Jem and Scout’s Transformation

Gem and Scout's Transformation Throughout To Kill A Mockingbird America, while being the greatest nation, has had its fair share of problems. Governmental Issues, commerce, making money, and also civil rights. The Issue of the treatment of African Americans is one of the larger, spanning almost two hundred and fifty years of American history. In Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird, this issue is one of the main topics. In the novel, Gem and Scout learn lessons in morality, being quick to judge, but also keeping strong fundamental values.Our main characters experience events causing them to shift their views on morality. In the beginning of the book, Scout gets Into fights and Is always quick to retaliate. By the end of the book however she learns that sometimes you must hold your head up high and walk away, This Is shown best by Tactics who even when he gets spitted on in public, still walks away without fighting. This is also shown when Gem breaks down and vandalizes Mrs.. Double's f ront yard after her comments about them.He learns that all actions have consequences and that if you would not have done them in the first place, you would eve been able to avoid them all together. The biggest moral lessons they learn is the sinfulness of killing a mockingbird. Mockingbirds do nothing but create sweet music, they don't harm anyone, and It would be a sin to kill one. This relates to Tom Robinson because he is a mockingbird in the sense that he didn't do anything wrong but he is still being punished. Miss Maude says, â€Å"Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy†¦ Sing their hearts out for us.That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird† (119). This quote helps explain totes and Scout the importance of accepting others and not hurting those who have done nothing wrong, some of the key themes of the book. These events shape how Gem and Scout perceive the world and alter their opinions about people and Macomb. Gem and Scout learn other important lessons, too. The Finch kids learn from Tactics that you can't be quick to judge others. As children, they hear rumors and make up things about Boo Raddled. Some of these include eating kittens and squirrels.One night, Gem, Scout, and Dill try ND communicate with him by looking through his window but when they try and escape quickly, they get shot at and Gem looses his pants on the fence. When Gem returns retrieve his ripped pants he finds them gently folded and sewed. Events Like this shape how they see the Reader's as not as evil but possibly they just like to be secluded. At then end of the book the children see Arthur, or Boo Raddled, as their protector when he saves them from Bob Lowell. Tactics says, â€Å"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view †¦ Until you limb into his skin and walk around in it† (39). This quote by Tactics really drives in Tactics' morality and how his teachings and overall behavior Influe nce not only his children, but the others In the town like the African American community. It helps the kids really realize that everybody is different and to understand people, you must consider all things from their prospective. Gem and Scout still have stayed the same in some ways. Although the kids have gone through many transformations and have matured rapidly, they have still stayed the same in some regards.Gem is still the example of this is when Scout finds gum in the tree and Gem yells at her to spit it out immediately. Scout says, â€Å"Gem had acquired an alien set of values†¦ Several times he went as far as to tell me what to do† (153). This quote shows how as Gem grows up, he still remains protective of his little sister. He only wants what's best for her NAS sometimes she takes it harshly, when really he is Just trying to keep her safe. Scout is still the innocent little girl who likes to play games and role play.Overall, they haven't hanged in a sense of t heir childlike behavior but instead their look on the world has changed drastically. Gem and Scout have gone through many changes learning empathy and understanding others and have also remained normal kids. They managed to grasp very adult ideas as young children, ideas some adults cannot grasp. Would it be better to have morally strong children who grow not only physically, but also mature mentally, and know the right things to do or would it be better to have children who never grow mentally and live their lives buying into immature and irrational prejudices?

Analysis of a Pepsi Advertisement

Pepsi attempts to relate to their target audience by appealing to the sentimental side in all of us. In their ad they target the desires and beliefs and values of every American child and the child within all of us by using the symbolic images of the Christmas season and the magic that season brings with it. In this advertisement for Pepsi, a Teddy Bear is seen hanging on a string of lights on a Christmas tree with one hand while with the other he is reaching for the open Pepsi with a candy cane. This advertisement for Pepsi is trying to evoke emotions and to link those emotions to their product. One look at this ad and immediately the â€Å"awww†¦. † Factor is engaged. They do a very good job linking their product to a magical season and the special emotions associated with this season that brings out the child in all of us. When you look at the ad even closer you see the warm crackling fire in the background, bringing about the warm feelings of hearth and home and the nostalgic feelings associated with these subtle but powerful images. By using the Christmas season in their ad they get you to transfer the feelings that this magical season brings out in all of us to their product. They want you to believe that their product is so magical, so desirable and a good representation of a family oriented product by using the images of hearth and home at the most magical time of year. They link to the desires and feeling of what the average family oriented American wants or should want (if you are to believe the advertising industry) by using these powerful images. They want you to transfer the nostalgic feeling of family, hearth and home to their product. They go even further with the use of another powerful childhood image and an icon in American culture, the Teddy Bear, to relate to the inner child in all of us. The Teddy bear is seen in the ad reaching for what he most desires, the candy cane by using the tools that are readily at his disposal, in this case, a candy cane, (another powerful symbol of the season) to reach what he wants so bad.

Cardboard Sculpture Diary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cardboard Sculpture Diary - Essay Example Additionally, after initial discussions with my partner, cutting away the crust of the thick sheets of cardboard to make it paper thin was considered which would allow for more flexibility of design; perhaps abstract in nature. We further proposed using shredded pieces of cardboard, either by use of scissors or a shredding device, to create human hair as an organic component. Finally deciding on the use of the human hand, it was determined that the best course of action would be to use adhesives and cutting tools to make deliberate right angles needed for the inorganic device: The chosen television. The hand required glue and adhesive to shape paper-thin fingers with less-obvious angles. Organic, in artistry, represents a natural context, such as what exists in the biological environment such as animals, plants, or even the use of rocks and soil as a complement to sculpture. More abstractly, organic artistry can entail mimicking natural phenomenon, such as using pleasing lines and shapes that might represent a river’s flow or cosmological elements like the orbit of planetary bodies. Organic shapes and designs are often characterized by being more feminine or nurturing in design. Inorganic is characterized by more sharp angles in sculpture and artistry, using sharper lines and exact geometric patterns, reminiscent of Picasso’s abstract paintings. In relation to objects, inorganic might represent the representation of a building or other man-made structure which is illustrated by definite angles. The television shape chosen for this project is inorganic in design. At the same time, the hand which will burst through the television could also be categorized as inorganic as it suggests a powerful, masculine activity: Rebellion and strength. Synthesis appears to have many different meanings, however it appears to be the careful thought and consideration which goes into a piece of work, such as determining form, style, theme, and

Greek Mythology Assignment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Greek Mythology Assignment - Research Paper Example He evidently does not see their humanity and spiritual value, presenting their stories as embroidery on male tales. It is the thesis of this paper that female characters in the Iliad are like trophies, and what they do or say does not affect what happens in any important way. Trophies are awarded for accomplishments and they attest to the competence of the person to whom they were awarded. Trophies are motivators of competition between opponents or groups of opponents. Trophies are useful as launching pads for bragging. Trophies indicate that the trophy holder is a winner, but they give no assessment of how much skill was demonstrated or what the criteria was. Trophies can give a biased picture of the trophy-holder as more than what he/she actually is. Trophies can also become an annoying distraction as they require dusting and polishing, arranging and protecting, all the requirements of object management. Some people buy themselves trophies, so they will look and feel more important and powerful than they really are. Trophies can arouse jealousy in others who have no recognized accomplishments. Trophies come in various levels of quality. Although they usually look elegant, and most often come with a pedestal, some are of a more fragile nature while othe rs last well. Trophies are usually placed in a designated area, such as an enclosed cabinet, a wall of shelves with other trophies, or on a bookcase, and they are kept there in one place, being viewed from a single perspective. These characteristics of trophies, their place and use, apply to the Iliad’s women too. Helen was a top quality trophy. She was intelligent, expressive, self-motivated in spite of tremendous restraints. She was a hated foreigner, inadvertently responsible for the Trojan War and a lot of suffering. She is a captive, possessed object. Being a possessed object was par for the course in the time of the Iliad.

Summer Landscape by William Panchner Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Summer Landscape by William Panchner - Essay Example The essay "Summer Landscape by William Panchner" examines "Summer Landscape", made by William Panchner. Depth and distance were effectively depicted through the elongated lines at the bottom of the painting which could be interpreted as winding roads interspersed with green shrubs. The depth was evident from painting forms and objects in smaller scales to depict furthering distance from the viewer. As the viewers’ eyes search through the landscape, the concept of space was effectively depicted through exhibiting a continued journey upwards to the house, as its apex. Beyond which, shades of blues represent the skies with shimmering glitters of sunlight depicted through waves of gold. The lines that were used are predominantly elongated, wavy, and rigged. The objects were not realistically expressed and only the house a top of the hill was visibly recognizable through clear lines and effective use of differentiating color that made the house stand out from the scenery. The place ment of colors complements each other and by including white intermittently, Pachner effectively created a sense of tranquility within the scenery. He leaves interpreting other visual forms in flat rendition to the imagination of the viewers. Greens could obviously represent flora. Shades of dark blues and greys depict depth in terms of inner spaces and farther locations. Like his landscape, those who view it could be lost in the barrage of colors and lines with no clear patterns. One is led to appreciate a sense of balance in his painting.

Psychology questions Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Psychology questions - Term Paper Example For Christian therapy and therapy in general, I think it’s necessary to, in a sense, disregard these findings and adopt a pro-active worldview that emphasizes the individual’s agency in facing and combating their psychic complications and dysfunctions. 2. I believe that Freud’s theories are an approximation of human nature and the use of his terms like ego defense mechanisms and the unconscious are not scientifically accurate. I think any therapy would benefit from the aspects of Freudian psychotherapy that seek to find the deep undercurrents of issues over a prolonged investigative period, but that it would be erroneous to believe that a therapeutic approach that doesn’t involve specific Freudian approaches and Freudian terminology is ineffective. 3. In reviewing Freud’s stage of psychosexual development I am drawn to the means by which individuals have set stages and struggles they must encounter in order to developmentally progress. While Freud is predominantly concerned with the childhood stages of development, he concludes his psychosexual stages of development with the genital phase which includes large portions of adolescence and young adulthood (Mitchell 1996). When I consider such stages in my own life I am drawn to the period after graduation from high school when I faced a sort of personal crisis as to my place in the world and maturity. I approached this life stage with determination and consistency in both school and my social life; I would apply these principles to my therapeutic approach as I believe they can be applied to a wide variety of developmental challenges. 4. Considering death from a spiritual standpoint, I believe that it is necessary for one to consider their own mortality and find a certain meaning or purpose in their life. I don’t think it’s necessarily essential that an individual embrace a belief in an afterlife, but that they understand that their time on Earth is limited and

Difference in athletic funding behind women's sports in the ACC Research Paper

Difference in athletic funding behind women's sports in the ACC conference and NCAA - Research Paper Example The ACC is acknowledged to be one of the six university power gatherings, all of which appreciate impressive media scope and immediate fitting the bill for their football champion into the Bowl Championship Series (BCS). With the appearance of the College Football Playoff in 2014, the ACC will be one of five gatherings with a contractual tie-into a "right to gain entrance bowl", the successors to the BCS (Adams, 2004). My present objectives for this research are to uncover the different wellsprings of subsidizing for the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and the National Collegiate Association (NCAA), the challenges that this two real affiliations confront and how they can beat their everyday issues regarding operation and part enlistment, financing and extension arranges and methodology. My present contention here is that these two companionships might as well accept the time and consideration that they merit by the neighborhood government to lure more young people, offer more grants and fiscal support to learners consequently making them succeed towards the right way. Literature Review Consistent with a report recorded by Boston College in agree-ability with the Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act, varsity male sports members appropriated $1.7 million progressively in physically identified understudy help than female members did throughout the 2011-12 season, notwithstanding there being one and only more male than female member. This hole brings about male competitors gaining a normal of $25,000 yearly, while female jocks get a normal of $20,000 every twelve-months (Heights Editorial Board, 2013). Although from the start, it look like this student aid appears to be alarmingly vast, in examination with comparable schools, it is less so. For instance, at the University of Miami, male jocks on normal gain $39,000 every twelve-months, while female players accept just $30,000 yearly, a crevice of $9,000 in correlation to Bc's hole of about $5,000. At Wake Forest Univ ersity, the hole is about $6,000 energetic about ladies (Heights Editorial Board, 2013). These schools are less great in keeping the amount of male and female members equivalent, then again. At Wake Forest, there are 238 male sports members and just 124 female members. Duke University has a crevice of just about $2,000, however correspondingly to Wake Forest has a vast hole in members 374 men to 274 females (Pittsburgh, 2010). It appears that the Athletic Department is giving equivalent chances for male and female contenders, anyhow to a more terrific degree than comparative ACC schools. In the most recent 10 years, the amount of male and female members has never contrasted by more than 30 sportspeople in either bearing, and frequently switches between additional men and more ladies. While the $1.7 million aid is not to a great degree shocking, we are concerned by what amount of an expansion this is from past years(Keating, 2012). For instance, in 2010, when there were 16 more male members, the money was just $940,000, consistent with the report. In 2009, the year with the following

Literature Bachelor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Literature Bachelor - Essay Example This mutable reality is also linked to the famous "catch" of the title, which will be discussed later and shows the absurdity of the modern world. In Jazz, the improvisational form of the art is used to suggest how the past is changeable through the perspectives of the couple who are slowly falling out of love with one another. An event in their past, like a theme in jazz music, may be different upon each 'playing' or 'remembering'. In Catch 22 time is represented as a manipulative continuum in which what occurs depends upon the person seeing it. The very structure of the book seems to reflect the paranoid and near-to-insane characters who inhabit it. Thus the novel starts with ten chapters dealing with the present, before flashing back to the past of the events in the Siege of Bologna for a few chapters. The present appears once again before flashing backwards into the past. The final section of the book is set once again in the present, but with a more formal and linear narrative than the fragmentation what characterizes the other parts. Slipping backwards in time, the reader learns how the characters avoid the true horror of what occurred on the undefended Italian mountain village with the rape and murder of a completely innocent girl. The soldiers do not want to admit what has occurred and so they at first deny it or obscure it through the various bureaucratic absurdities of the military situation they face. The insanity within both their present and past world is best described by the various 'catches' that the soldiers must face, the most famous of which is the catch 22 of the title: There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one's safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn't, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn't have to; but if he didn't want to he was sane and had to. Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity of this clause of Catch-22 and let out a respectful whistle. (Heller, 1961) This kind of bizarre circular logic, which is obviously absurd and nonsensical, but is impossible to deny due to its own frame of reference. In the same way a person who tries to fully understand the past must be crazy, but if he is crazy he will then not have a genuine grasp of what happens. Again, a circular logic that wraps around itself and forbids any kind of rational in-roads into comprehension. The novel revolves around a kind of complex sense of dj vu that many of the characters express. Thus the chaplain has an "impression of a prior meeting was of some occasion far more momentous and occult that, of a significant encounter with Yossarian in some remote, submerged and perhaps even entirely spiritual epoch in which he had made the identical, foredooming admission that there was nothing, absolutely nothing, he could do to help him" (Heller, 1961). The use of the word "foredooming" is integral to this section. The past cannot be understood, but it is most readily available to the characters through the overwhelming sense of dj vu that many of them feel. The Chaplain is central to this questioning of history, and this is

Advanced Strategic Management- International Airline Industry Essay

Advanced Strategic Management- International Airline Industry - Essay Example This is to prevent the loss of current business and attract new customers ones at a minimal cost.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This study explores the relationship between customer service, customer satisfaction and the factors that encourage customers to choose and remain with specific airlines. In particular, this study evaluates the customer satisfaction among North American airline passengers and the quality of customer service of corresponding airlines.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A survey was used to gather the feedback of XYZ airline passengers at NYC airport. The survey items focused on the eight factors designated as independent variables. The independent variables considered were X1 – Delays (external forces such as weather), X2 – Culture (company), X3 – Prices/Frequent Flyer Programs, X4– Flexibility, X5 – Schedule, X6 – Employees, X7 – Quality of Product/Services (comfort), and X8 – Security.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The importance of customer service and the corresponding customer satisfaction cannot be undermined. Ventures can succeed only if there are customers. Since they are the ones who keep businesses running by bringing in profit and supplying feedbacks, it is essential to keep them satisfied. Customer satisfaction, also called user satisfaction, is defined simply as â€Å"a qualitative measure of performance as defined by customers, which meet their basic requirements and standards† (TechTarget, 2007). This definition has two main implications. First, customer satisfaction is dependent on the performance of the product or service. Second, measuring customer satisfaction involves knowledge of the basic requirements and standards of the customers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In relation to customer satisfaction, customer service is a term that characterizes what happens when the customer encounters the business (The Times Newspapers Ltd, 2008). Good customer service is significant because gaining a new customer can cost as much as five

Synchronization Of Federal And Dod Procurement Policies And Ethical Standards Essay Example for Free

Synchronization Of Federal And Dod Procurement Policies And Ethical Standards Essay The United States is not just admired of its technological advancement, its economic status and its military power but also of its sound and tight laws including its internal rules and regulations covering government agencies. In the case of the Department of Defense, Federal Laws and rules were kept updated as much as possible in the sense that revisions of internal policies were carried out. New versions of rules and regulations kept on coming in with reference to new laws or executive orders being approved and released. The biggest problem however, as it has also been with other agencies is that there is indeed a lack of strict implementation of such rules and regulations. This problem is proven by the increasing number of fraud cases in the procurement transactions undergone by the DOD. In order for us to find the flaw on the implementation system, let us evaluate the performance of the agencies wherein policy implementation on DOD were being delegated and entrusted. These agencies were not merely responsible for the implementation of the policies and procedures, specifically on procurement process but also for its monitoring. Let us closely look into the Office of the Government Ethics which is, according to Executive Order 12731, will be responsible for the administration of Principles Of Ethical Conduct For Government Officers And Employees. Specifically, EO 12731 (Section 201) should be administered by: (a) Promulgating, in consultation with the Attorney General and the Office of Personnel Management, regulations that establish a single, comprehensive, and clear set of executive-branch standards of conduct that shall be objective, reasonable, and enforceable. b) Developing, disseminating, and periodically updating an ethics manual for employees of the executive branch describing the applicable statutes, rules, decisions, and policies. (c) Promulgating, with the concurrence of the Attorney General, regulations interpreting the provisions of the post-employment statute, section 207 of title 18, United States Code; the general conflict-of-interest statute, section 208 of title 18, United States Code; and the statute prohibiting supplementation of salaries, section 209 of title 18, United States Code. d) Promulgating, in consultation with the Attorney General and the Office of Personnel Management, the regulations establishing a system of nonpublic (confidential) financial disclosure by executive branch employees to complement the system of public disclosure under the Ethics in Government Act of 1978. Such regulations shall include criteria to guide agencies in determining which employees shall submit these reports. (e) Ensuring that any implementing regulations issued by agencies under this order are consistent with and promulgated in accordance with this order.  The main point of determining the responsibilities of the Office of the Government Ethics is to have a clear basis of determining who is supposed to be overseeing the ethical policies and the implementation thereof. Since this office has been specially designated for such a responsibility, it is expected that it should have specially designed delegation and communication tools of coordinating such policies to other agencies under it. The methods are clear: promulgation, delegation, consultation and dissemination of the policies and procedures with other agencies and of course DOD is not an exemption. It is therefore but fair to conclude that communication tools and the power to use them are available at anytime for the Office of the Government of Ethics to use for synchronizing policies throughout all agencies. Section 301 of Executive Order 12731 specifies how synchronization of ethical policies and standards should be done through the specifications of the responsibilities of the Office of the Government of Ethics. This section directs the agency to : a) Supplement, as necessary and appropriate, the comprehensive executive branch-wide regulations of the Office of Government Ethics, with regulations of special applicability to the particular functions and activities of that agency. Any supplementary agency regulations shall be prepared as addenda to the branch-wide regulations and promulgated jointly with the Office of Government Ethics, at the agencys expense, for inclusion in Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations. (b) Ensure the review by all employees of this order and regulations promulgated pursuant to the order. c) Coordinate with the Office of Government Ethics in developing annual agency ethics training plans. Such training shall include mandatory annual briefings on ethics and standards of conduct for all employees appointed by the President, all employees in the Executive Office of the President, all officials required to file public or nonpublic financial disclosure reports, all employees who are contracting officers and procurement officials, and any other employees designated by the agency head. d) Where practicable, consult formally or informally with the Office of Government Ethics prior to granting any exemption under section 208 of title 18, United States Code, and provide the Director of the Office of Government Ethics a copy of any exemption granted. (e) Ensure that the rank, responsibilities, authority, staffing, and resources of the Designated Agency Ethics Official are sufficient to ensure the effectiveness of the agency ethics program. Support should include the provision of a separate budget line item for ethics activities, where practicable. The enumeration of such responsibilities appears to be just a matter of written rules for federal agencies. This is especially in the procurement process where more and more people are getting involved in procurement fraud. Every year, millions and millions of dollars are being recovered by the Department of Justice for running after the contractors and DOD personnel who acted in bad faith. Looking at the brighter side of things however, it can be stipulated that such events can be considered an indicator that these policies and rules on ethical standards are now being implemented quite well. Either way, we cannot consider each effort to be successful not until we have the occurrences of fraud lessen to a considerable amount. What should always be the goal is zero tolerance of any type of fraud. The synchronization efforts of the federal government must go beyond the circle of agencies. It is always recommended that the lawmakers be vigilant enough in evaluating every policy and laws governing the federal procurement process. It is their job to look into the flaws in the laws and recommend better and more efficient laws to be implemented. To be fair with enforcement agencies, policies are now in the process of strict implementation as more and more efforts are being done to revise and tighten procurement rules especially in contracting data. The government’s central repository of contracting data has long been criticized for being incomplete and inaccurate. Last year, the Office of Management and Budget launched an effort to clean up what gets fed into the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) by directing agencies to sample their data for accuracy. The Defense Department is still working on validating its data. Depending on the agency, data is accurately entered into FPDS between 85 percent and 100 percent of the time. Automated reporting has made it easier for agencies to load data into the system and reduced the errors associated with manual entry under the old system. But the volume of contracts has grown, making the issue of validating data more important and more challenging. While the quality of the data in the database is improving, there are still problems, say some critics who use FPDS regularly. Even with automated reporting and validation steps, people entering data still make mistakes the current software can’t catch. The rate the accuracy of the data is a seven out of 10. The new certification requirement has raised the importance of data accuracy to the highest levels of management. Agencies are much more focused on getting data right than they have been in the past. With more than $400 billion spent through procurements each year, the data is critical to managing functions and determining the type of staffing needed, OMB procurement policy chief, in a March memo to agencies. The launch of the federal spending Web site, USASpending. gov, in December has given new insight into the accuracy concerns with FPDS. As of Jan. 31, 6 percent, or $23 billion, of the 2007 contract dollars reported in the system had an unknown level of competition, which means a box in FPDS didn’t get checked. The inaccuracies found in FPDS come from the push to be current, which meant GSA had to relax some of the verification rules. The government had the option of waiting months for perfect data or entering data as contracts were awarded to provide transparency. GSA is seeking smarter validation technologies when it upgrades to the next generation of FPDS in 2010. Instead of simply telling users which fields in their system are missing, GSA hopes to create a system where fields can be compared to make sure the data makes sense, Fornecker said. For example, the system would be able to flag a $6 billion award to a small business or question conflicting information, such as when a contract award is labeled as â€Å"not competed† even though two or more bids were received. The Defense Department won’t have an assessment of the accuracy of its data until spring, said Shay Assad, the department’s procurement policy chief. Software bugs and missing data fields in FPDS were causing some inaccuracies, and those are being fixed, Assad said. The biggest cause for inaccurate data is human error, but system errors also play a role. For example, the Energy Department reported that between 8 percent and 17 percent of its errors came from how FPDS interpreted the data sent by its contract writing system. The remaining errors were human errors, according to the Energy report. The ever-popular multiple-award contracts — long praised by acquisition professionals and contractors as a speedy way to get competitively priced goods and services without threat of protest — are about to get a makeover. The conference report for the Defense authorization bill includes a new rule that would give contractors who are eligible to bid on a multiple-award contract order the right to protest an order worth more than $10 million. The White House and industry have opposed this provision, claiming it would promote unnecessary litigation. Contracting officers would also be prohibited from awarding a task order worth more than $100 million to a single contractor without written justification, further limiting how the contracts are used. The conference report also includes another controversial provision that would require agencies to report all critical inspector general audit findings, including questioned costs, to Congress. Industry groups have opposed this provision saying it could misrepresent routine audit questions and misunderstandings as major contracting irregularities. Other contracting provisions in the bill include: new associate administrator position within the Office of Management and Budget’s procurement policy office that will be dedicated to acquisition work force programs, permanent acquisition work force training fund, and contingency contracting training for people outside the acquisition profession including whistleblower rights for contractor employees. One more thing to reconsider in the policies synchronization is training needs. A yet-unreleased survey of government acquisition employees shows the work force needs more training in contract negotiations, program management and performance-based contracting, a White House official said today. OMB is working with Federal Acquisition Institute and the Defense Acquisition Institute to craft training that targets these and other areas identified in the survey, he said. OMB has approached Congress to renew procurement offices’ direct hire authority, which expired on Sept. 30, to allow agencies to quickly fill these critical positions, he said. OMB is also encouraging agencies to rehire retirees to train and mentor new workers and fill openings. Apart from training rules synchronization, the Department of Defense is also accused of discrimination is hiring or employment procedures including contract awarding against minorities and women. Still, this issue is an important consideration in ethical rules and standards set by the Federal Government. There are critics in an online publication that pinpoints the following areas of improvement in relation to ethical rules synchronization: Reorganization: Some observers emphasize the need to rationalize and coordinate the web of federal programs serving minority- and women-owned firms. For example, in 1992 the U. S. Commission on Minority Business recommended the creation within the Commerce Department of an Administration for the Development of Historically Underutilized Businesses which would assume SBAs responsibilities. Graduation: The program now requires graduation after nine years, and has phased requirements of non-8(a) and non-federal business mix designed to wean firms from sheltered competition and dependency on federal contracting. In February 1995, of the 1,038 firms in the fifth through ninth year of  §8(a) participation, nearly two-thirds met or exceeded the minimum non-8(a) business levels. Some observers have emphasized the need for analogous graduation and business-mix requirements in the DOD and DOT programs. Regional/Sectoral Concentration: Our analysis found SDB contracts and limited competition concentrated in certain industries and regions, which is undesirable for minority and non-minority firms alike. For example, while DODs overall goal for SDBs was only 5 percent, more than 35 percent of all DOD construction awards went to SDBs, and more than two-thirds of these were awarded under sheltered competition. Moreover, in ten States, more than 40 percent of all construction contracts awarded to small business was awarded to SDBs. This concentration occurs at particular sites as well, where in rare instances virtually all small business contracting is with SDBs. On the other hand, some degree of sectoral concentration in SDB procurements is inevitable to balance the many sites and sub-industries with virtually no SDB participation, and huge procurements for weapons systems and the like, for which no SDBs are available as prime contractors, and still too few as major subcontractors. Additional efforts are clearly needed to expand SDB opportunities more broadly. Self-Certification: Because DODs program is based on self-certification by SDBs, it may be prone to abuse, particularly through front companies. For example, DODs IG investigated Tyco Manufacturing and referred the case to the US Attorney. The companys owner pled guilty to charges that he falsely represented his firm as Hispanic-owned and controlled. Top officials of Automated Data Management, Inc. were convicted of conspiracy to defraud the government for concealing the firms ownership structure to participate in the  §8(a) program. Self-certification has obvious advantages in terms of reduced administrative expense and regulatory intrusion. Nevertheless, this must be balanced with the importance of ensuring that affirmative action measures are fair, which means as free of abuses as can reasonably be achieved. Subcontracting: In FY 1993, the most recent data available, small businesses received about $63 billion of federal contract dollars, out of roughly $180 billion in total. About one-third of that amount was from subcontracting. SDBs, on the other hand, received a little over $13 billion in federal contract dollars, but only one-sixth of that was through subcontracting. These figures are consistent with the widely held view that SDBs face greater obstacles to subcontracting participation than do other small firms. The SBA and other agencies believe that expanding the use of SDBs in subcontracting is both feasible and desirable as a strategy for creating more SDB opportunities. Other Program Changes: Several earlier analyses by the GAO, the SBA Inspector General and commentators have raised criticisms of the  §8(a) program, several of which SBA is moving to address by aggressively implementing recent statutory amendments which had languished under the prior Administration. These are reviewed more specifically immediately below. Past criticisms are that too many  §8(a) contracts were awarded on a sole-source basis, i. e. , without competition of any kind. This criticism has largely been addressed by recent and pending reforms. The 1988 law reforming the  §8(a) program requires that companies in the program compete among themselves for contracts valued at $3 million or more. (There is a higher competition threshold of $5 million for manufactured goods. Currently, however, many of the larger  §8(a) contracts are open-ended agreements that started out as small contracts and grew well beyond the competition threshold when a contracting officer renewed the order. To increase the number of contracts available for competition, SBA has proposed regulations to change this procedure so that an estimated value will be set on these open-ended contracts, which probably will be higher than the initial value. This means more  §8(a) contracts will be subject to competitive bidding among participating firms. In all these cases, the Office of Federal Procurement Policy must now especially tighten its implementation techniques. This office does have around $350 billion annual spending (Office of the Federal Procurement Policy, Whitehouse, 2008). According to their website, The Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) in the Office of Management and Budget â€Å"plays a central role in shaping the policies and practices federal agencies use to acquire the goods and services they need to carry out their responsibilities. Established by Congress in 1974, OFPP is designed to provide overall direction for government-wide procurement policies, regulations and procedures. Given special authority for the procurement policy administration and implementation, OFPP is expected to find the means of having such procurement policies implemented in accordance with the Federal Ethical Standards. OFPP’s statutory authorities and responsibilities are set forth in the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act, 41 U. S. C. 401, et seq. OFPP’s primary responsibilities. First, it is appointed to oversee the development of acquisition regulations. The Office’s primary focus is on the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), the government-wide regulation governing agency acquisitions of goods and services. OFPP staffs are to review and coordinate such changes with the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. It is also its responsibility to formulate and coordinate acquisition legislation. OFPP oversees the formulation of the executive branch position on all legislation relating to procurement. In close consultation with the major procuring agencies, OFPP develops legislative proposals for the Administration and formulates positions on congressional bills addressing acquisition issues. OFPP staff works with OMB’s Legislative Reference Division, Office of Legislative Affairs, and congressional committees to explain and refine legislation as it proceeds through hearings, markups and conference to final passage. Apart from this, OFPP is required to lead the activities of the Chief Acquisition Officers Council (CAOC). The OFPP Administrator leads the Council’s activities on behalf of OMB’s Deputy Director for Management, who officially serves as the Chair. OFPP staff provides support to each of the Council’s working groups, which currently are focusing on competitive sourcing, contracting with small businesses, human capital, electronic government, performance management, and contingency contracting. The office also is responsible for collecting, developing, and disseminating procurement data. This responsibility is accomplished through several government-wide data collection tools, the most significant being the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS). OFPP directs the Federal Acquisition Institute to improve the caliber and professionalism of the acquisition workforce. For example, FAI provides core acquisition training and workforce support to the civilian acquisition community and actively partners with the Defense Acquisition University to leverage workforce development opportunities. In 2004, OFPP chartered a Board of Directors, which reports to the OFPP Administrator, and ensures that FAI’s focus is synchronized with government-wide policy priorities. OFPP is responsible for developing policies, in consultation with SBA, that promote maximum participation of small businesses in government contracts. Lastly, it serves as Chair of the Cost Accounting Standards Board (CASB), an independent board which has exclusive authority to establish standards for use by contractors and subcontractors to achieve uniformity and consistency in the measurement, assignment and allocation of costs to government contracts. The CASB’s cost accounting standards are promulgated as regulations. OFPP provides staff support to the CASB. It is now but fair enough to say that Federal Laws on Ethical Standards relative to procurement policies are well defined, clear and tight enough. The problem arises on the implementation of such rules. It is therefore a strong recommendation to begin the strict implementation of such policies as soon as possible. The step can rightfully begins with appointing or hiring able, dedicated people to oversee the agency and those people whose morality and principle cannot be bought by material things, especially with money where the Federal government and the Department of Defense are undeniably abundant of.

Analysis Of Our Planet Earth

Analysis Of Our Planet Earth Explore The planet earth is one of the nine planets in the solar system and the only known planet to harbor life and the home of human beings. From the words of Neil Armstrong, one of the astronauts of the famous Apollo 11, the earth from space resembles a big blue marble with swirling white clouds floating above blue oceans. About 71 percent of the earths surface is covered with water and the rest is land, mostly in the form of continents that rise above the oceans. Origin of the Earth The earth has a unique characteristic that is suited to supporting life. It is neither too hot like planet Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun, nor too cold like planet Mars. For thousands of years, human being could only wonder about the earth and other observable planets in the solar system. Many ideas such as the earth was a sphere and that it travelled around the Sun were based on brilliant reasoning. It was on the development of scientific method especially in the 18th and 19th centuries, that human beings began to gather data that could be used to verify theories about the earth and the rest of the solar system. In the second half of the 20th century, more advances in the study of the earth and the solar system occurred because of the development of rockets that could send spacecrafts beyond Earth. Human beings were able to study and observe Earth from space and satellites equipped with scientific instruments. Scientists have studied the solar system and tried to explain how it was formed. Billions of people are wondering how the huge, lively planet came to be. There are many different theories trying to give explanation of how our home planet came to be. One of the most popular theories of the planets origin is that of Gods creation. Many religious group as well as scientists, embrace the belief that God created the universe and the different steps motivating material and natural development and that these steps then resulted in the formation of the galaxies, the solar system and existence of the earth. This theory is known as Theistic evolution or as evolutionary creationism. This theory h olds the belief that God exceeds common time and space, with nature having no survival self-sufficient of Gods will. The Theistic Evolution Theory poses many questions that can never be answered directly. The sources available are books written by humans. Most accepted belief is the theory of creation in the book of Genesis in the Old Testament. This popular theory states that God created the universe in six days .The Bible offers no evidence to prove the story; rather it relies on the faith of the believers to accept it as truth. Another popular belief is the Big Bang Theory. This theory supports the idea that the universe came about due to a colossal explosion. According to the theory, the universe goes through a tremendously high speed rise that expands within a fraction of a second. Then, the excessive heat of electrons and other particles mix. As atoms and particles charge, still extremely hot, they prevent light from shining, creating a sweltering hot fog. Eventually, the electrons merge with additional particles to structure atoms of hydrogen and helium, causing light to at last shine. Giant clouds are soon formed by the hydrogen and helium gases. Weighty elements that are not clustered together are thrown into space to form stars and planets. Another theory is developed by Immanuel Kant and given scientific form by Pierre Simon Laplace at the end of 18th century. It is known as the Nebular Theory. It was assumed that the solar system in its first state was a nebula, a hot, slowly rotating mass of rare matter, which gradually cooled and contracted, the rotation becoming more rapid, in turn giving nebula a flattened disk-like shape .In time, rings of gaseous matter became separated from the outer part of the disk, until the diminished nebula at the center was surrounded by a series of rings. Out of the material of each ring a great ball was formed, which by shrinking eventually became a planet. The mass at the center of the system condensed to form the sun. Encounter or collision theories, in which a star passes a close by or actually collides with the sun, try to explain the distribution of angular momentum. According to the Planetisimal theory, developed by Thomas Chamberlin and Forest Ray Moulton, in the early part of 20th century, a star passed close to the sun. Huge tides were raised on the surface; and some of these erupted matters were torn free, and by a cross pull from the star, were thrust bodies called planetesimals. As their orbits crossed, the larger bodies grew by absorbing the planetisimals, thus becoming planets. The Gaseous Tidal Theory, proposed by James Jeans and Harold Jeffreys in 1918, is a variation of the planetesimal concept. It suggests that a huge tidal wave, raised on the sun by a force of gravity of a passing star, was drawn into a long filament and became detached from the principal mass. As the stream of gaseous material condensed, it separated into masses of various sizes, which by further condensation took the form of a planet. The Dynamic Encounter Theory of Georges Buffon states that the world was formed out of molten materials from the sun that collided with other planets. According to the Solar Disruption Theory by Georges-Louis Leclerc, the sun and a big star almost collided in space, which made some parts of the sun burst. The pieces formed became planets. Composition and Structure of the Earth Geologists divided the earth into three main zones: hydrosphere, lithosphere, and atmosphere. Hydrosphere consists of the bodies of water that covers 71 percent of the earths surface. The largest of these are the oceans, which contain over 97 percent of all water on Earth. Glaciers and polar ice caps contain over 2 percent of earths water in the form of solid ice. Only about 0.6 is under the surface as groundwater. Groundwater is 36 times more plentiful than water found in lakes, inland seas rivers, and in the atmosphere as water vapor. Most of the water in glacier, lakes inland seas, rivers and groundwater is fresh and can be used for drinking and in agriculture. The atmosphere is the great blanket of gases that surrounds the earth. It is arranged in five layers: troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, and exosphere. Lithosphere refers to all of the earth, from its surface to its center. The earth contains three regions crust, mantle, and core. Crust is the outermost layer of the earth. The crust consists of the continents, and other land areas and the basins or floor of the oceans. It has an average thickness of 25 mile. Mantle is about 800 miles thick of solid silicate rock. Core contains iron and nickel whose outer core is liquid and the inner core is solid. Changes on the Earths Surface Think and Respond How forces inside the earth create and change landforms? Earths surface has been constantly changing ever since the planet was formed. Most of these changes have been taking place slowly over millions of years. These gradual changes resulted in modifications including the formation, erosion, re-formation of mountain ranges, the movement of continents, the creation of super continents and the break-up of smaller continents. There are factors responsible for the changes in the earths surface. These are: Weathering. Weathering is the breakdown of rock at and near the surface of the Earth. Most rocks originally formed in a hot, high pressure environment below the surface where there was little water. Once the rock reached earths surface they were subjected to temperature changes and expand to water. When rocks are subjected to these kinds of conditions, the minerals they contain tend to change. These changes constitute the process of weathering. There are two types of weathering; physical weathering and chemical weathering. Physical weathering includes a decrease in the size of rock materials. Freezing and thawing of water in rock countries for example, splits rocks into small pieces because water expands when it freezes. Chemical weathering involves a chemical change in the composition of rock. Chemical weathering is important to man because it creates the clay minerals that are important component of soil, which is the basis for agriculture. Erosion. Erosion is the process that removes loose and weathered rock and carries it to a new site. Water, wind, and glacial ice combined with the force of gravity can cause erosion. Soil erosion and gullying in the upper Panuco basin, Sierra Madre Oriental, eastern Mexico Think and Explain Why is erosion dangerous? Erosion by running water is the most common process of erosion. When water moves downhill, it can carry loose rocks or soil with it. The force of the running water removes loose particles formed by weathering. In the process, gullies and valleys are lengthened, widened, and deepen. The Grand Canyon of the Colorado River is an example of the eroding power of water. Over a million years the Colorado River has cut a canyon that is more than 1 mile deep. The Nile River of Egypt, for example, brings rich soil from the mountains and spreads it along its banks. Because of this, the Nile Valley is one of the most fertile areas in the world. It is the only part of Egypt where crops can grow, a reason why Egypt was known as The Gift of Nile. On the other hand, the Huang Ho or Yellow River in Northern China often overflows its banks and floods farms and homes. Over the years Huang Ho has done so much damage that people call this river Chinas Sorrow. Erosion can also occur as glacier, or large bodies of ice, move across the surface of the earth. As they move, glaciers change the land destroying forests, carving out valleys, altering the course of the rivers and wearing down mountaintops. Wind is an important cause of erosion only in arid or dry regions. Wind carries sand and dirt, which can scour even solid rock. Erosion caused by wind can either help or hurt people. The plains of Northern China for example, have a thick, rich type of soil that is carried by winds blowing from the deserts far to the west. This soil allows farmers in Northern China to raise great amount of wheat and other food crops. Think and Explain How do you account todays flash floods to soil erosion? Many factors determine the rate and kind of erosion that occurs in a certain area. Then climate of a given area determines the distribution, amount, and kind of precipitation that the area receives, thus, the type and rate of weathering. An area with an arid climate erodes differently than the area with a humid climate. The elevation of an area also plays an important role by determining the potential energy of running water. The higher the elevation, the more water will flow due to the force of gravity. Plate Tectonics. Think and Explain How do scientists predict when and where earthquakes may occur?Opposite the leveling is a force responsible for raising mountains, and plateaus and for creating new landmasses. These changes on earth surface occur in the outermost solid portion of Earth, known as lithosphere. The lithosphere consists of the crust and another region known as the upper mantle. Scientists believe that the lithosphere is broken into a series of plates, or segments. According to the theory of plate tectonics, these plates move around on earths surface over long periods of time. These plates move in different ways in relation to each other. They pull apart or move away from each other, they collide or move against each other, or they slide past each other as they move sideways. These shaking movements of the earth called earthquakes explain geological occurrences such as volcanic eruptions, as well as mountain building and the formation of oceans and continents. Yale Peabody Museum/www.peabody.yale.edu/platetectonics/author Earths Physical Features Earths Features The natural features of the earths land surfaces are called landforms. These features are used to describe and help people to locate specific places. Landforms Think and Explain Why is the earth the only planet for man?Landforms are defined as the natural physical features found on the surface of the earth. Landforms are created as a result of the various forces of nature such as wind, water and ice and also by the movement of the earths tectonic plates. Due to these actions, the soil gets eroded and deposited somewhere far from the site of erosion, thus leads to the formation of different landforms. Some landforms are created in a matter of few hours; others take millions of years to appear. A group of landforms in a particular area is called its landscape. Geographers and geologists refer to four major landforms. Large flat mainly grassy areas are the plains. Lands with elevations more than 1,000 feet above the surrounding areas are called mountains. Hills are elevated land masses that are less than 1,000 feet above their surroundings. Plateaus are flat elevated areas perched between 300 to 3,000 feet high. Minor landforms include buttes, canyons, valleys and basins. Think and Respond How do forces inside the earth create and change landforms? These major landforms were formed as a result of tectonic activity, or earthquakes. Other landforms are the result of volcanic eruptions. In fact, mountains that were formed by tectonic activity are called fold mountains, while those formed by volcanic eruptions are called volcanic mountains. Still other landforms resulted from the effects of weathering, erosion and the movement of glaciers. Think and Respond How did bodies of water such as rivers and seas affect societies? Mountains are perhaps the most noticeable of the major landforms and are found on every continent, as well as beneath the ocean. The highest mountain is Mount Everest in the Himalayas at 29,028 feet. The largest mountain, by volume, is Hawaiis Maono Loa. The longest chain of mountains is the Mid Ocean Range. Both Easter Island in the Pacific Ocean and Iceland are member peaks of this range. More than half of the earths surface is covered by plains like the Central Plains of the United States and the plains in Eastern China. Some plains that continue to grow in surface area are the deltas that form by land carried in the current and deposited at the mouths of major rivers. The largest deltas are the Nile River Delta, Mississippi River Delta and Rhone River Delta. Plateaus account for about 30 percent of the earths surface. They are elevations that terminate in flat lands. Some people call them tablelands because of their shape. There are often layers of both hard and soft rock in a plateau. These landforms were caused when the earths crust was forced upward. Types and Characteristic Features of Landforms There are many types of landforms on the earths surface. Each landform is characterized by its slope, elevation, soil and rock type, stratification and orientation. Some of the common types of landforms and their characteristics are the following: Mountains: Mountains are areas, which are higher than the surrounding areas and are characterized by a peak, e.g. The Himalayas. Surprisingly, they are more frequently present in the oceans than in land. A mountain is steeper than a hill. Mountains are formed due the tectonic movement such as an earthquake or a volcanic eruption. A few are resulted due to erosion of the surrounding areas by the action of wind, water or ice. Plateaus: Plateaus are large highland flat areas separated from the surrounding areas by a steep slope, e.g. The Tibetan plateau. Plateaus are formed due to various actions such as collision of the earths tectonic plates, uplift of the earths crust by the action of magma; some are resulted due to the lava flow from the volcanic eruption. Islands: Islands are areas that are completely surrounded by water, e.g. The Hawaiian Islands. Islands are formed either as a result of the volcanic eruption or due to the presence of hot spots on the lithosphere. Plains: Plains are flat areas or low relief areas on the earths surface, e.g. prairies, steppes. Plains are formed due to the sedimentation of the eroded soil from the hills and mountains or due to the flowing lava deposited by the agents of wind, water and ice. Valleys: Valleys are flat areas of land between the hills or mountains, e.g. The California Central Valley. Mostly they are formed by the actions of rivers and glaciers. Depending upon the shape, valley forms are classified as U-shaped or V-shaped valley. V-shaped valleys are formed by flowing water or rivers, whereas U-shaped valleys are formed by glaciers. Deserts: Deserts are very dry lands with little or no rainfall, for example, The Sahara desert. Mostly deserts are formed in rain shadow areas, which are leeward of a mountain range with respect to the wind direction. Thus, the mountains block the passage of wind resulting in little or sometimes no rain. Loess: Loess are deposits of silt and with a little amount of sand and clay. Many a times wind action is responsible for formation of loess; however sometimes glacial activity can also form loess. Rivers: Rivers are natural flowing stream of freshwater, e.g. The Nile. They mostly flow towards lakes or oceans but sometimes they dried up without reaching another water body. River water is collected from the surface water runoffs, groundwater water recharge and sometimes from the water reservoirs such as glaciers. Landforms definitely play an important role in the formation of rivers. Oceans: Oceans are the biggest form of water and are saline, such as The Pacific Ocean. Oceans of the world covers around 71% of the earths surface and control the weather and climate of the earths surface. Think and Explain Are landforms still affecting todays development? Glaciers: Glaciers are huge slow moving body of ice. Glaciers are formed due to the compaction of snow layers and moves with respect to gravity and pressure. Mainly there are two types of glaciers- Alpine glaciers, which are formed in high mountains and Continental glaciers, which are formed in cold Polar Regions. Continents Land surface of the earth was divided into seven landmasses called continents. Land surface of the earth was divided into seven landmasses called continents. A continent is defined as a large unbroken land mass completely surrounded by water, although in some cases continents are (or were in part) connected by land bridges. The seven continents are North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and Antarctica. The islands in the Pacific are often called Oceania. Illus. 1. The seven continents of the world. Europe Geographically, Europe, including the British Isles, is a large western peninsula of the continent of Asia; and many geographers, refer to Europe and Asia, as the Eurasian continent. But traditionally, Europe is counted as a separate continent, with the Ural and the Caucasus mountains forming the line of demarcation between Europe and Asia. Europe is a large peninsula with a long irregular coastline with varied mountains, and islands. The continent of Europe is a relatively small part of the Eurasian landmass, encompassing 3,827,308 square miles. It is bounded on the west by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea, on the east by Asia, and on the north by the Arctic Ocean. Europes highest point is Mt. Elbrus in Russia, at 18,510 feet above sea level. Its lowest point is the Caspian Sea in Russia, at 90 feet below sea level. The longest river in Europe is the Volga, which runs through Russia for about 2,300 miles. Also in Russia is the continents largest lake, Lake Ladoga, which covers an area of 6,834 square miles. Europe consists of over 40 countries, with approximate total population of 803, 850, 858 in 2009. Its two major English-speaking countries, the United Kingdom and Ireland, are island nations. Germany and France are the two most populous nations of central Europe. Two of Europes southernmost countries, Greece and Italy are Mediterranean Sea peninsulas. Four of the continents northern countries Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden comprise a region known as Scandinavia. Asia Think and Respond What physical features might have been a great help for the Europeans to explore and settle in the Philippines? Asia is the largest of the Earths seven continents, lying almost entirely in the Northern Hemisphere. With outlying islands, it covers an estimated 44,391,000 sq km (17,139,000 sq mi), or about 30 percent of the worlds total land area. Its peoples account for three-fifths of the worlds population; in 2009 Asia had an estimated 4.10 billion inhabitants. Most geographers regard Asia as bounded on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the Bering Strait and the Pacific Ocean, on the south by the Indian Ocean, and on the southwest by the Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea. On the west, the Ural Mountain serves as boundary between Europe and Asia. Some geographers include Europe and Asia together in a larger Eurasian region, noting that western Asian countries, such as Turkey, merge almost imperceptibly into Europe. The continental mainland stretches from the southern end of the Malay Peninsula to Cape Chelyuskin in Siberia. The lowest and highest points on the Earths surface are in Asia, namely, the shore of the Dead Sea which is 408 m/1,340 ft. below sea level in 1996) and Mount Everest which is which is about 8,850 m/29,035 ft above sea level. Asia is divided into different regional groups namely; Southwest Asia, South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia and Central or North Asia. Southwest Asia spans a vast area that encompasses the following countries; Afghanistan, Bahrain, Cyprus, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, and United Arab Emirates. South Asia is a large landmass that extends southward from the continent of Asia into the Indian Ocean its nearly 1,591,890 square mile or 2,561,351 sq km occupying about 10 percent of the land area of Asia. This region includes the following countries; Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri-Lanka. East Asia is separated from the rest of the Asian continent by rugged highlands and towering mountain ranges. It comprises the following countries; China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. Southeast Asia covers a land area of about 1.7 million square miles or 4.4 million sq km. It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean to the west and south. The following countries are included in the region; Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Central Asia/ North Asia is a region from the Caspian Sea in the west to Central China in the east, and from Southern Russia in the north to Afghanistan in the south. It has a varied geography. The region includes the following countries: Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. North America The third-largest continent on Earth is North America. It lies mostly between the Arctic Circle and the Tropic of Cancer. It is almost completely surrounded by bodies of water, including the Pacific Ocean, the Bering Strait, the Arctic Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. Area: 9,361,791 sq mi (24,247,039 sq km). Population (2008 est.): 528, 720, 588. It is shaped like an inverted triangle .To the southeast are the Appalachian Mountains and to the west are the younger and much taller Cordilleras. These mountains extend the length of the continent and occupy about one-third of the total land area. The Rocky Mountains constitute the eastern Cordillera. The highest point is Mount McKinley. The Mississippi River basin, including its major tributaries, the Missouri and Ohio, occupies more than one-eighth of the continents total area. Generally temperate climatic conditions prevail. South America South America, fourth largest of the Earths seven continents after Asia, Africa, and North America occupying 17,820,900 sq km (6,880,700 sq mi), or 12 percent of the Earths land surface. It lies astride the equator and tropic of Capricorn and is joined by the Isthmus of Panama, on the north, to Central and North America. The continent extends 7,400 km (4,600 mi) from the Caribbean on the north to Cape Horn on the south, and its maximum width, between Ponta do Seixas, on Brazils Atlantic coast, and Punta Parià ±as on Perus Pacific coast, is 5,160 km (3,210 mi). South America has a 2009 estimated population of 394 million, or 6 percent of the worlds people. The continent comprises 12 nations. Ten of the countries are Latin: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Two of the nations are former dependencies: Guyana, of the United Kingdom, and Suriname, of The Netherlands. South America also includes French Guiana, an overseas departm ent of France. The coastline of South America is relatively regular except in the extreme south and southwest, where it is indented by numerous inlet. The Andes Mountain, the second highest mountain range in the world is situated, in South America. The main lowland is the vast Amazon Basin in the equatorial part of the continent; it is drained by the Amazon River, the worlds second longest river. The Orinoco River drains a lowland in the north; to the south lies the Paraguay-Parana basin. The lowest point in South America (40 m/ 131 ft below sea level) is on Peninsula Valdà ©s in eastern Argentina, and the greatest elevation (6,960 m/22,834 ft) is atop Aconcagua in western Argentina, the highest peak in the Western Hemisphere. Africa Africa is the second largest of the earths seven continents, covering, with adjacent islands, about 30,300,000 sq km (about 11,699,000 sq mi), or about 20% of the worlds total land area. In the mid 2009, some 999 million people, or about 14.72% of the worlds population inhabited Africa. Straddling the equator, Africa stretches about 8000 km (about 4970 mi) from its northernmost point, Cape Blanc (ar-Ras al-Abyad) in Tunisia, to its southernmost tip, Cape Agulhas in South Africa. The maximum width of the continent, measured from the tip of Cape Verde in Senegal, in the West, to Ras Hafun in Somalia, in the East, is about 7560 km (about 4700 mi). The highest point on the continent is the perpetually snowcapped Mt. Kilimanjaro (5895 m/19,340 ft) in Tanzania, and the lowest is Lake Assal (153 m/502 ft below sea level) in Djibouti. Africa has a regular coastline characterized by few indentations. Its total length is only about 30,490 km (about 18,950 mi); the length of its coastline in proportion to its area is less than that of any other continent. Think and Respond Why are the people in the desert usually nomads? The chief islands of Africa include Madagascar, Zanzibar, Pemba, Mauritius, Rà ©union, the Seychelles, and the Comoro islands in the Indian Ocean; Sà £o Tomà ©, Prà ­ncipe, Annobà ³n, and Bioko in the Gulf of Guinea; Saint Helena, Ascension, and the Bijagà ³s islands in the Atlantic; and the Cape Verde, Canary, and Madeira Islands in the North Atlantic. Africa may be divided into three major regions: the Northern Plateau, the Central and Southern Plateau, and the Eastern Highlands. Low-lying coastal strips, with the exception of the Mediterranean coast and the Guinea coast, are generally narrow and rise sharply to the plateau. The outstanding feature of the Northern Plateau is the Sahara, the great desert that occupies more than one-quarter of Africa. At the border of the Northern Plateau are several mountainous regions. To the Northwest lies the Atlas Mountain, a chain of rugged peaks linked by high plateaus, which extend from Morocco into Tunisia. Other prominent uplands are the Futa Jallon, on the Southwest, and the Adamawa Massif and the Cameroon mountain range, on the South. The Lake Chad Basin is situated in the approximate center of the Northern Plateau. The Central and Southern Plateau is considerably higher than the Northern Plateau and includes west central and South Africa. It contains several major depressions, notably the Congo River Basin and the Kalahari Desert. Other feature South of this plateau is the Drakensberg Mountain. The Eastern Highlands, the highest portion of the continent, lie near the east coast, extending from the Red Sea South to the Zambezi River. South of the Ethiopian Plateau are a number of towering volcanic peaks, including Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mt. Kenya, and Mt. Elgon. West of the Great Rift Valley is the Ruwenzori Range. Australia/Oceania The continent of Australia/Oceania links together the continental landmass of Australia with the huge number of widely scattered islands across the Pacific Ocean. This continent includes New Guinea, Tasmania, New Zealand, Hawaii, and the countless islands of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. The continent of Australia is such a relatively low and flat place. Although the Great Dividing Range has some interesting areas such as the Blue Mountains area, and there is some nice mountain scenery, the bulk of the continent is simply just not mountainous at all. The highest point on the Australian landmass is Mt. Kosciusko (7310/2228m), a peak with a road to the top. The continent of Australia/Oceania holds a respectable amount of serious mountains situated in the Oceania. In New Zealand and New Guinea are world-class mountain ranges: Puncak Java, which is 5,030 meter, and in New Guinea is the highest summit in this part of the world. There is also the Southern Alps of New Zealand, which is a craggy, snowy range that challenges the best climbers in the world. Many other islands of Oceania hold mountains that are either higher or more interesting that those of mainland Australia; highlights include the ranges of Tasmania, Tahiti, Fiji, the Solomon Islands, and the massive shield volcanoes of Hawaii. Antarctica is the fifth largest of Earths seven continents. Antarctica surrounds the South Pole and is a place of extremes. It is the southernmost, coldest, iciest, driest, windiest, most remote, and most recently discovered continent. Nearly the entire landmass lies within the Antarctic Circles. Air temperatures of the high inland regions fall below -80 °C (-110 °F) in winter and rise only to -30 °C (-20 °F) in summer. Massive ice sheets built up from snow over millions of years cover almost all of the continent and float in huge ice shelves on coastal waters. In winter, frozen seawater (sea ice) more than doubles the size of the Antarctic ice cap. Antarcticas vast areas of ice on land and on sea play a major role in Earths climate and could be strongly affected by global warming. The melting of Antarctic ice could dramatically raise global sea level. Antarctica means opposite to the Arctic, Earths northernmost region. Antarctica is completely encircled` by the Southern Ocean. The entire area south of the Antarctic Convergence is referred to as the Antarctic region. The Earth Ensure Changes in the Earths Surface Composition and Structure Origin Atmosphe

Ford Motor Company - Supply Chain Strategy :: GCSE Business Marketing Coursework Essays

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY An analysis of the current situation revealed the following issues in the current spply chain: Ø Information flow impaired beyond level one suppliers. Ø Development of Information Technology in the supplier base. Ø Competitors headed to a virtual organisation. The decision to be taken is whether to virtually integrate the supply chain (create a virtual marketplace accessible to authorised personnel) or carry on operating the traditional way automakers have. The recommendation is to virtually integrate by creating an online centre where for a small fee, using only an Internet browser suppliers will have access to the centre’s large database. This facility will be extended to dealers and customers. The implementation costs will be approximately, but there will be significant amount of savings by the way of purchase discounts and lower transaction costs on materials, and parts. Also as there is reduced buffer stock due to speedy real time information flow leading to reductions in inventory and storage costs. Additional revenue will be generated from transaction fees and advertisements placed. CURRENT SITUATION ANALYSIS PHYSICAL FLOW OF GOODS Ford has a large supplier base for material procurement in a complex network of business relationships. Ø The supply base consists of several tiers of suppliers. Ford directly deals with tier one suppliers and these deal with the next tiers. If feasible the lower tier suppliers ship materials directly to Fords’ manufacturing unit. Ø Long-term contracts with suppliers have been negotiated to ensure uninterrupted supply and minimum inventory levels. Ø Ford has provided its suppliers with techniques like Just-In-Time, (JIT) Total Quality Management (TQM) And Statistical Process Control (SPC). Ford benefits by procuring materials at reduced cost and supplier involvement in the company operations like design process, leading to cost saving for both parties. Ø The Ford Production System (FPS) is designed to make the operations leaner, efficient and more responsive to the customer needs, hence reducing production costs and improving profit margins. Ø The Regional mixing centres optimise schedules and delivery of finished vehicles via railway, to provide customers the right product at the right time and place, Ford Motor Company - Supply Chain Strategy :: GCSE Business Marketing Coursework Essays EXECUTIVE SUMMARY An analysis of the current situation revealed the following issues in the current spply chain: Ø Information flow impaired beyond level one suppliers. Ø Development of Information Technology in the supplier base. Ø Competitors headed to a virtual organisation. The decision to be taken is whether to virtually integrate the supply chain (create a virtual marketplace accessible to authorised personnel) or carry on operating the traditional way automakers have. The recommendation is to virtually integrate by creating an online centre where for a small fee, using only an Internet browser suppliers will have access to the centre’s large database. This facility will be extended to dealers and customers. The implementation costs will be approximately, but there will be significant amount of savings by the way of purchase discounts and lower transaction costs on materials, and parts. Also as there is reduced buffer stock due to speedy real time information flow leading to reductions in inventory and storage costs. Additional revenue will be generated from transaction fees and advertisements placed. CURRENT SITUATION ANALYSIS PHYSICAL FLOW OF GOODS Ford has a large supplier base for material procurement in a complex network of business relationships. Ø The supply base consists of several tiers of suppliers. Ford directly deals with tier one suppliers and these deal with the next tiers. If feasible the lower tier suppliers ship materials directly to Fords’ manufacturing unit. Ø Long-term contracts with suppliers have been negotiated to ensure uninterrupted supply and minimum inventory levels. Ø Ford has provided its suppliers with techniques like Just-In-Time, (JIT) Total Quality Management (TQM) And Statistical Process Control (SPC). Ford benefits by procuring materials at reduced cost and supplier involvement in the company operations like design process, leading to cost saving for both parties. Ø The Ford Production System (FPS) is designed to make the operations leaner, efficient and more responsive to the customer needs, hence reducing production costs and improving profit margins. Ø The Regional mixing centres optimise schedules and delivery of finished vehicles via railway, to provide customers the right product at the right time and place,

John Lennon Essay -- essays research papers fc

John Lennon "You've got to admit it's getting better it's getting better all the time," because of John Lennon, and the way he effected the world. "Imagine" the world without John Lennon. John Lennon had a huge effect on the world. Throughout his life Lennon was many things. He was a musician, lyricist, singer, artist, actor, humorist, political and peace activist, and writer. Because of Lennon the world was changed musically, socially, and politically. Musically he brought rock music into mainstream music. Socially he inspired a generation of teenagers. Politically he started up the movement to "Give Peace a Chance." He became the leader of the sixties, one of the most turbulent eras to date, and the role model to many people young and old around the world. John Lennon did not have any easy childhood. Lennon was born on October 9, 1940, in Liverpool, England (Bil 1). This was during the height of World War II, and his parents named him John Winston Lennon after legendary British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill. Lennon's parents were divorced and his father was working on a ship away from home when he was born. When his father came back, his mother would not let his father see him. So his father tried to kidnap him. His mother could not let this happen again so she sent him to live with his Aunt Mimi and Uncle George. Aunt Mimi ran a strict household, and he did not really relate to her while he was growing up. So Lennon became a very close friend with his mother. Tragically in 1958 his mother was killed in a car accident right in front of him (Norman 1). Aunt Mimi sent him to Quarrybank Grammar School, but he was very bored and preferred writing and drawing. Lennon did not enjoy school life, and became a rebel at a young age. He often skipped class, and when he did go to class he sat and drew. His future looked very grim. When Mimi asked the headmaster of the school to write a letter of recommendation to the Liverpool School of Art, it gave everyone new hope. Lennon didn’t do well here either, while he loved to draw, he found the Liverpool School of Art too ridged and structured. He liked his drawings to be from his heart and full of emotion. He found that the curriculum did not allow him to do this. During his art exam Lennon drew cartoons, so he failed (Norman 1... ...e alive today, but "Let it Be." Works Cited Bil. "Working Class hero" Home of Classic Rock. 1997 <http://www.casagrande.com/~bilig/lenhist.html> (16 Feb. 2000). Gottlieb, Agnes Hooper, et al. 1,000 People, 1,000 Years. New York: Kondansh America Inc., 1998. "John Lennon-Biography." <http://www-cds-music.com/john_lennon.htm> (16 Feb. 2000). "John Lennon." Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees. 1994. <http://www.rockhall.com/induct/lennjohn.html> (16 Feb. 2000). "John Lennon shooting 1980." Great Events IV. 3pp. Bell & Howell Information and Learning- Proquest. 16 Feb. 2000. Morgan, Joan M. "A Tribute to John Lennon." 1999. <http://www.josnsukjournal.com/links/lennon.htm> (16 Feb. 2000). Norman, Philip, et. Al. "John Lennon Portfolio." 1998. <http://www.getback.org/bjohn.html> (16 Feb. 2000)

The Joy Luck Club :: essays research papers

The Joy Luck Club   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Joy luck club was a book written by Amy Tan. The story is set here in America and in China and is set in the 1940's and also takes place now. The book is about four Asian women who fled china and their Americanized daughters.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are eight main characters four of which were mothers and four of which were daughters. They were Suyuan Woo, Ying-yang St. Clair, An-mei Hsu, and Lindo Jong, who were the mothers, and the daughters Jing-mei Woo, Rose Hsu Jordan, Waverly Jong, Lena St. Clair. In the book it tells the story of each of the mothers and what they went through from the eyes of their daughters.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The book mostly focuses on Jing-mei Woo, who takes the place of her mother in the Joy Luck Club meetings after the death of her mother. In the meetings with the other mothers she reminisced about her mother and heard new stories about her mother she had never heard before. She hears stories of how it was her mother came to America and what she left behind in China.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The book starts off in China with a woman imagining what life in America raising a daughter would be like. Hoping that she would be an American but still have her Chinese heritage. But in the end her daughter turns out to be as Americanized as they come not realizing her Chinese heritage. This makes it so that they don't communicate very well and makes it so they don't know very much about each other.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This book shows that now days the traditions of the older generations are slowly being filtered out by the younger generations. An example in the book is when one of the mothers had her marriage pre-arranged by her parents and a friend of the family and the fact that she accepted the marriage.

Market entries to China for Holden Essay

Executive summary With more and more countries taking part in the international trade, the world’s market is expanding in a rapid pace. How to make use of the enlarging market and remain competitive become urgent for those participants. Market diversification is a good way to take full advantage of the resource and improve the efficiency by enlarging the business scope. In addition, it can also ease the pressure of competition and reduce the cost. The report mainly discuss that Australian Holden may enter Chinese market and chooses Shanghai as the target market. The report firstly analyzes the Australian and Chinese market and briefly introduces Shanghai. Then it presents the market-entry strategies and focuses on comparison on the advantages and disadvantages of Export-based entry and manufacturing-based entry. Through the comparison, the export-based entry is recommended to Holden. Finally, the report analyzes the 4p in marketing, which are price, place, products and promotion. In short, Shanghai is a bid developed country with the encouragement from the government to promote the development of automobile industry. 1.0 Introduction Holden is founded in 1856 with headquarter in Melbourne and it set into the field of automobile manufacturing after the company designed the body of the car for the first time in 1918. Australia-based GM merged with Holden in 1931 to establish GM-Holden Automobile Corporation. Holden’s Vehicle Operations produce 42 models from four vehicle body styles for domestic and export customers. For domestic market, the facility produces the Commodore range of sedans, Sportwagon and Ute together with Caprice long-wheel base luxury vehicles (Rob M 2011). Holden’s Global V6 Engine plant is located in Port Melbourne, Victoria and it gives Holden considerable flexibility in the range of engines it can produce for local and international customers including export customers in South Korea, Thailand and China. Holden is a centre of expertise in design and engineering for GM globally. Holden is one of GM’s nine global design centers responsible for vehicles such as the Holden Commodore and Chevrolet Camaro. Holden is also the centre of expertise for large, rear-wheel drive vehicles in the GM family as well as a major power train engineering centre with expertise in R&D and customer programs in V6 and V8 gasoline, CNG and LPG applications. 2.0 International and domestic marketing environment analysis 2.1 The analysis of Australian and Chinese market The economic crisis has negative effect on the global economy with high unemployment rate. As for Australian automobile industry, both the sales and production decrease. Although there is challenge, opportunity coexists. Holden saw the chance for industrial integration and it is inclined to import components from China and other countries. Hence, Holden is making efforts to enter Chinese market in order to achieve market diversification. The following table format shows the comparative analysis of Chinese and Australian market. From the above chart, it can be seen that China attracts Australia for the following reasons. Firstly, China is the world’s second largest economic entity and it has seen rapid development in recently years. With largest population in the world, China has wide potential in various industries with strong demand and high level of consumption. With the development of economy and high standard of living, people tend to purchase more expensive products as they have strong purchasing power. What’s more, Chinese government has announce some policies to promote its development, such as purchase tax-free for whose emission below 1.6, cash for energy-saving program and presentation of automobile credit. With the price of oil increasing, the compact vehicle has taken up the most of the market share. All those factors have stimulated the development of automobile industry in China (Piercy, N 1982). Compared with Chinese market, Australian automobile industry is more mature. In shor t, China is a place with great potential for automobile market. Shanghai is a global city, with influence in commerce, culture, finance, media, fashion, technology, and transport. Shanghai, the most developed city in China, is a major financial center in the world. With the development of automobile industry in China, the industry also sees rapid booming trend in Shanghai. As one of the earliest cities to carry out Chinese opening policy, Shanghai continues to go out of China, seeking for international level of development. In addition, it is a fairly open city with diverse culture and civilization. Taking consideration above factors, Shanghai will be the target market for Holden. 2.2. Estimated market size and gap analysis in Shanghai Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper by population in the world. With large population living in the city, their demand of automobile is strong, so there is hug amount of potential customers in Shanghai to buy cars. In addition, they also have strong power for purchase taking consideration of the economy in China. Actually, most young people will choose to buy compact and small cars in Shanghai as it is convenient. Automobile industry growth has been primarily driven by rising domestic demand stemming from rising incomes, a growing middle class, and by supportive industry policies from the Chinese government (Piercy, N 1982). However, the whole market is very fragmented and the research and development capacity is weak in China. The Chinese government has implemented a number of tax adjustments and subsidies for automobile purchases. In short, Shanghai has great potential for automobile development with strong demand and high purchase power, while the research and development is relatively weak. Holden can take the advantage to merge into Shanghai and bring about innovation to the whole market. 2.3 Expected sales and market share analysis in China. According to China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), automakers in China sold 18,505,100 new vehicles last year, 2.45% more than 2010, which also creates a historically high. The annual growth rate dropped sharply from the 32.37% seen in 2010. Production rose slight 0.84% to 18,418,900 units. Passenger car sales gained 5.19% on year to 14,472,400, as 14,485,300 units were produced, 4.32% more than 2010. The commercial vehicle market shrank 6.31% to 4,032,700, as production dropped 9.94% to 3,933,600. Shanghai GM sold 1.23 million cars in 2011, up 18.5 percent from a year earlier. The sales in China are expected to see more growth in the future and It is widely believed that China’s automobile market currently has the most growth potential around the world. The sales of automobile in Shanghai always took a large amount in Shanghai, so Holden expect a huge potential for sales in Shanghai. According to a survey, the domestic market of share for automobile industry in China is 29%, which means that the majority of market share is took up by foreign brand. It is great news for Holden that can make use of its great competitiveness to enter in Chinese market, especially Shanghai. 3.0. Market entry strategies Marketing entry means that the government of a nation allows citizen or legal person to enter the market to do business and commercial activities. The system for marketing entry indicates the control and management of the government on the market. The purpose of market entry is to stabilize the source of tax and rationally allocate resources. In addition, the market entry aims to pursue public safety and health and maintain sustainable development. The ultimate goal of marketing entry is to maintain free and equal competition for participants, which means that the global market is unified. However, the marketing entry is a process, different country will have various degree for openness considering their economic development level. When a company has made a decision to enter an overseas market, there are a variety of options open to it (Basche, J.R1971). These options vary with cost, risk and the degree of control. The simplest form of entry strategy is exporting using either a direct or indirect method such as an agent, in the case of the former, or countertrade, in the case of the latter. More complex forms include truly global operations which may involve joint ventures, or export processing zones. Entry strategies: There are a variety of ways in which organizations can enter foreign markets. There are export-based entry, manufacturing-based entry and relationship –based entry. The export-based entry and manufacturing-based entry are compared here. 3.1 The analysis of export-based entry Exporting is the mostly widely accepted and the most mature form of operating in foreign markets. Exporting can be defined as the marketing of products from one country into another, while no direct manufacturing is required in an overseas country and significant investments in marketing are required. This strategy does not need too much detailed information about the market compared with the manufacturing-based entry, but it still need some necessary information about the local market (Cunningham, M 1986). The export-based entry contains many elements, such as indirect export, direct export, establish sales offices in foreign market and licensing. Direct exporting means that the organization uses agents, distributors or oversea subsidiary or through government agency. In most cases, the company exports by means of local agents or distributors as they know more about the local market which is important in conducting the business (Jaffee S 1993). In addition, they have advantage in language and they know how to get local customers. Indirect export means that products are exported through trading companies and some export management companies. The advantage of indirect exporting is that the exporters do not need to know much information about the local market as they can rely on trading companies. Another option for exporter is to sell products directly to foreign end-users and this method does not incur intermediary costs and exported can gain higher profits. The web-based B2C and B2B sales are the most common ways to sell products to end-users. The advantages of exporting are that: Firstly, exporting is very simple and low costs and risk, so it is usually the first forms that companies will choose to get knowledge of the target market. Secondly, as the exporting-based entry is home based, the utilization of domestic plants are increased and costs are decreased at the same time. Thirdly, the method can also help to diversify markets, which reduce the company’s exposure to domestic demand instability. The disadvantage is that: firstly, high transport costs from the exporter to the target market. Secondly, exporting may encounter some trade barriers and problems with agents will also affect the export (Sharma, D 1989). Thirdly, exporters have lower control of the agents, facing the risk of exchange rate fluctuation, and are subjected to custom duties and tax from the target country. Although the export costs are low, the exporter has to pay for know more about the market, increasing sales, distribution networks, and attracting customers. Furthermore, exporters should design their products as per the requirement of target market. 3.2 The analysis of manufacturing-based entry Manufacturing-based entry includes joint venture. Joint venture means alliances where there is equity participation from both the foreign entrant and the local companies. The equity participation indicates that one can have minority of stakes, equal stakes or majority of stakes (Terry J 2006). The advantages of joint venture are: firstly, one can decrease the capital risk. Secondly, exporter can use the target companies’ facilities in manufacturing distribution and sales. Thirdly, the exporter can take advantage the local companies to enter the market and they can contact with local government through local companies. Many companies avoid having joint venture as it is complex in coordinating policies, decisions and execution with a different company. Disadvantages of joint venture are that: a. Different in culture and language with communication problems b. Different in managerial styles c. Different in the motivation behind participation. d. Selection of the right partners. Other than above problems, there are also risks in entering in joint venture as the complication at the time of exit, when a foreign entrant decides to leave the market and the joint venture should also have an exit strategy (Yip, G 1982). Another is the company’s intellectual property, which is more difficult to control the access to the technology. Furthermore, if the IP is stolen by local partner, it will become a big problem to deal with. 4.0. Recommendation on how to enter Chinese market 4.1 Market entry strategy choice An organization wishing to enter other market faces three major issues: a. Marketing – which countries, which segments, how to manage and implement marketing effort, how to enter – with intermediaries or directly, with what information. b. Sourcing – whether to obtain products, make or buy? (Keegan, W1989) c. Investment and control – joint venture, global partner, acquisition. Decisions in the marketing area focus on the value chain. The strategy or entry alternatives must ensure that the necessary value chain activities are performed and integrated. As for Holden, the export-based strategy is greatly recommended as Firstly, exporting is very simple and low costs and risk, so it is better for Holden to get know more about Chinese market. Secondly, as the exporting-based entry is home based, the utilization of domestic plants are increased and costs are decreased at the same time. Holden has its own manufacturing plants and it can save costs in this way. (Khoromana, A 1991)Thirdly, the method can also help to diversify markets, which reduce the company’s exposure to domestic demand instability. Holden can gradually come to Chinese market after get a better idea of Chinese market and customer’s demand. Another approach is to direct invest in Chinese market. Holden can set up manufacturing facilities as it is capable of putting large amount of capital with management dedication (Korey, G 1986). 4.2 Estimated budget The marketing mix is one of the most famous marketing terms. The marketing mix is the tactical or operational part of a marketing plan. The marketing mix is also called the 4Ps which are price, place, product and promotion. |Price |Price is the amount the consumer must exchange to receive the offering | |Place |Place includes company activities that make the product available to target consumers | |Product |Product means the goods-and-services combination the company offers to the target market. | |Promotion |Promotion includes all of the activities marketers undertake to inform consumers about their products | | |and to encourage potential customers to buy these products. | So the budget includes activities for efforts to make the products available to target consumers, service for the target market and promotion. 4.3 Time frame (2014—2017) for Holden |Price |Making an analysis of prices in Shanghai and setting the price according to the consumption level. | |Place |Target market: Shanghai | |Product |Holden’s compact and small cars. | |Promotion |Making some advertisement for Holden’s cars with the help of local agents or distributors as it use | | |export-based entry methods | As Holden uses the export-based entry methods, most work can be done by local agents or distributors and also the budget also includes the pay for them besides the budget for 4ps. 5.0 Conclusion In the recent years, trading has become more and more popular among countries. Trading activities has become increasingly global in some way due to the need to gather and increase the company’s financial bases. Advancement in technology including communication efficiency and better international relations has contributed to the development of the international trade. However, competition has become a great challenge to the expanding of global business, but most companies are making great efforts to solve the problem. In order to make the good use the situation as the world has become a village and to achieve greater investments and better market opportunities in the international market, it is necessary that primary and secondary market research is done to ensure that information regarding the target markets in countries desired is obtained. To choose the best way for market entry is crucial for a company as it can help the company to diversify market in other countries and help it gain competitiveness in the world with fierce competition. 6.0 Reference 1. Basche, J.R(1971) Export Marketing Services and Costs, New York: The Conference Board , p4. 2. Cunningham, M (1986), Strategies for International Industrial Marketing. In D.W. Turnbull and J.P. Valla (eds.) Croom Helm, p 9. 3. Dan W (2002), Countertrade, Business Credit, P48 4. Jaffee S (1993), Exporting High Value Food Commodities, World Bank Discussion Paper, p 198 5. Keegan, W(1989), Global Marketing Management, Prentice Hall International Editions, P23-40 6. Khoromana, A(1991), The Experience and Problems in Exporting Spices, In S. Carter (ed.) Export Procedures Network and Centre for Agricultural Marketing Training in Eastern and Southern Africa, P45-60 7. Khoury, S(1986), Countertrade: Forms, Motives, Pitfalls and Negotiation Requisites, Journal of Business Research, p 257-270. 8. Korey, G (1986) Multilateral Perspectives in International Marketing Dynamics, European Journal of Marketing, p 34-42. 9. Pavord and Bogart (1991), The Export Marketing Decision S.A. Hara in S. Carter (Ed) â€Å"Export Procedures, Network and Centre for Agricultural Marketing Training in Eastern and Southern Africa P102-120. 10. Piercy, N (1982), Company Internationalisation: Active and Reactive Exporting, European Journal of Marketing, p 26-40. 11. Rob M (2011), Larger Holden Barina a more credible car, Dominion Post, P3 Russow, L (1996), Market diversification: Going international, Review of Business, P32 12. Sharma, D(1989) Overseas Market Entry Strategy, Journal of Global Marketing, P89-110 13. Terry J (2006) Hispanic-Market Entry Strategies, ABA Bank Marketing, P18 14. Yip, G(1982), Gateways to Entry, Harvard Business Review, P85-91