from my phone stop! Im awake now.

A PhD in the field of Pharmaceutical Sciences - Statement of Purpose Essay Example for Free

A PhD in the field of Pharmaceutical Sciences Statement of Purpose Essay Statement of Purpose I am determined to pursue a PhD in the field of Pharmaceutical Sciences with an emphasis on formulation and development of new drug entities. During pharmaceutics lab sessions in my second year as an undergraduate, I was engaged in making different drug formulations (Pharmaceutics). It was here I began to wonder how these dosage forms were being formulated to achieve optimum therapeutic response which led me to the goal of pharmaceutical technology. During my B.pharm in Pune University, my appetite for pharmaceutics led me to pursue a masters in pharmaceutics. I worked hard, studying various Novel drug delivery systems such as Micro-particulate systems, chrono-modulated drug delivery systems, various polymeric dosage forms, etc. Not to negate this hard work, I couldnt be more proud of what I accomplished in my research on the Development and evaluation of Floating microspheres of Pioglitazone hydrochloride and developed new dosage form for the delivery of the anti-diabetic drug. As compared to conventional dosage form (tablet) of Pioglitazone hydrochloride, this new dosage form prolongs the delivery of drug and retains it for nearly 12 hours in the stomach region, where maximum release of the drug is possible. My mark on the field has just begun My interests grew as I viewed at close quarters current developments in pharmaceutics, in particular as it relates to formulation and development of drug molecules. It is marvellous to see how a molecule, inefficacious in conventional formulations, can do wonders when used in a Novel Drug Delivery System like Microparticles. I feel the need to delve more deeply into my Masters research topic of Microparticles and do more research into areas of Micro/nanotechnology, to study in detail the development of Micro/nanoparticles as carriers to deliver aniticancer agents, genes, vaccines, etc. I have published 2 research papers, 1 other is accepted for publication and another one under revision, which gave me intense experience of the overall procedure for publication from designing experiments 25/8/2013 2:13 PM a PhD in the field of Pharmaceutical Sciences Statement of Purpose http://www.essayforum.com/graduate-essays-4/phd-field-pharmaceutic Inspiration and enthusiasm well up in me when I am at work; I have gained professional experience by working for about 1year as Trainee chemist (FD) at Zest Pharma and about 6 months as Chemist (FD) at Aristo Pharma in India. During this period I become completely familiar with Preformulation studies, Formulation development and standardization of different oral solid dosage forms. Of course now I want to move forward ahead toward a Ph.D. I chose National University of Singapore (NUS) because of the exceptional research projects in the field of Pharmaceutics. I am mostly intrigued by Dr. Chans project concerning study of different techniques of microencapsulation and also Dr. Liews projects on Granulation and pelletization techniques. I am confident of making an original contribution to the field of Pharmaceutics and also because the facilities at NUS seem to foster a healthy research environment as I could gather from the brochure of your department. Also NUS provides a very thorough and effective foundation for work in the Industrial/Organizational field. I intend to pursue a career in the area of research and development for private industry; therefore NUSs high placement rate, along with all above qualities, is imperative to me and my career. It is my intention to make a significant contribution to my chosen field and I look forward to our relationship with great eagerness. Â  Nov 7, 2011, 06:43am #2 any one can please take a look at my SOP and comment on possible changes EF_Susan [Moderator] Nov 10, 2011, 12:25pm #3 My mark on the field has just begun. I feel the need to delve more deeply into my Masters research topic of Microparticles and to do more research into areas of Micro/nanotechnology, to study in detail the development of Micro/nanoparticles as carriers to deliver aniticancer agents, genes, vaccines, etc. I have published 2 research papers, and one other is accepted for publication and another I have taught lectures have taken practicals of Physical Pharmacy (Pharmaceutics-II) of second year under-graduate students. Of course n Now I want to move forward ahead toward a Ph.D. Looks like theyll be very lucky to have you as a student! Â  Similar discussions: PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences (Rejected for the last time when applied) Reasons for applying Master of Science (MSc) programme in the Pharmaceutical Sciences Dynamic research group of UF; University of Florida/ PhD(Pharmaceutical Sciences)-SOPÂ   Thesis statement for my sop (field of lifesciences/clinical sciences) Need ideas! Research on Jacalin plant; Study Objective for Fulbright Pharmaceutical Sciences Statement of Purpose for a major in Fluid/Thermal Sciences (MS Mechanical) Statement of Purpose for Graduate School in Bioarchaeology field in the UK Statement of Purpose for Chemical engineering in smart polymers field (the field of Oncology) Statement of Purpose Masters in Physician Assistant The burgeoning field of Computer Science my Statement of Purpose Random: Obeying to the demands of Mrs. Sanderson; Significant Experience/ UC This thread has been closed. 25/8/2013 2:13 PM a PhD in the field of Pharmaceutical Sciences Statement of Purpose 4 of 4 http://www.essayforum.com/graduate-essays-4/phd-field-pharmaceutic 25/8/2013 2:13 PM

Dynamic Capabilities

Dynamic Capabilities Making a competitive difference through Dynamic Capabilities Summary Purpose of report †¢ Method followed (if necessary) †¢ Main findings 1 Strategy and Resource-Based View Strategy of a company is about setting a direction towards the success. Competitive strategy is about being different from the competitors; its about choosing a unique set of activities aiming for a greater value to deliver. the resource-based perspective highlights the need for a fit between the external market context in which a company operates and its internal capabilities. The resource-based view is the classical view on strategy that explains how competitive advantage within firms is achieved and how that advantage of firms can be sustained over the time (Barney, 1991). Strategy is about combining activities (Horn, p86). How More recent studies suggest that understanding of the RBV (Barney, Eisenhardt, Teece, 2000) should be enhanced by the extended understanding of dynamic capabilities. resource-based view is grounded in the perspective that a firms internal environment, in terms of its resources and capabilities, is more critical to the determination of strategic action than is the external environment. Another view (Peteraf, Bergen, 2003) proposes to see the Resource-based view and Market-based view as compliments to one another. In that way the authors tackle the most common criticism on Resource-based view that it is insufficiently linked to the market. The role of similarity or rather dissimilarity in from the point of view of resource type can be a stepping stone for many managers, because they fail to analyse the competitors that are not producing the exactly the closest substitute product. The keyword here is resource functionality that should be addressed when deciding on a competitive strategy, as often resource packages that are dissimilar in type may serve as effective substitutes in terms of producing the same end product. Moreover, the authors here introduce a new edge on resource-side, such as functionality to counteract the market-side element of focus substitute detection. As the result, this draws on the importance of capabilities, the focus here is not only on pro duct markets, but also on the competitors activities in resource markets as well. 2 Dynamic Capabilities The theory of dynamic capabilities is thought to have arisen from a fundamental weakness of the resource-based view of the firm. The RBV has been criticized for ignoring factors surrounding resources, instead assuming that they simply â€Å"exist†. Considerations such as how resources are developed, how they are integrated within the firm and how they are released have been under-explored in the literature. Dynamic capabilities attempt to bridge these gaps by adopting a process approach: by acting as a buffer between firm resources and the changing business environment, dynamic resources help a firm adjust its resource mix and thereby maintain the sustainability of the firms competitive advantage, which otherwise might be quickly eroded. So, while the RBV emphasizes resource choice or the selecting of appropriate resources, dynamic capabilities emphasize resource development and renewal (Barney, 1991). According to wade and Hulland (2004), IS resources may take on many of the attributes of dynamic capabilities, and thus may be particularly useful to firms operating in rapidly changing environments. Thus, even if IS resources do not directly lead the firm to a position of superior sustained competitive advantage, they may nonetheless be critical to the firms longer-term competitiveness in unstable environments if they help it to develop, add, integrate, and release other key resources over time. The most common definition on what dynamic capabilities are is defined as â€Å"the firms ability to integrate, build, and recon internal and external competences to address rapidly changing environments†. The basic assumption of the dynamic capabilities framework is that todays fast changing markets force firms to respond quickly and to be innovative (Teece,1997). Are they easily imitable? Some says yes According to (Eisenhardt, Martin, 2000) Dynamic capabilities are more subsituable than it is usually thought. What is their nature? It is thought the the dynamics of the market influence can have some impact on the nature of dynamic capabilities; .. In moderately dynamic markets dynamic capabilities resemble the traditional conception of routines (Eisenhardt, Martin, 2000). In contrast, in high velocity markets, they are simple, highly experiential and fragile processes with unpredictable outcomes. Besides, in another context (Grant, 1996, Pisano, 1994) they are explained as the resources that are transformed, integrated together and recombine to generate a new value creating strategy. In that way, they are drivers behind the creation, evolution and recombination of other resources into new sources of competitive advantage (Henderson and Cockburn, 1994; Teece et al, 1997). Based on these premises (Eisenhardt, Martin, 2000) dynamic capabilities are defined as: The firms processes that use resources specifically the processes to integrate, recon, gain and release resources to match and even create market change. Dynamic capabilities thus are the organisational and strategic routines by which firms achieve new resource configuration as markets emerge, collide, split, evolve and die. An alternative definition that abandons the idea of high-velocity markets as the necessary context to explain dynamic capabilities says that (Zollo, Winter, 2002): A dynamic capability is a learned and stable pattern of collective activity through which the organization systematically generates and modifies its operating routines in pursuit of improved effectiveness. This definition clearly redefines the role and function of dynamic capabilities, since it stresses their connection with learning processes. Dynamic capabilities arise from learning; they constitute the firms systematic methods for modifying operating routines (Zollo, Winter, 2002). An example is given by an organisation that develops from its initial experiences with acquisitions or joint ventures a process to manage such projects in a systematic and relatively predictable fashion. The ability to plan and effectively execute postaquisition integration processes is an example of a dynamic capability, as it involves the modification of operating routines in both the acquired and the acquiring unit. In short, learning mechanisms shape operating routines directly as well as by the intermediate step of dynamic capabilities. 5 Strategic positioning and Competitive Advantage Strategy is conceptualized as a firms realized position in its competitive market (Mintzberg, 1987; Porter, 1980). Each firms strategic position is supported by its resources and capabilities, reflecting the idea that resources and positions are two sides of the same coin (Wernerfelt, 1984). In a constant strive for higher performance and long term successful strategy a question on strategic balance arises. Similarity among firms has raised an important question on strategic balance, how do firms chose to position themselves among their rivals? What is the value ( Deephouse, 1999) of being different (differentiation)or what is the value of being the same (conformity). Abrahmson and Hegeman (1994) observed that strategic conformity reduces both competitive risks and opportunities for competitive advantage. This can be solved by an integrative theory of strategic balance, because as evidence suggests (Deephouse, 1999) moderately differentiated firms have higher performance than either highly conforming or highly differenciated firms. However, (Deephouse, 1999) draws on strategic similarity as a firm-level construct representing the extent to which a firms strategic position resembles the strategic positions of other firms competing in its market at a particular point in time. Strategy and IKEA Positioning means performing different activities from rivals or performing similar activities in different ways. If a company is prepared to satisfy all needs of all customers it loses the distinctive positioning edge. Since IKEA begun in 1943 it has grown into a successful global network of stores with its unique retailing concept. The global furniture retailer based in Sweden, also has a clear strategic positioning. IKEA targets young furniture buyers who want style at low cost. What turns this marketing concept into a strategic positioning is the tailored set of activities that make it work. IKEA has chosen to perform activities differently from its rivals (see 2). In comparison to traditional furniture merchandisers who display just a fraction of their stock, IKEA takes a step further and displays all their stock in a room like settings, that way selling the whole concept of modern living. Also, by selling their own low cost designs in ready to assemble packages to fit its positioning, IKEA trades off service for cost. Customers are expected to do their own pickup and delivery, and despite of their low-cost position that comes from having customers do it themselves, IKEA offers a number of extra services that its competitors do not. Such as, childcare and extended opening hours, services that are uniquely aligned with the needs of its young and, middle class customers. As long as consumers from Moscow to Beijing and beyond keep striving to enter the middle class, there will be a need for IKEA. Currently with 226 stores worldwide it hosts 410 million delighted shoppers a year. Positioning choices determine not only which activities a company will perform and how it will con individual activities but also how activities relate to one another. While operational effectiveness is about achieving excellence in individual activities, or functions, strategy is about combining activities. What is the most important key factor in the success of IKEA? The answer is simply that it all is of an equal importance. Activities that form a system act as compliments to one another generating value for a company, which is a way strategic fit creates competitive advantage and superior profitability.

Modern Art of Glass Bottles Essays -- Artwork

Did you hear about the two little boys who found themselves in a modern art gallery by mistake? "Quick," said one, "Run! Before they say we did it!" Although this may be a hilarious slap your knee joke, I believe this depicts how society feels about modern art. As a popular saying goes â€Å"’Modern art’ is produced by incompetents, sold by charlatans, and bought by ignoramuses!† Why such the skepticism towards current art? Why do art historians and renowned scholars set new art aside in favor of a Monet or Rembrandt? Is the importance of modern art so infinitesimal that it is reduced to child’s play? Or, better yet, is contemporary art worthy enough to be art? Meandering through the Lowe Art Museum, I constantly find myself attracted to the Modern Art section of the museum like a magnet to a refrigerator. More specifically, I am attracted to the piece entitled Shattered Illusions. Shattered Illusions consists of five glass bottles: glass bottles that looked as if they have been around for centuries and endured extensive use by multiple people. The bottles have a yellow tint symptomatic of aging and rigid holes that suggest previous use. Inside of each of these average-sized bottles are figures that represent humans. Each bottle has a different figure; for instance, two of the bottles contain what seem to be females and the other three males. Each figure is tangled helplessly in this relentless coil that protrudes from every direction imaginable like there is no end or hope in sight. The coil wraps around the figures’ extremities, midsection, and neck wanting to choke the life right out of them. In each bottle the figures are struggling with the desire to escape, but not everyone is set free. The center bottle has... ...and mysterious but as Gladwell states â€Å"It is one thing to acknowledge the enormous power of snap judgments and thin slices but quite another to place our trust in something so seemingly mysterious† (51). Art has no set characterization so therefore no one could declare whether or not something is art. Art is left up to perception of the viewer and not the opinion of the critic; in quintessence art is indefinable—that is the beauty! Works Cited Esaak, Shelley. â€Å"What Is Art?† Art History. About .com. 29 Sept. 2006 Read, Herbert. Art Now. London: Faber and Faber Limited, 1968. Requadt, Water E. â€Å"Modern Sculpture: Art or Incompetence?† What Is Art? 2006. 29 Sept. 2006 Richardson, Tony and Nikos Stangos. Concepts of Art. New York: Penguin Books, 1974.

Electoral College vs Direct Popular Vote Essay -- American Government,

The current process of electing the President of the United States through the Electoral College system should not be changed because the Electoral College system is superior in comparison to other comprehensive voting systems. Systems like direct popular vote or the national popular vote may work in democracies; however the United States is a federal republic. While allowing large metropolises and large states to be represented in a manner consistent with their size, the Electoral College has the exceptional attribute of allowing small states and rural areas to still maintain influence in the government. Allowing the entire nation to decide the direction of our government ensures candidates appeal to the majority of the nation, not just a handful of populous centers. This leads to more moderate policies and a protection of minority rights. Problems in elections such as fraud and recounts, are very disruptive in systems such as popular vote, but are minimized in the Electoral College system because these problems are limited to individual states allowing for a national review of such localized problems. Finally, the Electoral College incentivizes policy makers and parties to continually try to win in states that have opposed them in recent elections, ensuring long term policy that addresses needs of the populous quickly. Overall, the Electoral College’s benefits make it the superior system to elect the President, and for that reason it should not be changed. Smaller and particularly rural states are protected by the Electoral College. The number of votes a state is allocated in the Electoral College is determined by adding the number of United States Representatives and Senators a state sends to congress. This means each state ... ...ure, and prosperous nation in the world. Large states and cities are represented with consideration for their size, smaller and rural states given a base minimum representation to protect their intrinsic interests. Moderate and nationally inclusive policies are incentivized, and minority coalitions that foster compromise are encouraged. Fraud and recounts are minimized in relation to other voting systems, and mechanisms to deal with such issues promptly exist in the Electoral College. Finally, all states that need concrete policy change and attention receive it with the Electoral College. When asked what kind of government the United States had, Dr. Benjamin Franklin said â€Å"A republic, if you can keep it.† The Founding Father’s understood the benefits of the Electoral College which have since been validated; therefore the Electoral College should remain in place.

Ney York Times article :: essays research papers

SENATE MAJORITY LEADER Tom Daschle called Cheney’s stance â€Å"unfortunate.† â€Å"The American people have a right to know what the facts are,† Daschle said on CBS’s â€Å"Face the Nation.† â€Å"I think the administration needs to open up, to be willing to be forthcoming with all the information regarding these circumstances.† At issue are meetings Cheney or members of his energy task force held with officials of energy firms, including the now-collapsed Enron Corp., while the energy policy was being formed last year. Cheney spoke on the same day a New York Times/CBS News Poll showed a majority of Americans believe the administration is hiding something or lying about its dealings with Enron. CREATING A ‘CHILL’ Cheney said his office already has given investigators numerous financial and other records. Advertisement What he won’t turn over, despite demands by investigators and Democratic members of Congress, is â€Å"a listing of everybody I meet with, of everything that was discussed, any advice that was received, notes and minutes of those meetings,† Cheney told â€Å"Fox News Sunday.† â€Å"Now, that would be unprecedented in the sense that that’s not been done before. It’s unprecedented in the sense that it would make it virtually impossible for me to have confidential conversations with anybody,† he said. â€Å"You just cannot accept that proposition without putting a chill over the ability of the president and vice president to receive unvarnished advice.† LAWSUIT CONSIDERED David Walker, the head of the General Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress, has said he will decide next week whether to file a lawsuit to force the White House to turn over documents on the meetings. Cheney said the GAO is a â€Å"creature of Congress† whose authority does not extend to the White House. â€Å"I’m a constitutional officer, and the authority of the GAO does not extend in that case to my office.† Daschle suggested that Congress could take action beyond the GAO probe. â€Å"We will analyze just what our options are, what prospects there would be for Congress asserting itself,† he said, without elaborating. White House chief of staff Andrew Card agreed with Cheney that the administration’s ability to have confidential talks with advisers should be fiercely guarded. â€Å"I believe very strongly in protecting the privilege of the president† on recommendations that may not come out in public domain, he said on NBC’s â€Å"Meet the Press.† THE ENRON CONNECTION Cheney said the administration’s stance is the same as it was last August, when investigators sought similar information.

Fdi in Nigeria

THE IMPACT OF FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENTS ON THE NIGERIAN ECONOMY BY SHIRO ABASS A. Department of Finance University of Lagos BSTRACT Generally, policies and strategies of Nigerian government towards foreign direct investments are shaped by two principal objectives of desire for economic independence and the demand for economic development. Multi national corporations are expected to bring into Nigeria, foreign capital in the form of technical skills, entrepreneurship, technology and investment fund to boost economic activities thereby, rising the standard of living of Nigerian. The main issues in this paper relates to understanding the effects and impact of foreign direct investments on the Nigerian economy as well as our ability to attract adequate amounts, sufficient enough to accelerate the pace of our economic growth and development. From related research and studies, it was revealed that multinational corporations are highly adaptive social agents and therefore, the degree to which they can help in improving economic activities through foreign direct investment will be heavily influenced by the policy choice of the host country. Secondary data were collected for the period 1970 to 2005. In order to analyse the data, both econometric and statistical method were used. Tables were produced in order to create a visual impression of the dependence of Nigeria economy on that of donor countries such as Western Europe and North America. The economic regression model of ordinary least square was applied in evaluating the relationship between foreign direct investment and major economic indicators such as gross domestic product, gross fixed capital ormation and index of industrial production. The model revealed a positive relationship between foreign direct investment and each of these variables, but that foreign direct investment has not contributed much to the growth and development of Nigeria. This is evident in reality of enormous repatriation of profits, dividends, contract fees, and interest payments on foreign loans. The study thus suggest that in order to further improve the economic climate for foreign direct investments in Nigeria, the government must appreciate the fact that the basic element in any successful development strategy should be the encouragement of domestic investors first before going after foreign investors. 1. 0INTRODUCTION In order to seek the highest of return for capital, economists tend to favour the free flow of capital across national boarders. It is against this backdrop that multinational companies seek investment in foreign countries with reasonable risk. Nigeria is believed to be a high-risk market for investment because of factors such as bad governance, unstable macro economic policies, investment as a way out of Nigeria’s economic state of underdevelopment. Since the enthronement of democracy in 1999, the government of Nigeria has taken a number of measures necessary to woo foreign investors into Nigeria. These measures includes the repeal of laws that are inimical to foreign investment growth, promulgation of investment law, various overseas trips for image laundry by the president, among others. The need for foreign direct investment is born out of the underdeveloped nature of the Nigeria’s economy that essentially, hindered the pace of her economic development. Generally, policies and strategies of the Nigerian government towards foreign investments are shaped by two principal objective of the desire for economic independence and the demand for economic development. There are four basic requirements for economic development namely. i)Investment capital ii)Technical skills iii)Enterprise iv)Natural resources. Without these components, economic and social development of the country would be a process lasting for many years. The provisions of these first three necessary components present problems for developing countries like Nigeria. This is because of the fact that there is a low level of income that prevents savings, big enough to stimulate investment capital domestically or, to finance training in modern techniques and methods. The only way out of this problem is through acceleration of the economy by external sources of money (foreign investment) and technical expertise. Foreign direct investment is therefore suppose to serve as means of augmenting Nigeria’s domestic resources in order to carryout effectively, her development programmes and raise the standard of living of her people. According to Nwankwo, G. O. 2 factors responsible for the increase need for foreign direct investment by developing countries are: oThe world recession of the late 1970s and early 1980s and the resultant fall in the terms of trade of developing countries, which averaged about 11% between 1980 and 1982. High real interest rate in the international capital market, which adversely affected external indebtedness of these developing countries. oThe high external debt burden. oBad macro economic management, fall in per capital income and fall in domestic savings. Foreign direct investments consist of external resources, including technology, managerial and marketing expertise and capital. All these generate a considerable impact on host nation’s production capabi lities. At the current level of gross Domestic Product, the success of governments policies of stimulating the productive base of the economy depends largely on her ability to control adequate amount of foreign direct investments comprising of managerial, capital and technological resources to boost the existing production capabilities. The Nigerian government had in the past endeavored to provide foreign investors with a healthy climate as well as generous tax incentives, but the result had not been sufficiently encouraging (as we shall see in this research). Nigeria still requires foreign assistance in the form of managerial, entrepreneurial and technical skills that often accompany foreign direct investments. Total amount of income that will accrue to capital will be OR0BK0 while labour receives YBR0. Given that Q = F (K, L), the total output in this country is the area under the marginal efficiency of capital (MEC) curve and this output will be distributed between the two factors of production, that is labour and capital. For foreign direct investment to take place, the returns to capital in the United Kingdom must be less than returns to capital in Nigeria, given that United Kingdom is more endowed with capital utilization In response to this differential in returns to capital, there will be capital movement from the United Kingdom to Nigeria and this will continue until the returns are the same in the two countries. The amount of capital moved from United Kingdom to Nigeria is in the form of foreign direct investment and hence, Nigeria’s stock of capital or investment fund is increased. 2. LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL REVIEW 2. 1FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENTS AND DEVELOPMENT: PROPONENTS AND ANTI-PROPONENTS. 2. 1. 1 PROPONENTS — Most analysts believe that national and foreign private sector enterprise, if permitted to operate in a competitive market condition will offer developing countries the best prospects for speedy national economic growth. These analysts however do not view multi national capital as panacea to developing countries. Amongst the proponents of foreign direct investments are Peter Drucker, Harry Johnson, Gerald Mier, Sanjaja Hall, Paul Strcter, Carlos, F, Ludiak, l. A, Manle, . F, Author Nwankwo and many more. Harry Johnson argued that foreign investments bring to the home country, â€Å"a package of cheap capital, advanced technology. Superior knowledge of foreign market for final products and capital goods, immediate inputs and raw materials†. Similarly, Drucker has argued that developing countries need to employ export oriented development strategies in order to meet their foreign exchange and employment requirements and that such orientation is much more likely to succeed if these countries can acquire â€Å"capital export markets†. Such markets he maintained are precisely what multinational companies with their worldwide sourcing and marketing can offer. Gerald Mier contends that from the stand profit of national economic benefit, the essence of the case of encouraging the inflow of capital is that the increase in real income resulting from the act of investment is greater than the resultant increase on the income of the investor. This is also the view held by Mactougal when he stated that a moderate inflow of investment in an economy is beneficial. The chief benefit of foreign direct investment, according to these writers, is the accompanying â€Å"package deal† of technical and managerial skill. This may be costly, difficult or impossible to obtain in other alternative investment means. The less developed a country is, the less able it is as a rule to utilize patents, technical advice and contract management assistance without taking the whole package. This view was supported by Penrose (1961) and Chenery (1966). 2. 1. ANTI-PROPONENTS — some analysts (known as the dependence school) are strongly opposed to pro foreign direct investment perspectives. Their arguments are based on series of studies and research carried out. Such analysts include Dos Santos, Ronald Multer, Cardose, Euzo Falleto, Dr. Fashola and many others. Theofonio Dos Santos argued that developing countries’ economic difficulties do not originate in their isolation from advanced countries, but that the most powerful obstacle to their develo pment came from the way they are oined to their international system. Multer, R maintained that multinational corporations transfer technologies to developing countries that result in mass unemployment; that they monopolize rather than inject new capital resources; that they displace rather than generate local business and that they worsen rather than ameliorate the country’s balance of payment. Overall, the dependent school rejects the pro foreign direct investment analysts’ depiction of the benefits derived from participation in the international economy. Dr Fashola, for example argued that most of the policies adopted by Nigeria since the SAP era are qualitative in nature and as such are yet to be effective in turning round for the better economic fortunes of the nation. More recently, a new body of literature emerged and challenged the pro-foreign direct investment optimist about the long-term negotiating and benefiting prospects of the world. What might be labeled the structuralized school has argued that developing countries may in fact experience a long-term decrease in their power over high technology manufacturing system. Their arguments were based on what scholars learnt empirically about the behaviour and effects of multinational companies in developing countries. Results of some of their studies are. i)Bornshier and Jean in a multiple regression analysis of variance in growth of GNP per capital in 76 developing countries (Nigeria inclusive) between 1960 to 1975, found out that their flow of foreign direct investment were associated negatively with growth in income per capital. Other studies by Michael Dolan and Brain Tomlin appeared basically to confirm Bormshier’s observations. Also, Robert Johnson in his regression analysis of growth per GNP in 72 countries between 1960 to 1978, found stocks of foreign direct investment to be positively associated with economic growth at statistically significant level for relatively advanced economies. He therefore concluded that once the size of a developing country is taken into account, the level of direct investment has no consistent effect on growth. i)Vincent Mahler (1976) carried out an analysis of 68 least developed countries and found a statistically significant association between income concentrated in the 6 percent to 20 percent of the population and foreign direct investment in manufacturing but not in mining and agriculture. iii)Several studies were also conducted to estimate the economic desirability of the technology brought to developing countries by multinational corporations. It was found that royalty payments, technical tees, tie-in-clause leading to the purchase of over priced immediate goods, export restrictions and other limitations had resulted in technology acquisition during most of the sixties to become major burden In conclusion, considering the wide range of conflicting empirical studies on how foreign direct investment in developing countries affect the rate of aggregate growth, distribution of income, employment and some non-economic indicators like culture and political structures, one cannot draw conclusions from them with any minimal acceptable level of confidence. Perhaps the warning of Arthur Nwankwo is appropriate in this context where he warned that no nation could provide for the welfare of its citizens as long as its economy is fettered. More so, many studies have shown that multinational corporations are highly adaptive social agents and therefore, the degree to which foreign direct investment helps or hurts a developing country will be heavily influenced by the policy choice of the host country. 3. 0 EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS 3. 1MODEL SPECIFICATION The under listed variables are used in building the model. FDIForeign Direct Investments GFCF Gross Fixed Capital Formation GDPGross Domestic Product llPIndex of Industrial Production The models will therefore be: GPD = b0 + b1FDI + u†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. (equation 1) GFCF b0 + b1FDI + u†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ (equation 2) lIP = bo + b1FDI +u†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. (equation 3) These models, which are used in gauging and assessing the performance of the economy, make the economic indicators functions of the level of cumulative foreign direct investment. If we assume a linear relationship (logarithm), then the model equations become. Log GPD= b0 + b1Iog FDI + u†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. (equation 1) Log GFCF= b0 + b1log FDI + u†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ (equation 2) Log lIP= b0 + b1log FDI + u†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ (equation 3) Fromthe model Log GOP=b0 + b1 FDI Log GOP=0. 159 + 1. 237 log FDI Standard Error (Se)=0. 158 Correlation coefficient (r)=0. 99 t1=1. 03 t2=0. 037 3. 2 Interpretation of Results The first noticeable thing about the above result is that Gross Domestic Product is positively related to foreign direct investments. The responsiveness of GDP to FDI to 1. 237 indicates that a one percent increase in foreign direct investment leads to a more than proportionate increase of 1. 24 percent in gross domestic product. A correlation coefficient of 0. 9 indicates a very strong relationship between economic growth (measured by GDP) and foreign direct investments, thus leading to the rejection of our alternative hypothesis and acceptance of our null hypothesis, which states that there is a relationship between foreign, direct investment and economic growth. Also, a test of the significance of the intercept and gradient of our model is found to be statistically significant through a test of standard error. Thus given that: H0 : a = 0 H1 : a + 0, for significance of intercept And H0 = 0 H1 : B + 0, for significance of gradient. For t1 since the computed value of 1. 02 is less than 2. 042 (value from t table), we reject H1 and accept H0 which states that there is a relationship between foreign direct investment and economic growth. For t2 since the computed value of 0. 037 is less than 2. 042 (value from t table), we reject H1 and accept H0 which states that there is a relationship between foreign direct investment and economic growth. From the model Log GFCF=b0 + b1 FDI Log GFCF=0781 + 0. 873 log FDI Standard Error (Se)=0. 199 Correlation coefficient (r)=0. 95 Tl=9. 41 t2=41. 57 3. 3 Interpretation of Results The results from this model shows that there exist a direct functional relationship between foreign direct investment and standard of living, such that the elasticity of gross fixed capital formation with respect to foreign direct investment is 0. 873. A correlation coefficient of 0. 95 indicates a very strong relationship between foreign direct investment and gross fixed capital formation (which could be used as a measure of standard of living). Also, a test of the significance of the intercept and gradient of our model is found to be statistically significant through a test of standard error. Thus given that H0 : a = 0 H1: a + 0, for significance of intercept And H0: B = 0 H1 : B + 0, for significance of gradient For t1 since the computed value of 9. 41 is greater than 2. 042 (value from 1 table), we reject H0 and accept H, which states that the inflow of foreign direct investment has not affected the standard of living of Nigerians. For 12 since the computed value of 41. 57 is greater than 2. 042 (value from t table), we reject H0 and accept H, which states that the inflow of foreign direct investment has not affected the standard of living of Nigerians. 3. 4 Interpretation of Results The above results show a positive relationship between foreign direct investment and industrial production. The elasticity of the index of industrial production with respect to foreign direct investments of 0. 14 indicates that one percent increase in foreign direct investment will lead to fourteen percent increase in the level of industrial output. The coefficient of explanatory variable of foreign direct investment is also significant, statistically at 8. 5 percent. The correlation coefficient of 0. 78 shows high positive relationship between foreign direct investment and index of industrial output. Also, a test of the significance of the intercept and gradient of our model is found to be statistically significant through a test of standard error. Thus given that: Ho:a = 0 H1 : a + 0, for significance of intercept And H0 : B= 0 H1 : B + 0, for significance of gradient. For t1 since the computed value of 936 is greater than 2. 042 (value from t table), we reject H0 and accept H, which states that the inflow of foreign direct investment is not associated with the rate of increase in index of industrial production. For t2 since the computed value of 7. 05 is greater than 2. 42 (value from t table), we reject H0 and accept H1 4. 0 CONCLUSIONS AND POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS 4. 1 CONCLUSION Given the above situation and the fact that Nigeria’s economic recovery efforts and growth requires major private sector investment in modern equipments that can industrialize the agricultural sector and the economy as a whole, then the Nigeria’s foreign investment policy should move towa rds attracting and encouraging more inflows of foreign capital by moving ahead with economic programmes that includes measures easier set-up and expansion of businesses. In the years ahead, Nigeria (and many other African and third world countries) in trying to pave way for more foreign direct investment faces greater problems, especially with poor external image problem and particularly the concept of European Economic Unity that includes Eastern Europe. This translate to the fact that investment flows that would ordinarily have come from countries of surplus capital like Western Europe to capital deficient countries like Nigeria would now be going to poor European Economic Communities which includes Eastern Europe. Except African countries are able to adopt new strategies, this development will further compound the crises of under-development confronting countries like Nigeria. A very important challenge of management in the coming years would therefore be the development of indigenous technology and entrepreneurial capabilities as the involvement of multinational companies in our economy may dwindle as a result of new bigger and attractive opportunities that are likely to emerge from Europe. With the up and down movement of foreign direct investment, Nigeria needs to juxtapose foreign investment with domestic investment in order to maintain high levels of income and employment. The problem therefore does not lie so much with the magnitude of investment flows to Nigeria as with the form in which it Is given. We could emphasize that foreign investment cannot contribute much to the economic development of Nigeria if it is directed primarily to capital supply than to investment projects. Foreign investment can be very effective if it is directed at improving and expanding managerial and labour skills. In other words, the task of helping a â€Å"poor beggar† can be made less generous and yet more fruitful if it is directed at teaching him a trade rather than giving him food to eat. The analysis presented in this work does not offer a simple version of multinational corporation investment in Nigeria because the picture in complex. Foreign direct investment can make a valuable contribution to third world countries’ development in general and Nigeria in particular, but not all foreign direct investment doe so. Greater flows of investment fund’s climate in the Nigeria economy are important but a good investment climate is not synonymous with what multinational corporation prizes most. In conclusion, in order to further improve the climate for foreign investment in Nigeria, the government must appreciate the fact that the basic element in any successful development strategy should be to encourage domestic investors first before going after foreign investors, considering the fact that they constitute the bulk of investment activities in the economy. Thus, the most effective strategy for attracting foreign investment is to make the Nigerian economy very attractive to Nigerian investors first. 4. 2 POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS The following policies are hereby recommended to policy makers and government, if it is desired that foreign investment contribute to the growth and development of Nigeria. ? The Nigerian government should encourage the inflows of foreign direct investment and contact policy institutions that can ensure the transparency of the operations of foreign companies within the economy. In evaluating foreign direct investment, the screening process should be simplified and improved upon. For example, export investment projects that consistently generate positive contribution to national income can be screened separately and swiftly, while projects in import competing industries should be screened separately. ? Efforts should be made to engage in joint ventures that are beneficial to the economy. Joint ventures provide for a set of complementary or reciprocating matching undertakings, which may include a variety of packages ranging from providing the capital to technical cooperation. The government should intensify the policy to acquire, adopt, generate and use the acquired technology to develop its industrial sectors. ? Efforts should continue, this time with more vigor at ensuring consistency in policy objectives and instruments through a good implementation strategy as well as good sense of discipline, understanding and cooperation among the policy makers. ? The Nigerian government needs to come up with more friendly economic policies and business environment, which will, attracts FDI into virtually all the sectors of the economy. The Nigerian government needs to embark on capital project, which will enhance the infrastructural facilities with which foreign investors can build on. ? The current indigenization policy should be pursued to the letter as a way of preventing absolute foreign ownership in the key sector of the economy. ? The Nigeria government should also carry out the liberalization of all the sector of the economy so as to attract foreign investor s, so that the current efficiency and growth noticed in the telecommunication sector can also be enjoyed there. For Nigeria to generate more foreign direct investments, efforts should be made at solving the problems of government involvement in business; relative closed economy; corruption; weak public institutions; and poor external image. It is therefore advised that the government continues with its privatization programme, external image laundry, seriousness and openness in the fight against corruption, and signing of more trade agreements. REFERENCE Ahmed A. (1993) Strategies for foreign investment in Nigeria. A central Bank perspective Economic and Financial Review volume 26. Ajayi S. I. (1992) An Economic Analysis of Capital flight from Nigeria: World Bank Working Paper series No 993. Aremu, J. A(1997) Foreign private investment: Issues, determinants and performance. Paper presented at a workshop on foreign investment policy and practice, organized by the Nigeria institute of Advance legal studies, Lagos, March Arthur, Nwankwo (1981) Can Nigeria survive 4th dimension publication. Enugu. Berham N. J. (1970) National Interests and Multinational Enterprise: Tensions among the North – Atlantic Counties. Engle Wood Clifts: Prentize Hall. Bhattachary A, Montie P. J and Shame (1997) How can sub-saharan African attract more private capital in flow. Buckley P & Casson M. (1976) The future of multination enterprises: Macmillan press Limited, London. Caves R. E. (1988) Exchange rate movement and foreign direct investment in the United State, New York University Press. Classens S. (1993) Portfolio Capital flows: Hot or Cold? The World Bank Economic Review Vol. 9, No1 page 153-174. Drucker P. F. (1974) Multinationals and developing countries: myths and Realities. Foreign affairs No. 53. Dunning J. H. (1994) Re-evaluating the benefits of foreign direct investment, Transnational Corporations, Vol. 3, February, No 1, 23-51. Federal Republic of Nigeria (1988) industrial policy of Nigeria: Policies, Incentives, Guidelines and Institutional frame work. Federal Ministry of Industries, Abuja. Fernandez – Arias, E. (1996) The new wave of capital inflows: push or poll? Journal of Development Economics Vol. 48, 389 – 418. Frost K. and Stein J. C (1991) Exchange rates and foreign direct investment: an imperfect capital market approach. Quarterly Journal of Economics, Vol. 4, No 4, 1191-1217. Hartman D. G. (1984) Tax Policy and foreign direct investment in the United States. National tax journal, Vol. 34, No 4, December, 175 – 488. International Monetary Fund (1985) Foreign private investment in developing countries. A study by the international monetary fund research Department. Occasional paper No 33. Meier G. M. (1984) leading issues in economic Development. Oxford University Press, 4th edition. Mahmoud M. I. (1986) The Determinants of foreign investment in African countries, Dakar, Senegal. Nigerian Economic Society (1988) Rekindling Investment for economic Development in Nigeria. Selected papers for the annual conference. Nwankwo G. O. (1988) foreign Private Capital flows to Nigeria 1970 – 1983, Economic and financial Review. Volume 28, March. OjO . M. O. (1988) Nigeria Economic Crisis: Causes, Solutions and Prospects. A paper delivered at the AHQ garrison annual officers training, April. Stephen J. K. (1997) Foreign Direct investment, Industrialisation and social change. Contemporary studies in Economic and financial Analysis. Vol. 9, JAI Press, Greenwich connecticut.

Imagery in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay

What Mark Twain is trying to portray in this part of, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is that Boggs is plainly looking for trouble, and Colonel Sherburn is as well. In this part of the book, Boggs comes galloping along on his horse, to town where he wants to kill Sherburn. His motto, â€Å"meat first, and spoon vittles to top off on† (107) is referring to him killing Colonel Sherburn and then eat him up in a sense of having pride that Boggs defeated someone. When I was reading this part of the novel, I pictured Boggs as a mid-aged, really large man. Also, the book said he had a really red face so it made me picture him getting out of breath easy. Losing his breath foreshadowed a bit to me that he was the one that was going to be defeated, being â€Å"weak†. As Boggs was trying to act strong and brave, it turned out that Sherburn was the brave one, I pictured. Sherburn seemed like he just walked out of the store in Arkansas in a brave matter, with no care in the world after he gave that speech. Colonel Sherburn seemed sick of Boggs running his mouth, and so he shot Boggs multiple times. The word â€Å"bang!† kept appearing in this chapter, and it showed me how Sherburn wanted to do what he thought was necessary, though he was frustrated a bit. What really caught my eye was when they were trying to keep Boggs alive, and they put a Bible over his chest and under his head. This made sense that they thought, through their religion, that that could help Boggs out and that the Holy Spirit would bring him back to life, but unfortunately they did not. When first reading this, chills were brought to me with the smell of really fresh air and the sound of huffing and puffing as Boggs kept gasping for that sweet air.

Journalism in China: Then and Now Essay

In 1978, the People’s Republic of China had less than one television receiver per 100 people, and fewer than ten million Chinese had access to a television set. Today, almost all dwellings in China have a television, or a number of it. The Chinese Central Television controls television broadcasting in China, being the most powerful network in mainland. On the other hand, the number of newspapers in mainland China has increased from 42 – virtually all Communist Party papers- in 1968 to more than 2,200 today. There are in fact more than 7,000 magazines and journals in the country nowadays. The emergence of the country’s paramount leader, Deng Xiaoping, in 1976 brought about the economic and social reforms in mainland China, being reflected in media content. The media in are now becoming more autonomous and more diverse. A diversity is attributable to the fact that most state media outlets not longer receive subsidies from the government and are expected to largely pay for themselves through commercial advertising. They no longer serve solely as ‘government spokesperson’ but also produce programs that people get interested to so that money can be generated for them to continue to exist. Its media is now more dynamic, aggressive and prolific reporting on a wider variety of topics than ever before. Since the late 1970s, media in China have frequently criticized party cadres and have published debates on fundamentals issues as the rule of law, freedom of the press, and universal human rights. They have also reported on a number of previously undiscussed social and lifestyle subjects. Even though political reporting is still tightly controlled, Chinese journalists have become professional writers who cover aspects of society, economics and international affairs that would have been prohibited two decades ago. In 2003, the government initiated plans to formally allow private investment or to commercialize media. As a result, journalists were encouraged to report more aggressively on stories about crime, low-level corruption, celebrity gossip, and more. However, local officials still often tolerate this reporting, as long as it brings in revenue for the provincial or municipal government, and it does not touch too closely on their own leadership. Also, talk radio in mainland China allows a much freer exchange of public views or opinions than other media formats. In effect, talk radio has shifted the paradigm from authorities addressing the people to people addressing the authorities. The country’s rapid economic developments, as well as educational advances leading to greater literacy, have been important reasons for the dramatic expansion of the media and the diversification of coverage. As journalists report more aggressively on crime and corruption, they face new dangers. Censorship, detention, legal action, and arrest – the threats historically faced by journalists in China – have been long and well documented by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and other press freedom groups. Forty-two journalists are now in prison in China, most for revealing corruption among high-level government officials, advocating political reforms, or reporting on banned topics. In recent years, a number of high-profile cases have brought the issue of violence against journalists to public attention and have inspired Chinese journalists to speak up in defense of their basic right to freely report. Journalism is widely seen as a more promising career field that in the past. The rising popularity and profitability of metropolitan media offer the prospect that higher quality, better-paid jobs in journalism will expand in the years ahead.

Fine Art Critique Paper

Germaine Armstrong Professor Hale MU2313 Critique Paper When I went home last weekend I attempted to go to the Arlington Museum of Art. Unfortunately the museum was closed due to the fact that they where changing exhibits and would not reopen until the following week. I returned back to San Marcos and decided I would go to The Wittliff Collections here on campus. To my surprise it was a lot bigger than I thought it would be. Being on just one floor of a building I thought it would be a pretty limited museum but it is way bigger than expected. There are four exhibits on display in the museum.One is a permanent display in the museum. There are also a couple of smaller displays in an area in the museum. I couldn’t take any pictures in the museum due to the many signs up saying not to. The exhibit that is on permanent display is The Lonesome Dove Collection. Arguably the greatest western made is based on the Larry McMurtry’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. On display there ar e many things from scripts from the TV show to trail maps used to show the geography of the land on the show. The collection is pretty amazing to me and I am not really a fan of lonesome dove.There are so many small details of the show that you get to see. It really catches your attention. You get to see so many of the props from guns to the saddles they used on horses. Though this is the only permanent exhibit the other exhibits are equally as great. Another Exhibit on display is called Face to Face Portraits. This exhibit shows the work of over 30 photographers. From photos that included Willie Nelson and Texas State alumni George Strait to homeless men, women, and children from across the world. Two pieces from this exhibit really caught my attention.One of the pictures I found very interesting being that of an older gentlemen sitting in a chair that I thought to be pretty unique. The chair he is sitting in caught my eye as soon as I looked at the photo. The arms of the chair hav e been carved to look like the head of a cougar, with the legs the chair being cougar legs. The wood of the chair has many different shades of color. The man sitting in the chair is actually dressed cleanly but you can clearly see that he is a man of lower class. He has on old sneakers and looks like he is out in the sun for a good majority of his time.This one photograph made me ask myself many questions such as â€Å"is he wealthy or poor? † and â€Å"is that his chair or just used for the picture? † or maybe â€Å"did he make the chair and wants to sell it? † The photo really made me think more than any other in exhibit. The other photo or photos in the exhibit that caught my eye were those of Willie Nelson. He had several photos as well as other notable things such as one of his songbooks on display. Nelson had his very on little display case of many notable pictures and accomplishments of his. The reason I really like this is because I am a fan of Willieâ⠂¬â„¢s music.Not only am I a fan but also Willie actually owned a gas station and a house not even ten miles away from where I grew up. So I have gone and seen many notable things that have happened in his career as he put many things on display in his gas station. The most unique thing in the display was a songbook that Willie Nelson wrote when he was ten years old. Seeing more of his accomplishments was awesome. A third exhibit was Global Odyssey: From Texas to the world and back. It showcased many stories of Texas writers as they traveled the world. There are stories form men who severed in Vietnam.This was my least favorite exhibit of any not to say it was a bad one but it just did not catch my attention like the other exhibits. The final exhibit was Las Sombras The Shadows. This exhibit I thought was the coolest of them all. The Photograms by Kate Breakey are amazing. This was my most favorite because I am an animal lover. Many of the photos captured wild animals in their natur al environment. There are several rooms with pictures from this exhibit. One room had most of my attention. The room was all pictures taken from a video that was filmed by a camera left in the woods.Other photos where actually like the outline of many animals. The most intriguing photo to me was a picture of a wolf. The Wolf is actually walking right toward the camera and looking directly in to the lens with its head tilted a little to one side. I like this photo because it shows the wolf checking out its surroundings and actually examining something odd. It looks as if the wolf knows that the camera is not suppose to be there. In all the other photos the animals are either running or walking right by the camera. I am actually glad I went to the museum on campus and it’s the museum I choose to write about.If I did not have to do this critique and the museum in Arlington was not closed I probably would have never visited the museum on campus. Having went I really enjoyed mysel f. I thought it was worth every minute of my time and I could see myself visiting it many more times before I am don at Texas State. I went to the Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth Texas to watch the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. I was sitting pretty high up but still had a great seat and could hear perfectly. Before going to watch the performance I read a couple of reviews online.Most of the reviews praised the orchestra for there performance in concerts earlier this year. The concert I attended would include pieces from three composers John B Hedges, Schumann, and Rimsky-Korsakov. I arrived to the concert pretty early and after I walked around for a little bit I found my seat, which turned out to be way better than, I expected when I first got there. When I first got to my seat I could see the stage fine but thought I might not be able to hear very well being so high up. Boy was I wrong when the members of the orchestra began to warm up I could hear everything crystal clear.Hav ing never being at one of these big concerts before I found it weird how everyone warmed up separately. With them warming up like that it sounded like a bunch of senseless noise. As it got closer to show time the senseless noise became certain people warming up together to whole sections warming up together and was pretty cool. The concert started out with a piece by John B Hedges called Slapdance. This piece of music was filled with a lot of life and energy. One of the reasons I really enjoyed this piece was because of the many percussion instruments used.I was in my high school band and my favorite pieces would always be the fast paced exciting music filled with percussion. This piece had me on the edge of my seat and really excited for the rest of the concert. The piece following Slapdance was a piece by Schumann by the name of Cello Concerto in A Minor, Op. 129. This piece though not as exciting as the first piece was pretty good. It started out slow but it picked up as the song continued. This piece had a solo for a cello. The solo was played by a guest cellist Alban Gerhardt which I learned later is considered one of the great cellist of our time.Though this was my least favorite piece it was not because I did not like it but because I really liked the other two more. After the first two pieces there was an intermission. Most people got up and left the performance room but I stayed just to observe and see what the orchestra would be doing. To my surprise many of them got up and went backstage but a few of them stayed on the stage and seemed to practice he up coming piece. Seeing professional musicians stay on stage and continue to practice up to right before they played was pretty cool to see. After the 15 minute intermission every on returned to their seats.The entire orchestra came back to the stage for the final piece Scheherazade, Op. 35 written by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov. Being the final piece it was the longest of the three selections. I really enj oyed this piece because it had many parts some parts where very slow but it had plenty of exciting parts. This piece actually tells many Indian-Arabian tales called A Thousand and One Nights. This piece even though written hundreds of years later is as well known as the stories. The performance hall where the concert was held was an amazing place to see. When I first arrived and saw the building I thought â€Å"this is the building. Not knowing that I actually wasn’t at the front of the building but the side. Once I got inside everything was extremely incredible. The building didn’t look nearly as large from the outside. When I walked into where the performance would be held I was in awe. The stage was set down at the bottom from where I was with four different levels of seats. Having never been to a place like it I thought it would be awesome to play music in a place like that. The Bass Performance is an amazing place. By attending this classical music concert I lear ned that I could actually enjoy this type of music.The cost for the concert was actually pretty cheap and the seat I had I think was pretty good. I feel like the concert was worth my money and my time. My high school football coach use to always tell me that going outside your comfort zone makes you broaden your mind on what you think is good and bad. Before going to the concert I would have never thought that I would enjoy the music as much as I did. Even though I enjoyed it I probably will not go to another one just to go. After going and my brother and I being the only two younger people there it felt a little uncomfortable.It is something I could see myself going to when I get older. For right now though I would rather go to something with more excitement and people my age. Picking a movie to critique for this paper was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I could not decide if I wanted to pick a movie I had never seen or one I have seen many times. Did I want to pick a movi e that I liked or one that I hated? I decide that I would pick a movie I did not like to see if me critiquing the movie would change how I viewed it or would my opinion stay the same.The movie I choose to critique was the movie Clueless written and directed by Amy Heckerling. The movie is based on a very popular girl in high school who along with her best friend helps the new nerdy kid that arrives at their school to fit in. By changing how the new kid dresses, talks, and trying to get her a boyfriend. Cher Horowitz the main character of the movie is at the top of her schools social scene. Her father is a rich lawyer so she has everything she has ever wanted. Going to high school in Beverly Hills she is obsessed with her fashion.She likes to think she is just as normal as a regular girl but has a closet that puts her outfits together. She is the typical example of â€Å"daddy’s little girl†. Even when given rules to follow she somehow always manages to find a loophole and does what she wants. She is your typical â€Å"brat†. The one thing she cannot seem to get is a boy. The movie is told from Cher’s point of view as she tries to help friends and ultimately help herself before the movie ends. Cher’s best friend is Dionne. Dionne understands Cher because she faces all the same popular girl problems.Dionne helps Cher with her fashion and trying to give the new kid a makeover. At first Cher is against Dionne and her boyfriend’s relationship but after a near accident Cher realizes that the two are in love and ends up envying their relationship. Tai Frasier is the ugly unpopular nerd that transfers to Cher and Dionne’s school. As soon as she arrives Cher makes it a point of hers to transfer the goofy nerd into one of the popular girls. Dionne is uneasy with the idea at first but Cher uses her charming ways to convince her to do it. Tai immediately falls behind Cher and Dionne and listens to everything the two says.Sh e is attracted to an unpopular boy but ignores him because Cher and Dionne says she should be dating one of the most popular boys at school. Mel Horowitz is the father of Cher. He is a very successful litigator who pays more attention to his work than to his daughter. He tries to discipline Cher throughout the movie but she manages to always find a way to get off easy. Josh Lucas is Cher’s ex-stepbrother. Her father used to be married to Josh’s mother. Josh has ambitions to be a lawyer and tries to learn many things from Mel. Josh and Cher flirt throughout the movie but when she sees josh and Tai flirting she becomes jealous.However Josh and Cher ends up falling for each other at the very end of the movie. When Cher realizes she cannot connect with any other boy because she loves him. Christian Stovitz is one of Cher’s main love interests in the movie until she finds out that he is gay. Christian arrives at midway trough the school year and immediately gets Cher ’s attention. She goes out with him several times and even tries to seduce him. When it does not work she thinks it as something to with herself. After complaining about it to Dionne and her boyfriend Cher is told he is gay and she now understands him more.Throughout the film Cher refers to herself as clueless many times. Even though she had many answers for others problems she often found herself clueless to her own. She helps many of her friends with fashion and boys. She is not able to get any boy she wants. She becomes aware of this and becomes depressed. Shopping helps her depression for a little while but she still finds herself down. She finally overcomes her depression when admits to herself that she loves Josh. After reading reviews on this movie it was actually a pretty big hit in 1995. The movie was much more popular than most expected.It is still a very popular movie because many girls can relate to the things that happen in it. This movie is not based on a true s tory but the events that happen I am sure are possible. Even though I went to a small high school I have seen many girls freak out over many silly things. All of the things Cher goes through sounds like typical girl problems. After seeing this movie several times and now critiquing it I still think that it is overly hyped and I do not think it is a movie I would watch just to watch. There would have to be a reason I would watch it. I think my opinion is like this because I cannot relate to the movie.