Wednesday, August 26, 2020

M4A1 PART A Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

M4A1 PART A - Essay Example Schein (2010) has appropriately asserted that a typical example of fundamental suppositions ought to be shared among the gathering individuals with the goal that they can successfully take care of the issues; when everybody has a similar arrangement of qualities and standards, at that point interior combination and outside adjustment gets simpler and it has worked decidedly for the general association. The new individuals from an association ought to be shown a similar method of seeing, considering the issues with the goal that the contentions are evaded. Thus, it is expressed by Schein that a compelling administrator needs to guarantee that he/she progresses in the authoritative examinations by watching the genuine conduct of the workforce which are marked as qualities, suppositions and relics (Bohlander and Snell, 2007). As indicated by Jung et al. (2009), Schein ordered the signs of societies and subcultures in three phases; the primary stage is known as ‘artifacts’ which are the characteristics that are obvious as they can be heard, felt and considered such to be dressing style, correspondence medium, manner of speaking, stories and so on. Relics are as company’s crucial, composed correspondence mediums and trademarks; every one of them are simple for perception however trying for translating (Cameron and Quinn, 2011). The subsequent stage is known as ‘values’ which is marginally entangled in nature yet are recognizable partly. For example, during the meeting procedure, a supervisor can make some judgment about the candidate’s values by watching him/her. At long last, in the third stage which is known as ‘basic assumptions’ are the most troublesome ones to be seen as they are profoundly implanted in the person’s conduct. They conduct becomes obvious when the individual beginnings working in the association. Henceforth, these stages join to characterize the consideration viewpoint for the HR supervisor since it

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Summary of book Call of The Wild Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Synopsis of book Call of The Wild - Essay Example In section four, Buck takes the pack’s initiative and he shows his capacity by making the pack travel quicker than the past pioneer had done. This is seen when he makes the pack make a trip from Dawson to Skaguay in one day rather than the ten days they had taken already. The pack is offered to a Scotsman after Perrault and Francois gets official requests guiding them to move somewhere else. They make a trip back to Dawson and one of the mutts passes on from exhaustion and ailment (London 36). In part five, the pooches are offered to new experts, Hal and Charles who travel with Charles’ spouse Mercedes. The naiveté of the pack’s new experts causes them to starve and convey heavier burdens than the ones it conveyed previously. The pack arrives at John Thornton’s camp and Thornton liberates it from Hal’s command (London 46). In section six, Buck becomes companions with Thornton, guards him from his enemies, and causes him win a wager (London 55). In part seven, Buck and Thornton ventures out east to locate a lost gold mine. It is here that Buck first enters the forested areas in the wake of feeling wild desires. He meanders in the wild with wolves and one day, he return to his master’s camp to discovers it assaulted by Yeehat Indians. He assaults the aggressors, executing a few and scattering the rest. The book closes with Buck going into the forested areas and joining the posers wild (London

Wednesday, August 12, 2020

Harvard Social Enterprise Conference

Harvard Social Enterprise Conference The Social Enterprise Conference brings together top leaders, practitioners, and students passionate about social enterprise. In our 17th year, the conference’s content focused on the untold truths of Social Enterprise and challenge participants to dare to take the steps necessary to make a difference. One of the great things about being at one of the top universities in the world is being right next to another one of the top universities in the world. The conference took place on Saturday, March 5th at the Harvard Kennedy School and Sunday, March 6th at Harvard Business School, neither of which Ive ever been to before. I really wanted to go but I had a pset due on Saturday and plans to hang out with friends Friday. So I stayed up Friday night watching Pineapple Express with a fraternity brother, then worked for six hours, finished by 8am, slept for three hours, woke up, had a nice cup of coffee, called up my friends inviting them to join me at Harvard that day, turned my MIT hat inside out, and made my way up to conference. AT MIT, they say you have to pick only two between academics, sleep, and social life, but I was damn sure going to squeeze in all three.   The Harvard Social Enterprise Conference had attendees and sponsors from all over the world. It was an honor to be able to attend and meet amazing people who shared such a strong desire to have a positive impact in the world. Aldrich Hall, part of the Harvard Business School and the location of some of the panels on the second day of the conference. This is a study hall inside of Spangler Hall. A study hall. I dont know how people could study in a place like this. Id be too distracted gawking around at the chandeliers, the mahogony floors, the fancy rugs, the leather chairs, and the exquisite atmosphere. Rich Corinthian leather. At the Untapped Talent: Breaking Down Barriers to Employment panel. Afterwards I got to talk to one of the panelists, Jordyn Lexton, founder of Drive Change, locally sourced food trucks that hire, teach, and empower formerly incarcerated youth. I shared the story of our jalapeño bacon mac and cheese  campaign  my friends and I did a few months ago and Jordyn was extremely impressed at how far weve come and how far we plan to go. Back to the Future: Impact Investing. Another panel on the second day of the conference expaling impact investments, investments into companies made with the intention to generate a measurable social or environmental impact alongside a financial return. These panels were great, but the real stealer of the show came towards the end of the first day during a virtual reality demo, where I watched an eight-minute virtual reality film called Inside Impact: East Africa. The film is part of the Clinton Global Initiative and documents President Clinton and Chelsea Clintons trip to East Africa in spring 2015 and how the Clinton Global Intitiative is changing lives and empowering communities.   I put on the glasses and just like that, I was teleported to Bill Clintons office, where he was briefing me on the initiative. I listened to him at first, but soon I became distracted and started spinning around on my chair and looking outside his office window. Suddenly I found myself in downtown Nairobi, Kenya, in the middle of the day. I was sitting behind a merchants table at a marketplace as I looked around, noticing the skyscrapers and the busy traffic around me. Then I was teleported to Kibera, the largest slum in Africa, but only a short distance away from Nairobi. I was sitting on the railroad tracks overlooking the slums. I could practically feel the heat wave over me and hear the mosquitos buzzing around. I then sat in a classroom at the Farasi Lane School back in Nairobi. A teacher trained by the Discovery Learning Alliance (DLA) was teaching her students about malaria prevention. I listened to the class, how it was taught, and how the kids answered the questions. Image courtesy of the Clinton Global Initiative. With the virtual reality headset I could see the classroom and even look directly behind me to the kids sitting in the back seats. Afterwards, I met with a Solar Sister Entrepreneur in rural Karatu, Tanzania. A solar panel on her roof charges a generator and provides her house with power, but she also sells solar-powered lights, cookstoves, and other goods. Then I attended the Starkey Foundations public hearing aid fitting in one of the neighborhoods. I watched a little boy regain his hearing and react to the snapping of his moms fingers and her subsequent tears of joy after the hearing aid was put into his ear. After the experience ended, I took off my googles and was back in the basement of the Harvard Kennedy School, speechless. I travelled halfway around the world and experienced the lives of six different people in eight minutes. The experience connected me a lot more with the communities in Nairobi, Kibera, and Karatu, and I see so much potential for how virtual reality could bring us closer in the future. I decided right then and there I was going to get a virtual reality headset for myself to start messing around and developing for it. I stood up, walked over to the table, put the goggles down, pulled out my phone, went on Amazon.com, and bought myself a Samsung Gear VR. If you guys want to get involved as well, I suggest buying a pair or getting the much cheaper Google Cardboard, which works with any phone, or even just finding a virtual reality group near you. Theres tons of virtual reality Facebook and Meetup groups you can join.

Saturday, May 23, 2020

The Body Theory And Its Strength And Weaknesses - 991 Words

Am I the same person today as I was yesterday? Will I be the same person a few years from now as I am now? Kagan explains a few theories that can help with figuring out what makes me, me. There is the soul theory, the body theory, and the personality theory. The body theory consists of the brain and body theory and the torso and body theory. After looking into each theory carefully through Kagan’s lectures, I found that there were flaws in all three theories. The theory that I favor, however, is the body theory and more specifically the brain aspect of that theory. In my essay I will discuss why I favor the body theory and its strength and weaknesses. I will also discuss Kagan’s take on survival. To start with, the body theory is not mysterious like the soul theory. If I believed in souls, and favored the soul theory, how could I prove that I did not get a new soul every five hours or three days? I would not be able to. The body theory means having the same body. This also means having most of your same body. For example, in Star Wars when Luke Skywalker got his hand cut off, he still had most of his body; therefore, he is the same person. Now there are some problems with this theory as Kagan points out. The problem is resurrection. There is no current proof of a body being resurrected from the ground, but there is a possibility of bodily resurrection that cannot be denied. The issue with bodily resurrection is that it draws the question, is the resurrected body reallyShow MoreRelatedExploring the Different Theories Involved in the Mind and Body Problem1654 Words   |  7 PagesExploring the Different Theories Involved in the Mind and Body Problem I will attempt to do this by firstly defining what the mind and body is secondly discussing what the mind and body problem is. Thirdly discussing the existing approaches to the problem and finally discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the approaches. The body is that which we perceive ourselves to be with our senses. It usually includes arms, legs a head and so on. The mind is that whichRead MoreCartesian Dualism vs Logical Behaviorism Essay1483 Words   |  6 Pageswhich argue the philosophy of the mind in two completely different ways. Robert Lane, a professor at the University of West Georgia, define the two as follows: Cartesian dualism is the theory that the mind and body are two totally different things, capable of existing separately, and logical behaviorism is the theory that our talk about beliefs, desires, and pains is not talk about ghostly or physical inner episodes, but instead about actual and potential patterns of behavior. Understanding of theRead MoreThe Biological and Sociological Explanations of Crime1303 Words   |  5 Pagesto accurately compare and contrast the strengths and weaknesses of both the biological and sociological explanations of crime. Firstly, I will give a brief overview of what both the biological and sociological explanations of crime mean. I will then create a paragraph that explains the strengths and weaknesses of the theories within the biological explanation of crime; such as Lombroso’s ‘Criminal Man theory’ and Sheldon’s ‘body type’ theory Chromosome’ theory as they are relatively controversial topicsRead MoreSutherlands Differential Association Theory1430 Words   |  6 PagesDifferential Association Theory Ryan Herron Dr. Patrick Parnaby SOC 2070 9 November 2017 There are many theories used by Sociologists to explain deviance. One such theory is differential association theory, proposed by Edwin Sutherland. There are many strengths and weaknesses of differential association that will be laid out in this paper after differential association theory is fully explained. When discussed, it becomes apparent that differential association theory has many strengths as well as manyRead MoreThe Integration Perspective And The Christian Psychology Perspective913 Words   |  4 Pagesmerge the two principles and theories is the Integration perspective and the Christian Psychology perspective. The Integration perspective is the view that incorporates and offers a theory that integrates and creates a balance between Christian doctrine and modern psychology. Characteristic of this approach is the inclusion of Christian principles and scriptural references, along with observations, research, empirical research, mathematics, and natural science theory and principles. IntegrationistsRead MorePsychology Is The Study Of The Mind And Behavior1389 Words   |  6 PagesPsychology is the study of the mind and behaviour. Since Psychology first emerged there has been ,many differing schools of Psychology each with different theories in which to understand human behaviour. In this essay I will explain the four major schools of psychology including psychoanalysis, behaviourism, biological and cognitive, and the major influences behind each such as Freud. Psychoanalysis is a school of thought first developed by Sigmeund Freud(1856-1939) one of the most influentialRead MoreTheory Analysis1707 Words   |  7 PagesTheory Analysis Sigmund Freud - Psychosexual Theory  · Basic Philosophy - The basic philosophy is that the sex instinct is the most factor influencing personality; sexual instinct is present at birth, but it occurs in stages. The sex instinct provides the driving force for thought and activity. If conflicts from these stages are not resolved fixations may occur. If overindulgence at a stage may result in a person remaining at that stage. Certain personality traits develop from difficulty inRead MoreClassical Vs. Constitutional Typology1223 Words   |  5 PagesThe first of the theories is physiological is the physiological characteristics of people. Simple descriptions of behavior through to suggestions that characteristics are the result of different kinds of physiology. Now, there are two subcategories are classical and constitutional typology. Classical typology comes from our old friends, the Greeks, who theorized about types and ‘humorous.’ The physician Hippocrates made what is probably the first attempt at a formal theory to account for differencesRead MoreCommunication Is Necessary For Society And Culture1377 Words   |  6 Pagesencodes and understands the message then replies using the same form of communication. Verbal communication uses words and speech sent in a written or spoken medium. Nonverbal communication makes up for where verbal communication lacks, using gestures, body language or facial expressions to convey a short message. Factors that affect how a message is sent or received are; family background, education level, personal life experiences, health, family situation, monetary situation, marital status, employmentRead MoreLearning With Style Essay912 Words   |  4 Pages1979 Howard Gardner started researching human potential, this research led to a book entitled â€Å"Frames of Mind† this book introduced the theory of multiple intelligences (Armstrong). The theory of multiple intelligences challenged the conventional idea that intelligence could be measured and scored by a simple test giving us an â€Å"IQ† number. (Armstrong) The theory of multiple intelligences propounds that intelligence can be found in many forms and that different learning methods are required for different

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Racism in Crash Essay - 1723 Words

Physical Characteristics and racial differences are distinguishing traits that keep people in our world apart from each other. Crash is a movie that showcases prejudice and racial stereotypes. The movie is set in Los Angeles which is a city with the cultural mix of almost every ethnicity. Crash is a perfect analogy of how the different people intersect with others in society. The movie crash shows differences between the lives of different people. It displays the interactions of several multiethnic groups such as African American, Caucasians, Asians, Latinos, and Arabs. All of the groups are striving to overcome their fears as they weave in and out of each other’s lives. They are all tied by an invisible chain of events, so the movie†¦show more content†¦Matt Dillon’s character, John Ryan seems to show characteristics typical of this hypothesis. Officer Ryan displays a close connection with his father and the roots of racism is showed later in the movie. It was assumed that Ryan was a product of his environment that absorbed racist views from his father regarding his attitude towards black people. Ryan’s father happens not to be racist after all. Ryan’s attitude towards black people stems from his own experiences as a Los Angeles police officer. An example of racism occurred at the beginning of the film when the Arab looking father and daughter attempted to buy a gun. The clerk at the gun shop made a few blatantly racist comments about the customers because he assumes they are Middle Eastern. There were several references to the September 11 attacks. It didn’t matter that the two were Persian, not Arab. Unfortunately, the reoccurring theme post 9/11 is that all Middle Eastern people became potential terrorists. It is amazing that people have the ability to interpret bad events and cast their own prejudices on different ethnic groups to mask their own feelings of anger and frustration. Certain stereotypes have stood the test of time, no matter how many strides for racial equality have been made. Sandra Bullock’s character made the statement about the relationship between white and black people: â€Å"If a white woman sees two black men walkingShow MoreRelatedCrash and Racism886 Words   |  4 PagesPaul Haggis’ Crash is a drama set in the Los Angels area, the main concept of the film is racial and social tensions in L.A., Paul Haggis claims that it’s a â€Å"passion piece† due to it being inspired by a real life incident wherein his car was stolen outside a store in 1991 as he clearly states on the Crash commentary track. Now my reaction to this film was at first shocked and in awe of the brutality of the first 30 minutes. Such as Anthony and Peter’s discussion in the first few minutes aboutRead MoreRacism and Stereotypes in the Movie Crash693 Words   |  3 PagesCrash is a movie about race and stereotypes and its effects on the various people living in the Los Angeles area. The movie boost racial awareness and it requires close observation from the viewer. We see a variety of races including African American men and women, several Hispanics, a Middle Eastern family, and a few Asians. We see the ups and downs of each character and it helps us see where they are coming from, and potentially why they are racist against different people. It seems that we almostRead MoreImpact Of Racism On The Movie Crash 1257 Words   |  6 PagesThe movie Crash, demonstrates the lives of various individuals from divergent socioeconomic classes, who have life changing experiences in between their conflicting prejudices and stereotypes. In this brief essay, I am going to discuss the impact racism and stereotyping have on the lives of some main characters in the movie, considering the development of the storyline and the impact of various incidents that change their perspective towards themselves and each other. Martin and Nakayama define racialRead MoreColonialism And Racism In Crash By Paul Haggis839 Words   |  4 Pages Paul Haggis’s 2004 melodrama â€Å"Crash† is a film depicting the way diverse societies, cultures and environments affect each other’s lives. Characters are forced to interact and assist in uncomfortable and traumatic chains of events that impact the film’s ability to create intense moments that questioned are initial perspective of a character’s sense of morality. Haggis does an excellent job structuring the story around the concept of everyday life with unexpected moments of conflict, and developingRead MoreEssay on Black Like Me and Crash965 Words   |  4 PagesBlack Like Me and Crash In 1959 John Howard Griffin, the author of the book Black Like Me, disguised himself as an African American and decided to go live out in society to see what it would be like to be a black man. The book Black Like Me is his documentation of that experience. His story spread around the world and he got a lot of praise from people around the world, but he also got a good amount if hate from the white power groups who were quite prevalent at the time. Now, much time has passedRead MoreThe Film Crash By Paul Haggis1157 Words   |  5 PagesThe film Crash by Paul Haggis is a film involving issues of race and gender, which is viewed through the intersecting lives of strangers seen through an auto accident/crash in Los Angeles which opens the film. This film is trying to symbolize what goes on in the world today in regards to racism and stereotypes. Paul Haggis tries to make a point on how societies view themselves and others in the world based on there ethnicities. This movie intertwines several different people s lives, all differentRead MoreUndeniable Thought(Film Crash) Essay1212 Words   |  5 PagesDiamond Ward Sociology 2060-01 Film Analysis #1 February 7, 2012 Undeniable Thought The film Crash by Paul Haggis is a film involving issues of race and gender, which is viewed through the intersecting lives of strangers seen through an auto accident/crash in Los Angeles which opens the film. This film is trying to symbolize what goes on in the world today in regards to racism and stereotypes. Paul Haggis tries to make a point on how societies view themselves and others in the world based on thereRead MoreThe Opening Line Of The Movie Crash Essay1734 Words   |  7 Pagescity, you walk, you know? You brush past people, people bump into you. In L.A., nobody touches you. We’re always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other, just so we can feel something.† This quote, spoken by Don Cheadle, is the opening line of the movie Crash. Not only does this powerful line tell the viewers where the movie is taking place, but it also gives them a brief overview of what to expect from the movie. As citizens of this countryRead MoreCrash1243 Words   |  5 PagesCrash Movie Analysis Anjelica McCartney HUM/150 January 18, 2016 Victor Armenta Crash Movie Analysis Discrimination, racism, classism, prejudice and more plague today’s society. These horrible issues do not affect one race, sexes, class, ethnicity, or age group; these issues affect all races, both genders, all ethnicities, and all age groups. For this film analysis, I have chosen to discuss the racism portrayed throughout a three-time Oscar award winning movie called Crash. Summary PaulRead MoreCultural Aspects Of American Culture1345 Words   |  6 Pagesthat I observed in the movies are assimilation, acculturation, and enculturation. I saw assimilation in both Spanglish and Crash. In Spanglish, Cristina was the one who went through assimilation. She adapted the American culture and left behind her Hispanic culture. She learned English, Mrs. Clasky took her shopping, and she was able to go to a private school. In the movie Crash, assimilation is seen through all the different people who have adopted the American lifestyle. One example for this is Farhad

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Movie Review The Abnormal in Normal Free Essays

Normal is a spectacular movie which encompassed both a war and unity of emotions, standards, and ideologies. It showcased the play of sexuality, understanding, anger, transformation, ostracism, and most especially, love, depicted in the lives of the characters that compose the film. How all of them owned a different perception of Roy’s transsexualism and how these perceptions seemed to be intertwined dramatically revealed the key element that make up Normal’s core. We will write a custom essay sample on Movie Review: The Abnormal in Normal or any similar topic only for you Order Now Personally, I found the movie very moving and inspiring. It is not everyday that films like these are produced in the industry for the obvious fact that transsexualism, not to mention heterosexuality and bisexuality, is still on the process of holding a secure, firm, and properly recognized position in society. Normal was successful in its attempt to disband stereotypes regarding deviant behavior and twisted genders. It portrayed how acceptance and love serve as the main dissolving agent in breaking norms in response to the changes that occur in time. Roy, one of the main characters, was extremely daring and determined to have mustered strength to face such an immense transformation and survived the critical judgment of his family, peers, and community fellows. Containing his desire to be a woman solely to himself for that length of time is something not regular people could ever put up with. The weight was even graver, however, on her wife Irma. In my opinion, she was the one who suffered most with what had happened. After 25 years of marriage, two teenage offspring, and a healthy relationship which was supposedly homosexual-to-homosexual, her husband tells her that he is a woman trapped in a man’s body and that he wanted to live like a lady for good through gender reassignment. Discovering that the man she fell in love with was replaced by someone with a heart of a woman would have been the key struggle in Ruth and Irma’s marriage. Eventually, nonetheless, Irma learned to embrace Roy for who he is—the man he loved yet now with earrings, perfume, make-up, and even breasts. This was a strong proof that true love does conquer all and breaks differences. The occurrence tested if Irma was really willing to stay with Roy and to love him with all her heart, through sickness and health, for richer or poorer, with death as the sole wall that could separate them. The relationship of the couple evidently changed, but the love was still the same. This served as their starting point to both reliving an old chapter of their life and opening a new one together. Patty Ann and Wayne, the couple’s children, were also affected by Roy’s revelation. Albeit their reactions were of opposite sides of the spectrum, these showed that they significantly cared about what happened to their father. Dealing with his kids, however, remained as another struggle for Roy. Patty Ann took his father’s transformation in a positive light since she, too, was having a puberty and femininity crisis of her own. On the other hand, Wayne was infuriated. Being older, being the son, and being a hardcore rock music enthusiast, it was not peculiar that Wayne’s mind seemed to be very narrow when it came to gender issues. The main character’s father also played a weighty part in Roy’s family struggle. Like Wayne, Roy Sr. strongly disagreed with what occurred to his son. During Roy’s early years, his father had already begun beating Roy to stop his feminine tendencies. His paternal influenced continued until Roy’s adulthood but failed to maintain his son’s manliness. Together with his wife Irma, Roy struggled to face another conflict with an influential and important body outside their marriage: society. His revelation to the parish counselor initiated the ostracism that Roy encountered from the religious sector. This banishment was in line with the Vatican’s dissent for gender changes. Though external to the scope of the movie, the Papal government most likely inspired the story’s plot. According to Asher (2003), gender reassignment shall not in any way change the gender of an individual in the vision of the church. Moreover, Catholics who underwent this kind of transformation shall not be â€Å"eligible to wed, be ordained to the priesthood or enter religious life† (par. 2). Gender reassignment merely changes the surface quality of the person and not his/her inner attributes and personality. These were the strong bases of Roy and Irma’s gradual but unyielding exclusion from the religious sector. Roy also had problems in his work. He served almost his whole life as an employee in a farm machinery factory. Going to work one day all â€Å"womanized† expectedly brought in mockery from his coworkers. Roy’s boss, Clancy Brown, was compassionate enough to transfer him to a safer and more considerable work section. However, he developed affection for Irma, which pushed Roy’s work struggle to a higher notch. Fortunately, Roy’s wife realized that he was in love with no man other than his beloved husband. This dedication, loyalty and commitment of Irma to Roy were what captivated me to the movie the most. These same attributes of Roy’s wife are the reasons why she is my favorite character. Like what I have mentioned before, Irma exemplified the power of true and powerful love. More than that, however, is Irma’s commendable courage to continue to walk with his husband, no matter how things have changed. Remarkable courage was also exhibited by Roy. Personally accepting that he was a woman in a man’s body is already a valiant feat. Adding his revelation to his family and community during the period of his life when all was settled for him as a man can be considered a lifetime accomplishment. Not everyone who is gay, lesbian, or both can muster the willpower and inner strength that Roy depicted. Not all irregularly gendered can face life with the truth that they know deep within them. There is this strong feeling inside of me that the movie Normal will forever hold a special place in my life. It taught me so many things about accepting changes and living with what and who matters in your life. Just be strong and all things will follow. References Asher, J. (2003, January 16). Vatican Will Not Endorse Gender Changes. Retrieved April 7, 2008 from http://www.planetout.com/pno/news/article.html?2003/01/16/3          How to cite Movie Review: The Abnormal in Normal, Essay examples

Sunday, May 3, 2020

Evaluation of Taxation of Return on Property Holding

Question: Discuss about the Evaluation of Taxation of Return on Property Holding. Answer: Introduction This report discusses effect of taxation on return from property holding in an economy. The economy Effect of taxation on equity and housing prices are analysed. Taxation on property return affects the economy. Property tax is a source of income of government. Hence, if property tax increases, tax revenue increases. Property tax is regarded as cost of capital (Norregaard 2013). When, government increases the property tax, cost of capital increases. Therefore, reduction in property tax increases the capital investment. As the capital investment increases, industry develops and the more jobs are created. On the other hand reduction in tax revenue decreases government spending. The mixed effect of property tax on economy is discussed in this report in the Australian context. Property tax depends on the value of the property at a certain point of time. Different types of property valuation methods are used in different jurisdiction. Decrease in property value reduces the tax bill. Furthermore, property tax bill varies according to the usage of property such as residential use, commercial use, vacant land etc. In some areas the real estate tax bill is calculated on current value (Burkhauser et al. 2015). Therefore, the tax bill changes as the value of the property changes overtime. Generally, local government collects property taxes. Hence, property tax law is formed based on local economic structure. Evaluation the system of taxation on property holding returns Assessment of taxation on owner occupied property Land is considered as property in the economy. As land is inelastic in supply, effect of price on supply is low. Therefore, imposing tax on land does not impact much on behaviour of land suppliers. In case of owner occupied land, it is easier to identify the actual tax payer. The return on land is considered as economic rent. Land tax in Australia is charged to the owner of land. As opined by Jacobs and Berry and Dalton (2013), the utility of house is different from the land. Land taxes differ across different states of Australia. Land Tax in New South Wales Tax Base, (AUD) Tax rate Up to 412,000 AUD 100 412,000 -2,519,000 1.6% on band over ADU412,000 Over 2,519,000 25 on all value over ADU 2,519,000 Land tax in Victoria (2009-2014) Tax Base, (AUD) Tax rate Up to 250,000 0% 250,000 600,000 0.20% on band over 250,000 600,000 1,000,000 0.50% on the band over 600,000 1,000,000 1,800,000 0.80% on the band over 1,000,000 1,800,000 3,000,000 1.30% on band over 1,800,000 Over 3,000,000 2.25% on all value over 3,000,000 Land tax (2014-15) in Australian territory for residential properties TAX BASE, AUD TAX RATE Up to 75,000 0.41% 75,000 150,000 0.48% on band over75,000 150,000 275,000 0.61% on band over 150,000 Over 275,000 1.23% on all value over 275,000 Figure: Land Tax rate in different territory of Australia (Source: Ato.gov.au, 2016) Unlike land, a house gives service to the occupiers. Thus, VAT can be imposed on the services of house. In the view of Whiteford (2014), the value of houses fluctuate overtime just like share values. Hence, the home ownership can be considered as saving. As the owner occupied property has characteristics of both investment and consumption, it needs to be taxed from the two ends. If there is decrease in value of land, the land owner may suffer from capital loss, if the land tax would have been declared before. However, in practical, the value of land is non-decreasing as its supply is naturally fixed. Hence, use of land is not likely to be changed after windfall loss. Slack and Bird (2014) cited that, there is externality effect on owners land. If there is external development besides a land, the value of the concerned land increases. In this case, the value of the land increases due to community efforts rather than individual effort. Tax collected from the land thus includes the bene fits accrued by the landowner. Assessment of taxation on investment property Investment property is the property, which is purchased in the motive of profit earning. Rental income is a source of income from investment property. Rental income is taxable at the time of receiving it during a given period. Sale of rental property comes under capital gain or loss. Capital gain on investment property is liable for tax. In Australia, the investment property, building renovation due to profit motive and property used in business are taxed as capital gains tax or goods and service tax (Australia I.C.O.M.O.S. 2015). During the calculation of tax on the capital gain, cost of financing the acquisition and end use of the property needs to be considered. The capital gain from selling property gets tax exemption if gained amount is reinvested in an asset. The amount of tax depends on the time of selling investment property. During valuation of capital gain, difference between initial purchase price of the property and selling price renovation cost and transfer costs are considered (Coffee et al. 2013). Capital gain tax in Australia is calculated by using CGT method and Indexation method etc. Net capital gain is calculated by subtracting total capital loss and any CGT discount from total capital gain during a year (Ato.gov.au, 2016). In Australia, the capital gains tax is charged at standard income tax rate. In the capital gains tax method, capital gain is calculated by deducting cots base from the fair market value of property. The cost base includes acquisition cost of property, incidental expenses of purchase and sale of property and property improvement cost. Cost base cannot be calculated if the property is sold within one year of purchase (Elia et al. 2013). The property indexation method depends on date of purchasing property. There are two criteria of measuring capital gains in Australia. If residents have acquired the property after 21 September in 1999, the discount capital gain or unindexed capital gain is decreased by 50%. Therefore, the capital gain, which is taxable, is 50% of the cost base. The cost base of the assets, which were acquired before 21 September 1999, was indexed as per fluctuation of the CPI in Australia. Effect of taxation on equity Capital gains from stocks and mutual funds are taxed if the income is generated in short term. Long term return from equity is not taxed. Implication of tax is not applicable at the time of investment in shares. Tax is imposed at the time of sale of assets (Crowe 2013). As the public investment is mobilised in the economy for investment in different sectors, it is exempted from tax. However, income generated from sale of assets is liable to be taxed as if it is capital gain. In Australian economy, the repayment for mortgage on housing loan is liable to be taxed (Baranska 2013). The interest earned from the investment property is tax deductible. Equity is taxed if it is used for funding the purchase of investment property. Loan to value ratio and debt service ratio are used in evaluating the effect on equity. Investment in different types of property has different types of risks and values. Therefore, the loan to value ratio differs for different types of assets (Shi and Jou and Tripe 2014). Banks of Australia accepts up to 80% loan to value ratio for residential property and 60-70% for the commercial properties. If the borrower takes a mortgage insurance policy, the lender generally accepts a higher LVR (Chung 2016). The value of equity is therefore calculated as follows. If for example, the current value of property is $800,000 and the mortgage on home is $450,000, then the value of equity on property is $800,000 - $450,000 = $350,000. Now, if the investor finds an investment, which is worth of $500,000, the investor would try to get a loan of same worth. Now the LVR for the investor = ($450,000 + $500,000)/ ($800,000 + $500,000) = 73.08%. As the maximum criteria for the LVR is 80%, the investor will pass in the security criteria. Therefore, the bank may grant the loan to the investor for purchasing the investment property using the equity. The return on equity falls under the capital gains tax (LeBlanc and Matthews and Mellbye 2013). Hence, the standard income tax rate is applicable for the equity. Dividends on equity of a company fall under the corporation tax in Australia. The corporation tax rate in Australia is 28.50%, which is effective from 2015. Moreover, the tax on capital gain depends on whether the property is held on capital account or revenue account. If the property is included in the revenue account, the gains from disposal are calculated with the income of the owner (Peng and Chen 2016). The tax rate on income would be as per owners tax rate. If the property is held in capital account, the net capital gain is added wit h the income of the owner and taxed according to the owners tax rate. Effect on housing prices The housing price in Australia is influenced by the increasing value and cost of the assets. As investment in house is a source of income, return from investment property determines the demand for house (Sim and Krause and Winson-Geideman 2015). The housing prices in Australia have increased at 7% per year. The rising housing price in Australia can be explained by Stock flow model. Figure: Residential property prices in Australia (Source: abc.net.au, 2016) Figure: Growth in housing prices in Australia (Source: rba.gov.au, 2015) Stock flow model According to the stock flow model, demand for housing property is negatively related to the user cost of acquiring the property and property price (rba.gov.au, 2015). However, demand for housing is positively related to rent. There are other factors such as permanent income of the households; availability of credit etc affects the housing demand. The user cost of house ownership depends on real interest rate, asset depreciation and appreciation of housing price. Differences in tax structure for owner occupied and investment property also influence the demand for housing (Forrest 2013). Figure: Relation between the property price and property demand (Source: created by author) In the short run, the demand for housing changes frequently compared to supply of house. The demand pull inflation raises the price of the house In Australia. Increasing access of credit in Australia is the cause of increasing demand and prices of housing. Despite increasing rent, the demand for housing is rising in Australia, as the income of the people has increased substantially over the years (Randolph and Pinnegar and Tice 2013). However, there is a fall in residential property prices in Australia from 2015 to 2016. Figure: changes in housing price in Australia (Source: abs.gov.au, 2016) Effect on Australian economy According to the recommendation of tax review committee, the government of Australia can impose levy of 0.2% on unimproved value of property or may impose 0.1% on value of improvement on annual basis (abc.net.au, 2015). As per reporting, the actual amount of tax on property would be more than the average payment by the residents of the capital city. The report says that imposition of tax would raise the levy by $7bn at the current property price. According to Ferrero (2015), property tax is unavoidable. It is an inevitable part of spending for home owner, as property tax is wealth tax. Property, which is in use, gives service to the user and therefore is liable for GST tax in Australia. There is little impact of property tax on savings and incentive to work. Property tax is a significant source of earning of states. Moreover, property such as building and land is immobile in nature and the demand for real estate is rising with population growth (Paris 2013). Therefore, the prices of property tend to rise. People cannot shift immediately to avoid property taxes. Thus, property tax remains good source of revenue of state government. States and Australian territory on purchase of property levy stamp duty in Australia. Stamp duty rises with increase in property price (Ferrero 2015). Increase in stamp duties discourages people to purchase property and restricts the efficient use of property such as land and buildings. Grattan Institute of Australia has suggested that, the revenue of the States may increase if stamp duty can be abolished. Increase in revenues is beneficial for state, as it can use the revenue in improvement of society (Cesa Bianch, Cespedes and Rebucci 2015). Investment in property increases capital of the economy, which is further used in any productive purpose. Effect on society According to World Economic forum report, taxation on housing has mixed impact on consumer spending. Taxes on main dwelling have negative impact on household expenditure. Taxes on residential property have no significant impact on household expenditure. When mortgage debt burden increases, the household reduces their savings. As an impact, total disposable income of individual decreases. Fall in disposable income decreases consumer goods demand of people. Therefore, it may affect the aggregate demand of the economy (weforum.org, 2015). Decrease in consumer spending is regarded as short run cost in the economy. Lower property tax rate encourages the urbanisation in the economy. Rapid pace of urbanisation has positive externality on the surrounding land. Effect of fiscal policy on housing market Fiscal policy of the government can affect the housing market in terms of demand and housing prices. Taxation on property is fiscal policy of the government. Market analysts have predicted that due to effect of Brexit, Australian real estate market will gain from foreign investment. Global investors find it is risky to invest in UK and European market due to after effect of Brexit. Therefore, they tend to invest more in Australian real estate market. Chung (2016) argued that, government fiscal policy may be counter effective in this case. NSW government has taken decision to impose 4% stamp duty on the purchase of residential property by foreign investors. Furthermore, 0.75 % land tax would be imposed on the foreign investor, who owns a residential real estate in Australia. This surcharge is more in Victoria, which is 1.5% to make the real estate market costlier (news.com.au, 2016). This government policy may discourage foreign investment in domestic housing market in Australia. Redu ction in tax cut has positive effect on demand for housing. However, it has negative effect on property investors. Cut in housing prices reduces the capital gain on investment property. Due to lowering interest rate, the revenue of the government has decreased from $8.4 billion during 2011-12 to $3.7 billion in 2013-14 (theaustralian.com.au, 2016). Supply of housing depends on availability of land, cost of construction, profit of the developer and other infrastructure cost such as water, sewerage and transport facility. Demand for housing depends on number of households searching for land, location, transport, income of the households etc. If the government increases the spending to provide better social infrastructure, demand for housing tends to rise. Explanation of circular flow of income Circular flow is a concept, where activities of different economic agents are linked through a circular flow. Main agents of the circular flow are producer, households, goods market and factor market. Figure: circular flow of income (Source: created by author) Investment property such as land, commercial premises comes from households. Property sold to the commercial firm, banks or government earns capital gains and rent. Government impose tax using fiscal policy on the rental income. Tax revenue is thus received by government. The tax revenue is further used in economic development. The investment properties are used by different organisation for productive purpose. Final produced goods are received by households through product market. On the other hand banks play important role of resource mobilisation in this sector. Household saves money in banks. Banks mobilise the saving across the economy. A household goes to the bank for getting loan to invest in property. In return, the borrower pays interest rate to the bank. In this way, different agents in the economy are linked with each other. Recommendation Property tax has effect on consumption behaviour of people. In one hand, it is source of revenue to the local government. A better way of property taxation is comparison of property tax with market value of property and not with the GDP of the economy. Inequality in property tax rate decreases the revenue. Property valuation is a complex issue. Therefore, appropriate tax on property needs proper infrastructure. Due to inelasticity of the supply of property and growing demand for land and building, the property price in Australia has growing trend. Demand for supply is growing for residential and commercial purpose. Property tax has both equity and efficiency implications. Therefore, it can be recommended that for proper taxation, property identification, collection of revenue and enforcement are needed. Tax payer may support the government in the context of tax payment if they can feel that they receive required service for property tax from the local government. Conclusion The report has analysed the implication of property tax and its impact on Australian economy. Two types of property such as owner occupied and residential property are evaluated here. Land tax differs across different state of Australia. Different land tax has mentioned in the report. CGT method and Indexation method are used in calculation of capital gain tax in Australia. Capital gain in Australia is taxed according to the standard income tax rate. Taxation on equity has been discussed in the report. Housing price in Australia has a growing trend. As property tax base increases, price of housing increases. Rising housing prices has not much impact on property demand. However, hike in stamp duty has negative impact on property demand. References abc.net.au. (2015). Property taxes could raise $7b, boost economy by $9b: Grattan. [online] Available at: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-15/property-taxes-could-raise-7-billion-dollars-save-9-billion/6620958 [Accessed 18 Aug. 2016]. Ato.gov.au. (2016). Property used in running a business | Australian Taxation Office. [online] Available at: https://www.ato.gov.au/General/property/property-used-in-running-a-business/ [Accessed 18 Aug. 2016]. Ato.gov.au. (2016). Working out your net capital gain or loss | Australian Taxation Office. [online] Available at: https://www.ato.gov.au/General/Capital-gains-tax/Working-out-your-capital-gain-or-loss/Working-out-your-net-capital-gain-or-loss/ [Accessed 17 Aug. 2016]. Australia, I.C.O.M.O.S., 2015. Australia.Heritage at Risk, pp.35-39. Baranska, A., 2013. Real estate mass appraisal in selected countriesfunctioning systems and proposed solutions.Real Estate Management and Valuation,21(3), pp.35-42. Burkhauser, R.V., Hahn, M.H. and Wilkins, R., 2015. Measuring top incomes using tax record data: A cautionary tale from Australia.The Journal of Economic Inequality,13(2), pp.181-205. Cesa Bianchi, A., Cespedes, L.F. and Rebucci, A., 2015. Global liquidity, house prices, and the macroeconomy: Evidence from advanced and emerging economies.Journal of Money, Credit and Banking,47(S1), pp.301-335. Chung, E. (2016). Unlocking your equity for property investment. [online] Your Investment Property. Available at: https://www.yourinvestmentpropertymag.com.au/property-finance/unlocking-your-equity-for-property-investment-147210.aspx [Accessed 18 Aug. 2016]. Coffee, N.T., Lockwood, T., Hugo, G., Paquet, C., Howard, N.J. and Daniel, M., 2013. Relative residential property value as a socio-economic status indicator for health research.International journal of health geographics,12(1), p.1. Crowe, C., DellAriccia, G., Igan, D. and Rabanal, P., 2013. How to deal with real estate booms: Lessons from country experiences.Journal of Financial Stability,9(3), pp.300-319. Elia, E.A., Zevenbergen, J.A., Lemmen, C.H.J. and Van Oosterom, P.J.M., 2013. The land administration domain model (LADM) as the reference model for the Cyprus land information system (CLIS).Survey review,45(329), pp.100-110. Ferrero, A., 2015. House price booms, current account deficits, and low interest rates.Journal of Money, Credit and Banking,47(S1), pp.261-293. Forrest, R., 2013.Housing and family wealth. Routledge. Jacobs, K., Berry, M. and Dalton, T., 2013. A dead and broken system?:insiderviews of the future role of Australian public housing.International Journal of Housing Policy,13(2), pp.183-201. LeBlanc, P., Matthews, S. and Mellbye, K., 2013. The tax policy landscape five years after the crisis. Norregaard, M.J., 2013.Taxing Immovable Property Revenue Potential and Implementation Challenges(No. 13-129). International Monetary Fund. Paris, C., 2013, October. Is anybody listening? The impact of second home ownership on local governments in Australia and elsewhere. InProceedings of the 3rd National Local Government Research Forum. Peng, T.C. and Chen, C.F., 2016. The effect of quality determinants on house prices of eight capital cities in Australia: a dynamic panel analysis.International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis,9(3). Randolph, B., Pinnegar, S. and Tice, A., 2013. The first home owner boost in Australia: a case study of outcomes in the Sydney housing market.Urban Policy and Research,31(1), pp.55-73. rba.gov.au. (2015). Long-run Trends in Housing Price Growth. [online] Available at: https://www.rba.gov.au/publications/bulletin/2015/sep/pdf/bu-0915-3.pdf [Accessed 18 Aug. 2016]. Shi, S., Jou, J.B. and Tripe, D., 2014. Can interest rates really control house prices? Effectiveness and implications for macroprudential policy.Journal of Banking Finance,47, pp.15-28. Sim, E., Krause, A. and Winson-Geideman, K., 2015. The impact of transit-oriented development (TOD) on residential property prices: the case of Box Hill, Melbourne.Pacific Rim Property Research Journal,21(3), pp.199-214. Slack, E. and Bird, R.M., 2014. The Political Economy of Property Tax Reform.OECD Working Papers on Fiscal Federalism, (18), p.0_1. theaustralian.com.au. (2016). ALP policies to cut house prices. [online] Available at: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/federal-election-2016/federal-election-2016-shortens-policies-to-cut-house-prices/news-story/59ea32227280c5f96464d504ec763959 [Accessed 24 Aug. 2016]. Whiteford, P., 2014. chapter 3 Australia: Inequality And Prosperity And Their Impacts In A Radical Welfare State.Changing Inequalities and Societal Impacts in Rich Countries: Thirty Countries' Experiences, p.48. www.news.com.au. (2016). Property market braces for big changes. [online] Available at: https://www.news.com.au/finance/real-estate/the-property-market-is-teetering-on-the-edge-of-some-major-changes-will-it-be-good-news-or-bad-news-for-owners/news-story/b0f6d93ab3af3f0ed7b8689686a82dd9 [Accessed 24 Aug. 2016]. www.weforum.org. (2015).How do property tax rises affect consumer spending?. [online] Available at: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/08/how-do-property-tax-rises-affect-consumer-spending/ [Accessed 24 Aug. 2016].

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Hidden Intellectualism Summary free essay sample

In Hidden Intellectualism by Gerald Graff, he begins with the argument of â€Å"street-smarts† versus â€Å"school-smarts†. Graff explains that school-smarts can be hidden within street smarts and can be learnt through not just talking with friends, but also from the media and our surroundings, hence the â€Å"hidden† intellectualism. He goes onto explain that â€Å"schools and colleges overlook the intellectual potential of street-smarts† (198) because these types of intellectualism are actually considered anti-intellectualism. Graff then begins to discuss that intellectualism is often looked down upon within schools, and people that are considered â€Å"school-smart† are seen as nerdy, or boring. We learn that as a child, Graff was afraid of bullying and name-calling so he did not show his intellectual side out of fear. As he wanted to be accepted so badly, he decided to become an â€Å"inarticulate, carefully hiding telltale marks of literacy like correct grammar and pronunciation†. Through this, he discovered that he was still able to show his intellectual side by using arguing and reasoning strategies while talking about subjects such as sports and toughness with his friends. We will write a custom essay sample on Hidden Intellectualism Summary or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Graff describes how important it is to teach hidden intellectualism to children that don’t realize it’s inside of them. He describes that if children are able to discuss topics such as today’s music, entertainment, and sports then they can hopefully progress more easily into subjects such as literature, and courses of more difficulty throughout their schooling. Also, if students are asked to write papers on articles such as â€Å"Sports Illustrated† or â€Å"Vogue† they would become more comfortable writing and analyzing books or articles of a more difficult nature. Graff explains that he is not insisting that children write about cars, sports, or fashion etc in a â€Å"cop-out† kind of way, but to write about them through â€Å"academic eyes†, and in an analytical and reflective way. Gerald Graff believed that street smarts beat out school smarts in our culture because they seem to satisfy the intellectual thirst more than the boring and unreal school culture. He goes onto explain that by talking about subjects such as sports, one is able to experience the topics of arguments, debates, and even statistics in a way that the subjects in school could not live up to. We see him talk about how everyday culture can be applied to the world much more than the topics and readings we learn about in school, as this culture is able to be talked about more enthusiastically with someone one had just met. Children would also be able to look at the world in a different light, as they would be learning essential life skills and essential knowledge in an interesting, exciting way. Graff faults the schooling systems for not being able to grasp his youthful attention and the attention of so many of today’s children. Graff closes by saying that helping children find their intellectualism within themselves is still a work in progress. Intellectualism is most often described as someone who has a vast amount of knowledge, is well spoken, and most people’s idea of intelligence is someone who is â€Å"book smart†. Book Smart would be described as someone who van write and converse about subjects that are most often taught in school. Another type of â€Å"smart† would be someone who is known as â€Å"street smart†. They are seen as intellectuals who are knowledgeable in the world around them, and today’s culture, and individuals who learn through personal experiences. In the essay Hidden Intellectualism, by Gerald Graff he insists that schools and universities/colleges are missing an opportunity to turn street smarts into book smarts. Most schools believe that only certain topics such as Shakespeare are proper for a learning environment; this is why we see today’s cultures topics are often not brought up at school. When Graff says, â€Å"We assume that it’s possible to wax intellectual about Plato, Shakespeare, the French Revolution, and nuclear fission, but not about cars, dating, fashion, sports, TV or video games. † (199) he is agreeing with this. He is basically saying that just because a student’s knowledge is not coming from the curriculum, it doesn’t mean that it isn’t important. Children should be able to take their hobbies and interests and incorporate them into academic study. The concept of learning is not only gained at school, it is gained everywhere in the outside world. Children often do not realize that by talking about pop culture, latest news, or sports, they are actually building up their hidden intellectualism. Graff states â€Å"It was in reading and arguing about sports and toughness that I experienced what it felt like to propose a generalization, restate and respond to a counterargument, and perform other intellectualizing operations, including composing the kind of sentences I am writing now† (201-202). Graff is saying that even though he was not learning these things in an academic environment, he was still learning the principles that his teacher were trying to teach him at school. References: Graff, Gerald. Comment on Sandra Stotskys Book Review. American Journal of Education 112.1 (2005): 153-156. Guide, M. L. A., et al. A Version Control Problem and its Novel Solution Featured. Henfield, Malik S., James L. Moore III, and Chris Wood. Inside and outside gifted education programming: Hidden challenges for African American students. Exceptional Children 74.4 (2008): 433-450. Thiele, S. J. Anti Intellectualism and the ‘Aboriginal Problem: Colin Tatz and the ‘Self Determination’Approach. The Australian Journal of Anthropology 14.3 (1984): 165-178. Lynch, Kathleen. The hidden curriculum: reproduction in education, a reappraisal. Psychology Press, 1989. Green, Peter. Strepsiades, Socrates and the abuses of intellectualism. Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies 20.1 (1979): 15.

Friday, March 6, 2020

4 Creative Ways to Analyze Plays

4 Creative Ways to Analyze Plays As students we remember sitting through countless lectures in which the instructor waxed eloquently about dramatic literature, while the class listened patiently, taking notes now and then. Today, as teachers, we certainly love to lecture about Shakespeare, Shaw, and Ibsen; after all, we love to hear ourselves talk! However, we also love student involvement, the more creative, the better. Here are a few ways for students to exercise their imagination while analyzing dramatic literature. Write (and Perform?) Additional Scenes Since plays are meant to be performed, it makes sense to encourage your students to act out some of the scenes in the play. If they are an energetic and outgoing group, this can work splendidly. However, it might be that your English class is filled with rather shy (or at least quiet) students who will be reluctant to read Tennessee Williams or Lillian Hellman out loud. Instead, have students work in groups to write a brand new scene for the play. The scene could take place before, after, or in-between the playwrights storyline. Note: Tom Stoppard did an excellent job of writing scenes that take place in between Hamlet. Its a play called Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. Another example some students will be more likely to appreciate would be Lion King 1 1/2. Consider some of these possibilities: Write a scene set ten years before Death of a Salesman. What was the main character like before he had children? What was his career like in the early days?Write a scene that shows what happens between Hamlets Act III and IV. Many dont realize that Hamlet hangs out with pirates for a while. Id love to know what happens between the Danish prince and the band of buccaneers.Write a new ending to Henrik Ibsens A Dolls House. Reveal what Nora Helmer does the day after she leaves her family. Does her husband win her back? Does she find a new sense of purpose and identity? During the writing process, the students may remain true to the characters, or they may spoof them or modernized their language. When the new scenes are finished, the class can take turns performing their work. If some groups would rather not stand in front of the class, they can read from their desks. Create a Comic Book Bring some art supplies to class and have students work in groups to illustrate a graphic novel version of the play or a critique of the playwrights ideas. Recently in one of my classes, students were discussing Man and Superman, George Bernard Shaws battle-of-the-sexes comedy that also contemplates Nietzsches ideal of a human, the Superman or ÃÅ"bermensch. While creating a literary response in comic book form, the students took the Clark Kent/Superman character and replaced him with a Nietzschean superhero who selfishly ignores the weak, hates Wagner operas, and can leap existential problems in a single bound. They had fun creating it, and it also displayed their knowledge of the plays themes. Some students might feel insecure about their drawing abilities. Assure them that it is their ideas that matter, not the quality of the illustrations. Also, let them know that stick figures are an acceptable form of creative analysis. Drama Rap Battles This works especially well with the complex works of Shakespeare. This activity can produce something incredibly silly. If there are sincere urban poets in your classroom, they might compose something meaningful, even profound. Take a soliloquy or a two-person scene from any Shakespearean play. Discuss the meaning of the lines, clarifying the metaphors and mythical allusions. Once the class understands the basic meaning, have them work in groups to create a modernized version through the art of rap music. Heres a brief albeit corny example of a rapping version of Hamlet: Guard #1: Whats that sound?Guard #2: All around- I dont know.Guard #1: Dont you hear it?Guard #2: This Denmark place is haunted by an evil spirit!Horatio: Here comes Prince Hamlet, hes a melancholy Dane.Hamlet: My mother and my uncle are driving me insane!Yo Horatio - why did we come out here?Theres nothing in the forest for me to fear.Horatio: Hamlet, dont get upset and dont go mad.And dont look now-Hamlet: ITS THE GHOST OF MY DAD!What is this apparition with eyes that fright?Ghost: I am thy fathers spirit who does forever walk the night.Your uncle killed your daddy, but that aint the bomb-That big jerk went and married your Mom! After each group is finished, they can take turns delivering their lines. And if someone can get a good beat-box going, all the better. Warning: Shakespeare might be spinning in his grave during this assignment. For that matter, Tupac might start spinning as well. But at least the class will have a good time. Standing Debate Set Up: This works best if students have room to stand up and move about freely. However, if that is not the case, divide the classroom into two sides. Each side should turn their desks so that the two large groups face each other- they should be ready to engage in some serious literary debate! On one side of the chalkboard (or whiteboard) the instructor writes: AGREE. On the other side, the instructor writes: DISAGREE. In the middle of the board, the instructor writes an opinion based statement about the characters or ideas within the play. Example:  Abigail Williams  (the antagonist of The Crucible) is a sympathetic character. The students individually decide if they agree or disagree with this statement. They move to either the AGREE SIDE of the  room or the DISAGREE SIDE. Then, the debate begins. Students express their  opinions and state-specific examples from the text to support their argument. Here are some interesting topics for debate: Hamlet truly goes insane. (He’s not just pretending).Arthur Miller’s  Death of a Salesman  accurately criticizes the  American Dream.Anton Chekhov’s plays  are more tragic than comic. In a standing debate, the students should feel free to change their minds. If someone comes up with a good point, the fellow classmates might decide to move to the other side. The instructor’s goal is not to sway the class one way or another.  Instead, the teacher should keep the debate on track, occasionally playing devil’s advocate to keep the students thinking critically. Generate Your Own Creative Analysis Activities   Whether you are an English teacher, a home school parent or you are just looking for an imaginative way to respond to literature; these creative activities are just a few of the endless possibilities.

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Mary Wollstonecrafts A Vindication of the Rights of Woman Essay

Mary Wollstonecrafts A Vindication of the Rights of Woman - Essay Example Grounding the idea of female rights, Wollstonecraft bases herself upon positions of the liberal theory of English philosopher John Lock about necessity of recognition of equal rights for all "full citizens". Paradox of the concept of liberalism of Lock, directed against despotism of absolute power, is that as "full citizens" of a potential liberal society he considered independent in relation to a monarch owners private, mainly the land property, which first of all are attributed with the ability to possess intellect, that is to be rational subjects (be capable to operate own land). "The central idea behind Wollstonecraft's work is that women are rational beings and should be treated as such"2. According to Mary Wollstonecraft, as the theorist of the liberal concept of female rights, the most important becomes the philosophical thesis about recognition of a female subject rational. Only in that case a woman has a chance to enter into a liberal continuum of "full citizenship" described by Lock. The other significant thesis is that female sensuality is not purely natural, but socially caused characteristic. Wollstonecraft states, "But, if women are to be excluded, without having a voice from a participation of the natural rights of mankind, prove first, to ward off the charge of injustice and inconsistency, that they want reason - else this flaw in your NEW CONSTITUTION will ever shew that man must, in some shape, act like a tyrant, and tyranny, in whatever part of society it rears its brazen front, will ever undermine morality"3.In conformity with the above said theoretical issues, considering modern position of women Wollstonecraft recognizes that the majority of women are not yet ready to act in a line with men as their intellect is insufficiently developed because of prevalence of sensual characteristics in it.However this position, in her opinion, is not a consequence of the special nature, female sensuality as considered Russo, or particular qualities of female intell ect as considered Kant. Such state of facts first of all is a result of the limited female education, and secondly of deprivations of women of basic civil rights, that is a consequence of certain social reasons which can be changed. Wollstonecraft's aim particularly in "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman" is "to add the individual and civil rights of women to the universal category"4. Therefore the main philosophical thesis of enlighteners, which was a subject of Wollstonecraft's critic, is Russo's thesis about "the special female nature", in which sensuality prevails of intellect. Wollstonecraft considers that femininity in that form as it is described by Russo, is a repressive social construct, which will cease to exist provided that socialization of women will pass in the same conditions as socialization of men. The basic object of criticism of Wollstonecraft is so-called "superfluous sensuality" which is imputed to women in Russo's philosophical concept. In her book the author opposes men, who are admired of excessive female sensitivity and stand up for its development. It calls such men "tyrants of sexuality", and women, which agree to cultivate such type of sensuality in itself (sensuality of a sexual object) she calls "slaves of pleasures". Wollstonecraft accepts that owing to sensuality women has an opportunity to use a special form of

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Ben Bernanke - Federal Reserve Chairman Assignment

Ben Bernanke - Federal Reserve Chairman - Assignment Example Ben found himself being an American since his paternal grandfather immigrated to Ellis Island on January 23, 1891. They shifted from New York to Dillon in the 1940s (Snowdown, 2002). This paper will seek to discuss Ben Bernanke’s history, education, background, and policy at the Federal Reserve. When Ben was a young adult or teenager, he worked construction and as a waiter at a nearby restaurant within the surroundings of his hometown of Dillon prior joining college. In order to afford upkeep for himself while he was at school, he worked during summers along the South of the Border. Ben was a religious person who used to assist with rolling the Torah scrolls in Dillon’s local synagogue. Despite the fact that Ben keeps his religious beliefs private, a close friend Mark asserted that, Ben embedded in who he is. This factor had his family concerned as they worried about him losing his Jewish identity (Snowdown, 2002). Education Ben Bernanke received his elementary educatio n at East Elementary, joined Martin Junior High, and then Dillon High School. Additionally, he played saxophone in the school’s marching band. Following the fact that Dillon High School did not offer calculus at that time, Ben resolved to teach it to himself. Surprisingly, he happened to achieve a SAT score reading 1590 over 1600. Given his tremendous performance, he joined Harvard University where he resided under the same roof with Lloyd Blankfein who would become the Chief Executive officer of Golden Sachs in the future. Bernanke graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in economics in 1975. From there, he went to study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where graduated in 1979 and received a doctorate philosophical degree in economics. This took place upon completing and defending his so-called dissertation long-term commitments, the business cycle, and dynamic optimization (Singleton, 2010). Bernanke had a thesis advisor named Stanley Fischer who would later become th e governor of the Bank of Israel in the future. Still on education, Ben Bernanke also taught at the Stanford Graduate School of Business beginning 1979 to 1985. Besides visiting the University of New York partly as a professor, he also went ahead to assume a part time professorate at the Princeton University in the Economics Department. Matters of education or academics revolved around his life as he chaired the Princeton University Department of Economics from 1996 to September 2002. However, his long-term related life around schools ceased when he left for a public service leave where he resigned his outstanding position at Princeton University on the first day of July in 2005 (Singleton, 2010). Background Ben Bernanke used to serve among members of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System as from 2002 until 2005. Ensuring his essence within the board, he delivered his first speech entitled Deflation that outlined what contemporary econometrics today refers to as the B ernanke Doctrine. As a Reserve System Reserve board member, he stipulated, on 20 February 2004, that the world is experiencing new era that he termed as the Great Moderation. He expounded that this is a situation where modern macroeconomic policies are decreasing the business cycle’s volatility to a particular point that it should no longer be a central concern in economics (Singleton, 2010).

Monday, January 27, 2020

Extended-Range Electric Vehicle

Extended-Range Electric Vehicle Abstract The main objective of this research is to extend the range of an electric vehicle  to cover a required distance with minimum usage of energy at least cost. This is  done by coupling an internal combustion engine to a generator which will charge  the batteries, when the charge level of the batteries comes down. Extended Range Electric Vehicle 1 Background Extended-range electric vehicles (EREV): Extended-range electric vehicles (EREV) are  the type of vehicles which run on electricity and a generator which is powered by either petrol or diesel. The generator is not used to run the vehicle whereas it helps in charging  the battery when charge goes less than 30%. The term extended range is used to indicate  that range of vehicle travel can be increased and this can be accomplished by using the  above method. [9] The normal electric vehicles are the ones which run only on the battery and when the  charge depletes, we need to _nd a charging point and need to wait until it gets fully  charged before continuing the travel. This type of vehicle is more suitable for short distance travel as this kind of vehicle will be having lesser range, when compared to other  vehicles which runs on fuel. The other kind of vehicles that are more recently being used is Hybrid vehicle. This is  powered by combination of petrol or diesel engine and a battery [10]. The propulsion  system will usually be of more than one type. When charge runs out of the battery the  internal combustion engine starts to work to power the vehicle and vice versa.   2 Literature Review 2.1 Introduction: The Extended Range Electric Vehicle (E-REV) is a unique kind of vehicle, where battery  and internal combustion engine required for propulsion are sized in a way such that the  engine will not be required for the vehicle operation when there is enough charge in the  battery. There is no need to start the engine for any power or speed requirement. The  only time the engine is used is to charge the battery when the charge depletes and becomes incapable of driving any further. [1] Electric motors are more e_cient when compared to internal combustion engine with  very high power-to-weight ratios which provides required torque when driving over a  wide speed range. On the other hand internal combustion engines are e_cient when it  operates at a constant speed. The working of internal combustion engine is more complicated when compared to electric motor [8]. The main advantage of using E-REV is the  fuel consumption is saved as very little fuel is used to charge the battery. The bene_t  is to both the people and society as running cost is reduced and on the other and the  pollution from the vehicle is minimized. The main problem with the fuel powered vehicles is the energy consumption is high. Energy production worldwide is growing annually by 2% as the demand is increasing due  to population growth and industrial activities. In this situation Electric Vehicles provide a very good means of transportation. And still  we dont prefer electric vehicles because of their poor range, even the best electric scooters  having a range of only 40km in real world conditions. This is one of the main disadvantages of electric vehicles/ scooters. In the present year due to depletion of fossil fuels,  electric vehicle provide a clean mode of transportation. Since, these vehicles soul utilizes  electricity for the transportation purpose, need of fossil fuel derivatives like gasoline and  diesel are avoided. [3] But battery operated vehicles (electric vehicles) have an uncertainty with respect to the  distance travelled for a given charge level (range). In most of the cases the charge may  not be su_cient to cover the desired distance which will fail the objective. The main objective of EREV is to achieve larger distance with minimum usage of energy  at least cost by taking electric scooter as a source. The solution will go like this- Coupling  an Internal Combustion (IC) Engine to a generator (mobile type) which will charge the  batteries, when the charge level of the batteries comes down. So while travelling, if the  charge level comes down, IC engine will be turned ON and generator will charge the  batteries until _nding a plug in source. [7] In this IC engine is coupled with a Permanent Magnet Direct Current (PMDC) motor  (which acts as a generator) and the whole set is mounted on the foot board of the electric  scooter. Connections are made between the generator and batteries through a charging  circuit (to avoid load uctuation). In this _rst IC engine (Petrol/Kerosene run, 3000 rpm, and 1.1 kW) is mounted on the  foot board of an electric scooter. It can also be fabricated and placed under the seat, if  the engine is small and portable Then Flywheel of IC engine is connected to a PMDC Motor (60V, 5 amps @3000 RPM),  the power developed at the ywheel was coupled to the PMDC Motor through the V  Belt drive and a rated power output of 300 W (60V x 5A). The connections were given to the batteries through a charging circuit which helps in  developing the required current levels. Here 4 x 12V series connected batteries need to  be charged which requires 1.2 x 48 which is equal to 57.6V and hence 60V PMDC Motor  is used. And this is because of voltage drop on application of load. 2.2 Scope: Improved e_ciency(RANGE) Increased energy security Decreased Emissions Reduced travel costs Engine can be detached for shorter distance Petroleum used is less 2.3 Some of the challenges are: Charging time is more [2] Measuring fuel economy is di_cult need of extra space in the vehicle Limited weight carrying capacity Needs more space for the engine Initial high investment Contents Features Range 40-50 Kms Top speede 40Km/hr Charging Time 4-6 hours Brakes 4 meter braking distance Motor type Permanent magnet synchronous motor Motor driving power 500W Battery Sealed lead acid, 12V 17Ah in series 2.4 Components Of Extended Range Electric Vehicle: Fig-2.1 Components of E-REV There are two operation modes: the pure electric vehicle (EV) mode and the range extended electric vehicle mode. For daily short-distance travel, the vehicle operates in pure  battery EV mode without the range extender. At weekend, you can assemble the range  extender on the EV for a long distance travel. The generator set is controlled with constant speed and its output is constant voltage  and frequency, such as 220V, 50Hz. The output of the generator set is connected to the  interface of the charger. Unlike a conventional generator set, this generator set provides  rated output by controlling the output current of the charger. This ensures that the generator set works at the highest e_cient point and has a low emission. The battery can  also be charged by the charger with a household outlet or fast charged at charging station.   Percentage of EV mode driving determined by total distance driven beyond vehicles all electric range 35 miles of each segment would be driven in EV mode if: All charging events end with a full battery Vehicles EV mode range is exactly 35 miles Of course EV mode operation varies based on charging duration, power level, battery  state of charge at beginning of charge, driving style, conditions, etc.[6] 2.5 Distance between charging events v/s Percentage of vehicles: It is very important to note that about 32% of Electric vehicles o_er a range or distance  covered per charge of about 40-45 kms. To cover any distance beyond the normal range, the Electric vehicle has to be charged  once again using a Plug-In source which is the main drawback of the electric vehicle which  is need to be recti_ed. 2.6 Ending State Of Charge (SOC) v/s Percentage of charging units: From the below graph it is inferred that about 90% of the recharging event happens at  home location, meaning that if the range of Electric vehicle is about 40km, then they end  up in home before completing 40km to recharge. This is one of the biggest disadvantages which hinder the use of Electric Scooter.[6] 2.7 Charging Circuit Speci_cations: 12V Battery Maximum voltage for charging is 14.5 Volts Charging Current Maximum charging current should not exceed 10% of maximum A/H  capacity of Battery. Example: For 100AH Battery 10% = 100/10= 10A. In the experiment 12V / 17AH battery is used. Maximum Charging Current I = 17/10 = 1.7 A. Minimum Charging Voltage V = 2.35 V /Cell x 6 = 14.10 V This means for four batteries, = 14.10 x 4 = 56 V 2.8 Outcome: First, the cost required to travel 80 kms in a gasoline scooter is calculated for which  cost comes around AUD 6. Next Conventional Electric scooter for which the experiment is conducted took  about AUD 1 (Cost of Current) to cover the same distance. The main disadvantage is to _nd the plug-in source after the use of _rst charge  which is about 40kms. Then covering 80kms in a single stretch is not possible. Then Extended Range Electric Scooter is used and the cost came around AUD 2  to travel the same distance. Here it runs as an electric scooter for _rst 40km and once the charge is empty, then  the IC Engine-PMDC Motor setup is switched on mechanically to travel the next  40km. 2.9 Features of the electric scooter: Power Consumption: One Unit (for complete charge). Safe speed and easy to drive. Low maintenance cost. 2 seater vehicle (The vehicle is designed to carry a maximum payload of 130 kgs.) For shorter distance engine can be removed and can run only on electricity. 3 Methodology Fig-3.1 Electric scooter with Range Extender STEP 1: Mounting an IC engine (Petrol/Kerosene run, 3000 rpm, and 1.1kW) on the  foot board of an electric scooter. STEP 2: Flywheel of IC engine is connected to a PMDC Motor. STEP 3: The power developed at the ywheel was coupled to the PMDC Motor through  the V Belt drive. STEP 4: The connections were given to the batteries through a charging circuit which  helps in developing the required current levels.   STEP 5: When the charge indicator shows charge is less, IC engine will be turned ON  mechanically. STEP 6: PMDC Motor will produce electricity to maintain the battery level until _nd-ing a plug in source. STEP 7: The power developed from the engine generates electricity through the PMDC  motor and charges the batteries through the Charging Circuit. The charging circuit  charges the batteries at the rate of 3 A. STEP 8: The Scooter will be tested for the improved range. 4 Conclusion and Summary Based on the tests carried out to extend the range of the electric scooter as explained in  the previous chapter and within the scope of this investigation the following conclusions  have been drawn. 1. Initially the Electric scooter runs on Battery charge completely and when the charge  is low, the IC engine runs the scooter by charging the batteries simultaneously.   2. The range of electric scooter is e_ectively increased by using IC Engine PMDC  setup through the charging circuit. 3. The range of Extended Range Electric Vehicle(E-REV) is comparatively more than  the conventional Electric vehicles. 4. On conducting tests with varying some of the parameter following observations is  made: When input current(amps) to the charging circuit increases, the time taken to  charge the batteries decreases. 5. On the basis of comparison between the results obtained of Extended Range Electric Vehicle(E-REV) and conventional Electric Scooter it is clear that the distance  covered per charge is comparatively more for E-REV. References [1] Extended-range electric vehicles (E-REV)  https://www.goultralow.com/more-about-electric-cars/types-of-vehicles/range-extended/ [2] Beginners guide to electric cars The Charging Point  http://www.thechargingpoint.com/beginners-guide.html/ [3] Techsplanations: Extended-Range Electric Vehicles  http://www.autoblog.com/2013/12/20/extended-range-electric-vehicles/ [4] Low-noise range extender dispels battery runtime angst  http://www.rheinmetall-automotive.com/en/products/range-extender/ [5] Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs)  http://www.ieahev.org/about-the-technologies/plug-in-hybrid-electric-vehicles/ [6] Research gate  http://www.researchgate.net/_gure/279853330-_g5-Figure-5-Distribution-of-distance-driven-per-vehicle-day-on-days-when-the-vehicle-was [7] Hybrids explained: Mild v Full v Plug-in v Extended Range Electric Vehicle  http://www.caradvice.com.au/279850/hybrids-explained-mild-v-full-v-plug-in-v-extended-range-electric-vehicle/ [8] Electric Cars: De_ning Battery-Electrics, Plug-In Hybrids, Range-Extended  http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1098066-electric-cars-de_ning-battery-electrics-plug-in-hybrids-range-extended-more/ [9] Extended Range Electric Cars (E-REV) Doing away with Range Anxiety  http://www.thegreenage.co.uk/extended-range-electric-cars-doing-away-with-range-anxiety/ [10] Electric vehicle range https://www.ergon.com.au/network/smarter-energy/electric-vehicles/electric-vehicle-range/

Saturday, January 18, 2020

Possible Community Health Hesi Topics

Potential Community Health HESI Topic Areas These are some additional areas you may want to considering being familiar with: Ancathosis nigricans A skin condition characterized by dark, thick, velvety skin in body folds and creases. Most often, acanthosis nigricans affects your armpits, groin and neck. There's no specific treatment for acanthosis nigricans † but treating any underlying conditions, such as diabetes and obesity, may cause the changes in your skin changes to fade Characteristics of acanthosis nigricans include: Skin changes. Skin changes are the only signs of acanthosis nigricans.You'll notice dark, thick, velvety skin in body folds and creases † typically in your armpits, groin and neck. Sometimes the lips, palms or soles of the feet are affected as well. Slow progression. The skin changes appear slowly, sometimes over months or years. Possible itching. Rarely, the affected areas may itch. Acanthosis nigricans is often associated with conditions that increa se your insulin level, such as type 2 diabetes or being overweight. If your insulin level is too high, the extra insulin may trigger activity in your skin cells. This may cause the characteristic kin changes.Question pertained to nurse checking for lice and noticing dark patch of skin on neck. Advisor role Antepartum – risk factors Anthrax incubation and exposure Assess trends and patterns Assessing income Assessment – validation Assignments – home care; Make sure students know how to prioritize home health clients (i. e. which ones to see/call back first. ) When given the choice between a patient with COPD who is short of breath, a terminally ill pt who refuses to eat or drink, or a pt with congestive heart failure who has gained 3 lbs, choose the last one. Asthma triageBattering-communication If the question pertains to a nurse suspecting a female patient has been abused and the woman has her child in the room with her, the nurse should ask the child to leave the room and question the woman about the abuse. The question does not pe rtain to the child being abused. Breast cancer-risk (who is at greatest risk) Calculate rate – population COBRA-cost (client still has to pay for expenses) When the question asks what would be a concern for a person who has lost their Job but has COBRA, the answer is paying for health care/expenses.Communicable disease (pertussis) Community – assessment Community Assessment – TB Community data source Community education – evaluate Community resource – elderly Community resources-population age Community resources – rural Community strategies – mental deficiencies Cultural competence Cultural -lactose intolerant Cultural – Native American (Native Americans are at high risk for diabetes – have the highest rates, so the nurse needs to screen for and educate about this).Culturally sensitive teaching CV disease – African American Diabetes AIC If a nurse is working in a community with high rates of diabetes and implements a rogram, at the end of 1 year (or whatever evaluation period is stated) the nurse will want to evaluate hemoglobin A1 C levels to determine effectiveness of program.Disaster – Cholera (Priority for treating those with cholera: fluid and electrolytes) Disaster- Professional Disaster – red tag triage Disaster planning Disaster Preparedness – START Disaster triage – color system Elder abuse-Home setting Elder health – assessment Employee health Epidemiological triad host Epidemiological triad agent Fall in home Family assistance – ophthalmic meds Family ecomapFlu vaccine-priority Gatekeeper Genetic risk – assessment Geriatrics – home nutrition Geriatric syndrome – home health GTD-hCG values Health Promotion Program – Planning Heart healthy diet – limit Heat stroke If an adolescent is playing sports at school and goes to the school nu rse with red, dry skin and other symptoms of heat stroke, the first thing the nurse should do is call for emergency personnel (not assess). Hepatitis A – risk Hep B vaccine – pregnancy Hepatovax B allergy Home care referral Home Health – Management Home health – PT Home safety – post arthroplastyHypertension-BP measure Immunize – 3rd world country Immunization rates Increase vaccination rates Infant mortality rate Influenza -prophylactic Relenza Lillian Wald – Henry Street (she established the Henry Street Settlement) Lipid screening Long-term care-infection Long-term car – fall prevention Meals-on-wheels Medicare Menomune vaccine Migrant worker risks Morbidity data – gather Morbidity data-glaucoma If a nurse is working with an elderly population and most of them are choosing to get a surgery that will CURE glaucoma, then the nurse will be concerned with assessing revalence of glaucoma (not morbidity).Needs assessment Ne ighborhood safe houses Neuman model – line of defense Obese children-parent involvement Occupational health – smoking Occupational nurse practitioner role Oral contraceptives – smokers Osteoporosis – prevention Outcome evaluation Polypharmacy – GERI Post vaccination teaching Primary prevention – adolescents Primary prevention – WIC Priority – HF lab results Program goal setting ty Care – nursing nome Quality Care – public clinic management Quality health – bicycle safety Rash with fever – PEDI (chicken pox)Ritalin evaluation – adolescent Assessing intervention with ADHD in an adolescent: get their feedback on improvement, as their self-esteem is priority School age screen (obesity) School nurse role If an adolescent comes to a school nurse and tells her she is pregnant, the nurse will want to implement measures to ensure the teen and her baby are healthy. These things include referral to prena tal care, encouraging prenatal vitamins, etc.The nurse will NOT tell the parents and things like arranging childcare or teaching breastfeeding are not something the school nurse will be involved in. creening – DM – PEDI Screening priority Question regarding hypothyroidism and the nurse recognizes that mental dysfunction is a long-term consequence. What is screening priority? Answers included screening for T3 in preschoolers or children (? ), iodine screening in people over 60, TSH in women over 45, and T4 in newborns. The answer is T4 in newborns.Seat belt safety-adolescents Secondary prevention – tobacco Secondary prevention – children Sensitivity of tests Social organization Stakeholder If a community health nurse is going into a community to try to develop or implement n intervention, remember one of the key things he/she must do is form a relationship with someone who would be identified as the stakeholder. Stakeholders will be someone who is invested in the health of the community and will be invested in the program to be implemented.They will be vital in the nurse gaining access into the community, the success of the program, and ensuring the sustainability of the program. STD-Reporting If an adolescent goes to the health dept and is diagnosed with chlamydia, the nurse must report this. It is a reportable disease that is monitored by the state and the CDC, and the disease intervention specialist must be informed to do contact tracing.

Friday, January 10, 2020

Kodak Case Study

KODAK CASE STUDY SRN 162658 1. Summary 2. Brief Introduction a. Introduction of a Strategic Position b. Introduction of Eastman Kodak Company 3. Analysis of Strategic Position of Kodak a. Analysis of External Environment i. General Environment ii. Industry Environment iii. Competitive Environment of Kodak iv. Introduction of Directional Policy Matrix v. Apply Directional Policy Matrix to Kodak vi. Conclusion b. Internal Resource Audit i. Physical Resources of Kodak ii. Human Resources of Kodak iii. Financial Resources of Kodak iv. Intangibles of Kodak c. Introduction of SWOT Analysis i. Apply SWOT Analysis to Kodak i. Conclusion 4. International marketing and recommendations 5. Appendices 1. Executive summary This essay attempts to analyse the strategic position of Kodak through different models/tools of strategic audit. The first section of this essay describes the context of strategic position and introduces the background of Kodak and its strategic position in present. Three steps analysis are followed in second section to analyse the strategic position of Kodak: Directional Policy Matrix is applied to analyse the competitive environment of Kodak; different types of resources of Kodak are audited and listed in etail; SWOT analysis is applied to identify Kodak’s competences. Through above three steps, we can acquire a clear understanding of Kodak’s strategic position. In the last section of this essay, it summarises the application of different models/tools of strategic management and international marketing, and points out the disadvantages of these models/tools as well as the recommendation of further application of them. 2. Brief Introduction a. Introduction of Strategic Position Organisations vary widely. Some are simple and consist of only one business while others are complex, with the group as a whole containing many businesses. Whatever the size or complexity of organisations, they are all faced with the need to manage their survival and development over the long term. â€Å"Strategy is the direction and scope of an organisation over a long term: which achieves advantages for the organisation through its configuration of resources within a changing environment, to meet the needs of markets and to fulfil stakeholders expectations. † (Johnson, G. & Scholes, K. 1999: 10). Strategy exists at a range of levels in an organisation and includes Corporate Strategy, Business Unit Strategy and Operational Strategy from higher level to lower. With a clear strategy, it is essential to manage an organisation through Strategic Management. Strategic Management combines by three interlinked components: Strategic Analysis, Strategic Choice and Strategic Implementation. In looking at Strategic Analysis, its main aim is to attempt to understand the Strategic Position of the organisation. Strategic Choice and Strategic Implementation are the following steps of Strategic Analysis. Strategic Position of an organisation can be viewed in terms of its external environment, internal resources and competences as well as the expectations and influence of stakeholders. These factors, forming a view of the key influences on the present and future direction and scope of the organisation, assist us to analyse the development and survival of the organisation over a long term. In this essay, accordingly, we will analyse the Strategic Position of an example organisation through four aspects as following: †¢ External Environment †¢ Internal Resources Competences †¢ Expectations of stakeholders b. Introduction of Eastman Kodak Company Eastman Kodak Company (Kodak), based in New York, is a major player in the world’s market for photographic and imaging products and systems. With a strategy of company’s focus on pictures, new products, a strengthening market position, and investments for growth, Kodak has experienced in traditional film and photo im aging business for more than a century. As time goes by, it also suffers the threat from the overwhelming digital trend. With sales of $9. billion in 2008, the company is committed to a digitally oriented growth strategy focused on the following businesses: Health – supplying the healthcare industry with traditional and digital image capture and output products and services; Graphic Communications – offering on-demand color and black and white printing, wide-format inkjet printing, high-speed, high-volume continuous inkjet printing, as well as document scanning, output and storage products and services; Digital & Film Imaging Systems – providing consumers, professionals and cinematographers with digital and traditional products and services; and Display & Components – which designs and manufactures state-of-the-art organic light-emitting diode displays as well as other specialty materials, and delivers imaging sensors to original equipment manufacturers. 3. Analysis of strategic position of Kodak Success in modern world requires constant innovation and change – things most of the organisation are not known very well. This environment changes so rapidly that even the best idea can fade fast. Perhaps this is the reason that environment is so important to an organisation. a. Analysis of External Environment i. General Environment Technological Environment. The influx of technological advancements into the photographic marketplace has presented the industry with a unique set of challenges and possibilities. Technological discoveries and enhancements have hastened the growth of the traditional silver-halide market. In addition, with the onset of digital technology, the industry is faced with chance to expand its business through venturing more into digital imaging which is currently putting forth enticing opportunities. On the downside, considering the electronic nature of the products offered in line with digital imaging (eg. scanners, printers, etc. ), entry of potential competitors, particularly from the electronics group who may have equally competent resources and capabilities, is still at a height. As a result, the structure of the industry may be altered. Socio-Cultural Environment. With society’s increasing awareness over environmental preservation, possible hindrance in the growth of the players in the industry is present. The film marketed by these companies, as an example, are currently packaged in plastic non-biodegradable tube cases. As a response to environmental concerns and grievances, repackaging using nature-friendly materials may be ensued. This also holds true with single-use cameras (SUCs) which is primarily composed of plastic non-biodegradable materials. Here, companies may either reduce its margin or impose higher prices over its products in repackaging its products to be environmental-friendly brought by a possible increase in its production cost. The market’s culture may also impede the entry of global industry players. As an example, with Japan’s resistance to Western influence and its society’s higher preference over locally made products, foreign industry players would most likely have difficulty in penetrating in this geographical segment. In addition, with the fact ascertained that photographic products are usually used in instances of special occasions (eg. weddings, birthdays, holidays, fiestas, etc. ), regularity of celebration of these occasions would deeply affect the demand of the products. Economic Environment. The global scale of the photographic market presents some threats to its core business. Sales in its geographical segments would generally differ according to a country’s economic state. Sluggish economy or economies under recession decrease sales as a result of delayed spending on leisure goods. In addition to the state of the economy, tariff and foreign trade laws may render leisure good spending in lull brought by higher prices as a result of the duties imposed on the goods. Tourism economy, as a whole, has a direct effect on the industry. As the number of tourists decrease, usage of photographic materials would most likely decrease demand. Legal or Political Environment. Legal influences may hamper the growth of some players in the industry. Antitrust laws, for example, may limit expansion of industry players through its provisions. On the brighter side, however, this may protect the position of a company in the market. Foreign laws, in addition, in its move to protect local firms, may thwart the entry of global producers in its market. Furthermore, patent and proprietary rights laws would deter firms to expand, venture, and produce patented products. ii. Industry Environment Threat of New Entrants. With great barriers, the threat of new entrants in the industry is at a low level. This is brought about by the sizeable investment required in procuring manufacturing equipments for a potential entrant. Due to narrow margins, manufacturers need to rely on mass production in order to take advantage of economies of scale. This keeps start-up costs high, making it difficult for new entrants to the market. Furthermore, marketing costs are also high for these entrants for it to be able to topple down existing players or even penetrate the market. This is in view of the current industry players, which if characterized, are established and successfully positioned in the market obtaining brand loyalty. Also, with the length of these companies’ operations in mind, they have been riding down the experience curve; as a result, economies of scale and cost advantage have already been achieved. In addition, prospecting players must introduce into the market differentiated products that are more enhanced than that offered by existing players, which would require it to spend a substantial amount in research and development projects. However, with the emerged digital imaging in view, the risk posed by potential industry entrants may be shifted from a low level to a moderate one. This is in view, as stated in the earlier part, of the electronic nature of some products offered by the digital imaging technology which has the possibility of attracting electronic companies who may possess capabilities and competencies that could equal or even exceed that of the current industry players. Rivalry among Established Competitors. Firms under the photographic industry operate in an oligopolistic environment were few of the member firms share dominance such as Eastman Kodak, Samsung, Sony, Fuji Films and Canon. Competition among these firms is at a fierce level given the fact of its slow-growth particularly in the traditional photography. Here, with demand conditions at a moderate level of progress, firms closely compete to capture and increase market share through price wars. Exit barriers within the industry are at a high level as well contributing to the intense rivalry among industry players. Bargaining Power of Buyers. The influence set forth by the buyers in the industry is at a moderate degree. Though products offered by the firms in the industry have attained brand loyalty, cost advantage and economies of scale and has a lesser threat of substitute products, still, firms are forced by buyers to bargain for lower prices by the quantity of their purchase. In addition, with price wars evident among industry players, buyers take advantage on playing off with these firms to obtain cheaper costs or even present a threat of providing for a lesser shelf space. In b2b area some buyers can manage procurement through agencies that purchase on behalf of groups or organizations to secure competitive pricing through greater purchasing power. Such complex arrangements can sometimes create long lead times from tendering to delivery and that negatively affects company’s financial indicator, for example, cash flow. Bargaining Power of Suppliers. The pressure exerted by the suppliers over the firms in the industry is at a low degree. However, the production process requires diverse inputs, materials and processes, giving sometimes the suppliers increased power. Silver, for example, a major raw material in the industry is widely available. It is evidenced with the fact that in the past years, no direct relationship can be established that price of the commodity has been affected by fluctuations in the availability and price of raw materials. In fact, the photographic industry consumes about one-fourth of the global demand for silver. Furthermore, with the high level of availability of packaging materials, in this case plastic tubes and canisters, and boxes, bargaining power of suppliers is at a lesser scale. Threat of Substitute Products. Mobile phones, as they increase in power and sophistication, present the biggest challenge to the cheaper end of the market for photographic equipment. However, despite this, digital cameras and camcorders are still regarded as the preferred devices for taking quality pictures. iii. Competitive Environment of Kodak The external environment of Kodak is complex. As Kodak is focusing on imaging business, this market is the vital market for it. In digital age, more and more activities are related to digital means, same as more and more business are derived from digital technologies. Digital trend, indeed, is a long-term threat to one of Kodak’s business – silver print. At the beginning ? 2000s experts disagreed over how long it will take for digital imaging to start shrinking the worldwide traditional imaging market, but that day is already has come. Kodak operates in a number of different markets, including photographic equipment, film, electronic consumer goods, computing systems and printing. Consequently, it competes with general and specialised manufacturers and retailers across the range of its products and services. Its main competitors can be found in Appendix 1. iv. Introduction of Directional Policy Matrix ( (can be found in appendix 1) v. Apply Directional Policy Matrix to Kodak With detailed evaluation factors list in Table 1, we will find that Kodak has strong competitive strength in its core business of traditional imaging but this industry is around unattractive and average. On the other hand, digital imaging business is a promising market though Kodak is under intense competitive pressure every step of its way to the digital world. Based on aforementioned factors, we can draw up two pie charts in the matrix representing the Traditional Imaging market and Digital Imaging market as well as Kodak’s market share (Refer to Figure 1). Consequently, we can draw out the professional comments on these markets from the Directional Policy Matrix. For Digital Imaging market, Kodak should â€Å"invest to retain market share as industry grows† or even set it as â€Å"priority products and service†. While for Traditional Imaging market, â€Å"invest selectively to maximize cash generation† perhaps is the best choice to be selected. [pic] Figure 1. Directional Policy Matrix for Kodak (based on the Directional Policy Matrix of Shell) vi. Conclusion As mentioned above, it can be easily understood why Kodak selected Digital Imaging as its key business in present and in future whilst maintain its investment on the traditional Imaging market. It is apparent that Directional Policy Matrix provides a useful method to direct managers’ attention to key forces in the competitive environment, and brings forward questions about appropriate strategies for different business units and the portfolio as a whole. However, it should be kept in mind that the effectiveness of this approach depends on the precise information of a competitive nature between competitors in the market. Moreover, the procurement of the information in depth is not always straightforward. b. Internal Resource Audit Successful strategies depend not only on the analysis and understanding of external environment, but also the internal resources the organisation owns. Analysing the internal resources of the organisation involves both drawing up a list of the main resources and developing of the way the organisation operates. According to G. Johnson & K. Scholes’ classification (1999), internal resources can be grouped as following: †¢ Physical Resources †¢ Human Resources †¢ Financial Resources †¢ Intangibles As a multination company, Kodak owns huge resources to support its worldwide operation. According to above classification, we can identify the resources separately. i. Physical Resource of Kodak Kodak has its physical resources spread all over the world which include factories, laboratories, offices, land, building and equipments etc. ii. Human Resource of Kodak At the end of 2006 Kodak employed 40,900 people (full-time equivalent) of which 20,600 were based in the US. However, this was at the start of a major restructuring programme and employee numbers have been reduced significantly. In 2008, its total headcount had fallen to 24,400. In January 2009, it announced the loss of 4,500 more jobs when it posted a quarterly loss. Within these staff, there have great majority of excellent experts and skilled technicians as well as experienced marketers, salesmen, accountants and the repository of many kinds of professionals. iii. Financial Resources of Kodak The results reported in Kodak’s 2006 Annual Report showed remarkable advances towards achieving its ambitions. In comparison with the previous year, digital earnings increased from $72 million to $343 million, while digital revenue grew by $316 million. Cash generation was an important consideration for Kodak, since it had started 2006 with debts of $3,583 million and had to find over $500 million for restructuring costs. In that year, it managed to reduce its debts by $805 million. However, just as Kodak appeared to have made the transition to world leader in the digital market, the world economy took a nosedive, leaving the organisation fighting for survival. The results in 2008 revealed a fall in sales for the third year in a row and an overall operating loss of $442 million. In anticipation of the recession, Kodak made a number of changes to its structure and operations to help avoid the worst effects. Worse was yet to come. In 2009, sales fell by 24% in the quarter January to March, and a further 29% in the following quarter April to June. Kodak is predicting losses of up to $400 million and has already reduced its cash reserves by 39% to $1. 31 billion. The highest and lowest ordinary share values are tracked and reported on a quarterly basis in the 2008 Annual Report. In 2007, the shares were enjoying highs of around $30 and lows of about $22. Cyclical variation in share value is common, reflecting the timing of reporting results and dividends. However in 2008, share value did not rise above $22 and fell below $6 in the fourth quarter. More recently still, share value has fallen to an all-time low of $3 each. The sale of digital cameras worldwide has fallen by 4-5%, and their average retail price has fallen by 30%. Even so, the company has announced that its cash position is secure and it has plans to survive even if the recession continues. It has high hopes that its new inkjet printers that use silicon technology rather than individual ink cartridges will ease the company into recovery. iv. Intangibles of Kodak Kodak is one of the most famous brands in the world. This brand, come through more than one century’s worth of innovations, known by most of the customers and considered as the representation of picture. Besides this, Kodak also holds thousands of image and chromatology patents as well as its good alliance and co-operators. Introduction of SWOT Analysis SWOT analysis is the examination of an organisation’s strengths and weaknesses in relation to its possible opportunities and threats. The strengths and weakness of the organisation derive from the evaluation of its internal resource while the opportunities and threats depend on the assessment of its external environment. SWOT analysis represents an evaluation of how well the organisation utilises its resources to match the needs of the environment in which the firm operates and competes. According to the summary of R. Lynch (Lynch, R. 1997: 262), there have a ange of possible factors as to SWOT analysis. However, we will ignore the factors related to Opportunities and Threats analysis because they have been discussed in above section. In Figure 3 there have a list of the factors for Strengths and Weaknesses analysis. Apply SWOT analysis to Kodak (can be found in Appendix 2) Conclusion To making the best use of the strengths and negate or counter the weaknesses, it is a reasonable decision for Kodak to maintain its progress in Traditional Imaging business (Part 2 of Kodak Strategic Position) and concentrate on combining Digital Imaging and Traditional Imaging as a whole (Part 3 of Kodak Strategic Position). Moreover, Intangibles and Human Resources operate as unique resources and build up Kodak’s Core Competences: Reputation and Core Strengths & Key Skill in the markets Kodak operates. The application of SWOT analysis to organization as well as competitors can indicate a business its relative position in the market and again direct the firm towards appropriate strategies. However, SWOT itself provides no formal set of rules for strategic success, certain general guidelines may nonetheless be deprives from it. This analysis requires an overall understanding of both the environment and the resource capabilities, which likely will restrain the application of this analysis. 4. International marketing strategy The level of diversity of Kodak’s business helps the company to be global and take advantage of the disparate demands of consumer around the world. The company must encourage further diversification of Kodak’s business in the East. Kodak’s slow movement towards digital, coupled with the still early market demands of consumers in emerging markets have bought Kodak time by allowing it to still pursue its outdated model. It can be a result of this global reach, and ability for Kodak to straddle different technologies across locations that the company will continue to strengthen its balance sheet, reducing its debts, and generating more revenue in investable cash. That can happen largely credited to the emerging markets that may become the greatly needed cash-cows of Kodak’s business. In fact, probably the only reason why Kodak hasn’t completely dropped off the competitive landscape is due to emergent Eastern markets that offer a glimmer of hope of interim cash-flow. The key now is to recognise this reprieve and build a global strategy that can continue to exploit silver-halide technology, whilst getting the rest of the firm in shape to address the changed market in the West. Appendix 1 One way to consider the competitive position of Kodak is by means of the Directional Policy Matrix (Thompdon, L. J. 1993). This matrix is constructed above two axes: the Industry Attractiveness in horizontal axis and the organisation’s competitive position in vertical axis. By evaluating relevant factors of these two dimensions we can place appropriate positions for discussed organisation.    |   |Traditional Imaging |Digital Imaging | |Industry Attractiveness |Market Growth |Low |High | | |Supplier Pressure |Low |Low | | |Customer Pressure |High |High | | |Substi tute Products |Low |High | | |Government Action |Constraint |Support | | |Entry Barriers |Low |High | | |Competitive Pressure |High |High | |Competitive Position |Competition |High |High | | |Relative Market Share |High Low | | |Production Capability |High |Medium | | |Research and Development Record |High |Medium | | |and Strength | | | | |Financial Success |Medium |Low | | | | Appendix 2 Refer to Figure 3, there have available resources of Kodak listed in the top and their positive effects on the factors are indicated as â€Å" * †. Viewing from each row, we can obtain an overall evaluation of the resources’ contribution to a single factor and determine whether this factor is Strength or Weakness to Kodak. Furthermore, when viewing from each column, we can even acquire the contributions of one resource to different factors. In fact, Kodak has more strengths than weaknesses in Traditional Imaging market. †¢ It has strengths in Market Dominance and Financial & Cash Resource, thus there has sufficient cash provided for firm’s further activities. †¢ It also has strength in Reputation and Core Strengths & Key Skill, which suggest Kodak maintain its advantage in Traditional Imaging market. The weakness of differentiated product of Kodak in Traditional Imaging indicates that Kodak should extent its product lines to more areas. A rational way to do so is to combine Traditional Imaging with Digital Imaging to generate more innovation. | | Resources |Physical |Human |Financial |Intangibles | | | | |Factors |Resource |Resource |Resource | | | | |Traditional |Market Dominance |* |* |   |* |   |Strength | |Imaging | | | | | | | | Digital Imaging |Market Dominance | | |   |* |   |Weakness | | |Core Strengths & Key Skill | |* |   |* |   |Strength | | |Financial and Cash Resource |   |   | |   |   |Weakness | | |Reputation |   |   |   |* |   |Strength | | |Differentiated Products | | | | |   |Weakness | | While in Digital Imaging market, Kodak has little Strengths but more weakness. †¢ The strength in Reputation and Core Strengths & Key Skill recommends that Kodak continue making effort in Digital Imaging for further success. †¢ It has weakness in Market Dominance and Financial & Cash Resource, therefore Kodak still need invest more money to support its progress in Digital Imaging. The weakness of differentiated product in Digital Imaging also indicates that Kodak should combine Digital Imaging with Traditional Imaging. Seeing about the contribution of resources to factors in Figure 3, we can find that Intangibles and Human Resources represent substantial proportions in gettin g Kodak’s strengths. These two resources, together with other resource, build up the Threshold and Core Competence of Kodak. Appendix 3 Kodak Divisions The company’s products and services are categorized under the following different segments: Consumer photography: †¢ Digital cameras †¢ Software †¢ Printer and camera docks †¢ Online printing services †¢ Accessories †¢ Inkjet paper †¢ Picture maker †¢ Picture CD Film & processing †¢ Single-use cameras Professional products: Films: †¢ Colour transparency films: E-Family †¢ Colour negative films †¢ Laboratory and duplicating films †¢ Black-and-white films †¢ Advanced amateur film Papers: †¢ Professional papers and materials †¢ Inkjet photo paper †¢ Thermal printer media Chemistry: †¢ Photographic chemicals Digital Products: †¢ Professional digital cameras †¢ Digital photo printers †¢ Lab digitisation products †¢ P rofessional photoCD Medical imaging products: †¢ Digital radiography †¢ Computed radiography †¢ RIS/PACS †¢ Medical printing †¢ Mammography †¢ Oncology †¢ Molecular imaging †¢ Dental products Graphic communication products: Colour management and proofing †¢ Press, plates and printing systems †¢ Data management and storage †¢ Document management Business and government products: †¢ Document scanners †¢ Reference archive †¢ Micrographics †¢ Software †¢ Microfilm & more ———————– [? ] |#%,[email  protected]†¹Ã¢â‚¬â€ COOee? -oeYIoA? A ©?  ©?  ©Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã‚ ©Ã¢â‚¬ ¢? A? z? nf^fRGh? $Ah|[3mHsHh? $Ah|[3mHo([pic]sH h? $AmHsH h|[3mHsHhYfOh? $AmHo([pic]sHhYfOh? $ACJmHo([pic]sHhYfOh? $ACJmHsHh? $Ah? $AmHo([pic]sH hlVmHsHh? $Ah? $AmHsHhYfOh? $ACJmHo([pic]sHhYfOh? $ACJmHsHharAharA5? CJmHsHharAharA5? CJ(mHsHharA5? CJ(mHsHFigure 3. SWOT Analysis for Koda k Table 1. Evaluation Factors for Directional Policy Matrix Kodak Case Study KODAK CASE STUDY SRN 162658 1. Summary 2. Brief Introduction a. Introduction of a Strategic Position b. Introduction of Eastman Kodak Company 3. Analysis of Strategic Position of Kodak a. Analysis of External Environment i. General Environment ii. Industry Environment iii. Competitive Environment of Kodak iv. Introduction of Directional Policy Matrix v. Apply Directional Policy Matrix to Kodak vi. Conclusion b. Internal Resource Audit i. Physical Resources of Kodak ii. Human Resources of Kodak iii. Financial Resources of Kodak iv. Intangibles of Kodak c. Introduction of SWOT Analysis i. Apply SWOT Analysis to Kodak i. Conclusion 4. International marketing and recommendations 5. Appendices 1. Executive summary This essay attempts to analyse the strategic position of Kodak through different models/tools of strategic audit. The first section of this essay describes the context of strategic position and introduces the background of Kodak and its strategic position in present. Three steps analysis are followed in second section to analyse the strategic position of Kodak: Directional Policy Matrix is applied to analyse the competitive environment of Kodak; different types of resources of Kodak are audited and listed in etail; SWOT analysis is applied to identify Kodak’s competences. Through above three steps, we can acquire a clear understanding of Kodak’s strategic position. In the last section of this essay, it summarises the application of different models/tools of strategic management and international marketing, and points out the disadvantages of these models/tools as well as the recommendation of further application of them. 2. Brief Introduction a. Introduction of Strategic Position Organisations vary widely. Some are simple and consist of only one business while others are complex, with the group as a whole containing many businesses. Whatever the size or complexity of organisations, they are all faced with the need to manage their survival and development over the long term. â€Å"Strategy is the direction and scope of an organisation over a long term: which achieves advantages for the organisation through its configuration of resources within a changing environment, to meet the needs of markets and to fulfil stakeholders expectations. † (Johnson, G. & Scholes, K. 1999: 10). Strategy exists at a range of levels in an organisation and includes Corporate Strategy, Business Unit Strategy and Operational Strategy from higher level to lower. With a clear strategy, it is essential to manage an organisation through Strategic Management. Strategic Management combines by three interlinked components: Strategic Analysis, Strategic Choice and Strategic Implementation. In looking at Strategic Analysis, its main aim is to attempt to understand the Strategic Position of the organisation. Strategic Choice and Strategic Implementation are the following steps of Strategic Analysis. Strategic Position of an organisation can be viewed in terms of its external environment, internal resources and competences as well as the expectations and influence of stakeholders. These factors, forming a view of the key influences on the present and future direction and scope of the organisation, assist us to analyse the development and survival of the organisation over a long term. In this essay, accordingly, we will analyse the Strategic Position of an example organisation through four aspects as following: †¢ External Environment †¢ Internal Resources Competences †¢ Expectations of stakeholders b. Introduction of Eastman Kodak Company Eastman Kodak Company (Kodak), based in New York, is a major player in the world’s market for photographic and imaging products and systems. With a strategy of company’s focus on pictures, new products, a strengthening market position, and investments for growth, Kodak has experienced in traditional film and photo im aging business for more than a century. As time goes by, it also suffers the threat from the overwhelming digital trend. With sales of $9. billion in 2008, the company is committed to a digitally oriented growth strategy focused on the following businesses: Health – supplying the healthcare industry with traditional and digital image capture and output products and services; Graphic Communications – offering on-demand color and black and white printing, wide-format inkjet printing, high-speed, high-volume continuous inkjet printing, as well as document scanning, output and storage products and services; Digital & Film Imaging Systems – providing consumers, professionals and cinematographers with digital and traditional products and services; and Display & Components – which designs and manufactures state-of-the-art organic light-emitting diode displays as well as other specialty materials, and delivers imaging sensors to original equipment manufacturers. 3. Analysis of strategic position of Kodak Success in modern world requires constant innovation and change – things most of the organisation are not known very well. This environment changes so rapidly that even the best idea can fade fast. Perhaps this is the reason that environment is so important to an organisation. a. Analysis of External Environment i. General Environment Technological Environment. The influx of technological advancements into the photographic marketplace has presented the industry with a unique set of challenges and possibilities. Technological discoveries and enhancements have hastened the growth of the traditional silver-halide market. In addition, with the onset of digital technology, the industry is faced with chance to expand its business through venturing more into digital imaging which is currently putting forth enticing opportunities. On the downside, considering the electronic nature of the products offered in line with digital imaging (eg. scanners, printers, etc. ), entry of potential competitors, particularly from the electronics group who may have equally competent resources and capabilities, is still at a height. As a result, the structure of the industry may be altered. Socio-Cultural Environment. With society’s increasing awareness over environmental preservation, possible hindrance in the growth of the players in the industry is present. The film marketed by these companies, as an example, are currently packaged in plastic non-biodegradable tube cases. As a response to environmental concerns and grievances, repackaging using nature-friendly materials may be ensued. This also holds true with single-use cameras (SUCs) which is primarily composed of plastic non-biodegradable materials. Here, companies may either reduce its margin or impose higher prices over its products in repackaging its products to be environmental-friendly brought by a possible increase in its production cost. The market’s culture may also impede the entry of global industry players. As an example, with Japan’s resistance to Western influence and its society’s higher preference over locally made products, foreign industry players would most likely have difficulty in penetrating in this geographical segment. In addition, with the fact ascertained that photographic products are usually used in instances of special occasions (eg. weddings, birthdays, holidays, fiestas, etc. ), regularity of celebration of these occasions would deeply affect the demand of the products. Economic Environment. The global scale of the photographic market presents some threats to its core business. Sales in its geographical segments would generally differ according to a country’s economic state. Sluggish economy or economies under recession decrease sales as a result of delayed spending on leisure goods. In addition to the state of the economy, tariff and foreign trade laws may render leisure good spending in lull brought by higher prices as a result of the duties imposed on the goods. Tourism economy, as a whole, has a direct effect on the industry. As the number of tourists decrease, usage of photographic materials would most likely decrease demand. Legal or Political Environment. Legal influences may hamper the growth of some players in the industry. Antitrust laws, for example, may limit expansion of industry players through its provisions. On the brighter side, however, this may protect the position of a company in the market. Foreign laws, in addition, in its move to protect local firms, may thwart the entry of global producers in its market. Furthermore, patent and proprietary rights laws would deter firms to expand, venture, and produce patented products. ii. Industry Environment Threat of New Entrants. With great barriers, the threat of new entrants in the industry is at a low level. This is brought about by the sizeable investment required in procuring manufacturing equipments for a potential entrant. Due to narrow margins, manufacturers need to rely on mass production in order to take advantage of economies of scale. This keeps start-up costs high, making it difficult for new entrants to the market. Furthermore, marketing costs are also high for these entrants for it to be able to topple down existing players or even penetrate the market. This is in view of the current industry players, which if characterized, are established and successfully positioned in the market obtaining brand loyalty. Also, with the length of these companies’ operations in mind, they have been riding down the experience curve; as a result, economies of scale and cost advantage have already been achieved. In addition, prospecting players must introduce into the market differentiated products that are more enhanced than that offered by existing players, which would require it to spend a substantial amount in research and development projects. However, with the emerged digital imaging in view, the risk posed by potential industry entrants may be shifted from a low level to a moderate one. This is in view, as stated in the earlier part, of the electronic nature of some products offered by the digital imaging technology which has the possibility of attracting electronic companies who may possess capabilities and competencies that could equal or even exceed that of the current industry players. Rivalry among Established Competitors. Firms under the photographic industry operate in an oligopolistic environment were few of the member firms share dominance such as Eastman Kodak, Samsung, Sony, Fuji Films and Canon. Competition among these firms is at a fierce level given the fact of its slow-growth particularly in the traditional photography. Here, with demand conditions at a moderate level of progress, firms closely compete to capture and increase market share through price wars. Exit barriers within the industry are at a high level as well contributing to the intense rivalry among industry players. Bargaining Power of Buyers. The influence set forth by the buyers in the industry is at a moderate degree. Though products offered by the firms in the industry have attained brand loyalty, cost advantage and economies of scale and has a lesser threat of substitute products, still, firms are forced by buyers to bargain for lower prices by the quantity of their purchase. In addition, with price wars evident among industry players, buyers take advantage on playing off with these firms to obtain cheaper costs or even present a threat of providing for a lesser shelf space. In b2b area some buyers can manage procurement through agencies that purchase on behalf of groups or organizations to secure competitive pricing through greater purchasing power. Such complex arrangements can sometimes create long lead times from tendering to delivery and that negatively affects company’s financial indicator, for example, cash flow. Bargaining Power of Suppliers. The pressure exerted by the suppliers over the firms in the industry is at a low degree. However, the production process requires diverse inputs, materials and processes, giving sometimes the suppliers increased power. Silver, for example, a major raw material in the industry is widely available. It is evidenced with the fact that in the past years, no direct relationship can be established that price of the commodity has been affected by fluctuations in the availability and price of raw materials. In fact, the photographic industry consumes about one-fourth of the global demand for silver. Furthermore, with the high level of availability of packaging materials, in this case plastic tubes and canisters, and boxes, bargaining power of suppliers is at a lesser scale. Threat of Substitute Products. Mobile phones, as they increase in power and sophistication, present the biggest challenge to the cheaper end of the market for photographic equipment. However, despite this, digital cameras and camcorders are still regarded as the preferred devices for taking quality pictures. iii. Competitive Environment of Kodak The external environment of Kodak is complex. As Kodak is focusing on imaging business, this market is the vital market for it. In digital age, more and more activities are related to digital means, same as more and more business are derived from digital technologies. Digital trend, indeed, is a long-term threat to one of Kodak’s business – silver print. At the beginning ? 2000s experts disagreed over how long it will take for digital imaging to start shrinking the worldwide traditional imaging market, but that day is already has come. Kodak operates in a number of different markets, including photographic equipment, film, electronic consumer goods, computing systems and printing. Consequently, it competes with general and specialised manufacturers and retailers across the range of its products and services. Its main competitors can be found in Appendix 1. iv. Introduction of Directional Policy Matrix ( (can be found in appendix 1) v. Apply Directional Policy Matrix to Kodak With detailed evaluation factors list in Table 1, we will find that Kodak has strong competitive strength in its core business of traditional imaging but this industry is around unattractive and average. On the other hand, digital imaging business is a promising market though Kodak is under intense competitive pressure every step of its way to the digital world. Based on aforementioned factors, we can draw up two pie charts in the matrix representing the Traditional Imaging market and Digital Imaging market as well as Kodak’s market share (Refer to Figure 1). Consequently, we can draw out the professional comments on these markets from the Directional Policy Matrix. For Digital Imaging market, Kodak should â€Å"invest to retain market share as industry grows† or even set it as â€Å"priority products and service†. While for Traditional Imaging market, â€Å"invest selectively to maximize cash generation† perhaps is the best choice to be selected. [pic] Figure 1. Directional Policy Matrix for Kodak (based on the Directional Policy Matrix of Shell) vi. Conclusion As mentioned above, it can be easily understood why Kodak selected Digital Imaging as its key business in present and in future whilst maintain its investment on the traditional Imaging market. It is apparent that Directional Policy Matrix provides a useful method to direct managers’ attention to key forces in the competitive environment, and brings forward questions about appropriate strategies for different business units and the portfolio as a whole. However, it should be kept in mind that the effectiveness of this approach depends on the precise information of a competitive nature between competitors in the market. Moreover, the procurement of the information in depth is not always straightforward. b. Internal Resource Audit Successful strategies depend not only on the analysis and understanding of external environment, but also the internal resources the organisation owns. Analysing the internal resources of the organisation involves both drawing up a list of the main resources and developing of the way the organisation operates. According to G. Johnson & K. Scholes’ classification (1999), internal resources can be grouped as following: †¢ Physical Resources †¢ Human Resources †¢ Financial Resources †¢ Intangibles As a multination company, Kodak owns huge resources to support its worldwide operation. According to above classification, we can identify the resources separately. i. Physical Resource of Kodak Kodak has its physical resources spread all over the world which include factories, laboratories, offices, land, building and equipments etc. ii. Human Resource of Kodak At the end of 2006 Kodak employed 40,900 people (full-time equivalent) of which 20,600 were based in the US. However, this was at the start of a major restructuring programme and employee numbers have been reduced significantly. In 2008, its total headcount had fallen to 24,400. In January 2009, it announced the loss of 4,500 more jobs when it posted a quarterly loss. Within these staff, there have great majority of excellent experts and skilled technicians as well as experienced marketers, salesmen, accountants and the repository of many kinds of professionals. iii. Financial Resources of Kodak The results reported in Kodak’s 2006 Annual Report showed remarkable advances towards achieving its ambitions. In comparison with the previous year, digital earnings increased from $72 million to $343 million, while digital revenue grew by $316 million. Cash generation was an important consideration for Kodak, since it had started 2006 with debts of $3,583 million and had to find over $500 million for restructuring costs. In that year, it managed to reduce its debts by $805 million. However, just as Kodak appeared to have made the transition to world leader in the digital market, the world economy took a nosedive, leaving the organisation fighting for survival. The results in 2008 revealed a fall in sales for the third year in a row and an overall operating loss of $442 million. In anticipation of the recession, Kodak made a number of changes to its structure and operations to help avoid the worst effects. Worse was yet to come. In 2009, sales fell by 24% in the quarter January to March, and a further 29% in the following quarter April to June. Kodak is predicting losses of up to $400 million and has already reduced its cash reserves by 39% to $1. 31 billion. The highest and lowest ordinary share values are tracked and reported on a quarterly basis in the 2008 Annual Report. In 2007, the shares were enjoying highs of around $30 and lows of about $22. Cyclical variation in share value is common, reflecting the timing of reporting results and dividends. However in 2008, share value did not rise above $22 and fell below $6 in the fourth quarter. More recently still, share value has fallen to an all-time low of $3 each. The sale of digital cameras worldwide has fallen by 4-5%, and their average retail price has fallen by 30%. Even so, the company has announced that its cash position is secure and it has plans to survive even if the recession continues. It has high hopes that its new inkjet printers that use silicon technology rather than individual ink cartridges will ease the company into recovery. iv. Intangibles of Kodak Kodak is one of the most famous brands in the world. This brand, come through more than one century’s worth of innovations, known by most of the customers and considered as the representation of picture. Besides this, Kodak also holds thousands of image and chromatology patents as well as its good alliance and co-operators. Introduction of SWOT Analysis SWOT analysis is the examination of an organisation’s strengths and weaknesses in relation to its possible opportunities and threats. The strengths and weakness of the organisation derive from the evaluation of its internal resource while the opportunities and threats depend on the assessment of its external environment. SWOT analysis represents an evaluation of how well the organisation utilises its resources to match the needs of the environment in which the firm operates and competes. According to the summary of R. Lynch (Lynch, R. 1997: 262), there have a ange of possible factors as to SWOT analysis. However, we will ignore the factors related to Opportunities and Threats analysis because they have been discussed in above section. In Figure 3 there have a list of the factors for Strengths and Weaknesses analysis. Apply SWOT analysis to Kodak (can be found in Appendix 2) Conclusion To making the best use of the strengths and negate or counter the weaknesses, it is a reasonable decision for Kodak to maintain its progress in Traditional Imaging business (Part 2 of Kodak Strategic Position) and concentrate on combining Digital Imaging and Traditional Imaging as a whole (Part 3 of Kodak Strategic Position). Moreover, Intangibles and Human Resources operate as unique resources and build up Kodak’s Core Competences: Reputation and Core Strengths & Key Skill in the markets Kodak operates. The application of SWOT analysis to organization as well as competitors can indicate a business its relative position in the market and again direct the firm towards appropriate strategies. However, SWOT itself provides no formal set of rules for strategic success, certain general guidelines may nonetheless be deprives from it. This analysis requires an overall understanding of both the environment and the resource capabilities, which likely will restrain the application of this analysis. 4. International marketing strategy The level of diversity of Kodak’s business helps the company to be global and take advantage of the disparate demands of consumer around the world. The company must encourage further diversification of Kodak’s business in the East. Kodak’s slow movement towards digital, coupled with the still early market demands of consumers in emerging markets have bought Kodak time by allowing it to still pursue its outdated model. It can be a result of this global reach, and ability for Kodak to straddle different technologies across locations that the company will continue to strengthen its balance sheet, reducing its debts, and generating more revenue in investable cash. That can happen largely credited to the emerging markets that may become the greatly needed cash-cows of Kodak’s business. In fact, probably the only reason why Kodak hasn’t completely dropped off the competitive landscape is due to emergent Eastern markets that offer a glimmer of hope of interim cash-flow. The key now is to recognise this reprieve and build a global strategy that can continue to exploit silver-halide technology, whilst getting the rest of the firm in shape to address the changed market in the West. Appendix 1 One way to consider the competitive position of Kodak is by means of the Directional Policy Matrix (Thompdon, L. J. 1993). This matrix is constructed above two axes: the Industry Attractiveness in horizontal axis and the organisation’s competitive position in vertical axis. By evaluating relevant factors of these two dimensions we can place appropriate positions for discussed organisation.    |   |Traditional Imaging |Digital Imaging | |Industry Attractiveness |Market Growth |Low |High | | |Supplier Pressure |Low |Low | | |Customer Pressure |High |High | | |Substi tute Products |Low |High | | |Government Action |Constraint |Support | | |Entry Barriers |Low |High | | |Competitive Pressure |High |High | |Competitive Position |Competition |High |High | | |Relative Market Share |High Low | | |Production Capability |High |Medium | | |Research and Development Record |High |Medium | | |and Strength | | | | |Financial Success |Medium |Low | | | | Appendix 2 Refer to Figure 3, there have available resources of Kodak listed in the top and their positive effects on the factors are indicated as â€Å" * †. Viewing from each row, we can obtain an overall evaluation of the resources’ contribution to a single factor and determine whether this factor is Strength or Weakness to Kodak. Furthermore, when viewing from each column, we can even acquire the contributions of one resource to different factors. In fact, Kodak has more strengths than weaknesses in Traditional Imaging market. †¢ It has strengths in Market Dominance and Financial & Cash Resource, thus there has sufficient cash provided for firm’s further activities. †¢ It also has strength in Reputation and Core Strengths & Key Skill, which suggest Kodak maintain its advantage in Traditional Imaging market. The weakness of differentiated product of Kodak in Traditional Imaging indicates that Kodak should extent its product lines to more areas. A rational way to do so is to combine Traditional Imaging with Digital Imaging to generate more innovation. | | Resources |Physical |Human |Financial |Intangibles | | | | |Factors |Resource |Resource |Resource | | | | |Traditional |Market Dominance |* |* |   |* |   |Strength | |Imaging | | | | | | | | Digital Imaging |Market Dominance | | |   |* |   |Weakness | | |Core Strengths & Key Skill | |* |   |* |   |Strength | | |Financial and Cash Resource |   |   | |   |   |Weakness | | |Reputation |   |   |   |* |   |Strength | | |Differentiated Products | | | | |   |Weakness | | While in Digital Imaging market, Kodak has little Strengths but more weakness. †¢ The strength in Reputation and Core Strengths & Key Skill recommends that Kodak continue making effort in Digital Imaging for further success. †¢ It has weakness in Market Dominance and Financial & Cash Resource, therefore Kodak still need invest more money to support its progress in Digital Imaging. The weakness of differentiated product in Digital Imaging also indicates that Kodak should combine Digital Imaging with Traditional Imaging. Seeing about the contribution of resources to factors in Figure 3, we can find that Intangibles and Human Resources represent substantial proportions in gettin g Kodak’s strengths. These two resources, together with other resource, build up the Threshold and Core Competence of Kodak. Appendix 3 Kodak Divisions The company’s products and services are categorized under the following different segments: Consumer photography: †¢ Digital cameras †¢ Software †¢ Printer and camera docks †¢ Online printing services †¢ Accessories †¢ Inkjet paper †¢ Picture maker †¢ Picture CD Film & processing †¢ Single-use cameras Professional products: Films: †¢ Colour transparency films: E-Family †¢ Colour negative films †¢ Laboratory and duplicating films †¢ Black-and-white films †¢ Advanced amateur film Papers: †¢ Professional papers and materials †¢ Inkjet photo paper †¢ Thermal printer media Chemistry: †¢ Photographic chemicals Digital Products: †¢ Professional digital cameras †¢ Digital photo printers †¢ Lab digitisation products †¢ P rofessional photoCD Medical imaging products: †¢ Digital radiography †¢ Computed radiography †¢ RIS/PACS †¢ Medical printing †¢ Mammography †¢ Oncology †¢ Molecular imaging †¢ Dental products Graphic communication products: Colour management and proofing †¢ Press, plates and printing systems †¢ Data management and storage †¢ Document management Business and government products: †¢ Document scanners †¢ Reference archive †¢ Micrographics †¢ Software †¢ Microfilm & more ———————– [? ] |#%,[email  protected]†¹Ã¢â‚¬â€ COOee? -oeYIoA? A ©?  ©?  ©Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã‚ ©Ã¢â‚¬ ¢? A? z? nf^fRGh? $Ah|[3mHsHh? $Ah|[3mHo([pic]sH h? $AmHsH h|[3mHsHhYfOh? $AmHo([pic]sHhYfOh? $ACJmHo([pic]sHhYfOh? $ACJmHsHh? $Ah? $AmHo([pic]sH hlVmHsHh? $Ah? $AmHsHhYfOh? $ACJmHo([pic]sHhYfOh? $ACJmHsHharAharA5? CJmHsHharAharA5? CJ(mHsHharA5? CJ(mHsHFigure 3. SWOT Analysis for Koda k Table 1. Evaluation Factors for Directional Policy Matrix