Gap, Inc. Financial Analysis Essay - 2903 Words

The GAP, Inc. The Fiscal year Ended January 28, 2012 A. INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW 1. Financial Statements Included in the Annual Report 2.1. Consolidated Statements of Cash Flow 2. Major Competitors of the GAP, Inc. American Eagle Outfitters, Inc., J. Crew Group, Inc., and the TJX Companies, Inc. can be shown as the major competitors for the GAP, Inc. Based on the data given in annual reports of the companies, gross margin % for GAP, Inc. is 36%, while American Eagle Outfitters has 36%, J. Grew Group, Inc. has 40%, and TJX has 32% gross margin. Stock price on November 2, 2012 is $35.11 for the GAP, Inc., while it is $21.05 for American Eagle Outfitters, Inc., $43.55 for J. Crew Group, Inc., and $41.52 for the TJX†¦show more content†¦7. The price per share of the common stock The price per share of the common stock as of the most recent fiscal year-end date, which is January 28, 2012, is $18.69. On the other hand, the price per share on November 3, 2012, which is the day we can see the close price before the report date, is $35.11. 8. Generated Cash The company generated $1.363 billion net cash by operating activities during fiscal year 2011. The amount of generated cash generated during fiscal year 2011 decreased $381 million comparing the amount generated during fiscal year 2010. Also, net cash provided by operating activities during fiscal year 2010 decreased $184 million compared with fiscal year 2009. The cash outflows for investing activities of the company are primarily for capital expenditures and purchases of investments, whereas cash inflows are primarily provided from maturities of short-term investments. 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Compare And Contrast A Lesson Before Dying And Into The Wild

Compare and Contrast Summer Essay â€Å"A Lesson Before Dying† and â€Å"Into The Wild† are both books that defy the expected, tackle tough obstacles, and face the physical and mental extremes of life. Beginning with â€Å"Into The Wild†, Jon Krakauer leads us on a rich and insightful tour through the brash and lucid life of Chris McCandless. Followed by a well thought out, fiction novel featuring a sticky situation in a small Cajun community, â€Å"A Lesson Before Dying†, by Ernest J. Gaines. This split, self chosen, mini series takes us through a roller coaster of comparisons and contrasts, leading with the first noticeable major difference. First and foremost, the fiction and nonfiction aspect comes into play when talking about these two specific books.†¦show more content†¦In the dictionary, struggle is defined as the strive to achieve or attain something in the face of difficulty or resistance. These two books contradict each other but nevert heless there are some similarities. One similarity that continued to stick out to me as I read through the two books is the common idea of struggle portrayed by both main characters. Whether it’s fiction or nonfiction, these two books showcase struggle in distinct ways. One book is about a boy with a passion for challenging himself in crazy ways, one of which, after months of struggle for his own life under extremely difficult circumstances, eventually costs him his own life. Krakauer stated that â€Å"McCandless simply had the misfortune to eat moldy seeds. An innocent mistake, it was nevertheless sufficient to end his life† (Krakauer 194). Krakauer continued on to say how McCandless wrote these words in one of his last writings ever found, â€Å"EXTREMELY WEAK, FAULT OF POT. SEED. MUCH TROUBLE JUST TO STAND UP. STARVING. GREAT JEOPARDY.† (Krakauer 189). McCandless long journey of hardship and struggle ended with a grand finale of starvation in a broken down bu s, with noone but himself to help. 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Gibbons Essay Example For Students

Gibbons Essay I. IntroductionApes have 13 species of large, highly intelligent primates, including Chimpanzees, Gorillas, Gibbons, and Orangutans. Apes are sometimes confused with Monkeys, but unlike their smaller primate counterparts, apes do not have tails and their arms are usually longer than their legs. Apes live in tropical woodlands and forests of Africa and Asia. Despite sharing similar habitats, different ape species show striking differences in behaviors and ways of life. At one time, apes were classified as a single group of primates, but today most zoologists divide them into two distinct families: the lesser apes, or gibbons, and the great apes. Gibbons are similar to monkeys, with lithe, slender bodies and extremely agile movements. Gibbons spend all of their lives in trees, using their hands like hooks to swing arm-over-arm between branches. Known as brachiation, this method of locomotion is so fast that gibbons can easily overtake a person running on the forest floor. The great apes include the gorilla, the orangutan, and two species of chimpanzee: the common chimp and the bonobo (sometimes called the pygmy chimpanzee). Great apes are bigger than gibbons and also much less acrobatic. However, they are still good climbers. While orangutans spend most of their life in trees, where they use their long arms and dexterous hands and feet to grasp branches and vines, chimpanzees frequently come to the ground to feed. Gorillas are primarily terrestrial, but even fully grown adult males have been observed clambering among tree branches more than 15 m (49 ft) high. Chimpanzees and gorillas—the apes that spend the most time on the ground—normally walk on all fours, clenching their hands so that their knuckles take their weight. From physical and fossil evidence, biologists know that apes and humans share a common ancestry. In recent years, biochemical analysis has shown just how close this link is—chimpanzees and humans differ significantly in only 2 percent of their genes. This evidence suggests that they diverged from a common ancestor around five to seven million years ago. II. Range and HabitatThe gorilla, the common chimpanzee, and the bonobo live in dense tropical forests on the African continent. Chimpanzees also inhabit wooded savanna, where there are more opportunities for foraging out in the open. Most gorillas live in the hot, lowland forests of west and central Africa, but a subspecies called the mountain gorilla lives in a very different habitat. Its range extends as high as 3400 m (11,200 ft) on the cool, mist-covered slopes of the Virunga Mountains. The gibbons and orangutans inhabit Southeast Asia. Gibbons live in rain forests and seasonal forests of India, Indochina, and the Malay Archipelago. The orangutan is purely a rain forest animal. Today its range is restricted to two large islands—Sumatra and Borneo—but fossils show that it once had a far greater range, reaching as far north as China. III. Physical CharacteristicsWith their long limbs and opposable thumbs, apes are well adapted to a tree-climbing life. The smallest gibbons stand just 44 cm (17 in) tall and weigh just 4.5 kg (10 lb)—light enough to swing from the highest, smallest branches. Great apes are considerably larger, particularly male gorillas, which can be as tall as 1.8 m (about 6 ft) and weigh up to a quarter ton, making them by far the largest apes alive today. Male and female gibbons are usually similar in size, but in great apes, the sexes can differ greatly. Male orangutans, for example, often weigh more than twice as much as females. Most apes are covered with thick fur. Gibbons have long fur of one color on the body and short fur of a contrasting color surrounding the face. A diverse range of colors distinguishes the different species and subspecies of gibbons, and there is frequently a difference in coloring between the sexes. The coloring of the great apes is drab by comparison. Orangutan s have reddish brown fur, while the fur of chimpanzees and gorillas is black. Mature male gorillas are called silverbacks because the fur on their backs turns silvery gray. .ua37fc54808417add8afe17932283b2ae , .ua37fc54808417add8afe17932283b2ae .postImageUrl , .ua37fc54808417add8afe17932283b2ae .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ua37fc54808417add8afe17932283b2ae , .ua37fc54808417add8afe17932283b2ae:hover , .ua37fc54808417add8afe17932283b2ae:visited , .ua37fc54808417add8afe17932283b2ae:active { border:0!important; } .ua37fc54808417add8afe17932283b2ae .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ua37fc54808417add8afe17932283b2ae { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ua37fc54808417add8afe17932283b2ae:active , .ua37fc54808417add8afe17932283b2ae:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ua37fc54808417add8afe17932283b2ae .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ua37fc54808417add8afe17932283b2ae .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ua37fc54808417add8afe17932283b2ae .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ua37fc54808417add8afe17932283b2ae .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ua37fc54808417add8afe17932283b2ae:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ua37fc54808417add8afe17932283b2ae .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ua37fc54808417add8afe17932283b2ae .ua37fc54808417add8afe17932283b2ae-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ua37fc54808417add8afe17932283b2ae:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Peter EssayApe skulls and skeletons share the same underlying structure as those of humans, allowing for large brains and forward-pointing eyes. Like humans, apes also have bare skin on their faces, which enables them to communicate by making different facial expressions. Great apes are exceptionally long-lived. Wild gorillas may survive to age 35, and wild chimps live about 50 years. Great apes in captivity have been known to survive into their late fifties. The life span of gibbons is considerably shorter, probably lasting about 25 years. IV. BehaviorGreat apes have well-developed brains and are among the most intelligent of all animals. In the wild, chimpanzees and oran gutans are known to make simple tools, such as sharpened sticks used to extract insects from holes in tree trunks. Toolmaking involves a preconceived image of what the tool will look like, a visualization ability that is only possible with an advanced brain. Orangutans have even been observed untying knots, working out for themselves the steps necessary to achieve this complex task. Some scientists believe that apes have the capability to learn and use language, and considerable success has been achieved in training chimps and gorillas to communicate with humans using symbols or sign languageWith the exception of orangutans, which spend most of their lives alone, apes live in social groups. These groups range from 3 or 4 animals in the case of some gibbons, an average of about 10 in gorillas, and often more than 50 in chimpanzees. In general, the larger the group size, the looser the social structure is. Gorilla groups are generally close-knit, and may be led by the same dominant ma le for many years. By contrast, chimpanzee social life is marked by constantly shifting alliances and sometimes by violent confrontations between neighboring groups. Gibbons are also strongly territorial, but they are not as aggressive. They lay claim to patches of forest with extraordinarily loud hooting calls that can be heard up to 3 km (2 mi) away. Some of these behavioral differences are related to the way apes feed. Chimpanzees eat a wide variety of foods, including fruit, leaves, honey, and insects, and they sometimes hunt and eat other mammals. During the course of a days foraging, they may travel nearly 18 km (11 mi). By banding together they improve their chances of finding food and also of spotting danger. Gorillas, on the other hand, are vegetarians, eating leaves, plant stems, and roots. This kind of food is comparatively easy to find, and although gorillas also move about, they rarely travel more than 2 km (1 mi) a day. Their great size also means that they are less vulnerable to attack. Consequently, gorillas would gain few advantages from living in larger groups. Most apes breed throughout the year. Male and female orangutans come together only for a brief courtship and return to their solitary lifestyle immediately after mating. Other apes follow very different patterns: gibbons, for example, pair up for life. In these social species, long-term bonds develop between the adults, as well as between the adults and their young. Female apes usually give birth to just a single young after a gestation period ranging from seven to nine months. Succeeding births normally occur only after the previous infant has been weaned. This process—like all aspects of ape development—takes a remarkable length of time. A gibbon is weaned by the age of about 2 years, while chimps take more than 4 years. Like young monkeys, young apes are carried by their mothers. They either cling to the mothers belly or, in the case of older chimps, ride on her back. In great apes, infant care is largely the job of the females, while in some gibbons the mother hands over responsibility to the father when the infant gibbons first year is complete. .uea1b6a6f7ed3a04cf8bddce38d932085 , .uea1b6a6f7ed3a04cf8bddce38d932085 .postImageUrl , .uea1b6a6f7ed3a04cf8bddce38d932085 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uea1b6a6f7ed3a04cf8bddce38d932085 , .uea1b6a6f7ed3a04cf8bddce38d932085:hover , .uea1b6a6f7ed3a04cf8bddce38d932085:visited , .uea1b6a6f7ed3a04cf8bddce38d932085:active { border:0!important; } .uea1b6a6f7ed3a04cf8bddce38d932085 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uea1b6a6f7ed3a04cf8bddce38d932085 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uea1b6a6f7ed3a04cf8bddce38d932085:active , .uea1b6a6f7ed3a04cf8bddce38d932085:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uea1b6a6f7ed3a04cf8bddce38d932085 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uea1b6a6f7ed3a04cf8bddce38d932085 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uea1b6a6f7ed3a04cf8bddce38d932085 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uea1b6a6f7ed3a04cf8bddce38d932085 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uea1b6a6f7ed3a04cf8bddce38d932085:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uea1b6a6f7ed3a04cf8bddce38d932085 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uea1b6a6f7ed3a04cf8bddce38d932085 .uea1b6a6f7ed3a04cf8bddce38d932085-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uea1b6a6f7ed3a04cf8bddce38d932085:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Of mice and men Essay ThesisV. Endangered ApesLike nearly all rain forest animals, ape populations have been harmed by deforestation. Some also face additional threats. Most vulnerable of all is the mountain gorilla, which has recently been extensively hunted by starving people ravaged by war. Today just a few hundred of these animals are left, and their future looks uncertain. In Asia, five of the nine species of gibbons are listed as endangered, as is the orangutan. Despite a ban on their export, young orangutans are sometimes captured and sold as pets after their mothers have been killed. The massive forest fires on Sumatra and Borneo in 1997 and 1998 killed thousands of orangutans and destroyed the habitat of thousands more, further endangering the survival of the species. Scientific Classification: The gibbons make up the family Hylobatidae and the great apes make up the family Hominidae. The gorilla is classified as Gorilla gorilla, the common chimpanzee as Pan troglodytes, the bonobo as Pan paniscus, and the orangutan as Pongo pygmaeus.

Nozick and Rawls free essay sample

Which is the most appealing Nozick’s entitlement theory or Rawls theory of distributive justice? The defence of liberal ideologies emerged not long after the Second World War, prior to this there had been little faith in liberal values during the 1920’s and 1930’s, however after the war there appeared to be a renewed defence for liberal thinking ranging across a variety of ideological theories. To the present day these liberal perspectives continue to influence political thinking with regards to rights, equality and freedom.This rapid revival of liberal ideologies highlights the diverse and contradictory parts associated with liberal ideas and so we are left with two very influential theorists in liberal political philosophy yet with very conflicting theories. These theorists are famously known as Robert Nozick and John Rawls. There are a number of diverse views on economic or distributive justice, some claim that goods should be distributed equally or shared bas ed on a principle of need that is to say who needs these goods more. We will write a custom essay sample on Nozick and Rawls or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Other views claim goods should be distributed according to labour, merit, and effort which determine who is entitled to them. John Rawls argues that the economy should be designed in such a way that those ‘worse off’ in society should benefit as much as possible, so inequalities would exist but everyone in society benefits from this. Rawl’s therefore approves of more state involvement as this would mean distributing resources by means such as taxation to those in society who justly deserve to receive them.Nozick argues however, that Rawl’s description is not neutral by this he means to discuss distributive justice presumes that resources are readily available in society ready to be justly distributed by the state however realistically in society there are individuals and associations of these individuals in the natural world and what these individuals produce, therefore one should not treat the production of goods and how they are distributed as separate ma tters they should be addressed together.This essay will assess both theories of Robert Nozick and John Rawl’s and discuss which is the most appealing and why. The work of John Rawls has received a huge amount of recognition and respect through his writings in ‘Theory of Justice’ (1971). 1 Rawls was a moral and political philosopher who analysed and explained human judgements of injustice and justice. His work offers a guiding principle and a different perspective into human behaviour in society.He examines the nature of individuals and their associations with justice while comparing it to other individuals leading to the overall moral nature of individuals. For Rawls, society is one that is shaped by both peace and conflict of interests, peace because social cooperation offers the opportunity for individuals to live a better life than they would have if they had to live alone. Society is shaped by conflict of interests because every individual has a preference for a larger share from the fruits of cooperation than a smaller one they are more likely to achieve alone.The concern with distributive justice is implemented to compensate the misfortunate in society. Some people are lucky enough to have more than others and it is the responsibility of everyone in society to distribute the goods that arise from the metaphorical lottery that is life as we know it. Rawl’s theory of distributive justice introduces the ‘original position’ associated with Reflective Equilibrium where individuals reflect and revise their beliefs to enquiries whether moral or non moral and to assess what is just. So Rawl’s ‘original position’ is simply a hypothetical thought experiment that encourages one to imagine a scenario where we is unaware of what our position is in society or what our idea of the ‘good’ is before making a decision. Although it could be said that every person in society makes decision based on their positions, Rawl’s idea encourages one to agree to principles without being biased in our views to religion, economic difference and so on.Rawl’s therefore claims that principles of justice are chosen under a ‘veil of ignorance’ where individuals would make a decision while not knowing their place in society, for instance in class, and social status. In addition individuals also do this without knowing their natural assets such as strength, intelligence, and abilities. This ensures that nobody has either an advantage or disadvantage in the choices they make by the outcome of certain social circumstances or through natural chance.The good involved in distributive justice concerns only those that can assume everybody in society will want these rights, liberty, income, wealth, and power. 8 So Rawls claims that we can only agree to an equal distribution when there exists a level of inequality that will advantage everyone. Rawl’s proposes two principles of justice, 1) the ‘equal liberty principle’ that guarantees that every person has an equal entitlement to a fully adequate set of basic rights and liberties with a similar scheme of liberties for all.This is needed to allow the fundamental interests of free and equal citizens to protect their opportunity to exercise their own wills on how to live their lives. 2) social and economic inequalities are be created so that they satisfy two conditions, a) they must appeal to the greatest benefit to least advantaged in society and b) they must be attached to offices and positions open to everybody under conditions of fair equality of opportunity. 7 Under the proposed system the first principle takes priority over the second.According to Rawl’s these principles therefore result in what he describes as justice as fairness. The ‘equal liberty’ principle’ takes priority over the ‘difference principle’ as it would not be just to place limits on liberty for the sake of greater economic good or advantage to society. 9 In other words Rawl’s views individuals as an end in themselves not a means to an end. The work of Robert Nozick is more famously known through his writing of Anarchy, State and Utopia (1974) where he argued for libertarianism, for a free market economy, absolute property rights and a minimal state.The premise that Nozick begins with his theory arise is through the idea that every person has rights and no groups or person can change that without violating their own rights. However he also makes it clear that anarchism is not the end result. Instead of focussing on how to redistribute wealth and resources within societies like Rawl’s does, Nozick focuses on how people come to acquire property, in other words acquire wealth and resources. His main ideas are shaped around a minimal state and private property rights.He defends the idea of a minimal state and suggests it should only exist to enforce justice and natural rights through the means of courts and police authorities. It is these functions and these functions only that should determine state power and anyth ing else would exceed its power. 2 In addition to this he asserted that with rights to life and to liberty people can come to gain rights of property. This leads to one asking on what grounds does anyone have right to a property and how is this morally justified, should it be distributed to those who deserve it, to those who need it the most?Nozick provides an alternative he believes this to be entitlement, for example if you take a person who inherits a large sum of money who already has lots then some might argue that this person does not necessarily deserve this money and more so does not need it. Nonetheless we would be inclined to say that this person is entitled to this money even if they already have a lot and may not deserve it, it is still rightfully theirs. It is this point regarding entitlement that Nozick bases his argument for property rights. He believes it is how a person comes to obtain holdings that determine whether or not they are entitled to them.In modern times it is common for modern states t o implement policies that promote justice by the distribution of wealth and income from its citizens. When compromising this to a minimal state it would be unable to take these policies and implement and so Nozick is faced with a dilemma, it raises the question over the possibility of creating a minimal state that ignores distributive justice, or accept distributive justice and thus give up the notion that minimal states is accountable and so Nozick provides a third alternative to establish an account of distributive justice to which justice can be given under minimal state involvement. This is known as the entitlement theory. 15 Nozick’s entitlement theory has three important principles that determine how people acquire property, a principle of justice in acquisition, to assess how one comes to hold goods initially. A principle of justice in transfer to show how holdings can be transferred from one person to another. A principle of justice in rectification explains how to sort out holdings that are unjustly acquired or held. The third principle would not be needed if the world was entirely just but it is not, people steal and defraud, so it exists to rectify any violations to the first two principles.Therefore a distribution is just if the person who holds the goods is entitled to them by the principles of justice in acquisition and transfer, or by the rectification of injustice principle as specified by the first and second principles To explain this further for you could hypothesize where an individual has a distribution (D1) and if they opt to move to an alternative distribution, distribution (D2) then by observing justice in transfer then D2 will also be just. In addition he claims that even if D2 is patterned in respect to equality factors such as power, need and Rawl’s difference principle this is irrelevant. 5 Nozick explains this in more depth through is popular Wilt Chamberlain example. Wilt Chamberlain was a famous American basketball player who was very popular and in demand, Nozick asks us to imagine if Chamberlain was asked to sign a contract enabling him 25 cents from each ticket sold from his games. In one season one million people attend and so this makes him $250,000. This amount is substantially more than other players on the team earn and more than the average income.However Nozick stresses this transaction would be just because those who paid for the tickets gave their money voluntarily.. Nozick stresses the entitlement theory is about respecting individual’s natural rights, specifically to property and self ownership. That people are entitled to chose what they want done with what they own because they are autonomous and each person is a separate being and that has to be respected. He argues that by taking property away from individuals in order to redistribute it for a ‘greater good’ violates their rights.For instance through taxation of Wilt Chamberlain’s income and redistributing the money to his fans who are the ‘worse off’ then violates his rights to the money. According to Nozick what people receive is usually a consequence of what they have produced and what they produce is usually a consequence of what they expect to receive. Nozick ideas is heavily inspired by John Locke’s theory of acquisition, who views property rights in terms of an unknown object being created through the mixing of someone’s labour with it.This view is easily held with Nozick’s second ‘transfer’ principle however there are some problems when addressin g the first principle of acquisition, how one acquires the holdings. For instance how does ones labour determine what property they are entitled to? 2 Nozick’s theory is therefore extremely controversial, if some of his ideas where put in practice his theory could then be responsible for justifying large inequalities in the distribution of property within society. People might own property and have wealth they do not necessarily deserve while also ignoring those who in society who are ‘worse off’.The entitlement theory is historical, in other words in order to determine whether distribution is just it is measured by how it came about in the past. 14 This theory contrasts with Rawl’s theory that applies a current time-splice principle that proposes that justice of distribution is determined by who has what. An example of this would be that a utilitarian person who judges two different distributions and assesses which has the greater amount of utility, if the amounts are the same then there would be rules in place to select the more equal distribution.This therefore determines who ends up with what when comparing two sets of distribution. The historical approach Nozick offers however considers how one came to acquire holdings, how previous actions and circumstances of individuals can determine different outcomes. Rawlâ€⠄¢s ideas contrast further with Nozick’s views on property rights, under Rawl’s distributive theory as the entitlement theory allows natural talents and chance to determine outcomes which produces unjust inequalities in the ownership of property. In addition Rawl’s claimed that people do not have rights before deciding on the ‘principle of justice’ so you could say Wilt Chamberlain should then not have the right to the money his natural talents bring him, only the right to a share according to the principles that define distributive justice. Nozick on the other hand would argue that each person’s talents and strengths belong to them and so people should have the right to keep whatever it is these abilities do for them. To redistribute what one earns or gains would undermine that person’s liberty.In further comparison to both theories Rawls is appealing because when hypothetically thinking about the two separate individuals, one born into a ‘rich’ life and the other a ‘poor’ life, the person born into a rich life is likely to be blessed with educated and capable parents and the person born into a ‘poor’ life is likely to be cursed with non educated an d incapable parents. So from the very beginning people are born with unequal life expectations due to the initial circumstances they can be faced with.Rawl’s theory therefore addresses these inequalities and given time through distributive justice the least well off individual should benefit as much as possible. According to Rawl’s distributive justice theory people don’t deserve natural assets; through his principle ‘s he rejects the idea of rights before the principle of justice as this principle is responsible for assigning rights, therefore people are only entitled to make claim on rights once the principle of justice is acquires. Some might argue that justice is given when individuals receive what they may have a right to, in other words people have a right to what they deserve.It is this idea the Nozick examines through is theory on entitlement which contrasts significantly to Rawl’s theory. 14 Nozick argues that people should be entitled to and deserve natural assets, for instance if person a person deserves A then anything produced from A means they deserve B. Therefore an individual’s holding comes from ones natural assets and people should be entitled to their holdings. When overlooking any presumptions with regards to equality if someone deserves to have a holding then they should be entitled to it. 4 Rawls on the other hand would argue that individuals do not deserve their natural assets Rawls view appears to be that one where everyone would have some entitlement to natural assets and where no one would have their own claim and so he describes it as ‘collective assets’ whe re everyone receives a share of the benefit. Nozick clearly indicates that people should be allowed to keep their own property and holdings where as Rawl’s stresses that any assets should be a distributed collectively and that everyone is equally entitled. In conclusion both theories are strikingly different to each over in style as well as substance. Nozick’s entitlement theory has great initial credibility and offers an appealing argument for the acquisition of justly held goods, through his principles of acquisition, transfer and rectification he offers a plausible method for why people should be entitled to outcomes from their natural assets such as ability, talent and knowledge. In his popular Wilt Chamberlain example he expands on this theory further, to which Will Chamberlain should be entitled to his earnings and not taxed to benefit the ‘worse off’.In another example highlighting those who inherit large sums of money or property, it is unlikely that anyone would question this entitlement even if that person does not deserve it or needs and indeed if there were other people in society who would benefit from it more. Unfortunately Nozick’s principles fail to acknowledge the huge property and wealth ine qualities that could arise if his theory was applied to society. Not every person inherits large sums of money or is born into a rich capable family and for that reason it fails to acknowledge some areas of injustice.

Free Essays on Picaso

I INTRODUCTION Picasso, Pablo Ruiz y (1881-1973), Spanish painter and sculptor, generally considered the greatest artist of the 20th century. He was unique as an inventor of forms, as an innovator of styles and techniques, as a master of various media, and as one of the most prolific artists in history. He created more than 20,000 works. II TRAINING AND EARLY WORK Born in Mlaga on October 25, 1881, Picasso was the son of Josà © Ruiz Blasco, an art teacher, and Marà ­a Picasso y Lopez. Until 1898 he always used his father's name, Ruiz, and his mother's maiden name, Picasso, to sign his pictures. After about 1901 he dropped "Ruiz" and used his mother's maiden name to sign his pictures. Picasso's genius manifested itself early: at the age of 10 he made his first paintings, and at 15 he performed brilliantly on the entrance examinations to Barcelona's School of Fine Arts. His large academic canvas Science and Charity (1897, Picasso Museum, Barcelona), depicting a doctor, a nun, and a child at a sick woman's bedside, won a gold medal. III BLUE PERIOD Between 1900 and 1902, Picasso made three trips to Paris, finally settling there in 1904. He found the city's bohemian street life fascinating, and his pictures of people in dance halls and cafà ©s show how he assimilated the postimpressionism of the French painter Paul Gauguin and the symbolist painters called the Nabis. The themes of the French painters Edgar Degas and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, as well as the style of the latter, exerted the strongest influence. Picasso's Blue Room (1901, Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.) reflects the work of both these painters and, at the same time, shows his evolution toward the Blue Period, so called because various shades of blue dominated his work for the next few years. Expressing human misery, the paintings portray blind figures, beggars, alcoholics, and prostitutes, their somewhat elongated bodies reminiscent of... Free Essays on Picaso Free Essays on Picaso I INTRODUCTION Picasso, Pablo Ruiz y (1881-1973), Spanish painter and sculptor, generally considered the greatest artist of the 20th century. He was unique as an inventor of forms, as an innovator of styles and techniques, as a master of various media, and as one of the most prolific artists in history. He created more than 20,000 works. II TRAINING AND EARLY WORK Born in Mlaga on October 25, 1881, Picasso was the son of Josà © Ruiz Blasco, an art teacher, and Marà ­a Picasso y Lopez. Until 1898 he always used his father's name, Ruiz, and his mother's maiden name, Picasso, to sign his pictures. After about 1901 he dropped "Ruiz" and used his mother's maiden name to sign his pictures. Picasso's genius manifested itself early: at the age of 10 he made his first paintings, and at 15 he performed brilliantly on the entrance examinations to Barcelona's School of Fine Arts. His large academic canvas Science and Charity (1897, Picasso Museum, Barcelona), depicting a doctor, a nun, and a child at a sick woman's bedside, won a gold medal. III BLUE PERIOD Between 1900 and 1902, Picasso made three trips to Paris, finally settling there in 1904. He found the city's bohemian street life fascinating, and his pictures of people in dance halls and cafà ©s show how he assimilated the postimpressionism of the French painter Paul Gauguin and the symbolist painters called the Nabis. The themes of the French painters Edgar Degas and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, as well as the style of the latter, exerted the strongest influence. Picasso's Blue Room (1901, Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.) reflects the work of both these painters and, at the same time, shows his evolution toward the Blue Period, so called because various shades of blue dominated his work for the next few years. Expressing human misery, the paintings portray blind figures, beggars, alcoholics, and prostitutes, their somewhat elongated bodies reminiscent of...

How to Conjugate the French Verb Appeler (to Call)

How to Conjugate the French Verb Appeler (to Call) In French, you will use the verb  appeler  when you want to say to call. Yet, in order for the verb to make sense in a sentence, it needs to be conjugated. That is the subject of this lesson and by the end, youll be conjugating  appeler  with ease. Conjugating the French Verb  Appeler Appeler  is a  stem-changing verb.  If you notice, in the  nous  and  vous  present tense as well as the imperfect, the ll changes back  to the single l found in the original verb. Other than that minor difference, the conjugation of  appeler  is  similar to regular -er  verbs. In reality, this is one of the easier French verbs to conjugate and the chart will help you tremendously. It shows the verb form for the present, future, and imperfect past as well as the present participle. Simply match up the  subject pronoun with the form of  appeler  and youre on your way to forming a complete sentence in French. For instance, to say I call, you will say jappelle and for we will call, say nous appelerons. Appelers Present Participle The  present participle  of  appeler  is  appelant. Beyond its use as a verb for calling, you might also use it as an adjective, gerund, or noun in certain circumstances. Another Past Tense for  Appeler You can also use the  passà © composà ©Ã‚  for the past tense conjugation of  appeler. You will need to use the verbs  past participle  of appelà ©Ã‚  along with the  auxiliary verb, which is  avoir  in this case. For example, to say I called, you will use jai  appelà ©. For he called, you say il a  appelà © in French. The  ai and a are conjugations of  avoir. More Conjugations of  Appeler You may not always need these forms of  appeler, but they are good to know. The  passà © simple and imperfect subjunctive are used in formal writing, so unless you do that, theyre not very important. Yet, you should be aware of the subjunctive and conditional forms of  appeler, particularly as you learn more conversational French. The ​subjunctive will be used when the verb is uncertain or subjective. The ​conditional will be used when the verb is dependent upon circumstances. Finally, we must discuss the imperative form of  appeler. This is used for short, expressive sentences that have a request or demand. Its very useful for a verb like  appeler. The primary difference here is that you do not need to use the subject pronoun because the verb takes care of it. For example, if you want someone to Call me! you will say Appelle-moi! rather than Tu appelle-moi! Another Way to Call As you might imagine,  appeler  is just one piece in the French vocabulary for phone conversations. It can be used in other contexts such as call out or call on someone and neither has to do with a phone. For very specific phone calling, look to the verb  tà ©là ©phoner.

Improving the supply chain management at Actavis through Essay

Improving the supply chain management at Actavis through implementation of an integrated ERP System - Essay Example Furthermore, we provide guidance in the selection, implementation, and maintenance of an ERP solution, including the inventory control and business process redesign efforts necessary to ensure acceptance of the new system and to maximize its use. We intend this to be a visionary document, detailing the true cost of ownership and providing a base of knowledge for Actavis group to successfully complete its ERP implementation. The PS-ERP was developed by first understanding Actavis's existing culture, infrastructure, relevant skill sets, and organizational commitment. This was done by interviewing Actavis Management and Employees in the Payroll, Human Resources (HR), and Finance areas that will be impacted. We then analyzed the environment, leveraging our broad ERP implementation experience in the public sector involving both non-generic industry and other Pharmaceutical companies. We validated our understanding and findings with external research, including discussions with respected IT research sources and similar governmental organizations that recently implemented ERP systems. We then developed numerous recommendations to better prepare Actavis for its planned implementation, as well as tools to continue to evaluate the proper preparation and implementation steps. The possible benefits of the ERP implementation is examined in terms of improvement in cost justifications with low inventory pullout. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . .

Law in Practice Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Law in Practice - Case Study Example As you have been convicted of an offence under this section, your driving license will be endorsed with minimum 3 points as per code CD 30. Once the points reach 12, you will be banned from driving for a specified period of time.1 However disqualification is discretionary. The trend now is looking at it as a poor driving as held in R v.Simmons.2 The circumstances under which you ran into traffic lights are quite understandable in that you had been under great mental stress trying to digest the prospect of losing your long held job for no fault of yours. This you confided with your friend Maggie and the fact that you are a quite a responsible person is proved by your conduct of informing your husband on phone that you would late. The breathalyzer test also revealed that there was no abnormal drinking on your part. You stopped by the accident spot without speeding up and that mitigates your offence. More over Roger Cooke who was hit by your car was reported to have not worn his seat be lt and been carrying an expired insurance policy. Had he been careful, accident could have been averted and the damage to the body and the vehicle could have been minimized With these things weighing in your favour, you can appeal against your conviction and have your points further reduced. As for, the personal injury claim from the Cooke, you have to inform your insurers about the accident and face the claim suitably considering the fact the Cooke also contributed to the damage by not wearing seat belt and by not renewing his insurance policy in time. Maggie, who was in the car with you at the time of accident, could testify as to the mental condition you were in because of the impending redundancy threat in your job. All these defences would mitigate the severity of the punishment and also the quantum of the personal injury claim you might expect from Cooke. As he has suffered whiplash injury after effects of which can arise even after many years, the claim is likely to be substa ntial. As he was not in his seat belt, he was thrown out of the car and hence his personal injury claim can be resisted. Much depends on the degree of fault on your side and also on his side as contributory factor. But as you have been convicted under section 3, you can not altogether avoid payment of personal injury claim from Cooke which any way your insurers are going to handle provided your insurance against third party risks was in force at the time of accident. The fact Cooke did not have insurance at the time of accident would be called into question only if he were to meet a personal injury claim from you which is however not the case. You should not ignore the claim when received. You should respond quickly within 14 days of

Reward System And Its Impact On Employee Motivation Essay Example for Free

Reward System And Its Impact On Employee Motivation Essay Social networking also referred to as social media. The growing usage of social media indicates a potentially effective new platform for advertisers. Social Media, today, is among the ‘best opportunities available’ to a brand for connecting with Prospective consumers. Social media is the medium to socialize. These new media win the trust of consumers by connecting with them at a deeper level. Social media marketing is the new mantra for several brands since early last year. Marketers are taking note of many different social media opportunities and beginning to implement new social initiatives at a higher rate than ever before. Social media marketing and the businesses that utilize it have become more sophisticated. One cannot afford to have no presence on the social channels if the competitor is making waves with its products and services. The explosion of social media phenomenon is as mind boggling as that and the pace at which it is growing is maddening. Global companies have recognized social media marketing as a potential marketing platform, utilized them with innovations to power their advertising campaign with social media marketing. - KEY WORDS: Social networking, Marketers, Socialize, Media SOCIAL NETWORKING Social networking, also referred to as social media, encompasses many Internet-based tools that make it easier for people to listen, interact, engage and collaborate with each other. Social networking platforms such as Face book, MySpace, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, blogs, message boards, Wikipedia and countless others are catching on like wildfire. People use social networking to share recipes, photos, ideas and to keep friends updated on our lives. SOCIAL NETWORKING IN MARKETING Social media marketing refers to the process of gaining traffic or attention through social media sites. Social media itself is a catch-all term for sites that may provide radically different social actions. For instance, Twitter is a social site designed to let people share short messages or â€Å"updates† with others. Face book, in contrast is a full-blown social networking site that allows for sharing updates, photos, joining events and a variety of other activities. ORIGINATION OF SOCIAL NETWORKING According to a BBC Radio 4 documentary, the origins of social networking can be traced back to the 1970s. While conducting research for the radio show, The Secret History of Social Networking, the BBC’s Technology Correspondent, Rory Cellan-Jones, found that in 1973 the owner of a record shop in Berkeley California placed an analogue computer in his store and invited people to come in and type messages. The computer quickly became a popular attraction, especially amongst University of California students who would come in to the store to post messages and take part in discussions on the analogue machine. One of the first social networking Web sites, launched in 1997, was SixDegrees. com. This site started the trend of enabling users to create personal profiles and make lists of their friends. Two years after the fall of Six Degrees, Live Journal offered authors options to add a list of friends to their profile page. Other early social networking sites include Friendster and online dateing service Ryze. MySpace launched in 2003. However, the site didnt start drawing the attention of the masses until well into 2004, due largely in part to MySpace changes that allowed teenagers to join the social network. Since their introduction, social networking sites (SNS) have attracted millions of users, whereby many people integrate these sites into their daily practices. The conception of Googlebuzz. com has been recently introduced to rival the likes of facebook, which has 350 million users. Here is a timeline to show the progress of the social networking world. 1995: Classmates. com is a social media website created by Randy Conrad. The website helps members find, connect and keep in touch with friends and acquaintances from school life. Classmates has more than 40 million active members in the US and Canada. In early 2008, Nielson Online ranked Classmates as number 3 in unique monthly visitors among social networking sites. 1997: Sixdegrees. com was named after the six degrees of separation concept and allowed users to list friends, family members and acquaintances and see their connection with any other user on the site. It was one of the first manifestations of a social networking websites in the format now seen today. Sixdegrees closed in 2007. At its height, the website had about a million users. 1999: Cyworld. com is a South Korean social networking service. Users can have â€Å"apartment like† spaces which make for a sim-world like experience. The ‘cy’ in Cyworld could stand for Cyber; however, it also plays on the Korean word for relationship. A 2005 survey showed that 25% of South Korea was users. 2002: Friendster. com has over 115 million registered users and over 61 million unique visitors per global month. Over 90% of friendster’s traffic comes from Asia. The website is also used for dating, discovering new events, bands and hobbies. 2003: Myspace. com launched after eUniverse employees with Friendster saw its potential and mimicked the more popular features of the social networking site. Myspace became the most popular social networking site in US 2006. The 100th million account was created on August 9 2006. 2005: Bebo. com is an acronym for â€Å"blog early, blog often†. It is similar to other networking sites; the site must include two specific modules, a comment section and a list of users’ friends. The site claims 40 million users. 2006: Facebook. com is the most popular social networking site boasting 350 million users. It was founded by Mark Zuckerberg who studied at Harvard University. The websites membership was initially limited by the founders to Harvard students, but was expanded to other colleges. Facebook has met with some controversy being blocked in countries such as, China, Syria and Iran. The original concept for Facebook came from the colloquial name for books given out at the start of the academic year by universities designed to help students get to know one another better. 2006: Twitter. com is a social networking site that that enables its users to send and read messages known as â€Å"tweets†. Tweets are text based posts of up to 140 characters displayed on the authors profile page and are delivered to the author’s subscribers known as followers. It is sometimes described as the â€Å"SMS of the internet† and is widely popular with about 5 million users. ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN MARKETING: Social media is now increasingly becoming an ingrained aspect of political campaigns, national defence strategies, public policy, public relations, brand management and even intra company communication. Since the major task of marketing as tool used to inform consumers about the company’s products, who they are and what they offer, social marketing plays an important role in marketing.  · Social media can be used to provide an identity about the companies and the products or services that they offer.  · Social media helps in creating relationships with people who might not otherwise know about the products or service or what the companies represent.  · Social media makes companies â€Å"real† to consumers. If they need not just talk about the latest product news, but share their personality with them.  · Social media can be used to associate themselves with their peers that may be serving the same target market.  · Social media can be used to communicate and provide the interaction that consumer look for. THE GLOBAL IMPACT OF SOCIAL NETWORKS IN MARKETING According to comScore, a marketing research company that tracks Internet traffic, social networking sites accounted for 13. 8 billion display ad impressions in August 2009, representing more than 25 percent of all display ads viewed online, in a study of U. K. online display advertising on social networking sites. Social media is changing the way marketing is done. No longer can marketers rely on putting out one general message to the public. In Malaysia, 80% of affluent Malaysians use social networking sites. The opinions of bloggers and friends have become more influential than advertisements. Using social media allows businesses to reduce cost on marketing or connect with customers. A number of Malaysian companies use social network to promote their product or service. A recent example is mobile operator DiGi who used social networking to create awareness on mobile broadband. One of the many campaigns DiGi did was Pimp My Broadband which was a contest allowing people to post up creative videos to the site. DiGi used mostly Face book and Twitter to spread the word and communicate with people. In another example, the Prudential insurance company was running in December 2009 a contest for which people were asked to guess the retirement fund a fictional character named Adam would need to retire comfortably. This campaign was heavily promoted over social networks and blogs. Most organisations have jumped onto the social networking bandwagon. Large and small organisations alike maintain Facebook fan pages and groups. The leading budget travel airline, AirAsia, has more than 20 different Facebook pages and groups that promote some aspect of their service. It also has Twitter feeds as well as its own social network located at www. airasia. ning. com. The results have been impressive. It claims to lead all other airlines with a fan base of approximately 100,000. The AirAsia blog is ranked as the world’s second most popular blog site by an airline while CEO Tony Fernandes’ blog is the most popular in Malaysia by a corporate leader. Its YouTube site is very popular while its Twitter account has 15,500 followers. AirAsia’s investment of time and effort to reach out socially to Internet users must be bringing results; it recently announced plans to launch a brand new social network for travellers. The Nielsen Company estimates online advertising spent on the top social network and blogging sites increased 119 percent, from approximately USD49 million in August 2008 to approximately USD108 million in August 2009. Businesses and professionals are also connecting with one another on social networks. It has become commonplace for professionals to maintain accounts at LinkedIn. Using that platform, businessmen are able to find contacts that they can trust as introductions come from people they know and trust. SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING IN INDIA AN OVERVIEW India has 71 million active internet users. Social Media is really picking up new heights in India. Many companies are coming big way for Social Media Optimization for their Product or Services nowadays. During Election 2009 Social Media was used for Influence Indian Voters. Social Media Marketing in India is being undertaken by brands like Tata Docomo, MTV India, Channel V, Clear Trip, Tata Photon, Axe deodorants, Microsoft, Naukri, Shaadi and many more. Besides, numerous Indian celebrities are also using SMM platform to promote their movies, music and events via Twitter, Facebook and personalized blogs. Social Media Marketing is also boosting public relations business. Several PR agencies in India are undertaking brand building exercises for corporate organizations, brands and celebrities. However, to the delight of many among us, the biggest gainers from SMM till date have been the organizations from the Not-for- Profit sector. Several Campaigns like ‘Bell Bajao’ and ‘Jaago Re’ have been quite successful on Social Networking Sites. These campaigns have been spreading the word about their cause through blogs, Twitter and Facebook. SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING STRATEGIES: SMM is still in its infancy. Most of the online retailers though appreciate its positives fallouts on the brand awareness and promotion; they are still in the early stages of adoption. For an organization willing to invest in social media marketing, it is important to understand why SMM is an important marketing strategy and how it can help: This is the age of consumer satisfaction. It is not about selling it is more about interacting. There is a lot to learn from the customers. Using social media one can identify customers, listen to their feedback and use them to improve and innovate on products or services. SMM is not a mass advertising strategy. It can be used to identify peer groups and advertise to that particular group. Social Media can help in identifying influencers and through them one can guide a prospective customer into making a purchase. SMM calls for novel advertising methods as the attention span of online junta is very low. This is largely due to the multitasking phenomena. A person watching a video clip on YouTube might be simultaneously updating a blog, while reading another one and watching friend’s photographs on Facebook. In order to garner their attention away from distractions the advertisement must be innovative and interesting to hold the imagination and attention of the prospect. At the same time the message must also provoke the recipient into action; like seeking a detailed description of the product/service, or suggesting to a friend, or initiating purchase. So, if the advertisement is trying to sell something then it should be conveniently placed with links so that the prospect can make a purchase with least effort. Similarly Social Media can be used to increase customer loyalty through customer support services and hence improve customer retention. Social Media Marketing can also be used by brands to ward off any negative publicity. But the brands will have to be cautious here as over doing it may further aggravate their customers / stakeholders. There are many things that social media can do for business. Developing a strategy for using it means that the firms need to think about what they want to accomplish this year and determine how social media fits into the plan. One of the benefits of a social media strategy is the fact that the available tools can customized for their particular needs. The firms can choose to concentrate their efforts on the sites that seem to offer the best return on investment, while taking a â€Å"wait and see† stand on the others. Better Marketing Communications Any marketing campaign is only as good as its effectiveness in reaching the client. As the saying goes, you can have the best product in the world but its success depends on its reach to the customers. One advantage that social media networks such as Twitter, Blogspot, MySpace and Facebook possess is that of cross-communication. In other words, much of the information is shared across different social sites. In the past, marketing strategies would target a certain audience based on the resources available. These days, however, if a company has a profile page on Facebook, for example, cross talk alone can generate interest, because of the fluidity of social media websites. Social media sites have helped do away with many geographical and communicative borders; companies who have listings with these sites can place themselves in a position where such communication can be just as effective as a targeted marketing campaign. In the same way, if one person subscribes to a certain company’s web page, it is likely his or her friends will see it and too may become interested. Qualified potential clients can come to the company rather than the other way around! Higher Customer Satisfaction When a company is seen as being active on social media sites, it has just established itself as having its proverbial â€Å"finger on the pulse† of modern society. In a very real way, people take notice and assume that the company has something to say, that it is part of the community rather than simply a static web page. By posting regular updates that subscribers can see, business can appeal to their tastes and, more importantly, that business also has the ability to follow trends and change strategies based on the requirement. A keen observation is always essential for these updates. A close association with current scenario and trends will align the business people to more accurately cater to their audience’s needs. In the past, a happy customer was a customer who could become a regular customer. Today, a happy customer or client has the ability to recommend a company to others grouped under similar target audience. Social networks can accomplish much of the work that in the past was allocated to the more traditional e-mail campaigns. Stronger Financial Returns This final factor should be the most obvious and, at the same time, the most motivating. It only stands to reason that with a larger target base, sales and publicity will naturally increase. One important thing to remember is that there are few if any costs when dealing with social sites. In the past, domain names came with a price tag. Even more relevant was the financial burden which often accompanied building a very good website (web design, maintenance, updates, etc). When a company takes advantage of social media, on the other hand, not only does exposure increase if done in the right manner, but also the financial obligation is little, if any. Why, then, are more businesses not taking full advantage of the tools in front of them? One of the issues is that many out there still consider the social media market a â€Å"niche† sector and haven’t fully implemented their campaigns to include social networking as a part of the overall strategy. Other companies state that not all of their employees are open to newer technologies. Still others just don’t have correct media policies in place; i. e. what can be said, how it can be said, the chain of command to approve updates†¦the list can go on and on. The main issue tends to revolve around the adaptation to changing technologies and sources of revenue. CONCLUSION: There is no escaping social media these days, either for individuals or for businesses. Today, it is impossible to separate social media from the online world. Companies are diverting resources and rethinking their traditional outreach strategies. And as the social media wave dissipates into the vast ocean of connected experiences, the term itself will become an entry in dictionaries and encyclopaedias and we will embark on a new era of knowledge, accessibility and experiences unbound by distance, time or physical walls. It is high time that every business adopts social media and takes it seriously!

Humorous Wedding Speech by Friend of Groom :: Wedding Toasts Roasts Speeches

Humorous Wedding Speech by Friend of Groom Ladies and gentlemen, thanks Gary for those kind words. It has been a pleasure for all us attendants to play a small part in your big day. Before I say a word or two about the groom, what about that dress Jeanie is wearing? It has attracted so much favorable comment from the guests here that I have to give it a special mention. You look stunning Jeanie! When Gary asked me to be his best man I immediately thought of the speech. I saw it as an opportunity to talk about a great hero of mine†¦ a wonderful, handsome, kind-hearted man who is admired by many. But then I showed it to my wife and she ripped it up saying, ‘For once in your life Jason, talk about someone other than yourself!’ But unlike many of the best men you’ve probably encountered over the years – who were either old school friends or childhood friends of the groom – Gary and I actually met about six years ago. So not knowing an awful lot about his past, I made enquiries – at his local police station. I thought that would be a good place to start digging for dirt. But they had nothing to say†¦ except that he was the perfect guest whenever he stayed over. Next, I sought advice from his parents as to what he was like. ‘A model son driven by the ambition to succeed,’ was the answer from his mum. ‘A gentleman, a scholar and a sportsman,’ said his dad. Now, I know what you're all thinking - is this the same Gary? Well, all of this was indeed contradicted by his brother Stewart, who informed me that as a child, Gary was cheeky, naughty and the loudest kid on the estate. And as you may have judged from his earlier speech, not a lot has changed. To get a different perspective on the star of the day I contacted Gary’s school friends. Unfortunately, none of them volunteered any information – except one, who said his nickname ‘PlayByYourselfGary’ should provide some indication of his popularity with the other pupils. In the end I visited his old school to speak to some of his former teachers in the hope they could provide me with an amusing story to tell. The first person I got hold of was his math’s teacher of five years.

Process Strategy and Analysis For Toyota Motors Corporation Essay

Introduction When organizations seek to improve or transform their resources into goods and services, they are, in a way, developing their process strategy in producing their customer and product specifications at lower costs and less managerial constraints. As companies are targeting global markets at present, each organization needs to decide on long-term competitive goals that are strategic in nature. In making these process decisions, managers need to focus on controlling competitive priorities like quality, flexibility, time, and cost to meet the global demand for their products. In having a look at Toyota Motor Corporation’s process strategy, it will be helpful to realize why their decisions for both service and manufacturing processes are successful. By determining the processes that comprise their operations, we will be able to assess if their value chains are managed efficiently and effectively. According to Krajewski et al. (2007), a process strategy specifies the pattern of decisions made in managing processes so that they will achieve their competitive priorities. Also, a â€Å"process strategy guides a variety of process decisions, and in turn is guided by operations strategy and the organization’s ability to obtain the resources necessary to support them†. Thus, a process strategy consists of decisions that help define the value chain. Usually these decisions seek the improvement of processes and they are done most likely when: A gap exists between competitive priorities and competitive capabilities. A new or substantially modified service or product is being offered. Quality must be improved. Competitive priorities have changed. Demand for a service or product is changing. Current performance is inadequate. The cost or availability of inputs has changed. Competitors are gaining by using a new process. New technologies are available. Someone has a better idea. As a leading auto manufacturer in the world, Toyota Motor Corporation sells its vehicles in more than 170 countries and regions worldwide. Toyota’s primary markets for its automobiles are Japan, North America, Europe and Asia. Employing nearly 300,000 people, its headquarters is located in Toyota City, Japan. Their products include passenger cars, recreational and sport-utility vehicles; minivans and trucks. Toyota’s subsidiary, Daihatsu Motor Company, also produces and sells mini-vehicles and compact cars. While another brand, Hino Motors produces and sells commercial vehicles. More importantly, Toyota manufactures automotive parts, components and accessories for its own use and for sale. Toyota has 52 manufacturing facilities in 27 countries and regions (Toyota Website). Process Strategies in Toyota One of the most notable processes that Toyota Motor Corporation had made famous is the Toyota Production System (TPS). At present, TPS is also known for a variety of terms like lean systems or just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing, lean production, stockless production and zero inventories. Cox and Blackstone (1998) defined lean systems as â€Å"a philosophy of production that emphasizes the minimization of the amount of all the resources (including time) used in the various activities of the enterprise †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Lean systems thinking was initiated and developed as the TPS. It was Toyota’s vice president Taiichi Ohno who pushed for the TPS beginning in 1937 when he discovered that labor at American manufacturers was nine times more productive than labor at Japanese manufacturers (Monden 1983, p. v). Since there was a pressure to improve after World War II because capital was restricted and production volumes were low, Ohno researched on some methods they can adopt in Toyota to make their production system work better. However, it was not until the 1973 oil crisis that most Japanese manufacturers became interested in TPS and it was not until the end of the 1970s that a significant number of U.S. manufacturers began to investigate TPS. The Toyota Production System became widely known in the United States in 1983 when a book of that title was published. During the 1980s, the popular term in the United States for the TPS system was â€Å"just-in-time manufacturing†. At the beginning of the 1990s, the term lean systems became popular because of a series of books and articles by U.S. consultants and researchers in which they referred to TPS as â€Å"lean systems,† because they allow more and more to be done with less and less. Fact is that Ohno only borrowed important roots of lean systems from two distinct American institutions: Henry Ford’s mass production system and the supermarket. Lean Systems That Sparked More Process Strategies In the book by Womack and Jones (1996), entitled Lean Thinking, they simplified Ohno’s lean systems approach. As it is not just a set of techniques but a management philosophy, this means managers must have a different mental model or perspective of managing the manufacturing process. The five steps or principles to develop this mental model are: Precisely specify value for each specific product. Identify the value stream for each product. Make value flow without interruptions. Let the customer pull value from the producer. Pursue perfection. During the 1980s, some U.S. companies have adopted lean systems successfully. But many more failed or even refused to take action. Many managers are skeptical that TPS could not succeed in the United States or it provided no real benefits. However, the publication of a book titled The Machine That Changed the World (Womack, Jones & Roos, 1990) ended the debate about whether lean systems created real, lasting benefits. The book presented the results of a three-year study of automobile manufacturing throughout the developed world. They found that in 1990 a Japanese plant in Japan took 16.8 hours to build an auto, while a U.S plant in the United States took 25.1 hours per car. Not only did a Japanese plant produce cars faster, its cars had fewer defects per hundred vehicles, lower space requirements, and lower inventories than their competitors. Their findings also indicate that it is the management system and not the country’s culture that is responsible for the success of lean companies, since Japanese plants in the United States performed better than U.S. plants on all criteria. Aside from the TPS, Toyota pursued total quality management or â€Å"kaizen†, a change strategy that involves a continuous incremental improvement of work procedures. Using kaizen, production-line employees are made responsible for finding ways to improve work procedures to drive down costs and drive up quality. Individually, and in quality groups or circles, employees suggest ways to improve how a particular Toyota car model is made. Over time, from their thousands of suggestions, incremental innovations made to the car assembly process result in major improvements to the final product. Employees receive cash bonuses and rewards for finding ways to improve work procedures, and the result has been a continuous increase in car quality and reduced manufacturing costs. In the 2000s, under the leadership of Toyota’s new president, Jujio Cho, the company sought to increase the speed of change to further improve its efficiency and quality to gain an edge over its major competitors such as GM, Ford, and Daimler-Chrysler. It has begun a series of new kinds of change programs, each directed at improving some aspect of its operations, which Toyota hopes will bring both incremental and radical changes to the way it operates. Some incremental change programs involve strengthening its kaizen program, such as â€Å"pokayoke,† or mistake-proofing. This initiative concentrates on the stages of the assembly process that have led to most previous quality problems; employees are required to double- and triple-check a particular stage to discover defective parts or to fix improper assembly operations that lead to subsequent customer complaints. Another program is Construction of Cost Competitiveness for the 21st Century program or â€Å"CCC21,† which involves working with the company’s suppliers to find ways to reduce the costs of Toyota’s car components by 30 percent—something that will result in billions of dollars in savings. Toyota has also introduced a new manufacturing process called â€Å"GBL,† which uses a sophisticated new assembly process to hold a car body firmly in place during production. This allows welding and assembly operations to be performed more accurately, resulting in better-quality cars. GBL has also enabled Toyota to build factories that Toyota to build factories that can assemble several different kinds of models on the same production line with no loss in efficiency or quality. This is a major competitive advantage. The company’s global network of plants can now quickly change the kinds of cars they are making depending on buyers’ demands for various models at different points in time (Dawson, 21 February 2005). Other radical change efforts have focused on revamping Toyota’s development and design process to keep up with changing customer needs and demographics. In the 1990s, for example, the age of the average Toyota car buyer steadily rose. Despite Toyota’s climbing global sales (which exceeded $203 billion in 2006), the company was criticized for failing to understand how the market was changing. Some blamed the problem on centralized decision making at the company and a culture that had long been dominated by Toyota’s cautious and frugal Japanese designers. Rather than designing innovative, flexible vehicles customers were increasingly demanding, Toyota continued to focus on cutting costs and increasing the quality of its vehicles. To quickly get an improved design process into gear, President Cho bolstered two new change techniques to radically alter the design process: PDCA and â€Å"obeya†. Obeya is based on frequent brainstorming sessions among engineers, designers, production managers, and marketers designed to speed new model cars to the market. PDCA (â€Å"plan,† â€Å"do,† check,† â€Å"action†) is a program designed to empower the company’s designers outside of Japan to intervene in the car development process and champion designs that meet the needs of local customers. The results of promoting a flexible, decentralized car design process were the speedy introduction of the rugged eight-cylinder Tundra pickup truck and the angular, ScionxB compact in the United States, as well as the Yaris, Toyota’s best-selling European car. The Yaris was designed in Europe, and its success there led to its subsequent introduction in Japan where it also sold well (Hill, 2004). Conclusion Throughout its existence, we could see that Toyota has managed their process strategies effectively as they root everything out from the TPS. Through the TPS, they continued to change and improve their processes to lessen production time, lessen the wastes and make production efficient to the benefit of both the company and its employees. Also, it is important to note that, despite all these changes, their customers remain at the core of their focus as Toyota seeks to meet all their demands. As for their management, the decisions are translated into actual process designs or redesigns. This matches the complementary philosophies for process design: (1) process reengineering and (2) process improvement (Krajewski et al., 2007). In this regard, we could say that Toyota Motors Corporation has an excellent decision patterns to further improve their manufacturing processes in the future. The Process Analysis of the Toyota Motor Corporation Introduction In the book The Toyota Way, Liker (2003) claimed that Toyota has the fastest product development process in the world. In analyzing their manufacturing process, Liker found that new cars and trucks take only 12 months or less to design in Toyota, while competitors typically require two to three years. Also, Toyota has been benchmarked to be the best in its class by all of its peers and competitors throughout the world. This is because Toyota maintains high quality, high productivity, faster manufacturing speed and flexibility in processing their products (p. 5). All these successes are due to the TPS that Liket (2003) summarized into 4 Ps (Problem-Solving, People and Partners, Process and Philosophy (see Figure 1). Figure 1. 4Ps That Comprise the Toyota Production Systems (Source: Liker, 2003). Analyzing the TPS In the process part of the TPS, we can see at its core is the goal of eliminating waste. For example, in the manual assembly operation of a truck chassis assembly line (see Figure 2). The operator takes many individual steps, but generally only a small number of the steps add value to the product, as far as the customer is concerned. In this case, only the three steps identified add value. Although some of the non value-added steps are necessary (for example, the operator has to reach to get the power tool), the point here is to minimize the time spent on non-value-added operations by positioning the tools and material as close as possible to the point of assembly. Toyota has identified seven major types of non-value-adding waste in business or manufacturing processes: Overproduction. Producing items for which there are no orders, which generates such wastes as overstaffing and storage and transportation costs because of excess inventory. Waiting (time on hand). Workers merely serving to watch an automated machine or having to stand around waiting for the next processing step, tool, supply, part, etc., or just plain having no work because of stockouts, lot processing delays, equipment downtime, and capacity bottlenecks. Unnecessary transport or conveyance. Carrying work in process (WIP) long distances, creating inefficient transport, or moving materials, parts, or finished goods into or out of storage or between processes. Overprocessing or incorrect processing. Taking unneeded steps to process the parts. Inefficiently processing due to poor tool and product design, causing unnecessary motion and producing defects. Waste is generated when providing higher-quality products than is necessary. Excess inventory. Excess raw material, WIP, or finished goods causing longer lead times, obsolescence, damaged goods, transportation and storage costs, and delay. Also, extra inventory hides problems such as production imbalances, late deliveries from suppliers, defects, equipment downtime, and long setup times. Unnecessary movement. Any wasted motion employees have to perform during the course of their work, such as looking for, reaching for, or stacking parts, tools, etc. Also, walking is waste. Defects. Production of defective parts or correction. Repair or rework, scrap, replacement production, and inspection mean wasteful handling, time, and effort. Unused employee creativity. Losing time, ideas, skills, improvements, and learning opportunities by not engaging or listening to your employees (Liker 2003, p. 28-29). Figure 2. Waste in a Truck Chassis Assembly Line (Source: Liker, 2003). Figure 3. Timeline of Waste in a Value System (Source: Liker, 2003). TPS: A Goal Driven Process Like any system, the TPS is a goal-driven set of interrelated or linked activities. Managers who recognize that they are managing a system are aware of two main points: (1) the system reacts to any solution and (2) the system controls the behavior of those individuals who operate within it. The first point means that there are often unintended consequences when a solution to a problem in a system is introduced. To avoid unintended consequences, managers must fully understand the system. The second point means that managers must avoid attributing the problems in a system to the character of the individuals within the system. The manager must instead identify how the structure of the system is shaping the choices of the individuals within the system. By understanding these two points, the manager can now redesign the system to increase the system’s performance. The incorrect use of performance measures can prevent the successful introduction of lean systems. For example, a performance measurement system that encourages high equipment and high labor utilization often discourages production at the rate demanded by the customer. Indeed, these performance measures actually encourage large-batch production, thus creating the waste of overproduction and decreasing the system’s ability to respond to the customer. Firms that implement lean systems often use a performance measure called overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). Soiichi Nakajima (1988) first formulated this performance measure to assess how effectively equipment is maintained and operated. Figure 4 shows six types of capacity losses in the right-hand column (breakdown losses, setup and adjustment losses, idling and minor stoppages, speed losses, quality defects, and start-up and yield losses). These capacity losses are organized into three categories: downtime losses, speed losses, and quality losses. Figure 4. Six Probable Causes For Equipment Losses (Source: Masaji & Goto, 1992). Knowing performance measurements are an important part of any manufacturing system, thus TPS support the elimination of possible waste. The operations manager must select the performance measurements that will encourage behaviors that lead to the desired business performance. In TPS, the desired business performance is shorter flow time, reduced costs, and faster response to the customer. Another advantage of the TPS is its support towards employee empowerment as a means for continuous improvement. Toyota empowers its employees by training them to use the scientific method to continuously improve processes. The scientific method involves four elements: theory, hypotheses, data, and verification. In the research of Spear and Bowen (1999) they indicated that the scientific method is integrated into the Toyota Production System so that every time a job is performed is an experiment. This creates a system where all the work processes are very specified and structured, but the system itself is very flexible and responsive. Toyota implements the scientific method as part of four unspoken rules that everyone in the organization must learn and practice: Highly Specified Work – Toyota’s first rule requires that managers, engineers, and line workers fully understand how a job is to be done and its relationship to other jobs. By ensuring that every job has a very clearly defined set of steps, it is obvious when the correct process is not being followed and it is also obvious when more training is needed or when the job definition needs to be changed. This allows quick identification and correction of any problems that occur. This first rule reduces variance in how work is done. By creating a highly specified sequence of steps to perform the job, Toyota is actually proposing a theory that this procedure is the best way to do the job. Given this theory, two implicit hypotheses in every standard job specification are first that each person doing the activity is capable of performing it correctly and second that performing the activity as specified actually creates the expected outcome. Direct Connections – Toyota’s second rule states that there must be direct, unambiguous communication between each customer and supplier. Direct, unambiguous communication means that each customer and each supplier know the exact form and quantity of goods and services to be provided. The theory implicit in this second rule is that the supplier has the capacity to meet the customer’s needs as they are communicated. This theory leads to two hypotheses: (1) the customers’ requests will be for goods and services in a specific mix and volume and (2) the supplier can respond to the customers’ requests. The production process generates data through the observation of the customer-supplier interactions. Simple Direct Pathways – Toyota’s third rule is that all pathways must be simple and direct. This means that goods and services must flow to a specific person or machine. The underlying theory in this rule is that having simple and direct pathways will quickly reveal any source of variances in the flow of goods and services. This rule suggests two hypotheses: (1) every supplier is necessary and (2) any supplier not connected to the pathway is not necessary. Each day of production provides data to analyze the hypotheses. Was there a supplier who was not connected to a pathway? Obviously any supplier or activity not connected to the flow pathway can be eliminated. This rule eliminates noise from the system and means that there are no pooled queues of completed work from suppliers waiting for the customers to use. Instead, completed work leaves one activity and goes to the next activity. If one supplier has a high variance in deliveries, their variance will not be hidden b y the deliveries of the other suppliers. Scientific Method – Toyota’s fourth rule requires that employees be trained to formulate and test hypotheses about how they can improve their job activities. Toyota constantly encourages its workers to conduct experiments trying to identify a better method of performing their job activities. Conclusion In analyzing the Toyota Production System, we can deem that the company seeks to benchmark their operations to become more efficient. This is the reason why that the TPS is highly regarded among all companies in the world because it focuses on setting quantitative goals for improvement. TPS seeks to make Toyota’s manufacturing processes to be made simple and they are utilizing a scientific model that goes one step further it transforms their processes to be more dynamic. The Toyota management is also constantly gathering ideas for reengineering or improving a process become apparent after documenting the process. They are carefully examining the areas of substandard performance, efficient interaction between departments and finally making customers’ preferences a prime priority. The ultimate goal of TPS is to apply the ideal of one-piece flow to all Toyota’s business operations, from product design to launch, order taking, and physical production by eliminating the unnecessary waste. Thus, the TPS is an all-encompassing philosophy that includes product design, process design, equipment and facilities design, supply chain coordination, job design, and productivity improvement. If there is one â€Å"key† to successful implementation of TPS, it’s adopting a holistic approach. This is probably the reason why Toyota remains to be one of the most admired companies in the world because they implemented a system that cut all the unnecessary costs and produced faster results without compromising the product expectations of their stakeholders. References Cox, J.F. & Blackstone, J.H. Jr. (Eds). (1998). APICS Dictionary, 9th ed. Alexandria, VA: APICS. Dawson, C. (2005, Feb 21). A China Price for Toyota.   Business Week, 3921, 50-51. Hill C.W.L. (2004). Toyota, in C. W. L. Hill & G. R. Jones, Strategic Management: An Integrated Approach, Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Krajewski, L.J., Ritzman, L.P. & Malhotra, M.K. (2007). Operations Management: Processes and Value Chains, 8th   ed. NJ: Prentice-Hall. Liker, J. (2003). Toyota Way. Blacklick, OH: McGraw-Hill Professional Publishing. Monden, Y. (1983). Toyota Production System, Norcross, GA: Industrial Engineering and Management Press. Nakajima, S. (1988). TPM: Introduction to TPM, Total Productive Maintenance Cambridge MA: Productivity Press. Spear S. & Bowen, H. K. (1999, Sept-Oct). Decoding the DNA of the Toyota Production System, Harvard Business Review, pp. 96–106. Tajiri, M. & Gotoh, F. (1992). TPM Implementation: A Japanese Approach, New York: McGraw-Hill. Toyota Website. (2007). Retrieved November 10, 2007, from http://www.toyota.com/about/our_business/ Womack, J.P. & Jones, D.T. (1996). Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation, New York: Simon and Shuster. Womack, J.P. Jones, D.T. & Roos, D. (1990). The Machine That Changed the World, New York: Rawson Associates