English as a Global Language

English as a global language English is spoken in most parts of the world, for instance in Great Britain, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and in many more countries. Moreover in African states English serves as main form of communication. English is, after the Chinese one, the language most people speak and it is the most popular second language and foreign language pupils learn in school. The English language is often named as a â€Å"killer language† that wipes out smaller languages and their cultures by exclusive use (f. e. media, economy). English is not popular because of its linguistic properties but there are conscious, co-ordinated promotion programmes. But if there are so many speaking the same language there remains the question of human’s diversity – concerning biological, cultural and political matters. We also have to take into consideration, that English as a global language is also linked to social costs, because the teaching and accommodat ion of the languages for immigrant minorities is rather irrational. Language policy in the post-colonial situation: There are a lot of colonial states with multilingual character because of the imperialist powers in the 19th and 20th century. In Africa, for example, there are no attempts to use any African language in high-status functions, they are not even taught in schools. The period during colonialism changed a lot in the world’s history and following development, and colonialism make us think about cheap rawmaterials and workers the imperialist powers wanted to gain, but we often forget about something else, which an African statesman expresses in his speech: The real aim of colonialism was to control the people’s _wealth†¦ but) economic and political control can never be complete or effective without mental control. To control a people’s culture is to control their tools of self-definition in relationship to others. For colonialism, this involved two aspects of the same process: the destruction or the deliberate undervaluing of a people’s culture, their art, dances, religions, history, geography, education, orature and literature, and the conscious elevation of the language of the coloniser. The domination of a people’s language by the languages of the colonising nations was crucial to the domination of the mental universe of the colonised. Ngugi wa Thiong’o (extract from his famous essay on â€Å"The language of African literature†) But there are several arguments for the demand of the adoption of the ex-colonial languages as official ones. First, regarded politically, the choice of any indigenous language would destabilise African states which are multilingual. A second argument would be, that the continue use of the ex-colonial language is rather â€Å"practical† because in the end it was accepted by the majority. From having been the language of the oppressor, English, for instance, became the language of national unity and national liberation. There was a sense (economically and technically) in ex-colonial languages, because then they are linked to their â€Å"mother country† and the language-infrastructure delivers a pool of skills, like as prorate books, dictionaries, registers, etc. It would be useless to imitate and duplicate in any of African languages. But these arguments were not often used in cultural discussions, because the European languages often affect as superior to the indigenous â€Å"vernaculars†. The development seems to be inevitable because with the problem of unemployment, the ability to speak English is very important, but English can’t be blamed for the developments demanding an international lingua franca to facilitate a world wide exchange of knowledge everyone can understand. Killer languages were always introduced by those who were in control of power. The USA with the strongest currency the Dollar, shows that it is not coincidental that English is the leading candidate as a global language. Because of the English predominance in the industrial world, more and more peoples will have to join in and the question remains if they are able to keep their own identities. There is no danger if regional groups manage to keep their own language for internal communication, but in less developed countries the members of small linguistic groups have to change to a language of a higher rank in the language hierarchy. Because that way they are more flexible and the chances in world-wide competition are bigger. In Australia parents even force their children to speak English instead of their own indigenous mother tongue, because they want to provide them better chances for their future. Shortly, you can say that by surviving in a capitalistic system of competition many peoples are forced to support a process which destroys their own culture. In Countries of GB’s old colonial empire (e. g. : Australia, USA, Canada, New Zealand) the native populations were either killed or enslaved, and the Anglo- Saxon culture and language were adopted. This seemed to be a natural process. In Africa the new system of additive bilingualism shall be introduced now. That means that the 1st language maintains and a second one is added. This system developed out of the Bantu Education, which inforced black schoolchildren to learn English with the help of a racist curriculum (Stundenplan). But African children rebelled which is called the_ Soweto Uprising of 1976_, by now. This truly baneful legacy of Apartheid and a lack of will amongst most of the political leadership are the main reasons why there is no successful policy of multilingualism and multilingualistic education in Africa yet. On contrary, there’s really a language problem like in India and other former colonies. The leaders followed the French or English only (or mainly) language policies after formal independence from the colonial rule. Most of these countries returned to their mother – tongue within. Prof. Alexander Neville thinks, that if additive bilingualism is carried out systematically but flexibly, there should be a high level of literacy in Africa in the course of the next century (1 African language and at least some fluency in English for all Africans). African schools could normalise (competent language teachers like most countries of the world). We think this is a rather optimistic view. But what is the right way to learn a language? In the Internet Research there are some conditions quoted as important to learn a 2nd language: Teachers‘ language proficiency Teachers‘ competence as teachers (understand and overcome pupils‘ problems) Exposure to the language outside the classroom Adequate textbooks and material There’s a need for one or two world languages in the fields of trade, technology and diplomacy. But there’s a global tension between this need on one hand, and the national and regional need for a language in which the history and treasures of the cultures of the world‘s diverse peoples, are captured, on the other hand. Nowadays, as English is the lingua franca of the EU, massive efforts of translation and interpretation have to be taken. A lingua franca and Multilingualism should stand side by side, forming a common language policy. Changes in the Teaching of English David Crystal (Author of „English as a Global Languageâ€Å") thinks that English became the world language not because of any intrinsic linguistic qualities, but because at significant moments in history it happened to be ‘in the right place at the right time'. â€Å"The Future of English? by Graddol, suggests that English is at a turning point in its development as an international language: it has become a global language at a time when the world itself is undergoing rapid change. Indeed, English is very much a part of the process of transformation, which is creating a more closely interconnected world in which people and machines talk easily to each other from one country to any other in the world. It is clear that mo re and more people learning English as a foreign language do so in order to communicate with other non-native speakers of English. This marks a significant change in the nature and purpose of teaching and learning English around the world, which has hitherto been built on the idea of teaching a native speaker model of English (usually British or American) to allow communication between the learner and native speakers. If you consider, that the number of people speaking English as a second language will soon outnumber the one of those speaking it as a first tongue, you will understand, that also the way of teaching English has to change. Therefor new methods of English Language teaching (ELT) have been developed to be able to teach also the diverse and changing contexts in which English will be used in the future. There are courses on the Internet and special groups, where English teachers from all over the world discuss about the new challenge of their profession. Diana and Julia Brugger Opinions: What makes a global language? Why is English a leading candidate? Will it hold this position? A few years ago I travelled around Europe with a friend. Although we knew only a little French, we were able to travel with no problem. Everyone we encountered, with a few exceptions, spoke English. It was comforting to be able to communicate with others when we were lost, needed help or just wanted to talk. Personally, I think a universal language would benefit most people. I agree, however, that one should not replace native languages. Native languages are symbols of culture, the past and its people. From what we have learned so far I think a universal language would have maybe eliminated some of the oppression and subordination some peoples faced at the hands of colonisers. Cheryl Fonda Undoubtedly, the English language is a powerful tool and has been a dominant force in suppressing the colonies during Imperialism. Fortunately, Pakistan ( my native country) which was under British rule did not let go of it's native language despite British influence. English remains the official language, but we have our own national language called Urdu, which is quite dominant. Shandana *Khanzada* (Pakistan) I guess from the heading of this posting that we would assume that English would be a great candidate for this universal language. I do feel that it might eliminate some tension if everyone had access to a certain universal language and couldn't be exploited as easily. However, most diplomats and such already speak English. It is the poor of every nation that don't have access to English education, so the hierarchy still continues. The universal language would cause exploitation of poor by the rich. The only difference is that it would not be a nation exploiting another but people of a nation exploiting there own countrymen. Wesley Edwards We as English speakers take a lot for granted†¦ when it comes to languages we are very self-centred. True a universal language would make business and politics much easier, but each language carries much of a culture. If you have ever tried translating poetry from one language to another you know how words don't have exact translations and almost all subtleties are lost. Think about even within the English language†¦ each dialect ( southern, Midwest, New England) has its own character. Elizabeth Nelson A universal language sounds great in theory but the work that implementing it would entail is overwhelming to say the least. I too have travelled to other countries and have felt very lucky when others know English and were able to help me. —Americans should really know other languages well considering the resources we have here, but the truth of the matter is that we do not. I think a universal language would be more convenient but it would eventually wipe out certain difference among us that serve as positive vehicles for learning and experience. Laura Sykes English as a Global Language English as a global language English is spoken in most parts of the world, for instance in Great Britain, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and in many more countries. Moreover in African states English serves as main form of communication. English is, after the Chinese one, the language most people speak and it is the most popular second language and foreign language pupils learn in school. The English language is often named as a â€Å"killer language† that wipes out smaller languages and their cultures by exclusive use (f. e. media, economy). English is not popular because of its linguistic properties but there are conscious, co-ordinated promotion programmes. But if there are so many speaking the same language there remains the question of human’s diversity – concerning biological, cultural and political matters. We also have to take into consideration, that English as a global language is also linked to social costs, because the teaching and accommodat ion of the languages for immigrant minorities is rather irrational. Language policy in the post-colonial situation: There are a lot of colonial states with multilingual character because of the imperialist powers in the 19th and 20th century. In Africa, for example, there are no attempts to use any African language in high-status functions, they are not even taught in schools. The period during colonialism changed a lot in the world’s history and following development, and colonialism make us think about cheap rawmaterials and workers the imperialist powers wanted to gain, but we often forget about something else, which an African statesman expresses in his speech: The real aim of colonialism was to control the people’s _wealth†¦ but) economic and political control can never be complete or effective without mental control. To control a people’s culture is to control their tools of self-definition in relationship to others. For colonialism, this involved two aspects of the same process: the destruction or the deliberate undervaluing of a people’s culture, their art, dances, religions, history, geography, education, orature and literature, and the conscious elevation of the language of the coloniser. The domination of a people’s language by the languages of the colonising nations was crucial to the domination of the mental universe of the colonised. Ngugi wa Thiong’o (extract from his famous essay on â€Å"The language of African literature†) But there are several arguments for the demand of the adoption of the ex-colonial languages as official ones. First, regarded politically, the choice of any indigenous language would destabilise African states which are multilingual. A second argument would be, that the continue use of the ex-colonial language is rather â€Å"practical† because in the end it was accepted by the majority. From having been the language of the oppressor, English, for instance, became the language of national unity and national liberation. There was a sense (economically and technically) in ex-colonial languages, because then they are linked to their â€Å"mother country† and the language-infrastructure delivers a pool of skills, like as prorate books, dictionaries, registers, etc. It would be useless to imitate and duplicate in any of African languages. But these arguments were not often used in cultural discussions, because the European languages often affect as superior to the indigenous â€Å"vernaculars†. The development seems to be inevitable because with the problem of unemployment, the ability to speak English is very important, but English can’t be blamed for the developments demanding an international lingua franca to facilitate a world wide exchange of knowledge everyone can understand. Killer languages were always introduced by those who were in control of power. The USA with the strongest currency the Dollar, shows that it is not coincidental that English is the leading candidate as a global language. Because of the English predominance in the industrial world, more and more peoples will have to join in and the question remains if they are able to keep their own identities. There is no danger if regional groups manage to keep their own language for internal communication, but in less developed countries the members of small linguistic groups have to change to a language of a higher rank in the language hierarchy. Because that way they are more flexible and the chances in world-wide competition are bigger. In Australia parents even force their children to speak English instead of their own indigenous mother tongue, because they want to provide them better chances for their future. Shortly, you can say that by surviving in a capitalistic system of competition many peoples are forced to support a process which destroys their own culture. In Countries of GB’s old colonial empire (e. g. : Australia, USA, Canada, New Zealand) the native populations were either killed or enslaved, and the Anglo- Saxon culture and language were adopted. This seemed to be a natural process. In Africa the new system of additive bilingualism shall be introduced now. That means that the 1st language maintains and a second one is added. This system developed out of the Bantu Education, which inforced black schoolchildren to learn English with the help of a racist curriculum (Stundenplan). But African children rebelled which is called the_ Soweto Uprising of 1976_, by now. This truly baneful legacy of Apartheid and a lack of will amongst most of the political leadership are the main reasons why there is no successful policy of multilingualism and multilingualistic education in Africa yet. On contrary, there’s really a language problem like in India and other former colonies. The leaders followed the French or English only (or mainly) language policies after formal independence from the colonial rule. Most of these countries returned to their mother – tongue within. Prof. Alexander Neville thinks, that if additive bilingualism is carried out systematically but flexibly, there should be a high level of literacy in Africa in the course of the next century (1 African language and at least some fluency in English for all Africans). African schools could normalise (competent language teachers like most countries of the world). We think this is a rather optimistic view. But what is the right way to learn a language? In the Internet Research there are some conditions quoted as important to learn a 2nd language: Teachers‘ language proficiency Teachers‘ competence as teachers (understand and overcome pupils‘ problems) Exposure to the language outside the classroom Adequate textbooks and material There’s a need for one or two world languages in the fields of trade, technology and diplomacy. But there’s a global tension between this need on one hand, and the national and regional need for a language in which the history and treasures of the cultures of the world‘s diverse peoples, are captured, on the other hand. Nowadays, as English is the lingua franca of the EU, massive efforts of translation and interpretation have to be taken. A lingua franca and Multilingualism should stand side by side, forming a common language policy. Changes in the Teaching of English David Crystal (Author of „English as a Global Languageâ€Å") thinks that English became the world language not because of any intrinsic linguistic qualities, but because at significant moments in history it happened to be ‘in the right place at the right time'. â€Å"The Future of English? by Graddol, suggests that English is at a turning point in its development as an international language: it has become a global language at a time when the world itself is undergoing rapid change. Indeed, English is very much a part of the process of transformation, which is creating a more closely interconnected world in which people and machines talk easily to each other from one country to any other in the world. It is clear that mo re and more people learning English as a foreign language do so in order to communicate with other non-native speakers of English. This marks a significant change in the nature and purpose of teaching and learning English around the world, which has hitherto been built on the idea of teaching a native speaker model of English (usually British or American) to allow communication between the learner and native speakers. If you consider, that the number of people speaking English as a second language will soon outnumber the one of those speaking it as a first tongue, you will understand, that also the way of teaching English has to change. Therefor new methods of English Language teaching (ELT) have been developed to be able to teach also the diverse and changing contexts in which English will be used in the future. There are courses on the Internet and special groups, where English teachers from all over the world discuss about the new challenge of their profession. Diana and Julia Brugger Opinions: What makes a global language? Why is English a leading candidate? Will it hold this position? A few years ago I travelled around Europe with a friend. Although we knew only a little French, we were able to travel with no problem. Everyone we encountered, with a few exceptions, spoke English. It was comforting to be able to communicate with others when we were lost, needed help or just wanted to talk. Personally, I think a universal language would benefit most people. I agree, however, that one should not replace native languages. Native languages are symbols of culture, the past and its people. From what we have learned so far I think a universal language would have maybe eliminated some of the oppression and subordination some peoples faced at the hands of colonisers. Cheryl Fonda Undoubtedly, the English language is a powerful tool and has been a dominant force in suppressing the colonies during Imperialism. Fortunately, Pakistan ( my native country) which was under British rule did not let go of it's native language despite British influence. English remains the official language, but we have our own national language called Urdu, which is quite dominant. Shandana *Khanzada* (Pakistan) I guess from the heading of this posting that we would assume that English would be a great candidate for this universal language. I do feel that it might eliminate some tension if everyone had access to a certain universal language and couldn't be exploited as easily. However, most diplomats and such already speak English. It is the poor of every nation that don't have access to English education, so the hierarchy still continues. The universal language would cause exploitation of poor by the rich. The only difference is that it would not be a nation exploiting another but people of a nation exploiting there own countrymen. Wesley Edwards We as English speakers take a lot for granted†¦ when it comes to languages we are very self-centred. True a universal language would make business and politics much easier, but each language carries much of a culture. If you have ever tried translating poetry from one language to another you know how words don't have exact translations and almost all subtleties are lost. Think about even within the English language†¦ each dialect ( southern, Midwest, New England) has its own character. Elizabeth Nelson A universal language sounds great in theory but the work that implementing it would entail is overwhelming to say the least. I too have travelled to other countries and have felt very lucky when others know English and were able to help me. —Americans should really know other languages well considering the resources we have here, but the truth of the matter is that we do not. I think a universal language would be more convenient but it would eventually wipe out certain difference among us that serve as positive vehicles for learning and experience. Laura Sykes

Theory of Management in Health Care

The essentials of management, by far, are not historically new. One can imagine the management that was needed to build the Egyptian pyramids or the Greek Parthenon. The requirement was to have people work efficiently together toward a successful common end. However, with the rise of industrialization and now with the rapid speed of change and technological advancements, effective management is needed more than ever. Healthcare, which is having such a significant impact on today's society and also undergoing many transitions in a short period of time, is a prime example of an industry that requires the best management possible. Peter Drucker, an economist and journalist, is regarded as the founding father of the study of management by experts in the worlds of business and academia. According to Drucker (2001, pg. 10), management is based on several essential principles: 1) Management concerns first and foremost human beings, who must be made capable of joint performance, their strengths effective and weaknesses irrelevant; 2) Management is thoroughly a part of individual cultures and is variable; 3) Each organization must have a commitment to common goals and unifying objectives that are set my management; 4) Management must find ways of encouraging growth and development of the organization and its members as opportunities change; 5) Within every organization are individuals with different skills and knowledge accomplishing different types of work. This necessitates effective communications as well as each person assuming responsibility for setting individual goals, making those goals known, and working with others to accomplish them; 6) Management is measured on such factors as innovation, market share, quality and people development, not by the bottom line or output quantity; and 7) Most important, results exist only on the outside with a satisfied patient, client or customer. In the early 1960s Drucker read Abraham H. Maslow's theory of management, which is based on the belief that each person has specific needs. He â€Å"became an immediate convert† (Drucker, 1999a, p. 17). Essentially, this means that different groups of employees have to be managed differently, and that the same group of workers has to be managed differently at different times (pg. 21). However, stressed Drucker, â€Å"one does not ‘manage' people. The task is to lead people. And the goal is to make productive the specific strengths and knowledge of each individual (pg. 21-22). In these days of global competition, such a leadership style is essential to point individuals in the most productive directions. One also has to prepare for continual change. In the past, management commitments for the future were based on the question, â€Å"What is most likely happen?† Now, it is necessary to plan for uncertainty by asking â€Å"What has already happened that will create the future?† (Drucker, 1995, pg. 40). All organizations, especially ones in the healthcare field, have to look at such factors as demographic trends; changes in industry, market structure, values, science and technology already in place but yet to have full impact; and trends in the economy and structure of society. They must then convert these â€Å"what is most likely to happen† into opportunities for the organization based on its strengths and competence. Further, it must develop the knowledge and people to be able to respond to these opportunities. Global society is in the midst of a major transformation, where knowledge is the primary resource if, and only if, it is integrated into a task. For managers, this dynamics of knowledge requires building change into the organizational structure. The organization must commit itself to continually creating something new (Drucker, 1995, pg. 79). As a result, management must emphasize continuous improvement or kaizen, exploit its knowledge to develop the next generation of applications from its successes and learn to innovate in a systematic process. This means that organizations must continually make changes. This may even lead to closing down a hospital when changes in medical knowledge, technology and practice make a hospital with less than 200 beds uneconomical and unable to provide excellent care (pg. 81). The organizations of the future must also routinely say, â€Å"People are our greatest asset,† and loyalty is gained through offering employees exceptional opportunities for putting their knowledge to work. Ironically, however, knowledge about the knowledge worker productivity is minimal. For example, a fair-sized U.S. hospital of 400 beds has several hundred physicians and a staff up to 1,500 paramedics divided among 60 specialties, with specialized equipment and labs. â€Å"But we do not yet know how to get productivity out of them† (Drucker, 1992, pg. 336) What is known, Drucker says in Management Challenge for the 21st Century (1999b, pg. 142), are the six major demands that underlie this productivity: 1) need to ask, â€Å"what is the task?†; 2) individuals assume responsibility for themselves; 3) continuing innovation; 4) continuous learning and teaching; 5) quality over quantity; and 6) individuals recognized as an asset. Making knowledge workers productive necessitates changes in basic attitude of the entire organization. Knowledge-worker productivity is the largest of the 21st century management challenges. In the developed countries, it is their first survival requirement (Drucker, 1999b, pg. 157). One of the biggest changes is that workers will have to manage themselves and place themselves in the location where they can make the greatest impact. They will have to learn how to develop themselves and continuously better themselves. They will have to ask themselves: â€Å"What are my strengths?†; â€Å"Where do I belong?†; â€Å"What is my contribution?†; â€Å"Where can I take relationship responsibility?†; and â€Å"How can I plan for the second half of my life?† The lesson, concludes Drucker (1998, pg. 187) is that productivity of knowledge has both a qualitative and quantitative dimension. Managers (actually executives is a better word, he says) must manage both specialists and synthesizes of the different fields of knowledge. The healthcare industry will be significantly involved in all these changes if they are not already. In an online article â€Å"The Next Information Revolution,† Drucker said of healthcare: â€Å"In healthcare a similar conceptual shift is likely to lead from healthcare being defined as the fight against disease to being defined as the maintenance of physical and mental functioning.† The battle against illness remains an essential aspect of healthcare. However, it is rather a subsection of it. The traditional healthcare providers nor the hospitals and general practice physicians may survive this change, and definitely not in their present structure and function. In healthcare, the stress will therefore transition from the â€Å"T† in IT to the â€Å"I,† as it is transitioning in business and in the general economy. Is it possible that the information people in MIS and IT prepared for such changes? He sees no sign of this so far. The 21st century is heralding in a huge transition the healthcare focus (Drucker, 1999b) While the country spent most of the prior century managing disease, it will now spend time emphasizing life extension, or maximizing the length and quality of life. The key is having a work force of nurses and allied health professionals who are educated and skilled as a chronic care coach. It is a step that goes beyond case management since it involves most patients instead of those just with the most complicated cases and situations. Overall, it will involve a major redefinition of healthcare.

Huffman Trucking - Tools For Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Huffman Trucking - Tools For Business - Essay Example This essay stresses that the tracking and surveillance feature – this feature will allow the company to monitor truck movements real time. With this feature available, it will be easy to monitor trucks on every shipping activity. This will also allow the headquarters to determine consistency of data under which is stated on the communication log sheet. This paper makes a conclusion that location indicator – provides the company and drivers with the exact location of the delivery point and their actual location, the GPS can also provide alternate routes (in cases that original routes are not accessible due to unexpected situations). This supports the objective of the delivery schedule and itinerary sheet. Delivery schedule and itinerary sheet is a tool used to organize and plan the route of each truck that goes from departure point to destination point, depending on the schedules and destination of delivery, this tool can also help determine which orders can go out in one truck. The delivery schedule and itinerary sheet also helps maximize time and efficiency for deliveries and fuel. The communication log sheet is a tool which provides data on the status or condition of each truck. Accidents like engine breakdown, heavy traffic and bad weather condition may occur, in these cases drivers would radio condition to the nearest br anch or head quarters. All communication details are logged in the communication log sheet.

Business Research Methodologies Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Business Research Methodologies - Coursework Example Research Methodology Various tools will be used to collect the extensive sets of relevant data that are required to proceed with the study. The two forms of research are primary and secondary research, where primary is based on questionnaire; interviews and secondary research is based on reports which are already made available through books, articles and internet (Goddard & Melville, 2004, p. 3-4). Research design A research design encompasses procedures and methodologies that are employed to conduct research. The research design defines the type of study: such as descriptive, experimental, semi experimental, correlation and others. Research design is also considered as a systematic and scientific search for precise information on a particular topic. One of the primary reasons for research is to find out the truth which was not revealed in due course of time. Each research has its own objectives and purposes, but in general the key objective of conducting research is to gain new ins ight and is also referred to as exploratory research. In addition, other forms of research are descriptive research, diagnostic research and to test the casual relationship which are conducted in the process of hypothesis testing (Kothari, 2008, p.2).Research design with regards to the study of management style of the supervisors to evaluate the performance of employees at Curry’s PC world is as follows: Research Philosophy: The research philosophy adopted is realism. The realism theory of philosophy was adopted because of its independent nature and is quite similar to positivism and tends to assume a scientific approach. It is mainly used because it underpins the collection of data and thereby understanding the gathered information (Collins, 2010, p.38). Research Approach: The research approach chosen for the study is inductive research approach. Here initial few observations are made and then it moves to broader theories and generalizations. It is also sometimes called the â€Å"bottom up approach.† Conclusions are usually based on premises and also tend to involve certain degree of uncertainty. Reasons for using such approach is that the researcher will be able to draw many approaches on his own as per the convenience of the study and meet with the challenges of the world (Anderson, 2004, p.103). Research strategy: Research strategy is referred to as decision about the tactics of data collection for a given study (Walsh & Wigens, 2003, p.70). The research strategy chosen for the study is through survey approach and case study analysis. Data collection methods: Data will be collected mainly through primary and secondary sources. Primary research will take into consideration the qualitative and quantitative approach. In case of primary research, data will be collected through questionnaires and interviews. For secondary approach, case study analysis will be taken into consideration to analyze the impact of supervisors on the performance of the e mployees at Curry’s PC World. Sampling method is of two types: probability sampling and non probability sampling methods. The study will take into consideration the probability sampling method also known as random sampling (Kothari, 2009, p.60). The study will adopt the simple random sampling technique, in order to gather data for the questionnaire and thereby analyze the result. For the survey, the target group will be the employees of Curry’

Source report - Surrogacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Source report - Surrogacy - Essay Example Haughey’s studies develop theoretically and descriptive analysis of gender selection through surrogacy. According to the author, medical methods used in surrogacy have made it able for prospective parents to propose the preferred sex of their children. In addition, people have developed appealing hypothesis to explain an aspect of sex selection. One of the theoretical hypotheses is concerned with creating a â€Å"balance† in families. Haughey (2005: 85) provides a descriptive study on how surrogacy technology provides couples with a chance to choose sperms that fertilise eggs; hence determining the sex of the offspring. The discussion above lays a scientific foundation regarding the determination of offspring’s sexual features through the selection of sperms to be used for fertilization. Gender balancing eradicates the domination of one gender of children in the family unit by deciding which sexes should be included. In addition, some families may use sex selection to replace or rebuild the family after the death of a child. It is also evident that sex selection occurs when the foetus is selected based on gender, social or medical reasons before it is implanted into the womb. In addition, it is important to note that sex selection also occurs when the foetus is aborted based on gender. Stacey develops theoretically and descriptive hypothesis to that link gender selection in surrogacy and medical reasons. According to the author, couples prefer to point out the desired gender of their children to avoid gender specific genetic and chromosomal disorders. Surrogacy also offers a ground where embryos are screened for genetic diseases and those that are found safe implanted into the mothers’ womb. The descriptive argument presented is that sex selection prevents people from having children with sex-linked diseases such as Duchene’s muscular dystrophy, sickle cell anemia or

ANTH100 Take-Home Essay Final Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

ANTH100 Take-Home Final - Essay Example Notably, the Hutterites fall under the chiefdoms organizational structure. Indeed, the Hutterites fall under chiefdom where they adopt a centralized political system. The Hutterites accommodates different levels of leadership, which includes God’s leadership, preachers and councils, and the community (Anthropology, n.y). Indeed, Hutterites men and women operate in two separate subcultures in the colony where men are superior (Peaceful Societies, 2013). Furthermore, there are more than 50,000 Hutterites living in different colonies (Peaceful Societies, 2013), where they farm, raise livestock, and produce manufactured goods for sustenance (Hutterites.org, 2012). The Hutterites believes that God has established a hierarchy of relationships, with the lower always obeying the higher and the society respects the authority of God (Peaceful Societies, 2013). In case of disagreements, individuals settle the dispute between themselves. Where the dispute persists, the preachers or other church members intervene (Peaceful Societies, 2013).  These aspects defi ne chiefdom. Various studies seek to determine the time of origin of modern human language. As a result, various results from the studies are subject to examination in reference to determining the time of origin of modern human language. Notably, there have been examinations on biological evidence, cultural evidence, natural evolution hypothesis (Vajda, n.y), and the language phonemic diversity to estimate a minimum date for the origin of language (Perreault & Mathew, 2012). Notably, the numerous studies seeking to determine the time of origin of modern human language did not establish a universal conclusion. Nevertheless, the studies suggest that modern language originated only once (Wade, 2011). Further analysis suggests that modern human language originated from southern Africa (Wade, 2011). These findings relate

Project Management Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Project Management Review - Essay Example While the former deals with system, the latter is related to environment and culture. It is necessary to develop a clear project scope statement that connects the project and customer. In addition, it is necessary for planning and control. Thereafter, there is proper work breakdown that will enable proper planning and monitoring of the progress of the project. As a result, the project and its changes will be properly documented and traceable. On the other hand, as Larson, and Gray, point out, the sociocultural aspects deal with developing a social system that incorporates the talents of various people working together to complete a project (14). It is the sociocultural aspect that develops a project culture that enhances teamwork and ensures high level of motivation. In addition, it should ensure provisions to quickly solve problems. Also, the dimension takes into consideration the interaction between the project and external environment. In total, it is about developing conducive so cial network of skilled professionals. II The three main elements which are to be balanced continuously in a project are time, cost and performance. In fact, in a project, these three constraints are not independent. Instead, they interact each other. For example, if resources are added to shorten the time period, there will be a rise in the project cost. For example, every project is evaluated according to â€Å"accomplishment, cost, and time period† (Larson, and Gray, 5). So, it becomes the most important function of a project management to balance the tradeoffs between time, cost and performance as a way to satisfy the customer in the end. III There are three basic ways to organize a project team. They are functional organization, dedicated project teams, and matrix structure. In the functional organization, the project is managed within the traditional, functional departments of an organization. Some examples are the departments of R&D and IT. This form is usually selecte d when the number of functional departments in the project is just one or two. In addition, in this system, one department is mainly responsible for implementation and it is this department that plays the most important role in the project. However, this system many not be suitable when a project is complex that requires a lot of independent decision making. However, a dedicated project team is usually an independent organizational unit, and it has members who devote their full time effort on the project. This team is suitable when the project is complex and large which requires a considerable number of functional disciplines, often more than six. The last one is matrix structure of organization. For this team, multiple functional units within the company are incorporated for people to be team members as needed. This form is often adopted when the project size is medium; that is bigger for the traditional functional organization and smaller for a full time dedicated team. In other w ords, when there are four to six functional disciples in a project, the matrix system is favored. The advantages of the traditional functional organization are flexibility, in-depth expertise, easy project transition, and lack of changes. However, the issues associated with this form are lack of focus due to fewer obligations, poor interaction among functional units, slow speed, and lack of motivation

Any student caught cheating on an examination should be automatically Essay

Any student caught cheating on an examination should be automatically dismissed from college - Essay Example College life is an unforgettable experience because it requires hard work and determination in studies and builds on a person’s future career. However, the promise students normally make to study hard normally changes because of the social life that carries them away from the significance of their future making them to lose concentration. Unfortunately, they only get serious when the examinations begin, which greatly affect their performance. Some students will always settle for average after realizing that a sociable individual cannot compete for every field (Berschback, 2011). On the other hand, there are students who are self-motivated who usually drive themselves in work hard. The last group of students would always want to sail with little or no effort perhaps because the social life and the stressful nature of either college life or lack of self-esteem have overwhelmed them. This group of students strives to find various ways of passing exams and achieving better grades through cheating especially during their final examinations. Cheating simply implies that a student is more concerned with personal gain. However, every student, given an opportunity, would want to cheat in order to gain high grade. If any case of cheating goes unpunished then it would imply that a student is being encouraged to cheat (Gardner et al., 2008). Students may be encouraged to cheat even more because of either less severe or no punishment. However, the form of punishment differs depending on the impact of cheating. Responsible authority should weigh on the best option or remedy that can be instilled on the cheating students. Automatic dismissal may not be the best punishment to be given to the cheating students. There are other options that are more effective and efficient than automatic dismissal (Lau et al., 2012). There are several things that encourage students to

FINISH LINE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

FINISH LINE - Essay Example Connick mentions that seasonal sales period is a high time for a store to make greater profits, but it comes with difficulties, as well. During the busy season, avoiding stock out is imperative. A seasonal stock should be carefully monitored on a daily basis and to avoid empty stock, the store manager must call the warehouse every day for that. Finish Line must take care of everyday pricing, assortment, space management, inventory management on a daily basis, and must show prowess in handling business decisions when it comes to seasonal products. There are many people complaining about wrong shoe size or the shoes that are outdated in fashion terms. There are researches, like the one mentioned by Better Health Channel (2013), that put high emphasis on foot care when it comes to running and jogging. So, the customers need the types of shoes that are not only in fashion but also take care of their feet. The buyers are the ones that have to face a lot of risk because even if Finish Line takes three months as its lead time, the other shoe making companies mentioned in the case study take at least six months. This means that customers have to wait for long to see what would be the changes in fashion in the offing. A new fashion is most likely to show up in six months. If the customer rates store A high in style-by-style ranking, store B lesser than that and store C the least in ranking then Finish Line would have to make decisions in keeping the inventory of store A available at all the time. The reason is very evident; if the customers have ranked according to style, then this means that they are fashion conscious and want to look up to date in shoe styling. This gives rise to the fact that the customers that ranked store A high in style would, most of the times, like to buy from store A. Straightforwardly, Finish Line would have to take special care of inventory management at store A. Considering this scenario

Social work- serious case review practice issues Essay

Social work- serious case review practice issues - Essay Example ppened, it would also be that such events occurred because these guardians themselves were mentally-incapacitated to provide comfort and support to the children (Lyons-Ruth, et al., 2004, p.70). In this regard other agencies could have mitigated the effects of the debilitation of the parents or caregivers of children, by having them assess the capability of these adults to provide care and support (Phillips, 1997, p.609). Most often agencies such as social welfare, schools, health practitioners and other authorities are able to give provide the necessary assistance to children in high-risk families or neighbourhoods, and the help are able to give positive results, especially when the children in question are provided with proper medical attention as well as psychiatric counselling (Faver, et al., 1999, p.90). However, there are also times when these same agencies are unable to work together in solving cases of child maltreatment or neglect, especially when the parents or guardians involved are rather resistant to any outside help, which could result to the children getting injured or even ending up dead (Rzepnicki & Johnson, 2005, p.393; Wulczyn, et al., 2010, p.5). Such events are likely to be the result of the miscommunications or the lack of correspondence among agencies, as well as not understanding how the interrelationships between welfare agencies could prevent occurrences of children getting injured inside the home. Such a case has been documented by the Birmingham Safeguarding Children Board, when a child in a rather problematic family died due to onset of infections that were attributed to lack of proper nourishment, among other things (Radford, 2010, p.5). In hindsight, the problem could have been alleviated if the agencies which were attending the family were much more proactive in truly finding out the state of the family, as well as the ability of the mother and the partner adult to care for the children. However, the communication gaps between the

Black lives matter the history and existence of racial inequality in the united states Essay Example for Free

Black lives matter the history and existence of racial inequality in the united states Essay â€Å"Hands up. Don’t shoot.†[1] This is a refrain shouted by #BlackLivesMatter activists throughout the United States. #BlackLivesMatter is a movement that gained national momentum in 2014 after acts of police brutality resulting in the death of black Americans such as Mike Brown and Eric Garner. In both of these cases, the respective police officers involved were not indicted for the death of American citizens.[2] This prompted the reaction: â€Å"black lives matter†; the livelihood of black people should and must be as important as that of white people. Throughout history, people of African descent in the United States have not equally enjoyed the same life and opportunities as other Americans due to racism, defined by public health scholars Jennifer Jee-Lyn Garcia and Mienah Zulfacar Sharif as â€Å"system of structuring opportunity and assigning value based on race, that unfairly disadvantages some individuals and communities, and advantages others.†[3] In the early 1900s, multiple doctors brought attention to the disparity in the morbidity and mortality of diseases, many that result from poor living conditions, between black and white Americans. Lawrence Lee, a doctor writing in 1914, noted: â€Å"that tuberculosis and other respiratory diseases and still-births cause a death-rate of 917.9 per 100,000 against a rate of 354.7 for whites.†[4] In 1927, a movement in favor of eugenics took hold, beginning with the Buck v. Bell ruling.[5] This United States Supreme Court case gave doctors the authority to designate cert ain people more fit to breed than others and supported the procreation of the so-called â€Å"fit† and limited that of the â€Å"unfit† through means such as forced sterilization.[6] During this time, forty percent of the â€Å"unfit† people sterilized were non-white.[7] However, #BlackLivesMatter activists demonstrate that racist agendas that are viewed as history in truth have ongoing effects to this day that negatively impact the daily lives and public health of African Americans. Opponents use the social media hashtag #AllLivesMatter, expressing the view that all people deserve equal rights and access to basic necessities, regardless of race. #AllLivesMatter is distinct from the #BlackLivesMatter movement in that it does not acknowledge the past and present inequity in the quality of life between white Americans and those of African descent. #BlackLivesMatter has given voice to a historically oppressed class of people and opened a discussion on how the eugen ics movement has compromised that of black Americans and how this can be corrected and how future racially-charged infractions can be prevented. The racialization of medicine has  ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­had a significant role in the development of the eugenics movement. Garcia and Sharif define racism as â€Å"system of structuring opportunity and assigning value based on race, that unfairly disadvantages some individuals and communities† and claims that â€Å"racism as a social condition is a fundamental cause of health and illness.†[8] The eugenics movement is one that is founded on the racist ideology that was detrimental to the African American community. Negative eugenics was carried out through marriage restriction, forced sterilization, and confining the â€Å"feeble-minded† to colonies. The restriction of marriage through issuing marriage licenses was critical in the racist agenda of eugenics. It was illegal to have children outside of wedlock.[9] Virginia in particular banned inter-racial marriage. By doing so, Virginia politicians and eugenicists were intentionally preventing people from having mixed ra ce children, something they saw as undesirable.[10] #AllLivesMatter activists would argue that the eugenics movement was not focused on African Americans, as many of the victims of eugenics were white. In Buck v. Bell, a case heard by the United States Supreme Court that secured eugenic doctors’ ability to forcibly sterilize the feeble-minded, the defendant was Carrie Buck, a white woman.[11]   Proponents of #AllLivesMatter would note that eugenic doctors instead targeted individuals of lower socio-economic status. Some of the diagnostic criteria for detecting feeble-mindedness included â€Å"cold and clammy hands and excessive pallor or blushing.†[12] While many of the victims of the application of negative eugenics were of lower socioeconomic status, it cannot be ignored that the eugenics movement grew from calls to improve black public health in the early 1900’s. Advancements in germ theory allowed for doctors to understand that diseases are transmissible r egardless of race; as a result, doctors emphasized the need for sanitary living conditions for black Americans.[13] Historian Andrea Patterson claims that â€Å"public health measures were hijacked by eugenicists†[14] – rather than these public health measures benefitting blacks, they, in part, created an environment in which eugenicists had reason to believe that people of particular racial background were predisposed to certain illnesses. Although Buck v. Bell enabled the eugenics movement to impact people of all races, the racist political regimes that preceded it supported the development of eugenics.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Paternalism was a major contributing factor to eugenic’s establishment. In 1915, Doctor L. C. Allen posited that â€Å"the negro health problem is one of the white mans burdens, and it is by no means the least of those burdens.†[15] It was his belief that the disproportionately high morbidity and mortality rates of diseases such as tuberculosis and syphilis among black Americans were the responsibility of the white population to resolve. Allen credited the strict supervision of slave owners over black slaves for the lack of illnesses related to an unclean living environment and sexually transmitted diseases while slavery was legal.[16] According to Allen, â€Å"freedom has not benefited his health, nor improved his morals,† where â€Å"he† refers to African Americans.[17] Without white slave owners to ensure that African Americans bathe, clean their living spaces, and do not engage in promiscuous sex, Allen clai ms that African Americans did not properly take care of themselves. His answer to this perceived problem is for white Americans to champion a public health reform by way of changing the educational curriculum for blacks. Allen’s proposed â€Å"industrial education† would consist of teaching African American children proper hygiene and cater to their future career prospects, which mainly consist of service or manual labor roles.[18] By singling out a minority group to be segregated for the purpose of a different education based on race, Allen’s â€Å"industrial education† plan would have been an institutionalized instance of structural racism. Black Americans would have been denied access to an equal education, and by virtue of that, they would be further limited to the jobs available to them. Although this plan did not come to fruition, the ideas behind it lingered. Eugenic doctors felt that it was for the betterment of all humankind to promote the procre ation of those with what these doctors deemed desirable traits while simultaneously diminishing or altogether ceasing the procreation of the â€Å"unfit.†[19] The widespread belief that eugenics existed in order to improve the global gene pool is paternalistic. The socio-economic elite utilized their position of power to further their self-interested ideology at the expense of those below them, particularly African Americans. Mass incarceration of African Americans is a modern practice that in many ways is a continuation of eugenics. Victims of eugenic sterilization told their stories in a 2011 testimony in North Carolina arranged by The Governor’s Task Force to Determine the Method of Compensation for Victims of North Carolina’s Eugenics Board. One such victim was Elaine Riddick, a black woman. Her son, Tony Riddick commented on the ongoing systemic racism in the United States, saying, â€Å"A young man nineteen years old, first time convicted, nonviolent offense, you give him fifteen to twenty years in prison. Now look at what happens, now he can no longer be a father, his mother loses a child.†[20] Though the testimony took place a few years before the #BlackLivesMatter movement gained momentum, these sentiments are the same as those felt by activists today. #BlackLivesMatter advocate and doctor Mary Basset argues in â€Å"#BlackLivesMatter — A Challenge to the Medical and Public Health Communities† that â€Å"there is the great injustice in the daily violence experienced by young black men. But the tragedy of lives cut short is not accounted for entirely, or even mostly, by violence.†[21] Indeed, as Tony Riddick pointed out, systemic racism has cost many black Americans the ability to lead a productive life in society and often the ability to reproduce. In the mid-twentieth century, this took the form of the eugenics movement. People designated â€Å"feebleminded,† a categorization for the so-called unfit of society, were often sent to colonies to live out their lives and forcibly sterilized.[22] Though eugenics has been abolished, similar practices occur today. When a person is sentenced to a prison sentence that spans their prime reproductive years, they are segregated from the rest of society and are much less likely to raise a family.[23] Tony Riddick drew a comparison between eugenics and mass incarceration, likening each to genocide.[24] Flaws in today’s criminal justice system have allowed a form of racial genocide to perpetuate in the United States. A quick internet search of the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter will bring up a sizable list of names that activists for the movement mourn as preventable deaths. Though many people know of Tamir Rice, Eric Garner, and Mike Brown, lesser-known but equally important people are added to the list of casualties regularly. One such person is Joyce Cornell, a fifty-year-old black woman who died in jail on July 22, 2015. Cornell was arrested for failing to pay court fines, a minor offense. Cornell experienced severe nausea and vomiting and was not granted medical treatment or water. She passed away one day later from dehydration.[25] These people, every black person who has lost their life early from preventable causes, represent a public health epidemic. Structural racism has decreased the life expectancy of black people living in the United States.[26] As Garcia and Sharif argue, it is necessary to â€Å"reshape our discourse† and consider racism a public health issue in order to begin to combat its effects.[27] It is vital that positive change happens for the betterment of our fellow Americans. This process begins with recognizing that racism exists and that #BlackLivesMatter. Bibliography Allen, L. C., M.D. THE NEGRO HEALTH PROBLEM. The American Journal of Public Health, 1914. Accessed February 8, 2016. Bassett, Mary T., M.D., M.P.H. #BlackLivesMatter — A Challenge to the Medical and Public Health Communities. The New England Journal of Medicine 372, no. 12 (March 19, 2015): 1085-087. Accessed March 11, 2016. Buck v. Bell.  274th  ed. Vol. 200. U.S. Supreme Court, 1927. Dorr, Gregory Michael. STERILIZE THE MISFITS PROMPTLY†: Virginia Controls the Feebleminded. In Segregations Science: Eugenics and Society in Virginia, 107-36. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2008. Garcà ­a, Jennifer Jee-Lyn, Ph.D., and Mienah Zulfacar Sharif, MPH. Black Lives Matter: A Commentary on Racism and Public Health. Am J Public Health American Journal of Public Health 105, no. 8 (August 2015): E27-30. doi:10.2105/ajph.2015.302706. Governor’s Task Force to Determine the Method of Compensation for Victims of North Carolina’s Eugenics Board.   Final Report to the Governor of the State of North Caroline (Pursuant to Executive Order 83).   Raleigh, NC, 2011. Hutchinson, Woods. The Importance of Negative Eugenics Or the Prevention of Ill-Bornness.,. The American Journal of Public Health 3 (1913): 238-42. Knapp, Andrew, and Dave Munday. Lawyers Say Woman, 50, Died after Being ‘deprived of Water’ at Charleston County Jail. Post and Courier. February 24, 2016. Accessed April 21, 2016. http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20160224/PC16/160229636. Lee, Lawrence, M.D. THE NEGRO AS A PROBLEM IN PUBLIC HEALTH CHARITY. The American Journal of Public Health 5 (1915): 207-10. Patterson, Andrea. Germs and Jim Crow: The Impact of Microbiology on Public Health Policies in Progressive Era American South.Journal of the History of Biology  42, no. 3 (Fall 2009): 529-59. doi:10.1007/s10739-008-9164-x. [1] Jennifer Jee-Lyn Garcà ­a, Ph.D. and Mienah Zulfacar Sharif, MPH, Black Lives Matter: A Commentary on Racism and Public Health,  Am J Public Health American Journal of Public Health105, no. 8 (August 2015): e27, doi:10.2105/ajph.2015.302706. [2] Garcia and Sharif, e27 [3] Garcia and Sharif, e27 [4] Lawrence Lee, M.D., THE NEGRO AS A PROBLEM IN PUBLIC HEALTH CHARITY.,  The American Journal of Public Health  5 (1915): 207. [5] Buck v. Bell.  274th  ed. Vol. 200. U.S. Supreme Court, 1927. [6] Woods Hutchinson, The Importance of Negative Eugenics Or the Prevention of Ill-Bornness.,  AJPH  3 (1913): 238. [7] Gregory Michael Dorr, STERILIZE THE MISFITS PROMPTLY†: Virginia Controls the Feebleminded., in Segregations Science: Eugenics and Society in Virginia(University of Virginia Press, 2008). [8] Garcia and Sharif, e27 [9] Dorr, 112 [10] Dorr, 111 [11] Dorr, 129 [12] Dorr, 113 [13] Andrea Patterson, Germs and Jim Crow: The Impact of Microbiology on Public Health Policies in Progressive Era American South,  Journal of the History of Biology  42, no. 3 (Fall 2009): 541, doi:10.1007/s10739-008-9164-x. [14] Patterson, 529 [15] L. C. Allen, M.D., THE NEGRO HEALTH PROBLEM.,  The American Journal of Public Health  5 (1915): 194. [16] Allen, 195 [17] Allen, 194 [18] Allen, 200 [19] Hutchinson, 240 [20] Governor’s Task Force to Determine the Method of Compensation for Victims of North Carolina’s Eugenics Board.   Final Report to the Governor of the State of North Caroline (Pursuant to Executive Order 83).   Raleigh, NC, 2011, D-10 [21] Mary T. Bassett, M.D., M.P.H., #BlackLivesMatter — A Challenge to the Medical and Public Health Communities,  The New England Journal of Medicine  372, no. 12 (March 19, 2015): 1085, accessed March 11, 2016. [22] Dorr, 120 [23] Garcia and Sharif, e28 [24] Governor’s Task Force to Determine the Method of Compensation for Victims of North Carolina’s Eugenics Board, D-10. [25] Andrew Knapp and Dave Munday, Lawyers Say Woman, 50, Died after Being ‘deprived of Water’ at Charleston County Jail, Post and Courier, February 24, 2016, accessed April 21, 2016, http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20160224/PC16/160229636. [26] Garcia and Sharif, e28 [27] Garcia and Sharif, e27

The Telangana Rebellion Essay Example for Free

The Telangana Rebellion Essay The Telangana Rebellion was a  peasant revolt  which was later supported by the  Communists. It took place in the former  princely state  of Hyderabad between 1946 and 1951. This was led by the  Communist Party of India. [5] The revolt began in the  Nalgonda district  and quickly spread to the  Warangal  and  Bidar  districts. Peasant farmers and labourers revolted against the local  feudal  landlords (jagirdars  and  deshmukhs) and later against the  Osman Ali Khan, Asif Jah VII. The initial aims were to do away with illegal and excessive exploitation meted out by these feudal lords in the name of  bonded labour  (Vetti Chakiri). The most strident demand was for all debts of the peasants to be written off. [6][7] Among the well-known individuals at the forefront of the movement were leaders like  Anabheri Prabhakar Rao, Bathini Mogilaiah Goud,  Doddi Komraiah,  Bandi Yadagiri,  Suddala Hanumanthu,  Acharya Konda Lakshman Bapuji,  Chakalli Iylamma,Komaram Bheem,  Puchalapalli Sundaraiah,  Makineni Basavapunaiah,  Chandra Rajeswara Rao,  Raavi Narayana Reddy, Bommagani Dharma Biksham,Arjula Ramana Reddy, the  Urdu  poet  Makhdoom Mohiuddin,  Hassan Nasir,  Bhimreddy Narasimha Reddy,  Mallu Venkata Narasimha Reddy,  Mallu Swarajyam,  Arutla Ramchandra Reddy  and his wife  Arutla Kamala Bai. The violent phase of the movement ended after the central government sent in the army. Starting in 1951, the CPI shifted to a more moderate strategy of seeking to bring communism to India within the constraints of Indian democracy. [10] In 1937,  Time magazine  said  Hyderabad state  was the richest native state in India. Budget allocations to Telangana are generally less than 1/3 of the total Andhra Pradesh budget. There are allegations that in most years, funds allocated to Telangana were never spent. Telangana JAC leaders say that only 20% of the total Government employees, less than 10% of employees in the secretariat, and less than 5% of department heads in the Andhra Pradesh government are from Telangana.None of these allegations were proved wrong by the  Sri Krishna Committee  due to lack of data, and its choice to compare regions. Proponents of a separate Telangana state feel that the agreements, plans, and assurances from the legislature and Lok Sabha over the last fifty years have not been honoured, and as a consequence Telangana has remained neglected, exploited, and backward. They feel that separation is the best solution. Srikrishna Committee report The Srikrishna committee on Telangana submitted its report in two volumes to the Home Ministry of India on 30 December 2010. In an all-party meeting on 6 January 2011, the Home ministry made the 505-page Srikrishna committee report public. Section 9-3 (page 440) of the report[69]discusses six solutions. The Committee announced that they were recommending keeping the State united, and advised constitutional and statutory measures for socio-economic development and political empowerment of Telangana region through the creation of a statutorily-empowered Telangana Regional Council. Telangana leaders say the best option from the Sri Krishna committee report is the formation of separate Telangana state with Hyderabad as its capital. They plan to pressure the Central government to zero in on this option as the only workable one. The MP also lashed out at Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) President K Chandrasekhar Rao, and alleged that KCR was misusing the Telangana sentiment to get all prominent posts for his family members and people belonging to the upper caste. In the name of Telangana, KCR and his family members joined the Congress party and occupied all posts without giving a chance to weaker sections, The  2G spectrum scam  involved officials in the government of India illegally undercharging  mobile telephony  companies for  frequency allocation  licenses, which they would use to create  2G  subscriptions for  cell phones. According to a report submitted by the  Comptroller and Auditor Generalbased on money collected from  2G  licenses, the loss to the exchequer was  176,379  crore  (US$38. 27 billion). The issuing of the 2G licenses occurred in 2008, but the scam came to public notice when the  Indian Income Tax Department  investigated political lobbyist  Niira Radia  and the  Supreme Court of India  took  Subramaniam Swamys complaints on record ? 2G licenses issued to private telecom players at throwaway prices in 2008 ? CAG: Spectrum scam has cost the government  Rs. 1. 76 lakh crore ? CAG: Rules and procedures flouted while issuing licenses CHEAP TELECOM LICENSES *   Entry fee for spectrum licenses in 2008 pegged at 2001 prices *   Mobile subscriber base had shot up to 350 million in 2008 from 4 million in 2001 NO PROCEDURES FOLLOWED * Rules changed after the game had begun * Cut-off date for applications advanced by a week * Licenses issued on a first-come-first-served basis * No proper auction process followed, no bids invited Raja ignored advice of TRAI, Law Ministry, Finance Ministry * TRAI had recommended auctioning of spectrum at market rates Politicians involved * A. Raja, the Ex-Minister of Communications and Information Technology  who was the minister when the controversial second round of spectrum allocations took place. Mr. Raja, an MP of the  Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam  from the  Nilgiris  constituency, was forced to resign following the public outcry. * Arun Shourie, th e minister for Telecom during 2003 in the previous BJP regime. It was Arun Shourie who introduced the controversial technology neutral Unified Access(both Basic amp; Celluler) Services License, which allowed fixed line operators who had paid much lower license fees to offer mobile phone services, at first in the limited WLL mode (Wireless local loop) and later, following an out of court settlement between mobile operators and the BJP govt, full mobility. This gave an advantage to players like Reliance and Tata Teleservices who managed to get mobile spectrum without paying the hefty fees that earlier operators like  BPL Mobile  had paid. Pramod Mahajan, the minister for Telecom between 1999 and 2003. Mr. Mahajan was the minister when the BJP Government took the controversial decision to shift from a license fee based regime to a revenue sharing model which was roundly condemned both by political parties and by economic experts. [4]  The  Comptroller and Auditor General  also filed adverse reports citing a loss of over  64,000  crore  (US$13. 89 billion)  caused by this decision. The crux of  A. Rajas defence is that he was following a policy of 2G allocations put in place by the BJP and it ould be unfair to levy prices based on 3G spectrum to 2G licenses. Pramod Mahajan, who was seen to be friendly with various corporate houses, had been brought in to replace  Jagmohan  as Telecom minister just days before the decision was announced. The houses and offices of the bureaucrat were recently raided by the  Central Bureau of Investigation  as part of their investigations. R K Chandolia, private secretary of Raja during UPA-I when the licences were awarded. He was an  Indian Economic Service  officer of the 1984 batch cadre. When Raja became the Telecom Minister once again in UPA-II, Chandolia had been promoted to the Joint Secretary rank. Raja re-designated him Economic Adviser, that gave him the charge of all important policy-related work. Chandolia interacted with all the licensees. It is said that it was Chandolia who, from DDG-access services A K Srivastavas room, had handed out letters of intent to representatives of various companies. [8] The Central Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday night arrested Dynamix Balwas group managing director Shahid Usman Balwa in connection with the 2G spectrum allocation scam. Season 3 was under the leadership of Lalit Modi , however Season 4 is going to be under the leadership of Chirayu Amin. He has already promised a bigger and better IPL and has promised to run it in a transparent manner. This year there was a lot of allegation of match fixing . BCCI and its pet Indian Premier League came under Income Tax raids. IPL Season 4 is going to have 10 teams , 74 matches and 45 days of action. No player can play more than 14 matches . This rule is laid to prevent player burnout. Sony / World Sport Group has won the rights for 10 years at Rs 8,700 crore (US$ 1. 94 billion) For IPL 4 , BCCI has asked MSM to pay Rs. 190 crores extra. This extra amount is to compensate for the increase in number of matches. The extra money will be paid for the 14 matches in a pro rate basis. Mahela Jayawardene  has been appointed captain of the new IPL  franchise  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Kochi. The 33-year-old former Sri Lankan captain was purchased by the Team Kochi for a whopping $1. 5 million at the player auction last month. Until last year for the previous 3 seasons of IndianPremier  League, he was part of the Kings XI Punjab  franchise. The  2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the  XIX  Commonwealth Games, were held in  Delhi,  India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71  Commonwealth nations and dependencies  competed in 21 sports and 272 events. It was the largest international  multi-sport event  to be staged in Delhi and India, eclipsing the  Asian Games  in  1951  and  1982. The  opening  and closing ceremonies were held at the  Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the main stadium of the event. It was the first time that the Commonwealth Games were held in India and the second time it was held in Asia after  Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia  in  1998. The official mascot of the Games was  Shera  and the official song of the Games, Jiyo Utho Bado Jeeto, was composed by celebrated Indian  musician  A.R. Rahman. Initially,  several concerns and controversies  surfaced before the start of the Games. Despite these concerns, all member nations of the  Commonwealth of Nations  participated in the event, except  Fiji, which is suspended from the Commonwealth, andTokelau, which didnt send a team. A widely-praised  opening ceremony  helped improve the image of the Games. [2][3]  The concerns raised during the buildup to the Games proved largely unfounded as most events progressed smoothly. The final  medal tally  was led by  Australia. The host nation India gave its  strongest performance yet  to emerge second, while  England  placed third. The day after the conclusion of the Games, the Indian Government announced the formation of a special investigation committee to probe the allegations of corruption and mismanagement that had marred the buildup to the Games. [4][5] India  won 101 medals in total, including 38 Gold medals, enabling it to finish the Games at second position behind  Australia  and just ahead of  England. For the first time in the history of the Games India won over 100 medals in total.

SWOT Analysis Wal Mart Stores Inc

SWOT Analysis Wal Mart Stores Inc To analyse or diagnose any business, we must examine closely the issues with which the company is confronted. We will need to look very hard to grasp the overall picture of what is happening try and establish a helicopter view of the company to discover and grasp the specific problems. Generally, a detailed analysis of any business should include seven areas: The history, development, and growth of the company over time The identification of the companys internal strengths and weaknesses The nature of the external environment surrounding the company A SWOT ANALYSIS The kind of corporate-level strategy pursued by the company The nature of the companys business-level strategy The companys structure and control systems and how they match its strategy Analyse the companys history, development, and growth A convenient way to investigate how a companys past strategy and structure affect it in the present is to chart the critical incidents in its history that is, the events that were the most unusual or the most essential for its development into the company it is today. Some of the events have to do with its founding, its initial products, how it makes new-product market decisions, and how it developed and chose functional competencies to pursue. Its entry into new businesses and shifts in its main lines of business are also important milestones to consider. Identify the companys internal strengths and weaknesses once the historical profile is completed, we can begin the SWOT analysis. Use all the incidents we have charted to develop an account of the companys strengths and weaknesses as they have emerged historically. Then we examine each of the value creation functions of the company, and identify the functions in which the compa ny is currently strong and currently weak. Some companies might be weak in marketing; some might be strong in research and development. Make lists of these strengths and weaknesses. 2) SWOT ANALYSIS AND MACRO ENVIRONMENT FOR DECISION MAKERS Many changes from the macro environment have the potential to cripple even the best of strategies and must therefore be watched. Managers should note any changes in the environmental factors as conducive to innovation. Potential changes in exchange rates, especially unanticipated large ones, central bank policies that raise interest rates, and taxation laws, along with demographic and socio political changes, all have the potential to impact firm strategies. Managers should examine them carefully for potential threats and opportunities. In particular, they should examine the potential impact of changes in tax policies concerning the Internet. This analysis of a firms current performance, appraisal of its business model, appraisal of its competitors business models, analysis of industry attractiveness, assessment of its macro environment, projection of the evolution of the Internet, and a forecast of its environmental changes is sometimes called a strengths and weaknesses, opportuniti es, and threats (SWOT) analysis. After an analysis of where the firm is now, a manager may also decide not to pursue profits as previously planned but to hone the firms capabilities to fit another firms portfolio of capabilities so that it can be acquired by the other firm. On the other hand, a firm whose exit strategy had been to be acquired, with no intention of ever making profits, may decide that it now wants to become profitable after all. In all these cases, a firm has decided to move into new areas. It is now intent on doing certain things that it had not done before. If moving into these new areas requires entirely new capabilities, the objective to do so is sometimes referred to as a firms strategic intent. 2.1) SWOT ANALYSIS AND COMPANYS STRATEGIES Having identified the companys external opportunities and threats as well as its internal strengths and weaknesses, we need to consider what our findings mean. That is, we need to balance strengths and weaknesses against opportunities and threats. Is the company in an overall strong competitive position? Can it continue to pursue its current business or corporate-level strategy profitably? What can the company do to turn weaknesses into strengths and threats into opportunities? Can it develop new functional, business, or corporate strategies to accomplish this change? Never merely generate the SWOT analysis and then put it aside, because it provides a succinct summary of the companys condition, a good SWOT analysis is the key to all the analyses that follow. Over all we can say that a good strategy is designed to fit organizational capability with environmental opportunity. It is best summarized by the SWOT approach. 3) ANALYSE CORPORATE-LEVEL STRATEGY AND SWOT ANALYSIS 3.1) Companys businesses. Do the company trade or exchange resources? Are there gains to be achieved from synergy? Alternatively, is the company just running a portfolio of investments? This analysis enable us to define the corporate strategy that the company is pursuing (for example, related or unrelated diversification, or a combination of both) and to conclude whether the company operates in just one core business. Then, using SWOT analysis, we debate the merits of this strategy. Is it appropriate, given the environment the company is in? Could a change in corporate strategy provide the company with new opportunities or transform a weakness into a strength? For example, should the company diversify from its core business into new businesses? We should consider other issues as well. How and why has the companys strategy changed over time? What is the claimed rationale for any changes? Often it is a good idea to analyse the companys businesses or products to assess its situation and identify which divisions contribute the most to or detract from its competitive advantage. It is also useful to explore how the company has built its portfolio over time. Did it acquire new businesses, or did it internally venture its own? All these factors provide clues about the company and indicate ways of improving its future performance. 4) ANALYSE BUSINESS-LEVEL STRATEGY AND SWOT ANALYSIS Once we know the companys corporate-level strategy and have done the SWOT analysis, the next step is to identify the companys business-level strategy. If the company is a single-business company, its business-level strategy is identical to its corporate-level strategy. If the company is in many businesses, each business will have its own business-level strategy. We will need to identify the companys generic competitive strategy differentiation, low cost, or focus and its investment strategy, given the companys relative competitive position and the stage of the life cycle. The company also may market different products using different business-level strategies. For example, it may offer a low-cost product range and a line of differentiated products. Be sure to give a full account of a companys business-level strategy to show how it competes. Identifying the functional strategies that a company pursues to build competitive advantage through superior efficiency, quality, innovation, an d customer responsiveness and to achieve its business-level strategy is very important. The SWOT analysis will have provided us with information on the companys functional competencies. You should further investigate its production, marketing, or research and development strategy to gain a picture of where the company is going. For example, pursuing a low-cost or a differentiation strategy successfully requires a very different set of competencies. Has the company developed the right ones? If it has, how can it exploit them further? Can it pursue both a low-cost and a differentiation strategy simultaneously? The SWOT analysis is especially important at this point if the industry analysis, has revealed the threats to the company from the environment. Can the company deal with these threats? How should it change its business-level strategy to counter them? To evaluate the potential of a companys business-level strategy, We need to perform a thorough SWOT analysis that captures the ess ence of its problems. Once we complete this analysis, we will have a full picture of the way the company is operating and be in a position to evaluate the potential of its strategy. WAL-MART 5) COMPANY HISTORY AND ITS FOUNDERVISION Samuel Moore Walton, the billionaire boy scout of Bentonville, Arkansas, built an empire on a fervid belief in value, pioneered by ideas like empowerment, and revolutionized retailing in the process. Dead at 74 after a long fight with cancer, he did not invent the discount department store, although it hardly seems possible that he didnt. He grabbed hold of the leading edge of retailing in 1962 and never let go, creating a value-powered merchandising machine that seems certain to outlive his memory.. In 1994, the still-young company earned $2.3 billion on sales of $67 billion. A $1,650 investment in 100 Wal-Mart shares in 1970, when they began trading, is worth $3 million today. He taught American business that the vast amount of American people want value. He saw the future, and he helped make the future. According to a retail executive, while Walton was one of the great showmen of retailing, if he had been a television preacher hed have become Pope. As a manager he applied such concepts as a flat organization, empowerment, and gain-sharing long before any one gave them those names. In the 1950s, he shared information and profits with all employees. He ingested as much data as he could to get close to the customer and closer to the competition. He stressed flexibility and action over deliberation. Wal-Mart is ultimately a monument to consumers: it has saved them billions. Sam Walton truly believed that nothing happens until a customer walks into a store with a purpose, buys some thing, and walks out. His philosophy was simple: satisfy the customer. Operating nearly 2,000 stores in 47 states, Wal-Mart remains the leader in the discount store industry. In addition, with over 400 Sams Clubs, Wal-Mart is a major factor in the Warehouse Club industry. Combining general merchandise and groceries, Supercenters represent the companys fastest growing segment, with 65 to 70 stores planned in fiscal 1995 on a base of 68. Walton long ago wanted manufacturers to see themselves, wholesalers, retailers, and consumers as parts of a single customer-focused process rather than as participants in a series of transactions. He personally and permanently altered the relationship between manufacturers and retailers, which has historically been, to put it politely, antagonistic. About five years ago he asked Procter Gamble executives to view a focus group of Wal-Mart executives talking about their prickly relationship with the packaged-goods company. It was sobering. His strategy clearly was that we ought to be able to work together to lower the costs of both the manufacturer and the distributor and get lower costs for consumers. Walton got both sides to focus on distribution costs and how to cut them. Wal-Mart linked PG with its computers to allow automatic reordering, thus avoiding bulges in order cycles. With better coordination of buying, PG could plan more consistent manufacturing runs, rationalize distribution, and lower its costs, passing on some of the savings. This systematic approach is now in broad use throughout the industry. Walton has been described as a visionary, and he clearly was that. His vision was apparent in 1956 as a Ben Franklin variety store owner. To lure one of his first store managers, Bob Bogle, away from the state health depart ment, Walton showed him the books and offered to pay him 25 percent of the stores net profit in addition to salary. 6) STRATEGIC ANALYSIS OF WAL-MARTS SUCCESS Wal-Marts Competitive Capabilities What accounts for Wal-Marts remarkable success? Most explanations focus on a few familiar and highly visible factors: the genius of founder Sam Walton, who inspires his employees and has molded a culture of service excellence; the greeters who welcome customers at the door; the motivational power of allowing employees to own part of the business; the strategy of everyday low prices, which offers the customer a better deal and saves on merchandising and advertising costs. Strategists also point to Wal-Marts big stores, which offer economies of scale and a wider choice of merchandise. Such explanations only redefine the question. Why is Wal-Mart able to justify building bigger stores? Why does Wal-Mart alone have a cost structure low enough to accommodate everyday low prices and greeters? What has enabled the company to continue to grow far beyond the direct reach of Sam Waltons magnetic personality? The real secret of Wal-Marts success lies deeper, in a set of strategic business decisions that transformed the company into a capabilities-based competitor. 6.1) Competitive Environmental Change Rivals are constantly changing their strategies and such changes, especially new game strategies, have to be watched very carefully. A firm is said to pursue a new game strategy if by performing value chain, value shop, or value configuration activities that differ from what the dominant logic of the industry dictates, or by performing the same activities differently than the logic dictates, the firm is able to offer superior customer value. Wal-Marts early strategies were new game strategies. It decided to move into small towns, saturate adjoining towns with stores, build distribution centers, and improve logistics, with an empowering culture and information technology to match. This allowed Wal-Mart to achieve high economies of scale and bargaining power over its suppliers. This in turn allowed the firm to offer its customers lower prices than its competitors. The starting point was a relentless focus on satisfying customer needs. Wal-Marts goals were simple to define but hard to execute: to provide customers access to quality goods, to make these goods available when and where customers want them, to develop a cost structure that enables competitive pricing, and to build and maintain a reputation for absolute trustworthiness. The key to achieving these goals was to make the way the company replenished inventory the centerpiece of its competitive strategy. This strategic vision reached its fullest expression in a largely invisible logistics technique known as cross-docking. In this system, goods are continuously delivered to Wal-Marts ware houses, where they are selected, repacked, and then dispatched to stores, often without ever sitting in inventory. Instead of spending valuable time in the warehouse, goods just cross from one loading dock to another in 48 hours or less. Cross docking enables Wal-Mart to achieve the economies that come f rom purchasing full truck- loads of goods while avoiding the usual inventory and handling costs. Wal-Mart runs a full 85 percent of its goods through its warehouse system-as opposed to only 50 percent for Kmart. This reduces Wal-Marts costs of sales by 2 percent to 3 percent compared with the industry average. That cost difference makes possible the everyday low prices. Thats not all. Low prices in turn mean that Wal-Mart can save even more by eliminating the expense of frequent promotions. Stable prices also make sales more predictable, thus reducing stock- outs and excess inventory. Finally, everyday low prices bring in the customers, which translate into higher sales per retail square foot. These advantages in basic economics make the greeters and the profit sharing easy to afford. With such obvious benefits, why dont all retailers use cross-docking? The reason: it is extremely difficult to manage. To make cross-docking work, Wal-Mart had to make strategic investments in a variety of interlocking support systems far beyond what could be justified by conventional ROI criteria. For example, cross-docking requires continuous contact among Wal-Marts distribution centers, suppliers, and every point of sale in every store to ensure that orders can flow in and be consolidated and executed within a matter of hours. Wal-Mart operates a private satellite-communication system that daily sends point-of-sale data directly to Wal-Marts 4,000 vendors. Another key component of Wal-Marts logistics infrastructure is the companys fast and responsive transportation system. The companys 19 distribution centers are serviced by nearly 2,000 company-owned trucks. This dedicated truck fleet permits Wal-Mart to ship goods from warehouse to store in less than 48 hours and to replenish its store shelves twice a week on average. By contrast, the industry norm is once every two weeks. To gain the full benefits of cross-docking, Wal-Mart has also had to make fundamental changes in its approach to managerial control. Traditionally, in the retail industry, decisions about merchandising, pricing, and promotions have been highly centralized and made at the corporate level. Cross-docking, however, turns this command-and-control logic on its head. Instead of the retailer pushing products into the system, customers pull products when and where they need them. This approach places a premium on frequent, informal cooperation among stores, distribution cen ters, and suppliers-with far less centralized control. The job of senior management at Wal-Mart, then, is not to tell individual store managers what to do, but to create an environment where they can learn from the market-and from each other. The companys information systems, for example, provide store managers with detailed information about customer behavior, while a fleet of airplanes regularly ferries store managers to Bentonville, Arkansas headquarters for meetings on market trends and merchandising. As the company has grown and its stores have multiplied, even Wal-Marts own private air force hasnt been enough to maintain the necessary contacts among store managers. Therefore, Wal-Mart has installed a video link connecting all its stores to corporate headquarters and to each other. Store managers frequently hold video conferences to exchange information on whats happening in the field, such as which products are selling and which ones arent, which promotions work and which dont. The final piece of this capabilities mosaic is Wal- Marts human resources system. The company realizes that its frontline employees play a significant role in satisfying customer needs. Therefore, it attempts to enhance its organizational capability with programs such as stock ownership and profit sharing geared toward making its personnel more responsive to customers. Even the way Wal-Mart stores are organized contributes to this goal. Where Kmart has five separate merchandise departments in each store, Wal-Mart has 36. This means that training can be more focused and more effective, and employees can be more attuned to customers. 6.2) COMPETITORS AND THEIR STRATEGIES Kmart did not see its business this way. While Wal-Mart was fine-tuning its business processes and organizational practices, Kmart was following the classic textbook approach that had accounted for its original success. Kmart managed its business by focusing on a few product-centered strategic business units, each a profit center under strong centralized line management. Each SBU made strategy -selecting merchandise, setting prices, and deciding which products to promote. Senior management spent most of its time and resources making line decisions rather than investing in a support infrastructure. Similarly, Kmart evaluated its competitive advantage at each stage along a value chain and subcontracted activities that managers concluded others could do better. While Wal-Mart was building its ground transportation fleet, Kmart was moving out of trucking because a subcontracted fleet was cheaper. While Wal-Mart was building close relationships with its suppliers, Kmart was constantly switching suppliers in search of price improvements. While Wal-Mart was controlling all the departments in its stores, Kmart was leasing out many of its departments to other companies on the theory that it could make more per square foot in rent than through its own efforts. This is not to say that the Kmart managers do not care about the business processes. After all, they have quality programs too. Nor is it that Wal-Mart managers ignore the structural dimension of strategy: they focus on the same consumer segments as Kmart and still need to make traditional strategic decisions such as where to open new stores. The difference is that Wal-Mart emphasizes behavior-the organizational practices and business processes in which capabilities are rooted-as the primary object of strategy and, therefore, focuses its managerial attention on the infrastructure that supports capabilities. This subtle distinction has made all the difference between exceptional and average performance. Kmarts management did not pay attention to this new game strategy, which resulted in the firm being overtaken by Wal-Mart. Kmart has never recovered. 6.3) SWOT ANALYSIS (S)trengths Wal-Mart is a powerful retail brand. It has a reputation of value for your money, convenience and a wide range of production all in one store. Wal-Mart is a powerful retail brand. It has a reputation of value for your money, convenience and a wide range of products all in one store. Wal-Mart has grown substantially over the years both domestically anmd through acquisition globally. For example, it purchased the United Kingdom-based retailer ASDA. The Company has a core competence in information technology to support its international logistics system and IT also supports its efficient procurement. A focused strategy is in place for human resource management and development. Talent is key to Wal-Marts business, and its invests time and resources into the training and retention of its people. (W)eaknesses Wal-Mart is the worlds largest grocery retailer, and control of its empire, despite its IT advantages, could leave it weak in some areas due to the huge span of control. Since Wal-Mart sells products across so many sectors (clothing, food, electronics, etc) it may not have the flexibility of some of its more focused competitors. The Company is global; but has a presence in few other countries. (O)pportunities It has the opportunity to take over, merge with or from strategic alliances with other global retailers, focusing on specific markets such as Europe or the greater China Region. The Stores are only in a few countries and opportunity exists to expand in large consumer markets India and China. New locations and stores types are mobbing from large super centres to local malls. Continued strategy for the opening of large super centers. (T)hreats Being number one means that you are the target of competition, locally and globally. Being a global retailer exposes you tp political and social problems in countries where you operate. Intense price competition in a threat. 7) CONCLUSION Completing a SWOT would have identified the threat as a focus on immigration and the possibility of lost crops due to un-harvested products. That threat turned to a weakness for those organizations that did not develop alternative strategies. For those who made the investments in increased mechanical harvesting, no business interruption occurred. For those who waited, it became a competitive disadvantage. Being able to forecast changes in the market and business will lead to insight regarding potential issues and opportunities to be faced in the future. The insights gained from engaging in this forecasting exercise can then be used to create plans of action to deal with the issues before they can have detrimental effects on the functioning of the business.