Global Internet Advertising Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Global Internet Advertising - Essay Example This paper is going to highlight some of the unanswered questions in the global advertising medium. Although global internet advertising is a good thing to business all over the world there are some areas that need to be further researched. One is that there are privacy concerns on the advertiser’s side and even the potential customers (Tungate, 2013). Business owners when advertising need to prove authenticity of the products or services they are advertising this has caused issues like hackers accessing financial data and employee information via the internet and using it for illegal means (Taylor, 2012). On the customer’s side, some customers have been duped and lied to about keeping their queries or purchases private only for traces to be left that could jeopardize the customer’sreputation and life (St, 2007). This issue needs to be further researched. Secondly, through the research on global internet advertising, there is an issue of Global Internet Access 100% connectivity and when can it be a reality (Hanafizadeh & Behboudi, 2012). It emerged that the whole world knows about the internet and even about internet advertising but not all people have internet access 100% connectivity (Frith& Mueller, 2010). This is either because of high data and broadband prices, lack of data booster in the regions they are situated or partial network coverage (Kogut, 2004). This means that a lot of business will not be reaching the intended target customers while customers will not get the advertisement that could change their daily lives(Krishnamurthy & OConnor, 2006). Further research should be done to establish when 100%comnncevtivty will be a reality especially in developing worlds. A final unanswered question that emerged from the research on global internet advertising was the issue of Advertising & technology (Bidgoli, 2004). To advertise on the internet means that one must be able to use a computer and use their own website or use another

Need and Implementation of Change in General Motors

Need and Implementation of Change in General Motors The ever lasting truth of the universe is change. People, organizations, markets change every second. This change is stimulated by the environment. On individual level people manage change by changing there routines and habits, which is relatively simple. Change in an organization is complex but follows the same rules, organizations like an individual have to change there habits and routines. The organizations who have failed to cope with the change have crumbled under the feet of time either disappearing or being acquired by other companies. For example skybird, tucker corporation, wirgin, tohatsu, clover, British satellite broadcasting, world champion wrestling, archandor, and most recently general which filled chapter 11 bankruptcy. These organizations were unable to recognize the change in the environment and were rejected by the environment. The organizations that have been proactive and managed change have been success stories .i.e. Microsoft, 3com and us robotics, Cadbury and Kraft etc. these organizations have changed there strategies at the right time, they were the leaders of market change. Introduction to General Motors General Motors Corporation (GM) is the worlds largest full-line vehicle manufacturer and marketer. Its arsenal of brands includes Chevrolet, Pontiac, GMC, Buick, Cadillac, Saturn, Hummer, and Saab. Opel, Vauxhall, and Holden comprise GMs international nameplates. Through its system of global alliances, GM holds stakes in Isuzu Motors Ltd., Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., Suzuki Motor Corporation, Fiat Auto, and GM Daewoo Auto Technology. Other principal businesses include General Motors Acceptance Corporation and its subsidiaries, providers of financing and insurance to GM customers and dealers. In the early 2000s, struggling under the weight of escalating healthcare and pension costs, GM sought to shed some of its less profitable activities. Toward that end, among other moves, the company sold its stake in Hughes Electronics, phased out production of the Oldsmobile, and discontinued the Chevrolet Camero and Pontiac Firebird. Facing a tough economic climate, GM has nevertheless retained its position as the worlds leading automaker. Models of change management Now companies have realized the need for change and change management. That is the reason many scholars came up with different models of change management. There are some simple models of change and then there are some complex models. simple models are helpful but do not identify the needs of current economy Simple models which follow the approach that one size fits all Lewins model Unfreeze the current paradigm of the organization. This involves understanding the need for change. Then communicating that need to the people. People should be open to change in structure, behavior and thinking. Change the organization paradigm by introducing new theories in the organization. This is a lengthy process as the new method will take time to sink in. people will question the new method thus it is important that there is a strong channel for feedback. Refreeze the changed paradigm. This is the stage where the change is inculcated into the organization and people followed the changed methods as a part and parcel of the organization. Kotters 8 steps creating a vibe of change into the members gather supporters to guide change create a vision explain the vision to the supporters empower people to follow and spread the vision create shot objective or milestones improvements and feedback Inculcation of change by making it a part of structure and system. Complex model which recognize the need of individual organizations. Johnson Scholes and Whittingtons model identifies the variables that the organization faces. Time is how quickly change is needed. This can be identified by the Balogun and Hailys model. Scope is the degree of change that is necessary. Continuity what is the incremental factor History is the past experience of change Skills what capabilities are required and what do we have. Resources which are available for change management. Readiness is the willingness of people to accept change. Power is where the of the organization lies i.e. with management employees, stakeholders etc. McKinsey 7S framework identifies the areas that management need to focus on in order to manage change effectively Structure is the hierarchy and the departmentalization of the organization before and after the change. Strategy is the plans that organization makes i.e. when to compete? Where to compete? And when to compete? System is the alignment of the strategy with the business objective and at what level evolutionary stage the organization stands. Shared values is what type of culture prevails in the organization Style is the leadership style of the management. How are decisions made? Staff is the human resource of the organization. How trained they are and what staff is needed? Skill is the organizations ability to use its resources. Thus measure of the efficiency of the organization. Need for strategic change in General motors General motor is a fallen giant. Glory of the past from being a great market leader to bankrupt company General motors has come a long way. In 1980s GM was the top car manufacturer in the USA until the arrival of the Japanese cars. The Japanese sold cheap and better cars. GM failed to realize the change in the industry and technology and constantly lost market share to the Japanese companies. Even with government support the company filled chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009. The strategies of the Japanese and GM can be compared with each other and get to what GM needs to do in order to get its former glory. The strategies that have been used by GM are heavy discounting to capture or retain market share. Strategic intervention techniques The purpose of intervention techniques is to improve the efficiency and the effectiveness of the organization. Strategic intervention techniques focus on improving the processes through which ideas are generated and then gain feedback on the ideas. These techniques make some thing happen and also focus on what is happening French Bell Jr (1994). The reasons for interventions can be To gain feedback To educate people To invoke rapid change in the organization. Rapid and sudden change in the external environment Intense competition Driving forces for change in GM Driving forces are the reason that GM requires to change its strategy and align itself with the environment. Few of the forces that pressure Gm to change are as follows Low economic growth in the car manufacturing business has stumped most of the manufacturers. Car manufacturers on government support are making cars at a loss but yet there cars are in the market and cutting the market share of other companies. Japanese car manufacturers are making better cars at low price which is the main competition for GM. Change in technology in the industry has been an issue. Honda and Toyota have advanced in technology at a higher rate than GM. Rising oil prices have also caused the industry to rethink there strategy. Resource implications for GM GM CEO Rick Wagoner has put in a lot of effort to turn around GM since 1992.but his response to change in the environment was too slow. The resources of GM can be evaluated using 5 Ms model Money has been the problem for GM for sometime now but government is ready to help them but they do not have a turn around strategy. Manpower of GM has not been able to generate new ideas which show dulled motivation, and poor creativity skills by the management and other employees. Also GM is stuck in contacts with employees with huge pensions. Minutes time frame for adaptation has always been short for GM and it has always lagged behind the need of time. Material has very special item oil which has sky rocketed. So the price of car manufacturing is rising as well as the price of maintaining a car. Machinery has been the major issue for GM as its competitors have acquired new machinery and processes which are better than that of GM. Due to these factors GM has not been able to change. These are the forces that create resistance for change. Change and stakeholders Stakeholders are an integral part of the organizational paradigm. To bring change in the organization, stakeholders should own the change. The process of change should start from within the stakeholders. To change the culture stakeholders should realize that there is a need for change. Then they should be directed into the right direction. In Kotters 8 steps model for change the role of stakeholders can be incorporated. The model pushes the organization to make its own decision and define its process of change. Kotters model for change for GM Kotter gives a model of change in the organization in which the stakeholders are empowered to make change for themselves. I shall use this model to explain how GM can bring about change in the organization with the help of its stakeholders. Step 1: Create urgency For change to occur it is necessary the whole organization realizes the need for change and puts its effort in making the change. For this purpose managers can paint a grim picture of the future if continued on the same path. Explain to the shareholders the increase in ability of the organization to exploit its resources. There should be feed back from the stakeholders and there ideas should be incorporated in the change process. In case of GM it is not very difficult to paint a grim picture because the next step to bankruptcy is liquidation. The decline in the performance of the company has been a question mark for a long time now. So in GM people are ready for change and stakeholders support the management. Now there is need for discussions so that the ideas and the wills of the stakeholders can be incorporated in the change process. Step 2: Coalitions This is the point where the leadership emerges; people among the stakeholder should take charge of the groups. It is necessary that to identify the key leadership and make them commit to the change in the organization. This is necessary that people who are selected for the leadership believe in the change. In case of General Motors they have to find leaders in order to bring change. Recognition of the people who will help GM to evolve and to accept the changed processes is necessary, if it wishes to make any type of change in its strategy. Step 3: Vision for change When the process of change starts there are many idea of floating. All these ideals need to be linked together if in order to form a vision. This vision needs to be simple and understandable. The vision gives people a sense of direction; they understand the purpose of the change. For change to be successful you need to know the main idea behind the change. For this purpose prepare a summary of the future endeavors of the company. Knowing about the future helps people to support the organization. In case of General Motors the mission statement is quite clear G.M. is a multinational corporation engaged in socially responsible operations, worldwide. It is dedicated to provide products and services of such quality that our customers will receive superior value while our employees and business partners will share in our success and our stock-holders will receive a sustained superior return on their investment. But unfortunately General Motors has not been able to deliver. The vision of the General Motors needs to be communicated effectively through the organization. Every stakeholder needs to believe in the mission statement of General Motors. Step 4: Communication of vision Every person in the organization needs to know the objective of the change. The previous paradigm of the company will produce resistance against the new method. The New Mission statement needs to overcome the resistance and unite the organization on a single path to success. For this the management needs to address all the doubts and problems of the people. Divide the vision into smaller objectives and tie the performance of individual with the achievement of these objectives. In General Motors the management should take responsibility of communicating process of change through the organization. A process of change developed from the input of stakeholders is easier to communicate back. Step 5: Remove obstacles In the process of change, there will always be resistance. The objective of the management is to minimize this resistance and bring the stakeholders to a common platform on which everybody can express their opinion. As the process of change moves forward, there should be constant checks for any barriers to change. In General Motors the inner management has failed to provide change in the organization. The change in GM can be induced from the outside; perhaps a change agent will help GM over come change barriers. Another good way to bring about change is to award the people who embrace the change. Step 6: Create short term objectives For the process of change to work people need to know that it is working. For this management can divide the main objective in to simpler objectives. The management should thoroughly analyze the short term objectives such that they are achievable and motivation. For the achievement of every objective the employees should be rewarded. In General Motors that management need to step up and divide their long-term objectives into the short term goals. The management should make the stakeholders believe that they are capable of changing the business for the better. The most important stakeholder of GM is the government. The government needs to know that that GM can stand on its feet, for it to bail out the company. Step 7: Build on the change The process of change is not complete he unless and until the change culture has inculcated into the organization. Changes in many organizations fail because they do not fully implement the changed processes. The changed processes should become part and parcel of life in the organization. The people of the organization need to build on the changed processes and achieve even more success. The management of General Motors should not stop at making the government believed that they deserve a bailout, but should make efforts to build on the changed processes. Step 8: Change in corporate culture The most difficult thing to do in bringing about change into the organization is to change the culture of the organization. In history many of the mergers in companies have failed because they unable to merge the culture of the companies. Changing the culture of the company is a very long and hard process. General motors will need to change the culture and introduce a fresh method to succeed in an unattractive industry. At this point the employees of General Motor will not be motivated; the management needs to bring faith back into the employees. Monitoring progress and conclusion The final step in the management of change would be to monitor the performance of the company. For this purpose appraisal of each of the activities of the company will be performed. The justification of activity will provide grounds by which the productivity of the activity will be measured. The idea of kaizen should become a part of the activities of the business. The process of change is very lengthy; it takes years for change process to become part of the culture. The management of the organization needs to be very patient and need to prioritize their objectives. In General Motors it is necessary that people accept the change and once the changed processes have settled in there should be continuous evaluation and revaluation. The U.S market has become very saturated thus not allowing the companies to grow as fast as they would like. For the companies to survive they need to use there resources with utmost efficiency.

The Orthodox Tradition in Eastern Europe Essay -- Religion Russia 19th

The Orthodox Tradition in Eastern Europe After the 4th century when Constantinople emerged as a great capital and church center, tensions sometimes arose between its leaders and the bishop of Rome. After the fall of Rome to Germanic invaders in 476, the Roman pope was the only guardian of Christian universalism in the West. He began more explicitly to attribute his dominance to Rome’s being the burial place of Saint Peter, whom Jesus had called the â€Å"rock† on which the church was to be built. The Eastern Christians respected that tradition and recognized the Roman patriarch to a measure of honorable authority. But they never believed that this authority allowed the papacy to overrule another church or that it made the pope into a universally reliable figure within the larger church. The Orthodox tradition asserted that the character and rights of the church were fully present in each local community of Orthodox believers with its own bishop. All bishops were equal, and patriarchs or synods of bishops exercised only an â€Å"oversight of care† among the body of coequal bishops. The precedence of honor of individual national churches depended on historical rank. Therefore, the patriarchate of Constantinople understood its own position to be determined entirely by the fact that Constantinople, the â€Å"new Rome,† was the seat of the Roman emperor and the Senate in a world where church boundaries, for administrative reasons, reflected political limits. Apart from the different understandings of the personality of church power, the most significant doctrinal difference between Eastern and Western Christians arose over the exact wording of the Nicene Creed. The Orthodox churches demanded that no words be added to or taken away from the ancient and fundamental statement of the faith, as issued by the councils of Nicaea and Constantinople in the 4th century. During the early Middle Ages the Latin word filioque, meaning â€Å"and from the Son,† was added in the Latin Christian world, thus rendering the creed as â€Å"I believe †¦ in the Holy Spirit †¦ who proceeds from the Father and from the Son.† Charlemagne and his successors promoted the outburst, primarily opposed by the popes, in Europe. Eventually, it was also accepted in Rome in about 1014. Western theologians believed that this teaching preserved the spirit of the original creed. But Orthodox teachers believed that it had n... ...r tsars, Moscow had become the so-called third Rome, direct heir to the imperial and ecclesiastical supremacy of ancient Rome and Constantinople. The patriarchs of Moscow never enjoyed anything like the relative freedom of the Byzantine patriarchs, where church laws regulated the interference of the emperor and were generally respected. In Russia the tsars exercised complete domination over church affairs, except for the brief reign of Patriarch Nikon in the mid-17th century. In 1721 Tsar Peter the Great abolished the patriarchate altogether, and thereafter the church was governed through the imperial administration. The patriarchate was reestablished in 1917, at the time of the Russian Revolution, but soon afterward the Russian church was violently persecuted by the Communist government. As the Soviet regime became less repressive and, in 1991, broke up, the church started to regain its vitality. The Orthodox churches in Eastern Europe also faced persecution by oppressive Commun ist governments after World War II ended in 1945, but they too regained their authority in the 1990s and are slowly reestablishing their place in the moral, religious, and cultural life of their people. The Orthodox Tradition in Eastern Europe Essay -- Religion Russia 19th The Orthodox Tradition in Eastern Europe After the 4th century when Constantinople emerged as a great capital and church center, tensions sometimes arose between its leaders and the bishop of Rome. After the fall of Rome to Germanic invaders in 476, the Roman pope was the only guardian of Christian universalism in the West. He began more explicitly to attribute his dominance to Rome’s being the burial place of Saint Peter, whom Jesus had called the â€Å"rock† on which the church was to be built. The Eastern Christians respected that tradition and recognized the Roman patriarch to a measure of honorable authority. But they never believed that this authority allowed the papacy to overrule another church or that it made the pope into a universally reliable figure within the larger church. The Orthodox tradition asserted that the character and rights of the church were fully present in each local community of Orthodox believers with its own bishop. All bishops were equal, and patriarchs or synods of bishops exercised only an â€Å"oversight of care† among the body of coequal bishops. The precedence of honor of individual national churches depended on historical rank. Therefore, the patriarchate of Constantinople understood its own position to be determined entirely by the fact that Constantinople, the â€Å"new Rome,† was the seat of the Roman emperor and the Senate in a world where church boundaries, for administrative reasons, reflected political limits. Apart from the different understandings of the personality of church power, the most significant doctrinal difference between Eastern and Western Christians arose over the exact wording of the Nicene Creed. The Orthodox churches demanded that no words be added to or taken away from the ancient and fundamental statement of the faith, as issued by the councils of Nicaea and Constantinople in the 4th century. During the early Middle Ages the Latin word filioque, meaning â€Å"and from the Son,† was added in the Latin Christian world, thus rendering the creed as â€Å"I believe †¦ in the Holy Spirit †¦ who proceeds from the Father and from the Son.† Charlemagne and his successors promoted the outburst, primarily opposed by the popes, in Europe. Eventually, it was also accepted in Rome in about 1014. Western theologians believed that this teaching preserved the spirit of the original creed. But Orthodox teachers believed that it had n... ...r tsars, Moscow had become the so-called third Rome, direct heir to the imperial and ecclesiastical supremacy of ancient Rome and Constantinople. The patriarchs of Moscow never enjoyed anything like the relative freedom of the Byzantine patriarchs, where church laws regulated the interference of the emperor and were generally respected. In Russia the tsars exercised complete domination over church affairs, except for the brief reign of Patriarch Nikon in the mid-17th century. In 1721 Tsar Peter the Great abolished the patriarchate altogether, and thereafter the church was governed through the imperial administration. The patriarchate was reestablished in 1917, at the time of the Russian Revolution, but soon afterward the Russian church was violently persecuted by the Communist government. As the Soviet regime became less repressive and, in 1991, broke up, the church started to regain its vitality. The Orthodox churches in Eastern Europe also faced persecution by oppressive Commun ist governments after World War II ended in 1945, but they too regained their authority in the 1990s and are slowly reestablishing their place in the moral, religious, and cultural life of their people.

Famine in Africa

Help All You Want Imagine a small African family in Zimbabwe, a small child’s mother and father work the fields but due to further hunger are too weak to even stand up, let alone go out into the fields and work. This has started an entire chain reaction in the community. Since the child’s mother and father cannot go out into the field and harvest food, another family goes hungry, and then another and another, continuing on a path spiraling downwards.Now imagine this same family, but a stable government has been established in Zimbabwe, the child’s mother and father are both well fed because the food distribution organizations are well funded, your parents go out into the fields and harvest the crops, creating another chain reaction but with a positive spiral. This is an example of how food distribution plays a major role on famine and also how stable governments affect the food distribution in Africa.Most studies on the famine epidemic throughout Africa state tha t HIV/AIDS plays a major role in famine; this can be attributed to lack of health care in the continent which can be established if governments were established. Stable governments may also play a role in fighting rebel or terrorist like groups that steal food from the people and commit mass genocide. Stable governments also may regulate food distribution to families in need and also regulate the amount of food that is distributed, making the portions fair, depending on the size of the family.Some people believe that by just simply throwing money into the economy of Africa or by simply supplying food to the people of Africa will turn it all around. Although this may help, it will not completely fix the problem. This is due to the fact that the money will run out and the food will be used up in a matter of time. The familiar culprits of drought and mismanagement of national strategies are implicated; however, this crisis is distinct from conventional drought induced food shortages wi th respect to those vulnerable to starvation, and the course of impoverishment and recovery.It is proposed that these new aspects to the food crisis can be attributed largely to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the region. This information is provided to us in the article, â€Å"New Variant Famine: AIDS and Food Crisis in Southern Africa† by Alex De Waal and Alan Whiteside. â€Å"Millions Facing Drought and Famine throughout Africa† by Barry Mason, reports that aid agencies show that many areas in Africa are currently facing drought and threat of famine (Mason 1).In East Africa, some 11 million people are suffering a drought that is the worst in a decade and will mean that food aid is urgently needed over the next six months. The countries affected stretch from the Horn of Africa throughout Malawi, Zambia and Mozambique (Mason 1). This article is an example of those people in the world that believe that this is the main point fixing the famine pandemic. â€Å"Famine Mortality : A Case Study of Darfur, Sudan,† by Alex De Waal presents the results and analysis of a survey of mortality undertaken in the villages of the Darfur Region of Sudan in 1986.It illustrates a number of important aspects of famine mortality, and provides the only basis on which to estimate famine mortality for this region (De Waal 1). In 1983, the harvest failed in Northern Darfur, and in 1984, it failed in both northern and southern Darfur. Lack of pasture also led to the deaths of about half the livestock in the region (De Waal 1). Healthcare in Africa plays a major role in the famine epidemic sweeping through parts of the continent. Lack of a stable government can be blamed on lack of healthcare.Healthcare plays such a major role in the famine epidemic, due to the fact that research has proven that HIV/AIDS weakens and kills the farmers that would plant, take care of, and harvest the crops that would provide food to the communities. According to some reports, the African fami ne is a clear example of the impact of HIV/AIDS. The loss of life and health care costs are traditionally associated with the disease. More than 14 million people are now at risk of starvation in many countries throughout the continent.All of these predominantly agricultural societies are battling serious AIDS epidemics, with more than 5 million adults currently living with HIV/AIDS in these countries. Out of a total adult population of some 26 million, the HIV/AIDS epidemic is a huge contributor. Malaria and other diseases that can be vaccinated against are also not taken care of and play a major role in famine, this is because of the absence of hospitals or doctors. No other infectious disease, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, inflicts a more devastating economic toll, keeping whole populations trapped in poverty.This healthcare problem could be taken care of if there were a government present, but since there is no government, or the government is not very stable, the pandemic s continue and the people of Africa continue to get sick and die, unable to product food, the famine epidemic just gets worse. In other areas, not just that of the healthcare issue, is a contributing factor in the famine epidemic. News reports on the continent of Africa also state that there are many rebel groups in certain areas that are killing the people in some regions and also taking what little food the people have.Spreading fear throughout the people causes them to work less, or in some cases not at all. The mass genocide of the workers is also contributing to the lack of food in the most hard hit areas. With a more stable government, these groups could be weakened if not destroyed altogether, reassuring the work force and also creating a rise in the size of the workforce. This is the reason a more stable government plays a more pivotal role in famine. In â€Å"Blame Policy, Not Nature,† by Ann Gibbons, only one region of the world still suffers from widespread famine. This region is Africa. Why is that?. After all, many poor countries including India and China, have staved off famine in recent decades, even though starvation was common there earlier in the century (Gibbons 1). The conventional wisdom holds that the answer is a combination of droughts, deforestation, and war. The drought part of this theory is what I am sure first comes to mind with all of us, it’s Africa. The deforestation part of this theory is caused by the ever growing population and need for more land to create cities.Last on the list of three in this theory is war (Gibbons 1). War is part of the popular opinion that there is a need for a stable government in Africa; the wars in Africa are not between countries but between rebels fighting for control of some areas. These rebel groups exist because either the government in the area is too weak, or there is no government in place in that area (Gibbons 1). Many governments that have tried to rise up from the ground on the ir own have just been destroyed and overrun by the rebel groups.Without outside help from surrounding countries in Africa, which is not likely considering they have their own problem to deal with, or help from other countries across the world, for example the United States, these small governments trying to get on their feet will just continue to be overrun and destroyed, further devastating the local communities and worsening the famine epidemic. Just another reason stable government is badly needed throughout Africa. On top of the healthcare and rebel groups, perhaps the highest contributing factor in the famine epidemic going on in Africa is food distribution.Since food distribution is the highest contributing factor in the famine epidemic, the government has a huge role in this area. A stable government would be, and is absolutely crucial to the controlled distribution of food to the people. Not only could a stable government control the amount of food distributed, but it could also make wise decisions on the amount of food given to each family, depending on size and need of food by those people. Food distribution impacts the African societies immediately, but without the proper funding necessary to keep the distribution programs running, it is just a lost cause.By establishing stable governments, the distribution programs would have better funding and be able to continue the surges of food into the communities. There are many theories and opinions floating around out there on how famine in Africa can be reduced. Many studies show that a very vital factor in reducing the famine in Africa start with a stable government, one that can establish a working healthcare system that will lessen the effect HIV/AIDS has in the communities.Governments that can halt the rebel groups and make the people feel safe to go into the fields. Finally, a government that can set up well funded food distribution with equal distribution of food, just to give the communities of Afr ica that jump start they need to get back on the right path. These are but a few of the reasons that famine in Africa can be reduced, starting with the establishment of more stable governments throughout the continent.According to the article, â€Å"Famine in Africa: Causes, Responses and Prevention† by David Colman, most famines in the last 25 years have been in Africa. Most people in the world, therefore, confine attention solely to it, with a particular emphasis on Ethiopia and Sudan. The article by Colman sets out to increase understanding of famine, provide extensive empirical evidence on all aspects of causes of famine, household responses to it, market behavior in times of famine, and policy initiatives, and to assess famine prevention policies and their performance in the real world.In the article â€Å"Famine in Africa: Causes, Responses, and Prevention† by Joachim Von Braun, Tesfaye Teklu, and Patrick Webb, it is explained that famine in Africa makes an impor tant contribution to a better understanding of the causes of hunger in developing societies, while also providing the most thorough assessment to date through a synthesis of empirical research of policies implemented to prevent and mitigate famine in poor countries (Von Braun 1). On the basis of findings from six African countries in particular, the authors argue against single-cause explanations f famine, this including the opinion of some that an unstable government is the cause of the famine (Von Braun 1). There are many different opinions and theories in which people believe that famine in Africa can be reduced, many of which include, in some way or another, the fact that government is needed I those areas. Most of those theories or studies on the famine epidemic throughout Africa also state that HIV/AIDS plays a major role in famine. These theories all agree with each other while at the same time disagree with each other, so you could say they agree to disagree.However, they ar e all theories on how to help the people of Africa and stop the famine pandemic from spreading. The main opinion of most people throughout the world on the subject of reducing the famine pandemic in Africa is that stable government is needed. Stable government would provide better food distribution to the people, better healthcare, and would provide safety to the people by protecting them from the rebels of the areas and also the surrounding areas.These ways all combined from the theory that stable government is needed, as believed by many people, which is how famine in Africa can be reduced. Works Cited Colman, David. â€Å"Famine in Africa: Causes, Responses and Prevention. † Academic Search Premier. EBSCO, 1 Feb 2000, Web. 7 Oct. 2012. De Waal, Alex, and Alan Whiteside. â€Å"New Variant Famine: AIDS and Food Crisis in Southern Africa. † Academic Search Premier. EBSCO, 11 Oct 2003, Web. 8 Oct. 2012. De Waal, Alex. â€Å"Famine Mortality: A Case Study of Darfur, Sud an. † Academic Search Premier. EBSCO, Mar. 1989. Web. 10 Oct. 012. Dibie Roberty. â€Å"Famine Crimes: Politics and the Disaster Relief Industry in Africa. † Academic Search Premier. EBSCO, 12 Nov. 1998. Web. 7 Oct. 2012. Gibbons, Ann. â€Å"Famine: Blame Policy, Not Nature. † Academic Search Elite. EBSCO, 8 Nov. 1991. Web. 8 Oct. 2012. Mason, Barry. â€Å"Millions Facing Drought and Famine throughout Africa. † World Socialist Web Site. 23 Feb. 2006. Web. 11 Oct. 2012. Von Braun, Joachim, Tesfaye Teklu, and Patrick Webb. â€Å"Famine in Africa: Causes, Responses, and Prevention. † Academic Search Premier. EBSCO, 1 Dec. 1999. Web. 8 Oct. 2012.

Accounting and Bookkeeping Services Marketing Plan Essay

Marketing Vision Sorcerer’s Accountant will fit the needs of transitional small businesses, dealing with the growing pains of leaving an owner-operator model to hiring employees and expanding. These clients will see that Sorcerer’s Accountant is competitively priced, both compared with the market and with the substitute option of hiring their own bookkeepers. Clients will see that Sorcerer’s Accountant is extremely flexible and scalable in a way that in-house bookkeepers cannot be. To move forward with this new business line, Sorcerer’s Accountant will make the bookkeeping services the core of its business and a source of leads for its additional accounting services, rather than the other way around. Over time, as this transition happens, the marketing plan will be revisited to see how these clients can be better used as a source for referrals and more business. See more: The Issues Concerning Identity Theft Essay Goals Sorcerer’s Accountant’s goals include Personal, Marketing, Business, and Client Satisfaction goals. They are: 1. Personal – To reduce the time spent on the business by Max Greenwood to a more sustainable level over a few years and to achieve professional recognition 2. Marketing – Generation of large numbers of leads and press mentions 3. Business – Expand sales significantly over the next three years 4. Client Satisfaction – To achieve a high level of very satisfied clients Purpose Sorcerer’s Accountant seeks to provide a full suite of tax and management accounting services for small businesses in Chicago, Illinois, allowing business owners to not only save money over in-house accounting and ensure their compliance with tax laws, but to make valuable management decisions from their numbers. Picture When clients come to Sorcerer’s Accountant, the frustration of dealing with in-house bookkeepers and low-quality providers will recede. Clients will be given the time to have all of their questions answered and valuable accounting and systems advice will be given even in the initial meetings. The client will quickly understand that Sorcerer’s Accountant will scale their services to meet the client’s needs and can add to those services as the client’s needs change. They will understand that they are not entering into an onerous contract and that the cost of getting started is low. The client will be delighted the first time they receive a thank you card and small gift when they’ve made their budgeted numbers for the quarter. At this point it will truly sink in that Sorcerer’s Accountant has their bookkeeping and accounting needs covered and that they can put away any worry that this area will be a weak link in their business. Gap Dashboard Weekly measurements of key metrics will be averaged for each month and entered in the Gap Dashboard. Personal goals will be tracked by Max Greenwood directly to make sure he is moving towards both professional recognition and a sustainable work/life balance. Marketing goals will be tracked by the CRM system and business goals will be tracked by QuickBooks. Client satisfaction numbers will be derived from the survey provider’s database. Whether numbers are met or not, the news will be shared on a monthly basis with the entire staff, with congratulations and discussion as to what is going right as well as a look at what is going wrong and how it can be rectified. These reports will be shared in full with the bookkeeping program manager and partially with the bookkeepers. Ideal Customer The ideal customer for Sorcerer’s Accountant is an owner of a very small business. Having launched within the last few years, the customer has just hired his first employee. The bookkeeping work (accounts payable and receivable, payroll, bank reconciliations, tax preparation) that the owner did for the first few years is taking more and more time and is holding him back from working on sales, marketing, and strategy for the business. The new employee has been hired to handle more of the technical work of the business, not to do bookkeeping. However, when considering the type of bookkeeping help he can afford, the customer realizes that a ten-hour-a-week employee would most likely be a student or low-skills worker who would require a great deal of training. The customer is put off by the idea of spending a great deal of time training such an individual, who may leave within a year (or even less) due to school schedule changes or finding a full-time job. He realizes that keeping the books correctly is important work, but because he understands his own value to the business, his knows his time is better spent elsewhere. He might then begin to search for professional bookkeeping options that can offer just a low-level of support by doing his own research and asking other business owners he knows. Market Description The small business accounting market consists of virtually every small business in the United States. As businesses grow larger than one person sole proprietorships, they generally require expert help with at least their tax preparation, and often with additional bookkeeping and accounting services. Even many non-employer sole proprietorships will use accounting help at some point. While some small businesses hire bookkeepers or CFOs directly, many successfully outsource these types of services. The market for Sorcerer’s Accountant is small businesses in the city limits of Chicago. This will represent approximately 85,000 businesses in 2010. This market can be subdivided into three groups: Non-employer firms: Without employees, these firms do not have many of the concerns of larger businesses. However, the owners must be vigilant to protect their own tax liability and sort out how their personal and business tax returns intersect. These firms are generally buyers of QuickBooks services and tax preparation services. As they grow, this group becomes ripe for outsourced bookkeeping services before they can hire a full-time in-house bookkeeper. Very small businesses: Defined for our purposes as businesses with 2-10 employees. Made up of businesses that are designed to stay small and those which are growing through a phase, these businesses require payroll services, bookkeeping, and tax preparation. They are concerned about losing control, but can generally be convinced of using outsourced accounting and bookkeeping with cost analysis. With the stakes higher, these businesses can make greater use of management accounting services, especially as most cannot afford a dedicated CFO. Many do not need a full-time bookkeeper, but can made due with part-time help, which limits their hiring options. Other small businesses: Defined for our purposes as businesses with 11 to 99 employees. Many of these businesses will have some in-house financial management and bookkeeping help. However, they may be able to save money by outsourcing these services as they are not generally core to what the business seeks to do. These businesses may be comfortable with their situation as a cash producer for their owners or intent on g rowing or positioning themselves for sale. Remarkable Difference Sorcerer’s Accountant offers the flexibility and low rates of an in-house bookkeeping employee, while providing all of the training, oversight, and deep knowledge of a Certified Public Accountant. Differentiators Sorcerer’s Accountant will achieve a competitive edge among Chicago bookkeeping services due to its combination of CPA oversight with lower-level, inexpensive labor to solve the specific problems of small business owners. Clients will receive the advantage of having a CPA review their books and propose additional advice when appropriate, while not paying much more than they would to hire their own part-time bookkeeper. This is not an inimitable competitive edge, but the market in Chicago is significantly large enough to allow for the success of Sorcerer’s Accountant with this strategy. Large firms ignore the small business market because they are better positioned to serve larger businesses. They are unlikely to imitate this strategy as they will find it difficult to convince small businesses that they can offer services which are affordable to them.

buy custom Dreams of Trespass essay

buy custom Dreams of Trespass essay This novel has been written by Fatima Mernissi, and is considered to be one of the most significant books in explaining the social position of Arab and Muslim women. This novel is an autobiography of Fatima herself as she had spent her childhood in Morocco during the 1940s. Fatima presents the ideas, thoughts and dreams of the local people in a very effective way. She weaves in and out of these features putting forward her life in a very appealing manner. Fatima does ensure that she puts forward the religious aspects and the cultural importance of various things, and how they tend to change with the changes in technology. These changes in technology had caused people to travel more and as a result people of different cultures and backgrounds had come together. The author uses the book as a medium to explain things which she once did not understand and did not expect the people to understand them as well. Collectively the book has a very long lasting effect on the reader as they face the world through the eyes of Fatima and how she tries to make snse of the world around herself. She is faced by many rules and laws which she does not understand fully but has to follow because of living in the society in which she was born. One of the major themes of this book is the covering of the women. Women were required to stay inside harem in the house and were not allowed to leave the house until they received consent of the male authority of the house. Even then they were allowed to leave being completely covered and their attire included a veil. The world was progressing swiftly and there was a shift towards protecting the rights of women and granting them freedom. This was also affecting the Muslim world. Even within Fatimas household there was a consistent shift towards the women rights. Some opposed to deviate from the traditional customs and principles and others were pushing hard for liberation and freedom. With all the conflict going on inside the household relating to the rights of women, the eight year old Fatima tries to understand the essence behind these problems. She beggins to search answers for essential questions that what was a harem and why were Muslim women forced to inhabit it. A large portion of the book has this theme and how the females of the society feel about it. The authors recalling of her childhood memories may seem to many as criticism of the lives of the women. However, what the author is aiming to highlight that there are some instances when a person is bound by the culture of the society which they live in. But, the essence is that how they are able to face it and how the women in her community were able to channel their thoughts and live in the society. Therefore, by using the innocence of an eight year old child Fatima puts forward many themes which and eight year old child is unlikely to understand. These themes in fact help the other people in the society and the readers to realize that there is always a clash between cultures and within them as well. This may not be easy to understand always but it exists and shapes the way of our lives. The women in the childhood of the author are faced by a similar situation. Buy custom Dreams of Trespass essay

Free Essays on The Unternet

The Internet has revolutionized the computer and communications world like nothing before. The invention of the telegraph, telephone, radio, and computer set the stage for this unprecedented integration of capabilities. The Internet is at once a world-wide broadcasting capability, a mechanism for information dissemination, and a medium for collaboration and interaction between individuals and their computers without regard for geographic location. The Internet represents one of the most successful examples of the benefits of sustained investment and commitment to research and development of information infrastructure. Beginning with the early research in packet switching, the government, industry and academia have been partners in evolving and deploying this exciting new technology. Today, terms like "bleiner@computer.org" and "acm.org" trip lightly off the tongue of the random person on the street. 1 This is intended to be a brief, necessarily cursory and incomplete history. Much material currently exists about the Internet, covering history, technology, and usage. A trip to almost any bookstore will find shelves of material written about the Internet. 2 In this paper, 3 several of us involved in the development and evolution of the Internet share our views of its origins and history. This history revolves around four distinct aspects. There is the technological evolution that began with early research on packet switching and the ARPANET (and related technologies), and where current research continues to expand the horizons of the infrastructure along several dimensions, such as scale, performance, and higher level functionality. There is the operations and management aspect of a global and complex operational infrastructure. There is the social aspect, which resulted in a broad community of Internauts working together to create and evolve the technology. And there is the commercialization aspect, resulting in an ex... Free Essays on The Unternet Free Essays on The Unternet The Internet has revolutionized the computer and communications world like nothing before. The invention of the telegraph, telephone, radio, and computer set the stage for this unprecedented integration of capabilities. The Internet is at once a world-wide broadcasting capability, a mechanism for information dissemination, and a medium for collaboration and interaction between individuals and their computers without regard for geographic location. The Internet represents one of the most successful examples of the benefits of sustained investment and commitment to research and development of information infrastructure. Beginning with the early research in packet switching, the government, industry and academia have been partners in evolving and deploying this exciting new technology. Today, terms like "bleiner@computer.org" and "acm.org" trip lightly off the tongue of the random person on the street. 1 This is intended to be a brief, necessarily cursory and incomplete history. Much material currently exists about the Internet, covering history, technology, and usage. A trip to almost any bookstore will find shelves of material written about the Internet. 2 In this paper, 3 several of us involved in the development and evolution of the Internet share our views of its origins and history. This history revolves around four distinct aspects. There is the technological evolution that began with early research on packet switching and the ARPANET (and related technologies), and where current research continues to expand the horizons of the infrastructure along several dimensions, such as scale, performance, and higher level functionality. There is the operations and management aspect of a global and complex operational infrastructure. There is the social aspect, which resulted in a broad community of Internauts working together to create and evolve the technology. And there is the commercialization aspect, resulting in an ex...