Monday, September 30, 2019

How Archduke Franz Ferdinand was Assasinated

Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austria-Hungarian throne, has been assassinated along with his wife, at the age of 65, while he was invited to travel to Bosnia in order to observe military manoeuvres and open the state museum in Sarajevo. Although he was aware of the many dangers of such an act, the Bosnians desperate fervour for independence and the many terrorist organizations intent upon destroying our government; his love of the low-class wife blinded him. He was permitted to be seen in public with his beloved wife only while acting as â€Å"Military inspector† which was what brought him to set out on these types of trips. The Serbian Military Intelligence was most intent upon this assassination, due to their highly arrogant and crafty ambitions: to take over Bosnia which we have rightfully acquired. It was, therefore, not a surprise when we received first-hand reports proving it was the Serbian Intelligence who were directly responsible for backing the particular group of terrorists who committed these acts. However this did not detract from Franz Ferdinand's foolish actions, which as you will see were in sharp contrast to our honourable and wise King's decisions, when he visited Bosnia: First of all King Franz Joseph had policemen around the streets to protect him, whereas Franz Ferdinand had less than 120 policemen to protect him. King Joseph kept his itinerary top secret, far from the view of suspicious organizations, whereas Franz Ferdinand had his whole itinerary published in the media. On top of that he chose to ride in the â€Å"Grif & Stift† roofless, with his feathery hat sticking out of the vehicle. After brief inspections of the military barracks, the archduke's first stop was the Town Hall via Sarajevo's main road, the Appel Quay. Unknown to the distracted police forces, six young men were lined up across the Appel Quay with Weapons supplied to them from the Serbian Intelligence. Although 5 out of 6 of the assassins did not respond when the procession passed them, Nedeljko Cabrinovic did. He hurled a hand grenade at the archduke†¦ ut he had hit it faster than was required. Moreover it bounced off the back of the vehicle the Archduke was riding in and it blew up on the car behind the archduke's. After realising the situation, the driver accelerated, thus causing Princip to miss his first chance of assassination, and the procession reached the town hall. Here the Archduke cancelled the remainder of his program and advised his officials to utilise a different route to the one already advertised. Unfortunately he forgot to inform the chauffeurs, which would cost him his life. Gavrillo Princip, already dying from Tuberculosis and determined to die as a martyr, was thrown into deep confusion after his group had failed their assassination. He was on his way home when he spotted the vehicle†¦ He stepped forwards, fired two shots at the Archduke and waited. The first shot struck the archduke in his neck, cutting off his jugular vein, rendering his bullet proof covering useless while the second shot hit the duchess in her abdomen. The archduke's last words were, â€Å"Sophie dear! Sophie dear! Don't die! Stay alive for our children! â€Å". It was thus that his love for his low-class wife bought his death†¦

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Family planning Essay

Studies show that the youth are more vulnerable and at a greater risk without proper reproductive health services. Young pregnancies account for 30% of all daily births in the Philippines. According to the Commission on Population, 3 out of 4 young women die everyday because of maternal complications. Furthermore, A study by the National Epidemiology Center in 2005 shows young pregnancies have the highest rate of fetal deaths, especially by women under age 15. In December 2010, the Department of Health reports that there are 489 cases of young men and women infected with HIV. There are 6 new and unique detections of HIV everyday, 59% of which is in 20-29 years old bracket and 28% belong to the 15-24 years age range. In line with these problems, there is a need to make solutions. One of great solutions would be the implementation of the Reproductive Health bill, or the RH bill. One of the aims of the RH bill is to solve these problems by providing access medically safe, legal, afforda ble and quality natural and modern family planning methods. The RH bill also aims to guarantee universal access to information about birth control and maternal care. Thus, the RH Bill should be passed because it helps the Philippines to lean towards progress by offering women healthcare, providing sexual education to students, and helping the Filipinos to have responsible family planning. There are reasons why the reproductive health bill is not yet passed; however, majority of the people believe that the advantages brought by the implementation of the reproductive health bill will outweigh the cons that go with it. According to the survey hosted by Pulse Asia, 69% of the respondents from different regions are pro RH bill and they believe that the implementation of the bill would do more good than harm. The first plausible disadvantage is that the money that will be used in funding the bill would be subject to corruption from officials. An estimate of 14 billion pesos would be allotted to the bill if the bill would be implemented (Department of Health, 2012). The money involved can blind those corruptofficials; however, health and development should be prioritized. The bill provides healthcare services to women and the marginalized. The Women and marginalized are prioritized by providing for their needs such as legal, affordable and quality reproductive health care services. After the implementation of the bill, the State guarantees universal access to medically-safe, legal, affordable and quality reproductive health care services, methods, devices, supplies and relevant information thereon even as it prioritizes the needs of women and children, among other underprivileged sectors (SECTION 2, RH Bill, 2008). Furthermore, women seeking care for post-abortion complications shall be treated and counseled in a humane, non-judgmental and compassionate manner. The government shall ensure that women seeking care for post-abortion complications shall be treated and counseled in a humane, non-judgmental and compassionate manner. (SECTION 3, RH Bill, 2008). The health and development of the marginalized sector and the women should be clearly prioritized over the risk of the money being stolen by corrupted officials. S

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Explain how Disability May affect learning Essay

The rate of development is dependent on many factors and can differ greatly from child to child. The main areas of development are: 1. Physical development 2. Social development 3. Intellectual development 4. Language development Read more:  Personal factors that affect child development essay Below is a short list of how they might develop in specific age ranges: 0-3 months: Smile, turn their head at familiar sounds, shake and hold a rattle, 6-12 months: Make noises and show feelings of joy and sadness, begin to crawl, recognise their name, look for dropped objects, reach towards food, show affection to familiar people 1-2 years: Begin to walk, begin to pick food up with fingers, wave, say no, hold drawing materials, shows preference for one hand, mostly cooperative, play alongside other children, use phrases 3 years: want to do things for themselves, demanding attention, jump, climb, paint, eat by themselves, understands how to do 2/3 things at once,  vocabulary extends, more controlled use of drawing materials, asking questions, making sentences, can walk on tip toes, pours liquid, kick and throw a ball, sense of humour. 4 years: Pedal a bike, throw with aim, confident with scissors, more cooperative with adults, likes to help with everything, sociable and starts to show concern for others 5 years: grammar more accurate, able to communicate own ideas, recognise their own written name, use pictures to follow stories in a book, questions become more complex, hold drawing material steadily and copy shapes and lettering 5-7 years: fluent speaker, can make up stories, handles books, start to read 7-12 years: team games, climb confidently and swing, hit a ball, skip run and jump, becoming less dependent on adults, aware of own gender, starts to form close friendships at about 8 years, can be shy, arrogant, bossy, uncertain, take an interest in certain subjects by 9, may need help with spelling but vocabulary will grow, know different tenses and grammar. 12-19 years: Adolescence is said to start for girls at age 11. At this stage they still lack clearly defined roles and feelings of anger, insecurity and frustration may surface. Rate of growth is different in children and a 15 year old girl can be physically mature by the time she is 15. Boys usually reach adolescence later at age 14 when their voices may break and they will develop body hair. Co-ordination and strength will increase greatly in both sexes. Their bodies are experiencing dramatic changes and they also become less worried about adult approval generally seeking peer approval in its place. Their pace of intellectual development depends now on what guidance they are given to make the connections between knowledge and practical application in daily life. The more they are supported the quicker they will grow. Task 2: Explain the difference between sequence of development and rate of development and why the difference is important The difference between sequence and rate is that the sequence of development is a process where one development is followed by another and achieves a certain level with a series of changes or growth that leads to a matured state. The rate of development is the pace of something that compares to something else. Although children follow the same pattern of development,  every child has a different rate of development. So sequence will mostly be uniform and rate is very likely to be different in each child. The difference is important because these principals run through all the areas of development from physical, social, intellectual and language no matter what the age of the child. If one or other is skipped or is slow it can be a cause for concern and may lead to a child being given a special recommendation or having a special need in or outside school. Task 3: Explain how children and young people’s development is influenced by a range of personal factors Home environment, relationships with carers/parents and siblings, the child itself, behaviours and health as well as personal characteristics, are all factors that can impinge on a child’s development, personal and external. If there are negative experiences in any of the factors it can be harmful to brain development and affect a child’s ability to gain the core skills that are necessary to reach developmental milestones. Developmental delays can happen in all areas of a child’s development or just one or two areas. Prenatal care can have a serious impact on a child’s development. Certain risks factors before birth can be avoided if the mother takes care of herself by not smoking or heavily drinking alcohol which could affect impact on brain development. Richard H. Schwarz, MD from American Baby states that ‘children whose mothers drank heavily during pregnancy may have problems with learning, memory, attention, speech, and hearing, as well as severe behavioral problems’ Health – is a very important factor in development. If a child has any serious health issues it can have a detrimental effect on their learning ability across all spheres of development. For example a deaf child will have language and communication issues and this will significantly slow down the learning process. Learning Difficulties – A child with learning problems may be many developmental years behind their peers; this will have a big impact on what they can do in all areas of development including physical skills, social skills and intellectual skills. Task 4: Explain how children and young people’s development is influenced by a range of external factors There are many risk factors which can impinge on a child’s development. Home environment is key to development and learning by positive experience can make a huge difference. Much of what a child learns comes from the culture around them, early exposure to books, parental involvement and informal education in the home will be positive in a child’s development whereas poverty and neglect will have the opposite effect. This may mean a child develops poor social skills, may live in cramped housing where there is no room for play or to develop, unable to afford resources in and out of school, therefore not encouraging the child to progress in development outside school. Inability of parents to care for a child properly providing a positive home environment can influence how the child behaves at school. Community environment can also have a big part to play. Available resources and structure and in the community as well as the home make a difference to how a child can perceive the world. Task 5: Explain how theories of development and frameworks to support development influence current practice The many different theories of development are all equally important as they help us to understand children’s behaviour, reactions, and ways of learning and therefore influence practice. Jean Piaget was the first psychologist to make a study of cognitive development using detailed observational studies of cognition in children, and a series of simple tests to reveal different cognitive abilities. Before Piaget’s work, the common assumption in psychology was that children are less competent thinkers than adults. Piaget showed that young children think in very different ways compared to adults. His theory is that a developing child builds mental maps for understanding and responding to situations. Development is therefore biologically based and changes as the child matures. Cognition develops in all children in the same sequence of stages. Piagets work influenced t eaching practices to provide more hands on and relevant tasks for children where they learn through play. Piaget has been extremely influential in developing educational policy and teaching. For example, a review of primary education by the UK government in 1966 was based strongly on Piaget’s theory. The result of this review led to  the publication of the Plowden report (1967). The idea that children learn best through doing and actively exploring was seen as central to the transformation of primary school curriculum1. Unlike Piaget’s theory that children’s development must necessarily precede their learning, Vygotsky argued, â€Å"learning is a necessary and universal aspect of the process of developing culturally organized, specifically human psychological function† In other words, social learning tends to come before development and the environment in which they grow will influence how they think and what they think about. He places more emphasis on social contributions from peers, family and teachers believing this has a greater contribution towards lea rning than development. Vygotsky’s idea was â€Å"reciprocal teaching†, used to improve students’ ability to learn from text. In this method, teacher and students collaborate in learning and practicing four key skills: summarizing, questioning, clarifying, and predicting. The teacher’s role in the process is reduced over time. He believed that children could guide and develop each other by completing tasks together such as reading buddies which is widely used in schools today. Maria Montessori is associated with an educational method that encourages education through movement using multi sensory educational materials. Montessori also championed the concept of multi-age classrooms. She stated â€Å"The idea is for each child to move as quickly or as slowly as they need to move (in terms of learning).† Montessori believed that her ultimate aim would be accomplished by allowing the children to manipulate their environment. She believed it was not only important to Montessori to teach children the practical life skills necessary to live in society, but also to integrate the family into the learning process. Like Voygotsky, Montessori said that it was the union of the family and the school in the matter of educational aims that would enhance student learning and be beneficial to both the parents and the child. Montessori said that both home and school were places of social processes and it was important to educate children in both contexts to allow them the skills to generalize any lessons learned to their future schooling career and ultimately the greater society. Multi-age classes that are part of the Montessori method allow younger children to learn from older ones. The older children in a class are able to practice their skills by sharing them with younger children. The span of ages makes it easy for a younger  child with advanced skills in a particular area to be able to work at a higher level than other children of the same age. Older children build self-esteem by serving as class leaders.2 Schools now increasingly use â€Å"hands-on† methods to teach math and science. Though those schools may not use Montessori materials, the idea of using concrete items that children can manipulate is one promoted by Montessori. Many of these theories have come together and helped create a framework for learning and development. The Early Years Foundation Stage Framework for example uses some of these theories, positive relationships to encourage parents and carers to take an active part in their child’s learning (Vygotsky, Montessori), enabling environments, and the theory that every child learns and develops at different rates (Montessori). Children being allowed to play and explore by themselves as per Piagets theory, The Early Years Foundation Stage Framework states there are 3 prime areas for learning: communication & language: physical development: personal, social and emotional development: all of which our theorists believe in and articulated throughout their research. Task 6: Explain how to monitor children and young people’s development using different methods There are both summative and formative methods of assessment Summative monitoring such as SATS tests which are used to record progress and academic knowledge and general tests in class for example spelling and maths tests which will indicate a rate of progress. Formative methods such as different child observational methods such as focus child where the focus is on one child for a set amount of time, checklists where development is checked against specific milestones, time sampling recording information at regular intervals, structured which will monitor a child completing a pre set activity, naturalistic which a child will be observed during the normal course of events and a general diary record of the childs progress. An observer will evaluate the development of the child being measured against specific ‘milestones’ that should have been reached by a certain stage. The child is observed in the classroom or playground in their natural surroundings and also in the classroom to ascertain how they are progressing with their studies. The observer will gather a lot of information on behaviour patterns, interaction with peers and teachers, how the child co-ordinates and solves any problems. Specific emphasis should be  put on social behaviour, learning and motor skills. Sharing information with parents/carers and colleagues can be invaluable as they will see the child in a different setting perhaps to you and can also therefore make informed observations. An older child may need to be involved, according to their understanding, in any assessment of their development. This might include recording their feelings wishes and views. They would need to be monitored in different contexts (depending on which areas of their development is giving cause for concern). Culture and a different language being their first language must be taken into consideration. A child may not have developmental needs when using their first language and this will need to be noted and addressed. Any observational monitoring outcomes must be fed back to the parents/carers of a child. If developmental delays were found during the monitoring the SEN Code of Practice rules and guidance would need to be applied. There are many ways to monitor a child’s development and it is important that this monitoring is carried out throughout the early years and primary/secondary school to mitigate the risks of developmental delays. Task 7: Explain the reasons why children and young people’s development may not follow the expected pattern There are naturally many risk factors for development not following the expected pattern. These can be, but are not exclusive to, an emotionally unsettled family life, one parent family, disadvantaged environmentally, cultural differences, disability, learning difficulties, communication and language issues, lack of early exposure to informal education to name a few. Emotional difficulties can effect expected patterns of development. A child who experiences difficult relationships in the home, perhaps parents who argue or a one parent family situation where the single parent may have other children and no time for the individual child. If a child does not have a solid relationship with the adults in its life from an early stage they are more likely to develop low self esteem and are less likely to try new activities that would help their development. Parents who don’t talk or read to their children can also affect the child’s development educationally and socially. Environmental factors such as poverty and lack of facilities could affect a child’s development, if a family’s finances are  low some opportunities such as nursery will not be available and therefore reduce their exposure to early informal and formal education. If a disability is neglected or unidentified this could significantly affect a child’s development process. Not having the correct facilities or resources ca n obstruct a child’s development if a child or young person is physically not able to progress any further due to the severity of their learning need. Deafness will affect speech and communication. A child that is unable to use certain parts of their body will encounter developmental delays physically and possibly emotionally. A basic example is a child in a wheelchair will not be able to use a climbing frame and their physical development won’t be able to develop in the expected way. In addition the school they attend may lack facilities for their particular needs. Culturally there could be reasons for development delays for example girls in many cultures are not given the same opportunities as boys and this will limit their development, although that is unlikely to be the case in the UK it certainly is the case in some countries. Girls in certain cultures are perhaps not expected to do as well as boys as they will marry early and be taken care of by a husband and his extended family. Where this is ingrained into a child they might try less hard at school. Particular learning difficulties will have a huge impact on development without the correct help early on. A child having difficulties with reading and writing and understanding basic instructions will fall behind its peers. Communication difficulties, for example children with a different first language to that of the school where they attend may experience developmental delays due to lack of understanding on both the child’s and teachers part. In addition, incorrect/lack of communication resources can impair a child’s communication development. If the child or young person is physically unable to communicate, they will be unable to develop this area. This may lead to a lack of social skills or confidence which can negatively influence a child’s development. Taking all of the above examples into consideration it is vitally important that the risk factors are identified and where possible, mitigated early on.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Research data analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Research data analysis - Assignment Example These organizations main objective is to enhance their business. To achieve the expansion in the business different types of companies focus on various issues. The majority of the issues focused in the process of boosting up the business, the following areas are focused: Evidence is available which supports that appropriately qualified managers and leaders make substantial difference in the business of any company. If they are not much trained then even on job training may be helpful in enhancing the performance (Margerison 1992). At the same time capacity building of the staff members has also got an important role in boosting any business. If this training activity is based on needs assessment then it influences more (E-HR 2006) (Tucker 2004). Moreover, if a learning analysis model is used then the efficiency at the training or workshop increases to a greater extent (Dorsett 2006). Proper management of finances and then investing them in appropriate way at right time has been very successful in pushing the business on upward track. So, essentially a substantial level of data support the possibility of good cost management results in better outcomes (Peccei 2004). To keep an eye on the progress of a business company, an effective monitoring strategy is needed. This strategy may focus on the performance of the employees in the office or field or the quality of the product by approaching the customer and then getting feedback from them. For good working class of employees any activity which relates to the performance appraisal is readily accepted by the staff and they take it as a positive point. So good appraisal is helpful in improving the level of confidence and eventually performance on the side of the employees (Tinkham 1993). The satisfaction of the consumer is key factor for the enhancement of any business. All the companies who make it a frequent practice to get some feedback from their customer and then work accordingly, they improve substantially. The effect of customer feedback is very important (Olorunniwo 2006). Data Analysis Qualitative section Themes and categories Poor staffing When the manager was hired and he joined the company, there was problem of shortage of staffing and other issues related to human resource, administration and logistics. He dealt with all these issues gradually. Training of staff and re-investment For the better functioning and upgradation of the company, the company needed capacity building of the staff in related areas and also investment with the capital which was taken care of accordingly. Competitors In the business community, competition with other companies is an important and continuous issue. There are ways of addressing this issue. The manager's option was working in the field in a cooperative manner with other competitors instead of using destructive ways. Consumer rights The company's priority has been the business with focus on the confidence of the consumers. Monitoring system To keep him and other workers at the company informed about the progress of the company with the response of the consumer, the company has established a system of monitoring with the help of surveys and comments from the consumers. This has been helpful in identifying any

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Markets and Morals- Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Markets and Morals- - Essay Example The skeptics argue that there is the welfare of the society cannot be made by charging exorbitant prices during hard times. If there is social welfare to be considered, it should factor in the pain and suffering to the customers who buy those who may buy such high priced products. In their argument, some people cannot afford and hence may opt just to stay and die since the products and services are out of their means. They also argue that free markets are not always free under certain conditions. For instance, when the hurricane hit Florida, the need to have a safe shelter is no longer a freedom of choice. They are under duress to have such kind of products hence unethical to claim that the market is free Drafting soldier implies enlisting them whereby the candidates are chosen on the ground of suitability. On the other hand, hiring means having a lottery where the desired number is selected to join the military services. There are two ways whereby soldiers can be recruited. One is where the soldiers would be picked by the government to serve the public through a lottery system, and the other one is where there is a voluntary choice of joining the army where attractive salary packages. Volunteering, according to utilitarian, will be unjust to the civil obligations which require everyone to serve the nation. On the other hand, it is unjust since it may not be free as some candidates cannot find better engagements owing to the inadequacy of skills. In any effect, it may not produce the best candidates as compared to the coercive process. According to Libertarians, sometimes the economic conditions might not allow one to choose for the army position. The jobs might be so restricted whereby there is no option for free will since one need to have the economic engagement in order to live. Libertarian have objection argues that it should be treated as civil obligation for the citizens have a duty to serve

The Federal Reserve Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Federal Reserve - Essay Example Those initiatives should arrive at good results for the greater majority, including Small Business Enterprises and private individuals, although there seems to be a need to determine the timetable for such an achievement. As of May 2013, only large businesses were discovered to be realizing better credit facilities. Employment rate remains high although previous quarters had higher unemployment rates. However, the most recent initiatives reported in February 2013 by the Board of Governors gave some hope for changes along a better direction. In that report, full employment was made a commitment. And until the time when full employment is realized while low inflation rate at 2% is maintained, the Fed will continue to accommodate further infusion of money supply into the economy. Roles & Effectiveness of the US Federal Reserve Founded in 1913, the US Federal Reserve System was meant to serve as the country’s Central Bank under the supervision of Congress. Its roles were: (1) to f ormulate the monetary policy that defines the nation’s â€Å"monetary and credit conditions† so that maximum employment of the people, price stability, and â€Å"moderate, long-term interest rates† can be realized; (2) to supervise and regulate banks and other financial institutions for a safe and sound financial system that protects â€Å"the credit rights of consumers†; (3) to maintain a stable financial system and control the risks inherent in the financial markets; and (4) to serve the local and foreign governments with the facilitations for transactions, including services in connection with the payment system (BoG 2005, p.1). Over the years, it has evolved into influencing the demand and money supply situation of a country, using the four (4) standard means. The first is known as the means through â€Å"Open Market Operations† whereby the Federal Bank may reduce or increase money supply by limiting the amount and/or volume of purchases or sal e of US Treasury securities. When the Federal Bank purchases securities from the open market, more cash is made available in the economy. When the Fed sells Treasury securities to cash-rich investors for them to have a stable income source at an attractive interest rate, the country will have less money supply circulating. A 2nd means would be through the issuance of a directive for all banks to maintain a certain reserve requirement. These are in the form of cash in amounts determined by the percentage of deposits by consumers. Reserves are then deposited with the Federal Reserve Bank. To increase money supply, the Fed can simply lower the required reserves for all deposits. To decrease the level of money supply, reserve requirements may be increased so that there would be less lending operations on the part of banks and therefore lower money supply available in the economy. The 3rd way is by adding the requirement to have reserves in the form of â€Å"Contractual Clearing Balance † (BoG 2005, p. 3). Some transactions with payments that take some time to clear between two banks can be secured by additional reserves at the Federal Bank. Such amounts are on top of the 2nd means which is the reserve requirements by the Fed. These additional deposits with the Federal Bank may be stipulated by the Federal Reserve Bank (FRB) governing body. The 4th means of influencing the level of money

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Vincent Van Goghs Starry Night and Hans Hofmanns Spring Essay

Vincent Van Goghs Starry Night and Hans Hofmanns Spring - Essay Example The essay "Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night and Hans Hofmann’s Spring" discovers two paintings of Vincent Van Gogh and Hans Hofmann. Despite the similarities in the titles to the two works of art, they reveal a differences which reflects on the artist as a person and as an artist given expression to his experience and perspectives. Where Van Gogh looked to create work that was an interpretation of life through his own deeply emotional brush, Hofmann's works were directed at all expressions that his audience could relate to. However, since art is both an expression of mood/emotion and the artist’s own experiences, the contextual backgrounds of both Hofmann and Van Gogh help to explain why similar titled paintings convey different emotions. Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) was an iconic nineteenth century Dutch painter of the post-impressionist movement. Van Gogh was a deeply religious man, known for his struggles with mental illness (Blumer: 519). Van Gogh’s let ters and accounts of his life indicate that he suffered episodes of high energy and moods swings that are consistent with Bipolar Disorder. In the last two years of his life, a French doctor diagnosed Van Gogh with ‘temporal lobe epilepsy’. Still, Van Gogh’s life is described as ‘extraordinary’ due to his special artistic talents. After studying in Belgium, he spent time in Paris which exposed him not only to both the classical and then modern works of the French avant-garde, but as a metropolitan city exposed him to the Ukiyo-e style of Japan.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Organizational Capabilities and Strategic Management of Google Essay

Organizational Capabilities and Strategic Management of Google - Essay Example In relation to the study the company which has been selected is Google as a multinational corporation that was founded in the year 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin who were Ph.D. Students at Stanford University. It is a search engine that provides various internet services such as advertising technologies; cloud computing, internet search, and software. It links various Web pages allowing sharing and accessibility of information. Brin and Larry note that its mission is organizing world information and making it accessible and useful to everyone. It offers tools that enable one to do a fast search such as Google Chrome and Android. It also focuses on the success of various businesses in the online world and offline too.  Ã‚   It does this by focusing on products such as media and sales ads. For the web, Google has built various products with the intention of making the web and the experiences of the users better. Google has proved to have a wide range of organizational capabilitie s that enable it to stay ahead of the market competition. Scott states that one of the capabilities that Google has is innovativeness in terms of its products and even how they offer the services. This can be clearly seen from its motto of continuous innovation. Google usually invests some of its money and time towards innovation growth by encouraging its employees to come up with new products and ideas. An example is where it recommends 20% of the technical employees’ time to be spent on their own activities while 80% of their time spent on advertising and core research. This investment has accounted for half of new features and products that have been created by Google. Every employee is given freedom of thought and ability to make changes to projects or even create their own projects. This in effect continuously encourages the employees to concentrate on coming up with new ideas that will add value to the company. The ideas are presented in an open environment which enhanc es its image. Dornefest and Calishain note that another capability that Google has is its strong organizational culture (133). It uses every opportunity in motivating employees by regular recognition of best performers. It has an open culture where every employee contributes to the running of the organization by accepting ideas from everyone. This in turn makes people to be comfortable in raising their ideas without intimidation which leads to its success. When hiring, goggle has a culture of hiring people based on the capabilities and not their experiences and it hires smart and determined workforce which contributes to higher capabilities. Another culture that the company has is that of holding weekly all- hands meeting where people raise ideas and issues directly to the management. This culture is effective because it leads to quality production and quick decision making as well as problem solving. Another capability is that Google provides the best working environment for its workers. This has been evident from the many awards that Google has received as ‘the best place to work’ which has in turn led to employee satisfaction. This capability is of great importance for it attracts a lot of professionals to the company. This in turn has seen the company to comprise of a lot of people who have great potential making the company to stand in a better chance of expanding and developing new ideas. Information technology is another capability that Google has which makes it to be more competitive. This is from the ability to link various pages and come up with other products and search tools (Brin 95).Having vast technology has enabled Google to connect various web pages, advertise and even sell. With enough resources that Google as i.e. a good capital base, it has been able to purchase tools that add to its efficiency. An example is where Google bought You Tube which has led to its efficiency in terms of its market share. This has been from the fact that a lot of people love watching live

Monday, September 23, 2019

CHOOSING A DELIVERY CARE MODEL AND STAFFING PATTERN Essay

CHOOSING A DELIVERY CARE MODEL AND STAFFING PATTERN - Essay Example ealth care delivery is usually determined by a number of factors ranging from issues of economics to the beliefs of the organization leaders and even the power and ability to select and retain staffs.in addition, effectiveness of the care models in terms of offering quality and patient safety would also play a big role in decision making process. Ideally there are a number of care models that dominates the organization of the inpatient care nursing for example: functional and team care nursing which is a model that is task-oriented and it mainly rely on the usage of registered nurses (RNs) to provide the healthcare services (Nafarrate, Fowler, & Wu, 2009). Following the fact that this care model uses a mix of only licenced nursing personnel, it the most appropriate for the patients that are suffering from chronic diseases. This care model also does not exclusively pertains to only the organization of the nursing care or the inpatient setting but also take care of the examination of t he medical house staffs, social works and even pharmacy services. It is considered mainly for the ambulatory healthcare services, home care health services and nursing homes for the staffs (Towill & Christopher, 2005). This care model also work with the specific populations of the patients like the elderly patients and those patients that are under chronic health care conditions through the use of the disease management models that incorporates technology in its operations. Irrespective of the interest of the varied needs of the health care models, it is not very easy to discern the effective performance of the models. Both the traditional and non-traditional care units have been adversely affected by the limited number of the working staffs and even the essential health care resources (Noon, Hankins, Cote, & Lieb, 2003). To evaluate the effectiveness of the care models and to ensure that the patients return home with proper ability to do their daily activities when they are physically

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Disadvantages of Globalization Essay Example for Free

Disadvantages of Globalization Essay 1. ABSTRACT It is debated that sustainable development has not worked well within the globalist environment and continues to seem unpromising for our future. If there is not some sort of new outside of the box idea followed by drastic action which takes place, this society faces grave environmental dangers as every new year comes. This essay will critically assess the statement mentioned above and will go in depth to try to explain how negative impacts can be stopped and this essay will put forth ideas regarding how capitalism and environmentalism can reconcile. 2. INTRODUCTION 2.1. BackgroundGlobalization is a concern today as it is attributed to massive social problems in developing nations. The deterioration of the environment i.e. the destruction of the rain forests, oceans, rivers, and lakes is directly related to overwriting and non-regulation of local environmental laws by corporations in developing countries. Also within the global society, economic inequality, especially poverty and exploitation of underdeveloped nations, are major social problems due to developed policies between international economic institutions of the International Monetary Fund and the Word Bank, international corporations, and national governments. These policies can be so harmful to economies that they contribute to horrors such as world hunger, disease, and human trafficking to name a few. Government intervention by regulation, taxation, and redistributing wealth then distorts natural laws of supply and demand. Some economies may suffer disadvantaged at first, but society is better off when the free market is allowed to control itself. 2.2. Purpose of the ReportThis report is aimed to give in detaied undertandign of what does globalization it, how it developed and what negative impacts on human life. While there are many positive aspects of globalization, its negative effects are overwhelming and far reaching. In fact the effects of the same behave like slow poison which is why it becomes more important to recognize and stop the negatives. 2.3. Statement of the problemBefore understanding the reasons behind why this phenomenon has brought with it so many problems, we need to have a look at  the instruments by which globalization is being promoted and enhanced. The most important and predominant instruments influencing this process are the multinational corporations and the new revolution of information technology. 3. METHODOLOGY While preparing this report, mostly the book resources of Yeditepe University Knowledge Center applied. there were numbers of books to search about the subject. This report will start with briefly defining globalization. then it will follow by its negative impacts in terms of both its economic, human and nature impacts. 4. FINDINGS 4.1. GlobalizationThere are various definitions for the word globalization, but depending on the perspective it is seen in, this phenomenon ramifies itself in different shade colors between white and black. To put ourselves in the appropriate context, it is important to understand what the word globalization means. Globalization in its literal sense is the process of transformation of local or regional things or phenomena into global ones. It can also be used to describe a process by which the people of the world are unified into a single society and function together. This process is a combination of economic, technological, socio-cultural and political forces. Globalization is also used to refer to another term called economic globalization and this term, refers to the Integration of national economies into the international economy through trade, foreign direct investment, capital flows, migration, and the spread of technology.(Robertson, 1992) During the death of each minute consumed and the passing of each day, societies have identified a certain shrinking of the world that has been more real with the strengthening of larger and stronger bonds between parallel worlds called countries. It is interesting to see that this phenomenon is not only visible because of the human being evolution, but also because of the rapid transformations in communication, transportation, and computer technology, that have permitted these parallel worlds to explore and be exposed to other ways of living and cultures (Roberts, 1999). In a broader perspective, this situation could be seen as a beneficial situation due to the fact, that opening up to new cultures, means the breaking of paradigms in the solving of problems. The difficulty nagging in everyones minds is, in the dissolution of those paradigms, are the  societies going to lose their identities which indicate in the way they live life and differ themselves from others? Its a question that has been more and more obvious in the passing of each day and that have started revolutions in pursue of preventing cultural distortion because many countries, in fact, feel threatened by other cultures and consequently, are acting out to preserve themselves the best way possible. 4.2. Globalization and culture Globalization represents a challenge to cultures and local languages. Globalization needs to be pursued with tolerance and respect for the cultures that we come across. Being hastily judgmental could lead to marginalizing many local cultures. Scientific and economic superiority of the US and the flow of information technology assist in imposing certain languages in particular English as a second language in some developing and developed countries, and as a first language in some others and this could have a significant impact on cultures resulting in the dilution if not wiping out traditions, customs, and values of many societies and marginalizes their cultures (Appadurai, 1996). 4.2.1. Cultural imperialism People are scared of cultural imperialism, which describes the idea that one day the whole world will be one big culture and that the blending of cultures will eliminate the existence of the weaker ones and fusion the habits and customs of the stronger ones. In order for this to happen, there must be an eradication of many different cultures around the world, but in a personal perspective, the idea of cultural imperialism is not possible (Appadurai, 1996). Even if all the weakest cultures adopted important habits, people would still prefer some of the things their culture proportions. 4.2.2. McDonalds More than half of the Colombians would never prefer a Mc Donald lunch over a real good sancocho trifà ¡sico and the American culture has a higher possibility to choose the other way around, due to the fact that a lot of people can only afford to eat at Mc Donalds because of its low prices in their country. This is why in a way it is clear that even if cultural imperialism were to happen, the cultures of the world would never be able to come together to form just one. Besides, there is no secret that  globalization is an uneven process, due to the fact that there is an unequal distribution of benefits and losses and this is another argument that demonstrates that many cultures differ(Peterson, 1999). This imbalance, also leads to the separation between the rich countries, and the poor ones causing them to be more against the beliefs of the rich countries, and more protective of their own. Positive cultural understanding of the market is a way to facilitate any marketing program development and resumes in a higher success for the manager that applies this, but some managers confuse themselves believing that marketing influences culture completely (Appadurai, 1996). In a way, this is true but this does not mean it changes it even though product acceptance is affected by culturally based attitudes towards change. There are a few things to take into consideration when thinking that culture is in constant change with marketing. There is a term called corporate culture, which describes the whole collection of assumptions, practices and norms that people in an organization adopt over time. This means that employees have to buy into them, eventually getting to the point where they take them for granted and passes them on. (Bauman, 1998) This term is interesting because all of the companies have their own internal culture that is always bargaining with the culture of its home country and many managers confuse themselves trying to change their national cultures for that of their company without any success, thinking in that idea that market can change culture. Experts in organization behavior say it is difficult to alter any kind of culture independent if it is a national culture or a corporate one, but the corporate culture is more flexible in terms of the way they do things internally and that a manager must understand this in order to obtain success. 4.3. Globalization and developing countries Globalization has serious effects on many developing countries:a. The irresponsible behavior of some multinational corporations toward the environment of developing countries (using these countries as a safe haven) participating in this phenomenon could cause much harm to the latter. Due to lenient policing, expired products are dangerously marketed and natural surroundings are carelessly  abused. So globalization in this context changes the world to become a global pillage instead of being a global village. Besides due to lack of supervisory governmental bodies, such behaviour could also lead to Global Warming -the consequences of which will not be limited only to the marginalized nations (Cosgrove-Sacks, 1999). b. The real test to globalization is through its success in reducing the gap between the rich and the poor at local, national and global levels. However the widening gap between the East and the West at international level, and between haves and have-nots at national level is another serious aspect of globalization (Peterson, 1999). c. Globalization has forced many countries in various parts of this world to regulate to a lower league the most fundamental needs of their peoples. The equitable distribution of food, adequate health care facilities, and the quality of education are no longer priority concerns the political agendas of the governments in these countries (Roberts, 1999). All these indicate that poor societies in the third world not only remain far away from benefiting from globalization, but also they continue to suffer from its calamities, pitfalls and misfortunes. It then contributes to laying the foundation of injustices and social inequalities, and moreover preventing the growth of new markets in these countries because they are unable to compete with the advanced markets. Globalization can also be bad for countries that arent very good at producing things and are too impoverished. Their industries may need protection against multinational firms so that their local industries can develop and get big enough to fund research and development and exploit economies of scale. Globalization means the world becoming one big marketplace with as few trade barriers as possible, so obviously weaker companies would be wiped out by stronger ones, which might be based in a few rich countries. So great income inequality can result. However, it is generally agreed that globalization has more pros than it has cons. 4.4. Globalization and morals The immoral character of globalization is becoming even more serious and its negative impacts in this context have different aspects. Globalization has internationalized crimes. Drug trafficking and the trafficking of women and children have become much more difficult to control because of their international character. Not only crimes are globalized, but also diseases such as AIDS. Pornography too accounts for the poisoning of young minds and counter productive usage of technology. This has lead to increase in crimes against women and beginning of unhealthy trends in society(Perlas, 1999). 4.5. Globalization and international politics By increasing interdependence among countries, globalization would give economically strong and advanced countries a strong hold on international politics. However this power could be misused by superpowers which could possibly challenge international legitimacy through marginalizing the role of the United Nations and ignoring the international law (Baylis, 2001). 4.6. Globalization and societal structuresThe free economy and the development of technology have negative impact on labourers. As known, twenty percent of the world population is producing the needs of all population in this world, while most of the rest 80% are unable to find a suitable source of income. This is serious because underprivileged people are expected to revolt against their bad conditions (Perlas, 1999). This is possible with the growing decline of states power to the favor of private sectors, on one hand, and to the growing decrease of the governmental expenditures on social and public services such as heath, education etc., on the other. In this, globalization is a source of social instability and class disparity. 4.6.1. Inequalities within society It is difficult to fully understand inequalities within society without fully understanding that in our capitalist societies, nothing happens unless it is profitable and that profit is usually achieved through the struggle of others surrounding it.  The leading corporate empires and some of the richest people in our worlds history have achieved their successes through the blood, sweat and tears of the unnamable workers that have helped in the past, and are helping them today (Bauman, 1998). The following essay will critically assess the usefulness of the blame globalism approach as to why there exist so many inequalities in our society, and this essay will also touch upon alternative points of view that steer away from capitalism as the main problem (Peterson, 1999). Inequality in society is quite extensive and it continues to grow. Different ways exist when portraying inequality and where it is rooted from, some views are fact based logic and some are more opinion based. Most of the time our initial views of what inequality is and where it seems to exist most, comes from the infomercials we see where images of poor children in third world countries strike across our televisions. Outside the western hemisphere of the world in the poorer countries there certainly is a visible inequality when compared to life here at home, but this has been the case for so many years (Perlas, 1999). One of the major modern inequalities creating a history of its own for people in the future to look back upon is how our own capitalist society continues to divide the rich and the poor at a fast rate and a greater division as every year passes. 4.7. Globalization materializing human nature Globalization has also popularized a consumer culture among people due to the flow of goods and products. Since the desire to consume more and more can never really be satisfied, the consumer becomes addicted to shopping to a point where the spiritual, moral and intellectual dimensions of his/her personality do not grow or develop. These are actually due to the business corporations, which produce the wide array of consumer goods and the media which advertise them. In fact this trend has also resulted in higher levels of dissatisfaction despite improved lifestyles due to never-ending wants (Bauman, 1998). 4.7.1. Gender issue Gender is essential to modern globalization in manufacturing because it has been discuss at a variety of joint degrees to see if assembly-line workers are to influence global factory regimes and  improve the quality of their jobs. This knowledge is made a power by workers in that they are able to build effective networks of resistance and resistance centers on issues of human rights, labor rights, gender identities, and indigenous identities (Brysk, 2004). Economic oppression caused by the globalization of markets and industries keeps women poor. Around the world, women are paid less than men even when they have similar jobs to male counterparts. Often women are demoted to lower paid positions and then unable to advance. When companies such as factories are privatized, women are the fist to be let go because employers assume that their income is an appendage the income earned by the male head of household. Single, unemployed mothers are one of the largest groups of potential trafficking victims (Brysk, 2004). All of these issues force women into the gray, semi-legal economy, or even worse, the black market in an effort to support themselves and their families. Increased globalization is what causes this oppression for women through trade, travel and the movements of money both legal and illegal become faster and much less able to be regulated and trafficking is made easier due to these factors. 4.7.2. Human rights violation The effect of globalization on state-based human rights violations depends on the type of state and its history. Countries that are newly democratizing with weak institutions and elite-controlled economies, such as Russia, Latin America, and Southeast Asia, the growth of global markets and economic flows tends to weaken coercive forces but increase crime, police abuse, and corruption (Brysk, 2004). Global mobility and information flows generally lead to ethnic mobilization, which may promote self-rule in more open states but mostly it produces abuses in defense of dominant-group control. Alternatively, the same forces have produced slow institutional openings by single-party states, like China and Mexico (Brysk, 2004). In much of Africa, globalization has increased the power void, by both empowering and providing intervention, which displace old governments without combining new ones. Some of the most horrifying abuses of human rights happened in the international civil wars of Sierra Leone, Angola, and the Congo (Brysk, 2004). 4.8. Globalization and prosperity Globalization poses serious questions about  peace and prosperity: Could the implementation of free market principle globally enhance international peace and security or prevents wars, as globalists argue? Prosperity, welfare and economic progress which market economy is expected to achieve could enhance or create some opportunities for political stability; but it does not necessarily ensure peace or social stability (Brueggemann, 2006). It is true that market economy has contributed to social and political stability in liberal states and to peace among them, but it does the opposite in many developing countries. Asian economic crisis of 1997 is a case in point. The free market forces allowed manipulators to control stock markets and to transfer large amount of money just to maximize their profits, while they were destroying the economies of many Asian countries (Baylis and Smith, 2001). Indeed these activities have destroyed the social structures of those societies, and furthermore, created what might be called potential social unrests in the region. That is why globalization in its current formula does not necessarily ensure social and political stability. 4.9. Globalization and Environment Capitalism is mainly about the overall accumulation of wealth based upon the consumption of our planets natural resources and these resources are becoming more and more strictly limited. We as one face the universal environmental problem existing that we are consuming roughly twenty-five percent more than the Earth can give us each year. Our planet needs these natural resources such as trees for example that continue to give our planets ecosystem clean air and water that we all need to survive daily. 4.9.1. Pollution We are exceeding the amount of pollution that our environment can handle. Waste products that give off carbon dioxide emissions into the air are now much more than our planet is able to absorb and deal with without having serious affects for both our planets health and our own. These carbon dioxide emissions are also the leading cause of our climate change referred to as global warming. Even though international agreements exist to prevent global warming by affectively fighting it, there truly needs to be than just marketing principles to achieve overall compliance from everyone (Cosgrove-Sacks, 1999). There has to be set in stone  principles that turn standard to every leading employer that threats the environmental crisis, and they need to feel as if they cannot just continue doing what they are doing by paying a fine here and there. There are many developing nations still needing to grow economically themselves but in order for them to achieve their goals, the richer countries such as ours here in the western hemisphere, we will need to reduce the usages of natural resources in order to balance things out efficiently (Cosgrove-Sacks, 1999). This is highly unlikely to happen as we continue to use more and more resources each and every year that passes now. If everyone in the world lived like we do over here, we would need around five planets to simply provide the necessary natural resources needed to survive. 4.9.2. Environmental technologies Technology that is more efficient and cleaner will not necessarily solve the environmental issues at hand either. Even though these new innovations seem to be the ideology that if we do things cleaner than everything will be okay, this is not the answer to the question of sustainability. Many areas of the world that were or still are leading polluters have began to go about their work more efficiently by adapting cleaner technology but it still does not change the fact countries such as the United States consume far more material goods and end up using more of the planets limited natural resources (Roberts, 1999). There is always another issue behind another and it becomes very difficult to address everything at once successfully. However, without a solution to these problems our planets climate will continue to die (Peterson, 1999). The only way for globalism to move forward successfully would be for it to make a change from exploiting out natural resources such as air and water and to protect them as common wealth trusts of humanities. They could belong to everybody and we would have the power to limit the use of scarce resources, charge rent, and pay dividends to everyone. Continuous economical growth can occur as long it becomes environmentally friendly with efficient technologies being adopted and if the economies steer away from producing material goods and begin to move towards services, sustainable prosperity is  what this is known as. Sustainable prosperity as the global use of resources and methods of dealing with wastes would not exceed the planets capacity to regenerate and absorb. True prosperity can only come if the income disparity between the rich and poor shortens (Brueggemann, 2006). 4.10. Globalization and poverty Wealth is created through labor. This labor comes from the people who are not getting rich from the company of which they are working for. Workers dedicate hours of labor work and most of their lives working with a companys means of production such as machinery and building things. The company owners themselves are not out there building a house, driving a bus, or selling vacuums, yet they are getting practically all of the profit and do not do the hard work themselves. They simple own the means of production. This unfair sort of money pyramid is the bases of pretty much all major money leading companies and it is the system that creates rich and poor and continues to do so much more all the time (Bauman, 1998). 4.10.1. InequalitiesOnce this basic realization is understood, it is easier to see how inequalities within the oppressed classes relate to this as well. For poor people in places like Africa and similar circumstances countries, their struggle is mainly a result of the capitalists not caring about them, because there is no profit to be made out of their labour. What worsens the views and opinions people have on capitalists even more is not that they are exploiting the poor, but it is that they are not exploited them at all. These poor people are irrelevant to capitalist production and therefore capitalists truly do not care if they live or die, eat or starve, the capitalists simple are not concerned. In fact in some cases, capitalists would most likely love if the poor would just die out, so then they could stop pretending to care (Perlas, 1999). Bosses have used all sorts of divisions in the past to attempt to increase the inequalities and drive down working conditions. However, through the years there has been an increasing amount of workers coming together to fight these inequalities. There once existed a time when racism, sexism, and youth wages played more than just a small factor in working wages, but in  fact made up most of the inequalities within our society. With so much success as time progresses, workers continue to unite to challenge globalists (Peterson, 1999). With progressions of equality such as these in our capitalist society, there are certainly other views that do not blame globalism for all the poor in the world, in fact some may even say hat globalism helps people instead of causing societal negativities. 4.10.2. Decrease in living standards of people These types of little scenarios make up the theory of equal opportunity. Poorer families not having the education, health care, or typical social skills which are created by being raised in a decent home, are at a lesser advantage than others whom were raised in a middle class family (Robertson, 1992). This makes it clear to see how people and families remain poor over decades and through generation and as the prices of things climb, these people get even more left behind. It is not necessarily the fault of capitalism, just the result of many, many growing up situations being the same. However, when people then begin to bite onto this theory and give globalism the benefit of the doubt in situations, people then turn around and say it was globalism in the first place long back many years ago that caused that family to be poor. Then as decades passed, these poor families never got out of the downward slope of things and globalism started it all (Brysk, 2004). It is not a simple task to pin point exactly where inequality was derived from in the beginning, it is easier to see where it still exists now. For every positive thing brought to light regarding globalizm, there seems to be an opposing view whether fact of opinion that then blames it again. Globalizm and inequalities in society continue to move around as one, even if possibly they were never one in the beginning and globalisms original intention was never to create a gap as large as the one is today between the rich and poor (Brysk, 2004). 5. CONCLUSION The affects of globalization can be endless. States in the US can see impacts both good and harmful due to manufacturing of export goods. Economically, globalization can be positive when it benefits commerce and can contribute to an increase in the standard of living. Also, when developing nations being to grow wealthier is can lead to social prosperity. On the other hand globalization can be seen as a negative. When it acts as  corporate imperialism, the global issues of environment, gender, and human rights are abused. This is due to the growth of markets, internationally, where economic movements tend to aid the deterioration of protective forces which increase crime levels, and abuse of policies. Depending on how globalization is approached it can negatively or positively affect socializations, but one thing s for sure: it brings change. 6. REFERENCES Appadurai, Arjun, Modernity at large : cultural dimensions of globalization, Minneapolis, Minn. : University of Minnesota Press, 1996Bauman, Zygmunt, Globalization : the human consequences, New York : Columbia University Press, 1998Baylis, John and Smith, Steve, The globalization of world politics : an introduction to international relations, Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2001Brueggemann, William G. The Practice of Macro Social Work. Thompson Brooks/Cole, Canada. 2006. Brysk., Alison. Globalization and Human Rights. University of California Press, Ltd. 2002. Globalization and Gender Inequalities: Advancing the Status of Women Worldwide. The Zontian. 2004. Volume 83, number 4. Cosgrove-Sacks, Carol, The European Union and developing countries : the challenges of globalization, New York : St. Martins Press, 1999Perlas, Nicanor, Shaping globalization : civil society, cultural power, and threefolding, Quezon City, Philippines : Center for Alternative Development Initiatives, 1999Peterson, Robert Dean. Social problems : globalization in the twenty-first century, Upper Saddle River, N.J. : Prentice Hall, 1999Roberts, J. Timmons and Hite, Amy, From modernization to globalization : perspectives on development and social change, Malden, Mass. : Blackwell, 1999Robertson, Roland. Globalization : social theory and global culture, London : Sage, 1992

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Kfc Kentucky Fried Chicken In Nigeria

Kfc Kentucky Fried Chicken In Nigeria KFC Corporation, or KFCÂ ®, also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky. The peculiar history of KFCÂ ® Kentucky Fried Chicken started between 1952 and 1964 when Colonel Harland Sanders (born on September 9, 1890), a politically appointed Kentucky colonel convinced the owners of 600 restaurants in multiple states to pay him a nickel for every chicken they prepared using his secret recipe seasoning. The seasoning is a blend of 11 herbs and spices and sold with his name on it (kfc 2010). In 1964 The colonel as he was popularly called sold the franchise system to John Y. Brown and his business partner Jack Massey for only $2 million. In 1966 Brown and Massey took their company public and increased efforts towards system development with the help of franchisees and Sanders himself who was a marketing icon by all rights, owing to his entrepreneurial success story and image. The company was listed on the New York Stock Exchange on January 16, 1969. Since KFC Corporation went public and registered tremendous growth over the years, it has been acquired by a couple of other multinational corporations. The latest acquisition of KFCÂ ® was by PepsiCo, Inc. in October of 1986, from RJR Nabisco, Inc. for $840 million (Liddle 2010). In January 1997, PepsiCo, Inc. made KFCÂ ® and a couple of its other small quick service restaurants into an Independent entity known as Tricon Global Restaurants, Inc. And subsequently changed the corporations name to Yum! Brands, Inc. in May of 2002. Yum! Brands, Inc. also owns AW All-American food Restaurant, KFCÂ ® , Pizza Hut, Long John and Taco Bell restaurants making it the worlds principal restaurant corporation in terms of system units and spread, having over 32,500 units spread across over 100 countries. While its primary focus is fried chicken, KFCÂ ® also offers a line of roasted chicken products, side dishes and desserts (kfc 2010) This report will be looking at KFCÂ ® in Nigeria; with the aim of investigating and analyzing their main marketing activities and operations in general. KFCÂ ® looking to develop and extend the volume of their market started operation in Nigeria by opening the first Nigerian KFCÂ ® restaurant in December 2010. According to Keith Warren, Yum!s general manager for Africa, We always knew a 150 million people eating chicken on the bone as their primary protein, had to be a good thing for KFCÂ ®, but we didnt quite know how good a thing it was going to be. They have six stores in Nigeria now and they plan on building 20 more stores in 2011. They also forecast that by 2020 KFCÂ ® will have 300 restaurants doing business in Nigeria (kfc 2010). This report is particularly interesting because KFCÂ ® in Nigeria is a new venture for Yum! Brands, Inc. This means that KFCÂ ® is a well known global brand in a new market environment, therefore, the implementation of its market orientation is still taking shape. In other words, the way that KFCÂ ® has decided to do business in Nigeria is still taking shape. Their market orientation, marketing mix and strategies etc will depend on their perception of the new Nigerian market, so we will be looking at KFCs Marketing strategy. In general terms, especially multinational firms use a different strategy in Nigeria than they do in other markets. We are hoping that KFCÂ ® will follow the same trend. 2. KFCS ORIENTATION A business can be Product Orientated, Marketing Orientated or Sales Orientated; but businesses can develop new products based on either a marketing orientated approach or a product orientated approach (Tutor2u 2010). Organizations orientation refers to its familiarization with and approach to the market. A firm can develop new products either based on what it thinks is the best for the market in order to maximize sales or what the customers think. Sales orientated approach fits the profile of market orientation because it uses such skills as selling, pricing, promotion and distribution except it pays little attention to customer needs, priority being sales maximization (Jobber 2007). Market-orientated approach is popular among most successful businesses as opposed to product orientated approach where firms develop products based on their competencies and capabilities rather than the customers needs (Tutor2u 2010). However, (Tutor2u 2010) cited that some products are argued to create a need or want in the customer/consumer, especially products that have high technology content. E.g. Mobile phones have moved from being a business accessory to being a big consumer brand item, with many additional gadgets, such as pictures, video and Internet access. Innovations create the need rather than the customer being able to second-guess how new technology is going to develop. Most technology driven products that requires high level innovation fall within this range because the products create customer needs and market segmentation takes care of the rest. KFC as an organization is Marketing Orientated because it tends to tailor its products and services to the needs of customers in a particular market. 2.1 KFCS MARKETING ORIENTATION: According to Kaur and Gupta (2010:88) Market orientation is a business culture that ensures a set of behaviours needed for generating, disseminating and responding to both internal and external market information for creating superior customer value through superior organizational skills and competencies which ensures long term profitability by continuously identifying and managing limitation in the system that prevents market-orienting culture in an organization. This is a wholesome definition of what market orientation is all about, in that it takes into consideration the business environment, competences, constraints, activities, strategies, implementation and results/targets of marketing orientation, A market orientation needs to be balanced with creativity and a deep understanding of the firms unique capabilities, competencies and objectives (Houston 1986; Sharp 1991; Hamel and Prahalad 1994). Alternatively, the definition of market orientation acknowledges the understanding and acting upon the dynamics of the markets in which they operate and concentrating on critical relationships (Povey 2000). The market dynamics he is referring to may range from the needs of the customers, to what influences their buying decision. There are positive relationships between market orientation and business performance (Pelman and Wilson 1996; Ruekert (1992). As is the case with KFC, their technique of market specialization (i.e. simply put, giving the customers what they really need and importantly not giving them what they dont need) has made them effective in Nigeria. Market orientation is a popular approach especially for a product/service organization like KFC. The need to gain customer preference over major competitors makes them react to the needs and wants of the customer, in order words, they are customer/consumer focused. KFC in Nigeria takes feedback from customers seriously, and they use feedback from customers/consumers to alter or change their standard products according to the customer specifications. The major characteristics of KFC as a Marketing Orientated business is outlined in Table 1 below according to the compilation of Jobber (2007) Table 1. Business Function Activities Identifying Customer/Consumer needs and wants. Marketing Research Developing Products to meet customer/consumer Research and Development/Production needs and wants Deciding on the value of the product to customers Pricing (Sales and marketing department) Making the products available to customers at the Distribution right time and place Informing customers.consumers of he existence of Promotion the product and persuading them to buy it 2.1.1 CUSTOMER NEEDS: In KFC Nigeria, customer needs are primary. The business decisions that KFC make in Nigeria are mainly based on the needs or otherwise complaints or feedback from the end consumer. The advantage of this approach to KFC is that it gives them an edge (competitive advantage) over their competition in terms of meeting and exceeding customers needs. Because a satisfied customer is a happy customer, a happy customer is a loyal customer and a loyal customer is an additional word of mouth promotion for the company; thereby maintaining and increasing KFCs market share. This approach is also growing in popularity mainly because the average consumer has now become knowledgeable and can have very easy access to information, therefore, rather than just working on making their products and services more appealing to the target consumers, KFC is now paying more attention to the customers wants and needs. This approach enables KFC to not only attract customers, but also to satisfy and more important ly retain them. Groucutt (2005 6-10 and 60) cited that an organization can achieve this by first identifying and selecting their target customers and learn their needs and desires by building relationships that will enable them key in to the customers real needs and develop products or services that can be sold at a profit in conformity with customers desire. He further stated that there must be some form of dialogue between the firm and the customers, where customers state their personal needs and wants, and this may be direct or indirect. Through marketing research a customer may communicate directly with the firm, where the firm seeks feedback on particular market issues. He goes on to say that on the other hand, customers may communicate indirectly with the firm by switching brands, and this is to inform the firm that there is a problem with the product (could be price or quality or both) Groucutt (2005) Groucutt (2005 335) The real needs of customers depends on a hierarchy of motives/motivators ranging from Psychological, Safety, Love and belongingness and self-esteem to self-actualization. KFC uses this approach as well, however, with business profitability as the needed end result. This means that they keep the needs of the customers in focus, while they aim at maximize their profit in general. A good implementation of this approach by KFCÂ ® in Nigeria is evident in the way they tailored their menu for different parts of Nigeria. For instance, their menu in the Northern parts of Nigeria does not contain pork because customers in those parts are predominantly moslems who prohibit the eating of pork, and because the case of belongingness is a huge determinant on what people eat. In the southern parts of Nigeria where you have a high density of educated families who tend to be more safety and health conscious when it comes to what they eat, KFC drafted their menu according to diet specifications, making it appear heathy and diet packed. 2.1.2 MARKETING RESEARCH: Groucutt (2005) defines Marketing research as the process of designing, collecting, analyzing and reporting of information that may be used to solve a specific problem in a firms marketing. The marketing problem he refers to can range from the market for a new product, new market for product (as is the case of KFCÂ ® in Nigeria), to lack of patronage for an existing product. Groucutt (2005) cited that Organizations need to narrow down their targeted segment i.e. who they want to appeal to, before undertaking a proper marketing research. It is only when you know who to appeal to that you devise means to appeal to them. He further said that after understanding their targeted segment, firms must have a clear objective as to what the firm aims to achieve both marketing wise and corporate wise. This is because for KFC to have a competitive advantage, they must be able to successfully tailor customer satisfaction with their objectives and end target. KFC Nigeria use feedback from custome rs as a major marketing research tool. According to Groucutt (2005) When efficiently and effectively used, marketing research can benefit the organization in the short-run and long-run. It can give the organization a complete understanding of the market, which includes understanding their current customers, current competitors, potential customers and the impact of macro environmental forces. Organizations can be proactive or reactive to changing conditions only through understanding these diverse groups, according to Groucutt (2005). Market research is important for KFCÂ ® to understand the behavior of a typical Nigerian customer, by analyzing both current and potential purchasing habits, tastes and influences. Marketing research is both a communication tool and a means of communication for KFC, because they use it to get needed information about current market conditions; on the other hand, customers give them feedback on their products and services. Forsyth (2007) cites market research as the planned problem analysis, model building and fact finding to enable better decision making and control in the marketing of goods and services. This implies that marketing research in addition to being an information tool, also enables the organization to guild their internal activities effectively for better results in the market place. According Forsyth (2007) market research contributes to the management of the marketing mix as well as used to help decide on: the marketing strategy needed to better exploit new opportunities; which market discontinuity to tackle; and the key interest areas for future marketing strategy. In application to KFCs activities in Nigeria, the information they get from market research helps them to better adapt to the Nigerian business environment. For instance, the no camera policy in KFC stores is a way they decided to curtail the excesses of some tough local competitors, because there is no limit to the extent a competitor will go to beat business competition in Nigeria. 2.1.3 RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT/PRODUCTION: Effective and efficient use of marketing research creates more information for the organization to potentially undertake research and development of new products; this entails developing products based on customers wants and needs. Ideally, this is should be a continuos process. According to Groucutt (2005). The development of new products and services is usually the key to the beginning of new firms, or the continuation of an existing one. Organizations undertake constant research and development of new products in order to be innovative and stay competitive. Firms engage in New Product Development for various reasons like: To replace a product, to modify a product, to develop products in support of the firms long-term strategic objectives, the adaptation of an existing product, unexpected occurrence leading to unexpected innovation and product and in response to societal, including demographic factors. Societies change and so does their needs, according to Grouccut (2005). The average Nigerian customer is more aware and has easy access to information about different products; therefore his needs and preferences are no longer the same with the last 10 years. KFCÂ ® capitalized on this by rolling out products and services that appeal to Nigerian customers. The important thing is making the products available to the customer when, how and where they want it. For instance, KFCÂ ® incorporated a special type of local chicken seasoning called Suya into their menu in Nigeria because people tend to prefer their chicken made in this way with a lot local pepper spices, different from the rest of the world. KFC also made their chicken a lot spicier because approximately 85% of Nigerians love spicy food and eat spicy food three times in a day. 2.1.4 PRICING: Price is an inherent part of the product/service and must be used as an element of the marketing process (Forsyth 2007) This means that pricing needs to be set carefully because not only does it reflect quality, it ensures that the financial objectives of KFC are met and also creates good image and feeling of value for money by the consumers (Forsyth 2007). Pricing is particularly a sensitive and delicate issue in Nigeria because to most people the price is the first impression about any product. This means that just the mention of the price of a product determines if the average Nigerian customer actually buys a product or not without further inquiry about the quality of the product. Groucutt (2005) thinks that customers may be particularly sensitive to either the set price or increases, even if the increase are marginal. People usually associate this price sensitivity to economic class i.e. lower income groups, but anybody could be price sensitive depending on different factors lik e economic environment or volatility (high growth or low growth). However, price sensitivity in Nigeria can easily be linked to the higher population or high density of lower income people in the population. People work hard and earn relatively less, so it makes sense to want higher value for as low as possible price. Moreover, for most people in Nigeria eating out is a luxury and if that comes with a high price then it is obviously targeted at the higher income groups. This is also a sensitive part of KFCs marketing orientation and it is interesting what they came up with, bearing in mind that they had the objective to penetrate the market and also meet their financial objectives. According to Groucutt (2005) there are different types of pricing tactics that firms use and depending on the objectives/targets and external factors, firms could use some or all of these pricing tactics during the life of a product or service. KFC Nigeria uses Penetration Pricing (Predatory Pricing). Penetration pricing is all about finding a way to access a market by cutting through the existing pricing structures or strategies (Groucutt 2005). Grocutt (2007) also goes on to say that Penetration Pricing can be used to attain entry into an existing market by introducing and maintaining low prices set against the existing average price for that product or service. KFC Nigeria deliberately maintained low prices for most of their products, while at the same time matching the price of competition for some other products. The use of both penetration pricing and Price matching tactics by KFC in Nigeria is very effective, but the use of Penetration Pricing is particularly very important because it was what people mainly responded to and are still responding to. With these pricing tactics, KFC was not just looking at penetrating the market and making sales, but to also create a long lasting impression and customer loyalty in the l ong-run. KFC achieved relatively easy entry in Nigeria mainly because of their pricing tactics because the average Nigerian consumer is very price sensitive and care about quality a lot more than status. 2.1.4 DISTRIBUTION (Brassington Pettitt 2003) Distribution ensures availability and service The availability they are referring to incorporates timeliness as an important factor. It is good enough that customers chose you and not your competition, but it is very important to provide the needed product or service when it is needed on time. Forsyth (2007) cites that distribution is the process that enables products and services to be delivered to customers/consumers in the market. Distribution process typically involves intermediaries but for a fast food franchise like KFC intermediaries are highly unlikely, but for KFC accessibility is vital. Making sure their stores are located strategically to allow easy access by customers when they need to. Therefore, to ensure that customer get timely access to their products whenever they wanted, KFC strategically located their stores in specific parts of Nigeria, depending on the city or area or state. They located stores primarily in areas where customers/consu mers live (suburban and urban locations), close to schools, companies and markets. KFC opened 6 stores in Nigeria in December 2010 in the most populated cities in the country including Lagos city, which is the highest populated city in Nigeria and the 4th highest populated city in the world. KFC also plan to open 20 more stores located strategically in 2011. This also says a lot about KFCs strategy in Nigeria. Currently, KFC does not provide home delivery service which is more convenient for most customers, but they are not the only one in the market who doesnt provide this service. Some of KFCs top local competitors do not provide home delivery service as well because of lack of infrastructure that enables home delivery like good roads etc. 2.1.5 PROMOTION A firm must Promote itself, in other words, it must communicate, clearly and persuasively to let people know what is available and encourage them to buy (Forsyth 2007). There are various promotion tactics like advertising, direct mail, sales promotion e.t.c. Firms decide whether to use some or all of them depending their target audience, the advantages and disadvantages of the promotion tactics, available budget, and level of effectiveness of the promotion tactic (Forsyth 2007). KFC uses advertising effectively in Nigeria as their main promotion tactics. The most effective form of advertising by KFC in Nigeria are electronic and billboard advert by Movie stars and musicians for KFC. KFC takes advantage of the fact that the average Nigerian emulates these stars and follows what they do to some extent. Another promotional tactics that KFC uses in Nigeria and is probably the best at it is Selling. This involves a one-on-one communication with the customer and sometimes forms a final and important, link in the chain of different methods that link a firm to its market, according to Forsyth (2007). KFC is very good at this because they already have standard staff training specifications for all their staff and employees. This is one of KFCs global brand qualities that it brought to the Nigerian market. KFCs competition in Nigeria cannot match this quality at the moment, because they rarely train their staff and even when they do they are not as meticulous as KFC in training their staff and making sure they perfect customer relations. For instance, It is not strange to walk into a fast food store in Nigeria and see a receptionist arguing with a customer, but just few seconds with KFC staff, you will immediately notice that they are different in the way they interact with the customers. They sort of draw you in and make you feel special and appreciated, and for a typical Nigerian customer that respect and appreciation is almost everything. 3. KFCS FOUR Ps OF MARKETING MIX Jobber (2007) suggests that an effective marketing mix matches customer needs, creates competitive advantage, matches corporate resources, and is well balanced. According to Brassington and Pettitt (2003 1105) Marketing Mix is the blend of the 4Ps that creates an homogenous and stable offering to potential customers to satisfies their needs and wants. This means that there must be consistent synergy or balance between these four basic tools of marketing to meet potential customers need and wants. For instance, a good product with bad communication will not work, and so is a bad product with good advertising. This is simply because the elements of the Marketing mix rely on each other and if they lack consistency with each other in what they are saying about the product, then the customers will reject it all because they not stupid. Brassington and Pettitt (2003 25) The 4Ps is a widely recognized concept in marketing and it provides a central organized structure or foundation for marketing activity,which manager can relate to and easily understand, The 4Ps include Product, Price, Place and Promotion. PUT DIAGRAM HERE 3.1 KFCS PRODUCT The product is at the core of marketing exchange. If the product does not deliver the benefits the consumer wanted or if it does not fulfill the expectations created by the other elements of marketing mix, then the whole exercise will be useless. (Brassington and Pettitt 2003 267). A product is a physical good, service, idea, person or place that can offer tangible and intangible qualities that individuals or firms consider necessary, worthwhile or satisfying and are willing to pay for it or exchange any other valuables for it (Brassington and Pettitt 2003 268). This means that for a customer/consumer, the benefit of a product is everything because they buy these products to meet needs, so when a customer/consumer exchanges money, patronage or any other unit of value for a product what he/she is doing is simply paying to get the benefits of that particular product to meet his/her needs. It also means that a product could be anything or place that offers needed benefits and customers/ consumers regard as beneficial. A product (tangible or intangible) is like a personality, and just like a personality there are some characteristics that makes it essentially appealing to the buyer like branding, packaging and labeling, design, style and quality e.t.c. The product and price are the two main parts of the marketing exchange that interests marketers Brassington and Pettitt (2003 268). Alternatively, Groucutt (2005 158) considers products as a collection of features and benefits that provide customer satisfaction. All these different perspectives have two things in common, which is that a product must be beneficial and must provide customer satisfaction. KFC promotes their wide range and varieties of fried, smoked and roasted Suya chickens in Nigeria as nutritious, convenient and even healthy in some parts according to their adverts. According to Doyle (2002) Product decisions comprises of Product variety,product performance, product features, product design, product presentation, product packaging, si zes and brand name. KFCs specialty is fried chicken served in various forms. KFCs primary product is pressure-fried pieces of chicken made with the original recipe. The other chicken offering, extra crispy, is made using a garlic marinade and double dipping the chicken in flour before deep frying in a standard industrial kitchen type machine (Scribd 2011). KFC in Nigeria offers non-durable products and Service products as well. They offer wide range of fried, smoked and roasted chicken in Nigeria, as well as side dishes with fish, port and beef, desserts and ice creams. These are all tangible but non-durable products because the can only be consumed once. KFCs service products in Nigeria represent intangible products such as activities, benefits or satisfaction that customers/consumers derive from their relationship with KFC. KFC menu in Nigeria contains three different segments namely: Family Meals, Individual Meals and Sandwiches. Family Meals comprises of Family Meal, Party Meal and Economy Meal. Ind ividual Meals comprises of Snack Box, Strips Light Meal and Dinner Box. Sandwiches comprises of Suya rap, Suya Burger, Fish rap, beef rap, Chicken fillet supreme, Pork Supreme. They also give customers the chance to make up their own variety box comprising of some or all available products. All the fried Chicken Meals are prepared in the traditional KFC style of frying in oil with the colonels range of spices. All the Meals also have Suya variety, this means that customers/consumers can either chose between the locally prepared Suya or the traditional KFC fried Chicken. KFC also have the same strategy for the beef, fish and pork meals. For the sake of simplicity, this report shall be discussing Fried Chicken. 3.1.1 MARKET SEGMENTATION KFC in Nigeria segments the market demographically by dividing it into groups based on age, gender, family size, income, occupation, religion and ethnicity. KFC segments the market demographically in this way: Age: Between 6 65 Gender: Males and Females Family Size: 2 4, 4 6, 6+ Income: 500Naira and above Family life style: ALL KFCs typical customers/consumers in Nigeria are adults between 18 to 58 who live fast paced lives, and therefore considers convenience when deciding what to eat or drink. This convenience is the totality of what KFC offer in Nigeria. 3.1.1.1 PSYCHOGRAPHIC SEGMENTATION Entails dividing a market into different groups based on social class, lifestyle, religion or personality characteristics (Scribd 2011). KFC in Nigeria divides the market based on psychographic variables like: Upper and Middle class, Life style (not specific) and Personality (ambitious and authoritarian), role expectation of the sexes, reference groups, customs and traditions KFC is concerned about the potential effects of these variables on the sales of its products. This is precedes target market. Psychographic segmentation enable KFC tailor their products or menu content to the specific needs of the target customers in different parts of Nigeria. 3.1.1.2 TARGET MARKET This is the process of evaluating each market segments attractiveness and selecting two or more market segments (Scribd 2011) The two main factors usually considered when selecting a target market segment are the attractiveness of the segment and the fit between the segment and the firms objectives, resources and capabilities. KFC in Nigeria targets upper, middle and a group known as Upper-lower class in Nigeria. KFCs main target are the upper and middle class, but due to the pricing system they initiated, they widened the net to take in this special group known as the upper-lower class, who can afford to take advantage of the KFCs penetration pricing system. KFCs target in Nigeria depends on -Size and growth rate of the segment -Competition in the segment -Brand loyalty of existing customers in the segment -Attainable market share given promotional budget and competitors expenditures -Required market share to break even -Sales potential for the firm in the segment -Resources and structural attractiveness of market segment -Expected profit margins in the segment The market research and analysis discussed before is instrumental in obtaining the above information. (Scribd 2010) 3.1.1.3 MARKET PRESENCE According to Brassington and Pettitt (2006 862) It is a reasonable objective, especially for a small company or a new entrant into an industry/market, to create awareness, both of the firm and of the products offered. According to Jobber (2007) in the communication effects pyramid, 90% Awareness leads to 70% Knowlegde/compreehension, to 40% Liking to 25% Preference, to 20% Trial and 5% Use. This means that to generate more than 5% actual usage which is tantamount to sales of a product, a firm must be more than 90% effective at creating awareness. Even well know brands could have some blind spot relative to a particular market or a new market environment. KFC created awareness in Nigeria through pre-campaigns and promotions, while already gathering potential customers feedback on what they would like to see in KFC eventually. KFC utilized this and tailored their product to popular costumer specifications and needs and this allowed them a relatively easy entry and penetration into the market. The position of KFC products in the minds of target consumers/customers is also important. KFC uses all these attributes to position its products to occupy a clear, distinctive and desirable place relative to competing products in the minds of target consumers/customers. KFC in Nigeria takes feedback from customers and then improve their products. KFC pays more