Linguistics and Media Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Linguistics and Media - Term Paper Example It is the short form or ellipsis of a word or phrase. It is also called initialisms: using the initials of the words and compressing it into short form, such as in the word LOL taking L from ‘laughing’, O from ‘out’, and L from ‘loud’. 2. Abbreviations: 1. f2t? : free to talk 2. cul8r: see you later 3. Ruok? = Are you ok? 4. Xlnt! = excellent 5. 2day: today 6. B4: before 7. thN: then/than The word formation process used here is pseudo-acronym. These appear as acronym or abbreviation but they actually are not and they do not stand for anything. They are used because, when pronounced as intended, they resemble the sounds of other words. They are words or initials used to give the sound of an entire word or phrase. Such as the words given above: Before = b4. B. Frames: In the excerpt, the main structuring frame is the semantic frame, it is a coherent structure of concepts; a word, idea or a concept cannot give meaning unless all elements of the str ucture are present (Gelbukh 307-312). The extract is a pep talk, an encouraging speech that motivates the people and congratulates them on choosing the right option for themselves and their country. The major points of the passage were conveyed in empathic tones, choosing to use ‘we’ rather than ‘I’, it emphasizes the importance of the people and that only by standing together they can overcome obstacles. It constructs a mental state of unity and importance in listeners Attributes and values of the frame: 1. Attributes: The attributes in this frame is the victory that is being celebrated which brings with it a lot of challenges also. 2. Values: The individual instantiation is the phrase â€Å"I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight† - it represents the individual symbolization of the attribute: the victory that comes with challenges, that the individual is hopeful that they can be solved C. Metaphors: A conceptual metaphor refers to understa nding one idea or concept with the help of another idea. An idea or thought is explained in terms of another, they are a way of communication and shape our way of thinking and acting. Conceptual metaphors have become a regular part of our communication. The American public is hungry for a national policy that is coherent and cohesive: The conceptual metaphor in this sentence is â€Å"hungry for† which shows want and need of the American Public and the extent and depth of their need. This expresses the ferocity of their need so that the reader has an acute idea of the profundity of their wish. Last week I was depressed, my spirits sank and I was really low. But my best friend has cheered me up since, and I am feeling up now: The cognitive or conceptual metaphor in this sentence is â€Å"spirits sank and I was really low. I am feeling up now† it is trying to express emotions in terms of directionality. The term low refers to being down, less, dejected, morose, depressed etc.; sank also assumes the same meanings. It shows the direction of his emotions that they are low or have sunk, meaning he is very depressed. Opposing low is up; which has a positive meaning or perception in the human mind, up depicts a state of growth, happiness, acceleration, betterment etc. so saying that I am up now means that I am feeling better or happier now. We launched this campaign not far from here on a beautiful June day. It has been an extraordinary journey. The metaphor is â€Å"it has been an extraordinary journey†; journey is a source domain in this sentence, the word from which we draw the

Automated Library Management System Essay Example for Free

Automated Library Management System Essay The intuition for this system was the observations done in the libraries which had the old card and paper system. By considering the students’ opinions regarding the difficulties they face in order to search a book from their respective institutions libraries, as it takes plenty of time to do so. Also for the librarians, as it takes them a lot of time to properly manage the books, along with their details. So there was a system required which could replace the old paper and card system and could ease the students or anyone who wants to search for a book from their nearby library. Most importantly a database, that would be ideal for a library upgrading from a card or paper system where they have a card for each piece of book, a database that would also benefit a library where all students’ records are still on a paper basis. With this Library Management System, librarians will be able to monitor and manage library’s inventory more efficiently and will be able to perform all of the main library operations. Keywords_ _ Automated, ISBN, LINUX, Microsoft Visual Studio, OS and SDLC. Introduction The library is one of the oldest types of institutions in our society. It is in the midst of rapid change in recent times. The changes reflect those going on in other institutions and also in the society as a whole. Hence, they must move beyond their traditional role as custodians of books and integrate new methods of storage and transmission of information into an already existing structure. Modern libraries, have already adapted to this change, but countries like Pakistan, many of its great educational institutions still have old paper-card system 1|Page in their libraries. This automated system is designed in order to facilitate all those libraries with the old systems. Hopefully with all of the changes, it would make the libraries run much more smoothly. With less time spent filling out paperwork, more time can be devoted to serving the customers and maintaining the potentially vast amount of books held in the library. The next sections of the paper include; Literature review, Methodology and Conclusion. An Automated Library Management System; Eradicating the Old Styled Libraries Literature Review Library automation may be defined as the application of automatic and semi-automatic data processing machines (computers) to perform traditional library housekeeping activities such as acquisition, circulation, cataloguing and reference and serial control. Finally, library automation is the process of performing all information operations/ activities in library with the help of computers and related information technologies. The history of library automation in the world is not an old one. It dates back to 1950s and 1960s in America and Europe. Malik in [5] states that, in Pakistan, library automation was introduced in 1980s and a number of libraries have been computerized in or after 1987. Dilroshan in [6] says that automating a library is only the first step. Keeping up with new trends in information and communication technology is also of paramount importance. If the libraries fail to meet these challenges successfully the tremendous investment that universities have made in their library collections and facilities will be seriously undermined. Salma et al in [3] has conducted comparative research study on the management of University of the Western Cape library, South Africa and Dhaka University library, Bangladesh. Salma et al in [3] suggests that the two studied libraries can improve service delivery if they vigorously promote fund raising activities, improve salaries and allowances of the library staff, and speed up and complete the highly advanced computerization of delivered services. Qutab et al in [1] explored the fact that only 52 of the thousands of universities, colleges, and 2|Page schools in Pakistan have their library pages on parent organizations websites, only one public library website was functional, and only eight special library web sites were uploaded, is proof of the lack of interest or awareness of the importance of web-based services in the country. Tiwari in [4] sees automation in nineties as an increasingly divergent issue, in terms of resources, skills and abilities. Over the past few years, library automation has undergone a dramatic shift in direction. Library automation began with in-house processing of traditional task and grew to include the use of computing and telecommunication tools. Now there is a library without walls which uses technology to expand services, resources and relationship between libraries and resources around the world. This virtual library is a reality. A world of digital information is just a keystroke away claims IBM digital library. The future of library automation system will include information kiosks, where people with no computer experience can access information easily. Information scientists will create human computer interfaces and library scientists will manage the resources. Haider et al in [2] explains that barriers to the effective implementation in the libraries of Pakistan are: systematic planning for automation, software and hardware collection, nonexistence of standards, financial limitations, uncertainty and most important lack of willing and competent human resources. In order to resolve the situation, we stress that special attention needs to be paid to: formulation of information policy; creation An Automated Library Management System; Eradicating the Old Styled Libraries of popular awareness with regard to technology in library operation; training and development of staff; organization of users educational program for students and teachers; and emphasis on comprehensive planning by individual library to automate the library operations. ? Design and Architecture Flow Chart: Methodology After the thorough analysis of the problems, designing of Library Management System was initiated. SDLC phases were used for the development of this system. Requirements Engineering We decided to create a database that can help organize a library by performing the main functionalities of the normal library. It would be ideal for a library upgrading from a card number. It would also benefit a library where all employee records are still on a paper basis as well including all hire paperwork. There will be main modules of searching, registering and reserving that will be covered in the database in order to accomplish the targeted goal. Fig. 1 depicts one of the modules’, Searching, requirements. The system does not include the functionality of renewing books. Fig. 2 Above given diagram is the main description of the system that after the successful login, both of the users; librarian and student will have their different interfaces for the searching purpose, different but having same functionality. After selecting the subject category, users will be able to search the respective book by its author name and its title, corresponding details will be displayed on the screens. Fig. 3 depicts the original working for it: Fig. 1 Fig. 3 3|Page An Automated Library Management System; Eradicating the Old Styled Libraries ? Implementation The designed system was then implemented in Microsoft Visual Studio. Other than searching, main modules of Updating Books and Students information and registration of students are displayed in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5. obtained after the Acceptance Testing, that the system was accepted widely by both of its user’s students and librarians and the results showed that they both found it very easy to use. 100% 80% 60% Students 40% 20% 0% Librarians Easy Moderate Difficult Fig. 6 Fig. 4 Fig. shows the results obtained after Automated Testing, the system designed is user friendly and is a desktop system; it will successfully run on any PC and Laptop, other than the ones with LINUX OS. 120% 100% 80% 60% 40% Acceptable Fig. 5 ? Testing After the successful formation of required and designed system, it went through different testing techniques. In Acceptance Testing readiness of system was checked wh ether it is acceptable by users or not, In Compatibility Testing performance of the system was tested in different working conditions and in Automated Testing it was checked whether it is well-matched with different OS or not. Fig. 6 shows the results 4|Page 20% Not Acceptable 0% PCs Laptops LINUX OS Fig. 7 Conclusion From the above discussion it is clear that Pakistan is on its way towards modernization of university libraries in all respect but still requires more efforts to quench the information thirst of their patrons. The system designed is beneficent An Automated Library Management System; Eradicating the Old Styled Libraries for all of those libraries, especially for university libraries which still have old paper-card system. This system will be a great initiative for all such libraries, which cannot afford high budget Automated Systems. With this low budget and easily used system, those libraries will be able to have an automated system which would be, for sure very advantageous for the users, either students or the librarians. The testing methods revealed that this system designed is user friendly and its users will be facing no such difficulties in order to operate it. Systematic utilization and categorization of this systems’ budget according to the needs of the respective libraries has also been kept as an important aspect for the achievement of betterment, which is the aim of the system. he University Western Cape Library and Dhaka University Library†. (PhD thesis), (2006). [4] Tiwari Aravind_ â€Å"Evaluation of electronic libraries. † New Delhi: APH Publishing Corporation, (2002). [5] Malik Khalid Mahmood_ â€Å"Status of library automation in Pakistan. † PLBXXVI (1), pp. 24-25, (1995). [6] Dilroshan, T. L. Chrishantha_ â€Å"Identification of problems faced by university libraries in the process of automation: with special reference to the libraries of Moratuwa and Colombo Universities. † Sri Lanka Journal of Librarianship and Information Management vol. 1, no. 2. pp 82, (1992). Acknowledgements We acknowledge to every person who gave us something to light our pathway for completion of our desired goal; we truly thank them for believing in us. References [1] Qutab, Saima ; Khalid Mehmood_ â€Å"Library web sites in Pakistan: an analysis of the content†. Emerald, Vol. 43 No. 4 pp. 430-445, (2009). [2] Haider, Jala-ud-Din Syed_ â€Å"Library management scenario ; management problems in Pakistani libraries†. Library Administration ; Management, vol. 21, no. 4, Fall 2007. pp. 173-176, (2007). [3] Chaudry, Salma_ â€Å"The management of academic libraries: a comparative study of 5|Page

Strategy and management control system: Tata Motors

Strategy and management control system: Tata Motors Introduction This essay addresses a very debatable yet imperative topic relating to the link between the strategy and management control system of an organization. The discussion in this essay roots from Andrew Campbells paper, Tailored, Not Benchmarked: A Fresh Look at Corporate Planning. This paper discusses the impact of benchmarking and the effect of efficient planning strategies on the value of an organisation. He suggests that in place of deploying standardized benchmarking and planning strategies based on another organisation, each organisation needs to evaluate its internal environment and devise strategies according to the needs of the individual organisation. Campbell describes the planning process very appropriately in his paper as, A good planning process is unique to its company () carefully tailored to the needs of the businesses as well as to the skills, insights, and experiences of senior corporate managers. Furthermore, Campbell lays stress on the fact that organisations need to constantly monitor and modify their planning strategies to match the needs of the organisation and the dynamic business environment. In this paper, Campbell has very modestly touched upon the fact that management control systems (MCS) and strategy essentially complement each other and should be coordinated to produce the desired firm value (Campbell, 1999). MCS are defined as any formal, information-based procedures and statements used by managers to monitor and influence the behavior and activities in a firm (Simons, 1994). While, strategy is a continuing pattern of decision making for the future of an organization (Mintzberg, 1978) deliberate (formal) or unintended (informal), that emerges due to the opportunities that arise in the organization or market (Merchant Stede, 2007; Langfield-Smith, 1997) An earlier perspective on this topic was provided by Anthony (1965, 1988) suggesting that, strategy is the constant given element in the organisation and management control systems hold the job of monitoring, modifying and tracking the progress of their implementation. Lorange et al (1986) introduced another association of management control and strategy in the concept of strategic control. Strategic control is a system constantly examining an organisations strategy with respect to its goals, and modifying them whenever the need arose. The one limitation all these perspectives suffered from was the fact that, management control systems identified with the task of monitoring and modifying strategy only (Simons, 1990). Robert Simons (1990) introduced a new perspective proposing that management control systems were responsible for not only monitoring or implementation, but also for formation of strategy; hence establishing a very important relationship between management control systems and strategic choices of an organisation. Building on these ideas, this essay aims to analyse the link between management control system and strategy of Tata Motors Limited (TTM), a multinational automobile corporation headquartered in Mumbai, India. During the course of this essay, we will first have a look at TTMs background strategy, control systems, performance measurement system, and the risks they are facing. Followed by this will be a discussion on TTMs case in the light of different perspective mentioned above to observe whether there exists a link between the strategy, management control system and performance measurement measures of TTM. Finally, we will have a look at some suggestions with regard to their control systems that could help TTM improve their position. Tata Motors Limited Background and Strategy TTM is a part of the Tata Group, the largest private corporate group in India. Tata group has business ventures in steel, communications, tea, information technology, power and hospitality aside from automobiles. TTM is Indias largest automobile company, with consolidated revenues $20 billion in 2009-10. It is the leader in commercial vehicles in each segment, and among the top three in passenger vehicles along with being the worlds fourth largest truck manufacturer, and the worlds second largest bus manufacturer. In addition to domestic growth, TTMs important strategic move over time has been international expansion. TTM has acquired Daewoo Commercial Vehicle Company Limited, Hispano Carrocera S.p.A. Spain, has a joint venture with Marco Polo of Brazil for production of buses and most recently acquired the iconic British brands Jaguar and Land Rover (Just-Auto editorial team, 2010). Tata motors follow a straightforward rule for expansion; since they have limited technological availa bility to get a presence on the global industrial scene, they look for countries with access to technology and products, find a strategic partner in that market, and then sell Tata motors products in that country whilst exporting their products and capacities regionally (Seshan Kumar, 2008). For example, In January 2006, Tata motors signed an agreement with Fiat Group to sell Fiat vehicles through the Tata Motors outlets in India. In May 2006, the joint venture of Tata Motors with Fiat grew into an industrial partnership for sharing Indian facilities to manufacture vehicles, engines and transmissions for Indian and overseas markets (Just-Auto editorial team, 2010). Along with Internationalisation of operations, TTM follows the strategy of product innovation, which provides TTM with its competitive edge reasonably priced products. It started with introducing the innovative 407 platform for trucks in the 1980s, designed especially to suit Indian road conditions, in consideration with rural areas. Moreover, even today towards the end of the third decade of its existence it dominates two-third of the market. In 1998, TTM launched the first indigenously designed passenger car in India, the Tata Indica sporting innovation by providing more space, contemporary features at a very competitive price. In 2005, TTM launched Indias first mini truck, a small sub one-tonne vehicle facilitating intra-city or shorter distances. This vehicle was designed to replace the three-wheeler carriages market in India by a more sophisticated four-wheeled mode of transport at almost the same price. It used a two-cylinder engine, provided only in Irish crà ¨me colour and had a rigid front axle and rear wheel drive for low cost. The most recent innovation TTM has come out with is the 632-cc Tata Nano, claimed to be the cheapest car in the world also called the Peoples car/ Rupees 1 lakh car ($2500). The target price itself became the source of innovation, as industry claims that it is impossible to make a car at that price. This car is developed based on a series of innovative ideas; engine was packaged on the rear side; two cylinder engine (conventionally there are three-four cylinder engines); identical handles and mechanisms for left and right side doors. Moreover, the speedometer and other instruments panel in the Nano are in the centre of the dashboard, rather than facing the driver, to make it easy and cheaper to switch the position of the steering wheel from the right to the left facilitating exports to other markets as well (Seshan Kumar, 2008). Furthermore the car has unconventional seats; maximising the interior space by pushing the wheels to the corners and power train to below the rear seat creating sufficient space to accommodate three-to-four people (BMA, 2010). Analysis Management control system and Performance Measurement System To sustain the innovation in products and expansion in markets TTM had to introduce changes in their MCS to complement their strategic moves.TTM has two main divisions based on the type of vehicles passenger cars and commercial vehicles (CVBU). With increasing operations TTM In the year 2000, TTMs CVBU suffered its first loss of $2.5 million that led the company to adopt the Tata Business Excellence Model (TBEM). TBEM, based on Malcolm Baldridge Award for business excellence and Balanced Scorecards as its performance measurement, which will be discussed in depth later (Tata Group| Corporate Governance| Busniess Excellence, 2010). TTM saw shift from a more hierarchical structure to a flatter organisational structure, facilitating easy communication between employees. The change in business model complimented the change in the information technology system too. TTM uses an integration of outsourced facilities some of which are Ariba for supplier negotiations; product lifecycle managem ent and advanced computer aided designs for the engineering and designs of their products; SAP enterprise software application and programmes for enterprise resource planning and increasing transaction effectiveness. Through this, the activities of all departments production, manufacturing, purchase, finance operations etc, were interlinked facilitating better control and coordination by means of an efficient supply-chain management system. Furthermore, TTM changed their product development process and introduced a more collaborative process utilizing the capabilities of different venture partners, suppliers, design houses, subsidiaries and associate companies specialising in different verticals. With the transition of the in-house production process TTM realised the importance of expanding into the international market and thus adopted the internationalisation philosophy mentioned above, to keep in line with their goals and objectives at the same time as gaining access to differe nt markets (BMA, 2010). TTM has a strategic preview of their plans every 5 years where plans are altered whilst introducing new goals and objectives. A well-defined process for the preparation and monitoring of the annual budgets and long-term business plans is followed. There are meetings twice a month of the management committee at operational levels to review the operations and plans of key business areas. TTM has a set of corporate policies, the Tata Code of Conduct, covering the integrity of financial reporting, ethical conducts, regulatory compliance, conflict of interests review and reporting of concerns. All employees have regular exposure to this through fast flowing information between the management and the employees by means of articles, magazines and newsletters (Jamble, Sukate, Guha, Mhasade, Sumeet, Tonk, 2010). TTM has an intact performance measurement system keeping in line with their strategy of offering innovation at a competitive price, as mentioned above the Balanced Scorecard. After suffering their first loss in more than fifty years in 2000, TTM had to resort to stringent cost cutting across all business units, which poised a challenge. TATA Motors Commercial Vehicle Business Unit then employed the balanced scorecard. With the process in progress, the genuine problem revealed itself. It turned out that the manual nature of the review procedures of such a huge structure was getting extremely difficult to implement and consuming valuable amount of time. To address this, the Balanced Scorecard Automation Tool was implemented that would centralise, assimilate and collate the data, providing rapid review and analytical functionality and a comprehensive single picture of organisational performance. Within two years of this, CVBU registered a profit of $ 2.3 Million from the loss of $ 2.5 Million, leading to 60% of TTMs inventory turnover. Initially, CVBU had started the balanced scorecard with only corporate level scorecard; but with its success, now it has expanded to six hierarchical levels with three hundred and thirty one scorecards, additionally looking forward to proliferate it to the lowest level of organisational structure (Huda, 2009). Risks Fetching the advantage of low cost of labour in India, and cheaper resources, TTM places itself as a firm providing innovation at a lower cost, but they do not necessarily produce differentiated products. Their innovation only lies in the fact that they offer a multitude of features suitable for Indian conditions at a lower price, that no other Indian company does (lower competition in domestic market). The threat that TTM faces is the managing of two different segments of vehicles at the same time, the higher priced premium segment (Jaguar and Land Rover) and the very low priced segment (Tata Nano); the low cost manufacturing would not be as advantageous its premium segments car (Seshan Kumar, 2008). Moreover, other Indian manufacturers teaming up internationally like Renault Logan (joint venture between Mahindra and Renault) will intensify the competition for TTM. Further, by entering into the premium cars and sports utility vehicles segment, TTM now faces competition from various other brands like Audi, BMW, Daimler, and Volkswagen (Wentz, 2008). Moreover, Through TTMs core strategy of internationalisation, they depend on exports for revenues. But, as the position of the Indian Rupee has now strengthened, it is posing a challenge resulting in a lesser than expected export realisation (Kurup Toms, 2008). Aside from that, TTMs low cost products rely on low quality and its international competitors like Hyundai and Maruti Suzuki have internationally approved quality. Therefore, TTM needs to address its critical quality issue to be an international player (editorial team, 2010) From the discussion about TTM, it can be observed that there is a very evident alignment of its strategy with its performance measurement system and management control systems. The corporate strategy of a company helps in the decision of the company regarding the type of businesses to operate in (Johnson Scholes, 1989), how to structure and finance the company, how to acquire and utilize the resources to convert distinct competencies into competitive advantages (Andrews, 1980 cited in; Langfield-Smith, 1997). TTMs MCS boasts a much-organised structure comprising of formal control standard operating procedures, budgetary controls; informal controls regular interaction with employees, interactive communication system (also facilitating personnel control); administrative and social controls plying ethical codes of conduct; which exemplifies that TTMs MCS has a well-defined structure complementing its precise strategic perspective (Langfield-Smith, 1997). By changing the organisation al structure and introducing a new performance measurement system (the balanced scorecard), it can be noticed that TTM reviews its MCS has a frequent strategic preview and initiate changes as and when the need arises. Furthermore, it is noticeable that TTM is a follower of the contingency school of thought, which advocates that organisational effectiveness results from deploying administrative practices (like performance measurement) in a way that fits the contingencies the organisation functions within. Rather it is noticeable that, while adapting to these contingencies, TTM is finding new practices that match their organisation than relying on the ones other organisations use (Chenhall, 2006). Scope for Improvement Robert Simons (1995) suggested that for managers of modern organisations, it is a difficult task to manage employees and organisation efficiently while giving them enough space to come up with new and innovative ideas at the same time controlling them enough so that they do not misuse this freedom. He suggested four levers of control, the belief system; boundary systems; diagnostic control systems and interactive control systems (Simons, 1995). While the belief systems inculcate core values of the organisation, the boundary systems specify what needs avoidance. On the other hand, diagnostic control systems determine critical performance variables and the interactive control systems help resolve strategic uncertainties (Triantafylli, 2010). For successful implementation of lever of controls, the organisations has to make sure that all the four levers are complementarily in place to produce the desired organisational performance keeping in line with the strategy. For TTM while the appr opriate belief and boundary systems are in place, there seems to be a lack of diagnostic and interactive control systems. A number of key issues that require attention have been pointed out in the earlier section relating to their strategy with respect to competition, quality and exports. If TTM had the diagnostic and interactive control systems in place then these critical areas would have been resolved with an appropriate solution leading to effective organisational performance. Alongside, TTMs strategy would have accounted for these shortcomings if intact levers of controls were in place. Conclusion TTM is one of the strong contenders in the Indian automobile market heading towards a more international sphere. If it continues with innovation and the cost advantage, the organisation would be able to make successful headway. To achieve that, TTM needs to look into some areas that require attention, bring the required changes to its organisational processes, strategy, and control systems. Although, there is a strong link between the MCS and strategy for TTM, but it could be put to a more valuable use by employing the appropriate changes. Reverting to Campbells statement mentioned earlier, it is clearly noticeable that TTM does not benchmark, but focus on its external and internal advantages and utilizes the resources appropriately. This is evident from the fact that they use the availability of cheaper resources and labour to obtain their cost advantage and that TTM introduced new performance measurement system with the change in their strategy to complement it. Furthermore, TTM ha s utilized the availability of technical expertise to manufacture innovative products, gain a competitive edge in the market, and carve a niche for itself. Therefore, TTM has its unique strategy and competitive edge gained by virtue of its effective management control system that has been responsible for TTMs success. Banning tobacco advertisement:the necessity of a consequent solution Banning tobacco advertisement:the necessity of a consequent solution Banning tobacco advertisement:The necessity of a consequent solution Bonded Tobacco Co.: Making smoking safe for smokers., Old Gold Cigarettes: Not a cough in a carload., Camel Cigarettes: More doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette. (http://www.tvacres.com/tobacco_slogans.htm, 12/12/09). These are just some examples of slogans common in cigarette advertisement in the history of tobacco ads. The belittlement of the harmfulness of smoking in advertisement is one of the main reasons why Health Organizations and Governments worldwide enforce the banishment of cigarette promotion from the world of advertisement. The progress of this enforcement varies from country to country but most of the above the line promotion is already tobacco free and many sponsorship promotions follow this example. The following essay displays the necessity of regimenting advertisement in the tobacco industry and explains why a consequent realization is requisite. First, a brief look at the historic development of tobacco advertisement and the beginning of its regulation. In 1789 the first advertisement on tobacco products was placed in the New York daily paper by P. Lorrillard Company (Petrone, G. S.,1996, p.7). In the 1920s Bull Durham was the first brand name which was advertised on a large scale by picturing a golfer swinging his club while smoking and introducing the slogan: â€Å"On every green they all roll â€Å"Bull†. Its easy for YOU to roll your own Genuine Bull Durham.† (http://www.owdna.org/History/history25.htm,12/12/09). The tobacco industry took advantage of the development of color lithography in the late 1870s and new approaches to advertisement arose such as the idea of James Buchanan Duke, of W. Duke Sons, to create cigarette boxes with the imprint of the cigarettes brand name and a decorative picture which was part of a collectable series (http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/eaa/tobacco.html, 12/12/09). The cigarette packet is still one of the greatest marketing tools of the industry. The first restrictions on tobacco advertisement were executed in Germany during World War II and signed by Heinrich Hunke, the President of the Advertising Council on 7 December 1941 with the justification of the negative influence smoking has on ones health. Any advertisement illustrating smoking as being harmless and a symbol for masculinity was forbidden. As were print advertisement at sport events and in the country side (http://www.smokersnews.com/cigarette-advertising/301/smoking-banned-by-nazi-germany/, 12/12/09). The law on these restrictions have changed and have become more relaxed over the decades but are nowadays again at a point where a consequent prohibition of tobacco advertisement is demanded. In this context one may ask what effect advertisement really has on the behavior of the consumer and if advertisement can be made responsible for the alarmingly high number of smokers worldwide. According to Professor George Stigler (1963), author of the book The Intellectual and the Market Place, The advertising industry has no sovereign power to bend mens will [†¦] Moreover, advertising itself is a completely neutral instrument, and lends itself to the dissemination of highly contradictory desires (p.91). The tobacco industry refers to these kinds of opinions and arguments that advertisement meliorates the market share of certain brands and does not engage new smokers. There are however a great number of scientific studies providing evidence of the coherence of tobacco advertising and consumption (Redmond W.H. 1999), showing the effects on tobacco consumption before and after an advertisement ban (Rimpelà ¤ M.K., Aaro L.E., Rimpelà ¤ A.H. 1993) as well as acknowledge the success of anti-tobacco measures (Laugesen M., Meads C. 1991) which shall be further described hereafter. The majority of econometric studies came to the conclusion that increasing investments in tobacco advertising stimulate and increase the demand for cigarettes, whilst an advertisement ban diminishes tobacco consumption (http://www.globalink.org/en/advertising.shtml#_edn3;12/12/09). This has been confirmed in the latest surveys by the United States Institute of Medicine (Lynch B.S., Bonnie R.J. (ed) 1994), the United States Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS 1994) and the World Health Organization (Roemer R. 1993). The research on the effects of an advertising ban on the number of smokers cumulate convincing data, showing that a consequent advertising ban significantly contributes to the reduction of the quantity of smokers as seen in Finland in 1977, where tobacco ads were banned, smoking in public building was prohibited and a strong public information campaign was put into action, which reduced the cigarette consumption by 6,7% ( Smee C., Parsonage M., Anderson R., Duckworth S. 1992). It is common knowledge that the goals of advertisement are to create awareness among existing and potential customers, to create customer loyalty by identifying with the product and its brand and to gain new customers. In the tobacco industry the target audience for recruitment is young people. For cigarettes being an addictive product it is more profitable to win young people for the smoking habit, since they bear the potential of becoming life-long customers. Due to this fact and the persuasive power of advertisement, especially young people need to be protected from the marketing influence of the tobacco industry. Advertisement in general and specifically tobacco advertisement wants to deliver a statement to which the existing and potential new customer identifies with and feels connected to. Brand statements and brand images influence young people in particular no matter if dealing with clothes, technological devices, alcohol or cigarettes. (http://www.globalink.org/en/advertising.shtml#_edn13;12/12/09). Some brands are perceived as especially cool, casual or hip and therefore higher frequented. In order to contain the severe influence of advertising an attitude of life, tobacco promotion of any kind needs to be banned. The tobacco industry has been very clever finding more indirect ways to promote their products than any other industry (http://www.globalink.org/en/advertising.shtml#_edn13; 12/12/09). This inventive talent has become a necessity for tobacco marketing departments due to the increasing and very strict regimentation on advertisement already existing. Sponsorship of cultural events and sports, merchandise products available for free, point of sale promotion displays and even the use of cigarette brand names for products of a different industry, e.g. Marlboro Classics clothing (http://www.marlboroclassics.com;12/12/09), and especially the design of the cigarette package are just some examples of the tobacco industrys creative output. But again, all these promotion types transport the pretended positive lifestyle the customers are supposed to identify with and after all one fact not being transported by the industries advertisement is how harmful smoking is to the health. Smoking does not only have a negative effect on the smokers health, but also effects passive smokers, especially children. Contrary to many other stimulants such as alcohol or sweets, cigarettes have a damaging effect on the body after the first consumption. No other legal product is as addictive as cigarettes. The consequences of smoking are evident in a variety of diseases, e.g. blocked arteries, which can lead to a heart attacks and strokes, lung cancer, withdrawal syndromes when the body is under supplied of nicotine and general unfitness. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention claims in its 2007 published Best Practice Report an annual death of 438.000 people worldwide by the aftermath of cigarette consumption (p.7). In March 2005 a report was published by the British Medical Journal providing authoritative data on the impact of passive smoking and stating that passive smoking is assumed to kill 11,000 people a year in the UK only (http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/ health-and-families/health-news/passive-smoking-is-there-convincing-evidence-that-its-harmful-476472.html; 12/12/09). An evidentiary amount of documents describe the severe impact tobacco advertising has to embolden non-smokers to begin smoking. Advertising is especially effective among young people. The number of smokers can be considerably decreased if a consequent ban on tobacco advertisement and its manifold promotion activities is put into action. Also prohibiting the display of brand details on the cigarette package, promotion at sponsorship events, distribution of merchandise products, as well as any public print, tv, cinema or radio advertisement. Additionally Dr. Murray Laugesen from the Department of Health in New Zealand subsumes the figure of tobacco consumption can be reduced by 6% if a coherent advertising ban is joined by a public information campaign on the health effects of smoking, this conclusion is supported by the latest report of the World Bank (http://www.globalink.org/en/advertising.shtml#_edn13; 12/12/09). To finally conclude a consequent solution of banning tobacco advertis ement is necessary, because the tobacco industry will continue to work out ways to promote their product and by this influence the consumers, convincing them only of the positive effect a certain brand has on the personal image rather than distributing the risks of the dangerous habit of smoking. Is Single Parenting a Social Problem? Is Single Parenting a Social Problem? Definition The issue of lone parenting is quite clearly one that is of significant importance and impact in the modern social context. It is also one that has different viewpoints, which are important to recognise in the context of this report. While the actual term of ‘lone parenting’ is a given, it is important to understand the various views which are taken in order to address this problem. For example, ‘New Labour’s’ social policy towards lone parents is generally governed by the attitudes epitomised in the mantras â€Å"reforming welfare around the work ethic† and funding a system that â€Å"believes in empowerment not dependency† (Millar and Rowlingson, 2001, p xv). This quite obviously conflicts with the view which was held by previous governments, which is said to maintain the view that poverty is â€Å"relieved by cash handouts† (DSS, 1998, p 19). It is also said that the differences between these two viewpoints epitomises the diffe ring views of ‘old Labour’ and ‘new Labour’ (Millar and Rowlingson, 2001, p xv), and also highlights the shift between the welfare state policy to a more capitalist approach to addressing the lone parenting issue. Main Issues Given the discussion of the United Kingdom’s approach to lone parenting, it might be relevant to compare these provisions with those of other jurisdictions. Take, for example, New Zealand which categorises ‘solo parents’ as: (a) A woman who is the mother of one or more dependent children and who is living apart from, and has lost the support of, or is being inadequately maintained by, her husband: (b) An unmarried woman who is the mother of one or more dependent children: (c) A woman whose marriage has been dissolved by divorce and who is the mother of one or more dependent children: (e) A woman who is the mother of one or more dependent children and who has lost the regular support of her husband because he is subject to a sentence of imprisonment and is- (i) serving the sentence in a penal institution; or (ii) subject to release conditions or detention conditions (as those terms are defined in section 4(1) of the Parole Act 2002) that prevent him undertaking employment: (f) A man who is the father of one or more dependent children whose mother is dead or who for any other reason are not being cared for by their mother (Social Security Act 1964 (NZ), s 27B(1)). Arguably, in consideration of the above, it is clear that the New Zealand social security system is geared more towards caring for a woman who may be a lone parent, as opposed to a father. It might also be noted, however, that social security benefits are only paid to lone parents in New Zealand if the parent is of the minimum age of sixteen (16) years, unless emergency circumstances exist (Social Security Act 1964 (NZ), s 27B(2)). Compare this situation to that across the Tasman Sea in Australia, where the Australian Bureau of Statistics has recorded a three-fold increase in lone parenting families in the last thirty (30) years, from 7.1% in 1969 to 21.4% in 1999 (ABS census). However given this increase, it might also be worthwhile to note that lone parenting in Australia remains at lower levels than other English-speaking countries, but still higher than some countries in continental Europe (Millar and Rowlingson, 2001, p 61). Further to this, it has generally been the attitude of Australian governments to extend social security benefits to all classes of lone parenting families, irrespective of the cause of the lone parenting situation (Millar and Rowlingson, 2001, p 65). Around 47% of lone mothers were employed in 1999 and around 63% of lone fathers, and approximately 9% of both lone mothers and lone fathers were unemployed (ABS, June 1999). This perhaps symbolises a non-dependency on the welfare system, a nd that lone parents in Australia generally try to work at least part-time to supplement their welfare incomes and provide for their family. Key Dilemmas The key dilemma that has been the recurring theme throughout this paper is the need to balance income support and welfare with the need for non-dependence on the welfare system. There is a conscientious push by governments in the above countries to not encourage reliance upon welfare handouts and to push these people to seek active employment, but also recognises the various situations of lone parents who may be unable to work full time for any number of reasons. The United Kingdom obviously recognises this problem in a social context, and took steps to address it though social policy reform. Some say that this was a more ‘heavy handed’ approach to the social problem, and this argument may have some merit given the approaches of other countries. New Zealand prescribes certain circumstances where welfare can be paid, and Australia has a more liberal approach to the welfare system, however all of these approaches seem to function appropriately in their individual contexts. Conclusion In consideration of the above points, it is quite clear that lone parents are a significant social problem. However, the more prominent problem is that of how to address the issue. It is quite clear that the United Kingdom has a more recent history of reforming social policy on this issue and limiting the distribution of welfare benefits. Is this the most appropriate course of action? Some would suggest no, given the experience of other countries. However, regard needs to be had for the statistics: approximately one in four of Britain’s seven million families are headed by a lone parent, and less than four in ten lone parents in Britain work full time (which is a piecemeal 16 hours a week statistically) (Millar and Rowlingson, 2001, p 11). This only serves to fuel the debate further, and one needs to consider the legislative and policy-based approach of the United Kingdom in context before judgement on this issue can be passed. Bibliography Books Millar, J., and Rowlingson, K. (eds), Lone Parents, Employment and Social Policy (2001), Bristol: The Policy Press Journal Articles Hughes, J., ‘Lone Parents and Social Security’ (2005) 36 Victoria University Wellington Law Review 1 Soley, C., ‘Lessons of the Lone Parenting Battle’ (1997) 126 New Statesman. Legislation Social Security Act 1965 (NZ) Social Security Act 1991 (AU, Cth) Other Sources Australian Bureau of Statistics, June 1999 Australian Bureau of Statistics, census 1969 and 1999 DPI, census 1999

Orgon The Good, Or Orgon The B Essays -- essays research papers

In the beginning of Moliere’s play Tartuffe, the character Orgon is very distasteful, but changes by the end of the play and becomes more amiable. The character Orgon, in the beginning, is exceedingly stern. For example, in the beginning of the play, Orgon takes a man into his home, to which he believes is pious in every way. This man is Tartuffe, who deceives Orgon and Madame Pernelle into thinking he is a heavenly man, in order to gain their wealth and Orgon’s wife. He Tartuffe succeeds in deceiving those two but the rest of Orgon’s family discovers his unheavenly ways. Orgon’s family tries to convince Orgon of Tartuffe’s evil intentions, but when Orgon believes something to be true, he won’t let anything come between him and what he thinks is right, even his own family. Orgon orders his only daughter to wed Tartuffe against her will. Orgon states to Mariane, “Yes, Tartuffe shall be allied by marriage to this family, and he’s to be your husband, is that clear? It’s a father’s privilege.'; (Act 2, scene 1) Orgon’s son Damis who told him of Tartuffe’s treachery also confronted Orgon, but Orgon does not believe him. Orgon screams, “ So! You insult him, and defy your father! A stick! A stick! Out of my house this minute! Be off with you, and never dare set foot in it again. I disinherit you; an empty purse is all you’ll get from me-excep... Orgon The Good, Or Orgon The B Essays -- essays research papers In the beginning of Moliere’s play Tartuffe, the character Orgon is very distasteful, but changes by the end of the play and becomes more amiable. The character Orgon, in the beginning, is exceedingly stern. For example, in the beginning of the play, Orgon takes a man into his home, to which he believes is pious in every way. This man is Tartuffe, who deceives Orgon and Madame Pernelle into thinking he is a heavenly man, in order to gain their wealth and Orgon’s wife. He Tartuffe succeeds in deceiving those two but the rest of Orgon’s family discovers his unheavenly ways. Orgon’s family tries to convince Orgon of Tartuffe’s evil intentions, but when Orgon believes something to be true, he won’t let anything come between him and what he thinks is right, even his own family. Orgon orders his only daughter to wed Tartuffe against her will. Orgon states to Mariane, “Yes, Tartuffe shall be allied by marriage to this family, and he’s to be your husband, is that clear? It’s a father’s privilege.'; (Act 2, scene 1) Orgon’s son Damis who told him of Tartuffe’s treachery also confronted Orgon, but Orgon does not believe him. Orgon screams, “ So! You insult him, and defy your father! A stick! A stick! Out of my house this minute! Be off with you, and never dare set foot in it again. I disinherit you; an empty purse is all you’ll get from me-excep...

Inventory Stratification Essay

Creating shareholder value is the ultimate goal of all businesses, so all processes should be directly tied to it.(1) The wholesale distributor’s core business process framework is a collection of process groups called 7S – source, stock, sell, ship, supply chain planning, and support services. Linking these process groups to shareholder value are the process metrics – percentage of slow moving inventory; and the financial framework. This framework consists of the financial elements – inventory; the financial key performance indicators – GMROII; and the financial drivers – profitability. Inventory stratification is a specific business process under the inventory management subgroup in the stock process of 7S. Like most processes there is a common, good, and best practice for inventory stratification. Inventory stratification which includes the GMROII (gross margin return on inventory investment) method of A, B, C, D, X and Y items is consider ed best practice. A, B, C, and D represent items in inventory ranked by percentage of profitability from higher profitability down to zero profitability respectively. X and Y represent items with zero inventories, X represents items with gross margin dollars and Y represents items without any gross margin dollars. GMROII focuses on the items profitability making it a financial driver and is considered best practice. However, for optimal inventory stratification solutions, the final rank should include a combination method of the GMROII method; sales volume method – representative of customer-centric data; and the hits method – representative of logistics based data. Once the weighted combination data is compiled, best practices can be implemented throughout all the 7S process  groups and in every section of the financial framework linking inventory stratification (process) directly to four financial drivers: asset efficiency, profitability, cash flow, and growth. These four financial drivers increase ROI (shareholder value). With inventory stratification complete sourcing has integral data to complete best practice process metrics for supplier management. Supplier stratification can help a firm modify their supplier base into one that is profitable and efficient for all channels within the supply chain. Supplier scorecards can be created which leads to numerous financial elements being increased. Inventory stratification is key for best practice levels in determining the right number of suppliers as inventory stratification status of the product in terms of movement and profitability. This indirectly defines the required customer service level as well. With supplier performance improvement, higher satisfaction rates evolve both with the distributor and further more with the customer.. If the distributor is tracking the supplier’s performance and is able to having periodic meetings with their supplier’s based on the results of the scorecards this will drive efficiency and supplier performance improvement. Also, higher supply chain reliability occurs since the supplier knows where the distributors need increased satisfaction levels to be able to continue servicing their customer at high standards. If the scorecard says the supplier is lacking in the area of competitive pricing the distributor then has the data to begin price negotiations. This knowledge allows sourcing through the subgroup supplier management to eliminate suppliers who only provide C and D items finding the right number of suppliers for the organization. Eliminating C and D items reduces inventory and increases GMROII. You now have the option of reinvesting the resulting capital into A and B items, paying back loans, or other business opportunities. In the debt reduction case, the impact can be readily seen on the balance sheet. The investment in A items leads to further sales opportunities. The reinvestments and its associated expected inventory turns will help in calculating additional revenue and resulting improvement in EBITDA. Reinvestments can also be for capital purchases to position the business for future growth. Inventory stratification also affects the ship and store segments of the 7S process group. With the knowledge that can be obtained from the data slow moving items can be  removed from branch inventory and a Regional Distribution Center (RDC) may be implemented. This allows the branches to carry more A or B items, or simply to reduce their inventory cost. RDC’s are usually able to operate with less inventory by sales volume. Labor expense is also reduced driving profitability to the shareholders. Inventory stratification is the primary driver for sales forecast and helps populate fill rates by rank. Forecasted demand combined with lead time and safety stock is the primary component to reorder point. Inventory stratification minimizes the normally time consuming forecast process both with information systems resources and with human resources. The best practice forecasting model is driven off the inventory stratification and is therefore driven by the sell segment, this numerically factual forecast will be void of the emotional forecasting of the sales force. Marketing can use the inventory stratification to process what customers’ needs are or what customers are interested in. Inventory stratification is integral in both customer stratification which once completed and redeployment of the sales force has occurred additional revenues are recognized and cost to serve are reduced again driving profit to shareholders. Customer service often drives large, inefficient inventories in an attempt to be all things to all people. Shareholder value seeks to carry only profitable products, at reasonable levels, producing maximum sales, while also increasing market share. Inventory stratification is an integral part of this process. (1) Optimizing Distributor Profitability: Best Practices to a Stronger Bottom Line, by Senthil Gunasekaran, Pradip Krishnadevarajan, F. Barry Lawrence, NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence 2009.

Skype the Perfect Freemium Model Essay Example

Skype the Perfect Freemium Model Essay Example Skype the Perfect Freemium Model Paper Skype the Perfect Freemium Model Paper The perfect FREEMIUM model 11/24/2010 Petra Sanyova BCi08: 5th semester: e-Marketing The Freemium Model The term freemium is a coined term, derived from words ‘free’ and ‘premium’. This term stands for an expanding business model where companies are making profits from selling premium products to a small percentage of their total users. Although the majority of the users is not paying anything for the product, companies still has possibility to be highly profitable, and they usually are. The business where only 5-10% of customers generate revenue could not run profitably under traditional conditions. The change was caused by numerous innovations in the field of digital production, as well as internet distribution. Due to these technological progresses, companies are able to copy and distribute free products to many customers at very low costs. Skype â€Å"Skype is software that enables the world’s conversations. † Millions of people make video or voice calls, send instant messages and share files through this program. The majority of them do so with no charge at all. The only prerequisite, to be able to use this software, is that both parties who would like to communicate need to have the program installed and running. Skype was established in 2003, with its headquarters being in Luxemburg. Its founders Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis are still partial owners together with investor group led by Silver Lake (that also owns eBay), the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Andreessen Horowitz. Since the establishment – the first version of the program, Skype never stopped to grow and is still introducing new updates, features etc. When it comes to its community, the Skype changed from a small unknown program into a program used daily by millions of people with many features. Lately everybody is impressed with the number of Facebook users; nevertheless in the end of year 2009, Skype had 160 million more registered users than Facebook, which in numbers is 560 million. According to the quarterly updates the company issues, it added 39 million registered users in the last quarter of 2009 only. This stands for 6% growth rate in the maturity phase of the product! 36. billion minutes of Skype-to-Skype calls were recorded in these last three months of 2009, adding to get 250 billion minutes of these calls recorded overall. Still in 2009 only, this number accounted for 12% of the world’s international calls. About 23 million users are logged into Skype at its peak times. (I am logged in just as a write this paper. ) Skype is international software, offered in 29 languages and used almost in every single country of the world. Skype offers a variety of features to all its users, with the main feature being Skype-to-Skype calls free of charge. To improve the customers’ experience while calling, it introduced many additional features as: conference calling, video calling and group video calling. Moreover Skype is effectively used for instant messaging and sharing various files; screen sharing included. One of the latest introduced features is called ‘Facebook News Feed and Phonebook’ which enables users to call friends directly from a Facebook News Feed and Phonebook in Skype. Although this all is offered by Skype to its users for free, it does not indicate company’s irrationality. Just because products are free, does not mean companies are not profitable. Google is a great example of this; and however slightly different, Skype is as well. The point is to broaden the classic view of a market from only two parties (buyer and seller) to more parties, from which only few exchange money. The most common model is the three-party system. The third party pays to participate in the system, the first two created by a free exchange between each other. The success of charging nothing for something lies in understanding of the psychological gap between ‘almost zero’ and ‘zero’. As all the other members are needed to create the environment, for others to pay for, it is essential to attract as many people as possible. While the costs are insignificant and free is a word appealing to almost everybody, giving away the product to 90% of customers is reasonable. The rest 10% then consist of the customers who opted for a premium account and they generate revenues. Pareto principle applies This is the case of Skype too. The third party consists of the premium users, who are actually paying for additional features available in premium accounts. This group of users accounts to 6% of its all active users generating over 777 million dollars a year. The additional features, they are then enabled to use are: Skype-to-landlines/mobiles, voicemail, call forwarding, call transfer and text messaging. The user also gets his/her own online number so the landlines/mobiles-to-Skype calls are then also possible. Skype specific success can be accredited not only to the great idea that is making people’s lives easier, but to the way its entire business model is set up: [ 1 ]. SKYPE business model Partners:- Phone manufacturers- Online Platforms| Key activities:-Software development- Integration with new platforms- Marketing| Value proposition:- Free VoIP and video calling- Internet based communication| Relationships:- Appreciative user base- Thanks to free download- Automated with online profiles| Customers:-Not fragmented| | Key resources:- Software- Brand| | Distribution and acquisition channels: Online| | Cost structure:- Very low maintenance cost- Software development| Revenue streams / pricing:- Sale of complimentary items- 7-8% conversion rate from free| And no argument there, that it is set up brilliantly. Conclusion Skype, together with Flickr and LinkedIn, is one of the most successful companies, operating under the freemium model. As was already mentioned, Skype uses three-party model, in which the Pareto principle applies – small percentage of a customers pay to get a premium, covering the cost of the majority of users not charged and still generating the revenues. The reason for this is the almost zero maintenance cost, thanks to technological advancements. For people to purchase the premium accounts is important that the system created is stable and large enough, and so Skype is doing great job in attracting these basic users. By giving the program for free and updating it regularly it does not create only large user base, but an appreciative one. As Skype is a program, which with its features, benefits the ordinary users and possibly save them money – this group is thankful. Being thankful for Skype means being loyal and having overall positive attitudes towards the brand; which is another big asset of Skype. Nowadays it stands for a international brand, which is widely recognized. If company can keep up the conversion ratio, remain popular and hand off the possible threads from new competitors or telecommunication companies; its sustainability of the freemium model can be proved.

article critiques Essays

article critiques Essays article critiques Essay article critiques Essay Name: Lecturer: Course: Date: Article Critiques PFM Devices Opinion PFM Devices is a company dealing in the production of synthetic cartilage and the article is about the projects it initiated to improve its business operations. The major projects aimed at improving the management and overall direction of information technology in the various divisions of the company. Recently acquired outlets in other countries, it was necessary to come up with a system to integrate information within all the divisions. The measures to be taken would help the company in keeping abreast with trends emerging in the business field. Additionally, they would enhance consolidation of information and improvement in communication. Disagree However, the steps undertaken by the new information officer to enhance information technology failed to adhere to customer specifications and instead concentrated on the technicalities of the business which would increase sales in a short period. All the methodology put in place including an increased budget failed to earn the company the profits it had anticipated. This implies that the systems put in place were more operations based than customer tailored, a factor I disagree with. With new IT systems in place the diagnosis of problems in all divisions of the company was ultimately made easier but failure to link them with their customers proved fatal for the company, which eventually made losses. Recommendation The proposed solutions were both impressive but I agree with that of customer relationship management. This is because in this kind of industry that is mainly service oriented, satisfaction of consumers is what matters the most. Getting closer to the consumer provides an opportunity to better understand their needs and derive the best ways to meet these needs. In the end, the provision of quality service is what attracts more customers to any product thus the need to enforce good customer relationship before taking other measures to increase company sales. Du Pont Opinion Du Pont is a manufacturing company, which was among the first in its time to implement Artificial Intelligence in its operations. This article focuses on how the Du Pont Company implemented a new information systems strategy that was largely criticized for its target of smaller systems which people considered a waste of resources. Artificial intelligence was an emerging management system at the time and its implementation was definitely a brilliant move given its numerous benefits. The main challenge, which was also a cause of disagreement among the proprietors of the project, was whether to begin with the small systems or the larger systems. Agree With regard to information technology, dealing with smaller systems is often a better option as it provides a better way to gather information as opposed to the larger systems. Despite it being expensive, the results are always impressive. In the case of Du Pont, it served its intended purpose of managing the employees, putting in place better systems, processing and scheduling applications and sourcing for new technology. Had they concentrated on larger systems, I doubt that the same efficiency would be guaranteed or that the momentum of the project would be progressive although it was a cheaper option. Disagree On the other hand, I think that the company should not have implemented the strategy in such an extensive manner. New systems, which have not been tried and proven efficient, are risky to put in practice because of the possibilities of failure that it presents. Such large tasks should not just be based on the implementer’s impressive record of accomplishment hence there should have been room for trials and errors before actually launching the full project. Although it was successful, future considerations have to be made regarding its sustainability. Recommendation Alternatively, the project should have been implemented in small doses to allow evaluations to be made on its success and suggestions made to improve it. This will prevent challenges such as maintenance from emerging because they would have been dealt with during the first stages of implementation.

The Final Night Aboard Essays

The Final Night Aboard Essays The Final Night Aboard Essay The Final Night Aboard Essay Im Mark Fortune, and Im aboard the Titanic, also sometimes know as The Unsinkable Ship. I have been aboard the Titanic since it set onward from Southampton. I am traveling with my family; all except my oldest two, who decided to stay behind at the mansion in Winnipeg, Manitoba. My family and I have been being accompanied by some of my personal friends John Ross, Thomas McCaffry, Thomson Beattie. We have been vacationing in many places such as Egypt, where John had became very ill. As a whole we decided that it would be best to head home, because we were all exhausted from our long journeys. So we cancelled our traveling plans, and made 1st Class reservation on the Titanic. Today has been an interesting day. Earlier I heard mention of approaching an ice field later this night from a crewmember to another crewmember. Many others on the ship had reported the same to me, but not one bothered to even appeal to the idea of a problem happening on this voyage. This day had been that of a normal day, nothing had happen today to bring much attention toward anything unparticular. It was a day at sea; the sun was out, and the sound of the ocean could be heard abroad. After having dinner I decided to retire for the night, and later be joined by my beautiful wife, Mary McDougald Fortune. After being asleep for a great while I was startled and woken up. I heard a scrapping noise from the ship, but didnt think much of it. I decided that since I had been waken up I should go investigate what had happened. I proceeded by getting some attire on including my favorite Buffalo coat, which my wife absolutely hated. It was very worn, but did its job to keep me warm. I noticed as I exited my room that I was not the only one that decided to investigate the noise. I heard someone mention seeing a large white cone like feature, which we seem to hit. Many re-entered their rooms to return back to sleep. I

How Organisms Cope With Biotic Environmental Factors Essay

How Organisms Cope With Biotic Environmental Factors - Essay Example Initially, organisms could survive without oxygen but with the evolution of the life forms, oxygen became inevitable for survival, which could be understood with the help of soft-bodied metazoans. This aids in the development of oxygen growth curve. On the other hand, ozone provides a shield that protects the biotic forms from harmful UV radiations of sunlight, without this shield life would have been impossible on the planet. Evolution of biotic forms from simple to the complex took place in a gradual manner. Single-celled life forms interact with each other, such interaction resulted in an evolutionary impact, as various species evolved due to such meaningful interactions, namely, symbiotic associations and other interactions, animal diversity prevailed. Evolution in life forms generated competition for food and shelter. Those who could survive the competition were considered as evolved and supreme. These organisms started adapting themselves to the environmental modifications and to the kind of food available, consequently, further diverse forms evolved. Eventually, some of the organisms migrated to land and demarcated themselves as land animals while others remained as sea animals. Over the eras, both these forms developed into numerous life forms from Prokaryotes to eukaryotes encompassing invertebrates protists, fungi, to vertebrates encompassing fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Q. 3. Give a detailed account of the structure and differentiation of the fungi. Fungi are the eukaryotic life forms, they occur in filamentous form with the rigid cell wall of chitin (chain of N-acetylglucosamine), and yeast forms with a cell wall made up of mannose, but are devoid of chlorophyll. They are saprophytic, free-living organisms and derive their nutrition from dead, organic matter, by breaking down of complex chemical macromolecules, leading to the spoilage of food, leather, and other organic matter. They diverged from animal Kingdom 1.5 billion years a go. Fungi exist in three forms, which are: 1. Unicellular forms, e.g., yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae (budding yeast). They possess oval, ellipsoidal or rod-shaped morphology. The size is larger than the bacterial cells, they grow on agar as compact colonies. They display asexual mode of reproduction with the birth scar on daughter cell while a bud scar on the mother cell. Budding could be multipolar or bipolar. However, there are certain organisms which are capable of modifying their morphology and physiology so as to form discrete structures such as spores. Further, a swing between the filamentous and yeast forms could also be displayed in Histoplasma capsulatum, these forms are directed by growth conditions such as temperature, nutrient, and oxygen availability. Filamentous in the soil, asexual reproduction leads to conidia formation. Conidia disperse spores which may reach the lungs if inhaled leading to tissue damage and lesions. The yeast form does not produce conidia. 2. Mou lds which are filamentous and proliferate as elongated and branched hyphae called mycelium, which may be vegetative hyphae or aerial hyphae. The growth of the mycelium occur at the tip, they have well-developed vacuoles and vesicles which are involved in elongation.

Compare and contrast the four distinct categories of presidential Essay - 1

Compare and contrast the four distinct categories of presidential personality described in James Barber's habitual action patterns approach - Essay Example Then, one should also look at the positive-negative effect. How well does the person like what he is doing? (Barber 5) Active-positive: The man has high self-esteem and shows consistencies in the activities he carries out. In addition, throughout his life he has shown high level of productivity and conservation of environment. In connection to this, he sees himself as achieving some of his personal goals (Barber 6). Active-negative: This type of leader shows high level of commitment, however, he does not show high level of emotion for that job. On top of that, he behaves like someone who is trying to run away from anxiety. He is also ambitious and power-seeking, and has an aggressive feeling which makes him have a problem in managing the environment (Barber 6). Positive-positive: These types of leader depend a lot on other people’s judgement and they are not assertive. The contradiction here is high optimism and low self-esteem. In addition, they always make politics to be soft. However, because they depend on other people’s judgement, they are likely to be disappointed (Barber 6). Passive-negative: These types of people are always in politics because they feel that it is the right place to be. They do not enjoy being in politics and they also do not have enough experience. Although, a person of this nature normally does well in other areas but in politics, they are always under performers (Barber 6). President Obama can be said to be an active-positive president. This is because he has high self-esteem and shows consistencies in what he does. For example, during his two terms he has invested a lot of emotions and finances during his campaigns. In addition, he is passionate about what he does. It is not that someone forced him to become the president, but he decided out of his will to become the president. Also, he was the first, black president of

Has globalisation made the world more or less secure Discuss with Essay

Has globalisation made the world more or less secure Discuss with specific reference to the rise of non-State actors - Essay Example An indicative example is the cold war period, during which the term security was related to state and security as integrated units. In the after-cold war period, which was characterized by the gradual development of globalisation, the term security refers mostly to environmental and health problems; internal conflicts are also issues related to security in the era of globalisation. Current paper focuses on the issue whether globalisation has made the world more or less secure. Reference is also made to the non-state actors, which have been given increased powers regarding the internal issues of states. This phenomenon has been related to globalisation, which has increased its involvement in the activities of states and individuals worldwide. It is proved that the role of globalisation in security worldwide has been negative; however, the specific problem could be effectively resolved with the cooperation of states. In order for any such effort to be successful, it is required that me asures are developed in advance for controlling the expansion of non-state actors, as factors influencing the political and social framework of countries worldwide. 2. Globalisation and security in the international community. The role of non-State actors 2.1 Globalisation and security In the context of globalisation it has been made quite difficult for security worldwide to be appropriately promoted. The reason is that globalisation supports practices and ideas, which are often in opposition with the national culture and rules. In this context, the conflict between the ‘non-state actors and the intra state practices’ (Al-Rodhan 2006, p.162) is increased. The above fact has a negative influence on the efforts of international bodies to promote the world peace and health. Indeed, many of the plans developed by the UN for securing the health and safety of people in countries worldwide are led to a failure. The role of globalisation in the limitation of the security of sta tes is analysed in the study of Till et al. (2009). In accordance with the above researchers, globalisation has led states ‘to cede a number of their security functions to non-state factors’ (Till et al. 2009, p.47). The above target has been achieved through the following method: under the fear of globalisation certain states avoid their participation in critical commercial activities worldwide; however, in this way, their economic power is reduced, a fact that leads, also, to the worsening of their position, as members of the international community. Under these terms, states become weak towards military threats; in case of such threats they would need the support of non-state factors. In this way, the limitation of sovereignty, a fear that initially led the country to its economic exclusion, becomes a clear threat. The power of globalisation to promote instability is not limited to the external environment, referring to the relationship between a state and the other countries of the international community. It can also refer to the state’s internal environment, where the promotion of ‘economic disparities’ (Till et al. 2009, p.47) can lead to severe conflicts. Trying to explain the increased power of globalisation over national issues, including security, Fagan et al. (2009) referred to the weakness of the ‘old-fashioned instrumental politics’

Analytical Essay. Hispanics crossing the border and the physical and Essay

Analytical . Hispanics crossing the border and the physical and psychological barriers - Essay Example Hispanics search for an identity in the society (Vertovec, 2001). Children are the top sufferers. Children follow their native culture in their homes. They are at the same time trying to follow the culture of their new land. Being in this two worlds makes them unfit for both worlds. The forceful attempt of acculturation to mainstream the immigrants to a strange ideology is unpleasant for children as it demands a severe denigration from their original culture. Acculturation pushes the children into a strange world that seldom treats them well. Being brought up in a different environment, a sudden brutal thrust into a new set up makes them feel odd. Children being brought into a new education set up lacks the expertise for excelling in a new environment and their chances of succeeding in the ‘new world’ is far less compared to the native children. Immigrant children are not able to follow their native identities and maintain the unique and exceptional practices followed in their native cultures. Children suffer in the context of the new scenario and are often ill-treated and abused. They are detached from their culture and feel odd in the new world. Hispanic families are in trouble as they struggle for an identity in their new world. These helpless families seek acceptance in the new land where they reached. Parents try to feed their child with the notion of materialism. They desperately want to teach cultural American traditions to their child. Event though they make hard attempts to transform their children they are not still sure whether American society will accept them. Children loses their natural and cultural personality and at the same time fails to acquire the culture of the new land where they reached. America does not welcome Hispanic immigrants and other immigrants no matter they are legal immigrants or illegal immigrants (Takaki 1993). The unfavorable environment in their home country and the lack of support

Review a movie Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Review a movie - Essay Example Film Unforgiven (1992); shows the era when old Wild West was changing into modern west. Opening of the movie clearly shows the main theme behind the movie. Era of Wild West falling and rising of a new era; that is rising of modern west. This film hides brutal realities of Wild West that were present through all the area of Wild West. Robbery, violence and bounty hunting were normal attributes of the Wild West. Also sheriff which goes cruel or brutal in the movie shows non judicial murders done by sheriff department to keep law and order of the village or society they are responsible for. There is a great amount of violence present in the movie. Also hero of movie is person which is acting as a villain throughout the movie. Concepts of dignity, self respect, life and death are narrated continuously in the movie again and again by narrators (Milan). L.A confidential was a movie released in 1997. This movie devises ways to analyze movies. L.A confidential is based on the concept that movies itself are the major cause of the spreading violence and other crimes including sexual assault most of the females face in city of Los Angles. Generally concepts like freedom of doing everything any time is one of the major causes addressed my L.A confidential as their main subject. Justice system is the next subjected targeted by the makers. Movie introduces three cops with three different personalities and characters. Youngest one is the newly breed of the department and is loyal to law and its applications. Other one is a criminal having a police badge doing crimes under the supervision of his captain. According to the makers behind L.A confidential the concept of liberty that is greatly propagated by movies is totally wrong and opposite to idea itself. There should be controlled liberty for proper balance and progress of a society regardi ng justice system. If this balance disturbed there will be no

Art homework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Art homework - Essay Example There are curved lines that are used to draw the tentacles of the animal. Swirling lines have also been used in the piece of art. The lines do occur at the edge where the color and texture change. Subject matter: the second painting is an oil painting that portrays three people on horses. This is evident as the artist drew the three people from the back side and you can see the back side of the horse. Based on the dressing by the three people , they seem to be from Mexico. What the artist had in mind was drawing three people who were riding their horse in a large field most probably the large coca plantations ( Reza 38). This is evident with the vanishing point that is evident in this piece of art. The piece of art has bright colors. a) Color – the colors that the artist used in drawing this kind of art were red, yellow and green. These are colors that are on can see in the real world. The dominant colors in this picture were bright colors. b) Lines – there are different types of lines that the artist uses . There are curved lines that are used to draw the people on the horses and the mountain. Swirling lines have also been used in the piece of art. The lines do occur at the edge where the color and texture change. Subject matter : The third painting is an oil painting that portrays a family. There is a man, woman and a child at the center. The horizon that connects the man is a resemble of the connection between the two (Reza 37). The flower just besides the child means that when and woman are in love they can get married and give birth to a child. The objective that the artist had in his mind while drawing this picture was drawing a complete family and add some artistic feature like the clouds and the flowers. The picture has bright colors. a) Color – the colors that the artist used in drawing this kind of art were yellow and green and the rainbow colors. These are colors that are on can see in the real world. The dominant

Analytical Essay. Hispanics crossing the border and the physical and Essay

Analytical . Hispanics crossing the border and the physical and psychological barriers - Essay Example Hispanics search for an identity in the society (Vertovec, 2001). Children are the top sufferers. Children follow their native culture in their homes. They are at the same time trying to follow the culture of their new land. Being in this two worlds makes them unfit for both worlds. The forceful attempt of acculturation to mainstream the immigrants to a strange ideology is unpleasant for children as it demands a severe denigration from their original culture. Acculturation pushes the children into a strange world that seldom treats them well. Being brought up in a different environment, a sudden brutal thrust into a new set up makes them feel odd. Children being brought into a new education set up lacks the expertise for excelling in a new environment and their chances of succeeding in the ‘new world’ is far less compared to the native children. Immigrant children are not able to follow their native identities and maintain the unique and exceptional practices followed in their native cultures. Children suffer in the context of the new scenario and are often ill-treated and abused. They are detached from their culture and feel odd in the new world. Hispanic families are in trouble as they struggle for an identity in their new world. These helpless families seek acceptance in the new land where they reached. Parents try to feed their child with the notion of materialism. They desperately want to teach cultural American traditions to their child. Event though they make hard attempts to transform their children they are not still sure whether American society will accept them. Children loses their natural and cultural personality and at the same time fails to acquire the culture of the new land where they reached. America does not welcome Hispanic immigrants and other immigrants no matter they are legal immigrants or illegal immigrants (Takaki 1993). The unfavorable environment in their home country and the lack of support

Art homework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Art homework - Essay Example There are curved lines that are used to draw the tentacles of the animal. Swirling lines have also been used in the piece of art. The lines do occur at the edge where the color and texture change. Subject matter: the second painting is an oil painting that portrays three people on horses. This is evident as the artist drew the three people from the back side and you can see the back side of the horse. Based on the dressing by the three people , they seem to be from Mexico. What the artist had in mind was drawing three people who were riding their horse in a large field most probably the large coca plantations ( Reza 38). This is evident with the vanishing point that is evident in this piece of art. The piece of art has bright colors. a) Color – the colors that the artist used in drawing this kind of art were red, yellow and green. These are colors that are on can see in the real world. The dominant colors in this picture were bright colors. b) Lines – there are different types of lines that the artist uses . There are curved lines that are used to draw the people on the horses and the mountain. Swirling lines have also been used in the piece of art. The lines do occur at the edge where the color and texture change. Subject matter : The third painting is an oil painting that portrays a family. There is a man, woman and a child at the center. The horizon that connects the man is a resemble of the connection between the two (Reza 37). The flower just besides the child means that when and woman are in love they can get married and give birth to a child. The objective that the artist had in his mind while drawing this picture was drawing a complete family and add some artistic feature like the clouds and the flowers. The picture has bright colors. a) Color – the colors that the artist used in drawing this kind of art were yellow and green and the rainbow colors. These are colors that are on can see in the real world. The dominant

Effects of Peer Pressure on Decision Making Essay Example for Free

Effects of Peer Pressure on Decision Making Essay Our Peer-to-Peer interaction affects us every day. From decisions, we make, to the places we go. It is human nature to listen and learn from other people. Though we would like to think we have control over outside influences, studies show that our surroundings play a key role in how we function. Solomon Asch’s (1950) social experiment demonstrated, consumers often modify their responses, consciously or subconsciously, when surrounded by others with conflicting opinions. Peer Pressure is only rising in today’s society; it can’t be escaped! Our teenagers are the most influenced by peer pressure. Peers influence people because they want to fit in, be like peers they admire, do what others are doing, Its only natural for people to identify with and compare themselves to their peers as they consider how they wish to be (or think they should be), or what they want to achieve. see more:negative effects of peer pressure Peer Pressure is essential to social development. Its cant be escaped! In turn peer pressure can develop a good character, if its learned to be worked the right way. There are 3 main goals that individuals have in the long term: †¢Accuracy – in that individuals seek practical, consistent actions that are reproducible, through the information they already have and the actions that they do. Think of it as a need to achieve goals effectively and with the greatest perceived reward. †¢Affiliation – in that individuals seek gratification that their actions ingratiate them with other individuals. Think of it as a need to create social relationships with others in a meaningful, maintainable manner. †¢Maintenance of a Positive Self-Impression – in that people have a constant want to increase their own self-awareness so that they can feel better about themselves. Think of it as a need to behave in a manner that boosts their pre-existing self image – through action, statement, belief etc.

Relationship Between Australia and Southeast Asia

Relationship Between Australia and Southeast Asia Introduction The purpose of this paper is to analyse the relationship between Australia and Southeast Asia (SEA) in the three decades following the end of the Vietnam War. In order to do this, the paper compares and contrasts economic, political and security policies of Labour governments in 1980s and the early 1990s and Liberal government in the late 1990s and the 21st century. Australia and Southeast Asia in 1980s The pre-1980s period had witnessed Australia’s loyalty to its powerful friends and the Cold War doctrine of containment (Jones 2003). Australia engaged in forward defence to prevent the spread of communism in Southeast Asia. However, this trend had changed in the 1980s, mostly due to changing geopolitical environment and economic opportunity (Goldsworthy ?, Vaughn 2004). Australia adopted the Manichean notion of engagement with the region, rather than protection from it. This move â€Å"sought to define Australia as a mature nation with an identity ideologically tailored to what Whitlam, its chief architect, conceived to be the requirements of an independent, regionally-engaged Australia (Jones 2003:38)†. Australia’s regionalist approach was a response to the decline of the American and British interest in SEA, including military presence. Moreover, in a new world of emerging regional associations, Australia was looking for a region to call its own. Thus, the Australian governments of the 1980s, both Coalition and Labor, directed their diplomacy towards the goal of an interdependent, open and inclusive SEA compatible with Australian economic and strategic interests. It was the Labour Hawke’s government, and its two foreign ministers Hayden and Evans, that significantly expanded the scope of the engagement (Goldsworthy?). It has been argued that the most important force driving the engagement with SEA was economic opportunity (Goldsworthy?, Jones 2003). The rise of Asian economies, accompanied by a decline in Australian economy in the 1970s and 1980s, encouraged the perception of trade and investment. The Labour government undertook a programme of economic reforms designed to encourage a more competitive and export-oriented trading profile, attempting to achieve greater economic integration through the creation of regional multilateral institutions (Goldsworthy ?). This resulted in an increase of Australian exports to its ASEAN neighbours by 24% between 1977 and 1988 (Jones 2003). The Labor government led by Bob Hawke cultivated a distinctive regional and multilateral focus in security in 1983 (Jones 2003). The ASEAN Regional Forum had been established to foster dialogue on regional security issues and an agreement on maintaining security between Australia and Indonesia had been formed (Goldsworthy ?). By the end of 1980s, the importance of Australia’s engagement with SEA had become a central strand of thinking on Australia’s place in the world. Australia and Southeast Asia in 1990s The early 1990s, which saw the end of the Cold War, witnessed an accelerated transition in perceptions of SEA ‘from battlefield to marketplace’. The engagement with SEA had become â€Å"the organising principle for a range of policies, including diplomatic efforts to improve and deepen bilateral relations with SEA countries, attempts to create regional structures for co-operation on economic and strategic matters, and efforts to boost knowledge of Asia and skills for engagement among the Australian population (Goldsworthy?:8)†. Paul Keating pressed for Australia ‘to be a country which is deeply integrated into the region around us’ (Vaughn 2004). Foreign Minister Evans strengthened bilateral ties and created strong regional linkages. The government also managed to form the security agreement with Soharto. Australia’s approach to SEA has changed significantly in the late 1990s, with the arrival of John Howard (Goldsworthy?, Vaughn 2004). Vaughn (2004) lists six major reasons as to why the Labour government engagements failed. First, it was an attempt to fundamentally reshape the national identity that lacked widespread Australian public support. Second, it also lacked support from a broad cross section of political elites. Third, it required the acquiescence of Asia, which was not forthcoming. Fourth, the Asian financial crisis of 1998 taught Australia that it could live without over-reliance on Asia and that the economic rewards of engagement with Asia were not assured. Fifth, differences in values continued to be difficult to reconcile. Finally, the Keating/Evans policy of engagement was turning away from reliance on great and powerful friends. According to Jones (2003:41), â€Å"Howard has both reinvented and adapted a realist posture which stresses the national interest and the state as the key actor in international society†. Howard’s government returned to the more studied and skeptical approach to foreign relations of the Menzies era. Australia and Southeast Asia in the 21st Century According to Vaughn (2004), several developments under Prime Minister Howards leadership marked Australias shift away from Asian and SEA engagement toward closer relations with the US. Australias Foreign and Trade Policy White Paper identifies American alliance as the first of the key regional and bilateral relationships. According to Richardson (2005), the close ties to the Bush administration have helped to foster the perception, especially in Muslim majority Indonesia and Malaysia, that Australia is a proxy for the US in the region. Jones (2003) further adds that Howard has been described as a narrowly focused domestic politician, uninterested in and uncomfortable with Australia’s neighbours. According to Richardson (2005), ASEAN is not Australia’s gateway to Asia anymore. This is evident in recent growing trade and investment links with China and India. Howard’s government has not turned his back to SEA completely (Jones 2003). The government accepts that Asian political integrity remains crucial to Australia. Australia has been a major contributor to SEA fiscal stability, has played a central role in stabilising East Timor, and has effectively worked with regional government on terrorism issues. Despite the Howard governments desire to focus Australias external relations more firmly on the United States, the war against terror has required Australia to also focus on Southeast Asia. According to Vaughn (2004), the war against terror has offered Australia and Southeast Asia the opportunity to develop new constructive and mutually beneficial security linkages. Considering the presence of a number of terrorist groups and supporters, including Jemaah Islamiyah, KMM, Laskar Jihad, MILF, and Abu Sayyaf Group, Southeast Asia is a region from which threats to Australia originate. The government attaches a high priority to strengthening CT cooperation with SEA partners (DFAT 2004). Cooperation is being pursued bilaterally as well as through regional bodies. Australia has concluded counter-terror memoranda of understanding with Fiji, Malaysia, Philippines, Cambodia, Thailand, PNG, East Timor as well as Indonesia. Australia has supported ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), Council for security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific, the SEA regional centre for CT in Kuala Lumpur, the International law enforcement academy in Bangkok, the Asia-Pacific Group on Money-Laundering and the Philippine centre on transnational crime in Manila. The government has provided support through the Australian Federal Police, immigration authorities, transport authorities, emergency management authorities and financial intelligence units (DFAT 2004). The government has been attempting to address other regional vulnerabilities. Some SEA states have been characterized by slow growth rates, insufficient employment opportunities, economic hardship, and political and leadership weaknesses (Defence 2003). This has led to people smuggling, illegal fishing, money-laundering and corruption. According to Goldsworthy (?), SEA economies collapsed in 1997 and then failed to recover. Today, Southeast Asia is â€Å"heavily targeted by organised criminal groups, who can work to undermine (Australia’s) security by laundering money, violating borders, and importing illicit substances for profit (Keelty 2005:6-7)†. Ling (2001) claims that due to its pluralistic societies, many SEA countries have internal racial riots and ethnic conflicts, associated with the rise of modern nationhood. The 2006 Australian Aid White Paper is focusing, among other things, on accelerating growth, fostering functioning states, investing in people, promoting regional stability and cooperation (Downer 2006). Foreign Minister Downer stated that the government will increase assistance to the regional governments to strengthen governance, tackle corruption and better harness their own resources for development (Downer 2006). Australia is dealing with vulnerabilities through a number of bilateral bodies. â€Å"AusAID maintained its focus on poverty reduction in the region and adapted to playing a key role in more coherent, and significantly larger, whole-of-government responses to international challenges†¦including: Significantly rising the profile of support for basic education in Indonesia Encouraging cooperative responses to shared problems in our region such as regional transport and police training Responding to humanitarian emergencies Assisting reconstruction efforts Contributing to the international response to global challenges such as HIV/AIDS and food security (Davis 2004:3)†. While it has shifted focus towards the United States, Australia has continued trade initiatives in SEA (Vaughn 2004). According to the DFAT (2006), the total two-way trade with SEA increased 25 per cent in 2005-06. Between 2000-01 and 2005-06, total trade increased at an average rate of 8 per cent per annum. Australia signed a free trade agreement with Singapore, initiated negotiations towards an agreement with Thailand, and pursued investment opportunities in Vietnam (Vaughn 2004). There is now evidence of improved political relationship between Australia and some SEA countries (Richardson 2005). Dr Mahathir’s successor as Malaysian Prime Minister, Abdullah Badawi made it a priority to repair relations with Australia and the US. At the same time, Australia Indonesia relations have greatly improved as East Timor has faded as a bilateral issue. Governance in Australia, Malaysia and Singapore is based on parliamentary democracy inherited from British colonial rule. The Philippines has a US-style system of representative government. Thailand and Indonesia have moved from authoritarian government. However, many political, cultural and other differences remain. Democracy in Southeast Asia is often messy and there is authoritarian rule in Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Conclusion The 1980s saw Australia’s engagement with SEA becoming a central focus of Australia’s foreign affairs, focusing on engagement with the region, rather than protection from it. The economic reforms, encouraged by the Labour governments, resulted in an increase of Australian exports to its ASEAN neighbours. The 1990s witnessed two different approaches to SEA. The Labour government of the early 1990s had focused on an accelerated transition in perceptions of SEA ‘from battlefield to marketplace’, determined to see Australia deeply integrated into the region. This changed significantly in the late 1990s, with the arrival of John Howard, who reinvented and adapted a realist posture, shifting away from Asian and SEA engagement toward closer relations with the US. Although the Howard’s government has continued to pursue close relationship with the US in the 21st century, it has not turned its back to SEA completely. The war against terror has offered Australia and Southeast Asia the opportunity to develop new linkages. The government has been attempting to address other regional vulnerabilities and has continued trade initiatives in SEA. Furthermore, there has been evidence of improved political relationship between Australia and some SEA countries, including Malaysia and Indonesia. Bibliography Davis, B. â€Å"AusAID Annual Report 2003-2004†. Defence (2003). â€Å"A Defence Update 2003†. Department of Defence DFAT (2006). â€Å"Composition of Trade: Australia 2005-2006†. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. DFAT (2004). â€Å"Transnational Terrorism: The Threat to Australia†. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. DFAT (2003). â€Å"Advancing the National Interests -Australia’s Foreign and Trade Policy White Paper†. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Downer, A. (2006). â€Å"Launch of the Aid Paper†, Speech to the National Press Club, 26 April 2006. Goldsworthy, D. (?). â€Å"Facing North: Introduction†. www.mup.unimelb.edu.au/pdf/0-522-85024-3.pdf Jones, D.M. (2003). â€Å"Regional Illusion and its Aftermath†. Policy, Vol.19, No.3. Keelty, M. (May 2005). â€Å"Enhancing Security through Law Enforcement†. Security in Government 2005 Conference, Canberra. Ling, O.G. â€Å"Governance in Plural Societies and Security: Management of Inter-Ethnic Relations in Southeast Asia† in Andrew T.H. Tan and J.D. Kenneth Boutin (eds) Non-Traditional Security Issues in Southeast Asia, Singapore: Select Publishing, 2001, pp.288-317. Paul, E. (1999). â€Å"Australia and Southeast Asia: Regionalisation, democracy and conflict†. Journal of Contemporary Asia, Vol.29, Iss.3, pp.285-309. Richardson, M. (2005). â€Å"Australia-Southeast Asia Relations and the East Asian Summit†. Australian Journal of International Affairs. Vol.59, No.3, pp.351-365. Vaughn, B.R. (2004). â€Å"Australia’s Strategic Identity Post-September 11 in Context: Implications for the War Against Terror in Southeast Asia†. Contemporary Southeast Asia, Vol.26, Iss.1, pp.94-116.