Bible 105 Discussion Board

Leayotta Karley Bibl 105 9/24/12 Discussion Board Forum Thread 1 From the reading of Courageous Faith: ch. 1-6, I have identified myself with the life of Moses. He portrayed a life with failures as well as received a second chance to overcome his past circumstances in his life. The parallels of Moses’s life to mine is similar in some ways due to the fact that I had to start over again with the help of God. Moses didn’t know what his purpose in life was as myself at present.Do the actions and decisions that I make really make God happy and will everyone agree with me? Several years ago I graduated from high school and entered community college to start my studies for pre-med, but as I grew closer to graduation I saw the challenges in this career path. Then, I decided to change the major to Nursing in order for my credits to transfer from premed and make years spent in college less than in the Premed program. Both careers are highly competitive and honored in all countrie s of this world.My main goal is to join a profession that will help me interact with people and show people Christ’s love for all humankind through myself. It’s a blessing to help people with their problems and be by their side when they need it as God does in our lives. So, now I having difficulties with standing with my decisions and believing that I will overcome these failures. I want my purpose in life to follow with what God wants me to do and not feel pressured by family or society.There are times in my life when I feel hopeless and abandoned by everyone. I want to stay strong, but my emotions take over me and cause me emotional distress. This allows me to lose faith and trust in God when nothing seems to be going the way I want in life. From Moses’s life he didn’t understand that God does no abandon his children even if we make wrong decisions in our past. God knows that humans will sin and choose the wrong path, but if they make God their friend and have complete faith in him everything will turn good.We need God by our side due to our chances of falling again are more likely if we leave his presence and take matters into our hands. We should not belittle God’s power and ask for wisdom in everything we do. As in the same way God helped Moses he will help us and make us great leaders in any field of study that we choose. We must glorify God and he knows our heart’s weakness, but he will help us overcome our failures and succeed in life.

Steroids in baseball

As time has evolved and science in medicine has grown, it seems that steroid use has become more and more popular amongst baseball players. We now find our baseball players in the â€Å"Steroids Era†. Steroids help athletes become stronger and more muscular, which is clearly necessary when trying to make a home run. Many people believe that using steroids is considered cheating and nothing is more â€Å"Un- American† as cheating. Steroids didn't make it to baseballs banned substance list until 1991, and testing for major league players did not begin until the 2003 season.But, the MLB has decided that steroids use will no longer be tolerated. Steroids use has become very popular, and it seems that we have more players admitting to the use. It is impossible to know how many players actually use the drug, but players have come forward to have us assume that this drug as well as other performance-enhancing drugs have been around for a long time. According to Huff Post Sport s, â€Å"In 2003 , David Wells claimed that up to 40 percent of major leaguers used steroids.Jose Canseco estimated that 80 percent of major leaguers had taken teroids and credited the drug for his entire career. † For a MLB player to credit a drug for his entire career Just simply sounds insane. In 2005, Jose Canseco released a tell-all book, Juiced, about his experience with steroids in his career. In the book, Canseco named several other players, including Mark McGuierre, Ivan Rodriguez, Juan Gonzalez, and Jason Giambi, as steroid users. The list of baseball players associated with steroid use goes on. In our book Envision in Depth they explain what Canseco said about steroid use.He says, â€Å"Different steroids do different things: if you ant Just to build muscle mass, one sort will do; if you want to run fast, there are steroids to increase your fast twitch muscle fibers†(437) Canseco claims to have used Deca-Durabolin, Winstrol, Equipoise, and Anvar. He also use d human growth hormones, which explains how he put on 25 pounds of solid muscle in Just a few months. Baseball players rely on steroids use to enhance their performance. In baseball's long storied history only 25 men have ever slammed more than 500 homers, 10 joining the elite group between 1998-2009 and six of those – McGwire, Alex Rodriguez,Manny Ramirez, Rafael Palmeiro, Gary Sheffield and MLS's all-time home run king, Barry Bonds, who have all been linked to drugs. This obviously includes being more recognized by the fans, but also more money in their pocket. The better a player is the more money they will receive. Everyone wants money we cannot deny that. Improved performances in players will elevate a players on- base percentage. According to Huff Sports, â€Å"An increase in OPS of . 100 leads to an estimated salary increase of two million dollars. The athletic performance would also increase a layers product sales, and endorsement deals. With steroid use it seems tha t the game of baseball has become a little tougher, and more violent. Players are getting hit harder by other players running to the base and by the balls hit into the field. Players should begin to wear more protective gear. The types ot injuries seen most commonly in baseball today result trom muscles ripping away from tendons and Joints that can no longer support them, which was typically not seen years ago. Steroids has side effects which may cause health problems.Many athletes may be higher doses than the average in order to get better results in the game. It comes with serious side effects. According to Mayo Clinic, † Men may develop baldness, infertility, and shrunken testicles. † They may also experience high blood pressure, heart and circulatory problems, drug dependence, and psychiatric disorders such as depression. These athletes may begin to use other drugs to counter balance the side effects. Addiction may come from all of this. It is important to care about the health problems of these MLB players.While steroids use may improve a players chance of hitting that next home run or breaking the sprint record, and players may make an extreme upgrade on their income. The use of steroids goes against the American vision of hard work because using steroids does become a way of cheating. What is this teaching the little ones looking up to all the baseball players? I dont believe that steroids use is setting a good example. I also do not believe that steroids use is beneficial in the long run. These MLB players are putting themselves through so many health risks that I do not elieve are worth it in the end.

The Emergence of Industry Clusters Theory & Evidence Essay

The Emergence of Industry Clusters Theory & Evidence - Essay Example On the other hand, the term ‘industry cluster’ is referred to as the geographic absorption of interconnected businesses, suppliers and associated organisations in a particular field (Cilibrasi & Vitanyi, 2005). The industry clusters are primarily considered so as to enhance the productivity and the profitability of the organisations which would augment the corporate image and the customer loyalty among other competitors in the markets. It would be beneficial for an enterprise to cope up with the competitive challenges of the varied situations and conditions. Therefore, it is also known as competitive cluster or Porterian cluster (Sandiego Association of Governments, n.d.). In addition, an industry cluster also enhances the probability of skilled workers at a quite lower rate as compared to other market scenarios, infrastructure facilities, and distribution facilities among others. Apart from this, an industrial cluster also reduces the business and the financial risks as well as offers flexibility in the management decision processes of the enterprises thereby improving the profit margins of the organisations. ... This assignment is divided into five phases including introduction, key particulars related to industry clusters, relevant theories on the origin and emergence of industry clusters, plans and policy recommendations and finally conclusion. Key Particulars Related To Industry Clusters Industry cluster is defined as the group of interrelated companies and industries mainly found in the micropolitan areas, but each cluster is unique in size, core potencies and dealings. The industry clusters are the groups of firms in a specific geographical region that share a universal market, technologies, workers’ skill and are also linked with the buyer-seller relationships. It makes an area competitive as well as a viable location for the development of varied industries. According to Klepper (2010) industry clusters are vibrant entities which might change depending upon the existing industries or on the exterior conditions. These are the geographic deliberations of competing, opposite, or i nter-reliant firms and industries that might perform business operations with each other or with exterior enterprises. The firms present in the cluster may be aggressive and cooperative in nature. This is due to the fact, that at the initial stages of development, the area or market is entirely new and the rivals are also quite less as compared to others. Thus, it can be affirmed that no explicit benefit is offered by any specific region or market at the preliminary stages of development of clusters. However, after the establishment of the cluster, the area becomes competitive as well as feasible for business prospects which enhance the economic growth of the area. As a result, it attracts new industry entrants, which increases the competitiveness of the region. This can also be

Ethics Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Ethics Paper - Essay Example This paper will analyze the role of Ethics and social responsibility in developing a strategic plan while considering stakeholder needs and agendas, engaging an example that is taken from real life and discussion preventive measures that could have been utilized to avoid this kind of situation. Speaking of role of Ethics in creating a strategic plan, one might point out the following. First of all, the engagement of the above mentioned concept allows people to focus on achievements in the long terms perspective, avoiding actions that might bring benefits in the short run, but result in devastating consequences in future. In addition to that, Ethics makes sure that the corporate plans respect human rights of the employees and provides with reasonable conditions to work in. Finally, it helps the stakeholders to find a perfect balance between their goals and the available tools to achieve them. There is another concept that should be taken into account while considering the issue in question. It is called corporate social responsibility. One might suggest that the acknowledgement of it is relatively new since businesses in the previous ages did not pay enough attention to it; nevertheless, nowadays it is considered to be one of the pillars that hold the strategic development of a company. Another point that should be mentioned with regard to corporate social responsibility lies in the fact that only company with a developed corporate culture are able to take this concept into account. Indeed, the essential part of it focuses on the acceptance of influence that an organizations has on the environment, both social and natural, as well as readiness to be responsible for any changes that are introduced, positive or negative. So, corporate social responsibility makes sure that the way the stakeholders want to achieve their goals is a sustainable one. It may be particularly useful to

How did the Nazi Party begin to change the culture of Germany Essay

How did the Nazi Party begin to change the culture of Germany - Essay Example 1999, p. 278). Another technique that Hitler and his Nazi colleagues used was a program of speeches and gatherings. Hitler notes in his introduction to â€Å"Mein Kampf: â€Å"I know that fewer people are won over by the written word than by the spoken word and that every great movement on this earth owes its growth to great speakers and not to great writers.† (Hitler, 1924). This created loyalty to him, and from there he began to foster a culture of blame. The Nazis introduced into German society a hatred of Jewish people, many of whom were loyal to the German state and proud to combine their nationality with their religion. In a diary recoding all the insults that happened to her on an increasing basis, Dr Herta Nathorff quotes a Roman Catholic nun who said to her â€Å"Frau Doktor, we needn’t fear hell any more. The devil is already abroad in the world.† (Perry et al., 2000, p. 169) Shops and businesses were boycotted, and there was a violent disturbance on t he occasion now remembered as â€Å"Kristallnacht† (Night of the Broken Glass) on November 10th 1938 in which thousands of Jewish windows were smashed to demonstrate the hatred that the Nazis had for Jewish traders.

Asset Management - Assessment 2 - orders 741163 and 741172 should be Coursework

Asset Management - Assessment 2 - orders 741163 and 741172 should be done by the same writer - Coursework Example 73). These two are considered viable considerations because they aid in analyzing the profitability of the given investment. Given the 6 projects that have been earmarked by the company, the best form of discount rate that will be preferred would be the Weighted Average Cost of Capital. This is selected against the backdrop that it helps in identifying the cost of working capital available to the company (Muller, 2002, p 36). This is done by way of calculating the individual rates at which the company is expected to execute payment on average to its securities so as to clear or finance its capital assets. The weighted average cost of capital (WACC) is preferred over others as it holds the potential of ensuring that payment of security holders are not done offhand but on an average basis to ensure that the net present value can be measured. In its generalized form, it is important to establish that the optimization of the CAPEX and OPEX are both directed at the generation of capital fund revenue for the company: only that they are to be done in two different fashions. For the 100m CAPEX, any spending decisions made on it must be one that can potentially increase the wealth or value of assets that are already in place and that will become useful beyond the given tax year (Cliff, 2009, p. 83). On the part of the 20m OPEX, it would also be expected to be used in a more value for money fashion even though they have to be used to cater for expenses that will be incurred whiles the project is underway (Investopedia, 2012). Given the prevailing background, it is strongly recommended that for the development drilling, both G-3 and G-4 be drilled in 2015. This is because of the collective wealth creation that will accrue from the two wells when drilled concurrently. For example, it is said that the value of G-1 will decline by a percentage rate of 8% per annum. What this means is that if the company would opt for periodic drilling whereby it would

Company profile Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Company profile - Essay Example developed a sustainability mission, whose success will be measured through customer preference based on the company’s ability to satisfy their expectations of expertise, service, and quality (Ermeleh 1). The company’s vision is to gain recognition as a performance leader in the mechanical and industrial material trading industry, as well as to become a major trading company both locally and internationally via specialized service provision that differentiates their services and products. Additionally, it is also the company’s vision to attain sustainable growth through superior financial performance and industry-leadership in customer satisfaction (Ermeleh 1). The company’s goal is to become the biggest trader in industrial and mechanical materials and accessories in the industry (Ermeleh 1). More importantly, this goal is also tied to the company’s focus on sustainability for continual improvement to make a positive impact for the

Baroque music and Baroque art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Baroque music and Baroque art - Essay Example The art here produces unusual diversity during the Baroque period. This was because of current classicism and naturalism events which intermingled and coexisted with the Baroque style. The beginning of the Baroque painting is traced during the 16th century which ended with the painting of church ceilings. Most of the painting work was done in Western Europe with limited paintings being seen in Germany. Most of the paintings were in Austria and Holland where the architects broke from the Italian buildings in 1720s in an ornate monarchies, churches and palaces which were designed by the Asam brothers, J.B. Fischer von Erlach among others. The dramatic turn in music was witnessed during the 17th century with Italy leading the way. Despite the fact that Stile Antico was known polyphonic style, it was mainly reserved for the music. Besides, Stile moderno which mainly focused on solo music, base line and polarity of the melody and outstanding harmony developed for the secular music which w as between the instrumental and the vocal idioms. Just like the periods in art, the music period also presented a lot of diversity. Some of the frequent and common new vocals included oratorio, opera and cantala while the concerto, sonata and overture were the known created instruments for the instrumental music. Claudio Monteverdi was one of the greatest composers and was followed by Giovanni Pergolesi and Allesandro Scarlati; later, a myriad of other composers such as Frederic Handel, Sebastian Bach, etc.

Performance of Information Systems through Organizational Culture Essay Example for Free

Performance of Information Systems through Organizational Culture Essay The objective of this paper is to determine the importance of the connection between the organizational culture and the information system which can be vital to achieve essential business goals. However the proper definition of information system (IS) is important, as different people create confusion in this respect, which according to Anderson (1992) it is the system which captures, records, and reorganize data then provides results which are useful for managerial purposes. On the other hand information technology IT is only the technological part of IS and the organizational culture is simply the way things are done in a firm. The interaction of these systems would result in huge advantages. Now it is that we have precisely viewed the explanation of IT, IS and organizational culture. We should now look at their interconnectedness. IT and organizational culture are incorporated in order to have statistical and meaningful information from the raw and unarranged data which is the information for decision making, however the feasibility of the implementation of such system is important in terms of technology and its cost. Once an idea or belief is accepted by a larger group it is said o be powerful and if it is accepted by a specific group then subcultures are said to exist and it is important to determine that which culture is dominant, and on the basis of this culture two opinions are created one which says that yes IT is important and the second which identifies IT as the fundamental basis of the IS, however it is also important that the new culture should be implemented or meant for a foreseeable future in the long-term and not in the short-term, as the short-term creates complexity quite earlier as compared to long-term approach, if there is some element of deviation of opinion. No matter what is the final decision is, the carrying out of the implementation process is important, currently in most firms there exists a ‘’IT specialist culture’’ which involves only the IT personnel in this process and obviously is not much effective. Therefore it is important that in the implementation of an IS, not only IT personnel should be involved but also the top management and the users of this IS should also be involved so that their requirements are catered in an efficient and effective way. Theoretical principles or basics Today the world is turned into a dynamic market place, where firms need to compete in terms of prices, efficiency and technology. For this purpose experts have realized the importance of information systems (IS) with information technology (IT) as its basis, combined together with the organizational culture. The perfect combination of these three important systems of a firm a firm is able to achieve a competitive status in the world market. Therefore it is important to have such elements in the firm in order to achieve businesses vital goals. For this purpose cultural change is to be incorporated, provided that it is the way things are done or the set of norms of the firm, therefore the bubble-like approach of incorporating cultural changes is said to be the most effective one. Under this idea of bubble-like cultural change, comes the idea of informatics and informational culture. The idea of IS is also important, however majority of people confuse it with IT however the correct expl anation are the one discussed earlier. The implementation of IS’s in most of the firms has resulted into various advantaged to the firms; briefly it enables the management to acquire meaningful information from the raw data and later to help decision making. But the successful implmetation and usage of the IS requires three important components which are: 1, the data or information, the people (implementers and users) and the material resources. Here the data can be any data form example businesses truncations or employee’s records, and the material resources are the mechanical supportive equipment for example office furniture and computers etc and lastly the people are the user and the implementers of the IS. Now with people here comes the notion of organizational culture, the culture in accordance with the IS and IT plays an important role if these three things are in line or are in agreement then vital advantages can be observed which are discussed as follows: Â · As it decreases the anxiety and confusion created by the IT/IS, it supports the adaptation of the environmental changes, therefore it contributes positively to the overall satisfaction level of the internal staff who have been involved in its implementation. Â · Â   Enables the management to know if the implantation id accepted by the users. Â · Â   Social relations are created when the implementers and users of different departments meet to implement the system. This adds to the motivation level of the employees. Â · Tells the users that which information will be available at what location in what time. Â · Â   Determines the effectiveness of the IT/IS associated to the means of communication, as both inside and outside, it is a vital way correspondence. Â · Â   As it explains that what are the norms and practices of the entity, a feeling of strong unity is created. Interconnectedness of IT, IS and Organizational Culture An IS is created so that meaningful information can be derived out of the raw data, therefore it is that an IS is responsible for converting data into information and therefore quantity and quality of the information is important. However the relationship between data, culture and information system is important. Only an effective IS can be developed when there is perfect correlation between these three. And then only information which is meaningful can be obtained and used for managerial purposes. We have discussed that appropriate people in appropriated places is important, another point about the feasibility in terms of technology and finance. If there are no sufficient financial and technological assistance and resources then the application of the IS may not be successful, for example if due to lack of finance some important features of the IS are excluded from the plan then it won’t produce accurate and meaningful results. Another way in which the relationship of IT and organizational can be reviewed can be provided with two questions that whether it is the IT which creates the lines of an organizational culture or whether it is the organizational culture that decides that whether IT solutions should be incorporated or not; answers to these can be this if there is strong feeling among the users of the IS and other supporting staff that the use of IT has resulted into the benefits of some particular group, department or a person then incorporation of computerized solution will form as the firms norms or in other words culture because majority thinks that yes IT is important. However it is also possible that opposite can happen, which can be further elaborated in a way that there have been opposite behaviors in respect of the discussion between the service and manufacturing sector. This is because in manufacturing businesses there is more of manual labor work and computerization and IT is incorporated to a lesser extent thus a culture in manufacturing would be less compatible to the IT, whilst in the service sector more of IT solutions are required and computerization is involved to a larger extent therefore there is strong evidence of the fact that information technology can set the value’s and norms of the firm. Now there is a question that which approach is the best? This is difficult question to answer because the two have enormous effects on each other, but in light of modern business techniques IT/IS solutions have been more effective on the cultural practices, this is because an IS not only automates the flow of data but also provides manage ment with alternatives ways of doing things in respect of efficiency, accuracy, and timeliness. Specific Relationship of Information System and the Organizational Culture It is possible that there exists a conflict between the norms or cultural practices of two groups in an entity. Therefore, it is in vital interest of the firms that these differences are rectified, because when there is one common way of doing things efficiency and timeliness are prone to occur along with economies of scale ( reaching a position when per unit cost is lowest). More specifically these divergences can be that a larger group supports one view and a smaller group supports the contrary this is known as the subculture. Distinction between these two opinions is necessary so that there might be an informatics or an in informational culture. Where informatics is that for example usage of IT is important, and the informational culture is with more detail where it says in order to make correct and accurate decisions IT should be incorporated as the basis of an IS. The first culture is easy to understand but the second one goes into more detail, it also includes in it the first culture and also the organizational behavior and the information data. It however necessary that in order to have a successful transformation of IT into an IS, conversion of informatics culture into the in informational culture is necessary. Informational and Informatics Culture; Features It is now that we have come to know that what are the two cultures now we must discuss that which one is to be transformed into the other through administrative intervention. When we talk about the informatics culture the case is that it only considers the costs of the IT department only in the short term, therefore it ignores the long-term research and development process which can result into the firms inters this is why it is a usual case that firms end up in spending more and earning less from IT centers as proper consideration are not taken when purchasing its equipment and employing staff. However on the contrary the informational culture approach considers the outputs of an IT center to a larger extent; it not only considers the quantitative aspects of the IT solution but also the long-term usefulness to the firms in respects of tactical and strategic planning, it not only sees the IT solution in terms of an IS as cost, but also highlights it advantages and long-term benefits in terms if research and development and therefore upon this approach distributes its cost over its useful life.

Education + Parents involvement Essay Example for Free

Education + Parents involvement Essay Childhood carries a similar attitude for all the children [boys and girls] unto the age 3 years in respect of play, fun and learning. A careful study of Montessori education reveals that the child develops learning, reading and a domestic-kind of assignment as a workshop, tells a lot about the child within three years. This is irrespective of the gender. Reading skills are picked up by children only in this age. Influence on Early childhood education World Literacy of Canada (WLC) approach to early childhood education programming in recent years has been the Early Years of Study This study of Reversing the Real Brain Drain (published in 1999) by Hon. Margaret Norrie McCain and Dr.J.Fraser Mustard. The findings are: Need for early childhood development programs based on the new understanding of brain development in the early years of and its effect on subsequent learning, behavior and health for individuals. First three years of a child, sets the stage for competence and coping skills for the later stages of life. Need for more integrated framework for early child development and parenting support. Recommendations for parental guidance: Parents must be provided with awareness, support and skills for the early development of their children. Build relation with children. Undertake programs to parents and educators to learn new ways to nurture children and develop responsive relationships between adults and children. Participation of parents in children’s programs. ï‚ § Interactive and supportive learning system with children along with parents. ï‚ § Active role with children in play and reading at home. ï‚ § Create a safe and friendly environment for children. ï‚ § Create programs where children of all backgrounds and abilities will feel loved and valued – this will stimulate brain development, learning and self-confidence. ï‚ § Play-based learning, and problem solving for young children under the guidance of educators and parents. Resources of early childhood development ï  ¶ Toy and resource libraries ï  ¶ Nutrition programs ï  ¶ Cultural events for children .e.g mobile toy book lending libraries ï  ¶ Theme-based learning ï  ¶ Play-kits. Special efforts and care for parents who are isolated to participate and benefit from the program. Create an awareness that children are part of social structure and emphasis on early childhood development. Parents involvement and its influence on achievement of Reading by students. The approach of the parent towards children is of similar kind with regard to education. Parents who stay-at-home moms can dedicate more time for motivating children in their reading habits especially to boys, by studying their interests and by discussing the topics which will detail about their approach to reading habits. Compelling boys to read for a certain hours of a day, forcibly, would not derive maximum results, as some parents believe. Instead motivation and allowing the boys to think and re-think about themselves, is certainly an achievement for the parents in the long run for developing reading habits. Today’s tech-savvy days also stand as a hindrance to the attainment of reading habits to children. The reason being, an easy access to television, computer, internet, video games, cartoon movies has enabled the children to move away from books, which is not at all a good ground for school education. Parental guidance with teacher’s support is the only solution for imbibing reading habits to children. For instance, the recent ‘Harry Potter’ novels have created a large amount of selling of books around the world. Harry Potter, movies as well as books have been sold by publishers. This includes readers of all ages, including adolescents. †¢ Sorcerer’s Stone †¢ Chamber of Secrets †¢ Prisoner of Ascaban †¢ Goblet of fire This is a relevant example, that children do read books, based on fiction, magic and fun. When it comes to the reading of curriculum, children may not feel as interesting as the fiction is. There is still scope for creating energy and interest among the students, and it mostly rests on the shoulders of parents and teachers. The precious hours of study of students are in the environment of school. The core area for their their learning activity and personality development. Students depict 60 percent effect of their school, while the parental guidance is only 40 percent. Most of the part what they are is shaped only in school. It is a well-known fact that parents and teachers work together to bring the best out of the students. How can parents tell if teachers are doing a good job?   Ed World’s â€Å"Principal Files† team members offer their perspective. Included: Look at the work students bring home and â€Å"the hard sell†. Parents communication with teachers is the key ingredient to the parents to know how their children are studying in the school. Term Grade papers, newsletters give a correct picture of students performance. According to Principal Nina Newlin â€Å"A teacher who has a good relationship with students is likely to be a regular parent informant†. nformation can be through email, telephone but there is a genuine concern about events in classroom to inform to the parents.. Mostly students evaluate a good’ teacher. Parents are also are guided by students in getting answers for their questions.   Students are always honest in answering to the questions of parents about the events in the classroom. Conversation at dinner table, a look at home work or a independent activity given, suggest to the parents, the performance of their children. A prompt check over the assignments is very important duty on the part of parents for the overall efficiency of the student. It also discloses a fact to the student that he/she is being monitored closely and there’s no opportunity to haywire. Many schools follow the procedure of being fair in classroom rules and procedures, tough in standards of performance, and fun in learning and classroom lessonsâ€Å"follow them home† wherever it is required.   Visiting school premises and watching students in the classroom also gives a true picture and to the satisfaction of the parents.   Volunteering also helps parent-teacher community to train the students for maximum achievements in their academic pursuit. Ultimately, if the student is happy and active in and out of learning area, it is learnt by the parent that the student is learning and happy in school area. What are effective steps for boys literacy with the involvement of parents Many child psychologists agree that adaptation of psychological methods to motivate children in inculcating reading habits, would certainly bring about a change in the development of boys. A thorough, methodical and continuous assistance of the parents is required, without imposing any punishments but rewards for one-to-one achievements that a child is prompted to do. In other words, ‘if you read this particular book and tell me’ ‘a reward would be a candy or a snack of your choice’. To this many child psychologists agree. Children are more smarter than parents. Therefore, parents must never let the children know that they are indirectly pursuing the children towards the concept of ‘sit with books for hours and read’, instead an idea of ‘helping hand’ or an atmosphere of an activity should be created. Parents can also prepare a long-term plan for improving the reading habits, by maintaining a statistical record of hours of reading spent by the child. This will also give a clear picture to the parent, whether the goal is being attained. A good amount patience, having a great understanding about the child, likes and dislikes, dos and don’ts, individual perception of the child towards the environment, study of personality will truly help the parent to remove the lacunae in the child. Particularly in the case of boys, in their adolescence they are action oriented. In other words, play indoor games, outdoor games, video games, watch movies, ride bikes, are some of the areas of interest for a large number of boys. A good and plain discussion with boys, about their activities outdoor, at school or college, a bit of guidance, without involving any argumentative statements, will direct the boys to ‘the thinking area’ of their own attainments and to reach set goals. A good friend for a boy should be made available ‘at home itself’ and that is none other than the ‘parent’. Many experts on education made the research study on boys reading habits. They formed an opinion that, boys mostly feel reading is an activity done by girls. Thus, boys are trailing behind the girls. A recent study in Canada, published in ‘Reading Manitoba’ found that 76% of the boys interviewed did not see reading as a feminine activity, and 73% enjoyed reading. Experts opine that offering the choice of material according to the boys interest, would be a good solution in achieving reading habits to the boys. Conclusion Education for children all over the world carries a great importance. Nations which are developed have more advanced sources for imparting education viz., Australia, Newzealand, U.S., Britain.   An analysis of education states that, many parents opt education overseas instead of domestic education. The reason being, parents believe, that the overseas curriculum is extensive, focusing the student to many aspects of education. Although this is partly true, the domestic education shapes the students [K-12] and effective methods of imparting education and touching the interests areas of students must be developed. For instance., domestic projects, like ‘how to do laundry’ ‘how to be a good host’ ‘attend a super market’, these will outline the interests of a students and reveal so much of personality from the students. Based on the results, parents and teachers can study their interests, and accordingly encourage them reading habits in those areas, thereby students also begin to learn to be active.   Modern day system of education, is such as mushroom of notes and homework, internals, exams, to some extent children also feel agitated over the system of education and lose the interest in studies. Adding to this, if parents emphasise more on reading, they catch the boredom and flee to find fund moments elsewhere, which is a common factor among students.   Finally to conclude, a change in system of education, close monitoring by parents and teachers will only lead the children back to the good old days of reading comics, enid blytons, phantom or sherlock holmes. www.worldlit.ca http://www.liamodonnell.com/. Article by Gary Hopkins,Education World ® Copyright  © 2004 Education World

Human Rights Violations Philosophy Essay

Human Rights Violations Philosophy Essay Human rights describe equal rights and freedom for anyone and everyone regardless of race, color, sex, language, religion or political affiliation. All humans live in societies together. As stated by the U.N. declaration of Human Rights in 1948 All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. This statement defines that each and every human is entitled to all rights. Human rights are fundamental to human existence. There may be disagreement on the details of human rights, but barely any on the basic aspects of them. Human rights were always violated in human history. The  leaders mostly oppressed people and did not grant their entitled human rights. Even religious leader in some cases were responsible for the violation of human rights. Maslows hierarchy of needs can attest to the basic fundamental human rights that we all share. In order to be at a level of satisfaction an individual must meet five basic criteria. The basic needs are the physiological needs (food, water, etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦), safety needs, needs of love and affection, needs for esteem, and once everything else is met, self-actualization or as Maslow describe it, the need to be and do that which a person was born to do. This ties in with human rights in that it can connect us and become equals. Even though the U.N. has made a declaration concerning human rights, we as humans should not have an international governing body lay it out for us. Leaders, citizens, all people should know that we are all free and have rights that should be met. If not, measures should be taken to make sure that every human beings rights are not violated. History of the Issue Human right has been constantly evolving throughout human history. They have been tied to the laws, customs and religions. An example of laws that contain references to individual rights is the tablet of Hammurabi. This tablet was created by the Sumerian king Hammurabi about 4000 years ago. While considered barbaric in todays world, the system of 282 laws created a model for the legal system. This kind of model protected people from arbitrary persecution and punishment. But the problems with Hammurabis code were mostly due to its cause and effect nature, it held no protection on more abstract ideas such as race, religion, beliefs, and individual freedoms or commonly called human rights. The term has only come into common use in the 20th century. The idea of human rights is not universal, it is the product of 17th and 18th century European thought. The idea itself does not exist in every society or civilization. This issue was a major cause in 17th century England. The protection of the peoples right (mostly right to political participation, and freedom of religious belief and observance) against an oppressive government was the start of the English Civil War of 1640. It was also the start for another revolution called the Glorious Revolution in 1688, which then led to the English Bill of Rights a year later. The Bill of Rights dealt with the fundamental concerns of that time. It subjected the King to the rule of the law like any other citizen instead of the King claiming to be divine. It protected some basic rights to justice, cruel and unusual punishments and unfair trials etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Near the end of the 18th century, the philosopher John Locke argued that it was part of Gods natural law that no-one should harm anyone in their pursuit of life, liberty, possessions, and health. These rights could never be given up. If these rights were threatened to be taken away it was necessary to do whatever to protect them. From this view the governments role was limited in that people could be not under control of a ruler without their consent. The responsibility of a government is to protect the natural rights of its people. This idea also led to the American Revolution with the formation of the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration states that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness which assert that premise of human rights. Even with the declaration in place, and later the constitution; women were not recognized to have rights and slavery was still instituted throughout the whole nation. The doctrines of human rights that are in place now are a result of these ideas from early generation of thinkers. Human rights are natural in that every person owns them regardless of a system of law, religion, or government. Governments must be able to protect and respect these laws and promote them to all individuals. In 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was made by the U.N. in an effort to make human rights part of international law. The greatest 20th century statements of natural or human rights can be dated to 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This preceded a range of international Conventions, Covenants, Declarations and other treaties that have followed the tradition. Most came from the United Nations. But other groups have also adopted human rights standards. Some common universal rights are the right to an education, freedom, life, and the right to own property and cultural rights. The declaration serves to protect these rights in those nations that signed it and helps make aware of nation-states that violate and suppress the rights of their own citizens. Causes and Impacts of the Issue There are many events in history that can be traced to the cause of human rights being a focus point. These events had probable causes to why there are human rights violations today. One cause is the state. The state or government may impose certain laws that infringe on individuals freedoms because they believe its necessary in order to maintain power or eliminate opposition. For example public humiliation, or punishment such as those taken place in some middle eastern can be seen as violations. Another cause is the lack of generosity or selfishness that states and individuals have. Companies that produce bottled water or provide it to countries often charge families more then they earn in a days wage just for water. Certain elements of cultures and religions can lead to practices that violate human rights as well. Based on these causes an increase of human rights violations has impacted the entire global community in the past to the future. The use of child labor has been dated back to the industrial revolution in England. According to  UNICEF, there was an estimated 158 million children aged 5 to 14 in child labour worldwide, excluding child domestic labour. Another violation is the ongoing mass murders that occurred and/are occurring now. Currently the Darfur conflict is a major human rights violation because the Sudanese government is destroying African Muslim communities because some among them have challenged Khartoums authoritarian rule. As a result, more than  400,000 civilians  have been killed and 2.5 million people are displaced from their homes. Other violations such as racism, the Rwandan genocide, and the ethnic cleansing in Kosovo in the 1990s are examples of some human rights violations that have occurred in history. It is estimated that at least 60 million people have die d in wars and human rights abuses since 1945 and this number continues to climb if no action is taken. Countries that fail to take action will see an increase in deaths due to human rights violations. Conclusion and Solutions There are many solutions out there to prevent the abuse of human rights. Through education and the media people can be aware of the numerous human rights violations taking place in the world today and gain some knowledge of whats going on in the world. Organizations have erupted in an effort to protect the rights of those that have been violated. One organization that does this is the Amnesty International. Amnesty International as quoted in their website à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦inspires hope for a better world through public action and international solidarity. We help stop human rights abuses by mobilizing our members and supporters to put pressure on governments, armed groups, companies and intergovernmental bodies. Another group is Doctors for Borders an organization created by doctors to help those in nearly 60 countries threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe, principally due to  conflict, epidemics,  malnutrition,  exclusion from health care, or  natural disasters. These organizations reflect the impact of the Declaration of Human Rights. The declaration has paved the way for people to realize the potential threats of human rights abuse. I believe that the world and the people residing have had enough time to see what has occurred in the past. We need to learn from our mistakes in the past and never let such atrocities such as the torture of the Jewish families in the concentration camps, segregation in the U.S., or the gulags in Russia take place. Countries are more educated now and all should take a stand. We are all one people living under the same roof and I think human rights of all individuals should be protected. Being a Catholic, I hear sometimes hear people say to other people go to hell and they respond by Im already here. If we respected our fellow brethren and took the time help those in need, take of the earth etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦we could turn this so called hell into heaven ourselves.

The Use of Flashback in Kenneth Branaghs Henry V Essay -- Film, Movie

The Use of Flashback in Kenneth Branagh's Henry V Â   In Kenneth Branagh's film adaptation of William Shakespeare's Henry V flashback is used at key moments to comment on the action and to explain points in Henry's past, and how that past effects his present judgment. Certain scenes and lines are borrowed from parts one and two of Shakespeare's Henry IV to do this. The result is an amalgam of scenes, lines, and characters which brings about a telling expose of Henry V, and the man he was before becoming king of England. Flashback is used in this adaptation directly, to establish key points and players in Henry's life, as well as in a less direct manner, coming through in his current actions, to show his sovereignty, what that means to him and why. The initial flashback scene displays a memory of Pistol's concerning Sir John Falstaff (portrayed by actor Robbie Coltrane). The flashback occurs while Falstaff is on his deathbed, and his remaining friends lament his impending loss. Branagh gives Pistol a line of Falstaff's, describing Falstaff in his own words as "A goodly, portly man, in faith," (1 Henry IV. II. iv. 421), apparently to establish Falstaff as the well loved character he seems to be in the Branagh film. Falstaff is shown as the jolly jester in this flashback, and not at all as the dangerous, mischief making deceiver he is in the texts, themselves. Branagh focuses on the pathos of Falstaff, to display his rejection as an unfortunate one. It is in this flashback that the audience sees the Machiavellian seeds being sewn in Prince Hal's personality as he shows his willingness to banish "valiant Jack Falstaff", however it is not shown where these seeds came from. Falstaff advises his young friend not to banish him f... ...am Shakespeare's Henry V, Branagh uses flashback in more than one way to retell the classic story of King Henry V. Both in actual, and implied flashback Branagh shows the true character of Henry, along with what makes him the king that he is and what gets him to this point in his life. The byproducts of the humanization of Falstaff, and the vilification of Bardolph, coupled with the unique look at Henry's image of his father gives the audience a very different look at this life story, but one which is nonetheless accurate, and entertaining. Works Cited Henry V. Dir. Kenneth Branagh. The Samuel Goldwyn Company, 1989. Kliman, Bernice W. "Branagh's Henry V: Allusion and Illusion." Shakespeare on Film Newsletter. 14.1 (Dec. 1989): 1+. Shaw, William P. "Textual Ambiguities and Cinematic Certainties in Henry V." Literature Film Quarterly. 22.2 (1994): 117-28.

Twelve Angry Men :: Essays Papers

Twelve Angry Men In the story "Twelve Angry Men", Reginald Rose shows how making one's own decisions is one very important aspect in life. He also showed that one's decisions should not be impeded by stereotypes. I believe that the jury reached the right verdict because the witnesses were disproven along with all of the evidence. The first reason is that the witnesses were proven to be wrong. For example, there was an el train passing by the old man's window at the time of the murder. He couldn't have been able to hear the murder taking place. The old man was not as much of a reliable source as he was originally thought to be. In addition, the woman that lived across the street from the boy did not wear her glasses to bed the night of the murder. She couldn't have been able to know for a fact that the boy was the real murderer. The woman's testimony is not strong enough to condemn the boy to death. With the two key witnesses having been discredited, the case against the boy was very weak. The other reason is that the evidence was proven to be not as significant as it was once thought to be. For example, Juror Eight bought a knife exactly like the one used in the murder. The original knife was not as special or unique as it was portrayed to be in the trial. Any person could have bought a knife just like the original one and used it to murder the father. Furthermore, Juror Two said that he thought that the stab wound was too high up for the boy to have inflicted. Someone taller than the boy must have committed the murder. With the new ideas that are being brought up by the jurors, the boy seems to become a less likely suspect.

Some People Think That Convention in Our Society Obstruct

Chosen topic: Some people think that convention in our society obstruct progress while others think that taboos help maintain social harmony. Choose one position and support it with evidence and examples. As a result of globalization, the world is getting smaller and smaller. Some people have even said that the world has become a ‘Global Village’. With the integration of people coming from different financial, ethnic and social background, there are conflicts between interest groups.For example, the huge income disparity, large amount of new immigrants and the different point of views towards social issues may lead to a less harmious society. Apart from these, convention in a society may also be one of the factors affecting social harmony. â€Å"Social  harmony is a more complex  social  psychological phenomenon which is determined by the interactions among  social  values, people, and society. People achieve  social  harmony  when they feel their values and desires are attainable in society. â€Å"(Ai Han, 2008, Building a Harmonious Society and Achieving Individual Harmony, para 1)Traditions might lead to unfairness to the public. Take Hong Kong as an example, Hong Kong is a superstitious city and people care a lot about taboos and traditional practices. The pronunciation of the number, four, in Cantonese is similar to the pronunciation of death in Cantonese. Therefore Hong Kong people avoid saying ‘four’ in happy or critical occasions. There is also a tradition of omitting certain (4th, 14th and 24th etc. ) levels in building in Hong Kong. At the same time, the pronunciation of ‘eight’ is similar to the word of getting rich in Chinese. Many luxury buildings were built in Hong Kong in recent years.Property agencies make use of Chinese’s mindsets to increase revenue. We can easily find that the 8th floor, the 18th or the 28th floor are always being sold at a more expensive price. This phenomenon h as aroused public resentment. The general public believes that price should not only be determined by the number of floors but also many other impacts that many property agencies did not take into account. Such kinds of arguments do not only happen in Hong Kong but globally. From Asian to Western countries, there are always conflicts between conventions and the new enlightenment.The progress of might be hindered if we cannot balance the interests of different stakeholders in an issue. Homosexuality was said to be a taboo. However, as reported by Bohan (1996), in reality, homosexual individuals wish to enjoy freedom of love and belong to social groups that support them. In aspects of religion, a number of religions (e. g. Christianity and Catholic) said that homosexuality was not acceptable because it violated the original meaning of God’s creations. In traditional Asians’ eyes, they might even think homosexuality is an insult to their family and reputations.This topic is a shock for many of the older people in society or followers of religions. Both parties stand strong and do not appear to accept each other’s points of view. It is a topic that society had to deal with before achieving social harmony. Tragedies might occur when the convention clashes with the law or the value of society at that time. Chinese believe that having at least a son is essential for a family to continue their family lineage and to glorify their family. In Chinese history, people thought families that have no children or have daughters only was disrespectful to their ancestors.Since 1978, the Chinese Government has implemented the one-child-policy to control the soaring birth rate in China. Such kind of unfair law made many Chinese eager to have a male child directly. Barrett & Li (1999) pointed out that the problem of female infanticide and sex-selective abortion became more common after One Child Policy was established. When they found that their child was a fem ale, some of them may even abandon them, resulting in the increasing number of tragedies. At the same time, it has caused moral problem. Conventions sometimes hinder the balance of society and limit the development of society.Bengtson, Biblarz and Roberts (2002) reported that the family has traditionally been one of the most important sources of influence on children’s aspiration. Parents always have a thought that children would be more likely to success if they were professionals, in tradition’s thought, for example, doctors, lawyers, businessmen and accountants. They spent much effort and money on equipping their children. In reality, society does not only need these types of people but a diversity of skills. This kind of mindset has resulted in a bad social phenomenon so that many of the other industries (e. g. ulture, music and arts) cannot develop well and the social lacks a balance of strengths. With the aid of the above examples, it is shown that conventions wi ll obstruct the progress of society. Conventions and traditions would hinder people’s creativities and impose limitations on society. We need a breakthrough. Try to analyse from a slight different perspective and we might find new inspirations that is beneficial to ourselves or even our society. At the end, social harmony can finally be attained. Reference list: Ai, H. (2008). Building a Harmonious Society and Achieving Individual Harmony. Journal of Chinese Political Science, Vol. 3 Issue 2, p143-164. Retrieved on 23rd, October, 2012 from http://ehis. ebscohost. com/eds/detail? sid=2f313359-d4a8-40f3-80e2-aaeb1112a54e%40sessionmgr114&vid=1&hid=101&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=35567271 Barrett. R. E. , & Li, F. (1999) Modern China (pp. 65). United States of America: R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company. Bengtson, V. L. , Biblarz, T. K. , Robert R. E. L. , (2002). How Families Still Matter (pp. 60). United States of America: Cambridge University Press. Bo han, J. S. (1996) Psychology and Sexual Orientation (pp. 205). Great Britian: Routledge.

Barriers to learning Essay

As part of the president’s initiative to remove â€Å"barriers to learning† at a regional midwestern university, an analysis of student services operations was conducted. The analysis revealed that the barriers deemed most important by students were those that would delay or prevent them from registering for classes. These barriers fell into three areas (Blanchard, 2010): 1) Resolving issues relating to fines accrued over the previous terms (e.g., library, parking, late fees) 2) Completing forms accurately and meeting processing deadlines for financial aid in time to enroll in classes. 3) Acquiring appropriate advice so that they enrolled in the right classes (avoiding the problems associated with drops and adds) Questions and Answers 1) What are the training objectives for the CSS training program? Indicate how these objectives are tied to the KSA requirements. Assume that all trainees have college degrees but need KSAs in all other areas listed in the Qualifications section. The training objectives should be as follows: Should be able to establish supervisory skills, the computer skills required are spreadsheet applications and word processing. Should be able to correspond completely with others, conflict management, and solving problems. These objectives would be bound together due to trainees needing all these requirements to receive supervision, as well as the skill to supervise. The training would be to establish all of these skills. 2) On the basis of the training objectives, provide a training agenda and indicate the time allocated and order of modules in your program. Writing, reading, and interpretation skills should be 3 weeks, computer skills should be 4 weeks, communication skills should be 2 weeks, having knowledge of the university should be 3 weeks, and supervisory skills should be 4 weeks. 3) For each module, describe the goals of the module and the training methods you will use to accomplish it. Provide your rationale. The goal for writing, reading, and interpretation skills would be to help trainees understand how to write memos, notices, and letters, read to clarify instructions, manuals, and policies. The computing skills goal would be to help trainees learn what the university is using and how to use them. Trainees need to be able to use the file management system that the school has to offer. Having this system for computer demonstration, for practice sessions and in the classrooms. The communication skills will help to enable the trainees to be able to communicate complicated policies. Training methods would be laboratory and workshops. Knowledge of the university training session will help the trainees master the university policies, federal and state laws (having to do with the university). Supervisory skills will help trainees to accept supervision from the a dministrator of a department and supervise customer service representatives. 4) How will you evaluate whether each person in your training program has mastered the knowledge and skill levels needed to perform as a CSS? Describe the types of questions you would ask of those supervising the CSS employees graduating from your program. I would survey each person with exams, quizzes and interviews. The questions that I would the supervisors of who is supervising the CSS employees graduating from the program would have to go with the responsibilities along with the authority the employees will be given. If there happens to be a space in between their training and job responsibilities that has been displayed, then there can be disorganization.

Kit Kat

The main competitors of Kit Kat are ‘Time Out’, ‘Mars’, ‘Twix’, and ‘Ferrero’. Among the entire competitors ‘Time Out’ is on the top name of the list. According to the survey most of the people prefer Kit Kat rather than the other chocolates. Cadbury is one of the most popular companies for chocolate. It is known for its original milk chocolates. But when it comes to the snack bars, the first preference is ‘Kit Kat’. Hence we can say that the competitors are trying to improvise the original wafer coated with milk chocolate with other ingredients, such as ‘Tim Out’, which inserted flakes, ‘Twix’ which is combined with caramel flavour and ‘Kinder Buenos’ using hazelnut chocolate. This shows that the difference between Kit Kat has a different way to promote their chocolates and their competitors have different ways of promotion as they give there ingredients importance. Consumers are becoming more design conscious, demanding for goods which are aesthetically pleasing. Talking about Kit Kat, the packing is outstanding because of the striking red and convenient size. The chocolate also has a double packing. First is the outer layer which is red in colour and the second is the inner silver layer which is made of foil to protect the chocolate from bacteria and fungus. Products and there packing are affected by the lifestyle of people. More people are eating Kit Kat on the move, creating opportunities for chocolate bar line to compete in the snack market. Thus having an upper hand over its rivals, Kit Kat has done a good job by putting its product picture in front of their packing, so that it gives a clear meaning of what type of confectionary chocolate bar is Kit Kat. Nevertheless, â€Å"Time Out† has also done a good job by telling straight forwardly that it is a snack bar. On the other hand, â€Å"Twix’ packing may be a bit dull and misleading because there packing has only the product name but not what type of snack it is. At the same time, the gold packing is not so appealing to the customers. As for â€Å"Kinder Buenos† there packing is good and interesting but is big and bulky compared to others. As far as marketing system is concerned, Cadbury focuses on their product placement. The punch line will be, â€Å"location, location, location†. The product will normally be placed on the middle shelf, where most consumers find it at the same eye level, from adults to teenagers. When we talk about â€Å"Twix†, their concern is not with the placement of the product, but Mars Inc, their brand product is the one which takes care of its recognition. The same case is with â€Å"Kinder Buenos†, where Ferraro, their brand does the same for it, and helps maintain the sales. While Kit Kat on the other face, does its promotion by inducing a price which is lower to its competitors. The reason is believed to be the ingredients which are mostly local. This enables them to reduce the price. This acts as strength, because when supply and demand mechanism is taken into consideration, lower price leads to higher demand.

Personal Narrative and First-Hand Observation Essay

Personal Narrative and First-Hand Observation in a Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass, the Ballot or the Bullet, and Dance with the Devil By davidleny Personal narrative and first-hand observation are key components if an author wishes to be effective in his writing. Through the use of personal narrative and first- hand observation, the author is able to gain sympathy from or relate to the audience. Although it can be argued the use of these two components does not result in effective writing, it is proven to be true in Frederick Douglass’ A Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass, Malcolm X’s The Ballot or the Bullet, and Immortal Technique’s Dance with the Devil. In A Narrative Life Of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass, Frederick uses his personal life experience to demonstrate the inhumane brutality and mistreatment against the African American slaves. Douglass is effective in his writing and attracts the attention of the audience. For example, earlier in the narrative Frederick mentions how loving and caring his grandmother was and how she took care of and nurtured every slave child. Later on in the narrative he mentions that when his old masters die, his grandmother was isolated and taken away from her children to live alone in the woods in a mud chimney hut. Text 1) The use of Douglass’ personal experience with his grandmother captivates his audience because the African American enslaved community, whom this narrative at the time was directed towards, also had a grandmother who nurtured them. Likewise in The Ballot or The Bullet by Malcolm X, Malcolm discusses that even though people have differences, we all face the same problem. Malcolm expresses that whether you are Muslim, Baptist, or Methodist, we all are going to suffer the decisions of the man that is in charge of us. (Text 2) The audience is able to connect to his experience because e involved people of all religions. Malcolm’s experience allows the audience to become aware of what is to come and that they will all suffer the consequences. Malcolm is effective in his writing because he includes the rights of every human. The audience concerning their well being of is captivated and becomes aware of the situation. Furthermore in Dance with the Devil by Immortal Techniques, the artist reveals the truth that not everyone is good, that everyone has evil in them. The artist’s engagement of all races and of the welfare of the people gains the attention f the audience and is effective. For example, the artist says that the person right next to you could be the devil and that the devil consumes the hearts of the selfish and the wicked. (Text 3, Lines 1,2, and 5. ) His use of the devil as evil supports his belief that not everything is good. First-hand observation and personal narrative is required to have effective writing in order to grasp the attention of the audience. This is evident in Frederick Douglass’ A Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass, Malcolm X’s The Ballot or the Bullet, and Immortal Technique’s Dance with the Devil.

Applications of the Human-AI Collaboration in Manufacturing

Applications of the Human-AI Collaboration in Manufacturing The world witnessed an unprecedented spectacle in the beginning of 2018. The Google Assistant had booked an appointment at a salon on the user’s behalf. This showcased the immense potential and scope of the technology we are looking at. Artificial Intelligence has always been portrayed as a technology which can be nurtured to make redundant human activities faster and more effective. However, the flip side of the coin suggests that there is a growing apprehension among the masses that it may eat up into their jobs and probably even be harmful in the long run. What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)? As per the book, â€Å"Artificial Intelligence: A modern approach†, by Stuart Russell and Peter Norvig, Artificial Intelligence(AI) refers to computer systems that think and act like humans, and think and act rationally. The concept was first introduced, in 1960, into the manufacturing industry by General Motors to ensure workplace safety through the development of Unimate Robot. Scope for collaboration of AI with Humans Manufacturing is a capital intensive business and this had led to companies searching for cheap labor. In the wake of increasing wages and high demand for products as a result of high disposable income, it is imperative that AI is introduced into the system to facilitate increased productivity and thereby address the present requirement. Artificial Intelligence works pretty well on its own and is known to increase productivity when applied in industries. But, research data proves that the use of AI as a replacement to redundant human activities can only help i n achieving a short-term productivity rise. Its ability to adapt continuously to varying tasks is something to be pondered upon. A collaborative environment where, both humans and AI combine, can prove to be more productive and lead to better results as opposed to individual involvement. Creativity is a domain where humans take lead and outperform machines, and machines have the ability to process large amount of data. Hence, it is essential that a combined effort be employed. In order to harness this potential, there must be a system where machines are taught adequately and the industrial process must be designed to integrate this partnership into it. Applications of the Human-AI Collaboration in Manufacturing General Electric has developed a new technology, called, Predix, which involves Human-AI collaboration. This technology can be employed in the predictive maintenance of equipment. Digital models of the equipment may be developed and continuous data is retrieved during its operation. This data is analyzed to predict mechanical issues that may arise out of continuous operation. Consequently, the downtime of the equipment, due to breakdown, may be reduced which translates to increased productivity. Mercedes had developed a robot to assist its employees in the production line. There was an increase in demand of customized S-Class sedans and Mercedes was not able to keep up with it, using normal robots. Hence, they developed a robot with a human touch, called Cobots so as to assist the human workforce in manual labor and simultaneously incorporate the customization required. The worker controls the operations but the task is performed by the robot. Role of Humans in the collaboration Humans play a pivotal role in training AI-enabled systems on how to go about its work. Machine-learning algorithms must be trained in a way to bring about the desired result in a desired manner. Moreover, machines must also be trained to interact with humans so as to maintain a sustainable balance while working to increasing the productivity. AI assistants are now being trained to incorporate human characteristics so that a better workplace is ensured. Another task that humans would perform is to explain the process by which the machine arrived at its action. The complex processing in the back-end needs to be explained in simple terms to people who work with the machines. Humans are also bound to explain the cause behind a fatality or accident caused by AI assisted machines. Humans must also ensure that the AI assisted machines are functioning normally and safely. Abnormal breakdowns can occur and this may lead to huge losses. Human intervention in such scenarios helps to take prompt decisions and ensures sustainable and smooth running of the process. Engineers also ensure that machines identify human presence and don’t cause harm to them. Road Map for India India is the sixth largest economy and is one of the fastest growing. Application of AI is essential for the future. The government has supported many new innovations in this field and new startups are coming up. In the latest Budget 2018, Niti Aayog has proposed a National Program on Artificial Intelligence for national development with a positive outlook on manufacturing sector. This would help in utilizing the emerging scientific talent in India and come up with new innovations. Productivity and downtime is the major issue in Indian manufacturing sector and AI collaboration is the right step forward. New startups and foreign investments have started coming up and the future is certainly looking bright. The stage is set for AI to take over manufacturing industry and transform the way it functions. It requires a subtle balance of both human and machine participation to effectively achieve the objective of streamlined and effective manufacturing. Humans should indeed be receptive of this technology rather than being apprehensive, because the advent of this technology will open the door for a large number of opportunities. It is upon us to grab this opportunity by acquiring the required skills and blending into the digital world. This was the same when smartphones and other devices were developed and this should be the way ahead. There might be an imminent danger to humans, in a scenario where machines turn out to be more intelligent than humans. But, this idea seems to be a little far-fetched considering the present situation.

Write two pages for discussion forum Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Write two pages for discussion forum - Article Example As a result, leadership in nursing also requires a separate set of leadership traits and qualities which must include all those skills and basic activities which take into account the issues relating to the field of nursing. This discussion has been carried out for many decades. Gentry et al., (2012) have contended that if people are born leaders, in that case, it will be very challenging to prove the validity of such claims because there are numerous styles of leadership and each has its own distinctive features or traits. Based on assertion, it can be deduced that leadership can be developed by closely working on those areas of human activity which are normally carried out by leaders. For example, American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2013) has clearly highlighted a set of characteristics highly essential for clinical nurse leaders and they include: determining patient-care delivery and practices and this encompasses collaboration and caring for the patients and critical evaluation of expected outcomes relating to patients; searching out the gaps between expected and actual results and taking essential measures for diminishing the effects of gaps in patient care practices; risk analysis relatin g to patients and their medical and psychological condition; managing and ensuring team leadership along with intra-department and inter-department cooperation ; determining and developing evidence-based practices; using information technology and systems for improving the performance of clinical facilities. In other words, clinical leadership can be developed with a comprehensive clinical education framework. For instance, Curtis et al., (2011) explain that nursing leadership courses should be commenced at the undergraduate level in which nursing leadership, leaders in nursing both theoretical and practical approaches, frameworks and parameters must be taught to the new students entering in the field of

Australian Tourism and Hospitality Law Case Study

Australian Tourism and Hospitality Law - Case Study Example This island is managed and swimming. The Western Australian State Government had mandated the Island Authority to manage the island. There have been increased concerns over of the dangers posed by sharks in the water, according to the fishermen, shark sightings have increased in the local water, which poses a risk to the swimmers and fishermen. The fears of the fishermen were confirmed by an incident that occurred in 22nd October, during this day, Frank, who was swimming within the flags, was dumped into a sand bar, and when he was pulled from the water by the lifeguards, and taken for medical treatment, Frank was found with a fracture of his cervical vertebra. The fracture left him paralyzed from the waist down. Later in the day, there was a shark alarm, sounded by lifeguards for people to clear the water, however, Matt, who was 100 meters from the shore, was taken away and his body was never found. The events on this day leave a question of whether the Island Authority is liable fo r the Frank’s injuries and the death of Matt. Looking at the facts of this case, the Island is under the management of the Island Authority, therefore, the Island Authority is responsible for the safety of those fishing, swimming and camping on the island.1 This follows that Matt and Frank were visitors to the island; therefore, their safety was in the hands of the Island Authority. ... Looking at the statistics, 50 years before the year 2000, there was only one fatal attack in these waters, but within the last 5 years, there have been six attacks from the shark on the west coast, and these attacks were fatal. In addition, according to reports, there were 16 attacks near the sea, where the victims suffered serious injuries but survived. The Island Authority should have these statistics, and if they have them, then they should be more vigilant near the sea and in the water; they should have taken extra-measures to minimize the dangers caused by the sharks. When Frank got hurt, he was swimming within the flags; these flags indicated that the waters he was swimming in were safe, therefore, he had no worries about his safety. The same applied to Matt. This can only mean that the water was not inspected at all or the inspection was not well done, and considering the reports on the increasing shark attacks, the Island authority can be accused of negligence. In addition, t he boat patrol is supposed to be done all the time, and they are supposed to be several boats and not one, if this was the case, maybe Matt could have been saved in time. Moreover, the Island Authority is not well equipped with the disaster management equipment, and the procedure used for clearing people from the water and rescuing people is not well organized. Knowing that people might not be quick enough to clear the water when the shark alarm is sound, the Authority did not take an initiative to necessitate quick water clearance. Again, most of the people visiting the Island for recreational activities are not locals, and this means that they are not aware of the dangers posed by sharks in the water in this region.3 Therefore, it

Nutrition and obesity in the united states versus nutrition in other Research Paper

Nutrition and obesity in the united states versus nutrition in other developed countries - Research Paper Example A person whose weight is at least 20 percent higher than the upper limit of the healthy range is considered to be obese. The effect of obesity is that it puts one at risk of many health problems and diseases. This is according to Medical News Today. Obesity makes one susceptible to diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, respiratory issues, and stroke. It is estimated that on average, an obese person will live 8 to 10 years less than a non-obese person. In addition, a high rate of obesity in a country’s population significantly increases its health care costs. Since 1980, the prevalence of obesity in the developed countries such as the United States has significantly increased. Statistics in the United States show one in every three people is medically obese. According to a book published in September 2010 by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and development (OECD), obesity rates in the U.S. rank among the highest in the world. Another research conducted byMedical News Today in the year 2010 shows that 28 percent of all U.S. residents are medically classified to be obese. European Union member countries with obesity rates between 20 percent and 27 percent include Australia at Irelandand Luxembourg (Kumar, 19).The same data also shows that the European Union membercountry with the lowest overall obesity rates was Sweden at 10 percent. The average obesityrate was recorded to be at 16 percent. Research done by the World health Organization shows that the worldwide prevalence of obesity nearly doubled between the year 1980 and 2008. The country estimates for the year 2008 showed that over 50% of both men and women in the European Region were overweight. The percentage of men and women who were overweight were 23% and 20% in both men and women respectively. Based on the latest estimates in European Union countries, overweight problems in adults affects 30-70% while the percentage of adult

MEDICARE AND MEDICAID Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

MEDICARE AND MEDICAID - Essay Example a preparation for large scale roll out of the reforms, the Centre for Medicare and Medicaid services as well as the Childrens Health Insurance Program were launched to test the models (Guterman et al 2010). According to Stevens (2003), providing incentives for health care providers will create a financial interest for health care providers, thus motivating them to provide efficient and high quality care. The patients on the other hand will enjoy the benefit of access to high quality care services at a low cost. This will play a major role in improving the overall health of the society. Coordination of care across different settings and providers enables efficient provision of medical care. This is because providers can be able to access vital data relating to the patient and the clients medical history hence providing a more comprehensive care to the client (Riegelman & Kirkwood 2015). This also informs the provider of the types of medication that the patient s allergic to enabling them to make proper prescriptions. Inefficiency and wastefulness in the U.S. government are uncontrolled. The national government does an excess of things that would be been exceptional if done by people or organizations in the private sector, or by local governments. Succeeding in taking out waste and controlling government spending requires reducing the size and extent of the role of the government in health care services provision. The general improvement of the health of the citizens ensures that there are reduced instances of health issues and hazards in the society (Publishing 2010). By offering health care providers incentive to provide better health services, the patients will benefit from high quality care hence acquiring maximum returns from the finances used in healthcare (Preker & Langenbrunner 2005). This reform will enable payment of the providers subject to their performance in the provision of quality health care. This will allow providers to offer continued care to

Academic Honesty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Academic Honesty - Essay Example The main objective of academic honesty is to enlighten the students to become quite accountable and thus respect the works of others. It also enhances the value of one’s work in people’s heart. One of the facts worth observing is that students who cheat, lack academic standing and they tend to place greater emphasis upon the attainment of grades instead of acquirement of knowledge. Successful colleges maintain academic honesty as well as integrity. If there is a lack of commitment towards honesty as well as integrity students, will not be capable of attaining success in their academics. Academic honesty assists in identifying the kind of person the student is, the kind of employee he/she is likely to be in the near future along with his/her contributions towards the society. The urge to become the best has altered how people perceive honesty as well as integrity (Cazenovia College, 2012). The paper emphasizes upon the advantages, importance as well as impacts of upholdi ng academic honestyIt is the duty of the students to offer credit to the authors for borrowing their words or ideas. When the students make deliberate or unintended use of others’ work and do not concede the use, then it is referred to as plagiarism (University of Phoenix, 2012).... The urge to become the best has altered how people perceive honesty as well as integrity (Cazenovia College, 2012). Academic integrity is impacted by peer pressure, parental anticipations, role modeling, and culture and taught skills. Although it is quite easier for the university administrators to make the students comprehend what constitutes academic dishonesty by referring to plagiarism directly, however the topic needs to be treated in a positive way, stressing the ways and advantages of properly conducting academic research. Most of the students are of the view that because internet is a public domain which is not administered hence information can be easily copied from it without acknowledging them. However, it is vital to acknowledge the work that has been acquired by the students from the internet as well (IBO, 2007). Honest work helps in building self-esteem, skills as well as competencies. The students who cheat can never acquire knowledge and tend to undermine the quality of the education that is offered by the universities and the colleges. The universities need to set clear standards for assignments and grading. They are supposed to set rules for proper citations. Instead of threatening or scolding the students, it would be vital to make use of positive reinforcement. Faculties can impact the attitude of the students and hence reinforce student integrity by assisting them in making correct decisions (University of California, 2012). Students can easily avoid the plagiarism issues by taking a few steps into consideration. The students are supposed to plan their studies as well as assignments so that they can effectively have some time to

Tourism Master Essay Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Tourism Master Essay - Research Paper Example In Great Britain, and indeed all over the world, the spurt of the tourism industry has spear-headed economic activity. Tourism has helped create jobs and consequent earnings, in large as well as small communities; it is a major industry by itself in many places. The impact is hardly restricted to the economics of the Lake District area. Tourism often impacts broad areas beyond those commonly associated with tourism too. However, the impact of tourism on a community or a place is not always well understood (Kreag, 2001). The Ambleside residents' problems present a typical case in the study. Understanding the potential consequences of tourism and how they can integrate this industry into their community proactively, shall make way for the progress of the community as a whole, including its leaders and as well as residents. To have an in-depth understanding of the Ambleside scenario and the perceptions of its residents, it is imperative to study some salient features that govern the tou rism industry while first having a vivid picture of the background. This dissertation envisages to analyse the basis of Ambleside's perceptions of socio-cultural impacts of tourism under the posts of the Social Exchange Theory (Ap 1992), Irridex of Irritation (Doxey 1975), and the Tourist Product Life Cycle (Butler 1980) ; so as to develop suitable research methodology and instruments that will direct and inform the research process. Background: "For a tourism-based economy to sustain itself in local communities, the residents must be willing partners in the process. Their attitudes toward tourism and perceptions of its impact on community life must be continually assessed". (Allen et al. 1988) The truth of this statement is well understood while studying the plight of Ambleside residents for whom tourism is twin phenomenon, which while helping them sustain a living, has also contributed to the deterioration of its quality. The town of Ambleside, and the four smaller wards of Troutbeck, Rydal, Langdale, and Grasmere which lie separately from each other in the beautiful surrounding valleys. At the center of the problem is the inadequacy of the infrastructure which has been overwhelmed by the sudden spurt in tourism and various aspects in which it has impacted the hitherto rustic area of the Lakeside area. The foremost problem in the above is the Roadway system. The Ambleside Relief Road Council cites a national su rvey (1994) estimate which states that 17 million recreational visit days were spent in the Park. 89% of visitors arrive by car. The high amount of traffic flow almost 19,000 vehicles per day at peak season (ARRC 1996), requires near perfect road conditions.  Ã‚  

Information Management and Design - Critical Thinking Mod 4 Essay

Information Management and Design - Critical Thinking Mod 4 - Essay Example This will help in knowing the number of CDs that move fast thus enabling the shop owner to diversify into such product codes, hence enabling a clear focus and indication of the products that are in store or out of the store. It should put into consideration the programs that are able to have predetermined weekly forecasts all through the levels of operations of the shop (Wierenga, 2008). When this is done the shop owner is able to have an automatic manipulation of the prices of the CDs in stocking thus factoring in those that sale slow without losing profitability. This system should also take into consideration the ability to set prices in an interactive way that enables better displays thus promoting wholesale practices, this is able to factor all the CDs that are on display without any kind of discrimination in quality versus prices. The prices should be designed in a way that they are grouped as per the code classifications of the products, there may be some CDs that may not sell that first, it is therefore important to put them in that category of CDs that sell fast and code them the same. This kind of system design is able to promote profitability and the movement of the stock (Wierenga, 2008). While designing the system it is also important to put into consideration the promotional calendars that are geared into performing multiple weekly operations rather than single weekly price settings. This should set values for seasonal promotions where certain types of CDs sell at high levels hence the system designs should be able to take into account the promotional activities from the manufacturers to the shop retail levels. The system should be designed in a way that it is able to capture the prices from the competitor’s level in an incomplete way so as to help in designing competitive prices for the products that are able to sell faster and those that sell slower (Burstein, 2008). This kind of system design should be able to find a way of coordinating all the CDs and their categories while in the stores. This system should factor a better way of finding correct method of coding the prices according to the market trends which helps in achieving consistent images across the categories of the CD products in the store. The system should be able to capture all the information from many sources and integrate them together in a compatible format so that the inventory systems can be integrated with pricing systems (Burstein, 2008). The design should be able to help the shop owner in scaling the CDs into one category or more categories so as to help in promoting sales equally regardless of whether the CD is of inferior or superior qualities. While doing all these, the system should also be designed in a way that it gives prices recommendations in a strategic way that all the products are sold in a strategic way and this should be able to warn and discard bad pricing strategies. All these system designs should factor in better ways of easi er data accessibility for better reporting and decision making in knowing the best products in and out of store. When the data is easily accessed, there is a greater possibility of consolidating the data set that can be used in getting better analysis of the CDs according to their clientele suitability and prices. The system shou

Solvency ratio indicates Essay Example for Free

Solvency ratio indicates Essay The solvency The solvency ratio indicates whether a company’s cash flow is sufficient to meet its short-term and long-term liabilities. The lower a companys solvency ratio, the greater the probability that it will default on its debt obligations. Current ratio The ratio is mainly used to give an idea of the companys ability to pay back its short-term liabilities (debt and payables) with its short-term assets (cash, inventory, receivables). The higher the current ratio, the more capable the company is of paying its obligations. A ratio under 1 suggests that the company would be unable to pay off its obligations if they came due at that point. While this shows the company is not in good financial health, it does not necessarily mean that it will go bankrupt as there are many ways to access financing but it is definitely not a good sign. Current ratios for Sports UK For year 2012 For year 2011 Acid test ratio A stringent indicator that determines whether a firm has enough short-term assets to cover its immediate liabilities without selling inventory. The acid-test ratio is far more strenuous than the working capital ratio, primarily because the working capital ratio allows for the inclusion of inventory assets. Acid test ratio for Sports UK For year 2012 For year 2011 Performance ratio Calculates a measure of a specific aspect of performance, which might involve things which you can attach a number to, or an indicator that something did or did not happen in the requited way. Ratios are very good way to measure them using only a financial record. This record bellows shows performance of sports UK. 2011 Stock turn over= 72215 = 3.05 times 23611 2012 Stock turn over= 23611 x 365 = 119.3 days 72215 2011 debt collection period = 9024 x 365 = 962 days 34212 2012 debt collection period = 9098 x 365 = 904 days 36696 2012 asset turnover= 153487 = 0.64 237028 2011 asset turnover= 159921 = 0.73 219013 Profitability ratios Measures that indicate how well a firm is performing in terms of its ability to generate profit. Those ratios measure financial metrics that are used to assess a businesss ability to generate earnings as compared to its expenses and other relevant costs incurred during a specific period of time. For most of these ratios, having a higher value relative to a competitors ratio or the same ratio from a previous period is indicative that the company is doing well. Profitability ratios of Sports UK for 2011 Gross profit margin =81272 x 100 =52.95 153487 Net profit percentage = 6741 x 100 = 43.9 153487 ROC E= 10753 x 100 = 21.9 49097 Profitability ratios of Sports UK for 2012 Gross profit margin =83199 x 100 =52.02 159921 Net profit percentage = 6742 x 100 = 39.0 159921 ROC E= 10310 x 100 = 20.9 49227

Impact of the European Paediatric Life Support Course

Impact of the European Paediatric Life Support Course Abstract Background: Even though anaesthetists do not resuscitate children on a daily basis, they need to perform paediatric life support regularly due to their different duties. As the knowledge of international guidelines varies widely, highly standardized European Paediatric Life Support (EPLS) courses have been introduced to improve standards of care. This national survey among Austrian anaesthetists and EPLS course participants evaluated the impact of this course at the end of the guideline period 2005-2010. Methods: After approval by the institutional review board an online survey about paediatric resuscitation guidelines was sent to EPLS course participants of the guideline period 2005 (EPLS group) and members of the Austrian Society of Anaesthesia, Resuscitation and Intensive Care (-GARI) two weeks before publication of the resuscitations guidelines 2010. Respondents without an EPLS course were assigned to the non-EPLS group. Results: Of 333 respondents 247 finished the survey. One hundred eighty five persons were assigned to EPLS group and 62 to the non-EPLS group. Members of the EPLS group performed significantly better than the non-EPLS group (76Â ±19% correct answers EPLS group vs. 63Â ±18% correct answers non-EPLS group, p

Grey Marketing Activities Within the Software Industry

Grey Marketing Activities Within the Software Industry Future ABSTRACT The research work has presented an enlarged view of the operation within the grey markets, their functioning, pricing structure, the customer base lastly the arguments in favour, thereby evaluating -‘Can grey be good? It has also focussed on grey markets- as a subject of annoyance for the IT players OEMs. Counter-arguments hostile measures adopted to combat grey goods have also been the point of discussion. Overall, this piece of research is being successful in presenting a balanced view of the goods the bads of the grey industry from the perspective of industry players, grey entrepreneurs as well as consumers. INTRODUCTION 1.1 AIMS To obtain information insights about grey marketing activities within the software industry. With the help of Journals, case studies secondary research activities shed light on the present scenario of the grey markets (consumer targeting inclination, pricing etc). The pros cons of grey marketing shall also be presented to have an equalised view. To know what are the hostile measures adopted by firms to prevent grey activities. Present cases to depict the preventive measures adopted by firms like HP Microsoft to combat grey market products. The paper also focuses on the initiatives adopted by independent agencies such as AGMA BSA towards grey market activities. Market Penetration Grey Markets Can grey market ever be an alternative to market penetration? If yes, to which extent can it be possible? In addition, understanding the concept of ‘free riding as a way for market penetration, as mentioned in the Journal of Business Venturing (Vol 4). To evaluate: Can grey ever be good? Based on the research undertaken, evaluating thereby concluding the positives negatives of grey markets. Should they be encouraged? Can they boost an economic scenario of a country? lastly how effective can they be in increasing sales of a product? 1.2 OBJECTIVES The methodology that is to be adopted for fulfilment of the above aims is as under: Journals, Newsweekly, Internet (secondary research) along with white papers provided by firms shall be the main sources of information for this research. Primary data obtained through interviewing shall be the most vital aspect (it shall be considering not only the consumer perspective towards grey markets its products, but also of dealers operating within this arena). finally, the crux of the research (insights, analysis evaluation) will be presented to obtain a concluding perspective. 1.3 GREY MARKET: AN NTRODUCTION Majority of distribution companies are flourishing thanks to distribution channels that shepherd product from a manufacturer eventually direct them to the consumers through a chain of legitimate distributors across the world. But a mounting quite detrimental market subsists that can cause ignorant customers to buy technology products with untrue warranties, several designed for use in other countries or worse products consisting counterfeit parts. These practices can erode customer satisfaction harm brand integrity, causing major profit attrition for manufacturers. Welcome to the global ‘Grey Market where branded products have been sidetracked from the authorised supply channel within a country or are imported into a country without the approval or awareness of the manufacturer. Grey market goods are usually sold at lesser prices than those proposed by the legitimate distributors. And the pricing disparity amongst various legitimate markets customers generates an opportunity for the brokers to procure labelled products at discounted prices move them to markets where they can fetch high income. A research study by KMPG demonstrates that grey market goods pose a grave challenge to information technology manufacturers their authorised dealers. The study reveals that IT manufacturers are communally losing up to US$5 billion in profits on yearly basis, a figure that is mounting. While the grey market affects many businesses, including automobiles, consumer products, pharmaceuticals, fashion accessories others, this study shall validate that computers related products are the industry segments most affected by grey market actions. 1.4 INTRODUCTION TO THE PROBLEM (a) Software Counterfeiting Counterfeiting is amongst the most exigent problem facing the information technology (IT) industry today. Illegal replicas of brand-name high tech products are flooding the marketplace, causing harm to legitimate companies profits and dropping their aptitude to invest in research and development (RD). Multiplication of technology employed to make computers, servers, and a host of high tech products—as well as a lack of regulatory enforcement in developing countries—is speeding up counterfeiting. It is now estimated that as much as 10 percent of all high tech products sold globally are counterfeit. (b) Free Riding: A Way To Penetrate Markets? ‘Free Riding is a term which comes into picture when software products have been counterfeited. Free-riding was first introduced by Tan et al. (1995, 1997) as an alternative explanation for the incidence of grey marketing, whereby grey entrepreneurs are provided with the opportunity to enter money-making markets that are presently supplied by big firms. However, hostile measures have been taken to prevent grey market activities by agencies like AGMA BSA as well as biggies like Microsoft, HP etc. HP is administrating reseller spot checks and distie reviews to stamp out the grey market in a variety of regions without being hesitant to exercise the law courts against resellers who â€Å"breach contractual requisites†. The firm, at the moment, is taking legal action in opposition to one UK reseller for violation of agreement and cautions it has other cases under review. While, Microsoft has collared another plagiarist in the UK for flogging grey software on eBay. The software giant has scored  £35,000 in compensation against an internet trader for copyright violations and illegitimately bringing in cheap American software to Europe. Meanwhile, an agency like Business Software Alliance (BSA) is outing bandits by setting a bounty on their heads. The group announced its Blow the Whistle operation which presents $1m to workers who squeal on their companies. Certain firms are trying to launch software which might allow manufacturers detect sales through unofficial mediums. 1.5 SCOPE FOR THE REASERCH The main reason behind the proposed research subject is to obtain information on the grey markets the practices that are being carried out. The scope for undertaking the research work is as under: Understanding the global phenomenon of ‘grey marketing. Understanding the logistics within grey markets. The precautionary measures adopted by the firms agencies to prevent grey activities. The concept of free riding to penetrate markets within the software arena. lastly analysing evaluating the research produced to gather provide insights. 1.6 LIMITATIONS TOWARDS THE REASERCH The possible shortcomings for the proposed research topic are as under: Being an unconventional subject for research, obtaining information can be tough. Tracking the right sources of information is a major challenge. Information gathered through ground research cant be entirely relied upon, as it can be manipulative. Information obtained from grey suppliers may not be fruitful, as they might not give out precise information about the present scenario Interviewing people from companies or firms who are being targeted by grey marketers may prefer to remain low profile on the preventive measures they plan to adopt in future. 1.7 REASEARCH STRUCTURE The research has five focus groups (in order to understand the information.) The first chapter offers an inside view of the topic with its backdrop. It also contains the customary objectives which form the foundation for a focused research study. Meanwhile, it also describes how the established purpose will be achieved and the manner they would provide help. This section gives rationale and importance of conducting this research. The second chapter comprises the prior literature on grey markets, constructed by a range of authors and researchers in earlier years. This would aid to shed light on the pros cons in grey marketing. In addition; this chapter provides live cases published in reputed newsweekly. The third chapter talks about the type of methodology the researcher has employed to achieve the study. It gives out the arguments in favour against of each method in order to gain understanding. Furthermore, it exemplifies of some important sources which have been accessed to complete the study. Thus, this chapter explains the different techniques to achieve the objectives. The fourth chapter forms the body of the thesis as it entails the detailed analysis of the various aspects to establish the objectives. This chapter generates convincing points to support the study. The fifth and the last chapter of the paper summarises all the information gathered, finally, concluding the thesis. 1.8 SUMMARY HYPOTHESIS To summarise the above literature in few words, I shall be basically focusing weather grey markets can influence the sales of a product, thereby helping towards market penetration. Concepts, rather strategies, such as free riding shall be looked researched upon to present realistic as well as optimistic view towards grey markets, thereby analysing -‘Can grey ever be good? ‘Can grey goods help in market penetration? LITREATURE REVIEW Almost exclusively, the existing literature on grey marketing regards the occurrence as a pricing problem but falls short to identify it as a market entry opportunity for start-up entrepreneurs. The grey marketing strategy forms apt for start-up entrepreneurs in view of their resource limitations and the risk of being a first-mover in market development. Within this paper, the researcher shall be focusing on how an entrepreneur can effectively penetrate an established market by adopting suitable approaches. This is most favorable for an incumbent trader to accommodate the entrepreneur/grey marketer even if the former could compel the latter out of the market through hostile counter actions. Moorthy (1985) demonstrated the game theoretic methodology is most appropriate to investigating the behavior of market participants in such a state. This game theory is being pursued by Lim G.H., Lee K.S., Tan S.J. (Journal of Business Venturing, Jul 2001, Vol 16) to depict the strategic communications between parties concerned in grey markets and to recognise the circumstances under which entrepreneurs can effectively enter these markets. 2.1 THE POSITIVES OF GREY MARKETING A study offered by USC Marshall Research in fall 2004 by Mark Bergen (Carlson School of Management, Kersi D. Antia (University of West Ontario, London) Shantanu Dutta (Marshall School of Business, University of California) portrays the optimism towards grey markets. According to the paper, grey markets are often an helpful way to react to competitive demands, control distribution channels, fragment markets, reach unexploited markets alter the changes in market conditions. Some of the positive aspects of grey markets are being highlighted below: Incremental Sales: Grey markets are favourable if they reach formerly untapped markets. Grey markets also disclose the existence of new markets. Cell phone manufacturers competing in Malaysia, for instance, discovered a buying segment keen to pay premium prices for the newest phone gadgetry. Supply restrictions: Grey markets are advantageous if they permit dealers to overcome supply constraints scarcities. For example, IBM relied on the illegal outlets in China to get around government policies requiring the participation of local companies. Rather than make huge investments to fake partnerships with local distributors, IBM turned a blind eye to a flood of grey market imports from Hong Kong. Competitive need of opportunity: Competitors will frequently exploit grey markets if they are lucrative companies which do not follow trail shall lose significant market share, position power. This is precisely what happened to Indian-branded manufacturers of PCs. With the evident competition and sales went on at high-end retailers, the actual sales volume that led to economies of scale market penetration took place in the unorganised sector, accounting nearly 60% of total market. Several branded PC maker in India, uncared for this market, failing to reach a large unexploited segment of customers whose wants were not being met by the existing channel. Competitors that did sell to this sector have since grown to be key players. Market Segmentation: It is at times complicated to segment market within an existing distribution channel structure. Grey markets permit firms to segment their customer base more profitably than they could if they employ only a constricted base of distributors, customer uncertainty branded dilution that arrives from selling through a multi-channel network of legitimate dealers. IBM used a twofold channel approach to sell profitably in high end markets while still attaining more price responsive consumers with grey market goods; this strategy helped the company meet sales targets, spawn profits produce sales economies in manufacturing. Channel Management: Occasionally it is less expensive to abide grey market activity than to close it entirely. Shutting down grey market can be very pricey in terms of management time other resources required sensing breach, filing them, communicating them internally with distributors, and punishing the lawbreakers. Grey markets may also be a less expensive means to serve small customer sections that do not have access to authorised outlets or customers who do not value the services offered by authorised dealers. Varying market environment: In many situations, distribution channels cannot modify adequately to meet new market realities. For example, auto dealers have supply networks in places that are hard to switch. But in an epoch of soft sales, sustained incentives continually growing competition, they are struggling for numbers, even if it means forgone revenues. With effect, dealers have been more tolerant to grey markets as long as these markets let them to get in touch with a broader set of customers at improved prices. Market Aptitude: Companies that reveal grey market activities the causes following them discover about their customers their markets. Since grey markets materialise on their own, outside existing supply channels structures, they are frequently driven by influential market forces (such as short supply to a particular segment that wants the product) therefore put forward some of the purest forms of market intelligence accessible. 2.2 CONS OF GREY MARKETING 1. Dilution of exclusivity: Perhaps the most instant outcome of grey market is the draining down of exclusive rights to distribute a product. Instead of being the solitary distributor or one of a select few enterprises for delivering a product, the authorised distributor becomes merely one of several sources. The consequence is a radical drop in margins as multiple outlets struggle for the same customer. What follows promptly thereafter is only to be expected: loud complaints from the legitimate distributors and calls to the company to â€Å"do something concerning it!† 2. Free riding: But what if a manufacturer turns blind eye or, worse yet, writes off its authorized distributors complaints? While it is improbable that a distributor would split relations with the supplier in protest, there are several indirect but possibly more insidious ways of reaching the manufacturer. One of these is free riding. Free-riding was initially offered by Tan et al. (1995, 1997) as an alternative justification for the event of grey markets. In such situations, authorised traders, dispirited by anemic margins and manufacturers ineffectiveness, begin skimping on the imperative services they generally offer—such as presale service, consumer awareness education on product features, salesperson training and so on—in an attempt to lessen their expenses and match grey marketers price. This approach can weaken the value-added services and activities that often lay at the heart of several enterprises sources of differentiation and competitive plan in the market place. As one automobile dealer put it, â€Å"We invest millions in sales and service facilities. Its hard to compete with someone whose only investments are a briefcase and a cell phone.† The under provision of services is the death knell of high-end brands, as customers who value service will discard the brand in droves. 3. Damage to channel relations: Perhaps the prime cost of grey marketing is its impact on the relations and trust amid members of the distribution system. When a manufacturer has made major investments in official channel members or is dependent on one or a few associates (or both), grey markets that rip off these relationships can be particularly pricey. Visualise an official supplier that has recently coughed up $2 million to set up a new outlet and its related trappings—all to accomplish its contractual obligations. The manufacturer has guaranteed the dealer that ownership of an exclusive region will more than add up for his venture. Just as the distributor begins to foresee the promised sales, he receives word that the cash cow of the product line is offered down the street at a markdown of 15% to 20% off its own posted price. Frenzied phone calls to the manufacturer are met with empty reassurances or even stony silence. What should the enterprise do? Should it (a) match the price of its grey market opponent, doing whatsoever necessary to cut costs, (b) complain robustly to the manufacturer or (c) seek assistance from the courts, suing whoever appears liable for his current remorseful situation? 4. Undermining segmented pricing schemes: The spill over from this distribution headache expands with equivalent viciousness to most essential elements of a marketing strategy, including pricing. A basic characteristic of multinational operational strategy is the facility to price goods at levels that every local market can bear. As long as a company can fragment each market, it has a winning hand. But globalisation tosses a twist in the works. Tumbling trade barriers, easy accessibility of information and improved logistical potentials have collectively made the watertight local market a quaint belief; these factors also make it easier for grey market operators to flourish. 5. Repute and legal liability: A manufacturers ability to support its product is taken for granted. In the case of grey market goods, however, the manufacturer loses control of the product. FOR AN EXAMPLE OF how these five fundamentals can work together, consider the troubles faced by manufacturers of new, high-end IT products. High levels of services are often required to instruct customers on the features and benefits of these products. To really understand quality new product features and their functioning with other technologies, it is obligatory for the customers to learn from a salesperson at the retail outlet. To make such services available, the manufacturer time and again needs to develop a relatively elite set of distributors, fostering strong contacts and supporting the distributors actions with subsidies and an opportunity to achieve high margins. Authorised suppliers are chiefly vulnerable to grey markets in this condition. Illegitimate dealers can free ride, allowing other dealers invest in the service and offering the similar products at lower prices. Budding customers can take what they discover from authorised dealers and hunt for low-service, lower-price grey markets. The authorised sellers thus face high costs, shrinking margins and low sales. Often, the clarification they opt is to provide less service and to be more price competitive. As their margins contract, channel clashes grow, and the dealers start routing customers to competitors products which offer higher margins. The difficulty, then, eventually budges from the authorised distributors and comes to rest on the shoulders of the manufacturer. Below presented are two different cases providing two different perspectives towards grey practices. The first consist of a comparative study amongst countries the pricing structure of the grey goods that are being sold. The second case depicts the current scenario of grey activities in China. The case focuses mainly on the problem of counterfeiting of IT products the preventive measures that can be taken to minimise this nuisance. CASE 1: BUYING FROM THE GREY MARKET Are you tempted to buy cheap and cheerful goods from the grey market or should you take the authorised route? asks Sean Fleming. Anyone who has visited the US or the Far East will have found themselves going misty-eyed and waxing lyrical on the subject of how cheap things are over there. But you dont have to cross an ocean to see bargains. The difference in the price of new cars in Britain and mainland Europe they are often as much as 20% cheaper on the continent has many people hopping mad. The UKs Director General of Fair Trading has concluded the market isnt working, and has now ordered the Monopolies and Mergers Commission to investigate whether or not cartels exist in the car industry. Whatever the cause, people are realising that we must be paying over the odds in the UK for a whole range of goods and services. But do we complain? No, thats not the British way, is it? So that decision to investigate high prices in the UK will come as music to many peoples ears. Trade and industry minister Stephen Byers says he has identified this as a key obstacle to the concept of a harmonised Europe. If you want proof that things cost more here in the UK, there is plenty of it around. Bureau European des Unions de Consommateurs (BEUC), the European consumers organisation, carried out a survey last year in 52 cities across Europe in which it compared the prices of 400 different products. From this it produced an index of the cheapest and most expensive countries. The UK turned out to be the dearest of the 10 countries sampled, with a rating of 124 overall. By comparison, France scored 107, Luxembourg 102 and Germany a rating of 100. Report after report, survey after survey, they all come back with the same result when you compare like-for-like goods, we in the UK are paying more than just about everyone else in the developed world. Sure enough, its the same story with IT equipment both hardware and software. Feel like paying through the nose? No? Thats unfortunate, because the chances are youre going to. There is a painfully simple solution to all of this, of course. If stuff is cheaper somewhere else, then go somewhere else to buy it. Plenty of people import cars from Holland and Germany, and even from the Far East, so why not do it with IT? The practice of buying from non-standard, unauthorised outlets is often referred to as buying from the grey market. The grey market is a bit like the black market, except in this case no ones actually breaking the law just risking the annoyance of original manufacturers. There are big savings to be had from going grey. For example, an IBM PC 300GL, with PII 400MHz chip, 32Mb memory and a 4.2Gb hard drive running Windows 98 would set you back about #814 in the UK, but bought on the European mainland, the same PC will cost you #689. Thats a 15% saving. How about a Cisco 1601CH router? Itll cost you about #779 here and only #649 on the other side of the channel. Mike Almond is business development manager at ProSource, a company which specialises in finding this sort of deal for its customers. Using a combination of overseas contacts and the Net, ProSource keep tracks of international prices on a daily basis. When asked by a customer for a particular product, it can go out and find the best price. Were not saying were better than established channels or that our approach is the right one for organisations to adopt, but our results speak for themselves. More importantly, we offer an alternative option to our customers. Thats what a free market should deliver, Almond says. Its not difficult to find this stuff. Some manufacturers will discount heavily in particular countries to make in-roads into that market. We can use those markets to buy products back cheaper. There is, of course, a catch buy your kit from another country and the manufacturers warranty is invalid when you get home. No warranty means no technical support, no helpline advice and certainly no upgrades. Some manufacturers are so inflamed at the thought of people saving money like this that they will not just refuse support; they will also claim the law is being broken. This is despite the fact that Europe is now a single market. Phil Humphries is head of IT services at Surrey Police and it is no surprise that hes extremely cautious about ending up on the wrong side of the law, whether statutory or a manufacturers warranty rule. As part of his forces year 2000 project, a lot of equipment has been replaced, at the same time as migrating to Windows NT. He may have seen lots of expensive equipment being bought, but Humphries is not tempted by the lure of the grey market. I am aware that some of the things we use could be bought cheaper overseas by using the grey market, but I dont think the differences are as great as they used to be, he says. Apart from which, the hassle factor would be enough to put me off. This is an important factor for many people. All too often you dont know exactly what youre buying and who you are buying it from. In the event of a problem, can you be sure youll be able to get hold of them? Humphries said. But theres more to it than that. Saving money on initial capital outlay may have its attractions, but Humphries feels this is a short-term gain had at the expense of longer term success. We are moving away from a situation where we are buying boxes. Now we want to deal with a partner which can offer the right support we need from start to finish. Most of the bargain-basement IT offers that crop up in the small ads will be for software. Adverts purporting to have US versions of Microsoft Office at less than half price are fairly commonplace. David Gregory, Microsoft UKs customer legal licensing manager, warns there is more to these offers than meets the eye. He explains: Our biggest problem with people using unauthorised sources is that the overwhelming majority of this software is counterfeit. It will be passed off as being from the US, but in about 90% of cases it is pirated. The individual serial number on the product tells us where that product was bought or if it is a copy. Finding anyone with IT purchasing responsibility who will admit to using the grey market is difficult, although one IT manager confided anonymously: Most of our procurement has to go through a centralised process. However, some stand-alone projects are bought on an ad-hoc basis and thats when buying on the cheap becomes a viable option. But why is any of this stuff priced so much higher in the UK in the first place? Almost all the major manufacturers operate different pricing policies in different countries, but few can explain why the UK gets clobbered quite so comprehensively. As far as Microsoft is concerned, Gregory says: The majority of software originates from the US and there are certain unavoidable costs incurred when taking that software into other territories local support services, language support, translating documentation and so on. Not to mention currency fluctuations. But with the worlds foremost software vendor moving toward shipping single every-language versions of its products, this position is set to become obsolete. On the hardware front, the worlds number one in PCs, Compaq, also varies prices between the countries that it sells to. David Petts, Compaq UK commercial unit business manager, explains: Local pricing exists because different markets have different patterns of economic behaviour. In Europe, Compaq prices are set by the companys European HQ in Munich, and individual countries are then able to fix their own prices within a given range. So, if one were to charge at the top end of the range and another charged at the lower end, you could, in theory, see material price differences, he says. Why the UK is hit hardest by these price differentials is obviously a difficult subject for manufacturers to discuss candidly. One source within a major hardware company begrudgingly admits: Lots of things are cheaper in the US and Japan. Its the way of the world people just need to face up to it. So, there you have it put up and shut up. If you dont put up, and instead succumb to the grey market, your warranties wont work. However, there are ways to get around the warranty issue. In the case of Compaq, any warranty in operation in the UK will also cover the rest of Europe and vice-versa. You can buy Compaq kit in Holland, for example, and not have to worry about your warranty. ProSources Almond explains that it is important to keep geography in mind when venturing into the grey market. Manufacturers will claim warranties are not valid, but under EC law there is nothing to stop you buying things from any other EC country. If we have a customer that is very sensitive about maintaining the warranties, well be careful to only buy from within the right region, he says. In the case of IBM, things are even more straightforward: good old Big Blue offers global support on all its products, so it doesnt matter if you bought your ThinkPad in Durban but you live in Doncaster. A long-standing champion of the grey market is Cirencester-based RBR Networks, Ciscos largest European distribution partner. Before getting its Cisco accreditation in October 1997, RBR was something of a thorn in Ciscos side. It was doing so much business in grey-market Cisco product that in the end the company had to be brought into the fold. RBR marketing director, Jos White, takes a fairly pragmatic view of the subject. He does, however, prefer the term second sourcing to grey market he believes it doesnt sound so grubby. Using second sourcing, we could make a healthy margin and still sell cheaper than most of the competition, says White. It has to be up to the manufacturer to make it worth everyones while to use the authorised channels, he adds. Manufacturers cannot simply try and ban this sort of thing and it is definitely not on for them to throw their weight around, threatening everyone by saying that their licences are invalid and they may be breaking the law. It comes as no surprise that a manufacturer such as Compaq is against the use of the grey market. It has nothing to Grey Marketing Activities Within the Software Industry Grey Marketing Activities Within the Software Industry Future ABSTRACT The research work has presented an enlarged view of the operation within the grey markets, their functioning, pricing structure, the customer base lastly the arguments in favour, thereby evaluating -‘Can grey be good? It has also focussed on grey markets- as a subject of annoyance for the IT players OEMs. Counter-arguments hostile measures adopted to combat grey goods have also been the point of discussion. Overall, this piece of research is being successful in presenting a balanced view of the goods the bads of the grey industry from the perspective of industry players, grey entrepreneurs as well as consumers. INTRODUCTION 1.1 AIMS To obtain information insights about grey marketing activities within the software industry. With the help of Journals, case studies secondary research activities shed light on the present scenario of the grey markets (consumer targeting inclination, pricing etc). The pros cons of grey marketing shall also be presented to have an equalised view. To know what are the hostile measures adopted by firms to prevent grey activities. Present cases to depict the preventive measures adopted by firms like HP Microsoft to combat grey market products. The paper also focuses on the initiatives adopted by independent agencies such as AGMA BSA towards grey market activities. Market Penetration Grey Markets Can grey market ever be an alternative to market penetration? If yes, to which extent can it be possible? In addition, understanding the concept of ‘free riding as a way for market penetration, as mentioned in the Journal of Business Venturing (Vol 4). To evaluate: Can grey ever be good? Based on the research undertaken, evaluating thereby concluding the positives negatives of grey markets. Should they be encouraged? Can they boost an economic scenario of a country? lastly how effective can they be in increasing sales of a product? 1.2 OBJECTIVES The methodology that is to be adopted for fulfilment of the above aims is as under: Journals, Newsweekly, Internet (secondary research) along with white papers provided by firms shall be the main sources of information for this research. Primary data obtained through interviewing shall be the most vital aspect (it shall be considering not only the consumer perspective towards grey markets its products, but also of dealers operating within this arena). finally, the crux of the research (insights, analysis evaluation) will be presented to obtain a concluding perspective. 1.3 GREY MARKET: AN NTRODUCTION Majority of distribution companies are flourishing thanks to distribution channels that shepherd product from a manufacturer eventually direct them to the consumers through a chain of legitimate distributors across the world. But a mounting quite detrimental market subsists that can cause ignorant customers to buy technology products with untrue warranties, several designed for use in other countries or worse products consisting counterfeit parts. These practices can erode customer satisfaction harm brand integrity, causing major profit attrition for manufacturers. Welcome to the global ‘Grey Market where branded products have been sidetracked from the authorised supply channel within a country or are imported into a country without the approval or awareness of the manufacturer. Grey market goods are usually sold at lesser prices than those proposed by the legitimate distributors. And the pricing disparity amongst various legitimate markets customers generates an opportunity for the brokers to procure labelled products at discounted prices move them to markets where they can fetch high income. A research study by KMPG demonstrates that grey market goods pose a grave challenge to information technology manufacturers their authorised dealers. The study reveals that IT manufacturers are communally losing up to US$5 billion in profits on yearly basis, a figure that is mounting. While the grey market affects many businesses, including automobiles, consumer products, pharmaceuticals, fashion accessories others, this study shall validate that computers related products are the industry segments most affected by grey market actions. 1.4 INTRODUCTION TO THE PROBLEM (a) Software Counterfeiting Counterfeiting is amongst the most exigent problem facing the information technology (IT) industry today. Illegal replicas of brand-name high tech products are flooding the marketplace, causing harm to legitimate companies profits and dropping their aptitude to invest in research and development (RD). Multiplication of technology employed to make computers, servers, and a host of high tech products—as well as a lack of regulatory enforcement in developing countries—is speeding up counterfeiting. It is now estimated that as much as 10 percent of all high tech products sold globally are counterfeit. (b) Free Riding: A Way To Penetrate Markets? ‘Free Riding is a term which comes into picture when software products have been counterfeited. Free-riding was first introduced by Tan et al. (1995, 1997) as an alternative explanation for the incidence of grey marketing, whereby grey entrepreneurs are provided with the opportunity to enter money-making markets that are presently supplied by big firms. However, hostile measures have been taken to prevent grey market activities by agencies like AGMA BSA as well as biggies like Microsoft, HP etc. HP is administrating reseller spot checks and distie reviews to stamp out the grey market in a variety of regions without being hesitant to exercise the law courts against resellers who â€Å"breach contractual requisites†. The firm, at the moment, is taking legal action in opposition to one UK reseller for violation of agreement and cautions it has other cases under review. While, Microsoft has collared another plagiarist in the UK for flogging grey software on eBay. The software giant has scored  £35,000 in compensation against an internet trader for copyright violations and illegitimately bringing in cheap American software to Europe. Meanwhile, an agency like Business Software Alliance (BSA) is outing bandits by setting a bounty on their heads. The group announced its Blow the Whistle operation which presents $1m to workers who squeal on their companies. Certain firms are trying to launch software which might allow manufacturers detect sales through unofficial mediums. 1.5 SCOPE FOR THE REASERCH The main reason behind the proposed research subject is to obtain information on the grey markets the practices that are being carried out. The scope for undertaking the research work is as under: Understanding the global phenomenon of ‘grey marketing. Understanding the logistics within grey markets. The precautionary measures adopted by the firms agencies to prevent grey activities. The concept of free riding to penetrate markets within the software arena. lastly analysing evaluating the research produced to gather provide insights. 1.6 LIMITATIONS TOWARDS THE REASERCH The possible shortcomings for the proposed research topic are as under: Being an unconventional subject for research, obtaining information can be tough. Tracking the right sources of information is a major challenge. Information gathered through ground research cant be entirely relied upon, as it can be manipulative. Information obtained from grey suppliers may not be fruitful, as they might not give out precise information about the present scenario Interviewing people from companies or firms who are being targeted by grey marketers may prefer to remain low profile on the preventive measures they plan to adopt in future. 1.7 REASEARCH STRUCTURE The research has five focus groups (in order to understand the information.) The first chapter offers an inside view of the topic with its backdrop. It also contains the customary objectives which form the foundation for a focused research study. Meanwhile, it also describes how the established purpose will be achieved and the manner they would provide help. This section gives rationale and importance of conducting this research. The second chapter comprises the prior literature on grey markets, constructed by a range of authors and researchers in earlier years. This would aid to shed light on the pros cons in grey marketing. In addition; this chapter provides live cases published in reputed newsweekly. The third chapter talks about the type of methodology the researcher has employed to achieve the study. It gives out the arguments in favour against of each method in order to gain understanding. Furthermore, it exemplifies of some important sources which have been accessed to complete the study. Thus, this chapter explains the different techniques to achieve the objectives. The fourth chapter forms the body of the thesis as it entails the detailed analysis of the various aspects to establish the objectives. This chapter generates convincing points to support the study. The fifth and the last chapter of the paper summarises all the information gathered, finally, concluding the thesis. 1.8 SUMMARY HYPOTHESIS To summarise the above literature in few words, I shall be basically focusing weather grey markets can influence the sales of a product, thereby helping towards market penetration. Concepts, rather strategies, such as free riding shall be looked researched upon to present realistic as well as optimistic view towards grey markets, thereby analysing -‘Can grey ever be good? ‘Can grey goods help in market penetration? LITREATURE REVIEW Almost exclusively, the existing literature on grey marketing regards the occurrence as a pricing problem but falls short to identify it as a market entry opportunity for start-up entrepreneurs. The grey marketing strategy forms apt for start-up entrepreneurs in view of their resource limitations and the risk of being a first-mover in market development. Within this paper, the researcher shall be focusing on how an entrepreneur can effectively penetrate an established market by adopting suitable approaches. This is most favorable for an incumbent trader to accommodate the entrepreneur/grey marketer even if the former could compel the latter out of the market through hostile counter actions. Moorthy (1985) demonstrated the game theoretic methodology is most appropriate to investigating the behavior of market participants in such a state. This game theory is being pursued by Lim G.H., Lee K.S., Tan S.J. (Journal of Business Venturing, Jul 2001, Vol 16) to depict the strategic communications between parties concerned in grey markets and to recognise the circumstances under which entrepreneurs can effectively enter these markets. 2.1 THE POSITIVES OF GREY MARKETING A study offered by USC Marshall Research in fall 2004 by Mark Bergen (Carlson School of Management, Kersi D. Antia (University of West Ontario, London) Shantanu Dutta (Marshall School of Business, University of California) portrays the optimism towards grey markets. According to the paper, grey markets are often an helpful way to react to competitive demands, control distribution channels, fragment markets, reach unexploited markets alter the changes in market conditions. Some of the positive aspects of grey markets are being highlighted below: Incremental Sales: Grey markets are favourable if they reach formerly untapped markets. Grey markets also disclose the existence of new markets. Cell phone manufacturers competing in Malaysia, for instance, discovered a buying segment keen to pay premium prices for the newest phone gadgetry. Supply restrictions: Grey markets are advantageous if they permit dealers to overcome supply constraints scarcities. For example, IBM relied on the illegal outlets in China to get around government policies requiring the participation of local companies. Rather than make huge investments to fake partnerships with local distributors, IBM turned a blind eye to a flood of grey market imports from Hong Kong. Competitive need of opportunity: Competitors will frequently exploit grey markets if they are lucrative companies which do not follow trail shall lose significant market share, position power. This is precisely what happened to Indian-branded manufacturers of PCs. With the evident competition and sales went on at high-end retailers, the actual sales volume that led to economies of scale market penetration took place in the unorganised sector, accounting nearly 60% of total market. Several branded PC maker in India, uncared for this market, failing to reach a large unexploited segment of customers whose wants were not being met by the existing channel. Competitors that did sell to this sector have since grown to be key players. Market Segmentation: It is at times complicated to segment market within an existing distribution channel structure. Grey markets permit firms to segment their customer base more profitably than they could if they employ only a constricted base of distributors, customer uncertainty branded dilution that arrives from selling through a multi-channel network of legitimate dealers. IBM used a twofold channel approach to sell profitably in high end markets while still attaining more price responsive consumers with grey market goods; this strategy helped the company meet sales targets, spawn profits produce sales economies in manufacturing. Channel Management: Occasionally it is less expensive to abide grey market activity than to close it entirely. Shutting down grey market can be very pricey in terms of management time other resources required sensing breach, filing them, communicating them internally with distributors, and punishing the lawbreakers. Grey markets may also be a less expensive means to serve small customer sections that do not have access to authorised outlets or customers who do not value the services offered by authorised dealers. Varying market environment: In many situations, distribution channels cannot modify adequately to meet new market realities. For example, auto dealers have supply networks in places that are hard to switch. But in an epoch of soft sales, sustained incentives continually growing competition, they are struggling for numbers, even if it means forgone revenues. With effect, dealers have been more tolerant to grey markets as long as these markets let them to get in touch with a broader set of customers at improved prices. Market Aptitude: Companies that reveal grey market activities the causes following them discover about their customers their markets. Since grey markets materialise on their own, outside existing supply channels structures, they are frequently driven by influential market forces (such as short supply to a particular segment that wants the product) therefore put forward some of the purest forms of market intelligence accessible. 2.2 CONS OF GREY MARKETING 1. Dilution of exclusivity: Perhaps the most instant outcome of grey market is the draining down of exclusive rights to distribute a product. Instead of being the solitary distributor or one of a select few enterprises for delivering a product, the authorised distributor becomes merely one of several sources. The consequence is a radical drop in margins as multiple outlets struggle for the same customer. What follows promptly thereafter is only to be expected: loud complaints from the legitimate distributors and calls to the company to â€Å"do something concerning it!† 2. Free riding: But what if a manufacturer turns blind eye or, worse yet, writes off its authorized distributors complaints? While it is improbable that a distributor would split relations with the supplier in protest, there are several indirect but possibly more insidious ways of reaching the manufacturer. One of these is free riding. Free-riding was initially offered by Tan et al. (1995, 1997) as an alternative justification for the event of grey markets. In such situations, authorised traders, dispirited by anemic margins and manufacturers ineffectiveness, begin skimping on the imperative services they generally offer—such as presale service, consumer awareness education on product features, salesperson training and so on—in an attempt to lessen their expenses and match grey marketers price. This approach can weaken the value-added services and activities that often lay at the heart of several enterprises sources of differentiation and competitive plan in the market place. As one automobile dealer put it, â€Å"We invest millions in sales and service facilities. Its hard to compete with someone whose only investments are a briefcase and a cell phone.† The under provision of services is the death knell of high-end brands, as customers who value service will discard the brand in droves. 3. Damage to channel relations: Perhaps the prime cost of grey marketing is its impact on the relations and trust amid members of the distribution system. When a manufacturer has made major investments in official channel members or is dependent on one or a few associates (or both), grey markets that rip off these relationships can be particularly pricey. Visualise an official supplier that has recently coughed up $2 million to set up a new outlet and its related trappings—all to accomplish its contractual obligations. The manufacturer has guaranteed the dealer that ownership of an exclusive region will more than add up for his venture. Just as the distributor begins to foresee the promised sales, he receives word that the cash cow of the product line is offered down the street at a markdown of 15% to 20% off its own posted price. Frenzied phone calls to the manufacturer are met with empty reassurances or even stony silence. What should the enterprise do? Should it (a) match the price of its grey market opponent, doing whatsoever necessary to cut costs, (b) complain robustly to the manufacturer or (c) seek assistance from the courts, suing whoever appears liable for his current remorseful situation? 4. Undermining segmented pricing schemes: The spill over from this distribution headache expands with equivalent viciousness to most essential elements of a marketing strategy, including pricing. A basic characteristic of multinational operational strategy is the facility to price goods at levels that every local market can bear. As long as a company can fragment each market, it has a winning hand. But globalisation tosses a twist in the works. Tumbling trade barriers, easy accessibility of information and improved logistical potentials have collectively made the watertight local market a quaint belief; these factors also make it easier for grey market operators to flourish. 5. Repute and legal liability: A manufacturers ability to support its product is taken for granted. In the case of grey market goods, however, the manufacturer loses control of the product. FOR AN EXAMPLE OF how these five fundamentals can work together, consider the troubles faced by manufacturers of new, high-end IT products. High levels of services are often required to instruct customers on the features and benefits of these products. To really understand quality new product features and their functioning with other technologies, it is obligatory for the customers to learn from a salesperson at the retail outlet. To make such services available, the manufacturer time and again needs to develop a relatively elite set of distributors, fostering strong contacts and supporting the distributors actions with subsidies and an opportunity to achieve high margins. Authorised suppliers are chiefly vulnerable to grey markets in this condition. Illegitimate dealers can free ride, allowing other dealers invest in the service and offering the similar products at lower prices. Budding customers can take what they discover from authorised dealers and hunt for low-service, lower-price grey markets. The authorised sellers thus face high costs, shrinking margins and low sales. Often, the clarification they opt is to provide less service and to be more price competitive. As their margins contract, channel clashes grow, and the dealers start routing customers to competitors products which offer higher margins. The difficulty, then, eventually budges from the authorised distributors and comes to rest on the shoulders of the manufacturer. Below presented are two different cases providing two different perspectives towards grey practices. The first consist of a comparative study amongst countries the pricing structure of the grey goods that are being sold. The second case depicts the current scenario of grey activities in China. The case focuses mainly on the problem of counterfeiting of IT products the preventive measures that can be taken to minimise this nuisance. CASE 1: BUYING FROM THE GREY MARKET Are you tempted to buy cheap and cheerful goods from the grey market or should you take the authorised route? asks Sean Fleming. Anyone who has visited the US or the Far East will have found themselves going misty-eyed and waxing lyrical on the subject of how cheap things are over there. But you dont have to cross an ocean to see bargains. The difference in the price of new cars in Britain and mainland Europe they are often as much as 20% cheaper on the continent has many people hopping mad. The UKs Director General of Fair Trading has concluded the market isnt working, and has now ordered the Monopolies and Mergers Commission to investigate whether or not cartels exist in the car industry. Whatever the cause, people are realising that we must be paying over the odds in the UK for a whole range of goods and services. But do we complain? No, thats not the British way, is it? So that decision to investigate high prices in the UK will come as music to many peoples ears. Trade and industry minister Stephen Byers says he has identified this as a key obstacle to the concept of a harmonised Europe. If you want proof that things cost more here in the UK, there is plenty of it around. Bureau European des Unions de Consommateurs (BEUC), the European consumers organisation, carried out a survey last year in 52 cities across Europe in which it compared the prices of 400 different products. From this it produced an index of the cheapest and most expensive countries. The UK turned out to be the dearest of the 10 countries sampled, with a rating of 124 overall. By comparison, France scored 107, Luxembourg 102 and Germany a rating of 100. Report after report, survey after survey, they all come back with the same result when you compare like-for-like goods, we in the UK are paying more than just about everyone else in the developed world. Sure enough, its the same story with IT equipment both hardware and software. Feel like paying through the nose? No? Thats unfortunate, because the chances are youre going to. There is a painfully simple solution to all of this, of course. If stuff is cheaper somewhere else, then go somewhere else to buy it. Plenty of people import cars from Holland and Germany, and even from the Far East, so why not do it with IT? The practice of buying from non-standard, unauthorised outlets is often referred to as buying from the grey market. The grey market is a bit like the black market, except in this case no ones actually breaking the law just risking the annoyance of original manufacturers. There are big savings to be had from going grey. For example, an IBM PC 300GL, with PII 400MHz chip, 32Mb memory and a 4.2Gb hard drive running Windows 98 would set you back about #814 in the UK, but bought on the European mainland, the same PC will cost you #689. Thats a 15% saving. How about a Cisco 1601CH router? Itll cost you about #779 here and only #649 on the other side of the channel. Mike Almond is business development manager at ProSource, a company which specialises in finding this sort of deal for its customers. Using a combination of overseas contacts and the Net, ProSource keep tracks of international prices on a daily basis. When asked by a customer for a particular product, it can go out and find the best price. Were not saying were better than established channels or that our approach is the right one for organisations to adopt, but our results speak for themselves. More importantly, we offer an alternative option to our customers. Thats what a free market should deliver, Almond says. Its not difficult to find this stuff. Some manufacturers will discount heavily in particular countries to make in-roads into that market. We can use those markets to buy products back cheaper. There is, of course, a catch buy your kit from another country and the manufacturers warranty is invalid when you get home. No warranty means no technical support, no helpline advice and certainly no upgrades. Some manufacturers are so inflamed at the thought of people saving money like this that they will not just refuse support; they will also claim the law is being broken. This is despite the fact that Europe is now a single market. Phil Humphries is head of IT services at Surrey Police and it is no surprise that hes extremely cautious about ending up on the wrong side of the law, whether statutory or a manufacturers warranty rule. As part of his forces year 2000 project, a lot of equipment has been replaced, at the same time as migrating to Windows NT. He may have seen lots of expensive equipment being bought, but Humphries is not tempted by the lure of the grey market. I am aware that some of the things we use could be bought cheaper overseas by using the grey market, but I dont think the differences are as great as they used to be, he says. Apart from which, the hassle factor would be enough to put me off. This is an important factor for many people. All too often you dont know exactly what youre buying and who you are buying it from. In the event of a problem, can you be sure youll be able to get hold of them? Humphries said. But theres more to it than that. Saving money on initial capital outlay may have its attractions, but Humphries feels this is a short-term gain had at the expense of longer term success. We are moving away from a situation where we are buying boxes. Now we want to deal with a partner which can offer the right support we need from start to finish. Most of the bargain-basement IT offers that crop up in the small ads will be for software. Adverts purporting to have US versions of Microsoft Office at less than half price are fairly commonplace. David Gregory, Microsoft UKs customer legal licensing manager, warns there is more to these offers than meets the eye. He explains: Our biggest problem with people using unauthorised sources is that the overwhelming majority of this software is counterfeit. It will be passed off as being from the US, but in about 90% of cases it is pirated. The individual serial number on the product tells us where that product was bought or if it is a copy. Finding anyone with IT purchasing responsibility who will admit to using the grey market is difficult, although one IT manager confided anonymously: Most of our procurement has to go through a centralised process. However, some stand-alone projects are bought on an ad-hoc basis and thats when buying on the cheap becomes a viable option. But why is any of this stuff priced so much higher in the UK in the first place? Almost all the major manufacturers operate different pricing policies in different countries, but few can explain why the UK gets clobbered quite so comprehensively. As far as Microsoft is concerned, Gregory says: The majority of software originates from the US and there are certain unavoidable costs incurred when taking that software into other territories local support services, language support, translating documentation and so on. Not to mention currency fluctuations. But with the worlds foremost software vendor moving toward shipping single every-language versions of its products, this position is set to become obsolete. On the hardware front, the worlds number one in PCs, Compaq, also varies prices between the countries that it sells to. David Petts, Compaq UK commercial unit business manager, explains: Local pricing exists because different markets have different patterns of economic behaviour. In Europe, Compaq prices are set by the companys European HQ in Munich, and individual countries are then able to fix their own prices within a given range. So, if one were to charge at the top end of the range and another charged at the lower end, you could, in theory, see material price differences, he says. Why the UK is hit hardest by these price differentials is obviously a difficult subject for manufacturers to discuss candidly. One source within a major hardware company begrudgingly admits: Lots of things are cheaper in the US and Japan. Its the way of the world people just need to face up to it. So, there you have it put up and shut up. If you dont put up, and instead succumb to the grey market, your warranties wont work. However, there are ways to get around the warranty issue. In the case of Compaq, any warranty in operation in the UK will also cover the rest of Europe and vice-versa. You can buy Compaq kit in Holland, for example, and not have to worry about your warranty. ProSources Almond explains that it is important to keep geography in mind when venturing into the grey market. Manufacturers will claim warranties are not valid, but under EC law there is nothing to stop you buying things from any other EC country. If we have a customer that is very sensitive about maintaining the warranties, well be careful to only buy from within the right region, he says. In the case of IBM, things are even more straightforward: good old Big Blue offers global support on all its products, so it doesnt matter if you bought your ThinkPad in Durban but you live in Doncaster. A long-standing champion of the grey market is Cirencester-based RBR Networks, Ciscos largest European distribution partner. Before getting its Cisco accreditation in October 1997, RBR was something of a thorn in Ciscos side. It was doing so much business in grey-market Cisco product that in the end the company had to be brought into the fold. RBR marketing director, Jos White, takes a fairly pragmatic view of the subject. He does, however, prefer the term second sourcing to grey market he believes it doesnt sound so grubby. Using second sourcing, we could make a healthy margin and still sell cheaper than most of the competition, says White. It has to be up to the manufacturer to make it worth everyones while to use the authorised channels, he adds. Manufacturers cannot simply try and ban this sort of thing and it is definitely not on for them to throw their weight around, threatening everyone by saying that their licences are invalid and they may be breaking the law. It comes as no surprise that a manufacturer such as Compaq is against the use of the grey market. It has nothing to