Tribal Feminism

Paula Gunn asserts in her work â€Å"Pushing up the Sky† that tribal life of Native Americans possess an acceptable and dominated element of matriarchy and female- dominance. But she also make it clear that â€Å"tribal feminism† present in the tribal life was different to the concept of feminism that surged the modern society since late 1960s. The cotemporary feminist movements consider the tribal society as lame centered in which women were subjugated and oppressed. She suppose that this misconception on the part of the new feminists are due to tampered literature that present a distorted image of women condition in the tribal societies. She provides examples from a specific narrative (that conveys a totally different meaning and context of a ritual ceremony and woman role in it in the tribal society) to prove her point. Let’s examine her point of view in details.Paula Gunn Allen has juxtaposed modern feminist approaches to that of â€Å"tribal feminism† as persisted in the Native American tribes. She further implies that pre-conceived notions of the modern feminists can not be attributed to the tribal feminism and that feminism (tribal must be observed and analyzed in its contextual framework using employing the basic tenets of feminist thought. She provides reason for this as  Ã¢â‚¬Å"[t]he contexts of Anglo-European and Keres Indian life differ so greatly in virtually every assumption about the nature of reality, society, ethics, female roles, and the sacred importance of seasonal change that simply telling a Keres tale within the an Anglo European narrative context creates a dizzying series of false impressions and unanswerable (perhaps even unoposable) questions.† (p. 238)For this purpose she takes the example of marriage. According to modern feminist approach, marriage is considered as an operational tool for masculine supremacy and dominance. (p.237)   It provides justification to every masculine act of domestic opp ression and subjugation of women in way or the other. But for Keres and for most of other American Tribes, it has no anti-feminist connotations. She says in this regard, â€Å"[P]aternity is not an issue among traditional Keres people; a child belongs to its mother’s clan, not in the sense that she or he is owned by the clan, but in the sense that she or he belongs within it.† (p. 238)Modern feminist viewpoint will consider the information that the have received through different information channels. The foremost of these channels are the narratives that are written by Anglo-European writers. For example the narrative of Gunn describe Kochinennako as cause of conflict and thus maligned the woman character in the tribal society but Paula is of the view that truth is different from what a modern feminist takes from Gunn’s narrative. She asserts that from a native point of view, Kochinnenako is serving as a social tool in the narrative and â€Å"it is through her ritual agency that the orderly, harmonious, transfer of primacy between the Summer and the Winter people accomplished.†(p. 238) So she is a dominant force according to Keres viewpoint that enables the society to create harmony and balance in the tribal life.Paula further sustains the viewpoint that a modern feminist will read a Gunn’s version of a story, will consider tribal society as patriarchal and male-centered   in which Kochinennako marries an indifferent and violent person against her will. Her will or approval is not considered necessary. So tribal society   bvdoes not take into account the feminine feelings and their ultimate right to choose. A rather radical supposition that will come out of this reading is about the abuse of power where common folk is afflicted with pathos and miseries due to Kochinennako’s â€Å"unfortunate alliance†.Paula further illustrate that these interpretations of Gunn’s story are not in align with tribal soc io-economic patterns and structure of Keres but rather it’s manifestation of Anglo-European tradition that are forcefully and/or wrongly implied to the tribal structure of Keres. She further asserts that it is the narrative structure of the Gunn’s story that is woven in a way â€Å"to confirm a feminist’s interpretation of the tale as only another example of low status of women in tribal cultures.†(p. 235) Gunn’s narrative version itself is tampered with Anglo-European sexist, classicist and racist notions and concepts.Consciously or unconsciously, these notions and other related values are immersed in the mainstream tribal thought in a subtle way that an ordinary reader can not detect them. Furthermore, the linguistic inability of one language to transmit the concepts and values of another culture is another problem that renders alteration to the cultural concepts of one culture. Paula says in this regard, â€Å"So while the problem is one of tra nslation, it is not simply one of word equivalence. The differences are perceptual and contextual as much as verbal† (p.225) Third factor that further deteriorates the situation is non-understanding of a proper contextual framework in which values, rituals and traditions operate.To understand a tribal narrative it is mandatory to comprehend its contextual framework. So Paula assumes that Gunn’s version is tampered on the same pattern and his story contains notions of â€Å"Christianization, secularization, economic dislocation† patriarchal tradition of Anglo-European life etc. together â€Å"with linguistic inequivalence and lack of contextual understanding. Or this purpose she provides the example of Hiut-cha-mun-ki-uk. Guinn has translated this as â€Å"broken prayer stick† but Paula says that it originally means â€Å"——-. Furthermore, Gunn is unable to provide cultural assumptions and orientations related to these terminologies. Thatâ⠂¬â„¢s the reason that these terminologies are perceived in wrong connotations.Paula further says that Gunn has neglected the broad contextual framework in which the whole story operates. This narrative version is related to a ritual that celebrates the seasonal change i.e. the coming of Summer. Additionally, as this story is taken from yellow woman story, and;  Ã¢â‚¬Å"[t]he themes and to a large extent the motifs of these stories are always female-centered, always told from Yellow women’s point o f view. Some older recordedVversions of yellow woman tales (as in Gunn) make yellow woman the daughter of the hocheni’s. Gunn translates Hocheni as â€Å"ruler†. But Keres notions of the hicheni’s function and positions are as cacique or Mother Chief, which differ greatly from Anglo-European idea of rulership.†(p.226)Paula further reinforces the idea that woman has a special place in the Keres of Lagua and Acoma Pueblos. Yellow woman is regarded as an ep itome of certain extra human abilities. Paula elaborates that â€Å"in many ways Kochinennako is a role model though she possesses some behaviors that are not likely to occur in many of the women who hear story†. (p.227)   Paula wants to imply that her feminine character is different not only on the chronological basis but due to a different concept of woman hood in the tribal societies of Native American. So distortions and immersion of western thought in the narrative of Gunn also blur the vision of Modern feminists who consider a different view of â€Å"women status in the tribal life† that has nothing to do with real tribal society and its feminist notions.Paula assertions seem valid about the distortion of contextual framework and its negative effects on the feminine perception of tribal women life. She thinks that incapacity of Western mind to understand and interpret the true tribal mindset and values pertaining to feminism in particular and other socio-cultur al phenomenon â€Å"because they are generally trained to perceive their (tribesmen) entire world in ways that are alien to tribal understandings.† (p. 243).Her point of view about the linguistic tampering due to various mentioned facts is also convincible. But sometime she draws upon far-fetched arguments to prove her point of view. The tribal society as depicted by her illustrations of Gunn’s narratives, clearly manifest a balanced and just society where both male and female members of the community are on equal terms. Although particularly in the domestic sphere they have dominance but they are absent from other aspects of mainstream social life. However, the arguments of Paula contain logical assumptions. But the supposition about the difference between modern feminist concepts and â€Å"tribal feminism† due to the misconception due to biases of the narrator and narrative structure is valid and authentic.   

Simple Des

William Stallings Copyright 2006 Supplement to Cryptography and Network Security, Fourth Edition Prentice Hall 2006 ISBN: 0-13-187316-4 http://williamstallings. com/Crypto/Crypto4e. html 8/5/05 Simplified DES, developed by Professor Edward Schaefer of Santa Clara University [SCHA96], is an educational rather than a secure encryption algorithm. It has similar properties and structure to DES with much smaller parameters. The reader might find it useful to work through an example by and while following the discussion in this Appendix. C. 1 Overview Figure C. 1 illustrates the overall structure of the simplified DES, which we will refer to as SDES. The S-DES encryption algorithm takes an 8-bit block of plaintext (example: 10111101) and a 10-bit key as input and produces an 8-bit block of ciphertext as output. The S-DES decryption algorithm takes an 8-bit block of ciphertext and the same 10-bit key used to produce that ciphertext as input and produces the original 8-bit block of plaintext .The encryption algorithm involves five functions: an initial permutation (IP); a complex function labeled fK, which involves both permutation and substitution operations and depends on a key input; a simple permutation function that switches (SW) the two halves of the data; the function fK again; and finally a permutation function that is the inverse of the initial permutation (IP–1). As was mentioned in Chapter 2, the use of multiple stages of permutation and substitution results in a more complex algorithm, which increases the difficulty of cryptanalysis.The function fK takes as input not only the data passing through the encryption algorithm, but also an 8-bit key. The algorithm could have been designed to work with a 16-bit key, consisting of two 8-bit subkeys, one used for each occurrence of fK. Alternatively, a single 8-bit key could have been used, with the same key used twice in the algorithm. A compromise is to use a 10-bit key from which two 8-bit subkeys are gener ated, as depicted in Figure C. 1. In this case, the key is first subjected to a permutation (P10). Then a shift operation is performed.The output of the shift operation then passes through a permutation function that produces an 8-bit output (P8) for the first subkey (K1 ). The output of the shift operation also feeds into another shift and another instance of P8 to produce the second subkey (K 2 ). We can concisely express the encryption algorithm as a composition1 of functions: which can also be written as: IP-1 o fK2 o SW o fK1 o IP ((( ciphertext = IP-1 fK 2 SW fK1 (IP(plaintext )) where ( K1 = P8 Shift (P10(key )) ! ( ( ))) ) K2 = P8 Shift Shift( P10( key)) )) Decryption is also shown in Figure C. and is essentially the reverse of encryption: ((( plaintext = IP-1 fK1 SW fK 2 (IP(ciphertext )) 1 ))) Definition:! f f and g are two functions, then the function F with the equation y = F(x) = I g[f(x)] is called the composition of f and g and is denoted as F = g o f . C-2 8/5/05 We now examine the elements of S-DES in more detail. C. 2 S-DES Key Generation S-DES depends on the use of a 10-bit key shared between sender and receiver. From this key, two 8-bit subkeys are produced for use in particular stages of the encryption and decryption algorithm. Figure C. 2 depicts the stages followed to produce the subkeys.First, permute the key in the following fashion. Let the 10-bit key be designated as (k1 , k2 , k3 , k4 , k5 , k6 , k7 , k8 , k9 , k10). Then the permutation P10 is defined as: P10(k1 , k2 , k3 , k4 , k5 , k6 , k7 , k8 , k9 , k10) = (k3 , k5 , k2 , k7 , k4 , k10, k1 , k9 , k8 , k6 ) P10 can be concisely defined by the display: 3 5 2 7 P10 4 10 1 9 8 6 This table is read from left to right; each position in the table gives the identity of the input bit that produces the output bit in that position. So the first output bit is bit 3 of the input; the second output bit is bit 5 of the input, and so on.For example, the key (1010000010) is permuted to (1000001 100). Next, perform a circular left shift (LS-1), or rotation, separately on the first five bits and the second five bits. In our example, the result is (00001 11000). Next we apply P8, which picks out and permutes 8 of the 10 bits according to the following rule: P8 6 3 7 4 8 5 10 9 The result is subkey 1 (K1 ). In our example, this yields (10100100) We then go back to the pair of 5-bit strings produced by the two LS-1 functions and perform a circular left shift of 2 bit positions on each string. In our example, the value (00001 11000) becomes (00100 00011).Finally, P8 is applied again to produce K2 . In our example, the result is (01000011). C. 3 S-DES Encryption Figure C. 3 shows the S-DES encryption algorithm in greater detail. As was mentioned, encryption involves the sequential application of five functions. We examine each of these. Initial and Final Permutations The input to the algorithm is an 8-bit block of plaintext, which we first permute using the IP function: IP 2 6 3 1 4 8 5 7 This retains all 8 bits of the plaintext but mixes them up. At the end of the algorithm, the inverse permutation is used: C-3 8/5/05 1 3 IP–1 57 2 8 6 It is easy to show by example that the second permutation is indeed the reverse of the first; that is, IP–1(IP(X)) = X. The Function fK The most complex component of S-DES is the function fK, which consists of a combination of permutation and substitution functions.The functions can be expressed as follows. Let L and R be the leftmost 4 bits and rightmost 4 bits of the 8-bit input to fK, and let F be a mapping (not necessarily one to one) from 4-bit strings to 4-bit strings. Then we let fK(L, R) = (L ! F(R, SK), R) where SK is a subkey and ! s the bit-by-bit exclusive-OR function. For example, suppose the output of the IP stage in Figure C. 3 is (10111101) and F(1101, SK) = (1110) for some key SK. Then fK(10111101) = (01011101) because (1011) ! (1110) = (0101). We now describe the mapping F. The input is a 4-bi t number (n 1 n2 n3 n4 ). The first operation is an expansion/permutation operation: 4 1 2 E/P 32 3 4 1 For what follows, it is clearer to depict the result in this fashion: n4 n2 n1 n3 n2 n4 n3 n1 The 8-bit subkey K1 = (k11, k12, k13, k14, k15, k16, k17, k18) is added to this value using exclusiveOR: n4 ! 11 n2 ! k15 n1 ! k12 n3 ! k16 n2 ! k13 n4 ! k17 n3 ! k14 n1 ! k18 p0,1 p1,1 p0,2 p1,2 p0,3 p1,3 Let us rename these 8 bits: p0,0 p1,0 The first 4 bits (first row of the preceding matrix) are fed into the S-box S0 to produce a 2bit output, and the remaining 4 bits (second row) are fed into S1 to produce another 2-bit output. These two boxes are defined as follows: C-4 8/5/05 0 S0 = 1 2 3 0 â€Å"1 $3 $0 $3 # 1 0 2 2 1 2 3 1 1 3 3 2% 0†² 3†² 2†² ; 0 S1 = 1 2 3 0 â€Å"0 $2 $3 $2 # 1 1 0 0 1 23 2 3% 1 3†² 1 0†² 0 3†² & The S-boxes operate as follows.The first and fourth input bits are treated as a 2-bit number that specify a row of the S-box, and the s econd and third input bits specify a column of the Sbox. The entry in that row and column, in base 2, is the 2-bit output. For example, if (p0,0p0,3) = ! (00) and (p0,1p0,2) = (10), then the output is from row 0, column 2 of S0, which is 3, or (11) in binary. Similarly, (p1,0p1,3) and (p1,1p1,2) are used to index into a row and column of S1 to produce an additional 2 bits. Next, the 4 bits produced by S0 and S1 undergo a further permutation as follows: P4 2 4 3 1 The output of P4 is the output of the function F.The Switch Function The function fK only alters the leftmost 4 bits of the input. The switch function (SW) interchanges the left and right 4 bits so that the second instance of f K operates on a different 4 bits. In this second instance, the E/P, S0, S1, and P4 functions are the same. The key input is K2 . C. 4 Analysis of Simplified DES A brute-force attack on simplified DES is certainly feasible. With a 10-bit key, there are only 2 10 = 1024 possibilities. Given a ciphertex t, an attacker can try each possibility and analyze the result to determine if it is reasonable plaintext. What about cryptanalysis?Let us consider a known plaintext attack in which a single plaintext (p1 , p2 , p3 , p4 , p5 , p6 , p7 , p8 ) and its ciphertext output (c1 , c2 , c3 , c4 , c5 , c6 , c7 , c8 ) are known and the key (k1 , k2 , k3 , k4 , k5 , k6 , k7 , k8 , k9 , k10) is unknown. Then each ci is a polynomial function gi of the pj ‘s and kj ‘s. We can therefore express the encryption algorithm as 8 nonlinear equations in 10 unknowns. There are a number of possible solutions, but each of these could be calculated and then analyzed. Each of the permutations and additions in the algorithm is a linear mapping.The nonlinearity comes from the S-boxes. It is useful to write down the equations for these boxes. For clarity, rename (p0,0, p0,1,p0,2, p0,3) = (a, b, c, d) and (p1,0, p1,1,p1,2, p1,3) = (w, x, y, z), and let the 4-bit output be (q, r , s, t) Then the operati on of the S0 is defined by the following equations: q = abcd + ab + ac + b + d r = abcd + abd + ab + ac + ad + a + c + 1 where all additions are modulo 2. Similar equations define S1. Alternating linear maps with these nonlinear maps results in very complex polynomial expressions for the ciphertext bits, making cryptanalysis difficult.To visualize the scale of the problem, note that a polynomial equation in 10 unknowns in binary arithmetic can have 210 possible terms. On average, we might therefore C-5 8/5/05 expect each of the 8 equations to have 29 terms. The interested reader might try to find these equations with a symbolic processor. Either the reader or the software will give up before much progress is made. C. 5 Relationship to DES DES operates on 64-bit blocks of input. The encryption scheme can be defined as: IP-1 o fK16 o SW o fK15 o SW oL o SW o f K1 o IPA 56-bit key is used, from which sixteen 48-bit subkeys are calculated. There is an initial permutation of 64 bits foll owed by a sequence of shifts and permutations of 48 bits. Within the encryption algorithm, instead of F acting on 4 bits (n1 n2 n3 n4 ), it acts on 32 bits (n1 †¦n32). After the initial expansion/permutation, the output of 48 bits can be diagrammed as: n32 n4 †¢ †¢ †¢ n28 n1 n5 n29 n2 n6 †¢ †¢ †¢ n30 n3 n7 n4 n8 n31 n32 n5 n9 †¢ †¢ †¢ n1 This matrix is added (exclusive-OR) to a 48-bit subkey. There are 8 rows, corresponding to 8 S-boxes. Each S-box has 4 rows and 16 columns.The first and last bit of a row of the preceding matrix picks out a row of an S-box, and the middle 4 bits pick out a column. C-6 10-bit key ENCRYPTION DECRYPTION P10 8-bit plaintext 8-bit plaintext Shift IP-1 IP K1 fK P8 K1 fK Shift SW SW K2 fK P8 K2 fK IP–1 IP 8-bit ciphertext 8-bit ciphertext Figure C. 1 Simplified DES Scheme 10-bit key 10 P10 5 5 LS-1 LS-1 5 5 P8 K1 8 LS-2 LS-2 5 5 P8 K2 8 Figure C. 2 Key Generation for Simplified DES 8-bit plaintext 8 IP 4 fK 4 E/P 8 F 8 + 4 4 2 K1 2 S0 S1 P4 4 + 4 SW 4 fK 4 E/P 8 F 8 + 4 4 2 K2 2 S0 S1 P4 4 + 4 IP–1 8 8-bit ciphertext Figure C. 3 Simplified DES Encryption Detail

Marketing Research Energy Drink Market Brazil Essay

The purpose of this research was to evaluate potential opportunities of distributing new energy drink V-Fusion+Energy ® in Brazil. Having performed secondary market research, we were able to analyze economic, political, legal, cultural, and social factors that affect Brazil’s business environment. We also explored current market opportunities in Brazil and performed detailed analysis of energy drink industry in Brazil and competition. During the research we gathered secondary data published by US and Brazilian government agencies, US Commercial Service, marketing research agencies, as well as information from business news and private companies’ web sites (such as Coca-Cola, Red Bull, etc). Based on gathered information, we concluded that although there is a number of challenges in the Brazilian market that create complex business environment and obstacles for US exporters, energy drink industry in Brazil is in inception stage and thus offers a good growth potential. After selecting and defining the target market, we were able to develop proposals for international promotional strategy, to describe business and marketing challenges and to provide detailed solution alternatives. INTRODUCTION V-Fusion+Energy ® is a new energy drink made with fruit and vegetable juice and green tea extract. It is a healthy alternative to high-caffeine and high-sugar energy drinks because it contains one combined serving of vegetables and fruit, is an excellent source of B vitamins, has only 50 calories and no added sugar or artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. The product currently distributed in United States (Wal-Mart and other grocery and retail stores). The purpose of this research is to explore opportunities of distributing V-Fusion+Energy ® in Brazil. We selected Brazil as a potential market because it is Latin America’s biggest economy accounting for 60% of its GDP and seventh largest economy in the world with population of about 200 million, strong domestic demand for American goods and growing middle class. With GDP growth of nearly $2. 5 trillion in 2011 according to The White House (2012), we believe this market offers excellent growth opportunities for US companies. Its middle class and consumption has grown tremendously in past decade – as per Searchlight Process (2012) 40 million people has joined middle class between 2003 and 2011 and 20 million are expected to be included by 2014. In addition, there is a clear preference for American-produced goods to domestic goods in Brazil – they demand brands for all products from high tech and apparel products of Apple and Nike to beverages of Coca Cola. The improvement in infrastructure is expected in the next 2 years as Brazil prepares for the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016 – it will spend billions in infrastructure development of its roads, railroads, ports, and airports. According to US Commercial Service (2011), despite signs of improvement there are a number of challenges in the Brazilian market create complex business environment and create obstacles for US exporters, such as uneven income distribution, problems in public education, disproportion of market concentration, and â€Å"grey economy† that hinders tax collection and keeps economic growth from reaching its full potential. In addition, doing business in Brazil requires understanding of local business practices such as implicit costs of doing business referred to as â€Å"Custo Brasil† – costs related to distribution, government procedures, employee benefits, and complex tax structure. Complex customs system along with high tariff barriers that increase consumer prices up to 100%, and overloaded legal system with lengthy processes is another challenge US companies are facing. As per US Commercial Service (2011), The World Bank ranks Brazil 127 out of 183 economies in the world in terms of ease of doing business. Nevertheless, if these challenges are accounted and approached with proper solutions, we believe entrance in Brazil market may be extremely profitable and beneficial for US companies in general and Campbell with its innovative product V-Fusion+Energy ® in particular. CURRENT ECONOMIC, POLITICAL, CULTURAL, SOCIAL AND LEGAL ENVIRONMENT IN BRAZIL Economic Environment. Brazil is Latin America’s most influential country and one of the rising economic powers together with Russia, China and India (also known as BRIC nations). Almost double size the European Union (8. 5 million square kilometers), with rich in reserves of natural resources (iron ore, manganese, bauxite, nickel, uranium, gemstones, oil, wood, and aluminum, and 14% of the world’s renewable fresh water), and with over 300 million hectares of agricultural land in favorable climate conditions, Brazil takes a relevant position in global market. According to Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs (2011), Brazil’s consistent growth from 2002 to 2009 when its real GDP almost doubled (from US$ 724 billion to US$ 1. 5 trillion), and economy’s solid performance during 2008 financial crisis followed by strong recovery (including 2010 growth of 7. 5%) contributed to countries transition from a regional to global power. Although GDP growth in Brazil slowed down (2. 7 % in 2011 vs. 7. 5% in 2010) and according to the Colitt (2012) its industrial output has contracted 3. 4 % from last year, the economy is the world’s seventh-largest and is expected to rise to fifth within the next several years. As noted by Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs (2011), during the administration of former President Lula, surging exports, economic growth, and social programs helped lift tens of millions of Brazilians out of poverty. For the first time, a majority of Brazilians are now middle-class, and domestic consumption has become an important driver of Brazilian growth. President Dilma Rousseff, who took office in January 2011, has indicated her intention to continue the former president’s economic policies, including sound fiscal management, inflation control, and a floating exchange rate. Colitt (2012) states that Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff is implementing policies aimed to protect Brazilian industry – increasing duties on imported goods like shoes, textiles, and electronics, but not putting enough effort into fixing local infrastructure. The financial sector is secure and provides local firms with a wide range of financial products, yet interest rates remain among the highest in the world. Due to high interest rates investors that have been buying Brazilian high-yielding bonds have driven up the Real making it a very strong. This in turn, has made imports more favorable for US companies and exports more expensive for Brazil, which increased Brazil’s trade deficit to $92. 5 billion in 2011. As per The White House (2012), U. S. goods exports to Brazil have more than tripled since 2002, growing from $12. 4 billion in 2002 to $42. 9 billion in 2011 (largest categories are machinery, aircraft, and plastics). As noted by Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs (2011), Brazil has one of the most advanced industrial sectors in Latin America. Accounting for roughly one-third of the GDP, Brazil’s diverse industries include automobiles and parts, machinery and equipment, textiles, shoes, cement, computers, aircraft, and consumer durables. Brazil continues to be a major world supplier of commodities and natural resources, with significant operations in lumber, iron ore, tin, other minerals, and petrochemicals. However, high inflation (7. 3% in October 2011 – above the upper limit of the government’s target of 2. 5%-6. 5%) is a cause of extremely high cost of operating the manufacturing (due to high prices of energy, raw materials and wages), which makes it very hard for Brazilian industries to be competitive in the world markets. According to Alberto Ramos, chief Latin America economist at GS, manufacturing industry is not a competitive advantage of Brazil and it should redirect its resources into fields where it is competitive, like services, agribusiness and commodities. Brazil has a diverse and sophisticated services industry, including developed telecommunications, banking, energy, commerce, and computing sectors. And most importantly, Brazil is generally open to and encourages foreign investment -it is the largest recipient of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Latin America, and the United States is traditionally the top foreign investor in Brazil – United States is a major supplier with over 15% of Brazil’s imports. Political Environment. The current structure of the Brazilian government is a Federative republic with 26 states and feral district, governed by a presidential system in which the president is both head of state and head of government (elections are based on a four-year term). Brazil has become independent in September 7, 1822 and promulgated its constitution in October 5, 1988. The 1988 constitution grants broad powers to the federal government, made up of executive, legislative, and judicial branches. As summarized by Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs (2011), there are 81 senators, three for each state and the Federal District, and 513 deputies. Senate terms are 8 years, staggered so that two-thirds of the upper house is up for election at one time and one-third 4 years later. Chamber terms are 4 years, with elections based on a complex system of proportional representation by states. Each state is eligible for a minimum of eight seats; the largest state delegation (Sao Paulo’s) is capped at 70 seats. This system is weighted in favor of geographically large but sparsely populated states. In Congress, fifteen political parties are represented making it common for politicians to switch parties. The largest political parties are the Workers’ party (PT), Democrats (DEM), Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB-center), Brazilian Social Democratic Party (PSDB), Progressive Party (PP), Brazilian Labor Party (PTB), Liberal Party (PL), Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB), Popular Socialist Party (PPS), Democratic Labor Party (PDT), and the Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB). Major labor union federations include the Workers’ Unitary Central, the Workers’ General Confederation (CGT), and the Forca Sindical (FS). As listed in World Guide (1997), there is a variety of labor unions and national, religious and professional associations that people in Brazil belong to: Brazil is one of the founding members of the United Nations, the G20, CPLP, Latin Union, the Organization of Ibero-American States, and Union of South American Nations. One of its main goals is to provide aid to developing countries and is estimated to be $1 Billion per year. As per Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs (2011), to further increase its international profile (both politically and economically), the Rousseff administration is also seeking expanded trade ties with developing countries, as well as a strengthening of the Mercosul (Mercosur in Spanish) customs union with Uruguay, Paraguay, and Argentina. Brazil is a charter member of the United Nations and participates in its specialized agencies. Cultural and Social Environments. The official language of Brazil is Portuguese and it is most widely used language. However you may find less common languages like Spanish, German, Italian, and Japanese. But many Brazilian executives speak English, since many of them have studied abroad in the United States or Europe. Understanding Brazilian culture, social environment and business etiquette is essential for successfully doing business in Brazil. Anybody who is doing business with Brazilians should be aware of the various cultural and structural barriers which might confront them. According to study made by University of Illinois (2010), concepts of class and status are very strong in Brazil and can determine the position a person may take in the company, which implies that Brazilians allow inequality in their companies. Although communication between high and low level employees is often informal, everyone is aware of social hierarchies. When conducting business it is important to remember that the Brazilian family (often family members working for the same company) is the foundation of their social structure and it forms the basic stability for most Brazilian people. Because of this, Brazilians need to know whom they are doing business with before they can effectively work together, so questions about person’s personal life, family, and company should be expected. Relationships are extremely important to Brazilians, by building close personnel relationships and building trust, foreign businessmen and investors will have a greater chance of success in doing business in Brazil. According to the information gathered and provided by Kwitessential (2010), although the communication is very informal, some simple rules of etiquette must be followed. Although business appointments can be scheduled on the short notice, it is best to schedule them two to three weeks in advance and confirm them in writing since it is not uncommon for appointments to be cancelled or changed at the last minute. It is important to appear on time for meeting in Sao Paulo, however, in Rio de Janeiro and other cities it is acceptable to arrive a few minutes late for a meeting. During introduction it is very important to be prepared for a lot of handshakes when saying hi and bye or a kiss in the cheeks between men and women. It is important to note that since business in Brazil is hierarchical, so decisions are made by highest ranking person which may not be always present – senior managers usually attend only initial meetings (and expect to meet someone higher ranked as well). According to study in Ethisphere (2008), people in US and Brazil differ in ethical orientation and therefore, before entering Brazil we should be aware of ethically challenging situations and establish strategies on how to deal with potential corruption ahead of time. It is important to understand Brazillian â€Å"Jeitinhio Brasileiro† way of thinking – their tendency to look for alternatives to do something that in our eyes seems improper, which rarely require bribes and is not considered corruption, but more like an alternative way of accomplishing objectives when confronting overly rigid rules. Legal Environment. Brazil is organized as a Federal Republic and its legal system is based on Roman civil code, which implies that all laws that discipline all kinds of situations are previously written and made public. Besides the Federal Constitutions, which consists of 250 articles that outline citizens’ fundamental rights and guarantees, the political and administrative organization of the Federal Republic of Brazil, the individual spheres of authority of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches, tax system and the fundamental labor rights, there main legal documents are the Codes: Civil Code, the Tax Code, the Penal Code and the Civil Procedure Code. The Civil Code comprises over 2000 articles regulating matters such as Obligations and Contracts, Businesses and Corporations, Real Estate and related property rights, and many others. The Tax Code defines the main Brazilian tax regulations, which are complemented by many Federal, State and Municipal laws. The Penal Code brings the definitions of conducts considered crimes and the punishments for anyone fitting the respective legal descriptions. Finally, the Civil Procedure Code regulates the due process of law. There is a variety of legal restrictions for foreign companies conducting business in Brazil, which pushed many companies towards partnerships with qualified agents or distributors when entering the Brazilian. First, a foreign company must obtain written permission to operate a branch in Brazil, thus joint ventures are usually more popular than independent entities. To avoid potential legal problems, US Commercial Service (2011) recommends U. S. companies have a written agreement to help exporters limit liability for product defects, protect a trademark, better ensure payments, and define warranty terms, and consult with a Brazilian law firm before signing any agreement. Taxes in Brazil are actually favorable compared to the U. S. The current corporate income tax rate is 15% regardless of the corporation’s business but with a 10% supplementary tax on the portion of net profits that exceeds R$ 20. 000,00 per month. The main stock exchange in Brazil is the Sao Paulo Stock Exchange (â€Å"Bovespa†). â€Å"Securities, such as shares, commercial papers, debentures, investment fund quotas and derivatives, are traded on Bovespa. † Also, it is important to note that, according to a business survey conducted by PriceWaterhouse Coopers (2009), 70 percent of firms in Brazil report having spent at least 3 percent of revenues on bribes. Most of these bribes are to expedite procedures, special treatment or access to traditional transactions. Although nowadays many companies in Brazil, especially those that operate internationally, are fighting against corruption (for ex: companies signing Brazilian Pact for Integrity and against Corruption), and Federal agents have been effective in policing illegal behavior (which helped Brazil achieve â€Å"moderate† rating in 2009 Global Integrity Report), corruption, governmental inefficiency, legal and bureaucratic complications remain real and very sensitive issues in Brazil that cause a great frustration to the international business people. INDUSTRY AND COMPETITORS OVERVIEW. Energy Drink industry in Brazil is in inception stage and thus offers a good growth potential for a company distributing new energy drink products like V-Fusion+Energy ®. According to Russell (2012), energy drinks was the fastest growing soft drinks category in Brazil in 2010, with 33 percent growth in value term. Moreover, Brazil is still a small market for energy drinks with off-trade volume sales of 31 million liters in 2010, which corresponds to 1% of global volume. As Russell (2012) points out, new product launches with new positionings and lower price points, and increased availability, mean that the market is tipped for growth. Although some health concerns have been voiced regarding energy drink consumption, particularly when associated with alcohol, there is no indication that the category is acquiring a negative image in Brazil, Russell (2012) explains. There new trends in Brazil’s population proportion and its consumption patterns also create opportunity in energy drink industry: middle class and consumption has grown tremendously in past decade – as per Searchlight Process (2012) 40 million people has joined middle class between 2003 and 2011 and 20 million are expected to be included by 2014. As of today, out of 200 million Brazilians over 52 percent are a part of middle class, whose combined monthly family income ranges between US$600 (R$1,000) and US$2,400 (R$4,000). Moreover, according to Secretariat of Strategic Affairs of the Presidency of Brazil (SAE) middle class is predominantly comprised of young people less than 30 years old, with formal employment and disposable income, mostly residing in urban areas and expressing strong preference for American brands. With this in mind, according to Russel (2012), Euromonitor predicts that multinational manufacturers will start to invest more in the country to offset sluggishness in other markets. Brazil could be one of the top five markets worldwide for energy drinks, according to Euromonitor. Sales of energy drinks are predicted to grow in total volume at 14% per year on average between 2010 and 2015. The biggest challenge in energy drink industry for US exporter is the price structure due to complex customs system along with high tariff barriers that increase consumer prices up to 100%. As per US Commercial Service (2011), in some cases costs are so high that a simple calculation may indicate that US exporter’s margin will not allow them to compete with local products. Thus, some US companies work on low margins and implement efficient supply chain systems aimed to lower operation costs. Red Bull, for example, whose drink already holds lead position in Brazil’s energy drink market with 59. 6 percent volume share, is building a production plant in Brazil to remove high tariffs from its price structure and be able to increase its profit margins while lowering retail prices and increasing sales volumes. Besides Red Bull, who dominates Brazil’s energy drink market with 59. 6 percent volume share, the main competitors are US based multinational giant The Coca-Cola Co. with its product â€Å"Burn Energy† taking 11. 7% share and German Lizur Trading’s â€Å"Flash Power energy† taking 4. 8% share, and new Gladiator with no sales figures available but with promising results. According to Euromonitor International (2010), the newer brand Gladiator is one of the fastest growing soft drinks brands. As the company has massive distribution infrastructure, it can become the toughest rival in the industry in the medium term. Marketing activity and optimization of logistics and distribution channels are likely to be explored by the main players in energy drink industry over the next few years. Austrian company Red Bull has created the global market for energy drinks, and the pioneering Red Bull brand became synonymous with energy drinks for a large number of consumers, including Brazilians. According to Euromonitor International (2010), despite rising competition, Red Bull GmbH continues to comfortably lead the global energy drinks market by both volume and value. Red Bull is produced at a single facility in Austria and then distributed around the world via a network of local subsidiaries and external importers and distributors. Thus, Red Bull imports its product to Brazil through a distributor and adds high costs of duties, energy and logistics cost to its prices, which makes it unaffordable for some low-income consumers in Brazil. Also, Euromonitor International (2010) advises that the company aims to capitalize on the current consumer trend towards â€Å"natural† ingredients, and targets an older consumer group that is typically more interested in product ingredients than younger consumers. Thus, it is clear that industry leader sees opportunity in expanding its product portfolio to target health conscious consumers, which means that V-Fusion+Energy ® has a great opportunity in this market if introduced first. Coca Cola competes on Brazil’s energy drink market with Burn Energy – a new Swedish high-energy drink oriented on young population (20-24) with its stylish design and promotion associated with famous dj’s, parties in famous clubs in Brazil and music festivals. Besides the attractive image, added native Brazilian high caffeine guarana extract appeals to Brazilians. Coca Cola has very efficient distribution network in Brazil and 46 manufacturers strategically located in all regions of the country ensuring the supply of about one million points of sale. To summarize information provided on official web site of Coca-Cola in Brazil, Division Brazil is one of the four major operations of Coca-Cola performing in Brazil since 1942. Besides Coca-Cola, there are 16 independent business groups, called authorized manufacturers, in addition to the Junior Lion and Del Valle, who draw up the final product in its 46 plants and distribute them to retail outlets. This structure allows Coca-Cola to gain efficiency in manufacturing and distribution, avoid high tariffs and bureaucratic import barriers, thus minimizing costs and consumers retail prices. SELECTION AND ANALYSIS OF TARGET MARKET As we mentioned earlier, health and energy segment of beverage market has been growing strongly in Latin American countries including Brazil. Studies have shown that the change in consumer wealth and behavior has driven the health and energy markets to be viewed as the most promising segment of the beverages industry. More than two-thirds of Brazilians are concerned with their energy levels and try to manage tiredness. With the new V8+Energy people can look forward to enjoying a combined serving of vegetables and fruit with the amount of caffeine that is comparable to the leading energy drink or a cup of coffee. By targeting upper and middle class we will be able reach out to over 80 million of people living in Brazil. Huge difference between rich and poor is the direct reason why social classes have such relevance for segmenting demography in Brazil. Novias (2011) classified contemporary Brazilian society from letters A-E, as follows: 1. Educational Level †¢ Classes A and B: usually composed by those who completed higher education. The younger generations of these classes tend to be fluent in several languages. †¢ Class C: most people in this class have finished high school and there is also a significant quantity of people who completed higher education or at least have a technical level degree. †¢ Class D: people who have not finished high school. †¢ Class E: people who have not finished elementary school and illiterate people. 2. Occupation. The educational levels previously presented support the level of submission among five different classes. This employment relationship is presented as: †¢ Class A: composed by bankers, investors, business owners, major landowners and people with extraordinary skills for the industry they operate in. †¢ Class B: composed by directors and managers, politicians, judges, justices, prosecutors, well graduated professors, doctors, well qualified engineers and lawyers, etc. †¢ Class C: composed by those who provide services directly to the wealthier groups, such as teachers, managers, mechanics, electricians, nurses, etc. †¢ Class D: composed by people who provide services to Class C, such as housemaids, bartenders, bricklayers, people who work for the civil construction companies, small stores sellers, low-paid drivers, etc. †¢ Class E: composed by people who earn minimum salaries, such as cleaners, street sweepers, and also by unemployed people. Our primary target is classes A-C. Consumers in these classes are hardworking people (ages 18-35) that have proper education to know the benefits of drinking V-Fusion+Energy ® and want a smart, healthy, and effective way to gain their energy back. In terms of the geographic locations there are some regions where there is a strong dominance of classes D and E like the North, Northeast and Central-West regions in which we will not focus on. However, it is the larger cities such as Sao Paulo in which social differences are mostly visible and is where many of the upper classes are found, as well as Brasilia, capital of Brazil. Our age segmentation can vary mostly because the V-Fusion+Energy ® drink can be consumed by almost anyone at any age. Made with natural ingredients, it is healthy for any age group to drink including young teens from ages 12-19 as well as for seniors. However, our primary target is working social classes A-C that belong to 18-35 age group and teenagers who are following newest trends , interest and youthful lifestyle. PROMOTIONAL STRATEGY Introducing Acai Berry Flavor. In order to localize the product to the Brazilian people, we will introduce a new flavor of V8 Fusion Energy: Acai Berry. Acai is the most popular fruit in Brazil, and it is enjoyed throughout the year by both young and old. By creating an acai flavor, we will be able to expand our market, because our product will appeal to all Brazilians. We will also attract more customers to our target market, mostly healthy individuals who exercise regularly. Acai is one of the healthiest fruits in the world: it contains powerful antioxidants that can help defend the body against life’s stressors. It also contains anthocyanin and flavonoids, which play a key role in the body’s cell protection system, help slow down the aging process, and may promote fat loss. All these health benefits are the reason why acai is often referred to as a â€Å"super fruit† by nutritionists. Processing the acai fruit into an energy drink does require time and resources, but considering that Brazil is an upper-middle-income country with a newly, rapid industrializing economy (Keegan), we have determined that the acai strategy will be successful. Localizing our product by including something that everyone in Brazil is familiar with and enjoys will be a successful initial promotional strategy. It will define our target market, because of acai’s health benefits. It will also expand the market, since many people will buy and drink our product, simply because they enjoy the flavor of acai berry. Carnival. The Rio Carnival is the perfect place to market out V-8 Fusion Energy drink. We will be considering a couple of strategies at the Rio Carnival: 1) we will have our sales employees offer people the drink for free, and 2) we will occupy small vendors, located around the carnival and sell our product there. Free sampling will initiate the promotion of our drink. We have strong belief in the quality and taste of our product, which is why we believe that once people try it, they will be returning customers. The second strategy will be used for customers wanting to try the other great flavors of our product: Peach Mango, and Pomegranate Blueberry. This strategy will also be used as primary research. We will be closely monitoring our sales, considering factors such as: location of vendor and flavor of drink. Employees will collect the data electronically, which will be used to determine which flavor is more popular in which area. We will also have employees conduct observational surveys. They will be writing down data of approximate age of customers, as well as their facial expressions after drinking, to help determine if customers enjoyed our product. Soccer – Campeonato Brasileiro. The most popular sport in Brazil is soccer. It is so popular, that it is not even considered a sport; it’s a way of life for most Brazilians. Soccer is played everywhere: on the streets, on the beach, in parks, and in professional soccer clubs. Professional soccer players in Brazil are the most famous and recognized people in the country. This is why we plan to promote V8 Fusion Energy through professional soccer teams We will offer a contract to the professional team – Santos to place our product name on the front of their uniforms. Santos is currently the team with the best-selling jerseys and apparel in Brazil, and we would like to be associated with a popular, winning team. Research has showed that when a product is associated with a successful team, sales increase as well. We will also offer personal contracts to one or two star players from the team. They will play a key part in our advertising commercials and promotional campaigns throughout the country. Our vision is to promote V-Fusion+Energy ® as a healthy source of energy and gain strong position on energy drink market in the country, thus we see tremendous potential to market our product in the professional soccer league. Brazil does not have a specific drink associated with sports (such as Gatorade in the United States). We will use an aggressive market strategy and make our V8 Energy Fusion the official drink of Brazilian soccer possibly sports in general. Our product will be placed on the sidelines of all games. Players coming in and out of the game will drink our product for energy and hydration. Our goal is for people to associate our product with energy, success, and health, which is exactly what V8 Fusion Energy is – a healthy energy drink for success! BUSINESS AND MARKETING CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS To achieve a successful outcome in launching the V-Fusion+Energy ® product in Brazil, it is essential to highlight the barriers to entry and marketing challenges. We have identified three key areas that present a challenge; un-even income distribution, public perception and consumer education, and a foreign judicial system that includes a complex tax system and testing custom laws. First, un-even income distribution in society refers to the possession of the production factors and the price the owners get in the market. Focusing on this issue results beneficial considering we can’t put our product out there if the consumer population does not have a stable income in the different cities or areas, and the production cost are unknown . Therefore, in order to reduce production costs we can create a joint venture with a pre-existing Brazilian beverage companies. furthermore, we will focus on the local agriculture; I. e invest in local agriculture.

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Business Strategy. (Tesla Motors, Kellogg's Efficiency) - Assignment Example The mission statement focused on achievement of growth by offering better services to customers and actively catering for the needs of its stakeholders. In order to formulate its strategy properly, the firm had to identify the expectations of stakeholders like customers, employees and shareholders. Afterwards, it had to analyse its current performance in regards to service delivery, corporate social responsibility, and profitability. Finally, a company strategy was defined on what the firm needed to have achieved in order to close the performance gap (Ketokivi and Castaà ±er, 2004: 360). In order to achieve its objectives, the company needed a plan, most of which involved strengthening the core competencies and correcting the mistakes the firm had been making in regards to quality service delivery. For instance, Kellogg's is excellent at keeping injury levels among its employees at their lowest levels; therefore, all the firm did was to establish targets to act as benchmarks for its facilities. The facilities used this benchmark in order to be recognized as the safest, and the firm benefitted in the form of increased employee satisfaction, low turnover, higher productivity, revenue and profits, and a competitive edge for the firm over the years (Ketokivi and Castaà ±er, 2004: 360). ... For instance, Kellogg's worked with the supermarket chain in order to capture the market share of customers that seek to obtain all their shopping from one location. Moreover, the firm had responsible corporate social responsibility in its strategic plan to ensure that all its activities are geared towards achieving long-term and short-term goals. For instance, it sponsored community-based events that promote physical activities among customers and members of the public. In addition, all its product packaging has information on the products and the recommended daily intake for various nutrients. By doing so, Kellogg's showed its customers that their welfare comes first, even if it means having them to reduce the amount of products they would otherwise have bought without using the guidelines on the labels (Oliveira-Castro et al., 2008: 454). Analysis of Tesla Motors The firm aims at producing fully electric motor vehicles for use by low and middle-income earners. However, due to the high costs of production, and lack of large-scale production infrastructure to enable large scale production the firm may not achieve its objective. Production of cars is a costly venture, and considering the lack of resources at Tesla, the dream of a fully electric vehicle for family, government and other clients may never be achieved. Contrary to expectation, the management of the firm has a strategic plan in place that aims at achieving this vision by, primarily by driving the firm into mass production to enable it to enjoy the economies of scale of doing business in bulk (Schroder, 2009). Tesla’s strategy is to attract public interest,

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Explain the advanatages and disadvantages to an organization using computer based training versus lecture training - Essay Example The communication technology provides a highly innovative approach to training as opposed to the traditional methodology which is fast becoming obsolete. Hence, in the changing environment of business imperatives, the organizations are opting for training their employees and staff in the emerging new skills to meet the challenges of the time. According to a recent study, ‘the task of finding, retaining, developing, and deploying a skilled workforce to meet an organization’s objectives is the number one obstacle to revenue growth’ (Julian, 2001). They have realized the importance of such programs, especially in the light of rapid globalization which has made business more competitive and complex, with regard to transforming socio-economic paradigms and multi-cultural values. According to a study by Sugrue & Kim, ‘more than half of technology based courses in 2003 were delivered online’(Sugrue & Kim, 2004). Another survey reports that ‘the majority of learning executives anticipated increasing use of online platforms to deliver higher education to their employees’ (Trierweller & Rivera, 200 5). To have a cost effective training programs, the organizations need to be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of using computer based training versus traditional classroom based lecture training. We would be carrying an in-depth study into the two models of training programs. The process of globalization has changed the dynamics of the business world. Change has become essential for development and organizations tend to adapt to the constantly evolving business environment through appropriate training and learning modules that promote better understanding among the employees for easy changeover. â€Å"Organizations must change because their environments change† (Bateman, 1990). They implement necessary changes in the organization to not only survive but

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Talk about the holocaust memorial building in Germany - Essay Example Every time I think about the video I wonder if it was worth my time. Is this what people like to watch in the western lands? I did not feel much of anything from watching this video except boredom. There was nothing very interesting about the video itself. If they wanted to build a monument about the Holocaust, why did they not build something like a tower instead? They could have built a home for the Jewish people as well instead of moving them to Jerusalem. So many people are angry because of the Jewish people who were brought here after World War II. I think it is weird to have built such a structure. I think the memorial is pleasing to the eyes but it is dull at the same time. They look like large coffins from far away. Maybe the memorial is supposed to emphasize the many different ages and types of people with each and every block. Sadly, the architectural design does not appeal to me. While it may represent many different things to various people, it does not strike me as something significant except for the fact that it was historically

Principles of Adult Learning Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Principles of Adult Learning - Research Paper Example According to Malcolm Knowles, there are six tenets of understanding the adult learning; they include adults being independent and self-ruling learners, possessing an accumulation of knowledge and work related experiences, being goal oriented, relevancy-oriented, and practical, and requiring respect. Throughout this paper, I will outline a strong adult learning program. When it comes to building a strong adult learning model of instruction it is best to begin with a concrete understanding of what motivates the adult learner. As educators are aware, if students are not motivated then no learning is not taking place. As research reveals, â€Å"the following six factors are sources of adult motivation: social relationships, external expectations, social welfare, personal advancement, escape/stimulation, and cognitive interest† (Lieb, 1991). However, the most prevalent motivation for adult learners is that of career advancement or maintaining current career certificates/licenses. Teachers, for example, are required to stay abreast of current trends and best practices by completing a designated number of post-graduate credits every five years merely to maintain licensure to practice. Because professional development is the most prevalent factor of adult learner motivation, a quality instructor must adhere to four essential components including inspiration, support, maintenance, and transference. If these four components are not addressed in adult learning programs, learning is not occurring for the students. Stephen Lieb further finds that â€Å"With regards to motivation, if the participant does not recognize the need for the information, all of the instructors effort to assist the participant to learn will be in vain† (1991). For this reason, it becomes essential that instructors make it clear to their students the purpose for learning each set of skills; the learner needs to

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Fractionals and Related Shared Ownership Formats - Essay Example Timeshares first became popular in the 1980s with people searching for very attractive and even unique vacation locations which would still be affordable for their families. The genius of the timeshare is that it allows the purchaser to own his or her vacation residence for only the part of each year during which that vacation may be taken. For To meet the important need for variety of vacation locations, many timeshare providers have exchange arrangements with other timeshares all over North America or even all over the world. Thus, by purchasing a timeshare in a particular resort location, if the unit is available for that additional period. Some offer the opportunity to use other resorts in place of the home facility as an extra-cost option. Various other upgrades and enhancements may also be offered, and sometimes even included in the base price, particularly if the prospective timeshare buyer is hesitating at making a commitment. What is virtually universal with timeshares are additional fees and charges which are required in addition to the basic investment to buy fractional ownership of a part of the facility. Maintenance fees are mandatory for the upkeep of the resort, and can be quite substantial. There may be separate charges for non-routine maintenance such as the easy. replacement of furniture or appliances. Property insurance and similar costs are often borne by the owner of the timeshare, or are pro-rated among the ownership base.. As with other forms of fractional real estate, selling the part ownership is usually not easy. Many timeshares today offer deeded ownership so that the purchaser has legal confirmation of ownership, but having a deed and selling the property are not the same thing at all. Those who buy timeshares are often induced to do so by explicit or implicit promises of likely property appreciation and enhanced worth, so that investment gain is a major motivation for some timeshare purchasers. Usually, however, those owners must sell their fractional share in the real estate market, as resorts are very reluctant to buy back a fractional share they have sold while, at the same time, continuing to sell further shares to the public. This would obviously put them in competition with themselves in trying to re-sell the repurchased timeshare to another potential owner.

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A Man Made Marvel of the Twentieth Century - Essay Example Protocols most common in use are the internet protocol (IP) or the transmission control protocol(TCP).Modern day protocols can work in all wired and wireless networks. Earlier networking meant Ethernet cable connection using physical wires, which was seen everywhere in the school, offices and homes. However nowadays wireless technology has taken precedence and has become hugely popular. Wireless technologies operate by using infra red signals, or radio waves or microwaves for their transmission and connectivity. This is far more advantageous as it offers mobility without the cumbersome wires. Wireless LANS use spread spectrum and high frequency radio technology system for their wireless transmission within a limited area of use and this radio technology match up to the Wi-Fi standards of 802.11b. Another popular wireless network protocol is the ‘bluetooth’ used for data exchange within a distance of 100 metres. Other wireless web includes PDAs and cell phones that offer connection at all places and all times. In Terrestrial microwaves, another wireless network, transmission occurs through low gigahertz range and uses terrestrial or earth based devices for transmission and reception. Here antennas are required for network which are placed atop buildings and hills. Communicating satellites which are parked in space, transmit voice signals and other data by using microwave waves as these don’t get deviated by the earth’s atmospheric intervention. Wired technologies are varied and many are still in use and quite popular too.

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Electronic Health Record Essay Example for Free

Electronic Health Record Essay An Electronic Health Record (EHR) is a system of records that are electronically managed, providing longitudinal information of the patient’s health.   The information is generated during one or more encounters with the patient.   Information can be recorded and stored under several sections including demographics, encounters, interventions, treatments, immunizations, prescriptions, laboratory and imaging data, etc.   The EHR is not only a recording system, but also helps in clinical decision-making.   It has several features incorporated such as providing reminders, precautionary measures to be taken, alerts, evidence-based information, tips in improving prognosis and the quality of care provided.    An EHR system can function within one department of the enterprise, in the entire enterprise, or even between several enterprises within a nation or region.   EHR’s can be customized depending on the type of department requiring them and the purpose for its use (NIH NICRR, 2006 Gurley, 2004). Advantages of the EHR system:- †¢ Patient information can be stored for longer periods and would occupy lesser space †¢ Patient information can be accessed from any point in the hospital and also from one hospital to another, if needed †¢ Patient information can be secured and confidentiality can be maintained (as a particular user would be accessing the system with a username/password, and would get information only about his/her patient) †¢ Information can be updated from any of the user points †¢ Several features such as alerts, reminders, etc, which are very useful to the user can be enabled in an EHR system †¢ Built-in intelligence of the EHR would provide several benefits to the physicians such as providing evidence-based information, potential drug reactions, etc †¢ The quality of care can be improved †¢ The requirements and standards set by accreditation organizations, legislations and insurance companies can be more easily met using an EHR system †¢ Potential life-threatening situations and hazardous drug reactions can be better prevented and managed using an EHR system †¢ The patient workflow can be effectively managed if an EHR system is present †¢ Communication between several structures of the healthcare organization can be improved (faster and more effective) †¢ Depending on the needs of the hospital, a customized EHR can be enabled †¢ Risk assessment, management processes and error identification can be better enabled using an EHR system (NIH NICRR, 2006 Gurley, 2004). Disadvantages of the EHR system:- †¢ Initiating and maintaining an EHR system may be very costly for the organization (however, the improvements in quality need to be considered) †¢ Training healthcare professionals in EHR use may be difficult (as it requires some amount of technical knowledge) †¢ Getting competent with the EHR system requires a sharp learning curve †¢ The EHR systems incorporated from one hospital may be different from another, which may hamper the flow of information – Lacks standard architecture and terminologies (effective interconnecting links need to be considered) †¢ Staff members may find it difficult to adopt to the clinical changes brought about through incorporation of an EHR system †¢ Slow systems may affect the workflow †¢ Risk of the system being hacked and data misused (certain standards should be compiled with and protocols need to be followed) (NIH NICRR, 2006 Gurley, 2004).

Business Communication Systems Evaluation

Business Communication Systems Evaluation Oriston Cunningham Managing Communications, Knowledge and Information Jiggs $ Riggs Super Stores Ltd Table of Content (Jump to) Executive Summary Introduction Discuss the Range of Decisions to Taken Examine the Information and Knowledge needed to ensure Effective Decision taking Assess internal and external sources of information and understanding Justify Recommendation for Improvement References Executive Summary Business Profile Sucker Business Consulting Ltd Has over thirty years of experience which head office is based in New Kingston the business hub of Jamaica with functional offices across the Caribbean. We pride ourselves with the successes of our client base of over 2,500 business; micro, small and medium sized businesses that invest in our trusted professional consulting expertise to put them on a growth path, increase operational efficiency and a sustainable, profitability and revenue trajectory. We are a business of diverse professionals expertise with a focus to eliminate the complexity of problems faced by our client business’ and simplify business solution that will enable them to operate in a diversely competitive business environment. Business Profile JIGGS $ RIGGS Super Stores Ltd JIGGS Super Stores Ltd is a family owned business enterprise that has three outlets located in the parishes of Kinston, Manchester and St. James of the island of Jamaica. Great grant father JIGGS as he was passionately called by his family and friends had started a sales business out his garage in Kingston where he sold clothes, shoes and home accessories to the surrounding communities. The business expanded to the extent where he began to drive around with a delivery van and drop off orders to his loyal customers, he later joined partnership with a returning resident passionately called Riggs hence the name JIGGS $ RIGGS Super Stores Ltd. The first location was on Trafalgar road Kingston, The business grew to the extent where they felt the need to care for other customers thus the two other locations in Manchester and St. James. Both men had died and the business passed on their grandchildren Byron and Simeon who are co-managers of JIGGS $ RIGGS Super Stores Ltd. The recent performances of all three stores have declined steadily for past three years. The young partners tried a number of measures to stabilize the business: cut head count, extend operating hours, Increase longer payment terms and even turn off the air conditioning during operation hours but still operating at a loss and fail to breakeven. The co-managers have called a meeting and finally decided to sell and our client Private Partners (a group of small investors). The current financial position of JIGGS $ RIGGS Super Stores Ltd is as follows. Financial situation of Jiggs $ Riggs Super Stores Ltd INDUSTRY STANDARD July 2014 July 2013 July 2012 July 2011 REVENUE $8400000 $2500000 $2600000 $2400000 COST OF SALES 40% ($3200000) ($1500000) ($1600000) ($1500000) GROSS PROFIT 60% $5200000 $1000000 $1000000 $900000 EXPENSES 30% ($2800000) ($2400000) ($2400000) ($2300000) NET PROFIT 30% $2400000 -$1400000 -$1400000 -$1400000 Introduction Research Background The business environment is regulated by laws which guide organizations and their operations. The ever changing business environment demands the growth and development of businesses due to continuous aggressive competition and changes in market trends, (Klein, 2013). The mergers, acquisitions and take-over of businesses increased due to the growth of medium sized companies in their current markets and expanding their reach to new customers adversely, micro business operators are discouraged due to low financial performance and access to the kind of cash injection that will boost their business outlook. Business acquisition may have some draw backs also advantages both for the investors acquiring the firm and also for the previous owner(s). There are several legal matters that must be addressed in order for mergers, acquisition, take-overs and investments to take place. The paper will focus on evaluating the existing communication systems, designing new communication strategies to inv olve all stakeholders to own and drive the new growth changes necessary to put the business on the path to growth. The repot will look at communication terms and how they can be used by all stakeholders in the business. Germaine to the background of the research questions given, the researcher will establish a consultancy firm and present a case study of a small business Jiggs $ Riggs Super Stores Ltd owned by co-managers Byron and Simeon who have obtained new investors. The main impacts of this study is that for future referencing the researcher will have developed the skills necessary for understanding the relevance of communication within the context of business and how to use it to drive change and the overall growth of the business. Aims and Objectives The aims and objectives of the research paper are as follows: Assess how communications, knowledge and information can be improved within the business including making better use of IT systems. Create strategies to increase personal networking to widen involvement in the decision-making processes in the business. You will develop the communication processes, and improve systems relating to information and knowledge. Assess how managers in the business can improve the planning of their communications processes as well as their communication skills and can make the information and knowledge they gain accessible to other parts of the organization Literature Review (Michael E.D. Koeing) Knowledge Management, (KM) is a concept and a term that arose approximately two decades ago, roughly in 1990. This suggests that on the eve of the twenty first century and the advent of communication technology, managing communication knowledge and information or simply put knowledge management was seen to be very critical to join the bridges and make the links for individuals and business. In the early period of the knowledge management discovery Davenport (1994) originate version of definition: â€Å"He sees information management as specialized skill set which is needed by organizations in the promotion and integrated approach to identify, capture, evaluate, retrieve, and disseminate its intellectual assets; such as databases, documents, policies, procedures, and previously un-captured capabilities of the organization. The definitions though similar in nature are showing information as that vehicle that will bring the message of the organization to internal stakeholders and external stakeholders and will in effect create the intended model for success. Knowledge management from an operational was created within consulting community hence the principles of knowledge management went viral by the consulting organizations to other disciplines. Consulting firms since realized the opportunistic use of the Intranet to create the linkage to narrow the geographically gap and provide a greater dispersion of a knowledge-based organizations. (Steve Denning) make the contrast in his article (What is Knowledge) between the east and west, the interchangeable use of information and knowledge and the cultural preference of intuitive knowledge and the rational knowledge. He made the point that knowledge is sticky though information maybe transferable to other persons. In his discussion, the West depicted to lean more to the rational type of knowledge that is more scientific in nature and disregard on a high scale intuitive knowledge, some may argue the intuitive knowledge is not knowledge at all seeing that it is more implicit and tacit thus the movement of knowledge from person to person has deemed to be difficult which bring into focus the greater importance of rational knowledge. Polanyi (1975), and Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995). Further discussion that seeks to strengthens the soundness of knowledge as to that of information Western analysts (Karl Erik Sveiby) seek to put his mark on the subject see â€Å"knowledge† as wholly tacit (i.e. as capacity in action), consenting to other discussion that explicit knowledge is mere information. The East conform to a more traditional purview to celebrate the importance of the intuitive, when compared with the rational. The Upanishads for speak about a higher knowledge and a lower knowledge, they classify lower knowledge to that of the various sciences. Methodology In the acquisition of information both the qualitative and quantitative research methods were employed in the research execution. Qualitative research according Parkinson and Drislane (2011) is defined as a â€Å"research method using methods such as participant observation or case studies which result in narrative or descriptive account of a setting or practice.†(Parkinson and Drislane, 2011). The qualitative methods that will be used include questionnaire and interviews. Qualitative research interprets data and analyses words and ideas. The second research method that will be used is the quantitative method which is defined as an approach that assesses numerical data which can be used to support qualitative research findings. Quantitative method will be achieved using calculations and statistics gathered through questionnaires and surveys that will be administered to the entity selected for this research. Additional data comes from primary research tools that will be utilized by the researcher includes interviews, questionnaires and observations and the secondary tools that will be used are journals, books, newsletters, newspaper and online articles and documents. The methods selected are most appropriate as they will allow the researcher through the combining of the quantitative and qualitative research to provide the readers with a higher degree of accuracy, easier representation of questionnaire and survey answers. The qualitative method is less costly and more flexible considering from a student researcher context. TASK: 1 Discuss the range of decisions to be taken The type and scope of information used in organizations are complex and vast in variation to the size of the organization and the type of market they are operating in. Information and knowledge needs are also specific to the different functional areas of the organization thus it is the fluid of every working communication system that result into the overall success of the whole. Davenport (1995) knowledge management is a process used to harness, transfer and make the effective use of knowledge. Things to take into consideration are how information is harness and used at the different levels of the organization and the knowledge required, the different systems of information, their relevance, efficiency and effectiveness to the organization. The primary and secondary sources of information Examine the information and knowledge needed to ensure effective decision taking Information is knowledge obtained from investigation, study or instruction. e.g. Intelligence, news and facts or raw data (http://www.merriam-webster.com). According to the tripartite theory; knowledge is information that is processed that is believed, justified and is true. For effective decision making in the organization that will form part of its going strategy in a competitive business environment that is ever changing. The knowledge obtained by the sources of the organization internal and external must be in line with the goals of the business and fit with its different levels, strategic, tactical and operational. Strategic information needs- are customer surveys, market research, and statutory accounts, economic and financial information which are used to make long term decisions and shape the business strategy with overall vision. Tactical information needs- market reach, market survey, producers and consumers price indices, business performance indices, budget reports, consumer complaints departmental reports. Operational information needs- product quality matrix, quality management reports, production outputs, workforce performance, machine and equipment management and performance, batch quantity, economic order quantity. Assess internal and external sources of information and understanding Internal sources of information the means of data collection and compilation from systems internal to the organization which are used to enhance the decision making process and fuse the different linkages that enable the organization to achieve its objectives. Internal information in Jiggs $ Riggs Super Stores Ltd. Are Financial information financial information on the three super stores profits and losses, revenues, cost of sales, rates and taxes, staff wages and salaries. The financial manager and use this information to manage the performance of the business and see that it is profitable. Personnel Information this is the compilation of information of personnel by the business that is made available to them when so requested. Information is used to monitor productivity performance, length of work life, remuneration, productivity rate, health reports, information on training and development. Marketing Information marketing team determine value added products and services and their performances, information is obtained from sales and the informal channel used for innovation and to promote product based on the going trends. Purchase Information information used by the purchasing team to procure raw materials, good, services, and other inputs required to run the business. This team also monitors costs and quality to ensure there is value for money. Administration Information makes the linkages with the business’ workforce on business overall performance, annual budgets and projections, structural changes, changes in market conditions, investment and make the link with external partners and build relationships. External sources of information are sources of information generated externally by agencies or individual researcher or consultant Justify recommendations for improvement In order to improve the communication situation at the business the new management will embark on a communication strategy that is geared to harness greater involvement of all employees and improve their empowerment in the decision making process and make them full aware of the business performance on a more frequent basis. Conduct monthly town hall meeting deliberating on business performance, projections and market conditions Train all employees on how to improve and own the systems of communication Provide regular feedback on employees recommendation and reward where necessary References Davenport, Thomas H. (1994), Saving ITs Soul: Human Centered Information Management. Harvard Business Review, March-April, 72 (2) pp. 119-131. Duhon, Bryant (1998), Its All in our Heads. Inform, September, 12 (8). Koenig, M.E.D. (1990) Information Services and Downstream Productivity. In Martha E. Williams (Ed.), Annual Review of Information Science and Technology: Volume 25, (pp. 55-56). New York, NY: Elseview Science Publishers for the American Society for Information Science Ponzi, L., Koenig, M.E.D. (2002). Knowledge Management: Another ManagementFad?, Information Research, 8(1). Retrieved from http://informationr.net/ir/8-1/paper145.html Stephen Denning, The Springboard: How Storytelling Ignites Action in Knowledge-Era Organizations. Boston, London, Butterworth Heinemann, October 2000. Nonaka, Ikujiro and Hirotaka Takeuchi. The Knowledge-Creating Company : How Japanese Companies Create the Dynamics of Innovation. New York : Oxford University Press, 1995. http://www.kmworld.com/Articles/Editorial/What-Is-/What-is-KM-Knowledge-Management-Explained-82405.aspx http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/information http://www.stevedenning.com/Knowledge-Management/what-is-knowledge.aspx http://www.theoryofknowledge.info/what-is-knowledge/the-tripartite-theory-of-knowledge/ http://www.contentedwriter.com/internal-sources-of-information/

Discuss the role of friendship in Northanger Abbey. Essay -- Essays Pa

Discuss the role of friendship in Northanger Abbey. This essay will discuss the role of friendship in Northanger Abbey by examining the different types of friendships between Catherine Morland, Isabella Thorpe and Eleanor Tilney in the novel, alongside the significance of friendship to the plot and themes of the novel. Whether one can regard only true friendships as important will also be explored. In Northanger Abbey (NA) there are two main friendships, that of Catherine and Isabella and Catherine and Eleanor. These two friendships can be seen as a total contrast to one another. Catherine is very pleased to meet Isabella after being disappointed in not seeing Mr Tilney again. The narrator informs the reader that Catherine is fortunate in finding a friend as ‘Friendship is certainly the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love.’ (p.18 NA). Isabella being the elder of the two has much more knowledge of fashionable society than Catherine and is, therefore, able to teach her a great deal about the expectations of society at that time. Catherine initially looks up to Isabella and considers herself lucky to have found such a good friend (p.19 NA). Isabella and Catherine’s friendship grows very quickly, unlike that of Catherine and Eleanor, which progresses much more gradually. Isabella is very free with her friendship, professing to do anything for her friends, even when she has known them only a short time. In contrast, Eleanor takes her time to get to know Catherine. She is far more sophisticated than Isabella and does not jump into a friendship without getting to know someone first. It is only during Catherine’s stay at Northanger Abbey that the two women become close friends. There are v... ...expecting nothing in return. (www.kettering.edu). Eleanor would not quite do anything for her friend. Even though she regarded Catherine as a true friend, Eleanor still puts family loyalty before Catherine even though she disagreed with her father. Nevertheless, both Isabella and Eleanor’s friendships in Northanger Abbey are crucial for developing and maturing Catherine’s character. Bibliography Austen, Jane. [1818] 1990 Northanger Abbey, ed. by John Davie, with an introduction by Terry Castle, Oxford World’s Classics, Oxford: Oxford University Press Regan, Stephen. Ed. 2001. The Nineteenth-Century Novel: A Critical Reader, London: Routledge Da Sousa Correa, Delia. Ed. 2000 The Nineteenth-Century Novel: Realisms, London: Routledge www.sparknotes.com/lit/northangerabbey [Accessed 21 January 2004] www.kettering.edu [Accessed 21 January 2004] Discuss the role of friendship in Northanger Abbey. Essay -- Essays Pa Discuss the role of friendship in Northanger Abbey. This essay will discuss the role of friendship in Northanger Abbey by examining the different types of friendships between Catherine Morland, Isabella Thorpe and Eleanor Tilney in the novel, alongside the significance of friendship to the plot and themes of the novel. Whether one can regard only true friendships as important will also be explored. In Northanger Abbey (NA) there are two main friendships, that of Catherine and Isabella and Catherine and Eleanor. These two friendships can be seen as a total contrast to one another. Catherine is very pleased to meet Isabella after being disappointed in not seeing Mr Tilney again. The narrator informs the reader that Catherine is fortunate in finding a friend as ‘Friendship is certainly the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love.’ (p.18 NA). Isabella being the elder of the two has much more knowledge of fashionable society than Catherine and is, therefore, able to teach her a great deal about the expectations of society at that time. Catherine initially looks up to Isabella and considers herself lucky to have found such a good friend (p.19 NA). Isabella and Catherine’s friendship grows very quickly, unlike that of Catherine and Eleanor, which progresses much more gradually. Isabella is very free with her friendship, professing to do anything for her friends, even when she has known them only a short time. In contrast, Eleanor takes her time to get to know Catherine. She is far more sophisticated than Isabella and does not jump into a friendship without getting to know someone first. It is only during Catherine’s stay at Northanger Abbey that the two women become close friends. There are v... ...expecting nothing in return. (www.kettering.edu). Eleanor would not quite do anything for her friend. Even though she regarded Catherine as a true friend, Eleanor still puts family loyalty before Catherine even though she disagreed with her father. Nevertheless, both Isabella and Eleanor’s friendships in Northanger Abbey are crucial for developing and maturing Catherine’s character. Bibliography Austen, Jane. [1818] 1990 Northanger Abbey, ed. by John Davie, with an introduction by Terry Castle, Oxford World’s Classics, Oxford: Oxford University Press Regan, Stephen. Ed. 2001. The Nineteenth-Century Novel: A Critical Reader, London: Routledge Da Sousa Correa, Delia. Ed. 2000 The Nineteenth-Century Novel: Realisms, London: Routledge www.sparknotes.com/lit/northangerabbey [Accessed 21 January 2004] www.kettering.edu [Accessed 21 January 2004]

Internet Censorship Essay -- Web Computers Technology Censoring Essays

The Internet distributes more information than any other medium in the world. There are several problems that have emerged along with the Internet, â€Å"As soon as the public began to use the Internet, people began to express concern about its use† (Clark 1). Some groups feel that the World Wide Web is dangerous because of it’s open accessibility, whereas other groups see that the Internet is something that can be used to share knowledge globally. The Internet should not be censored because censorship would restrict Americans’ first amendment rights; regulations have been tried and have failed in the past, and there are better methods of education and protection than censorship. The rights put forth by the first amendment protect the Internet. The first amendment states â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances† (Wallace). In layman’s terms, this means that the government does not have the right to take away freedoms that involve speech or the press of the American people. The Internet’s lack of censorship encompasses Americans’ freedom because of the first amendment. The World Wide Web started as an idea that focused around the government’s need to communicate if there was a real war. In 1964 the Cold War was at its peak, the Advanced Researched Projects Agency, or ARPA began researching and developing a way to get computers to â€Å"communicate with each other,† this is how it all started (The Internet's History and Development). The government scientists who were, â€Å"developing networking technology in the 1960's knew that what they were building would be far bigger than themselves; nobody, however, could have predicted the explosion in Internet access and interest in the past several years† (The Internet’s History and Development). The government’s idea of an easier way to communicate during wartime became a reality slowly but steadily when â€Å"On January 2, 1969, designers began working on an experiment to determine whether computers at different universities could communicate with each other without a central system.† The first places to have access to the new â€Å"network† were some of the most prestigious colleges in the United... ...n America and in the world as well. If the United States government puts any constraints on the Internet, then the First Amendment will be broken. Due to the freedoms granted to the citizens of the United States by the First Amendment, the Internet should never be censored in America. Works Cited ACLU in the Courts: Reno v. ACLU Supreme Court Brief. 19 Sept. 2002 . ACLU Press Release: 07-18-02—ACLU Challenges Arizona Law That Censors Anti-Death Penalty Web. 18 July 2002. 19 Sept. 2002 . ACLU Press Release: 07-25-02 – In Legal First, ACLU Sues Over New Copyright Law; Says Blocking. 25 July 2002. 19 Sept. 2002 . ACLU v. Reno II. 22 May 2002. 17 Sept. 2002 . Citizens Internet Empowerment Coalition. 18 Sept. 2002 . Clark, David. Student’s Guide to the Internet. Indianapolis: MacMillan Publishing, 1995. COPA Commission. 19 Sept. 2002 . Day, Nancy. CENSORSHIP or Freedom of Expression?. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications Company, 2001. Edelman. 25 July 2002. 6 Oct. 2002 . History of the Internet. 6 Oct. 2002 . The Internet's History and Development. 31 Mar. 2002. 6 Oct. 2002 . Wallace, Jonathon. The Internet Censorship FAQ. 18 Sept. 2002 .