Business Model and Strategic Plan Essay

Prior to enhancing a product within a large corporation, the company must have a strategic plan in place to ensure that the change runs smoothly. The strategy plan will focus on the company’s strengths, weaknesses’, opportunities, threats, and trends in terms of the new product, by developing and performing a SWOTT analysis. â€Å"A SWOTT analysis is an acronym for the internal Strengths and Weaknesses of a firm, and the environmental Opportunities and Threats facing that firm. SWOTT analysis is a technique through which managers create a quick overview of a company’s strategic situation (Pearce & Robinson, 2013).† SWOTT Analysis Opportunity is definitely favorable situation in a company’s environment meaning that the company stands to gain from this type of behavior. And the opposite of this is threat. A threat is an action that is not favorable. Strength is an advantage that the firm has against its competitors and the market it is currently serving and expects to serve. Weakness is something that is not beneficial to the company and can hinder the company’s success (Pearce & Robinson, 2013). Internal Forces Internal analysis is defined as an analysis of strengths and weaknesses focusing on internal factors that give an organization certain advantages and disadvantages in meeting the needs of its target market (Ballowe, 2008). Internal factors are important to analyze to better understand how the company aides in its own success or failure. This analysis allows a company to compare past successes with current procedures to aide in the company’s future endeavors. Some internal factors that will be discussed are strategy, structures,  processes & systems, resources, goals, technologies, and leadership. Mazda’s new division will build a strategy that allows for the employees to effectively and efficiently build the new engine with the correct EPA guidelines. Although the new engine type is more expensive to build, Mazda has invested money into this new production line to build the engine and in the long run to be more profitable and environmentally sound. In terms of cost, processes and systems have to be in place to ensure that the new production line is efficiently ran and that employees are trained properly. This new division will look into research and design from other companies who have effectively built hybrid engines to compare ideas and look for innovative creations. The leaders in this division will follow EPA guidelines to ensure that there are no issues when inspections occur. Leadership within this division will set lofty goals that must be reached to attain success in terms of this new engine type. Leadership will continue to follow update technology and make necessary changes. In terms of leadership, organization is a key factor to ensure all members are sending a consistent message to the employees to avoid any undo mistakes. Continuing to build successful process and procedures to share with the employees will only help this division. External Factors The definition of external analysis is â€Å"the examination of opportunities and threats that exist in the environment and both opportunities and threats exist independently of the firm (Ballowe, 2008).† External factors that the new division of Mazda will analyze are legal & regulatory, global, economic, technological, innovation, social, environmental, and competitive analysis. A great advantage that this new division has is that socially and environmentally, many individuals are interested in saving the environment as well as saving money economically. Unfortunately, other manufacturers also have hybrid engines so Mazda will definitely have a good amount of competitors. The more competitors, the less advantage Mazda will have in sales. With the increase in competition, prices will become more competitive meaning that the profit margin will be less. In terms of legal and regulatory, the EPA has high standards in regards to qualifications for hybrid engines which means this division of Mazda will have to ensure high  quality and results. Supply Chain This new division has created a new engine that is more environmentally sound and economical than any other car manufacturer at this time. Because Mazda not only wants to ensure low prices on their vehicles, this new engine’s production line will be very effective and efficient. Mazda understands that the supply chain of this engine has to have very little to no flaws if a profit will be made. Mazda will look to local companies and manufacturers for the parts to create to engine to ensure lowest cost possible to build the engine. Because Mazda has a production center, adding to the center for this engine type was not too costly. Mazda was able to use current employees to move into the production line and leadership team for this new division. Major Issues and Opportunities A major issue or opportunity would be the ability to maintain excellence and a competitive edge against other companies with hybrid engines. The hybrid model can be costly so Mazda will need to continue to look for ways to keep production costs low so the vehicle purchase price is affordable. The first research question is ‘How can Mazda maintain an affordable selling price with a hybrid engine?’ The best way to understand how this can be done is to evaluate the purchasing of the parts for the engine, then ensure effective and efficient processes with the manufacturing site, and determine the best possible selling price. Another issue or opportunity that Mazda faces is keeping up to the high standards of the EPA. Mazda needs to do large amounts of research and make sure the design and building of the engine are on or above standards. The second question is ‘How can Mazda maintain EPA standards on the newly designed engine?’ Mazda can build a small team of employees who are specifically geared to ensuring that the engine is always up to standards and the division is aware of any changes from the EPA. Conclusion In conclusion, this new division of Mazda will continue to look for ways to improve efficiencies and effectiveness to ensure a great product. This division can achieve this by effectively performing a SWOTT analysis and  using the information to build a great product. Gaining knowledge and applying the new knowledge to the current processes will only impact Mazda in a positive manner. References Ballowe, Todd, â€Å"External Analysis,† March 5, 2008, retrieved online from http://onstrategyhq.com/resources/external-analysis/. Ballowe, Todd, â€Å"Internal Analysis,† March 5, 2008, retrieved online from http://onstrategyhq.com/resources/internal-analysis/. Pearce, J. A. II. (2013). Strategic management: Planning for domestic and global competition (13th ed.) New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Case Analysis of “Which is Higher”

In the northeastern part of the United States, the Queen’s Island School District caters senior high school education to a large urban area wherein about one third of the students’ population is of cultural minority. The school district has six senior high schools, from grades ten to twelve, wherein one representative was selected to comprise the committee on revising the curriculum for secondary history. Meanwhile, Dr. Tom Blakely, the head for social studies curriculum was appointed to spearhead the committee on revision. The chosen members of the committee were Luis Garcia of Garfield High, Eric Tannenbaum of Central High, Lois Blakely of Van Buren High; Lee Cheng of Kennedy High, Delicia Jackson of South Point High, and Michelle McMurray of Westside High. These members are all history teachers in their respective schools. They were tasked to scrutinize the existing curriculum in social studies for their school district. Thus, the committee is expected in the end to come up with the most plausible instructional objectives, teaching methods, evaluation tools, and set of references for the revised social studies curriculum. Two Main Positions Eric Tannenbaum favored the time-tested lecture-discussion as his primary method in teaching history. Sometimes he also uses group work and current event discussion in his class. He believed that lecture-discussion method is the most appropriate in presenting lessons with wide coverage. By using it, he can tackle lessons within the allotted time. In terms of evaluation, he used to administer teacher-made tests which for the most part have objective type items. In addition, essay questions are also provided in his tests. Tannenbaum thought that the first two levels of the Bloom’s taxonomy of learning objectives should be first attained by students in order to prepare them for higher-order learning. Michelle McMurray advocated the problem-solving approach in teaching history. She believed that a facts-oriented subject would just give burdens on the part of the students. She added that for the students to appreciate history, the method should be focused on principles through meaningful learning experiences rather than memorization of dates, places, and people. To be able to do this, learning objectives that utilize problem-solving and creativity should be formulated. In her class, she employs methods to connect historical facts to the present knowledge of the students and its relevance to the contemporary time. For every unit, she encourages students individually or by group to identify problems of their interest to work on. Given the appropriate time to prepare, the students will present their reports. With these, learning experiences become meaningful to the students leading to a long time memory of learned facts. Based on the presented output, she formulates essay-type questions that correspond to the high-order level of Bloom’s taxonomy. She also allows students to write questions that can possibly be used as test questions. The two members of the committee supported the notion of Tannenbaum concerning curriculum design for social studies. Luis Garcia and Cheng Lee both agreed with Tannenbaum propositions for those are conveniently used by most history teachers. On the other hand, Lois Blakely and Delicia Jackson supported the ideas of McMurray. For them, learning can only be meaningful when students’ interest and active participation are harnessed for every learning activity. Analysis Bloom’s Taxonomy Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives is a hierarchy of learning objectives from simple to a more complex (Huitt, 2004). Most of the time, it is described as a ladder where students need to climb from the low to higher level. Knowledge, comprehension, and application belong to the low-level cognitive domain while analysis, synthesis and evaluation are high-order thinking level (Huitt, 2004). Based on McMurray’s analysis, Tannenbaum’s objectives were merely just at the low level of the Bloom’s taxonomy. Even though he has essay questions in the evaluation, those questions also require simple recall of data or information. Conversely, McMurray favored essay-type questions that require students to analyze, evaluate, and synthesize information. She allows students to identify interesting topic for research in every unit of the subject then give them freedom to rigorously research on their chosen topics and present their outputs on the class. Additionally, the other groups are also encouraged to raise their questions concerning the presented report. Based on their presentation of outputs, she patterns questions for assessment. With these, McMurray were able to give independence to her students by working and discovering new things on their own, thus, leading the students to higher-order of thinking. Ausubel’s Meaningful Reception Learning The meaningful learning of Ausubel denotes the absorption of new information and acquisition of new meanings (Elliot, Kratochwill, Cook, and Travers, 2000). As a student internalizes new information, he patterns and fits this to his existing cognitive structure. By anchoring this new information to his existing schemata, renewal or adjustment of the schema results leading to the acquisition of new meaning, hence, the term meaningful learning (Elliot, Kratochwill, Cook, and Travers, 2000). Looking back at the case analysis, since Tannenbaum used to employ lecture-discussion on his class, students will just tend to memorize and depend on the details of his lecture. Although absorption of new information occurs but the internalization and transformation of the information into new memory unit is deterred. As such, the learned facts only remain in students’ mind in a short period of time. On the contrary, through the methods of McMurray students may have the chance to work independently and present their output based on their own plan. By anchoring the subject matter into the present thinking level of the students, the teacher motivates them and incites them for further learning. Discovery Learning. Jerome Bruner postulated that the active engagement of learners in every learning activity would result to a long mind-retention of learned facts or principles (Dandapani, 2004). Environmental stimuli arouse learners’ interests that trigger them to find solution for a perplexing situation. In finding the most plausible explanation for the perceived difficulty, one may exhaust all possible resources in his environments. In this process, learners internalize information, fit this to their existing cognitive structure, and create or adjust schemata (Dandapani, 2004). Since, problem-solving approach is under discovery learning, McMurray utilizes the process of discovery in her teaching approach. Information Processing Theory Information Processing Theory emphasized the roles of attention, perception, thinking, memory, and problem-solving processes in learning (Lachman, Lachman, and Butterfield, 1979). Every individual observes a lot of environmental stimuli but the brain mechanisms selectively limit the absorption of information in such way that the new information would systematically organized with the existing cognitive structure (Lachman, Lachman, and Butterfield, 1979). By giving attention on a particular stimulus, one may be able to perceive what has been observed. Then, the role of memory takes place by organizing this new information with the existing schemata. In this assimilation process, once the newly absorbed information is unable to be fitted into the existing schema, either this will be lost in the memory or adjustment in the existing cognitive structures results (Lachman, Lachman, and Butterfield, 1979). This means that the mind does not only fit the newly absorbed information into existing schemata but also adjust to accommodate it. In the case analysis, Tannenbaum often used lecture-discussion method for he can cover a lot of topics within the allotted time. However, as firmly stated by McMurray, lecture-discussion would only provide numerous facts that most of the time give burden to the students because of their difficulty in memorization and their inability to organize, relate and integrate different information, and unable to see its connections and relevance to everyday living. McMurray proposed that by formulating learning objectives which will utilize problem-solving skills and develop creativity, learning will be meaningful for every student and a longer retention of learning is foreseen. My Opinion Tannenbaum is not entirely wrong with his method of choice. He just failed to address individual differences by integrating several methods of instruction to cater the lesson to the different needs, interest, and abilities of the learners. His method is inclined solely to rigorous memorization of facts giving way to rote learning. Even though he has a genuine purpose of accomplishing the time-bound topics prescribed for the course, he is actually delimiting the subject into low-level of thinking resulting to failure in developing multiple intelligences. McMurray’s approach in teaching is anchored on Ausubel’s reception learning, Bruner’s discovery learning, and information processing theory. As such, we may infer then that her approach in teaching is more democratic and student-centered. She encouraged active participation among her students and allowed them to work on the topic of their choice. By means of this, she actually harnessed the interest of students towards problem-solving and incited them to find ways to accomplish their tasks. Moreover, she patterned her evaluation based on students’ outputs and even encouraged students to formulate test questions. With these, learning becomes meaningful for every student that may propel them for further learning. Nevertheless, with regards to the possible content gaps or topics that are not able to tackle up due to time constraints in employing problem-solving approach, as what McMurray did, teacher may supplement the report of the students by bringing up the topics that students’ failed to choose. We also need to admit the inevitable truth that our minds tend to forget and only limited facts stay in our long-term memory. Therefore, it is much better to incur content gaps in a subject if the tackled topics retain longer in our memory rather than to cover all prescribed topics in the absence of authentic learning.

Working Capital

WORKING CAPITALQ1. Which of the following is the primary most objective of working capital? (MCQ)The difference between current assets & current liabilitiesA balance of having liquid assets to ensure the operation is unaffectedManagement of individual working capital componentsWorking capital analysis using ratios(2 marks) Q2. Calculate the Current Ratio & Quick Ratio using the below information. (MCQ)$000Inventory 200Receivables 670Payables 235Bank loan 85Current Ratio 0.37, Quick Ratio 0.27Current Ratio 0.58, Quick Ratio 0.31Current Ratio 1.76, Quick Ratio 1.54Current Ratio 2.71, Quick Ratio 2.09(2 marks) Q3. Pick Co. sold 20% of its inventory on credit for 10% profit. What will be the effect on the quick ratio & current ratio after the inventory sale, if all else is equal? (MCQ)Current Ratio (Increase), Quick Ratio (Increase)Current Ratio (Increase), Quick Ratio (No change)Current Ratio (No change), Quick Ratio (Increase)Current Ratio (Increase), Quick Ratio (Decrease)(2 marks) Q4. Inkle Co has receivables turnover of 8 times, a payables turnover of 4.5 times and an inventory turnover of 2.25 times. Calculate cash operating cycle assuming 365 days in a year? (MCQ)46 Days81 Days127 Days162 Days(2 marks) Q5. Which of the following TWO statements are correct in relation to working capital policies for a manufacturing company and a food retailer? (MRQ)A manufacturing company will need to invest in raw material and result in large amounts to be owed to its customersA food retailer will have a large inventory of large receivables balanceA manufacturing company needs no accounts receivable policyA food retailer will need to consider inventory management policy (2 marks) Q6. Mafia Co is a manufacturing company and has the following periods. Periods DaysReceivables collection 70Raw material turnover 42Work in progress turnover 14Finished goods turnover 42Payables payment 495334032258000What is the time it takes to complete a working cycle? (FIB) Days(2 marks) Q7. Which of the following best describes the working capital turnover? (MCQ)It measures a company's ability to replace its working capitalIt measures the working capital support to the revenuesIt measures the liquidity position of the companyIt measures the profitability position of the company (2 marks) Q8. Yolo Co. has the following inventories:Raw material $600Work in progress $550Finished goods $700Yolo Co has annual purchases of $5,000 with the cost of sales being $2,000. What are the average inventory days for Yolo Co (366 days in a year)? (FIB)23495-317500Days(2 marks) Q9. A company sells toy machine guns in the USA; it yearly sells 15,000 guns at $60/each. It has to receive $56,000 from its customers. In how many days will the company receive all its payments? (MCQ)10 Days23 Days63 Days98 Days(2 marks) Q10. A delay in payment to the suppliers may result which of the following? (MRQ)Future contracts with the suppliers may be disruptedA discount on late payment will be missedGoodwill in the market will be increasedAn increase in the price of products as a compensation (2 marks) Q11. Which of the following is not a typical symptom of overtrading? (MCQ)A significant increase in revenue A bank overdraft reaching its limit A fall in the quick ratio and the current ratio A fall in trade payables days(2 marks) Q12. A company has very high levels of inventory and high cash balances. This is an indication of? (MCQ)Over-tradingHigh cash operating cycle Over-capitalizationLow working capital cycle (2 marks) Q13. Select whether the following statements are true or false. (HA)An increase in sales revenue should likely to increase the level of working capital invested TRUE FALSEA profitability decrease is an indication that the trade cycle has been increased TRUE FALSEUnder-capitalization is the rapid increase in sales as compared to the invested finance TRUE FALSE(2 marks) Q14. Match the following ratios in comparison to identify the over-trading problems. (P;D)A significant increase in sales Customers are paying late than their credit period Current liabilities are in excess of Current assets WORKING CAPITAL GROWTH % QUICK RATIO % INCREASE IN RECEIVABLES(2 marks) Q15. Unto Co is an online sales company which has established its business in the past two years. The CFO has indicated that the company has expanded its business and gained a good market share in these two years but to able to continue further they will need to manage its working capital effectively. Which of the following actions might help overcome Unto Co problems? (MRQ)The shareholders will be asked to inject finance into Unto CoInventory levels should be increased by Unto CoSales of Unto Co should be withheld for some timeRetained profits should be invested back in Unto (2 marks) Q16. An investment policy is the amount of working capital investment needed for a particular company. Which of the following statement related to a conservative policy? (MCQ)Company keeping a low level of inventory will lead an earlier cash operating cycleA lengthy cash operating cycle may lead to high finance costInventory levels ; receivables should be kept at an optimum levelA short cash operating cycle may lead to risky business(2 marks) Q17. Kelp Co has kept its inventory levels at the minimum level from the start of the business. The business was acquired by a competitor and they continued its operation as per their previous owners. In the last three months, the company is unable to meet the supply demands due to a shortage of inventory. The new owner of Kelp Co is unable to recognize the working capital policy. Select the appropriate working capital policy? (MCQ) Conservative investment policyAggressive financing policyAggressive investment policyConservative financing policy(2 marks) Q18. Select the appropriate option. (HA) The efficient management of inventory ; receivables relates to a moderate investment policy TRUE FALSEIf customers pay late to a company this will increase the cash cycle TRUE FALSE(2 marks) Q19. A company needs finance to invest in their assets. Select the appropriate asset in relation to working capital financing policy. (P;D)Assets are bought in their respective seasons Assets continue for more than a year Assets present with the company at any given time of the year NON-CURRENT ASSETS PERMANENT CURRENT ASSETS FLUCTUATING CURRENT ASSETS(2 marks) Q20. Which statement best reflects a conservative working capital finance policy? (MCQ)More short-term finance is used because it's riskyMore long-term finance is used because it improves liquidityMore short-term finance is used to purchase inventoryMore long-term finance is used to pay-off payables(2 marks) Q21. Select the following similarities in an Investment & financing working capital policy. (MRQ)The risk of stock out in the policyThe names used in each policyThe use of assets in the policyThe level of inventory in the policy(2 marks) Q22. Which of the following factors could have an influence in working capital? (MRQ)Company credit policies The future growth prospectThe balance of liquidity & profitabilityThe nature of the companyPayable credit policies of suppliers(2 marks) Q23. Which of the following is a benefit in having a decentralized treasury department in a company? (MCQ) The duplication of workThe benefit of bulk discountingThe low-interest rates applied by the bankThe development of skills of managers (2 marks)WORKING CAPITAL (ANSWERS)Q1. BThe difference between current assets & current liabilities (Definition)A balance of having liquid assets to ensure the operation is unaffected (Objective)Management of individual working capital components (One of the aspects of WC)Working capital analysis using ratios (One of the aspects of WC) Q2. DCurrent Ratio = [200+670] à · [235+85] = 2.71Quick Ratio = [670] à · [235+85] = 2.09 Q3. AThe Quick ratio = IncreaseThe inventory sold on credit, all else being equal receivables (current assets) will increase, so the quick ratio will increase.The Current ratio = IncreaseCurrent assets include Inventory & Receivables. The inventory sold for profit, the receivables increase will be more than the decrease in inventory, the net effect will be the increase in current assets, hence ratio increased. Q4. CReceivable days= (365 à · 8) = 46 daysInventory days = (365 à · 2.25) = 162 daysPayable days = (365 à · 4.5) = 81 daysCash operating cycle = (46 + 162) – 81 = 127 days Q5.A manufacturing company will need to invest in raw material and result large amounts to be owed to its customers (Correct)A food retailer will have large inventory with small receivables balanceA manufacturing company needs careful consideration of accounts receivable policyA food retailer will need to consider inventory management policy (Correct)Q6. 119 daysWorking Capital Cycle= (70+42+14+42) – 49 = 119 Q7. BQ8. 91 daysRaw material days = (600 à · 5,000) Ãâ€" 366 = 44 daysWork in progress days = (550 à · 2,000) Ãâ€" 366 = 101 daysFinished goods days = (700 à · 2,000) Ãâ€" 366 = 128 daysAverage days = (44 + 101 + 128) à · 3 = 91 days Q9. BSales = 15,000 Ãâ€" 60 = 900,000 Receivable days = (56,000 à · 900,000) Ãâ€" 365 = 23 days Q10. Future contracts with the suppliers may be disrupted (Correct)A discount on early payment will be missedGoodwill in the market will be decreasedAn increase in the price of products as a compensation (Correct) Q11. DOvertrading is business trying to do too much too quickly with too little long-term capital. The payment period to accounts payable is likely to lengthen (not shorten). Q12. COver-capitalization represents an excessive investment by a business in its current assets. In the case inventory & cash balance both relate to current assets of a business. Q13. An increase in sales revenue should likely to increase the level of working capital invested TRUE A profitability decrease is an indication that the trade cycle has been increased TRUE Under-capitalization is the rapid increase in sales as compared to the invested finance TRUE Q14. A significant increase in sales Working capital growth %Customers are paying late than their credit period % Increase in ReceivablesCurrent liabilities are in excess of Current assets Quick Ratio Q15. The shareholders will be asked to inject finance into Unto Co (Correct)Inventory levels should be managed efficiently by Unto Co Sales of Unto Co should be lowered not withheld completely for some timeRetained profits should be invested back in Unto (Correct) Q16. BIn a conservative policy, the inventory levels & receivables are kept high resulting longer cash operating cycles leading to a need for finance via overdraft facilities. Overdraft results finance cost. Q17. CThe company kept its inventory levels at the minimum having a high risk of stockouts which indicates the Aggressive investment policy was used by Kelp Co.'s previous owners. Q18.The efficient management of inventory ; receivables relates to a moderate investment policy TRUE If customers pay late to a company this will increase the cash cycle TRUE Q19.Assets are bought in their respective seasons FLUCTUATING CURRENT ASSETSAssets continue for more than a year NON-CURRENT ASSETSAssets present with the company at any given time of the year PERMANENT CURRENT ASSETS Q20. BThe conservative policy finances most fluctuating assets with long-term finance and finances all permanent assets with long-term finance. Resulting low risk eventually improving liquidity but decreasing profitability. Q21. The names used in each policy are same only. Q22. All given above are the factors which can influence the working capital Q23. D

Project Closure and Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Project Closure and Assessment - Essay Example In an argument by Bartlett (2004), basing a project on financial estimates is disregarding the elasticity of the corporate market. If a project greatly involves construction operations, the procurement process should be well managed and developed. In construction, quality matters. If the quality assurance is not provided, the project prospects will not be achieved. Apart from the procurement process, the staff at large should be well placed to support the whole project. If need be, organizations are advised to outsource high risk operations. Outsourcing increases the expertise employed in the project and it shares the risk involved in the whole project. The paper will focus on the Woody project and how well it was managed. It will provide an insight into the procurement process in the project. The startup was poorly managed in this project. In appropriately managed startups, organizations usually have effective production processes. After every project the startup usually determines whether or not the project was successful. Managers and owners have the obligation to inspect the results of the outcomes to determine whether or not it is according to the specified plan. In words by Bartlett (2004), managers and owners of organizations provide the first determination on whether or not the project was successful. However, this is usually not an assurance of success. If the production process fails to kick off as expected, the project is viewed as failure. In the case of Woody, the owners of the building did not inspect the manner in which the construction was conducted. After this, the setting off of the production process was very poor. Every single operation was behind schedule as the effects affected the company’s consumer base. It was poor management in that the owners of the company did not come up with any completion procedure after a period of years. There was no plan whatsoever that was formulated to foresee the transition from the old operation syst em to the new one. If the project were properly managed, there would be a procedure for inspection of the building by the owners, acceptance of the new building, testing of the new machines and the launching of the production process. The result of this poor management was harsh. The usual maintenance process carried out after every two weeks did not take place in time. Consumer deliveries were delayed by a period of two weeks. Several contractors also canceled the contracts citing insecurity and exposure to high levels of risk. The sale of finished goods also declined significantly. After the period of two years it was clearly evident that the project was poorly managed. The results seen at the startup after the completion of the project were diminishing. According to Wirick (2011), the success of a project is measured by its ability to comfortably upgrade the production process. In the Woody project this is not evident. To worsen the situation, its normal production process was ne gatively affected. Looking at Woody two years ago, the production process was much better. The procurement process in the Woody project was also tampered with. This can be translated to supply of goods of low quality. Kerzner (2010) argues that the supply of goods during a project is also a key to its success. In a proper managed project the procurement process is easily monitored and certified. In Woody’s case, the payment made to suppliers was not effectively consulted. Paying for services in consideration of

Inception (2010) - A Review Movie Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Inception (2010) - A - Movie Review Example There is no denying the fact that Nolan’s primary theme in Inception is the dream world. The mastery of Nolan lies in his ability to use the cinematic devices to bring to the life the hitherto unexplored dynamics of the dream world. Not only Nolan manages to create a complicated maze meandering into the dreams of the characters in the movie, but also succeeds in soliciting the trust and confidence of his viewers in his ability to lead them through this dream world, as the viewers here are significantly prone to getting disoriented and lost. The story line is very different from that of any average movie in the sense that here, even if the viewers are told as to how the movie ends, still they are bound to being unable to grasp anything without knowing how it got there. Actually the movie revolves around ‘how it got there’ to baffle and grip the viewers. In that sense, Inception is more of a process than an outcome, a process that dissects through varied layers of t he dream world, and graduates to explore dreams within dreams, trying to grasp the reality within dreams and bringing to fore the dreams without any reality. The characters in the movie are made to juggle their way through overlapping sheets of the real and the imagined. Herein lays the ultimate interest and strength of the whole movie. The good thing about the movie is that as with the characters in the movie, the viewers are as much bound to being left hanging adrift in time, space and experience. Many a times the viewers are left unsure as to the correlation existing between the real time in which they are viewing the movie and the dream time in which most of the plot unfolds. Nolan does manage to anchor this movie based on the esoteric interplay of dreams by bringing in an emotional thread in the... There is no denying the fact that Nolan’s primary theme in Inception is the dream world. The mastery of Nolan lies in his ability to use the cinematic devices to bring to the life the hitherto unexplored dynamics of the dream world. Not only Nolan manages to create a complicated maze meandering into the dreams of the characters in the movie but also succeeds in soliciting the trust and confidence of his viewers in his ability to lead them through this dream world, as the viewers here are significantly prone to get disoriented and lost. The story line is very different from that of any average movie in the sense that here, even if the viewers are told as to how the movie ends, still they are bound to being unable to grasp anything without knowing how it got there. Actually, the movie revolves around ‘how it got there’ to baffle and grip the viewers. In that sense, Inception is more of a process than an outcome, a process that dissects through varied layers of the d ream world, and graduates to explore dreams within dreams, trying to grasp the reality within dreams and bringing to fore the dreams without any reality. The characters in the movie are made to juggle their way through overlapping sheets of the real and the imagined. Herein lays the ultimate interest and strength of the whole movie. In that sense, Inception not only deserves the 148 minutes of undivided attention of the viewers but also warrants a second visit. In fact, it is much better if the viewers go to this movie, largely uninformed.

A simple reply letter to a councillor, all materials provided. 2pages Essay

A simple reply letter to a councillor, all materials provided. 2pages Writer #381 - Essay Example For that reason, we would argue that the benefit of even just one more youth center would far surpass the cost. The problem as we see it is that the enormous potential of how youth centers help kids on their path toward maturity is far more difficult to quantify than a mere cost analysis can do. The most important element in CBD Renewal Project is that middle term-renewal. Renewal of a project carries with connotations that reach well beyond merely creating a more attractive faade. In order to fully renew a community, a long term vision is required that not only presents a more attractive front, but an entirely new foundation. The dilapidated facilities that you mentioned in your kind letter are best viewed as just one dimension to the more complex issue of rebuilding the broken spirit of our community. It was the breaking of that spirit that led to the decay of these buildings. A youth center is important not only in immediate terms of financial and social benefits, but as a basis upon which to build and strengthen the very vitality of the neighborhood in which is centered. We respect your position and knowledge enough to suggest, with all modesty, that we are just as concerned as you about renewing the g

Marketing and Strategy Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Marketing and Strategy Assignment - Essay Example Companies are spending billions towards research and development in order to create innovations in their product lines. Firms like Apple are generating their core competence in the market based on innovations and research and development (Ireland, Hitt, & Hoskisson, 2011, p.82). The increased competition in the market has also led to marketers spending huge amounts towards improving their positioning and brand image in an attempt to create a distinction between the products and services offered by the competitors in the market (Davis, 2009, p.148). The present study would analyse the marketing strategies adopted by various organizations in an attempt to create segregation and generate competitive advantage in the market. The study would specifically focus upon marketing strategies with real life examples in the industry so as to help generate competitive advantage for business organizations. Analysis The role of marketers in the present business is essentially to analyse the needs an d wants of the customers and design product mix in a manner that tends to satisfy the unfulfilled needs of consumers. Marketers are spending billions on conducting marketing research in order to analyse the demands of the consumers and design an optimum product mix that can be used to generate competitive advantage in the market. Marketing research can help marketers and strategists in determining the gaps in the present level of product or service offering and the demands of the consumers. These gaps can be consequently help in generating a product mix that would help enhance the positioning of the organization. Market research can also help companies find the perceptions of their brands among the members of the target market audience. Strategists can then take up policies that can help in improving their image through the feedbacks gathered from the research (Duboff & Spaeth, 2000, p.106-108). One such example can be found in the case of South Central Bell Company that was continu ously losing its market share. Using market intelligence tools and conducting market research, the company was able to able to identify the reason behind the debacle and take up corrective measures that helped it to again regain its lost position in the market (Hair, Bush & Ortinau, 2007, p.116). Pricing is another critical strategic aspect that can be used to generate market advantage in business. Companies are trying to generate organizational excellence by using technological innovations like Total Quality Management, Kaizen and Six Sigma to ensure minimal operational costs. Examples of this form can be traced in the business strategies of companies like Toyota that has generated competitive advantage based on Just in Time approach (Imai, 1997, pp.4-6). Predatory pricing is one strategy that is very commonly used by marketers to gain market share and eliminate competitors. This strategy involves selling products at lowest rates that helps them capture a large share of the market (Greene, American Bar Association & Section of Antitrust Law, 1996, p.55-56). However critiques have also slammed the benefits of using this strategy as they believe that predatory pricing strategy leads to unfair competitive

Digital Business Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Digital Business Management - Essay Example To achieve this, the paper has selected www.origin.com as the site for analysis. An analysis of the website is conducted with a focus on how it is implementing digital information systems. The paper then reviews the business model of the website showing its online value proposition. The paper then goes ahead to identify the target audience of the website and how the website is trying to access them. Lastly, the paper evaluates the customer relationship management strategy employed and makes recommendations based on what has been observed. Origin.com is Origin’s official website. Origin provides free gaming services and a platform for games shopping that allows user to shop, access and play varied video games. Origin also acts as a social networking platform which enables users to connect, network and invite one another to play games across different platforms (Origin.com, 2014). The site is also connected to a cloud service that enables a user to save a game and resume from where it was stopped. It, therefore, allows for exchange of information and feedback, hence, creating a fully functional digital information system (Gitman and McDaniel, 2006). A digital information system is defined as arrangement of hardware, software, liveware and information resources that enables inputting of data, processing, outputting and storage of information often for a definite purpose (Kathy, Zhwei and Agrusa, 2004). There are many types of information systems; the transaction processing system, management information system, decision support system and executive support system (El-Sawy and Pereira, 2012). This websites acts as a decision support system since it provides information that is then used by a customer to make decisions based on information provided (Preece, 2001). The same information can be used by the Origin management team to note and analyse problems and come up with sustainable solutions for the same. The website implements digital information systems in

Main Street Program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Main Street Program - Essay Example enerally, it will be expected that the Main Street in question will satisfy and fall within the general notion and rationale behind the creation of the Main Street program. The National Main Street Centre (2014) noted that the Main Street concept is in place to revitalize and strengthen traditional commercial districts of communities through such approaches such as â€Å"existing economic development, historic preservation, city management, or urban and community planning programs.† Based on this description, it can be said on authority that the Historic Dupont Circle Main Street (HDCMS) is part of the Main Street program’s success stories. Walking through the Dupont Circle, one sees an old city circle that has been transformed into a modern tourist destination where visitors and residents are met with the best of historic landmarks, institutions, transportation system, and best of all, an array of commercially active business environment where several restaurants, hotels, bars and rest stops can be found. HDCMS is over a decade old as it was started in May 2003 through the use of the mayor’s grant. Over the years, there have been records of economic success and transformation, including a swift transition from a place that used to be the hub for illegal and illicit trade and activities. As a local resident, there are a number of factors that can be seen that make Dupont Circle of Washington DC and the HDCMS deserve commendation. In the first place, the community and its leaders can be said to have done well as the HDCMS has been carried out in a very well planned manner. This is because back in May 2003, leader s of the community, led by the major drafted a development plan for the area that spelt out very clear targets and goals that needed to be achieved. Because of this, development agenda has been pursued in a manner that falls according to plan. Consequently, the haphazard progression of events at the Dupont Circle has not happened. Again, the community

Track Software Inc. Essay Example for Free

Track Software Inc. Essay 1.) Stanley’s financial goal he seems to be focusing on is maximizing profits. This is the correct goal because the goal of any firm and therefore its financial manager, should be to maximize its value and by extension the wealth of the shareholders. 2.) There is potential for an agency problem if Stanley decides to go ahead and invest in the software developer. This investment will cause a temporary decrease in the earnings per share of the firm which will mean fewer earnings at the present time for the stakeholders. This may be a problem if the goal of the shareholders is to gain money sooner than later. Since, the goal of the shareholders is simply to maximize wealth, there may not be an agency problem since the goal of the financial manager, Stanley, is the same as the shareholders. B. Since there is no preferred stock; Earnings available for common stockholders ≠¡ Net profit after taxes. No of shares of common stock outstanding = 50,000 Earnings per share = ______Net profit after taxes____________ No. of shares of common stock outstanding EPS show a steady increase over the past five years indicating that Stanley is achieving his goal of maximizing profits. C. Operating Cash Flow (OCF) for 2012 OCF = {Earnings before Interest and Taxes Ãâ€" (1 – Tax rate)} + Depreciation OCF = {EBIT Ãâ€" (1 – T)} + Depreciation = {$89 000 Ãâ€" (1 – 0.20)} + $11 000 = $82 200 Free Cash Flow (FCF) for 2012 FCF = OCF1 – Net Fixed Assets Investments – Net Current Assets Investment FCF = OCF – NFAI – NCAI NFAI = Change in net fixed assets + Depreciation = ($132 000 – $128 000) + $11 000 = $15 000 NCAI = Chance in current assets – Change in (Accounts Payable + Accruals) = ($421 000 – $62 000) – {($136 000 + $27 000) – ($126 000 + $25 000)} =$47 000 FCF = $82 200 – $15 000 – $47 000 = $20 200 Both the operating cash flow and the free cash flow are positive indicating that Stanley was able to generate adequate cash flow to cover both operating expenses and investments in assets. There was also $20 200 left over to pay to investors. 1.) Liquidity Although the liquidity of the firm has improved slightly (current ratio) or remained steady (quick ratio), the firm’s performance is considerably below average. 2.) Activity The total asset turnover of the firm has improved but the inventory turnover and average collection period has deteriorated. The activity of the firm is also considerably below the industry average. 3.) Debt The debt ratio decreased in the times interest earned ratio improved. This indicates that the firm used more of its own money to generate profit in 2012 (rather than that of its creditors) and its ability to make contractual interest payments has improved. However, the firm fails to measure up to the industrial average yet again. 4.) Probability The gross, operating and net profit margin and the return on total assets (ROA) have improved slightly showing that the profitability of the firm is fairly stable, demonstrating little improvement. Even so, these ratios are all still subpar. The return of common equity (ROE) has deteriorated, falling to below the industrial average. 5.) Market The firm’s P/E ratio improved but remained bellowed the industry average, showing that the investors are gaining confidence in the firm’s future performance. The M/B ratio fell below, from above the industrial average in 2011 to below in 2012 but still remains fair. E. Stanley should try to find the money to hire the software developer since the ratios show that the firm should be performing better for a firm in this particular industry. In addition, the â€Å"blockbuster† sales potential implies a potential for increased profitability which falls in line with Stanley’s focus. F. The present value of a perpetuity creating a cash flow of $5 000 per year with a 10% interest rate =_____Cash Flow____ Interest Rate  = $5,000 = $50 000  .10 The investor would be willing to pay $50 000 for the firm. G. The present value of a firm generating a perpetual stream of free cash flow of $20 200 per year with an interest rate of 10 % = ___Cash Flow___ Interest Rate  =__$20,200__ =$202,000  .10  I would be willing to pay $202 000 for the firm.

Media And Childhood Obesity

Media And Childhood Obesity Obesity is among one of the many global epidemics. Its impact affects all age groups. The attention of international and national foci has been sparked by the reported rising of prevalence of child and adolescent obesity for preventative and management action. (Bromfield, 2009). Childhood obesity is a major public health problem. A main contributing factor to childhood obesity has been identified as food advertising during childrens television programs (Udell Mehta, 2008). Media is present to inform the public and present them with arguments that support or oppose solutions to childhood obesity. Obesity affects approximately 20% of the youth in America and this number is always rising. The media can define public perceptions on issues by choosing what to present and how this information is presented. This technique is called framing and can define what problems are perceived to be important and what the causes and solutions might be. It is hypothesized that media has a negative infl uence on the obesity of children. Past research will further help investigate this problem. In an article by Harris, Bargh, and Brownell (2009), it is hypothesized that food advertising on television triggers children to automatically snack on whatever food is available. It is stated that advertisements for high calorie, low nutrient foods are common contributors to the obesity epidemic. Obesity is the fastest growing cause of disease and death in America. (Harris, Bargh, and Brownell). The trend is increasing among young people. Snacking at non-meal times occurred in 58% of food ads during childrens programming. Food advertising to children portrayed unhealthy eating behaviors with positive outcomes. An important source of priming influences is the media, including television programs and advertisements. Food and beverage advertisements convey extremely powerful food consumption cues, including images of attractive models eating, snacking at non-meal times and positive emotions linked to food consumption (Harris, Bargh, and Brownell). The messages presented in television f ood advertising have the potential to act as real world primes and lead to equivalent eating behaviors. The article predicted that food advertising that conveys snacking and fun will automatically prompt eating behavior among adults as well as children. Experiment 1 in this study proved that snacking while watching commercial TV with food advertisements for 30 min. per day would lead to a weight gain of almost 10 pounds per year. Childrens behavior was consistent with what they saw on television, thus an automatic connection between what they saw and how they reacted due to the effect of food advertisements. In Experiment 2, it was predicted that food advertising would also prime eating behavior among an adult sample, and whether effects of eating behavior are due to exposure to images. It was hypothesized that watching food advertising that promoted snacking, fun, and excitement will cause people to eat more of snack foods than advertising that has nutrition benefits. The experimen t supported the direct influence of the snack advertising on consumption. The experiments presented in this article were highly consistent with the hypothesis. Food advertising that promoted snacking, fun, happiness, and excitement contributed to increased food intake. A limitation found in this study is that real world exposure to food advertising occurs in many situations, and it is not definite that other situational factors could not have moderated the advertising effects (Harris, Bargh, and Brownell). Reactivity was minimized and external and internal validity were enhanced when the experimenters mocked TV-viewing conditions in a natural setting. Another limitation is that the specific advertising features that affected eating behaviors can not exactly be pinpointed. More research is needed to make certain that priming snacking versus nutrition benefits and not other features of the advertisements caused the effects on consumption behaviors (Harris, Bargh, and Brownell). In an article by Udell and Mehta (2008), it was hypothesized that the main causes of childhood obesity were advertisements of unhealthy foods, no physical activity, increased time in front of the television, and busy parents. Policy changes to food advertising, encouraging environments for physical activity, better environments for healthy eating and healthy eating strategies were presented as solutions (Udell Mehta). This study found one hundred and sixty-six newspaper articles published that reported on restricting television food advertising to children as a solution to childhood obesity. Young children were found to be vulnerable to manipulation of these food advertisements. This study suggested that children need to be protected from high exposure to advertisements by encouraging them to eat foods with high energy and low nutrients (Udell Mehta). The article found that childhood obesity was caused by advertising of junk foods and a lack of physical activity due to the amount o f television watched. The media often links unhealthy foods with something catchy. For example, McDonalds shows viewers that if a happy meal is purchased, the child will receive a toy. This gives a misperception to children that they will be rewarded when consuming unhealthy foods. Most of the food advertising for children was for high fat content low-nutrient foods, and this was giving children the wrong idea of what is healthy. A positive correlation was found between a childs weight and the amount of time children spent on focusing their attention on media. This study emphasized the role of the media in advertising to children as a factor in childhood obesity. The articles that were analyzed were from July 1st, 2002 to July 1st, 2005, which was a time period where obesity was becoming an outbreak. The articles were 150 words or less and the main themes throughout these articles were concerning restrictions on food advertising to reduce obesity among children. Most of the results were constant with the idea that there should be restrictions on advertising. However, many articles suggested that television advertising had no effect on children and that the inactive lifestyle of a child was the main reason for their weight. The findings of this article were limited because there were only 166 articles selected and there could have been more data to support the hypothesis. The time period was also a limitation in this study because it was only within a 3 year span of time. During those years, obesity had just come to the publics attention so little was known of the actual cause. A study by Bromfield (2009) summarizes the negative physical and nonphysical outcomes for obese children compared with their non-obese peers. Obesity has been identified as a major risk factor for the development of common chronic and disabling conditions. Obese children have an increased risk of psychosocial and mental problems that can continue into adulthood. (Bromfield) Low self-esteem was presented in this article as the most common consequence of obesity. Other studies linked obesity to disordered eating, unhealthy weight control behaviors, bulimia, body esteem, and distorted body image. Obesity can become a child protection concern. Over-feeding of children by adults can be observed as producing extensive harm. Studies found that obese children with low levels of self-esteem engaged more in high-risk behaviors like smoking or alcohol consumption. (Bromfield) Research suggested that children who were overweight would encounter bullying as a consequence of their weight. It was a lso said that levels of education seem to be inversely correlated with body weight. A study in China found lower IQ scores in cases where children were severely obese compared to average weight peers. A survey was conducted for overweight children who rated their school performance and educational future lower than their non-overweight peers. Obese children often blamed their weight as a reason for having few friends and being left out from social activities. Weight bias and stigma in this article refers to weight-related attitudes that are displayed as stereotypes, stigma, rejection, and prejudice towards children because they are overweight or fat. (Bromfield) Current detrimental beliefs in the Western World include fat, ugly, awkward, overeaters, lazy, stupid, and worthless. Treatment for childhood obesity has been considered, including diet changes, exercise, surgery, medication and psychotherapeutic interventions. Parental involvement has been believed to be a main factor for t he most effective intervention. Limitations in this study could be location, as US studies dominated the UK studies. Also, even though research has shown that obese and overweight children are the targets of stigma, more evidence would be needed to understand its nature and impact and how outside factors such as age, race, weight status, and disability act as mediators or moderators (Bromfield). Media influence on childhood obesity is talked about more in research led by Harris and Bargh (2009). Investigation shows that childrens food preferences are acquired through learning processes which have long-lasting effects on diet. It was hypothesized that a specific type of food gains higher taste rating if it was advertised rather than it not being advertised. It was also predicted that there is a correlation between the time spent watching television at a young age and an unhealthy diet later on in their life. This is partially due to television advertising of food products which may influence ones perceived taste of the unhealthy food. It is debated in this article who is to blame for the overweight children: the food industry or the parents. Research has shown the crucial role of parents in early learning of food preferences, as they start to develop early in children. Peers, social institutions, the media, and culture are all considered to play a role in the spread of food p references (Harris Bargh). Children learn about their social world openly through observation of the media. Children learn while watching television that foods filled with calories and are high in fat and sugar taste great and are rewarding to eat. Food products make up the most highly advertised category on television that children watch most, 98% of the foods consisting of low nutritional value. The average child watches 15 television food ads per day, promoting unhealthy food products and thus promoting that eating fatty foods is fun, happy, and cool. (Harris Bargh) Research also shows television viewing and unhealthy eating habits are linked. Effects of television food advertising include greater recollection, preferences and requests to parents for the advertised products. Planned solutions to protect children from the unhealthy influence of television and food advertising included public service media campaigns, parent-child communication, and reductions in exposure to unhea lthy messages on television (Harris Bargh). In this article, it was predicted that preceding television exposure would be related to greater perceived taste and enjoyment of unhealthy, highly advertised foods. Parental interventions were hypothesized to moderate the unhealthy influence of television exposure on diet, which depended on how parents conveyed the message to their children. To test these predictions researchers conducted a study on college students at a private university and a state college; 90 from the public university and 116 from the private university (a total of 206 students). These participants were asked to complete a 30-min online survey of childhood memories of their parents rules and television viewing. The results were constant with the predictions of the experimenter, as perceived taste was associated with consumption. Healthy food consumption was associated with higher taste ratings for healthy foods, and lower taste ratings for unhealthy foods. From the collected data, results indicate that as predicted, healthy food consumption was correlated with higher taste ratings for healthy foods and lower taste ratings for unhealthy foods (Harris Bargh). These findings supported the hypothesis that healthy and unhealthy diets are directly related to the perceived taste of healthy and unhealthy foods. The hypothesis that the relationship between early television viewing and unhealthy eating with children and adolescents continues into early childhood proved to be true with the results. Evidence consistently supports that children who watch more television simply like the taste of unhealthy foods more, especially those which have been highly advertised. Limitations of the data include the discrepancy of self reports. Participants could exhibit self-deception or biases which could lead to results that do not accurately represent participants actual behaviors and beliefs (Harris Bargh). A survey was conducted with college students, however a student population was examined that may not be truly representative of all young adults and college students. Results represent relationships between variables and cannot determine causation. In the final article, Moore and Rideout (2007) explain the importance of marketing communication tools and how it is being used by advertisers to target children. The article discussed how food marketing is impacting children and how it may be linked to obesity. It was explained that internet, specifically, is being used as a marketing communications tool to target children. The focus of this research was on the online marketing practices by advertisers and how their practices affect children. It was hypothesized that exposure to the media, especially online advertisements, influences dietary habits among children and alters their perception on foods (Moore Rideout). The study was conducted on major food advertisers by analyzing their Web sites from the summer to the fall of 2005 and 96 brands of food were used as candidates. There were three parts to the study: the features of the site, the specifics of the brand and how it was presented on the site, and games online. Results indic ated that 85% of the brands had content on their Web site that had content for children. It was estimated that there were around 49 million views by children aged 2-11 per year on Web sites. Of those sites viewed by children, an astounding 73% of them contained one food brand while 27% contained up to 41 brands. It was also observed that of the many food brands on the Web sites, most of them advertised unhealthy foods, like candy, salty snacks, and sugary drinks. The researchers established that the advertisements online influenced childrens perceptions on what to eat. Because children spend so much time online playing games or socializing, they are constantly being exposed to persuasive food advertisements and its leading to the assumption that children are becoming obese because of the lack of physical activities and that their perceptions of food were being altered. Given the right programming, television can be a prevailing tool of entertainment and education for children. Studies have been presented in this paper that television and media has very negative influences. Television is a destructive force through images and advertisements which can influence viewers to make poor food choices or to overeat. Excessive television watching can result in inactivity which leads to weight gain and poor levels of fitness. Children are especially targets of food advertisements and have been proven to be more vulnerable than adults to their influence. Results indicate that media indeed does play a crucial role in the prevalence of obesity among children. (Bargh Brownell, 2009; Bargh Harris, 2009; Moore Rideout, 2007; Udell Mehta, 2007). Evidence shows that advertisements have a strong impact on the way children distinguish what is healthy and what is unhealthy. Also assumed in the previous studies is that advertising companies are capable of persuading children very easily to consume their products and that the amount of advertising should be limited to solve the problem of obesity in America. These articles have provided significant insight on how media influences childrens eating habits. Obesity has become a rapid growing epidemic in this country and it is vital to understand the degree of the dangers of this disease. To further investigate the relationship between the influence of media and childhood obesity, it would be helpful to directly study childrens diets and the amount of time engaged in television and internet. The first step to solving this epidemic is by attacking the problem that has likely caused it-the media.

Strategic Management At Honda

Strategic Management At Honda With over 182,000 employees, Â ¥ 10,011, 241 million in annual revenues in 2009 coupled with upwards of $ 1370.1 million$ and 1896.4 in operating profits for the FY 2008 and 2009 respectively, Japans Honda is easily the industrys biggest manufactures of motor cycles, besides being a among the leading automobile producers. Operating across the globe, Honda is involved in the development, manufacturing as well as marketing and distribution of motor cars, motor cycles and a range other power products (Honda Ltd, 2010). It was founded in 1946, by Soichiro Honda and subsequently incorporated two years later, followed by years of success and growth as a motor cycle maker. Away from its core business, the companys 105 affiliates and 396 subsidiaries across the world provide financial services to thousands of its clients. It operates a four tier business model which includes the financial services division, motorcycle, automobile as well as power products (Honda Ltd, 2010). Besides multi wagons, Honda also produces a range of passenger cars, SUVs, mini vans, passenger cars, mini vehicles as well as sports coupes among others. Hondas flagship car and motor cycle models include the Accord, Civic, Legend, Insight, Acura CSX and Acura RL, CR-V, Cross Road, ASIMO Robots as well as the scooters among many others. The company recorded sales of over 10,114,000 units mainly in Japan, North America and Europe, representing an 8.5% rise over the previous years figures. Its sales have been on the rise despite through the global economic down turn that hit its American competitors, and largely driven by Toyotas PR woes over alleged flaws in the breaking system in its flagship Prius model. This success is largely attributable to the company strategic preparedness. Case in point, in 2002, it launched a hybrid car model to tap into the ever growing environmentally conscious clientele, besides launching the Environmental Learning Center (based in Texas), while in 2004, the company entered into a strategic partnership with GE, that led into the development and production of a trail blazing light jet engine, suited for business jets. Sethi and Swanson (1984), commencing in the year 2000, the company has embarked on an ambitious program to set up production plants in the emerging car and motor cycle markets, notably China, Argentina, Russia and the motor bike hot spot, Vietnam. The company prides itself with the twin principles of respect individuals and the Three Joys Principle i.e. buying, selling as well creating. These values reflect the company does wish to build on each persons unique abilities and its endeavor to ensure that everyone who comes by purchasing the products or by other means should have a great/joyous experience. Honda ensures this by relentlessly, lead in the creation of value, innovation, new products at accessible prices. RECONCILIATION OF DICHOTOMIES Honda ltds strategic innovation is founded on a process of dichotomies reconciliation which include both learning and planning, positioning on the market vs. internal resources development and lastly, core competencies related to the product against the core capabilities related to the processes. These three dichotomies do representing divergent strategies etc that drive Honda as a company since its establishment and through years of exemplary growth and expansion. De Wit Meyer (2010), assert that a critical look at Hondas strategies points especially its successful entry and dominance of new markets raises questions as to whether, Hondas strategy and subsequent decision making is solidly based on a meticulous, analytical and rational planning or whether its strategies are a direct result of the some decisions/ strategies reached at by the company, which evolved or became modified due to the environmental influences of the industry in which the company operates. PLANNING v. LEARNING While designing its strategies, the company has consistently followed a rational approach based on a critical analysis of the market and the industry environment. This strategy hinges on and it suited for a seasoned industry player such as Honda, since it seeks to built on, and exploit the companys immense experience in the automotive industry (Johnson et al., 2005). As a strategy, this is an important bottom up strategy that uses the already gained knowledge to optimize the companys needs. Planning takes into consideration both the companys resources as well as the environmental factors, as such will most likely utilize the companys set objectives within the constraints. Hondas largely seen as having successfully employed the planning strategy while entering into new markets notably while launching into the US motor cycle industry. Its recent strategic alliances with GE as well as its design and launch of innovative new products and expansion of manufacturing plants, in the ultimate attainment of huge scale economies and extremely law costs represent examples of internal planning. Planning is largely apparent from an outsiders point of view. However, interviews with the companys top management reveal a far different picture that suggests at best a company that is far from an overly rational, academic planning seeking to impose its corporate values and policies on the market and the industry, but rather a company, with a management structure that is at all times willing to learn. It is evident and widely accepted by many observers that Hondas strategies have evolved, without a clear plan or analysis of the industry. Case in point, the huge success attained by the companys 50 cc Supercab surprised everyone including the companys management. Mintzberg et al. (1998) observe that though the companys strategy may have looked analytical and well thought out, the management did blunder severally up until the market gave them the correct formula. Rational planning on its own is hardly, suited to many organizations and is in fact removed from the day to day running of a business as compared to learning, which permits management to continually develop and adjust their policies and strategies as they are implemented, in the light of new experience (De Wit Meyer, 2010). Hondas development of hybrid vehicles and energy efficient models e.g. the Honda Civic Sedan, in the wake of Toyotas success in the same field represent examples of learning from the environment. Honda has as well launched joint ventures in RD with other companies. Using both strategies gives the company an advantage, not least because it only allows the formulation of strategies that best meet both the internal resources as well as the environmental factors prevailing in the industry. POSITIONING VERSUS DEVELOPMENT OF INTERNAL RESOURCES Hondas positioning helps its brand to be associated with a given market segment. It is an equally helpful guide to the companys other strategies, particularly the marketing strategy, not least because it does clarify the essence of the brand and the helps the consumers to better identify the goals that the product seeks to meet in a unique way. In positioning a product or brand, managers must make decisions, seeking to appeal a given segment of the population, while at once risking losing the other(s). Honda has placed its various products on the basis of benefit, target, distribution as well as prices. The company offers competitive prices owing to its scale and technology advantages, which in turn permits it to achieve better client franchises. This strategy does however; affect the prestige of the brand, besides reducing the profit margins. Target, distribution and benefit positioning, that has seen the introduction of green models to serve the needs of green conscious clients, co upled by Hondas expansion into India, China and Vietnam, which was entirely meant at catering for emerging middle class in those countries. As against, development of internal resources, Hondas product positioning allows it to use fewer resources but still reach the target markets. It however, has enormous resources in capital, management, cutting production technology as well as manpower, which have driven the companys expansion across the globe. More investment in RD is, and has been possible, leading to greater innovation. While other smaller industry players struggle with limited resources constraining their RD as well as expansion, bigger companies like Honda, Toyota and GM can attain a better edge in the industry. Hondas has been able to pursue both strategies owing to the availability of niche products that it has successfully positioned e.g. motor bikes in Vietnam (over 400,000 units in annual sales), coupled by its huge availability of resources which allows it rope for RD, diversification and expansion. This does not entirely hold though, Honda spends just a fifth of GM expenditure on RD and launches fewer mode ls than the latter, yet it products/models are more successful than GMs. CORE COMPETENCIES VERSUS CORE CAPABILITIES Competencies are as a result of coordination of multiple production skills as well as a complex coordination of numerous technologies. They give a company access to newer markets; provide high barriers for competitors to enter the market, besides contributing considerably to the benefits of the end product(s). Hondas core competencies as regards products are the driving force behind the development of the numerous, innovative end user products. Hamel Prahalad regard Hondas product competencies as a brilliant example of how a small company can break into, and establish itself in a mature, stable market. In 2010 alone, Honda has set up a solar H2 station (Los Angeles), introduced the versatile iGX and GX engine series for general purposes. The company has as well produced lithium-ion based batteries intended for the new range of hybrid motor vehicles, alongside an ELC to spear head its green agenda. Honda is famed for its ability to recycle technologies in all its range of products, affording it RD efficiency. There are elements of core capabilities associated with its processes, but perhaps far lacking behind Toyota and many other industry players. These include efficient distribution channels, cost effective production processes. It trains dealers, determines shop floor plans and has strict operating procedures among others. Core product competencies in the automobile industry are far superior to the process capabilities and Hondas success is an outstanding testimony to this fact. MANAGEMENT STYLES Japanese and Hondas management styles do differ from the American style in at least six distinct aspects. These include differences in the interdepartmental relationships, communication patterns, and supervisory styles, mechanisms for control as well as existence of, or lack of a paternalistic orientation. According to Hofstede (2004), these differences largely stem from the inherent cultural differences between the two countries, which in turn influence the respective corporate cultures. Lifelong Tenure Most of the companies in Japan do provide lifelong jobs to their employees, with greater emphasis being laid on not age, but also seniority. Promotions are thus much more difficult, just as there is greater job security for the workers. Many organizations effectively hire employees for the, and are interested in the long term objectives as against Americas corporate worlds obsession with short term goals. Case in point, Hondas top management i.e. Satoshi Aoki (Chairman), Takanobu Ito, Koichi Kondo and Atsuyoshi Hyogo joined the company in 1968, 1978, 2000 and 1972 respectively, during which time they have risen through the ranks to reach the top management. On the contrary, the western corporate world is characterized by short term contracts for both managers and workers, charged with meeting short term objectives. Teams v. Individuals In contrast with the Western model where managers are responsible for decision making and subsequently accountable for the decisions reached, the Japanese system recognizes the importance of individual expertise, but the performance of the entire team is more emphasized than an individuals. In the western corporate world (Germany and American), certain employees have the star statuses e.g. in Germany, the engineers play central roles to the success of motor companies. Some elements of convergence exist though. Long apprenticeships and cadres (seniorities in Japan) do exist both in Germany, France as well as the Netherlands. Employees attain positions, promotions etc. through years of internships, apprenticeships or memberships to given classes-attained through education and or experience. Decision Making While most western corporations are characterized by top down decision making, the Japanese style of management is largely characterized by collective decision making by individual teams. Hondas decision making is characterized by the Ringi system, where decisions are passed based on a consensus of all the employees in a department or even the entire organization. This management style is identical to that practiced in Holland, except that the latter is anchored on existing contracts or class differences of among the employees. Communication As against the largely bureaucratic communication, hierarchical channels characterizing western corporations, which is largely effective and efficient, the Japanese channels of communication compromise in large part of face-to-face communication. These comprise everything from provision of information regarding assignment of tasks, responsibilities, organizational goals and the development and rechanneling of feedbacks. Implicit Mechanism of Control Honda ltd is concerned with building of its relationships with it biggest assets, the employees. Inspired by its philosophy Respect for the Individual, the company always seeks to develop collaborative relationships with each and every employee, where all mechanisms of control and supervision are largely informal. Supervisors work alongside other employees, who are involved, the decision making, which in turn renders decision making, execution of decisions and reception of feedback a lot more expedient. On the contrary, Hondas competitors run on a rigid, formal control mechanism. This sets goals, measurable, complete with targets that must be met by departments, franchises and individual employees, while the Japanese system is anchored on the management philosophies that all employees as well as managers identify with. Departmental Relationships Pascale Athos (1981), states that attainment of the goals set for a department etc requires inputs not just from the concerned departments, but perhaps most importantly, close collaboration with other departments in the company or even other organizations. Formal (necessary) relationships largely accomplish these goals (characteristic of the western model), while the Japanese style has an extra dimension; voluntary collaboration which is far more productive and results in greater knowledge sharing. Paternalistic Orientation Honda and many other Japanese companies are concerned by the holistic needs of every employee, including the concern for the well being of their families (Culpan, 2009). This imposes a social support role on the managers, a feature which is largely absent in the western world, safe for a limited number of family organizations. CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY With car markets in the developed world already saturated, most car companys are looking abroad in the emerging markets notably China, India and Brazil. A recent study by TNS shows that car buyers rate car makers more according to their CSR than those consumer in the first world, thus companies that perform better in this sphere stand a far greater chance of winning the hearts and minds of the new middle class is guaranteed success. In 2005, Honda was ranked the UKs best car company based on its social responsibility initiatives, by the foremost research company on automotives, TNS Automotive. It performs equally well in the US, Indonesia, Italy and Spain among other countries alongside BMW, Shell, Malaysias Petronas, Michelin and Germanys Porsche (Nissan Corp., 2010). Honda spent over 2.3% of its annual revenues in 2009, on its CSR commitments, with the environment taking the lions share of the budget. The company has undertaken numerous actions in an attempt to meet the challenges posed by global warming and climate change. With the reputation of the automobile industry and fossil fuels already damaged, due to its huge carbon footprints, and the growing fears among the public of air pollution, it is only reasonable that companies act in accordance to the wishes of the consumers. Honda has initiated the LCA system, which identifies and sets targets for the required actions. The company develops energy efficient models, adheres by the 3Rs (in design) and noise reduction etc. Hondas corporate governance is a typical Japanese style bottom down structure, characterized by collective decision making and a collective sense of belonging among to the company that in turn reflects on the companys performance (Honda Ltd, 2010). Any companys corporate governance does determine the direction that it assumes, which ultimately reflects on its financial performance. Nissans corporate philosophy, governance as well CSR activities are not different from Hondas. It seeks to bring enrichment of the peoples lives and the environment in which they operate. It has made CSR an important part of its corporate management policies. It has devised its green purchasing guidelines, coupled with Nissan-Renault Suppliers Guidelines, which ensure that the companys entire supply chain is green and serves the purposes of the policies set by its top management. Through its charitable arm, Chryslers management makes annual donations to needy communities, projects and causes (Chrysler, 2010). In 2009, the company advanced upwards of $100000 to Good Harvest geared at combating hunger. The companys CSR initiatives are not as extensive as both Nissan and Hondas partly because the company caters for the luxury market segments that are in the main concerned about the quality and luxury as against a companys CSR etc. CONCLUSIONS Honda is largely touted by observers and varied literatures in strategic management. Its strategies have largely been used either rightly or wrongly to back up a number of conceptual dichotomies, with contracting positions i.e. learning v. analytical planning, core capabilities v competencies etc. Most of these assumptions, and evidences have however, proven erroneous owing to empirical mistakes that result into the over emphasis of the companies strengths, while its mistakes go largely unnoticed. Further, strategies and explanations are expressed in form of reductionist, single-sided theories that largely fail to portray the actual strategic orientation of Honda. Hondas thrives on reconciling dichotomies. Thus many observers in the west have largely missed out in studying, learning from and understanding Honda. Rohlen (1974), it is evident that capabilities as well as competencies can possibly complement one another, forming into one theory. The latter does focus on the production expertise and technologies while the capabilities serving to improve the whole chain of value. Capabilities are far more visible and easily appreciated by the clients than are product competencies. Hondas ability to meet high targets and post tremendous growth rates is largely due to its tendency to set stretched targets, which brings into direct competition with the biggest players in the automotive industry. In order to compete, it uses its resource base to compete by either providing niche products or undercutting competitors on basis of cost advantages, attained through scale economies. This ability to leverage her resources offers the key to its success, as against the widely fabled Japanese management styles. This style is widely different from and more appealing that the western style corporate management is only suitable for the Japanese and Asian environments. There are aspects in both management styles that could beneficially be, and have largely been adopted by either side to the great advantage of the corporations, but not the complete management packages as they will be utter failures in the other ones environment (Schein, 1981). Finally, this report has demonstrated the importance of corporate governance, policy and CSR is important in the ever changing consumer tastes as well as preferences, and most importantly, increasing consumer awareness. RECOMMENDATIONS Increased spending and expansion of Hondas and other automotive companies in CSR, environmental protection and production of innovative environmentally friendly models should continue as the only way counter changing consumer needs as well as the changing times. The Western and Japanese styles of corporate management should be blended to suit both the practical and strategic objectives of each organization. Reconciliation of strategies is crucial for success and helps companies reap the benefits of divergent strategies, thus companies must seek common grounds between strategies rather than opting for only one.

Sybase :: essays research papers

Table of contents Types of indexes†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦2 Clustered Index†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦2 Non-clustered Index†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦2 Selection of indexes by Optimizer†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦2 Search Arguments†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦2 Index Selection†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦3 Index Distribution Stats†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦3 Index Density†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦4 Index Covering†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦4 Optimization of Cursors†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦5 Optimization of temp tables†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦6 Some general rules for optimization†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦7 Some useful commands†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦10 Types of indexes Clustered Index (CI) The data in this case is physically stored in the order of the index. The leaf level of the index is the same as the data pages. There can be only one CI on a table as the data can physically be sorted in only one order. The select is extremely efficient with CI. The CI is extremely efficient in the following cases: a) where fname like "Ram%" b) where author_id between 1 and 7 c) where Price > 345.34 d) group by author_id e) order by author_name Non-clustered index (NI) The data in this case is not stored in the order an index is stored. The leaf-level of the index contains the various index keys and a pointer to the row as rowID (page no. + row offset). There can be 249 NI on a table. The NI should be used when a) The number of rows returned is small. b) When where clause limits the number of rows (usually '=' operator) c) When the query can be covered. Selection of indexes by Optimizer SEARCH ARGUMENTS (SARG) These are the expressions on the RHS of the where clause. They act as a kind of (dis)incentive to the optimizer to use the index on the column. Some search arguments are: where author_id = '13' where fname like "Ram%" where Price > 2347.32 Some expressions that are not valid SARGs are: Invalid Valid Price*1.5 = 1000 Price = 1000/1.5 Qty + 10 = 200 Qty = 200 - 10 fname + '' + lname fname = 'John' = "John Gray" and lname = 'Gray' Substring(1,3,fname) = 'KIR' Name like "KIR%" isnull(lname,"N") = "N" lname is null The index might not be used in the case of following SARGs: 1) No start point for the index. where lname like "%abc" 2) Non-matching data-types In SQL server, null and not null are held differently. Char null is same as varchar. So when char null and char not null is compared, the optimizer has to implicitly convert the data type, which it does not at the planning time. In both the above cases, distribution statistics are not used. INDEX SELECTION The optimizer first looks at the query if the columns contained in the where clause match with the columns specified in any of the index. If yes, then it proceeds further. The optimizer then looks if the where clause contains any SARG. If there is a valid SARG, the optimizer then looks for the distribution statistics of the index as:

Air Pollution :: essays research papers fc

Problem The first thing people see, in the morning, when they walk outside is the sky or the colored sun. Is this world giving us the privilege of seeing the natural colors of the sun through all the layers of pollution within the air (Dinanike 31)? Not only are beautiful sights such as this hidden behind the pollution this world causes everyday, but an increase in diseases, infections and death occurs. What causes pollution? What can we do to prevent it,and get rid of it? Is it fair to the children of the future to have to suffer the consequences that pollution causes? Why not take care of the problem now? Factory and business owners have the ability to prevent air pollution. Air pollution is the presence in the atmosphere of harmful gases, liquids, or solids. Air pollution, known as smoke pollution for many years, resulted from coal combustion (Hodges 526). Smog has been a problem in coal-burning areas for several centuries. Smog finally decreased when coal combustion was replaced by oil a nd gas combustion. Air pollution is caused by a number of different types of pollutants. The first type, particulate matter, consists of solid and liquid aerosols suspended in the atmosphere. These arise from the burning of coal and from industrial processes. Atmospheric particles can scatter and absorb sunlight which reduces visibility. Particles also reduce visibility by attenuating the light from objects and illuminating the air causing the contrast between the objects and their backgrounds to reduce. Not only does it effect visibility, but it hastens the erosion of building materials and the corrosion of metals, interferes with the human respiratory system, and brings toxic materials into the body. The small particles cause chronic bronchitis, bronchial asthma, emphysema and lung cancer (Hodges 59). The second type is sulfur oxides which come from the burning of coal and industrial processes. Damage to materials, to vegetation, and to the human respiratory system are caused by the acid nature of oxides. Small quantities of sulfur oxides can increase illness and mortality (Hodges 59). The third type of pollutant is carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas against which humans have no protection. Carbon monoxide comes from the exhaust of gasoline-powered vehicles and secondarily from industrial processes (Hamer 45). Hemoglobin, which is in the blood, combines with carbon monoxide and carries less oxygen to body tissues causing health and heart effects. Some health problems come

Overfishing: When Humans Exhaust the Oceans Essay

The ocean is one of the major sources of food for human beings. This is not surprising, considering that oceans cover 75% of the Earth’s surface. The Pacific Ocean, for one, is home to well-known edible fish species such as salmon, herring, snapper, sardines and tuna. Furthermore, about 250 new species of fish are described every year (Heemstra, South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity and South Africa Marine & Coastal Management, 1). However, overfishing is currently regarded as the biggest threat to the ocean’s ecosystem. Fishing at a much faster pace than nature’s ability to replenish fish has resulted in long-term economic and ecological consequences. Major fishing industries in various parts of the world have collapsed, resulting in massive unemployment (Iudicello, Weber and Wieland, 11). In addition, the extinction of a certain fish species would certainly spell the loss of other marine life that feed on it. Indeed, if left unchecked, overfishing could turn fish into a rare and expensive delicacy. Before World War II, fishing was associated with cotton nets, hand lines and coastal vessels with short ranges. Fishing capacity was often determined by factors such as the individual fisherman’s eyesight, experience and fish-finding capability. Despite the rudimentary technology, most fish populations survived. The balance between the number of fish populations and people’s ability to catch fish was maintained (Iudicello, Weber and Wieland, 11). But after the war, military innovations were applied to fishing equipment. Fiberglass was used to create lighter and cheaper hulls, larger and lighter nets were woven out of synthetic line and diesel engines and other electronic gear were appended to fishing boats to increase their speed and efficiency in locating productive fishing grounds. These were soon followed with advances in processing, transport and marketing of fish. As a result, the availability of fish increased in some countries (Iudicello, Weber and Wieland, 11). Rising human populations and affluence, especially in the United States, Japan and Western Europe, was another factor behind the boom of the fishing industry after World War II. During this period, fish was viewed as a cheap and inexhaustible source of protein. Thus, governments and entrepreneurs invested heavily in fishing vessels and infrastructure. Warnings of environmentalists regarding the dangers of overfishing went unheeded – the ocean was supposedly too vast and too deep for its resources to be limited (Iudicello, Weber and Wieland, 12). At present, it appears that nature is already exacting its revenge. Many fisheries around the world now require larger fleets to be able to come up with their usual catch (Iudicello, Weber and Wieland, 12). In addition, some species of fish and other marine life have already become extinct, resulting in the loss of livelihood for many fishermen. Overfishing, once largely-ignored, is now recognized as a grave threat. Fishing is no longer the local affair that it used to be. It is currently a global enterprise that not only generates billions of dollars in private income, but also serves as the economic lifeblood of several countries. According to the 1997 statistics of the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), fish and shellfish landings worldwide increased from 16. 3 million metric tons in 1950 to 91. million metric tons in 1995. Meanwhile, the United States and several other countries extended the jurisdiction of their respective fishing industries by about 200 nautical miles offshore between 1950 and 1976 (Iudicello, Weber and Wieland, 12). This resulted in landings having an annual average growth rate of 5%, peaking at 86. 4 million metric tons in 1989 (Iudicello, Weber and Wieland, 13). World landings since 1950 were composed mostly of pelagic (open ocean) species such as tuna, mackerel and sardines. In 1994, they accounted for at least 60% of the world’s total catch. Pelagic species constitute about 59% of the catch in the Pacific Ocean. In the Indian Ocean, on the other hand, they make up at least 50% (Iudicello, Weber and Wieland, 13). Demersal fishes (species that live in the ocean bottom) are also an important part of the world’s fishing industry. In 1993, it accounted for about 50% of the world’s total landings – pelagic species made up only 40%. Given the enormous amount of catch from the world’s oceans between the 1950s and the 1990s, it is inevitable that the percentage of fish landings that are traded internationally rose from 20% to 33% from 1980 to 1993. Much of this cut is from Third World countries, which earned $15 billion in 1990 from fish exports alone (Iudicello, Weber and Wieland, 14). Humans consume about 60% of the world’s total fish landings in the form of processed fish meal and fish oil. This is because the percentage of catch distributed fresh decreased from almost 50% to 20% from 1950 to 1982. Freezing innovations, however, increased fourfold the percentage of fish marketed frozen – from 5% to 22% (Iudicello, Weber and Wieland, 14). Environmental experts argued that the unsustainable nature of fishing since the end of World War II proved to be conducive to the emergence of overfishing. The oceans are said to be â€Å"among the world’s greatest commons – (owned) by everyone and by no one† (Hollander, 56). Ships and sailors, for instance, are traditionally regarded as the bearers of the privilege to enjoy the â€Å"freedom of the seas† (Hollander, 56). Meanwhile, fish – a natural and mobile ocean resource – was always considered as common property that can be taken freely (Hollander, 56). Thus, those who are engaged in commercial fishing will not think twice about overexploiting the ocean’s fish stocks, as long as their own catch is maximized. As long as the catch was plentiful, people always assumed that the fishes in the ocean were unlimited. Furthermore, fishing was an industry that has been thriving for centuries – there was therefore no apparent need to think about its sustainability. The inhabitants of the New England coast, for example, were traditionally known for living off fisheries that caught cod, flounder and haddock. As of 2004, about 200 million people around the world are directly employed in fisheries (Hollander, 56). Poor government planning exacerbates the problem of overfishing. In First World countries, fishing is a state-subsidized industry. Tens of billions of dollars worth of state assistance has prompted those in the fishing industry to further expand their fleet rather than devise sustainable means of catching fish. In addition, economic and cultural differences among competitors in large international fisheries almost always result in the race as to who ends up with the biggest catch (Hollander, 57). Fishers in the world’s poorest countries are also responsible for the worsening of overfishing. Coastal dwellers in the poorest developing countries often have to compete with each other for the small stocks of fish available in their locality. In order to increase their catch, some fishers use cyanide or blow up coral reefs with dynamite. As coral reefs are the habitats of fishes, dynamite fishing diminishes and eventually destroys fish stocks (Hollander, 61). Being on the edge of starvation, fishers in the poorest nations cannot be blamed if they happened to disregard long-term management. The immediate need to catch fish for food and livelihood often traps them in the vicious cycle of resource overexploitation. But once the sea is already depleted, so is their source of food and livelihood. Thus, something must be done to about overfishing (Hollander, 62). Overfishing is not without serious economic and ecological costs. It has resulted in the near-extinction of the world’s most important fish species, including the Atlantic halibut, Atlantic bluefin tuna, Atlantic swordfish, North Sea herring, Grand Banks cod, Argentinean hake and the Australian Murray River cod. Overfishing has likewise severely depleted the number of other forms of marine life, such as seals, dolphins, whales, sharks and sea turtles. Furthermore, catches in the overfished areas of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans have declined since attaining their peak in 1989 (Diamond, 480). In the northwest Mediterranean, a study revealed that the removal of fish increases the population of sea urchins. A rise in the sea urchin population, in turn, reduces edible fleshy algae and produces crusts of inedible, coral-like algae. This may result in death to other marine life due to starvation. This experiment just goes to show that overfishing has indirect but very detrimental ecosystem effects (Hollander, 59). Another very negative effect of overfishing is the destruction of livelihoods that are based on fishing. It must be noted that the fishing industry is also composed of other supporting and distributing services like fish handlers and boat builders. Thus, overfishing will push countless fishing families into poverty (Environmental Cares Organization, 250). The collapse of the cod industry in Newfoundland, Canada in 1992 led to the loss of about 40,000 jobs (Greenpeace International, n. pag. ). Because the ocean is one of the major sources of food for human beings, common sense dictates that it must be taken cared of. While there is nothing wrong with fishing, it must allow nature to fully replenish the fish that has been caught. It must not be forgotten that the loss of fish is also the loss of survival for humankind. Thus, steps must be done in order to immediately address the problem of overfishing.