The tomato is an important food in many cultures and modern cuisines Essay

The tomato is an important food in many cultures and modern cuisines - Essay Example Today, the tomato is of importance as a staple food and as such has to be specially cared for in regard to the methods of growing, in protecting it from disease, and in deciding which varieties are most beneficial and popular. Finally, current research explores the new potential of tomatoes as a food source world wide as well as the previously unknown benefits it may bring to one's health when consumed in the right...... Size, as well, can vary—from the small, marble-like varieties to large, almost melon-sized types. (Lerner 1) The anatomy of a tomato plant has all the common characteristics of any berry plant. The tomato is fleshy on the outside, and this part of its anatomy is known as the pericarp. The pericarp specifically includes the outer wall, as well as two inner walls—the septa and then the columella. As a whole, these form the part of the fruit that is first bitten into by a human. The seeds of the tomato are located inside locular cavities, which are the crescent shaped cavities inside the tomato's outer wall and along the septa. These seeds are connected by a radiating pattern to vascular bundles that lie within the outer wall. These seeds are inside clear, gelatinous membranes as well, and are easily recognized when viewing a bisected tomato. These fruits develop from the ovary of the flower of the tomato plant. (Rost) The tomato flower also exhibits a berry plant anatomy. The plant has yellow flowers that can develop in multiple patterns or inflorescences. Temperature and other factors can influence how the stems of the flowers develop, either with single or multiple flowers and in what sort of pattern. The anatomy of the flower itself can be divided into four layers, or whorls. Sepals, the green fleshy protective layer of the flower, are the first layer. Inside the sepals are the yellow flower petals of the tomato plant, which are intended to attract pollinators. Two elongated compartments lie within the flower petals, and these are known as the stamens. The stamens are the male reproductive organs of the flower. The stamens serve as a protective cylinder around the carpels, which are bulb-like

Quantitative and Qualitative Article Critiques Annotated Bibliography

Quantitative and Qualitative Article Critiques - Annotated Bibliography Example Since mental health is an important determining factor to grade the associated comorbidities and hence outcomes related to quality of life in individuals with heart failure, interventions to improve mental health would also influence the quality of life in these patients. The problem in this study therefore to investigate the effects of nursing interventions directed to this area and to know whether these mental health nursing interventions improves the outcome. The problem is sufficiently narrow, since this asks a specific question about the management of heart failure problems, where the psychological distress part of the causative factors for heart failure is in question. This does not make this question trivial, since even though narrow, this addresses a very important comorbidity which has been hypothesized to have significant impact on the outcome of care in these patients over and above the conventional means of symptom management and palliative measure. The study highlights a n area of focus where reduction of morbidity and mortality is important part of care, which tends to identify the nursing strategies in this context, in order to improve the perceptions of wellbeing and quality of life in these patients. ... This purpose hence narrows down and clarifies the aim of the study that has been designed to examine the effectiveness of these nursing strategies for intervention. The research variables have been thus identified, which are psychological comorbidities of heart failure, outcomes such as perceptions about symptoms and quality of life, and nursing interventions to enhance mental health. The population has been identified to the patients having heart failure, and the research setting has been identified to the heart failure patients who receive home care. The problem is significant, since research has acknowledged the importance of influence of mental health in determining comorbidity in heart failure patients. Improvement of quality of life and satisfaction is a nursing forte, since they are more closely related to care of the patients. If nursing mental health interventions are really proved to be improving health outcomes in these patients in home care, this can serve as evidence for care interventions in future nursing practice. This is a very feasible research in terms of money commitment, since although the design is experimental, this authors planned to utilize the existing system of home care nursing interventions, since many patients with heart failure are treated by home care agencies. They made arrangements made with home care agencies, where already baseline data were available. The rest of the design involves interventions, which are priceless, and analysis cost is nominal. The researchers are experienced professors, and this study was supported by American Heart Association, and they possess the expertise to undertake a research of this magnitude. As has been mentioned earlier, the

Christianity and islam

Christianity and islam Reflection Paper: Both Christianity and Islam are very wide spread religions in the world which have a great impact on the lives of their believers especially spiritually. Their common originality, values and some believes has enabled most of their believers to respect and try to understand each others faith. In most nations of the world these two religions have formed the bases of the countries laws and are highly recognized by the governments. Though Christianity is widely spread compared to Islam, they impose the same challenge to each other Considering the similarities and the differences between Islam and Christianity, the two can be said to be very different since the main prophets and the holy books which form the basis and guidance of the respective religions are not acceptable to the other. Christian faith is based on birth, crucification, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ who is the messiah which is contrary to the Muslims view of Christ being just a prophet among the many. Comparison between the two religions was much easier because theres a clear difference between the beliefs of the religions as well as practices in time of worship. This is because in day today life of the respective believers their religious views are aired. Getting the historic origin of the two religions was much easier especially that of Christianity which begun as a Jewish sect in the Mediterranean and Islam in the 7th century after the death of Prophet Muhammad. Getting the differences between the two both being Abrahamic religions and the holy books the Quran and the Bible referring to similar ancient people like Isaac and Ishmael in a related context. Introduction Christianity is a religious belief which begun as a Jewish belief and is seen as Abrahamic religion. Its followers are referred to as Christians. They believe in Jesus Christ the messiah as the prophet send by God to save mankind and the holy bible as the guide of their faith. They also believe that the messiah who came in the form of mankind suffered, died and resurrected to remiss them of their sins. It is also believed that he would return to reward those who have lived according to the doctrines taught by the holy bible.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Islam is an Arabic word meaning submission and therefore Islam religion is believed to be an Abrahamic religion which believes in submission to the almighty God Allah and Muhammad as the prophet. Quran is the holy book believed to be the guideline of the Muslims who are the of the Islamic religion. It is believed that Allah repeatedly revealed it to Muhammad verbally through angel Jibril and the original Arabic version is the final revelation from God which is verbal. Historic background According to Stern(11-15) Christianity originates from the word kristos which is a Greek word meaning the anointed one and it is a monotheistic religion. It guided by the life and teachings of Christ Jesus as shown in the holy bible. It begun as a Jewish sect from the eastern Mediterranean in the first century and by the 4th century was already dominant in the Roman Empire. Most of Europe was Christianized by the Middle Ages but Middle East, North Africa and some regions in India remained with minority Christians. It spread to America, Australasia and all over the world through colonization, discovery work and missionary work hence became a major influence in Western civilization shaping. Thrower argued that It is the words largest religion and represents about a quarter of the entire population, also considered as a state religion in several countries (21-25) It is categorized into three groups: Catholics, Protestants and orthodox.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Islam began developing as from the 7th century with the reconstruction of Prophet Muhammads life after his death. It started spreading in Atlantic Ocean to Central Asia after Prophet Muhammads first recitation of the Quran. According to Williams (1994) The Great Mosque of Kairouan is considered as origin of the western Islamic world mosques and is preserved up to now. Reference to Abdul-Rahman Islamic dynasties like Ottomans and Mughals collapsed under the European imperial sway during 18th and 19th centuries (141-160). Muhammad started conveying Islam at Mecca and later moved to Medina where the tribes of Arabia were united to a polity of Arab Muslim religion.Umar succeeded him in 634 following his death. The other successors were Uthman ibn al-Affan and Ali ibn Talib; the four are referred to as al-khulafa ar-rashidun. Several conflicts followed over political and religious leadership which led to the rise of schism amongst the Muslims. Basically the origin of I slam is tied to the economic, political and military. Similarities between Islam and Christianity   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to Strachey (62-69) both Islam and Christianity are Abrahamic religions or in other words believe in the existence of one supreme God. They both share common values and origin which is found in Judaism when the people of Israel were given Torah. Islam was founded by Muhammad referring to the Quran while Christianity was started by the followers of Jesus of Nazareth but they both acknowledge a spiritual tradition related to Abraham. For the two religions, God rules, judges, forgives and hes the creator of the universe. Jerusalem is also of major importance to both religions. It was the city where Christ was brought up, crucified, buried as well as resurrected. He also healed, preached and cleansed the temple so its considered as a holy place. The Al-Aqsa mosque in Sura Al-Isra also called the ‘furthest mosque is located in Jerusalem the holy land. Abdul-Rahman (55-64) the first Muslims also prayed towards Jerusalem not Mecca and it was also the plac e where Muhammad ascended to heaven. The two religions also affirm that God sends angels and prophets to convey messages to his people and through inspired scriptures reveals his divine will. They also believe in the judgement day when God will intervene in the history of mankind and determine their eternal lives depending on personal beliefs and actions. Both religions believe in the power of prayer and fasting as taught by their earlier prophets. Differences between Islam and Christianity Thrower(30-58) argues that Islam disagrees with some of the Christian beliefs about Jesus Christ like him being the son of God and savior of mankind, also the holy trinity of there being God the father, the son and the Holy Spirit. Christians reject Islams prophet and Quran while the Muslims support that God guides Christians but they perceive scriptures in their own interest. It is also different the way Muslims perceive the birth of Jesus compared to Christians. They believe that Jesus was created like Abraham while Christians believe that he was conceived by Virgin Mary through the Holy Spirit. They also believe that Jesus was to be crucified but was miraculously saved while Christians believe he was crucified but resurrected. Christians believe that the bible is Gods holy book which was written by people inspired by God and it teaches the will of God on mankind while the Muslims accept but believe that it has been corrupted to fit peoples interests over the years. Conclusion Christianity and Islam are major worlds religions with the latter having a greater number of followers. They share common origin, values and some believes like God being supreme, prophets being Gods messengers and judgement of humanity based on personal actions and faith while on earth. The Quran and the Bible are considered as the two holy books written through Gods inspiration though the Quran is believed was verbally revealed to prophet. Muhammad through angel Jibril. The two religions have some major differences like the birth, crucification, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. They also differ in the originality of the holy bible as compared to that of the holy Quran as well as its interpretation by the Christians. The similarities between the two outweigh the differences. Works Cited Abdul-Rahman, Muhammad, Saed. Islam questions and answers. Volume 22, MSA Publication Limited. Saudi Arabia. 1972 Lewis, Bernard Churchill, Buntzie, Ellis. In the religion and the people. Illustrated. Wharton School Publishing, U.S.A, 2008 Stern, Bernard, Joseph. Science society, Volume 12, 1-3, Concept Publishing Company, 1948. Strachey, Lytton Holroyd Michael. Eminent Victorians, Nile Penguin Classics, 1986. Thrower, James. Marxist-Leninist â€Å"scientific atheism† and the study of religion and atheism in the USSR. Volume 25. Vienna ; Walter de Gruyter, 1983. Willliams, John, Adel. The Word of Islam. University of Texas. Qayrawan. 1994

The Delusional Governess in Henry James The Turn of the Screw Essays

The existence of the ghosts in The Turn of the Screw has always been in debate. Instead of directly discussing whether the ghosts are real or not, this essay will focus on the reliability of the governess, the narrator of the story. After making a close examination of her state of mind while she is at Bly, readers of The Turn of the Screw will have many more clues to ponder again and to decide to what extent the governess can be believed. While critics like Heilman argue that there are problems with the interpretation that the governess was psychopathic, textual evidence incorporated with scientific research show that the governess did go through a period of psychical disorder that caused her insomnia, out of which she created hallucinations. In the prologue, Douglas gave a detailed account of the master from the governess ¡Ã‚ ¦s point of view. She regarded him as  ¡Ã‚ §handsome and bold and pleasant, off-hand and gay and kind; he struck her ¡Ã‚ ¨ (James 4). Later on we learn from Douglas that the governess accepted the job at Bly for the master ¡Ã‚ ¦s sake, and of course the generous salary offered by the master. Without any experience, the governess ¡Ã‚ ¦s passions for the master supported her to accept the job and confirmed her decision to take the challenge even though she feared not having the ability to accomplish the job.  ¡Ã‚ §The moral of which was of course the seduction exercised by the splendid young man. She succumbed to it ¡Ã‚ ¨ (James 5). With the love for the master, the governess had the courage to visit the master again and eventually took the job.  ¡Ã‚ §He held her hand, thanking her for the sacrifice, she already felt rewarded ¡Ã‚ ¨ (James 6). Her obsession with the master was somehow repressed owing to the absence of the master and the condi... ...ose cannot be the proof of the reliability of the governess. The issue whether the governess was insane or not may never be solved. Not only because critics seem to be able to find as much evidence as possible to prove their arguments but also, the reliability of the account of the governess colors the whole story with great ambiguity. We are not certain of the state of mind of the governess when she wrote down the story and when she related the story to Douglas. However, as we closely examine the state of mind of the governess, her reliability does appear to be in question. Beidler provided two readings of The Turn of the Screw and in the second one he declared:  ¡Ã‚ §the governess saw only what she wanted to see ¡Ã‚ ¨ (Beidler 9). She was so exhausted from her prolonged insomnia that she envisioned a story with ghosts for herself to fulfill her growth as a governess. The Delusional Governess in Henry James' The Turn of the Screw Essays The existence of the ghosts in The Turn of the Screw has always been in debate. Instead of directly discussing whether the ghosts are real or not, this essay will focus on the reliability of the governess, the narrator of the story. After making a close examination of her state of mind while she is at Bly, readers of The Turn of the Screw will have many more clues to ponder again and to decide to what extent the governess can be believed. While critics like Heilman argue that there are problems with the interpretation that the governess was psychopathic, textual evidence incorporated with scientific research show that the governess did go through a period of psychical disorder that caused her insomnia, out of which she created hallucinations. In the prologue, Douglas gave a detailed account of the master from the governess ¡Ã‚ ¦s point of view. She regarded him as  ¡Ã‚ §handsome and bold and pleasant, off-hand and gay and kind; he struck her ¡Ã‚ ¨ (James 4). Later on we learn from Douglas that the governess accepted the job at Bly for the master ¡Ã‚ ¦s sake, and of course the generous salary offered by the master. Without any experience, the governess ¡Ã‚ ¦s passions for the master supported her to accept the job and confirmed her decision to take the challenge even though she feared not having the ability to accomplish the job.  ¡Ã‚ §The moral of which was of course the seduction exercised by the splendid young man. She succumbed to it ¡Ã‚ ¨ (James 5). With the love for the master, the governess had the courage to visit the master again and eventually took the job.  ¡Ã‚ §He held her hand, thanking her for the sacrifice, she already felt rewarded ¡Ã‚ ¨ (James 6). Her obsession with the master was somehow repressed owing to the absence of the master and the condi... ...ose cannot be the proof of the reliability of the governess. The issue whether the governess was insane or not may never be solved. Not only because critics seem to be able to find as much evidence as possible to prove their arguments but also, the reliability of the account of the governess colors the whole story with great ambiguity. We are not certain of the state of mind of the governess when she wrote down the story and when she related the story to Douglas. However, as we closely examine the state of mind of the governess, her reliability does appear to be in question. Beidler provided two readings of The Turn of the Screw and in the second one he declared:  ¡Ã‚ §the governess saw only what she wanted to see ¡Ã‚ ¨ (Beidler 9). She was so exhausted from her prolonged insomnia that she envisioned a story with ghosts for herself to fulfill her growth as a governess.

Globalisation Is a Positive Force in the World. Discuss.

Globalisation is a positive force in the world. Discuss. In recent years, amongst all the claims and counterclaims, the argument over whether globalisation is a positive force or not has become rather controversial. Advocates claim globalisation facilitates economic growth, international financial integration, and cooperation between nations while critics vigorously argue that globalisation leads to a fierce exploitation of the labour class, a disparity between rich and poor, and a concentration of resources.Peng (2009) has indicated an innovative perception, the pendulum view, in order to emphasize both ups and downs of globalisation. As a pendulum, not only one direction swings, but also the other. The influence of globalisation raises the caution that dominant culture and multinational corporations (MNCs) control the most power which destroys not only local enterprises, but also local cultures and values. Despite the defects mentioned above, regarding the MNCs' international strat egy, it is often said globalisation as a foundation is conducive to the extension of profits.In this essay, the impact of globalisation on MNCs will be examined and will mainly concentrate on the following forces: market, cost, and efficiency. As the domestic market gradually matures, it is essential for a corporation in developed country to extend its market. The invisible pressure behind this phenomenon originates from keen competition with other companies, especially multinational enterprises possessing a large amount of capital. Gradually, the sum of profits decreases and the stockholders' grievances escalate. As a result, the board has to search for the solution to mitigate the clash.Facing this challenge, corporations attempt to sell products to consumers in emerging markets because these potential customers are many times greater than domestic consumers. Moreover, globalization transubstantiates not only the field of market but also the formation of industry. According to Sch olte (2005), Globalisation has transformed the constitution of predominant industries. During the late nineteenth century, older heavy industries such as chemicals and oil occupied the entire market. After that, approximately three-fifths enterprises have transferred to the region of finance, information and communications.In other words, the system of accumulating capital has been converted from merchandise to intangibles since 2000. However, globalisation creates not only advantages but disadvantages. In order to develop market overseas, MNCs utilize advertisement and mess media such as Hollywood movies to spread the value and cultures which might be considered materialistic and capitalistic. For example, McDonald has been accused of not only misleading many young people into believing fast food is beneficial but also destroying the local catering culture.Therefore, it is often said that cultural destruction is possibly triggered by enterprises, which brings about the steadily ero ded local culture and the state of collapse in cultural identity. Despite this, it is undeniable that globalisation still plays a pivotal role of expanding the market and a prerequisite for enterprises to thrive. The ultimate aim of production is ascertaining the location, closest to customers, to achieve the minimization of production costs. Thus, there is a motto for international business to consider where to establish the factory, which is â€Å"Location, location, location. Peng (2009) suggested that an ideal location requires not only location-specific advantages, associated with the uniqueness of geographical, but also agglomeration. The former provides the company with the traffic convenience such as Miami, known as the gateway of the Americas connecting North American firms to South American; the latter, clustering economic activities in certain locations to create a pool of specialized labor force, suppliers and purchasers, creates an advantage for a company to reduce cos ts thereby obtaining maximum of profits. Peng, 2009) In addition, a company attempting to decrease its production costs expands its operations overseas due to the effect of economies of scale. The more enormous the production scale, the lower a producer's average cost per unit. It is especially influential for those industries without production differentiation, producing certain manufactures such as steel and iron, tires and cars. As a result, they are forced to search for the advantages of cost leadership. In this situation, the advisable solution to the pressure of reducing costs is enhancing the scale of production to lower the fixed costs.In order to achieve it, enterprises have a tendency to pay the employee’s salary as less as possible, which contributes to exploitation. Consequently, exploitation result in unfavorable working conditions and  the unequal distribution  of wealth; increasing number of people living below the poverty line can cause social problems suc h as homelessness. In sum, it is necessary for enterprises to ensure proper working conditions while searching for cost leadership. Considering human resources deficiency, industries should be dedicated to the core business, and outsource the other less important departments or business to boost efficiency.Globalisation offers enterprises a new category of outsourcing, called offshore outsourcing. Differing from onshore outsourcing, a company utilizes offshore outsourcing for the purpose of decreasing costs and employing experts with high efficiency to economize on the inessential organisations or departments. For example, â€Å"IT is outsourced for many reasons, ranging from a bandwagon effect from the subject’s high profile to cost pressures due to competition and economic recession† (Lacity ; Willcocks, 2009, p. 212).To conquer these obstacles, offshore outsourcing is fully implemented to accumulate data, experts, and intellectual transactions in IT industry. Beside s this, in order to promote a company's efficiency, the high-speed internet as a connecting net is applied for various companies to communicate in the world, which creates low-cost business process outsourcing (BPO). BPO is introduced to those developed countries with high standardization in which a company transfers their non-core business to the countries with lower labor costs.Through twenty-four hours communication and production, two business-related companies have potential to continue working without cessation, which eventually assists both of them. Despite the advantages mentioned above, in the process of BPO, it is possible that the knowledge could be stolen. If a company’s intellectual property rights are infringed, their competitive strengths might suddenly vanish and it will lose a large number of money. To determine outsourcing or not, enterprises have to consider the importance of the task and how to avoid infringement.Therefore, it is viable for them to outsour ce those non-core businesses to enhance efficiency. To conclude, this essay briefly illustrates the effects of globalisation, as a foundation, offering a fundamental basis for market, cost and efficiency. This material foundation attracts enterprises to invest overseas, resulting in an assumption that enterprises can boost profits when they obtain complete qualifications, including multinational market, cost leadership, and high efficiency. However, as a pendulum, globalisation does have negative forces to enterprises, especially local business.As Peng (2009) commented that â€Å"some factions in emerging economies complained against the onslaught of MNEs, which allegedly not only destroy local companies, but also local cultures and values as well as the environment. †(Peng, 2009, p. 19) Based on these conflicts, the urgent issue for enterprises to face is how to reduce the unfavorable circumstances and, simultaneously, on a  global  scale, pursue the maximum value throug h managing the following four tensions: â€Å"strategy,  people,  costs, and  risk. † (Dewhurst, 2012, p. 77)

Space Travel

SPACE TRAVEL 1. Only three nations have successfully put people into space: the US, Russia and China. All have been government programmes, developed at great expense. Now, a new era is beginning in which private enterprise will take people 100km or more above the Earth. _________________ 2. In 2001, an American, Christ Tito, became the first space tourist. He travelled to the International Space Station by Rocket and stayed there for ten days. A year later South African Millionaire, Mark Shuttleworth, went on the same trip. When he returned to earth he said, â€Å"Every second will be with me for the rest of my life†.Both men paid $20 million for their holidays. _________________ 3. The company that organised their trips is called Space Adventures. Its president, Eric Anderson, thinks space tourism will be the next big thing. â€Å"Everyone is looking for a new experience,† he says. In a few years he is going to start selling rocket trips to the public for about $ 100. 000. _________________ 4. Another company, The Space Island Group, is planning to build a circular hotel in space like the spaceship in the famous film 2001: A Space Odyssey. It will have everything a normal hotel has, except that the bedrooms won’t have windows.This is because the hotel will revolve, in other words it will turn around itself and people will feel sick if they look out of a window. Instead there will be screens showing pictures from space. Gene Myers, the company’s president, thinks that in 2020 a five-day holiday at the hotel might cost only $25,000. _________________ 5. Other companies have even bigger plans. Bigelow Aerospace is spending $500 million on a plan to build a 700-metre spaceship to fly tourists to the moon. There will be 100 tourists on each trip and each person will have a private room with a view of the Earth’s sunset.The Hilton Hotel Group has even talked about building a hotel on the moon. 6. Built by Burt Rutan and financed by Paul Allen, SpaceShipOne has entered the history books to become the first private manned spacecraft to fly to the edge of space and back. Mike Melvill became the first civilian to pilot a craft into space. Steve Bennett, chief of the British civilian space project, Starchaser Industries, said it was an important achievement. It finally came back to Earth after its 90-minute flight. Messages of congratulations came from Nasa's administrator Sean O'Keefe.He said that this just proves that you don't have to be Nasa or a government organisation. At the moment only millionaires can go on holiday in space. However one day you might be able to go there yourself- and it could be sooner than you think. (Taken and Adapted from Face to Face & http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/science/nature/3811881. stm) I) Read the article about Space Travel above and match headings a-e to paragraphs 2-5. a) Space hotelsParagraph:_______________ b) Going to the moon Paragraph:_______________ c) The future of to urismParagraph:_______________ ) The first space touristsParagraph:_______________ II) Read the article again and answer the questions. 1) Who were the first space tourists? _______________________________________________ 2) Did these space tourists enjoy their journey? How do you know? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3) Eric Anderson thinks that space travel will be popular because ________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ) The Space Island Group will not have any windows in their hotel because _______________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 5) Which two companies have bigger plans in comparison to The Space Island Group? What are their plans? a. ________________________________________________________________________ b. __________________________________________ ______________________________ 6) History books talk about SpaceShipOne as the spacecraft which ______________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ) According to Sean O'Keefe the success of SpaceShipOne proves that ___________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 8) Find these numbers in the article, what do they refer to? a. $20 million; ______________________________ b. $100,000; ________________________________ c. $25,000; _________________________________ d. $500 million; _____________________________ e. 90; _____________________________________ 9) Find the following words in the article, what do they refer to? a. In para 2, line 3 â€Å"same trip† refers to; _____________ b.In para 6, line 3 â€Å"it† refers to; ______________ c. In para 6, line 4 â€Å"its† refers to; ______________ 10) What does the word â€Å"achievement† in para 6 line 4 mean? _________ __________________________________________________________________ ANSWER KEY: Part I: Space hotelsParagraph:_____4_________ Going to the moon Paragraph:______5________ The future of tourismParagraph:_______3_______ The first space touristsParagraph:_______2_______ Part II: 1) an American, Christ Tito and South African Millionaire, Mark Shuttleworth 2) Yes, they enjoyed their trips.For instance, when Mark Shuttleworth returned to earth he said, â€Å"Every second will be with me for the rest of my life†. 3) because everyone is looking for a new experience. 4) because the hotel will revolve, in other words it will turn around itself and people will feel sick if they look out of a window. 5) a) Bigelow Aerospace is spending $500 million on a plan to build a 700-metre spaceship to fly tourists to the moon. b) The Hilton Hotel Group has even talked about building a hotel on the moon. 6) flew to the edge of space and back. ) this just proves that you don't have to be Nasa or a gov ernment organisation to go to space. 8) a) the money that the first space tourists paid for their holidays b) the price of rocket trips c) the possible cost of a five-day holiday at the hotel in 2020 d) the money that Bigelow Aerospace is spending on a plan to build a 700-metre spaceship to fly tourists to the moon e) the length of the flight of SpaceShipOne to the edge of space and back 9) a) travelling to the International Space Station b) SpaceShipOne’s flight to the edge of space and back c) SpaceShipOne’s 10) success

Marian Wright Edelman, Childrens Rights Activist

Marian Wright Edelman, Children's Rights Activist Marian Wright Edelman (born June 6, 1939) is an American lawyer, educator, and childrens rights activist. In 1973, she founded the Childrens Defense Fund, an advocacy and research group. Edelman was the first African-American woman to be admitted to the Mississippi state bar. Fast Facts: Marian Wright Edelman Known For: Edelman is a childrens rights advocate who founded the Childrens Defense Fund.Born: June 6, 1939 in Bennettsville, South CarolinaParents: Arthur Jerome Wright and Maggie Leola BowenEducation: Spelman College, Yale Law SchoolAwards and Honors: MacArthur Fellowship, Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism, National Womens Hall of Fame, Community of Christ International Peace Award, Presidential Medal of FreedomSpouse: Peter Edelman  (m.  1968)Children: Joshua, Jonah, EzraNotable Quote: So much of Americas tragic and costly failure to care for all its children stems from our tendency to distinguish between our own children and other peoples children- as if justice were divisible. Early Life Marian Wright Edelman was born on born June 6, 1939, and raised in Bennettsville, South Carolina, one of five children. Her father Arthur Wright was a Baptist preacher who taught his children that Christianity required service in this world and was influenced by A. Phillip Randolph. Her mother was Maggie Leola Bowen. Marians father died when she was only 14 years old. In his last words to her, he urged her not to let anything get in the way of your education. Education Edelman went on to study at Spelman College. She studied abroad on a Merrill scholarship and later traveled to the Soviet Union on a Lisle fellowship. When she returned to Spelman in 1959, Edelman became involved in the civil rights movement. This work inspired her to drop her plans to enter the foreign service and study law instead. As a law student at Yale University, she worked on a project to register African-American voters in Mississippi. Career In 1963 after graduating from Yale Law School, Edelman worked first in New York for the NAACP Legal and Defense Fund and then in Mississippi for the same organization. There, she became the first African-American woman to practice law. During her time in Mississippi, she worked on racial justice issues connected with the civil rights movement and helped get a Head Start program established in her community. During a tour by Robert Kennedy and Joseph Clark of Mississippis poverty-ridden Delta slums, Marian met Peter Edelman, an assistant to Kennedy, and the next year she moved to Washington, D.C., to marry him and to work for social justice in the center of Americas political scene. The couple had three sons: Joshua, Jonah, and Ezra. Jonah is the founder of Stand for Children, a group that promotes childrens education initiatives, and Ezra is a documentary filmmaker who won an Emmy for his film O.J.: Made in America. In Washington, D.C., Edelman continued her social justice work, helping to organize Martin Luther Kings Poor Peoples Campaign and assisting with the efforts of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. She then began to focus on issues related to child development and child poverty. Childrens Defense Fund In 1973, Edelman established the Childrens Defense Fund as a voice for poor, minority, and disabled children. She served as a public speaker on behalf of these children, and also as a lobbyist in Congress and both president and administrative head of the organization. The agency served not only as an advocacy organization, but as a research center, documenting the problems of children in need and searching for ways to help them. To keep the agency independent, she saw that it was financed entirely with private funds. The Childrens Defense Fund has supported a variety of the legislation, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which created protections for children with disabilities in the classroom; the Childrens Health Insurance Program, which expanded health insurance coverage for children; and the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980, which improved foster care programs. Edelman has published several books about her ideas. The Measure of Our Success: A Letter to My Children and Yours was a surprising success. In the 1990s after Bill Clinton was elected President, First Lady Hillary Clintons involvement with the Childrens Defense Fund brought significant attention to the organization. But Edelman did not pull her punches in criticizing the Clinton administrations legislative agenda- including its welfare reform initiatives- when she believed it would be disadvantageous to the nations neediest children. In 1993, the Childrens Defense Fund launched a Freedom Schools initiative to promote literacy and learning through reading. The group also launched a program that awards college scholarships and trains young leaders. The Childrens Defense Fund has also been involved in efforts to help low-income families with childcare and healthcare. As part of the efforts of the Childrens Defense Fund, Edelman has also advocated for pregnancy prevention, child care funding, health care funding, prenatal care, and gun control. In 1985, she received a MacArthur Genius grant, and in 1991 she was named ABCs Person of the Week- The Childrens Champion. Edelman is also the recipient of more than 65 honorary degrees. In 2000, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom- one of the nations highest honors. Books Edelman is the author of numerous books for children and adults. Her titles for young readers include Im Your Child, God: Prayers for Our Children, Guide My Feet: Prayers and Meditations for Our Children, The Measure of Our Success: A Letter to My Children and Yours, and Stand for Children. Edelmans books for adults include Lanterns: A Memoir of Mentors, I Dream a World, and Families in Peril: An Agenda for Social Change. Sources Edelman, Marian Wright.  The Measure of Our Success: a Letter to My Children and Yours. Beacon Press, 1993.Siegel, Beatrice.  Marian Wright Edelman: the Making of a Crusader. Simon Schuster, 1995.

Discussion of the use and relevance of this architectural development process for some application of interest

Discussion of the use and relevance of this architectural development process for some application of interest The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF) TOGAF Architecture Skills Framework has benefits and relevance in reducing time, risks associated with training, hiring and managing IT system in professional manners. TOGAF makes communication system simple between employment agencies and organizations.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Discussion of the use and relevance of this architectural development process for some application of interest specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It also reduces time wastages during interviews. TOGAF is also relevant in reducing time and costs of setting up an internal IT architecture. The process is complex and requires expertise. Organizations save costs in overall IT implementation. It eliminates chances of unsuitable persons getting the job (The Open Group 7). However, TOGAF increases costs of personnel due to constant needs for reassigning, and resignation of staff. In cases of poor sta ff assignment, TOGAF may have adverse effects on quality of operational IT challenges. How does it contrast and compare with the Zachman Framework TOGAF has four divisions of enterprise architecture. These include business architecture for fulfilling business goals. Application architecture shows specific design and interaction between various designs. Data architecture shows how organizations store and access their data, and technical architecture talks of a system hardware and software application (Brach 86). TOGAF most essential area is the Architecture Development Method (ADM). ADM has a robust means of creating architecture. This may include process in creating architectural design. We can see TOGAF as an architectural framework, process or methodology under as classified under ADM. When we take TOGAF as an architectural process, then it functions as a complement of Zachman. In this case, Zachman is an architectural taxonomy. The difference is that Zachman enables us to classif y artifacts, whereas TOGAF gives us the opportunity of creating artifacts (ORourke, Fishman, and Warren 30). TOGAF looks at enterprise architecture (EA) in terms of â€Å"highly generic to highly specific† (The Open Group 16). In other words, TOGAF treats EA as a continuum of architecture. In this case, ADM of TOGAF offers the process of creating artifacts from generic to specific.Advertising Looking for essay on architecture? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More TOGAF has Foundation Architectures as the most generic level for any IT application in organizations. Common Systems Architectures is another level of specificity, which we expect in most EA applications but not all. Industry Architectures are common and specific across same domain in the same industry. The Organizational of TOGAF is the most specific. These artifacts are specific to only given EA (Perks and Tony 56). How does this approach to architecting deal with systems integration in an SOS environment? We can look at SOS (System-of-Systems) as â€Å"a set or an arrangement of systems that result when independent and useful systems are integrated into a larger system that delivers unique capabilities (Gansler 2). SOS offers cross links for changes in doctrines and modern transformation of systems. SOS is an integrated system. It provides the basis for complete realization of other features. SOS depends on endurance and any expiring artifacts must be replaced for continuity. SOS consists of features that enable various components to work independently (operational independence). SOS integration also has geographical distribution where systems can work in a coordinated fashion despite the distribution. We must also look at emerging behavior is SOS that occurs as a result of integration. SOS integration also offers opportunities for evolution through modification or change of existing parts with new ones. However, SOS application may experience challenges such as complexity, lack of a specific approach, issues of interface standards, testing issues, quality of information, and costs. There are also few engineers available in this field. What is the role for the lead systems integrator in all of this? SOS is a complicated system. This means that we need a single entity to run it. Thus, lead system integrator attempts develop a single system needs, manage development, integration, and associated risks. It also ensures coordination of schedules, efforts and contracting of procurement and development. In short, lead system integrator provides flexibility and acquisition of adaptable partners in SOS. The role of lead system integrator depends on the program under implementation. However, people view lead system integrator as a means of losing control, creating conflict of interest, and source of competition (Gansler 3).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Discussion of the use and relevance of this architectural development process for some application of interest specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Modification needed for Service Oriented Architectures (SOAs) We can modify Architecture Capability to provide the necessary support for SOA. The first move in TOGAF is to take SOA as an architecture principle either in the beginning of the process or during modification. The enterprise must also be ready to adopt SOA through conducting maturity assessment in the early stages. This provides the rationale for the adoption of SOA. Thus, modification must take place in the areas of â€Å"principles, organizational structure, governance, and initial content of the Architecture Repository† (The Open Group 5). SOA is not suitable for addressing the entire architectural problem in the enterprise. Instead, we should identify specific areas to use SOA. Any system that depends on SOA must ensure compatibility. Any deviation must result in to appropriate changes as corrective measures. TOGAF has standardized framework for SOA. This implies that the system can have â€Å"a high-level reference model of how SOA governance extends and supports both enterprise architecture and IT governance† (The Open Group 18). Brach, Marion. Real Options in Practice. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley Sons, 2003. Print. Gansler, Jacques S. The Role of Lead System Integrator (LSI). NPS Acquisition Research Symposium, 4 (2007): 1-20. Print. ORourke, Carol, Neal Fishman, and Warren Selkow. Enterprise Architecture Using the Zachman Framework. Boston, MA: Course Technology, 2003. Print.Advertising Looking for essay on architecture? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Perks, Col and Tony Beveridge. Guide to Enterprise IT Architecture. New York, NY: Springer-Verlag, 2003. Print. The Open Group. TOGAF. Part III: ADM Guidelines Techniques, 1 (2011): 1-50. Print. Fig. 1: TOGAFs enterprise architecture Fig. 2: The TOGAF Enterprise Continuum Fig. 3: The TOGAF Architecture Development Method (ADM) Fig. 4: Criteria and ratings for each methodology (Source: Roger Sessions, 2007 for Enterprise Architecture)

Using Quotes About Yourself

Using Quotes About Yourself When you sign up on a social networking or blogging site, you find a corner that is usually titled: About Me. In this space, you are expected to introduce yourself to the world: who you are and how you define yourself. While usually, you have no problem rambling on about yourself, you somehow feel disconcerted when you have to pen a few words to describe yourself. What do you write? How do you put it in eloquent words? And are you really being honest or simply spinning a yarn? When the two words – About Me – stare at your face, you get unexpectedly paralyzed. Suddenly, we face the inability to summarize a lifetime of dreams and desires in the scant space provided for the benefit of curious friends and other Internet surfers. How Do You Describe Yourself? So how should you put your best foot forward? Should you brag or be modest? Should you be witty or straight-laced? If you want to make a strong impression on your readers, start off with a smart quote about you. You will get lots of ideas from this collection of quotes about yourself. Quotes for Your Profile Each one of us gets lost in the chaos that we call life. And with adequate doses of inspiration, we manage to rediscover ourselves. Not everyone is blessed with the power of words. Hence, it is only natural to seek help. You may not have read the works of Mark Twain or Rudyard Kipling or Robert Frost, but their intelligent quotes can give your profile page a smart makeover. Choose Your Profile Statement From Witty and Wise Authors Standup comedian George Carlin said, The reason I talk to myself is that Im the only one whose answers I accept. If you like Carlins sense of humor, take a look at my collection of George Carlin quotations. However, if philosophy is your thing, consider quotes from Confucius, the famous Chinese philosopher. His words find resonance, even though it has been millennia since he walked the earth. Among the many evergreen Confucius sayings, is one that remains meaningful despite its brevity, And remember, no matter where you go, there you are. Strangely enough, it sounds a lot like something Dr. Seuss might say. Find Your Favorite Quotes Here If you are tired of rifling through page after page of quotations with the hope of finding a suitable one for your online profile page, take a look at this collection of profile quotes. You will find a diverse set of clever quotes from wisdom to humor and inspiration. There are quotes for teens and parents. For instance, if you are a parent of young kids, you might find novelist Henry Fieldings quote hilarious, When children are doing nothing, they are doing mischief. Make a Great First Impression Of course, the Internet is not the only place when you may need to talk about yourself. Go job-hunting and you will inevitably have to answer the clichà ©d question that all interviewers love to ask, Tell me about yourself. No matter how seasoned an interviewee you are, this question will take the wind off your sails. Since you have no clue what your interviewer expects to hear, you begin to mumble incoherent adjectives that may seem alien to your own ears. You are doomed if the interviewer latches on to one of those adjectives and asks you to elaborate. Take the Help of Literary Giants You must hit all the right notes in order to make a good first impression. How do you do that? I am reminded of a cheeky Oscar Wilde quote, I am the only person in the world I should like to know thoroughly. Unfortunately, using witticisms will not do you any good. To stay on safer ground, follow William Shakespeares advice, Men should be what they seem. So be original and save the wit for a rainy day. Find Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) Reticent people often avoid social interaction as far as possible. Without adequate interpersonal skills, shy people are often confounded when asked to describe themselves. Their introversion prevents them from building new relationships. Give yourself a confidence boost by reading these uniqueness quotes. Artist Henri Matisse had his insecurities. He confessed, It has bothered me all my life that I do not paint like everybody else. Yet, Matisses individuality set him apart from his peers. You can also find your unique appeal and celebrate it. Get to Know the Real You Do you know the real you? Are you sure that the person you portray yourself as is the real you? Do you find yourself trapped in a conundrum of duty and role so much that you have forgotten who you really are? How to Rediscover Yourself You dont need to meditate under a tree to find the real you. You also dont need to go backpacking around the Arctic Circle to find the meaning of life. To discover your inherent uniqueness, all you need is a nudge in the right direction. You could get it from a scene in a movie, or a quote from a book. You could even get it while chatting with your friends. Sometimes, meaningful quotes can put you on the path of self-discovery. If you are seeking self-knowledge, quotes on reflection could help you look deep inside your soul. As ancient Chinese monk Hui-Neng rightly said, Look within! The secret is inside you.

Excutions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Excutions - Essay Example Keeping in view this social condition, the sociologists try to explore crime, crime control and the administration of criminal justice from the point of social constructionism. They view 'crime' and 'criminals' a product of social and political interests and where besides other, the most dominating factor are class, race and gender. They also take into consideration the historical and contemporary practices of criminal justice which is shaped and experienced by the racial and ethnic minorities and majorities, the rich and poor and by men and women, so as to help us understand the numerous social realities of justice in the United States; as this essay will try to examine the pattern of execution based on race, gender and class. The study of social inequalities has always been the central focus of sociologists. They are not only interested in issues related to race/ethnicity, gender and class but also the intersections of these dimensions by employing a wide variety of methods from the ethnographic fieldwork and in-depth interviews to multilevel social and networks methods and statistical models. According to The ABA Kennedy Commission Report (June 23, 2004), the United States puts more people behind bars than any other country in the world and needs to eradicate the disproportionate impact 'tough on crime' laws it has for minorities. This is not because of higher criminal behavior among blacks, but because as compared to non-whites, they are more likely to be imprisoned especially as drug users. Though white drug dealers outnumber the black ones but 86.8% of those imprisoned for drug charges are blacks. In the 1980s, the media talked about drug-addicted mothers, perpetuating the racial stereotypes of African American women who trading sex for drugs rather than a white middle class woman snorting the more expensive cocaine powder. While the poor black pregnant women became targets of the criminal justice system, the middle and the upper class women escaped scrutiny of the criminal justice agents into the private facilities of detoxification. Similarly, most studies on crime take a narrow approach to the subject by treating a crime as simply a violation of legalized social norm that carries a penal sanction. The figure among black males was 3,405. Much of the history of sentencing reform both in capital and non-capital punishment has been influenced by implicit concerns about racial disparities and discriminatory decision making in the criminal justice system. In a study carried out to find whether the four delinquency theories, strain, social learning, low self-control and control theories could better explain juvenile offending in comparison to gender, race and class impact on delinquency. The findings suggested that the quantitative analysis is an effective tool for detecting intersectional differences resulting from gender, race and class to support feminist assertions that general theories are less universal than claimed by their proponents. Based on the unfair racial disparities in federal sentencing, a report released in 1984 by the United States Sentencing Commission confirmed, that the average federal prison sentence for black offenders was about five months longer than for whit es. By 2001, the average sentence

Egypt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Egypt - Essay Example Its neighboring countries include Libya in the West, Israel and Gaza Strip in the East, and Sudan in the South. Egypt covers a total area of 1,001,449 km2 and is double the size of France in terms of area (â€Å"Geography of Egypt†, n.pag.). Egypt possesses a long coastline around the Mediterranean Sea, Gulf of Suez, Red Sea, and Gulf of Aqaba (â€Å"Geography of Egypt†, n.pag.). The country has twenty six provinces, also known as governorates, among which the most prominent ones include the city provinces of Alexandria, Cairo, Port Said, and Suez. Furthermore there are several other governorates in the Upper Region and Lower Region of Egypt. Egypt essentially ahs a large area covered by deserts. Due to the arid and desert-like climate, a very small percentage of the total area of the land is fit for agriculture thus only a small fraction of land is cultivable. Due to the naturally unique location of the Suez Canal which provides a very short route to the East, Egypt benefits from the short trade link it provides thereby incurring lower transportation costs. The main physical regions of Egypt are divided into four parts consisting of the Nile Valley and Delta, the Libyan Desert, the Eastern Desert, and the Sinai Peninsula (Fig. 2). River Nile is the longest river of the world and its Valley and Delta are perhaps the most important regions to the country surrounded by areas of arable land. River Nile is an important source for fish and the area surrounding the river provides sustenance for majority of the Egyptian population. Nile Valley occupies a region which is known as the Upper Egypt whereas the Nile Delta occupies a place which comes under Lower Egypt. These two regions are of significant importance for Egypt as they make the surrounding area fit for agriculture and farming. Fig. 1. Physical Map of Egypt. [Map] n.d. Free World Maps. Web. 11 Dec 2013. Without the presence of River Nile, the vast area of land in Egypt would have been dominated by the Sahara Desert. The Nile Valley and Nile Delta have been a result of the flow of River Nile in the region. River Nile has three man sources which originate from the Central African sources: White Nile, Blue Nile, and Atbara. White Nile, which emerges from Uganda, contributes about twenty eight percent of River Nile’s water. Blue Nile originates from Ethiopia and contributes the largest amount to River Nile’s waters which accounts for about fifty eight percent. And the Atbara River starts in Ethiopia and supplies about fourteen percent of River Nile’s waters. Thus, River Nile receives water from all these sources which contribute a significant percent of the water during high seasons. The high volume of water in River Nile deposit silt and other minerals as Nile spreads out into a delta. Today, River Nile only has two branches called Damietta and Rosetta. A number of irrigation canals connect from these branches so as to provide water for the irrigation and farming of arable lands. Thus the silt deposited by the river and the water provided is imp ortant for farming and agriculture in the area as it supports almost the entire population of Egypt. The Art Art, music, and culture evolved greatly in Egypt particularly after the fall of the former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Egypt has also been a central place for the recording of Arabic music and Egyptian music derives greatly from Arabic music. In particular, the music reflects Arabic and Islamic influences. There are various genres of Egyptian music and they are

Litigation v. Mediation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Litigation v. Mediation - Essay Example f a lawsuit, case, or controversy – which is a contest authorized by the provisions of law, and at a court of justice – which is aimed at the realization or the pursuit of enforcing the breached rights or the expected parts of the deal in question. The participants in such a case are the plaintiff and the defendant – who within the subject of the lawsuit are referred to, as the litigants. Mediation on the other hand, is an ‘alternative dispute resolution’ model, which is used to complement or substitute other modes – as a way of assisting the disputants reach an agreement, through the creation of improved dialogue between them. In such a case, the parties involved are to consider the mediation process – as resolving the dispute to their mutual advantage – besides facilitation by an impartial mediator. Considering that the dispute is of a business nature, it is conclusive that the right or the duty to be enforced must have some financial value – as well as a time-span within which its value may be perceived. Therefore, in the case the legal pursuit is to extend to the level – which the value of the legal practice or pursuit exceeds the value of the breached agreement; then from a business perspective, the pursuit will not be logical or rational. On the basis of this argument, mediation as opposed to litigation is a better option; as it will require less time and cost incurrence. The advantages that Alexander is likely to enjoy, in the case he chooses to take mediation instead of litigation include the following: A timely resolution of the dispute, which is basically – because the neutral and experienced third-party will push for increased dialogue between the disputants, from which better understanding of the dispute premises will be established, therefore making the case easier to resolve. In this regard, the better understanding as well as the pursuit for voluntary agreement and mutual advantage will enable the disputants to arrive at

Book Assignment Part 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Book Assignment Part 5 - Essay Example Actors on a historical stage do not just exist; they act, and they act out of the conditions of their character and circumstances. Human life is biographical as well as biological, and it is clear that memory has sense from both of these perspectives. Following Martnez (1994), Wilson and Donnan state that: "transnationalism is the process whereby borderlanders are influenced by, and sometimes share the values, ideas, customs and traditions of, their counterparts across the boundary line" (Wilson and Donnan 1999, p. 5). Unlike the stage actor, whose assumed identity is not taken seriously to represent the self within, the spy must convince skeptical and suspicious others of the reality of an assumed identity, when that assumed identity is in fact false. Thus, the spy poses an interesting case for a psychology of self and identity, especially when the possibilities of double agents or counterspies are considered. In contrast to other borders, the uniqueness of the U.S.-Mexican border is explained by historical relations between the nations and political struggle. The war between the United States and Mexico (1846-48) ended with the defeat of Mexico and its resultant loss of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. For the first time the Spanish Americans realized that the "Colossus of the North" was a threat to them. Although Mexico has had to accept the loss of half the territory it claimed, that loss is still a source of bitterness. In South America after the wars of independence there were no developments of international importance comparable to those in Mexico. Though for some purposes and in some contexts the 'native' population was treated as homogeneous, there was in colonialism, an ideology and practice of classification' which usually divided that population into further, hierarchically ordered and stereotyped, categories. Sometimes these were very broad: Spaniards in Mexico referred to the 'wild' Indians. This kind of transformation often emerged through an 'ethnic dialectic'. In the colonial classification of indigenous populations there was a dialectical relationship between existing ethnic categories, often those of the locally dominant group with which the colonizers first established contact, or with which they had their most enduring relationship, and the categories of the colonizers' own language and culture. They did not impose or operate solely with a preformed system of classification, nor did they adopt existing systems wholesale. In the shaping and reshaping of indigenous ethnic and cultural pluralism there was a complex i nterplay between colonizers' systems of classification and those of the colonized (which in any case were not timeless or unchanging). The transformation of ethnic space involved various forms of social and political incorporation. "The exploration of Mexican and Mexican-American political values and actions at the border is an early example of ethnicity as a factor which gives character to the borderlands, binds communities to each other across the borderline" (Wilson and Donnan Wilson and Donnan 1999, p. 54) . The relations between the U.S. and Mexico were based on unique cultural values and traditions shaped by both cultures. The historical and sociological process we have

Response to a Government Solicitation Research Paper

Response to a Government Solicitation - Research Paper Example The oil spills in the Deepwater Horizon occurs in a short period that requires quick response mechanism. However, there are no appropriate detective mechanisms available to provide a timely reaction to the situation before a disaster is encountered. The opportunity is entitled â€Å"Detection of Oil within the Water Column.† The solicitation number for this business opportunity is HSCG32-12-R-R00005 and the concerned federal agency is the Department of Homeland Security. The opportunity arises following the technological deficiency that has been witnessed in managing the Deepwater Horizon oil spill that occurred in the Mexican Gulf. Thus, the office associated with this opportunity is the United States Coast Guard (USCG). The project is to be carried out at the base of the contracting office, which is the USCG research and development center. More information about the contract is available at https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DHS/USCG/USCGRDC/HSCG32-12-R-R00005/listing.html 3. The deci sion-making process on whether to bid or not Before making a decision to bid for this contract, it is necessary to perform a number of opportunity and risk assessments, evaluations and analyses. Companies that do not apply blind-bid approach often have high bid-win rates and high capture rates (Garrette, 2007, p.20). Obviously, the first step involves an examination of the job description. The tasks and responsibilities defined in the contract should be evaluated against the competencies of the contracting firm and the proposal team. There is need to consider the penalties imposed by the contracting office for nonperformance by the contractor (Garrette, 2007, p.24). The firm must ascertain that it has the relevant expertise as well as other resources necessary to accomplish the assignment. The other consideration is the cost constraint imposed on the contract. The contract notices are often issued with the financial budget that the bidders should not exceed in the budget plan. The f irm has to evaluate the given budget in relation to the requirements and description of the task. This can also be compared to other projects or programs previously contracted by the firm. It is also appropriate to consider the time limit given for the project. Again, the firm has to evaluate the duration in relation to its capability and nature of the assignment (Garrette, 2007, p.24). We have to examine if the allocated time is practical and there is the potential to complete the task as required. Having considered all the above, we have to perform an overall comparison between this opportunity and the other opportunity (opportunities) that may be available at this particular time. There may be better opportunities that the firm can utilize than this one. This comparative analysis should encompass the above-stated considerations. 4. Areas of expertise to be represented in the proposal team The hiring officers often consider the expertise and professional qualifications of the lead ing members of the proposal team, and this can provide a basis for disqualification. The qualifications that are particularly relevant to the assignment attract the attention of the clients. According to

Critically analyse the concept of fair and equitable treatment in Essay

Critically analyse the concept of fair and equitable treatment in investment treaties, taking into account recent investment - Essay Example A nice starting point for a good discussion is that the term or phrase â€Å"fair and equitable treatment† is the minimum standard and is included in most international investment agreements (IIAs). There are slight variations to this legal standard, such as the phrase â€Å"equitable and reasonable treatment† but both of the phrases are almost always made in reference to international laws. Admittedly, even this short phrase is subject to different interpretations depending on the circumstances and one's viewpoint. What is lacking in most of treaties is the legal concept of erga omnes like in Portugal v Australia to attain the goal of FET.2 It is the main purpose of this paper to explore further how this relatively simple legal phrase is used today to implement investment treaties. What is quite troubling to see is the prevalent use of the concept of special laws to interpret treaties in favour of one party only – the investors.3 Discussion Fair and equitable tr eatment is becoming more important these days. ... The only issue supposedly before any trade arbitral tribunal is to decide whether in all circumstances the conduct at issue is indeed fair and equitable.4 Definition: â€Å"Fair and equitable† treatment, narrowly speaking, refers to investments.5 It is commonly used in international treaty law and â€Å"protects investors' legitimate and reasonable expectations;6 it also protects against an arbitrary or capricious treatment, bad faith, coercion and harassments.† Investors negotiating with countries are very often understandably worried that their investments might be seized as part of nationalisation schemes, or that a change of regimes might cause loans to be defaulted upon or that corruption might force them to engage in more frequent bribery as seen across the developing world. The main consideration is the safety of investments by making sure agreements offer the contracting parties increased security and protection.7 Investors prefer safety before any profits are c onsidered. The investor's legitimate security expectations are the dominant elements of this treaty standard.8 Some experts believe FET guarantees a treatment beyond the minimum standards required under international laws. But this paper will analyse fair and equitable treatment (FET) a little bit broadly. It is fair enough for investors to receive fair and equitable treatment but what about the host governments, citizen stakeholders, NGOs, labour and the poor? This paper will thus look at fair and equitable treatment in that broader fashion. By merely looking at â€Å"fair and equitable treatment† rulings, it could give a false impression that treaties were fairly implemented and negotiated when they are in fact deeply divisive, controversial,

Response to a Government Solicitation Research Paper

Response to a Government Solicitation - Research Paper Example The oil spills in the Deepwater Horizon occurs in a short period that requires quick response mechanism. However, there are no appropriate detective mechanisms available to provide a timely reaction to the situation before a disaster is encountered. The opportunity is entitled â€Å"Detection of Oil within the Water Column.† The solicitation number for this business opportunity is HSCG32-12-R-R00005 and the concerned federal agency is the Department of Homeland Security. The opportunity arises following the technological deficiency that has been witnessed in managing the Deepwater Horizon oil spill that occurred in the Mexican Gulf. Thus, the office associated with this opportunity is the United States Coast Guard (USCG). The project is to be carried out at the base of the contracting office, which is the USCG research and development center. More information about the contract is available at https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DHS/USCG/USCGRDC/HSCG32-12-R-R00005/listing.html 3. The deci sion-making process on whether to bid or not Before making a decision to bid for this contract, it is necessary to perform a number of opportunity and risk assessments, evaluations and analyses. Companies that do not apply blind-bid approach often have high bid-win rates and high capture rates (Garrette, 2007, p.20). Obviously, the first step involves an examination of the job description. The tasks and responsibilities defined in the contract should be evaluated against the competencies of the contracting firm and the proposal team. There is need to consider the penalties imposed by the contracting office for nonperformance by the contractor (Garrette, 2007, p.24). The firm must ascertain that it has the relevant expertise as well as other resources necessary to accomplish the assignment. The other consideration is the cost constraint imposed on the contract. The contract notices are often issued with the financial budget that the bidders should not exceed in the budget plan. The f irm has to evaluate the given budget in relation to the requirements and description of the task. This can also be compared to other projects or programs previously contracted by the firm. It is also appropriate to consider the time limit given for the project. Again, the firm has to evaluate the duration in relation to its capability and nature of the assignment (Garrette, 2007, p.24). We have to examine if the allocated time is practical and there is the potential to complete the task as required. Having considered all the above, we have to perform an overall comparison between this opportunity and the other opportunity (opportunities) that may be available at this particular time. There may be better opportunities that the firm can utilize than this one. This comparative analysis should encompass the above-stated considerations. 4. Areas of expertise to be represented in the proposal team The hiring officers often consider the expertise and professional qualifications of the lead ing members of the proposal team, and this can provide a basis for disqualification. The qualifications that are particularly relevant to the assignment attract the attention of the clients. According to

Nike - Recent Enviromental Changes Essay Example for Free

Nike Recent Enviromental Changes Essay INTRODUCTION Founded in 1968 in Oregon, Nikes business activities involve design, development and the worldwide marketing of high quality apparel, equipment, footwear and accessory products. Nike sells to approximately 140 countries around the world and currently boasts an approximate revenue of $8,776,900,000 These revenues are based on product sales of shoes, clothing, and other sports products. Advertising expenditures currently total $223,300,000 and include the following allocations: $64,975,000 for network television, $31,447,000 for consumer magazines, $7,700,000 for spot television, $343,000 for newspapers, $134,000 for outdoor postings, and $36,000 for radio. (Reed Elsevier) Most footwear products are made outside of USA. However apparel products are produced in the USA and abroad. (www.statcan.ca) In this article we will try to explore the interaction between the company Nike and its external business environment, as well as the internal strengths and weaknesses of the company. We will attempt to discover some of the significant changes and events in the external environment that have occurred in the last 5 years and have directly impacted Nike. We will describe how the company adapted and responded to these changes and what the effects of these events were. Also we will identify and describe some of Nikes internal strengths and weaknesses. CHANGES AND EVENTS IN THE EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL CRISES One of the most recent global environmental changes are the events of September 11th 2001, when airplanes crashed into each of the World Trade Center towers in New York, the Pentagon near Washington, D.C., and near Pittsburgh, P.A. (www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/5232/) U.S. government officials reported that the crashes were a coordinated terrorist attack. Since this catastrophe was not expected, no one was ready to respond to it. Cole Haan store (owned by Nike), located in the World Trade Center plaza has been completely demolished. However, all of approximately 250-260 Nike and Cole Haan employees based in New York are safe and accounted for. In addition, no Nike employees were on board any of the planes involved in the terrorist attacks in New York, Pennsylvania and at the Pentagon. (www.centrum.sk) After closing on Tuesday, September 11th, and Wednesday, September 12th, all  other Nike and Cole Haan stores in New York and Washington D.C. are open. (www.nike.com) This disas ter affected not only the American people but also the world economy and many areas of business, including Nike Inc. The value of American dollar dropped rapidly and is recovering very slowly. Nike has a large amount of their products in inventory, which they are unable to sell and are preparing to cut down the production. This would mean a significant downsizing in number of employees. (www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/5232/) Many consumers have reduced their travel to certain retail destinations; in general consumers are purchasing few non-essential products. Nike expects lower sales and profits over the next several months as consumers closely monitor the U.S. attacks on Afghanistan. (www.nike.com) When a military campaign, like the one in Afghanistan, brings new developments or intensifies, U.S. consumers buy less, prompting retailers to become more cautious with their product orders. These events caused a 12 percent decline in shares since September 11th of Nike Inc., the industrys leader. (www.nike.com) The company said the September 11th attacks on the United States have disrupted most of its long-range strategy plans. Analysts have predicted a modest decrease in quarterly earnings estimates for Nike. They also said they expect fourth-quarter 2001 sales to be hurt by the slowdown in consumer s pending.(www.msn.com) Decline and slow recovery of Nikes stock since Sept. 11th 2001 (www.moneycentral.msn.co.uk) The company expects to scale back advertising and production next year. (www.nike.com) Nike, as a global company, is now focusing its efforts on assisting in the relief efforts and in heeding President Bushs directive to regain business as quickly as possible. (www.sme.sk) Both local and national Red Cross agencies have identified immediate financial support as their most critical need. For that reason, the Nike Foundation has been collecting contributions from individual Nike employees and factory partners across the country and throughout the world. Through matching funds, Nike is making a $1 million contribution to the American Red Cross and a variety of other local relief organizations through matching funds of employees and factory partners. In addition, Nike partner factories in Asia, Feng Tay and Pou Chen, have donated $100,000 each to the American Red Cross. (www.nike.com) Nike also is working with relief agencies in New York, Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania  to provide do nations of Nike products for victims who are affected by these tragic circumstances, as well as for those involved in the rescue and recovery efforts. These donations include more than 14,000 t-shirts, 11,400 pairs of socks, 1,200 pairs of Nike ACG work boots, 1,000 towels, plus hundreds of pairs of shoes, warm-ups, jackets, sweat shirts and gym bags for rescue workers to store their personal belongings. (www.sme.sk) (www.nike.com) Nike and Niketown New York will continue to coordinate with relief and government agencies and provide as many requested products as possible for fire and rescue personnel. Already, more than $300,000 Nike products have been delivered or are on their way to New York relief agencies. (www.nike.com) Nike US employees participated in a Red Cross blood drive on Sept. 24-25 at its Beaverton-based world headquarters and Oct. 1st and Oct. 5th in its Memphis distribution center location. Nike also has donated money to pat for airtime for two 30-second advertisements to the Red Cross during the Oct. 7 broadcast of the World Cup qualifying match between Team USA and Jamaica on ABC, as well as purchasing space the West 4th wall in Manhattan for advertisements. (www.nike.com) The previous numbers indicate Nikes response to this huge global change from social as well as from the business point of view. Nikes donations as a response to the events of Sept. 11th 2001 Organization Amount Designation American Red Cross $250,000 ($106,000 from Nike employees globally) Relief efforts in NY, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania PBA Widows and Childrens Police Relief Fund c/o Police Benevolence Association $175,000 Assistance to NY families for burial costs and family survival expenses UFA Widows Childrens Fund c/o Uniformed Fire Fighters Assn $175,000 Assistance to NY families for burial costs and family survival expenses Federal Employee Education Assistance Fund $100,000 Assistance to families for burial costs and family survival expenses International Association of Fire Fighters $50,000 Assistance to NY families for burial costs and family survival expenses New York State Fraternal Order of Police WTC Fund $50,000 Assistance to NY families for burial costs and family survival expenses Catholic Charities USA $50,000 Immediate counseling and family services for those impacted by NY disast ers United Methodist Committee on Relief $50,000 Immediate counseling and family services for  those impacted by NY disasters Mercy Corps Comfort for Kids Project $25,000 Helping children and families in NY and Washington DC Misc. contingency fund $75,000 Programs and organizations promoting racial and religious healing and community building efforts Total Reported Cash Donations $1 million (www.nike.com) E-BUSINESS As the modern world changes through advances in technology, the global market economy also changes, affecting global businesses such as Nike Inc. Technological changes in the form of machines and mechanical inventions affected the economy during the industrial revolution, but today the advances are more in computer technology. The first computer was produced in the US approximately 50 years ago and was the size of a large room needing its own electric power plant and cost a million dollars to build. This gigantic computer could only do simple calculations. Computers have since decreased greatly in size and cost and increased in productivity and capabilities. In the 1980s there were big improvements in microprocessors, which allowed for the huge technological advances of the 90s. Computers are now part of many households and almost every family in the developed world has a computer. The top personal computer now costs between $2500 and $3500 compared to the larger models earlier in th e past century. The Internet has also been expanding globally and has changed our world into and global village. The first version of the net was developed in 1969, during the Cold War by the US department of defense as a communication in case of nuclear attack. The net became available in the 1980s for email and Internet chats, but improvements in HTML in the 1990s sparked the birth of a new way of communication and business (www.freespace.virgin.net/g.hirst/). A recent survey calculated 120 million users of the net worldwide and numbers are still growing at an enormous rate. The development quick loading and the fast moving Internet attracted people to do more things on the Internet. One of the new advances of the Internet is an E-business. Many people are now ordering goods and services over the Internet. One other use of Internet is also advertisement. Recently, Nike has been trying to find new markets and consumers. One huge innovation to get closer to the customer is through the Internet. The Internet makes information available to people all around the world. Nikes web page is designed to entertain the visitor through innovative, colourful graphics; to inform the potential customer of Nikes activities; and promote  and sell their products through the E-shop. The Nike accommodates to the world trend of Internet and shopping over the Internet. They made their own web-shop where visiting customers can easily find the product, which they are looking for. This is a great way to improve future business of the company as Internet business is improving so quickly. It is also important to put a lot of effort and quality into the services offering through the Internet to make a good reputation about the services and name of the company. (www.niketown.com) GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS, LAWS AND TRADE BARRIERS In 1994, the EU commission imposed quotas on certain types of footwear manufactured in China. Special Technology Athletic Footwear, footwear designed for use in sporting activities, met certain technical criteria and footwear having a CIF (cost, in surance and freight) price above 9 EUROs was excluded from these quotas. All other footwear produced by Nike falls under the quotas. However Nike feels that the quotas have not material effect on their business. (www.nike.com) In 1995 the EU commission initiated two anti-dumping legislations covering footwear imported from China, Indonesia and Thailand. In 1997 and 1998, the commission imposed definite anti-dumping duties on certain synthetic, textile and leather upper footwear originating from China Indonesia and Thailand. These anti-dumping duties have exclusions for STAF footwear, sports footwear and footwear with the CIF above 5,6 EUROs. (www.nike.com) This means the anti-dumping duties apply only to low cost footwear, which means that Nike can distribute most products except children shoes and low cost sandals. However Nike shifted the production of these types of footwear to other countries and therefore the anti-dumping duties have not had a material affect on their business. (www.centrum.sk) If the EU measures become more restrictive Nike recommends that the European subsidiaries consider shifting the production of footwear to other countries in order to maintain competitive pricing. Nike continues to closely monitor international restrictions and maintain a multi-country sourcing strategy and contingency plans. Nike believes that their major competitors are in the similar position. (www.pravda.sk) NEW MARKETS AND CONSUMER TRENDS Revenue for the past three years of Nikes international (non-US) and US market (www.nikebiz.com) Over the past 4-5 years many new markets have opened for Nike, not only from the geographical point of view and expansions outside the US but also from the customer demand and trends perspective.  (www.centrum.sk) As the concept of the global village is becoming reality, more unexploded markets are opening up. Nike divides its global business into four regions: the United States, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Americas. (www.nike.com) While each reg ion increased revenue in the fiscal year 2001, most of its growth came from the new unexplored markets outside. In the last seven years, Nike has built many international branch offices and subsidiaries as a response to the changing market. These are located in: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Indonesia, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, The Netherlands, Norway, Peoples Republic of China, The Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom and Vietnam. (www.nike.com) Percentage of footwear production in specific countries The European market for athletic footwear and apparel continues to flourish. Every day, new shops open with a commitment to presentation and service that NIKE emphasizes. Nike feels the emotional connection growing in Europe is similar to the one NIKE created in the U.S. 20 years ago. (www.nike.com) Nikes Asian market is very profitable but als o very demanding one. This market depends on authentic sports positioning and the ability to deliver technology-based performance products. Nikes attempt to fulfill these criteria has so far been very successful. Nike is especially enthusiastic about the World Cup coming to Japan and Korea in 2002. They hope this will provide them with a great opportunity to influence their soccer success in Asia. (www.nike.com) The most competitive and developed market in the world for Nike is the USA. Revenues in this market grow at two percent per year. Although Nike has been struggling in some areas of this market, it continues to lead the athletic footwear market in share and product innovation. Apparel in the U.S. is slowly making its way back to the market after couple of tough quarters in the past 2 years. U.S. Apparel is currently up 9% in revenue for the year and is starting to stabilize in the second half of fiscal 2001. (www.nike.com) Changes that have occurred in customer demand are directly proportional to the present trends of people. According to recent researches, American kids have only 25 percent of their  daily life considered as free time, compared to about 40 percent in 1981. (www.nike.com) For a sports company this means less demand for leisure time clothes, footwear and equipment. According to statistics, athletic footwear sales have shown a decrease in the third quarter. This fact represents back-to-school sales, indicating less interest by the crucial teenage market as it moves toward different looks in the footwear area. This may be explained by an overall shift of interest and fashion in this market from sports toward entertainment, music, and celebrities. A recent trend in the athletic footwear business shows that several of the large corporations are losing market share due to the declining sales in traditional markets. As aerobics, fitness and cross training markets decline there is a shift to non-traditional sports. By 1998, the publicity for a market in brown shoes had passed. Brown shoes never impacted the athletic footwear market as predicted. Instead, hiking, off-trail and fashion footwear continue to show strong growth, with many athletic footwear companies expanding into those areas. (www.nike.com) It is predicted that the market for athletic footwear has peaked and is now declining and leveling off at a production level of about 300 million pairs. Fashion driven spikes often occur, such as in 1995 where a production level of 345 million pairs was reached. This is viewed as a bonus for the industry. (www.nike.com) Retailers will thrive at the 300 million pair a year production level by working with retailers to consolidate store locations, manage inventories and maximize sell-through. The continued trend over the last five years is the consumers willingness to pay, on average, higher prices for athletic footwear. (www.proquest.com) IMPORTANT FINANCIAL EVENTS The financial interactions between countries and governments affect the profits of the large corporations such as Nike and the retail values of their products. In North America transactions are often measured in US dollars. This common currency makes transactions easier between countries. In the European Union, 15 different countries must convert their different currencies when doing business with other countries. This often accounts for increased retail prices in international goods and services. On January 1st 1999, 11 of the 15 members countries of the European Union  established permanent conversion rates between their existing currencies and the new EURO, the new common currency of the European union. Until the end of the transition period, public and private parties may pay for goods and services using the countries original currency or the EURO. Starting January 2002, the EURO will be the official currency of the EU and the original currencies will be completely withdrawn from circulation by June 30th 2002. (www.nike.com) Since January 1998 Nike has been researching the complications and affects of the transitions to the EURO. Nikes devoted project team has made modifications to inform technology systems supporting the market, management, invoicing, pay roles and cash management functions in order to make their conversion smooth. Nike believes that the introduction of the EURO will eliminate inequalities in exchange rates between countries although differences in cost between countries and different tax rates will still affect price differences at the retail level. Over the past three years Nike has been actively working to asses and adjust a practices in pricing to operate effectively under this new currency. (www.nike.com) The cost of adapting Nikes systems and practices to the use of the EURO total approximately 8 millions US dollars and was generally related to the modification of their existing systems. Nike also believes that the change of currency will not have an impact on the financial conditions of results of operation. (www.nikebiz.com) INTERNAL STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES STRENGTHS Decision Making Nikes strongest weapon is decision-making. Their managerial team has been able to make decisions specific to their needs and although not all the time, most of the time they were right. They combined rationality, intuition and experience to come up with the best decisions ever made in this market. To prove the above, we can just look at some of their well-known choices made in the past. Nike managers decided to rely on globalization and externalization of risk through wholly or partly-owned subsidiaries. (www.nike.com) The fact that they have subsidiaries all over the world helps them to become more flexible and partially getting rid of potential risk. Their flexibility is proved by the diversity of sports areas they are involved in, which has also turned out to be a great decision since Nike is dominating most of these markets. (www.nike.com) This company is able to manufacture products for a dozen of different sports and still keep the top quality in all of them. Fr om the  start, the managers of Nike decided to count on customer satisfaction and total quality of their products, realizing the social expectations that lied upon their shoulders. They have believed that quality outweighs the extra amount of money spent on manufacturing of the best products on the market. One of the most important decisions of Nikes management was advertising. They spent large amounts of money on commercials, which have in the long term paid back in multiples. They have used famous athletes to promote their brand, which is considered a great strategic plan. Also they decided to involve in various social activities. Their extraordinary advertising has helped them to develop the well-known image they have. (www.msn.com) The owners of the company visualized, gave the company a form, set their goals and then they tried to achieve them. They hired the right personnel and they motivated them by generally higher wages than their competitors were offering. They also involved their employees in initiating and implementing change. According to these employees, Nike allowed them to gain self confidence, express their creativity, and involve in making decisions that need not only the expertise of a manager but also an experience of a worker. (www.nike.com) Looking at the present results of Nikes decisions, this kind of empowerment has shown to be a great choice. Research and Development Efforts Nike believes that the key factor of its success originates from their research and development efforts. (www.nike.com) They emphasize the technical innovation in the design of their products to achieve their manufacturing goals, which are to create products capable of reducing injury, increasing athletes performance and maximizing comfort. Of course, Nike pays a lot of attention to their products design respectively to the present trends. (www.sgma.com) Since these criteria require a specific expertise, recruitment is one of the most important managerial issues of Nike. Looking at their past, we have to admit that they have succeeded in this with excellence. Nike has own staff of specialists in the areas of biomechanics, exercise physiology, engineering, industrial design and others. They also have committees specialized on research and advisory. These committees are made of top-level athletes, coaches, trainers, equipment managers, orthopedics, podiatrists and other experts. (www.nike.com) These people use their expertise and experience to  help Nike on its way to improvement. They help them to develop new better products and improve upon present products. They also consult the company about designs, materials, and concept for product improvement. Athletes hired or sponsored by Nike test-prove the companys products during the development process. These facts are strongly held within the company and Nike is proud to include them in their reports (www.nikebiz.com). WEAKNESSES Ability To Respond And Adapt To Changes Since Nike is a consumer products company, the demand for their products highly depends on popularity of different sports and activities and the changing trends. Therefore they should be able to respond to these changes in costumer preferences and quickly adapt to them. This company must adjust their existing products, develop new ones, and create styles that are specific to the trends. (www.sgma.com) They also have to make an effort to influence sports and fitness preferences through aggressive marketing. This kind of environment is very unstable and puts one against many different sources of risk. If you fail to react quickly to such changes it will show up on your sales and profits reports. Since Nike has been occupying the top of the sports equipment manufacturers chart for a long time they are getting used to their strategies, which are now becoming habits. (www.nike.com) This may be very useful in some cases but according to analysts, ove r time, organizations develop and lock into ways of doing business, in spite of changing conditions. Nikes strategy has been to dominate only the markets that are relatively safe and tend to be very profitable since it has become the worlds leader in this market. (www.nike.com) Despite their great decision making abilities this has turned out to be a very poor choice. For example, Nike did not respond to the growing market of aerobics and fitness training because it seemed too small to be worth that much attention. (www.sgma.com) However, Reebok developed a line of aerobics and fitness equipment which has met a lot of popularity among the customers. Since then, Reebok has been leading this market, which is currently the area of their main interest. (www.sgma.com) This was an example of a slow response to environmental changes. However, there are areas where Nike responded quickly and still was not quite successful. For example, soccer is currently the number 1 sport in the world and is currently dominated by the brand Adidas.  (www.fisonline.com) Even though Nike soccer equipment qualitatively meets the Adidas products, Nike has not been able to take over this market. So what was wrong with their reaction? To dominate such a large market you have to be more aggressive and be able to gain customers attention. (www.sgma.com) Nikes failure in the soccer market is generally seen as the lack of interest, aggressivity and creativity in this area of business. (www.referaty.sk) Growth Company That Has Not Grown Fiscal year 2001 was an above average year for Nike. However, it was not great even though they finished hard in the fourth quarter. This year was fairly similar to the last four years. During that time Nike has been a growth company that has not grown. Until the end of the fiscal year 1997 everything was going great for Nike. From 1994 to 1997 this company went from being a strong company with growing market share and $3 billion in revenues to one with dominant market share and revenues over $9 billion. (www.nike.com) Everyth ing seemed to be going perfect for Nike, they were successful in everything they touched and they were growing rapidly. At the end of the fiscal year 1997 they found themselves in a position where employees were euphoric, but overworked since there was not enough of them. To keep this enthusiasm going they hired more people and continued on their path to becoming a truly global company. (www.sgma.com) Since they realized that this couldnt be accomplished over few years they were trying to be the best at everything they were doing as well as building a strong team for the future. (www.nike.com) This was exactly the point where their growth has frozen and never started again. They penetrated new markets successfully, but were not able to keep up the standards they had set before. They focused on new areas of business so much that they forgot to do the old simple things right. (www.sgma.com) Despite all these efforts the industry was standing still. There were different reasons for this such as the U.S. market hitting the recession point, Nike launching a massive 3-year supply chain overhaul and the tough period in the Asian economy. (www.nike.com) The U.S. market recession point was well expected since this market had grown so fast. Nike launching the m assive 3-year supply chain overhaul, which was well in advance of the competition, was not a productive strategy in short-term but its benefits are supposed to show up in the fiscal year 2002. (www.nike.com) Lastly the downside of the Asian economy was also predictable since this is  a market with big turnovers and risks. However, it was not expected to influence Nike as much as it did. Great companies are able to deal with such events and keep on growing. Nike managers did not pay enough attention to these facts and that was the main reason of their growth halt. (www.sgma.com) Even though Nike is currently growing in some areas of market, such as Europe, Asia, Latin America and the soccer and golf markets, overall they are standing still. (www.nike.com) Year 2001 is the proof of the above. In this year Nike forgot to compete mid- and low-priced footwear in the U.S. and they were not able to match their orders and production well, in which they were very successful in the past. Now, Nike has to face a big decision. They can accept the problems they have and let their business go slowly down, or keep excelling in some things, be average in others and stay at the point where they are now.  However, the best choice for Nike would be to find the solutions to their problems and start growing again. (www.msn.com) (www.sgma.com) CONCLUSION Nikes environment is very unstable and exposures companies to unexpected risks. Generally, Nike has been able to respond to these changes (except few exceptions) by their creativity and flexibility. This company tries to prevent a direct impact of these changes on them by externalizing risk. Despite these facts, Nikes expansion is not as significant as it is expected to be. This is caused by some of their internal weakness and external changes. However, they still remain number 1 in the world footwear market. (Company Profiles For Students) BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Company Profiles For Students vol.2 m-z 1999 1st ed. P. 944-949 2. www.proquest.com 3. www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/5232/ 4. www.sgma.com 5. www.centrum.sk 6. www.zoznam.sk 7. www.freespace.virgin.net/g.hirst 8. www.fisonline.com 9. www.statcan.ca 10. www.moneycentral.msn.co.uk 11. www.msn.com 12. www.nike.com 13. www.niketown.com 14. www.nikebiz.com 15. www.sme.sk 16. www.pravda.sk 17. www.referat.sk 18. Reed Elsevier, 2000