Mineral Water Industry Proposal Environmental Sciences Essay

Water is considered as the most indispensable human demands. But due to the pollution, the H2O is contaminated earnestly and it is non safe to be consumed. Because of the environment ordinance and go oning depletion of the fresh H2O resources, focal point has been shifted towards the H2O direction in order to recycle, retrieve and recycle the waste H2O by utilizing the taking engineerings. If the intervention of the H2O does n't convey into serious history, we might be possible to be infected by diseases like diarrhoea, malnutrition, enteric roundworm infections, lymphatic filariasis and other H2O – borne diseases ( Pr & A ; uuml ; ss- & A ; Uuml ; st & A ; uuml ; n et al. , 2008 ) . One of the ways to pull off the H2O beginnings is that by utilizing it to fabricate and treat into bottled mineral H2O.The Importance of the industry to our societyThe bottled mineral is of import because it is really convenient. Tricia ( 2011 ) has claimed that by people would readily to hold sup ply of imbibing H2O to slake their thirst when H2O is non easy accessible. Bottled H2O is besides a healthier option in order to maintain us hydrated because the H2O is usually filtered and tested to guarantee that there is non harmful in it. Besides that, the mineral H2O is really light and eases for presenting procedure. Therefore, it can cut down the disbursals in transit. In add-on, the bottled H2O will be free from the stinky olfactory properties and chemical that can impact the gustatory sensation of the imbibing H2O and do it more gratifying to imbibe.The supply and demand of H2OIt is a affair of satisfaction that consciousness sing purified and hygienic H2O among multitudes is turning with the transition of clip and therefore doing the mineral H2O concern swell up to 15 per cent as compared to yester twelvemonth, forcing the quantum of demand up to around 1.1 billion litres per twelvemonth since contaminated H2O persistently coming out of governmental-run H2O grapevines. The refore, the planetary bottled H2O industry has become really profitable has grown exponentially over the past 10 to fifteen old ages. The most common supply for the mineral H2O is natural H2O which is derived from an approved belowground beginning, such as a protected good or spring that has been inspected, tested, and found to be safe and healthful with regard to H2O quality. Indeed, the mineral H2O consists of 75 % from natural resources and 25 % from the municipal H2O system. In United States, about 700 trade names of bottled H2O are sold. This broad choice reflects diverse consumer demand for safe and good-tasting imbibing H2O options. Furthermore, the immense multination presently make one million millions of dollars on H2O as they extract from the land, slap a label on and sell at competitory monetary values. For case: Aquafina ( Pepsi ) , Dasani ( Coke ) , Perrier ( Nestle ) , Evian, and Fiji Water among 100s of others. First and first, the factor impacting the addition of mineral H2O ingestion is the universe ‘s population will go on to turn in future decennaries. Other than that, it will be the in-migration of the people from the countryside to town. General life criterions are bettering, particularly in the two states with the largest populations: China and India. The universe ‘s current population of about 6.6 billion people will go on to swell over the coming decennaries. The UN predicts a planetary population of 9.2 billion people by the twelvemonth 2050. Demand for H2O will of class escalate strictly in response to this population growing. Experiences in recent decennaries even show that H2O ingestion has grown at a faster rate than the general population. This tendency is chiefly attributable to uninterrupted betterments in life criterions. In1950, for illustration, per capita one-year H2O ingestion averaged 580 M3. This figure had already risen to 625 M3s by the twelvemonth 2000 . Given the population roar in parts such as Asia particularly, this underlying tendency is improbable to be reversed for some clip. However, consumer demand for reviewing alternate drinks, every bit good as increasing public concern about wellness and fittingness and greater consumer instruction about the ingredients in nutrient and drinks, are advancing gross revenues of bottled H2O. Hence, the bottled H2O industry is indicated by the federal and ordinance which is to do certain that the quality of mineral H2O whether is safety to be drunk by public and by IBWA, the trade association stand foring the industry. A broad assortment of bottled Waterss are available to the consumer, and the bulk of these merchandises are acceptable options to imbibing H2O. The bottled H2O got the blessing for administering many authorities plans as the administering the smaller size of bottle is easier than administering the big bulk storage of H2O. The event is organized by the populace or schools besides admire to scatter the bottled H2O which is mineral H2O to people or pupil. Therefore, this will increase the demand of the bottle d mineral H2O as the big distribution to the consumer. Last but no rental, the demand of mineral H2O, supplied in plastic bottles, has been witnessed upward tendency in recent old ages as earlier urban in-between category of the society wanted to avoid water-borne diseases. But now the usage of bottle H2O has become position symbol in society and most of people particularly female normally carry fictile mineral H2O bottles with them while traveling to shopping or someplace else. The tendency of transporting mineral bottles is non merely healthy mark but besides it keeps end-consumers off from physicians. In the nutshell, the populations of planetary universe addition, the addition will the demand of clear H2O like bottled mineral H2O. Water is the most common substance found on Earth that covers over 70 per cent of whole planet and is the lone substance found of course in three signifiers: solid, liquid and gas. However, about 97 per cent of the Earth ‘s H2O is saltwater in oceans and seas. Merely three per cent is freshwater while merely one per cent is available for imbibing – the staying two per cent is frozen in polar ice caps in the form of glaciers. Hence, the supply and demand for the bottled mineral H2O industry is about sufficient and really perchance will derive a monolithic net income to the company of it is managed good.Procedure of fabricating mineral H2OSprings that are disposed above an aquifer secluded from contaminations like industries runoff or healthful drainage are where mineral H2O comes from. Thus the procedure of doing mineral H2O is vitally of im port. Spring H2O must be collected merely at the spring or through a au naturel hole tapping the belowground formation feeding the spring. After that the H2O will pump through pretreatment systems which include different type of filter which are Chlorination System, Raw Water Pump, Pressure Sand Filter ( PSF ) , Activated Carbon Filter, UV system with piping, valves and instruments. The system utilizes an ion exchange H2O softener and a assortment of filtration methods. The gilded systems incorporate activated C filters to take bad gustatory sensations and olfactory properties from the H2O. Natural H2O may incorporate populating micro-organisms and organics which are obnoxious to Change by reversal Osmosis ( R.O. ) Membrane. Not merely like that, H2O besides contain ferric which can be oxidized to ferric oxide which is settle down in storage armored combat vehicle. Therefore Chlorine Dosing System is designed for this intent. Sodium hypochlorite solution is dosed in Raw Water Storage Tank to respond with H2O to organize a hypochlorite acid which acts as disinfecting agent. The chlorinated natural H2O will so travel to Pressure Sand Filter via Raw Water Supply Pump. The natural H2O is foremost filtered by filtration unit to take suspended affairs and turbidness from natural H2O. Before feeding to the contrary osmosis system ( R.O. Plant ) , free Cl must be removed from the filtrated H2O. This is because chlorine being a strong oxidizing agent which will damage the R.O. Membranes in R.O. Plant. Thus Activated Carbon Filter is map to take Cl, olfactory property and colour while go throughing the H2O through C bed. ( Diagram 1 shows a system for chlorination, acts as Raw Water Pump, Pressure Sand Filter and Activated Carbon Filter. ) Diagram 1 After that spring H2O will pretreatment with rearward osmosis system ( R.O. Plant ) to cut down the sum dissolved solids from natural H2O beginning. The R.O. Plant use membrane-filtration methods to take many types of big molecules and ions from solutions by using force per unit area to the solution. The solute will stay on the pressurized side of the membrane and the pure dissolver is allowed to go through through the other side. ( Diagram 2 shows a R.O. Plant. ) Diagram 2 After passed through R.O. Plant system, the filtrated H2O will has really less TDS ( Total Dissolved Solids ) value which is non good in gustatory sensation. Thus a mineral adding system or blending system will used to heighten the gustatory sensations of the H2O. The scaremonger will blend the physical mineral into the commixture armored combat vehicle and dosing pump will dose the mineral to R.O. Product H2O before ozonation with TDS accountant. The blending system will set the TDS value by adding filtered H2O. ( Diagram 3 shows a Mineral adding system. ) Diagram 3 The mineral added H2O is so stored in Product Water Storage Tank. During storage, atmospheric or any other taint may take topographic point in treated H2O. Hence H2O will feed through the Micron Cartridge Filter. Micron Cartridge Filter will take attention for all right micrometer drosss. It will guarantee the high quality treated H2O before ozonation by taking peculiar affair and some portion of bacteriums and virus. After that the H2O will cysts down to 1 micrometer absolute. ( Diagram 4 shows a Micron Cartridge Filter. ) Diagram 4 After micrometer cartridge filter, H2O comes to the station intervention system which include Ultra Violet system ( U.V. System ) and ozonation. U.V. System will take the bacteriums and viruses one time once more as they may redevelop once more in H2O during drawn-out storage. Hence, the treated H2O is passed through U.V. System which consists of U.V. Tubes which radiates high strength Ultra Violet Rays to kill micro-organisms. Even passed through U.V. System, the bacteriums and viruses may redevelop in jammed bottles over a period of clip. Hence it ‘s necessary to disinfect merchandise H2O prior to bottling filling. The Ozone Generator will turned H2O into O rich H2O and take the bacteriological growing and supply the shelf life of the jammed bottles unless it ‘s unfastened for some period of clip. The ozonation of H2O besides added some gustatory sensation to the treated H2O. Ozonator will bring forth the ozone gas from free ambiance, dry air or force per unit area swing surface assimilation ( PSA ) O generator. Ozone gas will shoot with venturi system mounted on armored combat vehicle with re-circulation armored combat vehicle and pump. ( Diagram 5 shows a U.V. and Ozonation system. ) Diagram 5 Ozone Re-circulating Tank ( ORT ) is designed for required ppm ( parts per million ) Ozone gas mix up in finished merchandise, H2O. In ozone re-circulating armored combat vehicle, H2O re-circulating by required flow rate pump. Continuous re-circulation will supply the ozone concentration to the merchandise H2O before bottling. Overall system:Impact of fabricating mineral H2O on homo and environmentFirst, phthalates are chemicals known to interrupt the endocrines in our human organic structure particularly testosterone, which can take to an unnatural sexual development such as male sterility, premature chest development, malignant neoplastic disease and abortions. Meanwhile, this sort of chemical comes from the fictile H2O bottles by leaching into bottled H2O. Other than that, a random experiment was done during the twelvemonth of 1990 with a trade name of popular bottled H2O and turned up hints of benzine in the bottles where low dose of benzine to human is unaffected but high dose will convey paroxysms and decease. Bottled H2O is besides much more expensive than tap H2O but bottled H2O is frequently no healthier than tap H2O because from the consequences of some surveies had shown that about 25-45 per centum of bottled H2O sold in the United States really comes from municipal resources. Even U.S. FDA ordi nances allowed some taint of faecal stuff in bottled H2O and to boot there are no demands for H2O bottles to be tested for parasites or germicides. Worse is that bottled H2O company are non required to advise their clients if elevated degrees of contaminations are found. The production of H2O bottles is besides making C dioxide non small but is 2.5 million dozenss of it and released to the air and it is the chief key to greenhouse consequence gas that is responsible for planetary heating. Apart from that, we had used excessively many H2O bottles each twelvemonth, it was over-numbered, in U.S. each twelvemonth the sum of H2O bottles can encircle the Earth 150 times if they are set end-to-end but non even 25 per centum is recycled. Due to they are fictile bottles, therefore they decompose easy as the same for other plastics, while we all finished the H2O and the plastic bottles are thrown off, around 2.5 million of fictile H2O bottles an hr and each takes 500 million old ages to break up. Imagine the pollution that was caused by H2O bottles. In order to forestall all of these from go oning, the company should be more toward duty than profitableness and ne'er step out from the safety parametric quantities even though it is non officially secured by the quality applied scientists.

Busi 650-ILP Final Essay

Table of Contents I. Abstract II. Organizational Setting III. Key Concepts a. Quality b. Total Quality Management c. Innovation d. Strategy Map e. Balanced Scorecard f. Six Sigma g. Bench Marking h. Inventory Management IV. Conclusion V. References Abstract The main purpose of the Integrative Learning Project (ILP) is to introduce an authentic or fabricated company/industry to research. The company’s organizational setting includes the mission statement of the company, who the internal/external customers are, what aspects can be contributed to achieve the organizations mission, and what role Christianity has with the organization. The research includes using eight different concepts learned throughout the course, explaining in detail how these concepts relate to the organization and the benefits the concepts offer to the organization, and what needs to be done to implement these concepts into the organization  successfully. This ILP will prove that a successful business can be run effectively and efficiently when implementing the key concepts. Organizational Setting Dover Saddlery, Inc. is a leading specialty retailer in the English-style horseback riding industry in the United States. The company offers a large selection of quality and premium equestrian products to care for, ride, train, and compete a horse. Founded in 1975 by Jim and David Powers, the company has grown to be the largest multi-channel marketer of premier equestrian products by selling through direct and retail sales. The company serves the English rider through Dover Saddlery and the western rider through Smith Brothers. The company sells their products using catalogs, the internet, and retail stores. The product line includes a variety of items such as tack, horse clothing, horse health, footwear, and specialized apparel. Dover Saddlery, Inc. is headquartered in Littleton, MA, including a warehouse and call center facility. The company has 18 retail locations in Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolin a, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, and Virginia. The company’s third quarter 2013 total revenues were $63.6 million, a 6.4% increase from the $59.7 million achieved in the corresponding period. Dover Saddlery, Inc. stock trades on the NASDAQ Stock Market under the symbol DOVR. The company’s mission is to grow the business by providing a broad variety of quality and most advanced equestrian apparel, equipment, stable, and horse care products to all equestrians, while operating efficiently and being profitable. The company carries 5,800 items comprising of approximately 28,000 different SKU’s. The company carries entry-level price points to the premium high-end price points to meet the wide range of customer needs and expectations. The company carries a distinctive and broad selection of need-based and high quality products at competitive prices with prompt order fulfillment ability. The company differentiates itself from competitors by their large inventory consisting of non-branded products, private label products, and premium brands. The current equestrian products market is  estimated by the American Horse Council at $7.6 billion with an estimated 9.2 millions horses in the United States. American Sports Data estimates that over 16.8 mill ion people ride horses. The equestrian industry has many indicators that the equestrian products industry will continue to grow. The company is known for their excellence in customer service and large comprehensive selection. The company promotes a culture of courteous, knowledgeable, and prompt customer service representatives. 90% of the sales and customer service representatives are horse enthusiast. The company offers customers a 100% satisfaction guarantee. The company has one of the largest detailed customer databases. The database consists of customers that have purchased items with the last 12 months and their demographic information. The use of the catalog, internet, and retail stores has enabled the company to capture customer information, cross-market products, and provide a convenient shopping experience for customers. The company’s customers are primarily females with a passion for the riding sport. The customers are affluent and luxury oriented who tend to choose to buy from the company for the high quality and premier products. The customer base shows high repurchase rates and has been ve ry loyal customers. The role Christianity has in this organization is customer service is essential and Matthew 10:31 states, â€Å"Fear not, therefore; you are more value than many sparrows† (ESV). In the service industry, customer satisfaction is key and the company has to recruit the right people and reward them for there expertise. Colossians 3:23-24 states, â€Å"23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving† (New International Version). Another verse that can be applied in this organization is 1 Peter 4:10, â€Å"As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace†. The company uses the gifts God gives us and pass them on to consumers to benefit from. The role of Christianity plays a great role in this company. Key Concepts The first key concept that is applicable to Dover Saddlery is Quality. Quality has a huge impact on the quality of products and the success of the organization. According to Dinh, Igel, & Laosirihongthong (2010), â€Å"quality, considered a key strategic factor in achieving business success, is more than ever required for competing successfully in today’s global marketplace and it has become the key slogan as organizations strive for a competitive advantage in markets characterized by liberalization, globalization, and knowledgeable customers† (p. 931). The design and performance of the product are two very important concepts of quality. Quality should start with the customer, the experience the customer has with the product or service will impact the customer’s satisfaction with the total experience. The management and control of the quality of the products and services is very important to the success of the organization. It is very important for organizations to implement a quality assurance program (QAP) to ensure the quality of the products and services. According to Rouse (2007): In developing products and services, quality assurance is any systematic process of checking to see whether a product or service being developed is meeting specified requirements. Many companies have a separate department devoted to quality assurance. A quality assurance system is said to increase customer confidence and a company’s credibility, to improve work processes and efficiency, and to enable a company to better compete with others. Quality assurance was initially introduced in World War II when munitions were inspected and tested for defects after they were made. Today’s quality assurance systems emphasize catching defects before they get into the final product (Quality Assurance). There are many advantages for the company to have a QAP in place, include a competitive advantage, increase in sales and market share, increased customer sat isfaction, better management control, clearly defined organizational tasks, structure, and responsibilities, more effective recalls, and price premium (Aramyan, Meuwissen, Oude Lansink, van der Vorst, van Kooten, & van der Lans, 2009, p. 624). According to Yang (2006) â€Å"several studies on quality management have demonstrated that delivering superior service quality enhances productivity, reduces costs, increases customer loyalty, improves market share, and brings other general benefits to a service organization (p.1129). The QAP helps fulfill the needs  and expectations of the customers and improves the quality of the products and services. The second key concept that is applicable to the company is total quality management (TQM). According to Richards (2012), TQM can be defined as an integrative approach to management that supports the attainment of customer satisfaction through a wide variety of tools and techniques that the end result is higher quality of goods and services (p. 37). TQM is an organizational-wide concept of continuous improvement to ensure the products and services exceed their customers’ expectations. According to Richards (2012), â€Å"this kind of quality management requires the company to always check to make sure that product or service is at the standard that both the company and customer wants is maintained† (p. 37). Exceeding the internal and external customers satisfaction is a key focus of TQM. According to Talib, et al. (2011), TQM â€Å"has received a great attention due to its effectiveness in achieving sustainable competitive advantage and enhanced business performanceâ₠¬  (p. 1331). TQM is â€Å"a total look at the quality of the organization† (Richards, 2012, p. 41). â€Å"All service industries should seek to adopt and implement TQM so that proactive identification and response to needed changes can lead to continuous improvement† (Talib, et al. 2011). â€Å"Quality-conscious companies normally have a strong quality culture, which is helpful for achieving customer satisfaction† (Delgado-Hernandez & Aspinwall, 2008, p.1016). The practice of TQM can grow a company to have a sustainable advantage in local and international markets (Richards, 2012, p. 36). The third key concept that is applicable to the company is innovation. â€Å"In the modern business world, innovation is just as important as quality, so they must go hand and hand and one complements each other† (Perodomo-Ortiz, et al. 2009, p.5088). Innovation is one if the driving forces of a successful business and allows an organization to introduce new and improve products in the market place. According to Bigliardi (2013), innovation is a complex phenomenon that involves the production, diffusion and translation of knowledge in new or modified products or services, or the development of new production processing techniques. Innovation is very important to the  success of an organization, it creates jobs and promotes the growth of organizations. The fourth key concept that is applicable to the company is the strategy map. As a strategic part of the Balanced Scorecard (BSC), a strategy map provides an organization â€Å"with a tool that helps them better monitor important details about their strategic business processes, thereby enhancing their employees’ understanding of the strategy interactions, which in turn facilitates implementing the business strategy† (Meredith and Shafer, 2013, pg. 99). According to Kaplan and Norton (2004), â€Å"the strategy map provides the visual framework for integrating the organization’s objectives in the four perspectives of a Balanced Scorecard† (pg.45). According to Markiewicz (2013), a strategy map is a tool integrating the developed strategy with operating activities of various organizational units operating in an organization. A specific feature of strategy map is that it describes in a clear manner the process of creating values in organization by indicating a number of cause and effect relationships between four perspectives (learning and growth, intemal-business-processes, customer, financial) and goals adopted within these perspectives. (pg. 161-162) The four perspectives a strategy map addresses include the financial perspective, the customer perspective, the internal business process perspective, and the learning and growing perspective. According to Markiewicz (2013), a strategy map â€Å"enables illustration of cause-and-effect relationship between the processes in all four perspectives and performance indicators at the organizational level. Strategy map and performance indicators at the organizational level constitute the basis for different departments when preparing their individual effectiveness indicators† (pg. 160). The top of a strategy map is the goal that has been specified by management, the next step is how the goal be accomplished, and the remainder of the map shows the cause-and-effect relationships that manag ement has developed on how the goal can be accomplished. The strategy map is used very frequently by all organizations as a simple strategy development tool by management to report the progress of the strategy implemented in their organization to achieve its vision or mission.  The strategy map is a powerful technique that can be applied to any type of business from a public sector organization to a non-profit organization. It is very important to organizations because it encourages its managers to think logically about the elements of their strategy and how the strategic elements interact. This effective tool ensures the managers understand the role of the strategy and how the effective strategy embraces all of the organization’s activities. According to Umayal Karpagam and Suganthi (2012), the strategy map describes â€Å"how the four perspectives: financial, customer, internal process, learning and growth are linked and how they create a balance between the more tangible outcomes through intangible resources† (pg. 7). The fifth key concept that is applicable to the company is the balanced scorecard. Kaskey (2013) says the balanced scorecard â€Å"provides an organization with ways to develop and evaluate strategic objectives and goals† (pg. 22). The balanced scorecard uses financial and nonfinancial strategic information and is â€Å"an accounting report that includes the firm’s critical success factors in four areas: financial performance, customer satisfaction, internal processes, and learning and growth† (Blocher, Stout, Juras, & Cokins, 2013, pg. 11). The benefits of the scorecard include ability to implement strategy, ability to track the process of the organization in their achievement of the strategic goals, the organization’s ability to determine manager’s compensation, achieving organizational change, and the ability to achieve the critical success factors. According to Werner and Fuyuan (2012), â€Å"when the score card is adopted, employees become awa re that their performance will be judged based on these measures and targets. Accordingly, employees will act to achieve the established performance targets† (pg. 92). The balanced scorecard is a critical tool for organizations in todays challenging and competitive business environment. It is very important for organizations to achieve its critical success factors to help the overall performance of the organization and to stay competitive. The sixth key concept that is applicable to the company is Six Sigma. This concept is a strategy to increase employee engagement that will then increase customer satisfaction. According to Meredith and Shafer (2013), six  sigma is a comprehensive and flexible system for achieving, sustaining and maximizing business success. Six Sigma is uniquely driven by close understanding of customer needs, disciplined use of facts, data, and statistical analysis, and diligent attention to managing, improving, and reinventing business processes. (Page 129) This method is an inspiring factor for employees and employees have to be completely engaged in the program for it to be successful and impact employee satisfaction. Six Sigma has been embraced by many organizations, that drive’s improvements in processes, products, and services. When implementing the Six Sigma approach, first provide necessary leadership and resources, implement a reward system, provide ingoing training, select early p rojects, break up difficult projects, and avoid employee layoffs. â€Å"Six sigma’s popularity and success is catching fire throughout the service industry across the globe as no other process improvement (PI) movement before (Sunder, 2013, pg. 34). The seventh key concept that is applicable to the company is benchmarking. According to Cruceru (2013), benchmarking is â€Å"viewed as a continuous process of evaluation of products, services, processes and performance of competitors in order to obtain competitive advantage, benchmarking involves knowledge of all elements occurring when implementing in practice† (pg. 6). Benchmarking is a strategy where the desire to be competitive is a challenge for managers to become knowledgeable and analyze their competitors in the industry and implement competitive strategies to be successful. According to Meredith and Shafer (2013), benchmarking is used for a variety of purposes, including the following: Comparing an organization’s processes with the best organization’s processes. Comparing an organization’s product and services with those of other organizations. Identifying the best practices to emulate. Projecting trends in order to be able to respond proactively to future challenges and opportunities. (pg.133) Benchmarking involves three steps: the first step is concerned with preparing the study, the second step is collecting the data, and the third and final step is what was learned to improve the organization. This process has become one of the most valuable processes to identify performance improvement areas. Benchmarking allows an organization to analyze and improve performance, profitability, business  processes, and market share. There are many types of benchmarking including: process benchmarking-compares business processes and operations, product benchmarking-compares products and services, strategic benchmarking-compares organizational structures, internal benchmarking-internal comparison, competitive benchmarking-comparison of direct competitors, functional benchmarking- comparison of organizations in the same field, and generic benchmarking- comparison of the best com petitor in other fields. According to Cruceru (2013), â€Å"those competitors who will know to focus on benchmarking implementation in management and marketing activities of the organization will achieve increased performance and competitiveness in terms comparable to the best competitors of the time† (pg. 9). Appendix A In order to implement benchmarking in Dover Saddlery the following steps are needed: 1. Understand the company’s current process performance gaps. 2. Obtain support and approval from the executive leadership team 3. Document benchmarking objectives and scope; document the original process. 4. Agree on the primary metrics and put them in writing. 5. Agree on what to benchmark. 6. Develop a data collection plan. 7. Identify research sources and initiate data gathering. 8. Determine how to contact and screen companies. 9. Design a detailed survey to gather information. 10. Decide if gathered information meets original objectives. 11. Conduct a site visit. 12. Apply the learning to performance gaps. 13. Communicate to the executive leadership to ensure continued support. 14. Develop a recommended implementation plan with process owner. 15. Know when to update and recalibrate. The eighth key concept that is applicable to the company is inventory management. Inventory management is extremely important for the success of a organization and having the correct number of items in inventory that is necessary for operation is vital for inventory management. According to Chen (2011), â€Å"the inventory in an organization may contain a large amount of items. A logical inventory classification is necessary for managers to have efficient plan and control of the items† (pg. 1702). Inventory management can be a challenge for any business, but can be even more important for businesses with changing product life cycles or product needs. The development of information systems, has eased some challenges faced with inventory management. The introduction of advanced information system, which aim at better performance than manual product identification and inventory data-keeping procedures, hold much promise for the reduction of inventory inaccuracies. Inventories include work-in-process, raw materials, finished goods, component parts, and so on. By eliminating storage space to business is not only saving on space but also removing defective parts from being hidden until no one knows who had made them (Meredith & Shafer, 2013, p. 176). Appendix B Inventory An additional way that we differentiate ourselves from our competition is through our breadth and depth of inventory. We believe our inventory is deeper than our competitors with $10.1 million in on-hand inventory as of December 31, 2005 and more than 5,800 items comprising approximately 28,000 different SKUs. With our extensive inventory position and rapid fulfillment capability, we have historically been able to fill approximately 95% of the items ordered within an average of 1.5 business days. Based on our inventory management systems, continuous monitoring of the products we carry and the fact that we carry very few fashion products, we have historically had very little obsolete inventory. Despite the high level of inventory we have historically maintained, we have turned inventory approximately four times per year and we historically have had no material inventory write-downs. All of the products that are presented in our catalogs are available online and customers can use our websites to enter orders, shop online and check order status and inventory availability. On average, our retail stores stock inventory items represent over 70% of the merchandise  sales we make available through our direct sales channel. All items are available to customers entering our stores by either direct shipment to a customer’s home or for in-store pickup. Conclusion Dover Saddlery is a company that prides on their success and always providing 100% customer service to their customers. Utilizing these eight key concepts, along with successful implementation into the company’s initiatives, they will produce overall success and a winning organization. References Aramyan, L. H., Meuwissen, M. M., Oude Lansink, A. M., van der Vorst, J. J., van Kooten, O., & van der Lans, I. A. (2009). The perceived impacts of quality assurance systems on tomato supply chain performance. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 20(6), 633-653. Bigliardi, B. (2013). The effect of innovation on financial performance: A research study involving SMEs. Innovation: Management Policy & Practice, 15(2): 245-256. Blocher, E. J., Stout, D. E., Juras, P. E., and Cokins, G. (2013) Cost Management: A Strategic Emphasis (6th Ed). McGraw Hill: New York, NY. Chen, J. (2012). Multiple criteria ABC inventory classification using two virtual items. International Journal Of Production Research, 50(6), 1702-1713. Cruceru, A. (2013). Benchmarking – a method of improving organizational competitiveness. Romanian Journal Of Marketing, (1), 6-9. Delgado-Hernandez, D., & Aspinwall, E. (2008). A framework for building quality into construction projects – Part I. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 19(10), 1013-1028. Dinh Thai, H., Igel, B., & Laosirihongthong, T. (2010). Total quality management (TQM) strategy and organizational characteristics: Evidence from a recent WTO member. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 21(9), 931-951. Inventory. (2011). Appendix B of Dover Saddlery, Inc. Retrieved from http://www.hotstocked.com/companies/d/dover-saddlery-inc-DOVR-description-52723.html Kaplan, R. S., & Norton, D. P. (2004). How Strategy Maps Frame an Organization’s Objectives. Financial Executive, 20(2), 40-45. Kaskey, V. L. (2013). The Balanced Scorecard: A Comparative Study of Accounting Education and Experience on Common Measure Bias. Advances In Management, 6(7), 22-25. Markiewicz, P. (2013). Methodical Aspects of Applying Strategy Map in an Organization. Business, Management & Education / Verslas, Vadyba Ir Studijos, 11(1), 153-167. Meredith, J. R., & Shafer , S. M. (2013). Operations management for MBAs (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Perdomo-Ortiz, J., Gonzalez-Benito, J., & Galende, J. (2009). The intervening effect of business innovation capability on the relationship between Total Quality Management and technological innovation. International Journal Of Production Research, 47(18), 5087-5107. Richards, J. (2012). Total Quality Management. Business Management & Strategy, 3(2), 36-42. Rouse, M. (2007, Feb). Quality Assurance (QA). Retrieved from http://searchsoftwarequality.techtarget.com/definition/quality-assurance. Sunder, V. (2013). Six Sigma— A Strategy for Increasing Employee Engagement. Journal for Quality & Participation, 36(2), 34-38. Talib, F., Rahman, Z., & Qureshi, M. N. (2011). Prioritising the practices of total quality management: An analytic hierarchy process analysis for the service industries. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 22(12), 1331-1351. Umayal Karpagam, P. L., & Suganthi, L. L. (2012). A Strategy Map of Balanced Scorecard in Academic Institutions for Performance Improvement. IUP Journal Of Business Strategy, 9(3), 7-16. Werner, M. L., & Fuyuan, X. (2012). Executing Strategy with the Balanced Scorecard. International Journal Of Financial Research, 3(1), 88-94. Yang, C. (2006). Establishment of a Quality-Management System for Service Industries. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 17(9), 1129-1154.

Corporate Personhood Essay

Corporate personhood is the concept that a company or business has legal recognition by the court; it simply means that the corporation has the power or ability to enter into contracts, to hire and fire its employees, to sue and to be sued, to make speeches freely and to hold property just like any other individual (Diamond, 2012). Corporate personhood was recognized first in the year 1886 by the Supreme Court of the United States in a ruling during a case between the Santa Clara County and Southern Pacific Railroad. The main reason that they were targeting then was to give corporations the legal rights of people in order to maintain minority rule and to avoid democracy. In this essay we get to discuss the challenges that have come with corporate personhood, its impact on other businesses and the community at large. We also get to look at the current affairs and state of corporate personhood. In comparison, of the two articles which are, The endangered public company and the Occupy Santa Clara Corporate personhood recognized, we get to see some of the points in which the two articles concur and those that they differ. We are also going to look at the Strength and Weaknesses of their decision or arguments. The title endangered public company comes into use because the corporations are being targeted for closure, some people are of the mind that corporations have been given too much power and they end up ruling us instead of us controlling them (The Economist, 19 May 2012). Corporations are doing a lot of damages and injustices to other small businesses and due to the fact that it cannot be punished or fined. It avoids justice which many people think or feel is not fair for the community. Everyone should be answerable for the mistakes they commit and no one is above the law. In one of the articles that critics are challenging corporate personhood, they are against it and would wish for it to be made illegal and all the issues regarding the corporation be directed to a particular individual, but the railroad barons and lawyers get away with their mischief’s by giving corporations personhood, we also get to see that people are accusing Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook directly, ignoring the fact that he is not Facebook as Facebook is now a separate entity that can sue and be sued. Although, Zuckerberg acts on behalf of Facebook; he cannot be held accountable for the deeds done under the umbrella of Facebook. (The Economist, 21 May 2012) In both of the articles, corporate personhood ends up being recognized as legal though some critics don’t like it. It is however, important that we get to see the strengths and weaknesses of a corporation personhood. Some of the benefits that a business or the individuals owners of the business may get from being in a corporate are. The ability of the corporation to carry all its liabilities incases of any calamity; in case of bankruptcy or any other unfortunate occurrence, the corporation will be responsible for the damages and not the individual owners. The railroad barons can now sit in comfort for the blames will not be put to them but directed to the corporation, Zuckerberg can also relax for the actions taken by face book are not answerable by him (The Economist, 21 May 2012). The ability of the corporation to sue and be sued; the corporation can take any person to court if aggrieved in any way and it can also be taken to court just like it is with Facebook, individuals have taken it to court for the treatment they have received in the social media, it is also clearly seen I the article of Occupy Santa Clara Personhood reconsidered that a number of corporation have been taken to court for one reason or the other, it is evident that most of the corporations always go scot free immediately their lawyers quote the decision made by the supreme court in the case of Santa Clara County Vs. Southern Pacific Railroad. This is because the court have to always uphold previous decisions or judgments’ made especially if it were made by a court that is of a higher authority that the one currently in question. A corporation can live forever, in case of death of any of the owners it just continues operating, a simple process of change of ownership is all that is required, and although the founders of the South Pacific Railroad are long gone their corporation is still functioning. Despite the fact that a corporation can be sued, an individual cannot take it to jail, this is because it’s just an abstraction, and this is seen clearly in the issue involving the railroad barons. (Diamonds, 2012) Despite a corporation being of enormous advantages and benefits, they also carry with them their disadvantages, Some of the weaknesses that can be viewed include the fact that the legal formalities of establishing the corporation are quite many and tedious, an organization will have to adhere to more sta te and federal rules and regulation. The fact that a corporation is expensive to form also gives it a negative touch, not every individual can just come and decide to form a corporation. The other issue is that since a corporation can be sued and taken to court, if found guilty of the charges levied against it the repercussion might be severe if the shareholders had not prepared themselves well for the consequences, the corporation might be rendered bankrupt or may be put under receivership which may not ogre well with the shareholders. Corporation personhood is an issue of great concern and many people in the current generation are trying to find a way to overrule the decision of the Santa Clara case that haunts many legal suits, they are of the opinion that the 126 years that corporation have been terrorizing people is enough. Historian Morton Horwitz is among the individuals who have been trying their level best to overturn the ruling of the supreme court of the year 1886, (Meyers, 2002) though it is evident that the court ruling at that time was aimed at protecting the interest of a big business and protecting the barons it will still be hard to overturn it because its benefits have been seen in the long run. So many countries have adopted the same and they have ripped the fruits of corporate personhood. It may have its side effects but for the record, corporate personhood is one of the best things that has ever happened for the benefits it has brought with it far much outweighs the negative aspects of it. People may magnify the negative aspects but it is evident that without corporate personhood there are a lot of things that would not have been achieved, starting with the railroad. References Meyers, W., (2002). The Santa Clara Blues, Corporate Personhood versus Democracy. Retrieved from http://www.iiipublishing.com/afd/santaclara.html Diamond, S. F., (2012, April 12). Occupy Santa Clara! Corporate Personhood Reconsidered. Dissent Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.dissentmagazine.org/online_articles/occupy-santa-clara-corporate-p

Postnatal Depression Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Postnatal Depression - Essay Example Single parentism or inadequate social support increases the burden to be borne by mothers in terms of their own health as well as monetary risks. Such a condition automatically causes mothers to show lesser positive, sensitive and responsiveness towards their babies. They develop more negative emotions and in worst cases thoughts of harming the children also persist. To conclude mothers with financial problems and lack of social security show greater tendency to develop PPD indicating that PPD is not a mental illness. The maternal mood is assessed using Edinburg Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS)-- the higher scaling indicating PPD as maximum and less scaling indicating minimum range. Women with PPD exhibit inconsistent child caring attitudes resulting in poor coping strategies (Murray and Cooper 1997). PPD women less likely respond to the sickness or necessities of the infant, or persuade the child with eating habits, less interest in breast feeding/healthy feeding or sleeping habits of their infants. This care less attitude with less sensitive and less positive interactions act as potential impedance in building a strong mutual emotional bond between the parents and the infant coupled with poor infant health and slowed physical growth like low birth weight. According to Murray (1992) PPD itself influences all dimensions of the mother's life. It is known to affect mother's physical functioning, physical role, mental health, emotional role, social functioning, vitality, and also her general health. To conclude the PPD mothers are not fully equipped in providing justice to parenthood of a new born. Under such circumstances fathers have a vital role to play where h is presence probably buffering the situation tries to compensates the mother-infant relationship strained by PPD, establishing a joyful and affectionate bond with secured child-father attachment. However much studies and investigation in knowing about father-infant relationship is much under due. Effects of PPD on infants The intensity of PPD depends on its severity and duration. The recent psychiatric studies have revealed that young children are sensitive to their parent's affection and their parental attachment depends on their past intimacy. Hence apart from the genetics, personal interaction between the parent-child, play a major role in the psychological outcome of the child where infants at their young age adapt and respond well to their parents behaviors and interactions. Tests conducted have shown that boy babies are more sensitive to PPD impacts in comparison with girl babies and this vulnerability continues with time. According to Rutter (1989) the impact of PPD on infants could be i) It could shed direct deleterious effects on the child ii) indirect impact through interpersonal behavior in general and in parenting in particular iii) Through social adversity associated with psychiatric

Lengthy police interrogations are more likely to result in innocent Essay

Lengthy police interrogations are more likely to result in innocent defendants falsely confessing to crimes - Essay Example This paper seeks to discuss false confessions by defendants and the interrogation process. False confessions can be categorized into three main categories namely: voluntary false confessions, compliant false confession, and internalized false confession. Voluntary false confession is a result of the individual’s free will without interference by the police. In some cases, this is always done with the aim of diverting attention away from the real criminal. Compliant false confessions refer to false confessions that are given due to some pressure, mostly to avoid implied punishments or promised rewards. Internalized false confessions refer to those that individuals give voluntarily as a result of being made to believe that they committed the crime by use of certain interrogation techniques. There are some techniques that the police use during interrogation and interviews that might lead to acquisition of false confessions. The most common ones are deception and the Reid techniqu e. The Reid technique refers to a method of questioning individuals that involve trying to determine their credibility and to get confessions from them. Those who are in support for this technique argues that it can be very useful in the acquisition of confessions from suspects who are not willing to confess to a crime they committed. However, the use of this technique during police interrogation can lead to the acquisition of highly flawed information from crime suspects. The Reid technique of interrogation involves interrogators telling a suspect that they are sure that the suspect committed the crime. This technique of interrogation is always characterized by the interrogator’s monologue rather than the usual question and answer sessions. The main aim of this technique, therefore, is gradually getting a suspect to acknowledge that presumed truth about the allegations made against the suspect (Nbau, 2013). This assertion can lead to suspects making either compliant false co nfessions or internalized false confessions. Such situations can lead to cases where interrogation serves injustice instead of giving justice to both the suspect and the victim. Deception is a technique frequently applied and accepted in police interrogations. Deception techniques are always employed with the aim of getting evidence from suspects. There does not exist any regulation or law that forbids the police and investigators from making misleading statements, deceiving the suspects on the strength of their case, or lying that they have a witness who saw the suspect committing the crime (Lassiter, 2006). All these are always aimed at getting suspects to confess to a crime. It can be productive only if the suspect being interrogated is indeed guilty. Deception techniques used in police interrogations are widely different. The main aim of interrogating or interviewing a suspect is always to get factual information relating to a crime, or getting the suspect to confess to a crime they committed. The various deception techniques used during police interrogation include: distorting the meaning or denying Miranda rules that are always guaranteed to all suspects, distorting the seriousness of the implications of the crime, threats, promises about less jail sentence in the case of collaboration, and claims of the existence of a valid witness. All of these forms of deception are considered to be

4 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

4 - Coursework Example Researching on legal matters is exciting in that it helps the researcher to be more critical by asking more questions and having realistic expectations and perception of the law. Researching the law is vital because this skill enables the researcher to find answers to legal questions and better understand judicial system. Understanding judicial system and knowing how to get answers is an important skill that helps bring study of law into focus. For instance, one needs to know consequences that surround certain actions particularly to police officers such as the intra agency discipline comprising of anything from negative letters to one’s personal file to being suspended without pay. Therefore, it is important that one to be informed with the ever changing law and knowing how to find out about changes is important. Another important reason as to why it is important to research the law is to keep credibility in that a person is able to research the law correctly so that viable or proper result is found. Using texts or treatise for researching the law is very dangerous because such works are invaluable resources, expensive and frequently multivolume. Though highly effective and commonly used as compared to other methods in learning law, depending on text learning becomes an ultimate predisposition to partial intellectual deficiency. In addition, several pitfalls are likely to come from the rigidity of text-based learning alone. Texts may elaborate on evidence but may not be able to come up with a legal formula on how to handle unique evidences that may arise. iv. The holding and the policies and reasons that support the holding, in this regard, the holding of the case is the rule of law applied to the relevant facts of the case and the actual decision of the court. In addition, legal opinion contain the skills and process needed to read case laws which are drawing inferences, thinking in reverse and untangling the

Do you Think the Principles of Design Affect Everyday Life Essay - 9

Do you Think the Principles of Design Affect Everyday Life - Essay Example Normally, this not by accident, it is because of a careful planning based on principles of design. Usually, the majority of people prefer their lives to have balance, they do not like living on the edge. People want to order in their lives. The same applies to design. Balance in design is concerned with the way a designer distributes the weight on every side of the image. When a designer gives much weight to the right side as to the left, the bottom and the top, this is referred to as symmetry. There is a number of ways to create symmetry. Asymmetrical page in a newspaper would have the right side and the left side of the page balanced. Doing this sometimes is ok; however, having everything balanced in a publication all the time is boring. People like balance in their lives, however they do not like seeing at symmetrical things always. Occasionally, it is necessary to approach media design of an image via asymmetry. This implies dissimilar but equal visual weight on each side. Thus, you would give one side of the page more weight via visuals, lettering, color etc. This implies that you do not have a page in the sense that all regions of the page are equal in what they contain (Sayre, 106). In design, balance is achieved via optical weights. This implies that a designer/artist decision on the significance of elements, and their positioning on the page lead the viewer through the page. In other words, the designer guides the viewer’s eyes where he wants them to go- from the most significant to what he thinks is least. The designer knows what he considers most significant elements and those that are not very important and thus he arranges them in such a manner. The scale is something that works naturally. It is basically arranging spaces in an image in an attractive relationship.  Ã‚  

Is the Study of Past Military Leaders Valid for a Modern Military Essay - 1

Is the Study of Past Military Leaders Valid for a Modern Military Professional - Essay Example Historical studies move from one war to another, bringing out the list of a number of great military leaders who have changed the order of the world through their courage, strategies and heroic deeds. It is interesting to note that the contribution made by strong military leaders to the twists and turns of history are equal or more stable than religious leaders, intellectuals, scientists or philosophers could make. The most powerful political leaders the world has seen do have a military background. Leaders like Frederick the Great, Ulysses Grant, Napoleon, Alexander the Great and Hitler did start their political careers as soldiers or people who served the military. The observation that the â€Å"most influential leaders in world history have come not from the church, the halls of governments, or the scholastic centers but from the ranks of soldiers and sailors† is not an exaggeration. Wars do figure out in the modern world too, reinforcing the need and necessity for the mode rn military professionals to go back to the historical stories of success and failure, defeat and conquest of the past military captains, and learn either from their destruction or achievements. No doubt, warfare over the past 150 years have undergone a lot of changes: the nature of war has changed drastically with the modern man’s access to all types of advanced technological devices, machines and bombs.

Management in Robin Hood band Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Management in Robin Hood band - Essay Example He selected four lieutenants, where one was placed in charge of intelligence and scouting, the other one responsible for maintain discipline among the members of the band, the third one entrusted with the role of managing the finances of the band and the last lieutenant authorized to undertake the provisioning of the ever increasing band. The purpose/value statement of the band was â€Å"Rob the rich and give to the poor† (Lampel, 1). However, the band did not live up to its mission and eventually wanted to change from confiscating of goods to start taxing the people. This was a point of failure, since the band lost its purpose and mission, a fact that served to weaken its fight against the Sherriff. The key stakeholders were the members of the band, the enemy who was the Sherriff, the political allies and friends of the Sherriff, the rich merchants and traders and the not so well-up village people. Each of the stakeholders had their expectations. The band members expected to defeat the Sherriff, the village people expected their interests to be fought for by the band, the Sherriff expected to defeat the band and the allies of the Sherriff expected to remain in power. ... le, when the leader suggested the taxation of the people in order to make enough finances to fund the bands operation, the band members opposed to the taxation of the people, whom they considered their allies. The threats to the band were the decline in the sources of supplies for their food and finances, as well as the increased growth in strength of their enemy, the Sherriff. The opportunities open to the band was its collaboration with the barons who were against Prince John, a conspiracy that would earn the band future amnesty. The key issues arising from the analysis is the inappropriateness of the leadership style applied by the bandleader. A one-man leadership style did not seem to work, especially as the number of the band grew to enormous. Lack of commitment to the mission and purpose of the band is yet another issue. Another issue is that the band lacked a plan and a projection of the future growth crisis of the band, as well as the decline in their financial and food resou rces. The underlying question for the bands organization then becomes, can the band overcome all the challenges facing it and stay committed to its course of fighting the Sherriff? Applying the five-factor model on the management of the band, there is a perceived fulfillment of the requirements of some elements of the model. For example, there is a high degree of sociability in the bands management, a high level of thoughtfulness as indicated by the deep thinking portrayed by the bands leader, emotional instability and anxiety is also present, as demonstrated by the anxiety that the leader has. Openness is yet another trait portrayed by the leader of the band, in terms of his imagination and insights (Lampel, 2). However, one element, as required by the five-factor model is missing in the

Oswestry Mutual Insurance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words - 1

Oswestry Mutual Insurance - Essay Example are   thought   to   be   above   industry   average   cost   per   policy.   The   result   has   been   Omi   financial   solvency,   but   only   barely.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In   1991,   the   company   decision-making   process   was   highly   centralized.   The   growth   experienced   by   OMI   in   the   mid   to   late   1980’s   and   the   need   to   become   more   responsive   to   the   dynamics   of   the   industry,   top   management   decided   to   change   the   operating   structure.   In   1991,   they   reorganized   into   6   sectional-regional   profit   centers.   The   branch   offices   remained   at   68,   each   branch   office   reports   to   a   specific   sectional   profit   centre   and   sectional   office.   The   sectional   office   is   responsible   for   approving   all   policies   written   and   claims   filed   through   both   branch   offices   and   the   independent   agents   locat ed   in   that   region.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The head   office’s   is   suppose   to   establish   overall   corporate   policy   and   provide   support   to   6   sectional   offices.   The   head   office   in   Oswestry   and   the   sectional   offices   were   organized   on   a   functional   basis.   The   functional   units   in   all   locations   are:   Premium   Audit,   Underwriting,   Sales,   Claims/Losses,   Finance,   Human   Resources,   Loss   Monitoring   and   Support.   However,   even   though   the   operational   structure   was   decentralized,   most   of   the   information   services   still   remain   centralized   in   the   head   office,   which   includes   related   planning,   control,   budget   authority   and   decision- making   stays   at   the   head   office.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Computers   were   used,   at   first,   for   financial   and   statistical   report   production:   standard   MIS   reports   included,   profit/loss,   operations,   claim   data,   loss   ratios,   and  

Chagas infectious disease poster Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Chagas infectious disease poster - Assignment Example t the Chagas disease can be treated by using either benznidazole or nifurtimox since the two medicines have proven their ability to kill the parasite. The two medicines are efficient for treating the disease if it identified in the early stages of development. People infected with the disease should be treated before the disease starts to develop since anti-parasitic treatment can aid to stop the disease. The disease is very harmful to the social, political and economic status of the world. An example of the social aspect is that areas that are highly prone to the disease hinder tourism activities. In this regard, the social relationship of people from different parts of the world is curtailed. On the economic aspect, a lot of funds and resources are used to control and treat the disease. For this reason, money that could have been used for profitable economic resources is spent on medication. On the political viewpoint, the disease heightens political temperatures between nations. For instance, when travel advisories are issued on the grounds of controlling the spread of the disease, some countries do not take the motive positively. The WHO has established several mechanisms to eradicate the disease. For instance, the WHO has increased its funding for research into the means of eradicating the disease. In summary, Chagas disease is an issue of global concern and, therefore all countries should join hands in its control and

Rhetorical Analysis of a Modest Proposal Essay Example for Free

Rhetorical Analysis of a Modest Proposal Essay Swift’s â€Å"A Modest Proposal† written in 1729 was his proposal â€Å"for preventing the children of poor people in Ireland, from being a burden on their parents or country, and for making them beneficial to he publick† (Swift, Title). This proposal included the selling, skinning and buying of babies at the age of one. This proposal that he has come up with is a very inhuman and controversial one when it comes to being socially acceptable. Swift begins his essay by describing walking down a street in Ireland. He describes how you would see, â€Å"beggars of the female sex, followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags, and importuning every passenger for an alms† (Swift, Para. 1). This gives the reader a mental picture of how bad things are for the women he is trying to help. Swift then talks about how there are very many of these poor people in Ireland and how they are not able to be part of the middle or working class. Look more:  how to write satire essay He then proposes his idea that the children could, â€Å"contribute to the feeding, and partly to the cloathing of many thousands† (Swift, Para. 4). In no way, shape, or form is the eating of or the using of children in this manner acceptable. No society would ever find it suitable to eat or make babies into clothes. Dr. Swift has made a proposal that he should know would not work because of the inhumanity that it is asking people in which to participate. Jonathan Swift later tells the reader of how he has, â€Å"computed the charge of nursing a beggars child (in which list I reckon all cottagers, labourers, and four-fifths of the farmers) to be about two shillings per annum, rags included; and I believe no gentleman would repine to give ten shillings for the carcass of a good fat child,† (Swift, Para. 14). This is a good thing that Swift does telling how the mother would stand to make money on selling her child to a man for dinner. Except, I do not believe you couldn’t find a willing mother to sell her child knowing that it would be eaten by a human for a meal. Dr. Swift has made a plan for people with no remorse or thought of their children. The only place this plan could be carried out and continue working is a place with robots that have no feeling or conscious. Swift then makes the statement, â€Å"Those who are more thrifty (as I must confess the times require) may flea the carcass; the skin of which, artificially dressed, will make admirable gloves for ladies, and summer boots for fine gentlemen,† (Swift, Para. 15). He thinks that someone would be able to treat a baby’s skin as an animal’s and make it into a glove or boot without objection to what it is. This is another flaw in his plan. There are people who are against making animals into clothing. Therefore, I am sure that there would be people against the making of clothes from baby. Next, Dr. Swift gives 6 reasons of why he thinks the plan is a good one. His second reason states, â€Å"Secondly, The poorer tenants will have something valuable of their own, which by law may be made liable to a distress, and help to pay their landlords rent, their corn and cattle being already seized, and money a thing unknown,† (Swift, Para. 22). He thinks that poor tenants with children will be able to give their landlords something valuable by giving them their child. No landlord would take a child as a means of money because it just costs more money to them to have the child then without it. In his fourth reason Swift says, â€Å"Fourthly, The constant breeders, besides the gain of eight shillings sterling per annum by the sale of their children, will be rid of the charge of maintaining them after the first year,† (Swift, Para. 24) If the people who like to â€Å"breed† hear of this then they will just think that they will be able to keep having children and selling them instead of having a job. This would cause more jobless people and after so long the supply of the babies would surpass the demand. There then would be poor children hanging on their mothers again in the street defeating the purpose of the plan in the beginning. Fifthly Dr. Swift says, â€Å"This food would likewise bring great custom to taverns, where the vintners will certainly be so prudent as to procure the best receipts for dressing it to perfection; and consequently have their houses frequented by all the fine gentlemen, who justly value themselves upon their knowledge in good eating; and a skilful cook, who understands how to oblige his guests, will contrive to make it as expensive as they please,† (Swift, Para. 5). Again, I refer back to how people would not be able to eat the carcass of an one year old child, but also I think that if you were to find a cook to make this and a person to eat it that it would be at such an outrageous price that the people could not afford to try the meal of the baby. Finally, the last reason I do not think that this plan would work is what is in the final paragraph of the essay-â€Å"I profess, in the sincerity of my heart, that I have not the least personal interest in endeavouring to promote this necessary work, having no other motive than the publick good of my country, by advancing our trade, providing for infants, relieving the poor, and giving some pleasure to the rich. † (Swift, Para. 33). If the person that is proposing the idea at the end of the idea tells you that he has no interest in promoting his own proposal, I believe that it means he thinks that it also will not work and could not be enacted on a society. I am not the only one that is outraged or appalled with the works of Dr. Swift. Patrick Delany also states â€Å"As I have marked the passages that seemed to me most faulty, and gave me most offence, I beg leave to point them out, as they come in my way: without any further preface, or apology. The picture he draws of the Yahoos, is too offensive to be copied, even in the slightest sketch. † (Kathleen, Pg. 132). Delany and I are both offended and disagree with Swift’s works, but as a satire writer this just shows how effective his writing is on his audience. He tries to use outrageous and controversial subjects in order to grab the attention of his readers and keep them reading his papers. This style works very well and is a great way to get your point across. This style has grabbed the attention of all the readers and will continue to grab the attention of all the future readers of his essay.

Behaviourist and Humanist Approaches to Learning

Behaviourist and Humanist Approaches to Learning The means and style by which material is delivered to a learner depends upon a number of factors, not least of which are the traditions of the environment in which they are being presented. The aim of this essay is to explore both behaviourist and humanist approaches to learning and whether there is a place for the latter in a military environment. The behaviourist approach to learning is traditionally used in both military and school environments: it was the main theory from the 1940s to the 1970s. The ideas that give it its foundation are the experiments that were conducted by Ivan Pavlov; these experiments enabled him to influence the behaviour of dogs with the use of external stimuli – an example of this is salivation at the sound of a bell in anticipation of the arrival of food. This was labelled ‘Classical Conditioning’. It was argued that this sort of conditioning plays a big part in human learning, particularly with regard to physiological functioning (i.e. salivation at the sound of a bell) or emotion (i.e. fears and phobias). James Watson embraced these ideas and was the first to use the term ‘behaviourism’. He believed that it was vital, in order to understand human behaviour and therefore learning, for one to adopt a scientifically measurable approach. He argued that all human behaviour is governed by conditioned responses and as such can be controlled and modified to suit any given purpose. He even went as far as to say that he could train any child to fulfil any job in society as long as he was healthy, as he believed that â€Å" there is nothing from within to develop† (1928). Both Watson and Pavlov thought â€Å"that the simultaneous occurrence of events is sufficient to bring about learning† and is â€Å"ordinarily referred to as the contiguity explanation† (Lefrancois 1994). In other words, the sound of a bell will induce salivation in dogs in anticipation of receiving food, once one is associated with the other; the salivation will occur at the sound of a bell after a while, even if there is no food given to the animal. Thorndike saw this in a different way believing that the effect of the response led learning to occur (termed the Law of Effect). He argued that a learner would repeat responses that brought positive results and that behaviour would be modified through a process of trial and error. This idea is what is known as the reinforcement approach which was further developed by B.F.Skinner. He stated that when reinforcement of any response occurs, it will be repeated and that this can enable control to be gained over people. These r einforcements can either be positive or negative – reward or punishment. He fully explored the relationship between responses and reinforcement and concluded that reinforcement brought about learning. This view is referred to as operant conditioning. Skinner contended that for learning to be effective it needed to be tackled in small stages, it needed to be logical/sequential, it needed to be based on prior knowledge, that the desired behaviour needed to be rewarded regularly in the initial stages and that reinforcement of the required or desired behaviour should happen immediately that it occurs. â€Å"†¦Skinner urges educators to focus on reinforcing student success rather than punishing student failure† and that â€Å"†¦reinforcement for appropriate responses is consistent and immediate, and learned behaviours are maintained by intermittent reinforcement schedules† (Ormrod 2004). As we can see, there is no place for feelings and individual thoughts in behaviourist theory. It is only concerned with what can be observed and it contends that evidence gathered through experiments indicates that there are a number of principles which can be applied to learning and that if these were adopted, the process would be made easier. They are the Law of Effect, the Law of Contiguity, the Law of Exercise (repeating an action or behaviour) and the Law of Reinforcement. The problem with this is that behaviourism provides only a very limited and mechanistic or mechanical way of looking at the process of learning, which is far too simple. It takes little to no account of the learner as an individual and assumes that the learner is passive and has no exercise of free will; it does not allow for differences in individuals and it can be manipulative if the provider wishes to use it in this way. By contrast, humanist thinkers such as Maslow and Rogers asked themselves what is it that makes us human. They approached their studies from a completely different angle and looked upon humanity as innately positive, as opposed to previous ideas which apparently painted life in a very dower and pessimistic manner. Rather than concentrating their studies on those who are suffering form illness, they looked at the behaviour of healthy people –â€Å"when you select out for careful study very fine and healthy people†¦you get a very different view of mankind† (Maslow 1971). The humanist approach encourages people to exercise free will in their lives, allowing them to be individuals in their own right and to highlight everything that is positive about them. This enables any given individual to have the opportunity to achieve their maximum possible potential in whatever they choose to do. They contend that purely scientific methods of studying behaviour are inadequate in assessing any human being (Chapter 6 The Humanistic Approach). Maslow presented his studies in the form of a ‘Hierarchy of Needs’ which indicates that all humans work towards satisfying or attaining their perceived needs â€Å"as a ladder of human achievement that must be climbed† (Trigg 2004). This is laid out in the form of a pyramid with each type of need building from the other while being closely interwoven with each other. At the base is the Physiological type which includes basic needs like air, food, water, shelter and sleep; the next type is Safety or Security which is concerned with stability and a feeling of being protected from harm; this leads on to the type which encompasses Belonging and Love which covers relationships with our family and our peers; the fourth level is that of Esteem which deals with issues of achievement, recognition and respect. Maslow separated these and grouped them together and termed them ‘deficiency needs’ or ‘D-motives’ stressing that a lack of fulfilment in an area will cause a person to act to remedy the problem. He felt that the pyramid was the best way to represent this system as people seemed to challenge themselves to achieve and work their way through the types to achieve their full potential; their motivation was to get better and reach their needs leading onto the next level, similar to the way in which a person who is learning a musical instrument will strive hard to achieve the next grade or a computer gamer will keep trying until he achieves the next level. The final type of needs are called ‘growth needs’, ‘being needs’ or ‘B-motives’ by Maslow. Once the initial needs described above are met, the need for the development within the individual becomes the prime driving force. This is described as Self Actualisation within the pyramid: subsequent versions of the hierarchy included more complex subdivisions within this type of need which serve to break down the areas of personal achievement into smaller categories. Maslow (1968) describes this growth as â€Å"†¦a rewarding and exciting process†¦Ã¢â‚¬  which continues to increase as the person develops throughout their life. Rogers holds similar views to Maslow when looking at the concept of self actualisation. He believes that humans are able to push themselves to achieve their full potential and that each and every person is unique in their ideas about themselves. They hold their own image of themselves in their minds in terms of how they see themselves, how much value they perceive themselves as having and how they would like to develop in the future. â€Å"Whether one calls it a growth tendency, a drive towards self-actualisation, or a forward-moving directional tendency, it is the mainspring of life†¦ it is the urge to expand, extend, become autonomous, develop, mature†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Rogers 1961). He believed that every individual has the ability to solve their own problems and that his role as a therapist was one of being some kind of ‘facilitator’ to aid the individuals thought processes and progress towards resolving their issues. Each ‘facilitator’ needs to displa y honesty, empathy and respect towards those whom he is trying to help. This environment is controlled by the individual who is being helped and Rogers believed that this was the only environment in which genuine learning could take place. Rogers went on to apply these principles to education. ‘Student centred learning’ enables individuals to take responsibility for their learning; the way that the teacher interacts with their class is crucial in the development of an environment that will encourage learning to take place: â€Å"†¦the facilitation of learning rests upon certain attitudinal qualities which exist in the personal relationship between the facilitator and learner† (Rogers 1969). They need to ensure that there are sufficient resources in place to aid the students, that they themselves are prepared to be a living resource and that they are prepared to act as a learner themselves within the classroom. As an idea, this is an alien concept to many teachers, even today. The idea of not being at the head of the class, dictating the direction that the learning is taking is frightening to a good number of educators. The traditional approach to teaching is being firmly challenged here with me mbers of the profession being asked to look at their methods, critically appraise them and react accordingly. The focus in this environment is the student not the teacher and it is â€Å"a system of providing learning which has the student at its heart† (Brandes and Ginnis 1986). Rogers (1984) sums this supportive environment up by commenting that â€Å"person centred education is much like my rose garden – it needs a caring environment to sustain its beauty.† This sort of approach in the classroom can be very effective as long as both the staff and the pupils enter into the process wholeheartedly. There are many different activities that can focus on the student as an individual in order to allow them to develop and grow as individuals and learn from each other. Initially it is important for the group to set out ground rules so that every individual is aware of how the process works and to ensure that all of the group feel comfortable with the approach that is being taken. These ground rules can include things like not interrupting or talking over the top of someone when they are speaking, thus encouraging every individual to have respect for the others. Once the group have agreed to these ground rules, every activity can be approached with individuals having the same expectations of each other. It is important to note that if there are any new arrivals to the group, these need revisiting to ensure that the newcomer also feels a sense of ownership for them. Group activities where everyone has the opportunity to learn are extremely valuable; examples that I have used are mind mapping (brainstorming), problem solving, open discussion and the circle. The great strength of the circle is that everyone can see and hear everyone else; each person, including the facilitator is on the same level and can physically be regarded as being the same – a listener and a learner. The topic of discussion or the theme that is being addressed can then be opened up to the group; each person has the opportunity to speak if they wish to, with the way that this is organised being decided prior to the circle forming. Sometimes hands up can be used, at other times one person in the group can be placed as a chairperson or even a pencil case or ruler could be passed from the person who is speaking to the next person to speak. This way of organising the group allows each person to feel that they can contribute if they wish to and quieter people can also be in volved by the facilitator in order to broaden their horizons. It also encourages students to listen to and take notice of the views of others even if they ultimately reject them as not being for them. It encourages people to be open with each other without fear of being laughed at, shouted down or humiliated because of what they think or say. It does take a while to get used to this system of learning but it has huge benefits for all those who are open to it. It allows the student to appreciate and develop their own views through consideration of others, broadening their outlook in the process. I have heard the expression ‘Oh, I hadn’t thought of it like that’ during circle time on many occasions. Circle time can also be used to feedback from small group discussions and research that has been undertaken outside the classroom. Role plays are another excellent way of finding out what a small group have understood about a particular topic, through the content of their offering to the rest of the class. Not only does this allow the students to express themselves in their own way but it also encourages different styles of learners to flourish in the classroom and further encourages students to learn from one another. Clearly the teacher or facilitator needs to be comfortable with this process as it is taking place and retain their authority within the classroom. This is a difficult balance to find and is one which some people find it almost impossible to do. Within the traditional school environment this sort of approach is unheard of due to the seemingly unstructured and undisciplined way of tackling any work. Military establishments may have the same views due to the highly disciplined nature of what the soldiers are trained to do. However, the question remains as to whether this sort of humanistic approach can work in that environment. It would seem that whether the approach would work would depend upon the nature of what the learner was attempting to learn and where he is attempting to learn it. The military have traditionally relied upon the behaviourist model as it best suits their purpose. The instructors can employ both positive and negative reinforcement to train the soldiers to do what they have to in the field of battle or ‘theatre of war’. Soldiers do not have time to think about how to reload a weapon or whether it is right to fire when they are in the middle of a battle zone. The way that they are taught reflects the arena in which they will have to perform their set tasks; reloading a weapon today is far easier than it was in the days of muskets, but soldiers still have to be disciplined and keep their heads in difficult pressurised situations. Being taught in a mechanised fashion will help them as tasks will become second nature due to the consistent repetition that has taken place on the training ground. My father could still tell me how to strip down, clean, oil and rebuild his weapon in every detail some 20 years after having left the armed forces. This can also be said of manoeuvres that are vital to the survival of a unit of men. They are ‘drummed’ into the minds of the soldiers so that they are become an automatic reaction to a given stimulus. This could ultimately save their lives and the lives of those around them. An example of this is the reaction to a very loud bang in a public house one day while I was enjoying a drink with my two brothers in law, both then in the Army; they had just returned from Northern Ireland when this incident happened. The loud bang went off and I looked around to find them both on the floor tight up against the skirting boards on opposite sides of the room. This was a conditioned response to the loud bang and was as a result of their extensive survival and battle training. Much of military training cannot afford to co ncern itself with the individual needs of each of the soldiers – it must simplify the learning so that the whole reacts (as far as possible) in a predicable way. In short, when an order is given it is obeyed immediately, without fail. There would however seem to be a place for the humanistic approach within the modern military environment too. Within the confines of a classroom, when conducting classes which are concerned with basic skills such as literacy, numeracy and IT there may well be an opportunity to utilise this type of learning strategy. Everyone likes their opinion to be taken notice of, to feel that they are contributing and to be listened to. Those who are undertaking officer training are required to problem solve – this can be done using this different approach and will allow the learner to express themselves as they are doing so. Individuals need to be given the opportunity to develop themselves to the best of their ability and this needs to be facilitated in all environments of learning, including the military. There is a place for freedom of expression, in the right place at the right time. It would seem that there would need to be strong leadership in order that these sorts of methods coul d be introduced and continue to be used in a military environment, as their implementation would involve a change in long held and established practises. There also needs to be an acknowledgement â€Å"that traditional training approaches, which place an emphasis on replication or imitative learning, are unsuited to fostering the longer term individual and organisational development outcomes required by a significantly changed operational environment† (Thomas 2006). Catering for the individual strengths and needs of individual soldiers can foster a greater sense of loyalty in them and an even greater motivation to succeed not only for themselves but their fellow men. This is particularly important in this rapidly changing modern technological world. In the modern military environment, there would seem to be a place for both the traditional behaviourist and the humanist approaches to learning. Given that all those involved understand that certain situations require different methods of teaching to be employed and accept that from the outset, there is no reason why both cannot be employed. All soldiers understand the need to obey orders and that certain tasks will need to be done like an automaton in order for them to be successful in what they do. It is essential that there is also an acknowledgement that there is a place for people to want to achieve the best that they can within their environment as an individual, as well as for the collective. As Rogers (1980) explains â€Å"the actualising tendency can be thwarted or warped, but cannot be destroyed without destroying the organism.† It is also important to note that â€Å"†¦with this self-actualisation, individuals can engender life long learning†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Ki el 1999). There are many differing ways that people learn and it is up to different organisations to adopt the method or methods that are best suited to bring them success in their field. That does not negate the need however, for all providers to reflect upon and modify their methods to best effect from time to time. The military have hundreds of years to tradition to fall back on, but need to ‘move with the times’ and accept that the humanist approach in certain areas of their educational provision can be of benefit to both individuals and the military as a whole. Bibliography Chapter 6 The Humanistic Approach Brandes, D. Ginnis, P. 1986 A Guide to Student-Centred Learning Oxford: Basil Blackwood Lefrancois, G.R. 1994 from Tutor notes Behaviourist Theories of Learning Maslow, A. 1971 The Farther Reaches of Human Nature New York: Viking Maslow, A. 1968 Towards a Psychology of Being (2nd Ed) New York: Van Nostrand-Reinhold Ormrod, J.E. 2004 Human Learning (4th Ed) from Tutor notes Behaviourist Theories of Learning Rogers, C.R.R. 1961 On Becoming a Person Boston: Houghton Mifflin Rogers, C.R.R. 1969 Freedom to Learn Columbus, Ohio: Charles E Merrill Publishing Rogers, C.R.R. 1980 A Way of Being Boston: Houghton Mifflin Watson, J.B. 1928 The Psychological Care of Infant and Child from Tutor notes Behaviourist Theories of Learning Rogers, C.R.R. 1984 from Frieberg, H.J. 1999 Perceiving, Behaving, Becoming: Lessons Learned Alexandria Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Kiel, J.M. 1999 Reshaping Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to Reflect Todays Educational and Managerial Philosophies Journal of Instructional Psychology, Vol. 26 Thomas, K 2006 Leadership Development in the Military: Bridging Theory and Practice International Journal of Human Resources Development and Management, 6(2-4) Trigg, A.B. 2004 Deriving the Engel Curve: Pierre Bordieu and the Social Critique of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Review of Social Economy, Vol.62

Development of International Business

Development of International Business People today wake up by an alarm clock made in China, shave with a French razor, dress in Italian-designed (Pakistan-made) clothes and drive their way to work with a German car. Small facts from our daily routine justify that the last 100 years the internationalization (some would say globalisation) of business can be said to have re-drafted the world economic map (Woods, 2001). Globalisation, despite the numerous changes caused at national and international level, set new rules for all enterprises, no mater their size if a business is to be successful then it needs to be aware of the general environment. From the moment trade and economic environment changed, firms turned international in order to maintain their competitiveness and expand their activity into new markets (Hodgetts, 2003). Therefore, multinational enterprises (MNEs) should keep in mind that international trade, as a result of globalisation, is now the primary profit source. Also, MNEs should re-consider their financi al and production tactics if they want to gain more from the global-market environment, such as focus on specialization (ibid). The purpose of this essay is to discuss the primary ways International Business occurs and examine the advantages and disadvantages of international trade and specialization with an extended look at free trade. Two Primary Ways of International Business Development The basic idea for firms going global is to expand their existing sales with reducing the costs of making the additional sales. How will they achieve that? They have two primary ways: first, imports-exports worldwide (International Trade) and second, direct foreign investment (FDI) or portfolio investment. The first way is usually seen as Adam Smiths basic principle of exchange, as an attempt to explain why countries trade, while the second way is the base of international capital flow. International Trade As mentioned before, firms and countries expect some gains from this exchange such as: lower production costs, improved products quality and higher sales profits. However, in the early years of trade, the theory of mercantilism was against that assumption and it was Smith who reacted to this theory by setting up his absolute advantage theory (Mnieh, 2010). Mercantilists in the 18th century believed that a countrys wealth should be measured by the gold and silver the country possessed, so the more precious metals the country had the richer and more powerful it was. Also, the exports were seen as good because they brought silver/gold, whereas imports were bad because they reduced the amount of gold and silver from the country. Mercantilists wanted to encourage countries to export more than import; therefore, they proposed that exports should be increased and imports decreased by means of tariffs or quotas. As a result, under this theory, only one party could gain from trade (Brewer, 2000). However, mercantilism theory did not explain the basic questions of international trade such as, which goods are exported or imported, in what quantity and by whom (ibid). Adam Smith addressed these questions, and he produced the theory of absolute advantage. That theory holds that countries who use resources more efficiently can gain more by focusing on the specialization of their most efficient product and importing the goods they produce inefficiently. Consequently, the specialized production of a commodity gives a country an absolute advantage on that product, and the countrys resources are focused on the production of the profitable output instead of split up or wasted on other, less profitable, outputs. Absolute advantage, however, can explain only a small part of the worlds trade today and does not include any evidence about the determination of trade (Rugman and Collinson, 2006). In 1819, David Ricardo, based on Smiths work, examined the questions What happens when a country can produce all products at an absolute advantage? Would trade still benefit both countries now? And developed the theory of comparative advantage. According to Ricardos theory, a country has a comparative advantage in a product when it has a higher degree of superiority in its production, and it has a comparative disadvantage in a product when its degree of superiority is lower, relative to another country. In order to understand that theory completely, we need to introduce the concept of opportunity cost (Woods, 2001).. We assume that a country produces two goods, A and B, so the opportunity cost is the cost related to the amount of good A which must be sacrificed in order to produce one additional unit of good B (Mnieh, 2010). Therefore Ricardo, suggested that a country with an absolute advantage in all lines of production should trade with another country in the product which has the higher opportunity cost in order to gain from the other countys lower opportunity cost. Foreign Direct Investment The second way international business occurs is through equities. According to Collinson (2006), a tactic usually applied by nations and MNEs to gain access to a foreign market is equity funds invested in other nations. Therefore, a definition used for foreign direct investment (FDI) is the control and ownership of foreign assets. The basic idea for the FDI concept is that corporations find it more beneficial to purchase another foreign company, simply to acquire the companys market share and know-how in the host country. It has to be mentioned that FDI is different from portfolio investment. Foreign portfolio investment is a transfer of capital from one country to another, whereas FDI contains the issue of control and ownership of the activities abroad. Another common tactic of FDI is the union of capital of multiple corporations to a joint venture, in order to purchase together the foreign company aboard (Rugman, 2006). There is a substantial number of reasons why multinational corporations are interested in expanding their activities and influence in foreign assets. The primary reason is to increase their sales and profits. According to the UN World Investment Report (2006), numerous large multinationals have earned millions of pounds through overseas sales every year since they went abroad. Not only large firms gain benefits from activities abroad but a large number of smaller firms increase their revenues as well. MNEs financial and production activities pay the way for local suppliers to get involved with the multinationals and maybe supply them to other worldwide locations (ibid). The second reason is the lower costs abroad. Lower labour cost, for example, is a considerable reason for transferring a companys production facilities to a place where labour is much cheaper. In addition to this, MNEs can consider other factors such as materials supply, transportation costs and energy issues, which affect managers decisions to move their activities abroad. Another reason is to enter economic blocs and rapidly growing markets. At this point, we have to mention that the global economical map is different between countries, regions or continents. Some countries have markets that grow more rapidly than others, and many countries are part of international, economical and political, agreements that affect trade, so multinational companies gain a foothold in these markets by investing directly in them (Deresky,2006).. The final reason for FDI is to gain access to technology and know-how as well as the protection of domestic and foreign markets. In essence, there are examples of multinationals that have saved their own and foreign markets by making investments in these markets and take a strategic advantage due to the high-technology acquirement their investments provide (Piggott and Cook, 2006). Advantages and Disadvantages of Specialisation The model of comparative advantage and the theory of absolute advantage are both based on specialisation. Specialization, at production level, occurs when a worker becomes skilled and efficient at a specific task in order to be able to produce more goods or services than other workers. Countries that produce specialised goods could have many advantages. First, specialisation at international level means that a country will benefit from the trade of specialized goods with other countries. Second, specialisation makes workers to becomes quicker at producing goods or services; consequently, the production per good become cheaper and the production levels are increase. Therefore, a country can be competitive and maintain or expand the wealth it already has (Piggott and Cook, 2006). The third point is the gain of know-how. A country that focuses on the specific production of a good can become an expert and invest in research on that good. Fourth, a country can enhance its reputation. If a country becomes an expert it is possible to increase the quality and reliability of its products, she will create a reputation and the demand of its products will increase (Bingham, Combined Proceedings, 2005, Vol.55). However, the concentration of production factors on one product may have the opposite results. First, a country will depend on a higher degree from others if it just exports one good and imports all the others. Second, countries should be aware that specialised workers demand better wages and this can also affect the total production cost in a negative way. Third, it has to be mentioned that the theory of specialisation makes some assumptions and simplifications, which are not always valid, such as: (a) there is full employment, (b) there are no constant costs and countries have the same dynamic in the future (c) the theories are based on barter, so money is not required in these models, (d) we assume that there are two countries and two goods only and (e) the mobility of labour is assumed to be perfect (Daniels et al., 2008). Advantages and Disadvantages of International Trade The trade theories mentioned before in this essay is the base for us to understand the figure of international trade in the world economy we observe today. International trade has a variety of aspects. Firstly, as an advantage, it includes the theory of free trade, which supports the unrestricted free flow of goods and services between countries. Trade without barriers has positive benefits for all involved, and it creates free markets, which are best for most exchange. As a result, countries trade more over time, so globalisation will be inevitable. Secondly, world class economists set their theories for international trade. They attempt to figure how it works, but each theory is based on different assumptions and limitations. As a result, new theories were born (Daniels et al., 2008). To counter the theories of international trade, a considerable number of people believe that trade and foreign investments may badly affect local industry and work force. They suggest an economic policy of restraining free trade with means like quotas or tariffs in order to protect the national market; a theory widely known as protectionism (Hill, 2006). As a whole, countries trade with each other and manage their exports or imports based on their capabilities and needs. Due to the worlds competive environment, nations support their industries to claim better results for their interests not only domestically but worldwide. With business going international, countries and companies are trying to expand their wealth and influence other countries or markets, with direct or portfolio investment (ibid). Arguments in favour of free trade and relevant theories According to Hill (2006), the theory of free trade is relevant to the theories of International Trade. Both theories assume that there is unrestricted trade between two or more countries, but the free trade theory includes three major principles: (a) there are no barriers or obstacles to mobility, (b) there are no trade restrictions and (c) there are no transportation costs. Apart from the assumptions, new questions are presented. For example, the free trade theory suggests that trade is based on the lack of costs, but it does not explain which factors made these costs. As a result, the theory of Heckscher-Ohlin was established. Two Swedish economists, Eli Heckscher and Bertil Ohlin, studied the trade theories and conclude in two deductions. First, there is more than one factor of production. For example, goods do not need only labour but capital and land also. Secondly, different factors are used for the production of different goods. Furthermore, different countries have a different number of factors of production (or endowments), and this results in different relative factor prices. This means that land-intensive goods should be relatively cheap in a country with a great deal of land, and the same is valid for labour-intensive and capital-intensive countries. This leads to the theorys basic conclusion that countries should specialize in goods that use the factor of production intensively they have in abundance (Piggott Cook, 2006). According to the Heckscher-Ohlin theorem, countries like the United States, for example, with a higher capital per head than other countries, should export capital-intensive goods and import labour-intensive goods. In 1954, the economist Wassily Leontief tried to apply the theorem to reality. He used a mathematical technique named input-output analysis to measure the amount of imports and exports worth US$ 1milion, on data of 1947. Leontief found that to replace US imports with domestic output would need 170 more years per worker of labour and US$ 3.1million of capital. On the other hand, to reduce US exports by US$ 1 million would provide 182.3 years of labour time and US$ 2.6 million of capital. When he compared the two results, he showed that exports from the US were more labour intensive than imports into the US, which is the opposite outcome to that predicted by Heckscher-Ohlin. The worlds most capital-intensive country was exporting labour intensive goods (Husted Melvin, 2007) . The previous analysis is known as the Leontief paradox and it is known as the biggest weakness to the Heckscher-Ohlin theory. Some economists argued that Leontiefs analysis did not include human capital in his motion of labour all labour is taken to have the same skill. As a result, failure to include these factors might have caused him to mismeasure the labour intensity of US imports and exports (Mmieh, 2010). Based on the failure of Heckscher-Ohlin theory, economist Paul Krugman (1970) developed his new trade theory. According to this theory, some countries specialize in the production of a particular product and export it, not because they have different factor endowments, but because they can support these products in the global markets. For example, a countrys production specialisation in the products of airplanes, can give a competitive advantage to the country not only at domestic but in the international airplane production market (ibid). In relevance to new trade theory, Michael Porter (1994) attempted to explain why particular nations achieve international success in particular industries. His theory, referred as the theory of national competitive advantage, underlines that country factors such as domestic demand and domestic rivalry are very important for nations dominance in the production and export of particular goods (Hill, 2006). Conclusion In this paper, we first examined the two primary ways international business occur, based on numerous theories of world-class economists. Global Trade and FDI are the most important figures of world trade today and include a number of aspects but in this paper we discussed two of them: specialisation and international trade. We also examined the concept of free trade; with an extensive look at the theories that were created based on the free burgeoning of goods. Today, globalisation sets new rules for the countries and firms involved in the business world, a much more complicated market scene, which needs different approaches, careful planning and correct use of information for the best investment results. International business follows the path of globalisation and I personally believe that the in years to come we will witness an inevitable change route for the way we do business.