An Investigation Into Smes Survival and the Discrimination Between Fgsmes and All Other Smes

Introduction In a competitive global market, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play an increasingly important role in a nation’s economy. Today they make a substantial contribution to job creation, innovation, as well as entrepreneurial skills. A report conducted by European Commision(2005) stated that in the enlarged European Union of 25 countries, 23 million SMEs provide about 75 million jobs and account for 99% of all enterprise. SMEs are also the vital attributes for lifting the productivity of economy. This is primarily because SMEs are been considered as having a key role to play in providing new products. Take UK for example, SMEs have become more and more dynamic. SMEs have enjoyed higher productivity growth than large firms since 1998, and the proportion of SME employers reporting that they have undertaken either product or service innovation in the past 12 months has increased from 32% in 2005 to 48% in 2006(BERR,2002). An important aspect of SMEs, especially for the young SMEs, is their survival rate, according to Haugh and McKee(2000), survival means continue to exist in the future. Although we have seen a large increase in new company formations and higher levels of their survival rates than the past, we cannot neglect the fact that the rate of failure of these SMEs is also very high. Some of the firms fail in their infancy stage and some fail within several years after start-up. Some statistics suggest that the failure rate of SMEs in their first five years is more than 50% (Reiss, 2006). There are many reasons that contribute to SMEs’ failure: insufficient capital, poor management skills, poor human resources, lack of innovations and so on. Factors that contribute to small business survival and non-survival In order to prosper, all SMEs need to ensure that they are alert both to opportunities for achieving success and threats to their survival. Only when the company are aware of and deal with these factors correctly, they can survive, grow and succeed. 1. Financial circumstances 1. 1 Access to Finance Obtaining the right finance is a pivotal factor to a new firm’s survival and high growth. For SMEs, there are various types of finance available, including bank loans, borrowing from family and friends, obtaining equity investment from business angels, venture capitals and so on. Obviously, different options have different profits and constraints. The advantage of loan finance is that it will not dilute ownership structure of the firm. However, excessive reliance on loan finance could be a financial threat to their firm’s solvency. Astebro and Bernhardt (2003) stated that there was a significant negative correlation between having a bank loan and the survival of the business. Since loan means a continuing obligations for the firm to repay the principal debt and associated interest on a predetermined timetable. This kind of loan covenants can place strain on a firm’s cash flow position, if a firm’s capital contains a high proportion of debt, then the firm has to generate more cash to cover the repayment obligations, however it may have greater threat to default due to a sudden interruption in income. 1. 2 Financial Health A critical reason for SMEs’ failure is that they cannot identify and react to threats to their financial healthy. For example, the substantial increases in overheads could be a threat to financial healthy since it is a signal of weak cost management. Significantly increasing overheads will reduce the available cash flows and profits, eventually reduce the probability of survival. According to Schaefer (2006), over-expansion is a leading cause of business failure. This often happens when business owners confuse success with how fast they can expand their business. A large amount of bankruptcy is due to rapidly expanding firms. Birley and Niktari (1995) found that, in the opinion of many accountants and bank managers, 70% of SMEs failures were caused by a very large extent to being under-capitalized, to short-term liquidity problems or insufficient working capital. So in order to survive, firms have to look out for financial threats to the firms’ solvency and maintain effective management control over their finances. 2. Human capital In most SMEs, power is centralized in the hands of the owner-managers and the owner-managers always play multiple roles in a company, including general manager, sales manager, production manager, financial manager and so on, so that characteristics of the owner-managers, such as education background, family business background, personal goals, previous work experience, strategic awareness have a significantly impact on firm’s activities and performance. Several studies indicate that in SMEs, the personality of the owner-managers is a critical determinant of corporate structure and strategy(Miller and Droge 1986; Miller and Toulouse 1986). Owner-managers who are inability to motivate staff, rarely listen to others’ advices, have little knowledge of marketing strategy, finance, and personnel management may act as a significant constraint to SMEs’ survival. On the other hand, owner-managers are not experts at everything, many owner-managers in small firms are lack of the leadership and management skills which are necessary for the firms’ survival and growth. Deakins and Freel (1998) found that one of the critical factors in the success of a SME was the ability to build an ‘entrepreneurial team’. The presence of a diversified management team may imply a greater variety of complementary skills: marketing skills, business skills, as well as technological skills, this is also crucial for SMEs in relation to the long term success of the firm. So building a entrepreneurial team will definitely increase SMEs’ viability. 3. Over-dependent Some firms do not have the appropriate strategy and become excessive reliance on a single customer or a small client base. The more a firm relies on a particular client, the more possibly it is damaged by factors out of its control than if it has a wide client base. Natwest (1997) stated that an important reason for SMEs failure is over-reliance on one or two customers and lack of sales. Failures often occur due to firms’ sole customer withdrawing its orders or going bankrupt. The same principles also apply to a firm’s supplier base. If there is a breakdown in the commercial relationship between the firm and its single supplier, the prodution of the firm will be damaged. As a result, if a young firm wants to survive, it should seek to cultivate a wide client (supplier) base instead of depending on a small number of regular clients (suppliers). However diversification strategy can realize this. Diversification across production and services can satisfy different types of customers and reduce the probability of over-dependent. 4. Training One of the factors that contribute to SMEs failure is low level of management performance and inefficient operation, which is a result of lack of training. It is generally acknowledged that the majority of the small-firm owners run their business just based on their own experience and common sense, without getting professional or other formal qualifications. Stanworth and Gray (1992) pointed out that minority of small-firm owners who participate in management training tend to have better educational qualifications, and their businesses have better survival and growth rates than other small firms. Also, Kitson and Wilkinson (1998) found a positive link between training and innovation and growth, as training was provided by 60% of innovating firms but only 41% of non-innovators, and 72% and 68% of medium and fast-growing firms, respectively, compared with 46% of stagnant and declining firms. Training could cover a wide range of areas including accessing to and managing finance, cost management, personnel management, marketing strategy, information use and retrieval, operation management and so on, which equip small-firm owners and employees with the skills necessary to survival and the further growth. So training is also an important factor that contributes to small firms’ survival which can be easily ignored. 5. Innovation In this era of knowledge economy, innovation become inextricably linked with a firm’s survival, successful entrepreneurship always relies heavily on innovation. It is extremely important for new small firms who still enter industries where economics of scale plays a critical role, by innovation small firms could compete on the basis of added value, therefore enhancing the likelihood of survival. On the other hand, innovation intrinsically linked with a company’s diversification strategy, through innovative activity, firms have the chance to produce new products and services so that they can attract more customers and increase their market share. Also, cost reduction can be achieved by innovation in operation processes, marketing and organizational forms. For example, in order to expand, some firms may choose a strategy called e-marketing to reduce cost, they may create a impressive and special site to grab people’s attention, on the website, a convenient online selling system is provided. Also, the firm may send their new products and services details to their target customers and potential customers, sometimes combining with even fun facts. So business innovation is especially important not only for large companies but also SMEs’ survival, lack of innovation could be a barrier to a small firm’s growth. Discrimination between fast growth firms and all other SMEs Different SME tends to have different growth rate, some of them grow rapidly and are recognized as FGSMEs(fast-growth small-to-medium enterprises). According to Caroline and Kosmas, FGSMEs are firms that achieve at least 20% annual compound sales growth over a 5-year period. Birch (1995) found that FGSMEs make up 3% of all small firms. Based on former research, there are many firm-based characteristics, which are concentrated on both customers and organizations aspects, such as satisfaction of customers, financial perspectives, staff retention, number and quality of successful innovations and so on, to discriminate between FGSMEs and all other SMEs. 1. Customer Focus FGSMEs are customer centric, regularly receiving feedback from clients and taking their requests and complaints seriously into consideration (Tan, 2007). They always try to retain clients through improving the quality of products and services or developing new products. According to the BSC, customer perspectives focus on traditional marketing issues such as market share, customer satisfaction and service quality ratings, customer loyalty, and customer perceived value (Kaplan & Norton, 2000). 2. Financial Perspectives FGSMEs tend to spend a lot of time and effort in analyzing the financial health of their firms. On the contrary, other SMEs always analyze cash flows on a regular basis, relying on occasional ‘back of the envelope’ calculations. Financial summaries provided by accountants are used for mandatory reporting purposes instead of financial management (Barnes et al. , 1998). 3. Internal Business Perspective Internal business performance indicators contains traditional operational terms such as tender success rate, data rejection percentages, time per customer (Kaplan & Norton, 2000), on-time delivery, the number of new products launched and product defects (Zaman, 2003). FGSMEs tend to manage and examine their business processes. For example, Liaise marketing (a supermarket broker) CEO, Tony Merlino stated that their firm measures manufacturer sales, market share and store visits to make sure that their sales team operates properly and efficiently. 4. Employee Focus Kaplan and Norton (2000) pointed that innovation, learning, and growth perspectives are closely linked to improve employee job satisfaction and commitment, and develop employees’ technical ability and innovation skills. According to the previous literature, FGSMEs seem to pay a lot of attention on employees. Nicholls-Nixon, 2005; Tan, 2007). So we can see that these fast-growth firms all have a strong emphasis on making their employees as part of the performance measurement system. Staff’s ideas and feelings are very important and cannot be ignored easily. Conclusion This study aims at identifying the factors that contribute to SMEs’ survival. Finding on the study sug gests that effective financial management, outstanding leadership and training play a critical role in SMEs’ survival, while excessive depend on one or two customers(suppliers) will be dangerous and may lead to a death. On the other hand, the study makes a distinction between FGSMEs and other SMEs based on four perspectives, finally draw the conclusion that FGSMEs tend to pay more attention on customers, financial management, internal business operation and employees. REFERENCE Astebro, T. and Bernhardt, I. 2009. â€Å"Dissecting Behaviours Associated with Business Failure: A Qualitative Study of SME Owners in Malaysia and Australia†. Journal of Asian social science 5 (9): 98–104. Barnes, L. , Coulton. T. Dickinson. S. Dransfield, J. Field, N. Fisher, et al. 1998. A New Approach to Performance Measurement for Small and Medium Enterprises†. Performance measurement – theory and practice, 1, 86-92. BERR. 2002. ENTERPRISE: UNLOCKING THE UK’S TALENT. [online]. [Accessed 9th February 2010]. Available from World Wide Web: < http://www. berr. gov. uk/files/file44992. pdf> Berry,M. 1998. â€Å"Strategic Planning in Small High Tech Companies†. Long Range Planning 31(3) : 455-466 Birch, D. 1995. Who's Creating Jobs? Cambridge: Cognetics, Inc. Birley, S. and Niktari, N. 1995. The Failure of Owner-Managed Businesses: The Diagnosis of Accountants and Bankers. London: Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. Caroline, S. T. and Kosmas, X. S. 2005. Firm performance measurement in fast growth small-to-medium enterprises [online]. [Accessed 10th February 2010]. Available from World Wide Web: European Commision. 2005. The new SME definition User guide and model declaration [online]. [Accessed 10th February 2010]. Available from World Wide Web: Enterprise Britain: Growth, Innovation and Public Policy in the Small and Medium Sized Enterprises Sector. 1994–1997. Cambridge: ESRC Centre for Business Research, pp. 16–27. Haugh. M and McKee. L. 2000. Survival, independence, control: uncovering the shared values in the SME. [online]. [Accessed 12th February 2010]. Available from World Wide Web: Kaplan, R. S. , and D. P. Norton. 2000. The Strategy-Focused Organization: How Balanced Scorecard Companies Thrive in the New Business Environment. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. Kitson, M. and Wilkinson, F. 1998. â€Å"Employment structure, recruitment, labour turnover, training and labour force flexibility† in Cosh, A. and Hughes, A. (eds), Natwest. 1997. Natwest Quarterly Survey of Small Business in Britain. Small Business Research Trust Nicholls-Nixon, C. L. (2005). Rapid Growth and High Performance: The Entrepreneur's ‘Impossible Dream'? Academy of management executive, 19(1), 77-89. Noor, H. A. 2003. † Start-up financing, owner characteristics, and survival†. Journal of Economics and Business 55 (2003): 303–319. Stanworth, J. and Gray, C. 1992. â€Å"Entrepreneurship and education: action-based research and training policy implications in Britain†. International Small Business Journal 10(2), 11–23. Schaefer, P. 2006. The seven pitfalls of business failures and how to avoid them. Accessed 9th February 2010 Available from World Wide Web: www. usinessknowhow. com/startup/business-failure. html Tan, C. S. L. 2007. Sources of Competitive Advantage for Emerging Fast Growth Small-to-Medium Enterprises: The Role of Business Orientation, Marketing Capabilities, Customer Value and Firm Performance. RMIT University, Melbourne. Zaman, M. 2003. Balanced Score card Implementation in Australian Companies – an Exploratory Study of Current Corporate Practice and Strategic Intent. Paper presented at the Hawaii International Conference on Business.

Changes in Politics Dbq

Kailas Samaha APUSH Kirts 7 October 25, 12 Changes In Politics The United States of America is a country known primarily for being founded upon the principles of equality, and liberty. An aspiration the nation has always been centered upon is creating an equal basis for each individual inhabiting the United States. The nation has always taken a great sense of pride in the voting system it possesses, but unfortunately there was a time when this glorified system was not available to the public.After the war of 1812 came to an end the public began to discuss the topic of voting heavily. The most significant changes in participation in both political campaigns and elections in the United States took place within the years of 1815 to 1840; and this was because of a dramatic change in activism, as well as a dramatic increase in the level of campaigning. Within the years of 1815 and 140, political activism grew immensely within the United States.Although compared to present day, the amount of voters is comparable to nothing, for the time period having almost 27 percent of the inhabitants of the United States able to vote, was ground breaking. 25 years later the amount of individuals that were entitled to voting rights increased over 50 percent, leaving the grand total at 80 percent of inhabitants were entitled to vote. (Doc. A) An outcome of a grand increase of voters, was a grand increase of political views and sentiments regarding not one, but many different issues within the political realm of the nation.Although most individuals whom were granted the right to vote saw it is as extremely positive change in all aspects, there were few who viewed the concept of voting as a chaotic concept, they stated â€Å"the tendency of universal suffrage is to jeopardize the rights of property and the principals of liberty† (Doc. B) This quote states that everyone having the right to vote, puts the rights people have to their individual property in jeopardy, as well as the basic principals of liberty the nation is founded upon.Some on the other hand, were opposed to the idea of voting as a nation because they believed it opened a door to catastrophe due to the immense amount of conflicting viewpoints. Although, the people that had the mentality of creating fiasco were few and far between, most thought, â€Å"Political combinations between the inhabitants of different states are unavoidable† (Doc. C) This quote reinforces the idea that the â€Å"combination â€Å" of political outlooks was unavoidable, especially outside of ones home state.Opposing viewpoints proved to be rare within individuals from the same regions, whereas contrasting notions proved to be mostly within the North of the nation, and the South. By individuals being granted the privilege to vote, they did not only gain a ballot, but they gained a voice in their countries, which gave them a feeling of belonging and importance. Given this voice was stated â€Å"By the authority of that political liberty which has been promised to us equally with our fellow men, solemnly publish and declare†¦ â€Å"that we are, & of right ought to be,† entitled to equal means to obtain equal moral happiness,† (Doc.E) This quote entails that with the right to a political voice comes the basic right to the pursuit of happiness, distributed equally within all people. Regardless of the common celebration that came hand in hand with the right to vote, came also the inevitable impact that a large amount of political disagreements had on voting. Inevitably, approximately have of the United States were in accordance with one candidate, and half with the other. A firm supporter of mister John Quincy Adams stated â€Å"When I first arrived in America Mr.John Quincy Adams was president, and it was impossible to doubt, even from the statement of his enemies, that he was every way calculated to do honor to the office. † (Doc. F) This quote shows one of the many strong political views that were displayed within the United States in regard the presidential candidates. Although at the time the large quantity of controversy seemed like a negative thing, it played a massive role in the way political candidates campaigned, therefor an entirely new era of campaigning was sprung upon the nation.Within the years of 1815 and 1840, more specifically halfway between both, revolutionary and drastic forms of campaigning became common within political campaigns. Candidates were familiar with the idea of identifying with the â€Å"peoples†, a word frequently used to establish somewhat more of an intimate connection (Doc D. ) This word was used not only to establish an intimate connection, but also to establish a sense of trust and support.Another way candidates would identify with the voters would be to be depicted doing things that any common man would enjoy doing. An example of this is portrayed when candidate Harrison is shown standing alongsid e a barrel of hard cider, a common drink amongst the population of the United States. Harrison states that he is bringing a feel of â€Å"hospitality† to the country as depicted in the advertisement. (Doc. I) This advertisement portrays Harrison as â€Å"one with the middle class† , which was an important tactic brought fourth in the era of 1815-1840.Another key element in the uproar of campaigning and voting was the increase of media coverage relating to the elections. In the year of 1810 the idea of press covering political America was rare, but by the year 1835 the amount of newspapers that did such had tripled in quantity. The reason media coverage proved itself to be so important was because it was extremely influential in the eyes of the general public, seeing as it gave them inside views to knowledge of the national problems at hand.The participation that was shown by not only candidates, but the general public in both campaigns and voting within the years 1815 to 1840 proved to be revolutionary and extremely influential in the turn out of the United States. The monumental rise in the participation of the people in political standpoints layed down the base for the idea of liberty within the nation; the idea that every member of the country was entitled to their own beliefs, and entitled to portraying them publically. The ideologies established within the 1815 to 1840 era changed the modern world significantly due to activism in the general public.

Making Ethical Decisions in Healthcare Organizations Research Paper

Making Ethical Decisions in Healthcare Organizations - Research Paper Example A good healthcare professional never wavers in his approach and makes the right decision quickly. This differentiates him from the rest or other healthcare professional. Not only making the right decision is important but also the timing of the decision is critical. It is hardly the case that a healthcare professional has ample at his disposal. Hence, healthcare professionals usually have to make right decisions keeping in might the ethical aspect as well as the rules setup by the management of the healthcare organization. One important theory that explains how healthcare professional should act is Utilitarianism. This theory is an important theory in resolving different ethical problems and dilemmas. This theory states that all healthcare professionals should choose the action that benefits the society more. An action should only be undertaken if it provides greater good to the society. There should be more benefits accruing to the society as a result of this action than the costs o f undertaking such action. For example, suppose a criminal comes to a healthcare organization and is about to die and officials in that organization has very little time to decide whether to inform the police or to heal the patient. ... Now according to the utilitarianism theory it is better for the healthcare professionals to report the criminal to the police. This would ensure that the lives of thousands of people living in a far flung rural area will be saved at the expense of the criminal in the society who is likely to spread more evil in the society if he is saved. Hence, Utilitarianism clearly marks out the correct option in this situation, that is to inform the polices and possibly save the lives of thousands of people in a village who would get more budgets from the government as it will not have spend thousands of dollars to capture the criminal. The feminist theories have been raised to prominence in 21st century. Many ethics experts these days are paying more important to feminist theories as a critical part of making right ethical decisions. These theories call for showing greater concern for women and their issues. In the past, men used to get upper hand on all issues and women issues were not dealt wi th great concern. However in the recent times the pendulum has shifted and women are getting much needed support for their issues and rights. According to these theories, the decision made must show concern for women. For example, in recruitment and selection many organizations are now bound to have a quota for women and should show them as equal opportunity employers. Many healthcare organizations are now hiring women for the important jobs and they are given special decision making powers to run these organizations on their consent. This has helped organization to grow and women have become an important cog in the growth machinery of organizations around the world. There are also special laws passed in order

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Religion - Mysticism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

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From the Crime to the Courtroom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

From the Crime to the Courtroom - Essay Example Take note of any vehicles or persons leaving the crime scene. Move towards the crime scene cautiously, do a thorough assessment and take note of any secondary crime scenes. This also requires taking note of any vehicles or persons in the surrounding area that could be related to the crime. Make critical observation to ensure his or her safety before proceeding. Remain alert and assume the crime is still going on until he or she confirms otherwise. This scene should be treated as a crime scene until determined otherwise through further investigation. Responding officers should begin security measures which include; assisting the victim, detaining any witnesses to get more information, protect the crime scene and communicate crime scene status to other investigators (Miller, 2003). Securing the Crime Scene The next step should be securing the crime scene. Access to the crime scene should be restricted because anyone entering the crime scene can alter the evidence or the crime scene. Fi rst responders should protect the crime scene as first as possible using tapes, vehicles or any physical barriers. One officer can then be assigned duty as the security officer to prevent entrance into the scene (Miller, 2003). Crime Scene Survey The next step is a crime scene survey. A crime scene investigator has the role of first conducting a preliminary scene survey or a preliminary evaluation. This evaluation requires the investigator to mentally prepare himself for a reconstruction theory that can be used later to interpret information from the crime scene. This can change as the investigation progresses. The investigator should note any kind of evidences that need protection or processing. He or she should also note the weather conditions, analyse its effects on the crime scene, and take precautions. The investigator should record all information of the initial survey indicating observations on what, who, where, and how issues (Miller, 2003; ForensicTalk, 2006). Crime Scene D ocumentation After a preliminary evaluation, it is important to document the crime scene’s condition. The main aim of crime scene documentation is to have permanent records about the condition and physical evidence of the crime scene. There are four main tasks in this step; photography, note taking, videography and sketching of the scene. Note taking: These are written records of crime scene activities. These notes are made alongside crime scene activities. This is to prevent any memory loss in case the notes are taken later. Notes taken should include notification information, scene description, victim description, the crime scene team with a description of each team member’s role, and information about how, when, and with whom the officer arrived with at the scene. It should also have similar information on who was present at the scene (Miller, 2003; ForensicTalk, 2006). Documentation using Videotaping: Videotaping has received wide acceptance due to increased afford ability and availability of equipment used, the three dimensional portrayal of the scene and the investigation supportive features such as compact size and zoom lenses. It is also accepted by the jury as a reliable documentation procedure. Videography follows crime scene survey. The process of videotaping should be objective with no audio discussion or narration included. The process of v

Trash Management and Environment Health Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Trash Management and Environment Health - Essay Example Some wastes are hazardous not only because they contain harmful substances but because they may contain pathogenic microorganism. Wastes containing pathogenic microorganisms are referred to as infectious wastes. Infectious wastes are particularly dangerous since the pathogens can gain access inside the body using various routes. Health care waste can transmit human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) through improperly disposed contaminated syringe and needles. Improperly disposed sharps can also becomes sources of pathogen as the pathogens can temporarily harbor in sharps. When someone is injured by sharps it can potentially cause diseases. Another types of hazardous waste associated with health care is the genotoxic waste. They can be extremely irritating and harmful effects can be felt immediately after direct contact with skin or eyes. Antineoplastics such as alkylating agents can be considered cytotoxic at any point in the cell cycle (World Health Organization, 2008). Another hazardous waste are the chemicals and radioactive substances. Case studies in various states from 2001 to 2005, revealed the negative effects of improper disposal of hazardous wastes. In August 2001 in Wisconsin, an improperly disposed hydrochloric acid caused chemical burns to the sanitation truck driver. More than that, the residential area was also exposed to the chemical since 1 gallon of the hazardous substance was released. Similar incident took place in New York in June 2004. In June 2002 in Washington, an illegitimate methampetamine laboratory disposed of a hydrochloric acid in an apartment building dumpster. A sanitation worker who got exposed to the hazardous substance sustained a respiratory irritation when they dumped the hydrochloric acid back into the truck. In March 2003 in Colorado, an unknown quantity of a radioactive waste was disposed of by a hospital employee in a dumpster. When it was later picked up by a garbage truck, the contents activated radiation d etectors at the landfill. No one was injured in the incident but restrictions were placed in the landfill until the radioactive waste was removed (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 2005). Nitrate is another chemical which should be avoided however the worse part is that it can still get access to homes via drinking water. Although we are constantly exposed to nitrates because it is usually present in foods and our body requires a certain amount of nitrate. Aside from food however, nitrates are main components of most fertilizers hence there is a huge possibility that it may come in contact with the ground water should leakage of the chemical occurs. Since we may be exposed to this chemical through our drinking water, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has set an allowable limit of nitrates in the drinking water for it to be rendered safe for public consumption. When nitrate level is higher than 10 mg/L it can pose a serious health threat particularly to infants, pregnant and nursing mothers. The reason why excessive amount of nitrate should be avoided is that it has the ability to interfere with blood's function as supplier of oxygen to vital t issues in the body. This is especially harmful to infants as it can cause a blue baby syndrome. Gastric and bladder cancer are also risks that can be developed by

The Rise and Fall of bin Laden, or a Dissent into Cyber-terrorism Essay Example for Free

The Rise and Fall of bin Laden, or a Dissent into Cyber-terrorism Essay Osama bin Muhammad bin ‘Awad bin Laden, best known as Osama bin Laden in the west, is a militant Islamist and the reported founder of the terrorist organization known as al-Qaeda. He stepped on to the global arena in 2001 with his broadcasts on Al Jazeera in direct relation to the September 11th attacks. Since then his faction has had a downfall through the western war on terror, but it is widely believed that this is only a ploy, and that al-Qaeda, along with many other radical Muslim groups are planning to continue their reign of terror on the net. The media has deemed the term for this cyberterrorism, and it is the current threat Osama is expected to pose, but some argue that this is merely western propaganda. Bin Laden has been described as a tall and thin man by the FBI. He is said to be between 6’4’’ and 6’6’’ (193-198cm) in height and weighing about 165 pounds. Left-handed with an olive complexion, he usually walks with a cane, and wears a white turban. He is considered to have a mild mannered temperament and to be very soft spoken. He is thought to only be able to speak Arabic. Never the less, he is believed to be the leader and founder of one of the most heinously acting terrorist groups, known as Al Qaeda Osama was born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Al Jazeera referenced his birthday as being March 10, 1957. Osama is a member of the prestigious bin Laden family. His father Muhammed Awd bin Laden had known ties to the Saudi royal family, as well as a prominent business. His father, poor and uneducated before World War I, he immigrated from Hadhramaut to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It was here, where he began to work as a porter. In 1930, Muhammed started his own business; he built his fortune as a building contractor for the Saudi royal family during the 1950’s. It is estimated that Muhammed bin Laden has as many as 55 sons, of which Osama is assumed to be his seventeenth son, but the only from his tenth wife. This led to an upbringing that kept him unfamiliar with his father. Bin Laden attended the secular Al-Thager Model secondary school from 1968 to 1976 where he was raised as a devout Sunni Muslim. The largest denomination of Islam, Sunni Muslims are also refered to as Ahlus Sunnah wal-Jamaa’h which basically means people of the example, or of Muhammad. As a result of King Faisal welcoming exiled teachers from Syria, Egypt and Jordan to Saudi Arabia in the 60’s, it was not too uncommon for members of the Muslim Brotherhood to be found teaching at Saudi schools and universities. During this time, Osama is believed to have been influenced by many of the teachings promoted by these exiles. It is also thought that Osama might have studied economics and business administration at King Abdulaziz University, and that he might have earned a degree in civil engineering in 1979. He is also said to never have graduated from college. Whatever his collegiate experience entails, it is now known that he spent the last 30 years since his college days contributing to the growth of the Muslim Brotherhood known as al-Qaeda, which performed its first military act in 1994. The Talibans first large military operation took place in October 1994 when it seized the Pasha munitions depot and the town of Spin Boldak on the Pakistani border, held at the time by Hizb-i Islami commanders. The capture of the arms dump provided them with an enormous quantity of military materiel, including rockets, ammunition, artillery, and small arms. Green, 2002) These attacks were the beginning of Osama’s reign. Later he would lead al-Qaeda to what they would deem to be the greatest statement of their western disapproval. Osama grew notorious through Al Jazeera, which gained its fame following the September 11th attacks, when the network broadcasted video statements by Osama bin Laden and other members of al-Qaeda. Al Jazeera, which in Arabic means The Island is a television network headquarters located in Doha, Qatar. The networks satellite capabilities enabled it to change the social landscape of the Middle East. Prior to its emergence, Middle Eastern citizens were only able to watch TV channels of stat-censored national stations. Al Jazeera introduced an unprecedented level of freedom of speech for most countries. On September 11th, 2001 Al Jazeera gained worldwide recognition with its broadcasts of al-Qaeda. Osama bin Laden gained an unprecedented level of global familiarity as well. The western fear of terrorism can entirely be credited as a product of his hate, which has complicated the western perception of rightful civil liberty. In her article Al Qaeda, Terrorism, and Military Comissions, Ruth Wedgwood proves that though most American citizens consider terrorism to be a federal and national problem, it is very much a local one. Al Qaeda’s published doctrine maintains that there are no innocent civilians in Western society (Wedgwood, 2002)†¦ She later goes on to analyze the psychological foundation they use to form their tenet and she says †¦this tenet leads it to the gravest of international crime (Wedgwood, 2002). Despite the fear bin Laden has been able to instill in the American people, there are many rumors that his financial backing is not as strong as it was in 2001. This could be the mark of his downfall, or just a shift in the types of terrorist acts al-Qaeda performs. The attacks on 9/11 and the ideology of the Taliban adhere to the power inherent in fear, and exploiting fear is not always a costly venture. The twin towers, the White House and the Pentagon are all symbols of American security and their presence provides a certain level of comfort for our society. Though security officials are trained to counter attacks on our civilization, there was a false faith formed over time that attacks such as 9/11 were inconceivable, nor possible to carryout. Now our country has grown impervious to this type of thought. Western civilization has waged war on the Jihad; securities are enhanced, and we are less likely to be vulnerable to the same form of attacks. Even still, western as well as eastern societies still have a major vulnerability that can exploited through the internet. In his Washington Post article Consultant Hacks FBI’s Computer System Martin H. Bosworth reports on an outside consultant hired by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) who breached the agency’s computer network and gained access to over 38,000 employee’s passwords. The hacker, known as Joseph Colon claimed he used run-of-the-mill hacker techniques that can be easily found on the internet. He gained access to such information as the Witness Protection Program, but can this be defined as terrorism? The United States Department of State defines terrorism as premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by sub national groups or clandestine agents (Gordon, 2003). This interpretation of terrorism becomes a very vague one when the internet is merged with this definition. The product of the two is cyberterrorism, but their have been a wide range of definitions posed since the terms advent in the 1980’s by Barry Collins (Gordon, 2003). Dorothy Denning is a computer science professor at Georgetown University, and one of the country’s foremost respected cyber-security experts. Her views are referred to numerous times in more than a few articles reviewed in this paper. In Denning’s Testimony before the Special Oversight Panel on Terrorism, the most widely cited paper on Cyberterrorism, she defines the term as an act carried out on the internet with the intention to do major, or significant damage to society, the likes of which would impede the process of a community’s civil liberty (Denning, 2000). Denning’s definition is very clarifying because it identifies the difference between a cyberterrorist and a hacker. Where a cyberterrorist acts with the intent of severely impacting the economy or civil morale of the country, a hacker merely causes nonessential or at the most costly damage. For every publication produced that argues cyber-terrorism is a major threat, there is another arguing that it is a hoax. Many of these authors who hold this position argue it is a form of presidential propaganda. In his article, Cyberterrorism: There are many ways terrorists can kill you—computers aren’t one of them, Joshua Green argues that the Bush administration’s infatuation with preaching the dangers of cyberterrorism is one that has become a pattern since September 11th. None are more exemplary of exploiting the public’s misunderstanding of the term, along with their fears, than Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge, which Green proves with this quote by Ridge: Terrorists can sit at one computer connected to one network and can create worldwide havoc, warned Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge in a representative observation last April. [They] dont necessarily need a bomb or explosives to cripple a sector of the economy, or shut down a power grid. (Green, 2002) Green further points out that Ridge’s propaganda is not without merit considering that a survey of 725 cities conducted by the National League of Cities for the Anniversary of the 9/11 attacks s howed that cyberterrorism ranked with biological and chemical weapons at the top of a list made by officials of the single most feared threats (2002). Despite this, it must be remembered that Green’s article was published in The Washington Monthly a little more than a year after the 9/11 attacks. At this particular point information was scarce and Bush’s scare tactics were still at the height of their influence; and yet, Green has enough sense to question the motives behind those who use cyberterrorism as a way to instill fear in the fear in the American public. Green points out that the federal government requested $4. 5 billion in cyber investigative security; Bush appointed Richard Clarke to his created position of cybersecurity czar assigning him an office in the White House, and The Washington Post developed a habit of publishing first page headlines like: Cyber-Attacks by Al Qaeda Feared, Terrorists at Threshold of Using Internet as Tool of Bloodshed, Experts Say (Green, 2002). Green recognizes that all of these actions would be reasonable responses to an actual looming threat, but they fail to muster any sort of rationale considering that, as he states, there is no such thing as cyberterrorismno instance of anyone ever having been killed by a terrorist (or anyone else) using a computer (2002). In sum, despite the lack of proof of the potential threat which cyber terrorism poses. It is agreed by most political and military analysts that al-Qaeda’s next step is in the cyber arena. Never the less, this could also be deemed as a sign of bin Laden’s downfall. There are many rumors that al-Qeada lacks the same sufficient funding they had in 2001, that Osama has grown broke, and that the Jihad will eventually be a distant memory. If this is true, the internet would make for a more affordable method of terrorist attacks. These arguments will potentially prove foolish if bin Laden finds a way to continue his terror through the web. The potential for more tragedy is at the finger tips of al-Qeada literally and figuratively.

Individual and Combined Healing Techniques Experiment

Individual and Combined Healing Techniques Experiment Smart materials: The materials that have one or more properties that can be changed in a controlled way by an external stimuli such as heat, light, pressure, electric field etc. Examples: Piezoelectric: these materials produce a voltage when stress is applied Magnetic shape memory: these materials change their shape in response to magnetic field PH sensitive polymers: these materials change their volume with change in their surrounding ph. Chromogenic systems: these materials change their color with thermal, opticall and electrical changes Temperature responsive polymers: these materials change their behavior with change in temperature. and many more as Smart inorganic polymers, Halo chromic,Ferro fluid,Photomechanical materials, Self-healing materials, Magneto caloric materialsetc. Smart materials in construction industry: since the dawn of humanity, having a proper place to live under has been the prime need of humans, to tackle this the humans have started building shelters using natural available materials.wiht the passage of time the human being evolved and their requirementsincreased, and a new era of construction begin in which they combined utilizedscientific methods to build huge sky scrapers of different shapes and heights. In the twentieth century to achieve certain automated functions and artificial intelligent systems, certain materials that could decide on their own in limited ways were developed. Since then aloof research has been done in this field and it has also been utilized in construction industry in manyways I-e It is used in windows to automatically close and open in response to light and temperature, it is also used in rooms electric control systems to switch on and off depending on the requirements, It is used in central cooling and central heating system to control the room temperature.it is also used in concrete to introduce certain qualities, Self healing concrete: The concrete that fix its own crack is called the self healing concrete Introduction: Concrete is a core building material. But even concrete starts to crumble when it comes face-to-face with water, wind, stress and pressure. it is the worlds most usable material since 2000 years when then romans built pantheon.and the durability of the concrete has always been under question.since centuries a lot of money, effort and time spent in repairing concrete structures. different types and different of concrete has been tested and utilised,but the issue of cracking hasn,t been solved yet,which reduces the life span of the concrete. The current method of dealing with structural instability in concrete has been to replace or repair it. But what if all you had to do was add a little water? A new type of smart concrete. A concrete that could heal itself and work well till its service life. Types: There are two types of self-healing concrete: bending concrete bio concrete Bending concrete: They consist of polymer fiber thick as human hairs. They are 40% lighter in weight. They are 500 times more resistant to cracking Bio concrete: Bio concrete consist of concrete mix with bacteria called extremophiles. When a crack occurs in the concrete, the bacteria actively produces lime, thus healing the cracks. Mechanism of self healing concrete: Mineral producing bacteria has been found that could help heal micro cracks inconcrete. since 2006 at the Civil Engineering and Geosciences Faculty in Delft A healing agent that activates when certain bacteria added in the concrete convert nutrients into limestone has been under development. The science behind self-healing concrete The project team have investigated individual and combined healing techniques in the laboratory and at the field-scale. The individual healing techniques address damage at various lengths and timescales. These include encapsulating healing agents, bacterial healing agents, and crack closure using shape memory polymer tendons and repeated supply of healing agents through vascular networks. We explore how these work in a bit more detail below: Healing agents small grain sized ingredients areused as healing agents. These capsules are termed as microcapsules. Once the concrete sets the capsules are in dormant condition unless a crack is formed and it ruptures releasing the materials that fills the gap and recovers it. The mechanism stops the entrance of other substances and thus strengthens it. Bacterial action A solution containing self-healing bacteria is mixed within the concrete mix. In their trails scientists used different types of self-healing bacteria. But the bacteria bacillus pseudofirmus mixed with light weight aggregates in the form of pearlites worked the best. Memory polymer tendons Memory polymers have also the healing capability to close any cracks that results later after exposure. In a trial these polymers were manufactured into tendons tied onto the reinforcement .these could be activated by a heating wire system. Repeated supply of healing agent through vascular networks Artificial channels were strategically placed within concrete structures through which healing agents could be supplied under pressure. By combining all the above mentioned mechanics the healing efficiency of the concrete could be increased. Preparation of bacterial concrete: We have two methods: direct application encapsulation in light weight concrete Direct application: In this method,while making the concrete, the bacteria and its food calcium lactate are mixed with the mixture. In this process when a crack occurs the bacteria pores break and the bacteria gets active and feeds on calcium lactate and as a result limestone is produced. Encapsulation method: This method is expensive however effective.in this method bacteria and its food, calcium lactate are formed into pellets and then these pellets are mixed into the concrete. About 6% of bacteria is used in making self-healing concrete. When a crack is formed in the concrete the pellets are broken and the bacteria is released and then the bacteria starts its healing action and thus the cracks are recovered. Testing of bacterial concrete and its result: Sample: In this test concrete disks are prepared by mixing porousaggregates, bacteria and its food to make a self-healing concrete disks. The samples are cured for 56 days. Tests performed on samples: Tensile test: deformation tensile controlled splitting test is performed on the disks. Permeability test: after cracking of the disks, the concrete is place in permeability setup in which water is applied at one end for 24 hours. Test results: After cracking and permeability test, the cracks were healed and the results were obtained. The result showed that the healing of the bacterial concrete was far greater than normal concrete. UKs first trial of self-healing concrete: this is a university led project in which the different types of self healing concretes are tested. The project is named entitled materials for life.in this project three separate self-healing technologies will be used for the first time in real world setting. The overall aim of the Cardiff-led project is to develop a single system that can be embedded into concrete when it is initially set, and then automatically sense when damage occurs. Once damage is detected, the system will be able to repair itself autonomously without the need for human intervention The first technique is using shape shifting materials, called shape memory polymers, which are used to repair large concrete cracks. In the technique, both inorganic and organic bacteria will be injected through thin tunnels into the concrete to fix the cracks. In the third technique, tiny capsules containing bacteria and its food will be embedded in the concrete, so when a crack occurs in concrete the capsules will collapse and heal the cracks. In this research, the researchers have cast six concrete walls, each containing different technology. The team will load the concrete at different angles to induce cracks at different positions and then measure how effective each of the applied technique is. Advantages: Theself-healing concrete reduces the maintenance and the repair costs of the reinforced concrete structures. Oxygen is the main cause of the corrosion of steel in reinforced structures, the bacteria present in self-healing concrete mixture reduces the corrosion of the steel. It can be used for the maintenance of places and structures where the human accessibility is dangerous or impossible I-e- underwater structures, dams, tunnels etc., thus reducing the human losses in construction industry. The crack will be repaired in its initial stages, so the life of the building will increase, making it more sustainable. Disadvantages: If the volume of the bacteria is increased than 20% in self-healingconcrete, the strength of the concrete reduces. It is still in beginner stages, thats why no wide spread use have. Bacteria and calcium lactate are the two main ingredients of the self-healingconcrete, and making of calcium lactate from milk is costly, thus making the self-healing concrete cost double that of conventional concrete. Not practically used in real life buildings, thats why people are reluctant to its use. Skilled labour is required Applications: Self-healing concrete can be used in sectors such as Marine structures Underground retaining walls Highway bridges Basement walls Concrete flooring Tunnel lining Conclusion: Self-healing concrete, is still at its initial development stage and vast research is required in this area, because it is not easily achievable and is costly which makes it difficult to use. But with all its cons it have some good attributes such as self-healing and corrosion reducer. it is an effective and smart material which if further research is carried on, can be the future of concrete structures, enhancing the life span and strength of concrete structures. References: National building specifications (NBS) Delft university/structural department/research articles/webredactie Cardiff university research journal www.iflscience.com www.concrete.org.uk   

The Failure of Black Robes Cinematic Redemption :: Black Robe Research Papers

The Failure of Black Robe's Cinematic Redemption Works Cited Missing Musings over Talk Radio [1] I've been listening to talk radio lately. Not exactly sure why. I suppose I derive a smug sense of superiority over callers who are a little too concerned with high quality mulch or the Phillies' relief pitching. People become incensed over the most ludicrous things. Recently, though, I heard callers venting over something a little closer to my heart, and I couldn't listen with the same ironic distance from which I usually stand. Pope John Paul II had issued (at a papal Mass on March 12) an apology for the sins of the church over the past 2000 years. As a Roman Catholic embarrassed by many parts of my Church's history--the Crusades, the Inquisition, silence in the midst of the Holocaust--I was gratified to hear that the Pope was asking forgiveness for the Church as a whole. As can be expected, many were dissatisfied with the apology. Some felt John Paul II was not specific enough, failing to mention Pope Pius XII's failure to condemn Hitler's mass execution of Jews and ot her minorities in the Holocaust. However, when listening to the radio phone-in show, what struck me was that many of the callers were Catholics who resented being implicated in the Pope's apology. [2] I can understand the callers' indignation. I remember elementary school days, learning the Catholic doctrine of original sin, the idea that the first sin against God--whether you believe it was the Adam and Eve story or some other version of humanity's origins--stained all descendants of those first sinners (in other words, everyone). How unfair, I thought, that the sins of some stupid people from the past would cause me to be "stained" in the eyes of God. And what did the thirty-something caller from Jenkintown, PA, have to do with the Inquisition? Partial Membership [3] It's been a long time since Catholic elementary school, and original sin is still a tough pill to swallow. However, I've come to understand it (and my problems with it) as a matter of my identity not just as an individual but as a member of a group. I may not have sampled forbidden fruit, but as a part of the human race I am affected by that act (I say this not to proselytize, but to express my perspective as a Catholic).

The Killer Angels :: essays research papers

The novel starts out when Harrison, a Confederate spy, reports to James Longstreet that 80,000 to 100,000 Union soldiers have marched within 200 miles of Lee's position near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. Harrison also bears news of a change in Union leadership. Major General George Meade had replaced "Fighting Joe" Hooker as commander of the Union Army. Lee sees this change as an opportunity to strike while the new commander gets his bearings. He decides to concentrate on Gettysburg, the small town where several roads in the area converge, where he intends to cut the Union army off from Washington, D.C. First shots are fired at dawn as Rebels attack Buford's dismounted cavalry. Later that day Lee orders Ewell to take control of Cemetery Hill. Ewell did not follow orders and the union gained control of the Hill instead. Late in the afternoon, on the second day, Colonel Chamberlain's 20th Maine regiment is moved into the woods. Colonel Vincent orders Chamberlain not to withdraw from his new position at the left flank of the Union line. The Confederates engage with the Union troops and Chamberlain’s 20th Maine time and time again. Finally when ammunition is low Chamberlain gives the order to â€Å"fix bayonets,† and charges down the hill driving the rebels back. That same day Lee orders Longstreet to attack the Union center, and Longstreet advises against it. â€Å"They will break," Lee insists. He directed Longstreet to take three divisions. Longstreet passes the order along to his generals Pickett, Pettigrew, and Trimble. Pickett and other commanders lose mos t of their men in the battle. As the survivors pull back, Lee finally admits his error to Longstreet, who gives his order to retreat. The two personalities that stand out the most in my mind are Robert E. Lee and Joshua Chamberlain. Lee and Chamberlain share many similarities. They are idealistic, optimistic, and have faith and pride in their men. Both care about their men, yet do not hesitate to use them, including Chamberlain’s own brother, for the sake of the cause. The men under Lee and Chamberlain show them a great deal of respect. Chamberlain is somewhat of a father figure to his men, as is Lee to James Longstreet. Joshua Chamberlain is an unusual man, formerly a college professor, and views the war and the men around him more as a philosopher then a military man. On his march toward Gettysburg he sees a row of dead confederates from a previous battle, and wonders whether the town’s people will give them a decent burial or leave them for the buzzards.

Reinventing Government in the United States Post Service :: Politics Mail Papers

Reinventing Government in the United States Post Service In this research paper, I will discuss an overview of reinventing government in the United States Postal Service. The purpose of reinventing government is to make government work better, cost less, and get results. I will also provide examples of how reinventing has effected the organization. I will touch upon some of the history of the United States Postal Service, some of its plans for the year 2000, and how the concept of reinventing government has improved the voice of the customer, employee and the business. President Bill Clinton, January 27, 2000 stated the â€Å"we reinvented government, transforming it into a catalyst for new ideas that stress both opportunity and responsibility, and give our people the tools they need to solve their own problems.† History United States Postal Service dates back to 1775 when the Continental Congress named Benjamin Franklin the first Postmaster General. The United States was a weak confederation of colonies scattered along the eastern seaboard. The postal system that was created by Congress helped bind the new nation together and made possible the growth of commerce. In 1971 the Post Office Department was transformed into the United States Postal Service, a quasi government corporation. It became an independent establishment of the executive branch of the Government of the United States. The mission of the Postal Service remained the same, as stated in Title 39 of the U.S. Code: â€Å"The Postal Service shall have as its basic function the obligation to provide postal service to bind the Nation together through the personal, educational, literary, and business correspondence of the people. It shall provide prompt, reliable, and efficient service to patrons in all areas and shall render postal service to all communities.† Today, William Henderson is the 71st Postmaster. He was appointed the PMG and CEO of the United States Postal Service on May 16, 1998. The USPS is an agency that employs 800,000 career and 100,000 temporary employees. There are 40,000 Post Offices, and USPS maintains some 300 plants nationwide. The Postal Service fuels the nation’s economy and delivers hundreds of millions of messages and billions of dollars in financial transactions each day to eight million businesses and 250 million Americans. The United States Postal Service is becoming more businesslike and responsive to customer needs. In the process they are better able to compete with other carriers, such as, Federal Express and United Parcel Service (UPS).

Major Cultural Sporting Events and It’s Benefits

This essay will evaluate the benefits and drawbacks of Glastonbury Festival to the local community. It will mainly focus on the economic impact on the local community of Glastonbury, Pilton and Mendip but will also examine the social impact of the festival. â€Å"Festivals may be recurrent events (at intervals of a year of more) such as Glastonbury or one-off affairs like the Armada celebrations of 1988. A festival may be over in a day, a weekend or last a fortnight or more. Most festivals include associated activities, even if they a predominately one art form in concept† (Waters, 1989, pp 57). Glastonbury Festival could be described as a multicultural festival, as defined by Wilson and Udall (1982, pp 4-6, cited in Hall, 1992, pp 26) who state that multicultural festivals are, â€Å"festivals representing the cultural materials of many cultures. With few exceptions, audiences tend to be people who are not of the cultures presented. Organisers tend to be academics or eclectic fans of the folk arts with the control of the events likely to be in the hands of a non-profit institution. Glastonbury Festival donates the majority of their profits to charitable causes and attracts a diverse range of different people and cultures, from the folk fan to the raver. Glastonbury Festival for Contemporary Performing Arts was started by the owner of Worthy Farm, Michael Eavis, in 1970 and has continued to grow each year since then, with the 2000 festival attracting in excess of 150,000 people (BBC, 2002). Glastonbury Festival is now one of the most well known festivals in the world â€Å"†¦this festival is now a multi-media, international event†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Avon and Somerset Constabulary, 2002). Hall (1992) highlights some of the benefits to the local community of hosting a festival, he says â€Å"undoubtedly, festivals and programs of special events provide opportunities for communities to expand the markets of existing firms and attract new businesses and commercial interests, and perhaps raise the overall attractiveness of the areas as places to settle. However, â€Å"the nature of impacts varies with the age and status of the event and the size of the community in which it takes place† (Wall and Mitchell, 1989, p132, cited in Hall, 1992, pp 47). An event such as Glastonbury Festival, however, may not attract the type of people or businesses that the local residents would approve of and this could create conflicts within the local community. There is a great deal of support for Glastonbury Festival from the local community who benefit from it in many ways, which will be discussed later on in this essay. The Glastonbury Tourist Information Centre show their support for the festival on their website, â€Å"The town of Glastonbury has gained enormously from its association with the Glastonbury Festival. In particular, PTA groups, Carnival Clubs, playschools, local charities and businesses are among the many organisations that have benefited from its success. Therefore we, as a community, would like to show our support for the festival and thank Michael Eavis for bringing us all such a wonderful event. † (Glastonbury TIC, 2002). However, there are also a number of local residents who are opposed to the festival due to the problems caused by the quantity and quality of those attending. These views will also be discussed later on in this essay by reviewing the minutes of the meeting by Mendip District Council for the 2002 licence application. Glastonbury Festivals Ltd. (GFL) have provided a great deal of information as to how the festival financially benefits the local community. A summary of this information will follow. In total, from January 2000 to December 2000, GFL donated ? 703,158. 97 to various charitable organisations worldwide. Of the total amount, ? 289,613. 72 is donated to local causes. These local causes vary from carnival clubs and schools to various sporting clubs, many of which rely on funding from the festival to continue. A letter to Mendip District Council (2002), in support of the festival, from a local child states, â€Å"†¦we could loose our carnival if he [Michael Eavis] doesn’t do this [Glastonbury Festival], because a lot of carnival clubs go up there to raise money to build their floats that cost thousands to make †¦ and we’ve always had Pilton Pop Festival in the past. Three cheers to Michael Eavis. † Herbert (2001) states that, â€Å"in response to the questionnaire 74 percent of local residents asked say that the festival provides financial funding for local charities and schools†. From the information provided by GFL it can be seen that it is not just through donations that the local community is benefited financially from the festival but also by an increase in business at the time of the festival. A total of 316 local businesses received  £3,308,625. 78, from January 2000 to December 2000, by direct spending from GFL. This level of financial input from GFL is much needed by local firms especially due to their rural location. â€Å"We have a lot of support locally. The economy relies on the festival what with the demise of the agriculture industry. The economic case is very, very strong,† said Mr Eavis (BBC, 2002). It is more than likely that, yet again, many of these local companies rely on the annual spending from GFL. However, it is not only through direct spending from GFL that local businesses benefit. All businesses associated with leisure and tourism benefit from the festival, from accommodation to shops and pubs, the publican from the Crown in Pilton said, â€Å"It was a magnificent boost to trade, with nothing lost, nothing stolen and nothing broken – we didn’t have to close the doors to anyone† (GFL, 2002). In the weeks prior to the festival itself, those actually setting up the festival site use many of these local amenities. A proportion of people who come to the festival, including workers, performers and festival goers, choose not to camp on site and look to local hotels and bed and breakfasts for their accommodation† (GFL, 2002). Shepton Mallet, Glastonbury and Wells Tourist Information Centres all state that all of the accommodation on their books is fully booked at the time of the festival. There are also a number of local residents who open their homes up for paying guests over the festival period. â€Å"As a result of the festival therefore, in excess of ? 250,000 is spent in the local community on accommodation† (GFL, 2002). Local garages also benefit from the number of cars arriving on site at the festival, â€Å"Mendip District Council quotes that there were a total of 57,000 cars in the official and unofficial car parks in 2000. Many of these vehicles would have used local garages for fuel, assuming each car only spent ? 10 this amounts to ? 570,000 spent on fuel† (GFL, 2002). At the 2000 festival GFL directly employed 1600 people, twenty five percent of whom were employed from the local area. â€Å"Over  £347,175 was spent on local employment, this amounted to over 55% of the total monies spent on wages for the 2000 festival† (GFL, 2002). Local business also benefited by having stalls at the 2000 festival, of the 770 stalls at the festival fifteen percent were local businesses. GFL (2002) states that, â€Å"It is our policy to try to accommodate local traders in preference to those coming from further a field. † It is clear to see from the information provided by GFL that they make a considerable effort to involve the local community as much as possible in the festival and a large proportion of the direct spending and donations from the profits go directly to the local community. Glastonbury Festival is a cultural event it can therefore be said that it can help to promote cultural tourism within the local community. Cultural tourism is defined by The World Tourism Organisation (1985, p6, cited in Hall, 1992 pp 23) as â€Å"movements of persons for essentially cultural motivations such as study tours, performing arts and cultural tours, travel to festivals and other cultural events, visits to sites and monuments, travel to study nature, folklore or art and pilgrimages†. As the Festival is such a well-known event it probably promotes tourism even when the festival is not actually on. Those who have heard of the festival may want to visit Glastonbury at other times of the year. GFL are aware of the festival’s ability to promote tourism in the local area, as stated by the Commercial Manager, â€Å"the festival brings a lot of money into the local area, and gives it a boost in tourism† (Commercial Manager of the Glastonbury Festival, 2001, cited in Herbert, 2001). However, Van Harssel (1994, cited in Herbert, 2001) stated that a greater level of tourist activity may cause increased overcrowding and congestion, which in itself affects residents’ daily lives†. An investigation by Herbert in 2001, into community participation in the planning and management of the Glastonbury Festival, shows that one of the major drawbacks recognised by the organisers and residents is traffic congestion. She goes on to say; this can be supported by Murphy (1985) who believes that one of the most frequently stated irritant for the host community residents is congestion amongst the community. Such a massive annual influx of festival-goers into the area will easily cause heavy congestion in such a small rural area. It is obvious that this huge festival will have some kind of negative impact, both economically and socially, to the local area. The main economic drawback of the festival is the cost to the local community of dealing with crime and other associated problems actually outside the festival site and the pressure put on local services such as hospitals and the police. This is confirmed by Mendip District Council (2002) â€Å"The Glastonbury Festival attracts more than 100,000 people every year. It doubles the population of Mendip district and severely stretches the capacity of local services, such as the police, fire and hospitals†. At the 2000 festival a total of 3237 patients were dealt with, 127 of which were referred to local hospitals and the helicopter was used twice (Festival Medical Services, 2000). The festival costs the NHS  £40,000 plus many empty beds in case of emergencies (Mendip District Council, 2002). The Somerset Fire Brigade were called to thirty-four incidents at the 2000 festival (Somerset Fire Brigade, 2000). A report from Avon and Somerset Constabulary (2002), complied for the licence application for the 2002 festival, states that â€Å"it can be reasonably predicted that recorded crime in the Mendip District overall will increase by 30 percent in the financial year 2002/03 if a licence is granted†. This level of increase in crime puts a considerable strain on the local police, especially seeing as a great deal of the crime is actually committed outside of the festival perimeter, â€Å"the car parks and areas immediately outside the perimeter fence are gathering points for organised touts and criminal gangs† (Mendip District Council, 2002). One the major problems for the local police is controlling the huge number of people that turn up at the festival without a ticket in the hope of getting over the fence. Many of these people congregate close to the festival sites and unlicensed raves attended by those who cannot get into the festival cause a considerable amount noise that affects local residents. â€Å"During the 2000 festival 400 vehicles (2000+ people) arrived for an unlicensed off-site rave. Of the 98 noise complaints that Mendip District Council received in the year 2000 from distressed local people, seven complaints related to the official festival; the rest derived from the off-site rave† (Mendip District Council, 2002). The cost of policing the 2000 festival was  £1. 25 million. The festival pays 40 percent; the taxpayers pay the rest causing tremendous drain on police resources (Mendip District Council, 2002). The festival also attracts the travelling community, many of whom then stay in the district and are very difficult to move on. One of the many reports submitted to the licensing board, from Mendip District Council (2002), highlights some of the detrimental effects to the environment caused by the festival. The wildlife, where it still exists, does a general exodus. The festival creates a million gallons of raw sewage, which helps to pollute the River Whitelake. 60,000 cars and coaches come into the district, which with the numerous fires and smoke machines etc help to create a haze like an industrial smog over Pilton. The festival creates 1000 tons of rubbish, very little of which is recycled. From the information that has been examined for this essay, it is rather difficult to determine overall whether the positive impacts of the festival outweigh the drawbacks. It also depends on whom you speak to in the local community with regards to how they feel about the festival. Mendip District Council receive many letters and phone calls from local residents some showing support for the festival and other from residents who are wholly opposed to it. It is clear that GFL make a great deal of effort to donate to local charities and to support local businesses, but it seems that not enough is being done to combat the detrimental effects caused by the festival. As stated by Herbert (2001) in her conclusion, â€Å"in general, more members of the host community agreed that the festival brings more disadvantages to the community than benefits, although this could be improved with the community having greater involvement in the planning and management of the Glastonbury Festival†. The 2001 festival did not go ahead as it was felt by the licensing board and the police that it would not be safe and following the 2000 festival the festival organisers were fined  £6,000 for breaches of the licence conditions (Mendip District Council, 2002). This has meant that the conditions of the licence for the 2002 Glastonbury Festival are much more stringent, with the festival organisers this year stating â€Å"No Ticket, No Festival† (GFL, 2002). The festival organisers are combating the huge problem of the number of people turning up without tickets, which appear to be those who cause the most problems in the local area. There will be stricter controls with regards to stopping those with no ticket getting anywhere near the festival. Off site car parks are proposed with buses running to the festival site for only those with a ticket (GFL, 2002), however, it will not be clear until the festival actually happens as to whether this will be effective, it may just cause more problems within the local area. It is clear from the research undertaken that a great deal of effort has been put into trying to ensure that the problems caused by previous festivals are not repeated. An organisation called Mean Fiddler have taken over the running of the festival, they have experience of managing other large-scale cultural events such as the Reading Festival and Homelands (www. meanfiddler. com, 2002). Hopefully this will help to make Glastonbury 2002 safe and fun and a great deal more pleasant for the local community. If the conditions of the licence are breached this year it is almost certain that Glastonbury Festival will not be allowed to continue, it is therefore up to all of those involved and all of those who support the festival to make sure that it is successful.

DuPont Case Analysis Essay

INTRODUCTION: DuPont was established in the year 1802 by French Chemist, E.I DuPont de Nemours in USA. DuPont became successful by the end of third year and it started exporting back to its continent, Europe. In the span of these 200 years, it had shaped into a global company with variety of enterprises like Chemical, Energy, Science Based and High Technology. It maximized its manufacturing or processing operations in 40 countries and its products were sold in 150 places by the end of 1990. The company’s one third revenue comes from the European market from 1960. There are 50 companies, which employed more than 19,000 people in 14 countries of Europe. The scientists of DuPont developed the synthetic fibres industry by introducing nylon. They were the leading manufacturer of manmade fibres in the world. The most important product of DuPont is â€Å"Carpet Fibre†. This division was setup in Geneva, Switzerland which holds the R&D, marketing and production areas. Products were produced in the UK and the sales offices are in Germany, the UK, France, Belgium, Spain, Scandinavia, and Holland. CASE CONTEXT: DuPont’s product nylon carpet fibre is not different from other fibres available in the market; however they were the top players in fibre industry. The parameters like color and texture are the factors that differ in the carpets. The fibre industry has nothing to do with these things. The carpet industry is concerned with these directly and they in turn led to the wholesalers, retailers and in turn to the customers. From the consumers point of view the carpet should be colorful, its texture is important and it should be easily maintained. DuPont has done extensive research on the customers third interest i.e. maintenance and founded the â€Å"Stain Master† that would allow to remove the stains permanently. With this invention, DuPont’s market share increased by 5%. This was first introduced in USA, later on with minor changes it has been launched in Europe. It gave mixed results for the company. DuPont’s decision is that the mills should have certain quality to use the process of stain master. In Germany, many mills felt that they don’t have these standards set by them; hence they didn’t show interest in the product. The UK market and France market reacted positively. Many companied executed the same formulae by giving low quality material at lower prices. This led to the stake of DuPont’s position in the market by 1980. FACTS: DuPont conducted research in the European Industry after the decline of its position in the market. They came to know some important facts: Flow of DuPont’s Fibres: DuPont’s Fibres Carpet Mills Wholesalers Retailers End Users The carpet mills are concentrated in only three countries the UK, France and Belgium. 80-20 rule is applied in European market; 80% of the business is carried but top 20% manufacturers. To stimulate the market, they used the help of Style Books to the wholesalers and retailers. They were not loyal customers to the fibre industry. They focused on the company that provides material at the best price. Retail and Wholesale operations are very different in these countries. In Germany  wholesalers dominated in the UK and Belgium retailers dominated the supply chain. PROBLEM: DuPont concentrated only on the carpet mills and they didn’t make any effort in knowing the end users. They invested money in R&D for making innovations in fibres that is to be supplied to the carpet mills. They are least bothered to know about the customers. ALTERNATIVES: DuPont need to concentrate on the techniques that value the customers without affecting the supply chain. As carpet mills are the important customers to DuPont, they need to retain them. â€Å"Creating loyal customers is at the heart of every business†-Don Peppers and Martha Rogers. Identify the â€Å"Customer Benefit† and â€Å"Customer Cost† of the users and provide the product at â€Å"Customer-perceived value† (CPV). Monitor the satisfaction of the customer by conducting surveys. ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVES: In Europe, there are 60 carpet mills that can level DuPont’s standards; however only 50% of them are using their fibres. Rest of them wandering around for best price. The mills using DuPont’s fibres should be retained and they need to analyze the CPV value and set the â€Å"price† accordingly. The â€Å"place† is also very important for setting the price as European market is fragmented unlike USA market which is having only four players. The customers give least preference to carpets when they are buying house- hold equipments. They are not enjoying or admiring to shop for carpeting as it is just a blanket to protect the floor. Customers spend at least 10 weeks in buying the carpets.52% Customers buy carpets if the existing one is worn out. Repurchase cycle for carpets is 12 years. Customers are not satisfied with the product information. The retailers and wholesalers are not providing full information. They are not providing information on price, color, fitting rooms and quality. If â€Å"product† and â€Å"service† quality is maintained, customers would retain with them only. They didn’t â€Å"promote† their products. RECOMMENDATIONS: Retain the customers by giving them offers that attracts them easily. Provide sample fibres to 50% carpet mills that are not using DuPont’s material and offer a price that satisfy their needs. Provide a portal for the customers to choose their own color and design according to their choices by collaborating with mills. Provide better customer care services by training the retailers and wholesalers. Provide catalogues to the customers for better awareness of the product, whether it is retailer, wholesaler or final end user. PLAN OF ACTION: Identify the customers who are loyal to the company, give them incentives and promote the product brand. Select the location where sales of the company are not up to the mark and apply the alternatives to them i.e. setting price and giving offers to the carpet mills. Later on collaborate with the mills in that location and train the wholesalers and retailers about the product and give them the full information along with the catalogues. Provide better services to the customers by setting a portal where they can choose their own designs and place order to the carpet mills. Implement the above mentioned steps for three months and find the sales growth. Spread the plan if it worked in the selected location, by making minute changes to it according to the location. CONTINGENCY PLAN: Since DuPont is an expert and leading manufacturer in the manmade fibres, it can go for â€Å"VERTICAL INTEGRATION†. Instead of supplying fibres to carpet mills, it can set up a mill and manufacture carpets. It can directly deal with the customers. The above mentioned plan can be executed without the intervention of the mills. The Customer Satisfaction can be monitored and it can get to know the loopholes in the process and thus leading to correction of the mistakes and increasing the sales growth of the company.

Project Management Written Assignment 1

2012-02-MAN-435-OL009: Project Management Written Assignment 1 1. Discuss the principal reasons why project management has become such a popular business tool in recent years. Business has changed in the past 20 or so years. Products are being produced more rapidly and with the introduction of globalization competition has become more abundant. There is a need to become more customer focused but at the same time quicker to market while still reducing cost. Doing business the old way is just not cutting it anymore. Project management gives companies the ability to focus on many things at once without losing focus on their core business model.Processes become projects that have a start and finish and can be tracked and quantified from beginning to end. Projects also give the company the ability to become more innovative by bringing people from different departments together. This promotes fresh thinking and upsets the status quo which is a good thing. 2. Suppose that you are in charge of a production line. What is expected of you as a process manager? Now suppose that you are assigned the task of making a radical change to the production process. What then would be expected of you as a project manager?As a process manager you are in charge of making sure the day to day operation is running smoothly and that you meet your immediate quotas. You are also in charge of managing people. Managing people includes disciplining workers when need and conflict resolution. A process manager, especially on the production line level is not involved in big picture thinking and only needs to be concerned with what is happening in their department. If I were tasked with revamping the production line my day-to-day would change drastically. My main focus would less about the process and more about the project.Instead of managing people directly it would be more about managing the project and the conflict resolution would be more focused on how to make the team members work together for the common goal. The project would probably be more big picture oriented instead of focused on just the task at hand. More would be expected of me than just meeting quota. 3. Describe the basic elements of the project life cycle. Why is an understanding of the project life cycle relevant for understanding project management? The project life cycle consists of the conceptualization phase, the planning phase, the execution phase, and the termination phase.Understanding the project lifecycle is important because it is the base of all project management. You take one phase out and the project will fail. You cannot start a project without a good scope, or blueprint. The project lifecycle is set up so that you cannot move on to the next stage in the cycle without going through the previous stage. I also want to mention the termination phase. This is where you terminate the project and put together a document that explains the delays and fixes that helped the project come to fruition. 4.Compare and contrast the three organizational structures discussed in the text: functional, project, and matrix. Provide examples that show the difference between the three, including some of the advantages and disadvantages of each. There are three main organizational structure types used in business today. They are functional, project and matrix. They each have their strong points and weaknesses. I will list the strengths and weaknesses of each while comparing them to each other. The functional structure is based around having similar activities grouped into departments. An example of this would be an accounting department.The strength of the functional structure is that you have a group of experts located in one department which makes choosing someone with a certain expertise more efficient. The weakness to this structure comes when you try to allocate people to projects. Their loyalty will always be to their function which usually puts the project on the back burner. The proje ct structure takes some of the stress of the project managers by making it so they don’t have to be second to a functional manager. They get full access to their own people and the loyalty is always on the project. The downfall to this structure is that they may have a lack of expertise.Especially since project structures usually go to external sources when needing a specific type of expertise. Therefore they lose that expertise when the project is completed. The matrix structure is good in that it combines strengths from both the functional structure and the project structure by placing the functional and project managers on the same level. The downfall comes when there is disagreement on where the resources should be best allocated. This structure involves more negotiating and politics than the other structures and takes a special skill set to be an effective project manager.