Sexual Assault Against Women

Sexual Assault against Women I choose this topic because sexual assault is one of the most offensive crimes committed in our society. Not only is it a threat to the community, but it has a physically and psychologically effect on the victim in many ways. For the last couple of decades, sexual assault, rape, and child molestation has become the focal point of public concerns today. According to a 1993 National Crime Victimization Survey conducted by the U. S. Department of Justice, about 500,000 rapes or sexual assaults occur each year (Statistics, March 2010).The Department of Justice states that, â€Å"rape crimes have risen nearly three times as fast as the total crime rate†, although other studies have shown statistics that are in conflict with these numbers; due to the victims that do no report their attacks. For example, the National Women’s Study claims that about 683,000 rapes of adult women occur annually, while the Federal Bureau of Investigation reports 103,00 0 such rapes each year (Statistics, March 2010). Most lawmakers agree that sexual violence is a problem that requires a lot of attention and investigation.In the mid-1990s, a number of violent crimes were being committed by recently released sex offenders. The media attention motivated many states to pass laws that specify that communities must be notified about paroled sex offender living in their communities. This caused a fear of the people in the community that released sex offenders may commit assaults in their community as well. Alice Walker's The Color Purple is an excellent account of the life of a woman who must suffer not only social ostracism due to gender and skin color but also women who suffer greatly at the hands of men.This is true in terms of infidelity, physical and verbal abuse, and sexual abuse. The Color Purple revolves around the life of Celie, a young woman growing up in the poverty-ridden South. In order to find herself and gain independence, Celie must deal with all manner of abuse, including misogyny, racism and poverty. When she is a young girl of just 14, Celie is sexually assaulted by a man she believes is her father. She had two children by her rapist, both of who he takes to a Reverend.When her mother dies, this man known as â€Å"Pa† marries Celie to a man she will only refer to as â€Å"Mr. † (Walker, 1985). This is just a fine example of the recollection of a victim. The Violence against Women Act (VAWA) of 1994 marked a turning point in our national response to the problems of both sexual assault and domestic violence. For the first time it considered the ways in which sexual assault and domestic violence were similar: they are both crimes of violence against women, rooted in historical and cultural traditions and attitudes.VAWA also addressed the ways our laws failed to prosecute and punish perpetrators of these crimes of violence, while often increasing the trauma experienced by victims. The act included measu res designed to protect crime victims' rights and provide crime victims with compensation, establish hotlines for sexual assault and family violence victims, establish sex offender registration and community notification, protect women from â€Å"date rape,† and coordinate law enforcement and social services to deal with crime in a unified manner.VAWA is a wide-ranging law which, among other things, mandated research into sexual and domestic violence, funded community efforts against sexual and domestic violence through grants, proposed changes in the evaluation and determination of evidence, affirmed victims' rights of privacy and equal protection under the law, recommended compensation of victims, and authorized enhanced penalties for repeat sex offenders. Law enforcement officers are highly trained and are fully aware of this Act and how it works.It is the duty of the officer to enforce these laws. One intervention method for the offenders that would restore justice practi ces is the gaining popularity of â€Å"chemical castration† which is the use of Depo-Provera; it decreases the level of testosterone that men produce (encyclopedia, 2012). Lowered testosterone levels decreases the sexual thoughts and fantasies of the offender. The way this method would impact the victim is by given them a piece of mind of knowing the offender is being mentored and knowing that this could happen to another person.The way the Criminal Justice system can work more efficient to help the victim through a rape or sexual assault is not blame the victim; this was a strategy that was used in pasted which would make the victim feel as if it is their fault. For example, the victim goes to a party and becomes overly intoxicated and wakes up to find herself assaulted sexual, in the past the victim would be the blame because she became overly intoxicated.But what should be done is to encourage women not to precipitate the crime through careless behavior. But blame the offe nder, because they are the predator in crime and they should be removed from society. As a Criminal Justice professional I would provide more effective assistance to the victim by offering services such as hotline information, victim advocate services, and assist them with police reporting process. Or even offer counseling service and self-defense strategies.Things that could be done to reduce victim blaming are training within the Criminal Justice system and educating the public on victim blaming as well. ? REFERENCES encyclopedia, T. f. (2012, May 05/31/12). Chemical Castration. Retrieved from Wikipedia: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Chemical_castration Statistics, U. S. (March 2010). National Crime Victimization Survey. National Crime Victimization Survey, 2008- -Statistical tables, 26 – 49. Walker, A. (1985). The Color Purple. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.

Desert Solitaire: a Season in the Wilderness

The author of the book Desert Solitaire, Edward Abbey, talked frequently throughout the book about the beauty of nature and ways that human beings are destroying the natural beauty of the world we live in. The way abbey views nature is in a way that is best experienced by actually being out in nature, taking a hike, horseback riding, or bicycling. He believes that people who use the luxury of their cars on camping trip will not get to experience everything that nature has to offer. Abbey sees the beauty of the natural world in a way that most human beings are unable to because they do not spend time exploring nature.From the very beginning of the book Abbey shows his love for nature and all his creatures when he befriends and gopher snake. Or when he was is in awe of the old moon-eyed horse’s wild manner, independence, and beauty. To stand by his love for nature he says â€Å"I prefer not to kill animals. I’m a humanist; I’d rather kill a man than a snake. † (pg. 20) Abbey believes that humans are destroying the beauty and wonder of nature and he is upset when he finds out they are planning to build a major road through Arches National Park.Abbey believes industrial tourism is becoming a bigger problem to all national parks. In abbey’s opinion he thinks motor vehicles should be prohibited on the grounds of any national monument. â€Å" we have agreed not to drive our automobiles into cathedrals, to concert halls, art museums†¦we should treat our national parks with the same deference, for they, too, are holy places† (pg. 65). Abbey believes that the only way to truly experience the beauty of nature is to walk through, bike ride through, or horseback ride through.As said before abbey is a humanist and has not sympathy for the elderly who travel to national parks for vacations, he says they â€Å"had the opportunity to see the country when it was still relatively unspoiled† (pg. 67). He also has no sympathy fo r children who are â€Å"too small to ride bicycles and too heavy to be borne on their parents’ backs. † (pg. 67) Abbey is able to see nature in a way that most people cannot. Most humans tend to overlook the little things, but abbey will see the beauty in it.Many people think rocks are dirty and ugly but abbey finds beauty in just their names, â€Å"the very names lovely – chalcedony, carnelian, jasper†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (pg. 74). While looking at the Delicate Arch most people would see it as just a big arch made out of rocks. But to abbey it is so much more than that. He compares it to â€Å"eroded remnant of a sandstone fin, a giant engagement ring cemented in rock, a bow legged pair of petrified cowboy chaps†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (pg. 44). Some people who view the Delicate Arch will find God while exploring, others will â€Å"†¦see only Lyell and the uniformity of nature† (pg. 5). To abbey the Delicate Arch and other objects of nature â€Å"remind us that out there is a different world, older and greater and deeper by far than ours†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (pg. 45) Even though nature is beautiful, calm, and serene it also has another side that is harsh, violent, and cruel. Abbey experiences this side of nature with blazing heat, sand storms, and a flash flood.When he find a dead tourist underneath a tree, which shows just how cruel the desert can be. But according to abbey the man was fortunate to have died the way he did, he envies him. To die in the open under the sky†¦before this desert vastness opening like a window onto eternity – surely that was an overwhelming stroke of rare good luck† (pg. 267). For abbey to envy the man for dying that way is another example of his love for nature. Most people would look at that situation as sad and unfortunate, but abbey sees the beauty and peace in it. Abbey also experiences the cruelness of nature when he himself is forced to spend the night alone in Havasu. Mother Nature can be a v ery cruel and evil woman who does not have sympathy for anyone.If a person is unfortunate enough to see this side of Mother Nature it can only lead to a sad ending. â€Å"Fatal. Death by starvation, slow and tedious. † (pg. 253) While most people have comes to enjoy the luxury and comfort of an industrialized society, Abbey has chosen to live the life opposite of luxurious and easy. He would rather rough it out in the desert than big in an air conditioned office. Abbey has experienced nature in a way most people will never have the opportunity to. He sees the world for what it was mean to be, all nature, nothing else.

The Four basic Factors of McDonaldization

In today's' complicated and ever changing society, we often try to achieve a sense of stability and familiarity around us. One way our culture has tried to make life a little easier is by implementing a function now know as â€Å"McDonaldization†. McDonaldization is defined as â€Å"the process by which the principles of the fast food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as well as the rest of the world. † (1) The success of McDonalds, and of McDonaldization as a whole, is due to four basic factors–efficiency, calculability, predictability, and control. One of the first functions of McDonaldization is efficiency. Efficiency means choosing the optimum means to an given end. In our society, people like to have things go as quickly and as smoothly as possible, but they do not want to find out the fastest way themselves. Instead, people like to have a system that has already been used and that they know works. Efficiency has its advantages for both consumers, who get what they want quickly and with little effort, and for workers, who can perform their tasks in a simple manner. The fast food industry is very streamlined, because hamburgers are the simplest ood there is to make. Other foods also do not need a lot of ingredients, and they are simple to make and to eat. Most of the food is also prepared so one can eat it with their hands, thereby reducing the need for utensils. In the process of McDonaldization, consumers are forced to do a good deal of work as well. They have to stand on line, carry their own food, and throw out the garbage. This is not as efficient for the consumer, but it saves time for the workers. Education, health care, and the work place are all becoming McDonaldalized in order to become more efficient. Efficiency in McDonaldization has streamlined many processes, simplified goods and services, and forces the consumer to do work as well. Another factor of McDonaldization is calculability. This tends to put more of an emphasis on quantity rather than quality, but it allows the consumer to get a lot of food quickly. When things are easily counted, it facilitates the process by making it more predictable by using the same amount of materials. Part of McDonalds is an emphasis on size. Everything is â€Å"super sized,† or have names that make food items seem larger than they actually are. Calculability, however, also leads to the quality of the food being neglected. Because people feel as if they are getting a lot of food for their money, they are not as worried about how good it tastes. Food is always weighed and measured precisely, which is another part of calculability. All burgers weigh the same amount, there are the same number of fries in each container, and the new drink machines dispense the same amount to each cup. This same theory is seen in our education system. Students are herded through, and no one really pays much attention to what or how they are earning, just that they receive high grades so they can get into a good college. Health care has also seen the impact of these, because now patients are mainly treated just to squeeze some money out of them, and doctors seemingly don't truly care about their patients anymore. Calculability basically reduces the quality of goods, but improves the The third function of McDonaldization is predictability. In our society, people usually want to know exactly what to expect from a given situation. Predictability gives the consumer a break from having to make difficult decisions, and the worker can perform heir task with little effort. The needs of everyone become easily anticipated. One of the first places predictability became common was with motel chains. Before motels became franchised, guests didn't know exactly what they would be getting, for the good or the bad. But then hotels such as Holiday Inn and Howard Johnson's started, and guests knew exactly what they were going to get when they stayed there. This new practice was copied in the food industry, namely by McDonalds. First, they started with a large and noticeable sign, that could be easily recognized. People from around the world now know he McDonalds symbol is a giant yellow â€Å"M†. Something else that is predictable is the way employees are forced to interact with customers. Employees have a set script that they must follow, and this gives them some control over their customers. Their work is also done in the same manner, for example, the hamburgers all must be cooked the exact same way for the same amount of time. They also must dress and act in a certain way. Customers themselves behave predictably in fast food restaurants, as they get their food, carry it to their table, eat, clean their trash, and leave. Now everyone knows this is the ay one must act in a fast food restaurant. The food itself is predictable as well, and there are not many choices in fast food restaurants. It is basically the same from food chain to food chain. Predictability is also found in other institutions, such as in education. Professors usually stand in the front of the class, near a blackboard while they lecture. Most colleges offer the same type of classes, and even testing is similar, if multiple choice tests are used. Health care as well is based on a series of rules, regulations and controls that restrict the physicians and keep their behavior controlled. Malls, home cooking, housing, and vacations are all getting very predictable as well. Predictability is achieved in a number of ways, mainly by the replication of settings, the use of scripts and a routine way of acting, as well as a routine product. The final dimension of McDonaldization is increased control. Recently, new technologies have been developed in order to control the actions of the people. Robots and computers are both easier to deal with and to manage than people. Organizations hope to gain control over people by using and developing new and more effective technologies. One people are controlled, their behavior is easily manageable and machinelike, and when that happens, people can then be replaced by robots. Fast food restaurants do not have cooks, because that would mean they were forced to rely on one person. Instead, their is a simple process that anyone can be trained to do, and following certain steps leads to the same product. McDonalds already as a number of new technologies which reduces the need for actual people to work. There is a soft drink dispenser that shuts itself off automatically, a french fry machine that can cook the fries tself, and a cash register with the prices preset. Robots have a number of advantages over people, because they cost less, increase efficiency, need fewer workers, and they are never absent. Customers are controlled by the management as well. People know exactly what they must do in a drive through window, and also what to do inside the restaurant. Management discourages people from staying in the restaurant for very long, so that there is more room for other customers. The food is designed to be eaten quickly, and with little mess. In most food industries, technologies where humans basic role is only to plan nd maintain the system is becoming dominant, and replacing the processes where people must be skilled in order to work. Education is McDonaldized as well, because professors must follow a set curriculum, and class periods must conform to a certain length. Health care is controlled by various rules and bureaucracies, which are designed to control both the patient and the doctors. Advertising is used now at a more personal level, and tries to control the minds of the people into thinking a certain way. The main objective of control is the reduce the uncertainties of a business, and technology tries to control work related rocesses, as well as the finished product. McDonaldization is found all around us, even at Hofstra University. One aspect of university life which has become greatly McDonaldized is the registration process. At Hofstra, students must choose their own classes from a given list, and then meet with their advisor to approve it. They then have to take their registration card to Memorial Hall, where they take a number, and wait for their turn to be called. Only then can your For the first factor of McDonaldization, efficiency, the registration process is definitely not up to par. When students first get to Memorial, they are forced to take a number, like at a deli counter. They then must wait. And wait. And wait, just for their number to be called. Students are forced to wait for sometimes as long as three or four hours to make a schedule. Although it is better than a random free for all, with everyone scrambling around at the same time, there is still much that can be done to improve it. At some parts of the day, there are as few as three windows open, with more than one hundred students waiting. This process can hardly be called efficient, when some other niversities have phone or electronic registration, which can be completed in a few Calculability is also seen during the registration process. The main idea is to try to complete as many schedules in the shortest amount of time. However, this causes students to not receive any individualized attention, and they are forced to make their schedules on their own with little guidance. This is because the main interest is on quantity, rather than the quality of the schedules. In fact, the school prefers to have the lack of guidance, because it causes students to take unnecessary credits, and they then ust spend more time in school, while paying even more money. This system is fairly predictable, although not in a good way. During registration time, students know that they will have to spend many hours just waiting in line with nothing to do. They also can predict there will not be any seats left, that half of the windows will be closed by lunch time, and that it will always be about a million degrees in the waiting area. Students also are used to the gray schedule booklets, as well as the yellow registration cards. Seeing either of those items leads the students to think about xactly what they must go through, in order to register successfully. The final element, control, is seen as well. Students are being controlled by a tiny little slip of paper they hold in their hand, which has a simple number on it. That number signifies their place on line, but it was generated by a computer, which keeps track of how many people are waiting. Students also rely on the kiosk system, which shows which classes are still open, and which have been closed out. These factors help keep registration as a controlled process. McDonaldization is becoming more and more prevalent in today's changing world. However, it allows us to expect certain things, helps us to manage our time better, and make life in general a little bit simpler. It also, however, cuts down on the individuals of our society, and forces them to conform to a set standard, which is considered the norm. Some places are able to use McDonaldization effectively, while others are still struggling to implement it in a way which makes it work. It is a complicated process, which requires a good deal of thinking and brainstorming to manage successfully. All in all, McDonaldization has both positive and negative impacts on our world.

To be determe Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

To be determe - Movie Review Example film of analysis for this movie is the film Star Wars with Luke Skywalker as the main protagonist and Darth Vader as the villain which Higgins mentioned in page 25 of his book with its mythic revelation of Vader’s true identity (he was Anakin Skywalker). The Star Wars series can be said as a morality play with the classic theme of a battle between good and evil with Darth Vader keep on urging Luke Skywalker (he is his son after all) to give in to his dark side and join him. In a confrontation between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, the latter was even encouraging Luke to become angry with him to fuel his dark side of anger. In between, Darth Vader was even trying to illustrate to Luke Skywalker on how the dark side can make him stronger with an incentive of an empire to rule. What makes the film interesting in addition to the futuristic and sci-fi theme of the film is the the exploration of the dark side accentuated by interesting characters such as Darth Vader. As what Higgins mentioned in page 29 of the book, this may be because â€Å"we [are] simply bored with the blandness of everyday life†. That the impulse ot explore â€Å"what’s crawling underneath the rock of our beings† is a universal human nature. This is illustrated in the film with the young Darth Vader, who used to be Anakin Skywalker and was with the side of the good. Talented, strong and powerful, he was also trained with the way of the Jedi by the wishes of the departed Jedi master Qui-Gon. The Jedi Order had reservation about Anakin as being susceptible to the dark side but still respected the wishes of Qui-Gon. Later, Anakin realized or realized that giving in to the dark side would make him more powerful. The pathway to the dark side or being a villain can be said to have been explained in the film Star Wars. Perhaps an illustration of Higgins description that it is our nature to explore â€Å"what’s crawling beneath the rock of our beings†. It first started with overconfidence

Emotional Appeal in McCarthys On Immortality Article

Emotional Appeal in McCarthys On Immortality - Article Example The paper analyses ‘On Immortality’. McCarthy extensively uses figurative language as an emotional appeal to present immortality as an immature and unwise idea. The author uses the metaphorical comparison, terming it as a highway of immortality, to show the carefree life that immortality would be. With the wideness and the smoothness associated with a highway, the author suggests that immortality does not have checks. Indeed, McCarthy further uses figurative language in arguing that this kind of life does not have a weigh station of wisdom. It therefore portrays the lack of wisdom associated with immortality where humans lack the maturity to handle the challenges that come with it. This has been used to further solidify the author’s stand against immortality. This comes out vividly when McCarthy talks of the possibility of a rise of unstoppable mortal species that would eliminate the immortal beings due to natural selection. The author thus persuades the reader of longevity as being more favored by nature than immortality which is not well thought about. Similes in the essay have been used to discredit immortality as a form of lifestyle that would objectify human life. McCarthy (546) compares immortality to a car, where in order to keep it going, then, there would be the need to keep replacing its parts. This intends to make the reader appreciate that immortality would turn humans into objects. It would make their operations resemble that of objects such that in order to keep them going, then worn out parts of their bodies would be replaced with new ones, just as worn out parts of a car get replaced to enable them keep moving. This, therefore, means that immortality would make humans lose their humanness, an aspect which they treasure, and adopt a new objectified life. It is this loss that the author uses to portray the unattractiveness of immortality. The author’s use of irony enables her convince the reader of the advantage that com es with mortality. It is ironical that humans admire long life more than they seek for â€Å"long healthy life† while they â€Å"want to be 100 years old and dewy fresh† (McCarthy 547). Since aging is inevitable, McCarthy indicates that the immortal life would be a source of pain to humans, who only seek to live without considering the quality of life. Human longevity, on the other hand, considers the duration and quality of life, appreciating the need for human health. After execution of the required assignment, which McCarthy (547) notes is to bring forth the future, they then pave way for the fresher generation, thus creating room for the new generation, space being an important component of quality life. This way, the quality of li

Basel committee's risk categories in relation to financial Essay

Basel committee's risk categories in relation to financial instituitions in relation to financial and non financial organisations - Essay Example In banks, there is a possibility for financial data to disappear. Financial information on loans given, repaid, capital, withdrawals and deposits made can be stolen by the employees or simply disappear due to poor technological procedures. The Basel Committee identifies that internal loss of data can occur due to poor risk management processes, new technological methods and upcoming business activities. Basel Committee identifies that a company is not able to have the right documentations in its accounts if it has loss of data. This means that its profit and loss margins will be under estimated. This is dangerous to the company as it will not reveal the real amount of capital used to carry out the activities (Basel, 2006, pp. 141-153). Case studies on non-financial organisations reveal that they are at a risk of internal fraud. This is so because they also use money or capital in purchasing their materials for their use. The case studies revel that non financial organisations mainly undergo the risk internal fraud by making misstatements on the financial statements. This does not indicate the true financial state of the organisations. The case study reveals that both financial and non-financial organisation can show fraud by looking at the growth in terms of their revenue and how it keeps changing. The margin of their growth of revenue is not very consistent. For a company to know where it lies in the financial market, the growth change in revenue is supposed to be a bit consistent. It is not supposed to have big margins. According to Erickson’s and other scholars, the audit sector is normally not able to detect fraud because of the lack of understanding of the organisational environments they are working o n (Erickson, 2001, pp.166-193). According to the studies made on Basel Committee, external fraud occurs is mainly done against the organisations. It undergoes external fraud due to misinformation from its clients in

System Development Process and Information System at Tata Steel Essay - 1

System Development Process and Information System at Tata Steel - Essay Example According to the research findings, social, cultural and organizational issues are affecting the system development and knowledge management process of Tata Steel. The organization has adopted and implemented several knowledge management aspects, processes and strategies in the business operation process in order to maintain its leading and competitive position in Indian as well as global market place. Earlier, Tata Steel was only a general manufacturing organization. But, the organizational management has realised that there are internal issues that may affect the business performance of the organization. The management of the organization purposely adopted knowledge management aspect in the organization operational process to overcome organizational, cultural and social issues. In terms of organizational issues, the management of the organization was only focusing on the centralization process and strict hierarchical structure. This aspect affected system development process as cen tralized organizational structure and culture affected the motivation aspect of both employees other important organizational stakeholders. It is true that, The management of Tata Steel has adopted several programmes and development processes regarding knowledge management, but lack of employee engagement before the KM process affected strategy development and decision making process. Inadequate workplace diversity also created issues for the management of the organization. Before the implementation of knowledge management system in the organizational process, the management of Tata Steel found out some culture-related issues in the management. The employees of the organization were self-centric and they did not feel free to share their views and knowledge with others. It actually affected the collaborative workplace performance of the organization. From the year 2000, the management of Tata Steel effectively and strongly integrated knowledge management strategies and processes in o rder to improve workplace as well as business operation performance.

Protest & Reform - Protest Songs From the Civil Rights Movement Essay

Protest & Reform - Protest Songs From the Civil Rights Movement - Essay Example One person might start humming a tune and ultimately those who heard it would join in, spreading the music across the multitude of people gathered. The leaders of the Civil Rights Movement inspired many of the lyrics used in the existing gospel songs. King found many of his words from the speeches he had delivered incorporated into the music. When King explained to a group of individuals that he had woke that morning with freedom on his mind, he was later quoted in a gospel song that had been altered to reflect his comments. The message that he had delivered during his speech had been set to music and circulated throughout the communities. King’s oration â€Å"I Have A Dream† (Dlugan, 2009) may have been the inspiration for other songs that promoted the message of freedom. The songs that were used in the Civil Rights Movement stem from Negro Gospel Music. Tunes were jazzed up and lyrics were changed to accommodate the situation. By changing a few words to well-known songs, everyone could participate in a congregational setting and sing in unison at any event. While all of the songs are still sung in worship services across the United States, some of the Civil Rights lyrics have made it into Choral groups and been performed for various audiences by both children and adult groups. The following list of songs were frequently sung during the Civil Rights Era: The number of songs used during the Civil Rights Movement were not limited to just these titles. Many other songs were created to capture the attention of the media, promote unity, and create a cohesion between all individuals supporting the Civil Rights Movement. Depending on the situation or event, the song chosen was often determined by an individual in the congregation. One such event found all the prisoners at a jail singing â€Å"Hold On† and they were joined by others who heard and recognized the music. The lyrics to several of the

Racism White Privileges and Stereotypes Research Paper

Racism White Privileges and Stereotypes - Research Paper Example The white privilege has conventionally played a big role in the success of white people in the USA in many walks of life. White privilege has provided people with opportunity to seek admission into the graduate schools in preference to the people of color. White privilege has helped the white students acquire national grants and scholarships for continuing higher studies while there have been more capable students of color that had also applied, but were not granted the scholarships. In the workplace, white privilege has been the cause of promotion for certain employees in presence of equally skilled and talented employees of color in the organization. History of White Privilege Around the early 1600s, 50 rich white people had got financial interests in the land in Virginia along with the Virginia Company of London. The Englishmen had been provided with the right of ruling the colony. Around the mid 1600s, there were as many as 100 servants for every single gentleman in the new Ameri can colonies. There have been numerous servant revolts in Virginia, at least ten of which have documented evidence. One of the most famous servant revolts that occurred around the mid 1600s was the Bacon’s Rebellion. In the year 1676, the free workers, farmers and servants of both the English and the African race stood up for their rights. They demanded salary and land. It was during the very revolution that Jamestown was burned. At the time of Bacon's Rebellion the English commission of investigation had shown more sympathy with the rebels than with the well-to-do planters who had engrossed Virginia's lands. To have attempted the enslavement of English-born laborers would have caused more disorder than it cured. But to keep as slaves black men who arrived in that condition was possible and apparently regarded as plain common sense. (Morgan, 1972, p. 25). In 1755, the Massachusetts Legislature assigned cost to the Indian scalp in the Bay Colony. The scalp of Indian men was so ld for 40 pounds while that of Indian females and boys below 12 years of age for 20 pounds. The Neutralization Act was passed in 1790. In 1830, President Andrew Jackson had passed the Indian Removal Act. There were several more discriminatory acts that were passed in the years to follow. President Abraham Lincoln brought a revolutionary change by emphasizing upon a need for the Americans to eradicate racial differences among them and categorization of the society on the basis of color or race. â€Å"Let us discard all this quibbling about this man and the other man, this race and that race and the other race being inferior, and therefore they must be placed in an inferior position† (Lincoln cited in Davis and Wilson, 2008, p. 181). Despite his efforts and of many that followed, white privilege has continued to be an integral feature of the culture of the USA to this date. White privilege is frequently reflected in the television programs, both overtly and otherwise. While the re are certain programs which overtly speak of white privilege, there are others which promote white privilege by under-representing it. One such program is the movie Crash that has won the Oscar award. Although apparently the story of Crash tends to reflect the issues and stereotypical images of people belonging to different races, white supremacy is not quite as much represented as it exists in the USA. The movie Crash has a very simple central theme; people belonging

Project Managment for Boeing 787 Dreamliner Essay - 1

Project Managment for Boeing 787 Dreamliner - Essay Example The project has however faced several challenges. It all started with weight issues with the plane said to have been overweight to the tune of 2,300kgs over and above the specified weight. This was however not all; there were 7 delays in the project process among them being an in flight fire on the Rolls Royce engine during testing. That not enough, just in the month of January 2012, Boeing reported shimming problems on some 787 fuselages.2 The poor performance towards the achievement of this projects’ objectives brought with it additional costs running in billions of dollars with penalty fees to the airlines forming a major part of these extra costs. A project is considered successful when it meets and exceeds customer expectations with regards to cost, time and performance.3 For ultimate project success, there is always need for trade-offs between the constraints of time, cost and scope/ performance. This may sometimes necessitate compromise of scope to achieve the constraints of time and cost. There are cases when it is of significance to expedite particular project activities which will require additional labor, leading to extra project costs. A priority matrix is therefore a tool that helps in the identification of which criterion to be constrained, those to be enhanced and which to be accepted.4 We will seek to analyze this matrix in the 787 project and find its justification. The above table shows the appropriate matrix for the three decisive factors in the 787 project. Time must be restricted because any additional delays in the production of this plane for whatever reasons come with huge penalties. All component activities must therefore be expedited to ensure the project is delivered within the set time frame. Given the nature of this project, performance can only be enhanced and no compromise can be made whatsoever on the scope of each component activity. The first delivery

Contribution of Functionalism Essay Example for Free

Contribution of Functionalism Essay Functionalists believe that everything in a society contributes to the wellbeing and running of society, e.g. the government, the family, education etc. functionalists are concerned with the role of education within society, Durkheim and Parsons have identified 4 basic functions of education; passing on societies culture – this creates a consensus of shared norms and values. Education also provides a bridge between particularistic values (judging particular individuals values) and ascribed status of the family (fixed by birth) and the universalistic values (judging according to abstract set of standards). Education provides society with a well-trained and qualified workforce. Finally Education selects and allocates people to roles in a meritocratic society and legitimizes social inequality. Functionalists believe that education benefits society as a whole, however Marxists argue that education benefits the ruling class, while feminists see it as benefiting men. The idea that education passes on society’s culture is criticised by Marxists, seeing education as promoting the values of power groups/ruling class. Hargreaves believes that education promotes competition and individualism rather than shared values. If education does provide a bridge between particularistic and universalistic values that education should promote social solidarity – however education can be divisive because the hierarchy of schools and universities can separate class. Education is meant to select the most appropriate people to do particular jobs, however other factors apart from qualifications influence the labour markets (e.g. social contracts), therefore promoting social inequality as a great deal of research shows that class, gender and ethnicity influence achievement, making the labour market unequal. Parsons also argues that schools provide a secondary socialisation. It teaches that relationships in society are based on what people can do for us and what we can do for them; it provides a form of social control and social solidarity, children learn deferred gratification whereby we can’t always g et what we want when we want it. Education also provides a transmission of culture values. Davis and Moore argue education ‘sifts and sorts’ students out – some in different sets and leaving school at different times decides which jobs they end up doing and what class they are in. sifting and sorting can be done through banding and streaming students in to sets, and also through examination. Both Marxists and feminists see that schools play a major role in an excuse of social inequality; the both show an interest in structural relationships of education and different parts of society e.g. the economy. Both prospective see the education system contributing a powerful influence on social solidarity. Marxists believe that the education system serves capitalism and keeps classes divided through banding and streaming. Education serves the needs of society according to functionalists, however Marxists believe that it teachers children to be submissive, through social control and the hidden curriculum. According to functionalists education explains social inequality, whereas it is argued by Marxists that education serves to justify a person’s class position and say that is can be blamed on the individual rather than the unequal structure of society. Marxists view meritocracy as an illusion. Hasley believes that education fails to offer the same opportunity to lower social classes, as to the higher classes. Furthermore Functionalism provides some good points into the ways in which we understand education; however it fails to see the ‘realism’ of meritocracy and social class inequality. Functionalism relies on the assumption that everyone agrees to the norms and values of society, and that the system is meritocratic and equal to all within it.

A Strategic Analysis of Apple Essay Example for Free

A Strategic Analysis of Apple Essay Apple Inc. is an American based multinational corporation. It focuses on designing, selling and producing consumer electronics, software and personal computers. Its main product lines are; the iMac, iPhone, iPad and the iPod. Founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. Since then Apple Inc. has been one of the most innovative and competitive organisations in the technology industry. There have been significant ups and downs in the history of Apple. Throughout this, it kept its legacy of introducing new technology to the market. It is believed that over a hundred countries use Apple’s products. Boston Consulting Group (BCG) ranks the company as the most innovative company for the last 8 years running. It is important for an organisation like Apple to remain competitive in the industry for its survival. Apple has been working extensively to introduce new products and ideas since its inception. Apple has transformed its business segment over the last decade. This began with the launch of the iPod in 2001, increasing profitability and creating growth. Apple further enhanced their profitability by expanding the operating segment, launching the iTunes store, and more recently through the acquisition of ‘Beats’. NPD Group (2012) found 63% of digital downloads run though Apple. The major turnaround occurred in 2007 when the company launched an Internet enabled smartphone (The iPhone). This started the golden era of  profitability and technological expansion for Apple. Apple has penetrated most of the developed countries, and even reached saturation point in Europe with its high end products including iPhone and iPad. It is yet to make a significant impact in the developing countries including China and India, which has around 36.8% of the worlds population. The research firm IDC (2013), found Apple’s market share for androids in China was only around 7%, below Samsung and Levono Group. 1.2 Research Aims Alfred Chandler (1962) defined strategy as The determination of the basic long-term goals of an enterprise, and the adoption of courses of action and the allocation of resources necessary for carrying out these goals.† In order to analyse the firms’ strategic position we will further this research into three sections. The first, looking at the impact of the environmental factors. This will be done using a PESTEL analysis, as well Porters’ Five Forces model. Secondly we will consider the strategic capability of Apple by using a SWOT analysis. Finally analysing Apple’s innovation and internationalisation strategy in more detail. Concluding by offering recommendations for Apple and its competitors. 2. Environment Analysis 2.1 PESTEL Analysis It is important for every organisation to identify the impact of environmental analysis on its business operations. Apple is currently operating in more than 100 countries, meaning external factors have a significant impact upon the company. Identification and constant monitoring of these factors is important to minimise the effect they have on Apple. 2.2 Political Apple Inc. Form 10-K (2013) stated that approximately 63% of the Apple’s revenue comes from countries other than America. Thus the political  environment of various countries will significantly impact the revenue of Apple. The current political unrest in Crimea and the annexation to Russia from Ukraine could affect Apple’s sales, due to USA and Russian relations. In 2013 Apple sold approximately 1.6 million iPhones in Russia making it an important market for Apple. It is important for Apple to continuously monitor this situation in respect to their sales in Russia. China is now the worlds largest market for smart phones with 26.5% of all smart phone shipments, Forbes (2012). As shown below. For Apple to enter the Chinese market, a joint venture must be set up with a Chinese partner. This led to Apple joining with China Mobile. Apple’s market share has grown by 1% in the last quarter of 2014. This has led to Apple now being the 5th largest vendor of androids in China. 2.3 Economic The analysis of the global economy is of vital importance. During a period of recession such as the one just seen, disposable income falls, and unemployment rises. Apple’s product could be seen to be a luxury product, where quantity sold declines as income falls. This may lead to a fall in sales for Apple. However, during the recent recession Apple’s sales increased. Asymco (2011) Report below: The graph shows how Apple maintained continual growth in revenue over the ’09 period and onwards. Although its product may be seen as luxury, Apple managed to differentiate its product from competitors, and so created an increased demand. Additionally, with a depreciation of the dollar, the purchasing power of parity in foreign countries improves, and so Apple’s products become relatively cheaper. This led to an increase in international sales. 2.4 Socio- Cultural Factors The social life of an individual has significantly changed over the past  decade due to the revolution brought by a rapid expansion of social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. These social media networks have their own applications on iPhone. This gives users both business and consumers, a good medium to communicate with friends, family and business contacts. Apple has shaped modern culture by doing such, and this has increased demand for its product. Furthermore, Apple has entered the media market by the commercial linking of consumer products, with the iPod and through the launch of iTunes. This made a significant impact on 12 to 35 year olds using such products to enhance their social lives. 63% of digital downloads occur through iTunes, which gives Apple a dominant position in this market. By staying up to date with the changes Apple can increase its demand for both product. 2.5 Technological Technological factors are instrumental to the success of Apple. As one of the leading innovators in a technological industry, Apple must stay at the forefront of new developments. Steve Jobs was well aware of this: ‘Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower,’ (The innovation secrets of Steve Jobs, 2001.) This led to Apple’s first steps, transitioning from a computer manufacturer to a leading technology company. This occurred through the iPod and more recently the iPhone and iPad. There was an awareness to develop new products as well as operating systems, which made the total range of compatible products attractive to consumers. KPMG’s Technology Innovation Survey (2013) found that the US is most likely to find a disruptive breakthrough in technological advancements, contrary to beliefs a few years ago. However, China is close behind, with 24% of the votes believing China will see the next disruptive breakthrough in innovation. Either way, Apple must be very aware of what competitors are producing. If they do not utilise advancements in production or ICT revolutions they will be left behind. 2.6 Environmental There is now a greater awareness on a global scale to reduce emissions and become more environmentally friendly. Laws and regulations in United States have changed and this has made manufacturers responsible for recycling their waste. For this purpose Apple has established domestic recycling facilities which will help the Company to recycle its waste in United States and to follow the rules and regulations. Apple has communicated its willingness to adopt a green production process in order to protect the environment. This may enhance its credibility in the local and international markets. Apple Website (2014) ‘We want to leave the world better than we found it.’ We aim to ‘create not just the best products in the world, but the best products for the world.’ Clearly Apple are making conscious steps to lead the way in becoming a green company, and to mold with the changing views of the population. 2.7 Legal Apple operates in more than 100 countries and the legal environment faced by the technology giant is of utmost importance. Apple has filed various lawsuits in court for violations of intellectual property rights (IPR) . Protection of IPR and patents will significantly impact revenue and future profitability. One of the most famous cases is where Apple won a $1.05 billion lawsuit against Samsung, showing the importance of the Legal system in the US. Furthermore, Apple is subject to international laws, policies and procedures. To compete in the Chinese market, Apple has ventured with China Mobile. Apple must continuously work alongside laws and regulations to maintain its brands equity. Operating in such a vast number of countries increases revenue, but leads to the arduous task of keeping up to date with all laws in all countries. 3. Porter’s Five Forces Michael Porter developed this Five Forces model, which is used as a tool for companies to analyse business strategies. The use of the forces can determine the intensity and the attractiveness of the industry, reflecting the profitability of the industry. 3.1 Threats of New Entrants If market entry is easy, and barriers to entry low, then the competition in a market will be much greater. There are a number of factors which limit the ease of entrance. In the PC and mobile phone industry, the market has high levels of competition, and so threat of new entrants isn’t high. Apple has managed to gain very high levels of brand loyalty with its customers. Apple emphasise RD and product innovation, which satisfies consumer demands. Apple also benefits from economies of scale, linking its production of different goods and services together. Finally, Apple has set up manufacturing plants in China where the labour and costs of production are cheaper. These factors all create high barriers to entry for new competition. Therefore, the main threat is between existing competition developing products to match that of Apple, and not from new entrants. 3.2 Threats of substitutes The more similar a substitute is to an Apple product the less power Apple has. This reduces Apple’s ability to charge higher prices. In the Mobile phone, PC, and Tablet industry there is a huge variety of products available. This puts Apple under constant pressure. For example, Apple’s flagship device, the iPhone, has rivalry from various smartphones, such as Samsung’s’ Galaxy S4 and HTC. The major reason for Apple’s success is due to its superior quality of product, along with brand recognition. This has made Apple the most valuable smartphone brand (The Worlds Most Valuable Brands Forbes. 2014). Apple must endeavor to maintain this brand loyalty to reduce the threat of substitution and charge to premium price for the products. 3.3 Supplier Power Apple has a few key suppliers for some of its components, such as Foxconn. Foxconn could use this fact to their advantage, and exhibit higher  bargaining powers. Apple uses its rival Samsung to produce the chips for their iPhone’s. This reliance on Samsung gives them great deal of bargaining power. Supplier power is slightly reduced due to the sheer size of Apple’s business, enabling them to force lower prices by buying in large quantities. Over the years, Apple has developed unique alliances with suppliers helping to streamline the supply chain. Alliances with music partners and software companies such as AT T has helped to increase the revenue base of the Company, without increasing the powers of suppliers. Steve Jobs was a known to be a control freak, and focused on reducing the bargaining power of suppliers from the use of vertical integration. 3.4 Buyer Power The bargaining power for most Apple consumers is low. Apple fanatics are willing to pay premium prices for Apple goods. In the case of the Mac laptops, the price is almost double of that of its rivals. Consumers are willing to pay this for both the name and the superior quality of the product. The vast number of Apple consumers has reduced their power to lower the price of Apple products. Apple’s goal should focus on reducing the consumers bargaining power. It has tried to do this by developing products specifically for consumers needs and wants, enabling them to charge a higher price. Griffin Consulting Group (2012) find that there are high switching costs for customers who want to change software or hardware which again reduces the bargaining power of customers. 3.5 Rivalry between Competitors The PC and Mobile industry is very competitive, with a large number of similar sized firms. Rivalry in this industry is seen by; aggressive pricing, rapid product innovation, intensive marketing, and after-sale services (Forbes Website, 2012). This is used to add value to the product. Apple tries to differentiate its product from its competition. It implements a focus strategy, only developing a few products and targeting them for the need of the customer. Steve Jobs was quoted saying this: People think focus means saying yes to the thing youve got to focus on. But thats not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. Im actually as proud of the  things we havent done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things, (Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, 1997). For example, iPhone’s are targeted to consumers rather than businesses. Macintosh computers are targeted to creative professions such as designers and photographers. By doing this Apple has stayed competitive in a highly rivalrous market. 4. SWOT Analysis Apple The SWOT analysis of Apple will be used to evaluate the strategies with respect to its strength weaknesses opportunities and threats. Apple needs to further strengthen its strategies in order to attain benefits from the opportunities that exist in the environment. Below is the SWOT matrix, followed by a more detailed analysis of a few key points. Strengths Customer Loyalty Leading Innovator Strong Financial Performance Brand Reputation Retail Stores Strong Marketing Team Patent And IPR Protection Weaknesses High Price Incompatibility With Different Operating systems Decreasing Market Share Long Term Gross Margin Decline Opportunities High Demand Of iPad and iPhone iTV launch Application Processors Growth of Phone and Tablet Market Acquisition Of Smaller Firms. Strong Growth of Mobile Advertising Market Increasing Demand for Cloud Services Threats Technology Changes Increase In Supplier Prices Foxconn Workers’ Pay Levels Price Challenge From Samsung Android OS growth New Competitors. 4.1 Strengths Apple has won the award for being the leading innovator in the world BCG (2013). Apple’s core competency has helped it to establish itself as the most innovative company in the last decade. The fact that the RD expenditure of Apple in the year 2013 was approximately $4,475 million, which is approximately 30% of its total operating expenditure. Thus it is evident that the amount of RD expenditure helps the Company to remain leading innovator in this technology industry. By being the leading innovator, Apple has established a strong base of loyal customers. ‘Once Apple always Apple,’ is the phrase which is used by the customers of Apple and there is always strong interest and demand at new product ranges. The expansion of Apple into other product categories like iTV and other media will further increase customer loyalty. Apple expects its existing customers to use iTV, which will be more technologically advanced than its existing products. A strong marketing team has made Apple products famous among its customers. Last year it spent $933 million on advertising Forbes (2014.) Through the marketing of the products it is able to sell at a higher price compared to its competitors. Due to these factors the brand reputation of Apple is immense compared to its rivals, such as Microsoft and Samsung. Forbes (2013) valued Apple at $104 billion, whereas its rivals Microsoft and Samsung had brand values of $56.7 and $29.5 billion respectively. This shows the strength of Apple with respect to brand reputation and this is helping Apple  to increase its revenue and profitability over all these years. Apple controls its retail distribution by exclusive sales from its own network. Apple stores provide a higher quality customer service experience. Knowledgeable staff helps the customers, who increase the brand equity and thus increases the sales for the Company. They average Apple store size has increased by 3,000 square feet to 10, 500 square-feet. The average revenue per store of this is $50.2 million, Fox Business (2014). These stores are one of the best when it comes to sales per square feet, and this is a great strength for Apple. Finally, Apple is currently the leading company with a market capitalisation at the end of the fourth quarter of approximately $504 billion. This is due to the strength of their financial performance over the past few years. Apple’s cash balance is approximately $14.25 billion and their Balance Sheet shows an asset base of $207 billion in 2013, from Ychart (2014). Apple is therefore in a strong position to respond to most competitive threats. 4.2 Weaknesses One of the major critics about Apple products is that it is much more expensive than other comparable devices in the market. Fierce competition in the consumer product market is a disadvantage for Apple, as consumers can choose similar lower priced products. As well as this critics dislike the incompatibility with different operating systems. Products, particularly desktop and laptop computers manufactured by Apple only use its own operating system and thus the software and hardware are interdependent on each other. Critics argue consumers would rather buy products from various vendors, which is possible with Windows’ products. Apple computers are dependent on the growth of Apple’s OS, which could prove to be a disadvantage. If technological growth is limited then this will affects Apple’s ability to increase its market share in different industries. The market share of Apple has decreased over the past few years due to Android’s growing popularity, as it is a free operating system. It was  estimated that in 2014 the market share of Apple in smartphone industry would remain at 14.9%. Now it is expected to decrease to 14.4% in the year 2018, due to growth in the sale of the Windows’ phone. Thus it is important for Apple to improve on its technological advancement, including making more innovations with its operating system. More exclusive Apps on Apple could improve market share for Apple. Finally there has been a long-term gross margin decline for Apple. The major reason for the decrease of Apple’s margin is the increase in its cost of sales. In 2012 the gross margin was around 44%. This has significantly decreased in 2013 to around 38%, and thus shows that Apple needs to decrease its cost of goods in order to increase the gross profit margin in the long term. 4.3 Opportunities IDC (2014) found that 87% of connected device sales by 2017 would be from tablets and smart phones. Apple with its own product has the capability to produce and innovate technology in this sector to increase its market share. Apple has launched iPad mini 2 and the demand has been increasing for this tablet. Samsung has launched its Flagship smartphone S5 during 2014, and hence people are eagerly waiting for the new generation of the iPhone 6. This will considerably help it to further increase its market share and revenue over the next year. One of Apple’s opportunities is to increase its diversity of products through acquisitions. In the last 18 months alone Apple has acquired over 24 companies Tech Crunch (2014). Most recently acquiring Beats for $3.2 billion from Dr. Dre. There are a lot of new firms in the technology market, which are developing new products and features, which Apple can acquire. Due to the fact that these are patented features, Apple can get them through external acquisitions. Apple’s ability to purchase or negotiate will help to continue its long-term growth. A future revenue stream, which Apple has tried to utilise, is the increasing  demand for cloud services. IDC (2014) predicted that IT cloud services will reach $46.4 billion in 103, expected to increase to over $107 billion by 2017. This equate to a compound annual growth rate of 23.5%, fives times that of the industry. The Cloud based services offer huge potential revenue stream for Apple. Finally, Apple’s iTV product is a major innovation, to its product range and will support the Apple TV, which will help its penetration into the TV market. Furthermore, this will also diversify the portfolio of the Company and will further increase revenue and profitability along with the brand equity in the technology industry. 4.4 Threats Apple manufactures its products with the help of Foxconn. The wage level of Foxconn workers has tripled in recent years. This has led to rising costs for Apple. Further still, Samsung has asked Apple to pay more of its processing chips in its iPhones. The reliance on these suppliers has meant a rising cost level for Apple. Apple needs to identify more suppliers of processing chips, which should help it to decrease the overall costs. This in turn will improve their profitability and reliance on other companies. The technology sector is experiencing rapid technological changes. This puts Apple under severe pressure to launch new products and features with new devices. Inability to do such will lead to failure. Apple over the years has introduced new products and services, which is helping it to stay ahead of its competitors. Soon it will face fiercer competition and innovation is key for survival. Apple is facing a threat from the Android’s rapid OS growth. The free operating system for smartphones Android is the most widely used operating system. Approximately 80% of the smartphones shipped in 2013 were based on Android. Therefore it is important for Apple to further increase the innovations by introducing new features in their operating system. This will help to maintain or grow their market share in years to come. 5. Apple’s Strategies When considering the strategies that Apple had adopted it is important to consider how these strategies arose and the direction in which it moved the company. This is key in determining how the company can now move forward and pursue new goals. Apple was found to be the leader in innovation for the last eight years running by Boston Consulting Group. When considering how Apple has become the company it is today, it is vital to talk about the innovation strategy that Steve Jobs implemented, and now more recently how, Tim Cook is moving the company forward. In this section we will also look at the use of a diversification strategy, which was implemented at the same time. The last strategy covered is an internationalisation strategy adopted by Apple. 5.1 Innovation Strategy Freeman and Soete (1997) defined innovation as the ‘The first commercial application or production of a new process or product.’ It involves the conversion of a new knowledge into a product or services and then the implementation of this. It can take two different forms; technology push, or market pull. The former is created by new knowledge and understanding from technologists or scientists. The latter is caused by the pull of consumers in the market, leading to innovation. Before Steve Jobs turned Apple around John Scully decided that cost leadership strategy was vital. He did believe in a differentiation strategy as well, however he failed at differentiating Apple’s products from the leading rivals. This led to Steve Jobs taking control of the company and redefining the direction of Apple. He believed that innovation was the key to success. The industry was driven by low prices and expanding capabilities, so Jobs decided to innovate and at the same time differentiate Apple’s product from the market. In 2001 this with achieved with the revolutionary new product of the iPod. This allowed music to be stored on a  small device holding thousands of songs. From here, iTunes was developed. Compatibility between this and other software allowed the iTunes store to become highly profitable. With Apple growing rapidly, Steve Jobs continued with this successful strategy. The advertising campaign ‘think different’ developed in 1997 has been at the core of Apple’s strategy. By being highly innovative, he achieved extremely differentiated products and ideas from their rivals. The iPhone was just this, and by being the first smartphone it has left competing androids in its wake. From one innovation to another, Jobs set up the App store allowing applications to be downloaded to a phone. This vastly increased the range of activities that this smart phone could do. More recently with an economic downturn the need for a cheaper Mac like product was developed, which could target consumers in a slightly lower price range. This led to the creation of the iPad. This was an example of consumer pull innovation Apple has used. Finally, the iCloud which is a highly innovative product, allows customers to sync all Apple products using a network called the Cloud. This has been crucial in reducing the ability of consumers to switch between products, giving Apple the power to charge premium prices. This is an example of technology push innovation, an area Apple has specialised in. Most companies adapt to external environment and change strategies accordingly. Apple changed and drove these external factors. Focusing on innovation and by creating fashionable designs, Jobs changed socio-cultural factors, instead of adapting to them. The iPhone, iPad and iPod created a change in the culture, and the design of these was appealing, as well as technologically advanced. This has been a key factor in Apple’s Success. 5.2 Internationalisation Strategy Rui et Al (2008) defined internationalisation strategy as ‘The process by which a firm sells its good and services outside of its domestic market. They do this by both technology and managerial capabilities.’ Apple’s products are used in over a hundred countries. It is clear that Apple has  used an internationalisation strategy to its advantage by dramatically increasing its consumer market. In fact 63% of Apples revenue comes from outside of America. The product iPhone in Europe has almost reached saturation point. Apple’s internationalisation strategy is a Global one which standardises its products. The only modification is the power source. Apple’s engineering design and manufacturing is now controlled by one source, which is where it differentiates from its competing computer manufacturers. Apples engineering and design developers come up with ideas for products in the US, but then two large IT solution brans, Foxconn and Invetec manufacture this product. Manufacturing occurs in China and this is due to lower labouring costs. The use of this internationalisation strategy has been influential in driving costs down and so improving profits. More recently Apple has targeted the Chinese market with the release of the iPhone 5C. Apple has been working to extend its market share in the Chinese telecom industry, which is the world’s biggest telecom market with a subscription base of more than 1.01 billion in the mobile phone industry. This shows the potential significance of the Chinese telecom industry. A large market share of this industry would mean a significant increase in its profitability for Apple. Apple started to concentrate in the Chinese smartphone market in the last few years and have seen significant increase in its revenue from this market. According to the Annual Report of Apple for the year 2013, the revenue from the Chinese market has increased from 7% of its total revenue in 2011 to around 15% of Apple’s total revenue in 2013. This shows how significant an increase from the Chinese economy could be for Apple’s future. In accordance with the needs of the Chinese consumers, Apple identified innovation was needed to develop a new product for this market, and so launched the iPhone 5C. Apple also succeeded to negotiate a partnership with China Mobile, which is the number one operator in the Chinese telecom market with over 760 million subscribers. This has given a huge advantage to Apple, as now it will be working with China Mobile to increase its market share and eventually increase the profitability of the Company. Apple has established strategic alliances with a lot of mobile operators around the world, but  this is one of its best deals due to the sheer size of China Mobile. 6. Conclusion 6.1 Recommendation The ability of Apple to stay innovative and to keep its brandy loyalty is key to maintaining its position in the market. Many of Apples own products are substitutes for older products such as the iPod. Other smartphone competition such as Samsung and HTC are growing rapidly and rivalry is increasing in the market. The ability of competitors to catch up, and potentially develop products more advanced than that of Apple is a real concern. There have been fears that Apple is becoming less innovative. Forbes (2014) ranked Apple as the 79th most innovative company, and argues that their methodology for calculation was more detailed than that of BCG. Competing companies should look to exploit this weakness. Samsung and HTC should look at investing heavily in RD in order to release more and more sophisticated products. This would undermine Apple and its core strategy, allowing for huge potential revenues to be gained. To do this Apple’s competitors would need to advertise heavily in order to reduce brand loyalty to Apple. For this reason, Apple should continue to invest heavily in their marketing team. Apple have tried to diversify their product line, but at the same time have created products which are profitable in their own right, such as iCloud and iTunes. At the same time it has created its own ecosystem where their products interlink between each other. The use of this reduces the consumer’s ability to substitute. Apple should focus on maintaining and developing this route. The use of the iTV is a positive sign of Cook identifying this opportunity. The recent acquisition of Beats for an approximated $3.2 billion, Guardian (2014), may be an indication of a change or expansion of Apple’s strategy by  Tim Cook. Apart from the headphone product, the expansion in the media market compliments the iTunes library of videos and music. This creates an ongoing revenue stream for apple, and opportunity to expand its growing sector of loyal Apple customers. Finally, one main concern for Apple is sourcing of its components. With the increasing wages of Foxconn employees Apple should look to increases its suppliers. Or, Tim Cook should follow Steve Jobs view on this, and look at continuing the vertical integration to avoid reliance on others, and so reduce supplier bargaining power. 6.2 Conclude Since 2001 and the launch of the iPod, Apple has had an era of unbelievable growth and profitability becoming the most valuable brand in the world. Clearly without Steve Job’s and Tim Cook forging a clear and strong strategic platform this profitability would not have been sustained. The internationalisation strategy has been a huge success with levels of revenue from outside the US in the billions. A focus on continued innovation and the use of rapidly developing countries such as China and India will determine the future of Apple. 7. Bibliography Apple, (2014), ‘environment / our-progress’ [online] Available at: http://www.apple.com/uk/environment/our-progress/ [Accessed 2 May. 2014]. 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Spiritual Coping Strategies (SCS) Scale Research

Spiritual Coping Strategies (SCS) Scale Research Background of the Study The study of religion and spirituality has been gaining much attention to researchers nowadays. Research studies on these two areas and their relationship to health are expanding rapidly. (Koenig Bà ¼ssing, 2010) The relationship of religion and health has been existing in all groups of population even in the past. (Koenig, King, Carson, 2012 as cited by Koenig, 2012) Koenig (2012) comprehensive systematic review of existing research about the relationship of religion and spirituality to health revealed positive influence of religion and spirituality to patients health and longevity, specifically to psychological, social and health behavior. Religion offers resources for coping with stress and increases the positive emotions rather than the likelihood of the negative effects of stress. On the part of the healthcare providers, religious beliefs found to be influential in making medical decisions. Furthermore, it may generate beliefs that conflict with medical care, induce spiritual struggles that create stress and impair health outcomes and it may interfere with disease detection and treatment compliance (Koenig, 2004). While Christian dominated countries in the west have been serious in this area, there is a much lesser studies that has been done in the Muslim – dominated Middle East countries that examines the relationship of these variables to health. (Koenig Alshohaib, 2014) This holds true in Saudi Arabia where Islam was born and is considered as one of the most religious place in the world. Little is known about religiosity and spirituality and their relationship to health as perceived by Saudi Muslims. (Al Zaben, et al., 2014) For the last three decades, there has been a marked rise in the prevalence of End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) in Saudi Arabia. (Al-Sayyari Shaheen, 2011) Alsuwaida et. al (2010) reported in their study that the prevalence of ESRD in the young Saudi population is around 5.7%. Furthermore, a systematic review conducted by Hassanien, et. al (2012) reported yearly mortality rate in three different regions in Saudi Arabia. The data showed that between 2001 and 2003, there were no significant changes in the mortality rates of these regions. However, at present, the annual cases of ESRD in the country continue to grow. It was anticipated that the Saudi population will rise up to 3.5 folds over the next 20 years. Probably this will also cause a rise in new cases. In 2008, 2976 new patients were added to the hemodialysis program pool. This represents 29.2 % of the total 10,203 patient. (Al-Sayyari Shaheen, 2011) Patients undergoing dialysis experience serious challenges to their physical and mental health. These challenges are brought by stresses, fears, family problems, and physical discomforts. (Al Zaben, et al., 2014) In addition, the complexity of their treatment regimen as well as the unknown complications which are associated with such disease contributes to the suffering of these patients. (Lingerfelt Thornton, 2011; Barnett, Yoong, Pinikahana, Si-Yen, 2007). These patients also perceive uncertainty of life on dialysis because of the struggles and hard times that they experience in life as related to their mode of treatment. (Polascheck, 2003) Likewise, psychiatric disorders such as major depression, dementia and delirium are relatively high in these patients. Furthermore, coping problems are very common to these patients which if not addressed can lead to more serious problems such as higher mortality. (Kimmel et al. 1998; Drayer et al. 2006; Chilcot et al. 2011; Mapes et al. 2003; Al Zaben, 2014) The involvement of religion and other spiritual activities are widely used by patients to cope with physical and mental challenges that they face throughout the course of their disease. (Saad de Medeiros, 2012; Wachholtz Sambamoorthi, 2011; Amjad Bokharey, 2014) Patients from Saudi Arabia have shown similar use of these variables as ways of coping. Interventions with religious background are widely used which indicates the strong influence of religion to their lives most especially when they are in life-threatening situations such as in chronic illnesses. (Jazieh et al. 2012) Religious and spiritual coping are widely studied in relation with hemodialysis patients both in Christian and non – Christian patients. (Valcanti, Chaves, Mesquita, Nogueira Carvalho, 2012; Saffari, Pakpour, Naderi, Koenig, Baldacchino Piper, 2013; Spinale et al. 2008; Asayesh, Zamanian, Mirgheisari, 2013; Patel, Shah, Peterson Kimmel, 2002; Berman et al. 2004) Studies have reported that spiritual coping affects the over-all health of patients with ESRD. It also assists in the patients’ adaptation as well as in their health – related quality of life. (Patel, Shah, Peterson Kimmel, 2002; Valcanti, Chaves, Mesquita, Nogueira Carvalho, 2012; Ramirez et al. 2012) Thus, religiosity is potentially influential to the overall health of dialysis patients, including their commitment and compliance to dialysis treatment. (Pruchno, Lemay, Field Levinsky, 2006) In Saudi Arabia, researchers are beginning to focus on this area in Hemodialysis patients. Al-Jahdali et al. (2009) surveyed 100 HD patients at King Fahd National Guard Hospital in Riyadh and King Abdulaziz University Hospital in Jeddah about predictors of advanced care planning preferences. They reported that majority (70%) of the patients scored high in a single question religiosity scale. However, they found out that religiosity is not identified as a predictor of advanced care planning preferences. A more recent study was conducted by Al Zaben et al. (2014) to examine the relationships between religious involvement and the mental and physical health of HD patients in Jeddah region. They have found out that involvement in religious activities is associated with better overall psychological functioning, better social support, improved physical and mental functioning, better health behavior and better commitment to dialysis treatment. Because of the increasing interest of researchers in Saudi Arabia in this area, it is essential to have an instrument that can accurately measure the spiritual coping of patients. Majority of the available instruments in this area were structured for Christian patients. (Baldacchino Buhagiar, 2003; Koenig Bà ¼ssing, 2010; Hawthorne, Youngblut Brooten, 2011; Charzynska, 2012) To my knowledge, there is no available valid instrument that measures the spiritual coping strategies of Saudi Muslim HD patients. It is for this reason that this study was conducted. The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Arabic version of the Spiritual Coping Strategies Scale (SCS) among Saudi HD patients. Methodology Design This is a cross-sectional study that evaluated the validity and reliability of the Saudi Muslim version of the Spiritual Coping Strategies Scale (SCS) among hemodialysis patients. Participants The participants of the study included _______ patients enrolled and undergoing hemodialysis in the HD unit of a general hospital located in Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia. Convenience sampling technique was employed for sample identification. The study participants’ number was adequate for a factorial analysis. Inclusion criteria were: (1) being a Saudi, (2) self-identified Muslim, (3) being HD patient with CRF or ESRD, (4) enrolled in the HD unit of the general hospital, (5) 20 years old and above, (6) male and female, and (7) conscious, coherent and oriented. Measures Demographic Characteristics Patient’s information in the patient’s chart was examined to collect the data for their demographic characteristics. These included: (1) age, (2) gender, (3) religion, (4) civil status, (5) employment, and (6) duration of undergoing HD. Spiritual Coping Strategies Scale The Spiritual Coping Strategy Scale (SCS), developed by Baldacchino and Buhagiar (2003), is a self – administered questionnaire that determines the spiritual coping of the respondents. It has a Judeo-Christian orientation and was based on the nursing, psychological, sociological, philosophical and theological literature. The SCS scale was developed in English and then translated into the Maltese language. It is a scale that measures both religious and spiritual (nonreligious) coping strategy which constituted its two subscales. It measured the respondents’ attitude towards religion and belief in God. The SCS is a 20-item, 4 – point response scale from â€Å"never used† or 0 to â€Å"often used† or 3. The responses indicated how often they use the various coping strategies presented. The Religious Coping subscale was comprised of 9 items which were meant to assess the respondents’ attitude towards their religious practices and their relationsh ip to God. On the other hand, the Spiritual Coping subscale has 11 items which relates to coping strategies that involve relationship to self, others and nature. The scores of all items is ranging from 0 to 60. A higher subscale and total scale score indicated more frequent use of the religious or spiritual coping strategies. The internal consistency reliability of the religious and spiritual coping factors was 0.82 and 0.74, respectively. A test – retest reliability of r=0.47 and r=0.81 for the subscales and total scale, respectively, was also reported. (Baldacchino Buhagiar, 2003) The SCS was earlier translated to Italian (Burrai, Scalorbi, Sebastiani, Cenerelli Cocchi, 2009), Spanish (Hawthorne, Youngblut Brooten, 2011) and Farsi (Saffari, Koenig, Ghanizadeh, Pakpour Baldacchino, 2014) languages. Validity and reliability of these versions were established accordingly. Muslim Religiosity Scale This is a 13 – items scale that measures the religiosity of Muslim population. It has two subscales. The first subscale is a 10 – item religious practices scale while the second subscale is a 3 – items intrinsic religious beliefs scale. Validity and reliability of the scale was earlier established with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.68, 0.64 and 0.93 for the full scale, religious practices scale and intrinsic beliefs scale, respectively. (Koenig, Al Zaben, Khalifa Al Shohaib, 2014; Al Zaben et al. 2014) The Arabic version of the scale was utilized in this study. Quality of Life Index Dialysis Version III The Ferrans and Powers Quality of Life Index Dialysis (QLI) Version-III measures the HRQoL of the HD patients. This scale has four subscales which includes health and functioning subscale, social and economic subscale, psychological/spiritual subscale, and family subscale. The QLI has two parts. The first part measures the satisfaction of the respondents and the second part measures the importance of the various aspects of life. The ratings in the second part are used to weight the satisfaction responses. Items that are rated with higher importance have a greater effect on scores than those of lesser importance. Overall quality of life as well as scores in the four domains is calculated. A score of 19 and lower means poorer quality of life. Validity and reliability of the QLI Dialysis Version was reported somewhere else with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.93. Likewise, the four subscales exhibited acceptable validity and reliability. Content validity was good as it was based from ext ensive literature reviews on HRQoL and with patients’ report. (Ferrans, 1996; Ferrans Powers, 1985; Ferrans Powers, 1992) The Arabic version of the Quality of Life Index Dialysis (QLI) Version-III was used in this study. Translation and Cross Cultural Adaptation of the SCS The translation and cross – cultural adaptation of the SCS followed the cross-cultural adaptation of self-report measures guidelines for translation. (Beaton, Bombardier, Guillemin Ferraz, 2000) The guideline suggests five stages: (1) translation, (2) synthesis, (3) back translation, (4) expert committee review, and (5) pretesting. In this study, the cultural and religious context of Saudi Arabic language was considered in the translation process. The first step of the adaptation is the forward translation. Two independent forward translations were made from English to Arabic by two bilingual Saudi nationals. One of them is a nurse educator who specializes in mental health nursing. The other Saudi is a lecturer with specialization in English language. After the translations have been done, the two translators together with an observer met to synthesize the result of the translation. A consensus from the two translators signified the completion of the Saudi Arabic version of the SCS. The Arabic version was then presented to two non-medically inclined translators who translated it back to English. These two translators were unaware of the concept as well as the purpose of the scale. The Arabic version was then presented to a panel which comprised of a: (1) Muslim religious leader; (2) Islam scholar, (3) nurse clinician, (4) nurse researcher, and (5) translator. The committee decided for the cultural and religious equivalence of each items in the scale. After reaching a consensus, the pre-final Arabic version of the SCS was formed. The pre-final Arabic version was then subjected for pilot testing for validity and reliability. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ (Add modifications done here) Data Collection Data gathering was performed from May to June 2015. The SCS Arabic version, the Muslim Religiosity Scale Arabic version and the Ferrans and Powers Quality of Life Index Dialysis (QLI) Version-III Arabic version was distributed to the respondents by the researchers with the assistance of the nurses on duty. The nurses where properly informed about the purpose and procedure of the study. The respondents were given 20 to 25 minutes to respond to the scales. Three weeks after the initial data collection, the same questionnaires were redistributed to a subsample of 25 respondents. (Hawthorne, Youngblut Brooten, 2011) Ethical Consideration Ethical approval was granted by the Ethical Review Board of Shaqra University. Permission to conduct the study was sought from the administration of the general hospital. Modification and translation of the original version of the SCS to Arabic language was permitted by the original authors. The respondents were asked prior to participation to sign the informed consent signifying their understanding of their voluntary participation to the study. No incentives were offered to the respondents for their participation. Statistical Analysis All statistical analyses were done using the SPSS version 21.0. Internal consistency reliability of the Arabic version was assessed with coefficient alpha and item–total correlation (ITC). An alpha higher than 0.70 was considered acceptable internal consistency reliability while an ITC between 0.30 and 0.50 is considered moderate and ITC higher than 0.50 means good. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to assess the factor structure of the SCS Arabic version. Kaiser – Meyer – Olkin (KMO) index was computed to check for sampling adequacy. KMO value equal to or higher than 0.6 indicate sampling adequacy. Further, to determine whether the correlations among variables were appropriate for the factor model, the Barlett’s test of sphericity was used. A Barlett’s test of sphericity with p The stability reliability for the test–retest subsample of the translated scale was assessed with Pearson product moment correlations. Convergent validity was established by examining the association between spiritual coping and religiosity. Divergent validity was established by the relationship between spiritual coping and health-related quality of life. Both were tested using Pearson product moment correlations. Differences between demographic profiles on the spiritual coping strategies using the SCS Arabic version were also examined using t-test and One-way ANOVA. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered significant.

Essay --

Over the years, much has been written about the two novels, both positive and negative. For example, Ben Clarke of the University of North Carolina has written extensively about Orwell, and asserts that although mainly acclaimed for his non-fiction works, Orwell’s fiction writing had significant value, and was generally under-rated (Clarke). Orwell’s only novel to receive critical acclaim was Nineteen Eighty-four. Even this novel, when studied, is considered for its historical significance rather than its literary contribution (Clarke). Clarke also suggests that Orwell’s female characters reflect Orwell’s views of masculinity and femininity. Though he recognizes the limited choices that women had in society, he shows showed little originality in their portrayal (Clarke). Certainly Julia, in Nineteen Eighty-Four is portrayed as a woman engaging in sexual relationships with Party members more out of boredom than from any real disagreement with the poli tics of the Party. She depicted as being accepting of the status quo, and follows Winston’s lead in his rebellious activities. This is similar to the way that women in Orwell’s time period were viewed, as passive but supportive components in society. The restrictive bounds on society trigger rebellion by the major characters in both novels. By restricting the knowledge and information available, the governments in both novels maintain tight control on their citizens. In Nineteen Eighty-four, the public is manipulated by propaganda to believe what the Party wants it to believe. There are laws against even thinking of anything that creates individuality or harms the Party in any way, labelled by Orwell as â€Å"thoughtcrime†. â€Å"Thoughtcrime was not a thing that could be concea... ..., Winston’s search for the truth drives him to rebel in small ways initially. Driven to create something that will not be re-written at the whim of the Party, he writes in an illicitly obtained diary to a nameless future reader from â€Å"a time when truth exists and what is done cannot be undone† (Orwell 28). His next step on the path to rebellion is to begin a forbidden sexual relationship with a woman he works with. He has longed for a relationship where he is free to love without the purpose of procreation. Even more important to him, however, is that his actions undermine the Party. When Julia, his girlfriend, tells him that he has done this "Hundreds of times -well, scores of times†, Winston is not upset; instead, he is thrilled because that means there were many others who are â€Å"corrupt to the bones† and were also rebelling against the Party (Orwell 112). Essay -- Over the years, much has been written about the two novels, both positive and negative. For example, Ben Clarke of the University of North Carolina has written extensively about Orwell, and asserts that although mainly acclaimed for his non-fiction works, Orwell’s fiction writing had significant value, and was generally under-rated (Clarke). Orwell’s only novel to receive critical acclaim was Nineteen Eighty-four. Even this novel, when studied, is considered for its historical significance rather than its literary contribution (Clarke). Clarke also suggests that Orwell’s female characters reflect Orwell’s views of masculinity and femininity. Though he recognizes the limited choices that women had in society, he shows showed little originality in their portrayal (Clarke). Certainly Julia, in Nineteen Eighty-Four is portrayed as a woman engaging in sexual relationships with Party members more out of boredom than from any real disagreement with the poli tics of the Party. She depicted as being accepting of the status quo, and follows Winston’s lead in his rebellious activities. This is similar to the way that women in Orwell’s time period were viewed, as passive but supportive components in society. The restrictive bounds on society trigger rebellion by the major characters in both novels. By restricting the knowledge and information available, the governments in both novels maintain tight control on their citizens. In Nineteen Eighty-four, the public is manipulated by propaganda to believe what the Party wants it to believe. There are laws against even thinking of anything that creates individuality or harms the Party in any way, labelled by Orwell as â€Å"thoughtcrime†. â€Å"Thoughtcrime was not a thing that could be concea... ..., Winston’s search for the truth drives him to rebel in small ways initially. Driven to create something that will not be re-written at the whim of the Party, he writes in an illicitly obtained diary to a nameless future reader from â€Å"a time when truth exists and what is done cannot be undone† (Orwell 28). His next step on the path to rebellion is to begin a forbidden sexual relationship with a woman he works with. He has longed for a relationship where he is free to love without the purpose of procreation. Even more important to him, however, is that his actions undermine the Party. When Julia, his girlfriend, tells him that he has done this "Hundreds of times -well, scores of times†, Winston is not upset; instead, he is thrilled because that means there were many others who are â€Å"corrupt to the bones† and were also rebelling against the Party (Orwell 112).