Negative Effects Of Vaccinations - 1524 Words

The discovery of vaccines is one of the biggest medical achievements of the 20th century. Ever since the experiment performed by Edward Jenner where he inoculated a boy with cowpox to gain immunity from deadly smallpox, the vaccination has greatly reduced the rate of infection and death by vaccine-preventable diseases. However, when receiving the vaccination became a compulsory law in the mid-1800’s in the UK, protestors shot up expressing that the laws go against their civil liberty. This was the beginning of the anti-vaccination movement, a movement which has not ceased to this day, full of people with deeply rooted beliefs that vaccinations aren’t as beneficial as the general public believes they are. The anti-vax movement, a small yet†¦show more content†¦In the United States alone there are 30,000 deaths annually that could be have been saved by a simple vaccine. Another reason for immunity decline is the article published on the research done by Andrew Wakefield in 1998 on the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine and its contents causing autisms. This claim caused a decrease in MMR vaccines, especially in the UK. And because measles is highly exploitative even in the smallest decrease in population immunity it resurfaced and ended up killing two children. Wakefield’s credentials are now stripped and the research discredited because all 12 cases were based on parents recalls or beliefs and not one of the cases studied were left unaltered. However, it gave momentum to the anti-vaccination movement and it is still a common reason used by parents to avoid vaccinating their child because mass media allows false information to spread quickly and be blown out of proportion. The internet allows anybody to look up any information whether credible or not, leading to citizen doing their research on vaccines, feeding into the false ideas and potentially increasing the number of anti-vaxxers that weren’t originally opposed to vaccines. Many parents are also concerned with the idea that too many vaccines can cause an â€Å"immune system overload†. This idea causes parents to either push off the immunizations until they believe their child’s immune system is strong enough toShow MoreRelatedNegative Effects of Vaccinations Essay1067 Words   |  5 Pages A parent can’t go a week without hearing about vaccinations and the problems they will cause our children. Generally the advertised negative effects of the vaccinations are immediate, whereas others may indicate they cause problems later in life. In the day and age of the internet, what is a person to do? Get informed. Don’t take the information that is presented to you on Facebook, Twitter, email, or through the grapevine as science. Vaccinations have become a very taboo subject for parents todayRead MoreVaccinations Should Be Mandatory Vaccinations1495 Words   |  6 PagesThe government should mandate vaccinations, and although it woul d sacrifice the liberty and choice for public health it would keep the well-being and health of everyone much more safe and away from the risk of disease. Most people agree that vaccinations should be mandated because of how being vaccinated keeps people safer in public environments since being vaccinated helps stop diseases from being spread, as proven by science, but people who do not agree with vaccination mandation most of the timeRead MoreVaccinations For A Healthy Lifestyle1656 Words   |  7 Pageson vaccinations to be maintain a healthy lifestyle. Although vaccinations can fight off disease they can also affect kids in negative ways. There are also parents who depend on certain vaccinations too much which can cause more problems in the long run. As the amount of kids who are not vaccinated grows, the amount of diseases that were once wiped away start to return. When kids are born they are right away taken to get vaccinations. One of the reasons that young kids need more va ccinations is becauseRead MoreThe Importance Of Vaccinations1372 Words   |  6 PagesVaccinations have proven time and time again to be an effective form of preventive medicine, but in recent research it has been associated with serious developmental problems. The controversy over whether childhood vaccines are actually the cause of these development issues has been an ongoing debate for 2 centuries and is even more prominent in society now as more research is becoming available to the public, even if some of it says there is no link between the two. Parents and guardians now alsoRead MoreCompulsory Vaccinations And The Public Health Intervention Essay1324 Words   |  6 Pagescontroversy is when it comes to compulsory vaccinations, the public health intervention will always have negative or harmful effects in combination with the benefits of compulsory vaccinations. For those that stand behind the argument that immunizations are unnecessary in our children, have argued that the vaccine industry has misrepresented the safety of vaccines. They also have argued that they have covered up information regarding certain vaccinations to gain from the financial standard. In orderRead MoreThe Case Of Mandatory Vaccination922 Words   |  4 Pagestherefore we must further justify a policy of mandatory vaccination. Further justification for mandatory vaccinations is logically discerned by reading John Stuart Mill’s and Arthur Okun’s views on rights. In On Liberty, Mill articulates that the only form of acceptable coercion is through the â€Å"harm principle† or â€Å"other regarding.† This translates as no one can or should want to harm their neighbor; therefore, society can willingly accept vaccination to protect others (Colgrove 2006, 4). Opponents argueRead MoreShould Children Vaccinations Be Mandatory?1492 Words   |  6 Pagesdeveloping vaccinations that help the body create antibodies, which help fight away diseases, and give the body immunity. I believe that forced vaccinations in children should be mandatory as they have the potential to prevent life threatening diseases, and save countless lives. Though many are against forced vaccinations and say they can cause mental illnesses or brain damage, this has not been proven. The rewards far out way the slight r isk, if risk at all of the vaccination having side effects. TheRead MoreEssay The Review Adverse Effects of Vaccines1390 Words   |  6 Pageswhat it does. Nonetheless, there are times when this extent of autonomy may be skewed by beliefs and ideas that may not be entirely accurate. For instance, in the past decade or so, there had been a widespread belief among opposers of mandatory vaccinations and vaccines in general that the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine caused autism in children as a result of a misleading report by Andrew Wakefield of the U.K. Because of Wakefield’s report in The Lancet, which has since been disprovenRead MoreThe Importance Of Vaccination1241 Words   |  5 Pagesbecause they do not believe in vaccination? Vaccinations help save lives by building immunity to deadly diseases, but people are willing to risk lives just because their political beliefs or religious beliefs or skepticism keeps them from vaccinating their children. To make sure everyone in the community is safe from certain diseases, the government needs to make most vaccinations mandatory for every child. There are already a few state mandates regarding vaccinations needed, such as DTaP, HepatitisRead MoreThe Effects Of Vaccination And Its Effects On Children1728 Words   |  7 Pagesvaccinate yourself/ your child has become a very important question to ask yourself. With recent news of vaccinations having a possible link to autism and many other negative side effects, it has become increasingly more important to weigh the risks and the rewards of vaccinations. While this may be a risk, the risk of zero vaccinations worldwide would have an exponentially larger and more negative effect on the majority of the world. Vacinations are the key to achieving longevity in life not only for one

The Founding Fathers The Politicians Who Led Colonial...

Alan Taylor writes, â€Å"The Founding Fathers-the politicians who led colonial assemblies and congresses-did not distinguish themselves with self-discipline. [During the boycott of English goods to protest colonial restriction], Thomas Jefferson imported British glass windows for his mansion at Monticello.†(Taylor 53) This is one example of the contradicting era of cultural development in 18th century America: the continuation of closeness to England, and the steady distancing of the American colonists from the British. For the majority of the 18th century, colonial America sprouted shocking ideas of the power of the individual through events like the Great Awakening and Enlightenment, and the emergence of parties such as the Whigs. Meanwhile, they continued to hold close ties to their mother country through imitative actions caused by the mercantilist policies controlling trade and taxes. Although mercantilism imposed by the British brought the colonies and England closer, t he ideas of individual liberty and choice that arose in pre-Revolutionary America including the Great Awakening, Enlightenment, and Whig ideologies divided them. These conflicting movements led to an era of dynamic cultural growth in which the colonies both grew closer and further apart from Britain. The ideas of individuality that emerged as a result of the Enlightenment and Great Awakening pushed American colonists to question and distance themselves from the monarchical English rule of society and theShow MoreRelatedEssay on Period 3 Test7186 Words   |  29 PagesSmallpox was a continuous danger to Charleston 2. During the 1780s, which of the following was the most widespread crop cultivated by slaves in North America? a. Wheat b. Sugar c. Tobacco d. Cotton 3. Following the American Revolution, many Founding Fathers believed which of the following? a. Slavery would gradually disappear in the United States. b. The freeing of slaves should be outlawed. c. Slavery would be the foundation of the American economy. d. Freed slaves deserved government reparationsRead MoreRevisiting, Revising, and Reviving Americas Founding Era6252 Words   |  26 PagesRevolution. Except for an occasional media event such as Mel Gibsons film The Patriot, the Revolution has not come close to matching the fascination with the Civil War, as a visit to the history section of any bookstore will attest.(2) The Founding Fathers would be surprised by our certainty, for they themselves were confused about the course of human events they had engineered, the very drama in which they starred. The glum, somewhat plaintive exchange quoted at the outset of this essay betweenRead MoreThe Swadeshi Movement and the Boycott of Imported Items in 1907 in India5612 Words   |  23 PagesLal Bal Pal (Hindi: à ¤ ²Ã  ¤ ¾Ã  ¤ ² à ¤ ¬Ã  ¤ ¾Ã  ¤ ² à ¤ ªÃ  ¤ ¾Ã  ¤ ², Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Bipin Chandra Pal) were the Swadeshi triumvirate who advocated the Swadeshi movement involving the boycott of all imported items and the use of Indian-made goods in 1907. The last years of the nineteenth century, saw a radical sensibility emerge among some Indian Intellectuals. This position burst onto the national all-India scene in 1905 with the Swadeshi movement - the term is usually rendered as self reliance or selfRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesafter 1870 as a predictable culmination of the long nineteenth century, which was ushered in by the industrial and political revolutions of the late 1700s. But at the same time, without serious attention to the processes and misguided policies that led to decades of agrarian and industrial depression from the late 1860s to the 1890s, as well as the social tensions and political rivalries that generated and were in turn fed by imperialist expansionism, one cannot begin to comprehend the causes andRead MoreLenin13422 Words   |  54 PagesSpouse(s) | Nadezhda Krupskaya (married 1898–1924) | Profession | Lawyer, revolutionary, politician | Religion | None (atheist) | Signature | | Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (Russian: Ð’Ð »Ã °Ã ´Ã ¸Ã ¼Ã ¸Ã'€ ИÐ »Ã'Å'Ð ¸Ã'‡ ЛÐ µÃ ½Ã ¸Ã ½, IPA:  [vlÉ Ã‹Ë†dÊ ²imÊ ²Ã‰ ªr É ªlÊ ²Ã‹Ë†jitÍ ¡Ã‰â€¢ ˈlÊ ²enÊ ²Ã‰ ªn]  ( listen); born Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, Russian: Ð’Ð »Ã °Ã ´Ã ¸Ã ¼Ã ¸Ã'€ ИÐ »Ã'Å'Ð ¸Ã'‡ Ð £Ã »Ã'Å'Ã' Ã ½Ã ¾Ã ²; 22 April  [O.S. 10 April]  1870  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ 21 January 1924) was a Russian communist revolutionary, politician and political theorist. He served as the leader of the Russian SFSR from 1917, and then

Importance of Budgeting and Cash Flowing Within the Health Care

Question: Discuss about the Importance of Budgeting and Cash Flowing Within the Health Care Sector in Singapore. Answer: Introduction Singapore is recognised to offer universal coverage for the healthcare facilities for its citizens. The budgeting system in the health care is seen to be distributed in form of twin philosophy known as affordable health for all and individual responsibility. The adherence of a mixed philosophy is able to make the best use of financing system. Budgeting and maintaining a cash flow is important for the considering the contribution of health expenditure in the GDP of the country. At present the healthcare expenditures form about 4% of the total GDP (Hamza, Mutala Antwi, 2015). Understanding of fundamental financial management concepts and how they apply within a health care In general, most of the healthcare organizations are seen to adopt accrual accounting concept to match the expenses and income for arriving at the correct value of profit. In the past, such organizations adopted cash basis accounting. In majority of the health services the ledger accounts are grouped as per assets, liabilities, equity funds, revenues and expenses. The non-profit health care organizations are seen to use single entry recording (Asher, Bali Kwan, 2015). Critical analysis of financial management risk and change management strategies Therisk management is taken in situations when the healthcare faces hostile financial environment critical to accounting of costs. To mitigate such problems, the providers are able to redesign the financial functions for the recognition of the changes in the financial environment. In the recent times, the service providers are redesigning the changes in the financial systems which may have a detrimental effect on the financial management. In addition to this, for mitigating the various types of the current challenges related to the healthcare industry the riskmanagement is seen with protecting the investment in the subsidiaries (Jaafar, Bakar Awaludin, (2016). Financial modelling techniques and when and how they should be applied The purpose of good practice is seen to guide the processes and procedures which can effectively manage the budgets. This can provide the information on the budget virement process. A good financial management system is able to track the resource utilisation which is important for the taking remedial action where needed. Thefinancial management concept such as cash basis accounting is the method when the income is recorded at the time when the cash is received. The expenses are recorded at the time when they are paid, without considering the time to which they apply. On the contrary, the accrual method of accounting is applied when the income and expenses are recognised within the specific time and when revenue were earned. In addition to this, this financial modelling needs to be applied at the time when the expenses were incurred. Under this model the inventories and the stocks left at the end of the period, should not be counted as an expense (Kwan et al., 2016). Application of effective financial planning skills and processes The effectiveness in finance budgeting in healthcare is aligned with rolling forecasts, detailed budgets and multi-year plans. The statistically driven approach would allow for what-if modelling. In addition to this, some of the other benefits are seen with incorporation of service line analytics to refine the projections. The statement of the cash budget and the planning is effective with the preparation of the cash budget for examining both types of the cash flows. The statement of the cash flows looks backward to the actual events set in the past. In addition to this, the cash budget is aimed at forecasting the cash flows and budget. This is used with the conjunction of planning and control for comparing the actual and the planned forecasts. This planning is conducive for the decisions and adjustments related to the activities and resource allocation as per the results (Tan Low, 2016). Application of financial management concepts in the development of the budgeting and cash flow within the health care sector in Singapore There needs to be a multilayer affordability aspect maintained in the health care industry. In addition to this, the treatment of the drugs needs to be followed with cost effective and at a subsidised rate. The developmental aspect needs further seen to be considered with segregating the bills in terms of inpatient and outpatient bills. The selection of the costly outpatients bills needs to be covered with MediShield Life. Since the launch in the late 2015, the Singaporeans and the various types of the senior are able to benefit from the better support and assurance. This support needs to be considered by taking the assistance from considering the Specialist Outpatient Clinics (SOCs) and polyclinics which are operated in Singapore (Brooks, 2015). Conclusion The various types of the discourse about understanding of fundamental financial management concepts are considered with the adoption of accrual accounting concepts to match the expenses and income for arriving at the correct value of profit. Moreover, critical analysis of financial management risk and change management strategies are considered with recognition of the changes in the financial environment. In addition to this, financial modelling techniques are applied with the expenses recorded at the time when they are paid and expenses when are applied. It needs to be also seen that effectiveness in finance budgeting in healthcare is aligned with rolling forecasts and application of statistically driven process. References Asher, M. G., Bali, A. S., Kwan, C. Y. (2015). Public financial management in Singapore: key characteristics and prospects.The Singapore Economic Review,60(03), 1550032. Brooks, R. (2015).Financial management: core concepts. Pearson. Hamza, K., Mutala, Z., Antwi, S. K. (2015). Cash Management Practices And Financial Performance Of Small And Medium Enterprises (SMEs) In The Northern Region Of Ghana.International Journal of Economics, Commerce and Management,3(7), 456-480. Jaafar, S., Bakar, N. S., Awaludin, N. S. (2016).Budget Awareness and Knowledge of Small Trader: A Preliminary Study. Kwan, C. Y., Bali, A. S., Asher, M. G. (2016). Organization and reporting of public financial accounts: insights and policy implications from the Singapore budget.Australian Journal of Public Administration,75(4), 409-423. Tan, B. S., Low, K. Y. (2016). Budgeting Practice in SingaporeAn Exploratory Study Using a Survey.

True Beauty free essay sample

Is beauty the cutest cat moaning and stroking your leg when you have PJs on in bed? Is beauty an armless soldier coming back from the battlefield, after pushing away his friend at the moment when a missile was falling to the ground? Do you think the African children who have been suffering from starvation since the day they were born have the same standard as we have for estimating what beauty is? It is more likely that, rather than a charming body; a bowl of cooked rice with meat would describe beauty in their eyes. The question is what is beauty? Is beauty in the eyes of the beholder? It seems funny when people look back in time and see how people dressed, because beauty changes with time just like everything else. True beauty cannot be represented by a plain person spending his life savings to go through a painful briar patch of body modifications. We will write a custom essay sample on True Beauty or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He hopes he is achieving a perfectly sexy body that he believes will be physically attractive when judged by the standards that we have been brainwashed to believe by all the media today. The common concept of beauty is a perception evolutionally determined by the perspective given according to the era and the area people live in and the standards they believe. Curiously, is there a kind of beauty that all humanity agrees on, which is beyond life and death, evil and justice, gender and color that is not changed by time? Yes, there is! It came from the day that God created humans with the ability to think. Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart. Kahlil Gibran (1) The best part of beauty is that which no picture can express. — P. C. Cast (Betrayed (House of Night, #2)) (1) True beauty shows neither in our appearance nor the clothes that we wear. It is represented by our inner spirit. When we turn away from our worldly obsessions and all they represent, then it is possible for our spirit to begin to dominate our behavior and thoughts. Our spirit is the blessed gift given to us by a deity. It is an inner power of humankind that unconsciously transforms us. Spirit is beauty that follows truth in our ego- driven flesh. This beauty has existed since the day we were born, but it only begins to awaken after we are mature enough and understand this revelation. Once we understand our true potential and begin to chase what our hearts direct us toward, beauty springs internally from us. It shines our light of inner beauty on the people surrounding us. Our society develops on a continuous stream of changing styles: curled hair to straight, motorcycles to cars. What value is there in these pursuits? They are nothing more than fads. Where can we place our eternal mark to show we have been here that will honor these past times and this beauty? Our beauty should be found in external, physical pursuits. It is in our spirit that we find true love, true beauty, complete fulfillment, and the source of our energy. If one day we dare to release the need to satisfy our worldly identity then embrace the truth and clarity of inner beauty, our whole lives will change forever. Bibliography 1. http://www. goodreads. com/search? q=inner+beautyamp;search%5Bsource%5D=goodreadsamp;search_type=quotesamp;tab=quotes— P. C. Cast (Betrayed (House of Night, #2)) (2) — P. C. Cast (Betrayed (House of Night, #2)) (2) . Goodreads, n. d. Web. 9 May 2013.

Critical Thinking Reflection Paper Essay Essays

Critical Thinking Reflection Paper Essay Essays Critical Thinking Reflection Paper Essay Paper Critical Thinking Reflection Paper Essay Paper Essay Topic: Critical Thinking The inquiry that I selected is â€Å"Will having a college grade better your calling chances? † The obvious reply to this inquiry is yes. However. I want to be certain of my reply by endorsing it up with critical thought accomplishments to find that I have come up with the right reply. One measure to critical thought is doing certain that one’s reply can be good supported by factual information. A false belief is an statement that is based on a weak statement with small to no supportive factual information. To do certain that my reply to the above inquiry is a valid statement. I would necessitate to carry on research and list all of the information that I find. I may look into statistical information such as the employment rate of those with college grades as compared to those without a college grade in a peculiar calling field. Another facet of critical thought is look intoing one’s replies and finding that they are good supported and good researched thoughts. It is of import to inquiries one ain thoughts and looking at them from a disbelieving point of position to happen any failings in the statement. This procedure can be applied to any country of life where a determination must be made. To guarantee that I continue to utilize critical thought accomplishments throughout my life I can pattern utilizing critical thought for simple state of affairss. hence doing critical believing a wont instead than a forced idea.

Famous Examples of Early Interracial Marriage

Famous Examples of Early Interracial Marriage The U.S. Supreme Court did not lift the nationwide ban on interracial marriage until June 12, 1967. But years before the high court’s pivotal decision, dozens of celebrities in and out of Hollywood partnered with couples of different racial backgrounds. This list includes 12  actors, athletes, authors, singers and socialites collectively who crossed the color line for love long before interracial marriage became widely accepted. Jack Johnson’s White Wives During a time in which black men could be lynched for even looking at a white woman the â€Å"wrong way,† boxer Jack Jackson started romantic relationships with several white women. After romancing a series of prostitutes who were black and white alike, Johnson married New York socialite Etta Terry Duryea  in Pittsburgh in January 1911. The couple tried to keep their marriage a secret, but a year after the interracial couple tied the knot word of their union spread back to Brooklyn. The abusive nature of her relationship with Johnson, the death of her father, disapproval of her interracial marriage and a history of depression all likely contributed to Duryea’s decision to kill herself in September 1912. Just weeks after Duryea’s suicide, Johnson started a romance with 18-year-old white prostitute Lucille Cameron. Due to outrage over his relationship, Johnson was arrested for breaking the Mann Act, which made it illegal to travel across state lines â€Å"for the purpose of prostitution or debauchery, or for any other immoral purpose,† according to PBS. When broadly applied, the Mann Act could be used to outlaw all premarital and extramarital sexual relationships that involved interstate travel, PBS reported. On Dec. 4, 1912, Johnson married Cameron. The following year he was convicted of violating the Mann Act for his relationship with Cameron. The couple lived abroad for several years, with the boxer spending nine days in jail related to his Mann Act conviction. Cameron filed for divorce from Johnson four years later because the known womanizer had been unfaithful to her. In August 1925, Johnson married Irene Pineau, who was also white. Johnson and Pineau lived much of their marriage in Europe. They remained a couple until the boxer’s death in a car accident in 1946. In 1964, another man known for his fighting skills would marry interracially. That year Bruce Lee married Linda Emery, a white woman. The biopic â€Å"Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story† touches on some of the difficulties the interracial couple faced, including the disapproval of her parents. Kip Rhinelander Marries Mixed-Race Maid The New York social world was scandalized in Fall 1924 when Leonard Kip Rhinelander, heir to $100 million family fortune, married Alice Jones, a domestic and daughter of a black man and a white woman. Rhinelander, 21 at the time of his marriage, had suffered from anxiety and met Jones during a hospital stay. â€Å"Initially he was just dallying with a servant, as was an aristocrat’s long-established privilege, but then affection had bloomed, and then everlasting true love,† the New York Daily News reported in a recap of the scandal in 1999. â€Å"The father had sent the boy out west for two years to get over his fool-headed infatuation. But ardor did not subside. Now Kip had returned east, and he and Alice had eloped.† At first, Rhinelander did not seem to care what society thought of his marriage. After six weeks of matrimony, however, Rhinelander did not come home to the small apartment he shared with Jones and filed to have his marriage to her annulled. Rhinelander’s lawyers accused Jones of concealing her Caribbean heritage and passing for white to lure him into a romantic relationship. The jurors ultimately sided with Jones but not before she was subjected to the humiliating task of disrobing before them to prove that Rhinelander must have known that she was a woman of color all along. In 1929, Rhinelander and Jones finalized their divorce, with the latter receiving a small monthly pension for her trouble. Rhinelander died of pneumonia seven years later at the age of 33. Jones lived until 1989. Neither remarried. Richard Wright’s Interracial Marriages Richard Wright, the author of literary classics Black Boy and Native son, married twice- both to white women of Russian Jewish ancestry. On Aug. 12, 1939, Wright married Dhimah Meidman, a ballet dancer. At first, he kept the marriage under wraps, reluctant to let the public know about his nuptials to a white woman. The marriage disintegrated after just a year in part because Wright felt that his wife expected to him provide a lavish lifestyle her. Moreover, his relationship with Meidman overlapped with his relationship with Ellen Poplar (also known as Polpowitz), an organizer for the Communist Party. Wright had been involved with Poplar prior to proposing to Meidman. When Wright separated from Meidman, he and Poplar resumed their romance, living together before they wed on March 12, 1941, in Coytesville, N.J. None of his family members were present nor was his close friend Richard Ellison, the author of Invisible Man fame who’d served as best man at Wright’s first weddi ng. According to the book Richard Wright: The Life and Times, Wright feared that his marriage to yet another white woman would make headlines. That book also revealed that Poplar’s family largely disowned her for deciding to marry a black man. Her father never met Wright and her sister cut off contact with Poplar because of the interracial union, according to the biography. Poplar’s brother did support the relationship, however. Wright and his bride would spend most of their lives in France. They had two children, Julia and Rachel. Wright was far from the only African writer to marry interracially before blacks fully realized their civil rights in the U.S. African American. Maya Angelou married Enistasious Tosh Angelos in 1951, Lorraine Hansberry married Robert Nemiroff in 1953, and in March 1967, just months before the U.S. Supreme Court lifted the ban on interracial marriage, Alice Walker married Melvyn Lowenthal. Lena Horne Keeps Marriage Secret Actress and singer Lena Horne married Lennie Hayton, a white man, and her manager, in 1947, but kept the marriage a secret for three years. When the public found out about their interracial marriage three years later, the couple not only received criticism but threats and obscene mail as well, according to the New York Times. â€Å"Mr. Hayton built a wall around their California house and bought a shotgun,† the Times reported Horne said that she and her husband had some rocky times because of racism. She told the Times she sometimes viewed her husband as â€Å"foreign white creature.† Other times she took out the rage she had against white racists on her husband. She also admitted to marrying Hayton for opportunistic reasons. â€Å"At first, I became involved because I thought Lennie would be useful to my career,† she said. â€Å"He could get me into places no black manager could. It was wrong of me, but as a black woman, I knew what I had against me. He was a nice man who wasnt thinking all these things, and because he was a nice man and because he was in my corner, I began to love him.† Several actors and singers married across the color line during this period, including Diahann Carroll, who married Monte Kay in 1956; Sammy Davis Jr., who married May Britt in 1960, Eartha Kitt, who married John William McDonald in 1960; Tyne Daly, a white actress who married Georg Stanford Brown, an Afro-Cuban, in 1966.

SWOT Analysis in Nestle Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

SWOT Analysis in Nestle - Case Study Example In a recent research carried out by the company, almost 60% of the world population must have consumed or benefited from one of the company's brand3. Most of its brands are billion sellers, and some of the brands are popular than the company itself. Some brands are only available in certain parts of the world. The company is one good corporation promoting diversity, the shareholders, and the employees come from different part of the world. The company has millions of undistributed profit, a portfolio balance sheet in billions of dollars4. Through Creating Shared Value, Nestl links its operations to long-term value both for its business and for society as a whole, and defines its success in terms of internal financial returns and external social and economic results. Ultimately, creating shared value acknowledges both the work that corporations need to do to reduce negative impacts on society as well as, and more fundamentally, how they can be part of progress on global challenges5. The SWOT Analysis, or sometimes known as the TOWS Matrix, is a strategic planning, competitive and analytic weapon used to evaluate the S trengths, W eaknesses, O pportunities, and T hreats involved in a project or business venture6. Market analysis of competitors, suppliers, customers and potential opportunities has long been a competitive preparation of the staple firm7. As the struggle for product development and market shar... 1.2 Applying the SWOT Metrix The SWOT Analysis, or sometimes known as the TOWS Matrix, is a strategic planning, competitive and analytic weapon used to evaluate the S trengths, W eaknesses, O pportunities, and T hreats involved in a project or business venture6. Market analysis of competitors, suppliers, customers and potential opportunities has long been a competitive preparation of the staple firm7. As the struggle for product development and market shares continue, firms often perform market analysis of their competitor's strength, opportunities, and weaknesses and threats in order to know how to formulate and implement subsequent strategies8. However, in the theory of perfect competition and major strategic theories it is assume firms know their industry and competitors fairly well. Anderton, (2006) postulated that firms engage in competitive analysis to gain a better understanding of their competitors' resources, capabilities, and strategies. Smith et al. (1992) went further to detail how firms in the airline industry initiate strategies and respond to competitors' strategies. Thomas et al., (1993) went further to illustrate the importance of competitor's analysis.The perception of similarities and differences among competing firms can drastically affect the types of competitive behaviors in which a firm engages9. By doing competitive analysis firms are better placed to do ma rket segmentation, develop their core products and competences and be more opportunistic in their environment. Figure 1., below provide an in-depth analysis of Nestle strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Weaknesses Opportunities Major competitors have strong holding some countries and market segment. Some products have not been quite

Cultural Differences and People Management ,self reflection Essay

Cultural Differences and People Management ,self reflection - Essay Example During the training session I was able to learn that culture is not just a characteristic of individual but it is a characteristic of individuals that share the same ideas in the group. As culture is learned, I was able to figure out that during time with my friends, colleagues, family and other groups that individual becomes a member of; the individual learns the culture from them in order to have share common ideas and values. I have also learnt that culture plays a dominant role in affecting the motivation level of an individual along with personality and attitude of individual. Since culture helps an individual to change his/her behaviour regarding things, it is considered as an important factor for success in daily life. After understanding the concept of culture, I was able to understand the importance of culture in daily life. The first and the foremost important thing about culture is that it creates bond between people and group. This bond helps in bringing the people together. It is not just a bond but it provides the individual with the identity and helps in building a personality which helps the individual to distinguish himself from others in the community. I have also been able to understand that how culture shapes the standards and behaviour of an individual. For an individual, culture acts as a system of social control. As the life of an individual revolves around the culture learnt from older generation in the form of language, art and religion it helps the individual to make crucial decisions in one’s life. Cultural difference occurs when there is a difference in culture, race or any other factor that might lead to different perception regarding others in the workplace (Gellner, 1983). I have learnt that individual belong from different cultures which help the individual to create his/her unique identity in the group, it is quite important to accept and appreciate others culture. By doing so, an individual can create a bond between

Early Reading Program Essay Example for Free

Early Reading Program Essay The article Experts Eschew Narrow Reading of Early-Literacy Study by Kathleen Kennedy Manzo discusses an important topic, focused on promoting programs for pre-schoolers that will enhance their reading skills by the time they reach their elementary years. â€Å"A long-promised review of early-reading research concludes that teaching the alphabet and letter sounds in preschool strengthens children’s chances of success in learning to read later on† (Manzo, 2009). This is an interesting article because it clearly demonstrates how these children will benefit the early literacy programs since these will help them read better and faster. The programs will help secure these children a good future because these will ensure them of a good education that can train them as early as their pre-school years. However, these early literacy programs present problems for children, as well as to educators. For the children, these programs might put too much pressure on them. Their freedom to learn things at their own pace will be taken away. At such an early age, children will be exposed to structured learning and might become used to this type of education, which is not a good thing since not all academic institutions offer the same type. For the educators, the challenge will be to design the programs in such a way that the children will not lose interest, at the same time will be beneficial to them. Education is a significant part of securing a good future. It will improve ones chances of obtaining jobs that can support him or her financially. It can also help a person realize what he or she wants to do in life and maximize his or her potentials to the fullest. Early literacy programs should be carefully planned such that minimal problems will be met along the way. This is important in order to not jeopardize the childrens academic lives and ultimately, their future. Reference Manzo, K. K. (2009, January 21). Experts Eschew Narrow Reading of Early-Literacy Study. Retrieved June 5, 2009, from http://www. edweek. org/ew/articles/2009/01/08/18read. h28. html

Emotional Responsiveness Paper -- self-regulation, emotional awareness

â€Å"You’re mean†, I said to my mother with tears rolling down my face, head down and arms folded, while sitting on my bed. My mother walked over to me and sat on my bed. She placed her hand on my leg and said, â€Å"Do you really think I’m mean if so can you express why?† I responded with my head still down, â€Å"No.† My mother raised my head and said, â€Å"Regina, I just want you to understand that if I say no to something it is not because I am trying to hurt you, it is because I am trying to keep you safe. Just know that I have your best interest at heart.† I hugged my mother and told her that I was sorry and that I loved her. Growing up my parents reacted in many different ways to my emotions. They responded to my emotions verbally and nonverbally. When I was a toddler I spent most of my time with my mother therefore she was the person who responded to my emotions the most. She would often respond verbally. She often times talked me through my emotions so she could find out what was really wrong, and also allowed me to express myself calmly and appropriately. If I was to have an outburst or tantrum she would often ask me questions, like, â€Å"Regina are you angry? Which gave me the opportunity to identify my feelings and or actions with words and she would never deny my feelings during these outbursts or tantrums but would just allow me to work it out or rather let it all out, which is what she would say. As I got older, teenage years to be exact, I and my parents had a couple of rough times; however, I am sure it is normal for teenagers to give their parents a decent hard time. When situations would arise when I would argue and fight with my siblings, my parents would always express to us that it was okay to disagree and voi ce how we feel ... ...cannot change, and taking control of my environment. Using these strategies in handling my stress in a more positive healthy way would make me more comfortable and aid in my ongoing process of being emotionally safe. Becoming more emotionally aware and self-regulated would impact me greatly with working with children. If I am more emotionally aware I would be able to focus more on the child’s needs and what they need to accomplish. To connect with others, we must first be in touch with ourselves. Being emotionally aware, I would be able to teach the children how to communicate their feelings with words in an acceptable manner. My skills on self-regulation and emotional awareness would also impact my interaction with children because I would know to understand and accept the child’s point of view as well as my own but also hold myself and the child to my teachings.

Aesthetics And Beauty In Society Essay

Introduction Contemporary society has one of its implicit norms concepts on aesthetics and beauty. When beauty is spoken of, some of us have the immediate conceptions of physical fitness, dieting, and satisfaction with our appearances. Media has been successful at ingraining the ideals in each one of these criteria. We are thus acculturated to thinking that beautiful is tall, thin, and is a health buff in terms of diet. Are perceptions or evaluations of each of these variables gendered? To find out the answer to this question, an empirical study was conducted among Philadelphia residents to determine if they had significant differences in their evaluations of the following variables: 1) satisfaction with their present weight; 2) perceptions on their consumption of a healthy diet; and 3) perceptions of their level of physical fitness. The selection of respondents has been done through convenience sampling, where the questionnaires were deployed to immediate family, acquaintances, and colleagues at work. The portion of the questionnaire which shall be discussed in the current paper is the one which focused on the three variables outlined above. Thus, the independent variable is gender while the dependent variables are 1) satisfaction with their present weight; 2) perceptions on their consumption of a healthy diet; and 3) perceptions of their level of physical fitness. Hypotheses The following are the null and alternative hypotheses for testing significant differences between males and females for each of these variables: Satisfaction with Present Weight Null Hypothesis: There is no significant difference between males and females on their evaluations of satisfaction with their present weight. H0:mmales’ physical fitness = mfemales’ physical fitness Alternative Hypothesis: There is a significant difference between males and females on their evaluations of satisfaction with their present weight. Ha: mmales’ physical fitness  ¹ mfemales’ physical fitness Consumption of a Healthy Diet Null Hypothesis: There is no significant difference between males and females on their evaluations of their consumption of a healthy diet. Ho: mmales’ sat with weight = mfemales’ sat with weight Alternative Hypothesis: There is a significant difference between males and females on their evaluations of their consumption of a healthy diet. Ho: mmales’ sat with weight  ¹ mfemales’ sat with weight Level of Physical Fitness Null Hypothesis: There is no significant difference between males and females on their evaluations of their level of physical fitness. H0:mmales’ cons of healthy diet   = mfemales’ cons of healthy diet Alternative Hypothesis: There is a significant difference between males and females on their evaluations of their level of physical fitness. H0:mmales’ cons of healthy diet   Ã‚ ¹ mfemales’ cons of healthy diet Table 1 below is a synthesis of these hypotheses: Table 1. Summary of alternative and null hypotheses. Dependent Variable Independent Variable Null Hypothesis(H0)    Alternative Hypothesis (Ha)    Level of Physical Fitness Gender H0:mmales’ physical fitness = mfemales’ physical fitness Ha: mmales’ physical fitness  ¹ mfemales’ physical fitness Satisfaction with Present Weight Gender Ho: mmales’ sat with weight = mfemales’ sat with weight Ho: mmales’ sat with weight  ¹ mfemales’ sat with weight Level of Consumption of a Healthy Diet Gender H0:mmales’ cons of healthy diet   = mfemales’ cons of healthy diet    H0:mmales’ cons of healthy diet   Ã‚ ¹ mfemales’ cons of healthy diet    Methodology Convenience sampling has been used in the selection of the respondents for the survey. The lone criterion that has been utilized in their inclusion is the fact that they are Philadelphia residents. The respondents consisted of our immediate families, friends, colleagues and other acquaintances. The total number of respondents who participated in the study was 341. Of this number, 36% are males, while the remainder is females. The gender breakdown of the sample is depicted in Figure 1 below: Figure 1. Gender breakdown of respondents. Because non-probability sampling was used in the selection of respondents, this may have introduced sources of error into the outcomes of the study. First, the sample may not be representative of males and females in Philadelphia overall. The results may only be generalized and valid for the profile of the respondents who participated in the study. To determine the independent variable, there was a question that asked for the respondent’s gender. On the other hand, the three dependent variables have been measured through a 10-point Likert scale, with 1 indicating strong disagreement, to 10 suggesting strong agreement. Method of Data Analysis To yield the statistical computations and analysis, Microsoft Excel has been used. The statistical tool that was appropriate for the current study is the t-test for two independent samples. When using the tool itself, it appears as â€Å"t-test assuming equal variances† in the data analysis feature of MS Excel. The software automatically provides the t-computed and the t-critical from which one may determine if the outcomes are significant or not. All tests have been conducted using the .05 level of significance or the alpha level. This represents the probability of saying that the null hypothesis is true even upon rejection, or simply the likelihood of making a wrong conclusion. In cases where the probability value computed is less than the significance level, the results of the comparison are said to be significant and the null hypothesis is rejected. Another way of determining significance is to examine the t-computed and the t-critical, when the latter is less than the t-computed, then the outcomes of the comparison are also interpreted as significance. In effect, the null hypothesis is rejected. Results Level of Satisfaction with Present Weight Because of various factors including the media and culture itself, there seems to be more pressure among females to maintain only a certain body weight, which is deemed ‘socially acceptable’. If they do not, they seem to run the risk of being discriminated or to be undesirable in the eyes of males. It is thus expected that females will have a significantly lower mean compared to their male counterparts. Table 2 below shows the descriptive statistics of males with regards to their satisfaction of their present body weight. Table 2. Descriptive Statistics for Males’ Satisfaction with Present Weight.       Mean 6.72 Standard Error 0.26 Median 7.50 Mode 10.00 Standard Deviation 2.92 Sample Variance 8.55 Kurtosis -0.85 Skewness -0.59 Range 9.00 Minimum 1.00 Maximum 10.00 Sum 833.00 Count 124.00 Confidence Level(95.0%) 0.52 Figure 2. The figures above suggest that males have a mean of 6.72, measuring their average satisfaction on their present weight. The median is higher at 7.50. The most frequently occurring score is 10. There are 124 male respondents who garnered valid responses for this item. Table 3. Descriptive Statistics for Females’ Satisfaction with Present Height.       Mean 5.23 Standard Error 0.21 Median 5.00 Mode 1.00 Standard Deviation 3.06 Sample Variance 9.36 Kurtosis -1.31 Skewness 0.09 Range 9.00 Minimum 1.00 Maximum 10.00 Sum 1134.00 Count 217.00 Confidence Level(95.0%) 0.41 Figure 3. Table 3 above depicts the descriptive statistics for female respondents on the same item of satisfaction with their current weight. The mean is 5.23 which is lower than those of males. The median is lower than the mean at 5.00. Finally, the most frequently occurring score is 1.00. There are a total of 217 females who responded to the item. Table 3. T-test for satisfaction with present weight.    Male Female Mean 6.7177419 5.225806 Variance 8.5456989 9.360812 Observations 124 217 Pooled Variance 9.0650633    Hypothesized Mean Difference 0    df 339    t Stat 4.4017781    P(T

Advertising to Lgbt Community

Advertising to LGBT community: Producing ads that cater to gay audience is complex, and neither the pro- nor the anti-gay market view appears to be adequately addressing the issues. The problem seems to be that both demand that advertisements show life not â€Å"it should be† rather than how â€Å"it is†. We have observed in various case studies that we have followed in our course of ‘Integrated Marketing Communication’ that advertisers mostly tend to show lives a shade brighter than it really is, especially in those campaigns where we are trying to sell products by making the consumer feel good about themselves.This approach however leads to the LGBT invisibility and homophobic representations. Even when the LGBT people are identified as target segment or forming some part of the target segment, stereotype creeps into the picture. In the next segment, we talk about stereotype in marketplace. The Stereotype in marketplace Stereotype haunts LGBT people not o nly in streets but also in media and in marketplace. In marketplace, stereotyping may not be because of a bias or a preconceived notion about the community. It can be because of incomplete information – a bane for any marketer.For instance, we have already discussed that collecting gay and lesbian demographic data is way too difficult. Although law is more favorable and dare we say accepting to the community, cultural issues still hinder people to come all out about their ‘unconventional’ sexual and gender orientations. Now this difficulty in gathering data has consequences, such as that people of modest income and poorer people are ignored as part of the gay market. They are hence absent from gay images in marketing, as they usually are in mainstream ads.Economic stereotype An ideal gay consumer would usually be stereotyped as affluent, educated, and childless. This apparently contrasts with better representative observations of gay, lesbian, and bisexual consum ers. As the famous economics professor Lee Badgett in his paper â€Å"Income Inflation: The Myth of Affluence among Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Americans,† notes: â€Å"Gay, lesbian, and bisexual people do not earn more than heterosexual people; gay, lesbian, and bisexual people do not live in more affluent households than heterosexual eople; two studies show that gay men earn less than similarly qualified heterosexual men. Gay, lesbian, and bisexual people are found throughout the spectrum of income distribution: some are poor, a few are rich, and most are somewhere in the middle, along with most heterosexual people. † As it is widely observable fact that on an average, women get paid lesser than men in similar jobs in most part of the world, a female homosexual household would obviously be poorer than their male counterpart or a heterosexual household.Also, female homosexual couple is more likely to have children than a male homosexual household and so on. Behavioral stereotype: In media gay men are often portrayed as sissies, gaudy flamers, intimidating, always on the prowl and/or pedophilic sexual predators. Similarly lesbians are depicted mostly as misandrist feminists and (worst of all) as an object of heterosexual men’s feminine fantasies. Challenge to advertisers Big task of advertisers here, would be to distance themselves from these preconceived imagery and to produce a gay image of relevance yet recognizable.

The Demise of De Luxe

The Demise of De Luxe The Demise of De Luxe The Demise of De Luxe By Maeve Maddox In a conversation about hotels the other evening, I heard a woman say â€Å"the lobby was luxe.† I’d never heard luxe without the de. At least not in English. In the French expression the de is a preposition and the luxe is a noun, literally â€Å"of luxury.† In English wed say luxurious. Following French usage, the OED entry gives de luxe as two words and classifies it as an adjective phrase. Merriam-Webster spells deluxe as one word and defines it as â€Å"notably luxurious or elegant; sumptuous or elaborate.† Booksellers have long offered deluxe editions of popular books and the label has spread to other products: The terms special edition, limited edition and variants such as deluxe edition, collectors edition and others, are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as books, prints or recorded music and films, but now including cars, fine wine and other products. Wikipedia Apparently just plain luxe enjoys wide popularity. Numerous hotels call themselves Luxe Hotel. Luxe and deluxe bump up against each other in newspaper coverage, for example this story in the San Francisco Business Times uses â€Å"luxe† in the headline and â€Å"deluxe† in the story S.F. tower to become luxe hotel (headline) Partners will likely shell out an additional $500 a square foot to convert it from an empty ATT office to the deluxe downtown destination. I came across a hotel site (Maddens on Gull Lake) that offers luxury accommodations, premium accommodations and deluxe accommodations. The word luxe derives from Latin luxus, â€Å"excess† or â€Å"abundance.† I plan to keep putting a de with my luxe. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:10 Rules for Writing Numbers and Numerals"Latter," not "Ladder"The Difference Between "Un-" and "Dis-"

ESL Newscast Lesson Plan

ESL Newscast Lesson Plan Media is an ever-present reality and one that students are intimately familiar with. As such, diving into the media landscape offers multiple avenues for interesting lessons that will hold students attention. You can start by studying media-related words so that students are familiar with the basics. From there, lesson plans can revolve around anything from watching news videos on YouTube to publishing a class newspaper. One activity that helps students cover a variety of media related themes is to have students create and act out a newscast. The larger the class, the more roles students can take on. Perhaps your class might even put up the final version online. ESL Newscast Lesson Plan Breakdown Aim: Develop a working knowledge of vocabulary related to mediaActivity: Creating a newscastLevel: Intermediate to advanced Lesson Activities Study media-related vocabulary covering the basics of printed and broadcast video.Discuss different roles on news broadcasts including anchorpersons, meteorologists, and sports reporters.  Compare and contrast printed and broadcast media and how they are currently used in our daily lives.Watch a video on YouTube or on TV of a typical newscast together as a class. Its not necessary to watch an entire broadcast. However, students should have a chance to become familiar with a range of reports.Watch the newscast a second time and ask students to take note of typical phrases used to introduce various reports and reporters, as well as make transitions.Review transition phrases in small groups with students matching language functions to appropriate phrases.Ask students to write out two alternate phrases for each language function.  As a class, review possible phrases. Write phrases on the whiteboard, or take note in a document to print out for students.Ask groups to read a transcript of a typical broadcast. Ive included an easy version below, but advanced classes should be able to handle actual broadcast transcripts. Next, students  script out a short newscast in groups of four to six. One student should take on the role of anchorperson, one as the weatherperson, another as a sports reporter. For larger groups, add various reporters as required. For example, one group might have a gossip reporter from Hollywood, another group might have a reporter on assignment in China, etc.  Ask students to work together to write a short newscast with each student responsible for his or her own role / report.Review students scripts as needed and help out with transitional language.Have students practice the newscast until they can deliver the news  comfortably with little reference to the script.  Enjoy the newscasts as a class. If its really good, share the newscast online.  Afterwards, repeat the fun with this lesson on writing dramatic scripts as a class. Newscaster Language Match the following purpose to the jargon phrases that follow. Once youve matched the phrases, come up with two additional phrases that might be used to accomplish the same function: Opening the newscastAnnouncing the headlinesIntroducing the weatherCutting to a commercialTransitioning to a new storyIntroducing live coverageIntroducing the sports segmentInterrupting the newscast for breaking newsUsing pleasant small talk to finish the newsSigning off from the broadcast Broadcast Journalism Jargon Excuse me, we have a developing situation ...Good evening and here is tonights important news.Hi Steve, were on the ground here in downtown ...How about that game last night!Its pretty wet out there, isnt it?Lets get out there and enjoy some of the good weather.Lets turn to a story about ...Stay tuned, well be right back.Thank you for tuning in. Well be back at eleven with important updates.Tonights stories include ...(Answer Key Below) Example News Transcript Read this transcript and take note how transitional phrases are used during a news broadcast. Once you have finished, plan your own newscast with classmates. Anchor: Good evening and welcome to the local news. Tonights stories include the story of a boy and his dog, a look at improving employment figures, and a clip of the Timbers win at home last night. But first, lets check in on the weather. Tom, hows the weather looking?Meteorologist: Thank you Linda. Its been a beautiful day today, hasnt it? We had a high of 93 and a low of 74. The day started off with a few clouds, but weve had sunny skies since two oclock. We can expect more of the same tomorrow. Over to you Linda.Anchor: Thank you Tom, yes its a wonderful time of the year. Were so lucky with our weather.Meteorologist: Thats right!Anchor: Lets turn to a sweet story of a boy and his dog. Last night a dog was left in the parking lot sixty miles away from its home. The dogs owner, a boy of eight, tried everything to find Cindy. Yesterday, Cindy came home and scratched on the front door. John Smithers has more. John?Reporter: Thank you Linda. Yes, little Tom Anders is a happy boy tonig ht. Cindy, as you can see, is now playing in the backyard. She arrived home after having come more than sixty miles to reunite with Tom! As you can see, theyre overjoyed to be reunited.Anchor: Thank you John. Thats good news indeed! Now, lets check in with Anna for a look at last nights Timbers victory.Sports reporter: Timbers hit it big last night. Beating the Sounders 3-1. Alessandro Vespucci scored the first two goals, followed by Kevin Browns incredible header in the last minute.Anchor: Wow, that sounds exciting! Well, thank you everyone. This has been the evening news. Newscaster Language Answer Key Interrupting the newscast for breaking newsOpening the newscastIntroducing live coverageIntroducing the sports segmentIntroducing the weatherUsing pleasant small talk to finish the newsTransitioning to a new storyCutting to a commercialSigning off from the broadcastAnnouncing the headlines

Analysis of an argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Analysis of an argument - Essay Example great delineation of the book gathering contention where Tannen characterizes agonism as a ritualized position for instance in a verbal confrontation whereby the contending gatherings are allotted positions and one gathering wins, instead of contention coming about because of the two gatherings regular contradiction. The book has been developed focused around the impacts and parts of agonism in legislative issues, news coverage, and law. An essential issue tended to in this book is the wild agonism in the scholarly world. Numerous issues concerning scholastics are agonistics in nature, for instance, when instructors and teachers set up the academic papers, they take after a structure that is in a position to contradict another person work, which they demonstrate not right. In this present books setting agonism is clarified by the way that instructors and teachers prepare their scholars and normally dont permit them to think and strive to question thoughts because they dole out them w ith looked into insightful lives up to expectations. This encourages intolerance and self-importance around the scholars and this does not actualize the principal objectives of instruction (Tannen). Tannen in her book investigates the contrasts between a level headed discussion and exchange in class to clarify the Agonism society profoundly. In the classroom, if understudies are occupied with a verbal confrontation, few of them will partake in a civil argument, some will give careful consideration, however, a large number of the learners will, in fact, get turned off. Those learners who are contending will have a tendency to disentangle their focuses and keep away from the unpredictability in considering. They deliberately decline to yield a point climbed by their adversaries, regardless of the possibility that they are mindful that it is legitimate, because such a concession might render them as uncompetitive in the civil argument. In the event that a class captivates itself in

Marketing communications Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Marketing communications - Case Study Example These leaders thrash their competition through superior customer insights that have been translated into compelling value propositions and superior customer experiences. Marketing has never been more significant as business firms scuffle and skirmish to differentiate themselves from competitors and obtain organic growth and financial success. Some of the world's most revered business corporations that include GE, Microsoft, and Intel, recognise the importance of marketing as a top line growth driver. At GE, where marketing was the "lost function" under Jack Welch, Jeff Immelt has invigorated the marketing organisation. At Microsoft, Steve Ballmer repeatedly stressed the marketing organization's lead role in making the company's "value propositions shine through for customers." And at Intel, Paul Otilleni fundamentally and drastically departed from the engineering-driven mindset of relentlessly increasing microprocessor speed to a marketing-led approach designing microprocessors for specific customer end-use applications like mobility and entertainment. While marketing is more influential and strategic at a few firms, the state of marketing at most firms is lacking. There are two evident problems with how marketing is practiced today-the role of the marketing organisation and the value that marketing is perceived to add to the firm's bottom line. Additionally, business firms, most especially huge organisations, employ an extensive array of marketing communications tools and metho ds to promote their companies, their products and services. Examples of these tools include brochures, mail shots, websites, TV ads and the like. The objective of all these is ultimately to achieve sales, customer base expansion and eventually market supremacy. Therefore, it is imperative for firms not just to be able to communicate effectively but to know what appropriate methods to use and determine if the segment they're trying to reach is really the sector they need to communicate their messages to. Integrated Marketing Communications This is a concept designed to unify all facets of marketing communication such as advertising, sales promotion, public relations and direct marketing. The goal is to fuse them into one working activity rather than permit each one to work in isolation. Basically, it aims to create and sustain a single look or message in all elements of a marketing campaign. However, practitioners remind clients that IMC should permeate every planned and unplanned communication at every contact point where the customer or prospect may receive an impression of the company. Practically, IMC must assimilate the corporate mission, the compensation plan, the management style, and employee training. It likewise includes packaging, positioning, promotions, pricing, and distribution. In its entirety, a successful integrated marketing communication plan should customise what is needed for the client based on time, budget and resources to reach targets or goals (Kotabe & Helse n, 2004; Young, 2005). Product Overview The PlayStation 3 trademarked PLAYSTATION3 but more commonly known as PS3 is the third video game console of the PlayStation brand from Sony Computer Entertainment. It is the successor to the highly sucessful PlayStation 2. It competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles. This is a fully

Social Movement Theory, The Explanatory Value of Social Movement Case Study

Social Movement Theory, The Explanatory Value of Social Movement Theory - Case Study Example The root cause for the existence of social movement has been deciphered to be discomfort and isolation within society. People come together to form collective associations only because they are not able to dwell within society in a stable and peaceful manner. Islamic activism in the Middle East is one of the main forms of such discomfort because it has brought to light the kind of violence and terrorism that a group of people are subjecting to in the name of God. This social movement theory helps individuals to come to terms with their wants and needs and form organizations and societies among their own with a view to achieving all that they desire without getting into conflicts with others. However, this has not been as successful as writers and thinkers would have liked, and proof of that is the violence that has been suppressing the Middle East. In order to understand the key concepts of this theory, one must gauge into the political sphere within which the movement develops; every political atmosphere contains a very dynamic interest and consists of government intervention whether positive or negative, constraints on the people, and challenges that need to be faced by the people forming the organization. Similarly, the concept of Intifada had also been incepted within a very politically and economically exploited environment due to the unbearable lifestyle that Palestinians were forced to survive under the purview of. Anwar Al-Awlaki for example, became the face of Western Jihad because of the tensions that were going on in Egypt. He took on a form of his own movement with a view to make progress within his country and try and surmise the demands that the already powerful aspects of society had. It is not an easy task to simply eradicate every ‘wrong doing’ that occurs in society. This is directed towards these social groups that take to violence and terror when their

Royal Selangor IT System And Cloud Computing

Royal Selangor IT System And Cloud Computing 1. Introduction This report is commissioned by the request of Royal Selangor International (RS) for the purpose of analyzing existing IT infrastructure and draw out recommendations for RS to adopt to cloud computing technology. The current IT infrastructure that operates RSs business processes are analyzed. Data for the analysis are collected through interviews with RS management representatives. Based on these data and comparison with available cloud computing solutions, recommendation on the adoption of cloud computing are derived for RSs considerations. 1.1. Background Royal Selangors core business is retailing pewter artifacts and jewelleries. RS is a private owned company manufacturing and retailing fine quality pewter artifacts products worldwide and is now the largest pewter artifacts producer in the world. Founded in 1885 and based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, RS has expanded leaps and bounds to international recognition and has won several prestigious awards. The company recently celebrated its 125 years anniversary. The homepage URL of the Royal Selangor is http://www.royalselangor.com RS currently operates 3 brands under the company. RS on its own crafts and retails the pewter artifacts, Selberan which retails fine jewellery and Comyns, a brand that has 350 years old legacy in silversmiths. (Bernama 2011) RSs products are marketed through 3 channels as follows; RS owned flagship stores which are located at prominent shopping districts around the world, including London, Tokyo, Melbourne and Toronto. Distribution network to reputable retailers around the world. Online shop that serves both distributors and customers. The major part of RSs success is through the online retailing. RS are the pioneer in setting up its business for online shopping. It has enabled RS to spread its business internationally to distributors and also directly to end users. RS was awarded the CIO award in 2001 which recognizes the genius is IT implementation and strategy. (International 2001) The online shop has also provided RS channel to communicate with the customer and improves its services. RS has also established worldwide offices with warehousing facilities in major markets such as Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Britain and North America.   1.2. Corporate Structure RS is a family run business since it was first founded in 1885. Through 4 generations, the business has been passed on to succeeding family members. RS organization structure for the manufacturing business is as per Attachment A. The Managing Director is supported by two General Managers, managing and overlooking the entire operations from raw materials, production, research and development, marketing, e-commerce up to distribution and international marketing. Each section operates on its IT system for reporting and thorough tracking of the raw materials up to storage and distribution. Further detail analysis of the IT system of RS will be captured in Part 2. RSs Company Policy states the ambition of the company to maintain its status among the forerunners of the industry and to strive for excellence by being ahead of competition. In align with this policy, RS has adapted well with new IT systems to further improve its services to the customers. This is proven when RS opened its online store 10 years ago in 1996 while many industry players are still skeptical about online store. (Yee 2007) RS has structured its operations to run on a systematic IT infrastructure. Business processes of the group include the following: Financial department Human resource management Manufacturing Distribution Marketing Warehousing Customer relation management. 2. IT Infrastructure With over 1000 different products to be manufactured and distributed across local branches in Malaysia and also to 20 other countries directly, RS requires a system that could provide up-to-date and accurate information to the people involved. RS had embarked on various marketing strategies to expand the organisation and in the year 1996, ventured into the e-commerce with RS online shop and website promotion and advertising (International 2001). The subsequent business strategies, marketing, e-commerce system and web development have since been developed in-house to the specific needs of the organisation and RS wanting more control in its development and deployment. (Yoon Kit, Yong 2011, pers. comm., 1 April) Critical business processes especially for manufacturing and the retailing are being integrated and streamlined for speedier processing and better performance for the organisation. For the manufacturing department, integration and real-time updating of information for raw materials, work-in-progress and final goods are vital for the organisation to be leaner. Enterprise applications have the capability to provide accurate buying trends of customers and the information gathered have translate into a better inventory management for the organisation and also to the customers. As for the design team, IT is needed to speed up the design period and can help to transform new ideas into great products. Design information can be used for quick and clear generation of manufacturing ready drawings and used for virtual prototyping. All this can offer distinct advantage to RS over their competitors such as new products were created in pewter with an additional animated storybook. (Bao Shan, Yip 2011, pers. comm., 3 April) Retailing staff will benefit from the information on customers and also inventory to better serve the customer. Fast response and also delivery scheduling can help the retail staff to close sales deal quicker. Besides that, online marketing tools such as social networking are used to promote products actively. For RS, the strategic role of IT is very clear and it is for creating a competitive advantage over their competitors. (Yee 2007) 2.1. Computer Hardware Platforms For the routine tasks, desktop computers and laptops from Dell and HP running on Intel or AMD processors are provided. For the design team, Apple IMac is used as it is more suited for the modelling and designing purposes.   The mainframes are located in-house and consist of HP and Dell servers. These are dedicated for the critical applications such as the enterprise resource planning system (ERP), Storage Area Network, private automatic branch exchange (PABX) and the network systems between the offices and also the online shop. Cashiers at the respective branches are utilizing Point of Sales (POS) Terminals connected to the main servers for daily transaction processing. 2.2. Operating System Platforms For the general desktop computing or client level, RS is using Windows based operating system to manage the resources and activities of the computers. The Apple computers are supported with IMac OS X system. For the servers, RS is using Samba / Linux Server OS systems which are open sourced and it is easily adaptable to different servers and software. Centralised updates and patches are provided in-house by RS IT staff. 2.3. Enterprise Software Application RS is currently using the Baan ERP system and it was deployed in the year 1999. The system is used mainly in manufacturing, finance, human resource and warehousing. The Baan Client is running on the Windows based operating system. The selection of Baan was based on the capability of the manufacturing module of the Baan ERP system. 2.4. Networking / Telecommunication RS requires a reliable network and telecommunications setup because of the global presence and extensive distribution channels to more than 20 countries such as Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, China, Australia, United Kingdom, Canada and United States of America. Locally, there are about 21 outlets nationwide. They are using Unifi fibre optics broadband services provided by Telekom Malaysia. This is for the standard activities such as internet and correspondences and the network is managed via Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) suite. As for the dedicated leased line, it is connected to the offices and branches via the Cisco Networks. Cisco Core Switch provides the entire organisation connectivity for their Enterprise Data Routing and with the switching capability of the Intelligent Bandwidth helps to ensure optimum availability to their office and branches worldwide. Inter-office communication is using Lotus Notes as the integrated desktop client option for accessing e-mail and calendaring. The main office is utilizing PABX phone system which is able to support an enterprise wide phone and fax machines where as the branches are connected via standard public switched telephone networks. 2.5. Data management and Storage The Data management and storage for RS is quite large as it is to ensure that all product designs are archived and kept for future reference. The other requirement of the organisation is to provide a shared folder running on the server as the depository of the new product designs in use by the organisation. The major usage of a 20 tetrabyte space is for the designs of the products and the accessibility of the information by various departments. Baan ERP application and database usage accounts for about 200 gigabyte space and the Lotus Notes application takes up about 150 gigabyte space. The physical hardware for the storage comes from various original equipment manufacturer (OEM) sources and the main supplier is Dell. The hardware components are Dell / EMC CX3 which is utilizing Small Computer System Interface (SCSI)/Fibre hard disk for key production system. 2.6. Internet Platforms The key internet sites for RS are the online shop/e-commerce and the visitor center homepage. The other sites under the group are Comyns and Selberan which is also under the support of RS IT department. The web site was built with customers in mind it is to be used as a two-way communication channel for customers, as well as a one-to-one marketing and fulfilment tool. The web hosting of these sites has been outsourced to CSC to ensure service availability and network latency. These webhosting servers are running on the latest iteration of Microsoft IIS Servers. The website are maintained with Linux / Apache / MySQL / Perl/PHP/Python package as it is open-source and it is easily adaptable to suit RS applications. 2.7. Consultants and System Integrators Most of the system integration work is done in house leveraging on the knowledge available. Currently, RS is getting external consultant support for the Baan ERP systems when required. The e-commerce system initially was out sourced but due to the specific needs of the organisation, it is now fully developed and maintained in house. Others system integrators or consultants are being appointed when necessary. Issues that were identified are as follows:- To ensure interoperability between each systems. RS have basically two systems to ensure its interoperability which are the CRM and the ERP applications. As for the other platforms such as servers and data center, the software used are open source whereby customisation would be easier. Ensure constant communication and connection between shared information worldwide. The need to access to data and inventory in real-time and reliably. Maintain a well integrated and smooth supply chain especially for the online shop. It needs to be updated constantly and best practices are to be employed and cascade down to the operation levels. Implementation will be a major stumbling block due to the manufacturing processes being labour intensive. Maintenance of software and hardware systems 24/7. For storage, the challenge is managing the data and managing the systems that house the data. Software tools that track and manage storage resources efficiently are in high demand for these reasons. IT staff retention proved to be difficult. Internally, the IT department is supporting on hardware troubleshooting whereas the service or troubleshooting support will be provided by the external team of consultants. The current staff skill is sufficient to maintain and operate the system effectively. However, the staff education at the operator level is still lacking. Constant training and retraining is required. Cost reduction is actively pursued whenever there is chance as budget is always constrained. Since data storage continues to grow at 40% to 60% per year, the challenge is amplified to try to get the most from any new storage purchase. Challenges that are constantly faced by RS are listed below and a few are being actively pursued by RS. To maintain operation excellence in the whole value chain design, manufacture, distribution and retailing not only locally but also worldwide. Leaner production and shorter processing time and delivery schedules are key focus area for continuous improvements. (International 2001) To innovate and re-invent the â€Å"wheel† for the retailing and marketing of the products by using IT. Constantly RS need to find ways to market their products as the current marketing channel in local and overseas retail shops, on-line shop, corporate customers and the visitor center / showroom is not adequate. Currently each competitor in pewter ware has their very own website and they are promoting their products on line, retails shops and also at their main showroom (Tumasek 2011). RS have to look at the industry of premium giftware as well which would consider a worldwide market. Search Engine Optimisation programs, partnership with search engines and partnerships with other websites are areas to focus more in order to penetrate further into the international market. (Shankar 2003) To retain customers and to attract new customers are important. Major competitors such as Tumasek, Oriental Pewter, Mariwasa and Pewter Arts are constantly challenging RS. New designs and faster production and roll-out of products would ensure a greater market share. Providing better and more personal touch to customer service will benefit in the long run as customers would have greater perception of the product not only in terms of quality but also the service that comes with it. (Shankar, 2003) To constantly review the business strategies and if necessary upgrade or adapt the current system based on the specific needs of the organisation. The final call is that any new product or system purchased should move towards lower costs, better processes and common management.(Yee 2007) Strategies such as using setting up websites in native languages of the country they are going to market the product. Open source plays an important role with the servers in RS. (Yoon Kit, Yong 2011, pers. comm., 1 April) Most of the infrastructure servers are on Linux which gives flexibility in rolling out new servers as well as replicating our administration. RS uses a lot of the virtual machine ware so it is now easier to deploy new test and production servers on demand without having to submit capital expenditure and commission new machines. Constant updating of information and also skills related to open source would be vital for RS. 3. Cloud Computing   Cloud computing obtained its name from the metaphor for internet which represents an area on the network that resides outside (cloud) but is required to make the network complete. The control of the cloud is an external partys concern which is hosted and maintained by other parties and does not need the interference of the internal parties (Velte et al. 2010, p. 3). Examining the Cloud computing, it is basically a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources. These resources include networks, servers, storage, applications, and services that can be provided to the customers to assist its daily operations. As explained in NIST document, Cloud computing consists of five essential characteristics, three service models, and four deployment models (Mell Grance January 2011, pp. 2-3). The 5 Essential Characteristics On-demand self-service. Services are available to the customer at all times and without any need for intervention by the service provider. Broad network access. The system is web based and can be accessed from any internet enabled device such as through mobile devices, thin or thick client platforms. Resource pooling. The provider of the cloud computing services uses physical or virtual resources to serve multiple customers with different needs. The customer generally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of the provided resources. Rapid elasticity. Customers can scale up or scale down according to their own requirements. Additional services can be purchased at any time. Measured service. Customers accessing the system are easily tracked and controlled by means of storage, processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts. The 3 Service Models Cloud Software as a Service (SaaS). The provider offers an application that the customer can be accessed by different client platforms such as a normal client computer. The software is web based and does not reside in the customers computers. The devices only need to interface via a thin client interface such as the Web browser. The consumer does not need to physically install the software. Cloud Platform as a Service (PaaS). The capability provided to the customer to develop applications using the programming languages and tools provided by the provider. The customer will only have control of the application developed using the platform provided. Cloud Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). The provider only provides the infrastructure to the customer. The customer controls its own software and applications but has no control over the cloud infrastructure. The 4 Deployment Models Private cloud. The cloud services are provided to only one organization. Community cloud. The cloud services are shared by few organizations Public cloud. The cloud services are made available to the general public or a large industry group and are owned by an organization selling cloud services. Hybrid cloud. The mixture of two or more cloud deployment models which runs on a standard or propriety technology. To summarize the definition of cloud computing, it is where software, platform or infrastructure services that are made available to the customers at all times. The customers have relieved itself from the concerns of operating and maintaining the physical aspects of the system and enable them to focus on its core competencies.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   Before exploring the adoption of Royal Selangor with cloud computing, the advantages and disadvantages of cloud computing will be explored in following chapters below to examine further the key positives that will help the company. Figure 3.1 illustrates the advantages and disadvantages of Cloud Computing. 3.1. Advantages of Cloud Computing 3.1.1. Financial Benefits Cloud computing provides new solutions for all sizes of businesses and industries. When modern businesses looks for ways to cut operating cost without losing much productivity, cloud computing serves to be a key part to assist the business to achieve the target. By improving server utilization and decreasing the number of servers, significant cost reductions can be seen and additionally, future capital expenditure can be controlled. Normally servers are designed to have redundancy as well as spares for future expansions. This translates to capital expenditures spent for facilities that are not utilized. Cloud computing provides enables the customer to only pay the amount of usages utilized which translates to cost reductions.   Also, theres a reduction in physical server depreciation cost. As pointed out above, fewer servers maintained by the company means less depreciation costs. In addition, it also directly reflects to energy consumption and facilities cost. Reduced servers require less energy to operate and smaller facilities. When a true comparison is done, using a fully cost model, the decision weighs more favourably towards cloud computing. And when the other advantages are taken into account then cloud computing can really stack up as a viable option (Group 2009, p. 6) . 3.1.2. Technological benefits Cloud computing has the ability for the system to expand and contract automatically based on the demand of the customer. For software, new users can be assigned to the system and start using almost immediately without much complications. The resource platforms such as storage, networks and servers are available on-demand and again do not require much intervention or effort by the customer to prepare the system. More significantly is the redundancy and back-up system available to the customer, ensuring that the data are safe and protected. 3.1.3. Operational benefits In terms of operations benefits, this can be referred as outsourcing the IT system and delegating the risk management. Service providers have to ensure that the system is available at any time and redundancy provided. The problems that have been concerns for companies running physical hardware, servers and data centers can now shift the risks to the service provider. Access to the system is also improved as it can be accessed from anywhere through an internet enabled device. This improved operation excellence as data are always available at anywhere, anytime to the users of cloud computing. 3.1.4. Environmental Benefits By using lesser servers through servers consolidation, energy consumption of the IT system is drastically decreased. This translates to lower and more efficient energy consumption. 3.1.5. Competitive Advantage Businesses can be more competitive by adopting to cloud computing. Cloud computing provide a quick and efficient start up for any small or medium size businesses. This enables them to have almost similar capacity as larger established companies in terms of IT systems. Also, with data easily available, it enables businesses in general to be more agile and response quicker to market. 3.2. Disadvantages of Cloud Computing While the advantages of cloud look promising, there are also disadvantages to the cloud services such as below:- 3.2.1. Security issues There is a need to look at the security aspect for cloud. The security risks that come with cloud computing ranges from user access, recovery, regulatory compliance and long term viability.   Sensitive data processed/stored externally brings with it an inherent level of risk, because outsourced services bypass the physical, logical and personnel controls† from in-house programs. The controls of user access and also content management access would need to be transparent and clear so customers are not worried about their data being compromised. (Brodkin 2008) 3.2.2. Lack of control For cloud computing, the hardware and software could be based in multiple locations all around the world compare to in-house systems. The control on the storage and security of the data will be the under the jurisdiction of the cloud vendor and users do not have much control over it. Performance and upgrading of the applications and data protection will be relying on the timeliness or scheduling of the vendors to update their software. 3.2.3. Lock-in to cloud vendors Users should be aware of the risk of lock-in to the cloud vendors. The consideration will be on whether in the future there is the need for changes or replacement of the software/platform/infrastructure selected initially and thus switching cost will be incurred. Based on the three types of cloud computing, the service and platform will have some sort of impact and difficulty if there is a need to change vendors. Selection of vendors that provide minimum lock-in should be preferred. (Petri 2010) There is also the need to ensure that the data that is held with the vendor will remain available even if they have been acquired or merge with other larger vendors. 3.2.4. Reliability on cloud functionality Cloud vendors based their business on providing high up-time and downtimes should be kept to a minimum. Overall hardware and network reliability from cloud vendors are considered to be at par or above par comparing to the average data center. However, there are instances when there is downtime and this would be considered to be unacceptable if it is too long and economic losses are being factored in. A few vendors will have strict service level agreements (SLAs) that provide themselves with a method of controlling the downtime. (ENKI 2011) Besides the downtime from servers, we need to look at the downtime created due to non internet service such as connection and bandwidth availability. There might be problem when the internet connection is not available or not sufficient to support the functionality of the applications. This would totally render the cloud application a total failure. 3.2.5. Data segregation Data stored in the cloud is generally in a shared environment and it is placed within the same location as other users. There is the need to ensure that the data is fully secured and only the authorised user can access it and the cloud provider should proof that encryption schemes were designed and tested by experienced specialists. Data can be totally unusable if there is complication during the de-cryption procedure. (Brodkin 2008) 3.2.6. Recovery of Data and Services There would be difficulty in accessing the data and service provided in the cloud as the user would not have any information on where the data is or how it is being stored. In the event of disaster, the cloud provider would need to setup a proper data recovery or restoration. There would be question on when can be data be ready for use once they initiate the recovery process. (Brodkin 2008) 4. Recommendation of cloud computing adoption/adaption The findings from above are analyzed against the factors that forms the Competitive Forces Model for IT Infrastructure (Laudon Laudon 2010, p. 223). This will provide an outline of RSs requirement to adopt cloud computing as its IT infrastructure. 4.1. Market demand for organisations services Internet sales have always been the forefront business of RS. 80% of RSs sales are from the online shop. (Yee 2007) Considering future trends, the e-commerce will keep on expanding and improving. The market demand is and has proven to be in abundance for RS to venture. With cloud computing, RSs operation can be more streamlined and improved and meet customers demands. 4.2. RS business strategy RS strive to be the best pewter manufacturer in the world and maintain its competitive edge over competitors. (Khay Chong, Saw 2011, pers. comm., 5 April) 4.3. RS IT strategy, infrastructure and cost RS plans to use IT to gain competitive edge over their competitors and to maintain their market position. The strategy has proven to be useful as it was acknowledge by the CIO Asia Award in 2001 and Intelligent Enterprise: Asias Intelligent 20 award for the E-commerce operations.(International 2001) Ventures into social media marketing and web collaboration with overseas online shop have provided the exposure and advertising advantage for them such as partnership with John Lewis (http://www.johnlewis.com) or Wesell Royal Selangor (http://www.wesellroyalselangor.co.uk/). 4.4. RS Information technology assessment Current setup is very centralized and all located within the main HQ. From the IT infrastructure study, we find that the hardware and software used within the organization are considered to be reasonable and commonly used in all industries. The use of open source have also help in ensuring that the system can be modified and be made better as they use it with constant upgrading. However the weakness could lie with the staff availability. With cloud computing, it is a perfect IT infrastructure for RS to adopt. Switching to cloud computing provides a feasible solution for RS to maintain its businesses outside of Malaysia with the same IT infrastructure. 4.5. Competitors IT Services In evaluating RSs competitors IT services, two main competitors namely Tumasek Pewter and Oriental Pewter are analyzed. Both Tumasek Pewters (http://www.tumasek.com/home.htm) and Oriental pewters (http://www.orientalpewter.com.my/home.htm) website does not have online shop. RS is the leader in pewter industry as its main competitors are not having the same IT services as RS. This is even more a reason for RS to adopt cloud computing. As the start-up of IT system are faster through cloud computing, the competitors will definitely offer the same services in the near future. By adopting cloud computing first, RS can be ahead of competition. 4.6. IT infrastructure investment in pewter/retail industry For retail industry, capital spending in 2008-09 at John Lewis (RS partner) was  £404m, compared with  £363m in the previous year. About  £30m represents investment in efficiency projects such as new Oracle finance systems recently implemented in Waitrose and the firms head office, and investment in maintaining and modernising its IT set-up. (Mari 2009) Investment into IT for manufacturing is continuing to grow for Asian manufacturer and focus is on cloud based applications capability to increase the efficiency of the organization such as gaining insight on customer behaviour, improve efficiency and productivity of manufacturing operations and in the supply chain from supplier and also to customers. (Yap 2011). Under the Malaysias Economic Transformation Programme, the wholesale and retail and tourism industry are place in the forefront of Malaysias economic development. Few key areas were earmarked for development and the key area with IT investment would be the globalisation of our products by means of virtual retail platform or malls. Investment of about RM 1.3 billion will be spent on this area which can help competitors of RS to develop their online shop. (PEMANDU 2010) RS is well aligned to adopt to cloud computing. Moving into cloud for an established firm like RS requires a strong management vision statement and support for the migration. Strategies had to be developed to enable the migration to be completed flawlessly and most important, without hampering any existing business processes. Strategies to be taken by RS are as follows; Business Review To establish the key objectives, tools that can be use is SMARTA objectives which is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely and Agreed. ( Williams 2010, p. 102 ) Project Management To setup a Project management team to manage the migration and keep all stakeholders satisfied. An Implementation plan will provide the necessary clear procedures for the migration. ( Williams 2010, p. 113 ) Adoption to cloud system shall be done according to recommended solutions as below; For the routine communications and content management, RS would be wise to look at the various applications offered from cloud computing. This would probably relieve some of the bottleneck for support currently faced by RS IT departments staff. Part of the RS marketing channel to corporate users would be beneficial if there was an application similar to what is being offered by Sales.Force.com. The sales value chain from i