The Influence of Internet Marketing on the Effectiveness Dissertation

The Influence of Internet Marketing on the Effectiveness - Dissertation Example Review of Related Literature Introduction One of the most relevant developments over the past years has been the progress exemplified by the Internet with which Internet adoption has significantly increased for marketing activities and opportunities. The Internet allows individuals to exchange ideas, send e-mails, shop for products, have access to news, and obtain business information (Armstrong and Kotler 2000). Internet usage for marketing increases the availability of information compared to conventional forms of media (e.g. TV, radio, print) with a moderately low cost for entry. Consumers are able to access the Internet and search for products, and purchase these at any given time, thus increased convenience. When companies are capable of offering convenience to its customers, such as through certain individualized customer services, they will eventually result to the increase of value offered by businesses and enable customers to experienced increased levels of satisfaction (Tsiotsou and Vlachopoulou 2010). Internet usa ge is also a cost-effective means of carrying out marketing operations as it can result to a reduced requirement for sales force members. On the whole, using the Internet to support marketing activities can lead to the expansion of businesses, from local to national/international markets, thus increased opportunities for growth. The following sections will then look into SMEs and their experience with the integration of Internet in their marketing operations. Internet and Marketing Activities in SMEs ... To determine the impact of Internet usage on marketing activities of SMEs. Review of Related Literature Introduction One of the most relevant developments over the past years has been the progress exemplified by the Internet with which Internet adoption has significantly increased for marketing activities and opportunities. The Internet allows individuals to exchange ideas, send e-mails, shop for products, have access to news, and obtain business information (Armstrong and Kotler 2000). Internet usage for marketing increases the availability of information compared to conventional forms of media (e.g. TV, radio, print) with a moderately low cost for entry. Consumers are able to access the Internet and search for products, and purchase these at any given time, thus increased convenience. When companies are capable of offering convenience to its customers, such as through certain individualized customer services, they will eventually result to the increase of value offered by businesse s and enable customers to experienced increased levels of satisfaction (Tsiotsou and Vlachopoulou 2010). Internet usage is also a cost-effective means of carrying out marketing operations as it can result to a reduced requirement for sales force members. On the whole, using the Internet to support marketing activities can lead to the expansion of businesses, from local to national/international markets, thus increased opportunities for growth. The following sections will then look into SMEs and their experience with the integration of Internet in their marketing operations. Internet and Marketing Activities in SMEs The technologies that the Internet has integrated into businesses have enhanced the

Role in sports in popular culture Essay Example for Free

Role in sports in popular culture Essay Many people around the world have enjoyed playing many sports and have been for a very long time. Of course ancient Olympics, medieval aristocrats, cave people, and hordes of peasants kicking a ball from one village to the next is, despite the genealogy, rather far removed from sports as we know them today (History of Sports, 2012). With the history of sports we can go back and look at many sports, the earliest that the sport of baseball was present in the United States goes all the way back to 1791. It was not until 1845 that the New York Knickerbockers were founded. (History of Sports, 2012). Many people today have used sports as a useful way for the people to increase their mastery of nature and the environment that they live in. Many sports have utilized the humans own basic skills to develop and exercise their own human agility and show others what they can do on their own. When we look at the sports of today, either be the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), National Basketball Association (NBA) many people can understand where all of these athletes had to do to get where they are at. It can all go back to when those athletes were young kids and those people that have known them for a long time can experience how good they are and the power and wealth that comes to those athletes that have practiced and mastered their skills to advance to those different leagues of professionalism. Many professional athletes have experienced their own wealth and power in their sports no matter what sport they are in. When athletes get to that point when they get a large amount of money for what they do on the field or courts, what comes with that is they will try to receive the power as well. Many athletes think that they are worth a lot of money for what they do as a professional athlete. Today, in its current state, many athletes make plenty of money to support themselves for the rest of their lives, and with that type of wealth and money, there will always be talk of why we are paying those athletes that type of money and why do the owners of those teams pay that amount. The owners know that they will have the power to negotiate and have the athlete know who has the power to make things happen. Wealth and power in sports degrades the essence of sports from an enjoyment perspective. Players for all sports are always negotiating for a better deal, working on contract negotiations, and arguing about trade negotiations. These types of negotiations just remove the player who once enjoyed and truly love playing the sport. All of the sudden, it has become a business. Sports should be played with heart. Do the owner and franchise teams help in this matter? In my opinion, they are the culprit. There is a constant battle to gain headlines with the next big contract totaling hundreds of millions of dollars for said number of years. There is a constant battle for endorsements to sign the next potential superstar to help sell shoes or the new line of thirst quenchers. There is a constant battle among agents to exploit players into this world consumed by wealth and how success is is measured. For the pure enjoyment of playing a sport, it’s truly gone. It’s an assembly line where media and fame have crossed their boundaries as they measure athletes by wealth and power. The fans are just as guilty as we continue to pay ridiculous ticket prices and purchase over-priced jerseys and memorabilia. The level of influence we have as fans is more like an addicted customer who can’t walk away from the product. There is increasing value added to rising players and their performance level. For the athletes, wealth and power have consumed their level of importance. They have no longer become a trainable, tailored athlete to a specific level where coaching dominates the team. Wealth and power have excluded most players from accepting a team concept through the visions of their coach. There is a sense of individualism among the wealthiest and most recognized players. Depending on the sport, some of those players ignore the coach or disrespect them altogether. Some could chalk up this attitude to personality conflicts that occur on any level of sports, but there is too much consistency with sports and how wealth and power have influenced those players. If wealth and power in sports could be a stock available for investment opportunities on the NASDAQ stock exchange, it would most likely be the best investment anyone could make. There is rarely a decline as players contracts continue to increase and venues continue raise prices. Most sports fans see the great athletes starting their careers soon after completing high school. Two sports icons that come to mind are Kobe Bryan and Dwight Howard. All athletes are considered role models for young people on the court and off the court. It is for that reason players need to very cognizant of their environment and their behavior. Athletes that are fortunate enough to make it to the professional ranks usually hire managers, trainers, coaches, attorneys and publicist. Players are advertised everywhere in our society. They do endorsements for restaurants, stores, energy drinks, and foot wear. Some even have their own clothing line. Players must be at their best in every aspect of their lives. Always being watched, they are examples to the next generation. Fans of these great entertainers are just as responsible for their dress and their behavior. Children must be the primary and most important focus of our society. We begin to teach our youth immediately and this must be at the forefront of our creations and thoughts. Parents need to learn everything about the business to be able to guide their teenagers if they decided to go professional in sports. Recommendations in consuming and participation include continuing to coach and mentor our children from a young age to create the athletes we wish to see. That is where it begins. It starts with families and family morals, discipline and love. Alcohol and drugs should be discussed frequently with care. At every level of school or competition there must be rules and regulations, love, checks and balances. Sports over many generations have basically become a money making issue. No one says on national TV that they love the sport and would play for free. It is a business. We can no longer think of sports as something fun for our children because in the backs of these parents minds their children just might be good enough for the big time and their futures may be filled with money. References Kobe Bryan Biography. (2012). Retrieved from http://www. biography. com Highest-Paid Athletes 2012 the World’s Richest. (2012). Retrieved from http://www. therichest. org Ogonsji, A. S. (2012). International Journal of business Social Science [University of Phoenix Custom Edition eBook]. : . Retrieved from Ebscohost, website. Athletes as Role Models. (1998, February). Current Health, 24(6), 25. Ebscohost. com.

Cultural Bias In Assessment Essays -- Persuasive Testing Education Ess

Cultural Bias In Assessment In the society of today, there are various educators who believe in assessment as proper method to measure the performance of a child in school as well as the overall achievement of a specific school system. The assessment may be presented in the form of verbal, written, or multiple choice, and it usually pertains to certain academic subjects in the school curriculum. Recently, many educators began to issue standardized tests to measure the intelligence of a common student body. (Rudner, 1989) These standardized tests were initially created to reveal the success in institutional school programs, and exhibit the abilities of students today. The standardized tests can reveal the strengths and weaknesses of a student as well as the admission into certain programs. The test results also assist various schools in determining the proper curriculum, evaluate a specific school system, or a particular school related program. There are numerous types of standardized tests in which educators choose to measure the academic level of students. The first common standardized test, the standardized achievement test, are used to measure how much knowledge students have retained from a particular subject. The results generally assist teachers in designing achievement programs in each subject area, such as reading, math language skills, spelling, or science. (Samuda, 1990) The second common standardized test is known as the Standardized aptitude tests. Instead of focusing on a particular academic subject, the aptitude tests measure a broad range of skills that would ensure success during the school career. The skills include daily activities such as verbal ability, mechanical ability, creativity, cleric... ...hoice questions on the SAT up to date. Women are able to do better on exams which do not require a specific time limit. The Talent Indentification Program, proved that women "performed significantly better under untimed conditions than under timed. In fact the young women performed as well as males or even better under untimed conditions." Although the tests have still been proven to be bias against women, the large amount of mulitiple choice questions as well as the timed tests still remain in todays society. Although standardized testing has been proven to be ineffective, the creators of the tests are still humans of different races. As a creator of the tests much be created to represent all races and ethnic backrounds. When considering the contents of the tests, people should be looked at as an individual and not placed uder a category with their race.

Prohibition and Repeal 18th & 21st Amendments :: essays research papers fc

Prohibition   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Prohibition was the eighteenth amendment. It prohibited the production and consumption of alcoholic beverages. People would have never thought of â€Å"excoriating† alcohol until the 19th century (Tyrrell 16). During this time widespread crime and dismay arose. Some beneficial things did come out of this period of chaos such as women were able to prove themselves as people their temperance movements. During this time many things happened that led to Prohibition’s strongest point and to its fall. Prohibition proved to be a failure from the start,. Prohibition was scarcely adhered to and also widely defied but out of this women had a chance to voice their opinions and prove themselves.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Article V deals with amendments. Either house or law makers can propose amendments. In order for an amendment to be passed the House of Representatives and the Senate must ratify by three quarters vote. On January 29, 1919, the Secretary of State announced that on January 16th thirty-six states had ratified the amendment and therefore it had become a part of the Constitution.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Temperance movements were vital keys to the ratification of the eighteenth amendment. Temperance at first meant abstaining from distilled liquors, but later would be the complete avoidance of alcohol. Both men and women would participate in temperance across the United States. Women finally had a voice in these issues. Women temperance movements would include gathering around saloons, pharmacies, and other places that distributed alcohol that could be consumed. In these gatherings women would sing prayers, recite psalms, and persuade people to avoid drinking alcohol.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Among the men of these temperance groups was a Connecticut preacher named Lymm Beecher. He was well known for his work with temperance movements. He was also known for his publishing, Six Sermons on the Nature, Occasions, Signs, Evils, and Remedy of intemperance. He was a pre-prohibition modern day Reverend Jonathon Edwards by â€Å"appealing to the deepest emotions and beliefs of his readers† (Lucas 24). Ironically he moved to Boston and worked with Reverend Justin Edwards to unite temperance groups.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Among the women of the temperance era, Francis Elizabeth Willard was probably one of the most important temperance leaders. She was born September 23, 1839 in New York. She first got her aversion towards alcohol by her father because he was a â€Å"total abstainer† (Lucas 32). Her interests in temperance grew when she heard stories of the Women’s Crusades in Ohio. She joined a team of crusaders in Pittsburg and later became the president of the Chicago branch of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU).

Peak Book Essay

In the novel â€Å"Peak† written by Roland Smith are conveyed the important of themes adventure, friends and family and betrayal. The novel â€Å"Peak† is a story about a young boy who began climbing and tagging, but this all changes when he is caught and is sent to juvenile detention. But when he gets to choose his sentence to either go to Thailand with this real father or stay in jail, his life changes. Firstly one of the important themes in the novel is friends and family. Friendship and family plays a very important part in the story. Peak finds and makes many friends while traveling to Thailand and also climbing the mountains with his real dad Josh, The family back home in America also played a important theme in the text and peak soon finds out that his mum, step dad and two sisters really do care about him, This is shown in the book from ‘Rolf’s letter’ when Peak finally realized that Rolf cared about him and his family. This is shown through â€Å"you don’t get to pick your name or your parents† changed peaks thoughts on family because he knew that they care about him and love him forever and always. The Friendship and family theme plays a major part in the book by allowing the characters to feel accepted loved and form friendships forever. The novel Peak focuses on the theme of betrayal throughout the book. When Peak finally realised that his real dad was using him for his climbing business to promote it because peak was over the news and popular in the climbing world. Through this experience of betrayal Peak realised whom he really loved. Again â€Å"you don’t get to pick your name or your parents† relates to this moment in the story. Betrayal is a major theme in the novel through Peaks dad josh not loving him and using him to promote his climbing business â€Å"Peak experience†. Finally peak plays a big part of one of the themes adventure all through out the book. The theme adventure is focused on a lot through the novel. The theme adventure is shown when Peak started to climb the skyscraper and began tagging buildings. Peak’s adventure had a disadvantage when he is caught tagging a skyscraper. The theme of adventure is shown when peak travels and goes on adventures to climb the ice mountains. Adventure is an important aspect of this book and is shown is the text in many different ways but mainly touring and climbing. Overall the book â€Å"Peak† is a story with major themes involved that are important in the novel â€Å"Peak† because it brings the readers interest, understanding and many  thoughts going thoughts there head. In audition friends and family relate to being an important theme because it creates a good feeling all the way throughout the book but also allows sadness through the story line. Betrayal is also a very important theme because it addresses conflict and disagreement. Adventure in the novel is also shown all the way through the book; this shows courage, bravery and a very creative and fun Character.

Free Essays on Rembrandt

Rembrandt's style, subject matter and his financial success changed drastically from the Leiden period to his first Amsterdam period, and eventually to his later works. Prior to his arrival in Amsterdam in approximately 1631, Rembrandt’s influences had been his instructor Lastman, his studio mate Lievens, Titian and Caravaggio - indirectly through the school of Utrecht. Rembrandt learned the device of creating chiaroscuro scenes by his professor, but he surpassed the technical skill of Lastman by means of incorporating reflected light. Rembrandt moved from Leiden to Amsterdam during a time of vast economical growth in the capital due to the expansion of the United East Indiies Company. This growth increased Amsterdam’s population to over 90,000 which became one reason for the project to reclaim land that had been eroded into the sea. Rembrandt could not have chosen a better time to move to the capital. Amsterdam had become one of Northern Europe's leading Art communities. Within one year Rembrandt had already acquired a reputation as a well known portraitist. Rembrandt’s first portraits struck a balance between liveliness and elegance, in addition to fanatical detail, and this novel combination brought him instant business. It was during his first decade in Amsterdam when Rembrandt was commissioned most often by businessmen as well as significant figures from various religious groups and organizations. As Rembrandt’s career flourished he attracted many assistants and pupils as he did wit h Dou and Jouderville in Leiden. By 1636 Rembrandt had captured a huge share of Amsterdam’s market for portraiture, received commissions from the court in the Hague, set up an active workshop, married a burgomaster’s daughter and moved to a prestigious address. An example of one of Rembrandt’s commissioned portraits during this early period is Old Man in a Gorget and Black Cap, 1631, located at The Museum of Fine Arts, Bo... Free Essays on Rembrandt Free Essays on Rembrandt Rembrandt's style, subject matter and his financial success changed drastically from the Leiden period to his first Amsterdam period, and eventually to his later works. Prior to his arrival in Amsterdam in approximately 1631, Rembrandt’s influences had been his instructor Lastman, his studio mate Lievens, Titian and Caravaggio - indirectly through the school of Utrecht. Rembrandt learned the device of creating chiaroscuro scenes by his professor, but he surpassed the technical skill of Lastman by means of incorporating reflected light. Rembrandt moved from Leiden to Amsterdam during a time of vast economical growth in the capital due to the expansion of the United East Indiies Company. This growth increased Amsterdam’s population to over 90,000 which became one reason for the project to reclaim land that had been eroded into the sea. Rembrandt could not have chosen a better time to move to the capital. Amsterdam had become one of Northern Europe's leading Art communities. Within one year Rembrandt had already acquired a reputation as a well known portraitist. Rembrandt’s first portraits struck a balance between liveliness and elegance, in addition to fanatical detail, and this novel combination brought him instant business. It was during his first decade in Amsterdam when Rembrandt was commissioned most often by businessmen as well as significant figures from various religious groups and organizations. As Rembrandt’s career flourished he attracted many assistants and pupils as he did wit h Dou and Jouderville in Leiden. By 1636 Rembrandt had captured a huge share of Amsterdam’s market for portraiture, received commissions from the court in the Hague, set up an active workshop, married a burgomaster’s daughter and moved to a prestigious address. An example of one of Rembrandt’s commissioned portraits during this early period is Old Man in a Gorget and Black Cap, 1631, located at The Museum of Fine Arts, Bo...

Gangsta Rap And Violence Essays - African-American Culture

Gangsta Rap And Violence Essays - African-American Culture Gangsta Rap And Violence Stacey Hawkins English 2 sec. 34 11-21-96 Gangsta Rap and Violence Go Hand in Hand Mr. Officer, I want to see you layin' in a coffin, sir, from The Chronic and F- the police, from N.W.A., are few lyrics from the music genre gangsta rap. This kind of music is being sold to young children without any thought of concern. When many children listen to this kind of music they think that was being said in the songs is not wrong or against the law. The lyrics in many songs contain violent and explicit lyrics that usually talk about killing someone along with sounds of gunshots in the background. It is also music that refers to women as bitches, whores and sex-dispensing hos(Saunders B29). Gangsta rap has been criticized and debated over for its graphic sexual content, violent imagery and misogyny. When rappers were asked why they refer to women as bitches and hos their replies were similar. Snoop says, that it is just for the women who are like that and if you're a real women, you're classy and elegant. Those lyrics wouldnt necessarily affect you. Youd just groove to the music (Farley 78). Richard Shaw, Bushwick Bill, says: I call women bitches and hos because all the women I've met since I've been out here are bitches and hos. When asked, at the [National Association of Black Journalists] convention, what he calls his mother he says, I call her a 'woman', but I'm not f-ing my mother. If I was f-ing you, you'd be a bitch. He then apologized for what he said to the reporter. (Raspberry A21) If you don't give a f- about a bitch/ Then you're rolling with the row, are lyrics from Doggystyle. If all people were to think like this what respect would women have. Some say, if we don't have respect for our women, why should anyone else? (Raspberry A21). Do these rappers think that they own women and can treat them any way they want to. If this is the way some people think, that the own women and can dis respect them then what footsteps are the children going to follow in. Young children and adults, 14, 15 and 16 years of age, who listen and memorize these rap songs think that it is acceptable behavior. Gangsta rap is hardly the only source of violence, but it is a potent one. Not only is the music violent but the rappers lifestyle is also. Many rappers have rap sheets and young people see that and say, hey, their rich and money talks. Today most young people think that if a person is rich and famous they can get away with anything. Not all rappers have run-ins with the law, but the ones that do are very well known. Tupac Shakur, who recently was murdered this year, has had many run-ins with the law. Shakur was arrested for aggravated assault, charged with shooting two off duty police officers in Atlanta in 1993, but the charges were later dropped. He was accused of beating a limousine driver in Los Angeles and found guilty of threatening a fellow rapper with a baseball bat in Michigan. He was also found guilty of sexual abuse in 1994 and was serving time up to 4 years in prison (Sims E3). In some raps he glamorized the life of a gangster and fun gunplay. He lived the life tattooed on his stomach, Thug Life, and died doing it. Gangsta Rap has attracted a high-profile of enemies and no one may ever know who really killed Tupak. The police are still not sure of who shot and killed Tupak, but they think that it may have been linked to Death Row Record's ties with rival gangs. There are no witnesses who can identify the driver or shooter in the Cadillac that pulled up next to Tupak and driver, Marion Knight. Calvin Broadus, better known as Snoop Doggy Dogg, was arrested in 1993 on murder-conspiracy charges. He pleaded not guilty and was acquitted. He also has a police file that Hawkins 3 identifies him as a member of Long Beach Insane Crips, a notorious street gang (Cheevers A1).

Why It’s Okay To Use “Um” and “Like” When You Talkâ€Really

Why It’s Okay To Use â€Å"Um† and â€Å"Like† When You Talk- Really Yes, you should never use filler words like â€Å"um† and â€Å"like† in your writing. But sometimes, in conversation, you might find you need to buy yourself a bit of time to gather your thoughts and figure out what it is you’re trying to say. It’s true that most job interview advice blogs will tell you to avoid using them at all costs, because they  can make you sound unintelligent or unprepared. But filler words are a natural part of the way people speak these days, so if you can utilize them economically and well in your conversation, you just might be able to get the best of both worlds. You’ll have the time to formulate your sentences and keep your speech clean and less muddled, but you won’t get carried away with your constant â€Å"umm†ing and â€Å"like†-ing.Filler words are used for the following reasons.They Show That You’re ThinkingIf you need another few seconds to formulate your sentence, you can throw in an â€Å"errr† or a â€Å"basically†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ and then continue on from there. It helps you not be interrupted. And helps you say precisely what you’d like to say once you say it.They  Soften What You’re Going to SayIf you’re going to say something a little harsh,   temper it with a few conversational filler words to keep it casual. Just to make sure your friend or colleague doesn’t think you’re being cold or cruel. i.e. â€Å"You have a little, like, something in your teeth?†They Can Strengthen or  Weaken What You’re SayingFiller words can change the tone of a sentence, either to qualify your statement and make it weaker, or to add extra emphasis and authority. Depending on the word, you can make what you’re saying sound like a stab in the dark, or a definitive conclusion.They Help You StallYou grabbed the mic; it’s your turn to talk and you have something super important to say. The stakes are high. T rouble is, you haven’t quite figured out what that is yet. A few ummms and weeeellls†¦. might just give you the time you need to strategize.They Make Your Listener Feel IncludedThrowing in a little â€Å"you know?† at the end of what you’re saying doesn’t have to make you sound like a Valley girl. It could just be a friendly way of making sure whomever you’re talking to is still with you and feels included.So you see, filler words, when used in moderation, can actually be a conversational asset. Just don’t get too carried away and you can feel free to use these natural bits of speech as you see fit.

Oral health condition of the Maya community Essay

Oral health condition of the Maya community - Essay Example The results of the study showed that missing teeth correlated significantly with age. Gender, religion, income, and education levels were not related significantly related to missing teeth. The samples used had restored their teeth using amalgamated fillings, bridges, full dentures or crowns. Periodontal diseases occur in four stages; 1. Color change on gums, 2. Gums bleed, 3. Gums become sensitive, 4. Oral lesions appear. 45 % of the respondents showed two or more signs while 10% showed all the signs. 16% of the participants showed five symptoms of temporomandibular joint dysfunction. Most of the respondents did not have access to preventive health. Instead, they used reactionary care that is the extraction of teeth either by themselves or by minimally educated participants. Interviewees had different reactions on tooth extraction. However, a larger percentage preferred tooth extraction since it eliminated acute pain. 54 respondents were aware that failing to brush their teeth was a cause of their teeth problems. The level of healthcare among the respondents was dependent on their income level. The respondents either visited an odontology or a dentist depending on how much money they had. The condition in the two differed in terms of qualification of the doctor, equipment, workspace and even aesthetic appearance of the facility. Some respondents found it expensive to purchase toothbrushes. Moreover, they could not afford dental care and thus waited until their teeth fell off.

Aquinas' Endless Time Theory integrated with Men in Black Essay

Aquinas' Endless Time Theory integrated with Men in Black - Essay Example This is a dimension with several scales that assists the whole universe to fit into the marble of an alien, within a larger universe. This is still within a similar alien locker and dimension. The alien locker is thus, a container for the entire dimension and its door enters a closed dimension within one of its own smaller scales. Basically, the alien locker is dimensionally transcendental similarly to Doctor whose tardis, with an interior which exists in several different dimensions compared to the exterior. Therefore, it has the ability to have different sizes on the outside and the inside (Stump and Padgett 163). According to Aquinas, the pattern of the sky has occasionally been a source on contradiction and wonder. In response to mysteries that human being experience in the course of their lives, answers to these questions are being sought. The seemingly unsubstantial clouds gliding the way through vision of human beings are heavy-laden with answers and secrets of the ending of t he earth. These usually come in form of visions to human beings and are only delivered to them when they are prepared to receive the message. The integration comes in that, in Men in Black, the most obvious and significant features of the universe is not valued, but taken for granted. Sometimes these features are entirely ignored as people go about their daily business in the film. This makes 'truth' a major theme in Men in Black as people are always accustomed to early things as it is the place where they live. According to Aquinas, these obvious features heavily contain truths which are similar to any occult wisdom which requires keenness for a better understanding. Over the recent past, some scholars took a positive initiative of solving the old day’s scientific problems and began revolution. They discovered the processes that inform nature's design in daily lives of human’s beings such as the shape of a leaf, and the curling of the smoke from a chimney among others (Jackele?n 69). According to scientists, the process of world within a world as shown in Men in Black will likely go on forever. This is because, over the last 14 million years, there has been expansion and cooling of the universe which sometimes forms the galaxies, and this trend is to continue forever. They argue that space, matter, and time are things which came into existence millions of years ago and will most likely continue to exist. Different scientists and philosophers have always described these intervening events in their own name which later became their theories of endless time. They describe these events which they argue that are responsible for the structure of the globe seen today and that it occurred several years ago. What is interesting is that, over the recent past, people are being motivated to explain the increasing elements which they continue to observe as the universe continues to evolve. According to Aquinas, the emergence of these theories in just a new w ay of explaining the recent happening and perceiving reality when it comes to time and space. The apparent absurdity about the endless space will have no ramifications for Aquinas' argument that the endless time is absurd. This is because, it is now evident that the predetermined and simple laws results to vastly complex effects on time and space. This complexity of nature is resulting from several principles and holism factors which are interacting (Stump and Padgett 163). In Men in Black, the basic shapes of nature and

Leadership Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Leadership Theory - Essay Example This means that Schultz had a preconceived idea that in the nature of his business, those people with the opportunity to lead others in their organization should have got people skills in order to become effective leaders. In its broader sense, Schultz was combining the basic principles of leadership from the point of view of trait and behavioral theories. The very proof is the thought that this can also be explained using the contingency point of view of leadership particularly the Fiedler model which particularly highlights the match between the leader’s style of interacting with subordinates on certain situation in order to achieve high group performance (Arrmandi, Oppedisano & Sherman 2003). This may also fall on implicit theories of leadership where there is emphasis on mental models that substantially includes the combined idea of traits and behaviors of a person (Schyns 2006). Starbucks’s nature of business requires effective group performance, which can only be obtained if there is a leader who according to Schultz has the potential for people skills. At Starbucks, it is about combination of different talents or skills in order to come up with product or service offerings that would place high value for customers. It requires manager in this case who is a leader that at some point could influence the people to maximize their creativity or potential to do well in performing their respective role in the organization. This must be achieved not because of the power of that manager to hire or fire people, but because of his or her people skills that would influence the subordinates. A strong will and loud voice may be integral parts of a boss, but an effective leader requires people skills (Williams & Denney 2010). Modern organizations applied the concept of team-based principle, where leaders’ leadership is assumed to be assigned (Appelbaum, Audet & Miller 2003). In fact, this is another reality at Starbucks. Leadership is assigned to those with

Cell phones and brain cancer Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Cell phones and brain cancer - Research Paper Example That is nearly one in two people in the globe have a cell phone attached to their identity. This statistic makes it clear that cell phones have become inevitable to our lives. A link has been identified between some kinds of electromagnetic radiation and some cancers. These forms of electromagnetic radiation include â€Å"ultraviolet radiation, X-rays, and gamma rays. They are dangerous because they may break covalent chemical bonds in your body. Breakage of certain covalent bonds in key molecules leads to an increased cancer risk.† (Leikind) It is claimed that Radio Frequency (RF) waves employed by cell phones are not in the same grouping as these harmful radiations. RF is a type of electromagnetic radiation that falls between â€Å"FM radio waves and those used in microwave ovens, satellite stations, and radar†. (Leikind) Those who defend the safety of cell phones point out that the device does not emit ionizing radiation, which has the potential to create chemical changes to molecules in the human body. In other words, in the absence of ionizing radiation, the human DNA will not be damaged by cell phone usage. It is argued that cell phones â€Å"emit nonionizing radiation, which has lower energy and a longer wavelength than ionizing radiation. Nonionizing radiation is not strong enough to change an atoms structure, but it can heat tissue. The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) places a limit on the amount of RF energy that can be absorbed from a cell phone into the users local tissues--the specific absorption rate (SAR)--at 1.6 watts per kilogram (W/kg).† (Liberatore 70) Hence, those cell phone devices that abide by FCC regulation on heat limit should be safe for usage. This is backed by recent research evidence as well, which suggest that short-term exposure to cell phones might cause no harm whatsoever. But in terms of long-term usage, results from a review of 18 studies on cell phone use of

Martin Luther's 95 Theses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Martin Luther's 95 Theses - Essay Example At his reflection, he knows that there is a lot of challenges to go against the norms by attacking one whom everybody praises, not even those the public disgraces will be spared. In a very conscious manner, he knows that he has a great beam on his own eyes so he cannot say he is super perfect to attack other men. Luther is against impious doctrines and their impiety not necessary on their bad morals. The reevaluation of his thought is sharply on the judgment of men and to preserve the passionate enthusiasm, following the example of Jesus Christ, who, in his keenness, calls his adversaries a creation of vipers, blind, children of the devil, and hypocrites. For example, when the great prophet, Paul charges a sorcerer with being a child of the devil, which he sees as the act of all malice and all subtlety; he defines such servants like evil workers, deceivers and dogs. In his, the court of Rome is full of a lost, desperate, and hopeless impiety overwhelmed by corrupt men. Which he has greatly abominated, and he feels disturbed that the people of Christ should be cheated under the pope’s given name and the excuse of the Rome Church. He says he is not doing the impossibilities, or being pessimistic on his labor alone, against the furious opposition of so many flatters any good can be done against the impossible situations. As a debtor to his congregation, he knows few will be ruined by the plagues of Rome. He blames the people of being reluctant to act on the laying waste of goods, souls, and bodies. These things are more clear to them than light and Rome church, previously the most sacred of all churches has become the most anarchistic hideout of thieves, hell not even antichrist could come to devise any addition to it wickedness. Concerning Christian liberty, Luther, explains that Christian faith is not easy, and nobody has the wisdom upon it as there is no experiment proof among the

Cell phones and brain cancer Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Cell phones and brain cancer - Research Paper Example That is nearly one in two people in the globe have a cell phone attached to their identity. This statistic makes it clear that cell phones have become inevitable to our lives. A link has been identified between some kinds of electromagnetic radiation and some cancers. These forms of electromagnetic radiation include â€Å"ultraviolet radiation, X-rays, and gamma rays. They are dangerous because they may break covalent chemical bonds in your body. Breakage of certain covalent bonds in key molecules leads to an increased cancer risk.† (Leikind) It is claimed that Radio Frequency (RF) waves employed by cell phones are not in the same grouping as these harmful radiations. RF is a type of electromagnetic radiation that falls between â€Å"FM radio waves and those used in microwave ovens, satellite stations, and radar†. (Leikind) Those who defend the safety of cell phones point out that the device does not emit ionizing radiation, which has the potential to create chemical changes to molecules in the human body. In other words, in the absence of ionizing radiation, the human DNA will not be damaged by cell phone usage. It is argued that cell phones â€Å"emit nonionizing radiation, which has lower energy and a longer wavelength than ionizing radiation. Nonionizing radiation is not strong enough to change an atoms structure, but it can heat tissue. The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) places a limit on the amount of RF energy that can be absorbed from a cell phone into the users local tissues--the specific absorption rate (SAR)--at 1.6 watts per kilogram (W/kg).† (Liberatore 70) Hence, those cell phone devices that abide by FCC regulation on heat limit should be safe for usage. This is backed by recent research evidence as well, which suggest that short-term exposure to cell phones might cause no harm whatsoever. But in terms of long-term usage, results from a review of 18 studies on cell phone use of

Influence of Mergers on Firm Performance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Influence of Mergers on Firm Performance - Essay Example The result of a merger may therefore have a positive or negative influence on a firm’s productivity. This paper draws on theory and evidence in evaluating the extent to which mergers influence the performance of firms. Influence of Mergers on Firm Performance Mergers increase market power of firms, which is the ability to influence the price and supply of a commodity in the market without affecting customer loyalty (Peterson, 2002). The merging firms within a particular industry are able to establish a monopoly that is capable of controlling the quantities and prices of commodities produced. On the other hand, as DePamphilis (2002) observes, merging increases the competitive advantage of firms over competitors. A market leader results from mergers so long as government policy favors a monopolistic market and hence with the perspective of market power, mergers can be considered to have a positive influence on a firm’s performance. Organizational effectiveness can also be accomplished through mergers that pool resources from the merging organizations to form one firm with a strong resource base. A firm that has success to sufficient resources is capable of maintaining a competitive advantage. ... This allows the firm to have sufficient time to test the applicability of emerging inventions; hence it can not incur heavy losses. Moreover, merging firms enjoy the economies of scale due to the combined production (Sudarsanam, 2004). Mergers increase the new firm’s market share as a result of the amalgamation of the different levels of market share existing before the merger. In other words, firms do not lose their customers after the merger. A successful merger requires that each firm accounts for its input in to the merger, including its human resources and customers. A greater market share resulting from the merger leads to economies of scale, increased turnover and hence increased profitability (Bruner & Perella, 2004). Tax reduction has significant implications on a firm’s profitability. Each firm submits tax as a single entity depending on the level of profits. When a firm’s external environment is unfavorable and makes losses yet it continues paying taxe s, a merger comes in hardy to save it from collapse. Merging with a larger profit making company enables the loss making firm to continue producing while the larger firm enjoys a tax advantage. This may not be a favorable merger for the loss making firm and hence it may not have any positive impact on performance (Sudarsanam, 2004). Mergers develop a positive outlook of the new organization with regards to the stock market. The larger organization has the capacity to maintain stock stability than the original smaller firms. This stability is significant in maintaining the confidence of investors in the stock market, which on the other hand translates to a strong capital base that is necessary for a firm’s long term strategic

The School of Athens by Raphael Essay Example for Free

The School of Athens by Raphael Essay The School of Athens by Raphael is a complex painting with a fascinating composition. The subjects, building, composition and his use of color make it a compelling piece. This painting is extremely decorative and complex. With various tools, Raphael was able to emphasize different aspects and pull the viewer into the work. Because of the colors used in the painting, and the setting, this painting seems to be of religious or educated figures. This painting has many subjects, most of which appear to be male. Knowing that most renaissance paintings have both genders, one would conclude that there are a few females. All of the subjects are wearing colorful, flowing robes. The fact that they have colorful clothing on symbolizes a high rank. This rank is either of the church or of land. The highly crafted building the subjects are in leads the viewer to think that the rank is from the church or education. In the middle, the subjects are surrounding two men. Everyone seems to be listening to the men. The men in the bottom left are reading or writing, what could be the primary mens words. The ones in the bottom right are surrounding a board on the floor and could be discussing the words of the men. With all of the conversing going on, and the layout of the people, one would assume that this is a lecture setting. This story is going on in a large, ornate, arched-ceiling building. This building is painted from top to bottom. The main arch in the front has a very geometric pattern on it but the column connecting it to the ground is flowery. There is gold on the ceiling, on the decorative pieces between each painting. The top-left corner has a large rock painted on a background of gold. There is a person standing behind it but the edge of the painting cuts it off at the waist. Under the large rock painting, there is a smaller gold tree on a blue background. These two colors are the epitome or wealth because they are the most costly to buy. In the top right corner, again cut off by the border of the painting, there is a group or what appear to be women. They are focused around some type of animal in the middle. Below this is the same tree as the opposite side. The filling between the two large paintings and the smaller trees is all triangular. It has an ornate pattern in blue and gold, just like the trees. In the bottom left-hand corner, there is a framed square, which looks like it is a mirror. The way there is wood  in it but no other bare wood anywhere in the picture makes it seem to be a reflection. Behind the large arch in the front, there is a hallway type of structure. It has a statue on each side with smaller carved scenes under them. The hallway, which opens up to a ceiling-less patio has statues, similar to the ones on the wall. The archways have geometric carved patterns covering the ceilings. Unlike the foreground arch, the background ones are white stone; there is no paint or gold on them. As the arches become smaller and the sky becomes larger, the pure blue sky with fluffy white clouds begins to show. This painting is very realistic, because of the detail of ornamental pieces and because of the accuracy of the structure. The perspective is precise; larger things are in the foreground and smaller things are in the background. Unlike earlier paintings, the building looks like you could walk through it. The scale of the subjects is also very accurate. Some earlier works had the most important characters larger and in the middle. The values, which differ in the arches, show depth. The arches are darker on the underside and on the right walls, to show a direction of light from the right. The people on the sides are not exact copies but the fact that they are on both sides makes the painting approximately symmetrical. The evenness of the arches also emphasizes the symmetrical characteristic. The composition of the image is made interesting by the complexity of the people. The empty building without the individuals in it would be an architectural study. The colors in this painting pull the viewer in. The use of gold in modesty, compared to many other paintings, makes the whole painting brighten. The colors on the robes are impressive. The subjects closer to the two in the middle have more primary and secondary colored gowns while the perimeter has primarily tertiary colored clothing. This may have to do with class or emphasis. As concluded earlier, the middle subjects are significant so to make them stand out, the robes are more vibrant. The archway in the front is much more decorative and frames the subjects underneath. With the arches in the back being less showy, the foreground with the people stands out more. In conclusion, this painting has many facets and details, which could go unnoticed. Raphael stressed certain parts by using color and framing. The context leads one to believe that the subjects are knowledgeable. With the color, composition and subjects combined, this painting is a significant piece. The School of Athens is an elaborate painting with a multifaceted story.

Industry Forces and the Generic Strategies

Industry Forces and the Generic Strategies Chapter 2 2.0 Literature Review In this chapter, the author will review the literature concerning Michael Porters Five Competitive Industry Forces and the Generic Strategies. This study centres on the housing industry and draws parallels to studies done by others. The author will critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the model. 2.1 Background Numerous studies have been done around the world to develop and market housing projects suitable for different demographic segments. The studies on the Sri Lankan housing market are mostly policy papers/reports, leaving a void in regard to studies pertaining to market strategies and competition. Countries like Singapore and Malaysia have well structured strategies resulting in a vibrant housing market available to all this research will focus on drawing parallels on this subject. (Jones Lang LaSalle, Research Report). The California State has used Porters Five Forces Model to understand the industrys attractiveness and competitiveness. The main trend seems to be the increasing rivalry among firms and the consolidation of capital in the industry (William, Mack, 2005). The author intends to draw parallels to the Sri Lankan context. The literature on gaining competitive advantage at business unit level has been growing over the years and the author has attempted to relate academic theory and the tools and concepts of Porters Five Competitive Forces and the Generic Strategies to finding a winning market strategy for the housing industry in Sri Lanka. Although in the international arena the above models have been used extensively in research on housing industry, no such work exists on Sri Lanka. 2.3 Michael Porters Five Forces Model The Five Competitive Forces and the Generic Strategies model was developed by Michael E. Porter in his book ‘Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors in 1980. Since then it has become an important tool for analyzing an organizations structure and strategic processes. Porters models are based on the need for a corporate strategy to meet the opportunities and threats in the organizations external environment. Competitive strategy should be based on an understanding of industry structures and the way they change (Porter, 1980). The ultimate aim of a competitive strategy is to enable a business to defend against competitive forces or in the alternative influence such forces in its favour. The key is to go below the surface and analyse the resources of each competitor. Analysis of such underlying forces will show the critical strength of firms and clarify areas that yield greater profits and highlight areas that show promise of either opportunities or threats (Porter, 1980). As explained in Figure 3, Porter has identified five competitive forces that shape every industry and market, which determine the intensity of competition and the profitability and attractiveness of an industry (Porter, Michael. E, 1979: 137- 145). The author will use the model to deal with the issues below to develop a winning market strategy for the housing business in Sri Lanka. (i) The need to evaluate the suppliers to understand bargaining power and supplier/seller collaboration. (ii) The need to study the pressures of buyers bargaining power and buyer/seller collaboration. (iii) The need to consider the threat of new entrants and the possibilities of new players entering the market. (iv) The awareness of the threat of substitutes and attention to attempts by outsiders to win buyers over to their respective products. (v) Investigating the competitiveness within the industry to keep abreast of market position, increased sales and market share, to have a competitive edge over rivals. A classic example of competitive rivalry is the battle between Coca Cola and Pepsi (Draft, 1988: 251). To understand the strengths and weakness of the model each of these industry forces must be evaluated. 2.3.1 Bargaining Power of Suppliers Supplier bargaining power is likely to be high when the market is dominated by a few large suppliers, when there are no substitutes for their product, the suppliers and customers are fragmented and customer bargaining power is low and switching costs from one supplier to another are high (Porter, 1980). The supplier integrating forward to obtain higher prices and margins is a possibility. This threat is especially high when, the buying industry has a higher profitability than the supplying industry, forward integration provides economies of scale for the supplier, the buying industry hinders the supplying industry in their development, for example, reluctance to accept new releases of products and the buying industry has low barriers of entry. In such situations, the buying industry often experiences high pressure on margins from their suppliers. The relationship to powerful suppliers can potentially reduce strategic options for the organization. 2.3.2 Bargaining Power of Customers Similarly, the bargaining power of customers determines how much customers can impose pressure on margins and volumes. Customers bargaining power is likely to be high when they buy large volumes and there is a concentration of buyers, the supplying industry comprises a large number of small operators, the supplying industry operates with high fixed costs, the product is undifferentiated and can be replaced by substitutes, switching to an alternative product is relatively simple and is not costly, customers have low margins and are price sensitive, customers could produce the product themselves, the product is not of strategic importance to the customer, the customer knows about production costs and the possibility of the customer integrating backwards. 2.3.3 Threat of New Entrants When the competition in an industry is high it is easier for other companies to enter the industry. In such situations, new entrants could change major determinants of the market environment (e.g. market shares, prices, customer loyalty) at any time. There is always a latent pressure for reaction and adjustment for existing players. The threat of new entrants will depend on the extent to which there are barriers to entry. These are typically economies of scale, high initial investments and fixed costs. Cost advantages of existing players are usually due to the experience curve effects of operation with fully depreciated assets, brand loyalty of customers, protected intellectual property like patents, licenses etc., scarcity of important resources, e.g. qualified expert staff, access to raw materials controlled by existing players, distribution channels are controlled by existing players existing players have close customer relations, e.g. from long-term service contracts and the high switching costs for customers, legislation and government action. 2.3.4 Threat of Substitutes Threats from substitutes exists if there are alternative products with lower prices and better performance parameters which can potentially attract a significant proportion of the market, thus reducing potential sales volume for existing players. This category also relates to complementary products. Similar to the threat of new entrants, the threat of substitutes is determined by factors like brand loyalty of customers, close customer relationships, switching costs for customers, the relative price for performance of substitutes and the current trends. 2.3.5 Competitive Rivalry between Existing Players This force describes the intensity of competition between existing players in an industry. High competitive pressure, results in pressure on prices, margins and hence on profitability of every single player. Competition between existing players is likely to be high when, there are many players of about the same size with similar strategies, there is not much differentiation between players and their products resulting in high price competition, market growth rate of a player is possible only at the expense of a competitor and the barriers for exit are high. 2.4 Five Forces Analysis The Five Forces Analysis can provide valuable information for three aspects of corporate planning described below. 2.4.1 Statistic Analysis The Five Forces Analysis enables determining the attractiveness of an industry. It provides insights on profitability. Thus, it supports decisions about entry to or exit from an industry or a market segment. Moreover, the model can be used to compare the impact of competitive forces on ones own organization against that on competitors. Competitors may have different options to react to changes in competitive forces from their different resources and competencies. This may influence the structure of the whole industry. 2.4.2 Dynamical Analysis In combination with a PEST Analysis, which reveals drivers for change in an industry, Five Forces Analysis can reveal insights into the potential future attractiveness of the industry. Expected political, economical, socio-demographical and technological changes can influence the five competitive forces and thus have impact on industry structures. 2.4.3 Analysis of Options With the knowledge about intensity and power of competitive forces, organizations can develop options to influence them in a way that improves their own competitiveness. The result could be a new strategic direction, for example, a new positioning and differentiation for competitive products and strategic partnerships. Thus, the model allows a systematic and structured analysis of market structure and competitive situation and can be applied to particular companies, market segments, industries or regions. 2.4.4 Influence of Five Forces After the analysis of current and potential future state of the five competitive forces, managers can search for options to influence these forces in their organizations interest. Although industry-specific business models will limit options, ones own strategy can change the impact of competitive forces on the organization. The objective is to reduce the power of competitive forces. 2.5 Michael Porters Generic Strategies Model According to Michael Porter a companys strengths ultimately fall into one of two headings; cost advantage and differentiation. Applying these strengths in a broad or narrow scope can result in effective cost leadership, differentiation and focus (Porter Michael. E, 1980: 35-40). Each of these strategies runs its own risk. In reference to a low cost strategy, other companies too may lower their costs to be competitive. In the case of differentiation too, competitors may change customer profiles to latch onto the market segment. With regard to the focus strategy, competitors may try to make changes to the target segment to attract a greater market. (Thompson Arthur. A., Strickland A. J., Gamble John. E. and Jain Arun. K., 2009: 115 138). In this study the focus group is the middle income market segment. Competitive strategies focus on ways in which a company can achieve the most advantageous position (Pearson, 1999). Therefore high profitability can be achieved through achieving the lowest costs or the highest prices vis-Ã  -vis the competition, called ‘cost leadership by Porter and ‘differentiation, is the way in which companies can earn a price premium (Porter, 1980). As explained in Figure 4, there are three generic strategies available to companies to attain competitive advantage, namely overall cost leadership, differentiation and focus (Porter, 1980). These three strategies require a total commitment and organizational arrangements which could be diluted if there is more than one primary target. The basic generic strategy is to outperform competitions, which means a firm could earn high returns. Success of one of the generic strategies will help a firm obtain a just return (Porter, 1980). Companies can achieve competitive advantage essentially by differentiating their products and services from those of competitors and through low costs. Firms can target their products by a broad target, thereby covering most of the marketplace, or they can focus on a narrow target in the market (Lynch, 2003). Each competitive strategy will be evaluated to understand the strengths and weakness of the model. 2.5.1 Cost Leadership Companies using cost leadership strategy attempt to become the lowest-cost producers in an industry. Lowest costs would earn the highest profits where competing products are essentially undifferentiated and sell at a standard market price. In certain instances, the company can charge an average price while following low cost leadership strategy and reinvest the extra profits into the business. Companies like Ryan Air and Easy Jet and ASDA and Tesco adopt a cost leadership strategy (Lynch, 2003). 2.5.2 Differentiation Porter (1980) argues that companies employing differentiation strategy will incur extra costs . These costs may include high advertising to promote a differentiated brand image for the product, which is both a cost and an investment. McDonalds for example is differentiated by its very brand name and brand images of Big Mac and Ronald McDonald. While differentiation has many advantages some problematic areas include the difficulty in ascertaining whether the extra costs entailed in differentiation can actually be recovered from the customer through premium pricing. Moreover, successful differentiation strategy of a firm may attract competitors to enter the companys market segment and copy the differentiated product (Lynch, 2003). 2.5.3 Focus Porter initially presented focus as one of the three generic strategies, but later identified focus as a moderator of the two strategies. Companies employ this strategy by focusing on areas with the least amount of competition (Pearson, 1999). This strategy can be applied by focusing on a specific niche in the market and offering specialised products, hence the name ‘niche strategy (Lynch, 2003). This strategy provides companies the possibility to charge a premium price for superior quality, known as ‘differentiation focus or by offering a low price product to a small and specialised group of buyers, termed ‘cost focus. Ferrari and Rolls-Royce are classic examples of niche players. Both have a niche of premium products available at a premium price. 2.6 Analysis of Porters Generic Strategies Firms can choose from one of the three generic strategies to compete in the marketplace, regardless of the context of industry (Porter, 1980). Kay (1993) and Miller (1992) have cited empirical examples of successful companies like Toyota and Benetton, which have adopted more than one generic strategy. Both these companies used generic strategies of differentiation and low cost simultaneously, which led to their success. Companies that are successful at making use of the cost leadership strategy are often positioned to capitalize on a value proposition which emerges from their low cost emphasis, like the classic success story of Tesco in the UK. Interestingly, an emphasis on cost leadership in this sense can act as a form of differentiation. Successful implementation of a cost leadership strategy would benefit from process engineering skills, products designed for ease of manufacture, access to inexpensive capital, tight cost control and incentives based largely on quantitative targets. McDonalds for example, achieves low costs through standardised products and centralised buying of supplies, etc. Unlike cost leadership strategy, there is empirical evidence to support the differentiation strategy (Pearson, 1999). Hall (1980) investigated sixty-four American companies and the findings of the study revealed that companies following a differentiation strategy had superior performance compared to those companies that were not following the same. The focal point for the company pursuing a differentiation strategy should be the customer, and not per se the competitors. Note that for a differentiation strategy to be successful, the point of differentiation perceived by customers as valuable should coincide with the distinctive competence of the company (Pearson, 1999). For example, Orange succeeded by providing the most basic requirements for mobile phone communication, bettered the competition and created a differentiation in the minds of the consumers. (Barwise et al, 2004). Notably, only a number of small and medium sized companies use the niche strategy (Lynch, 2003). Application of Porters generic strategies to the Portuguese Crystal Glass, the Mould and Porcelain showed that organizations following differentiation strategy tended to achieve higher performance relative to organizations which did not show the presence of a non-classical differentiation based on a time based tendency. (Strategic Orientations of Manufacturing Organisations in the European Market: Evidence from Portugal; Available Online). Notably, most successful firms exhibit one or more forms of differentiation, along with forms that are directly associated with cost leadership and focus orientation. This is one of the grey areas in the analysis of generic strategies that reality can be different and more subtle than the stark contrasts that are highlighted by Porter (1980). Kim et al (2004) have argued that Porters generic strategies of differentiation and cost leadership will be applicable to e-business firms in a broad sense, while the focus/niche strategy will not be as viable for e-business firms, compared to their traditional counterparts. 2.7 Exploration of information for Porters Generic Strategies Analysis The information necessary for conducting the generic strategies analysis can be found in company and competitor websites. Annual reports of companies can be used to analyse the relationships between costs and profitability and how a particular strategy is affecting the firms overall performance. Marketing communication tools used by the company and competitors may also reflect the generic strategies. Advertisements can be a useful source of information to analyse the strategy that is being pursued by the company, and how that differs from that of the competition. Journal articles, trade publications and reputable magazine articles are useful sources of information to analyse industry trends, customer preferences in a given market and the strategies that are being pursued by the companies in a particular industry. 2.8 Relationship between Porters Generic Strategies Analysis and the Five Forces Model The three generic strategies suggested by Porter (1980, 1985) can be effectively utilised to defend against competition in the business environment. The industry forces take the form of competitive rivalry, barriers to entry, threat of substitutes, buyer power and supplier power, explained below (Lynch, 2003). 2.8.1 Competitive Rivalry If the competition in the industry is fierce, the advantage of a cost leadership strategy would be that competitiveness in price. However, cost leadership strategy is not the most desirable, as competitors may put intense price pressures, forcing all players to reduce their prices drastically. Differentiation may be a better strategy as loyal customers may stay with the company. It would also be hard for competitors to cope with specialised needs of customers who are part of a niche segment in the market. 2.8.2 Barriers to Entry A company employing any one of the three strategies would find it easy to create barriers for new entrants. The learning curve of cost leaders in an industry, along with the economies of scale through experience curve effects, would often make it impossible for potential entrants to compete on price, as the more mature firm can further lower prices without comprising its profitability. High customer loyalty towards a companys brands, which is true for the differentiation strategy, can play a vital role in discouraging potential entrants. Customers often choose to be with a niche player because of a certain core competence that only that particular player is providing in the market. Also companies that make use of the focus strategy over time often develop a thorough understanding of their customers needs, which is a very difficult task for a potential entrant. In this way, focus can act as an entry barrier too. 2.8.3 Threat of substitutes It is the differentiation and differentiation-focused strategies that effectively reduce the threat of substitutes. Threat of substitutes is reduced in case of the differentiation strategy due to customer loyalty to the unique aspects of a particular product or service, which no substitute product can offer in the customers mind. In case of the later strategy, the very nature of the companys products and core competence of the firm reduce the threat of substitutes. 2.8.4 Buyer Power The power of buyers changes in accordance with the three generic strategies. Cost leaders have the unique ability to offer lower price options to large and powerful buyers. However, the scenario differs for companies making use of the differentiation and focus strategies. Buyers in case of these two strategies would have less power as there are few alternatives available to them. 2.8.5 Supplier Power Suppliers can exercise their power primarily in case of differentiation and focus/niche strategies. Companies making use of these strategies have the ability to pass the price increases of suppliers to their final customers, through the premium pricing strategy. 2.9 Strengths and Weaknesses of Porters Models Porters model of Five Competitive Forces allows a systematic and structured analysis of market structure and competitive situation. The model can be applied to particular companies, market segments, industries or regions. The strength of competitive forces determines the inflow of investment and drives the returns to free market levels. The five competitive forces such as entry, threat of substitutes, bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers and intense competition among rivals reflecting that competition in industry goes beyond established players. Porter identified that these five competitive forces shapes every industry and every market. These forces determine the intensity of competition and hence the profitability and attractiveness of an industry. The objective of corporate strategy should be to modify these competitive forces in a way that improves the position of the organization. Porters model supports analysis of the driving forces in an industry. Based on the information derived from the Five Forces Analysis, management can decide how to influence or to exploit particular characteristics of their industry. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the scope of the market to be analyzed in a first step. Following, all relevant forces for this market are identified and analyzed. Hence, it is not necessary to analyze all elements of all competitive forces with the same depth. The Five Forces Model is based on microeconomics. It takes into account supply and demand, complementary products and substitutes, the relationship between volume of production and cost of production and market structures like monopoly, oligopoly or perfect competition. After the analysis of current and potential future state of the five competitive forces, managers can search for options to influence these forces in their organizations interest. Although industry-specific business models will limit options, the own strategy can change the impact of competitive forces on the organization. The objective is to reduce the power of competitive forces. The model is based on the idea of competition. It assumes that companies try to achieve competitive advantages over other players in the markets as well as over suppliers or customers. With this focus, it dos not really take into consideration strategies like strategic alliances, electronic linking of information systems of all companies along a value chain, virtual enterprise-networks or others. As for the limitations part, nothing in this world is in itself PERFECT, so is this five forces model. Sometimes, it is better if some new player enter the market. It gives way to fresh thinking and catches the attention of the customers, in addition to benefits like infrastructure development. Again, it is better if a decent number of substitutes are valuable in the market, as it makes one think how to better his product and win the hearts of the clients. In reference to the generic strategies it became clear over time that in reality there were some shades of grey in the distinction between differentiation and cost, compared to the black and white that is projected in theory. It is very difficult for most companies to completely ignore cost, no matter how different their product offering is. Similarly, most companies will not admit that their product is essentially the same as that of others (Macmillan et al, 2000). It is important for analysts to bear in mind that Porters generic strategies should be considered as a part of a broader strategic analysis. The generic strategies only provide a good starting point for exploring the concepts of cost leadership and differentiation and may not provide relevant strategic routes in the case of fast growing markets (Lynch, 2003). It is important to conduct other analyses like PESTEL analysis to analyse how the generic strategy being employed by a company should change in accordance with external factors. Other useful analyses would include SWOT analysis of the key success factors etc.

Ancient Egypt Essay -- Egyptian History Essays

Ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt is located along the Nile River of Northeastern Africa. More specifically, it is the territory where ancients Egyptians lived in the valley of the delta and the Nile. It was a thriving civilization for more than 3,000 years, from about the time of 3300 BC to 30BC. The culture of Ancient Egypt is identified and very well known for many aspects of their ways of life. Considering the time period, they were very technologically advanced. This can especially be seen through the great pyramids and hieroglyphs that elaborately decorate the walls of them. Pyramids were not small structures. In fact the largest one was over fifty stories high. In addition they were also built completely by manual labor. Labor consisted of moving limestone blocks that weighed on average 2.5 metric tons and could weigh up to 15 metric tons. In addition they had to form these blocks, move them, and sculpt them into the great structures known as the Pyramids. As you can imagine they took several decades of day in and day out work to complete these massive structures. The hieroglyphs were also an important part of not only the Ancient Egyptian culture but the pyramids especially. They provided pictorial descriptions for burial chambers, temples, jewelry, and important statu es. Ways to decipher them were unknown until the discovery of what is known as the Rosetta Stone. It was a stone that showed the same text in three different languages. Then early in the 19th century a French scholar name Jean Francois Champollion was able to decipher it and later on aid in learning the language of the dead language of hieroglyphs. Hieroglyphs are still being deciphered to this day. Ancient Egypt was able to prosper for such a long perio... ... November 2003 from http://www.greatscott.com/hiero. Iversen, Erik. The Myth of Egypt and Its Hierolyphs In European Tradition. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton Univeristy Press, 1993. Minnesota State University. "Hieroglyphs." Retrieved 21 November 2003 from http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/egypt/hieroglyphics/heiroglyphics.html. Park, Rosalind.The Scientific Invention of Hieroglyphs or Hurrah for Pliny! Great Britain: Azoth Publications, 1997. Silverman, David P. Language and Writing in Ancient Egypt. Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania: The Carnegie Museum of Natural History, 1990. "The Pyramids of Ancient Egypt." Intercity Oz Inc. 1999. Retrieved 15 November 2003 from http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/pyramids.htm. Winston, Alan. The Pyramids in Ancient Egypt. Retrieved 18 November 2003 from http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/pyramids.htm. Ancient Egypt Essay -- Egyptian History Essays Ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt is located along the Nile River of Northeastern Africa. More specifically, it is the territory where ancients Egyptians lived in the valley of the delta and the Nile. It was a thriving civilization for more than 3,000 years, from about the time of 3300 BC to 30BC. The culture of Ancient Egypt is identified and very well known for many aspects of their ways of life. Considering the time period, they were very technologically advanced. This can especially be seen through the great pyramids and hieroglyphs that elaborately decorate the walls of them. Pyramids were not small structures. In fact the largest one was over fifty stories high. In addition they were also built completely by manual labor. Labor consisted of moving limestone blocks that weighed on average 2.5 metric tons and could weigh up to 15 metric tons. In addition they had to form these blocks, move them, and sculpt them into the great structures known as the Pyramids. As you can imagine they took several decades of day in and day out work to complete these massive structures. The hieroglyphs were also an important part of not only the Ancient Egyptian culture but the pyramids especially. They provided pictorial descriptions for burial chambers, temples, jewelry, and important statu es. Ways to decipher them were unknown until the discovery of what is known as the Rosetta Stone. It was a stone that showed the same text in three different languages. Then early in the 19th century a French scholar name Jean Francois Champollion was able to decipher it and later on aid in learning the language of the dead language of hieroglyphs. Hieroglyphs are still being deciphered to this day. Ancient Egypt was able to prosper for such a long perio... ... November 2003 from http://www.greatscott.com/hiero. Iversen, Erik. The Myth of Egypt and Its Hierolyphs In European Tradition. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton Univeristy Press, 1993. Minnesota State University. "Hieroglyphs." Retrieved 21 November 2003 from http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/egypt/hieroglyphics/heiroglyphics.html. Park, Rosalind.The Scientific Invention of Hieroglyphs or Hurrah for Pliny! Great Britain: Azoth Publications, 1997. Silverman, David P. Language and Writing in Ancient Egypt. Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania: The Carnegie Museum of Natural History, 1990. "The Pyramids of Ancient Egypt." Intercity Oz Inc. 1999. Retrieved 15 November 2003 from http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/pyramids.htm. Winston, Alan. The Pyramids in Ancient Egypt. Retrieved 18 November 2003 from http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/pyramids.htm.

Radio Frequency Barcodes :: Technology Essays

Radio Frequency Barcodes History Traditionally, companies have used standard paper barcodes in conjunction with information databases to track inventory and monitor product movement. By tracking incoming and outgoing product, barcodes form an easy means of maximizing the overall efficiency of a business. Barcodes do however have certain limitations. Barcode scanning is dependent on the orientation of the barcode with the horizontal laser scanner and therefore the overall speed of the process becomes a function of the speed at which the individual can orient and then scan. This minor limitation may be a soon be resolved as Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) technology maximizes the potential for efficient and quick product management in the form of electronic barcodes. Radio-Frequency Identification is not a new technology but has become realistic through recent advancements. Key Players A small handful of companies inside and outside the United States are developing this new technology. A company called RF-ID.Com specializes in electronic barcodes and transponders for the management of everything from automobiles to cattle, beer kegs, and packages. While another, RF Ideas Inc. has teamed up with such companies as Motorola and Microsoft to manufacture a form of proximity activated identification or AIR ID as a form of added security for Windows NT systems. These companies and others have been testing RF-ID technology throughout Europe for quite some time in product test runs. Technology Different companies offer a variety of products as solutions to different customer needs. "The core of any RF-ID system is the ‘Tag’ or ‘Transponder’ which can be attached to or embedded within objects." (1) RF-ID’s come in all shapes and sizes, from little glass transponder capsules to being placed in between layers of paper or plastic to form inexpensive stickers for disposable use. But all of the Radio-Frequency Identification technology relies on the same principle, wireless communication between a RF-ID or transponder and the RF Module of a reader. "The data collected from an RF-ID can either be sent directly to a host computer through standard interfaces, or it can be stored in a portable reader and later uploaded to the computer for data processing." (1) When a transponder comes within range of a reader it uses energy collected from a RF wave that is stored in a capacitor to broadcast its own answering message which is received by the reader. (1) Many of the new transponders feature read/write updating so that information can be read and uploaded on the fly.

Business Valuations

Q1. Which of the following is the correct formula for Market Capitalization? (MCQ)Previous share price Ãâ€" Number of issued sharesCurrent share price Ãâ€" Number of issued sharesPrevious share price Ãâ€" Number of issued preference sharesCurrent share price Ãâ€" Number of issued convertible shares(2 marks) Q2. Statements given below relate to asset-based valuation for equity. Select appropriate types of asset-based valuation. (HA)Historic Cost Values are easily available BOOK VALUE NET REALISABLE VALUE REPLACEMENT BASISMaximum Cost to be paid for assets by a buyer BOOK VALUE NET REALISABLE VALUE REPLACEMENT BASISAsset Stripping BOOK VALUE NET REALISABLE VALUE REPLACEMENT BASIS(2 marks) Q3. Given below is summary of Vento Co.'s balance sheet: Assets $m Financed by $mNon-current assets 8 $1 Ordinary shares 1Net-current assets 4 Reserves 6- – Loan notes 5Total 12 12Non-current assets include Bulldozer which cost $7m when it was purchased five years ago when it had a useful life of ten years. The company's depreciation policy is on a straight-line basis. These assets were valued $2m by a professional. What is the value per share using NRV basis? (MCQ) $5$5.25$5.5$5.75(2 marks) Q4. Following statements relate to asset-based valuation. (HA) It ignores intangible assets DRAWBACK USEFULNESSIt ignores cash flows from the assets DRAWBACK USEFULNESSTo set a minimum price in an event of a takeover DRAWBACK USEFULNESS(2 marks) Q5. A Target company's dividend per share is $0.3/share ; its competitor has a dividend yield of 8%. Calculate the target company's share price? (FIB)4114804699000$ (2 marks) Q6. Dosed Co has an earnings yield of 17%. Calculate the value of the Dosed Co. based on the present value of the expected earnings? Using the following information given below: (MCQ)Year 1 2 3 4Earnings ($m) 3.4 3.9 4.1 4.5$26.47m$45.9m$62.5m$68.625m(2 marks) Q7. Cato Co. has been open for bidding and it currently has earnings of $3.5m and has 1 million shares in issue & Cato Co. has a current share price of $11 in the market. Calculate the earnings yield of Xerox Co, a business in the same industry sector? (MCQ)3.5%11%31.8%35.3%(2 marks) Q8. VV Co. has price/earnings ratio of 15 and it's industry competitor Kato Co. has an earnings yield of 20%. If assumed, a share price of $1. When comparing VV Co. to Kato Co, which of the following is correct? (HA)Earnings Yield HIGHER LOWERPrice/Earnings Ratio HIGHER LOWER(2 marks) Q9. Ivo Co has made an offer to buy two of its every three shares of Rico Co. Due to this merger, there is a chance that earning after deduction of tax will increase by $10m per year. Assuming that Ivo Co share price increases by $0.5 after its merger and Ivo issues new shares as consideration. What will be the price/earnings ratio of the group using the following information to nearest two decimal places? (FIB)Ivo Co. Rico Co.Profit after Tax $150 $40Market Share Prices $2.5 $1.2Number of shares 200m 60m901702476500(2 marks) Q10. Which TWO of the following are the problems relating to Price/ Earnings ratio? (MRQ)Quoted companies with similar business activities are difficult to findNot applicable for those who do not prefer paying dividends Represents historical costListed company's capital structure might differ from unlisted company's(2 marks) Q11. Yugo Co is acquiring Lotto Co. Yugo Co cost of acquisition at the time of acquiring Lotto Co.'s 20,000 shares will be $400,000. The cash flows are as follows: Year 20X3 20X4 20X5 20X6Cash flow ($) 170,000 235,000 200,000 85,000The weighted average cost of capital for the company is 10%. Calculate the share price of Lotto Co using discounted cash flow? (MCQ)$7.5$7.84$8.20$8.61(2 marks) Q12. Hath Co. has a future dividend forecast: In the current year and the first year, there will be no dividend paid. In year two a dividend of $0.36/share will be paid. In year three a dividend of $0.75/share will be paid and it will grow at 2% every year. If the cost of equity is 8% what will be Hath Co. current share price to the nearest $? (FIB)3613152286000$ (2 marks) Q13. Bitola Co is financed using equity only. The company has just paid the dividend of $80m and the earnings retained and invested were 55%. The investment returns 27% and cost of equity is 18%. What is the market value of the company? (MCQ)$2,917m$3,023m$3,487m$3,716m(2 marks) Q14. Dividend growth model takes many assumptions into account. Select the assumptions from the given statements? (MRQ)The estimates of future dividends and the cost of capital are accurateAll investors are homogenous Influential factors of the market are incorporated in the share price The dividend grow constantly or not grow at all (2 marks) Q15. Which of the following statements is a disadvantage for dividend growth model? (MCQ)The growth rate in the market is equal to the growth used in dividend growth model The cost of equity used is an estimate of a capital asset pricing modelThe method is applicable to all companies even if they don't provide dividendsThe dividends paid by the company are perpetual (2 marks) Q16. A firm has an issue 15% preference shares with a nominal value of $1 each. Currently, the required return of preference shareholders is 25%. The corporation tax is 30%. What is the value of a preference share? (FIB)3714753873500P0 (2 marks)144653070104000 Q17. Jorum Co has issued irredeemable loan notes with a coupon rate of 8%. If the required return of investors is 2%, what is the current market value of the debt? (FIB)Market Value ($) (2 marks) Q18. B4U Co. has 11% redeemable bonds in issue having a cost of debt of 16% before tax. The tax rate in the market is 27%. If the bonds are redeemed in six years' time at a premium of 6% above the par value. Calculate the market value of the bond? (MCQ)$69.35$76.12$84$103.2(2 marks) Q19. Curry has in issue 12% bonds with total nominal value $100,000 and a total redemption value $90,000, with interest payable quarterly. The cost of debt on the bonds is 12% annually. The bonds are redeemable on 31st March 20X2 and it is now 31st December 20X0. Calculate the market value? (FIB)14770102159000Market Value ($) (2 marks) Q20. A 6% redeemable loan note in Voltage Co is due to mature in four years' time at a premium of 10%. It can be converted into 15 ordinary shares at the same time. Voltage Co pays a tax rate of 25%. Its current share price is $4.65 and growth is expected at 8%. If the shareholders require 10% return what is the market value? (MCQ)$51$75.13$94.15$110(2 marks)

Academic Integrity

Academic Integrity Integrity Is to follow high-quality morals when no one Is observing. Integrity Is a good quality to have because it makes the person more trustworthy and a better person in general. Academic integrity is when one is honest and fair when it comes to studies and to school. An example of academic integrity is when a person does not cheat even when the teacher leaves the room. If the person decides to take out his notes and cheat when the teacher leaves the room, he is displaying academic dishonesty.Why cheat? Maybe the student has many extracurricular and is unable to find time to study, he feels pressured by his parents and cheats to please them, or he Is just too lazy to study and cheats so he can keep his optional status. Students often cheat because they have an underlying Incentive, students rarely cheat for sport. In a high school setting students may cheat so they can get good grades and please their parents, others may cheat because they don't have time to stu dy. In high school, students must do well so they can get in to good colleges so they wont be left featureless.Because their whole lives depend on their performance n high school, they have an incentive to cheat. The consequences some students face for academic dishonesty in high school is a suspension or in some cases, expulsion. In universities, students are often more stressed than high school students and require more time for test preparation, but because of pressure, they may end up resorting to academic dishonesty in order to pass classes. In Carnegie Melon's Why do Students Cheat? Article, the author states that the college students are held o high expectations and are socially pressured to get good grades.Other students are Involved In volunteer work or have too many classes In their hands and do not have good time management to make time to study for assessments. Hopefully by facing the consequences of showing a lack of integrity, the student learns to become a person who comes to value honesty. Many who are dishonest face social consequences and lack of trust from peers and teachers/professors. Other consequences are facing trial, probation, sanctions, and dismissal from the institution.To have integrity is to practice it, while the student is learning and growing intellectually, they should be taught to value honesty and integrity so they can practice the principles. Another way to integrate integrity into our society is to establish a system where integrity is one of the highest principles, and if one was to show a lack of Integrity, they may face the consequences the community sees fit. Academic Integrity Is one of the most Important aspects of a learning environment. Without It, students will practice dishonesty and demoralize themselves. By shrub Integrity is to follow high-quality morals when no one is observing.Integrity is a time to study, he feels pressured by his parents and cheats to please them, or he is cheat because they have an underl ying incentive, students rarely cheat for sport. In a students must do well so they can get in to good colleges so they won't be left involved in volunteer work or have too many classes in their hands and do not have show a lack of integrity, they may face the consequences the community sees fit. Academic Integrity According the Walden University Student Handbook academic integrity to be essential for each student’s intellectual development (2013 Code of Conduct Student Handbook). This allows students opportunity to freely exchange, students and instructors attribution. Enrollment to the University solidifies a commitment to abide by the code of conduct. By instilling academic integrity within your writing it gives students a chance to write creatively while accepting the responsibility for academic integrity (COCSH, 2013). There are many reasons to maintain academic integrity, but it sometimes becomes difficult for this success to achieve at a doctoral level. It is important that students not deny themselves the opportunity to succeed by taking short cuts. Thus, this will compromise their integrity and violate the Student code of conduct. Students are encourages students to may submit questions and concerns to contact their faculty mentor, course instructor, or academic advisor. (2013) Plagiarism In my opinion, Plagiarism is taking someone's original ideas and writing and making it yours without giving proper credit to the author. Plagiarism can be avoided by always citing sources that ideas are derived from other works as use for your own ideas when writing. Credit should be given when credit is due (APA 2010,p15). Self-Plagiarism is when you do not present your own previously published works accurately. According to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, each time a student summarizes a passage or rearrange the order of a sentence by changing some of the words, credit to the source is required (APA 2010). This is required to safeguard other writer’s ideas. In some instances, such as describing details or an analytical approach extensive self-referencing is undesirable (APA 2010 p16). Citation It is necessary to avoid plagiarism this can be completed when citations occur and also when original ideas are not derived. According to the APA Manual the author, year, and specific page citation or paragraph are required quotation comprising of less than 40 words, should open, and close with double quotation mark and the source cited in parentheses. (APA, 2010, p171). An example of this would be â€Å"In the United States, the American Cancer Society (2007) estimated that about 1 million cases of NMSC and 59,950 cases of melanoma would be diagnosed in 2007, with melanoma resulting in 8,110 deaths†(Miller et al, 2009 p. 209. ) Conclusion In conclusion, Academic Integrity is imperative and should be adhered to in order to maintain the highest level of scholarly standards. Paraphrasing, citing author’s contributions correctly and acknowledging secondary sources allow readers to discover informative writings and strengthen the writer’s credibility to contribute accurately. Academic Integrity According the Walden University Student Handbook academic integrity to be essential for each student’s intellectual development (2013 Code of Conduct Student Handbook). This allows students opportunity to freely exchange, students and instructors attribution. Enrollment to the University solidifies a commitment to abide by the code of conduct. By instilling academic integrity within your writing it gives students a chance to write creatively while accepting the responsibility for academic integrity (COCSH, 2013). There are many reasons to maintain academic integrity, but it sometimes becomes difficult for this success to achieve at a doctoral level. It is important that students not deny themselves the opportunity to succeed by taking short cuts. Thus, this will compromise their integrity and violate the Student code of conduct. Students are encourages students to may submit questions and concerns to contact their faculty mentor, course instructor, or academic advisor. (2013) Plagiarism In my opinion, Plagiarism is taking someone's original ideas and writing and making it yours without giving proper credit to the author. Plagiarism can be avoided by always citing sources that ideas are derived from other works as use for your own ideas when writing. Credit should be given when credit is due (APA 2010,p15). Self-Plagiarism is when you do not present your own previously published works accurately. According to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, each time a student summarizes a passage or rearrange the order of a sentence by changing some of the words, credit to the source is required (APA 2010). This is required to safeguard other writer’s ideas. In some instances, such as describing details or an analytical approach extensive self-referencing is undesirable (APA 2010 p16). Citation It is necessary to avoid plagiarism this can be completed when citations occur and also when original ideas are not derived. According to the APA Manual the author, year, and specific page citation or paragraph are required quotation comprising of less than 40 words, should open, and close with double quotation mark and the source cited in parentheses. (APA, 2010, p171). An example of this would be â€Å"In the United States, the American Cancer Society (2007) estimated that about 1 million cases of NMSC and 59,950 cases of melanoma would be diagnosed in 2007, with melanoma resulting in 8,110 deaths†(Miller et al, 2009 p. 209. ) Conclusion In conclusion, Academic Integrity is imperative and should be adhered to in order to maintain the highest level of scholarly standards. Paraphrasing, citing author’s contributions correctly and acknowledging secondary sources allow readers to discover informative writings and strengthen the writer’s credibility to contribute accurately.