George W. Bush and Darth Vader Essay

More often than not when comparing two characters, whether one be real and the other fictional, we come up with both similarities and differences between them. Seldom however do these similarities and differences between a fictional character and a person from the real world become so glaring that such comparison consequentially provide a substantial realization. One of such seldom case is the comparison of George W. Bush and Darth Vader. This paper will venture on comparing both characters and at the end provide a realization of such comparison. The two mentioned personalities need no introduction hearing these names will immediately give us an image of them in our heads. George W. Bush is the current president of the United States. Darth Vader on the other hand is the popular character in the Star Wars movies. On first instance it may seem that a comparison between these two personalities is absurd. This paper however will show us that such comparison is not without realization. It is submitted that on rare occasions seemingly trivial things such as comparison of Bush and Vader can in fact provide us with a realization far better than any other concept we have. To outline this paper will proceed on first stressing the similarities of both characters, then proceed with its differences and eventually state the realizations made through the conclusion Their Similarities Leaders The most obvious similarity between Vader and Bush is that they are both leaders. Leaders in their own respect Bush lead a nation and Vader leads an army. More worth noting in this similarity is not only the fact that both are leaders but the fact that both have the same way of leading. Vader and Bush exercise an attitude of strength in leadership that they do not think of casualties they however have the end in mind. Like the war in Iraq started by George W. Bush he was fearless in proceeding with such war even if he knew what it would cost. His ratings of popularity went down and the economy of his nation went down with it. Whenever one comes to war inevitably lives are put on the line. Bush was not hesitant in outing young military soldier’s lives on the line in order for him to achieve his goal and win his war on Iraq. The same ideology is shared by Darth Vader. Darth Vader always has a goal or a mission to accomplish. The ruthless use of his army to achieve his directives are clearly gleaned within his personality. In this type of leading we find the similarity between George W. Bush and Darth Vader. They both seem to share the ideology that making sacrifices in order to achieve a goal is necessary. They also have utter disregard for the cost and the consequences as long as they achieve this goal this is their way of leading. This is the kind of leading we see in the Star Wars Movies by Darth Vader and the kind of leading we see in America by George W. Bush. It is therefore submitted that because they have the same kind of ideology of leadership the result of their leadership hypothetically are the same. The end of Darth Vader has already been seen this type of leadership resulted in failure. The present administration of Bush has not yet ended but the seeming similarity of leadership ideology with Darth Vader can provide us with a reasonable conclusion that the administration of Bush will end in failure. The Saga Journal as proof of Vader’s leadership provides: â€Å"George Lucas has succeeded in creating one of the greatest cautionary tales for the aspiring leader in his portrayal of Darth Vader’s devastating reign of terror. Darth Vader embodies traits that make most contemporary leadership scholars cringe. † (Cited in: Michelle Drum, The Saga Journal) Perceived as Villains Another similarity between these two personalities is that many of us perceive them as villains. Villains in their own right majority of the people see both George W. Bush and Darth Vader as villains. Darth Vader very much like George W. Bush were not always perceived as Villains. They were first considered as heroes. George W. Bush could not have been president if the people did not think of him as a hero. He won the election two times. This is only proof that before George W. Bush was perceived as a villain he was considered as a hero. The same is true for Darth Vader. Darth Vader was not immediately Darth Vader before his transition to such character. He was the young and promising Anakin Skywalker his views were moral and he had a good sense of justice. This however changed because of the circumstances as provided in the movie. This only means that sometimes the famous quote in the batman movie might be true sometimes we see ourselves a hero long enough to become the villain. This is the similar circumstance of both Bush and Vader. In one of the articles of the National News it provided the perception of Bush being a villain as it said: â€Å"According to an Associated Press-AOL News poll, President Bush is both the number one villain and the number one hero of 2006. † (cited in: Two Sided Coin for Bush: Villain and Hero By Cathy Gill) Powerful The final similarity this paper will provide from all the similarities of these two characters is their power. There is no doubt that both George W. Bush and Darth Vader are very much powerful in every sense of the word. George W. Bush being the President of the United States of America and Darth Vader being the leader of the imperial army. Vader being perceived as powerful in an article in USA Today as it said â€Å"Not only is Vader powerful, he’s sexy, says David Prowse, who appears as Vader in the first three films and has made thousands of appearances as Vader in costume. † (Cited in: Breathing Life into Vader by Mike Snider) Their Differences Their Rise to Power Though it is granted that both George Bush and Darth Vader are powerful they however differ in the manner of their rise to power. Darth Vader used pure brute force in order to be the leader of the imperial army. He had to lean to the dark side in order to achieve this goal. George Bush on the other hand rose into power through the mandate of the American people. Bush rose into power because of his will and the will of the people. Darth Vader on the other hand had to search and conquer this power by himself. This difference in their rise of power gives us an insight on how they held this power. Darth Vader could hold his power until he wished to abandon it. Bush on the other hand is bound by the limits of mandate given to him. He can only have the power of being a chief executive according to the period of time given to him. This gives us an insight on why Bush tries his best to stay in power while Vader needlessly and calmly enjoys his power. This is because Vader’s power is not bound by any limits. Vader Quick on His Feet, Bush Not so Much Darth Vader even as a youngster known to be Anakin Skywalker has always been quick on his feet. His reflexes during his time were comparable to no one. Bush on the other hand has admitted that he might not be as quick on his feet than most people. This is reflected on the way Darth Vader and President Bush makes decisions. Darth Vader is ruthless and quick on making decisions. President Bush has apparently a considerable amount of thinking time before he can make a decision. This spells a very different effect of their leadership. Darth Vader being quick on his feet can easily command his subordinates and they follow him without question. The delay on the decision making however of President Bush spells a different story because of such his subordinates may not follow him right away and might even question his decisions. Bush Democracy, Vader Dictatorship The most important difference between these two personalities however lie in the fact that Bush leads through a democratic structure while Vader in every sense of the word is a dictator. This brings us to the question which kind of structure is more effective is it the democratic structure or the dictatorship? Dictatorship brings obedience, order and an unquestionable authority. Democracy however gives freedom for every individual. It is submitted that both structures have their advantages and disadvantages. It is further submitted however that ruling a democratic structure like the task of President Bush is much more difficult than ruling in a dictatorship like Darth Vader. In an article in the LA Times President Bush advocated this democracy as the article said: â€Å"President Bush made good Thursday on his inaugural vow to push for democracy around the world. † (Cited in: Bush Democracy Vows May Take Time to Bear Fruit by: Sonni Efron) Conclusion The similarities and the differences between the two personalities having been discussed we now proceed to the realizations this paper has to offer. George Bush and Darth Vader are two very different personalities. In fact one lives in the real world while one finds existence in a fictional movie. They are both leaders, they are both powerful and they are both perceived by many as leaders. On the other hand they differ on their rise to power, quickness in decisions and the structure where they lead. The most important thing we have to realize out of this comparison is the simple fact that Darth Vader’s story has already been told while George Bush’s story is still unraveling. This only means that we can learn from what happened to Darth Vader and necessarily imbue it with the unraveling of the story of George Bush. This will give us a reasonable conclusion on how George Bush’s story will end. The relevance of knowing how George Bush’s story will end is that if we are aware of the end then we can prepare for this end that we foresee. Works Cited †¢ Michelle Drum, The Saga Journal †¢ Two Sided Coin for Bush: Villain and Hero By Cathy Gill, December 29, 2006 †¢ Breathing Life into Vader by Mike Snider, April 22, 2005 †¢ Bush Democracy Vows May Take Time to Bear Fruit by: Sonni Efron, February 25, 2005

Evualiating strategies of Inter Continental Hotel groups Essay

1. Introduction This report will evaluate strategies of InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) in China and how they rose to being the biggest and most successful hotel operator in China. What strategies were formed and implemented to get to position. Then this report proceeds to define strategy and apply the SWOT, Porter’s diamond forces model and Porter’s five forces to IHG in China. 2.1 Company Profile – InterContinental Hotels Group InterContinental Hotel’s Group is one of the world’s leading hotel companies having 679000 in over 4,600 hotels in nearly 100 countries and territories around the world. IHG operates nine brands which are InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Crown Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites Hotels, Candlewood Suites Hotels, EVEN Hotels and HUALUXE Hotels. This portfolio includes everything from luxurious upscale hotels in the world’s major cities and resorts to reliable family oriented hotels offering great service and value. So guests travelling for business or leisure, honeymoon or a family holiday, IHG will have a hotel that’s right for them. 2.1.1 Goal: To grow by making their brands the first choice for guests and hotel owners 2.1.2 Strategy: To build the hotel industry’s strongest operating system focused on the biggest markets and segments where scale really counts. 2.1.3 Operating System: IHG’s operating system is made up of all the things they do to drive demand for their brands. This report will look at this in the next section. 2.2 Driving Demand This includes; Hotel distribution: 4,600 hotels in nearly 100 countries and territories around the world. When people travel, they look for familiar brands they know from home, increasing the demand for hotels that operate under their brands around the world. IHG’s Advertising and marketing campaigns: Annual fund totalling $1.2bn through a central fund where their franchisees pay a fee into, used on their behalf for marketing and promotions to generate demand for their hotels. Web/Mobile presence: Websites operating in 13 different languages and IHG have 6 different language apps for smartphones. IHG Rewards club: The world’s largest hotel loyalty scheme with over 76 million members. Reservation systems: Their 11 global reservation offices (call centres) are available to take hotel bookings from guests 24 hours a day in 11 different languages. Sales force: A global sales force of more than 17,600 professionals throughout the world, talking about and selling the booking of hotels under their brands to individuals and companies. Food and beverage: Over $4.6n of food and beverage revenue and over 4,500 outlets worldwide. Focusing on the biggest markets where their scale really counts ensures that IHG concentrate their resources on the opportunities that will provide the greatest return. 2.2 IHG Business Model IHG operates hotels in 3 different ways – as a franchisor, as a manager and on an owned and leased basis. Their business model focuses on managing and franchising hotels, whilst their business partners own the bricks and mortar. Below is the breakdown of IHG business: Franchising This is the largest part of IHG business: 3,955 hotels operate under franchise agreements. Managing IHG manage 689 hotels worldwide. Owning IHG owns 9 hotels worldwide (less than 1% of their portfolio). Source: IHG, 2013 2.3 IHG’s winning ways These are a set of behaviours based on IHG’s values helping them to become one of the very best companies in the world. These winning ways provide a strong sense of shared purpose, and are critical to driving their business performance forward, as well as making them a great, enjoyable place to work. These are: Doing the right thing Showing care Aiming higher Celebrating difference Work better together These winning ways make IHG a high-performing organisation that helps deliver their company’s core purpose – ‘Great Hotels Guests Love’. 3. Chinese culture and Chinese Hotel Industry Introduction of the Open Door Policy in 1978 opened the door to what would become decades of unprecedented economic growth in China’s history. Riding along the waves of new found economic liberty and the freedom to partner with foreign investors, China’s hotel investment community seized the opportunity to welcome outside investment. The hotel industry in China quickly developed from 137 properties in 1978 to 14,237 properties in 2009. One of the main catalysts of the rapid development seen in the hotel industry has been the expansion of multinational hotel groups into China (Guillet et. al., 2011). China is poised to become the number one international tourist destination in the future. Tourism in China, both domestic and international, has exploded in recent years along with the booming economy and foreign hotel companies are racing to fly their flags in key markets in China and capture a portion of the rapidly growing tourism market. China’s hotel industry is different from that of other countries due to ï ¬ erce competition, multiform ownership and management systems, coupled with China’s unique culture society (Kong and Cheung, 2009). The hospitality industry is one of the forerunners in economic development and privatization in China (Chan & Yeung, 2009). A strong local loyalty program is key to winning visitors as upper middle class Chinese are influenced by them when choosing a hotel (A.T. Kearney report, 2013). There are four barriers to hotel chain development in China, which are economic and political systems, hotel ownership, management capability and resources, and competition between local and foreign chains (Pine and Qi, 2004). Additional hurdles MHG’s may encounter when developing in China are: establishing a successful loyalty program, navigating the unpredictable government environment, understating the role of guanxi, finding skilled labour and dealing with high pollution levels (Chan & Yeung, 2009). 3.1 I HG’s strategies in China InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) entered China in the mid 1980’s. They were the first U.S. based MHG to focus on growth in China. IHG opened 8,084 new rooms in China in 2011 alone, bringing their total room count in China count to an astonishing 55,182 rooms. The new IHG hotel openings included four of their flagship luxury InterContinental. Hotels and 11 Crowne Plaza Hotels, which cater to the much sought after business travel segment. IHG reported 17.4% RevPAR (revenue per available room) for the year in 2011, which was a 10.7% increase over the previous year (HMA Staff, 2012). China is IHG’s second largest market after the United States and is likely to surpass the US to become their largest by number of rooms by 2025. IHG directly manages almost all its Chinese hotels and is currently the largest employer among all international hotel companies in the region, with nearly 60,000 employees working at its corporate office and hotels across over 70 cities in the country. IHG in December 2013 announced plans to recruit more than 110,000 employees between 2013 and 2015. IHG has a highly ambitious development strategy which includes deepening penetration in key cities such as Beijing and Guangzhou and targeting Tier 2, 3 and 4 cities. In 2012, IHG launched HUALUXE Hotels & Resorts, a new hotel brand specifically designed for Chinese guests, th e first of which is scheduled to open in 2014, with 21 hotels currently in the pipeline. The English name Hualuxe translates as â€Å"China luxury,† while the Chinese name reads Hua Yi. Hua means Chinese, and Yi stands for a city or a capital. Yi is also often associated with cognac, which is a sign of luxury in China. Positioned between the company’s upscale Crowne Plaza and luxury InterContinental brands, Hualuxe will focus on China’s second- and third-tier cities and is geared to please business travellers from domestic companies, state enterprises and government. IHG has confirmed 20 Hualuxe properties in destinations including Zhangjiajie, Changsha and Lijiang. â€Å"[The new China brand is] going to Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou in time, but not until [it’s entered] tier-two and tier-three cities because that’s where the future opportunity is,† Keith Barr, IHG Greater China’s CEO, told CNN travel. All figures as of 30th September 2013. Source: IHG website All figures as of 30th September 2013. Source: IHG website In China, IHG sees the greatest opportunity for growth of any single country and their strategy has been to enter the market early, to develop their relationship with key local third party owners and grow their presence rapidly. They also formed strategic alliances with large property developers with the benefit of getting multiple projects and the security of working with a reputable developers who have solid financial background (Fei, 2006). In a country with 659,000 branded hotel rooms, IHG is the largest international hotel company with over 61,000 rooms and more than 50,000 in the planning phase or under construction. This rapid pace of openings for IHG has been in anticipation of increasing demand for hotels, driven by a large, emerging middle class and growing domestic and international travel. Their approach is to find the right hotel owner as a means of benefitting from local knowledge. IHG then manages the hotel on the owner’s behalf, ensuring brand standards are consistently delivered. The owners, in turn, are keen to operate under the group’s well-established international cachet. IHG focuses on franchising and management of the properties. Typically, the senior management of the hotel such as the general manager and the financial controller are IHG employees with the third-party owner employing all other staff. (IHG, 2013) 4. What is Strategy? Strategies are the means which enable organisations to achieve their objectives in a changing environment through the configuration of its resources and competencies with the aim of fulfilling stakeholder expectations (Johnson & Whittington 2009). Strategy is a plan into future, a pattern that is consistency in behaviour over time for e.g. a company perpetually marketing the most expensive products in their respective industries pursue what is commonly called high end strategy like Apple and Zara. Strategy is position namely the determination of particular products in particular markets and strategy is perspective that is vision and direction (Mintzberg, 2001). 4.1 Business level strategy A business level strategy is an integrated and coordinated set of commitments and actions a firm uses to gain competitive advantage by exploiting core competencies in specific product markets (Volberda, et. al., 2011). Every business must design a strategy for achieving its goals, consisting of marketing strategy and compatible technological strategy and sourcing strategy (Kotler & Keller, 2006). To identify rivals in the international hotel industry, current practice is to use price, segment and proximity (Matthew, 2000). The main competition strategy research related to the hospitality industry has concentrated on competition interaction (Baum & Haveman, 1997) (Baum & Ingram, 1998), critical success factors, (Brotherton, 2004) (Geller, 1985), global strategy and marketing strategy (Whitla et. al., 2007). 4.2 Theoretical Framework 4.2.1 SWOT analysis Swot stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats and summarises the key issues from the business environment and the strategic capability of an organisation that are most likely to impact on strategy development (Johnson, et. al., 2008) At this point, the author will like to do a SWOT analysis of IHG in China. Strengths Leading competitive positioning and broad geographic reach– IHG is the largest hotel operator in China with 65,239 hotel rooms in 198 hotels across key Chinese cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing and Guangzhou along with entering 2nd and 3rd tier cities like Dalian, Tianjin, Wuhan and others. Diverse brand portfolio – The company operates a diverse portfolio of brands across multiple economic segments which cater for multiple price segments from the upper upscale (5-star) segment focusing on the international business traveller, to the upscale (4-star) segment catering both to the business traveller and the leisure traveller down to the midscale (3-star) targeting both domestic business and leisure travellers. Early entry – IHG’s timely entry in China has led them to establish a strong brand presence in the country and consolidate its competitive positioning. IHG’s Holiday Inn is the second most important hotel brand in the country, with 90% of its customers being Chinese. Pipeline Development – As of 30th September 2013, IHG has 179 hotels in pipeline for China. This represents an enormous competitive advantage to the company as it further consolidates its global presence and capitalises on booming travel and tourism industries in China. IHG Academy programme – China faces massive skills shortage in the hotel industry and IHG is winning the war on talent by opening its own academies to attract and groom talent for non-supervisory level positions, leading to the industry’s largest talent infrastructure It now has 29 programmes in operation in China alone, with approximately 5,000 participants taking part in 2011. IHG were the first hotel group to introduce this type of training programme, Today IHG boats of a highly engaged work force. Loyalty programme – In order to create value for Chinese guests, InterContinental introduced a paid membership program called Priority Privilege, which was exclusive to China. Priority Privilege will help create brand preference for IHG hotels among consumers throughout China and is offered alongside IHG’s global loyalty programme which is the largest loyalty programme in the world. Strong strategic partners – Through key strategic alliance IHG have developed its relationship with real estate developers, government and key local third party owners and grow its presence rapidly. A new hotel brand HUALUXE specifically designed for Chinese guests focussing focus on China’s 2nd and 3rd tier cities. Weaknesses Luxury focus – IHG might have avoided mid-range hotel sector in china for too long focussing only on luxury market and big cities which might have led to competitors taking over lion’s share of the mid-range hotel sector in China Opportunities Strong economic fundamentals – Robust GDP growth and continued urbanisation will drive sustainable economic development leading to new cities and create new markets and better link existing ones tremendously conducive to long-term hotel growth. Domestic travellers on the rise in china IHG could target this segment which it has started to slowly address now. Threats Potential of over supply with the number of hotels in pipeline as some newly developed cities reported problems of occupancy Local Chinese hotels already established in the mid-range hotel sector will provide competiveness along with other Multinational hotel companies entering china. Pollution in major cities like Beijing and Shanghai could affect the number of tourists coming to China Unpredictable government policies which could impact operations Global economic slowdown effecting china. The booming hotel industry in 2012 did report somewhat a slowdown for a brief moment before regaining momentum. Outbreak of diseases like SARS in 2003 and Bird flu and swine flu. Human resource shortage for the hotels in pipeline for 2nd, 3rd and 4th tier cities as labour is likely to be less skilled here coupled with risk of competitors seeking employees leading to shortage of skilled labour. Fluctuations in foreign currency can affect hotel operations Change in consumer taste can hurt IHG and its pipeline projects 4.2.2 Porter’s Diamond The conceptual framework that links structure, strategy and performance is Porter’s diamond which suggests that there are inherent reasons why some nations are more competitive than others, and why some industries within nations are more competitive than others (Johnson, et. al., 2008). In his framework, he suggests that national competitiveness will anchored along four dimensions: A nation’s factor conditions, Demand conditions, Firm strategy, structure and rivalry and Related and supporting industries (Porter 1990) Source: Johnson, et. al., 2008 Michael Porter’s model illustrated above describes the factors contributing to advantage of firms in a dominant global industry and associated with a specific home country or regional environment. 4.2.2.1 Applying Porter’s diamond to IHG in China The first dimension in Porter’s diamond refers to factors of production, the inputs necessary to compete in any industry – labour, land, natural resources, capital and infrastructure (Volberda et. al., 2011). Factor condition advantages at a national level can translate into general competitive advantages for national ï ¬ rms in international markets (Johnson, et. al., 2008). IHG entered China soon as it opened doors to FDI and economy has been booming since having excellent infrastructure. The population in china is exploding meaning there will never be shortage of people finding work however in Multinational companies’ cases they may need to spend on training them to their standards. China is technologically advanced allowing IHG to reach customers in innovative ways The second dimension is demand conditions characterized by the size of buyers need in the home market for the industry’s goods or services. As seen from above section, China has been a fav ourite travel destination over the years and in a few years will become the number one tourist destination in the world. There has been emergence of domestic Chinese travellers due to the booming economy creating a new market. IHG has used these to competitive advantage by opening hotels catering to different segments. Related and supporting industries is the third dimension. Local ‘clusters’ of related and mutually supporting industries can be an important source of competitive advantage. These are often regionally based, making personal interaction easier. China has excellent transportation and travel links with more and more upcoming high speed train projects. Chinese food is the favourite amongst most international travellers and IHG operates the best restaurants in its hotels Firm strategy, structure and rivalry make up the final dimension. The characteristic strategies, industry structures and rivalries in different countries can also be bases of advantage. In China, IHG’s strategy has mainly been to partner and develop relationships with owners that want to build properties and have their branding over them and also by investing in people. Its initial strategy was to targ et upscale luxury hotels and as it anticipated demand for other segments it catered by having hotels across different cities catering to different segments. Part of IHG strategy is they determine which hotel brands go into which city, along with where exactly they want to be in the city to achieve maximum growth (IHG, 2013) Their structure is a mix of as a franchisor, as a manager and on an owned and leased basis. IHG faces competition from both local and foreign hotel operators in China. 4.2.3 Porter’s five forces This is a framework for assessing and evaluating the competitive strength and position of a business organisation. This theory is based on the concept that there are five forces which determine the competitive intensity and attractiveness of a market. Porter’s five forces helps to identify where power lies in a business situation. This is useful both in understanding the strength of an organisation’s current competitive position, and the strength of a position that an organisation may look to move into (Johnson et. al., 2008). These five forces can be seen in fig Source: Johnson et. al., 2008 4.2.3.1 Applying porters five forces to IHG Threat of substitute goods In the hotel industry there is usually another hotel just round the corner, as in the case of Chinese hotel industry. Many international chains have raced to china to start operations making it an extremely competitive industry. For IHG the challenge will be to get the guest to choose their hotel over competitors like Marriott or Hilton. Some domestic Chinese hotels offer luxury at reasonable prices thus being attractive to the domestic travellers in china. Bargaining power of buyers As more and more customers become technology savy, it is now really simple to go online and book a hotel eliminating the role of intermediaries like travel agents or corporate travel consultants. Customers are finding price comparison websites like cleartrip.com or expedia.com which will negotiate or discover bargains for them. All this means high service standards have to be maintained by IHG at all times to get customers to stay at their hotels again instead of losing them to competitors. Competitive rivalry Rivalry among competitors in the Chinese hotel industry is likely to be fierce. IHG’s immediate rivals in China are JW Marriot hotels, Hilton hotels, Starwood Hotels and Hyatt hotels. There is likely to be price war amongst these hotels as competitors might attempt to gain advantage over others. Barriers to entry It will be very difficult for new competitors to match IHG’s already established operations in China. IHG was the first in china and today is the biggest international hotel company by number of rooms. Quanxi is considered very important to do business in China, it gets developed with time as you do business in china. It will be very difficult for new entrants to immediately develop quanxi and get things done. IHG offers differentiation in the sense that it caters to different segments including a hotel exclusively targeting Chinese. It will be difficult for a new competitor to match this differentiation. China is not an easy place to do business and IHG over the years through key strategic alliances and partnerships have developed expertise which again will be difficult to match by new entrants. Bargaining power of suppliers There is human resources challenges and shortages for the hotel industry in China. There are fewer qualified people to fill up service industry jobs. Trade unions exist in china which play a major role and sometimes might exploit the employers. IHG tackles this war on talent by running various programmes at its IHG academy’s in China building a talented work force all proud to be working at IHG (IHG, 2013) 5. Strategy formulation In many perspectives to strategy formulation, it is usual to define the purpose for the organisation and then develop a range of strategy options that might achieve the purpose. After developing the options a selection is made between them (Lynch, 2000). Gary Hamel (1997) ‘‘The dirty little secret of the strategy industry is that it doesn’t have any theory of strategy creation.’’ The complexities associated with the process of strategy formulation are generally thought to be overwhelming, and, as a result, many people believe the process of strategy formulation cannot be structured or formalized. It is useful to consider strategy formulation as part of a strategic management process that comprises three phases: diagnosis, formulation, and implementation. Strategic management is an ongoing process to develop and revise future-oriented strategies that allow an organization to achieve its objectives, considering its capabilities, constraints, and the env ironment in which it operates (Mitchell, 2005). 5.1 Diagnosis includes: Performing a situational analysis (internal environment analysis) including identification and evaluation of current mission, strategic objectives, strategies, and results, plus major strengths and weaknesses Analysing organisations external environment including major opportunities and threats. Identify major critical issues that require high priority attention by management. 5.2 Formulation The second phase in the strategic management process, produces a clear set of recommendations, with supporting justification, that revise as necessary the mission and objectives of the organization, and supply the strategies for accomplishing them. In formulation objectives and strategies are modified to make the organisation more successful. This includes trying to create â€Å"sustainable† competitive advantages, although most competitive advantages are eroded steadily by the efforts of competitors. It is important to consider â€Å"fits† between resources plus competencies with opportunities, and also fits between risks and expectations. There are four primary steps in this phase: *Reviewing the current key objectives and strategies of the organization, which usually would have been identified and evaluated as part of the diagnosis *Identifying a rich range of strategic alternatives to address the three levels of strategy formulation outlined below, including but not limited to dealing with the critical issues *Doing a balanced evaluation of advantages and disadvantages of the alternatives relative to their feasibility plus expected effects on the issues and contributions to the success of the organization *Deciding on the alternatives that should be implemented or recommended. 5.3 Implementation Strategies must be implemented to achieve intended results. Final stage of the strategic management process involves developing an implementation plan and then doing whatever it takes to make the new strategy operational and effective in achieving the organization’s objectives. 5.4 Strategic decision making profile The strategic decision making profile is a very important profile in an organisation. It is to do with strategic leadership which is the ability to anticipate, envision, maintain flexibility and empower others to create strategic change as necessary (Volberda et. al., 2011) It starts at the top management level but includes a much wider range of potential actors, from strategic planners and consultants to middle managers. The conventional view is that strategy is the business of top management. In this view, it is absolutely vital that top management are clearly separated from operational responsibilities, so that they can focus on overall strategy. The chief executive ofï ¬ cer is often seen as the ‘chief strategist’, ultimately responsible for all strategic decisions. CEOs of large companies typically spend one thirds of their time on strategy. However there are some dangers. First, centralising responsibility on the CEO can lead to excessive personalisation. Organisations respond to setbacks simply by changing their CEO, rather than examining deeply the internal sources of failure. Second, successful CEOs can become overconï ¬ dent, seeing themselves as corporate heroes and launching strategic initiatives of ever-increasing ambition. The overconï ¬ dence of heroic leaders often leads to spectacular failures (Johnson et al 2008). The top management team, board of directors and divisional general managers are other commonly recognised strategic leaders. In truth, any individual with the responsibility for the performance of human capital is a strategic leader (Volberdo et. al., 2011). Strategic leaders have substantial decision making authorities that cannot be delegated. 6. Conclusion As seen from the above sections, Chinese economy and hotel industry both are booming. IHG took advantage of this and entered China at the right time thus working its way towards the biggest hotel operator in China. Its strategy mainly has been differentiation at the start where it just focussed on 5 star luxury hotels and as the economy kept going upwards new markets were created and by bringing all of its brands to China IHG today caters to all segments in china in all major cities. It is also targeting upcoming cities by having major projects in pipeline. IHG operates in an extremely competitive environment and has made use of all opportunities by working on its strengths but must not get complacent and always be vary of threats while continue to eliminate any weaknesses it might have. The author concludes by summarising IHG’s strategy’s key points. IHG’s winning strategy Broad portfolio of strong brands in key locations Longest established loyalty programme The deepest relationships with key strategic partners The most focused development strategy Only international hotel company with dedicated, standalone region reporting directly to the CEO Largest people infrastructure – IHG is winning the talent war in China by 1st fast-track scheme for non-hotel talents, 1st Academy to attract and groom talent for non-supervisory level positions. A managed model with minimal capital expenditure. Management contract focus (98% of system and pipeline) – Ensures consistent delivery of guest experience, Imbeds operational capability, Preferred by owners with limited operating experience, Potential to franchise Holiday Inn Express given the more standardised operating model. Contract terms – Base fee = 2% gross revenues, Incentive fee = 6% – 8% of gross operating profit, Length of contract: 10 – 15 years, No fee discounting, No requirements for guarantees Use of capital expenditure -To date no capital expenditure requirements The most established relationships with key strategic partners 30 years of building relationships in China, (Guanxi) Strong connections to the government (Guanxi) Excellent partnerships formed with leading real estate developers Almost half their hotels are with multi-unit owners Signed more portfolio deals than any other international operator REFERENCE LIST 1. A.T.Kearney Report (2013) China’s Hospitality – Rooms for growth. 2. Baum, J. A., & H. A. Haveman H.A. (1997). Love the neighbour? Differentiation and agglomeration in the Manhattan hotel industry. Administrative Science Quarterly, 42(2), pp. 304-338. 3. Baum, J. A., & Ingram. P (1998). Survival-enhancing learning in the Manhattan hotel industry. Management Science Journal, 44(7), pp. 996-1016. 4. Baum, J. A., & Mezias, S. J. (1992). Localized competition and organizational failure in the Manhattan hotel industry. Administrative Science Quarterly, 37(4), pp. 580-605. 5. Brotherton, B. (2004). Critical success factors in UK budget hotel operations. International Journal of Operations and Production Management, 24, pp. 944-969. 6. Chan, B., & Yeung, S. (2009). Hotel development in China: The hoteliers’ perspective. Journal of China Tourism Research, 5(2), 210-223 7. Chon, K.S., Cunill, O.M. (2006): The growth strategies of hotel chains: Best business practices b y leading companies, The Haworth Press, p. 6 8. Clark, J. & Guy, K. (1998). Innovation and competitiveness: A review, Technology Analysis & Strategic Management journal, 10(3), pp. 363-395. 9. Fei Chang Tai, 2006, , Vol. 5, p78-80 10. Guillet, B., Zhang, H., & Gao, B. (2011). Interpreting the mind of multinational hotel investors: Future trends and implications in China. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 30(2) 11. http://travel.cnn.com/shanghai/life/travel-new-gold-mine-china-centric-hotel-brands-918730 12. http://www.ihgplc.com/index.asp?pageid=2 13. http://www.the-financedirector.com/features/featureintercontinental-hotels-group-high-growth-markets-expansion-china-tom-singer/ 14. Johnson G., Scholes K. and Whittington R. (2008) Exploring Corporate Strategy, England: Pearson education limited, 8th edition 15. Johnson, G. and Whittington, R. (2009) Fundamentals of Strategy, Essex: Pearson Education. 16. Kong, H. and Cheung, C. (2009) Hotel development in China: Review of English Language Literature, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 21 (3), pp. 341-355 17. Kotler, P, Keller, K.L, (2006) Marketing Management, New Jersey: Upper Saddle River 18. Lynch R. (2000) Corporate Strategy, England: Pearson education limited 19. Matthews, V. E. (2000) International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 12(2) pp. 114-118 20. Mintzberg, H. (2001) the rise and fall of strategic planning, Essex: Pearson Education 21. Mitchell, R. C., (2005) â€Å"Strategic thinking† 22. Pine, R. and Qi, P. (2004), â€Å"Barriers to hotel chain development in China†, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 16 No. 1, pp. 37-44. 23. Volberda H., Morgan R., Reinmoeller P., Hitt M., Ireland R. and Hoskisson R. (2011) Strategic Concepts and Cases Management: Competitiveness and globalisation, Hampshire: Cengage learning EMEA 24. Whitla, P., P., Walters, G & Davies, H.( 2007). Global strategies in the international hotel industry. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 26(4), pp. 777-792 25. Zhang, H., Guillet, B., & Gao, W. (2012). What determines multinational hotel groups’ locational investment choice in China? International Journal of Hospitality Management, 31(2)

The Basic Planning Process

The basic planning process is outlined in our text as consisting of six steps. The first step is Situational Analysis. This step provides a detailed estimation of prerequisites and assumptions or best guess on possible issues that may arise. The second Step is alternative goals and plans is based on the situational analysis and the information that was examined during that process.The third step is the goal and plan evaluation, this it the step where the pros and cons are discussed and weighet against the other alternative goals discussed in step two. The forth and final step in the developmental process is goal and plan selection once all of the different goals have been examined and the pros and cons have been considered a goal is chosen based on the summary of the other three steps. The fifth step is implementation based on the outcome of the forth step.The sixth step is to monitor and control the processes that have been put into place. This is vital most especially right after i mplementation because there are always issues that arise that will need dealt with regardless of how well the planning stages went. I do not believe that any one area is more important than another. There is a symbiotic relationship between these steps because the build on each other and take up where the last one left off. If I have to choose a step as being more crucial than another it would be step three.It is imperative that you trouble shoot your ideas for flaws that exist and work out as many of the kinks as possible be for practical application can begin. Otherwise the headache that is created is usually crippling to the entire process regardless of how good of an idea it was to start with. Bateman, T. S. , & Snell, S. A. (2011). Management: Leading & collaborating (9th ed. ). Management: Leading & collaborating in a competitive world , New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

Market Model Patterns of Change Instructions Essay

Market Model Patterns of Change Instructions - Essay Example Market Model Patterns of Change Instructions The production of petroleum by the industry especially, in USA has introduced a large distributor to the total petroleum in the global economy. Meanwhile, it is a non-renewable energy substance that can be extracted from the world after a certain period and converted into usable fuel. Therefore, the price of the petroleum is obtained by the demand –supply mechanism around the world economy, and slight shortage of petroleum can affect its demand and supply of other possible industries in the market. According to Galbraith (2001), when the monopoly power is practiced by an industry at a moment in time, and the degree of monopoly fluctuates, the industry specific product price will also change. In case, the pattern of change through time can be the indicator of comparison and disparity in economic performance in the petroleum industry. The petroleum was an example of monopolies to be affected in anti-trust action by the US government, and resulted into development of smaller comp anies. The industry expanded by increasing sales and undertaking major acquisitions, and after buying competitive industries in the market, the industries shut down those believed to be inefficient and kept the most powerful. The industry has involved in the discriminatory practices in order to have monopoly power over pipe lines. It also applied unfair practices of cutting local prices at the point where the competitors were severely affected. Technological changes bring the pattern changes in the firm because it is much simple to outsource both service and manufacturing to distributors in other countries. The increased competition promotes the pressure of industry to attain lower units’ costs as a means of maintaining market share. Finally, the nature of the industry trade patterns has undergone importance changes in order to have permission to issue licenses and permits in distributive trade market. Short-Run and Long-Run Behaviors of Monopoly An industry with monopoly mar ket model is considered to have price setting power, and it will strive to earn high levels of profit (Galbraith, 2001). However, the industry is limited by the position of its demand curve that means monopoly cannot set price that clients cannot afford. Petroleum Industry is the sole supplier in an industry, and it takes market demand curve as its own demand curve. Therefore, it faces a downward sloping average revenues (AR) curve with a marginal revenue (MR) curve twice the gradient of AR (McEachern, 2011). In the monopoly, there is optimum firm determined by long run profit maximization in relation to the market. According to McEachern (2011) the short run average total cost curve is tangent to the horizontal, and long run average cost curve is always at its minimum point. In the short run, if the demand for the petroleum products is high, the industry will increase the price and the quantity of the products. The industry can achieve this by increasing output by employing more la bor and raw materials, but cannot change the fixed plant. According to McEachern (2011) the long run industry curve is horizontal because when demand increases, raising prices and profits for monopoly industry. As a result, there is an increase in supply prices, pushing prices back down to original in the level in the long run, so that the profits are zero. Therefore, the shifting demand and supply curves trace out a horizontal long run industry supply curve. Areas for the Industry That Could Lead To Transaction Costs There are various transaction costs that the petroleum

Critically analyse how the concentration ratio has evolved, in recent Essay

Critically analyse how the concentration ratio has evolved, in recent years, in the following EU industry - Public Utilities.carefully consider the reasons for - Essay Example The initiative of the European Commission way back in 1969 is to coordinate the economic policies as well as to set a monetary integration among the European Union. In 2007, the goal European Commission has proven to be very successful. Having implemented the ‘Euro’ (â‚ ¬) currency back in 1999 is part of the strategy used by the European Union in achieving their purpose of making the inter-regional and inter-state trading much easier. The constantly growing economic activity within the European Union has resulted to a tight competition among the members of the EU banking and financial sector. In order to cope with the intensive competition within the industry, most of the small banks have decided to enter into a merger. The merger of the small and medium scale banks would enable them to maximize its resources through the use of economies of scale. services in order to attain a better and more competent economy. The ‘trade and investment relationship’ between the current EU members with a more profitable investment locations in Central and Eastern Europe is very promising. In fact, the ‘concept’ of inter-state trading and investments is being used by the EU commissioners to encourage more countries to become a member of the European Union.2 employment opportunity for the local people before globalization in 2001. Given the huge domestic market of the European Union, the members of EU is able to gain more strength that attracts many of the World Trade Organization (WTO) members to deal with the European Union.3 (See Table I below and Chart I on page 6) Notice that between years 1998 to 2000, the GDP of European Union has been constantly increasing. It means that the production output of the European Union was steadily growing. Normally, when the GDP is increasing, the unemployment is decreasing. Starting in 2001 when globalization became active,

Health Care Delivery Model Interview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Health Care Delivery Model Interview - Essay Example I decided to choose my interviewee since he was readily available, and considered one of the best primary care providers we have so far. Primary care provider is a medical doctor and one who gives both the first aid for people with an undiagnosed issues of health. They also continue in providing health care for the varied medical conditions, not limited either by diagnosis or cause. Managed care as they call it today began during the years of 1940s with Maintenance Organizations (HMOs). As the costs for health care rose, employers signed contracts with different companies that offered to manage the health care issues (Minnesota Department of Health, 2006). Managed care in the United States has become common since the early years of 1990s, and up to date it is still the most dominant health insurance. Managed care creates incentives for primary care providers so that they can reduce their services, which has been a case study for researchers in the recent past. Systems of managed heal th care do not face the challenges cost balancing control with the provision of quality care; hence the care providers forced to tell about their financial incentives to the public (Starfield, 2005). Q; what changes are taking place in the healthcare delivery model? Dr. MacGann: There has been rapid growth during the recent past in managed health care, but the restricted practices have drawn unending criticism from both patients and physicians. The role of managed care has also declined in the recent years, in the constraining of health care services. This is due to the uprising concern about the restrictions. Reforms in the healthcare department currently taking part nationwide are advantageous for significant change. The new model in healthcare will integrate a chain supply of payers, brokers, providers and employers. If managed care can become restrictive, then this could be hugely beneficial towards patient access and also their care. Q: Why should the employers take note? Dr. M acGann: the most fundamental thing is that due to changes in the current industry, compliance with the regulations, shifting concerns and related requirements will be extraordinarily challenging. This challenge makes changes that are regulatory that will continue to be processed, thus encouraging the employers more and more through the years. To this also is that the rising costs in the market are also bringing changes in the options of healthcare. Q: what are healthcare providers doing in order to stay ahead in this competitive market? Dr. MacGann: Those that provide healthcare must be able to think of not competition and also about competition in day to day changing marketplace. Implementations and initiatives implemented that are to be witnessed are driving efficiencies for the betterment of the market places. Most of the entrepreneurs are giving a helping hand in making sure that that offering are available to help maintain the higher efficiency and lower costs for those that pr ovide healthcare, which in the ultimate end will provide a higher value to the employers. Q: What will this program provide to its attendees? Dr. MacGann: The program will try to provide brokers, providers, payers and employers of how the current health marketplace is and also concerning the future. It tries to open up an overview of the delivery marketplace as a whole. Q: What are the new opportunities under healthcare reform? Dr. MacGann: A good example to this would be the creation of new market of insurance for both small employers and

Family of the Hearts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Family of the Hearts - Essay Example My whole family lives in China and I spending my time alone in America for education. From my experiences of living alone, I have realized that family is one of the most important parts of my life without which I feel very lonely and sad at times. Beginning of my life in America without an authentic family was not all smooth sailing. I faced many difficulties in the start regarding education, residence, and social integration. I did not have anyone from my family with whom I could share my problems freely. I lived in a host family but there I felt loneliness and social isolation because I did not feel easy at sharing my issues with others and that situation led to misunderstandings between us at times. I did not have a good understanding of the foreign culture because of which I faced difficulty in making friends and communicating with the people of other cultures. Living in the host family, there were too many procedures for me of all dissimilar cultures to understand. For example, I had to understand the norms and values of different cultures in order to be able to communicate effectively with the people of those cultures. Similarly, I had to understand the emotions and way of life of other people in order to become a functioning and responsible part of the host family. One thing that I noticed in America was that all the young adults of that country are so independent that they do not have any sentiments to be taken care of by their parents. They think with their own mind, plan things on their own, and do what they feel right. In short, I would say that they do not leave it for their parents to think about their future.  

The offer from Big Ideas Limited for Project Management Limited Statistics

The offer from Big Ideas Limited for Management Limited - Statistics Project Example According to the initial agreement, BIL would pay PML a fixed consultancy fee of UKP10, 000. The level of participants is middle level managers with 2-3 years of work experience. It is assumed that they have basic knowledge concerning project management in general acquired in course of their management education prior to joining their jobs. A suitable medium to high-end star hotel with conference and teleconference facilities will be identified as the venue for the programme. This could preferably be based in London, or the outskirts, depending upon the cost factor. As the participants already have a basic knowledge of the subject matter, and a couple of years of experience, the conference will be held in a more interactive environment. The sessions will include the following: Ideally the participants should belong to one organisation for more effective analysis and project management solutions. However, in case such a large intake from a single client organisation is not feasible, a maximum of 5 organisations from the same or similar business environment (such as IT or ICT) will be preferred. PML will take up a marketing campaign to firm up the participant list well in advance. ... To achieve significant returns to the client, BIL To attain a breakeven performance financially in a worst-case scenario. Programme Contents As the participants already have a basic knowledge of the subject matter, and a couple of years of experience, the conference will be held in a more interactive environment. The sessions will include the following: FORENOON SESSION (0900 - 1315, with Tea break: 1130 - 1145) Inaugural - 30 minutes Presentation: "Effective Project Management - the Key to Organisational Success in the New Millennium" - by expert faculty - 60 min Brainstorming/Experience Sharing Session: Team-based (5 teams of 50 each): "Success Stories and Fiascos in Project Management" - 60 min Analysis and Presentations - by Team Leaders - 60 min Summing up and Lessons Learnt - by Program Anchor (management expert) - 30 min LUNCH: 1315 - 1400 POST-LUNCH SESSION (1400 - 1700) Presentation: "The Power of Technology and Innovation in Successful Project Management" - by expert faculty - 60 min Presentation: Case Study of a successful Project Management - by expert faculty - 60 min Ask the Expert: Teleconferencing with 3 management experts from Oxford, Harvard, and Wharton Business School (participants can query the experts) - 30 min Appraisal and Feedback: 30 min Participant Profile Ideally the participants should belong to one organisation for more effective analysis and project management solutions. However, in case such a large intake from a single client organisation is not feasible, a maximum of 5 organisations from the same or similar business environment (such as IT or ICT) will be preferred. PML will take up a marketing campaign to firm up the participant list well in advance. The campaign will

4 articles about UK politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

4 articles about UK politics - Essay Example The safety of the population is put at risk as the politicians try to save the government money by keeping criminals out of jail and they try to win votes during election season, also by doing the same thing. The result of which, according to Bray, is a higher crime rate and a slap on the hand of the repeat offenders. Bray made it clear that he wanted the politicians to stop using the judicial system for their personal benefit. It was, he said, the job of the politicians to make sure that the prisons could hold the convicted so that they would be taken out of society for the benefit of the greater good. He also said that the police needed to step up and do their jobs. The statements made by Bray were contradicted by Justice Minister Jeremy Wright however. Justice Minister Wright explained that Bray made statements in error as the conviction rate for criminals has been on the rise since 2010 and the criminals were staying in prison longer than Bray indicated. He also dismissed claims of government and police interference in the sentencing of criminals. Coalition Spending Revealed: Crime Agencys  £336,573 Outlay on Mercedes Vans for Special Projects, a  £27,000 Parking Bill at Gatwick Airport and  £108,000 PR Spend Among Government Departments’ Public Accounts Oliver Wright of The Independence reports that a snapshot analysis of the government spending over the first 2 months of this year shows just how mismanaged the government finances are. Apparently, there have been a few questionable government project awarded to private contractors. Thanks to the government rules, these figures were made public because the amount of the contracts were all over the  £25,000 limit. As the report progressed, more and more disturbing disbursement of the public funds were found. These included the National Crime Agency payout to Mercedes Benz in the amount of  £336,573 for the

Theories and Performance Imperatives of Organizational Leadership Research Paper

Theories and Performance Imperatives of Organizational Leadership - Research Paper Example From this research it is clear that effective leaders support the optimal performance of a group of subordinates. They add great value to an organization. Highly effective executives who are also known as peak performers are noted to have productivity rates that are 25 to 50 percent higher than their average or poorly performing counterparts. Highly effective leadership is characterized by productivity, health, relational behaviour, or a combination of these factors, which result in performance at optimal level. The main goals of effective leadership are: facilitating organizational goal setting and helping to achieve them, promoting optimal levels of individual motivation, commitment and satisfaction, facilitating effective interactions among individuals within teams, helping employees to set high goals for themselves, and place the organization’s effectiveness above their own self-interests. The effective leader operates simultaneously on the performance as well as the peopl e of the organization or unit. Performance includes the process of how things get done, the length of time taken, as well as the outcome of productivity and quality. The aim of performance is productivity, and the aim for people is health. The effective leader operates both requirements successfully, emphasizing both productivity and health. Productivity is the ratio of input to output; and increased productivity has beneficial outcomes such as higher profits and market share. On the other hand, people encompasses the skills, talents, competencies and needs of the employees, leaders and other stakeholders involved with a particular corporation or organization. Health is similar to productivity in being a measure of outcome, and is manifest in both the individual as well as the corporation. For individuals, health includes physical and psychological well-being, job satisfaction, and other factors (Sperry, 2003). Thus, the fundamental premise regarding effective leadership is that it is a function of both productivity and health, and they are inter-connected. By realizing the importance of the people dimension, the effective leader ensures that employees’ levels of commitment and morale remain high, burnout does not occur, and

Wall Street Journal Articles for International Accounting Article

Wall Street Journal Articles for International Accounting - Article Example There is high likelihood that the streamlined standards will have major impact on the financial reporting over a wide cross-section of organizations and industries. For this reason, it is important that various audit committee members remain updated on the progress of this initiative in order to identify areas of particular concern and facilitate smooth transition period from the old processes, systems, and financial reporting to newly adopted ones. The proposed revenue model requires recording of the amount of revenue in a pattern that reflects the transfer of control of the goods and or services in question. The FASB recently released a proposed Accounting Standard Update (ASU) touching on classification and measurement of financial instruments. This made with the object of increasing the convergence between US GAAP and IFRS and above all simplify classification methods. Concerning leasing accounting, the boards intend to provide an open and steady representation of leasing transac tions in the financial statements by taking into consideration information relating to the rights and obligations that comes with lease contracts. This article is related to the international accounting particularly International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and International Accounting Standards (IAS) in a number of ways. First IASÂ  39 Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement of 2003 categorically stipulates the requirements for the recognition and measurement of financial assets and liabilities as well as certain contracts that relates to purchase and sale of non-financial items. Additionally IAS 32 Financial Instruments: Presentation also summarizes mandatory accounting requirements for the presentation of financial instruments especially with regard to their classification into financial assets, liabilities and equity instruments. The same case applies with the IFRS 9 Financial Instruments, which outlines the requirements for recognition and measurement for f inancial instruments. IAS 17 Leases also touches on the policies and disclosures concerning leases contracts. This is a clear indication that the initiative of Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) to streamline accounting standards should not contravene terms of IFRS or IAS with respect to financial instruments, revenue recognition and lease accounting. 2. Philbin, B. (February 22, 2013). SEC Pressed Citi for More Details on Brokerage Joint Venture The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently requested Citigroup Inc to come out and defend how it was disclosing and valuing its brokerage joint venture with Morgan Stanley to its investors in its 2011 annual report a few months before it was forced to take approximately $3 billion write-down on the business. It is believed that the business events played an integral role in paving way for exist of Vikram Pandit as the chief executive officer. This request was intend to make the New York Company expand on its language in its report to the investors about valuation and disclosures regarding ownership the business formerly known as Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. The request has not been a onetime event but rather entangle in correspondence, which began in April 2011 and continued into last summer when Citigroup was asked to avail a copy of the report it used to establish the value

Android Application Essay Example for Free

Android Application Essay The reign of android products in the market is the talk of the town and the craze of owning an android based smart phone is all a youths mind is smitten by. This is all because of the wide range of android apps at the user’s disposal which can be installed on these android based smart phones. Android offers the android market which is an open market made available to all android gadget users. The android smart phones do not run on the principle of non-contemporary mobile methodology i. e. these android gadgets do not come with a pre-set of limited applications already installed in the cell phone by the company at the time of manufacture, instead only the basic apps are installed and a privilege to choose and install from a wide variety of apps is facilitated to the user. Android gadget users have to just turn on their internet, sign in to their goggle account and they can access all the android applications. There are a lot of applications in every genre from utility, entertainment, security, business, education, games, etc. Entertainment apps like various varieties music players, video players, photo viewers, music creator, video clippers, photo editors, etc., utility apps like maps and road guides, locators of shops, hospitals, hotels and various buildings and landmarks in a particular city which use GPS services direct from the satellite, alarm clocks, clocks showing time of multiple time zones, a thousand variety of games from strategy to racing and flash games to puzzle games, apps designed for providing a convenient user interface to browse through your favourite social networking websites and many more steal the ranks in the search counts for sure. The android apps are not just limited to entertainment and mobile utility and security. The android market has a huge choice of apps for the businessmen, people in the real estate, financial markets like the share market and the international currency exchange and the commodity markets, people related to software development and information technology, etc. The android apps can also be used for managing funds in your bank accounts. There are a lot of android apps designed to help a user browse through a lot of products from numerous shops and brands, select, compare quality and prices, and also purchase them electronically by directly transferring funds from their bank accounts. The rapidly increasing advancement in the development of the contemporary generation of android apps will also see a breakthrough in the e-commerce section. The biggest attraction about the android market is that it is a free and open market availing the most of the apps from all genres free of cost to the users. When you browse the android apps through the android market you will also be supported by a clear description of the app, that is the way it works, tips to use it and all info about the app. Adding to that a person can also see the product reviews and user ratings along with the product in the list of apps in the android market.

Analysis of the Principle of Subsidiarity

Analysis of the Principle of Subsidiarity Introduction The principle of subsidiarity has been in existence for a long time. It was introduced in the Maastricht Treaty. According to the European commissions 18th report it stated what subsidiarity meant which is Subsidiarity is a guiding principle for defining the boundary between Member State and EU responsibilities that is, who should act? If the Union has exclusive competence in a particular area, then clearly it is the Union which should act. If the Union and the Member States share competence, the principle establishes a presumption in favor of the Member States taking action. The Union should only act if Member States cannot achieve the objectives sufficiently and if, by reason of the scale or effects, the Union can achieve them better Subsidiarity serves as a restraining factor for exercising the competence. It may be that the EU has the power to act but can it do it any better? It doesnt deal with powers but rather the question of if it should act? it should if they can do a better job than individual member states. It has strong political significance. This essay shall talk about what the term subsidiarity implies , it would then go forward and discuss where it is found in the treaty, then a brief history of how subsidiarity came to being shall be examined. After which this paper will argue that the principle of subsidiarity has not been effective. At that point the paper will proceed onward to the Lisbon treaty and discuss how the Lisbon Treaty has given more power to the principle of subsidiarity Subsidiarity is the standard which decides when the European Union may make a move if the reason cant be accomplished at the nearby, territorial, national level or if part states makes the move it would have an impact on the points of the European Union. It has been defined by various authors and I will make use of two. Vause argues that subsidiarity is a guideline for contemporary power-sharing between the relatively new institutions of the EU and the constituent Member States that formed the Union.[1], G.A Bermann is of the opinion that subsidiarity expresses a preference for governance at the most local level consistent with achieving governments stated purposes.[2] The principle of subsidiarity is found in article 5(3) of treaty on European Union, It was earlier found in the Maastricht Treaty, Then again, the Single European Act (1987) had officially joined a subsidiarity model into natural arrangement, though without alluding to it unequivocally accordingly.[3] The treaty states that Under the principle of subsidiarity, in areas which do not fall within its exclusive competence, the Union shall act only if and in so far as the objectives of the proposed action cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States, either at central level or at regional and local level, but can rather, by reason of the scale or effects of the proposed action, be better achieved at Union level.[4] In other words, it means that the European Union shall not act unless it is under their area of competence level. The principle of subsidiarity intends to have closer relationship between the EU and its citizens therefore allowing actions to be upheld at the local level where paramount.[5] This is a mechanism to promote higher efficiency and transparency of political decisions and respond to demands for accommodation of historically developed traditions.[6] Not long after the treaty of Maastritcht, the treaty of Amsterdam was introduced which gave more significance to the principle of subsidiarity. This was achieved through the Protocol on the Application of the Principles of Subsidiarity and Proportionality which was created in 1999. The protocol required that; The reasons for preferring Community action must be substantiated by the Commission using both qualitative and quantitative indicators; forms of legislation that leave the Member States the greatest room for manoeuvre are to be favored over more restrictive forms of action; The Commission must consult more widely and endeavor to explain more clearly how its proposals comply with the demands of subsidiarity; The Commission must submit an annual report on the application of Article 5 EC.[7] This later became a self-governing principle of the law as seen in Article 5[8]. subsidiarity was initially brought into the EU legal order in the region of environment, in the Single European Act which entered into power in 1987. The Treaty expressed that the Community shall take action relating to the environment to the extent to which [its] objectives [] can be attained better at Community level than at the level of the individual Member States.[9] The principal of subsidiarity came into existence due to the problem of the lost sovereignty in which member states had to give up when they joined the EU. The member states lose some of their independence when they decide to join the community. This therefore brought about disagreements between the member states and the Union, reason being that there was no clear division on the areas which the member state had competence and the areas which the union had competence. The failure of the EU and EC treaty in creating a division between the areas which the union or the member states has competence has caused problems this is due to the fact that both parties always tend to claim regulatory powers.[10] Another problem which arises as a result of subsidiarity is that it assumes the primacy of the central goal and allows no mechanism for questioning whether or not it is desirable, in the light of other interests, to fully pursue this.[11] What this means is that once the community decides to take action, there is no room for member states to question their action because the court usually justifies the actions of the community based on the political notion of the principle of subsidiarity. Subsidiarity is said to be a farthest point on how EUs law practices administrative fitness as in it disallows the Union to abuse its energy subsequently permitting the part states to hold some of its power. Member states have the chance to administer on laws concerning them. It could likewise be contended that the purpose behind the making of the guideline of subsidiarity was to make a restriction on the execution of choice making at the National level for the purpose of the member states. The principle of subsidiarity has it been effective? Subsidiarity is believe to act as a protective measure on the member states to protect their right to still be able to take actions concerning matters which concern them. Although they have the ability to take up task, they do not have a voice. This is said because under the treaty, there is no specification on how to prove how to go about in establishing that the member state will not be able to take up the task. This thereby makes it easy for the community to claim competence.. Gareth Davis argues that subsidiarity has not been in full swing[12] citing scenarios whereby the community took actions determining sports [13]and language[14] which would have been best attended to at national level. This paper will now choose, if the guideline of subsidiarity before the presentation of the Lisbon treaty has been successful. The principle of subsidiarity has been argued that it has not been a success as a legal principle, and is more of a political or policy-based theory, reminiscent of the moral nature of the principle in Catholic social theory, that is aspired to, but difficult to enforce in reality[ Michelle Evans. 2013]. Another motivation behind why the standard of subsidiarity has not been successful is the way that there have been lesser cases and the court of justice of the EU has not struck down any enactment, for the break of the rule.[15] also bearing in mind that most of the cases on subsidiarity, has been won by the commission, The court always found that they had exclusive competence in the areas which they undertook work . As indicated by Estella, this is because of the way that the model subsidiarity case is that in which a Member State is outvoted [in the Council] and thus brings an activity of cancellation against that measure on the ground of subsidiarity[16].Professor Wyatt offered three conceivable motivations to clarify why subsidiarity may so far have neglected to experience its guarantee: Subsidiarity is a principle ill-designed to achieve the objective of ensuring that decisions are taken as closely as possible to the citizen. There is political lack of interest towards the rule or antipathy on the part of the Community institutions and some Member States. There is constitutional indifference or antipathy on the part of the Court of Justice.[17] Professor Weatherill additionally felt that subsidiarity has done little to curb an institutional tendency at EU level to err on the side of centralization rather than preservation of local autonomy. In his perspective, subsidiarity has not so far been a sufficiently capable guideline to battle what he sees as the concentrating propensities of the EU foundations.[18] The Lisbon treaty The Lisbon Treaty has reinforced the part of both the national parliaments and the Court of Justice in checking consistence with the guideline of subsidiarity. The Treaty of Amsterdam (1999) included Protocol (No 2) (of equivalent lawful status to the Arrangement) on the use of the standards of subsidiarity and proportionality. The Protocol set out that any proposed Community enactment ought to be legitimized as to subsidiarity (and proportionality), and determined criteria to be considered when judging whether Community activity is legitimized, including that the issue under thought ought to have transnational angles; that an absence of Community activity or that Member States acting alone would clash with Treaty targets; and that activity at a Community level would deliver clear advantages (over activity at Member State level) by reason of its scale or effect.[ European Council, Treaty Establishing the European Community Protocol 2, 1999.]. The innovation brought by the Lisbon, is the Protocol on the utilization of the standards of subsidiarity and proportionality, which contains a lawful system for a fortified control of the standard of subsidiarity. It opens up the entrance to European law-making process for national parliaments which are given the part of controlling the conformity of authoritative recommendations with the rule of subsidiarity. [19] The Lisbon Treaty came into existence in December 2009[20] and it sets down standards on the results of contemplated sentiments, in light of the quantity of votes originating from national parliaments. Over specific limits, these are generally alluded to as yellow and orange cards. Jean Monnet argues that it opens up the entrance to European law-production process for national parliaments which are given the part of controlling the agreeability of authoritative recommendations with the rule of subsidiarity[21]. She argued further that the ex ante security of subsidiarity was left to the legislatures and their capacity to guard the national administrative skills. The new structure accommodates an ex stake part for the national parliaments. The Treaty of Lisbon improves by partner national Parliaments nearly with the checking of the standard of subsidiarity. It could be argued that the National Parliaments now practices twofold observing, they have a privilege to question when enactment is drafted. They can in this way reject an authoritative proposition before the Commission on the off chance that they consider that the standard of subsidiarity has been breached. Through their Member State, they may challenge an authoritative demonstration under the watchful eye of the Court of Justice of the EU on the off chance that they consider that the standard of subsidiarity has not been watched.[22] This could therefore show that the National Parliament has been given a reasonable amount of power to control the level of intervention from the community which may not be needed. Lisbon Treaty reinforce the national parliaments part and may additionally constitute a generous achievement for regional parliaments with authoritative forces on the off chance that they get to be really aware of the significance of satisfactory investigation of authoritative recommendations. Regarding Subsidiarity within the EU Institutional Framework?]. Under the treaty of Lisbon, Member States or the Committee of the Regions may challenge legislation if they feel it is not in line with the principle of subsidiarity. This is possible under Art 263 TFEU.[23] Conclusion The Lisbon treaty, brought about more awareness of the principle of subsidiarity, this is shown because before an act is enacted, it is required that a draft is sent to all national parliament to see if it fits under the subsidiarity principle. Although, it states that this is not required if there is a state of emergency, Therefore, this essay is of the opinion that the community could easily claim that most of its act is done under a state of emergency . This could however limit the scrutiny process. The Lisbon treaty also introduces the participation of Regional and local parties in the mission for a more united Europe together with a strengthened guideline of subsidiarity and an expanding part allowed to the national parliaments. The improved principle of subsidiarity only focuses on the scrutiny done by the national parliament, it does not solve the problem of EU competence. The EU still mostly gets a higher advantage over the member states when dealing with taking up tasks. In the sense that the national parliaments only serves an advisory role.[24] Therefore it could be argued that there is still much reform to be done to put more effect to the role of national parliaments and also the principle of subsidiarity itself. REFERENCES Case C-415/93, Bosman,[1995] ECR I-4921. Case C-379/87,Groener,[1989] ECR 3967. W Gary Vause, The Subsidiarity Principle in European Union Law American Federalism Compared [1995] Western Reserve Journal of International Law 61, 62. Bermann, G. A.: Taking Subsidiarity Seriously: Federalism in the European Community and the United States. Columbia Law Review, 1994, Vol. 94, No. 2, pp. 339 344. Petr Novak, The principle of subsidiarity (europa.eu 2014) accessed 12 April 2015 TEU art 5(3) Christoph Ritzer, Marc Ruttloff and Karin Linhar, How to Sharpen a Dull Sword The Principle of Subsidiarity and its Control [2006] German law journal 733, 736 Single European Act, Article 130r.4. 1986 A von Bogdandy, J Bast, The European Unions Vertical Order of Competences: the Current Law and proposals for its Reform (2002) 39 CML Rev 227-68. G Davies, Subsidiarity: The wrong idea, In the wrong place, At the wrong time [2006] Common market law review 63, 78 G Davies, Subsidiarity: The wrong idea, In the wrong place, At the wrong time [2006] Common market law review 63, 73 call for evidence on the governments review of balance of competences between the united kingdom and the European union. chapter 2: exploring subsidiarity (parliament.uk 2005) accessed 12 April 2015 Jean Monnet seminar Advanced Issues of European Law Re-thinking the European Constitution in an Enlarged European Union 6th session, Dubrovnik, April 20-27, 2008 [1] W Gary Vause, The Subsidiarity Principle in European Union Law American Federalism Compared [1995] Western Reserve Journal of International Law 61, 62 [2] Bermann, G. A.: Taking Subsidiarity Seriously: Federalism in the European Community and the United States. Columbia Law Review, 1994, Vol. 94, No. 2, pp. 339 344. [3] Petr Novak, The principle of subsidiarity (europa.eu 2014) accessed 12 April 2015 [4] TEU art 5(3) [5] IBID [6] Christoph Ritzer, Marc Ruttloff and Karin Linhar, How to Sharpen a Dull Sword The Principle of Subsidiarity and its Control [2006] German law journal 733, 736 [7] IBID [8] Christoph Ritzer, Marc Ruttloff and Karin Linhar, How to Sharpen a Dull Sword The Principle of Subsidiarity and its Control [2006] German law journal 733, 736 [9] Single European Act, Article 130r.4. 1986 [10] A von Bogdandy, J Bast, The European Unions Vertical Order of Competences: the Current Law and proposals for its Reform (2002) 39 CML Rev 227-68. [11] G Davies, Subsidiarity: The wrong idea, In the wrong place, At the wrong time [2006] Common market law review 63, 78. [12] G Davies, Subsidiarity: The wrong idea, In the wrong place, At the wrong time [2006] Common market law review 63, 73 [13] Case C-415/93, Bosman,[1995] ECR I-4921. [14] Case C-379/87,Groener,[1989] ECR 3967. [15] call for evidence on the governments review of balance of competences between the united kingdom and the European union. [16] Jean Monnet seminar Advanced Issues of European Law Re-thinking the European Constitution in an Enlarged European Union 6th session, Dubrovnik, April 20-27, 2008. [17] chapter 2: exploring subsidiarity (parliament.uk 2005) accessed 12 April 2015 [18] IBID. [19] Jean Monnet seminar Advanced Issues of European Law Re-thinking the European Constitution in an Enlarged European Union 6th session, Dubrovnik, April 20-27, 2008. [20] Vaughne Miller , National Parliaments and EU law-making: how is the yellow card system working? (parliament.uk 2012) accessed 12 April 2015. [21] IBID. [22] Petr Novak, The principle of subsidiarity (europa.eu 2014) accessed 12 April 2015. [23] TFEU Art 263 [24] Jean Monnet seminar Advanced Issues of European Law Re-thinking the European Constitution in an Enlarged European Union 6th session, Dubrovnik, April 20-27, 2008.

Analysis of Data Mining Tools

Analysis of Data Mining Tools Assignment 2 Data-mining tools use algorithms to sets of information to reveal trends and patterns in the information, which analysts use to develop new business strategies. Analysts use the result from data-mining tools to build models that, when exposed to new information sets, perform a various information analysis functions. The analysts provide business solutions by putting together the analytical techniques and the business problem at hand, which often reveals important new correlations, patterns, and trends. The more common forms of data-mining analysis capabilities include: Cluster analysis Association detection Statistical analysis CLUSTER ANALYSIS Cluster analysis is a method used to isolate a data set into fundamentally unrelated gatherings with the end goal that the individuals from every gathering are as near one another as conceivable to each other and the distinctive gatherings are as far separated as could be expected under the circumstances. Bunch investigation is regularly used to fragment client data for client relationship administration frameworks to help associations recognize clients with comparative behavioral characteristics, for example, groups of best clients or onetime clients. Bunch examination additionally can reveal normally happening designs in data. Data-mining apparatuses that comprehend human dialect are finding sudden applications in prescription. IBM and the Mayo Clinic uncovered shrouded designs in therapeutic records, finding that newborn child leukemia has three particular bunches, each of which most likely advantages from custom fitted medicines. Caroline A. Kovac, general administrator of IBM Life Sciences, expects that mining the records of growth patients for grouping examples will turn up pieces of information indicating the way colossal walks in curing malignancy. An incredible case of group investigation happens when endeavoring to fragment clients in view of postal districts. Understanding the socioeconomics, way of life practices, and purchasing examples of the most beneficial sections of the populace at the postal division level is vital to an effective target showcasing procedure. Focusing on just the individuals who have a high inclination to buy items and administrations will help a top of the line business cut its deals and advertising costs immensely. Seeing every client section by postal district permits a business to decide the significance of every portion. ASSOCIATION DETECTION Whirlpool Corporation, a $4.3 billion home and business apparatus producer, utilizes several RD engineers, information examiners, quality confirmation experts, and client benefit faculty who all cooperate to guarantee that every era of machines is superior to the past era. Whirlpool is a case of an association that is picking up business insight with affiliation identification information mining apparatuses. Association detection uncovers how much factors are connected and the nature and recurrence of these connections in the data. Whirlpools guarantee examination apparatus, for example, utilizes factual investigation to consequently distinguish potential issues, give brisk and simple access to reports, and perform multidimensional examination on all guarantee data. This affiliation location information mining instrument empowers Whirlpools chiefs to take proactive measures to control item surrenders even before the greater part of its clients know about the deformity. The instrument likewise permits Whirlpool staff to dedicate more opportunity to esteem included errands, for example, guaranteeing high caliber on all items as opposed to sitting tight for or physically dissecting month to month reports. Many individuals allude to affiliation discovery calculations as affiliation manage generators since they make tenets to decide the probability of occasions happening together at a specific time or taking after each other in a legitimate movement. Rates more often than not mirror the examples of these occasions; for instance, 55 percent of the time, occasions An and B happened together, or 80 percent of the time that things An and B happened together, they were trailed by thing C inside three days. A standout amongst the most widely recognized types of affiliation location examination is market wicker bin investigation. Showcase wicker container examination breaks down such things as sites and checkout scanner data to recognize clients purchasing conduct and foresee future conduct by distinguishing affinities among clients selections of items and administrations. Showcase wicker container investigation is much of the time used to create advertising effort for cross-offering items and administrations (particularly in managing an account, protection, and back) and for stock control, rack item situation, and other retail and promoting applications. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS Statistical analysis performs such limits as information connections, transports, numbers, and change examination. Data mining devices offer learning pros a broad assortment of powerful quantifiable limits so they can quickly fabricate a variety of true models, take a gander at the models doubts and authenticity, and research the diverse models to choose the best one for a particular business issue. Kraft is the producer of immediately obvious sustenance brands, for instance, Oreo, Ritz, DiGiorno, and Kool-Aid. The association realized two data mining applications to ensure solid flavor, shading, notice, surface, and appearance for the lions share of its food lines. One application researched thing consistency and the other separated process assortment diminishing (PVR). The product consistency tools, SENECA (Sensory and Experimental Collection Application), aggregates and inspects information by consigning careful definitions and numerical scales to such qualities as chewy, sweet, crunchy, and smooth. SENECA then structures models, histories, figures, and examples in perspective of customer testing and surveys potential thing redesigns and changes. The PVR gadget ensures relentless flavor, shading, notice, surface, and appearance for every Kraft thing since even little changes in the warming methodology can realize huge abberations in taste. Surveying every gathering technique, from recipe rules to treat blend shapes and sizes, the PVR gadget can make gigantic cost save reserves for each thing. Using these sorts of data burrowing systems for quality control and bundle examination guarantees that the billions of Kraft things that accomplish purchasers yearly will continue tasting mind blowing with every snack. Forecasting is a run of the mill sort of quantifiable examination. Formally described, appraisals are conjectures made on the commence of time-game plan information. Time-game plan information is time-stamped information accumulated at a particular repeat. Instances of time-course of action information join web visits each hour, bargains each month, and calls each day. Deciding data mining mechanical assemblies allow customers to control the time game plan for guaging works out. Exactly when discovering designs and intermittent assortments in esteem based information, use a period course of action figure to change the esteem based information by units of time, for instance, changing week after week information into month to month or general information or hourly information into step by step information. Associations base era, hypothesis, and staffing decisions on a vast gathering of financial and market pointers along these lines. Deciding models allow relationship to consider an extensive variety of variables when choosing. Nestlà © Italiana is a bit of the multinational goliath Nestlà © Group and starting at now summons Italys sustenance industry. The association upgraded bargains assessing by 25 percent with its data mining guaging course of action that enables the associations boss to settle on target decisions in perspective of truths instead of subjective decisions in light of nature. Choosing bargains gauges for intermittent treat store things is a basic and testing errand. In the midst of Easter, Nestlà © Italiana has only four weeks to promote, pass on, and offer its customary things. The Christmas day and age is to some degree additionally, persisting from six to two months, while diverse events, for instance, Valentines Day and Mothers Day have shorter time designations of around one week.

Depictions of Intelligence in Science Fiction Essay -- Literature Mars

To most ancient peoples, Mars was a god, harbinger of war and destruction. While our knowledge of the nature of Mars changed greatly over the ensuing centuries, the attraction Mars holds for the human imagination never waned and continues to our day. Since the discovery that Mars was in fact a planet similar to Earth, the idea that it might harbor intelligent life has enthralled many people. Thus it is only natural that science fiction authors, those members of the human race who put into print the imagination of the species, should turn much of their efforts to speculation about the form and nature of such life. What is striking about this body of literature depicting Mars is its homogeneity. While the methods of presentation may vary from work to work, two themes truly dominate the genre: first, the decay and decline of Mars as a planet and Martian civilization in particular and second, the impact which humanity has on Mars and the ways in which Mars, in turn, impacts those ea rthlings who live on it, especially evident in the transformation of earthlings into Martians. Before discussing these themes, attention must be given to the discovery made by Mariner 4 in July 1965 and confirmed beyond any doubt by Mariner 9 in November 1971 that Mars is incapable of supporting intelligent life. Understandably, this discovery had a profound impact on writers of science fiction concerning Mars, especially concerning intelligent life. While scientists had suspected for quite a while that Mars, in particular the Martian atmosphere, could not sustain intelligent life, it wasn’t until the Mariner missions sent back images of the surface and analyses of the atmosphere that all doubt was laid to rest. Thus authors writing prior to the ... ...artian Theodicy.† Mars Probes. Peter Crowther, ed. NY: DAW Books, Inc., 2002. Lewis, C. S. Out of the Silent Planet. NY: The Macmillan Co., 1973. Moorcock, Michael. â€Å"Lost Sorceress of the Silent Citadel.† Mars Probes. Peter Crowther, ed. NY: DAW Books, Inc., 2002. Moore, Patrick. â€Å"Introduction: The Fascination of Mars.† Mars Probes. Peter Crowther, ed. NY: DAW Books, Inc., 2002. O’Leary, Patrick. â€Å"The Me After the Rock.† Mars Probes. Peter Crowther, ed. NY: DAW Books, Inc., 2002. Resnick, Mike and M. Shayne Bell. â€Å"Flower Children of Mars.† Mars Probes. Peter Crowther, ed. NY: DAW Books, Inc., 2002. Robinson, Kim Stanley. Red Mars. NY: Bantam Books, 1993. Robinson, Kim Stanley. The Martians. NY: Bantam Books, 1999. Strugatsky, Arkady and Boris. Far Rainbow/ The Second Invasion from Mars. Gary Kern, trans. NY: Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc., 1979.

Examine The Weakness Of Different Types Of Documents Used In A Sociological Research

Documents are secondary data developed by individuals, groups, and organisations, in which sociologist may find particularly advantageous in their research. Taking that into account, there are two types of documents both personal and public. Public documents are items such as letters, diaries, autobiographies, notes and photo collections. Personal documents may be noted as unrepresentative, because some groups are unlikely to produce personal documents such as diaries and letters, because they have got limited leisure. Therefore, their views may not be represented, whilst those with the time and literacy skills may be overrepresented.When it comes to examining the personal documents, it somehow lacks the authenticity. There may be possibly missing pages, or someone must have reproduced another copy, making it seem fake. For example, there was claim that Hitler diaries were fakes. Personal documents may also potentially lack the credibility. Documents may be difficult to believe, when considering the author's sincerity. For example, politicians may write diaries that inflate the own importance. The availability of personal documents may be difficult for researchers to gain access to. For example, private†¦Social classes are groups of people who share a similar economic position; which is based on a person's occupation, income and ownership of wealth. People in the same social class can be identified by having similar levels of education, status (prestige), lifestyle (for example living standard or consumer goods e. g. plasma TV 52†² inch) and power. Traditionally the UK's class structure is associated with three-levels: the upper class, the middle class and the working class. However sociologists have noticed a change in this type of class structure and have suggested that the UK is moving away from this class formation.In this essay I am going to outline the traditional class structure (briefly) and talk about the various changes that have occurred to each social class; then I will seek to critically examine a number of sociological explanations for the changes to the class structure. The tri-level traditional class structure is comprised of: the upper class, which is the smallest of the social classes and consists of the crà ¨me de la crà ¨me of society e. g. Aristocracy or also named the â€Å"blue bloods†. These members are usually the wealthiest. Examine the weakness of different types of documents used in a sociological research Documents are secondary data developed by individuals, groups, and organisations, in which sociologist may find particularly advantageous in their research. Taking that into account, there are two types of documents both personal and public. Public documents are items such as letters, diaries, autobiographies, notes and photo collections. Personal documents may be noted as unrepresentative, because some groups are unlikely to produce personal documents such as diaries and letters, because they have got limited leisure. Therefore, their views may not be represented, whilst those with the time and literacy skills may be overrepresented.When it comes to examining the personal documents, it somehow lacks the authenticity. There may be possibly missing pages, or someone must have reproduced another copy, making it seem fake. For example, there was claim that Hitler diaries were fakes. Personal documents may also potentially lack the credibility. Documents may be difficult to believe, when considering the author's sincerity. For example, politicians may write diaries that inflate the own importance. The availability of personal documents may be difficult for researchers to gain access to. For example, private†¦Social classes are groups of people who share a similar economic position; which is based on a person's occupation, income and ownership of wealth. People in the same social class can be identified by having similar levels of education, status (prestige), lifestyle (for example living standard or consumer goods e. g. plasma TV 52†² inch) and power. Traditionally the UK's class structure is associated with three-levels: the upper class, the middle class and the working class. However sociologists have noticed a change in this type of class structure and have suggested that the UK is moving away from this class formation.In this essay I am going to outline the traditional class structure (briefly) and talk about the various changes that have occurred to each social class; then I will seek to critically examine a number of sociological explanations for the changes to the class structure. The tri-level traditional class structure is comprised of: the upper class, which is the smallest of the social classes and consists of the creme de la creme of society e. g. Aristocracy or also named the â€Å"blue bloods†. These members are usually the wealthiest.