Economic crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Economic crisis - Essay Example It is an urgent need of the hour to put a stop to the ‘carcinogenic’ growth of the negative impacts before it gets into the lowest multitude possible and starts affecting the day to day welfare of the common man. The urgency of the action is averred by the fact that some of the national economies literally lost the nation in the present scenario of economic crisis. An empowerment of the public sector entities should happen by the deliberate efforts of the national governments. The public sector always had been the backbone of the economy. Recent developments including the growth of the private sector investments hugely made the governments all around the globe depend largely on these investments urging for quick development. Not only the government but also the people were influenced by this trend as they also relied more on similar abrupt developmental agendas. The governments all across the world may take lessons from the sustainability of the national economies which were not affected by the crisis which still have Public financial Institutions on the rule. People must start depending on these public systems which for sure would work for their welfare. The governments in turn should try the strengthening of the public sector in terms of infrastructure and investment. These setups should be continuously backed by the governing systems throug h their policies considering the sustainability they would offer to the national economy. Efforts must be made so that the people start investing in these public systems. Campaigns through the media would help to a major extend to create this kind of awareness in the public. While considering the international investments, governments should try international linkages with similar sort of set up across the border which would help to make a substantial impact on the economy of that country while securing the economic stability of itself. However an over

Why I Am Muslim | Theology Essay

Why I Am Muslim | Theology Essay I am Muslim by birth and proud to be a Muslim. I know Islam is a true religion and I am on a right track. There are other religions too Why I was not attracted towards them? The main reason is my strong belief on Islam. Religions like Christianity and Jewish are also sent by Allah Almighty but Islam is last religion sent by Allah Almighty through last Prophet Muhammad (S.W.A). After the religion Islam came into being I respect books of different religions too because they are also revealed by Allah Almighty but believe and act on the teachings of Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.W.A) and the last book Quran. Quran is the only error free book so I can trust it blindly because Allah Himself took the responsibly of protection of Quran till the Day Of Judgment. There are many things in religion Islam due to which not only a Muslim cannot leave Islam but believers of other religions are also attracted towards Islam. I like Islam because it is not spread through force i.e. Non-Muslims cannot be fo rced to accept Islam. Islam teaches me to respect elders and love children and promote brotherhood. Islam promotes justice and equality. You are treated equally either you are Arab, Non-Arab, White or Black you are treated equally in Islam. In Islam Fasting in the month of Ramadan is to makes us realize how poor people sometimes live without food and water so it tells us to give zakaat and sadqa to poor people. By giving Zakaat in Islam many problems in the society were solved and ratio of crime is less. Believers of other religions criticize on Islam that in Islam punishments of different crimes are very harsh i.e. for robbery cut the hand of culprits. They believe that if the punishment are given according to the Islamic principals in any society then every second person of that society will be disabled but this is not like that for example Saudi Arabia and other countries where Islamic laws are in practice you will observe that crime ratio is very less because of the fear of the punishments and there i s peace in the society. Islam has given me purpose and direction to my life. So Islam provides us complete code of life and tells us the purpose of our life. Islam tells us everything how to live an excellent life in the world and go to Paradise in Hereafter. Islam has brought peace to my life. Believers of other religions, Jews believe that they are chosen people and loved by the God the most. Christians who believe in Christ believe that they deserves to be saved and loved by the Lord. But according to Quran God loves only those who are useful to people. According to the Quran, 5:18 à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"(Both) the Jews and the Christians say: We are the sons of Allah, and his beloved. Say: Why then would He punish you for your sins? No! You are but humans among all those he has createdà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ . According to the Quran, 49:13 à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  According to the Quran, 2:62 Those who believe, and those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Christians and the Sabians,- any who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and work righteousness, shall have their reward with their Lord; on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve. In the Quranic verses given above it is clearly mentioned that in Islam there is no hate for other religions. Islam is open for all that is why it is spreading rapidly throughout the world. Islam and science are not only compatible with each other but Islam could even motivate scientific innovations. Islam did not come up as a unexpected happening. The ideas of Islam are in some way approximating to the original basic thoughts in Judaism and Christianity which are there in their books. So, Islam was not a surprising religion that came up from unexpected God, with unexpected changes to the beliefs of older jews, particularily. But, Isalm was a continuous message which is revised and reviewed successively to fit different nations styles and eliminate deviations, made by people, from its sole. According to me Islam is the best religion for all because other religions are modified by the people. but in Islam you will get everything you need in Quran and Sunnah. So these are the some reasons that Why I am a Muslim?

The Glass Menagerie Essay -- Essays Papers

The Glass Menagerie Symbolism is a major aspect in Tennessee William's famous play, "The Glass Menagerie." On the surface, the short slice of life story seems to be simple. However, if the reader digs deeper they will find that there are several symbols that give the play a deeper meaning. Each character defines each symbol in a different way. There are some very noticeable symbols that can be analyzed when studying "The Glass Menagerie." The first is the actual glass menagerie that represents the fragility of the Wingfield's dreamlike existence. The second is the fire escape, which reflects each character's tendency to escape from reality in their own ways. The third is the yellow dress, which represents youth and the past. The actual animal collection, or glass menagerie, symbolizes each character in the story. Like the glass animals, the characters' realities are very fragile and in danger of being shattered. It is also as though the characters are stuck in glass, unable to move or change, also like the glass animals. They are inanimate, as the characters have learned to be to hide and escape from the pain that life has given them. Laura loves the glass animals because her family is like them. It will not take much, like Tom leaving, to shatter their whole world. Laura is symbolized by her fragile collection of glass animals, the glass menagerie. Her favorite animal is the unique unicorn. The unicorn is different because it has a horn. When Lau...

Ethical Business Scenario Essay

Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) in the U. S earn a hefty salary compared to CEO’s in Europe. They earn on a daily basis what an average worker would earn in a whole year. To some this is justified by the fact that they are talented and that the forces of demand and supply dictate they earn more. To others this is unfair as the employees who also contributed massively to the success of the company get very little in return. Again, European CEO’s earn three times lesser what the CEO’s in U. S earn despite their having similar qualification. According to pay analysts the high salaries could have rose due imperfections in the market place. CEO salaries are determined by Board Committees, which fail to link performance with the salary awarded. This allows for great variance in the salary scales of workers. Consultancy firms that advice such committees on how much to pay the CEO are also a factor contributing to hefty CEO salaries. Hefty CEO salaries do not translate to better performance. The company shares could be declining due to customer dissatisfaction despite them spending so much money on CEO’s pay. Workers pay remain very low even after the federal increment of the minimum wage however this is like a drop in the sea as when adjusted for inflation it is still 7% below where it was 10 years ago. On the contrary CEO’s pay has rose by 45% after being adjusted for inflation. The CEO’s also gain from many benefits from the companies they work for. Different philosophers have different views on ethical and justice issues. Aristotle was dissatisfied with unjust gain. He insisted on the importance of ethical behavior and shows that people with virtues have performance in whatever they partake. Happiness is the spice of life and all human beings work to attain it. All actions are for a purpose or an end and people enhance tools needed to attain the goals they want in life. For instance a knife’s work is to cut and to cut better knives should be sharp. Peoples action should aim at making them better people and building their character. The essence of being human is the ability to reason. Virtues are classified into moral and intellectual moral virtues entail gentleness, liberty, truthfulness, wit and pride. To him, a mean is appropriate, too much or a deficient should be discouraged. Barnes, 500) Justice is an important virtue to him and he classifies it into two; particular and general. Particular justice complements the general justice by not earning unjust gains from an act while general justice is being observant to virtues relating to people. Intellectual virtues include knowledge, wisdom, prudence and art and they distinguish people’s capabilities as people behave according to them. Gaining at the expense of others is unjust. Injustice is said to occur when someone gets too little of a good thing or too much of a bad thing. (Michael, 59) Kant’s moral theory entails the ‘supreme principle of categorical imperative’ that entails the formula of universal law and of the end in itself. He says that man should â€Å"act in such a way that you always treat humanity in your own person or in the person of any other never simply as a means but always at †¦. the same time as an end†. All people act for a reason, which he calls ‘maxim’. (Alan, 66) To him maxims are more important and they should be pursued despite the harm or misery they cause on the process. People should just be cautious not to use others as mere means to an end but as ends in themselves. Using someone as a mere means implies that the person’s consent is not sought. (Onora, 219) People can be used as mere means by deceiving them; using false pretenses or giving misleading account at their expense. Coercion can also be used in using people as means to an end. Justice, to Kant entails not acting on maxims that use others as mere means to an end. Duties performed should be beneficial even to the people used in attaining the goals. Kantian approach does not focus a lot on the outcomes of an act but on the intentions. Sometimes good intentions could result to bad results. Human beings are rational beings with the ability to choose and plan and consequently should not be used as mere means in attaining happiness or goals in life. Kant emphasizes on cosmopolitan justice where justice is felt at a global level. His approach allows respect for human rights and also encourages cultural diversity. (Onora, 218) Sartre explains how we live in a society full of oppression and exploitation. He tries to create a responsible nation. People have different egos and should be controlled by their consciousness in doing their actions Sartre was an atheist who believed that God doesn’t exist. He devotes concerns to emotion as a spontaneous activity of consciousness that is projected onto the real world. To him people use their free will in partaking their actions and this poses the danger of people not being ready to take responsibility for their deeds. Freedom should entail responsibility as only then can people’s living conditions be improved. Human dignity would be retained freedom. Freedom is therefore corporate social responsibility. The society is full of hostility of man towards his fellow men. Sartre coins Marxist theory and states that ‘man is nothing else but that which he makes of himself’. The ultimate responsibilities of man are to first form himself then have social responsibility to help society. â€Å"Man can will nothing unless he has first understood that he must count no one but himself; that he is alone, abandoned on earth in the midst of his infinite responsibilities, without help, with no other aim than the one he sets himself, with no other destiny than the one he forges for himself on this earth† (Being Nothing 1943). Aristotle would see the high salaries of CEO as justified. This is because the CEO’s have established what they want in life and have worked hard to achieve it. They may have acquired appropriate education and professional skills that is required in the demanding CEO Job. This can be seen as the sharpening of a knife used for cutting objects. The good pay rewards their hard work and they attain happiness, which is very vital in human beings life. CEO’s have moral virtues as they find pride in what they do using the liberal means. They do not unjustly gain as they have what it takes to be in the CEO’s position. Just like other human beings, the CEO’s can reason but can do it better no wonder they get such positions. The workers should be challenged to improve on their skills to enable them become better people in society. However, Aristotle would consider CEO’s who earn hefty pay but fail to perform as being unjust. This could be attributed to the fact that the equilibrium or balance required between the good is not attained. Giving too much to the CEO’s and very little to the workers despite their hard work in itself a form of injustice. However, CEO’s can be justified with their hefty salaries because they have the appropriate knowledge and wisdom to lead companies to great heights in society. To him virtue is about proper functioning of something and consequently things should work properly for that which they are meant to do. CEO’s should earn enough salary to justify what they are worth. To Kant, hefty salaries for CEO’s would be a normal scenario in the society. This is because in society people have different ‘maxims’ or purposes for which they intend to satisfy. The only point of concern to consider when satisfying this maxim is to make sure one does not use others as mere means to an end. Although CEO’s have hefty wages they strive to attain what it takes to be in such positions. Again they do not use workers as mere means to an end but as ends to themselves. This is attributed to the fact that the workers gain in this arrangement. The CEO’s ensure good management of the organization or company, which translates to increased profits, and survival of the firm. Without these the companies would close down and the employees or workers too, would lose their jobs. Since the workers are aware of the situation then it is all right. (Lewis et al, 40) In most cases, the CEO’s do not use false pretenses of what they are doing. They provide clear guidelines of the company’s or firms. Again they do not use any form of coercion or use misleading accounts at the expense of the workers. Their wages are therefore justified as the good intentions, which are of much importance that lead to bad results. Workers work harder at the ground but the pay does not match the hard work. To Kant, human beings are rational and have the free will to plan not be exploited by being used as mere means to an end. Workers can choose and plan to develop their skills, which would see them in higher positions in society. Higher positions translate to better pay and a good life in general. Hefty salaries for CEO’s according to Sartre would be another form of exploitation, which is common in society. The society is full of individuals who are out to take advantage of their fellow individuals. CEO’s have an ego that shows they are very prominent and important in the society as well as in the companies they work for. Consultation firms that work to ensure the salaries are high also share that feeling. This feeling that CEO’s deserve hefty pays ensures that the salaries remain high at the expense of the workers who work more. Sartre would see the lack of corporate social responsibility on CEO’s to their workers. Human beings are what they choose to be and they have the freedom at their disposal. CEO’s choose such positions and pursue all that entails being there but they should show some responsibility to society by ensuring that the workers salaries are increased. Earning what someone else in the same company or firm would earn in a whole year is a high degree of oppression. On the contrary workers contribute to their oppression by not airing their grievances like demonstrating against the hefty CEO’s wages. Man is nothing without mutual responsibility and consequently responsibility should be instilled in the CEO’s minds. They can reduce their salaries and work to improve the workers welfare by increasing their salaries. Sartre is close in explaining my view that CEO’s should not be earning in a day what a worker earns in a whole year. Workers perform most of the work and rewarding their efforts will be appropriate. It will act as an incentive to work. Motivated workers produce quality work, which would lead to increased profits. CEO’s should not be too selfish in feasting on the largest piece of cake. They should show some responsibility which is part of what makes a human being by ensuring reduced salaries on their part while increasing the workers pay (Thomas, 150) The role of the workers in an organization cannot be underestimated. Despite good management from the CEO the workers should work under conducive environment. For firms to thrive, workers are involved at the grass root level in implementing of policies. Mere formulation without implementation is useless. Equality can be maintained by following the pay on performance approach where both CEO’s and workers are encouraged to work for the benefit of the whole firm or organization. Workers should unite in fighting for fair or justice in pay. CEO should not be paid hefty pay at the expense of workers. Appropriate measures should be taken to ensure that workers are not exploited. Closing loopholes on taxes that allow companies to deduct, as much money as they please should be observed. Compensation should be done with relation to performance and increment in pay should be justified. Introducing progressive taxes can work to reduce the amount of money CEO’s take home as salaries. Limit should be made on the amount of money CEO’s can take as their retirement plans. This will reduce the hefty amount of money CEO’s take home on retirement.

Pestle, Porter and SWOT analysis of Lukoil Essay

LUKOIL, a vertically integrated oil company, and carries out exploration, acquisition, integration and subsequent efficient development of oil and gas fields outside the Russian Federation to facilitate the transformation of LUKOIL into a transnational energy corporation. LUKOIL operates in 25 countries (the most major of them are Russia, Azerbaijan, USA, Georgia, Turkey and Czech Republic). Net income in 2013 is $3.105 billion. Basic earnings per share – $4.11. The Company’s 2012 net income rose by 6.2% and reached record $11,004 billion. EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortization) rose by 1.7% and reached $18,915 billion. Sales revenues were $139,171 billion (+4.1% y-o-y). In 2013 Forbes estimated LUKOIL as #43 in Sales, #34 in Profit, #254 in Assets, #139 in Market value. According to these data we can assume, that LUKOIL is successful Russian company with a lot of strengths, like good prospects regarding financial indicators. And fortu nately, it doesn ´t need any financing. Usually, the company invests in different projects regarding environmental protection and  employee ´s support. 2. Mission and Vision Mission: â€Å"The Company’s mission consists in increasing shareholder value through the exploration and production of hydrocarbons outside Russia.† My vision of the situation is that company wants to be a reliable supplier of hydrocarbons on the international market. Moreover, Lukoil has a purpose to support economic growth and social stability in long-term prospects. Thus, it has some main aims such as to achieve reputation of a reliable and dependable hydrocarbon supplier in the world; to deliver high-quality petroleum products to end-users; to ensure long-term sustainable growth; to reach leading position on the market; My formulation of the mission: Lukoil as a company in the oil and gas industry using natural energy recourses is trying to be a leader in the international market by reducing costs, increasing operations and stabling social aspects. Vision: â€Å"The company wants to be world’s leader in oil and gas sector by first-class services to our customers, effective HR policy, reliable and positive image of the company, effective environmental policy, optimization of the operational efficiency, decrease of the operational costs, sustain high-profit level.† In conclusion, company’s mission determines a purpose within the organization; provides standards for allocating organizational resources; establishes a general organizational climate; shows purpose and direction. Consequently, mission and vision are clear and give a lot of advantage. 3. Macro-environment (PESTLE) At the beginning of this part, it is necessary to mention some relevant facts: Population in Russia: 139mln Area: 17mln sq. km Time zones: GMT +2 to +11 9th largest economy in the world in terms of GDP, reaching USD 2014,8 bn 2013 Exports and Imports exceed 50% GDP Highest GDP per capita among BRICS countries Winter Olympic Games 2014 in Sochi 2012 and FIFA World Cup 2018 are coming 1. GDP Figure 2.1 Real GDP As we can see on the Figure 2.1 Real GDP has a tendency to grow up. Moreover, the present value of Real GDP is about 2014.8 USD billion which is the highest point during the history. Real GDP had been increased up to more than 6% in comparison with the previous period Contemporary situation in economy, especially in Real GDP, shows the opportunity for a company to increase production, because higher GDP means higher consumer expenditures; in turn, it is an alleviating competitive pressure within industry, then it’s the potential for expansion. As we can see GDP is constantly growing that means an opportunity to have higher revenues for LUKOIL Company because people have a higher profits and respectively higher consumer expenditures. 2. Interest rate The interest rate in Russia was last recorded at 5.50 percent. Interest Rate in Russia is reported by the Central Bank of Russia. It is quite high interest rate in comparison with for instance European countries. The average interest rate in Europe is 0.25%. For LUKOIL it is a threat of decreasing the company’s sales, because during high interest rate potential consumers tend to spend less (borrowings become more expensive). Therefore the consumer purchasing power is quite low and company’s sales will be decreased. Figure 2.2 Russia interest rate 3. Inflation rate Figure 2.4 Russia inflation rate Figure 2.5 Petroleum price RUB per liter As we can see Figure 2.4 and Figure 2.5, the oil price and rate of inflation  are connected directly: when oil price goes up, the inflation follows in the same direction. We can explain it by that the oil is the major input in economy (oil is used for manufacturing and transportation). The inflation rate in Russia was recorded at 6.30 percent in October of 2013. It has a positive impact on Oil and Gas industry. LUKOIL can estimate future profit more accurate and eliminate several risks which effected by the oil price and inflation rate. 4. Unemployment rate Figure 2.5 Russia unemployment rate At the moment the rate is 5,5%. And the tendency has a declining character. Thus it could be opportunity to find high-qualified employees. There is a competition on a labor market. 5. Reservoirs of oil Russia is the first country in the world in crude oil production. Its share is 12%. This indicator makes the country attractive for the investors. Consequently, LUKOIL could use positive investment climate of Russia as the company’s benefit. 6. Taxes Nowadays there are three main taxes which have influence on economic in Russia: a) Corporate tax rate – 20% b) Personal income tax rate – 13% c) Sales tax rate – 18% Accordingly to these indicators the corporate tax rate is quite low in comparison with Japan – 38,01%, United Arab Emirates – 55%, US – 35%. Therefore, it is opportunity to increase a profit (low taxes increase net profit). We are analyzing oil and gas industry in Russia. Fortunately most of deposits are situated in cold geographical areas like Tyumen Region, called Extreme North or Far North. Government gives a lot of benefits like people who work there are used to receive an extra grade of payment, referred to as the â€Å"Northern Bonus†, as well as other benefits, including extra vacation, extra disability benefits, extra retirement benefits, and housing benefits. LUKOIL won’t increase outflow of money into pension funds  etc. 4. Technological factors (PESTLE) New technologies are an important competitive advantage of LUKOIL Group. Key technological aspects: 1. The company conducts R&D to develop new technologies and upgrade the existing ones. 2. Cooperation with national projects is actively developing, including the Skolkovo innovation project and the RUSNANO Corporation. 3. Great attention is paid to developing information technologies and improving business processes. 4. The total financing of scientific and technical works in 2012 amounted to US$ 150 million. It is opportunity to use own technology and ability to exclude costs for using technologies from elsewhere. 5. Environmental factors (PESTLE) Waste disposal Russia drowns in 60 million tons of garbage a year. It is serious problem in waste disposal issue. Today, only 11% of the whole volume is recycled. Unfortunately, it is substantial evidence of contemporary problem and the threat for environment. LUKOIL uses chemicals for production, which could be statutory restrictions by the government for environmental protection. It is the threat for company of activities’ restriction. Pollution Oil and Gas industry damages nature by pollution. Many risks occur like spilling of oil into the sea or into the ocean. In this case LUKOIL will pay damage to nature and spoil its reputation. Consequently, LUKOIL should take into account all risks and try to avoid them. Climate There is the dominance of the continental climate on the territory of the country. Russia faced to one serious problem during springs. It is flood. For oil industry it could be a relevant threat because it directly depends on transportation, for instance if roads are damaged it is becoming complicated to transport oil to different regions. 6. Political factors (PESTLE) Strictly speaking, two of the most dangerous threats are the high level of corruption and terrorism. High level of corruption Russia is ranked 127th out of 175 countries in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index in 2013. This score indicates the perceived level of public sector corruption in a country or territory. Terrorism There is a terrorist war aimed at destabilizing Russia politically and economically. Few weeks ago there was the 3rd terrorist attack in Volgograd during last 2 months. Membership in World Trade Organization In August 2012, Russia officially became a World Trade Organization member. Moreover, European Union contributes half of Russia trade flows. It is opportunity of simplified international market access with the purpose of trade and it is opportunity of hiring professional and administrative staff on fixed term contracts. Index of Economic Freedom Index of Economic Freedom in Russia is 51.3 out of 100 and it ranked as mostly unfree. These ranking means that the country is not attractive to do business and indicates a low possibility of obtaining investment. Thus, it is a threat for LUKOIL, it will be difficult to attract foreign investors. Protection of property rights It is an opportunity to protect LUKOIL’s innovations and to get patent. 7. Legal factors (PESTLE) The following laws of the Russian Federation form the main legal framework of the oil and gas industry: Constitution of the Russian Federation. Federal Law On Subsoil (Subsoil Law). Federal Law On Gas Supply in the Russian Federation (Gas Supply Law). Federal Law On Natural Monopolies. Federal Law On the Continental Shelf of the Russian Federation. Federal Law On Energy Saving and Energy Efficiency. Federal Law On Production Sharing Agreements. The following federal laws are also relevant to the legal framework of the natural resources industry of the Russian Federation: The Codes of the Russian Federation, including the Civil Code, Land Code, Water Code, Forest Code, Tax Code, Code on Administrative Violations and Criminal Code. Federal Law on Environmental Protection. Federal Law on Ecological Expertise. Supreme Council Regulations on the Procedure of Enactment of the Provisions on the Procedure of Licensing of the Subsoil Use of 1992 (Subsoil Use Licensing Regulations). The fundamental rights that are guaranteed to each Russian citizen are: All people shall be equal before the law and court. The State shall guarantee the equality of rights and freedoms of man and citizen, regardless of sex, race, nationality, language, origin, property and official status, place of residence, religion, convictions, membership of public associations, and also of other circumstances. All forms of limitations of human rights on social, racial, national, linguistic or religious grounds shall be banned. Man and woman shall enjoy equal rights and freedoms and have equal possibilities to exercise them. That means that Lukoil should take into account all this rights and keep it in mind when hiring the employees. 8. Socio-cultural factors (PESTLE) Age structure: 0-14 years: 15.7% (male 11,498,268/female 10,890,853) 15-24 years: 12.4% (male 9,031,057/female 8,662,557) 25-54 years: 45.8% (male 31,894,116/female 33,432,996) 55-64 years: 13.1% (male 7,926,184/female 10,711,347) 65 years and over: 13% (male 5,622,464/female 12,847,828) Most of population is in â€Å"capable of working† age. There is a competition on labor market. It is an opportunity to find employees corresponded to the standards of the company. Main religion: Christianity No requirement in the organization of labor. Thus, it is opportunity for LUKOIL to organize manufacture easily. High level of education Opportunity to attract well-qualified personnel. 9. Porter’s 5 Forces 1. Threat of New Entrants (Low) The LUKOIL is protected by high barriers to entry. Therefore the threat of new entrants is very low Huge amounts of capital expenditure are needed to perform the activities, for example the cost of refinery is almost $7 billion, the price of petrol station is $600 000. Large amounts of fixed are require for the development of oil fields and the installation of production facilities Costs for entering the industry: drilling costs, oilfield services, skilled labor, scientific research, materials and energy Only companies that operate economies of scale can survive, for example LUKOIL has been searching for oil since 1991. They invest a huge amount in up-to-date technologies making it difficult for new entrants to compete. Russia allows only national companies (or foreign companies in partnership with the national company) to exploit oil reservoirs, because it is owned by the state. It is barrier to entry. 2. Power of Suppliers (High) There are more then 100 suppliers in Russia; OAO â€Å"Gaztrubinvest†, TOO â€Å"KST Steel†, OAO â€Å"Severstal† are some of them. But their products are unique: tubular products, electric centrifugal pumps, oil cable, spurt steel framework. What gives them high bargaining power to dictate conditions. Moreover there are no substitutes, because the equipment needed for oil industry is special and impossible to replace. 3. Power of Buyers (Low) The main buyers are government and car owners. Product differentiation is low and customers don’t have opportunity to choose, only to buy. The market share of LUKOIL is almost 17% and it has contracts with government, because  they have a big chain of petrol stations. Consumers’ willingness to pay is the only power buyers have. Only very large buyers of oil such as big countries like US may influence oil price. Overall the buyer power is low 4. Threat of Substitutes (Low) At the moment customers can not switch from using oil and gas for other sources of energy. Only some European countries introduced renewable sources of energy instead of gas and oil. But there are many alternatives of energy: coal, solar, and wind power. Instead of this fact, we notice the demand for oil increases every year and there is no chance of decreasing in consumption. 5. Industry Rivalry (High) LUKOIL has 4 serious competitors: Rosneft (22% share of market), TNK-BP (14%), Surgutneftegaz (12%), Gazprom neft (6%). Even though there is a very strong rate of growth in oil and gas sector the rivalry remain small due to large switching costs, required investments for a new entrance, size of competitors, and political barriers. There is no place for small companies because of few market leaders. Also there is no possibility that competitors will offer a lower price. LUKOIL is second company that operates in Russia. The leader is Rosneft and its main competitor‎. LUKOIL has 17% share of Russian market, Rosneft 22% respectively. 10. SWOT analysis Strengths Weaknesses – 1st among the largest private oil and gas companies in the world. – 1.3% oil reserves of total reserves of oil worldwide – and second in terms of volume proven hydrocarbons reserves – about 2% of total global reserves; – Increase in oil index price in the world. – High entry barriers in the market, which eliminates small competitors. – Very sufficient technology of research and exploration. – Geographical business diversification (30 countries). – Large amount of oil reserves(17%) – Superior oil related technology. – Fully vertical and horizontal integrated. – Well supported by Russian government. – Constant increase in demand for gas and oil in Russia. – Constant research and innovation. – Production costs are relatively high compared with levels achieved by its main competitors. – The company’s communication both inside and outside is slow and bureaucratic. – Cost of environmental hazards. Opportunities Threats – Increase in oil and gas demand in Russia. – New exploration projects. – Investment into new businesses. – Iraq oil project. – Corruption. – Terrorism. – Floods. – Decrease sales (high interest rate). – Competition on the market Internal analysis Revenue $139.2 billion Employees 150.000 Recommendations Despite having a relatively good position in the regional market of Central and Eastern Europe, LUKOIL faces strong competition. In this context, LUKOIL should increase its market share through an offensive strategy of territorial expansion and to attract new customer segments. In addition, LUKOIL should ensure implementation of new technologies for modern and efficient production in terms of cost and continues its efforts to improve product quality and competitiveness, in order to meet international standards, including API and ACEA. Another important trend is the application of marketing strategies on the downstream, taking into account  the factors influencing consumer choice of stations: location, value for money, image, service, the existence of ancillary services. These strategies are reflected in the mix of marketing, in which both product and promotion play a central role.

Free Essays on Alber Bierstadt

Withrow 1 Albert Bierstadt was an American painter of German birth. His career spanned the entire second half of the 19th century, and emerged as the first technically sophisticated artist to travel to the Far West of America (Turner, 43). On this trip, he recorded his experiences through sketches and stereoscopic photographs of Indians, emigrants and members of the survey party. It was his many sketches and photographs made throughout his several trips to the West that Bierstadt used to create his paintings. Unlike many artists who are discovered after their death, Bierstadt achieved his dream of fame while in the prime of his painting. His paintings were purchased by the wealthy and titled, thus enabling him to live very comfortably. Valley of the Yosemite by Albert Bierstadt is a beautiful landscape painting in which light, color, an utmost attention to detail, and strong lines all come together to compliment the composition. Bierstadt captures the Yosemite Valley much in the same naturalistic style as photographer Ansel Adams, the major difference being Bierstadt’s use of color versus using high contrast black and white values. Light is the most important aspect in this landscape. The sunlight slowly creeps up from behind the cliffs, and gracefully dances along the countryside illuminating the early morning scene. This sunlight is made of warm colors, and creates the feeling of a warm summer’s morning, burning through the early morning haze, to clear the air as the local wildlife is just waking up. The light continues to lightly touch the clouds, exposing their contours, and pushing them out of the area to make way for the new day. Bierstadt’s attention to detail is very impressive. The contours of the clouds, the jagged rock face, the glistening of the water, the leaves on the trees all done with very small brushstrokes. A great sense of depth is established through contrast, overlapping and atmospheric ... Free Essays on Alber Bierstadt Free Essays on Alber Bierstadt Withrow 1 Albert Bierstadt was an American painter of German birth. His career spanned the entire second half of the 19th century, and emerged as the first technically sophisticated artist to travel to the Far West of America (Turner, 43). On this trip, he recorded his experiences through sketches and stereoscopic photographs of Indians, emigrants and members of the survey party. It was his many sketches and photographs made throughout his several trips to the West that Bierstadt used to create his paintings. Unlike many artists who are discovered after their death, Bierstadt achieved his dream of fame while in the prime of his painting. His paintings were purchased by the wealthy and titled, thus enabling him to live very comfortably. Valley of the Yosemite by Albert Bierstadt is a beautiful landscape painting in which light, color, an utmost attention to detail, and strong lines all come together to compliment the composition. Bierstadt captures the Yosemite Valley much in the same naturalistic style as photographer Ansel Adams, the major difference being Bierstadt’s use of color versus using high contrast black and white values. Light is the most important aspect in this landscape. The sunlight slowly creeps up from behind the cliffs, and gracefully dances along the countryside illuminating the early morning scene. This sunlight is made of warm colors, and creates the feeling of a warm summer’s morning, burning through the early morning haze, to clear the air as the local wildlife is just waking up. The light continues to lightly touch the clouds, exposing their contours, and pushing them out of the area to make way for the new day. Bierstadt’s attention to detail is very impressive. The contours of the clouds, the jagged rock face, the glistening of the water, the leaves on the trees all done with very small brushstrokes. A great sense of depth is established through contrast, overlapping and atmospheric ...

Practical Book Review of Petersen Text Essays

Practical Book Review of Petersen Text Essays Practical Book Review of Petersen Text Paper Practical Book Review of Petersen Text Paper Essay Topic: The Healers Petersen (2007) then illustrates in his book what he envisions to be the stomach (emotions), heart (objectives and interpretations), and the head (which is where we draw our logical conclusions), to resemble. Flat brain occurs when ones stomach is filled to capacity with uncomfortable emotions and feelings (Petersen, 2007). This in return then upwardly impacts the heart, resulting in squashing the brain; therefore causing it to go flat. He then reminds the reader that one has a choice to become defensive, and be overtaken by this phenomenon, or to collaborate with those who are involved, to bring about a positive outcome. In part ;o, the talker listening process, is how Petersen (2007) describes he method of relieving the symptoms of flat brain; this process involves taking turns talking and listening (p. 49). Petersen (2007) also discusses stomach talk, meaning that one is only allowed to share his or her own insecurities, rather than blaming others (p. 78). He warns his readers that sharing and thinking is risky business, however, worth it in exchange for a more cherished relationship (p. 82). Petersen (2007) then uses the recipe of two parts personal and one part logical, to balance the scales of communication (p. 85). In part three Petersen (2007), introduces overall listening techniques to further ones communication, including the six communication pitfalls (p. 1 16-121 These pitfalls are an attempt to Set in control of the conversation, as well as a clever form of manipulation on TTY part of the speaker (Petersen, 2007). He then goes on to explain the two levels of communication; the first being more superficial, and the second, emerging into a deeper level of how one is truly feeling emotionally. Petersen (2007) ends this portion of the book reminding one to be careful o hidden agendas, and taking on more serious cases such as, someone suggesting us iced. In the last sections four and five, Peters (2007) takes on the challenge of BRI inning it all together with examples of the listening game. This is where families learn to interact in a safe family environment. This is especial helpful for children, while reinforcing the taking turns skills they have already learned growing up. Peterson (2007) then reintroduces the TTL card to the group setting; which allows everyone a chance to be heard, respected, and better express themselves. As Petersen (2007) wraps up the book, he suggests that the TTL card can be useful with monitoring couples, as well as sharing, negotiating, and closing (p. 203). Lastly, he leaves us with his philosophy, which is to leave people and place ± in better a better condition than when I found them (p. 209). Respond When I began reading Peterson (2007) I was amazed at hi candidness, his story drew me in immediately. Because I am a published author myself, understand how difficult transparency can be. Petersen (2007) provokes one to deal with the selfish nature within, in addition to need to win attitude (p. 7). This portion of the book spoke volumes to me. I grew up in a time where winning was everything at home, school and church. However, I always seem to be the one who lost. I cowered beneath the hand of my older sister, strict father, and hierarchy of the church. When I became a young woman, I vowed never to be mistreated by anyone. Quickly learned to fight back, and believed I had become a winner. During this time in my life I had achieved great success in the natural world; however, I had become very confrontational to my husband and demanding with my chi lilied. Petersen (2007) talks about the six communication traps, and as guilty on all charges (p. 1 16-122). I was constantly dragging my kids and husband into the courtroom, so that I could prove my case like Perry Mason (p. 116). Often times I won, however, I was destroying my marriage and distancing our children. I did not know how to control my emotions when I was challenged with issues. Petersen (2007) refers to this problem as flat brained (p. 10). Eventually, my marriage ended, and I paid a very costly price for not knowing how to listen better. Years later, I am remarried, and have put into practice the TTL card without my husband even knowing it. Have also learned that defending is attacking, (p. 1 08) and enjoy using the double- reverse-twist to ward off feelings of defensiveness (Petersen, 2007, p. 43). Reflect Because we are reading three different listening skills books within a small time frame it becomes difficult to separate the three. It is the useful names used in the techniques is what creates a difference in each book. Petersen (2007) stands out because of his illustration of the flat brain. We have all experienced it; however describing how it occurs from the first onset is what make one conscious that an attack is on its way. He takes that which is spiritual, which is the spirit of offense, and makes it practical, so that everyone can understand what is really taking place in the mind. One observation that represented an ah ha moment was when Peterson (2007) talked about observing pays dividends (p. 58). He discusses what happens when one is fully aware of his/her behavior, and is able to adjust it to accommodate the other person, as in the case of Mary and her mother (p. 58-60). This practical teaching lines up with the book of Romans chapter twelve. If I were to narrow it down to one verse, it would be, Be kindly affectionate one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another Romans 12:10 (KAVA). This is very useful to me when dealing with the majority of friends who call me to talk. I have given over to having a mutual friendship, and have resolved that would always play the role of the listener. This technique helps to remind me of what I should be doing spiritually nonetheless; it also helps me not to become resentful concerning the call that God has mandated over my life. It is sometimes difficult to accept that we are always playing a role. Though it is true that we grow stronger in character, and in love, during these perpetual times of pressure. Act The TTL is one of the valuable instruments that I will add to my tool box of listening (Petersen, 2007). On the personal side, I have two daughters, of whom I am very close to. I have now learned to slow down and listen. I can now listen without owning their problems! I believe that was my biggest challenge with the both of them; that little card has set me free! I now understand am not there to solve their problems, however, to only be a nonjudgmental sounding board. also understand that there will be occasions when I Will be tempted to fall for the l feel that trap. Moreover, I will resist the urge to disagree, agree, or force my advice on my young adult daughters. I now realize that they only need me to be a good mother, role model, and listener (Petersen, 2007, p. 78). Also have three sisters whom I enjoy spending girl talk time with. We all jump in whenever someone pauses to take a breath. It will be exciting to introduce the TTL card ATA casual dinner (Petersen, 2007). Petersen (2007) has also given me new tools to use in my ministry. God has taken me through a transformation since my life changing divorce in 2002. Obviously, listening was my greatest challenge. Learning to listen to God was paramount in my life, and that is where God did his greatest work. Peterson (2007) digs in deep when he begins to cause one to examine themselves in what he/she is doing to others. The Guiding difficult group discussions was a very eye-opening tool for me (Petersen, 2007, p. 190). He talks about not fully hearing others out before we are on the attack, as well as not being able to hear correctly, and repeat back what was ally being said. This is what happens during bible study discussions and womens groups. UT these techniques into practice because I truly want to see women healed, and become healers themselves. Listening is also important in evangelism ministry. We are always quick to throw our religious beliefs on someone who has not heard the good news of Jesus Christ. We must listen and find out why they feel a certain way (Petersen, 2007) before we attack them, and drag them kicking and screaming into the body of Christ. My husband and I are both in ministry and have spent nettles hours arguing with Jehovah Witnesses, Muslims, and unbelievers.

6 MBA Interview Mistakes to Avoid

6 MBA Interview Mistakes to Avoid Everyone wants to avoid making mistakes so that they can put their best foot forward during an MBA interview. In this article, were going to explore some of the most common MBA interview mistakes and analyze how they can hurt your chances of getting accepted into an MBA program.   Being Rude Being rude is one of the biggest MBA interview mistakes an applicant can make. Manners count in professional and academic settings. You should be kind, respectful, and polite to everyone you encounter - from the receptionist to the person who interviews you. Say please and thank you. Make eye contact and listen attentively to show that you are engaged in the conversation. Treat every person you speak with - whether it is a current student, alumni, or the director of admissions - as if he or she is the one making the final decision on your MBA application. Finally, dont forget to turn off your phone before the interview. Not doing so is incredibly rude. Dominating the Interview Admissions committees invite you for an MBA interview because they want to know more about you. Thats why it is important to avoid dominating the interview. If you spend the entire time asking questions or giving lengthy answers to every question youre asked, your interviewers wont have time to get through their list of questions. Since most of what you asked will be open-ended (i.e. you wont get a lot of yes/no questions), youll have to temper your responses so that you dont ramble. Answer each question fully, but do so with a response that is measured and as concise as possible. Not Preparing Answers Preparing for an MBA interview is a lot like preparing for a job interview. You pick out a professional outfit, practice your handshake, and above all, think about the type of questions the interviewer might ask you. If you make the mistake of not preparing your answers to common MBA  interview questions, youll end up regretting it at some point during the interview. Start by thinking of your answers to the three most obvious questions first: Why do you want an MBA?Why did you choose this business school?What do you want to do with your MBA after graduation? Then, perform a bit of self-reflection to consider your answers to the following questions: What are your strengths and weaknesses?What is your biggest regret?What are you passionate about?What can you contribute to an MBA program? Finally, think about the things that you might be asked to explain: Why does your resume show gaps in your work experience?Why did you perform poorly in undergraduate classes?Why did you decide not to retake the GMAT?Why didnt you provide a recommendation from a direct supervisor? Not Preparing Questions Although most of the questions will come from the interviewer, you will probably be invited to ask a few questions of your own. Not planning out intelligent questions to ask is a big MBA interview mistake. You should take time before the interview, preferably several days before the interview, to craft at least three questions (five to seven questions would be even better). Think about what you really want to know about the school, and make sure the questions are not already answered on the schools website. When you get to the interview, dont spring your questions on the interviewer. Instead, wait until you are invited to ask questions. Being Negative Negativity of any kind wont help your cause. You should avoid badmouthing your boss, your co-workers, your job, your undergraduate professors, other business schools that rejected you, or anyone else. Criticizing others, even lightly, wont make you look better. In fact, the opposite is likely to occur. You could come across as a whiny complainer that cant handle conflict in professional or academic settings. That is not an image you want to project onto your personal brand. Buckling Under Pressure Your MBA interview might not go the way you want it to. You might have a tough interviewer, you might be having a bad day, you might misrepresent yourself in an unflattering way, or you might do a really poor job of answering a question or two. No matter what happens, it is important that you keep it together throughout the interview. If you make a mistake, move on. Don’t cry, curse, walk out, or make any type of scene. Doing so demonstrates a lack of maturity and shows that you have the potential to buckle under pressure. An MBA program is a high-pressure environment. The admissions committee needs to know that you can have a bad moment or a bad day without completely falling apart.

Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Media - Essay Example Media as a form of communication was introduced about 550 years ago. In the past, there was only print and audio form of media; in the form of newspapers and radios. There has been a lot of growth in the media especially with the introduction of technology. Innovation in media related technology has ensured that the members of the public can access more information and in a timely manner. One of the mass media that revolutionized the advertising, information sharing and entertainment aspects of the media was the introduction of television. This paper will discuss the impact of television on the mass media content and origins of television advertising. Introduction Mass media is an important aspect in the world because it informs the members of the public on current events that are being witnessed around the nation. The advancement in innovations has led to a growth and advancement in the mass media channels. The introduction of television brought a form of media communication whereby individuals could see and hear what was being reported. Television grew to be very popular because could see and hear what was being communicated. Initially, most of the content that was being communicated was mostly informative content such as current events at the local and international level, the weather and documentaries. The content on the televisions was also black and white. With time, the content expanded to include entertainment content like music and soap operas that increased the number of individuals that subscribed to television. Thesis statement: Television media led to the decline in the traditional media channels such print magazines and radio. Television media content The introduction of televisions in the 1950 decade brought competition to the already established newspaper and radio industry. The other forms of media that existed had to establish and introduce new strategies so as to maintain market relevance. In the year 1962, installing and use of satellite Tel star I was initiated (Lamb et al). Real time images and audio content would be transmitted to the audience from wherever it was occurring. This enabled television media to have an upper hand since it could transmit news from all over the world. This gave television media an upper hand in the media because individuals would source information content from all over the world and it had an entertainment factor. According to Barkin (p 10), people liked television media because they felt that it was valid in comparison to radio and newspapers forms of information content. There were few television programs that broadcasted, so some of them had to be repeated before station broadcasting hours ended. The 1980 decade witnessed lot of progress in television media due to the launch of 24 television hours especially in the United States of America (Barkin p 9). This increased the number of audiences for the various television stations that aired throughout the day and night. People who worked at night were kept busy and entertained by the continuous programs on their favorite television stations. With the growing popularity of the television stations, other forms of media such as radio, newspapers and magazines recorded low sales volumes. Some newspapers had to close their businesses due to the high competition from the television stations. A greater number of people preferred to view images as they listened, in contrast to reading or just listening without

Usage Of Cloud Computing In IT-Sphere Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Usage Of Cloud Computing In IT-Sphere - Essay Example To understand the concerns, insights and popularity of cloud computing by both private and public sectors, not only currently but also on the future perspective, IT Professionals conduct statistics and conclude suggestions and likely future predictions to comprehend their observations and understandings for current and future implementation of cloud computing and what IT assessment makers need to consider. With the growth in applications and infrastructure that support and collaborates with cloud computing, the growth trend in its acceptance, use and promotion are likely to give rise to a whole new dimension in Information Technology’s system delivery (Sosinsky, 2011). E-mail, web conferencing etc. are the most common collaboration services which use cloud services. Currently, 92% of large enterprises use a minimum of one cloud service while on average each enterprise has 6 applications usage to the cloud. IaaS and PaaS in the cloud are increasing as 42% of future implementations of clouds indicate 6 more applications. This owes to the immense current and future usage with development in infrastructure and virtualization as a source of cloud acceptance and popular use. The economic perspective of efficiency in work, support, better productivity and low-cost initiative of cloud tends IT decision makers to make a close observation of cloud services. Since the promising new environment of technology has to offer more, the IT professionals are attracted to cloud services implementation. However, reputable service provider and  Service Level Agreements (SLAs)-which are always not clear, raise security and protection issues. I.T Professionals fear the risk of being cheated, the information getting lost or the privacy of the consumer at risk. These risks keep development of platform low.

Usage Of Cloud Computing In IT-Sphere Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Usage Of Cloud Computing In IT-Sphere - Essay Example To understand the concerns, insights and popularity of cloud computing by both private and public sectors, not only currently but also on the future perspective, IT Professionals conduct statistics and conclude suggestions and likely future predictions to comprehend their observations and understandings for current and future implementation of cloud computing and what IT assessment makers need to consider. With the growth in applications and infrastructure that support and collaborates with cloud computing, the growth trend in its acceptance, use and promotion are likely to give rise to a whole new dimension in Information Technology’s system delivery (Sosinsky, 2011). E-mail, web conferencing etc. are the most common collaboration services which use cloud services. Currently, 92% of large enterprises use a minimum of one cloud service while on average each enterprise has 6 applications usage to the cloud. IaaS and PaaS in the cloud are increasing as 42% of future implementations of clouds indicate 6 more applications. This owes to the immense current and future usage with development in infrastructure and virtualization as a source of cloud acceptance and popular use. The economic perspective of efficiency in work, support, better productivity and low-cost initiative of cloud tends IT decision makers to make a close observation of cloud services. Since the promising new environment of technology has to offer more, the IT professionals are attracted to cloud services implementation. However, reputable service provider and  Service Level Agreements (SLAs)-which are always not clear, raise security and protection issues. I.T Professionals fear the risk of being cheated, the information getting lost or the privacy of the consumer at risk. These risks keep development of platform low.

Usage Of Cloud Computing In IT-Sphere Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Usage Of Cloud Computing In IT-Sphere - Essay Example To understand the concerns, insights and popularity of cloud computing by both private and public sectors, not only currently but also on the future perspective, IT Professionals conduct statistics and conclude suggestions and likely future predictions to comprehend their observations and understandings for current and future implementation of cloud computing and what IT assessment makers need to consider. With the growth in applications and infrastructure that support and collaborates with cloud computing, the growth trend in its acceptance, use and promotion are likely to give rise to a whole new dimension in Information Technology’s system delivery (Sosinsky, 2011). E-mail, web conferencing etc. are the most common collaboration services which use cloud services. Currently, 92% of large enterprises use a minimum of one cloud service while on average each enterprise has 6 applications usage to the cloud. IaaS and PaaS in the cloud are increasing as 42% of future implementations of clouds indicate 6 more applications. This owes to the immense current and future usage with development in infrastructure and virtualization as a source of cloud acceptance and popular use. The economic perspective of efficiency in work, support, better productivity and low-cost initiative of cloud tends IT decision makers to make a close observation of cloud services. Since the promising new environment of technology has to offer more, the IT professionals are attracted to cloud services implementation. However, reputable service provider and  Service Level Agreements (SLAs)-which are always not clear, raise security and protection issues. I.T Professionals fear the risk of being cheated, the information getting lost or the privacy of the consumer at risk. These risks keep development of platform low.

Usage Of Cloud Computing In IT-Sphere Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Usage Of Cloud Computing In IT-Sphere - Essay Example To understand the concerns, insights and popularity of cloud computing by both private and public sectors, not only currently but also on the future perspective, IT Professionals conduct statistics and conclude suggestions and likely future predictions to comprehend their observations and understandings for current and future implementation of cloud computing and what IT assessment makers need to consider. With the growth in applications and infrastructure that support and collaborates with cloud computing, the growth trend in its acceptance, use and promotion are likely to give rise to a whole new dimension in Information Technology’s system delivery (Sosinsky, 2011). E-mail, web conferencing etc. are the most common collaboration services which use cloud services. Currently, 92% of large enterprises use a minimum of one cloud service while on average each enterprise has 6 applications usage to the cloud. IaaS and PaaS in the cloud are increasing as 42% of future implementations of clouds indicate 6 more applications. This owes to the immense current and future usage with development in infrastructure and virtualization as a source of cloud acceptance and popular use. The economic perspective of efficiency in work, support, better productivity and low-cost initiative of cloud tends IT decision makers to make a close observation of cloud services. Since the promising new environment of technology has to offer more, the IT professionals are attracted to cloud services implementation. However, reputable service provider and  Service Level Agreements (SLAs)-which are always not clear, raise security and protection issues. I.T Professionals fear the risk of being cheated, the information getting lost or the privacy of the consumer at risk. These risks keep development of platform low.

Cybersecurity Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cybersecurity - Coursework Example There is the further consideration that while many businesses actively have security measures in place for traditional crimes, the relative ignorance of cyber-crimes has created a more lax environment. Indeed, a recent report by Verizon indicated that close to 90% of cyber-attacks in the last year could have been avoided if the businesses had taken proper preventative precautions. The punishment for committing cybercrime is already significant. In this way one considers that illegally accessing a network can result in between 5 months to 5 years of imprisonment ("Real cost of," 2011). In other instances it seems that cybercrime is not taken as seriously as traditional crime. One considers that Jeffrey Lee Parson created an Internet virus that caused significant damage to countless. However, Parson’s punishment was extremely lenient; in this way he received a sentence that was less than many people receive for a marijuana offense (Mccullagh, 2011). Of course, punishment for cyb ercrime is relative to the specific offense and legal environment. Still, it seems that there may be a degree of leniency involved. Ultimately, it’s clear that the American legal system must increasingly take into account the impact the cybercrime, rather than the fact that it occurs behind a computer desk, when assigning legal punishment. 2. There are a number of ways that compliance would have prevented the attack against Adagia Telecom. The United States government has established a number of compliance measures aimed at preventing or reducing cyber-attacks ("Cybersecurity assurance program," 2012). In this way, Adagia Telecom had relatively lax cybersecurity measures in place. One prominent area that Adagia did not have in place was proper control over automated telecommunications processes. While this factor is generally a major element in oil and gas, and manufacturing industries, it’s clear that it is equally important for Adagia Telecom; the lack of adequate co mpliance in this region greatly contributed to the organization’s cyber vulnerability, as malware was able to infect these automated systems (Heiman 2012). One of the greatest challenges with private industry is an unwillingness to disclose cyber-attacks, as it could impact business strategy. It is important that Adagia have reported the attack to law enforcement. In this way one considers that there must be a culture of disclosure that is established which can act as a deterrent against future criminals. Of course there is always the challenge of locating necessary evidence in such cyber cases, as oftentimes the perpetrators are able to erase the traces of their entrance into the network. 3. There are a number of difficulties policy makers face at the United States national level to get policy that directly targets cybercrime. Similar to much policy implementation, the primary challenge is divergent perspectives between the major political parties. Indeed, the Republican and Democratic parties have already established conflicting approaches to cybersecurity in their current Presidential platforms. Corrin (2012) indicates that there are significant differences in perspective, as the Republicans criticize the Democrats for overly relying on defense capabilities in their approach to cyber security efforts. Another major challenge related to cyber-security is the nation’

Discuss what you believe to be the purpose(s) of education today Essay - 2

Discuss what you believe to be the purpose(s) of education today - Essay Example This is actually an experience that brings formative effects on the manner in which an individual thinks and feels or whose acts may be taken to be educational. The research examines the significance that education often holds for an individual and society in the modern times.  The educational process is very long, often being divided into stages that one has to undertake progressively; these stages include, the preschool, which is at the initial level, primary and then secondary, then later tertiary education which comprises of college and university as well as apprenticeship. The science that describes the bets and effective ways to teach is referred to as pedagogy. Because of the perceived importance of education, education has been ratified as an important human right, with governments enacting various legislations and means to ensuring that their citizens access quality education effectively. This has seen the introduction of free elementary education in some countries and even up to tertiary levels in others, all in a bid to ensure that the nation is effectively educated in order to influence social and economic development in the country Newman, the Catholic poet explains that in the learning process, especially at the higher level, the university, learners get the essence of learning. He says, â€Å"†¦The university is a society in which the student absorbs the graces and accomplishments of a higher form of life† (Newman para 2). It is believed that long before any formalized research existed; state constitution and all forms of legislative requirements, philosophers of the ancient times had already shown great regard to the purpose of education and the process of schooling in general (Newman para 6). They seemed to encourage people to think and identify the true meaning of life, and training their children on this path in order to become responsible

Business Communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Business Communications - Essay Example RasGas offers a broad range of benefits to the potential applicants that include but are not limited to attractive salary package, free accommodation, and different kinds of insurances. EMAAR introduces itself as a company that exposes its multinational employees belonging to 43 different nationalities (â€Å"Careers†) to new challenges that serve to enhance their own skills and facilitate their professional growth. EMAAR emphasizes upon recruiting only the very best employees from all over the world, as the company’s performance fundamentally relies upon the skills and competencies of its workforce. EMAAR presents its employees as individuals with exceptional skills and customer service abilities. EMAAR offers its employees training and development opportunities. From the comparison of the two companies, it can be concluded that both companies encourage diversity in the workforce and provide them with training and development opportunities. However, RasGas expresses the benefits it offers its employees more overtly and explicitly as compared to EMAAR. One also gets to see the pictures of the employees of RasGas which are not available on the website of EMAAR. Overall, RasGas offers a clearer insight into the company for the potential applicants than

Grains and the Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Grains and the Environment - Essay Example The invasive plants are the species of plants (aquatic weeds, shrubs and herbs) that requires careful management to reduce their harmful effects (Ondrasek et al., 2014). Another area of discussion under the Land and Water Management is the land degradation. Land degradation occurs when the land is rendered unstable. The land degradation displays the loss of the vegetation cover, soil fertility. The three categories of the land degradation include; soil erosion, ecosystem decline, and soil erosion. Irrigated Agriculture is a sub-topic that is covered under the Land and Water Management. Under this subtopic, various ways effective irrigation systems are discussed. The catchment hydrology discusses the various hydrological processes that are operating in the eroded catchment so as to determine the relationship between the run-off and the rainfall. The last subtopic under the land and water management is the salinity management. Salinity is brought about through the accumulation of salt in the soil (Irvine, & Doughton, 2001). I have chosen Land and Water management because water and land are the most powerful providers of the ecosystems services. By improving the manner in which we use the water and land, we can boost the food production, helping people adapt to the climate change and mitigate its effects while fostering the biodiversity hence enhancing the contribution to the greener economy (Tang & Rengel, 2003). Nurturing of the land, in particular, is essential to human existence. Therefore, the understanding of the water and land management is important to human life. Another topic that I chose under the PMP is soil. The sub-topics that are covered under this topic are soil management, soil health, coastal acid sulfate soils, soil health checklist, soil matters, soil PH, soil and land survey directory, soil glossary, and soil texture. Soil and land survey directory provide the information of the history of the soils. Soil health, on the other

Business Communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Business Communications - Essay Example RasGas offers a broad range of benefits to the potential applicants that include but are not limited to attractive salary package, free accommodation, and different kinds of insurances. EMAAR introduces itself as a company that exposes its multinational employees belonging to 43 different nationalities (â€Å"Careers†) to new challenges that serve to enhance their own skills and facilitate their professional growth. EMAAR emphasizes upon recruiting only the very best employees from all over the world, as the company’s performance fundamentally relies upon the skills and competencies of its workforce. EMAAR presents its employees as individuals with exceptional skills and customer service abilities. EMAAR offers its employees training and development opportunities. From the comparison of the two companies, it can be concluded that both companies encourage diversity in the workforce and provide them with training and development opportunities. However, RasGas expresses the benefits it offers its employees more overtly and explicitly as compared to EMAAR. One also gets to see the pictures of the employees of RasGas which are not available on the website of EMAAR. Overall, RasGas offers a clearer insight into the company for the potential applicants than

Management Accounting - bereaucracy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Management Accounting - bereaucracy - Essay Example The same history acknowledges the fact that many businesses and organisation had been in bad postures in the early years of the 1970's. This, according to many business analysts, was mainly owing to improper performance analysis techniques which would reflect real business situation. Importantly, stakeholders, especially shareholders, were putting incessant pressure on management team to reach good end of year figures. If some theorists agree that this was mainly due to principle emphasis on external financial reporting and management accountant neglected the need for internal accounting and financial monitoring in management accounting basic functions; others argue that this effect was attributable to other contextual factors. Management accounting has always been seen as a vital activity which reflects the health of the business, and the efficient use of resources. This performance measuring technique is an important internally-based financial monitoring tool, which could guide corrective measures to be taken on many emerging departmental or process deviations. If many businesses have been part of the drastic changes involved in business process reengineering aiming at streamlining business processes at varied levels, the analysis and creation of management accounting data has also greatly evolved. The evolution of technology in the early years of the 1960's as well as changes in the mode of production have changed mindset to production-oriented management owing to the event of mass production. It has increasingly been recognised as from the second distinctive evolutionary stage of management accounting that, the need to appropriately use resources could influence the overall cost or production cost in many manufacturing companies, especially where machineries are concerned and that their fixed costs could influence greatly margins at year end. In this context, there have been drastic changes to scrutinise costs associated to each activity or process which is referred to as Activity-Based Costing. The main aim was to decrease the overall seemingly inaccurate overhead allocation based on standard American costing, especially cost of running machineries in period where large scale production and customisation was becoming popular as strategy. Management accounting at this particular stage inherently focus on data to facilitate control which was a vitally important function in conventional management approach. Line management laying emphasis on production had as main objective s to satisfy orders and the critical data required was to better control and monitor processes both in machineries and labour. The focus was to establish strategy mixes that support organisational objectives, and develop and maintain the organisational capabilities necessary for strategy realisation. Furthermore, enormous consideration on

Drivers Education for Students with Multiple Disabilities Essay Example for Free

Drivers Education for Students with Multiple Disabilities Essay Students with multiple disabilities are those who are experiencing more that one form of disability. Disability may be mental or physical or combination of both that hinders one from performing various life activities. Such students require much care as they cannot fully do what is required of them with help from another person. Such students should be given helpful education that would enable them contribute to the economy. Drivers’ education for students with multiple disabilities is required for none of the curriculum has considered this during their planning and implementation. Research question The main purpose of the paper is to identify whether there is any need to have drivers’ education for the people with multiple disabilities to offer services in special schools and in public schools. Another aim of the research is to determine how this education would be offered and what type of disability would benefit from the drivers education. How effective would this education be to the disabled. Justification of the research Students with multiple disabilities cannot perform a number of activities an able student can perform; this justifies the research because there is a need to have to have the disabled contribute to the nation building and economy. Drivers’ education would be necessary for the multi disabled students for there are those who can drive effectively despite of the disability. Review of the bibliography The provided bibliography would help in providing a critical review for the research and will give enough literature as to whether this drivers’ education for students with multiple disability is needed and to what extent. Bibliography (Video)The Los Angeles Club of the Deaf Story. DeBee Communications, 6965 El Camino Real, Ste. 105, Carlsbad, CA 92009 Bowe, F. (1978)Handicapping America: Barriers to disabled people, Harper Row, Disability and Chronic Disease Quarterly, Department of Sociology, Brandeis University, Disability Grapevine Online Newsletter. http://www. disabilitygrapevine. com/ Disability Studies Online Magazine. http://www. disabilitystudies. com/index. htm Gary L. (2005)Encyclopedia of disability, SAGE Publ. , Gary L. et al. , eds. (2006) Encyclopedia of Disability. 5 vols. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Health Ethics, Policy and Law,† Cornell Journal of Law and Public http://papers. ssrn. com/sol3/papers. cfm? abstract_id=950878 Johnstone, D. (2001) An Introduction to Disability Studies, , 2nd edition, Kaushik, R. (1999) Access Denied: Can we overcome disabling attitudes , Museum International (UNESCO) , Vol. 51, No. 3, p. 48-52. Leonardi M; Bickenback, J; Ustin TB; Kostanjsek N; Chatterji S, and on behalf of the MHADIE Consortium (2006) â€Å"The definition of disability: what is in a name?,† Lancet 368(9543): 1219-1221 Mitra S (2006) â€Å"The Capability Approach and Disability† Journal of Disability National Center on Disability and Journalism. http://www. ncdj. org/links. html Paul T. (2005)Understanding Disability: Inclusion, Access, Diversity, and Civil Rights. Westport, CT: Greenwood Policy Studies, Vol. 16, No. 4, pp. 236-247 Policy, 15(2): 403-482 http://papers. ssrn. com/sol3/papers. cfm? abstract_id=931703 Ruger JP (1998) â€Å"Aristotelian Justice and Health Policy: Capability and Incompletely Theorized Agreements† Harvard University, Ph. D. Thesis Ruger JP (2003) â€Å"Health and Development† Lancet, 362 (9385): 678 Ruger JP (2006) â€Å"Health, Capability, and Justice: Toward a New Paradigm of Ruger JP (2006) â€Å"Measuring Disparities in Healthcare†, British Medical Journal, 333:274 http://papers. ssrn. com/sol3/papers. cfm? abstract_id=934987 Ruger JP (2007) â€Å"Rethinking Equal Access: Agency, Quality and Norms,† Global Public Health, 2(1): 78-96 Sen AK (2002) Health: perception versus observation British Medical Journal 324:860-861 Terzi L (2004) â€Å"The Social Model of Disability: A Philosophical Critique†, Journal of Applied Philosophy, 21 (2): 141-157 Terzi L (2005) â€Å"Beyond the Dilemma of Difference; The capability approach on disability and special educational needs†, Journal of Philosophy of Education, 39 (3): 443-459 Terzi L (2006) â€Å"Beyond the Dilemma of Difference: the capability approach to disability and special educational needs† R. Cigman (ed. ) Included or Excluded? The Challenge of the Mainstream for some SEN Children. London: Routledge

World War I :: World War 1 I One Essays History

World War I During W.W.I the Austrian wore the pike gray 1909 pattern tunic and trousers. They have three white stars on the collar which indicate Sergeants rank. Some have leather gaiters worn by mountain troops; others wore the ordinary trousers with the integral gaiter which fastened around the ankle with two buttons. Men and women wore tunics made of khaki serge flannel or cord. Most men, and some women, also wore leather cartridge pouches and a slouched hat. Women were seen wearing long, more fuller skirts. Blouses usually had a high neck line and the sleeves were full length. Women also wore their hair longer but usually pulled it back into a bun or pony tail. Fashions were very conservative. On the Eastern Front, German infantry wore white coats with fur on the inside. They did this for warmth and camouflage. They wore the field gray cap with black/white and red at the top, and state blockade on the band. The band was red for infantry, black for rifles and artillery, and brown for machine gun battalions. The German Army uniform began to change in 1915. They went from buttoned cuffs to a simple turned back cuff. During W.W.I. tobacco was not frequently used, but drinking tea and whisky was used more for entertainment and relaxation. During W.W.II. materials were scarce. Skirt hems were much shorter and skirts were more form fitting. The clothes could not have any cuff, ruffles or flap pockets. Pants could be no more than 19 inches wide. There were also shortages of fabric such as silk, rayon and nylon. American women were starting to become fashionable by wearing military hats, men's pants, and patches. Women also stopped wearing large jewelry such as bangles and beads. Short haircuts were considered much safer at work and less trouble. The short hairstyles became popular during the war. Men's suits were rationed and each man was only allowed one suit per year. Men were allowed to only have four cigarettes per day. The styles during W.W.I were not as conservative as the styles during W.W.II. The styles during W.W.II. indicate a shortage of products which mandated the fashion industry during that era for both men and women. The changing of the fashions from W.W.I. to W.W.II. show that men and women were becoming more in tune with fashion. Styles were not as conservative as they used to be.

Robert Frost Home Burial - The Insensitive, Selfish Husband Essay

The Insensitive, Selfish Husband of Home Burial  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      Even in the closest of relationships, the death of a baby can separate and form a wedge between a husband and wife. Husbands and wives tend to handle the process of mourning differently, not only because of the differences between male and female, but also because of personality and the social molding in one's upbringing. In the poem, "Home Burial," Robert Frost gives a glimpse of the conflicts caused by non-communication and misunderstanding between a husband and wife upon the death of their first and only child. Their conflict is rooted in part in the husband's selfishness, revealed by his insensitivity, narrow-mindedness, and pride. The husband's selfishness is reflected in his unconscious insensitivity to his wife's feelings. The death of a child is extremely hard for anyone to deal with, but it seems to be an impossible task for the man's wife Amy. Even in just walking down the stairs from a window overlooking their family graveyard, her frequent "Looking back over her shoulder at some fear" (3) is a sign of Amy's inability to let go of her emotional hurt. The husband seems to be blind to her concern, for he has to ask her, "What is it you see / From up there always?for I want to know" (6?7). It is not until he goes to the window and looks out for awhile that he finally makes the connection that his wife is hurting from the sight of ". . . the child's mound?" (30). Amy tries to run away from confrontation with her grief, for she ". . . slid[es] downstairs; And turn[s] on [her husband] with . . . a daunting look, . . ." (32?33). The air between them might have begun to clear if her husband had not lost his temp er and lashed out saying, "Can't a man speak o... ...ring you back by force. I will!?" (116). His prideful male instinct of leadership cannot take her rebellion, and her assertive independence takes her right out the door. The difficulty of men understanding women and women understanding men can probably be traced back to creation. When life adds such things as death on top of individual personality traits, the balance in a marriage often teeters. In his personal views and ideals, the husband in Frost's poem has begun to build a brick wall between Amy and himself. Since his understanding of Amy and her grief has not moved beyond the point of self, he might be close to placing the last brick in the wall.    Works Cited Frost, Robert. "Home Burial." Introduction to Literature: Reading, Analyzing, and Writing.2nd ed. Ed. Dorothy U. Seyler and Richard A. Wilan. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice, 1990. 144?47.   

Abdul Basit

Introduction McShane and Von Glinow state that â€Å"the best organizational structure depends on the organization’s external environment, size, technology, and strategy† (409). To identify the best organizational structure for Protege Engineering, I will first determine what ‘Organizational Structure’ means. In a second step I will analyze its elements and carve out the important components for the considered organization. Finally I will provide a conclusion and recommendation.Organizational Structures In general, organizational structure is related to the way that an organization organizes employees and jobs, so that its work can be performed and its goals can be met. McShane and Von Glinow define ‘Organizational Structure’ in more detail; they state that organizational structure â€Å"refers to the division of labor as well as the patterns of coordination, communication, workflow, and formal power that direct organizational activities† (386).To understand what this means we will have a look at each component. The division of labor is related to the â€Å"subdivision of work into separate jobs assigned to different people† (McShane and Von Glinow 386). The patterns of coordination refer to the coordinating of work activities between the employees where they divide work among themselves. This process requires coordinating mechanism to ensure the workflow, which means that everyone works in concert (McShane and Von Glinow 386).The primary means of coordination are informal communication which involves â€Å"sharing information on mutual tasks and forming common mental models to synchronize work activities†, Formal hierarchy which refers to the â€Å"assigning legitimate power to individuals, who then use this power to direct work processes and allocate resources†, and Standardization which involves the â€Å"creating routine patterns of behavior or output† (McShane and Von Glinow 387).We can admit that informal communication is necessary in no routine and ambiguous situations because employees can exchange large volume of information through face-to-face communication and other media-rich channels. Therefore informal communication is important for Protege Engineering because their work involve new and novel situations when developing specific solutions for each client. Even if informal communication is difficult in large firms it can be possible when keeping each production site small (McShane and Von Glinow 388).Now, that we identified what organizational structure means, and that informal communication is necessary for Protege Engineering, we need some more information of how structures differ from each other. McShane and Von Glinow state that â€Å"every company is configured in terms of four basic elements of organizational structure†; namely: span of control, centralization, formalization, and departmentalization (390). Further on, I will explain these four elements and carve out what this means for Protege Engineering.The span of control â€Å"refers to the number of people directly reporting to the next level hierarchy† (McShane and Von Glinow 390). Today’s research found out that a wider span of control (many employee directly reporting to the management) is more appropriate especially for companies with staff members that coordinate their work mainly through standardized skills and do not require close supervision – like the highly skilled employees of Protege Engineering (McShane and Von Glinow 390-391).However, McShane and Von Glinow also state that a wider span of control is possible when employees have routine jobs and a narrow span of control when people perform novel jobs. This statement is based on the need for frequent direction and supervision. Another influence on the span of control is the degree of interdependence among employees. Employees that perform highly interdependent work with one anoth er need a narrow span of control because they tend to have more conflicts with one another.I assume that the employees working for Protege Engineering do not require close supervision because they are highly educated – have university degrees in these fields and a few have doctorates; therefore, a wider span of control allows the employees to work in self-directed teams that coordinate mainly through informal communication and formal hierarchy plays a minor role (McShane and Von Glinow 390-391). Centralization â€Å"occurs when formal decision authority is held by a small group of people† (McShane and Von Glinow 393).Companies often decentralize when they become larger and their environment more complex; however, â€Å"different degrees of decentralization can occur simultaneously in different party of the organization†. In my opinion, the power of decision-making should be decentralized in the considered company because the mentioned projects demand highly spec ialized knowledge, which cannot be provided by the head of the organization. Formalization â€Å"is the degree to which organizations standardize behavior through rules, procedures, formal training, and related mechanism† (McShane and Von Glinow 393).Usually larger organizations tend to have more formalization because â€Å"direct supervision and informal communication among employees do not operate easily when larger numbers of people are involved†. Notwithstanding that Protege Engineering employs about 600 individuals, I assume that a high degree of formalization is not appropriate because their jobs cannot be standardized, every project is customized to the client and has therefore novel and new components.Another evidence against formalization is, that formalization tends to â€Å"reduce organizational flexibility, organizational learning, creativity and job satisfaction†, which the employees of Protege Engineering definitely need (McShane and Von Glinow 409 ). Regarding the first three elements of organizational structure we can admit that Protege Engineering should have an organic structure because organizations with â€Å"organic structures operate with a wide span of control, decentralized decision making, and little formalization† (McShane and Von Glinow 395).This structure works well in dynamic environments because they are very flexible to change, more compatible with organizational learning, high performance workplaces, and â€Å"quality management because they emphasize information sharing and an empowered workforce rather than hierarchy and status† (McShane and Von Glinow 395). Departmentalization â€Å"specifies how employees and their activities are grouped together† like presented in an organizational chart of the organization (McShane and Von Glinow 395).A functional structure organizes organizational members around specific knowledge or other resources, which enhances specialization and direct supervi sion; however, functional structure weakens the focus on the client or product (McShane and Von Glinow 396-397). A functional structure would not support Protege Engineering because the success of this company highly depends on especially developed products for its clients; therefore, this organization should focus on the satisfaction of its clients rather than focusing on organizing employees around specific resources.A divisional structure organizes groups of employees around geographic areas, clients or products in very flat team-based structures with low formalization. This structure seems to be very appropriate for Protege Engineering because it focuses employee’s attention on products or clients and self-directed teams with low formalization. However, there are some disadvantages that need to be considered, like duplicating resources and creating silos of knowledge. Conclusion and Recommendation In the introduction I stated that the best organizational structure depends on the organization’s external environment, size, technology, and strategy.We found out that Protege Engineering should have an organic organizational structure because a wide span of control, decentralized decision-making, and little formalization will organizes employees and jobs so that Protege Engineering work can best be performed and its goals can best be met. Furthermore, McShane and Von Glinow give the advice that â€Å"corporate leader should formulate and implement strategies that shape both characteristics of the contingencies as well as the organization’s resulting structure† (409). This advice is very valuable because the structure of an organization should follow its strategy and not vice versa. . Many organizations think that they integrate organizational cultures when merging or acquiring other companies. Explain what does integrating organizational cultures means? Under what conditions is this strategy most likely to succeed? Case 6: Merging Or ganizational Cultures Introduction Every organization has its own culture. According to McShane and Von Glinow organizational culture stands for â€Å"the values and assumptions shared within an organization† (416). When companies are merging with, or acquiring, other companies the likelihood is very high that the organizational cultures differ from each other.To avoid that the new company ends up with two different cultures, there need to be any kind of integrating organizational cultures. First I will explain what integrating organizational cultures means and second I will present the conditions under which this strategy is most likely to succeed. Finally, I will provide a conclusion and recommendation. Merging Organizational Culture The necessity of merging organizational cultures becomes clear when regarding that failures to coordinate activity, based on cultural conflict, contribute to the widespread failure of corporate mergers (Weber and Camerer 412).Differences in cul ture in an organization lead to consistent decreased performance for both employees after the merger, and there is an evidence of conflict from the differences in culture, which could be a possible source for the high turnover rate following mergers (Weber and Camerer 412). McShane and Von Glinow also state that â€Å"most mergers and acquisitions fail in terms of subsequent performance of the merged organization† and that this happens because leaders fail â€Å"to conduct due-diligence of the corporate cultures† (426).At this point, we can admit that some forms of integration may allow companies with different cultures to merge successfully. One strategy in avoiding cultural collisions is to conduct a bicultural audit. A bicultural audit is â€Å"a process of diagnosing cultural relations between companies and determining the extent to which cultural clashes will likely occur† (McShane and Von Glinow 427). The bicultural audit identifies cultural differences an d determines those that possibly result in conflict. In addition, it also identifies values that provide a common ground on which cultural foundations can be built.Finally, it identifies strategies and prepares action plans to bring the two merging cultures together (McShane and Von Glinow 427). In some cases the bicultural audit may identify that the two cultures are too different to merge effectively; however, the companies can still form a workable union, if appropriate merger strategies are applied (McShane and Von Glinow 427). Like the following illustration shows, McShane and von Glinow provide four main strategies to merge different corporate cultures successfully. Figure 4: Strategies for MergingDifferent Organizational Cultures Source: McShane and Von Glinow 428. The first strategy is Assimilation, which â€Å"occurs when employees at the acquired company willingly embrace the cultural values of the acquiring organization† (McShane and Von Glinow 427). This strategy is most likely to succeed when the employees of the acquired company are looking for improvement because they have a weak, dysfunctional culture and the acquiring company has a strong culture, which is aligned with the external environment (McShane and Von Glinow 427).The second strategy is Deculturation, which means that the acquiring company is â€Å"imposing their culture and business practices on the acquired organization† (McShane and von Glinow 428). However, this strategy rarely works because employees usually resist organizational change, especially regarding personal and cultural values. Sometimes deculturation may be necessary; for example, when the culture of the acquired company does not work effectively (McShane and von Glinow 428). The third strategy – and the strategy which the given case is asking for – is the Integration Strategy.This strategy is a combination of â€Å"the two or more cultures into a new composite culture that preserves the bes t features of the previous cultures† (McShane and Von Glinow 428). That sounds like a good compromise, but the integration strategy is â€Å"slow and potentially risky because there are many forces preserving the existing cultures† (McShane and Von Glinow 428). McShane and Von Glinow also state that â€Å"mergers typically suffer when organizations with significantly divergent corporate cultures merge into a single entity with a high degree of integration† (McShane and Von Glinow 427).This strategy works best when both sides can benefit from an integration strategy; for example, when the existing cultures of both companies are not optimal and could use some improvements. The negative aspects of the integration strategy – for example being very time-consuming – result from the employees being resistant to changes, or ambiguous rules which are also a source of conflict and often occur during mergers and acquisitions (McShane and Von Glinow 335).Howeve r, the integration strategy, which is the most effective combination of all existing cultures, is most likely to succeed when the â€Å"existing cultures can be improved† and members of the organization â€Å"are motivated to adopt a new set of dominant values† (McShane and Von Glinow 428). The fourth strategy is separation, which â€Å"occurs when the merging companies agree to remain distinct entities with minimal exchange of culture or organizational practices† (McShane and Von Glinow 428).This strategy is most suitable when the merging organizations operate in different industries or countries because cultures differ between industries and countries (McShane and Von Glinow 428). Conclusion and Recommendation The integration process of merging companies is a combination of the existing cultures into a new culture that maintains the best features of the previous cultures, and it is most likely to succeed when existing cultures already need improvement so that employees are motivated to accept change.This strategy is particularly challenging when the members of the organization are satisfied with their previous culture because they will be resistant to change. Another very important factor for the success of mergers is the level of commitments made by the employees. Therefore, employees should be brought into the process as early as possible (Badrtalei and Bates 314).