Moral Problem Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Moral Problem Paper - Essay Example Nonetheless, the moral inquiries raised by the CEO identify with the work structure, desires for the deals and the capacities that are inside the business. Foundation and Facts The challenges with the Wal †Mart store and the general capacities are known to identify with the general structure of the gathering and the way that it works with clients and with representatives. The store is eminent for the work structure that can't bolster those working in the cutting edges. This starts with an absence of pay that is given to laborers, sweat shops that are utilized to create the various things and the failure to address issues of those that are working for the organization. The structure is known to comprise of representatives that are required to work seven days every week or additional time to make enough from the organization. Simultaneously, the organization is known to offer government assistance to the laborers, explicitly on the grounds that it doesn’t pay enough to the individuals who are working inside the structure. The issues with the structure proceed with known buybacks, which as of late comprises of over $15 billion in stocks, explicitly which is setting off to the CEO and other top officials, instead of the individuals who are working inside the organization (Gogoi, 1). The current circumstance of Wal †Mart is one that is presently being trailed by the new CEO, Mike Duke. The president was brought into the organization in 2009, explicitly with the last CEO venturing down before being up to speed in the contentions of the work and different components identifying with profound quality. As of now, worker's guilds and others were starting to challenge the work at Wal †Mart, which was causing a misfortune in deals from going before years. The primary issue which Duke is being given is to spare the picture of Wal †Mart and to start changing the notoriety of the out of line treatment of workers both in the United States and abroad. The inquiry which is currently being investigated is the means by which Duke will work with the moral complexities which were abandoned, explicitly with the lost cash and the absence of worker rights that have caused the matter of Wal †Mart to start losing the notoriety it once had at low costs (Kapner, 1). Utilitarian Analysis The methodology which Duke is confronting is one which depends on rebuilding the conviction that the treatment of representatives and the general structure of the organization are corrupt. The time before Duke was a piece of Wal †Mart prompted activities from worker's guilds and spotlights on how the laborers didn’t get enough compensation or has essential human rights when working for the organization. The primary idea which Duke needs to come nearer from the Utilitarian investigation is the joy versus torment approach. From this perspective, there is the need to rebuild the representative remuneration and the laborer rights in Wal †Ma rt. On the off chance that the representatives are glad and have a feeling of joy of working at the organization, at that point it will carry a more prominent great to the store. To do this, more elevated levels of pay, laborer rights and impediments on how much a worker works become the fundamental factor. Be that as it may, Duke should take a gander at different restrictions, for example, diminishing the measure of development and the measure of installments which are going to different parts of the organization. Since these parts don’t cause torment, it will prompt more prominent virtue with representatives and the general qualities of the organization. The second perspective that is considered with

Challenges in Managing Innovation Across Supply Chains â€Evaluation and Implementation

[pic] Business Major-Minor Supply Chain Management Course Assignment Challenges in Managing Innovation across Supply Chains â€Evaluation and Implementation Student: Ying Deng Student ID:1205690 Course Number: 07 14511 Teacher: Professor Dr Victoria Hanna Date: 10/01/2013 Acknowledgment This examination paper is composed for the subject: â€Å"Global Marketing† in the University of Birmingham. Right off the bat, we might want to expresses gratitude toward Almighty Lord to give us information and keep us sound during the entire time of our examination work.Secondly, we are significantly obliged to our instructor and counselor Professor David Walker for his esteemed conclusions and master guidance in the readiness of this theory. Thirdly, we might want to communicate our thankfulness to the advantageous web that extraordinarily helped us to discover whatever data that we required. At long last, we need to offer our thanks to the Fujifilm Corporation for its benevolent help and backing all through the composing progress of this thesis.We have additionally figured out how to gather some significant data from the relative diaries and books. All gathering individuals from the task University of Birmingham, April 2012 Table of substance Acknowledgment Abstract Importance of gracefully chain advancement Innovation and its source and types Challenge of development managementâ€evaluation of development Effect of purchaser provider power relations Example instances of progress and failureChallenge of advancement managementâ€implementation of development Implementation’s point by point difficulties in various sorts of industryâ€service and physical merchandise Implementation’s nitty gritty difficulties in various kinds of industryâ€emerging and develop businesses More difficulties in development the executives REFERENCES Abstract Title obviously: Supply Chain Management Program: Various. Creators: Ying Deng Supervisor: Dr Victoria Hanna D ate: Sep 2012 to Dec 2012 Background: The intricacy and size of any firm’s gracefully chain has made the administration of flexibly chain advancement troublesome and brimming with uncertainty.However the quick creating market requires the gracefully chain to enhance as quick and effective as could be expected under the circumstances. There are measures of fruitful and bombed instances of advancements across flexibly chain from the only remaining hundreds of years, yet it is a major test to effectively deal with the developments. Reason: The motivation behind the proposal is to examine what Fujifilm did and is doing to create in the worldwide condition and with all the inner and outer factors’ impacts, additionally what it most likely will or ought to do later on to keep up its present status and to improve.Conclusion: After assessing Fujifilm’s history and current circumstance alongside its ongoing showcasing input information, likewise alluding to plenteous pro moting hypotheses and books, we will recommend Fujifilm to take different acts and methodologies to stay serious and keep up and increment its piece of the pie. Catchphrases: Supple chain, Innovation, Management, Evaluation, Risk, Implementation, Buyer-provider power, Product life cycle, Pre-and Post-authoritative, administration and physical merchandise, rising and develop industriesThe â€Å"18 months law† (Gorden E, Moore, 1965) had proposed and been demonstrated that the electronic market pairs its product’s work while parts its costs. Different enterprises, while perhaps more slow than the gadgets however also quick evolving, proposes, that the organizations enhance in each potential viewpoints inside and identified with themselves, to fit into the quick pace of today’s dynamic world with the data blast, to find the expanding globalization, savage cost rivalry, expanded client interest for improved quality and reliability.Studies and encounters show that R& amp;D spending is firmly emphatically connected with the likelihood of presenting another item, and a large portion of the organizations are happy to put resources into the R&D exercises to make the interior developments (BRDIS information, NSF 11-300). Be that as it may, aside from the inside R&D, the development can likewise be increased both from the flexibly chain itself, for example, by re-sorting out assets or upgrading dissemination frameworks, and different finishes over the gracefully chain, for example, improvement from end-users’ input. One of the notable models is P&G's Continuous Replenishment Planning (CRP).The organization Proctor and Gamble changed the whole worth chain by driving requests dependent on DC withdrawal and deals information that effectively improved its administration and diminished expenses over the gracefully channel (Roger C. Vergin, and Kevin Barr, 1999). The immediate client input infers advancement, for example, the general item idea, and the planning of the dispatch to bundling and conveyance (Kevin O'Marah, 2005). Other run of the mill models including developments brought about by improved sequential construction system, for example, the Ford Company in the mid 1910s, and trend setting innovations and procedures, for example, the upgraded Ocean dispatching compartment by Malcom Mclean in the 1956, etc.According to Porter’s five powers hypothesis, the business is influenced by its providers, clients, new charms and new substitutes (Micheal E, Porter, 1979). Gracefully chain as it represents, is generally viewed as the progression of assets and items from the provider, through the firm, to the clients. Flexibly chain connects the provider, the business and the end (clients), as one of its key natures. Different highlights incorporate its multifaceted nature brought about by the way that businesses’ item assembling or administration giving for the most part includes more than one provider and customer.These realities lead to the high chance of developments from the flexibly chain. Not just has the physical goods’ stream in the flexibly given chances of development, yet in addition the data stream from the other way of the physical merchandise. The wellsprings of advancement are for the most part finished up as â€Å"push† and â€Å"pull† (Clegg, Juliana and Pilkington, 2011). The â€Å"push† represents mechanical open doors that breed the development. The â€Å"pull† represents advertise needs that encourage for advancement. Likewise, there are more than the two sources, for example, guideline change, users’ criticism, staff, etc.Innovation across flexibly chain can be from both to the â€Å"pull† and â€Å"push† truth similarly as the instances of Ford and P&G individually. As expressed over, the tremendous wellspring of development of gracefully chain and from the flexibly chain gives an incredible pool of th oughts and potential. Nonetheless, in like manner, the assortment likewise raises the issue of whether a particular development really suits the business and the business, and whether it can really satisfy the point of innovationâ€to make the benefit ascend, to fulfill stakeholder’s interests better by changes, for example, diminished expense or included value.The size of flexibly chain raises the vulnerability of an advancement. This carries us to the conversation of difficulties in overseeing advancement. How to assess the appropriateness of a gracefully bind advancement to a firm? Will there be any potential requirements to the advancement in the gracefully chain? How to manage the planning issue of the assessment? Will this development be hazardous in any piece of the gracefully chain, from the provider to the client? Advancement can basically be arranged into four kinds: Product, Process, Position, and Paradigm (4P’s).Whichever it is arranged into, development can be characterized as another thought, or the recombination of old thoughts, or a plan than difficulties present request, or a recipe, or an exceptional methodology (Van de Ven, 1986:591). Most instances of the straightforward advancement are R&D departments’ new item plan. This kind of advancement are typically founded on cautious statistical surveying, worked after nitty gritty investigation of gainfulness and potential hazard, discharged into the market after exhaustive restricted scoop test and preliminary. model) During this procedure, the staff of the firm can increase full comprehension of the structure, and the plan can be changed at any phase of the procedure to fit into the firm’s desires and the market’s current patterns. Likewise, as this sort of development beginnings inside the firm, the primary planning issue of it will lay on the dynamic need and innovation of the outer market condition, while the thought of competitors’ impersonatio n/substitute can be nearly lower as all the subtleties could be kept in house or by patenting.On the other hand, advancements from the flexibly chain could be extraordinary. As the development can lay in any piece of the gracefully chain, for example, an improved data trade framework, or the appropriation system’s change, the advancement will require exhaustive assessment procedure to choose its appropriateness, for example, the Farbey et al. (1993) and Farbey and Finkelstein (2000) IS implementation’s assessment structure. The impact of the advancement probably won't fit into the firm’s advertise condition and its current situation’s strategy.One of the most significant parts of the flexibly anchor the executives is to examine the purchaser provider power connection, to lessen cost and increment estimation of the gracefully chain. Developments over the gracefully chain, regardless of whether it is a data update or framework change or utilization of new innovation, they can impact the force connection of the flexibly chain, attractively or unfortunately. Positive changes to the force connection can help the firm increase a good situation in or after the procedure of procurement/marking of contract.Taking the thought of purchaser provider power move before a development is received is fundamental to the accomplishment of its usage. The force relations, influenced by data, shortage and utility, can really choose the productivity of the creation and hazard dissemination between the firm itself and its providers and purchasers. On the off chance that the development to the flexibly anchor brings down the obligation to explicit gracefully of materials, for instance, at that point the firm’s purchaser po

Armey, Dick

Armey, Dick Armey, Dick (Richard Keith Armey) är ´me [key], 1940â€", U.S. congressman, b. Cando, N.Dak., grad. Jamestown College, Univ. of Oklahoma (Ph.D.). A Republican and former economics professor at North Texas State Univ., he was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas in 1984. He conceived the independent nonpolitical commission that became responsible for identifying those military bases to be closed as a cost-cutting measure. A conservative and political ally of House Speaker Newt Gingrich , Armey advocated the phasing out of Social Security and farm subsidies and opposed President Clinton's health-care reform proposals. He became House majority leader in 1995, the year his Freedom Revolution was published. After retiring in 2003, he worked as a lobbyist and was chairman with (2004â€"12) of FreedomWorks Foundation, a conservative organization advocating small government and libertarian-influenced activism. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyri ght © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. See more Encyclopedia articles on: U.S. History: Biographies

Essay on History

Essay on History The decline of the Roman Empire in 476 CE brought to and classical antiquity. A new era was born in world history, which would see the rise of several cultural zones such as the Medieval West, the Mongol Empire, and the Byzantine Empire. The fall was characterized by failure of the empire to effectively or successfully exercise its rule over the vast majority. This also gave rise to the emergence of various successor polities. Some of the reasons that contributed to this deadline included the decreasing numbers if the Roman population, deterioration of the army, and the weakening economy (Marks 16). The Byzantine Empire depended on the city of Constantinople to emerge, which proved to be a key and resourceful area. The Byzantine Empire took advantage of its strong military. Cultural, and economic powers in Europe to succeed. The Islamic Empire, on its part, benefitted from the common religious beliefs to bring people together. Religion played a key role insofar as unifying people and encouraging them to take a similar approach. Part 2 The origin of humanity is heavily contested, with several theories explaining potential origins. The evolution theory is one of the theories that is widely accepted. This theory traces human beings back to their initial forms when they underwent evolutionary stages such as Homo sapiens and Homo erectus. Populations to all regions was as a result of exploiting the available areas so as to promote agricultural activities. In both the Eastern and the Western Hemisphere, agriculture played a role to change the lifestyles practiced in the regions. In both hemispheres, agricultural practices meant that people were to change from being pastoralists to become farmers, as they could produce enough. It is true to argue that the events that occurred in 1492 C.E altered the history of the world. This is the era that is credited with bringing civilization to the world.

Subsistence Strategies From Four Discrete Categories ...

I would like to address topic A, regarding the placement of subsistence strategies into four discrete categories: hunting and gathering (foraging), horticulture, pastoralism, and agriculture. While this quick categorization of human subsistence behavior has benefits to introduce these concepts, it falsely assumes that each behavior exists independently and ignores their location on a continuum, often blending from one strategy into the next. In this essay I will introduce each subsistence strategy, show examples of it and finally show ways that even among groups of people who would seem to fit the archetype of each behavior they often adopt strategies of others in a sort of mixing and matching process, especially in times of duress. First, I would like to discuss the strategy of hunting and gathering, the sole strategy until twelve thousand years ago. Hunting and gathering is a form of subsistence dependent upon wild plants and animals for the majority of the calories of the diet. Wh ile its name underscores the importance of hunting in this lifestyle, this is misleading as the majority of caloric needs in societies practicing this strategy are met by gathering wild edible plants and berries. Due to the dependence upon naturally occurring sources of food, which are not always found in the same abundance as in agricultural cultivation, hunter-gatherers are usually found in bands of less than fifty people and in areas with low population density. This subsistence strategyShow MoreRelatedEssay on An Enigmatic People and Their Rock Art4556 Words   |  19 Pagesbasketry, elaborate clay figurines, and a type of rock art, but many items and life ways of this diverse group are similar to those of neighboring regions. In the Fremont areas bordering those of the Anasazi, Fremont material culture both differs from and resembles that of its southern neighbors. Rock art in particular provides an interesting example of the diversity and cohesiveness within the Fremont cu lture and evidence of Fremont interaction with nearby peoples. Geographic Extent and Origin Read MoreArchaeology Notes19985 Words   |  80 Pagessediments Occipital torus, a ridge of bone that runs horizontally across the occipital Palaentology, a field that take its name from the Greek words for â€Å"old† (paleos) and â€Å"existence† (ontos), is devoted to gleaning all the information that can be extracted from the fossils. Paleosol ancient soil Petrifacation the process of turning bone into stone through the absorption minerals from the surrounding soil or ground water that eventually replace the organism’s original inorganic tissues. Phytoliths opalineRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pageslittle significance. But there is little agreement over when the twentieth century c.e. arrived, and there were several points both before the year 2000 (the collapse of the Soviet Union, the reunification of Germany, the surge of globalization from the mid-1990s) and afterward (9/11, or the global recession of 2008) when one could quite plausibly argue that a new era had begun. A compelling case can be made for viewing the decades of the global scramble for colonies after 1870 as a predictableRead MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 PagesNot Treating It Fairly ..................................................................... 174 Not Accepting the Burden of Proof ............................................................................................. 175 Diverting Attention from the Issue ............................................................................................. 176 Re-defining the Issue ....................................................................................................................

Supporting the Elderly Essay - 797 Words

As adults the transition into old age can be difficult for some people. Frustration, lack of responsibility and dependence can make the process of aging undesirable. Old age should be viewed as another phase of life, but not the end of life. In order to help elderly cope with aging it is important for them to have social interaction. Support from family, friends and the local community can make a difference in the psychological well being of older adults. There is great concern for the increasing amount of elderly people without children. Childlessness can not be directly linked to loneliness and depression in the elderly, but there is some evidence that it can have an effect on their psychological well being. According to an article†¦show more content†¦Although the main effects of childlessness are minimal in this study for older persons, it can not be ruled out that childlessness has no direct effect on the psychological wellbeing of older people. The aspect of well being can differ, but is still important for rural elderly. An article in Sex Roles, Compared to their urban counterparts, rural elders experience significant threats to their economic, physical, and psychological well-being (Patrick, Cortells, and Barnes, 1993.) Factors such as age, gender, education, income, and marital status, can be predictors of well-being. More important though is social support. Socialization differences in men and women can produce varying results of positive or negative well being. Women are more emotionally supportive and have a larger network of support. Men do not rely on friends as much and are more withdrawn. In the article, Gender, emotional support, and well-being among the rural elderly, a study was done to determine the association among emotional support and well-being as well as gender differences. 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Consumer Electronics Products In Australia â€Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Consumer Electronics Products In Australia? Answer: Introduction This assignment helps in developing an understanding about the ownership history of the Dick Smith brand which is a retailer which deals in consumer electronics products in Australia and New Zealand and has a reputed name in the market. In this assignment a critical evaluation of the valuation of DSH when DSH was acquired by Anchorage Capital Partners and at its initial public offering (IPO) is also undertaken. It is analyzed that the sales growth forecast is to decrease from $1.3 billion to $1.2 billion when compared to the last financial year. In this assignment an assessment of the ethical dilemmas facing two separate sets of people i.e. Anchorage Capital Partners in respect of the flotation of the business and The directors and senior executives of Dick Smith Holdings in respect of statements made in the 2014/15report and accounts (Asquith and Weiss, 2016). A brief summary of the ownership history of the Dick Smith brand Dick Smith Holdings Limited is a retailer which deals in consumer electronics products in Australia and New Zealand and has a reputed name. The organization was founded in 1968 by entrepreneur named as Dick Smith. He started the organization with single store of installation of car radio in the city Sydney. Some part of it was purchased by Woolworths Limited in the year 1981. Woolworths took complete ownership of Dick Smith Holdings Limited in the year 1983 when it was having 20 stores. Woolworths make acquisition of Tandy in the year 2001 and most of the stores of Tandy were rebrand as Dick Smith and in the end of the year 2005 they generated sales of $1bn (Theconversation, 2017). Dick Smith Holding was reputed organization and has a well known brand name in the country Australia. But Woolworths has leaded the organization towards competitive pressures and thus resulting in failed restructuring of the business by the Woolworths. Woolworths make divestment in the business of Dick Smith Holdings and is finally acquired by Anchorage Capital Partners (Anchorage) in the year November 2012 for $94m. Anchorage Capital Partners is an organization which is Australian based private equity firm having around $450m funds. After restructuring of 12 months Dick Smith Holdings get listed on the stock exchange by getting funds of $520m at a $2.20 per share price (SMH, 2017). This IPO of Dick Smith Holdings helped Anchorage a return which was four times of its investment. A critical evaluation of the valuation of DSH when DSH was acquired by Anchorage Capital Partners and at its initial public offering (IPO)- An announcement was made by Anchorage Capital Partners that it has entered in to a contract to acquire hundred per cent share of Dick Smith Holdings. Dick Smith Holdings is a reputed consumer electronics organization in Australia which was started in the year 1968 by the person named Dick Smith and has become the part of the organization named Woolworths. Dick Smith Holdings has 4500 employees and around 325 stores in Australia and New Zealand in the year 2012 when Anchorage Capital Partners made the announcement of acquisition of Dick Smith Holdings. The transactions of Dick Smith Holdings were structured in order to support the sale by the financial statements (Fresard, 2010). Financial statements of Dick Smith Holdings shows no core debts to the organization and asset backing which was enough considerable in order to justify the solvency of the business of Dick Smith Holdings (Duchin et. a., 2010). At initial public offering of Dick Smith Holding, Dick Smith Holding was valued at $520.3 million, at a price of initial public offering of $2.20 which was more than increase of 400 per cent in just a period of one year. This increase was mostly based upon the interpretation of the investors on the forecast made by the organization that there will be $40 million net profit in the financial year. In the previous financial year, Dick Smith Holdings reported a total profit of $6.7 million. In the first quarter, Dick Smith Holdings has attained profit of $6.1 million which can be analyzed from the financial statements published by the organization (Hadlock and Pierce, 2010). It is analyzed that the sales growth forecast is to decrease from $1.3 billion to $1.2 billion when compared to the last financial year. From forecast of net profit of $40 million and total net profit after tax margin is 3.9 per cent in the current financial accounting period. It can also be stated that in the basis of further store openings and further reductions in operations will lead towards increase in growth of the sales of the organization (Beyer et. al., 2010). The directors also stated that company is intending towards pay out approximately 60-70 per cent of the net profit. The organization was also making an announcement of payment of dividend in October next year. Dick smith 66.2 per cent shares were sold through the IPO with Anchorage holding amounting 47.3 million shares and the remaining shares will be hold by the existing shares. The market of consumer electronics in the country has faced a huge pressure from the last years and thus leads towards instability in the economic conditions of the retailers. This has also lead towards decrease in sales and profit margins of the retailers. It is also analyzed that the sentiments of the consumer has increased in the recent year which can show up a rise of 23 per cent when compared to previous years (Bebchuk and Weisbach, 2010). It can be concluded that management of the organization believes that increase in sentiments of consumer will drive a more positive domestic and worldwide economic stability in Australia and New Zealand and this will help the retailers to gradually improve their economical conditions. An assessment of the ethical dilemmas facing two separate sets of people- Anchorage Capital Partners in respect of the flotation of the business: Ethical dilemma faced by Anchorage Capital Partners in respect of the flotation of the business is discussed in this part. Anchorage Capital Partners has defended their role in the collapse of the Dick Smith and claimed that the organization has a sustainable business when it got floated on the share market for millions of dollars in profit. The Anchorage Capital Partners faced ethical dilemma over its role in collapse of Dick Smith Holdings. Ethical dilemma faced by Anchorage Capital Partners on the comments made by it that the Dick Smith take too much for their own investors and only few part is left for the new owners making the organization in unsustainable (Berk et. al., 2013). The ethical dilemmas faced by Anchorage Capital Partners in examine the recording profits in the financial year by Dick Smith. Ethical dilemma faced by Anchorage Capital Partners on write down various leases and other assets that has reduced future charges and boosted profits of the organization in a way that can make inflation in the price in order to on sell the business. Ethical dilemma was also faced by Anchorage when it faced the charges of absolute dishonesty and reduction in morality in selling the organization for an amount which was huge before it collapsed. Ethical dilemma was also faced by Anchorage in the quick around time between selling and buying of the business (Berenson et. al., 2012). Dick Smith Holdings has the balance of the purchase price which was funded from cash generated and run down sales of the amounts which were in excess and the stock was also moving very slowly. Ethical dilemma was also faced by Anchorage in the benefit of previous accounting provisions, falls in profit margin and when the company reports a combination of degrading the same store sales and has also reduces gross margins in the trading activities. Anchorage Capital also faced dilemma that if Dick Smith Holdings was not very successful in trading, and was not updating their stock accordingly than how they declared dividends to their shareholders. Ethical dilemma had also arisen that the turnaround has started around 18 month period after the flotation before Dick Smith Holdings started borrowing. Ethical dilemma has also caused that if the administration has determined an operating background and a momentum which can be considered positive than why the results of Dick Smith Holdings got fluctuated (Huhtala et. al., 2013). Dick Smith was allowed to carry its administration on its own than why it lead towards collapse and this is also the reason for ethical dilemma. Anchorage capital also faced dilemma in making changes in the business mix of the Dick Smith holdings and tried to make a push in order to get higher margins in the sale of the products in order to enhance the profitability. Ethical dilemmas was also faced by Anchorage capital when more than 3000 employees were retrenched from the job in the Dick Smith Holdings and when about 300 stores were closed in the country and also accountants were removed from their positions in the organization. Ethical dilemma faced by Anchorage capital was that whether Dick Smith Holdings will be able to survive or not in the market in a constructive manner (Muniesa and Lenglet, 2013). The directors and senior executives of Dick Smith Holdings in respect of statements made in the 2014/15report and accounts: There were many ethical dilemmas faced by the directors and senior executives of Dick Smith Holdings in respect of 2014/15report and accounts. The directors and senior executives faced ethical dilemmas in achievements of highest standards of corporate governance for the business. Dick Smith Holdings should disclose all the respective responsibilities and roles in the board meetings and the manner in which management will evaluate the performance which was one of the ethical dilemmas faced by the directors and senior executives (Boatright, 2013). Ethical dilemma was also by the directors at the time of appointment of an employee by undertaking appropriate checks and to provide security holders all the relevant information about the organization for taking an appropriate action regarding election of director. An ethical dilemma was faced by the senior executives on the implications of actions of directors of the organization and that in safeguarding the interests of the company and its staff in advising how the situation may be rectified. If the directors of the organization may be friendly and understandable than the senior executives can advise them for the required changes in the system of accounting. The disclosures made by the organization in the past financial statements on the sales and income of the organization (Damodaran, 2010). The directors in the organization had not shown their concern on the changes which were required and the senior executives maintains a distance from making involvement in the organization and does not paid their attention on preparation of financial statements and this invites lot of resignation in the organization. The directors faced ethical dilemmas in disclosing of a process for making an evaluation in a periodic manner and disclosure regarding reporting period in the financial statement in accordance with the process. Ethical dilemma was also faced in making a diversity policy which includes requirements for the organization in order to manage the diversity in the organization and also to set the goals that can be measured effectively. One of the ethical dilemma faced b y the directors is of internal audit and how this internal audit had to be structured in the organization. Ineffectiveness in internal audit function leads towards various risks in the financial statements (Gitman et. al., 2015). Ethical dilemma was also faced at the time of assessment and review of the performance of the organization and the risk associated with it. The risk includes internal compliances and various measurements, codes of conduct and compliance with the laws and regulations. The directors faced ethical dile mmas in order to observe highest standards in corporate governance practices and in safeguarding integrity in financial statements reporting. Ethical dilemmas also faced in assessing the financial statements of Dick Smith. An Ethical dilemma was also faced in management of risk by the directors and in m management and addressing of the issues in the organization efficiently and effectively (Australian Government, 2017). Identification in Sustainability risks and various economic risks was also an ethical dilemma faced by the directors and senior executives. Conclusion From this assignment it can be concluded that Dick Smith Holding was reputed organization and has a well known brand name in the country Australia. But Woolworths has leaded the organization towards competitive pressures and thus resulting in failed restructuring of the business by the Woolworths. Woolworths make divestment in the business of Dick Smith Holdings and is finally acquired by Anchorage Capital Partners. It can also be analyzed that the directors and senior executives faced ethical dilemmas in achievements of highest standards of corporate governance for the business. Dick Smith Holdings should disclose all the respective responsibilities and roles in the board meetings and the manner in which management will evaluate the performance which was one of the ethical dilemmas faced by the directors and senior executives. Anchorage Capital Partners has defended their role in the collapse of the Dick Smith and claimed that the organization has a sustainable business when it got floated on the share market for millions of dollars in profit. References Asquith, P., Weiss, L. A. (2016).Lessons in corporate finance: A case studies approach to financial tools, financial policies, and valuation. John Wiley Sons. Australian Government (2017). Federal Register of Legislation. [Online]. Available at: Bebchuk, L. A., Weisbach, M. S. (2010). The state of corporate governance research.The review of financial studies,23(3), 939-961. Berenson, M., Levine, D., Szabat, K. A., Krehbiel, T. C. (2012).Basic business statistics: Concepts and applications. UK: Pearson higher education. Berk, J., DeMarzo, P., Harford, J., Ford, G., Mollica, V., Finch, N. (2013).Fundamentals of corporate finance. UK: Pearson Higher Education. Beyer, A., Cohen, D. A., Lys, T. Z., Walther, B. R. (2010). The financial reporting environment: Review of the recent literature.Journal of accounting and economics,50(2), 296-343. Boatright, J. R. (2013).Ethics in finance. UK: John Wiley Sons. Damodaran, A. (2010).Applied corporate finance. UK: John Wiley Sons. Duchin, R., Ozbas, O., Sensoy, B. A. (2010). Costly external finance, corporate investment, and the subprime mortgage credit crisis.Journal of Financial Economics,97(3), 418-435. Fresard, L. (2010). Financial strength and product market behavior: The real effects of corporate cash holdings.The Journal of finance,65(3), 1097-1122. Gitman, L. J., Juchau, R., Flanagan, J. (2015).Principles of managerial finance. UK: Pearson Higher Education. Hadlock, C. J., Pierce, J. R. (2010). New evidence on measuring financial constraints: Moving beyond the KZ index.The Review of Financial Studies,23(5), 1909-1940. https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2016C00028 (Accessed: 7 September 2017). Huhtala, M., Feldt, T., Hyvnen, K., Mauno, S. (2013). Ethical organisational culture as a context for managers personal work goals.Journal of Business Ethics,114(2), 265-282. Muniesa, F., Lenglet, M. (2013). Responsible innovation in finance: directions and implications.Responsible Innovation: Managing the Responsible Emergence of Science and Innovation in Society, 185-198. SMH (2017). Dick Smith's flat ASX debut. [Online]. Available at: https://www.smh.com.au/business/markets/dick-smiths-flat-asx-debut-20131204-2yq2a.html (Accessed: 7 September 2017). Theconversation (2017). How private equity won while other Dick Smith investors got burnt. [Online]. Available at: https://theconversation.com/how-private-equity-won-while-other-dick-smith-investors-got-burnt-52805 (Accessed: 7 September 2017).

20 Cause and Effect Essay Topics Top Issues Related to Chinese Students’ Discrimination in the US

20 Cause and Effect Essay Topics Top Issues Related to Chinese Students’ Discrimination in the US New students who come to America either for a full scholarship or even a partial study abroad program face many forms of discrimination in the classroom and outside the classroom. Below are some topics on the subject matter to help you select a cause and effect essay topic for your next assignment: How Some Chinese Students Who Do Not Read or Write in English at Fluent Levels Are Unable to Properly Understand Any Forms They Are Required to Fill out, often Resulting in Misunderstandings about Things such as School Policy or Legal Matters How Chinese Students Do Not Receive Interpreters and May Be at a Disadvantage in terms of Medicinal Treatment They Need while Attending School in the United States How Chinese Students Face Barriers in Their Belief System How Chinese Students Might Find It Difficult to Find the Medical Attention They Require How Chinese Students Are Mocked by Other Subgroups in the Classroom Racial Slurs and Racial Discrimination Chinese Students Face in and out of the Classroom Discrimination against Chinese Students in the Food Available through Student Food Programs and on Campus Discrimination against Chinese Students in the Sports and Athletic Options Available to Students, such as Football and Soccer but Not Thai Chi or Kickboxing or Yoga Discrimination against Chinese Students in the Form of Ignorant Comments and Questions Discrimination against Chinese Students by the Government or Authority Figures Who May be Suspicious That the Student Is Conducting Cyber Warfare Discrimination against Chinese Students after They Complete Their Education, by Not Allowing Them to Get Jobs in and Remain in the United States, Forcing Them to Return Home with All of the Knowledge They Learned for Free in America Discrimination against Chinese Students in terms of Housing, Whereby Many Are Placed with Other Study-Abroad or International Students, often from Conflicting Cultures as a Way to Force Immersion How Chinese Students Face Social Differences without Any Guide of Proper Behaviors, Turns of Phrase, and Demeanors in America How Chinese Students Might Be Unaware of Proper Greetings or How to Use Body Language and Physical Contact How Chinese the Fact that Students Might Not Understand Colloquialisms and Proper English Taught in Schools May Be Grounds for Mocking How Chinese Students May Be Limited in Their Transportation Abilities How Chinese Students Face Discrimination in terms of The Classes They Can Take, often Only Allowed to Select from a Predetermined List for International Students How Chinese Students Face Discrimination by Teachers and Administrators Who May Have Cultural Conflicts. How Chinese Students Face Discrimination by Military Personnel Who May Be Biased because of the Cyber Warfare with China How Chinese Students Face Discrimination in terms of the Language and Terms Used by Culturally Centric People Which Might be Offensive to Someone of Chinese Background Sample Cause and Effect Essay on Cultural Barriers to Medicine Today, many students spend time abroad for their education. Whether a student is visiting for one semester or for many years, there are some forms of discrimination they might face which are not always as noticeable as things such as racial slurs but are just as trying and challenging for Chinese Students to overcome. One of these items is access to medicine. Many Chinese Students who are in America might find that at some point or another they require medical treatment. This might come in the form of an emergency treatment or in the form of simple healing herbs to stop a cold or cough. In such situations cultural and communication barriers can inhibit the student from getting the medical care they need, which is founded in discrimination against Eastern medicinal treatments. It is very difficult for Western medicine to accept the legitimacy of Eastern medicine, even if some treatments have scientific evidence behind them or are backed by insurance companies and the FDA. Communicating medical needs is one part of this discrimination. Not all medical facilities have the funding to supply full time interpreters in a variety of languages. In fact, most hospitals who are unable to afford such staff members will seek instead to hire employees for other roles such as that of nurse who can also speak another language. Then that person is called upon in the event that a patient needs a translator. However, the level of fluency here often fluctuates as there is no standard to which such translation skills are held, in addition to which most hospitals will only have employees who can interpret for the most common languages they have among their patients. Students from China who are studying abroad in the United States might become ill and need medicinal treatment while they are abroad, and without their parents, friends, or family, or even regular practitioner and medical records nearby, they might have problems communicating their needs and the doctors may ha ve similar problems communicating the treatments. Even with someone to interpret, something that would only be afforded if many Chinese migrants- for example- visited that medical facility, there are still many medical terms that might be unfamiliar. Another issue with communication is that of cultural barriers and not just linguistic ones. The student may have strong beliefs that do not align with some medicinal treatments, and may be unable to find a local Chinese practitioner who can provide them with the herbs or other Eastern medicinal treatments preferred such as cupping. While a Chinese Students might prefer a simple herbal tea, the western practitioner who is assigned- often by the school- to offer treatment may only be authorized to provide antibiotics or other pill treatments which the student may not want or need. With each of these, there is a need to help mitigate the discrimination faced by Chinese Students. This starts with recognizing that each culture is different and that students from all over the world may require different treatments. But it also requires people not to look at others through the lens of their own culture. References: Bourne, Peter G. The Chinese student- acculturation and mental illness.Psychiatry  38.3 (1975): 269-277. Goto, Sharon G., Gilbert C. Gee, and David T. Takeuchi. Strangers still? The experience of discrimination among Chinese Americans.  Journal of Community Psychology  30.2 (2002): 211-224. Hanassab, Shideh. Diversity, international students, and perceived discrimination: Implications for educators and counselors.  Journal of Studies in International Education  10.2 (2006): 157-172. Lyman, Stanford M. Chinese Americans. (1974). McClain, Charles J.  In search of equality: the Chinese struggle against discrimination in nineteenth-century America. Univ of California Press, 1994. Rosenbloom, Susan Rakosi, and Niobe Way. Experiences of discrimination among African American, Asian American, and Latino adolescents in an urban high school.  Youth Society  35.4 (2004): 420-451. Spencer, Michael S., and Juan Chen. Effect of discrimination on mental health service utilization among Chinese Americans.  American Journal of Public Health  94.5 (2004): 809-814.

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Biotechnology techniques Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Biotechnology techniques - Assignment Example Is this statement TRUE or FALSE, explain? (5 points) Electroporation is used to introduce DNA in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. This is the general method of introducing the foreign DNA into the desired cells. This method uses the electrical pulses to create a pore in the cell membrane and through these pores the foreign DNA molecule is inserted. 3. What are the 3 main sources of Stem Cells? (10 points) The 3 main sources of stem cells included Bone marrow, Bloodstream or peripheral blood and finally umbilical cord blood from the newborns. Bone marrow particularly those in the pelvis’ bones have rice supply. Blood normally has few stem cells, and when hormone like substances called growth factors are given to individuals, stems cells grow faster and move from the marrow to the blood. Blood left in the placenta and the umbilical cord of the newborns can be retrieved, store and utilized for future.   4. What is meant by humanization of mouse antibodies and what is the need for "humanization"?  (10 points) While using therapeutic antibodies or murine antibodies isolated from mice in humans, immunogencity problem arose due to the differing protein sequence. To alleviate this issue, specific regions within a mouse antibody called complementarity determining regions (CDR) are identified and transferred into human variable regions and this process is called humanization. When this is done, it will confer binding and so the resultant humanized antibodies can function without major immunogencity problem.   5. Which technology cannot be used to determine the function of a gene? Explain. (5 points) Stem cell technology cannot be used to study the gene function because, it is a method to produce the entire cell and study the organs and it is not the direct method of analysis of gene function.    6. cDNA microarray technology specifically evaluates the gene expression levels of ONLY microRNA in cells and tissues. Is this statement TRUE or FALSE? Explain? ( 5 points) No cDNA microarray technology is used for the analysis of all the genes and its function. cDNA technology is used to analyse the functions of known and unknown gene.    7. Which of the following gene expression strategies increase the number of different proteins available to the cell without increasing the total number of genes encoded by the genome?(5 points) Translation is used to increase the number of different proteins in the cell without increasing the total number of genes in the genome. By varying the mRNA translation, the protein synthesis is modified.    8. In the sequence given below, how many EcoRI recognition sites are present? Please circle them. (10 points)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  5’-ATGGAATTCCCAATTGAATTCCGGCTGAATTCAAA-3’   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  3’-TACCTTAAGGGTTAACTTAAGGCCGACTTAAGTTT-5’ There are three EcoRI recognition sites in the given sequences. They are   5’-ATGGAATTCCCAATTGAATTCCGGCTGAATTCAAA-3’   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  3â⠂¬â„¢-TACCTTAAGGGTTAACTTAAGGCCGACTTAAGTTT-5’ 9. What is meant by the statement, "Complementation screening of genomic eukaryotic clones will not work in E.coli because of absence of splicing machinery?" (10 points) E.coli is a prokaryote. The bacterial systems cannot remove the introns from the mRNA sequences. Complementation screening is the technique used to identify the mutations in the gene of interest. In this method, the selection is based on the capacity of the gene to get back the phenotype. The splicing mechanism is not present in the

Increasing use of Medical Marijuana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Increasing use of Medical Marijuana - Essay Example So, the medicines developed from cannabis are also known as psychoactive drugs. So, these drugs are offered high attention by the young generations of this era as compared to many other medical drugs (Politics. Co.UK. n. d). Cannabis is recognized as marijuana. Cannabis or marijuana drugs are mainly used as a stimulant to increase the appetite of the body, improve the mood or relaxation of the entire body. So, it is also recognized as recreational drugs and excess intake of these drugs might cause negative impacts over the health of the body such as anxiety, reddening of the eyes, dry mouth, loss of memory and many others. Therefore, due to these sorts of side effects, it is illegal to carry or consuming a small amount of cannabis or medical marijuana in any of its form. But, in-spite of implementation of numerous rights and regulations of the government, the use of cannabis or medical marijuana is increasing at a rapid rate among the individual of all age groups and all income groups (Politics. Co.UK. n. d). Cannabis or medical marijuana is considered as one of the most illicit drug in the entire globe, but legalizing its use for medical purposes created a considerable challenge for all. Due to such legalization, the usage rate of medical marijuana increased mainly among the youth adults of age-groups, 12 to 20 years. However, the rate of consumption of medical marijuana is also extremely high in the nations comprising of numerous rules and laws against its consumption rather than those, without comprising any laws. Therefore, due to increased rate of consumption of medical marijuana, the rate of crimes, alcohol consumption, loss of memory and deaths increased to a significant extent as compared to previous era. According to a research, conducted by Moir & et. al. (2008), it might be clearly depicted that the smoke of cannabis or marijuana comprises of more than 15,00 harmful and toxic chemicals such as carbon monoxide, irritants, hydrogen cyanide,

A Brief Description Of Singapore

A Brief Description Of Singapore A Journey into Singapores Past While the earliest known historical records of Singapore are shrouded in the mists of time, a third century Chinese account describes it as Pu-luo-chung, or the island at the end of a peninsula. Later, the city was known as Temasek (Sea Town), when the first settlements were established from AD 1298-1299. During the 14th century, this small but strategically located island earned a new name. Legend, Sang Nila Utama, a Prince from Palembang founded a city The Lion City or Singapura, from the Sanskrit words simha (lion) and pura (city). At this time, the city was then ruled by the five kings of ancient Singapura. Located at the tip of the Malay Peninsula, the city served as a flourishing trading post for a wide variety of sea crafts, from Chinese junks, Indian vessels etc. The next important period in the history of Singapore was during the 19th century, when modern Singapore was founded. At this time, Singapore was already an upcoming trading post along the Malacca Straits, and Britain realized the need for a port of call in the region. British traders needed a strategic venue to refresh and protect the merchant fleet of the growing empire, as well as forestall any advance made by the Dutch in the region. The then Lieutenant-Governor of Bencoolen (now Bengkulu) in Sumatra, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles landed in Singapore on 29 January 1819, after a survey of the neighboring islands. Recognizing the immense potential of the swamp covered island, he helped negotiate a treaty with the local rulers, establishing Singapore as a trading station. Soon, the islands policy of free trade attracted merchants from all over Asia and from as far away as the US and the Middle East. In 1832, Singapore became the centre of government for the Straits Settlements of Penang, Malacca and Singapore. With the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 and the advent of the telegraph and steamship, Singapores importance as a centre of the expanding trade between the East and West increased tremendously. By 1860, the thriving country had a population that had grown from a mere 150 in 1819 to 80,792, comprising mainly Chinese, Indians and Malays. But the peace and prosperity of the country suffered a major blow during World War II, when it was attacked by the Japanese aircrafts on 8 December 1941. Once regarded as an impregnable fortress, Singapore fell under the Japanese invasion on 15 February 1942. It remained occupied by the Japanese for the next three and half years, a time marked by great oppression and an immense loss of lives. When the Japanese surrendered in 1945, the island was handed over to the British Military Administration, which remained in power until the dissolve of the Straits Settlement comprising Penang, Melaka and Singapore. In March 1946, Singapore became a Crown Colony. In 1959, the growth of nationalism led to self-government, and the countrys first general election. The Peoples Action Party (PAP) won a majority of 43 seats and Lee Kuan Yew became the first prime minister of Singapore. In 1961, Singapore joined Malaya and merged with the Federation of Malaya, Sarawak and North Borneo to form Malaysia in 1963. However, the merger proved unsuccessful, and less than two years later on 9 August 1965, Singapore left Malaysia to become an independent and sovereign democratic nation. On 22 December that year, Singapore finally became an independent republic. Today, you can experience Singapores rich historical heritage by visiting many of the national monuments, museums and memorials located around the city. On your trip here, remember to take a walk along one of the many heritage trails or visit the well-known landmarks for a complete Singapore journey. ECONOMY OVERVIEW Singapore has a highly developed and successful free-market economy. It enjoys a remarkably open and corruption-free environment, stable prices, and a per capita GDP higher than that of most developed countries. The economy depends heavily on exports, particularly in consumer electronics, information technology products, pharmaceuticals, and on a growing financial services sector. Real GDP growth averaged 8.6% between 2004 and 2007. The economy contracted 1.0% in 2009 as a result of the global financial crisis, but rebounded 14.8% in 2010 and 4.9% in 2011, on the strength of renewed exports. Over the longer term, the government hopes to establish a new growth path that focuses on raising productivity, which has sunk to a compound annual growth rate of just 1.8% in the last decade. Singapore has attracted major investments in pharmaceuticals and medical technology production and will continue efforts to establish Singapore as Southeast Asias financial and high-tech hub. ECONOMIC SITUATION OF THE COUNTRY Singapore is widely acknowledged as having one of the best business environments in the world one of the worlds most competitive (Institute for Management Development World Competitiveness Year book), most profitable (Business Environment Risk Intelligence Report), most transparent (Transparency International Survey), with world-class intellectual property protection and enforcement (World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report). The presence of many leading global companies and local enterprises here is a testimony to Singapores excellence in manufacturing and services. There are more than 7,000 Multi-National Corporations in Singapore now days. Singapore is an attractive and competitive manufacturing location, possessing world class capabilities in the design, development and manufacture of cutting edge products for the world. As MNCs are always looking for the most cost efficient for its investment, Singapores high labor rate loses out to other developing countries e.g. Vie tnam and China. As some manufacturers have left Singapore to other countries with cheaper labor, we can see the transformation from the manufacturing activities into trading and services. In addition, by leveraging on its strength as the regional hub for services such as logistics and education, Singapore is poised to become Asias leading services hub, providing an array of world-class services. The following sections will analyze the factors (Politic, Economy, Social and Technology) that influence the business environment in Singapore and also its limitation. PEST ANALYSIS POLITICAL/LEGAL Singapore is an enterprise friendly country. The government has set up several organizations in helping the business in a very systematic way. Regulation Structure Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) has its vision to make Singapore a leading global city of talent, enterprise and innovation. Its mission is to promote economic growth and create jobs, so as to achieve higher standards of living for all. It was tasked with anticipating problems ahead, identifying opportunities for growth, rationalizing existing policies and giving broad directions for the economy. The main tasks are categorized as below:- Growing economy Expanding trade Developing industries Fostering pro-enterprise environment Statutory boards are semi-independent agencies that specialize in carrying out specific plans and policies of the Ministry. One of such agencies under the MTI is SPRING Singapore. SPRING Singapore (Standards, Productivity and Innovation Board) is the enterprise development agency for growing innovative companies and fostering a competitive SME sector. SPRING works with partners to help enterprises in financing, capabilities and management development, technology and innovation, and access to markets. As the national standards and accreditation body, SPRING also develops and promotes internationally-recognized standards and quality assurance to enhance competitiveness and facilitate trade. It has many programmes to encourage entrepreneurship and assisting the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME). These are two available financial incentive schemes:-i) Business Angels Scheme (BAS) where they will provide Innovative Singapore-based young companies a matching dollar for every dollar invested by pre-approved angel groups, up to $1.5 million. ii) Young Entrepreneurs Scheme for Startups (YES! Startups) Where they will provide youths with grants of up to $50,000 to start their innovative business. SPRING also provides business leadership and capability development where a number of training courses are conducted to improve leadership and business management skills. Several available programs are:-i) Advanced Management Programme (AMP) where it will help tobuild management capabilities of SME leaders through postgraduate and executive development courses that focus on the business management needs of SMEs. ii) Management Development Scholarship (MDS): Designed to Nurture the leadership of tomorrow for growth-oriented enterprises where it provides MBA scholarship to help the SME to develop their talent for the future. Enterprise One (One Network for Enterprises) is a multi-agency initiative managed by SPRING Singapore. Enterprise One aims to help local enterprises find the answers they need to start, sustain and grow their businesses. Its resources pose:- Rich and Deep Content Over 20 sections covering a comprehensive range of topics such as venturing abroad, hiring people, Government tenders, loans, taxes and regulations. It pulled together information from different Government agencies so the business owners dont have to trudge from agency to agency to look for answers. Industry Guides Topics are grouped by industries and organized in sections so that the business owners can easily find information relevant to your sector. The Competition Commission of Singapore (under MTI) who is a statutory body established to enforce the Competition Act and ensure a fair competition environment. Any unfair business practice can be prevented and this can ensure a healthy competition and business growth. Another MTI agency is Public Service for the 21st Century or PS21 It is about the Singapore Public Services commitment to Anticipate, Welcome and Execute change, influencing developments in order to provide Singapore with the best conditions for success. One of its main objectives is to cut red tape to achieve service excellence and efficiency. Red tape reduction definitely will encourage entrepreneurship, foreign investment and positive growth of the business sector. Ministry of Finance (MOF) The main regulatory statutes under MOF are the Companies Act, Business Registration Act, Currency Act and Accountants Act. The emphasis of the regulatory policy is on development, rather than control. MOF aims to collaborate with industry experts to make Singapore a world-class financial and business hub. The main strategy in helping the business in the Singapore is building a Conducive Business Environment by Facilitate growth of businesses and nurture an entrepreneurial environment Under the MOF, the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) Directorates role is: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ To drive the development of a holistic and cross directorate/ agency approach to the FTA issues à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ To shape and balance the outcome of the issues in the FTA negotiations to align with MOFs policies and goals à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ To function as a centralized focal point within MOF for information on all FTA issues. The Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) is one of the statutory boards under the MOF with mission to provide a responsive and forward looking regulatory environment for companies, businesses and public accountants, conducive to enterprise and growth in Singapore. The focus of the statutory board will be on issues concerning businesses, such as developing the corporate law framework, accounting and corporate governance. Government E-Business Portal In an effort to promote transparency, the Singapore government has setup GeBIZ (Government E-Business Portal) who is the Singapore governments one-stop e-procurement portal. All the public sectors invitations for quotations and tenders are posted on GeBIZ. Suppliers can search for government procurement opportunities, download tender documents, and submit their bids online. Enforcement Singapore is a country where the enforcement units are very efficient and with very low corruption rate. The Singapore Police Force enjoys a relatively positive public image, and is credited for helping to arrest Singapores civic unrests and lawlessness in its early years, and maintaining the low crime rate today. Another example is the taxi services where the drivers collect fares by using the meter and do not cheat the passengers. Taxi in Singapore is regulated by the Land Transport Authority. This gives the passengers especially tourist peace of mind in using taxi service. Any bad taxi service may hamper the tourism industries. Corruption Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) Singapore is reputed to be one of the few countries in the world where corruption is under control. This is due mainly to the strong political will to curb corruption, firm actions taken against the corrupt regardless of their status and background, and the general public who do not accept corruption as a way of life. The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) is an independent body which investigates and aims to prevent corruption in the public and private sectors in Singapore. The bureau is responsible for safeguarding the integrity of the public service and encouraging corruption-free transactions in the private sector. Deregulation Liberalization Singapore has deregulated several markets, e.g. the electricity and telecommunication. The government no more monopolized these markets, but it is open for competition among the industry players. Even since 1989, the government of Singapore started eliminating restrictions on the sale of telecom consumer goods to make businesses more competitive. From this we can see the competitive telecommunication markets nowadays, which benefit to the end consumer and the business as well. Singapore is reliant on foreign direct investments and exports so competition from countries with lower costs such as China and India is exerting pressure on the government to reduce the costs of doing business here. Electricity cost is one of these. Deregulation is believed to be able to bring about lower electricity costs due to the various efficiency gains possible. Since corporatization the power industry has become more efficient and more reliable. Customer service has improved. Investments in new power pl ants and transmission network infrastructure have increased significantly. The industry is also making healthy profits through efficiency and productivity gains, and lower cost of purchase of power equipment and cables. One of the deregulation result is YTL Power of Malaysia has acquired 100% interest in Power Seraya Limited recently. Also the China Hua Neng Power has acquired100% stake in the Tuas Power Ltd. We can see the deregulation has attracted foreign direct investment into the countries and thus accelerate its economic growth. Being Asias first liberalized electricity market, the Singapore government has liberalized the electricity wholesale and retail market. This means contestable consumers will have greater choice about how they purchase their electricity. Non-contestable consumers continue to buy electricity from SP Services Ltd at regulated tariffs. Eventually, all consumers in Singapore will become contestable. This certainly has reduced the electricity bills for the i ndustrial/ business user and consumer. The government must be very careful and governing the deregulated market and not to repeat the failure encountered by the US deregulated energy market, where expenditures become higher and consumers suffered from the higher energy cost and was a failure in the USA energy policy. Another example is the liberalization of the civil aviation industry where the flyers can fly at lower cost. Tiger Airways, the major airlines also reduce the air fares significantly and this help in driving down business expenses and accelerated growth especially in the tourism related industries e.g. hotel, FB services and local retail business. Licensing Singapore government has been very careful in allowing foreign hyper market to operate in Singapore. So far only the Malaysians Giant (4 outlets) and Frenchs Carrefour (2 outlets) are allowed to operate on the island. Strict control has been taken to protect the retailer especially. Non Government Organization (NGO) NGO play an important role as pressure group in the government policy and implementation. As part of an effort to bolster tourism as more manufacturing jobs shift to countries with lower labor costs and in view of the possibility that Singapore would lose out in its status as a tourist hub as well as the economic benefits from tax revenues, Singapore government has revisited the idea of building casino in Singapore in 2004. This had generated substantial and intense public debate and objection from the NGOs as this was not just a socio-economic policy dilemma, but has potential to touch the sensitive nerves of social identity, public morality and values and has bad implication on Singapore as a clean, sterile, corruption-free and crime-free city. Further the NGOs protested that this development will be at the expense of the environment as the developer has to reclaim the sea for extra land where ecology system will be spoilt. However, after much debate about the tangible and intangib le facts and costs, the government finally approved the casino plan and it is now under construction. The completion of this casino together with the entertainment resort and other infrastructure will certainly attract more foreign tourists and boosting the domestic economy once the plan is completed. ECONOMY The Singapore economy is an example of a vibrant free-market economy that is developing at a rapid pace 1. The per-capita income of the country is the highest in ASEAN. The business sector has been supported and strengthened by a corruption-free environment, an educated and motivated workforce, and well-established legal and financial business framework. In recent years, the Singapore government has invested heavily in diversifying the economy. This has led to growth in the tourism industry, the pharmaceutical industry with a particular focus on biotechnology, financial services, business consultation services, education, multimedia, retail and leisure, and the medical technology industry. Productivity Significantly from 2008-Q3 onwards, economic growth was rapidly slowing down because of the financial crisis, while commodity prices hit unprecedented heights, creating sharp inflationary pressures in Singapore and other economies. The data for this section are for the year 2010. Singapore achieved GDP (current market value) of S$257,419 million, which is a 2.3% increment from the previous year. In the fourth quarter of 2008, the economy contracted by 4.2 per cent, after posting flat growth in the third quarter. Unemployment rate as of end 2008 is 2.3%, which is a 0.2% increment from year 2007. However, the retrenchment rate has almost doubled from year 2009s 7,700 to year 2010s 13,400 workers. This is certainly the consequence of the global economic crisis, where almost not a single country can be escaped. Gross national income per capita was S$51,739 which is the highest per capita income in ASEAN and making its citizen income on par with the developed nations. In fact, the city st ate is the only developed country in ASEAN. The services producing industries made up 68.8% of the overall economy and manufacturing weighted at 19.4%. Financial services and business services has become more and more important and made up 13.1 and 14.0% respectively of the overall economy. We can observe a transition from the manufacturing based into services oriented and this demands more professional and intellectuals. The government spends a lot of effort to attract foreign professional and talented individual to work and migrate to Singapore to support the local business. Of course they do not left out to attract foreign direct investment. However the drawback will be the outflow foreign exchange. Petroleum refined products top the export list with 23.7%. This can be attributed to the petrochemical complexes in Jurong Island. This initiative has boosted the heavy petrochemical industries in the country and has attracted foreign direct investment like the Exxon-Mobile Refinery. The limitation will be the pollution to the environment which will increase the social cost like healthcare services. Exchange Rates Currency exchange rate is about US$1.00 to S$1.50 range lately. Due to its high exchange rate to the Ringit Malaysia (S$1.00 = RM2.40 approximately), many Singapore residents like to cross the Tebrau Straits to Malaysia for weekend spending. Additionally, the comparative cheaper petrol price in Malaysia has attracted Singaporean to fill up their vehicle fuel tank in Malaysia. These have directly affected the Singapore domestic businesses and the petrol retailers. Therefore the government has set the rule for the car owner to have at least the fuel tank  ¾ filled when travelling outbound to Malaysia. On the other hand, the high exchange rate to Ringgit Malaysia and Indonesian Rupiah has attracted many white and blue collar labors from these two neighboring countries. Especially the high numbers of skilled workers from Malaysia has contributed to Singapores GDP growth but on the other hand remarking loss in foreign exchange. On the other hand, construction and heavy industries in Sin gapore are over dependant on foreign workers which in one hand has become a threat to the social identity and safety. Monetary and Fiscal Policies The success of Singapores fiscal policy over the years lies in the governments prudent expenditure patterns and conducive taxation policies that have complemented monetary policy in promoting sustained and non-inflationary economic growth. Singapores tax policies, although providing the main source of funding for the government, seek to enhance its economic competitiveness and attract foreign investments to Singapore. In its Budget 2009, the Singapore government has announced The Resilience Package totaling $20.5 billion to help Singaporeans preserving their jobs and helping viable company stay afloat. The government spent S$5.8 billion to stimulate bank lending. It also would spend S$2.6 billion to enhance business cash flow and competitiveness. Further, it also allocated S$4.4 billion to develop Singapore as a global city and best home for Singaporean. Under the severe global economy crisis, Singapore government has justified withdrawal from its past reserves to fund the Jobs Credit Scheme and Special Risk-Sharing Initiative to ensure that the Resilience Package will stimulate the business sector. This combination of fair tax policies and prudent expenditure programs, augmented by high economic growth has enabled Singapore to enjoy consistent budget surpluses over the years. Singapore is one of the very few countries who enjoy surplus in its economy nowadays. In 2008, as part of the governments move to share the nations surpluses with its citizens, the government has allocated S$1.06 billion as growth dividend for this purpose which benefited about 2.4 million Singaporean, especially those of the lower income. This allocation has help the lower income group to cope with the higher living cost and in turn has stimulus the buying power in the market. However, the effectiveness for the market stimulation is only for the short term. Th e Official Foreign Reserves at Feb 2009 is US$163,549.4 million and Singapore government does not bear any foreign debt. This again proves that Singapore economic and financial performance is well managed and the local business can enjoy strong support and enterprise friendly policies from the government. International Trade International Enterprise (IE) Singapore is the lead agency under the Ministry of Trade and Industry spearheading the development of Singapores external economic wing. Its mission is to promote the overseas growth of Singapore-based enterprises and international trade. At the same time, IE works to position Singapore as a base for foreign businesses to expand into the region in partnership with Singapore-based companies. In championing international trade, IE Singapore contributes to the Singapore economy through active promotion of export of goods and services, and offshore trade. Singapores Global Trader Program (GTP) which provides incentives to attract international trading companies to set up their base in Singapore. The IEs Enterprise Group manages and develops a range of broad-based services for Singapore-based companies wanting to export internationalized goods. In 2007, Singapore was ranked the 14th largest trading nation in the world, amounting to total of $846.6 billion of external trade, with Malaysia remained as the biggest trade partner, followed by EU. The Port of Singapore is the world busiest port in term of total shipping tonnage. It is also the world busiest container port and transshipment port. The Port of Singapore is not only a mere economic boon but an economic necessity as it is lack of natural resources and land. The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore was established with the mission to develop Singapore as a premier global hub port and international maritime centre. The establishment of Malaysias Port of Tanjung Pelepas has threaten the Singapore Port status as the rival has attracted prestigious maritime companies like Maesk and Evergreen to switch over to Tanjung Pelepas. Surely, the Singapore Port operator will be facing more fierce competition ahead. The Singapore Tourism Board aims to triple tourism receipts to $30 billion and double visitor arrivals to 17 million visitors by 2015. It is working closely with international in vestors to develop new world-class attractions (e.g. the casino), and attract strategic business and leisure events to Singapore. SOCIAL CULTURAL Singapore is an eastern country who still follows the traditional family values, but the younger generation has started to adopt to western culture and values. Society Values and Principles As nowadays, many Singaporean have the mindset of Kia-su which means afraid of lose out to others. Many Singaporean works very hard to retain or fulfill their materialism desire. In some extent this has positively increased the nation productivities and the business sectors can expect a higher purchasing power from the consumers. On the other hand, some family and social values have to be sidelined. Demographic Profile The current population is about 5,353,494 (July 2011 est.). Singapore ethnic mix is Chinese 76.8%, Malay 13.9%, Indian 7.9%, other 1.4% (2000 census). Most of the Singaporean dislikes blue collar works like construction and other works in hard environment. These are considered hard and dirty works and therefore not welcome especially by the younger generation. This created the window for importing foreign workers to fill up blue collar vacancies. With the cheaper labor from neighboring countries, the business sector has enjoyed cost saving and therefore more can be reinvested for further expansion. Education Singapore has codified compulsory education for children of primary school age, and made it a criminal offence if parents fail to enroll their children in school and ensure their regular attendance. English is the primary language used in Singapores education systems. Good command of English has given Singapore an edge advantage for attracting foreign investment and international trade. Further the Chinese language proficiency among the Chinese ethnic has attracted the investor from China, Taiwan and Hong Kong and on the other hand enable investing ventures into these countries easily. The latest statistic shows that the literacy rate stands at 92.5% whilst secondary or higher qualification holders are 89%. This is the driving force for the government to promote knowledge. Economy which is less labor incentive but more talent and intellectual are on demand. Besides, owing to the kia-su mindset, the parents here are very concerned about the performance of the kids in school. This has led to blossoming of tuition centers and other arts/musical learning classes. TECHNOLOGY Technology is the power behind to change our life style and improve out quality of life. The Internet Comprehensive infrastructure setup has been a fundamental attractiveness for foreign investment and local business establishment, not to mention about the IT infrastructure. Currently, the household broadband internet penetration rate has achieved more than 70%. The successive of e-commerce and e-B2C model highly relies on the broadband internet. As of latest, 10 Mbps of broadband internet service is available. The comprehensive IT infrastructure also has encouraged MNC to setup their regional operation in Singapore. The successful of the financial and IT services business are highly rely on the state of the art IT infrastructure. On the other hand, the Singapore government is moving towards an electronic government era. Many useful resources and information are available in the relevant ministries/ department or government agencies website. For instance, the Customs Office of Singapore has provided e-service, these are few examples:- Application for: Manufacturers Registration New Product Line(s) Application for Registration of Companies/ Firms and Signatories for Customs and/ or GST Transactions Application for GST relief on household articles and personal effects. This approach enables to cut red tapes and enhanced the efficiency. Water Due to its lack of water resources and the government would like to reduce its dependence on the Malaysian supplied water, the Singaporean has ventured into water recycling and desalination. NEWATER is the brand name given to reclaimed water produced by Singapores public utilities. More specifically, it is treated wastewater (sewage) that has been purified using dual-membrane (via microfiltration and reverse osmosis) and ultraviolet technologies, in addition to conventional water treatment processes. Many experts suggested that Singapore could become the worlds water hub for water recycling and desalination technology and could export this technology to the world including China. With the new technology in water reclamation, waste water would become the most important sustainable water resource in the future. Singaporeans expertise in the water recycling will definitely give its edge advantage if its exports this expertise and technology in the future. SWOT ANALYSIS STRENGTH Manufacturing constituted 26% OF Singapores GDP in 2005. The manufacturing industry is well diversified with significant electronics, petroleum refining, chemicals, mechanical engineering and biomedical sciences manufacturing sectors. Singapore has been rated as the most business-friendly economy in the world, with thousands of foreign expatriates working in multi-national corporations. As of 2009, Singapore has 16 bilateral and multilateral trade agreements with 24 trading partners. Singapore is a popular travel destination, making tourism one of its largest industries. About 10.2 million tourists visited Singapore in 2007.

Little Green Men Or Just Little Microscopic Organisms? :: essays research papers fc

Little Green Men or Just Little Microscopic Organisms? The question of life on Mars is a puzzle that has plagued many minds throughout the world. Life on Mars, though, is a reality. When you think of Martians, you think of little green men who are planning to invade Earth and destroy all human life, right? Well, some do and some do not. Though believing that there are little green men on Mars is just a fantasy, or is it? The kind of life that may have lived there is the kind you would never consider of giving the name "Martian" to. They are small organisms such as microbes or bacteria. Proof of this was found in a meteorite containing the fossils of the microscopic organisms intact. Two highly regarded chemistry professors from Stanford, Claude Maechling and Richard Zare, dissected three meteorites that were about 2 to 8 millimeters long and found trace elements of a big mumbo jumbo word— polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. That pretty much means that there once was a warmer climate and maybe even lakes or oceans. Life on Mars is now a real idea. The climate of Mars about 3.8 billion years ago was much similar to the young Earth. Microbes and bacteria probably sprouted everywhere in the warm and wet climate. Although now we only see a cold red planet, which was probably due to a collision of an astroid that would have set back the evolution process of Mars, causing it to be a harsh planet. A Viking spacecraft which landed on Mars in 1976 found that the planet was bathed in ultraviolet radiation, "intense enough so it would probably fry any microbe we know on this planet,"says Jack Farmer, an Ames researcher who calls himself an "exopaleontologist"—a searcher for fossils on other worlds. The redness of Mars is due to the chemical assault known as oxidation, which turns iron compounds into rust, and it would surely kill anything that sticks its head up. "So why do you still believe that there is life on Mars?" you say. Life on Mars is not located on the ultraviolet radiation oxidized surface. The microbes are found below it, probably located in the boiling hot springs, or in frozen time capsules. Life here on Earth are located in some strange places so why wouldn't the Martian microbes be found in strange places if they were trying to survive? Scientists have found bacteria here on Earth that were living inside rocks where they got all of their nourishment from the rocks and from some water. Martians probably do the same thing.

Culture Is Pervasive in All Marketing Activities Essay

It is a widely accepted tenet of marketing that consumers are not homogenous and that their specific tastes, characteristics and desires will influence their response to marketing activities and advertising (Jeannet and Hennessey, 2004; Kotler and Keller, 2006, p. 52). At the same time, it is also accepted that consumers in different cultures tend to have different demographic profiles, lifestyles, values and economic priorities (Yucelt, 2000, p. 59). As a result, it is clear that consumers in different cultures are very likely to have different needs and responses to marketing and advertising. This in turn implies that culture will have a pervasive impact in influencing marketing activities, and businesses will have to take account of cultural factors if they are to successfully advertise to consumers in different cultures. This piece will critically review the extent to which culture is pervasive in all marketing activities; particularly in the creation and implementation of advertising strategies, and the implications for marketing and advertising activity. Culture is pervasive in all marketing activities Not only is this argument supported by the theory, but it has also been strongly supported by the empirical evidence. For example, studies of marketing in the European Union, which is generally seen as a single market, have shown that â€Å"national differences are more important than similarities when marketers are planning to approach the European consumers† (Yucelt, 2000, p. 59). These differences become even stronger in other contexts such as Asia. In particular, the response to television, radio, newspaper and magazine advertising has all been shown to be influenced by cultural factors, and all of these factors can have an influence on the strategies used by companies to market and advertise their products. Given the significant impact of these differences, it is hardly surprising that studies have looked to use cultural frameworks to analyse the impact of culture on marketing, with Hofstede’s (1980, p. 1) cultural values being one of the most widely used concepts. In particular, research by Murphy and Scharl (2007, p. 97) has shown that Hofstede’s dimensions of individualism and masculinity strongly related to how innovative products and the marketing and advertising of said products is received. This finding is specifically applied to the online setting, producing the argument that â€Å"in countries with strong cultural values of masculinity and collectivism, international business managers should consider paying homage to local domain names for web site and email addresses† in order to reach customers in that country more effectively (Murphy and Scharl, 2007, p. 97). This implies that not only is culture an important factor in marketing activities and advertising, but that specific cultural factors can have specific impacts on a given marketing campaign or advertising strategy. These specific impacts can be even more important in the case of multinational corporations and their subsidiaries. In particular, they raise the question of how multinational corporations and their subsidiaries should best market and advertise their offerings across a range of environmental contexts. The question that is often raised in the literature is how best for these companies to achieve their global vision, whilst also paying attention to cultural factors in the target market and remaining responsive to local environmental conditions. According to a study by Boojihawon et al (2007, p. 549) the majority of successful multinational companies tend to strike a balance between these two factors, attempting to create a sound global strategy whilst also using entrepreneurial behaviours and management practices to encourage local cultural responsibility in their subsidiaries and advertising strategies. Despite adhering to a unified theme in order to build a distinctive global brand identity, there were significant variations in how Nintendo launched the â€Å"Nintendo Wii† in 3 westernised yet, culturally different countries (Figure 1). The innovative segmentation, targeting and positioning strategies of Nintendo Wii, and the localised campaigns focusing on the most important attributes of the product in each country/culture, helped to make Wii the success it is today. Figure 1: Comparison of TV advertising launch of Nintendo Wii in USA, Japan & UK (2006) The importance of culture also pervades the development, management and advertising of a company or product’s brand image. Managing brand images in global markets is a major concern for businesses, who wish to avoid embarrassing incidents where their brand image turns out to be inappropriate or offensive in some cultural contexts. Wonderbra is only too aware of this (www. adsoftheworld. com). Every magazine that enters the United Arab Emirates is censored using black markers. Before Wonderbra launched into the UAE, they issued a strategic tongue-in-cheek press release depicting a woman wearing a blacked-out Wonderbra. They deliberately added large amounts of â€Å"marker† to the ad to cheekily communicate the increase in size when a lady wears their product. However, their advertising strategy backfired when the UAE advertising authorities blacked out the rest of the â€Å"naked skin† leaving only the face visible, thus totally diminishing any intended marketing message. Indeed, Roth’s (1995, p. 163) use of Hofstede’s (1980, p. ) dimensions indicates that both the power distance and individualism dimensions have strong impacts on the interpretation of sensory and novelty based brand image strategies. In other words, these two dimensions strongly impact on consumer responses to brand advertising strategies that are based on sensory stimuli and novelty value. This implies that managers marketing brands internationally and across different cultural contexts need to be aware of how their brands and advertising will be interpreted in these contexts, in order to maximise their marketing and advertising effectiveness. The impact of cultural factors can even be seen in the case of word of mouth advertising strategies, and customer referral programs. In particular, in recent years the role of cultural factors and cultural differences in the use of word of mouth as an advertising tool has become of increased importance. Whilst positive word of mouth tends to have a positive effect on customer service quality perceptions in all cultural environments, Schumann et al (2010, p. 8) showed that received word of mouth â€Å"has a stronger effect on the evaluation of customers in high uncertainty avoidance than in low uncertainty avoidance cultures†. This implies that even if companies are not engaging in direct advertising campaigns in a cross-cultural context, they still need to be aware of the impact that cultural factors can have on their general marketing and any word of mouth advertising or referral marketing strategies, and match these strategies to the target culture’s uncertainty avoidance level. â€Å"One World Culture† However, it is important to note that whilst national cultural factors and differences have a strong impact on the marketing and advertising of products in the contemporary environment, the increasing globalisation of the world economy is also having a strong impact on the cultural characteristics of people around the world. As global capitalism and communications become more advanced, so consumers around the world are becoming used to similar styles of marketing and advertising. This is acting to dissolve some of the cultural boundaries of advertising, and in ome areas creating a homogeneous global consumer culture (Cleveland and LaRoche, 2007, p. 249). Whilst this trend is still not dominant, and many individuals continue to define themselves by their cultural environment and heritage, there is a growing degree of variance in the extent to which other individuals do identify with these norms. In particular, younger people are increasingly defining themselves as global consumers and individuals, and hence feeling a greater affinity to the global community, with a lesser degree of attachment to their local and national cultures. This implies that not only do managers need to be aware of the different cultures that pervade the markets in which they operate, but they also need to be aware of the potential impact of this global culture on consumer responses to advertising and marketing strategies. Indeed, whilst the growth of this global consumer is a relatively new concept in marketing, it should be noted that globalisation has long been accepted as creating â€Å"global consumer segments that associate similar meanings with certain places, people, and things† (Duncan and Ramaprasad, 1995, p. 5). To date, these segments have largely been limited to specific consumer products and brands, such as Apple, Nike and Coca Cola. However, as these segments have grown, so they have also helped drive the emergence of global consumer cultures, and the growth of shared sets of consumption related symbols. These symbols are often brands, but can also be product categories, or even consumption activity. In 2009, Guinness launched their first ever global advertising campaign for â€Å"Arthur’s Day† (Figure 2). It was a â€Å"groundbreaking consumer promotion promoting annual ‘Arthur’s Day’ events on 24th September, being held around the world in cities including Dublin, New York, Lagos and Kuala Lumpur† (Saatchi & Saatchi EMEA, 2009). Guinness wants their global consumers to celebrate the consumption activity of drinking Guinness on the same day of the year, worldwide; thus trying to influence global culture and consumer behaviour. Figure 2: Arthur’s Day â€Å"Toast†, Jakarta, 2010 With the continuous growth of mass media, and the dominance of this media by a few large economies and cultures such as the United States (Walker, 1996, p. 42), these symbols have become ever more significant, and their impact on global culture has become ever more pronounced. This implies that marketers and advertisers need to be aware of the specific influence of culture across different product categories, and the potential cultural impacts of entering or leaving one of these categories. The growth of these shared meanings also has implications of marketing managers, who often find themselves competing in an increasingly competitive global marketplace, where competitors can come from a range of backgrounds, economies and cultures (Aaker, 1991, p. 46). As a result, marketers may need to develop new strategies for coping with the widespread changes in culture, particularly when the global culture changes in a way that is not conducive to their existing marketing strategies. According to Alden et al (1999, p. 75) such changes will require companies to adopt a strategy of â€Å"global consumer culture positioning†, whereby businesses not only position themselves in domestic markets and foreign markets, but also position themselves in the global market. This will obviously complicate marketing activities in the short term, with marketers forcing to tailor their advertising strategies to three distinct market segments, all of which may respond to brand messages and advertising in different ways. However, in the long term, marketers are likely to benefit from following such a strategy, as their positioning will be better able to move with shifts in the global market, and the various local markets in which they operate. As such, it can be seen that the impact of culture on contemporary marketing and advertising will not be static, but will rather be ever changing and hence will require marketers to anticipate and react to changes in the global cultural makeup. The potential for such changes to occur can be seen in a recent study of the use of soft sell advertising and hard sell advertising across different markets. According to most theoretical work on advertising and the prediction of global consumer culture theories, soft sell advertising should be more uniformly accepted across markets, whilst hard sell advertising should struggle in some cultural contexts such as the Far East, where confrontations are not culturally acceptable. However, the results of Okazaki’s (2010, p. 0) study into the use of soft selling and hard selling in the United States and Japan produced quite surprising results: â€Å"The results indicate somewhat more homogeneous acceptance of soft-sell appeals but, surprisingly, also show relatively homogeneous acceptance of hard-sell appeals across markets. These findings are suggestive of both types of appeals having the potential to be used as part of a GCCP across the United States and Japan and perhaps other markets† (Okazaki, 2010, p. 20). This implies that even two culturally dissimilar nations such as the US and Japan have developed similar responses to certain types of advertising. As such, marketers who had not kept abreast of these cultural and market developments could have found themselves left behind and unable to compete as the market moved on and left them behind. Conclusions In conclusion, it is clear that culture is pervasive in all marketing activities, and particularly in the case of advertising strategies. Not only does culture impact on how advertising and marketing is perceived in different countries and cultures, but it can also in turn be influenced by advertising and marketing strategies. In addition to this, the globalisation of marketing, advertising and business is causing the emergence of a global culture, which requires its own unique form of marketing and advertising. These different cultures are not remaining static, but are increasingly changing and developing over time, forcing advertisers to constantly renew and re-evaluate their advertising strategies. As such, the main impact on culture on marketing activities is that it prevents them from becoming static and consistent, and forces regular reviews and updates to ensure that the activities remain culturally relevant.