Roman Empire Vs. Han Dynasty - 939 Words

Compare and Contrast Essay Roman Empire vs. Han Dynasty Bethany Corl HIEU 201-B11 September 29, 2014 Compare and Contrast Essay The Roman and Han empires flourished in culture, wealth, and technological advances at their pinnacle, leading not to future stability, but to greed, corruption, and ultimately their downfall. The Roman and Han empires were different with respect to how each came to gaining their power. However, each held several similarities within their governments, religion, technological contributions, and downfalls. These differences and similarities can be seen by taking a closer look at each empire. During the early 8th century B.C.E., Rome was considered just a city in Italy, a crossroads within the Mediterranean. Residents had created several communities, and eventually they became one and created the Roman Republic. The patricians, also referred to as the elite and plebeians known as the general population were said to have ran the Roman empire. The Han Dynasty began this era after gaining power from the Qin. In China, the Han was in control and had the responsibility of advancing and sustaining the Han Chinese Empire for the next 400 years. A difference can already be seen between the two empires in the management of their communities. The Roman Empire had a democratic system but was said to have been ran more like a monarchy. In similarity the Han Empire also had a monarchy. The two empires had government strategies thatShow MoreRelatedCatal Hyuk2725 Words   |  11 PagesMountains Bay of Bengal Harappa Red Sea Persia Persian Gulf CHAPTER FIVE: Early Society in East Asia IDENTITIES: Staple Foods Xia â€Å"China’s Sorrow† â€Å"Mandate of Heaven† Cowrie Shells Extended Family Consort Dynasty Loess Hereditary State Zhou Decentralized Administration Artisans Ancestor Veneration Oracle Bones Steppe Nomads MAPS: Yangzi River Steppes of Eurasia Southeast Asia Indian Ocean Burma (Myanmar) Mojeno-daroRead MoreMalaysia Traditional Games5012 Words   |  21 Pagesincluding pride, kite, selambut, sepak raga, tops, kabaddi, mahjong, etc.. CONGKAK The word  congkak  is believed to originate from old  Malay  congak, meaning mental calculation. The oldest  mancala  game boards were found in a ruined fort of Roman Egypt and date back to the 4th century AD by our Persatuan  National Geographic . After that, the game was likely introduced to Southeast Asia by Indian or Arab traders in the 15th century throughmerchants via Malacca , an important trading post atRead MoreEssay about Summary of History of Graphic Design by Meggs14945 Words   |  60 Pagespower of the Persian Empire. Reading and writing had become more important by this time, because the expansion of information and knowledge exceeded the ability of oral communication. - Most of the knowledge documented by the Greeks was lost due to the fragile nature of papyrus scrolls and the damp Greek climate. - After the death of Alexander the Great, Greek civilization and its alphabet became influential throughout the whole world. - The Latin alphabet came to the Romans from Greece by wayRead MoreGp Essay Mainpoints24643 Words   |  99 Pages GP NOTES 2010 (ESSAY) Content Page 1. Media a. New vs. Traditional b. New: narcissistic? c. Government Censorship d. Profit-driven Media e. Advertising f. Private life of public figures g. Celebrity as a role model h. Blame media for our problems i. Power + Responsibility of Media j. Media ethics k. New Media and Democracy 2. Science/Tech a. Science and Ethics b. Government and scientist role in science c. Rely too much on technology? d. Nuclear technology

Analysis Of Chasing Lincoln s Killer - 1188 Words

. Swanson, James L. Chasing Lincoln’s Killer. New York: Scholastic Press, 2009. 2. Chasing Lincoln’s Killer is a biography, as it mainly focuses on John Wilkes Booth’s plan to assassinate the president along with the secretary of state and vice president, the actual assassinations in action, and Booth’s attempt to escape to the south, along with personal retellings of what happened by the people involved. 3. Swanson has been fascinated with the assassination of Lincoln since he was ten when his Grandma gave him an engraving of the pistol John Wilkes Booth used to kill Lincoln. Swanson now serves on the advisory council of the Ford’s Theater Society and is a member of the advisory committee of the national Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. He is a lawyer in Washington D.C. He was born on Lincoln’s birthday and has collected books, documents and artifacts about the life and death of Abraham Lincoln all his life. He has also published other books on the same subjects: Manhunt: The 12-day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer and Lincoln’s Assassins: Their Trial and Execution. 4. Chasing Lincoln’s Killer is a complete retelling of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln along with the 12-day manhunt that followed for the infamous John Wilkes Booth and his accomplices. The Confederacy has just recently lost the Civil War to the Union. John Wilkes Booth, a devoted confederate, decides to do something with his strong anger towards the union: killing the president of the United States.Show MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Chasing Lincoln s Killer By James L. Swanson1237 Words   |  5 Pagesfree. While most maintained peace in order to prevent more mayhem, some decided to act out. John Wilkes Booth was one of these such men, and he demonstrated his anger through murder. Booth assassinated President Abraham Lincoln on April 15th, 1865 .The book, Chasing Lincoln’s Killer, written by James L. Swanson reports the anger felt by Booth, in addition to the manhunt that followed, and the shocked nation left behind. The magnitude of emotions felt by Booth leads him to this traitorous act, and thisRead MoreMarketing Mistakes and Successes175322 Words   |  702 Pagesfollowing classification of cases by subject matter to be helpful. I thank those of you who made this and other suggestions. Classification of Cases by Major Marketing Topics Topics Most Relevant Cases Marketing Research and Consumer Analysis Coca-Cola, Disney, McDonald’s, Google, Starbucks Product Starbucks, Nike, Coke/Pepsi, McDonald’s, Maytag, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Newell Rubbermaid, DaimlerChrysler, Kmart/Sears, Harley-Davidson, Boeing/Airbus, Merck, Boston Beer, Firestone/Ford

Wattie Frozen Foods Ltd Free Essays

The firm†s competitive environment is in New Zealand, Australia, and the Pacific Rim. They have head quarters in Auckland and four factories located in Gisborne, Hastings, Fielding, and Christchurch. The range is frozen and dehydrated vegetable products, main products being peas, beans and frenches fried potatoes. We will write a custom essay sample on Wattie Frozen Foods Ltd or any similar topic only for you Order Now Growers are contracted to WFF and are provided with a significant amount of technical assistance, including the availability of quality seed stock, and a wide variety of agricultural management assistance. Once crops are deemed ready they are harvested quickly and transported immediately to the branch factory, where the crop reception department tests the quality of the incoming produce. At the factory the season processing is done around the clock. I.e.) potatoes are first washed, then sliced, deep-fried, frozen and packed. Peas are washed, graded, and then frozen for bulk storage. Beans are washed, graded dried, and packed. Problems with seasonality in the business are that you may run out of stock in a non-season where that product is not being produced. To get that product in a non-season could be quite expensive. The season for that product could produce a bad crop and you would have to wait until next season to get the next crop. Work Center Management is that the organization is divided up into a set of semiautonomous work centers. Each work center will have skilled supervisors and employees who will be able to make critical decisions to manufacture a quality product in a timely manner. There is daily reporting because the information will be more useful and ownership of the information is more likely. Daily reporting will occur because is will come from the bottom and travel it†s way up. The motivation for WCM consisted of 2 things: 1. The need to change the emphasis from reporting to managing  · Shortening the time between actions and the subsequent reporting results.  · Ensure focused accountability through clearly defined responsibilities for costs and the power to act. 2. The need for staff involvement and operational involvement It is necessary to change the organizational culture because WCM made managers fully responsible for their outputs and use of inputs and resources including labor, equipment, services and inventories. Thus management has to be empowered, responsible and fully empowered. The culture change was achieved by dividing each factory into units, which were largely self-contained and small enough to ensure focused management and accountability. Each of these units, were to be known as work centers. Each work center had one manager, the site manager (factory manager) would support the work center managers to coordinate work between the work centers and solve any conflicts. The physical numbers tie into the financial accounting system by cost is assigned to processes or products at the basis of the actual consumption of physical resources. The benefits of WCM are that it is integrated with other systems and programs, which provides better managerial reporting. It doesn†t just provide cost and financial performance measures, but also provides monthly summaries of wide physical measures to evaluate the work centers. The WCM has resulted in improved control and cost reductions in difficult to control areas. Other benefits of WCM include:  · Improved focus on quality production Potential problems in operating the WCM system are that eventually staff and management will get lazy on the daily reporting aspects. There may be staff turnover, as some managers will get promoted and training will have to be given to the next line of upcoming management. WCM will have to be continuously monitored to see the cost vs. benefit analysis. The types of operations that lend themselves to daily financial reporting are labor, electricity, materials, and machinery. How to cite Wattie Frozen Foods Ltd, Essay examples

Psy 387 Study Guide First Exam free essay sample

Genes- units of heredity that maintain their structural identify from one generation to another xi. Come in pairs because they are aligned along chromosomes xii. Gene is a portion of a chromosomes, which is composed of deoxyribonucleic acid xiii. A strand of DNA serves as a template for ribonucleic acid which is a single strand molecule xiv. Can be either homozygous ( identical pair of genes on the two chromosomes) or heterozygous (unmatched pair of genes) xv. Dominant – gene shows a strong effect in either the homozygous or heterozygous condition xvi. Recessive- gene shows its effect only in the homozygous condition j. Proteins xvii. Enzymes- biological catalyst that regulate chemical reactions in the body 4. Sex-Linked and Sex-limited Genes k. Sex-linked genes- genes located on sex chromosomes (usually X chromosomes) xviii. Male: XY Female: XX l. Autosomal genes- chromosomes that are not on sex chromosomes m. Sex-limited genes- which are present in both sexes (generally on autosomal genes) but active mainly in one sex xix. Ex- breast size in women 5. Heredity and environment n. To determine what kind of contributions heredity and environment has, researchers focus on comparing monozygotic (from one egg) twins and dizygotic (from two eggs) twins. o. Second kind of evidence is studies of adopted children to see if they relate to parents p. Third kind researchers find genes linked to a disorder q. Sometimes, environment might be based on genes due to the multiplier effect: if genetic or prenatal influences produce even a small increase in some activity the early tendency will change the environment in a way that magnifies that tendency Nerve Cells and Nerve Impulses Chap 2 . Anatomy of Neurons and Glia r. Neurons – Receive information and transmit it to other cells 7. The Structure of an Animal Cells s. Membrane- the surface of a cell, also called plasma membrane, is a structure that separated the inside of the cell form the outside environment t. All animal cells have (other than red blood cells) have nucleus the structure that contains the chromosome, mitochondrion the structure that performs metabolic activities, providing the energy that the cell requires for all other activities. Also has ribosomes- are the sites at which the cell synthesizes new protein molecules endoplasmic reticulum- a network of thin tubes that transport newly created proteins to other locations 8. The Structure of a Neuron u. Neurons are distinguished from other cells by their shape, the larger neurons have components: dendrites, soma (cell body) an axon and presynaptic terminals v. Motor Neuron- has its soma in the spinal cord. It receives excitation from other neurons through its dendrites and conducts impulses along its axon to a muscle w. Sensory neuron- is specialized at one end to be highly sensitive to a particular type of stimulation such as light sound or touch x. Dendrites- are branching fibers that get narrower near their ends 4. Receives information from other neurons 5. Dendritic spines – the short outgrowths that increase the surface area available for synapses y. Cell Body or Soma contains the nucleus, ribosomes, mitochondria, and other structures found in most cells z. Axon- is a thin fiber of constant diameter, in most case longer than the dendrites xx. Axon is the information sender of the neuron, converting an impulse toward other neurons or an organ or muscle xxi. Many vertebrate axons are covered with an myelin sheath- insulating material, with interruptions known as nodes of Ranvier xxii. An axon has man branches each of which swells at its tip forming a presynaptic terminal (end bulb or bouton) xxiii. Afferent axon brings information inside, efferent brings information out {. Interneuron or intrinsic neuron– if a cell’s dendrite and axon are entirely contained within a single structure 9. Glia |. Glia are the other major components of the nervous system, do not transmit information over long distance xxiv. Glia are smaller but also more numerous than neurons xxv. Astrocytes- wrap around the presynaptic terminals of a group of functionally related axons. They help synchronize the activity of the axons enabling them to send messages in waves they also help remove waste material created when neurons die and control the amount of blood flow to each brain area. Lastely they dilate blood vessels to bring more nutrient into that area 6. Blood brain barrier 7. Allows small uncharged molecules, including oxygen and carbon dioxide cross freely 8. Molecules that dissolve in the fats of the membrane also cross passively 9. For certain other essential chemicals the brain uses active transport, to bring in glucose, amino acids etc xxvi. Microglia- very small cells also remove waste material as well as viruses, fungi, and other microorganisms xxvii. Oligodendrocytes- build myelin sheath in the brain and spinal cord and schwann cells in the PNS xxviii. Radial Glia guide the migration of neurons and their axons and dendrites during embryonic development }. Nourishment Of Vertebrate Neurons xxix. Vertebrate neuron depends almost entirely on glucose, a simple sugar xxx. Glucose is practically the only nutrient that crosses the blood-brain barrier in adults xxxi. Thiamine- a chemical that is necessary for the use of glucose 10. The Nerve Impulse Module 2. 2 ~. The Resting Potential of the neuron xxxii. Electrical gradient- a difference in electrical charge between the inside and outside of the cell xxxiii. In the absence of any outside disturbance the cell membrane mains an polarization- meaning a difference in electrical charge between two locations xxxiv. Resting potential- the difference in voltage in a resting neuron, which is mainly the result of negatively charged proteins inside the cell . Forces acting on sodium and potassium ion xxxv. Sodium-potassium pump a protein complex repeatedly transports three sodium ions out of the cell while drawing two potassium ions into the cell. xxxvi. When the neuron is at rest, two forces act on sodium both tending to push it into the cell. 10. First consider the electrical gradient, sodium is positively charged and the inside of the cell is negatively charged. Opposite electrical charges attract so the electrical gradient tends to pull sodium into the cell. 11. Second consider the concentration gradient; the difference in distribution of ions across the membrane- sodium is more concentrated outside than inside so just by the laws of probability sodium is more likely to enter the cell than leave. . The Action Potential xxxvii. Hyperpolarization- which means increased polarization xxxviii. Depolarize- reduce its polarization toward zero xxxix. Threshold of excitation-a massive depolarization of the membrane. 12. Causes a rapid flow of ions across the membrane. xl. Action potential- a rapid depolarization and slight reversal of the usual polarization . The molecular basis of the action potential xli. The membrane proteins that control sodium entry are voltage-gated channels membrane channels whose permeability depends on the voltage difference across the membrane xlii. All-or-none law- amplitude and velocity of an action potential are independent of the intensity of the stimulus that initiated it . The Refractory period xliii. Refractory period- immediately after an action potential , the cell resists the production of further action potentials 13. First part is called the absolute refractory period, where the membrane cannot produce an action potential regardless of the stimulation 14. The second part is the relative refractory period, a stronger than usually stimulus is necessary to initiate an action potential . Propagation of the action potential xliv. Action potential begins on the axon hillock, which is a swelling where the axon exits the soma xlv. Propagation of the action potential- describes the transmission of an action potential down an axon xlvi. Reviewing action potential 15. As a result of synaptic input, sodium channels open and depolarize the axon membrane to its threshold 16. Sodium ions rush in and depolarize the membrane even further 17. Positive charge flows down the axon and opens voltage-gated sodium channels at the next point 18. At the peak of the action potential, the sodium gates snap shut. They remain closed for the next millisecond or so, despite the depolarization of the membrane 19. Because the membrane is depolarized, voltage-gated potassium channels open 20. Potassium ions flow out of the axon, returning the membrane toward its original depolarization 21. After the membrane returns to its original level of polarization the voltage-dependent potassium channels close . The myelin Sheath and salutatory conduction xlvii. Myelin- an insulating material composed of fats and proteins xlviii. Myelinated axons- those covered with a myelin sheath is the same, found only in vertebrates xlix. Salutatory conduction- the jumping of action potentials from node to node l. Local neurons-neurons without axons exchange information with only their closest neighbors li. Graded potential- membrane potential that vary in magnitude without following the all-r –none law 11. Chapter 3: Synapses lii. in late 1800’s ramon y cajal found a narrow gap separating one neuron from another. liii. In 1906 charles scrot Sherrington physiologically demonstrated that communications between one neuron and the next differs from communications along a single axon 22. Che inferred a specialized gap between neurons and introduced the term synapse . Properties of synapses liv. Reflexes- automatic muscular responses to stimuli 23. the circuit from sensory neuron to muscle response is called a reflex arc 24. Sherrington observed several properties – a. Reflexes are slower than conduction along an axon b. Several weak stimuli presented at slightly different times or slightly different locations produce a stronger reflex than a single stimulus does c. When one set of muscles becomes excited a different set become relaxed . Temporal Summation lv. Sherrington found that repeated stimuli within a brief time have a cumulative effect, called temporal summation lvi. Sherrington surmised that a s ingle pinch produced a synaptic transmission less than the threshold for the postsynaptic neuron- the cell that receives the message (the cell that delivers the synaptic transmission is the pre-synaptic neuron) lvii. Unlike action potentials which are always depolarization’s, graded potential’s may be either depolarization (excitatory) or hyperpolarization’s (inhibitory) a graded depolarization is known as an excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) 25. EPSP occurs when sodium ions enter the cell 26. If an EPSP does not cause the cell to reach its threshold the depolarization decays quickly . Spatial Summation lviii. Spatial summation- synaptic inputs from separate locations combine their effects on neurons . Inhibitory Synapses lix. Temporary hyperpolarization of a membrane called an inhibitory postsynaptic potential or IPSP resembles an EPSP 27. Occurs when synaptic inputs selectively opens the gates for potassium ions to leave the cell carrying a positive charge with them or for chloride ions to enter the cell carrying a negative charge 12. Chemical Events at the Synapse Module 3. 2 lx. Synapses rely on chemical processes, which are much faster and more versatile. . The Sequence of Chemical Events at a synapse lxi. Events in Order 28. The neuron synthesizes chemicals that server as neurotransmitters. It synthesizes the smaller neurotransmitters in the axon terminals and neuropeptides in the cell body. 29. The neuron transports the neuropeptides that were formed in the cell body to the axon terminals or to the dendrites (Neuropeptides are released from multiple sites in the cell) 30. Action potential travels down the axon. At the presynaptic terminal, an action potential enables calcium to enter the cell. Calcium releases neurotransmitters rom the terminals and into the synaptic cleft (the space between the presynaptic and post synaptic neurons 31. The released molecules diffuse across the cleft, attach to receptors and alter activity of the postsynaptic neuron 32. The neurotransmitter molecules separate from their receptors. Depending on the neurotransmitter, it may be converted to into inactive chemicals 33. The neurotransmitter molecules may be taken back into the presynaptic neuron for recycling or may diffuse away. In some cases, empty vesicles are returned to the cell body 34. Some postsynaptic cells send reverse messages to control the further release of neurotransmitter by presynaptic cells. . Types of neurotransmitters lxii. Neurotransmitter- at a synapse one neuron releases these chemicals that affect a second neuron 35. Amino acids- acids containing an amine group (NH2) 36. Neuropeptide- chains of amino acids 37. Acetylcholine-a chemical similar to an amino acid except the NH2 group has been replaced by an N(CH3)3) group 38. Monoamines- neurotransmitter containing one amine group (NH2) formed by a metabolic change in certain amino acids 39. Purines- a category of chemicals including adenosine and several of its derivatives 40. Gases- nitric oxide and possibly others lxiii. Nitric Oxide- a gas released by many small molecules 41. Increases blow flow to an area . Activation of Receptor of the Postsynaptic Cell lxiv. Ionotropic Effects- when the neurotransmitter binds to a receptor on a the membrane it opens the channels for some kind of ion 42. Begin quickly and last only about 20 ms lxv. Metabotropic effects- slower and longer lasting than inotropic effects 43. Take 30 ms or more to come into play, than last seconds minutes or longer lxvi. Neuromodulator- several properties that neuropeptides that set them apart from other transmitters . Inactivation and reuptake of Neurotransmitters lxvii. Acetylcholinesterase- the enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine after it activates a receptor. xviii. Reuptake-the presynaptic neuron that takes up most of the released neurotransmitter molecules intact and reuses them 44. Occurs because of the special membrane proteins called transporters lxix. COMT- breaks down the excess dopamine into inactive chemicals that cannot stimulate the dopamine receptors lxx. Autoreceptors- receptors that detect the amount of transmitter released and inhibit further synthesis an d release after it researches a certain level. 13. Synapse, Drugs, and Addiction Modules 3. 3 . Types of Mechanisms lxxi. Antagonist- a drug that blocks the effects of a neurotransmitter lxxii. Agonist- a drug that increases or mimics the effect of a neurotransmitter lxxiii. Drugs 45. If it has an affinity for a receptor if it Binds to it. 46. A drug’s efficacy is its tendency to activate the receptor lxxiv. 1. Name and briefly describe the five major philosophical approaches to the mind-body problem as described in lecture. The five major philosophical approaches to the mind-body problem are interactionism, psychophysical parallelism, epiphenomenalism, materialism, and subjective idealism (or mentalism). Interactionism is a dualistic position which posits that mind and body interact with each other. Psychophysical parallelism is a dualistic position which maintains that mind and body are separate entities that operate simultaneously, but independently from one another. Epiphenomenalism is a dualistic position which states that mind is a by-product of brain activity. Materialism is a monistic position which posits that everything can be explained in physical terms, so mind is brain activity. Subjective idealism, or mentalism, states that only mind exists, all matter is simply a figment of the imagination. 2. Briefly describe (as presented in lecture) how genetic material is expressed, using the following terms: DNA, mRNA, tRNA, ribosomes, and proteins. The genetic material, DNA, is transcribed by mRNA which transports the information from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, where it is translated into proteins by means of tRNA transferring amino acids to the ribosomes in the sequence dictated by the codons on the mRNA. 1. Briefly describe (as presented in lecture) the major functions of each of the following glial cells: oligodendrocytes, Schwann cells, astrocytes, microglia, and radial glia. Oligodendrocytes function to mylenate axons in the central nervous system, while Schwann cell mylenate axons in the peripheral nervous system. Astrocytes provide nutritive and functional support for neurons. Microglia work to remove waste material around neurons. Radial glia function as guides for migrating neurons. 2. Describe the five phases of an action potential (as described in lecture). During the first phase, a depolarizing signal reaches threshold and opens the voltage-gated sodium channels. During the second phase, the influx of sodium ions causes a peak depolarization until sodium channels become refractory. During the third phase, potassium rushes out of the open potassium channels, causing re-polarization. During the fourth phase, there is an overshoot of potassium efflux and the potassium channels close, while the sodium channels reset. During the fifth stage, the excess potassium dissipates and the membrane is restored to its initial resting potential. . Name and briefly describe the five steps in synaptic transmission as presented in lecture. The first step in synaptic transmission is the influx of calcium at the axon terminals. This leads to the second step, whereby the calcium triggers the migration and fusing of synaptic vesicles with the presynaptic membrane. During the third step, the neurotransmitters from the vesicles are released into the synaptic c left, a process called exocytosis. Binding of the neurotransmitters onto receptors on the post-synaptic membrane constitutes the fourth step of synaptic transmission. The fifth step is the deactivation of the transmitter by degradation or reuptake. 2. Name and briefly describe (as presented in lecture) five ways in which drugs often interfere with synaptic transmission. The first way a drug can affect synaptic transmission is by altering the synthesis or transport of neurotransmitters. A second way is by interfering with the storage or release of transmitters. A third way is by modifying the binding of transmitters on the postsynaptic membrane. A fourth way is by binding to autoreceptors. Finally, a drug can affect the breakdown or re-uptake of a neurotransmitter.

Passivity A Way Of Life Essays - Indian Films, Rukmani Devi, Karma

Passivity: A Way Of Life Passivity: A Way of Life. The life of the main character Rukmani was filled with hardships. Happy times were a rarity, and everyday life was full of work from sunrise to sunset. Yet despite all the work, her family was in utter poverty. Nevertheless Rukmani was always optimistic, and accepted her life the way it was. Kenny, on the other hand, never understood why they accept their poverty and always tried to get them to rise up. It is Indian ideology and the belief in karma with reincarnation that led Rukmani and many other Indian people to a passive life. This passivity is seen throughout the book. However especially in the few instances after major disasters and crises this way of life stands out. At first, Rukmani couldnt have children after her first daughter. Kenny cured her, and then she bore five sons. Afterwards, she met Kenny and proudly said You are my benefactorhave I not five sons to prove it?(p. 36) Kenny answered, Am I to blame for your excesses? This was a half- sarcastic remark. However, only half sarcastic. Ok, you need sons to work in the field, two sons can manage if Nathan managed alone. You can barely provide for a few people, but the family consists of eight. Yet everything is just fine. Another instance is when the terrible storm hit the village and destroyed the rice paddy. When the storm finished, Rukmani just said that it will grow back and so did Nathan. At the time of the terrible drought the crop was destroyed, and even after cutting a deal of paying half the rent, selling clothes, and a few other things they didnt have enough money to pay the half, Nathan wanted to sell the seed and a lot of other stuff. Rukmani pleaded with him Let us only try, Let us keep our hope for the next harvest.(p. 80) Again there is the optimism. Finally, she even confirms this passivity herself. When Kenny showed her the plans for the hospital, and the started to talk about the costs, Rukmani couldnt understand why people gave so much money to help. Kenny said, Because they have means, do no the sick die in the streets because there is no hospital for them? Are not your children born in gutters? Etc. You must cry out if you want help. Rukmani then thought, Well, and what if we gave in to our troubles at every step! We would be pitiable creatures indeed to be so weak, for is not a mans spirit given to him to rise above his misfortunes?(p. 115) And this is the essence of the argument presented above. They believe that their life is the way to fulfill the karma given to them. So Rukmani would fulfill her poor life as a wife of a farmer. And then, if she completes her karma, maybe she would be reincarnated into a being with a better life. And also all the hardships may be punishments for bad deeds in the previous life. This is precisely why Rukmani is always so optimistic and leads her life passively through all the hard times. This passivity comes from the belief. Maybe it is a better way of life, the passivity worked for Gandhis independence movement. Plus, Rukmani did survive, and tells us this story as an old woman, probably hoping that she fulfilled her karma. Book Reports

Vietnam War The Easter Offensive

Vietnam War The Easter Offensive The Easter Offensive occurred between March 30 and Oct. 22, 1972, and was a later campaign of the Vietnam War. Armies Commanders South Vietnam United States: Hoang Xuan LamNgo DzuNguyen Van Minh742,000 men North Vietnam: Van Tien DungTran Van TraHoang Minh Thao120,000 men Easter Offensive Background In 1971, following the failure of the South Vietnamese in Operation Lam Son 719, the North Vietnamese government began assessing the possibility of launching a conventional offensive in spring 1972. After extensive political infighting among senior government leaders, it was decided to move forward as a victory could influence the 1972 US presidential election as well improve the Norths bargaining position at the peace talks in Paris. Also, North Vietnamese commanders believed that the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) was overstretched and could be easily broken. Planning soon moved forward under the guidance of First Party Secretary Le Duan who was assisted by Vo Nguyen Giap. The main thrust was to come through the Demilitarized Zone with the goal of shattering ARVN forces in the area and drawing additional Southern forces north. With this accomplished, two secondary attacks would be launched against the Central Highlands (from Laos) and Saigon (from Cambodia). Dubbed the Nguyen Hue Offensive, the attack was intended to destroy elements of the ARVN, prove that Vietnamization was a failure, and possibly force the replacement of South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu. Fighting for Quang Tri The US and South Vietnam were aware that an offensive was in the offing, however, analysts disagreed as to when and where it would strike. Moving forward on March 30, 1972, Peoples Army of North Vietnam (PAVN) forces stormed across the DMZ supported by 200 tanks. Striking the ARVN I Corps, they sought to break through the ring of ARVN firebases located just below the DMZ. An additional division and armored regiment attacked east from Laos in support of the assault. On April 1, after heavy fighting, Brigadier General Vu Van Giai, whose ARVN 3rd Division had born the brunt of the fighting, ordered a retreat. That same day, the PAVN 324B Division moved east out of the Shau Valley and attacked towards the firebases protecting Hue. Capturing the DMZ firebases, PAVN troops were delayed by ARVN counterattacks for three weeks as they pressed towards the city of Quang Tri. Coming into force on April 27, PAVN formations succeeded in capturing Dong Ha and reaching the outskirts of Quang Tri. Beginning a withdrawal from the city, Giais units collapsed after receiving confusing orders from I Corps commander Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Lam. Ordering a general retreat to the My Chanh River, ARVN columns were hit hard as they fell back. To the south near Hue, Fire Support Bases Bastogne and Checkmate fell after prolonged fighting. PAVN troops captured Quang Tri on May 2, while President Thieu replaced Lam with Lieutenant General Ngo Quang Truong on the same day. Tasked with protecting Hue and re-establish the ARVN lines, Truong immediately set to work. While the initial fighting in the north proved disastrous for South Vietnam, staunch defending in some places and massive US air support, including B-52 raids, had inflicted heavy losses on the PAVN. Battle of An Loc On April 5, while fighting raged to the north, PAVN troops advanced south out of Cambodia into Binh Long Province. Targeting Loc Ninh, Quan Loi, and An Loc, the advance engaged troops from the ARVN III Corps. Assaulting Loc Ninh, they were repelled by Rangers and the ARVN 9th Regiment for two days before breaking through. Believing An Loc to be next target, the corps commander, Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Minh, dispatched the ARVN 5th Division to the town. By April 13, the garrison at An Loc was surrounded and under constant fire from PAVN troops. Repeatedly assaulting the towns defenses, PAVN troops ultimately reduced the ARVN perimeter to about a square kilometer. Working feverishly, American advisors coordinated massive air support to aid the beleaguered garrison. Launching major frontal attacks on May 11 and 14, PAVN forces were unable to take the town. The initiative lost, ARVN forces were able to push them out of An Loc by June 12 and six days later III Corps declared the siege to be over. As in the north, American air support had been vital to ARVN defense. Battle of Kontum On April 5, Viet Cong forces attacked firebases and Highway 1 in coastal Binh Dinh Province. These operations were designed to pull ARVN forces east away from a thrust against Kontum and Pleiku in the Central Highlands. Initially panicked, II Corps commander Lieutenant General Ngo Dzu was calmed by John Paul Vann who led the US Second Regional Assistance Group. Crossing the border Lieutenant General Hoang Minh Thaos PAVN troops won quick victories in the vicinity of Ben Het and Dak To. With the ARVN defense northwest of Kontum in a shambles, PAVN troops inexplicably halted for three weeks. With Dzu faltering, Vann effectively took command and organized the defense of Kontum with support from large-scale B-52 raids. On May 14, the PAVN advance resumed and reached the outskirts of the town. Though the ARVN defenders wavered, Vann directed B-52s against the attackers inflicting heavy losses and blunting the assault. Orchestrating Dzus replacement with Major General Nguyen Van Toan, Vann was able to hold Kontum through the liberal application of American airpower and ARVN counterattacks. By early June, PAVN forces began withdrawing west. Easter Offensive Aftermath With PAVN forces halted on all fronts, ARVN troops began a counterattack around Hue. This was supported by Operations Freedom Train (beginning in April) and Linebacker (beginning in May) which saw American aircraft striking at a variety of targets in North Vietnam. Led by Truong, ARVN forces recaptured the lost firebases and defeated the final PAVN attacks against the city. On June 28, Truong launched Operation Lam Son 72 which saw his forces reach Quang Tri in ten days. Wishing to bypass and isolate the city, he was overruled by Thieu who demanded its recapture. After heavy fighting, it fell on July 14. Exhausted after their efforts, both sides halted following the citys fall. The Easter Offensive cost the North Vietnamese around 40,000 killed and 60,000 wounded/missing. ARVN and American losses are estimated at 10,000 killed, 33,000 wounded, and 3,500 missing. Though the offensive was defeated, PAVN forces continued to occupy around ten percent of South Vietnam after its conclusion. As a result of the offensive, both sides softened their stance in Paris and were more willing to make concessions during negotiations.

Outline marketing plan for the next year for Atlantic Quench 03059 Essay

Outline marketing plan for the next year for Atlantic Quench 03059 - Essay Example With a strong brand and market experience, it is expected that Atlantic Quench Cranberries Inc. will have its sales increase by 20% through the current marketing plan. In order to carry out macro environment analysis for Atlantic Quench Cranberries (AQC, 2015), this plan will use Political, Economic, Sociological, Technological, Environmental and Legal (PESTEL) analysis, concentrating on the forces that are most relevant to the AQC company in order to evaluate any possible strengths, weaknesses opportunities and threats.To achieve the objectives, the company seeks to increase more funds towards promotion and research and development (R&D) (De and Meyer 2014). We plan to use positioning strategies, price discrimination and use of social media to create product awareness among the consumers. UK has majority of its population being above the ages of 35. This provides a potential market for the product. They also have a culture that consumes products that have been locally produced. This provides great potential for AQC to access more consumers, who are no longer loyal to carbonated soft drinks and are seeking for products that can add the value by offering more suitable, healthier beverages. Similarly, the countries have a steady growth rate thus providing for a steady market (Johnson, Scholes and Whittington 2005). 7 With the increasing levels of globalization resulting from liberalization of markets, efficient flow of information and integration of economies, the level of competition in the local and international market has increased tremendously. This has resulted from the entry of multinational companies which have a huge financial base to segment the market, attract the loyalty of the customers, and position the products strategically in the market. This has made it hard for the other companies to penetrate the market. The report by the Mintel indicates

Business management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 7

Business management - Essay Example The University of California (2008), states that bio-Analytical measurement offers measurement solutions for research and quality control applications to academic and government organisations. Electronic Measurement provides solutions, products and services to the leading customers in the communication and electronic industries. Their wide range of expertise enables them to provide quality services and products to their customers. The company has gained insight from this comprehensive and unique perspective and they are dedicated to helping their customers to make advancement in achieving business results. The main purpose of the business management system in the organisation is to maintain all the operations and groups. These include the Chemical analysis Group (LSG), Electronic Measurement Group (EMG) and Chemical Analysis Group (CAG). They also ensure that the products and services meet the regulatory requirements and customer expectations (The University of California, 2008). The business management system provides a framework whereby business operations and groups can make decisions appropriate to their organisations geographic and customer needs while ensuring that appropriate minimum standards are met. The company’s infrastructure is centrally managed and functions as internal service suppliers to the groups. The scope of the company involves development, procurement, manufacturing, distribution, sales and marketing of their products and services worldwide. Throughout business research, scholars have established that a relationship exists between organisational culture and performance. Organisational cultures are the values which determine how the entity operates according to Mullins (2010). Businesses in the past believed that organisational culture was too hard to manage and were not keen on its importance. Today, they acknowledge that it can be used for competitive

Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Human Resource Management - Essay Example This helps in the HR planning processes that entail incorporation of reward systems and increase of responsibilities for workers. Furthermore, the termination of services of workers also falls under the HRM department is expected to use proper channels that are fair and transparent to uphold integrity. This also includes the guiding reasons for terminating the services of an employee through effective tribunals that follow tenets of justice and equality. There are several differences between personnel management and Human Resource Management in every organization such Coca Cola Company. For example, in terms of nature relations, HRM deals with unitarist view while personnel manager leans with pluralist view. Therefore, in terms of a unitarist perspective, the HRM coordinates with the management and staff through a common vision for the establishment of a mission for the attainment of business goals. Additionally, the vision targets the achievement of mutual interest whereby the needs of corporations are met by employers and employees (Yeandle 2003, p. 123). However, with personnel management, there is a centralization of power whereby all powers are held by the top management. Therefore, this influences decision-making where all suggestions rest on the management excluding the personnel manager. Alternatively, there is a difference in leadership and management responsibilities between HRM and personnel manager. For example, while leadership style is the emphasis in personal management, in HRM it is transformational. Another difference is the contract of employment whereby there is a clear written employee contract in personnel management while HRM emphasize on one-time-long contract (DuBrin 2008, p.167). This means that there is less rigidity in the terms and conditions for employees. In other words, there is flexibility in terms of approach to the contribution of knowledge and skills for the organization. Therefore, there are numerous HRM related roles and res ponsibilities of line manager

Business Essays Business Plan

Business Essays Business Plan Business Plan Introduction To assess the viability of Star of India’s business plan, it is useful to consider three aspects of the plan: Suitability – concerned with whether the business plan fits the internal and external environment that Star of India operates in Acceptability – this refers to stakeholders’ expectations of the business plan Feasibility – this relates to how achievable the business plan is This report will address all three aspects and show whether the plan is viable under each. Suitability Suitability is concerned with analysing Star of India’s business plan based on an analysis of its internal and external environment to obtain its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Strengths and Weaknesses Star of India’s strengths and weaknesses, derived from an analysis of its internal resources reveal the following: Money This is a definite strength as the return on capital employed (ROCE), gross and net margins are impressive ROCE calculated as net profit divided by capital employed and multiplied by 100 is 112% for the year ROCE reveals the amount of profit earned from the injection of capital or net assets into the business.   This high ROCE is due to the high net profit made from Star of India’s operations Gross margin calculated as gross profit divided by sales multiplied by a 100 is 75% Gross margin reveals that Star of India is efficient in converting the cost of goods sold into income from sales Net margin is calculated as net profit divided by sales and multiplied by 100 – i.e. 46% It compares how much profit Star of India makes when compared with  £1 of income.   It shows how effective the business will be in controlling its expenses These figures show that the plan is suitable from a financial perspective. Break-even is expected to occur between August and September, by which time the total sales revenue will equal total cost for the period.   The margin of safety, i.e. the excess of expected sales over break-even sales is approximately  £490,000 (i.e. total sales for the year minus total sales from April – August 2006). Marketing Marketing is a key consideration.   Good money is being spent on advertising.   Advertising in the industry is mainly through word of mouth and leaflets.   By advertising through television and radio, the possibility to gain increased business is real. As Star of India is an unknown quantity, it is vital that a lot of effort and money should go into marketing.   However, the business could use its considerable profits to invest more in Marketing/advertising. The price being charged for its dishes contributes to the high profits, but the question that needs to be addressed here is, is it suitable to achieve competitive advantage?   If the prices are below or match industry average then it is suitable – if not, then customers would rather go to an established competitor.   The prices charged are competitive. The plan has accounted for seasonal variation as demand should rightly decrease during the summer months due to holidays. Opportunities and Threats In this industry, the main issues are: The extent of competitive rivalry The social behaviour of the population Power of customers Health and safety issues Because the competition is fierce, Star of India must ensure the prices it charges at least matches the industry average.   Otherwise, customers (who have a lot of choice due to the numerous competitors) will eat elsewhere, bearing in mind Star of India is a new entrant to the restaurant business.   Therefore, matching industry average could be a threat as the Star of India brand is yet to be discovered and trusted People eat a lot outside their homes nowadays (social behaviour) due to increasingly busy lifestyles, this consequently means that the opportunities for getting a good customer base exist. Health and safety issues are very important to the government (who can close down business if unsatisfied with their health and safety initiatives or lack of it) and customers would basically like to eat in a clean environment – this provides an opportunity for Star of India. Acceptability For the business plan to be acceptable, it must meet the needs of the main stakeholders, who in this case are: The owner The customers The Government The employees These people will have different needs.   The business plan, on the whole will be acceptable to these shareholders due to the following: The owner The owner is interested in: Making a profit Increasing the number of customers Reducing costs The plan reveals that all of these will be met. As mentioned previously, ROCE, gross margin and net margin forecasts are impressive indeed and would no doubt exceed the management’s expectations especially during the first year of operation.   There is also a positive cash flow in all but one month.   This is important for the business to be able to honour its credit commitments as they fall due.   Star of India can also use the profits to grow the business.   The plan also indicates an increase in the customer base, starting with 1820 customers in April and ending the year with a forecast of 7000.   Again, this indicates a growth plan, which should be acceptable to the owner. Although costs will be rising, this will be at a slower rate than revenue – again, this is acceptable. The customers will be interested in obtaining quality food, at competitive prices in a clean environment, delivered with good customer service.   Star of India is confident of achieving all of these. To achieve the service needs of customers, the employees need to be well trained and highly motivated.   The plan for the next financial year is to use the profits to train and develop new and existing employees and also to reward them through incentives. The government needs to ensure that Health and Safety standards are being met, taxes are being paid and that customers and employees are not being exploited – consequently, Star of India is confident that the government will be acceptable. Feasibility The employee and management are experienced, therefore, delivering quality food through superior customer service is feasible. The business plan reveals there are enough resources to meet the costs of the business – arguably too much resource.   How many new businesses could make such vast amounts of money?   The plan has barriers in the form of competitive rivalry, so the forecasts could be at risk of being regarded as too optimistic, admittedly. The prices charged may need to be reviewed, if they are too high.   Even if they reflect industry prices, it would be advisable to lower them as Star of India is a new business.   This will ensure more customers who are made aware through advertising, will be attracted to the eatery, thus making the sales forecasts more realistic.   This could be done as a promotion, for instance, for six months. More money could also be allocated to advertising from the vast amount of profit to ensure the optimistic customer targets are achieved. Conclusion The plan is very viable, when taken into account its suitability and acceptability. However, although it appears feasible, Star of India could be a bit cleverer to achieve high market share and thus competitive advantage by cutting its prices – this should make it more feasible. The business should be an immense success if these factors are taken into account.   BIBLIOGRAPHY www.bized.ac.ukwww.businessknowhow.comwww.moneychimp.comwww.nonprofits.orgwww.smalltownmarketing.comwww.unb.ca

Cloning Essay -- essays research papers fc

Cloning For many years, the cloning of adults, animals or humans has been mostly the object of science fiction, something unforeseen by man. However, â€Å"The world was shocked in February of 1997 when British scientist, named Ian Wilmot announced that his research team successfully cloned lamb named dolly from an adult sheep at the Roselyn Institute in Scotland†.(1) For what seemed like a dream for many years quickly turned into reality. The newest and possibly the most controversial phenomena in curing human disease, a phenomenon better known as cloning, was born. Through out the history of man, human disease has been considered a leading cause of death. Since antiquity, physicians explored assorted remedies in order to cure various maladies. Ancient physicians made enormous contributions to modern medicine. Even though, immaculate progress has been made in modern medicine, there are numerous cases of fatal diseases, for which modern medicine has no cure. Granted today’s technological advancements, general practitioners are still using several of the ancient techniques and ideas in order to make progress in today’s research and development. Scientists observe historical data and ideas in order to help generate new ones. A well known belief to man, the belief of reincarnation came from the ancient Egyptians who believed that there was life after death and preserved the body of their rulers through a process of mummification. This is a process of preservation that kept the original body and shape of the ruler for his/her return to earth. Although, this may seem a bit anomalous to the western man, contemporary technology brings this the idea of reincarnation or recreation to life, creating new ways to fight disease. Modern science takes the idea of human life and it’s regeneration and brings it to life through the process of cloning. In 1938 a German scientist Hans Spemann proposes a "fantastical experiment" to transfer one cell's nucleus into an egg without a nucleus, the basic method that would eventually be used in cloning. Fourteen years later in 1952 Briggs and King clone tadpoles. Another scientist John Gurdon clones frogs from differentiated cells in 1962. In 1969 Shapiero and Beckwith isolate the first gene. By 1973 Cohen and Boyer create first recombinant DNA organisms. 1978, the release of David Rorvik's book, In His Image: The Cloning of a... ...reproductivecloning.net/hosting/waite/#1: 5) CNN.COM February 28, 2002 Posted: 6:24 AM EST (1124 GMT) ACCES DATE APRIL 18 202 C:Documents and SettingsRafaelMy DocumentsCNN_com -Superman star hails cloning move - February 28, 2002.htm 6) http://www.bioexchange.com/news/news_page.cfm?id=11426 Outline Topic/Thesis: The newest and possibly the most controversial phenomena in curing human disease, a phenomenon better known as cloning, was born. 1) Origin of human cloning a) Reincarnation b) From 1938-dolly c) Feb. 1997 Ian Wilmont announces the birth Dolly 2) Pros/cons + Treating disease + Benefit economy + Feed the needy - Violates animal rights - Took 277 attempts to clone Dolly - Expensive 3) Three types of cloning a) Embryo cloning b) Adult DNA cloning c) Therapeutic cloning 4) Recent development a) January 2001-An endangered Asian ox called a gaur dies two days after birth of an ordinary disease after it was cloned and gestated in the womb of a cow.

Sexual Identity in the Arab World

The ways in which regimes of law, cultural identity and state governance shape understandings of Muslim or Arab sexualities are many. In his article â€Å"Re-Orienting Desire: The Gay International and the Arab World† Joseph Massad outlines some of these regimes. Massad argues that western orientalists and colonialists altered the way Muslims viewed their own sexuality by bringing into consciousness the idea of gay rights and thus homosexuality where it did not previously exist. Because of this, Massad argues that the western influence completely transformed how Muslims understood their own sexuality.In the beginning of his article Massad points out how Arab and Iranian men would engage in both gay and heterosexual practices while simultaneously rejecting the ‘Western identity’ of gayness. While this opposes the idea of Western homosexuality it reflects an Arab understanding of sexuality as being fluid and not tightly restrained by identifying as either ‘gay ’ or ‘straight. ’ This changed over time as Western influence became more prevalent in the Arab world through culture exchange.Massad refers to this cultural exchange by introducing the Gay International, a sort of missionary group who aims to ‘stabilize’ the sexual instability found within Arab societies. In other words, the Gay International aims to promote its views on sexuality and liberate Arabs into the Western world of homosexuality. This highlights how sexual identities can be created and can travel between societies through the work of individual groups. The Gay International succeeded in creating and dividing Arabs into two new forms of identity -both homo and hero sexuality, where previously these were unfamiliar concepts.As opposed to Western societies, Massad notes how the Arabic language only recently adopted words for homosexuality and heterosexuality. Further, the word for sexual deviance was only coined in the mid 19050 and is unders tood to refer to the Western concept of homosexuality. These examples of language show how Western concepts shape Muslim understandings of sexuality by introducing certain terms that reflect Western born concepts. By forcing Muslims to identify as homosexuals this placed them into a social group that could be targeted by police and government agencies.As noted in the article, police were able to target men â€Å"who identify as ‘gay’ on a personal level and who seek to use this identity as a group identification†¦ † The labeling of Arab men as homosexuals made them vulnerable to police attacks against this ‘socially deviant’ behavior. As a result of the introduction of Western cultural concepts of sexuality, Arab men were subsequently subject to repression by state government forces. Police targeting is not the only form of a state government’s control over sexual identity.Because homosexuality in the Arab world was transformed from a pra ctice into an identity this made it also subject to antihomosexual laws. The Western concepts of sexuality have thus created a new cultural identity that is regulated by law and enforced by state governments in the Arab world. Nadine Naber’s paper entitled â€Å"Arab American Femininities: Beyond Arab Virgin/American(ized) Whore† highlights the conflicting identities of homo and heterosexuality while also showing how individuals deal with and combat socially constructed norms in an Arab context.Nadine analyzes ideas about virginity and homosexuality by interviewing young women who grew up surrounded by these issues. One of Nadine’s interviewees, Lulu, a gay Arab woman, describes how the connotation of homosexuality as being a Western concept was so engrained in her upbringing that she felt she could not be gay and Arab at the same time as they were such opposing identities. In Lulu’s case, she was able to resist the exorcising identity of being gay in an Arab family by seeking support from queer Arab groups.She was able to form a family with other socially ostracized women who were also shunned by the Arab belief that homosexuality is a Western born and promoted idea. By choosing these women as her ‘family’ Lulu is able to resist the patriarchal and heterosexual ideals of Arab culture. Lulu insists that ‘queer Arabs exist’ which is in itself an act of resistance against homophobic Arab understandings of sexuality. Because many Arabs view homosexuality as being created by Western culture they are able to sustain their cultural views on exuality by blaming gay identifying Arabs as being Americanized. This is one way Arabs are able to resist the Western binary form of identity as either a hetero or a homo sexual. Gay Arabs are simply non existent without American influence. In terms of the gay individuals themselves, they must also choose to resist or assimilate -or a combination of the two- into Western ideas of sexuality in order to understand their own sexual identity. In Lulu’s case, she chooses to resist the ‘normal’ path of an Arab women -who is to remain a virgin until she is married off- by openly identifying as gay.In the eyes of her parents she has chosen sex over her family and thus rejected her Arab family and culture. In her family’s view there is no way to combine a gay identity with the socially constructed views on sexuality found in Arab culture. Lulu rebels from her family’s views on Arab sexuality by embracing the identity of a gay Arab woman. Not only does Lulu rebel by identifying as gay but by doing this she simultaneously rejects the ‘virgin until married’ ideal bound to the heterosexual norm of Arab identity.While Massad’s work identifies the structures behind the creation of sexual identities and how these travel beyond state lines, Nadine’s paper shows how these constructed sexual identities affect ind ividual’s understandings of their own identities in their every day lives. Nadine’s paper gives a personal face to sexual identity issues, showing how the cultural understandings of sexual identity laid out in Massad’s article effect those who are marginalized by the very dialogue that is used to define them.

Global Marketing Strategy of Nintendo Wii Essays

Global Marketing Strategy of Nintendo Wii Essays Global Marketing Strategy of Nintendo Wii Paper Global Marketing Strategy of Nintendo Wii Paper GLOBAL MARKETING STRATEGY OF NINTENDO WII GLOBAL SEGMENTATION, TARGETING AND POSITIONING AND PROMOTIONAL ADAPTATION Introduction 1. This essay focuses on the global marketing strategy of the Nintendo Wii, in particular the segmentation, targeting and positioning strategies and the communication adaptation adopted for the promotion of Nintendo Wii in the three key markets of Japan, United Kingdom (UK) and United States of America (US). Background 2. The gaming industry comprises of three key segments: (i) the platform system or infrastructure segment which includes consoles, mobile devices and online media, (ii) the games publishing segment which includes games distribution, retailing and marketing and (iii) the games development and design segment. The platform segment is considered the most fundamental and important sector as it determines how users interact with console games, and has witnessed the most exciting innovations. 3. The current key players in the platform segment are Microsoft (with its Xbox 360), Nintendo (with its Wii) and Sony (with its Playstation 3). For Microsoft and Sony, the video game console business is just small part of their large business portfolio, while Nintendo is highly focused on the video game industry and has a hand in all three key segments of the industry. Nintendo is one of the most influential video game companies in the world and Japans third most valuable listed company, and as of October 2, 2008, has sold over 470 million hardware units and 2. billion software units. While Nintendo had dropped to third in the video-game industry behind Sony and Microsoft in 2006, it had regained its leadership position through the release of Wii by selling the most hardware units amongst the current generation of video game consoles. 4. Video game consoles are fairly discretionary items of purchase developed countries tend to be their main markets due to the higher discretionary inco mes of a higher proportion of their population. : Games consoles are expected to enjoy even greater popularity and higher sales in the coming years due to the increasing market size of the BRIC countries and the general increase in purchasing power of consumers throughout the developed and developing world. Global Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning 5. Video consoles are essentially high-tech products with a high degree of product standardization and similarity of preferences amongst consumers. Marketing strategies for video consoles are generally similar across regions/macro-segments but different across micro-segments. Segmentation for the video game industry is usually based on consumer behavior, user status and/or rate of use. Established segments include serious/heavy gamers/early adopters, normal gamers, casual/light gamers, potential users, non-gamers, lapsed/ex-gamers, first-timers, users of competitors products etc. Before the launch of Wii, video console makers have conventionally targeted serious/hardcore gamers (usually teenage male gamers). 6. Nintendo’s strategy for Wii was to expand the market space by looking outside the conventionally targeted segments and pursue growth through targeting new segments. Their competitors are then other forms of recreation rather than other game console manufacturers. For Wii, Nintendo focused on creating a simple, fun and intuitive console and eradicated features that were not absolutely necessary for gameplay such as high performance and multi-media functions. This created a product that was the most value-for-money in its class and allowed Nintendo to regain the lead in the console market and earn significant profits through sales of games and licensing fees. 7. The segmentation strategy of Nintendo Wii was slightly different from conventional segmentation in that it was based on who their potential targets spend their recreational time with alone (e. g. practising yoga), family, partner, best buddies/female friends, friends etc. – and also their gender, and tailoring games and advertising to cater to the lifestyles and attitudes of these different segments. [This strategy led to the creation of varied games such as Animal Crossing (a female-focused game with activities such as life-planning and shopping), Big Brain Academy (a puzzle game) and WiiFit. This form of segmentation is partly influenced by demographics since each type of lifestyle is typically represented by a particular demographic group – the Gen Y youngsters would share fewer activities with their family and more activities with their best buddies and friends while the golden grays will typically spend their time with families and partners. Furthermore, this stra tegy allowed Nintendo to target the traditionally ignored segments of casual gamers, lapsed gamers and non-gamers. 8. Based on such segmentation, Nintendo adopted a global targeting strategy of differentiated global targeting (or multi-segment targeting) for Wii, i. e. targeting many distinct market segments with multiple marketing mix offerings in order to achieve wider market coverage and hit virtually everybody. Most other companies in other industries, e. g. car industry, achieve this by offering various adaptations of the same product. Nintendo does this by offering different types of complementary products, i. e. various types of motion sensors (e. g. Wii Wheel and Balance Board) and games, for its game console. Such multi-segment targeting is not reflected in the main product (Wii) but is communicated through the advertising campaign and the games launched. 9. The positioning for the Nintendo Wii naturally followed a fun, simple and intuitive game console for everyone. The US advertising slogan at launch – Wii would like to play – emphasized the inclusiveness of Wii. Nintendo Wii had cleverly occupied the space of being both a high-tech and high-touch product a technological product which is an elegant design classic and which provides some of lifes simple pleasures through playing with family and friends. Its global identity and positioning became linked to universal aspirations of sharing activities with dear ones and the need for entertainment in any part of the world. Furthermore, the combination branding of Nintendo and Wii leveraged on Nintendos reputation as a gaming company while developing a distinctive brand identity for Wii. Communication Adaptation 10. In order to examine more closely the communication adaptation for Nintendo Wii’s promotional campaign, we examine more closely the television commercials to launch the Wii in Japan, UK and US . The productions are Nintendos first broad-based advertising strategy. In general, the Wii campaign chose not to embrace an obvious strategy of targeting the teenage male gamer. Instead, it targeted his mom, dad, grandmother and anybody else who was not so obviously a gamer. While the competition catered to a narrow audience, Wii invited everyone to play. As a result, the Wii was virtually sold-out worldwide at launch and ignited a cultural phenomenon in how people experience video games. Despite adhering to a unified theme in order to build a distinctive global brand identity, there were significant variations in how Nintendo’s commercials were executed in the three different countries. Nintendo had adopted product extension-communication adaptation in their global marketing strategy in part to cater to the different cultural values of their different target markets and in part to cater to varying perceptions of quality and fun across Japan, UK and US. Japan Launch Commercials 11. Wii’s key advertising message in Japan was â€Å"Experience a new way to play. The launch commercials consisted of an initial image of a hand holding the Wii mote with a voiceover asking what Wii could do, then a series of images showing the hand using the Wii mote to simulate a variety of activities such as throwing out a fishing line, hitting drums, hitting a tennis ball etc. with the accompanying sounds of the activities. The viewer was then left to imagine the various types of games that one could play with the Wii given the varied activities the Wii mote could simulate. The commercial then ended with a voiceover saying the name of the product â€Å"Nintendo Wii† and positioned the Wii mote as a brand symbol of beauty and simplicity and a global product. (This is consistent with how most high-tech and high-touch products are positioned in the global market based on a universal language of technological sophistication, performance and high-quality features for high-tech products and emotional satisfaction or fulfilment of self-image for high-touch products. 12. The advertisements basically elevated the status of the Wii mote to that of a venerated item of desire which could â€Å"do anything†. There was minimal dialogue or narration, with high emphasis on the product name. The potential of the Wii was expressed using symbolism and indirect (even abstract) expressions and messages, which is typical of advertisements in a high-context culture such as that of a Japanese society. The commercial here seemed almost reflective in the Zen-like white background employed, using visual cues and stressing depth rather than breadth, with the operative word being â€Å"soft-sell†. UK Launch Commercials 13. UK has been described at various times as being both a high and a low-context society. In many ways, it resembles both. Curiously, the UK launch commercials basically followed the Japanese templates, except that the advertisement started a voiceover asking the question â€Å"What can Wii do? † and ended with the statement â€Å"Wii can do anything†. Again, the viewer was left to picture the varied games and entertainment that the Wii system could provide based on the more abstract messages and visuals, with soft-selling a global product being the modus operandus again. It is significant the pitch was not made directly since the British culture seems to avoid such direct pitches. Also, there was no country-of-origin effect at work in the UK commercials as Japanese products might not be seen as being technologically superior to US or German products. US Launch Commercials 14. Wiis central â€Å"Wii would like to play† advertising campaign in the US followed two friendly Japanese men who brought Wii to peoples homes to demonstrate how easy and fun it was for everyone to play. Stephen Gaghan, who wrote the screenplay for and directed Syriana and won a best screenplay Oscar for writing Traffic, directed the four spots while Leo Burnett, who produced the campaign, won the Grand Effie at the 40th Annual Effie Awards in June 2008 for the campaign. This was the most acclaimed series of commercials amongst all Wii launch commercials in Nintendo’s various target markets. 15. Compared to the Japan and UK commercials, the US commercials adopted a distinct storyline of the two Japanese men going to various homes (including a suburban white family with young children, a Latin American family, a group of young people in their twenties, country ranchers etc. ), ringing doorbells, proffering the Wii mote with bowed heads and a greeting â€Å"Wii would like to play†. What followed were scenes of various people (of various demographics e. g. ages, genders) enjoying Wii games in their living rooms with the two Japanese men and finally the two Japanese men leaving the homes seemingly satisfied at a job well done. The music in the advertisements was from the song Kodo (Inside the Sun Remix) by the Yoshida Brothers, a pair of musicians (with an international audience) who performed a fusion of the rapid and percussive Tsugaru-jamisen (a North Japanese traditional music style) along with Western and other regional musical influences. 16. Among other factors, the combination of the distinct storyline and the pacy Western-influenced music served to (a)Infuse the US advertisements with more complete visual story lines compared to the Japan and UK advertisements. b)Provide a more explicitly expressed and clear message that Wii was here to play and was for everyone in order to attract a wider demographic to the game console. (When Nintendo had officially announced the final name for its next-gen console as Wii, it explained on the official Wii website that Wii sounded like we, which emphasized the console was for everyone†¦ Wii had a distinctive ii spelling that symbolized both the unique contro llers and the image of people gathering to play. ) (c)Provide the impression that the US advertisement was faster paced in order to maintain viewers’ attention and provide more visual information. These difference were deliberate in order to address the low-context nature of US culture, which results in most information being vested within explicit codes and/or messages such that things are spelled out as concisely and thoroughly as possible. Advertising messages in the US tend to be direct and to-the-point and stress breadth rather than depth. In such a context, the messages in the Japan and UK launch commercials might have been lost on the US audience, resulting in this need to differentiate the commercials. In addition, the format of these commercials also seems to support the commonly held notions that advertisements in US need to be more in-your-face and hold the short attention spans of US consumers. Also, there seemed to be more care taken to cater to different ethnicities in order to reduce sensitivities and widen Wii’s reach to a larger portion of the more diverse US market. Significantly, the use of the two Japanese men and the Japanese-Western music only in the US commercials seems to imply a positive country-of-origin effect of Japanese products on US consumers in terms of their innovation and reliability (symbolized by the straight-laced and salesperson-like Japanese men). Game-Specific Commercials 17. Following the launch commercials, commercials for the Nintendo Wii tended to be based on new games that were available for the console. Even for such commercials, there was a fair degree of differentiation and adaptation for commercials targeting different countries. For instance, the commercials for Mario Kart on Wii took very different characteristics in Japan, UK and US. The Japan commercials had 2 series – one which glorified the Wii Wheel, an accessory designed for the Mario Kart, and another which showed two celebrities against a white background playing the game as normal folks and conversing with each other. The benefits of the Wii or the game were again not directly communicated, although the commercial does show various types of people (of various demographics) enjoying the Wii. The UK commercials again were close to the Japan commercials, although the UK commercials generally showed non-celebrities (two or more) in home settings playing the game and again conversing with each other. Here, however, the element of competition and individualism showed up (compared to Japan’s collectivism) as one in the group was usually shown winning at the end of the commercial. Curiously, the US commercial used the direct-address format, where a cowboy spoke directly to the audience about the fun of playing Mario Kart on Wii. This was a very culturally specific advertisement which again used very catchy western music, fast pacing and direct information dissemination to attract and retain the attention of the audience. The US advertisements were thus designed to inform and persuade consumers in a straightforward manner of Wiis value proposition. 18. In examining the commercials for Wii Sports Resort, we could see more clearly how the commercials in the different countries catered to the fact that consumers in each market perceived fun differently, with the typical recreational activities of choice being slightly different. There continued to be more use of catchy music in US advertisements and less conversational or everyday situation set-pieces compared to in UK and Japan advertisements. However, the format of advertisements catering to specific segments e. g. Animal Crossing for a small group of female friends were fairly similar across countries – basically showing what best female friends do when they are together e. g. talking, having tea or shopping. Similarly, formats for advertisements catering to sports jocks were also fairly similar – in such cases product-communication extension was used. There is generally some flexibility in how the Wii story is told, with the US stories being more in your face, less enigmatic and requiring less filling in the dots. Conclusion 19. In conclusion, the innovative segmentation, targeting and positioning strategies of Nintendo Wii, and the localized campaigns focusing on the most important attributes of the product in each country/culture helped to make Wii the success it is today.

Assess the Impact of the Conservative government, 1979-97, u essays

Assess the Impact of the Conservative government, 1979-97, u essays The relationship between law and employment has been a major issue within British law through both the 19th century and the 20th century. The main focus being on how much the government should intervene in both the running and control of British industrial relations. Issues such as the political party which is in government at the time and the level of unemployment have a considerable influence on the amount of intervention the government makes. The aim of the government is to ensure that the power balance between the trade unions and employers is kept at a specific level in accordance with the times. During the 19th century and most of the 20th century a system which concerns the relationship between law and employment a major factor in the development of trade unions and collective bargaining shaped legislation surrounding industrial relations. Trade unions and employers played a relatively equal role in determining the contracts of employment of the workforce. There was no definite legal background within the system; this was so much so that it was thought at the time that unions gave more cover to employees than what the law offered. However, this free-market approach came to an end in the post 1945 period at a time of tight labour markets and excessive trade union power. The government intervened to disrupt a 'stop-go' cycle which was caused by strikes, inflationary wage settlements and repression upon productivity improvements. The government's objectives were to encourage productivity progress and contain wages and prices. At this time the government required more control in the long-term and, therefore, set about in, firstly, centralising the authority of trade unions, secondly, devolving trade union control of officials and, thirdly, attempt to put collective bargaining on a lower level. By 1971-74, the then Labour government attempted to put employment law on a completely different level by shaping the legal ...

Research paper on Inferno Dantes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Research paper on Inferno Dantes - Essay Example The mankind was badly immersed in the sins, vice and ignorance and it looked as if the Satan, himself has been unleashed on the Planet with Pope being the Anti Christ himself as foretold in the Holy Book. In these abominable conditions of Italy emerged Dante, the Italian poet of the middle ages. Dante is renowned for Divine Comedy and he added one of the greatest literary work to the field of literature, composed in the Italian language but later translated to the English Language. Taking a look at the ‘Divine Comedy’ written by Dante, it starts from Inferno which is a morbid and a gruesome excursion through her. The port talks and discusses the different stages of hell and sinners who committed various sins dwell on each of the levels, undergoing the punishment which perfectly matches the sin they had committed. Limbo, emerges as the first circle of hell does not depict torture of any form but rather stagnancy, a forever stop where the souls who never embraced the grace of the Church inhibit. This circle of hell is not exactly the form of torture, the souls will simply sit there, and that too for an eternity. These ‘virtuous pagans’ were not bad; they do not deserve the grace and the Supremacy of the Lord. So Dante, along with his poet guide Virgil, penetrate deeper in to the Hell, to discover more and then they find the shades they meet guilty of more severe sin. Each have greeted the perfect matched fate in Hell, each punished appropriately for the sins they have committed. The ice lake in the ninth circle of Hell, known as the Cocytus is the lake where the treacherous individuals are thrown into for eternity. Since Satan was himself the biggest treacherous, is damned to this very circle where he stays with his closest followers, who were able to successfully mimic his deadly sin when they walked on Earth. Cocytus has even rounds and the first round is known as the Caina, which was given the name after Cain of Bible. Cain was the fi rst ever human being to have committed a murder on Earth and he murdered his very own blood, his brother, Abel. Hence, those who were treacherous with their own family are damned to the first round. In this round, almost everyone who has sinned against their kin is damned to the icy lake of Cocytus, unable to move, unable to struggle. However this is contradictory to the notion of Satan burning and writhing with his followers in hell, searing in flames for an eternity. The reason why this set of damned have been frozen up to their faces in ice is because the burning of eternity can be viewed as lenient and an easy punishment, because fire is associated with light and warmth, the characteristics of God, his love and His Blessings. Hence this set of individuals has been damned to frigid ice because God wants to punish them in a way that can never be associated with him. These are the people who turned cold towards their own men and fellows on Earth have been punished in a way that the y failed to find companionship with other sinners as well. The second round is with people who were treacherous to their country, calling this round Antenora, which was named after Antenor of Troy who betrayed his city to the Greeks. Although the bond a n individual shares with his country is not as strong as the one he shares with his family, but the mere act of treachery can have adverse effects on the country and the countrymen, exposing them to hardships, severe

Should the Sec replace the FASB Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Should the Sec replace the FASB - Research Paper Example Generally, FASB has five main goals: improving common understanding of the nature and purposes of financial reports, keeping accounting standards updated to reflect various changes in methods of conducting business and in the economy in general, promoting international convergence of accounting standards that are concurrent with making better the reasonability of financial reporting, taking into account quickly any areas of significance with regards to deficiency when it comes to financial reporting which maybe improved by way of standard setting, improving the usefulness of financial reporting by focusing on the important qualities of comparability and consistency and also on the primary characteristics of relevance and reliability.(Loren, John and Jefferson,2010) SEC stands for U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission .its mission is to protection of investors, maintaining fair, orderly, and highly efficient markets, and facilitating capital formation. The common interest of citizens is a growing economy which produces jobs, improves peoples’ living standard, and protects their savings. Thus the actions of SEC must be taken with an approach toward promotion of capital formation which is necessary for sustaining economic growth. (Young, 2003 p27) The SEC does oversee many key participants in the world of securities, including exchanges of securities, securities dealers, investment advisors, and also mutual funds. SEC is concerned with promoting disclosure of market-related information, protecting against fraud and maintaining fair dealing. SEC is the main overseer and regulator of the securities markets in the U.S., it also works hand in hand with a host of other institutions, including Congress, federal departments and agencies, the stock exchange, securities regulators, and many other private sector organizations. The main responsibilities of SEC are interpretation of

Classical Music Concert Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Classical Music Concert - Essay Example Naturally, the concert was entirely devoted to the cantata of Carl Orff (1895-1982) called Carmina Burana, which incorporates a prologue and three parts consisting of a number of musical movements. The first movement I would like to describe is Veris Leta Facies, the movement immediately following the prologue and proceeding with its overall tone. According to the rules of Cantata genre, the movement focused mainly on vocal part, with the choirs being accompanied by the pianos and percussion ensemble. The mixed choir parties were mediated by piano and percussion ritornellos. The general atmosphere and tonality hinted at expressionistic coloring of Orff’s work, for the vocal parties sounded rather minor despite a rather lively ritornello at the beginning. Expressionistic nature of the composition was sensed also due to a slight dissonance between the lyrics (the translation of which is in the program) and the tone of music. Moreover, listening to the movement, I was able to identify an allusion to and imitation of medieval music with its simple tonalities and choral singing. Although the movement featured the mixed choir, it resembled much of the monophonic medieval Greg orian chants style. What is also notable about the whole concert and this movement in particular is that the instrumental accompaniment of the Cantata was performed by a minimal number of instruments; though – as far as I know – it is traditionally played with a wide variety of instruments including woodwind and brass sections. The second movement I would like to write about is – no surprise – one of the most famous classical vocal pieces of nowadays, a movement framing Carmina Burana, its opening and closing. The movement was characterized by a steady rhythm supported by piano and a dramatic choral parties sung by the mixed choir. Approximately, in the middle of the piece, the powerful

Arthur Miller wrote the play Essay Example for Free

Arthur Miller wrote the play Essay What Miller does do to excellent effect is keep the pace of the plot speeding along and twisting in different directions all the time, at one time the focal point is on Danforth and his control of the court, then at another it is Abigail and the girls feigning that Mary Warrens spirit has possessed them. Throughout this extract he keeps the dramatic effect by having many different plot lines run into each other at this point; Proctors attempt to save Elizabeth, Mary Warrens declaration that the girls are putting on a show and Abigail Williams and the girls dramatic role-play claiming Mary Warren is sending her spirit out on them. All of these plot lines are intertwined in the court room scene and are exposed in John Proctors announcement that he is guilty of lechery. Some of the central themes and concerns in The Crucible are evident in this extract intolerance, being a society run strictly by a theocracy means that Salem is run by strict laws and religion. Any wavering outside these rules or religious thoughts is unacceptable. Danforth is intolerant when listening to Proctor and Giles Coreys attempted reasoning and proposals. Salem at this time was intolerant of any un-natural endeavours, just as America in the 1950s was intolerant of any un-American activities or communists. Acts of search and arrest became known as McCarthyism, led by Senator John McCarthy. Hanging those who were accused was seen as restoring purity to the theocracy in Salem. Another recurring theme in The Crucible is that of personal reputation. In this extract Proctor seeks to keep his name from being tarnished by giving testament against Abigail claiming that she is delivering her accusations through jealousy of his wife Elizabeth, and by announcing that he has committed adultery through his affair with Abigail. Reverend Parris acts only on what he thinks is best for his reputation throughout the whole play, particularly in this extract when he lies about seeing the girls naked dancing in the woods, I do not deny they danced, but I never saw any of them naked. Parris lies in order to keep his reputation, for if it were released that he had found his daughter and many other girls dancing naked in the woods and compacting with the devil then he would be driven from his office as the reverend of Salem. Judges Danforth and Hathorne are both unwilling to accept that Proctor is innocent and do not want to admit to being deceived by a bunch of girls claiming witchcraft and are therefore forced to charge John Proctor to keep their own reputations, making the interrogation partial towards the young girls and unfair on Proctor. The other central theme of the play is the role that hysteria can play in societies. The lies by Abigail all the way through the play and particularly in this extract easily manipulate the judges and the residents of Salem to turn against the accused which ultimately leads to their executions. Miller has linked this hysterical theme to the McCarthyism period in which he lived in the 1950s, the hysteria led by Senator Joseph McCarthy and his hunt for communists and communist sympathisers in post WWII America and during the Cold War. Miller seems to have based his character Judge Danforth on the individual Senator Joseph McCarthy: both are over-seeing the hysteria of the communities and are leading the search for the accused and presiding over their trials.

Socially Responsible Investing And Morally Responsible Investing Management Essay

Socially Responsible Investing And Morally Responsible Investing Management Essay Introduction The last decades a bid debate is going on about the responsibility of business. The most known debate is the one that started with the book of Milton Friedman (1962) Capitalism and Freedom. Then at 1970 Friedman published an article at the New York Times Magazine, repeating his views on corporate responsibilities and he supported them further. After that publication many responses where published from many scholars (ex. Mulligan 1986, Shaw 1988, Nunan 1988) each one arguing for or against Friedmans views. One of the well-promoted debates is the one between Friedman and Freeman who is a major supporter of the stakeholder theory. This last debate ended with the death of Friedman and the essay of Freeman (2008) that he is ending the debate. The main argument between the scholars is focused in the following phrase of Friedman (1962, 1970): there is one and only one social responsibility of business-to use it resources and engage in activities designed to increase its profits so long as it stays within the rules of the game, which is to say, engages in open and free competition without deception or fraud.. In this essay I will try to focus on these rules of the game in now days, the demands of the global market and some arguments that confirm a change in the rules or at least a movement toward a fundamental change. The New Rules of the Game In short time after Friedmans publications, Davis (1973) presented a very prophetically article. He tried to illustrate argument for and against social responsibility, presenting very accurate the issues that led to the CSR development and spreading. Among others he spotted the benefits of CSR towards the public image of a company, the long-run self-interest, the implications from government regulation, social norms and the increasing stockholder interest toward responsible behavior. Cooper suggests that Friedman was right, since the rules of the game are now changed, and have nothing to do with the rules in 1970 that extended only to the basic free market principles. He argues that now the societys expectations of business are including also environmental concern, consumer safety, ethical governance and other. A modern company has to deal with multiple stakeholders that are increasing because of the rising interest and also because of the globalization of the markets. NGOs, trade un ions, consumers organizations, all are trying to influence with the companys activities and support their interests. So now CSR has to go beyond corporate philanthropy and charity work. Row (2006) argues that now there is greater awareness that CSR encompasses not only what companies do with their profits, but also how they make them. For better understanding of the changes of the rules I will present some of those that had change and what is required, from a company, to deal with now. Public Image Vivien and Thompson (2005) in their essay commented the study of FTSE 100 that found that, in UK, around 60 percent of the firms market value was not reflected in the balance sheet. That means that the value of a firm is coming also from other non-financial assets. Deephouse (2000) proposed that reputation is the most competitive advantage that companies can have. With the development of the media and the technology, it is crucial for a company to have a good public image. It is now very easy to spread out a problem that occurred in a company, something that in the past was more difficult due lack of means. Now with the internet almost anybody in the world can express an opinion and be read (or heard) by anyone in the world. So a minor problem can easily take global dimension and publicity. Also with the rising number of multinationals millions of people are becoming stakeholders and are interested in the activities of these companies. Fombrun (1996) stated that reputation is based o n stories various stakeholders tell about the organization. Now with millions of stakeholders, there are millions of stories to be told and the technology provides the means to do it. Fombrun (1998) also lists six criteria that effect reputation of a company in the public eye: financial performance, product quality, employee treatment, community involvement, environmental performance and organizational issues. It is easy to see that many of these criteria are connected with CSR strategies. So CSR can assist a company to create or preserve a good public image, something that in the past was not essential for the business. Rowe (2006) argues that the growing numbers of NGOs, campaigning groups and activist organizations can strongly affect the image of a company. Some years before the numbers of these stakeholders and their power were far smaller. Friedman, driven by the political status of cold war, was facing any critic on the system as a socialist or communistic approach. Now, in a globalized market, these stakeholders have an important role and influent consumers, shareholders and more or less even nations. People in different countries have different values but the structure of human value system is universal (Schwartz, 1994, 1999). That is why a bad image can affect the stakeholders around the world, even if they have different values. But we should not forget that reputation also affects shareholders behavior. When having substance, favorable reputation attracts stakeholders as well as shareholders and investors for usually creating refection of investments security and trustworthy treading partner (Dowling, 2004; Gregory, 1991). Government Regulation Some years ago the balance of power shifted away from government in favor of corporations. Under globalization, deregulation, privatization and technological innovation accelerated that phenomenon (Rowe, 2006). But now, in the post-Enron world and in the middle of a global economic crisis, voices raising and asking for more regulation. Greenfield (2006) argues that the law governing corporations need to be more protective of corporations. Lydenberg and Sinclair (2009) argue that there may be battles between corporations, government and NGOs over the appropriate circumstances for regulation and the degree of that regulation, but the ground rules will have changed only when corporations are seen fighting for, not against, such oversight. CSR, for now, is a voluntary initiative that corporations are taking beyond their legal requirements. Reporting CSR initiatives was part of the communication strategy of each company. Now governments and regulators increasingly expect, and are beginnin g to require, CSR reporting (Lydenberg and Sinclair, 2009). Governments, especially in Europe, ask from public traded companies to include social and environmental indicators in their reports to shareholders (Lydenberg and Sinclair, 2009). National pension funds are required to adopt social and environmental guidelines for their investments. Also raising economies and markets, such as China, are requiring from the state-owned companies to report their CSR initiatives (Ethical Performance, 2008). We see that, starting from reporting, CSR starts to be regulated. For now reporting of public companies and public interests investments are required to report and consider social and environmental issues. For sure that will expand to the private sector, maybe through contracting from public companies. Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) and Morally Responsible Investing (MRI) Calvert Investments states that SRI funds aim to integrate personal, social and environmental concerns with financial considerations, their objective is to increase investors wealth while ensuring that the selected companies have a positive impact on people and the Planet.. SRI funds are also known as Green Funds or Ethical Funds (Ghoul and Karam, 2007). Lydenberg and Sinclair (2009) argue that systematic corporate disclosure on social and environmental issues is increasingly demanded by responsible investors and consumers. SRI Funds are going a step further. SRI Funds demand their investments to be in an ethical way and in ethical sectors of economy. Usually SRI Mutual Funds are not involved with alcohol, gambling, tobacco and weapons production or distribution. Beyond that they pursue to have good performance is areas of welfare, board diversity, community relations, corporate governance, environment, human rights, indigenous peoples right, product safety and impact, and workplace practices (Lydenberg and Sinclair, 2009). Baue and Cook (2008) note there has been a changing behavior of mutual fund voting on climate change issues. Also public pension and investment funds have moved significantly on their transparency with respect to proxy voting (Global proxy Watch, 2008). Moreover in 2006 the United Nations Global Compact and the UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative lunched, at the New York Stock Exchange, the Principles for Responsible Investment, an initiative that aim to connect pension funds and money managers from around the world to commit to principles of responsible investment. As we see there is a turning to the way that investments are done. Beaver (2001) argues that institutional investors have been taking large and long-term positions in firms while playing more dominant role in corporate affairs. Also Warren (2002) notes that over 60% of shares are held by financial institutions, which seek the best returns on behalf of their investors [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] however, there is now a growing sector of the investment market that is guided by ethical criteria in the selection of its investment portfolio. At last Hendry et al. (2007) argue that the activism of public pension funds, and more recently of trade unions pension funds, has had greater effect on company-shareholder relationship. [..] Public pension funds, have taken the view that the pensioners of the future have an interest not only in financial returns but also in such things as environmental sustainability and ethically and socially responsible capitalism.. A different kind of responsible investment is the so-called Morally Responsible Investing (MRI). These are faith-based funds that invest in companies whose products and policies are consistent with the investors religious (usually moral) beliefs (Ghoul and Karam, 2007). There are basically two types of MRI funds, the Islamic Mutual Funds and the Christian Funds. Both are based on the religion and their investment is more focused on ethical (each in its own perception) field of investing and less on social or environmental contribution (Ghoul and Karam, 2007). That is the major difference with the common SRI funds. Conclusions When Milton Friedman was writing his famous book and essay couldnt predict these changes in the world. He was actually right when he argued that companies should act within rules of the game. Those rules have change. Cooper supports that companies of the 21st century have as an essential component of success a balanced approach of CSR issues. As we saw many of the rules are changed and keep changing. The image of a company is now more important than ever before. CSR makes the corporate image better. Also the way of investing had changed. Personal values of the investors or sustainability strategies of Mutual Funds are affecting the investors portfolio towards ethical and responsible investing. Regulatory systems are changing and moving towards more ethical accountability. The corporate scandals and the financial crisis triggered a reaction of multiple stakeholders that now demand a more regulatory system. Companies also start to support that, since they see that the bad actions of so me targeted whole industries (ex. Bonuses of bankers). Risk and sustainability strategies are becoming a mainstream in the business world. Those cant work if they are not connected with CSR strategies and responsible behaviors. Klein and Dawar (2004) propose that CSR has value to the firm as a form of insurance policy against negative events. There is still to see if these rules are going to change more and how are they going to interact with the market and companies behavior. Googins et al. (2007) argue that the rules of the game are to change, however this redefinition will need to encompass shifts that are legal, regulatory, theoretical and cultural.