Gandhi and Nonviolence free essay sample

Goal of reaching Nonviolence Gandhi maintained certain practices that were considered essential Satyagraha practices, which he believed would bring nonviolence to the world. He named this power Satyagraha which means â€Å"reality force or holding onto truth. † Gandhi had said, â€Å" The Truth is far more powerful than any weapon of mass destruction. † In the clear view of violence, Gandhi had come the realization that nonviolence was greater to violence itself. Gandhi believed in eleven practices that would help maintain the world in the aspect of having nonviolence throughout it. For Gandhi, ahimsa (nonviolence) was a fundamental part of his teachings, and he believed nonviolence gave a pronounced moral power to its followers. Gandhi became a guiding force behind a strong nationalist movement that encouraged independence from Great Britain, but without using force or any acts of violence. One of Gandhi’s practices was to fast, and he did this because he believed it would put an end to conflict and neglect that him and his people were enduring. We will write a custom essay sample on Gandhi and Nonviolence or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page During his campaigns he would fast in the hopes of making a statement and to put an end to the mistreatment of his people. Gandhi would simply stop eating until someone gave in at the point of the issue. Gandhi believe with his fasting it would encourage his followers to put more pressure on the British, and the outcome will show his triumph of him and his followers. Another practice that Gandhi introduced was the use of the spinning wheel in his village in India. He believed that spinning his own clothes would bring him self-sufficiency and prepare for forthcoming self-government. Gandhi and his people would own their own cotton and begin to weave it themselves so the British cloth would become not needed in their lives. Gandhi also believed in no harm to humans, but also no harm in animals. As a child Gandhi did eat meat, but later on in his life he preformed one of his practices of vegetarianism. Gandhi knew that vegetarianism could not solve the world’s problems in violence, but he knew it had some type of affect on the world in a positive way. The nature of acting out self-purification is being pure in all walks of life. If one is pure, Gandhi believed that they would not be acting out in violent forms. If purification is happening to a person it can easily affect the persons surroundings in being purified. The vow of brahmacharya is a vow to take control of ones senses and become sexually abstinent. Gandhi believed this would stop the mind in its evil wanderings. Religious tolerance became a big thing for Gandhi, because he simply believed that there was no one religion that should dominate the world. He did not want people to convert to other faiths because he said so, but he wanted them to practice out their own faith and value it. An important practice for nonviolence is the practice of abstention from exploitation, which includes economic exploitation. Gandhi alleged that if society acted out a mutual cooperation it would show that society and the people in it are equal. In reality he believes that the unity of life will prosper and equality and freedom will bring nonviolence. Gandhi believed in guidance from God, and by receiving that he would participate in daily prayer. Gandhi knew that prayer was necessary for his soul. Meditation and daily prayer relieves suffering, and without suffering there is no violence. In todays society many will tell you or try to convince you in saying that all of Gandhi’s beliefs and practices were not reliable, and still aren’t in todays world. Many believe that his eleven practices are not worthy of taking away nonviolence or changing the world for the better. When it comes to great people like Gandhi there will come a consequence of people coming towards him with doubt and a little bit of anguish. I believe Gandhi’s eleven practices are reliable in the sense that if people follow through, they may change the world for the better. In 1935 Gandhi told an interviewer that â€Å"Nonviolence means avoiding injury to anything on earth, in thought, word, or deed. † If more people practiced out nonviolence there would be more peace in the world we are living in today. People who act how violence are usually unhappy, angry, or just confused within themselves. Gandhi shows that finding inner peace will help bring nonviolence to the universe, which makes the world a better place for everyone. Most people who are acting out in violence are angry or sad and just want to bring out the aggression on someone or something. If violence wasn’t shown on television, movies, and even in our daily lives there would be a less outcome of violence. Gandhi shows that these eleven practices cannot be preached but they have to be practiced. If people were more opened to the idea of being nonviolent, nonviolence may actual begin to exist. Gandhi took big strides into his beliefs and made sure that violence would be abolished from our world. Gandhi showed that the world in not about things, but is more about the virtue of life itself. Gandhi made it clear that is becomes a never-ending cycle with greed, and how greed leads to unhappiness. There is a better possibility of a person to commit sins and acts of violence to have the things he or she wants but doesn’t need. It becomes a process and the process usually ends with unhappiness. The ripple affect begins when one person doesn’t act out in violence, it proves to another person violence is not always the answer. Gandhi said, â€Å"If one person can practice nonviolence, surely a nation can. No person or group of people can hold another person or group of people slaves against their will. † Gandhi is right when he says if one person can do it, a whole nation can. The eleven practices are guidelines for people to have nonviolence in their life, and most importantly in the world. At this point, Gandhi realized that the level on nonviolence he wanted to reach was very high and knew people could not do this without courage and faith. Gandhi has said, â€Å"God has never forsaken me even in my darkest hour. â€Å" Gandhi believed God in present in everyone and I believe just that. Without faith there is no hope, and without hope there is suffering. Gandhi shows that he is not against other religions, but he wants to make sure everyone values their own faith. â€Å"God does not reveal himself in the same form in all of us, or rather the heart of all of us not being alike, we do not see God in the same form,† Gandhi had said that to prove God exist in every shape and form for anyone. Gandhi’s fundamental philosophical and spiritual assumptions are to see the universe as a whole, and that philosophy exists in many forms: the religious, moral, political, economical, and social. He believes that God is truth and truth is God, and God is the religious element, or better yet it is the core of his philosophy. Gandhi suggested that through love and charity, nonviolence might revolve itself around the world. â€Å"This in essence is the principle of nonviolent noncooperation. It follows, therefore, that it must have its roots in love,† said by Gandhi. Gandhi had this view of loving your enemy, if you love your enemy you enemy may turn into a friend. Gandhi’s philosophical views are actually simple. If everyone just focused on bettering themselves, and loving one another nonviolence may appear. People have become too wrapped up in angry and in revenge, that seeking nonviolence almost seems impossible. Gandhi has said, â€Å"An eye for an eye makes the world go blind. † The world is always trying to get revenge on someone instead of accepting issues and moving on. Gandhi’s eleven practices not only help with the outside world, but also help you find inner peace within yourself. From daily prayer to vegetarianism, Gandhi shows that his practices are forms of peace and are essential into finally receiving nonviolence. The ideals of Gandhi on truth and nonviolence are universal and considered to be timeless philosophy in today’s world. Gandhi sees his followers who are practicing his eleven practices as gradually going through moral evolution. Gandhi believes in the idea that human beings can solve conflict without violence or any acts of violence. Gandhi shows that through his philosophy of individual tasks each person can reach truth and nonviolence. Gandhi’s philosophy reveals ideas from Western influence, but also from Indian culture. Gandhi’s blend of traditional and modern teachings has left of with the hope that we may finally see the outcome of truth and nonviolence. As Gandhi said, â€Å"My nonviolence is neither maimed nor weak. It is all-powerful. Where there is nonviolence, there is Truth, and Truth is God. † In conclusion, Gandhi was a man of wisdom and truth, and his goal was to bring truth and nonviolence to our world. Our world we live in his full of corruption and hate, Gandhi’s goal was to get rid of all that. Gandhi’s eleven practices were set forth for our benefit, to see the outcome of not hatred but love, happiness instead of sadness, and joy instead of anger. Gandhi was not only trying to better himself, but was ultimately bettering the world we live in today. Gandhi’s practices, his teachings, and his philosophical views will continue on for a lifetime changing the world, at less violence at a time. As Gandhi said, â€Å"Without true understanding of the ideal, we can never hope to reach it. It is necessary for us, therefore, to apply our reason to understand the power of nonviolence. †

Human Resource Management in the Hospitality Industry The WritePass Journal

Human Resource Management in the Hospitality Industry Introduction: Human Resource Management in the Hospitality Industry Introduction:Hospitality Industry:Importance of Human Resource in Hospitality Industry:Importance of Culture in International Hospitality Industry:Social Structure:Language:Education:Interests and Values:Economics:Effects of Culture on Hospitality Industry:Consumer Behavior:Local Demand:Brand Image:Human Resource Issues in the Hospitality Industry:Conclusion:References:Related Introduction: There have been researches conducted on the importance of the human resource management and as the business environment has transformed into more competitive world, the importance of having an adequate and appropriate Human Resource Management cannot be neglected. The most important factor by which the HRM contributes towards the organizational success is to realize the differences between cultures while the business tends to experience internationalization.   There have been many researches already being conducted in order to realize the different cultures, people having different attitudes towards the similar issues. Due to several factors like globalization and internalization of the businesses, this has increased the focus of many authors to write about importance of culture and realize that removing the cultural difference will enable the company to improve the performance. In order for the business to prosper in the international market it is necessary to realize the difference in the local culture and realize the different norms and values in the local market, and this can easily be done by having proper Human Resource Management in the organization. There are many cases in which huge company experienced failure in order to enter the new market like China, this is mainly because the company is not able to realize the different and intense local culture, norms and unique values of the country, it creates difficulties in conducting operational   and non operational activities like marketing and financing the company. Having HR department to support the organization, through intense communica tion across the company and also providing the required training and developing the needed skills in the employees can enable the company to become more competitive in the new market. The difference in the culture and the importance of realizing the difference is very crucial in every sector of the business including the Hospitality industry. This industry is unique in kind since this is the only business in which the consumer is being brought to the product instead of taking the product to the consumer. Hospitality industry across the globe has experienced boost due to globalization concept, this research report is based on the book written by an author named Ulrike Ditzel, and the name of the book is Cultural difference in business life, understanding German and American Business Culture. This research study is being based on the importance of Culture in business related to the necessity of having appropriate HRM in hospitality industry. This report discusses the various issues that are being discussed by the author and the evaluation of the work is also being conducted which can be found during the research report many times, although this book makes it sure th at realizing cultural difference is essential for hospitality industry. Hospitality Industry: In order to first realize that how HRM has grown to a more important role in the business especially in the tourism industry, it is first necessary to realize the current situation of the industry. After the industrialization of the globe the concept of viewing the world as a single market was introduced known as globalization; in other and simpler words, one country stop selling and other quits buying. due to globalization in the many people tend to travel more for many different reasons, especially for business purpose, tourism and many others, or it can be said that people are travelling more than before which has provided boost to the hospitality industry across the globe, and for many countries having adequate hospitality industry, it has become the major source of income, countries like Malaysia which has promoted itself as the best place for spending the vacation, places like Hawaii, these regions have experienced development due to the increase in the people travelling and vi siting this place hence generating more income for the country (Knowles, Diamantis, Mourhabi, 2004). Some places can be observed for having natural uniqueness providing those some benefits over other places, where people will love to spend their vacations, some places are very attractive for having historic background like Taj Mahal in India, or Moenjo Daro in Pakistan, people having interest in viewing the historic stuff love to visit this place. It can be therefore easily be said that the Hospitality industry has increased as compared to past years and tourism also played its role in the development of the industry, but still there are other factors like business which has more influenced the entire industry. For instance, Dubai one of the major financial hub before recession was the main country for many multinational companies to work and set their head office there, as the recession period is being over the state has again capture the sight of many businesses. Through the above discussion it can be observed that the main factor influencing the business sector is the globalizati on and therefore people travelling for business purpose has provided the fuel for the hospitality industry (Olsen, Zhao, 2008). This can be considered that travelling for business purpose has also increased the people to travel for pleasure as well; there are many countries which are now connecting both industries in one form like Malaysia which is the most benefitted country amongst all, generating much revenue from this sector, since this country is being the technological hub for many countries and god has gifted this country with great many scenarios the management has able to maintain make it useful for the country.   Therefore it can be said that the Hospitality industry has increased a lot and recently there are many factors which have played an important role in the development of this industry (Pizam, 2005). By reading the research work conducted by the authors, the importance of Human Resource Management was observed and realized that the HR personal should always be present in the any business especially in the tourism industry. The following part of the report includes the various critical aspects of organization managing the adequate human resource management in working in the tourism industry (Tanke, 2000). Importance of Human Resource in Hospitality Industry: Likewise many businesses and industry, the hospitality industry has also realized the fact that employees are the most important asset of the organization. Especially in hotel business, having a good, qualified and hardworking workforce can distinguish between which hotel is good and which is bad. The human resource managers are able to cover almost every aspect of the hotel; this makes human resource management an integral and significant part of the management in the hospitality industry. After going through the document it is being realized that since hospitality industry is about providing better services to the consumers, therefore the quality of the hotel depends upon the labor force working in the hotels (Chon, Mair, 2009). There are many different areas, improving them is the duty of human resource manager resulting in the overall better performance by the entire organization. The HRM department is responsible for hiring new employees, the newly hired employees can seriously affect the performance of the hotel which makes it necessary for the managers to hire the best and qualified workers present in the market by following appropriate hiring process, in which every candidate is critically evaluated and only those with the spark are being hired. The most important task for the HR manager is to get the most appropriate people for particular task, since in hotel industry, many workers tend to just participate in the work, as they think that there is nothing else to do, whereas hotel services require proactive employees which can make decision on the spot and can satisfy the customer query in time (Brotherton, 2003). This report will also discuss the issues that are related with the HR manager in terms of managing the different tasks in the hospitality industry, but the most important task of the HR manager is to retain the highest quality employees, the main problem in doing this duty is the fact that many of the people do not want use this industry as the ending career, therefore the employee turnover in the hospitality industry is relatively much higher than other industry (Albercht, 2001). After analyzing the document that is being also discussed in the start of the report, reading the document helped to realize that HR manager has to more strategic in terms of handling HRM issues in the industry (Aswathappa, 2010). In more critical aspect which can be realized is that since hospitality industry, the management need to handle the customers coming from different countries having different cultures and unique attributes, that’s what makes the HR department to have a broader perspective of duties in the Hospitality industry. Therefore the importance of Human Resource Management cannot be neglected in this industry, having customers coming from different cultures do have separate living standards and also the expectation varies. Therefore the training and development provided by the HR manager should enable the employees to cope up the issues related to the cultural issues arising (Brewster Harris, 1999). Moreover, when any company wants to open a hotel in the international market, or in other words a hotel which needs to go beyond the boundaries, it has to face some difficult issues in terms of managing the cultural factors (Browaeys, 2008). There are many examples of huge companies facing failure when entering into different countries. HR department has to play a significant role in this regard while maintaining the significant corporate culture and also to cope up the issues regarding the external environment (McManus, 2006). Moreover in the global context in terms of hospitality industry, the HR manager also has to be more strategic in terms of rewarding and motivating the employees through different processes. Hotels which are able to provide appropriate training to the employees resulting in the enhancements of the skills and abilities of the employees make it possible for them to go upward in the career (Dash, 2007). Having appropriate HR department in the hotel provides the employees a gateway by which they can have proper guidance regarding any issue related to the performance or with the daily operational activities. Moreover this provides with the sense of security to the employees that they do have someone who can look after them whenever they commit a mistake (Edwards, 2007). The above discussed importance of having appropriate HR manager and department is being extracted from the document that was supposed to lead. In that particular document, it was analyzed that having human resource management in the hospitality industry is must (Ferraro, 2006). Importance of Culture in International Hospitality Industry: There are many cultural factors that prevent the company, in this case hotel to operate in the other regions, this was observed during the analyses of the document that was required to consider, these issues become more critical when they are not properly treated, and for the providing the appropriate treatment organization needs to have appropriate human resource management. In order to manage the different factors, it is first essential to identify these factors and then the role of the HR manager in order to cope up with the issues, some important elements are (Hellibrand, 2008): Social Structure: This is very important for the hotels that are planning to open a new business unit in any other country. The social structure here represents the way people live in different countries, this is important to realize since, HR manager needs to hire the employees and train them accordingly. In different regions people do have different perspectives and different living standards, resulting in diversified population to target and attract, and also to hire people that are also from different social structure. HR manager in the hospitality industry can enable the organization to understand the basic difference in the social structure of the country from the country of origin (Keegan, 2002). Language: This comprises of the most difficulties from all the different factors in culture, a hotel going international or entering into a new country needs to face this issues, there are many examples like Coca Cola entering China and changing the pronunciation, as first it did not mean what was expected from it, moreover like many other businesses the importance of employees is also being realized by the hospitality industry and now businesses considers employees the most important asset of the organization, therefore HR manager needs to be proactive in dealing with the issues related to language problem in the new country. moreover HR manager in the hotel will able to develop the understanding in the upper management about the local culture and what are the different jargons and what are the norms of the language (Luger, 2009). Even if the business is not international, hotel needs to accommodate people from different nations having different languages and act in their language can mean harmful whereas can also mean very normal in the local language in which the hotel is being working. Here comes the strategic role of the Human Resource Manager who needs to fill the gap that is being created by the language issues by holding appropriate session related to training the employees and also telling the management about the language differences (Paul, 2008). Education: Here the education means the level of literacy rate in the country, this has become a critical issue for the HR management because, organizations working in the country having low literacy rate will make it hard for the organization to find the most appropriate employee for the position. Moreover sometimes hiring less educated people will harm the services provided by the hotels, since hiring inappropriate employee in hotel can alter the services at very rapid pace, since in hotels direct customer interaction is being conducted, hence affecting the image of the entire organization (Poole, 1999). Interests and Values: HR manager has to realize that what elements are different in terms of interests in the new country, it is also possible that one thing which is given the most value in the country of origin means nothing in the new country, hence resulting in the failure of the entire business. Therefore the Human Resource Management needs to realize the difference between the interests and values of the culture and try to pose the hotel in an acceptable manner and decorate it in the similar way, so that potential customers can feel that they are in their own culture. Economics: Different currency rate, different factors driving the economy, varying financial sector, these issues are less related to the HR manager, but international hospitality industry needs to cope up with these issues that occur when management decides to internationalize the entire business. Effects of Culture on Hospitality Industry: After analyzing the hospitality industry in the context of the human resource management and cultural affects, it has been noted that the there are various elements that effect the cultures for the hospitality industry. Some of the key elements are discussed below; Consumer Behavior: One of the main important elements that has noted is that the consumer behavior is hospitality industry is changing with significant rates. As compared to the last couple of decades the behaviors of the customers have been changed and the main reason behind this change is the mode of globalization. As discussed in the above report that the since the business world has entered into globalization mode, the hospitality industry has managed to grow faster than ever before because the visitors now find this easy to move from one region to another easily and with many facilities (Mondy, 2008). And since the customers have now visited many places across the world, the roles of human resource personnel have become more critical. Today, the human resource personnel have to ensure that they design the organizational policies and regulations according to the consumer behavior. But the changing behaviors of the consumers are restricting the human resource personnel to do so. Many of the companies and their HR departments are now planning and redesigning their strategies to ensure that the consumer behaviors are properly understood. As compared to the past few years, the HR personnel in hospitality industry have become more responsible to understand the needs and requirements of the customers and act accordingly. Local Demand: A part from the above critical factors of changes in consumer behavior, the local and regional demand of the customers has also noted to be changed. Especially after the global and economical crisis, the visitors do not prefer to visit the other locations outside the regions because it requires them to pay the expenses and due to financial crisis, every individual is suffering from the shortage of finances (Schuler Jackson, 1999). The HR department of hospitality industry again has to ensure that it clearly understands the local demand and design the organizational strategies accordingly to attract the potential customers and increase the sales and profitability. As this is the only way which is remained to adopt otherwise sustaining in hospitality industry is not an easy task to perform. Brand Image: Maintaining the brand image is also one of the critical jobs for the organizations and HR departments are one of the responsible departments to do so. The regional culture also creates many complications for the hospitality industrial companies to ensure that the brand image is saved from any harm. Today it is noted that many of the companies are operating efficiently and successful across the world and it is because of the regional culture (Rae, 2000). Human Resource Issues in the Hospitality Industry: Different levels of hotels big and small in the hospitality industry face difficulty in order to manage the human resource and also the relationships with the employees in any country or countries they operate in.   There have been increase in the employees issue regarding the organizational culture; the cases for sexual harassments have increased which ultimately costs the organization to give from its profit (Wvans, 2010). There are many cases observed in which hotels are not following the health and safety issues regarding the employees or the customers and even different services provided to them in different phases. Many hotels are observed to have high employee turnover or highly staffed labor, which means the organization is having more employees than required. This is because of the lack of appropriate HR manager and department which are not fulfilling the different needs of the organization, as now days the HR department should be playing more strategic role instead of onl y restricted to traditional ways. There are few major issues regarding the HR personals in the hospitality industry which was observed during the reading of the document presented by the author (Price, 2007): Job Description: the main issue for the HRM in the international hospitality industry to is to develop an appropriate job description which can cover the entire employee area of the organization. The issue concerning this element is the fact that HR manager needs to incorporate every level of employee in order to deliver better services to the customers (Smith Mounter, 2008). Policies and Procedures:   in order to develop the policies regarding the employees in the organization, the HR manager needs to be more proactive, since working in the international business environment needs to incorporate different cultures, as it has been discussed above in the report. Moreover the HR manager needs to deal with different laws and regulations depending upon the country or the countries they are working in. this mean that the HR manager needs to develop policies in which every aspect is being taken care off so that the management is able to have better relations with the employees. These policies must incorporate the different operational issues like sexual harassments and other problems that the employees are facing in their duties. Inductions Process: it has been already being discussed above that the most important asset of the company are the employees, therefore working in the international business industry, hotel needs to have the most appropriate and hardworking employees so that they can perform much better. The entire induction process of the company should be strategically followed by HR manager (Wierzbicka, 1999). Conclusion: As the business environment is getting more competitive, organizations in different industries need to gain some access to those resources in which they have gain the competitive advantage to increase the profitability. The above report is being constructed in this similar regard, in which it was required to select an author which has written on the topic of culture and then the concepts earned through that book was being incorporated in this research report which is based on the importance of Human Resource Management in the international industry. Therefore the report is constructed in a logical manner followed from the evolution of the Hospitality industry, in this part the different factors have been discussed which has resulted in the boost of the entire industry; the main factor which has influenced is the globalization. Then the importance of culture is being discussed and how the realization of the culture is important in the international business environment and also different factors of the culture are being discussed. In the end part of the report, the importance of Human resource management is being discussed and how human resource manager can play its role in the development of the organizational performance. There are few issues also discussed in which the basic emphasis was on to have an appropriate inductions system by which the organization will be able to hire best employees. References: Albercht M H, 2001, International HRM, Wiley Black, USA UK Aswathappa K, 2010, International Business, Tata Mc Graw Hill, India Brewster C Harris H, 1999, International HRM, Routledge, USA Canada Brotherton B, 2003, the international hospitality industry, Butterworth-Heinemann, China Browaeys M J, 2008, Understanding Cross Cultural Management, Pearson Education, India Chon K, Mair T, 2009, welcome to hospitality, Cengage Learning, Canada Dash A, 2007, IRHM, Tata Mc Graw Hill, India Edwards T, 2007, International HRM, Pearson Education, India, Ferraro E, 2006, Cultural Anthropology, Cengage Learning, USA Hellibrand J, 2008, Cross Cultural Competences, GRIN, Germany Keegan W J, 2002, Global Marketing Management, 7th E, Pearson Education, India Knowles T, Diamantis D, Mourhabi J, 2004, The globalization of tourism and hospitality, Cengage learning, UK Luger E, 2009, Hofstede Cultural Dimensions, GRIN, Germany McManus J, 2006, Leadership: Project Human Capital Management, BH, UK Mondy R W, 2008, HRM, 3rd Edition, Pearson Education, India Olsen M, Zhao J, 2008, Handbook of hospitality strategic management, Butterworth-Heinemann, UK Paul J, 2008, International Business, PHI Learning, India Pizam A, 2005, international encyclopedia of hospitality management, Butterworth-Heinemann, UK Poole M, 1999, HRM, Routledge, USA Canada Price A, 2007, HRM in a Business Context, Cengage Learning EMEA, USA Rae L, 2000, Effective Planning in Training Development, Kogan Page, GB Reddington M, Williamson M Withers M, 2005, Transforming HR: Creating Value Through People, BH, GB Schuler R S Jackson S E, 1999, Strategic Human Resource Management, Blackwell Publisher, GB Sims R R Vares J G, 1999, Keys to Employee Success in Coming Decades, Greenwood Publishing Group, USA Singh S, 2006, HRD and Managerial Development, Global Vision Publishing, India Smith L Mounter P, 2008, Effective Internal Communication, Kogan Page Publishers, India Tanke M, 2000, HRM for hospitality industry, Cengage learning, US Wierzbicka A, 1999, Emotions Across Languages Culture, Cambridge University Press, GB Wvans P B, 2010, The Global Challenge, Tata Mc G

Labor market equilibrium Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

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Auditing process Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Auditing process - Case Study Example This type of risk is known as engagement risk. The probabilities of different loss or damages that can be caused due to this type of risk can be a financial loss, loss of reputation, and ultimately leading to the downfall of the audit farm. Engagement risks can further be subdivided into three types of risks, namely 1) Client’s business risks, 2) Auditor’s business risk and 3) Audit risk. In the cited case of Aerospace Lighting Inc. (ALI) there are several audit issues related to engagement risks. All those audit issues involved with ALI and its impact on the financial statements and the audit process have been discussed here. ALI is a Chicago based company which is involved in the business of providing cabin lighting system to its clients in aerospace industry. There has been a change in ALI’s business strategy and its external auditors. This study entails about the different business risks associated with ALI and the corresponding audit issues. Client Business Risks Business risk can be defined as the probability that a given company will make less profit than what has been anticipated or there is a possibility that the company will make a loss instead of profit. Several factors influence business risks, like cost of inputs, volume of sales, price per unit, government policies and so on and so forth. The validity of items in financial statements of a company can be evaluated by an auditor based on certain factors. They are: knowledge of business risks associated with the business activities followed by the client, structure of the organization, internal and external environment of the business concern and the interactions between them (Bell et al. 1). Business risk methodology of audit process includes some of the following key points: 1) Developing an understanding about the process of risk management in the organization. 2) Developing an understanding about the risks involved in the business of the organization. 3) The risks which are i dentified give an idea about its expected impact on the financial statements. 4) Assessment of the control system about how much efficiently it manages risk (Rittenberg 121-123). In ALI’s case, various factors which have an impact on client’s business risks can be subdivided into three headings, namely management, entity and industry. A review of the previous auditor’s report and views of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) are available and can be used as good audit evidence. CAS 620 relates to the decision of an auditor to use the work of an auditor’s expert. CAS 500 provides the necessary requirements and guidance to auditors regarding audit evidence. Consultant advice is also a good option in this case which is explained in CAS 220 (Financial Reporting & Assurance Standards Canada 1-8). Hence, regarding client’s business risks, following evidences can be considered as being the business risks involved in ALI: 1) Management: Firstly, regarding man agement of ALI, its integrity is the key. Certain evidence that ALI is not loyal to its parent German company named BmG can be inferred from the case. ALI’s management is only concerned about the financial performance of the company. While achieving its financial target, ALI calls for a strategy involving rapid growth of the company. ALI is not concerned much about reporting BmG regarding the means adopted by them to achieve its target. Here lies the business risk in the part of ALI’s management. There is a high probability that ALI can restore to unfair

VIS 2 Final Paper Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

VIS 2 Final Paper - Article Example This piece of work is characterized by stained glass that provides vibrant views hence creating a sense of feeling to the audience. In addition, the stained glass has vibrant patterns that shine upon someone teeth, characterizing the essence of paint. This piece of artistic work reminds me of one the greatest actress known as Linda Montana. This is one of the outstanding actress well known for artistically work such as â€Å"Pennies from Heaven performed in the year 1981 and â€Å"Americathon† in the year 1979 among others. Linda Montana has articulated real life situations through her acting perception. My stained glass of cathedral artistic work, gives us a clear understanding that the colors and clarity of artistically unveiled work speaks a lot to the audience (Howie, 102- 113). In addition, this artist is one of the greatest performing artists ever heard as far as the artistically work is of concern. This artist has performed outstanding piece of work especially in the year 2010 when she unveiled their artistically work entitled â€Å"The Artist is present.† Through this work, we learn that each and every artistically work passes a message to the audience. Like on my artistically work, the stained glass of cat hedral has vibrant patterns that shine upon someone teeth’s, characterizing the essence of paint and this is a point of attractions that creates the essence of eagerness as far as the audience is of concern (Jongh and Gold,  282 - 287). Various lifetime projects including â€Å"Seedbed† was unveiled by Linda Montana on the purpose of involving public in the production of work by creating a situation of reciprocal interchange among the artists and viewer. Various piece of work produced and acted by various artists symbolizes either an event or a moment of remembrance. I was one of the lucky people here on earth to share a piece of moment with grandfather before he died. He was a man full of joy and he loved most

The four levels of measurements

The four levels of measurements The four levels of measurements 1. Explain briefly how you would use number properties to describe the four levels of measurements. Answer: Measurements can be classified into four different types of scales. These are: Nominal Ordinal Interval Ratio Nominal scale: Nominal measurement consists of assigning items to groups or categories. No quantitative information is conveyed and no ordering of the items is implied. Religious preference, race, and sex are all examples of nominal scales. Frequency distributions are usually used to analyze data measured on a nominal scale. Categorical data and numbers that are simply used as identifiers or names represent a nominal scale of measurement. Numbers on the back of a baseball jersey and social security number are examples of nominal data. At the nominal scale, i.e., for a nominal category, one uses labels; for example, rocks can be generally categorized as igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic. For this scale some valid operations are equivalence and set membership. Nominal measures offer names or labels for certain characteristics. The central tendency of a nominal attribute is given by its mode; neither the mean nor the median can be defined. Ordinal scale: An ordinal scale is a measurement scale that assigns values to objects based on their ranking with respect to one another. For example, a doctor might use a scale of 0-10 to indicate degree of improvement in some condition, from 0 (no improvement) to 10 (disappearance of the condition). An ordinal scale of measurement represents an ordered series of relationships or rank order. Individuals competing in a contest may be fortunate to achieve first, second, or third place. First, second, and third place represent ordinal data. In this scale type, the numbers assigned to objects or events represent the rank order (1st, 2nd, 3rd etc.) of the entities assessed. An example of ordinal measurement is the results of a horse race, which say only which horses arrived first, second, third, etc. but include no information about times.: The central tendency of an ordinal attribute can be represented by its mode or its median, but the mean cannot be defined. Interval scale: Quantitative attributes are all measurable on interval scales, as any difference between the levels of an attribute can be multiplied by any real number to exceed or equal another difference. A highly familiar example of interval scale measurement is temperature with the Celsius scale. In this particular scale, the unit of measurement is 1/100 of the difference between the melting temperature and the boiling temperature of water at atmospheric pressure. The zero point on an interval scale is arbitrary; and negative values can be used. The formal mathematical term is an affine space (in this case an affine line). Variables measured at the interval level are called interval variables or sometimes scaled variables as they have units of measurement. Ratios between numbers on the scale are not meaningful, so operations such as multiplication and division cannot be carried out directly. But ratios of differences can be expressed; for example, one difference can be twice another. The central tendency of a variable measured at the interval level can be represented by its mode, its median, or its arithmetic mean. Statistical dispersion can be measured in most of the usual ways, which just involved differences or averaging, such as range, inter quartile range, and standard deviation. Since one cannot divide, one cannot define measures that require a ratio, such as studentized range or coefficient of variation. More subtly, while one can define moments about the origin, only central moments are useful, since the choice of origin is arbitrary and not meaningful. One can define standardized moments, since ratios of differences are meaningful, but one cannot define coefficient of variation, since the mean is a moment about the origin, unlike the standard deviation, which is (the square root of) a central moment Ratio scale: The ratio scale of measurement is the most informative scale. It is an interval scale with the additional property that its zero position indicates the absence of the quantity being measured. You can think of a ratio scale as the three earlier scales rolled up in one. The ratio scale of measurement is similar to the interval scale in that it also represents quantity and has equality of units. However, this scale also has an absolute zero (no numbers exist below the zero). A ratio scale is a measurement scale in which a certain distance along the scale means the same thing no matter where on the scale you are, and where 0 on the scale represents the absence of the thing being measured. Most measurement in the physical sciences and engineering is done on ratio scales. Mass, length, time, plane angle, energy and electric charge are examples of physical measures that are ratio scales. The scale type takes its name from the fact that measurement is the estimation of the ratio between a magnitude of a continuous quantity and a unit magnitude of the same kind. Informally, the distinguishing feature of a ratio scale is the possession of a non-arbitrary zero value. For example, the Kelvin temperature scale has a non-arbitrary zero point of absolute zero, which is denoted 0K and is equal to -273.15 degrees Celsius. This zero point is non arbitrary as the particles that compose matter at this temperature have zero kinetic energy. All statistical measures can be used for a variable measured at the ratio level, as all necessary mathematical operations are defined. The central tendency of a variable measured at the ratio level can be represented by, in addition to its mode, its median, or its arithmetic mean, also its geometric mean or harmonic mean. In addition to the measures of statistical dispersion defined for interval variables, such as range and standard deviation, for ratio variables one can also define measures that require a ratio, such as studentized range or coefficient of variation. 2. Define the terms direct measurement and indirect measurement. Describe briefly how you would make profit of indirect measurement in psychological traits. Answer: There are 2 types of measurement techniques are developed in order to measure quality or characteristics of attributes. First one is quantitative and second is qualitative. Quantitative can be measured directly and qualitative can not be measured directly. The height and weight of a person can be measured directly with scales in feet/meter, kilogram. But qualitative variable cannot be measured with scales such as feet, meter, kilogram etc. For example, Kindness, love and intelligence of a person can not be measured directly. Indirect measurement can be used for these cases. To measure this type of cases different indirect measures like answer to questions, IQ tests can be used. Indirect measurements are mostly used in social science. Richness, happiness, good life, poverty etc can be measured with the support of different indirect indicators. In order to measure psychological traits we use behaviors as a basis for measurement. Qualities of an individual can be measured indirectly through psychological testing by developing indicators. In standard psychological test we develop the set of standard as questionnaire or guidance fro scoring the attributes or traits. We largely use objective types of question and interpret according to the guidance of answering. Human behavior can not measure as physical measurement like height, weight. The qualitative aspects like perception, emotion, retention etc can be measured through indirect measurement, which is based on some pre-defined set of standards. 3. What will happen if you use ordinary measurement as though they were interval or ratio measurement? Ordinary data is non parametric data and interval and ratio are parametric data. Therefore we dont use ordinary measurement if the data are in interval or ratio measurement. They differ from each other. To ensure measurement more reliable, selection of appropriate statistical tools according to the nature of data is important. If we use interval/ratio measurement when the data are ordinal scales it may leads false decision. 4. Which method census or sampling do you prefer the most for describing the reality of Nepali classroom teaching learning? Explain in brief. Answer: Sampling method is more applicable than the census method for describing the reality of Nepali classroom teaching learning. To study about promotion, failure and drop out rate, census method can be used. However for the reality presentation, census method can not be convenient. Through the census method each and every unit of the population can be taken into consideration. But it will be highly time and money consuming. Sampling method will make all process faster with less cost. While taking the sample size there is more important of inclusion and representation in the sampling i.e. ethnic group, caste, religion, , geographic zone, and gender, etc. Through educational perspective different grades, private and public school/college suppose to be included. The sample size should more representatives. 5. in a group of 50 children, the 8 children who took longer than 3 hours to complete a performance test in sent-up test were marked as DNC (did not complete). In computing a measure of central tendency for this distribution of scores, what measure we should use and why? Median can be used in computing a measure of central tendency for the distribution of score as mentioned in the question. Median is not affected by extreme values. Arithmetic mean is affected by extreme values. As Median is the positional average, we can get the correct value of central tendency. 6. Give some examples where you need geometric and harmonic mean. Give geometrical interpretation of A.M., G.M. and H.M. Answer: Geometric Mean (G.M): Geometric Mean (G.M) is widely used in averaging ratios and percentages and is computing average rates of increase or decrease. It is also advantageously used in the construction of index numbers. G.M. gives equal weights to equal ratios of change. It is also used to compute the average rate of growth or reduction of population or average increase or decrease of production, profit, sales etc. When we require to give more weight to smaller items and smaller weight to larger (e.g. Social and economic problems) G.M can be used. Harmonic Mean (H.M.): Harmonic Mean (H.M.) is used in computing the averages relating to the rates and ratios such as velocity speed etc., where time factor is the variable. It also can be used for making Human Development Indicator (HDI). Geometrical interpretation of A.M., G.M., and H.M. Let AD = a, DB = b Then represents the radius of the semi circle. Hence radius OP = , which gives the value of A.M. Similarly radius OQ = , Now OD = b = Now DQ2 = OQ2 OD2 = { }2 { }2 = ab Hence, DQ = , which represents G.M. Now, in the right angled triangle ODM, DM2 = OD2 OM2 And in right angled triangle DMQ, DM2 = DQ2 MQ2 Hence, OD2 OM2 = DQ2 MQ2 Here, OQ = . Let OM = x, then MQ = x {}2 x2 = ab { x}2 For solving, x = Hence, MQ = = , which represents H.M. From above it is clear that OP = A.M., DQ = G.M. MQ = H.M. From the figure, it is clear that OP > DQ > MQ. Hence, we can say that A.M. > G.M. > H.M.H 7. Give geometrical meaning of the formula used for Median and Mode for grouped data. Answer.: Geometrical meaning of the formula used for Median: Let consider the following continuous frequency distribution, (x1 < x2 < xn+1). Class interval: x1 x2 , x2 x3, . xk xk+1, . xn xn+1 Frequency: f1 f2 fk fn The cumulative frequency distribution is given by: Class interval: x1 x2 , x2 x3, . xk xk+1, . xn xn+1 frequency : F1 F2 Fk Fn Where, Fi = f1 + f2 + ..+ fi-1. The class xk xk+1 is the median class if and only if Fk-1 < N/2 < Fk. Now, if we assume that the variate values are uniformly distributed over the median class which implies that the ogive is a straight line in the median class, then we get from the fig.1, tan = i.e. or or, = Where is the frequency and h the magnitude of the median class. Hence, BS = Hence, Median = OT = OP + PT = OP + BS = l + This is the required formula. Geometrical meaning of the formula used for Median: Let us consider the continuous frequency distribution: Class interval : x1 x2 , x2 x3, . xk xk+1, . xn xn+1 frequency : f1 f2 fk fn If fk is the maximum of all the frequencies, then the modal class is (xk xk-1). Let us further consider a portion of the histogram, namely, the rectangle erected on the modal class and the two adjacent classes. The modal is the value of x for which the frequency curve has a maxima. Let the modal point be Q (fig. 2) From the figure, we have tanß = and tana = or, or, , where h is the magnitude of the model class. Thus solving for LM, we get LM = Hence, Mode = OQ = OP + PQ = OP + LM = l + 8. Squaring deviations and then taking squares seems to be useless. Why do we use square? Answer: Squaring deviation and then taking squares seems to be useless however actually it has certain meaning like the squaring of the deviations (x-x) removes the drawbacks of ignoring signs of the deviations in computation of mean deviation. Taking the sign into consideration we obtain positive values always when squared. But squaring gives aunit that isthe square of theunit the quantity is measured in. This step provides it suitable for further mathematical treatment. 9. Study the following summary statistics of the scores of two graders VI and VII. Now give your answer to the following questions and give figures to support your answers. a. Which class had the larger number of pupils? Answer: Grade VI had larger number of pupils. b. Which class on the average had the higher scores? Answer: Grade VII on the average had the higher scores. c. In which class were the scores more scattered? (Given four different statistics to show the difference in scatter.) Answer: For Grade VI, the scores are more scattered. The four different measures to show the difference in scatter ness are as follows: Interquartile range Coefficient of S.D. Coefficient of M.D. from mean Coefficient of variation 9. Are the distributions of scores about the mean symmetrical? What is your evidence? If not, which class has high scores not balanced by similar low scores? The distribution of scores about the mean in both classes are not symmetrical as we can find Mean = Median = Mode is not satisfied for both the grades. In grade VI, since Mean < Median Median > Mode, it is positively skewed. That is there is greater variation towards the higher values of the variables. 10. Take one distributed data grouped into different frequencies and calculate different measure of central tendencies (Arithmetic mean, Median, and mode) and measures of dispersion (Q.D., MD, and SD). Give your judgments about your data concerning to symmetry. Answer: Suppose, the weights of 50 students of a class are classified below. For Mean; Mean = A + = 65- = 64.87 Hence, Mean =64.87 For Median; Hence, Median lies in the class 60-70 Median = = 60+=66.2 Hence, Median=66.2 For Mode; Since maximum frequency occurs at two classes, so the given distribution is a bimodal distribution. So, Mode =3 median-2 mean =3*66.87-2*64.87 =198.6-129.74=68.86 Hence, Mode=68.86 For Quartile Deviation; Position of Q1= Hence First Quartile (Q1) lies in the interval 50-60 Now, Q1 = 50+ Hence, First Quartile (Q1)= 57.28 Position of Q3= Hence Third Quartile (Q3) lies in the interval 70-80 Again, Q3 = =70+ =73.62 Now, QD= ==8.17 Hence, Quartile Deviation (QD) = 8.17 For Mean Deviations; Mean deviation from mean Calculation of Standard Deviations Now, N = 75, ÃŽ £fd = -1 ÃŽ £fd2 = 89 = = =1.08*10 =10.81 To identify Symmetry Here, Mean = 64.87 Median = 66.2 Mode = 68.86 Hence, the curve is not symmetrical. Calculation of Skewness Sk = is negative skewed.

The Impact of Societal and Economic Changes upon the Family Essay

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Family and society have come across many changes during our history. Every change that occurred has affected what many people would call the "Benchmark Family" (Scanzoni #7). This is considered the perfect family or the norm. The Family would consist of the husband that is the breadwinner and the wife who is responsible for raising the children, and taking care of the home (Scanzoni #4). Society has changed dramatically from the 19th century. These changes in turn have affected Family. Many factors through the years have been responsible for these changes. Feminism is a tremendous factor that is still having its effect on family and society today. Another factor is employment. Women in the workplace have changed family structure over the years. Sex is also a factor that changed family and society in many ways. I will explore these factors and show what effect they have on family.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Feminism impacted family in a tremendous way. In the "Jacksonian Era" the notion was that men had divine right to rule over women (Scanzoni #104). People believed that men had certain characteristics that enabled them to be better outside the home, for the purpose of supporting his family. Women were believed to be fragile and over sensitive for the harsh workplace (Scanzoni #104). Society also had certain rules that had to be followed by the public to keep society stable. These rules were mainly developed through the bible and religious institutions. During the 19th century religion was an important part of peoples lives. Religion basically dictated to the people what was right and wrong. Religion was very influential during this period. A person believed, what the church said about how they should live was what god wanted and dictated in the Bible (Scanzoni #103). For many years people lived their lives the way the church wanted them too.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Then the start of Feminism occurred, women began to say "God sees the genders as equals" according to the Bible (Scanzoni#107). Women started to raise questions about different issues in regards to equal treatment. This is when family change started. Men were happy with societies take on women. Men did not want any change to occur. Men felt everything was the way it was suppose to be. Women started to become more involved in other aspects of life besides homemaking. Women wanted what was initialed to them, which was equal... ...out the working family than it does today.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The 1950s seem to have less life threatening diseases. For one thing AIDS was not an issue. I know there were diseases but not to an epidemic levels as AIDS. Cancer was not as wide spread as today. It also seems to me people had more respect for the land. People did not litter, and appreciated where they lived more than today. People were also friendlier to each other. People just got along better with their neighbors.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some may say that the 1950s were more strict and oppressed than today. It was, but it kept society stable and crime down. There has to be some sort of rules, whether they are societal rules or law. This is what keeps a stable environment. Of course you can never please everybody, and it is of opinion what is the best time in our history. I just feel that things were less problematic during the 1950s era. Works Cited: Scanzoni, John Contemporary Families and Relationships: Reinventing Responsibility New York: McGraw Hill, 1995 P# 4, 7, 102, 103, 104, 107, 111, 114, 120, 123, 130, 132, 139 Skolnick, Arlene, Jerome H. Skolnick Family In Transition: Ten Edition New York: Addison , 1999 P# 21, 44, 51

Sustainable and Ecotourism

Current economic issues and theory Sustainable and Ecotourism Tourism Tourism is one of the foremost economic activities around the world. It growth has been one of the major economic and social phenomena of the twentieth century. Tourism has expanded dramatically over the last years and has become a global industry. We can define tourism as the  Ã¢â‚¬Å"movement of people, spatially and temporally, out of their own communities for leisure and business purposes†. According to the  World Tourism Organisation  (WTO) tourist is a  Ã¢â‚¬Å"visitor staying for more than 24 hours in a country visited for business or leisure purposes†.The term tourism is an umbrella for all relationships and phenomena associated with people who are travelling, whatever the reason. It has no clear boundaries and could be viewed as an industry itself. In my work I would like to show the relationship between the tourism and environment. For the tourism service providers the most important is to grow the industry itself and attract more visitors to destinations. Their main purpose is to gain more and more profit. I think that these type of thinking can be harmful for environment. Similar essay: Role of Advertisement in Tourism DevelopmentTourism and tourist can effect negatively the environment therefore we can talk about a form of tourism which is unsastainable. In this essay I will concern this issue too but my main topic is the sustainability. Fortunately in last years people recognised the importance of the environment and nowadays they are taking this issue seriously. The tourism has negative but also positive impact on the environment therefore we can talk about a sustainable tourism. In the following I deal with this issue more detailed and I try to find the answer how popular it is among tourists or tour operators.Unsustainable tourism As I mentioned tourism is now among the world’s most relevant industries generating jobs for millions of people and profit all over the world. At the same time tourism can have dire effects on the people and places it embraces. Mainly the mass toursim has negative effects. What can be the worst effects of unmanag ed, unsustainable tourism? – previously undeveloped coastal villages can become sprawling, charmless towns o their seas poisoned by sewage their beaches stained with litter – historic towns and their streets choked with traffic – some of the world’s richest environments bruised by the tourist onslaught – distinctive wildlife driven to near-extinction – changes in the landscape coming from the construction of infrastructure, buildings and facilities – air pollution and waste – the intensive use of water and land by tourism and leisure facilities – the disturbance of fauna and local people (for example, by noise)We can write many pros and cons of tourism. I think the worst effect of unsustainable tourism is when only the financial profit come into the strong focus. Becuse tourism makes a few people extremely rich, while impoverishing the majority, who lose their land, their resources and their sense of self. Tourism is not just about money, it should give benefits for tourist and local communities too. The main goals of tourism should include: the satisfaction of tourists, profit for tourism industry, wealth to local people.Changes in the landscape coming from the construction of infrastructure, buildings and facilities is one of the disadvantage of sustainable tourism but this can also benefit to local communities. I think the cooperation between the tourism industry providers (relevant ministries, government, management) and local organizations and communities can mitigate the negative effects. Sustainable Tourism Definition Sustainable Tourism involves social responsibility, a strong commitment to nature and the integration of local people in any tourist operation or development. Sustainable tourism has several definitions.According to the definition of the Federation of Nature and National Parks, sustainable tourism is: â€Å"All forms of tourism development, management and activity that maintai n the environmental, social and economic integrity and well-being of natural, built and cultural resources in perpetuity. † (FNNP, 1993) Sustainable tourism is defined by the  World Tourism Organisation(WTO), the  Tourism Council  (WTTC) and the  Earth Council  as: Sustainable Tourism Development meets the needs of present tourists, host regions while protecting and enhancing opportunity for the future.It is envisaged as leading to management of all resources in such a way that economic, social and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity and life support systems. Sustainable tourism products are products which are operated in harmony with the local environment, community and cultures so that these become the beneficiaries not the victims of tourism development.Sum up these definitions I can say that sustainable tourism is the form of tourism that does not reduce the availability of re sources and does not prevent future travelers from enjoying the same experience. Responsible Tourism, Soft Tourism, Minimum Impact Tourism and Alternative Tourism are terms with a similar meaning as Sustainable Tourism. Sustainable Tourism Development The significance and volume of tourism shows that it is not enough to develop new forms of â€Å"alternative† tourism in order to minimise the negative effects and maximise the positive impacts of tourism development.The whole sector must be developed and managed in a way that it does not damage the natural and socio-cultural environment. In my point of view it can be fully executed if the government, the managers and leaders of tourism industry recognise the harmful and negative effects of tourism and they introduce more regulations related to sustainability, they motivate tour opartors to promote this type of tourism among their clients and they release more related ads and topics in media. This is the responsibility of the wo rld-wide tourism industry.The concept of sustainable development was introduced by the World Commission on Environment and Development in the Brundtland Report in 1987, defining sustainable development as â€Å"development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs†. Since its publication, the role of tourism has been analysed and the concept of sustainable tourism appeared. The main message of the Brundtland Report seems to be more and more accepted by the tourism industry all over the world.Ecological sustainability means that tourism development does not cause irreversible changes in a given destination's ecosystem. There is an obvious need all over the world to protect natural resources from the negative impacts of tourism activities. In order to avoid or minimise unfavourable impacts, decision-makers must be aware of all the factors that play a role in the development process. Indicators of Sustainab ility â€Å"Indicators measure information with which decision-makers may reduce the chances of unknowingly taking poor decisions† (WTO, 1996).In other words, in the measurement of the progress that an individual destination is making towards sustainable tourism development, sustainability indicators are commonly accepted as one set of useful tools. â€Å"Indicators are both a tool for management today and an investment in the future, since they reduce the risk of inadvertent damage to the resource base on which the [tourist] industry depends† (WTO, 1996). There are some factors which are pushing the tourism industry towards a sustainable development approach: – Increasing regulatory measures The awareness by governments and operators that the growth of tourism can have a negative impact on the environment I think the government and the competent ministries should take the first steps. They should corporate with tourism service providers and with the management and create new regulations and laws. It is very important to take into account sustainability and preservation of nature. – Tourism professionals and operators recognise that environmental quality is essential for a competitive product – Growing wareness of cost savings from sensible resource consumption – Growing awareness of communities about their potential to influence tourism policy Similiar forms of tourism Responsible Tourism Tourism which operates in such a way as to minimize negative impacts on the environment. For example a  forest trip using â€Å"Leave No Trace† ethics would be considered responsible tourism while dune buggy tours would not. Nature-Based Tourism A term for any activity or travel experience with a focus on nature.These types of trips may or may not be environmentally sustainable or responsible. A cruise ships to view penguins in Antarctica fall into this category. I think that this type of tourism is sligthly more popular tha n sustainable tourism. It needs fewer responsibilty. Travels or trips in nature have always been very sought and beloved among families or other target groups. For example in my village and in the neighboring settlements exist tourist groups who regularly participate in different type of nature-based tours.They often go hiking, climbing, they participate on wine tours, visit thermal bathes or observe animals. They like nature and activities connected to nature but it is not guarantee that they conserve the nature and they improve the place they visit. Green Tourism Often used inter-changeably with eco-tourism and sustainable tourism   but more precisely described as â€Å"any activity or facility operating in an environmentally friendly fashion†. A lodge with composting toilets and solar powered lighting is probably â€Å"green†.There are varying degrees of â€Å"greenness†; an awareness of where resources are coming from and where wastes are going is at the h eart of the idea. Ecotourism The Ecotourism Society defines it as â€Å"responsible travel to natural areas which conserves the environment and improves the welfare of the local people†. A rafting trip is ecotourism in that case when it raises awareness and help to protect the watershed. A walk in the rainforest is not ecotourism unless that particular walk somehow benefits that environment and the people who live there.Eco-tourism means when you go to a  trip and you will help to „conserve and improve† the place you visit. In the last few years ecotourism has become a buzz word to sell a variety of products. Almost any term prefixed with ‘eco’ will increase interest and sales. Thus, in the last few years there has been a proliferation of advertisements in the travel field with such references as ecotour, ecotravel, eco-vacation, eco (ad) ventures, eco-cruises, eco-safaris and of course, eco-tourism (Wight, 1994).In my opinion some companies use the word ’eco’ because of particular ineterest or benefit. Maybe that ’eco-products’ and ’eco-services’ make them better reputation or greater madia interest. Therefore I think there are some companies which are not totally aware of the meaning ’eco’ and they use it for their advantage. Marta Honey’s book â€Å"Ecotourism and Sustainable Development†Ã‚  determine 7 defining points of ecotourism:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1) Involves travel to natural destinations – remote areas, enviromental protection.In my point of view it can be dangerous because in remote areas there are living just small group of people who can form a quite closed community. For them it can be strange to accept and receive tourist, especially huge number of tourist. In other hand, growing tourism have other consequences – to build the necessary infrastructure which could change the local ’untouched’ environment. In tha t case I think the tour operators and organizers should keep the tourism under control, regulate the number of tourists, involve local people to the whole process.For example using private accomodation instead of big hotels can be a good idea or small restaurants which offer local foods can be attractive for tourist and prifitable for local people. 2) Minimizes impact – ecotourism – use recycled materials, plentyfully available local building materials, renewable sources of energy, recycling and safe disposal of waste and garbage, environmentally and culturally sensitive architectural design. In my opinion it is relevant to draw people’s attention to these methods or they should be regulated in order to ensure limited damage to the ecosystem. ) Builds environmental awareness  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ   education for both tourists and residents; free educational trips, reading materials – The Ecotourism Societies guidelines; well-trained, multilingual naturalist guide s with skills in natural and cultural history, environmental interpretation, ethical principles and effective communication. I think it is important for tourist to gain some knowledge about the host country. Every nation has other regulations, habbits, values and culture. Environmental regulations and attitude to sustainability differ from country to country and therefore it is recommended to be informed of certain things. ) Provides direct financial benefits for conservation – park entrance fees, tour company, hotel, airline and airport taxes and voluntary contributions. 5) Provides financial benefits and empowerment for local people – local community must be involved with and receive income and other tangible benefits (potable water, roads, health clinics, etc. ) from the conservation area and it's tourist facilities. I think the popular destination, for example National Parks and other conservation areas will only survive if there are â€Å"happy people† arou nd their perimeters. ) Respects local culture – learning beforehand about the local customs, respecting dress codes and other social norms. As I earlier mentioned gain some knowledge about the host country will benefit us. 7) Supports human rights and democratic movements – Ecotourist need to be sensitive to the host country's political environment and social climate and need to consider the merits of international boycotts called for by those supporting democratic reforms, majority rule, and human rights. Marketing for sustainable tourismAccording to my view an intensive marketing activity can greatly influence the success of a given topic. For instance if the marketers release lot of articles and ads about the sustainability and the importance of it as a  result more and more people are going to deal with the topic. If the marketers raise the public attention than they can make the next step more easily. Implementation of the marketing concept in tourism can be ach ieved through the use of a variety of marketing tools and techniques (Popadopolous, 1989; Calantone and Mazanec, 1991). SegmentationSuccessful market segmentation and targeting involve the appropriate matching of tourist needs with the experience being offered, and, in the case of sustainable tourism, the need for this match is particularly important (Tregear et al. , 1997). Tourism organizations need to give greater consideration to segmenting their market with a view to concentrating on those categories of visitor that are not only economically attractive, but are also likely to be susceptible to messages aimed at encouraging them to adopt sustainable behaviors (Dinan, 2000).I think that during the segmentation process the tourism organizations can choose the right target group who will address later with intensive markerting campaign. On the other hand it is also important to deal with people who are not yet the ecaxt target audience. There are key members, for example the tour o parators or travel agents who can influnce the tourists and encourage them to pay greater attention to sustainable tours. Marketing mix All elements of the marketing mix need to be in harmony in order to increase the success ProductIf we would like to achieve more sustainable tourism we should developing products which are more sustainable in nature- conservation holidays, vacation packages using public transport rather than private cars, small-scale rural community-based tourism initiatives- and moving away from offering products which are intrinsically not sustainable- hunting trips, destinations with poor environmental standards. Intermediaries between tourists and tourism service providers are tour operators who create complete holiday packages and bring together a variety of services.These packages are marketed to customers either directly or through travel agents. Each package generally consists of accommodation (often with food service), transport both to and from the destina tion, ground transport within the destination and events or activities. Today, many consumers expect from the tour operators to supply them products which provide not just quality and value-for-money, but also safeguard environmental and social sustainability. Example The Green Travel Market is a global facility to integrate sustainable products into the packages of European and Northern American tour operators.Green Travel Market gives up-to-date and reliable information on existing sustainable tourism products: destinations, protected areas, accommodation networks, individual accommodation, visitor attractions and activities, excursions or tours, incoming tour operators and transport services. Green Travel Marker is in contact with more than 1. 500 touroperators and with its wide range of services help to local products and services to reach European and US tour operators and media. Price The price paid by the tourist should cover the full cost of their holiday.The cost must also be high enough to: – Ensure a satisfactory experience for the tourist I think satisfactory experience means quality and value for the money paid by the tourist. In the case of sustainabilty there are added other values, for example connection to nature, preservation of the origin environment, improve the visited area or just raise awareness. I have heard several times that the tourists were not totally satisfied with their holiday. Maybe the accomodation had not that quality what the travel agency promised or tourists did not receive a service or the visited place were not an ecotourist destination however they paid for it.I guess in these cases the travel agencies are quilty or faulty because they always have to be aware of the services they offer. They always should have up-to-date information and organise trips for the agents in order to get familiar with the offered destination. – Provide a satisfactory level of profit for the tourism industry – Generate an appropriate level of benefits for the host community – Cover costs involved in putting right any damage caused by the tourist to the environment – Pay for the resources consumed by the tourist PlacePlace refers to the location at which any service component the subject of the marketing campaign will be delivered. Place also refer to the channels of information that are used to spread the message. Promotion I think promotion has the most important role of all elements of marketing mix. By using promotional techniques we can create more sustainable forms of tourism. We can reach large number of people by suing promotional methods. Sustainable promotion should focus on promoting and advertising a tourist site, highlighting the unique characteristics of the area in order not to cause disappointment and frustration among tourists.It is important to promote brochures and advertisements which reflect reality. In my opinion it is necessary to show pictures of a given destinati on in order to get more realistic picture. An other good idea can be to create a blog where tourists can share their experineces and give some advice for future travelers. Tourism organizations and destinations can also use literature and advertisements to raise tourist awareness relating to sustainability. They can undertake ‘green marketing’ or promote soft tourism and infomr tourists of the impacts of their presence.Tools Communicating sustainability It is essential to inform tourists in a positive way about sustainability efforts and draw attention that environmental quality means quality tourism experience. If we talk about environmental quality we can mention the following: small-scale, quality service, personal relations, traditions, intact and protected nature, rest, modern lifestyle and healthy and local food. Eco-labelled products provide good quality service and quality products should respect the environment. Example Communication efforts of VISITThe Europea n VISIT initiative developed its own communication strategy for environmental quality in tourism. In 2002, the VISIT image campaign was launched under the motto: â€Å"Caring for the Environment †¦ is caring for the Visitor†. This slogan connects environmental quality with the quality of the product and experiences in addition it raises the overall awereness about this topic. They used print and online media (brochures, catalogues, website, publications) in order to spread the message. The VISIT Holiday Guide was launched in 2003 under the motto â€Å"Your visit makes the difference†.It provides detailed and structured description of more than 1,000 hotels, bed & breakfasts, holiday houses, youth hostels, camping sites and restaurants. Education and awareness programmes Environmental education  is a learning process that increases people’s knowledge and awareness about the environment and associated challenges, develops the necessary skills and expertise to address the challenges, fosters attitudes, motivations and commitments to make informed decisions and take responsible action (UNESCO, Tbilisi Declaration, 1978).Education and awareness programm should address to both the professional sector and the general public. These programms should contain information about the direct and indirect impacts of tourism, the causes with his effects, the global and local issues, the immediate and long-term issues and good practices in the area. Key members of spreading information are tour operators. They can provide variety of information about sustainable tourism issues, encourage their clients to conserve, avoid negative impacts on environment and cultural heritage, to respect national egislation of the visited area as well as traditions of local communities. Education and awareness-raising is also required at all levels of government. The relevant ministries have to deal with tourism and enviromental issues. It is quite important to raise aw areness within the academic sector responsible for training and research on issues regarding sustainable tourism. In my opinion the education and awareness programs means the most important tools of promotion and form the basis of the sustainable marketing. It is essential to start raise awareness in the kindergarten or in elementary school.If we show good example for children and we emphasize the importance of sustainability and preservation they will take this issue seriously form they childhood. I think that is the problem in many countries because people often feel that enviromental problems are just magnified and we have other problems in society or in our life which are more important or urgent. But it is not true because if we don’t take seriously these problems and don’t deal with that issue now maybe that we can do nothing in the future. It is the responsibilty of all people to conserve the environonment and draw other people attention to the importance of the issue.Ecotourism in Hungary In the last few years Hungary has taken a really proactive approach to ecotourism. The country has more than 300 nationally protected areas and over 1 000 locally protected sites. Hungary’s attitude towards conservation and preservation is one that facilitates ecotourism efforts by local businesses and ecotourism demand from tourists. Hungary is a great place where tourists and local people can find number of way to relax and have fun. In the following I  will show some good opportunity for ecotourism in Hungary. BudapestBudapest is the Hungary’s capital and an increasingly popular spot for tourists. With its rich and complex history, stunning architecture, lovely people, and fantastic culture, Budapest is one of the great cities of Eastern Europe. Budapest’s Urban Adventures offer some great, locally-run day tours with a touch of ecotourism for everyone. Their specially designed Budapest tours allow visitors to discover the city i n a  personal and unique way. Unique  local experiences  are integral to responsible travel, and one of the classic local experiences in Budapest is to visit cities thermal baths.Visitors can learn about the country’s spa traditions and explore some of the city’s best landmarks on this adventure. These thermal baths are  icons of Budapest, and are frequented by both locals and tourists who are looking to soak away their problems and pains. Budapest Urban Adventures’  Sights & Spas tour  puts a unique spin on the thermal bath experience by providing visitors with an insight into spa traditions and histories, as well as other traditional and architectural elements of the city. Sights and Spa tour – Highlights: Ride the continent’s oldest subwayLearn about Hungarian spa traditions Visit a church carved into a hill Discover Budapest’s Jewish quarter See Europe’s largest synagogue Admire the buildings from a city tram Walk thro ugh City Park Experience the cosmopolitan vibe of Budapest An other interesting offer of this company is the ‚Budapest Explorer tour‘ by which visitors can explore the capital by tram, foot and metro. Budapest Explorer tour – Highlights: Explore the iconic city landmarks on this Budapest tour Ride the continent’s oldest subway Admire the waterfront from a city tram Walk through City ParkExperience the atmosphere of a Budapest market Stroll along Andrassy Avenue Explore Franz Liszt’s old neighbourhood Discover local Budapest travel highlights and World Heritage sites Farm-House Hostel Many tourists come to Hungary and stay only in Budapest but it is worthwhile getting out of the city and  visiting other part of this wonderful country. In the south part of Hungary there is a tiny village Kiskassa where visitors find the extremely hospitable and totally endearing  Ecohun Hostel. Ecohun is a  traditional Hungarian farm-house  that is  locally o wned and operated.The hostel has the same facilities as a typical hostel, in addition it offers guests a unique insight into the local agriculture industry and traditions. The hostel typically caters to short-term accommodation but for those who are seriously interested in sustainable agriculture and alternative technologies, longer-term accommodation is available. I  think this form of ecotourism is a  very interesting one beacause nowadays lots of people would like to escape from busy cities, hide in a  calm environment and enjoy the opportunities of the nature.I  have some experiences in that area. I  have worked for three summers in a  small hotel in Slovakia. This hotel accomodates tourists who came to the city because of the thermal bath. The hotel has the ideal potentials for ecotourism beacuse it has a  big garden and almost every food ingredients, vegetables and fruits come from that garden, there are lot of animals which are very popular among the hosts, they can stroke and feet them and the hotel is sorrounded by a  large yard with beautiful flowers and trees.They regularly organise traditional programs, for example riding days, arts and crafts camps or public picksticking. I  really enjoyed working here. One thing which I  can suggest to this hotel – to promote themselves more in ecotourism way beacuse they emphasized mainly the accomodation and the related services and such values as nature, original agricultural traditions, calm atmosphere were less highlighted. Local Birdwatching Tours Hungary is home to an exceptionally diverse cascade of birds, making it an  attractive ecotourism destination  for birding. The spring and summer onths are the best period for this type of  ecotourism in Hungary, because most of birds are present. Ecotours  describe themselves as the  natural leaders  in Eastern Europe. Ecotours offer a variety of tours to ecotourism destinations around the world, but the majority of their to urs are in Hungary. Their tours are typically very specialised. They provide profesionally guided birding trips, birdwatching, butterfly, wildlife, nature and culture tours. Taking a tour with Ecotours is a sure way to experience local fauna from one of the leaders in  ecotourism in Hungary.According to my opinion the county’s potentials are good but maybe not well-exploited. People are not well informed about ecotours and ecotravels. In many cases those people are attending on these kind of tours who have similiar hobbies. For example people who like birds and animals they are mostly participating on professionally guided bird watching tours or on wildlife tours or people who love sports are attending on cycling or hiking tours. This is not problem because they can enjoy their hobbies.On other hand I  think these programs can be promoted among people who are looking for a  relaxing weekend. Not just an expensive wellness hotel can provide carefree relaxation but a  t rip in the nature can be memorable and restful. Hungary should more effectively and intesively advertise or promote its potentials. For example when I  was working in a  travel agency in Gyor during my internship I  did not meet with a brochure or catalogue which was focused on ecotourism. Our agency did not offer any type of program related to ecotourism.I  know just some organised cycling tours in Gyor which can be mentioned as ecotourism. Sum up I  think ecotourism must be developed and promoted in the following years beacuse despite of the favorable potentials, ecotourism is not quite popular in Hungary. As I  mentioned good marketing and communication tools can greatly help. Conclusion It is obvious that the tourism is the fastest and largest growing industry in the world beacuse millions of people are travelling every year. Travel and tourism is an important part of the world economy.Fortunately people realized the importance of the environment therefore sustainabl e and ecotourism started to develope rapidly. Eco travel or travel for the purpose of experiencing wildlife, natural attractions and indigenous cultures has become the fastest growing segment of global tourism. Ecotoursim in Hungary  is still growing and will likely continue to experience an increase in ecotourism operators as well as ecotourists. The country has a lot of potential and the right attitude therefore Hungary can become an attractive ecotourism destination in the near future.In my opinion building enviromental awereness is the most important part in the marketing process of sustainable tourism. It is very importatant to start education and awereness programs in elementary schools or kindergartens, organize free educational trips, supply reading materials about this issue. Education and awereness programs should address tourists, general public and government too. It is essential to draw attention to the importance of this topic because we have to care about the future generation. Resources ttp://www. guardian. co. uk/travel/2002/jul/07/travelnews. observerescapesection1 http://www. globalbasecamps. com/sustainable-tourism-ecotourism http://www. mynatour. org/destination/ecotourism-hungary-local-experiences http://www. untamedpath. com/Ecotourism/what_is_ecotourism. html http://www. untamedpath. com/Ecotourism/defining. html http://www. linkbc. ca/torc/downs1/vol26no1_article06. pdf http://www. biodiversity. ru/coastlearn/tourism-eng/tools_si. html http://www. englisharticles. info/2010/06/19/unsustainable-tourism/

Free Essays on Deadbeat Parents

There will more than likely never be an easy solution to the issues this country faces with child support. However the new proposals help children with deadbeat parents have a better shot at life. The government is working hard to find answers in helping these children to obtain the financial support that they need, but it is becoming more difficult to find arguments that support proposal likes the 3 strikes proposal. Many times these proposals are being called illegal and against the laws of the Constitution. The most important people in this whole argument are the children. If they are not taken care of properly, they often times fall into the welfare systems and find it difficult to make it in life. The US Department of Health and Human Services is also concerned with a child’s mentally stability if they are not receiving support from both parents. They worry that with lack of money, children will experience stress at a younger age and will become emotionally or me ntally unstable as adults. All of these factors have to be considered when coming up with child support proposals. Are the children of today going to carry such a burden that they are stressed out by the time they reach adulthood? When dealing with child support issues it is important to keep in mind what is the most important thing; the child. After all these children did not ask to be born and they sure did not chose their parents.... Free Essays on Deadbeat Parents Free Essays on Deadbeat Parents There will more than likely never be an easy solution to the issues this country faces with child support. However the new proposals help children with deadbeat parents have a better shot at life. The government is working hard to find answers in helping these children to obtain the financial support that they need, but it is becoming more difficult to find arguments that support proposal likes the 3 strikes proposal. Many times these proposals are being called illegal and against the laws of the Constitution. The most important people in this whole argument are the children. If they are not taken care of properly, they often times fall into the welfare systems and find it difficult to make it in life. The US Department of Health and Human Services is also concerned with a child’s mentally stability if they are not receiving support from both parents. They worry that with lack of money, children will experience stress at a younger age and will become emotionally or me ntally unstable as adults. All of these factors have to be considered when coming up with child support proposals. Are the children of today going to carry such a burden that they are stressed out by the time they reach adulthood? When dealing with child support issues it is important to keep in mind what is the most important thing; the child. After all these children did not ask to be born and they sure did not chose their parents....

Adidass Strategy

Adidass Strategy Free Online Research Papers What is adidass corporate strategy? â€Å"To lead the sporting goods industry with brands built on a passion for sports and a sporting lifestyle. To provide athletes with the best possible equipment to optimize their performance. Leveraging opportunities across their brand portfolio 1.Market penetration – gaining market share across all markets in which they compete 2.Market development – expanding into new markets and addressing new consumer segments To have a leading market positions in all regions where we compete. Leading though innovation and design Customizing distribution 1.Mono-branded stores run by retail partners 2.Shop-in-shops that Adidas establish with their key accounts 3.Joint ventures with their retail partners 4.Co-branded stores with sports organizations or other brands Creating shareholder value† Was there a common strategic approach used in managing the companys lineup of sporting goods businesses prior to its 2005–2006 restructuring? No, Adidas was trying to regain the number one position within the sporting goods industry by investing in many different areas of sporting goods. â€Å"Adidas’s 1998 acquisition of Salomon had several businesses that adidas’s management viewed as attractive-its Salomon ski division was the leading producer of ski equipment: TaylorMade Golf was the second-largest seller of golf equipment; and Mavic was the leading producer of high-performance bicycle wheels and rims.† Adidas was not focused on athletic footwear and started selling bike wheels and rims that had nothing in common with their main business of athletes’ footwear. Also the ski division was out of line with their many main business goals and strategies. Has the corporate strategy changed with restructuring? Yes, Adidas sold the divisions that were not inline with their main strategy or didn’t have noting in common with their main business. â€Å"Adidas announced near the end of its second quarter 2005 that it would divest its winter sports brands and Mavic bicycle components before the end of the year.† Adidas started focusing on its main business strategies and divisions that were in common with the strategies. â€Å"Adidas’s October 2005 announcement that it would acquire Reebok International Ltd for three point eight billion was the final component of a restructuring initiative that would focus the company’s business lineup primarily on athletic footwear and apparel and golf equipment by 2006.† With the restructuring and acquisition of Reebok the company strategy has changed. The new Adidas will start focusing on their core business strengths in the athletic footwear and apparel business. The combined companies will offer the spectrum of their product mix to gain a greater combined market share. â€Å"The brand adidas will continue to have a clear focus on sport performance and will highlight team sports, while brand Reebok will be positioned as a fitness oriented, sports-lifestyle brand with the focus on individual performance. The positioning will also be reflected in the distinct brand communication to reach different consumers.† What is your evaluation of adidass 1998 acquisition of Salomon SA? Adidas should have not acquired Salomon SA since they did not have the knowledge to run the division and it made adidas to diverse. â€Å"A Merrill Lynch analyst suggested that the Salomon acquisition might prove troublesome for adidas since other athletic shoe companies had dabbled in the hard goods segment, but they have been unsuccessful to date in making inroads.† By adidas becoming too diverse, they were unable to capitalize on any value chains and unable to cross promote their products. The acquisition did give adidas more market share â€Å"Adidas’s 1.5 billion acquisition of Salomon allowed it to surpass Reebok to become the world’s second-largest sporting goods company† This was not a good business decision because adidas already owned Reebok and just because they gain market share showed that the end result would not be profitable (bigger is not always better). Did the acquisition achieve the Robert Louis-Dreyfuss objective of putting together the best portfolio of sports brands in the world? NO. Louis-Dreyfus used 100 percent debt financing to create adidas-Salomon thinking that the new business units would boost adidas’s pretax profit by 20-25 percent, however, Louis-Dreyfus’s projections never materialized. In 2000 Louis-Dreyfus resigned since his objective failed. What does a 9-cell industry attractiveness/business strength matrix displaying adidas-Salomons business units look like? A 9-cell industry attractiveness/business strength matrix for the time would have showed that the combination of adidas and Salomon AS would not be a good fit. Adidas brought to the deal a company that had underestimated the competitor (Nike), falling to the eighth position of athletic footwear market within the United States. Their was no competitive advantage for adidas within an maturing industry. Both adidas and Salomon had challenges within their industries that were not fix or address before or during the merger. Did adidass business lineup prior to the divestiture of Salomon and Mavic exhibit good strategic fit? No, at first it looks like a very good fit since both companies are in the sporting goods industry and having well known brand names. Both of them have strong apparel lines and having presence in similar geographical regions. However, it’s obvious that the hard-goods categories of Salomon and Mavic would not create synergies with the apparel and footwear industries of adidas. Skill transfers between the businesses would have been a problem to because each business was so different. What value-chain match ups existed? Adida’s knowledge in the apparel and footwear industries were a good match up for running TaylorMade, Salomon, etc. footwear and apparel lines. What opportunities for skills transfer, cost sharing, or brand sharing were evident? Adidas should have gain more bargaining power that should have resulted in cost savings for all the companies. Advertising cost could have been shared since all the companies are in the sporting goods industry. TaylorMade can use adidas’s apparel and footwear manufacturing strengths to its advantage to come up with more apparel and footwear products to increase its market share. Cost reduction learned from adidas could be used at TaylorMade to save money. What strategic fits will be possible once Reebok International is acquired? Reebok will give adidas’s company the ability to position adidas as a technologically superior shoe designed for athletes and adidas can then focus on the high-end of the markets. Reebok would be positioned as leisure shoes that would sell at middle price points. Adidas can keep endorsement contracts with respected athletes and Reebok’s endorsements would be from more edgy celebrities. This is a great strategic fit since both companies are in the same line of business, but in different segments of the market and so they compliment each other. Another great fits is that Reebok would keep its CEO to lead Reebok after the acquisition so both companies will have the management that knows how to run their part of the business. Did adidass business lineup exhibit good resource fit between 1998 and 2004? No, because the businesses were too different in order to gain any economies of scale from combined production. Management skills and employee skills could not be moved from one company to the other without retraining. What were the financial characteristics of each of three major segments? Exhibit 5 Adidas 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 Net Sales 80% 79% 78% 79% 80% 83% 85% Gross profit 75% 71% 71% 71% 75% 82% 86% Operating profit 88% 78% 75% 74% 79% 87% 94% Salomon 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 Net Sales 10% 10% 10% 12% 12% 11% 10% Gross profit 8.47% 9% 10% 12% 12% 10% 9% Operating profit 2% 7% 9% 13% 12% 6% 1% TaylorMade 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 Net Sales 10% 10% 11% 9% 8% 6% 5% Gross profit 9.74% 10% 12% 11% 4% 7% 6% Operating profit 10% 14% 16% 13% 9% 6% 5% Salomon was far behind Adidas and TaylorMade with operating profit declining from 2002. As of 2004 Salomon is getting to the point where it is just able to cover expenses. Which businesses might have been considered cash hogs and cash cows? Adidas is the cash cow with 75% gross profit. Solomon is the cash hog with only 9% operating profits then TaylorMade is the second cash hog How did adidas-Salomons performance vary by geographic region? On average from 1998 2004 Europe with 51% of adidas’s sales Asian with 16% of adidas’s sales Latin American with 3% of adidas’s sales Based on your analysis of adidas-Salomon businesses, did the 2005 restructuring make sense? Yes It allowed adidas to focus back on its core business of athletic footwear and apparel. At also allowed adidas to get rid of businesses that it was unable to manage. Does it appear the acquisition of Reebok International will produce positive results for shareholders? Yes, since adidas sales has gained more market share in china, overtaking Nike within that business region. What strategic actions should adidas CEO Herbert Hainer initiate to improve the companys financial and market performance now that the restructuring is nearing completion? Grow in other location out side of Europe. Adidas must increase market share in North America. Either sell or get the Salomon’s division more profitable. Focus on getting more business within the basketball area’s were Nike is slam dunking them at the hoops. Work Cited adidas-group.com/en/investor/strategy/default.asp Crafting and Executing Strategy: The Quest for Competitive Advantage- Concepts and Cases, 15th ed., by Arthur A. Thompson Jr, A. J. Strickland III, and John E. Gamble (New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2007). Crafting and Executing Strategy: The Quest for Competitive Advantage- Concepts and Cases, 15th ed., by Arthur A. Thompson Jr, A. J. Strickland III, and John E. Gamble (New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2007). Crafting and Executing Strategy: The Quest for Competitive Advantage- Concepts and Cases, 15th ed., by Arthur A. Thompson Jr, A. J. Strickland III, and John E. Gamble (New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2007). businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/aug2005/nf2005088_0844_db008.htm Crafting and Executing Strategy: The Quest for Competitive Advantage- Concepts and Cases, 15th ed., by Arthur A. Thompson Jr, A. J. Strickland III, and John E. Gamble (New York: Mc Graw-Hill/Irwin, 2007). Crafting and Executing Strategy: The Quest for Competitive Advantage- Concepts and Cases, 15th ed., by Arthur A. Thompson Jr, A. J. Strickland III, and John E. Gamble (New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2007). Research Papers on Adidas's StrategyAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductOpen Architechture a white paperDefinition of Export QuotasBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfPETSTEL analysis of IndiaIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalThe Project Managment Office SystemTwilight of the UAWRelationship between Media Coverage and Social and