Research Methods Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Research Methods - Annotated Bibliography Example The article is helpful in providing my quest with information on the methods the IT sector relies on and uses as well as the challenges involved. Klein’s publication concentrates on the evaluative research that is done in the IS field. Klein uses the publication a platform to explain some of the needs that are met by conducting research in the information System field and discusses some of the regulations to go by in interpreting the collected information. This article provides the research filed with some of the varying principles that are used in the field in the interpretation of research, in data analysis. Tao, Clark, Gwyn and Lim article is based on the introduction of clickers in technology. The authors discuss the implementation of clickers in various social settings and the resultant effect the clickers had in qualitative analysis. The publication is a representation of how the research methods are implemented in different fields of the human world. In this case, the publication provides resources on what impact of technology has in the field of technology as well as interacting with the real world. Morse, J. M., Barrett, M., Mayan, M., Olson, K., & Spiers, J. Verification Strategies for Establishing Reliability and Validity in Qualitative Research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods 1.2(2) (2002). Pdf. The authors in this case discuss some of the challenges that the research field faces. Research and data resulting from the activity is often scrutinized, but this article discusses the various ways in which interpretation of the data collected is done to establish the viability of the process and justify its conduct. The article is a base by which the research field shows susceptibility to flaws. Glass and DeMarco use this chapter to discuss the reasoning between the quantitative and qualitative research

Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Ethics - Essay Example A background of the text is first important in order for one to understand the different perspectives from which justice can be viewed. Glaucon argues that justice is pursued by man against his will - a matter of necessity rather than for the goodness of it1. He also thinks that the just man would pursue injustice were he to be immune to the consequences and besides, he ultimately ends up the happier of the two. Glaucon asks Socrates to defend the view that justice is better than injustice (358b-362d). Adeimantus also requires of Socrates to demonstrate that there is value to justice, not just a utility for man to gain certain advantages in society. To answer this, Socrates uses an analogy of justice in the city to portray justice in a person. He argues that a just man does not differ in any way from a just city (435b). Justice is the result of a soul that is well ordered, hence Plato creates three classes of people present in his model city Kallipolis; producers, guardians and ruler s. In a just city, these three classes of people are required to display certain virtues that all come into action to ensure that justice prevails in the city: the rulers should create just laws, the soldiers carry out the orders of the rulers and the producers stay in obedience of this authority. The ruler class is supposed to have wisdom to ensure that the entire city operates on the same basis. This wisdom is supposed to trickle down from the governing (ruling) class onto the entire population of the city. It ensures that the city has good judgment (428d). The soldier’s role is to carry out the orders of the rulers and as such is supposed to be well educated to understand the laws as much as possible. Through this, their role in ensuring justice can not be eroded by such things as pleasure, pain, fear and desire (430a). They gain this kind of focus through the virtue of courage and thus help in maintaining justice within the city. The producers on the other hand are requir ed to obey authority. For this to happen, the producers are supposed to possess the virtue of moderation which creates harmony, unanimity and agreement amongst all members of the city. The issue of who is to lead is settled this way and everybody works together thus ensuring justice. Moderation can not be divorced from justice as it enables everybody to play their particular role and â€Å"everyone must practice one of the occupations for which he is naturally suited.† (433a). The three classes of people that work harmoniously to ensure justice in the city now lead us to what justice should be in the human soul. The human soul has more than one single driving force; people are indecisive when making some choices, some part of their soul stops them from pursuing their desires and thus there is internal conflict. The part of the soul that is calculative and questions the other part is the rational part of the soul. Then there is the irrational part which is lustful and appetiti ve (439d). Emotions are created by the part of the soul that is spirited, which in times of internal conflict may ally the rational part against the irrational part of the soul thus the person ends up making a rational decision. The analogy between the city and the person is then clear; that the rational part

Problems of Democracy in Pakistan Essay Example for Free

Problems of Democracy in Pakistan Essay After years of military dictatorships followed by sham democracy, the situation in Pakistan has reached such a point that the masses are yearning for radical change. Their suffering is immense as the people at the top continue to enrich themselves at the expensive of the workers and peasants, collaborating with imperialism as it rides rough-shod over the people of Pakistan. Everything is moving to an inevitable revolutionary explosion. Pakistan’s Supreme Court in its verdict of 16 December, 2009 declared the notorious NRO null and void ab initio. The National Reconciliation Ordinance of October 2007 was promulgated by the then President of Pakistan General Parvaiz Musharraf. It was the outcome of a deal he had struck with Benazir Bhutto, life Chairperson of the Pakistan People’s Party in a covert meeting in Abu Dhabi. The deal was brokered by the United States and Britain. The aim was to create a new setup that could facilitate the imperialist war and other interests in this turbulent region. According to this ordinance all cases of politicians including corruption, murder, extortion, kidnappings and other heinous crimes would be withdrawn. Some of the major beneficiaries are now in power including Benazir’s widower Zardari, now the President of Pakistan and some of his most sinister ministers. The other main beneficiary is the Muteheda Qaumi Movement, MQM, whose leader, an absconder resident in London for several years, and its other leading figures were facing charges of murder and other crimes. The MQM is a mafia-type organisation with neo-fascist tendencies and its main ideological baggage is based on ethnic conflict. The present democratic dispensation is the product of such a nefarious design. After Benazir’s assassination in December 2007 Musharraf’s fate was sealed. The plan B came into action and Zardari having a long standing relationship with US officials was catapulted into the presidency with his firm assurance that he would be more subservient to the Americans than Musharraf or Benazir could ever have been. The Electoral College for this election are comprised of members of the National and provincial assemblies who were elected in the February 2008 elections, the results of which were tailor-made in Washington to serve the imperialist strategies. Ironically this unanimity, or â€Å"reconciliation†, between all the parties in Parliament was prompted by a collective fear on the part of these representatives of the ruling class in the wake of the beginnings of a mass movement that they witnessed on the arrival of Benazir from exile in Karachi on October 18, 2007 and later after the explosion of the wrath of the workers, peasants and youth at the news of her assassination on December 27, 2007. After a long period of suffering, the oppressed in Pakistan had risen up in the hope that the leader of their traditional party, the PPP under Benazir Bhutto, would be a beacon of change and free them from the unrelenting misery and distress. The Americans had already done their homework with the PPP leaders, who mainly come from the moneyed classes, to divert this outburst into a democratic election and facade of â€Å"democracy†. These leaders drowned the mass anger and revolt in sorrow and despair. They refused to call for a general strike for the elections to be held on the scheduled date of January 8, 2008 and blocked the movement. This gave an opportunity to the Pakistani state and its imperialist masters to regroup their forces and stave off the threat of a revolutionary upheaval. The Military in Pakistan has ruled directly for more than half of the country’s 62 years of chequered history. All the military regimes were supported and propped up by US imperialism. During the â€Å"democratic† intermissions the plight of the masses continued to deteriorate. After the first decade (1947-58) of democratic regimes, such was the crisis that when Martial Law was imposed by Field Martial Ayub Khan there was even a sense of relief amongst several sections of society. Ayub Khan had the impertinence to say in one of his initial statements â€Å"we must understand that democracy cannot work in a hot climate. To have democracy we must have a cold climate like Britain. † General Ayub told the first meeting of his cabinet, â€Å"As far as you are concerned there is only one embassy that matters in this country: the American Embassy. † The Ayub dictatorship embarked upon an ambitious economic, agrarian and industrial programme in the 1960s, mainly sponsored by â€Å"US Aid† and the World Bank. Although Pakistan achieved its highest growth rates under Ayub, Keynesian economic policies failed to improve the lot of the masses. The aggravated social contradictions exploded into the revolution of 1968-69 that was fundamentally of a socialist character. See Pakistan’s Other Story-The 1968-69 Revolution]. The failure of the existing left leadership to give a clear revolutionary programme and perspective to the movement resulted in the rise of the Populism of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. Due to the absence of a Bolshevik-Leninist revolutionary party the revolution was lost. But it did shake the whole of South Asia. The ruling classes initially tried to impose Martial Law again. However, its failure to curb the tide resulted in the first elections based on the adult franchise in 1970 where the PPP became the largest party in West Pakistan. Having failed to curtail the revolutionary wave that pierced through the ballot, ultimately the ruling classes resorted to a war with India, which led to the break-up of Pakistan and then Bhutto was given power who, forced by the pressure of the masses, initiated radical reforms from above, but only to exhaust the revolution brewing below. Bhutto’s elected left reformist government was subsequently overthrown by a military coup led by General Zia ul Haq in July 1977, who later hanged Bhutto at the behest of US imperialism. The eleven-year brutal dictatorship of Zia was perhaps the most traumatic period for the working masses in Pakistan. In connivance with the Americans, Zia propped up and unleashed the beast of Islamic fundamentalism to crush the left. The continuance of that grotesque monstrosity is what produced the present day fundamentalist terror that is ripping apart the social fabric of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Zia Dictatorship began to crumble after another upheaval on the return from exile of Bhutto’s daughter Benazir in April 1986. The contradictions in the already weakened dictatorship were thus sharpened. General Zia’s plane was conveniently blown up in mid air in August 1988 – some have speculated that this may have been done at the request of the Americans, whom the megalomaniac and insane general had begun to â€Å"disobey† seeking his own personal agenda. From 1988 to 1999 there was another democratic interlude, where Benazir and Nawaz Sharif alternated in short stints of rulerships. This period was marred by an orgy of corruption, incompetence, spiralling economic decline and chaos. General Musharraf took power in a bloodless coup by overthrowing Sharif. Musharraf then introduced a â€Å"quasi-democracy† in 2002 but the 9/11 episode in the USA once again made another dictator another main American collaborator. This time the facade was not against communists but we had the so-called â€Å"war against terror†. Musharraf’s demise and the regime that ensued once again brought unprecedented agony and pain for the people of Pakistan. History has turned full circle. This vicious cycle of Pakistan’s political superstructure – dictatorship to democracy and back to dictatorship has brought no respite to society. Only the suffering has intensified. In reality this is a reflection of the ongoing social and economic crisis built into the foundations of this tragic country. The Pakistani ruling class after its independence from direct British rule came onto the scene of history too late and with this came an inability to develop the economy. It was a weak class even at its inception. It could not produce enough surpluses for its profits and capital needed to tap the resources of the country and carry out its historical role of the national revolution that its pioneers had envisaged. It adjusted itself accordingly, and its survival depended on the one hand by being subservient to imperialism and on the other allying itself and compromising with the landed aristocracy created under the Raj. The founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, as early as November 1947, less than three months after the formation of Pakistan, had sent his emissary to Washington asking for a $2bn loan. The response he got was a mere $10million of loose change. The failure of Pakistan’s ruling elite is evident 62 years later. None of the national democratic tasks have been completed. Several agrarian reforms have failed to abolish feudalism. Pakistan came into existence not as a nation but as a state comprising different nationalities. National oppression continues and the national question has become a festering wound on the body politic of this country. The task of the formation of a modern nation state is far from being achieved and will in fact further deteriorate with the impending crisis. This state of incompleteness of the tasks has wrought havoc on the social and economic life of Pakistani society. The social and political infrastructure is in a state of collapse. â€Å"National sovereignty† is a farce and hardly anybody believes in the state’s independence. Imperialist intervention and domination is on a greater scale today than it was in 1947, the year of Pakistan’s creation. Except for a few years under Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, all the finance ministers have been employees of the World Bank or other imperialist financial institutions. Now the US is even trying to control sections of Pakistan’s armed forces and intruding its military corporate contractors to take over â€Å"security† in several vital parts of the country. These include former Blackwater now XE securities, DynCorp and others. An embittered general described the strategic relationship as Americans using Pakistan as a â€Å"condom†. The conflicts within the army are also the result of this aggressive hegemony being thrust into the Military’s domain. This is already giving rise to bloody conflicts among different agencies and sections of the armed forces representing black money and other sections of finance capital. This conflict is being waged covertly at the present time. But if a desperate imperialism faces an impending defeat in Afghanistan and tries a partial US occupation of NWFP (Pushtoonkhwa), it could even trigger a severe crisis in the army already under strain from carrying out the CENTCOM instructions on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. The fallout could have catastrophic consequences. Similarly the severe crisis of Pakistani capitalism has failed to develop a parliamentary democracy. The Pakistani ruling class, in the wake of its economic failures turned to plunder of the state at an early stage. They pay less than 10% of total taxation revenues. The real burden falls on the working class who are forced to pay more than 80% of the revenues through indirect taxation. The capitalist class steals electricity and gas, while billions of dollars of bank loans have been written off. According to the figures presented before the Supreme Court of Pakistan, a small section of these leeches’ annual corruption exceeds Rs. 500 billion (US$6. 2bn). Most of this money is stashed away in western banking havens. As this process started to become more and more evident, the army, the most powerful instrument of the state, started to become part of this evil nexus of plunderers and usurpers. The drug-funded and US/Saudi sponsored Afghan Jihad brought even greater loot to the coffers of the generals. Other institutions of the state and society including the judiciary, the bureaucracy and the media joined in this orgy of corruption. Hence, whenever there was a political crisis (conflict of the civilian plunderers) the military moved in to quell the rot. The dictatorships bred more corruption and as they began to lose their grip democracy was introduced the main reason being the growing danger of a mass revolt that is provoked by these repressive regimes. Although even a bourgeois democracy is a progressive step forward as compared to military dictatorships, the exploitative system that the military rulers intervene to salvage remains intact. In Pakistan this crisis-ridden system again creates a political instability that reflects the burning economic turmoil. The army and state are not a class, but in the last analysis the economic and social conditions determine the nature of the regime that is needed by the ruling class to preserve the system of exploitation of labour. Comrade Ted Grant elaborated on this in 1949 â€Å"The state by its very nature is composed of a bureaucracy, officers, generals, heads of police etc. But those do not constitute a class; they are the instrument of a class even if they may be in antagonism to that class. They cannot themselves be a class. † (The unbroken thread, pp. 235). In Pakistan the irony is that time and again the masses have risen up against the dictatorship, fundamentally to overthrow the yoke of exploitation and misery inflicted upon them by this vicious system of class rule. When they were allowed even to make half a choice through the ballot-box they propelled the PPP to power. Yet their hopes have been dashed time and again by the PPP in government in the short span of less than 40 years. The toiling masses have been loyal to their tradition for generations. The ruling class only allowed the PPP into the corridors of power to dissipate the mass upsurge. Above all the ruling class, the state and the imperialists have used the capitulating leaders of the PPP to carry through cuts, privatisations and other drastic anti-working class measures. They could not have achieved so much with the right-wing governments of Sharif, etc. , but even under the dictatorships they combined caution with repression. However, at least in the 1970s the PPP government did carry through some reforms for the betterment of the impoverished masses. In the later PPP governments since 1988 such was the crisis of Pakistani capitalism that there was no room for even minimal reforms.

BP Global: Future Strategy Sustainability

BP Global: Future Strategy Sustainability British Petroleum (BP) is the worlds one of the largest and leading petroleum product manufactures. It has headquarters in London. It operates from 29 countries. Though it has faced safety and environmental controversies in the history of its operations it could overcome all negative images through a concrete focus and consistent efforts towards sustainable developments. BP operates throughout the world in locations, terrains and climates that are tremendously diverse and frequently challenging. However, BP aims to minimize its environmental impact by taking a systematic and disciplined approach to operations, using sophisticated risk assessment techniques that directly inform its business plans. Therefore, BP is incorporating its environmental management systems into the group-wide operating management system that helps BP to set priorities for operations based on assessment of the key risks, including those related to environmental and social performance. BP believes this integration will promote greater efficiency and consistency across the business. It has formulated a set procedure to conduct, at least annually, a formal process to identify and assess risks and emerging issues, including environmental and social issues. Main aim of BP is to manage environmental and social risk during every phase of its operations viz. launching new projects, carrying out day-to-day operations and bringing a project to a close. BP strives to minimize the impact on the environment by identifying risks during the project set-up and using technology to reduce or remedy any impacts. The firm is investing in a broad portfolio of alternative energy businesses and RD, while advocating a carbon price and public funding to support such new technologies. The firms greenhouse gas efficiency achievements will be vulnerable to a shift towards unconventional fossil fuels. Climate change creates both threats to BP through market changing technologies, and opportunities, such as increasing natural gas sales at the expense of coal. BP partly manages these risks by applying an internal carbon price to new projects and through its policy influence. Through its clean energy investments BP is hedging against dramatic changes to the worlds energy mix. In this assignment, we have taken up the BPs sustainability report of 2009 and studied its activities enabling it to achieve sustainable growth. We also assessed its capabilities, current position and forecast its future sustainable growth. British Petroleum Limited (BP) Introduction Website: http://www.bp.com Location of Headquarters: 1 St. Jamess Sq., London, SW1Y 4PD, United Kingdom Sector Industry: Basic Materials Energy Nature of Business: Oil Natural Gas Business Wind Solar Energy Business Bio-fuel Business Energy Security Energy Diversity Business Technology Partnership Products: BP petroleum and derived products BP service stations Air BP Aviation Fuels Castrol motor oil ARCO gas stations am/pm convenience stores Aral service stations solar panels Historical Background: BP (NYSE:BP) is one of the worlds largest oil and gas companies in terms of production capacity. In 2009, the companys exploration and production segment produced approximately 2.53 million barrels of oil per day as well as 8.48 million cubic feet of natural gas per day while the companys refining throughput averaged 2.28 million barrels/day. BP expands its production capacity through improved rig equipment and technology as well as expansions into other countries. As of April 2009, BPs operates in 29 countries including Mexico, Russia, Algeria, and many others in the Middle East and Africa. While BPs global reach gives the company an ability to access untapped reserves, many of its operations are exposed to political risk in those countries. In particular, BPs Russian operations faced significantly managerial problems in 2008, but these tensions eased in January 2010 with the appointment of Maxim Barsk to CEO. BP has been involved in a number of environmental, safety and political controversies during its history, including the 1965 Sea Gem incident and the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Its primary listing is on the London Stock Exchange and it is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. It has a secondary listing on the New York Stock Exchange. BP on the Sustainability: Before we predict BPs position in future, let us first have look in to its present position and future plans for protection of environment, commitment to society and efforts towards economical growth and sustainable development. Present: BP operates responsibly with better corporate governance and management systems. BP strives to deliver secure and affordable energy while addressing the global issues and climate change. Efforts are made to develop large scale business towards the production of alternative energy sources with low carbon emissions. BP has given utmost importance to safety reliability of operations. But the accidents and fatalities have not been on reducing trend, which can have a major impact on it sustainable growth. BP focused on low carbon or green house gas emissions, biofuels, and operations that can emit fewer pollutants. People Management: There is clear focus on training development of the workforce and reward and recognition system but there is no clear evidence of integration of people development with its diversified business requirements. Community Initiatives: BP has made efforts to build a strong mutually beneficial relation with society wherein they work. Future Plans: In BPs business strategies especially for the sustainable growth, there are many ways forward, but certain parameters are clear. The response must be integrated, global and balanced in terms of social, economic and environmental solutions. BP plans to focus on major public policy issues such as climate change, environmental protection and human rights. The future plan is to show that everything that is done, and every product and service that are provided, is delivered in an environmentally and socially sound manner. The challenge is to adapt, to become more sensitive to the wider world with change in environment. The future plan mainly boils down to the environmental protection and economy growth. BP needs to integrate its future strategies in all its business units to bring the transparency for verification against a common factor on a single platform. There is a clear focus on developing value leaders in future with strong HR strategies. The focus is more on integrating the HR policies across its operations to improve the skills and knowledge of the people. IT must also help BP to develop future leaders who can be visionary to achieve sustainable growth. Even though future plans of BP clearly focus on economy development, workforce development and environmental excellence but the community development appears to be in the last bench of the agenda as the concrete evidence of plans to reach Phase 4 or 5 of the sustainability model is not available with respect to community development. BP Today: Today BP displaying the following characteristics: Systemic plan to integrate human resource functions to reduce cost/increase efficiency Focus on value add training/development opportunities i.e. waste reduction, lean principles Undertakes community projects where cost-benefit can be exemplified. BP The Good Days By the early 1990s, a newly envisioned BP appeared to be adopting a strategic approach (Phase 5) towards sustainability. Like its competitor Shell, BP too strategically placed itself to move beyond petroleum. It committed itself in inventing alternative energy sources and technologies. It also committed itself to the Kyoto Protocols and greenhouse gas emissions. BP also ventured into social and community sustainability efforts, working towards enhancing the efforts in the respective local communities. These efforts were incorporated to its corporate strategy as part of five broad spectrum of business policy: ethical conduct, employees, relationships, health, safety, and environmental performance, control and finance. BPs vision was to market itself as the greenest fossil fuel producer in the industry: Their Beyond Petroleum won two PR Week campaign of the year awards and the gold Effie from the American Marketing Association. Ogilvy, the firm behind the slogan ironically still boasts of Beyond Petroleum as a successful case study in its website. BP CSR Disaster: Unfortunately for BP, the carefully marketed CSR plan went awry with the gulf oil spill. The oil spill taught the world rather brutally, that the heart of the relationship between BP and society did not lie in honest commitments. Chastened by the Exxon Valdez disaster, BP along with every player in the oil industry became rather religious on CSR initiatives. CSR actually poses a problem in such a situation in that it muddies the waters. Beyond Petroleum, the marketing campaign was the result of painstakingly long plan spread over years-but that was all it was, a carefully constructed marketing plan for external stakeholders that suggested CSR was at the heart of BP, but did little to show any evidence of it. BPs isnt out there to lead the green revolution. Their actual business is to make money for its shareholders; in BPs case by producing energy, mainly from fossil fuels. Today, not only has their motto come under external pressure, but has also instigated soul-searching within BPs ranks. Todays marketplace demands a lot more from corporations to establish long term sustainability. It should begin with a basic principle: A successful company must embrace corporate responsibility in all its forms-both internal and external. While BP did an excellent job externally for many years (see Sustainability Portfolio below), it requires much more in-depth introspection from management to get the internal vision re-aligned. Strategies of BP Today BP has a sound platform on which to achieve their commitment to combine growth with the discipline of performance and strategies. So the concept of sustainability is already part of business today. But it also demands a deeper, broader, more creative level of engagement than conventional environmentalism. Climate Change, demographic change and poverty are the three major trends that will set the corporate sustainability worldwide The BP has challenge to create a future energy mix that meets three of these objectives sufficiency; security; and sustainability of the energy. But there are hard political choices involved in agreeing to cut emissions and accepting the implications for energy. The company drives the necessary innovation or deployment of emerging low carbon technologies in the operation. In the drive for efficiency, BP will collaborate with the vehicle manufacturers on advanced engine technology and lubricants and provide better and cleaner transport fuels through less energy intensive processes and increase the energy efficiency of their facilities and equipment BP was the first energy company to be widely recognised as accepting the obligation to act on climate change. They have invested nearly $4bn in low carbon business since 2005 and commitment to invest $8bn in alternative energy in coming years. BP are creating long-term options for the future in new energy technology and low-carbon energy businesses. They will be also enhancing capabilities in natural gas, which is likely to be a vital source of relatively clean energy during the transition to a lower-carbon economy and beyond. BP will utilize the best talent inside and outside the company to develop and apply the technology associated with their business challenges. They have the right people in the right places with the right skills. They have developed a new leadership framework and extensive training programmes to build the professional skills of employees, BP will focus on operations and fostering a culture of operational excellence and continuous improvement across all their activities. BP is a diverse and inclusive company where everyone can achieve their potential. BP will be able to demonstrate clearly how technology improves performance and improve the safety factor. BP will able to reduce its hydrocarbon emissions to water and hydrocarbon emissions to air, the burning of waste gas, carbon dioxide emissions, emissions of non-greenhouse gases, such as nitrogen oxides and sulphur oxides significantly.. BP will be using its landholdings as a base for solar generation of electricity. BP focus is on four key businesses: biofuels, wind, solar and carbon capture and storage. Their goals are no accidents, no harm to people and no damage to the environment. Company will work to achieve this through consistent management processes, ongoing training programmes, rigorous risk management and a culture of continuous improvement. Community development must be focused on BP as an integral part of CSR rather than initiating just as a compensatory act for the damage caused to public and environment. As a company with extensive operations in developing nations, some whose BPs own revenues surpass, it needs to carefully manage aspects such as human rights approach and maintaining ethical business practices. BP would be stick with its commitments towards safety concerns, security, safe operations and accountability in all the locations. BP shall plans to further improve operating and cost efficiency right across the company, from refineries and marketing operations in the downstream to procurement, drilling and project management in the upstream efficiency and reduce costs for profit growth. BP will develop the culture of innovation in all their operations. BP continues to access new business opportunities, with new agreements in other countries. To increase its financial flexibility, BP shall plans to reduce its debt, now about $23 billion, to $10 billion within 18 months. BP has to establish new ways of communication with all stakeholders to improve the brand image and reputation across the globe. BP shall view the corporate governance as a strategy for long run sustainable growth and survival. They should also ensure that board should be structured appropriately to ensure the implementation of rules, regulations, ethical, moral principles and obligation in all activities. It is essential to achieve high standards in all three elements of the triple bottom line agenda economic, environmental and social performance. Focusing on any one at the expense of the others is not sustainable. BP shall build competitive advantage by procuring and multiplying resources create abilities over them and developing synergy of resources and capabilities. Core competencies enable BP to formulate strategies and draw strategic action by converting competencies into profitable business activities. Suggested Future Strategic Concepts for BP: BP should plan to re-conceive its product portfolio and the market it is being catering to till date. Taking a holistic view of the market, BP should mould the goods to cater to the energy needs of the community and not just oil or natural gas. Presently BP defines its productivity by production rate i.e. MT/annum. However, we would suggest that real productivity of BP product can happen when the firm follows up its product till its life cycle. It has already started activities in this direction by entering into strategic alliance with vehicle manufacturers. But it needs to take shape. Actual productivity definition for BP should be Amount of energy converted to actual use by the community per MT of fuel provided by BP. Say for example a Diesel Engine operated by Heavy Fuel (a product of BP) operates at about 30 to 35% efficiency. 10,000 Kcal of Energy provided by the oil is converted to just 3500 Kcal of another form of energy which again is not utilized to 100%. Hence BP should redefine productivity so that the benefit is directly transferred to the community. Such activity would be a win-win situation from BP as well as society at large. BPs one of the strategic management thoughts should be to secure its own future competitiveness. Given the finite life of natural fossil fuel, BP should start its activities in thinking differently on each different use of fuel. Let us take an example of transportation. All vehicles use fossil fuel. Scientists have already come out with hybrid cars, solar cars, compressed air cars, etc. BP should actually go a big way in developing Anti Gravity Cars. We all see UFOs and Flying Discs, etc. Can this earth not produce such vehicles? This is no fancy idea, BOAC have a specific RD drive for such vehicles. They already have achieved some success lifting about 3gm material. Ultimately, we aim at developing competencies by BP in a wider scope of business which would then not get jeopardized due to depleting finite resources. Improvement in Corporate Governance has to reinstate the confidence in community which has shaken up due to past disasters. The pace of expansion activities has overshot the governance speed. Here comes the role of strategic leadership. Two of the key qualities of an effective leader are to anticipate and envision. BP needs to provide more stress on these two aspects. We are aware that as and when there is a need, the fossil fuel prices are raised and there is no one to question them. BP should analyze in further details as to what extent the suppliers contribute to the competitive dynamics of oil business (this is one of the key pillars of the Porters 5 force model and extremely relevant one for BP). A simple coordination between the oil rig, VLCC and met department can effectively reduce cost to BP substantially. Many times this is not done because there is no stringent specific target or cap on total cost of product/MT. This effort will not only help BP outperform its competitors, but also can pass on the benefit to the customers for benefit of the community.

Contrasting Outlooks in Dream of the Rood and The Wanderer Essay

Differing Outlooks in Dream of the Rood and The Wanderer      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Outlook defines our perception of reality. The characters in Dream of the Rood and The Wanderer maintain opposed perspectives that greatly influence the way they view their common state of desolation. The dreamer and the Cross in Dream of the Rood embrace a religious ideology that gives them hope, whereas the earth-walker in The Wanderer embraces an existential view that leaves him to suffer his loneliness. The characters' differing outlooks greatly influence how they view their exile, their ultimate destination, and the journey to this destination, their "homecoming."    The characters of both works face exile: the dreamer's friends have "gone hence from the delights of the world," the Cross is "taken from [its] stump," and the wanderer is "far from dear kinsmen" (Rood 20-1; Wanderer 69). This exile saddens all of the characters: the dreamer is "all afflicted with sorrows," the Cross is "sore afflicted with griefs," and the earth-walker is "wretched with care" (Rood 19-20; Wanderer 69). While the characters face similar desolation and melancholy, however, they differ greatly in their reactions.    Before the dreamer approached the Cross he was dispirited, but upon hearing t... ...dle Ages," pp. 1-26; The Dream of the Rood, The Wanderer, (700/900), Five Old English Riddles (pp. 150-51), translated from Old English    Dockray-Miller, Mary. "The Feminized Cross of 'The Dream of the Rood.'" Philological Quarterly 76 (1997): 1-18.    Finnegan, Robert Emmett, 'The Gospel of Nicodemus and The Dream of the Rood, 148b-156'.   Neuphilologische Mitteilungen. 84 (1983): 338-43.    "The Wanderer." The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed. M.H. Abrams. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1993. 68-70.    Woolf, Rosemary. "Doctrinal Influences on The Dream of the Rood." MAE 28 (1958): 137-53.

the emperors new car :: essays research papers

The President's Old Cars Once upon a time in the very country you live in, there was a president who learned a lesson the hard way. See the president loved cars, new cars, fast cars, slow cars, rusted out cars, it didn't matter, if he saw a car he wanted, he bought it. Most other leaders were helping their countries to become stronger, while ours was off buying cars. Then there came that memorable day when our president learned his lesson.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While out shopping for new cars, the president came across one he didn't have. It was a 1986 Ford Escort. It was all rusty, missing hubcaps, and squeaked as he drove it down the road. But while talking to the car salesman, he never worried about what was wrong with it. The salesman (trying to get rid of this piece of junk) told the president that this car was in great shape and there would probably never be another car like this one. He also told the president that if anyone tried to tell him that this car was loud and smoked that they were just jealous and making it up. The president, happy to hear that someone might be jealous of him bought the car right away with his country's money.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On his way home people lined the streets to see his new purchase. Many laughed and pointed as his Escort smoked putted along the street. The president remembering what the car salesman had said thought these people were just jealous and pretending that his car was making all the smoke and noise. So he proudly drove around his 4-speed car through the streets ignoring everyone that laughed at him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Now during the time the president was out buying new cars the American people more money because their jobs weren't paying enough. The president was giving less and less money every time he gave out money, so he would have money to buy a new car. The fact that his people were starting to starve didn't bother him at all.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A couple of weeks later he was out to buy another car. He went back to the salesman that had sold him the Escort earlier. The president told the salesman that people actually laughed at his previous purchase. Then the salesman and president laughed because they were sure that those people were just jealous and making that stuff up about the car.

Nordstrom SWOT Essay

Representing people with disabilities in their catalogs since 1997, which is rare. This is a strength because it represents all customers of Nordstrom, not leaving out certain groups because of industry ‘norms’. This speaks volumes to all customers that Nordstrom recognizes them as individuals, but also, as O’Connell mentioned in an interview, â€Å"people with disabilities represent a significant marketing opportunity with $225 billion in discretionary income†¦ and companies that understand this will have a competitive advantage.† Has a customer first attitude to differentiate Nordstrom from other high-end retailers and department stores and build customer loyalty. They are in a highly competitive market involving high fashion, quality items at a premium price, but their service is what drives their business in. They invest in high quality staff, greet customers by name, write personal thank you notes, make follow up calls about satisfaction with prod ucts, have large well lit stores and fitting rooms, have a price match system, as well as a very lenient no questions return policy, all combined to keep their customers as satisfied as they can. Find a study that talks about service driving in customers, customer surveys, reports, etc. Nordstrom has different brands and product lines to reach different market segments and keep up with trends. These include: Rack, Haute Look, Treasure & Bond, and Trunk Club. This offers mid price markets opportunities to join with regular high price markets, online exclusive shoppers to join the Nordstrom network and fashions, appeal to â€Å"give-back† shoppers, and gives men a new online shopping experienced linked to the perks of Nordstrom’s inventories and in store tailors. This is a strength of the company because it creates a larger customer base to represent and build markets in, allowing the company growth in a variety of areas that competitors are not hitting. Compared to retail apparel competitors, â€Å"Nordstrom Inc. reported Total Revenue increase in the 2 quarter 2014 by 6.13 % year on year. The sales growth was above Nordstrom Inc.’s competitors average re venue growth of 0.99 %, recorded in the same quarter. With net margin of 5.4 % company  achieved higher profitability than its competitors.†   The Nordstrom Brand name and size are also strengths of the company. The Nordstrom brand has been around long enough to build relationships with suppliers and attain exclusive brands to carry, and establish lines of distribution, which puts them above new entrants because it is difficult to gain licensing for exclusive brands when you are not already established as well as establish your distribution system. They also have a size advantage having 118 original Nordstrom stores, 162 Nordstrom Rack locations, 2 Jeffrey boutiques, 1 clearance store and they also reach customers online in 96 countries through Nordstrom.com and reaching customers online through HauteLook and NordstromRack.com as well. The high brand awareness, and availability is what competes in department and apparel retail. The company carries unique products; exceptional, high quality brands that are not going to be found at discount retailers to create the exclusive feel for customers. They also new experiences an d brands within the company through their Spa and Restaurants within some of the Nordstrom front-line stores. These differentiate Nordstrom from direct competitors, but also from restaurants competition by using quality, sustainability, and responsibility as their guide to the best experience. (http://wwwiebe.com/nordstrom-customer-service-first/) Find article about competitors with restaurants and spas, and how this makes a difference compared to their revenues and restaurants too. Has established online presence in 96 countries and built network through their multiple websites for each store brand, built their own app to shop from your phone, and gotten involved in social media, more specifically Instagram with their â€Å"Instalog† while keeping all of this integrated with their mortar stores. They also understand that â€Å"when you stop evolving with your customer, you die,† as Jamie Nordstrom, president of stores, has said. They are building fulfillment centers to accommodate online shopping more quickly, use RFID chips to keep their perpetual inventory system for stores and online to share, and invested more into online growth than brick and mortar stores,  knowing that this is where their growth is coming from. â€Å"Over the next several years Nordstrom expects to derive half of its sales from the Rack and from its online units, versus 38 percent today,† and that’s because â€Å"the U.S. Commerce Department estimates that electronic commerce amounted to 6.2 percent of total retail sales in the first quarter of 2014.† Analysts have also been saying Nordstrom has thrived compared to competitors because it is a pioneer in perks like free shipping and also having the unique diversity of products online. Their expansion into Canada this year also gives them an advantage against competitors who have not branched out internationally yet. This opens their market up to Calgary shoppers, Canada’s strong economy, an area underserved of luxury items, shoppers who are familiar with the brand, and expectation to grow to a total of 5 Canadian stores within 2 years. If their expansion continues in a positive way like their first opening, they will continue to have this s trength over their competitors. Weaknesses: Because Nordstrom focuses mainly on their customer service and does price matching on their items, they are at risk to be directly affected by price fluctuations and economic trends. The fluctuations in the market are out of Nordstrom’s control, but their choice of pricing strategy to match prices are internal choices that they are choosing to be vulnerable to. If they don’t want this as a weakness they would try to reinvent their pricing strategy to keep competitive pricing without matching competition because that is directly relative to the market. Offering free shipping does improve their customer loyalty, but it also comes with a high cost for the company. This is a weakness because they internally chose to make this sacrifice for the greater good of the company and take the hit on spending, but is hard to measure the direct effects of customer loyalty because of  free shipping. Nordstrom has the opportunity to invest more into their credit business because many of their competitors have more resources in this area giving them an advantage. Their competition is external but the choice to not invest highly in their credit business is a weakness of Nordstrom. The company would have to look into how they allocate their resources to see if there is room to invest additionally into this sector of business and if it would bring sufficient benefit to them. Opportunities: Already reaching 96 countries with their online retailing, Nordstrom continues to have room for growth in this area. New technology is keeping the market on their toes with ideas to expand and take advantage sooner than competitors, which is why Nordstrom is spending to grow fulfillment of network for direct sales channels to make delivery faster, and improve mobile app and in store personalized experience. They already have an app that was revealed earlier this year, Instagram, and multiple online stores with Nordstrom.com, NordstromRack.com and HauteLook.com, with plans to introduce Canadian Nordstrom Rack soon. The company plans to invest $150 million into its’ online retailing. They plan to hire up to 400 people for their e-commerce group, including Kirk Beardsley, the former director of business development at Amazon. Their acquisition of HauteLook changed their ecommerce capabilities, and they continue to look for integration opportunities to grow expansion further. They need to continually understand new markets such as the discount merchandising market, which they have recently made their footprint grow Rack sales by 20% in the first quarter of the year, compared to comparable stores that only grew 6.4%. The reason their growth opportunities online and in different markets remain an opportunity is because technology, online trends, and consumer preferences are always changing. They need to continue to stay on their toes with the online retail market since growth is higher than physical stores currently. Currently Nordstrom is â€Å"developing a strategy to secure their supply  chain in a resource constrained world will enable them to leverage their customer service brand image† by investing in recycling, transportation, paper and packaging, energy, water, human rights, organic food, and community support. They have the opportunity to continue this path of enhancing social and environmental sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and supply chain management to appeal to environmental supporting markets. The Canada debut of stores is their first branch into international markets, which says the company is in a stable enough spot to take on these new complex roles in the market. They have a good economy with a high median family income at $90,000 in the areas they plan to continue growth in. According to government data, this is the highest in metropolitan areas in Canada, giving the company the opportunity to expand and capture their market. There are not current plans to expand beyond Canada, but if they succeed there then that again leaves open an entire new box of options for the company to move overseas. Nordstrom will also be opening up Nordstrom Rack locations in Canada once they accomplish their mission with front-line stores, opening up opportunities to reach the middle class Canadian consumers who want designer brands at a bargain. Continuing to be an innovative brand will be an opportunity for Nordstrom to take advantage of. They launched their â€Å"first time private-lab el brand that will give 5 percent of its earnings to Girls Inc. and other nonprofits that seek to empower women and young girls. The move comes amid the increasing popularity of â€Å"give-back† fashion.† The charitable boutique Nordstrom opened in New York’s SoHo neighborhood in 2011, Treasure&Bond, will be available at 86 stores around the country and online as well to promote their â€Å"give-back† persona. There will be constant opportunity to follow trends and compete in the market with things such as these, and Nordstrom has the opportunity to continue its’ successful planning to meet them and conquer.   Disposable incomes in the US are rising, for instance June 2014 were at an all time high at 13021.20 billion versus the previous month at 12969.70 billion. What this means for Nordstrom and all retailers is that spending will begin/continue to increase and they need to be the brand/company that captures those sales. Their expansion, online presence, and quality need to continue to improve, and there marketing strategy relying heavily on word of mouth may need re-evaluation to determine if this is the best way to promote the brand while maintaining their high image.   Sales per square foot vary company to company and your ability to stock, merchandise, and turnover quicker than your competitor is an opportunity to capitalize on. Maintaining highest sales per square foot is a competitive tool in the retail industry and in 2013 Nordstrom had the highest sales per square foot at $400 in comparison to direct competitors Macy’s at $173 and Saks Fifth Ave at $350. Their ability to stock more into a space and turnover that merchandise faster than competition is a strength of Nordstrom in the external market. Threats: The department store and apparel industries are highly competitive, with direct competitors of Nordstrom being: Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, Dillard’s, Saks Fifth Ave, and Neiman Marcus. As consumer preference continues to shift, and incomes continue to rise the market will only continue to be more and more competitive, leveraging many opportunities for each company. There is also a lot of indirect competition of Nordstrom including food service, spas, boutiques, discount retailers, online retailers, and specialty stores. This creates significant competitive areas and factors in position including their customer service, unique fashion trends, selection, quality, environment, location, and convenience. Further threats for the company to consider while making decisions also include plans for growth, market share, pricing, supply chains, brand image and much more. There is also indirect competition for Nordstrom’s credit business like banks, credit card companies , and other stores that offer a store card such as JCP, Saks,  Dillard’s, Macy’s and Dillard’s. Because some of the competitors in this area have more financial marketing and resources to dedicate to their credit business, it makes it a huge threat to Nordstrom The economy will continue to be a threat not only in the US but also in their new Canadian expansion. The US economy and Americans spending is going up, as listed in the opportunities column, but because the past decade has been rough its effects may still linger and possibly shift into Canada’s economy as well. The threat of an economic downturn is something that all businesses face though, so to be safe Nordstrom should continually set realistic expectations and plans for what they would do in that situation. Price changes and increasing costs also threaten Nordstrom’s supply chain of designer and high-end brands. Because of the global climate changes and shortages in resources, the market for material, labor, and transportation are not as stable. This threatens Nordstrom because higher costs for them are not good if they’re not producing higher sales or profits, and the environmental effects on their business is completely out of their control. Online expansio n of all retailers especially a dominator like Amazon has put up many obstacles for Nordstrom. It is difficult and expensive to constantly and quickly transition to new technological changes. Nordstrom is threatened by these changes to see if it can successfully invest and continually update to the markets demands. Their repositioning online and through social media with the wave of technology seems to be going well so far, but time will tell if they are able to continue on top or if they will fall behind the industry. In Canadian market they just entered there is a battle for the luxury market, which is not sufficiently claimed yet. Hudson’s Bay Company has Canadian roots and just bought Saks, with plans to move them up to Canada as well. This will harshly threaten Nordstrom’s pull on luxury market share in Canada. There is  also the 177-year-old brand Holt Renfrew that announced expansion in its Calgary luxury store, which is in the same place as the first Canadian Nordstrom. This is again a direct threat to their business in Canada and how their expansion will determine if they can grab and hold onto market share. There are also not many to choose from talent wise in Canada because the luxury market is not prominent so there is little experience to find. There is also a higher average wage in the area they are stationed because of the oil-fueled jobs in the Calgary area, so they will have higher labor costs demanded as well. References: http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2024579800_nordstromcanadaxml.html?cmpid=2628 https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nordstrom/id474349412?mt=8 http://www.luxurydaily.com/nordstrom-integrates-instagram-to-create-shopping-experience/ http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/business/ci_26254983/models-disabilities-star-nordstrom-catalog http://wwwiebe.com/nordstrom-customer-service-first/ http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2024313399_nordstromearningsxml.html http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2024291908_nordstromstorexml.html http://www.internetretailer.com/2014/05/19/nordstrom-invests-heavily-e-commerce http://callisto.ggsrv.com/imgsrv/FastFetch/UBER1/306343_GDRT31838FSA