Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters

If the porters can organize their industry, hold their ranks, prove their fighting ability in the interest of the working class, it will have a profound effect on the attitude of white organized labor. And it will have a profound effect upon the organizable capacity of Negro workers in other industries. These men who punch our pillows and shine our shoes and stow our bags under the seats bear in their hands no little of the responsibility for the industrial future of their race (The Nation, June 9, 1926).Most observers would have thought it quite unlikely during the early 1920s that the sleeping car porters, those seemingly obsequious men, always bowing and scraping in the presence of whites with their hands held out for a tip, would ever have been able to start a union. Even more preposterous was the thought that they not only would start a union, but that their organization would become a nationally recognized symbol of the New Negro, a leader in the struggle of black people to att ain their rightful Place as part of the American working-class.Not only were porters servile and easily frightened men, people would say, but the vast majority of them worked for the Pullman Company, a giant among American capitalist enterprises. The company was the largest single employer of blacks in the country, and most black spokesmen believed that black people owed the Chicago-based corporation a debt of gratitude. Moreover, the Pullman Company was notoriously anti-union. Should porters attempt anything so foolish as forming a union, the company would crush the incipient movement before it ever began (Perata 45-47).However, by the end of World War II, Randolph and the brotherhood were major forces within American labor and society. The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP), was the first African American labor organization to affiliate with the American Federation of Labor (AFL). The BSCP, founded by the labor leader Asa Philip Randolph in 1925, organized black Pullman ca r porters. Far more than a labor union, the BSCP was also a pivotal organization in the twentieth-century civil rights movement. Randolph was president of the BSCP from 1925 to 1968.Although he also held general organizer credentials, his role within the BSCP was largely that of public spokesperson and agitator, with practical matters being left in the hands of men like the BSCP organizers Milton Webster, Ashley Totten, and C. L. Dellums. The labor movement had done more for advancement of blacks than any other institution in America. Between 1928 and the 1935 convention, the laws governing labor-management relations bad changed dramatically. In July 1935, President Franklin D.Roosevelt signed into law the Wagner-Connery Act, which guaranteed workers the right to organize. But more important to the BSCP, Congress had passed the Amended Railway Labor Act of 1934 which guaranteed railroad workers that right. Moreover, that act required corporations to negotiate with unions that could prove that they represented the majority of a particular class of workers, and created the National Mediation Board to protect workers' interests. The emancipation of slaves following the Civil War did little to resolve their precarious social and economic status.As late as 1910, 83. 3 percent of African Americans resided in the South. The vast majority were engaged in agricultural work, with black artisanship suffering erosion when Reconstruction ended and Jim Crow systems became dominant. One of the few corporations to employ large numbers of African Americans was the Pullman Company, the maker and supplier of luxury cars for railroads. Founder George Pullman hired ex-slaves as servants for his cars as early as 1870, and by the turn of the century, Pullman was the single largest employer of black labor.Of the 12,000 porters employed by Pullman in 1925, all were black except for about 400 Mexicans and a handful of Asians. What emerged was a complex relationship between black employ ees, the Pullman Corporation, and rail passengers. From its origin the BSCP had three goals. First, of course, union leaders wanted to gain recognition from the Pullman Company as the official representative of porters and maids so as to improve their wages and working conditions.Second, and of equal importance, at least to Randolph, the BSCP was the means by which black workers would break down barriers to equal membership in organized labor. Thus, Randolph and his colleagues set their sights on an international charter from the AFL. The union's third goal stemmed from the first two. A union under black leadership strong enough to gain recognition from the Pullman Company and to wrest a charter from the AFL would serve as an example to other working-class blacks of the possibilities for improving their lives. Many of the black men (including J.Finley Wilson, president of the Improved and Benevolent Order of Elks of the World; Perry Howard, perennial Republican national committeeman from Mississippi; and Benjamin E. Mays, who became president of Morehouse College and of the Atlanta school board) who went on to make names for themselves worked for Pullman at one time. The harsh irony is that such men accepted jobs at Pullman largely because the company offered the best opportunities available for black men. Indeed, a porter's annual pay of $810 plus tips in 1925 far exceeded that of a black school teacher.In addition, porters were considered cosmopolites, men of the world who flitted back and forth across the country, visiting regularly places most blacks could never dream of seeing. Black women were instrumental in advancing the brotherhood from its earliest days. A small number of black women employed as maids by the Pullman Company took out memberships in the BSCP, but women were most active in auxiliaries. Wives and other female relatives of Pullman employees started to establish local auxiliaries in 1926, and that same year several auxiliaries combined to form the Colored Women's Economic Council.Women's auxiliaries were instrumental in raising money for the brotherhood in the days before an AFL charter boosted the organizational treasury. They also performed important community functions such as offering financial assistance to families left destitute when the Pullman Company dismissed black wage earners (Chateauvert 197). The BSCP took advantage of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's election in 1932. New Deal legislation outlawed company unions and granted workers the right to bargain through their own elected units.In 1934, the Railway Labor Act was amended to include sleeping car employees. Women continued their feverish activity on behalf of the union, and women's auxiliaries became so numerous that a coordinated network of Ladies Auxiliaries of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters emerged in 1938. Increased political, legal, and organizational activity gave Randolph the necessary leverage to call for a union election. In June 1935, despite massive layoffs by Pullman, the BSCP won collective bargaining rights by a nearly eight-to-one margin.BSCP officials not only sought legitimacy for their own union but looked on the union as a vehicle for the advancement of all black workers. During the Great Depression the Brotherhood participated in various grass roots activities and workers' actions. The union joined in the numerous protests throughout the country over the plight of the Scottsboro Boys, nine young blacks convicted of rape in Alabama, and was a leader in the successful efforts of organized labor and civil rights organizations to prevent the confirmation of judge John J.Parker, whom President Herbert Hoover nominated for the Supreme Court in 1930 (Santino 34). The BSCP alone tied together Parker's racist and anti-union sentiments. And though they would not go so far as to support Communist activities, Randolph and other BSCP spokesmen encouraged black workers to form workers' councils so as to demand equitable relief funds from the U. S. government, especially after the origin of the New Deal. The BSCP was the very first African-American labor union to sign a collective bargaining agreement with a main U.S. corporation (Santino 67). All applicants were required to take the General Test the United States Employment Service. Each applicant was also given an intensive interview with an employment service counselor to determine whether he might have a substantial potential in the trade regardless of his ability to meet the minimum standards. Under the collective bargaining agreement, appointments as apprentices were to be made from among the highest scorers. Randolph's career is one of the most interesting in contemporary black history.As an opponent of participation in World War I and an angry critic of the Wilson administration, Randolph's writings earned The Messenger the title of ‘the most able and the most dangerous of all Negro publications' (Pfeffer 67). During the int er-war years he devoted himself to trade union organization and gained prominence as the leader of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. Not only did he secure recognition of the union from the railroads, but in 1936 took it into the American Federation of Labor as an international union.This union's founding and struggle for recognition was a dramatic episode in the history of black workers (Harris 78). The black leaders of the period, including Du Bois and Randolph, who believed in programs of interracial cooperation also believed that such a policy of working with whites must be accompanied by a campaign of public enlightenment about black people. To win whites to the cause it was necessary to correct the black image in their minds. Beyond an appeal to the conscience of whites, or to their democratic ideals, it was necessary to remove the misconceptions they held about blacks.In the mid- 1930s the Brotherhood won two notable victories-the receipt of an international charter fr om the American Federation of Labor and recognition by the Pullman Company as the bargaining agent for the porters and maids. Strengthened by its international union status and by its victory over the Pullman Company, the Brotherhood had become a dominant force in Negro circles by the late 1930s. References Chateauvert, Melinda. (1997). Marching Together: Women of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. Harris, William. (1977).Keeping the Faith: A. Philip Randolph, Milton P. Webster, and the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, 1925-37. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. Perata, David. (1996). Those Pullman Blues: An Oral History of the African American Railroad Attendant. New York: Twayne Publishers. Pfeffer, Paula F. A. (1990). Philip Randolph, Pioneer of the Civil Rights Movement. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press. Santino, Jack. (1991). Miles of Smiles, Years of Struggle: Stories of Black Pullman Porters. Urbana: University o f Illinois Press. The Nation, June 9, 1926, p. 3.

How Will Technology Influence Our Lives in Future Essay

Since times immemorial, scientists have invented thousands of technologies. Among them, television, wheel, mobile phone and computer have been of utmost benefit to us and have left a considerable impact on us. These have entirely revolutionized communication techniques, travelling ways and other aspects of human life. Today, our lives are much more cozier and technical compared to those in primitive times. Before speaking about the future, let us recount the various innovative technological wonders of the past which has made our lives today so comfortable. As mentioned above, the wheel is considered to be the greatest invention till date. Why? Can it even be considered as technology? The answer is definitely yes. Simply defined, technology is a man’s creation which can be implemented to make tasks easier. Imagine a world today without wheels! No cars and bikes to zap us around places, no conveyer belts in factories(resulting in heavy manual labour). Even to draw water out of the wells in some of our houses (we use pulleys which is derived from the wheel) would be a herculean task. Hard to imagine right? Communication technology is another major technological boon (bane in a very few ways). Remember the time of our ancestors where delivery of letters would take weeks, months even! Or before that, where messengers would travel on foot to convey messages. And now, where at the press of a button, any person in this whole wide world can be contacted. In a jiffy! Ok moving on. The world is so much advanced in technology as it is. Is there scope for more advancement in future? Of course there is! There is virtually no limit to advancement. So, what does the future hold for us in the technological aspect? I dare say anything because as I said, there is virtually no bounds within which technology can constrict itself. Already we have so many technological contraptions that are a blessing to people. The bionic limbs which make the handicapped as able as normal people. The time is not far where artificial life can be created. Robots helping the blind see, helping the lame to walk is not going to be just fiction in a few decades from now. Internet will find even larger application in future. I see advancement in our economical & social life. It’s reasonable to assume that as technology continues to accelerate, we can expect dramatic changes in the years and decades ahead. Most of us have come to take rapid technological improvement in the products and services we use for granted. But when technology has a broader impact on society and on the economy. In next 5-10 year there will be a big change in our earning style; where e-business will be a major part of our jobs. People will be earning 30-100% of their income from internet. These are not my statistics but from trusted sources from the economists from leading institutes. Saying this, it is apparent that technological advancement has become a boon to us. Or, HAS IT Is there a flip side to this that can affect us in an undesirable way? If you ask me, technology is a teo-edged sword to a certain extent. It has its cons. There are so many crimes happening these days. Some on such a large scale which is difficult to imagine. Technology has played a role in this aspect too. Internet crimes are increasing at an alarming rate. Burglars are making use of high-tech tools to break in, bank accounts are being hacked, people are being deceived online and the list goes on. This precisely is where the line should be drawn when it comes to technology. We should use it properly and with good intentions. For the good of the people. The â€Å"virtually no end† phrase holds good here also. When, at present times there is such misuse of technology, imagine what would happen in the future if not used properly? So there are no limits for the cons of technology also. Coming to â€Å"what should India do to stay ahead†. India has a low GDP and is not a world leader in terms of technology (though it is certainly up there). To get decent degrees, its students abroad where the degrees are reputable and valuable. To get to the top, I think there is a valuable lesson which can be learned from a region within our own country; Kerala. The GDP of Kerala is six times the national average, so they’re clearly doing something right. In Kerala, they encourage the education of women and offer better free healthcare and family planning. To improve their situation, India should probably reproduce this model across the country. Of course, there are other ways in which they could increase their GDP/capita, but this is probably the most appropriate. You’re probably wondering what that has to do with technology. I believe that if the GDP/capita increases sufficiently, there will be more interest in high-tech industry and consequently there will be more technological progress in India. This will inspire few of the players in the technology field from India to strive to be better than the other. The direct result of this will be India climbing two more rungs of the tech ladder. India should also improve the standards of the technical education being imparted in ALL INSTITUTES. Not only the IIT’s, NIT’s and IISc’s. The base for technical should be standardised. The students should be convinced that the education they will get in india is on par with foreign universities wth a high reputation. The budding engineers should be lured to work in india for the betterment of the country rather than loosing them to foreign lands. These are only few ways in which india can try and be ahead in the game. Much more simpler things like appreciation for the innovative minds that are working on technolgy can work wonders. Not only the government, but every citizen of india has a fair portion to contribute in helping india to be the world leader in technology. So lets do our bit.

Applied Financial Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Applied Financial Management - Essay Example The analysis is conducting implying accounting theories and principles. Caterpillar Inc is a leading American heavy equipment and machinery manufacturer and distributor. The company is a subsidiary of Caterpillar (CAT). The company is recognized as the leading manufacturer of construction machinery, equipment, engines and turbines. According to the Fortune 500 listing the company ranks number one among 44 industries across the globe and is currently headquartered in Peroria, Illinois (Annual Report: Caterpillar Inc., 2014). The Company was initially established in 1925 under the name of Caterpillar Tractor Company that was then re-organized under the name of Caterpillar Inc in 1986 (Annual Report: Caterpillar Inc., 2014). The primary operations of the company compresses manufacturing and distribution, having manufacturing plant located in more than 110 facilities across the globe among that 51 plants are located in United States and others are located in the different countries worldwide. In addition, the company also provides financial services to its customers in order to provide financial alternatives for the customers to acquire Caterpillar Products. The company acquires assets of net worth, more than US$89 billion with an average revenue turnover of US$55.6 billion (Annual Report: Caterpillar Inc., 2014). The growth and expansion of the company are subjected to its effective financial management practice and performance. The outlook of the financial practices and policies of the company are analyzed to evaluate financial management practices of the company. Caterpillar has constantly expanded with the passage and sustained its financial performance in different economic conditions. The company has ensured its financial practices and policies anticipating its financial positioning in the global market. The section of the report

Prosady and Poetic Devices Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Prosady and Poetic Devices - Assignment Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that the former consists of what it literally is as well as something a little more abstract that stands for the same thing; the latter is when the word is used for what it stands for. Extended metaphors are metaphors that are drawn out beyond just the typical word. It usually extends itself throughout the stanza or the entire length of the poem. This is done by using more than one comparison between the different objects or concepts. While an allegory can sometimes be considered an extended metaphor, it is even rarer when trying to view it the other way around. It depends entirely on how constant the comparisons are within the poem itself. A symbol is the representation of another object through the use of graphics, the written word, and vocal or physical objects. These symbols are complex and abstract, and they usually present another concept that is even more abstract than the symbol itself. Symbolism is one of the most common poetic devic es, as well as a device often seen in regular forms of literature. Symbols are used when trying to display a concept without the author saying straight forwardly what they are trying to convey to their readers. It is important to include Historical Fiction in a schools curriculum that is written from more than one perspective and is culturally accurate because it allows students to see the different sides from an event that took place. Many historical pieces become biased based on which side they would have represented, making the opposing side into something horrible that it is not. Furthermore, in terms of being biased, sometimes the story is not told as it really went. Some authors twist the story around to make the losing side the winner, especially if they are representative of that winning side.

Assess the extent to which governments shape the global oil economy Essay - 1

Assess the extent to which governments shape the global oil economy. In your analysis, consider the respective roles of nature, industrial structure and war - Essay Example Often, governments use regulatory policies such as tax exemptions to encourage private companies to drill oil in the region. The Iraqi government pays oil-drilling companies a fee per barrel, as an incentive for them to meet the unrealistic quotas it sets (Muttitt 2012, p. 1-2). Corruption amongst government officials remains the biggest challenge of oil production in the region. For example, the two ruling families of Kurdistan destabilize oil production in the region through indiscriminate trading of oil through corrupt means (Muttitt 2012, p. 1-2). Generally, any form of conflict, be it external or internal adversely affects a country’s economy. Jones (2012, p. 208) infers that successful oil production in the Middle East peaked US’ interest, which in turn led to the latter invading the former. Years of war adversely affected the Middle Eastern states especially their economic output. Muttitt (2010, p. 1), states that nine years after the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq resulted in increased oil output whereby in 2011, Iraq ranked second among other countries affiliated with OPEC. In conclusion, civil war, unfavorable government policies, and the limited nature of natural resources adversely affects oil production across the globe. Weeding out corruption in government, adoption of renewable (alternative) sources of energy, and preventing the onset of war are factors likely to improve the global oil

How to Improve China's International Trade Essay

How to Improve China's International Trade - Essay Example International trade in China nowadays is the most developed form of international contacts. The Chinese international turnover during the years of reforms has grown from $10 billion in 1978 to $325 billion in 1997 (the positive balance equals to more than $40 billion). By the international trade volume China now takes the third place in the world, with its export and import in 2005 equaling to $1422.1 billion. (Lloyd 2006, p. 389) More than 220 countries have international trade relations with China, among which are USA, Japan, European Union, Korea, Taiwan, Russia, Australia and Canada. On July 1st, 2004 China adopted a new law 'About International Trade'. With the aim of stimulating the international trade, this law has replaced the regime of considering and registering the right for carrying out external economic operations for the simple system of registration, and there have been created strict regulations, relating to import and export of goods and technologies, international s ervice trade, international trade order, as well as the protection of copyright according to the abovementioned order. (Garnaut & Song 2005, p. 27) The dependence of Chinese economy on the international trade has grown significantly, which witnesses about its deep involvement into the world international ties and processes. Though China takes the third place in the world economy by the international trade volume, its weight in it can still become higher. The main obstacle for this is the low quality of the bigger portion of the goods, produced by the processing industry, which don't survive the rivalry of the similar products on the world market, and the absence of possibilities for increasing the raw materials export. The main task of the Chinese export policy is the providing of import financing, which is built with the account of the international conjuncture. The main efforts are directed at stimulating predominant growth of finished goods' export with the growing portion of science-heavy products; these processes are accompanied by achieving the quality of goods, which will correspond to the international quality standards . Considerable growth has been achieved in the total volume of finished goods' export, which by the beginning of 90s constituted already 2/3 of the Chinese export. The first place in export (50%) belongs to the consumer goods, among which clothes, shoes, toys, etc. An important place in the international trade of China is taken by the raw materials processing with the further export of the finished products - it constitutes about 50% of the total country's turnover. China is the leader in exporting textiles and silk. Textile industry is the main source of foreign income for China. (Kent 2002, p. 344) Less than 20% of export accounts for machine building and electro technical products. The growth of the specific gravity of these products in the world export is being restricted by the fact, that their quality is not competitive with that of other suppliers. The portion of Chinese machine building in the world export does not exceed 0.3%. (Manilla Bulletin 2005, p. 12) The structure of the international trade in China was described here to decide, what challenges are set in front of Chinese economy and foreign trade as the essential part in its development. The definition and determination of challenges will lead us to the definition of

Writing Successful Essays Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Writing Successful Essays - Essay Example Coca-Cola became an international sensation and with the use of celebrities and now further trough their mobile units to connect more with people (dbase media, Coca-Cola Takes New Marketing Strategy) the brand has made good use of advertising. It also cosponsored major sports events such as the super bowl to its advantage. Through the expansion the company has made in setting up factories in developing countries Coca-Cola is able to cut down their cost of production due to cheap labor. However, the do manage to help the economy by creating new jobs as in Africa where 12000 jobs plus have been created (Coca-Cola, Supporting Small Business Development) and they donate a large amount to charity as well. Thus Coca-Cola not only manages to target their consumers through savvy use of advertising and marketing all the while increasing their sales but also helps the local economy of the countries they sell in making it an overwhelming brand. Following the three major concepts provided below as headings, create a model of argument structure by filling in more concepts related to the ones given here, then write down an argument about the structure you have created. Large corporations such as Coca-Cola have invested a large amount in taking the company from its small town business to a multi national corporation that it is today. With the expansion of the business the company has sought to set up factories in areas where it benefits them most in terms of costs and consumption. On the other hand, how exactly do companies such as these effect the economic health of the nation in which they build factories or decide to sell in. These effects could both be positive or negative. Coca-Cola has, from the time of its humble birth in 1886, till now has managed to take up a large amount of the global market for soft-drinks. It was concocted by Dr. John Stith Pemberton who sold the mixture at the local pharmacy at a

The Comparison between Stocks of Chinese Companies in U.S. and Stocks Term Paper

The Comparison between Stocks of Chinese Companies in U.S. and Stocks in China using SAS - Term Paper Example The stock market has grown rapidly over the years from the commencement of big firm’s addition in the last few years. Moreover, at the present more than 80% of the overall capitalization of Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKSE) market that abides to the US rules and regulations and is open to the outside investors. This is in consistence of China as a mainland creating a market of H share. Putting together the listed firms on the list and in trade in these 3 exchanges, the stock exchange of China is the 2nd biggest worldwide, just following the markets of US equity. On the other hand, the equity market of China has become substandard, in particular in comparison to the GDP growth. In December 31, 1991 since as per December 31, 1990 there was barely any listed stock. Ironically, the composite of Shanghai has the most terrible performing index globally. The big question here is; how is it that the world rapidly evolving economy with a realistic growth rate factor of GDP being 8 since the year 1991, gives a bad performance in the stock market. I can say not much research on this has been done to address this big question. This is then, is the aim of this paper. When USA had problems, investors began searching for new markets, in which there would be high probability of earning cash. In the last 30 years China has shown growth economically, though its stock market shows bad results in performance. Consequently, this has caused attraction to quite a number of investors. In spite of its quick growth economically, Chinese stock market fails to show any significant improvement. Moreover, Chinese stock market got particular features that ought to be done analysis and assessment by those wishing to invest. The stock market of China was no go zone for a given period due to the unique characteristics of its market that had cut down its market integrity. I believe this market has been influenced by the

Macro-economical Side of World Price of Wheat Assignment

Macro-economical Side of World Price of Wheat - Assignment Example Normally, when a good has high demand with a given supply, the price for the same tends to come up and when it is demanded by a few, the price tends to come down. But, it is to be noticed that this relationship between price, demand, and supply do not hold good always. There are exceptions to this general rule. However, in the case of commodities that are normally consumed, this rule can be applied. It can be, therefore, inferred that demand and supply are two opposite extremes of the same phenomenon and when it comes together (it is necessary), the price is determined, called the equilibrium price. This equilibrium price ensures that quantity demanded is just equal to the quantity supplied at any time point and this decides the price of that good (Forget 1999, p. 141). In the context of a hike in the price of enriched wheat flour in Malaysia, the following demand-supply model is suggested. The price of wheat here is determined by the forces of quantity demanded and supplied. The quantity of wheat supplied at any time is the amount of wheat that the suppliers are ready to offer at a certain price. Similarly, the amount of quantity of wheat demanded by consumers implies the quantity that consumers are ready to purchase at a certain price. When both demand and supply interact together at a point, the price is determined. This situation is known as the equilibrium price. This situation gets affected when there is a mismatch between quantity supplied and demanded. At this juncture, the quantity demanded does not coincide with what is offered by suppliers and thereby the price reaches disequilibrium. This price disequilibrium gets adjusted by either a price cut or a price hike as the case may be and eventually reaches the price equilibrium. The major reason put forward here for the inevitable price hike is the shortage of wheat in the home market. When there is a shortage of an essential good, the demand for the same would increase as a certain amount of the good is consumed daily. Therefore, when there is a shortage in the supply of wheat in the country, the demand for wheat flour increases and naturally there is an adjustment of price. However, this economic problem can be overcome by shifting the consumption of wheat from enriched wheat to normal wheat. The price of normal wheat will not be affected much as it is abundantly available. Hence, the authorities can proceed with stabilizing the price at a level where the consumers in the home market will not be harmed much. Explain the determinants of the price elasticity of demand as they apply to the demand for wheat. Use your conclusions about the price elasticity of demand to explain what they imply about the revenue that Australian wheat farmers are likely to receive as a consequence of the poor harvests in Australia Price Elasticity of Demand of a good is commonly understood as the degree to which the consumers respond to a change in price. If the consumers are highly responsive that they demand more of the good, when there is a price cut, the good id said to have price elasticity. It is measured by a coefficient. When the coefficient is high, the good is highly elastic and vice versa (Hoag 2006, p. 102).

Kotter's 8 Step Approach for an Organization Term Paper

Kotter's 8 Step Approach for an Organization - Term Paper Example   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Company Overview FedEx Corporation is among the best international companies operating in distribution industry, in providing reliable, timely, and rapid express delivery to over 200 states and destinations. The company is able to link international markets that cover beyond three quarters of world’s GDP within a period of four working days. What makes FedEx a world leader is its highly developed information technology infrastructure, competent air path officials, together with well-established mode of transport. The company delivers about 3 million cargos every day in Europe, Africa, India, and the Middle East and currently operates in almost all the cities and territories with its reliable inter states and continental distribution services. United States has one of the biggest offices for FedEx express and is currently expanding its wings to cover more areas around the region through rational and well-planned investments. FedEx story is not all positive since it has been facing various challenges and problems, especially in the current economic meltdown (Gutierrez, 2008). Diagnosis FedEx as an international company that has operated for over three decades has become too complex especially at management level. In addition, competition in the modern world is growing tougher and rapid in the modern economy and this requires FedEx to keep on updating and reinventing themselves. Over the years FedEx image has been tarnished due to numerous complaints from customers, for instance in their packaging methods. Some of the styles and organization practices being used in FedEx have been outdated hence the need to revisit and rebrand the company. The major problem is that FedEx has been unable to adapt effectively to the current economic situations (Gutierrez, 2008).   Ã‚  Kotter’s Change Approach Step 1: Creation of urgency Change can only happen in a company if at all every person or stakeholders in the company desire the change. Develop ing a sense of urgency in an organization starts with identifying and accepting the existing weaknesses in the company because the thought of the company falling or losing their investments arouses managers need to act, and similarly spreads the aspect of urgency to other stakeholders. Financial problems or loss of workforce mostly sparks people to act or make a decision in most companies. Human nature requires a touchable or a foreseeable aspect of failure in order to come out of their comfort zones. For change to occur successfully and effectively in any organization, managers or executives of the company must facilitate a coordinate a discussion where actual problems and threats are mentioned and analyzed (Shaffer & Thompson, 2008). In most scenarios, external consultation has proved to be the most effective, as it brings out the overall weaknesses of the entire company and eliminates biasness. According to Kotter, the degree of urgency is huge enough when about two thirds of the organization’s executives becomes understands the fact that the existing organizational culture and practices are out of line and need to change. Change in most cases starts with an individual or a few people and then others realizes it significance with time. FedEx as a company can take the following steps to initiate change: 1. Documentation of potential threats and forecast in the future in order to predict situations

The Awakening- Ednas Independence Essay Example for Free

The Awakening- Ednas Independence Essay In Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, Edna Pontellier is a character who is alienated from the rest of society. She carries views which do not coincide with the norm, and in a way establishes her own idea of how women should live and be treated. Not only do her views estrange her from society, but she also physically separates herself from the life she used to live and the Victorian culture into which she was born. During this time, it was expected of a woman to be the perfect picture of a wife and mother, an â€Å"Angel of the House†. Even early on in the novel Edna is shown to be the type of woman that doesn’t fit the bill. While most other mothers, such as Adele Ratignolle, would bend over backwards to take care of their children, Edna is clearly not as much a ‘mother-woman’; her children had learned to be the type to stand up and brush off the dirt rather than run to mommy if they fell down. Her marriage to Leonce was more a social convention than it was a loving relationship, as if she only married because it was the thing to do. This was not an uncommon arrangement, but Edna’s treatment of it was- with little passion and emotional connection in her marriage, she commits emotional adultery finding companionship in the form of Robert Lebrun. Later in rediscovering music and art, she also shirks all responsibility as a wife and mother, ignoring her expected duties in order to concentrate on her painting. This is far from the picture of the perfect Victorian wife. Edna’s physical separation from her old life is symbolic of her opposing views about women and their role in the community. With her husband away and her boys with their grandmother, Edna lives as a single woman. Her choice to remove herself from the life of a mother-woman is contradictory to everything she was taught to do. Her claim of independence is unheard of, and society doesn’t know how to react. In her Victorian culture, women are the belongings of men and have no claims to their own lives, nor have they any means to their own wants and needs; this was the custom everyone had grown up on, the custom everyone was used to. Edna rebels against this belief with her nonconformist decision to live on her own, as her own being, with her own mental and emotional and sexual desires. There is an instance when Edna and Robert are discussing a future together, and Robert notes his wish to free Edna from Leonce, because he is still under the belief that she is an object to be passed from one owner to another. Edna then calls him silly for believing such things, for she is an independent person, whom no one governs but her own self. Edna’s intellectual, emotional, and sexual awakenings, though giving her the independence she craves, isolate her from the rest of society. There is one point in the novel where Edna speaks of walking, how she doesn’t mind walking to get to places farther off and how she feels bad for those women who don’t take the walk because they are missing so much. Edna knows she is the only woman who has taken the walk, taken the chance to discover living outside of societal norms and finding out how freeing it is. As much as she wants someone to join her, in her last ‘awakening’ she realizes no one will- Robert wants to marry her out of convention rather than cross the boundaries and be her lover. Edna realizes she cannot escape the chains of society’s expectations, and she is utterly alone. Edna’s isolation grows as she has more and more revelations about her life and herself. Though starting simply as the odd one out among the mother-women, she becomes the lone rebel across the societal boundaries. Her beliefs about women as independent, intellectual, sexual, and emotional beings contradict the societal views demonstrated along her journey of awakening.

Differentiate among the formal, informal and hidden curriculum

Differentiate among the formal, informal and hidden curriculum The world is ever changing, and what is taught in schools must also change. The concept of curriculum planning must be viewed critically at the purposes, content and processes in a holistic manner. How we perceive of curriculum making is important because our conceptions and ways of reasoning about curriculum reflect and shape how we see, think and talk about, study and act on the education made available to students. Our curriculum conceptions, ways of reasoning and practice cannot be value neutral. They necessarily reflect our assumption about the world, even if those assumptions remain implicit and unexamined. Furthermore, concern with conceptions is not merely theoretical. Conceptions emerge from and enter into practice (Cornbleth, 1990). In essence, ones approach to curriculum is shaped by ones views of the world and their values (philosophy), of how children develop and behave (psychology) and on social issues (sociology) (Harris, 2010). This paper will seek to define the conce pt of curriculum, the formal, informal and hidden curriculum and provide arguments explaining the extent to which the hidden curriculum has a greater impact than the formal curriculum on the development of learners. Depending on ones conception of curriculum, the definition may vary. But an important point to note is that the definition is not static, it is dynamic in that it changes over time. According to Todd writing in 1965, A curriculum is defined as the planned educational experiences offered by a school which can take place anywhere at any time in the multiple context of the school (pg 2). Another definition as posited by Wilson writing in 1990, defines the curriculum as Anything and everything that teaches a lesson, planned or otherwise. He argues that humans are born learning, and therefore the curriculum must encompass a combination of the hidden, informal, formal, political and societal curricula as students learn continuously through experiences and modeled behaviours from their teachers and other members of staff whether administrative, ancillary or otherwise. Dimensions of curriculum planning will encompass the elements or approaches, the types (formal, informal and hidden) and the conceptions or orientations. Whichever type of curriculum is adopted by a department, emphasis must be on the needs of the students, the school context and statutory and syllabus requirements. Wilson (2005) argues that the types of curriculum that exists are open to interpretation as the curriculum reflects the models of instructional delivery and the psychological classifications of learning theories. While he contends that many curricula exist, the formal/overt, informal and hidden curricula are widely used within educational institutions. The formal curriculum is simply that which is written as part of formal instruction of schooling experiences. It may refer to a curriculum document, texts, films, and supportive teaching materials that are overtly chosen to support the intentional instructional agenda of a school. Thus, the overt curriculum is usually confi ned to those written understandings and directions formally designated and reviewed by administrators, curriculum directors and teachers, often collectively (Wilson, 2005). The formal curriculum therefore embodies the learning activities that are planned, organized and implemented within regular school hours. The informal curriculum on the other hand refers to the learning experiences adopted from other agencies outside the formal setting such as parents, peers, media and community. The informal curriculum is sometimes referred to as co-curricular activities. Longstreet and Shane (1993) view the hidden curriculum as the kinds of learning children derive from the very nature and organizational design of the public school, as well as from the behaviors and attitudes of teachers and administrators (pg 46). Whichever type of curriculum is chosen to meet the needs of the students within the defined school context and in lieu with the statutory and syllabus requirements must encompass a h olistic approach to curriculum planning. Sociologist Philip Jackson coined the term hidden curriculum in 1968, although the concept has been around much longer. Jackson argues that what is taught in schools is more than the essence of the curriculum. He thought that schools should be understood as a socialization process where messages are communicated to students through their experience of being in school, not just from things that are unequivocally taught. From another perspective, the hidden curriculum isà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ something coming across to the pupils which may never be spoken in the English lesson or prayed about in assembly. They are picking-up an approach to living and an attitude to learning (Meighan, 1981). The hidden curriculum, then, provides a leeway for educators to impress upon students their values, beliefs and most importantly, the dominant cultural capital. The concept of cultural capital, developed by Pierre Bourdieu, is a set of tools and skills acquired through experience that includes knowledge about how to present oneself vis-à  -vis relations of power (Dalmage Isserles, 2000, p. 160). Bourdieu attempts to expand the understanding of capital to something more than just economic by identifying culture as a form of capital. His concern in relation to cultural capital was with its continual transmission in ways that perpetuate social inequalities. Bourdieu explains school success by the amount and type of cultural capital inherited from the family milieu rather than by measures of individual talent or achievement. For him, ability is socially constructed and is the result of individuals having access to large amounts of the dominant cultural capital. Cultural capital includes ones language, etiquette, preferences, and taste, which Bourdieu (1977, p. 82) terms subtle modalities in the relationship to culture and language. The hidden curriculum therefore has a greater impact than the formal curriculum in the transmission of cultural capital. This is apparent as the formal curriculum is limited to the school context (academic) and within prescribed hours while the hidden curriculum factors in the social construct of individuals and the society in which they live. These subtle modalities are impressed upon them unintentionally within the delivery of the curriculum and usually have a big influence on them. Take for example teaching a Social Studies lesson on democracy at the secondary level. If the students are not given a voice in the classroom and are treated irrationally, they may have a negative perspective about the nature of society. Jackson writing in 1968 contends that the hidden curriculum emphasized skills such as learning to wait quietly, patiently, exercising restraint, completing work, cooperating with others, being punctual and respecting peer differences (Margolis, n.d. pg 5). These features clearly had nothing to do with educational goals. These educational goals were always covered in the formal curriculum and neglect the inculcation of life skills that would promote social change and conformity, preventing any state of anomie (normlessness) in schools and mainstream society. Robert Dreeben as cited in Margolis article The Hidden Curriculum in Higher Education contends that these skills taught students to form transient social relationships and accept responsibility for their actions. He further argued that the hidden curriculum taught students values such as independence and achievement which will be essential for their transition from childhood to adulthood. Within the secondary schools, work is usua lly assigned by teachers with no indication that it must be done. The hidden curriculum encompasses such an enquiry approach where students must create their own learning experiences rather than relying on the teacher for strict guidance. Such guidance is usually systematic and deliberate and falls within the formal curriculum and subsequently does not teach the value of independence or any other life skill. What usually happens is where students thoughts are merely those of the teacher. An argument put forward by Palermo 1990, stated that These days we talk a lot about objectives, subjects, timetables, syllabuses, standards and technologies. These are all important issues, but they seem to me like the tip of the iceberg, what we can see and hear and talk about: the overt part of a curriculum. But what we do not see is just as important, and perhaps more: it is the hidden or covert curriculum, and this is made up of what people teachers, students, parents, administrators bring to it, in terms of their beliefs, attitudes, expectations, motivations. It seems to me that this submerged curriculum is largely unknown, rarely spoken about, and very often underestimated. Quite frankly, she is right. Her argument is that while the formal curriculum is necessary, the hidden curriculum provides a more holistic approach in ensuring that students cognitive, psychological and behavioural traits are taken into consideration when devising a curriculum. The hidden curriculum althou gh unintended usually facilitates the transmission of beliefs with affect how students make decisions regarding their life. This curriculum provides students with a voice in the classroom and does not follow a systematic and deliberate approach to teaching and learning. The hidden curriculum cannot be used in isolation from the formal curriculum. Both complement each other and are essential for the academic, vocational and social development of learners. The formal approach stresses academics within prescribed hours while the hidden curriculum emphasize students forming social transient relationships and the acquisition of societal norms, values and beliefs which in turn affects one desire to participate in deviant acts. This is largely due to the unintended social modalities impressed upon them during the teaching and learning process. While researchers argue that the hidden curriculum elevates and perpetuates the culture of the dominant class a process termed cultural reproduction, they will agree that this curriculum proves more beneficial to oneself and the society in which they live.

Moldovas Accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO)

Moldovas Accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) The World Trade Organization (WTO), successor of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) founded in 1947, today represents a common institutional frame- work for the development of trade relations among its members, based on the principles harmonized at the international level through a number of multilateral agreements. At present the WTO includes 140 countries, with another 32 countries having an observer status. Moldova, Armenia, China and Vanuatu are at the final stage of accession. Today only a few countries with planned economies in their past and some developing countries have remained outside the WTO. Integration, of the developing countries and of the countries with their economies in transition, into the international trade system offers a good opportunity to take full advantage from the participation to enter the globalization process. Countries with their economies in transition view the WTO, whose rules of international trade are being established and monitored , as a structure that offers an important opportunity for integration into the world economy and of the improvement of their national legal framework in the economic and commercial field. The WTO basic functions are as follows: to facilitate the application, administration and successful functioning of the WTO laws and regulatory framework; to promote the achievement of objectives of each WTO agreement that concerns specific trade issues; Proceeding from these functions, the WTO can be viewed as an international structure, which for its member states represents the following: a forum for negotiations of issues concerning trade relations and matters incorporated into international multilateral treaties; a forum for future international negotiations, representation of each members interests; a legal and institutional framework for the application of the results of talks between states; a framework ensuring the application of rules and procedures for settling disputes between states; a framework providing for the use of the mechanisms of scrutinizing and ensuring transparency of commercial policies. 3.1. Advantages of the World Trading System The world trading system is not perfect, particularly taking into account the attempts of the Member States to have after their accession, the current rules revised. However, since the establishment of the WTO in 1995, countries involved in this system maintain that a state outside the system should be aware of the advantages the WTO offers to its members and of the reasons in favor of the WTO membership. In most cases, the decision of countries to apply for the WTO membership was influenced mainly by political factors, as their economic and commercial interests were not one of the major factors in initiating the accession process. On the other hand, candidate countries were conscious of certain disadvantages of staying away from the WTO bilateral and multilateral agreements are not sufficiently comprehensive, the image of a non-member state among foreign investors is not favorable enough etc. In this order of ideas we suggest looking into the advantages of accession to the WTO. As it was mentioned above, the WTO rules were produced on the basis of the world trading system, specifically a set of rules established by the consensus of all 140 Member States of the World Trade Organization. These rules are said to make life easier for everybody, since the decisions within the WTO are taken by consensus, likewise all multilateral agreements have been negotiated and then ratified by the parliaments of each Member State. The WTO agreements are compulsory for every country, developed or less developed, big or small. Without a multilateral forum, such as the WTO, the more developed countries would have had more freedom to impose unilaterally their will on their smaller partners. Free trade reduces living expenses. A great deal of research has been done on the conflict between protectionism and free trade. Protectionism is expensive: it always raises prices. The WTO system pursues the goal of removing trade barriers by following the rules of the game set by mutual agreement and is based on the principle of non-discrimination. This brings lower production costs, lower prices for goods and services, and as a result, life becomes less expensive. The world trading system offers a much wider range of various products. Import provides for a better choice of goods and services of different quality. Even the quality of local goods can be improved in conditions of competition generated by import. Imported goods are not used only as a finished product, but also as materials, components and equipment for the production of local goods. This allows manufacturers to broaden the range of products, services and technologies applied, which ultimately contributes to the increase of exports. Trade increases incomes. Analysis and estimates of the impact of the Uruguay Round (in other words, of the establishment of the WTO) or of the creation of the European Union (EU) common market, proved that these processes brought about considerable additional revenues, which greatly stimulated economic development. Trade incurs challenges and certain risks — local manufacturers have to offer products of the same quality as the imported ones, yet not all producers succeed in this. However, the fact that there are additional revenues means that there are resources for the governments allowing for redistribution of the available benefits. This can help business operators become more competitive in the traditional fields or in the newly developed and promising ones. Trade stimulates economic growth, which implies, among other things, creation of new jobs. It is true, however, that some jobs are lost as a result of the expanding commercial activities. The same applies to the technological progress: the implementation of new technologies creates new jobs, while at the same time, cuts down jobs requiring an un- skilled labor force. In both cases, a coherent policy facilitates settlement of the employment problems, thus ensuring a better final result, particularly in conditions of a free trade, and also provides for the use of advanced technologies. It is known that trade, which ensures a more efficient and adequate use of production resources, generates division of labor among countries. An additional advantage offered by the WTO system is an increase of efficiency with less expenses. This becomes possible due to the important principles laid on the basis of the system. These principles are as follows: non-discrimination, transparency of rules and regulations, commitments to remove trade barriers and increase the access on other markets, fostering trade through making customs procedures easier and uniform, and others. à ¯Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¿ In the WTO framework governments are in a better position to defend themselves from being lobbied by some smaller groups. Thus, governments can carry on a commercial policy that satisfies the interests of all parties involved in the economy. At first sight, the application of certain restrictions on imports seems to be an efficient method of supporting the economic sector. In fact, it imbalances the economy and affects other sectors. At the same time, it is well known that making exceptions leads indirectly to tax evasion and corruption. In some cases, even the protected sectors are affected. When the policy of support given by the State is incoherent and is not rendered until the final consolidation of the capacities of enterprises, the latter at a certain point can go bankrupt or be swallowed by big corporations. Due to the fact that the WTO framework covers a wide range of sectors, if there is a case in which a pressure group resorts to lobbyism in order to be protected, the government can put up resistance to such pressures, motivating it by the fact that an agreement suitable for all sectors of the economy has to be reached. In practice governments often invoke such a reason. The system encourages good government. Governments often use the WTO framework as a practical external restriction for the elaboration of economic policies, by giving the following reason, we cant act differently because its against the WTO regulations. According to the WTO rules, once a commitment has been undertaken, it would be difficult to change this decision. For business this means a greater certainty and clarity in conditions of trade. For governments this means more discipline and correctness. Also, the world trading system contributes to peace consolidation. It seems a bit exaggerated, and yet, the system contributes to strengthening peace in the world, since, to some extent, peace is a result of the application of the two basic principles of the WTO, particularly, ensuring continuous trade and offering a fair and constructive way to settle trade disputes. An eloquent example is the trade war of 1930, when the involved countries competed in raising trade barriers in order to protect local manufacturers. This fact deepened the Great Crisis and played a certain role in the outbreak of World War II. A key-element of the WTO system is the fact that disputes are solved in a constructive way. Naturally, the development of trade may generate trade disputes which can lead to serious conflicts. Therefore, a great deal of tense international trade situations can be settled by the organizations specializing in tackling trade disputes, such as the WTO. A growing number of disputes brought before this organization reflects closer economic ties throughout the world, a growing number of the WTO members and an increasing confidence in the capacity of this system to settle disputes [2]. To summarize the advantages of the WTO membership, we can name some of them: a) the implementation of the WTO agreements, in general, offer wider trade opportunities to the Member States; b) multilateral regulations with a higher degree of restrictions ensure a safer and a more stable trade environment and provide more certainty in trade relations; c) only Member States can take advantage of the rights laid down in the WTO agreements; d) the WTO agreements have substantially improved transparency of commercial policies and of the practices of trade partners, a fact that strengthens safety and stabilizes trade relations; e) only the WTO members have an access to the mechanism of settling disputes with a view to defending their rights and commercial interests; f) membership status offers an opportunity to take part in multilateral negotiations, thus, ensuring the promotion of each members commercial and economic interests. 3.2. The Republic of Moldovas Accession to the WTO Accession, accomplished in the appropriate conditions, is a rather difficult and complicated process that may be delayed and that requires a high level of competence and coordination of government institutions, as well as a political consensus to efficiently promote national interests. The accession process involves thorough bilateral and multilateral negotiations with all WTO members concerned in the policy carried on by the candidate, which can procrastinate the process of accesion. Countries in the process of accession are bound to examine and adhere to all multilateral agreements, and, optionally, to the two plurilateral agreements, adhesion to which de jure is not compulsory. In fact, the contracting parties to these agreements expect that the candidate becomes a party of these agreements in the accession process to the WTO. This condition turns automatically into a commitment, also observed in the context of discussions and positions of the WTO member states during multilateral trade negotiations. Accession of the Republic of Moldova to the WTO was determined by the advantages offered using the legal framework of international trade and by the reasons in favor of WTO membership. Back in 1993 the Government of the Republic of Moldova applied to join GAIT. The request, which following the creation of the WTO in January 1995, had been reiterated by Moldova. The purpose of accession to the WTO was to urge the process of integration into the world economy, which provides for building a democratic society, an economy based on market economy principles. The accession was motivated also by specific disadvantages of a non-member status in the WTO, in conditions when bilateral trade agreements were not sufficiently developed. It was also motivated by an adverse image, especially among foreign investors, generated by the out of the system status. Accession negotiations coincided with the structural and systematic reforms program and with the elaboration of the countrys economic policy, including the commercial one. However, an underdeveloped administrative system and a lack of human and financial resources directly affected technical capacities providing for this complex process of accession to be conducted shortly and efficiently. Besides, in addition to the fact that it was necessary to adopt a concept to promote a commercial policy which would comply with the WTO multilateral obligations, Moldova, as any applicant country, was required to accept concessions with regard to the access to the goods market and to the consolidation of customs tariffs, as well as with regard to the commitments in the field of internal support in agriculture, and the special commitments concerning trade in services. It should be mentioned that in the course of Moldovas accession the attitude of the main trade partners towards the applicant countries became harsher compared to the period of accession to GATT. The standards of adhesion have been raised considerably. Some WTO members took a firm position requiring the applicant countries to accept a higher level of obligations compared to the one accepted by the initial members, having already included the eventual results of the next future multilateral negotiations. In practice, thi s means that the Republic of Moldova had to accept the level of tariffs consolidation and certain commitments in the services area comparable to the level of the developed countries. At the same time, the Republic of Moldova did not have the opportunity to benefit from certain provisions stipulated by the WTO agreements, which provide a special and preferential regime offered to the developing countries. The status of a developing country was not given to any applicant country with their economy in transition during the period in wich they entered into the accession negotiations with the WTO. This situation made negotiations a lot harder for Moldova  than for other candidates included in the UN list of developing countries. Despite these difficulties, as compared with the other CIS states, Moldova launched a very active process, being outrun only by Kyrgyzstan and Georgia. Initially, in conformity with the accession procedure, a memorandum on the foreign trade regime was presented. Later, a Working Group for the accession of the Republic of Moldova was created comprising 24 WTO members (the European Union having one vote), followed by rounds of questions and answers. Numerous bilateral and multilateral negotiations have been conducted on the access to the goods and services market, on offering subsidies in agriculture and on aligning national legislation on the WTO regulations The most intense negotiations were conducted with Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, the Czech Republic. India, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Slovakia, USA, Turkey and the EU The longest in duration and the most consistent were the negotiations with the EU, the United States, Australia, Canada, India, and Bulgaria A special part in the accession process was both the adjustment of the current legislation to the regulations adopted by the Uruguay Round, and the elaboration of new laws in the areas that have a direct or indirect impact on foreign trade. The negotiation process lasted long due to a negative influence of a number of factors, some of which have already been mentioned. Another important factor was the absence of an adequate institutional framework and of mechanisms of elaboration of policies necessary for the operation of a market economy at the beginning of the negotiation process, which was supposed to ensure rapid development of the latter, ft is also known that frequent changes in the upper level of administration affect and considerably tarry, the accession process. These reasons have slowed down the elaboration and adoption of an adequate national legislation, a fact noticed by the Working Group members on the accession of the Republic of Moldova to the WTO. Protraction of the Republic of Moldovas accession has partially offered some facilities to the WTO members that only the WTO framework can offer. Since the presentation of the memorandum on the foreign trade regime and, later, of the replies to the questions of the working group members for working out the Report of the Working Group and of the Protocol of Accession, Moldova had to submit a great deal of information from different fields related to commercial policies, which required significant expenses. The more this process was delayed, the more information was requested, which sometimes indirectly allowed the member states to speculate on some of the plans or strategies of the applicant countries. For example, in the process of the accession of the Republic of Moldova, information in the following areas was required: practices and prices regulations, the taxation system, subsidies in agriculture, foreign investments, the environment, customs tariffs, including preferential tariff s, payments for customs procedures, exemption from customs duties, license on import, export regulations, trading enterprises owned by the state, standardization of imported goods, sanitary and phyto-sanitary standards, foreign exchange operations, and the protection system of intellectual property rights, etc. It should be mentioned that the presentation of this information was compulsory or unavoidable, since the purpose pursued was to advance the accession process. On the other hand, all these have led to facilitation of the aims of the major WTO actors, who use different levers in the accession process in order to have the applicant countries undertake anticipated commitments within the WTO, thus ensuring their alignment on the subjects discussed during multilateral negotiations. As a non-member country we have already missed many opportunities to negotiated on various bilateral agreements with the states of Central and Eastern Europe the WTO members. Foreign business operators are discouraged by the lack of a clear set of rules, which would allow them to set up their business on the basis of internationally recognized principles. The relations of cooperation in the economic and commercial fields with the countries of the European Union or of the Central Europe Free Trade Area (CEFTA) have been blocked or not given pertinent importance. Treatment of the economic system of the Republic of Moldova as one that is not based on market principles

tragoed Oedipus as the Ideal Tragic Hero of Oedipus the King (Oedipus

Oedipus as the Ideal Tragic Hero of Oedipus the King In the introduction to Sophocles' Oedipus the King, Sophocles defines a tragic hero as one who "[behaves] admirably as a man, [but who] is nevertheless tripped up by forces beyond his control and understanding..." (Sophocles 76).   In Oedipus the King, Oedipus is the tragic hero. The force that "trips up" the hero is fate, or, moira. It is Oedipus's actions that set the events into motion,   but it is ultimately his fate, and his attempted aversion to it, that brings about his downfall. This downfall, and elements such as plot, character, diction and spectacle (Aristotle 175), that cause Oedipus the King to be a tragedy. In order to describe Oedipus as a tragic hero, one must begin by describing a tragedy. A tragedy must consist of a variety of elements in order to truly fulfill its purpose. According to Aristotle, the most important element is plot (175). Without the events that unify all aspects, the story would not be held together. It is the actions of the tragic hero that lead to his downfall, and that define his characteristics and set into motion all other aspects of the work. In Oedipus the King, it is Oedipus's attempt to avoid his destiny, an overt act of hubris, that leads to his rise in power and ultimate fall. In this aspect, he completely fulfills the job of a tragic hero. Another aspect of a tragedy is character. These are the qualities that are imbued in each character in the story. There have to be admirable traits in the characters, or the readers would not care what happened to them. Some of these characteristics can include honor, bravery, and intelligence, as with Oedipus. If readers did not care, there would be no catharsis... ...hat it was his father whom he killed. He was also acting out of love for his parents when he tried to avoid his fate by leaving town. Due to these circumstances, it can be seen that Oedipus's punishment far exceeded the crime; but this is just one more reason   why he is a tragic hero. Bibliography Bloom, Harold, ed. Sophocles. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 2003. 54-57. The Complete Plays of Sophocles. "Introduction." Ed. Moses Hadas. New York: Bantam Books, 1967. p.vii-xvi The Complete Plays of Sophocles. "Introduction to Oedipus the King." Ed. Moses Hadas. New York: Bantam Books, 1967. p.75-76 The Complete Plays of Sophocles. "Introduction." Ed. Moses Hadas. New York: Bantam Books, 1967. p.77-114 Aristotle. "Poetics". Aristotle's Theory of Poetry and Fine Art. Ed. Butcher, S.H. New York. Dover Publications, Inc. 1951.

Theme of Creativity in The Destructors :: Graham Greene

Conditions within various regions often restrict freedoms and creativity of the individual, as a result of human experiences, an individual may commit an act of violence, intended with a different goal, not just that of destruction. In "The Destructors," the author uses diction, setting, and syntax to unveil a general truth of an aspect of human nature: creativity. The poignant use of diction throughout the short story, mostly in the action segment, subliminally demonstrated the positive aspects of destruction. The author goes into Mr. Thomas' mind and illustrates the opinion that, "…but why should burglars engage in what sounded more and more like a stealthy form of carpentry?" By comparing the destruction of Old Misery to a respectable occupation, the author shows a manner of destruction interpreted positively. In the midst of the action, the author mentions "…they worked with the seriousness of creators." Such a statement indicates the complexity of the work occurring at the house: there was more afoot than mere destruction. Through explicit depictions of thoughts and actions within the story, the author reveals a hidden message of human nature, in that not all destruction is evil. The author utilizes setting to construct a firm foundation in this story by referencing the repercussion of bomb sites repeatedly. First mentioned as the location of their meetings, "an impromptu car-park, the site of the last bomb of the first blitz," the setting played an important role in the story. Whilst the rubble of a bombsite seems heartrending, the boys in the gang show no emotion to such scenery, this detached interest signifies an irregularity-destruction taking place of other inane characteristics. Old Misery completely contradicted this belief that the boys held, frequently described with “it’s a beautiful house” and “it had escaped the blast which had smashed the house next door.” Such descriptions lead to the perception of Old Misery as the light in the dark, where the boys were doomed to dwell. The author used this unique setting wherein the boys lived to reflect how human experiences can vary due to living situations. The author gave significance to the action within the story through forms of syntax. In Trevor’s speech to Summers, he uses short lines including “we are going to destroy this house” and there won’t be anything left when we’ve finished” to cause Trevor’s personality to become more realistic in tone. Theme of Creativity in The Destructors :: Graham Greene Conditions within various regions often restrict freedoms and creativity of the individual, as a result of human experiences, an individual may commit an act of violence, intended with a different goal, not just that of destruction. In "The Destructors," the author uses diction, setting, and syntax to unveil a general truth of an aspect of human nature: creativity. The poignant use of diction throughout the short story, mostly in the action segment, subliminally demonstrated the positive aspects of destruction. The author goes into Mr. Thomas' mind and illustrates the opinion that, "…but why should burglars engage in what sounded more and more like a stealthy form of carpentry?" By comparing the destruction of Old Misery to a respectable occupation, the author shows a manner of destruction interpreted positively. In the midst of the action, the author mentions "…they worked with the seriousness of creators." Such a statement indicates the complexity of the work occurring at the house: there was more afoot than mere destruction. Through explicit depictions of thoughts and actions within the story, the author reveals a hidden message of human nature, in that not all destruction is evil. The author utilizes setting to construct a firm foundation in this story by referencing the repercussion of bomb sites repeatedly. First mentioned as the location of their meetings, "an impromptu car-park, the site of the last bomb of the first blitz," the setting played an important role in the story. Whilst the rubble of a bombsite seems heartrending, the boys in the gang show no emotion to such scenery, this detached interest signifies an irregularity-destruction taking place of other inane characteristics. Old Misery completely contradicted this belief that the boys held, frequently described with “it’s a beautiful house” and “it had escaped the blast which had smashed the house next door.” Such descriptions lead to the perception of Old Misery as the light in the dark, where the boys were doomed to dwell. The author used this unique setting wherein the boys lived to reflect how human experiences can vary due to living situations. The author gave significance to the action within the story through forms of syntax. In Trevor’s speech to Summers, he uses short lines including “we are going to destroy this house” and there won’t be anything left when we’ve finished” to cause Trevor’s personality to become more realistic in tone.

Monet Essay examples -- essays research papers fc

Monet   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Over the years there have been many respectable artists but one of the most famous of these artists would have to have been French impressionist Claude Oscar Monet.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Monet was born on Nov. 14, 1840 in Paris, France and started showing an appreciation for art at an early age. When he was nineteen Monet decided that he wanted to attend art school and soon after that he entered the studio of Charles Glegre. While he was there he met and worked with other respectable artists such as Frederic Bazille, Auguset Renoir, and Alfred Sisley.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Monet began working outside with the invention of portable tubes of oil paint in the 1840’s. Soon he began presenting his pictures of the outdoors sunlight with a direct sketch-like application of bright color. Many felt that would cut off any possibilities of him ever becoming a successful painter. Many of Monet’s paintings from this time are extremely loosely structured and the colors seemed to have been applied in strong, distinct strokes as if no   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   II reworking had been attempted. This type of art seemed to suggest that the a...

Dusk at Dell

Executive Summary This case analysis report focuses on the declining market share faced by Dell, Inc. (â€Å"Dell†, the â€Å"Company†) and recommendations are given as to where the Company needs to alter its strategy at a business level as well as a corporate level. Broad recommendations include foraying into the retail space at a more aggressive pace, laying greater impetus in fast emerging markets such as China and India, and focusing more on R&D efforts in order to ensure that higher levels of innovation are achieved by the Company. Introduction Dell, Inc. (â€Å"Dell†, the â€Å"Company†) is a multinational company that specializes in the development, manufacture, marketing and servicing of computers and computer related products. Dell has been one of the most successful firms in the computer industry, having achieved supernormal revenue growth and above average returns for several years spanning the mid 1990’s to the mid 2000’s. This was mainly due to their prowess in customizing products as per customer requirements, coupled with effective manufacturing and supply chain processes. The Company encourages little or no intervention from distributors and middlemen, and majority of all sales are based on a direct customer relationship business model. The firm’s resources focused on supply chain capabilities, with frequent inventory turnover and direct delivery emerging as Dell’s core competencies. At the time when Dell established these core competencies, they were valuable, rare and were not easy to imitate, therefore allowing the Company to build a sustainable competitive advantage. More recently, industry dynamics have rapidly changed and competitive rivalry has also intensified to a very large extent. The external environment has changed significantly and demographic factors, coupled with economic indicators such as large disposable incomes that is now available to a greater number of people in emerging countries has transformed the way that Companies formulate their strategies within the computer industry. Dell’s strategy has not changed in tandem with the external environment, and as a result, the Company has been losing market share in the last few years. The computer industry is characterized by standard cycle to fast cycle markets, and constant innovation is required to ensure that firms continue to earn above average returns. This case study analysis report will outline Dell’s existing strategy and will then explore the new strategic options that are desirable for the Company. As Dell is a global player and has operations all over the world, specific strategies will be formulated from a region wise perspective. The product categories that are proving to be winners for the Company will also be considered and analysed in depth. Specifically, this report will be presented in the following format: †¢Dell will be analysed in relation to its two biggest competitors i. e. Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Lenovo, and suggestions will be given as to where Dell will need to place strategic thrust in the future. †¢The three major geographic segments in which the Company is present viz. The Americas; Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA); and Asia Pacific Japan (APJ) will be analysed in depth and relevant business strategies and diversification strategies will be expounded upon. The future course of action the Company should undertake will be presented. †¢The report will use the above analyses to provide recommendations to the Company in terms of product categories that are most desirable, regions that need to be focused on in the future, what new core competencies the Company should develop, and the overall direction that strategic leadership needs to take in the future. Competitor Analysis Dell’s major competition comes from two other computer related behemoths i. e. HP and Lenovo. Dell is no longer the market leader as it had once been. HP has overtaken Dell as the largest PC manufacturer in the world. HP achieved this distinction from Q3 2006, and in 2007 had 18. 8 percent global shipments for that year. All three Companies have a market share in similar regions and competitive rivalry and dynamics are based on the actions and responses initiated by each other. The following table presents a snapshot of product categories, market share, main customer segments, and product innovations of the world’s major players in the computer industry: Table 1: Competitor Analysis of Dell, HP, IBM, Lenovo and Others CategoryDellHPIBMLenovoOthers Product CategoriesDell is present in all the computer related categories from desktops to PC’s and servers. The original leader in printers and scanners, HP is the world’s largest computer manufacturerAfter its sale of its Laptop and PC division IBM, concentrates on its server market and providing IT solutionsAfter its purchase of IBM, Lenovo has become one of the world largest PC manufacturers. This compromises of Acer who is a large player and other large as well as smaller companies within similar segments. Market Share worldwideDell fell to 14. 6% during Q3 200719. % as on third quarter 2007 IBM is now in the server marketLenovo at 8. 1% Acer at 7. 9% Main Customer SegmentsDell targets large corporates and now needs a retail pushHP has its share across the whole spectrum of customers and thus has the lead it enjoys. IBM concentrates on the server segments and is still behind HP in terms of overall volumesLenovo targets corporate and retail segments and has seen succ essful in the retail segment due to strong brand value and recall of â€Å"Thinkpad† brand Acer is a pc and laptop manufacturer concentrating on corporate and retail segments. Product InnovationWill be explained belowHP has made strides in its targeting specific segments with innovative products. Its recent campaign for corporates stresses lighter and more powerful laptops, better battery life etc. For retail and home consumers it stresses media features and family friendly options. IBM is a server market leader and targets the segment accordingly. Lenovo has been trying similar strategies like HP in creating different products for the two segments of corporates and home users. Acer and other similar brands follow a customised strategy as well. As can be seen from the above table, a lot of Companies provide a host of products and services that are similar in nature. This intensifies the competitive rivalry, and the set of actions and responses taken lead to enhanced competitor dynamics within the industry. Moving forward, it is essential that Dell positions itself as a player that pays attention to the changes in the external environment and builds new core competencies accordingly. For example, the number of computer users in China and India is very low, and these countries are expected to present immense potential to the computer manufacturers. Furthermore, retail sales can form a major potential client base. As mentioned in our SWOT analysis (Appendix 1), Dell has been traditionally weak in acquiring mass customers in the retail category and moving forward, the Company should consider it to be a key initiative that forms a vital part of its strategic mission and intent in the years to come. The retail model would be to offer the customer the products and showcase the flexibility of Dell’s customisation and they can take the order and book the same on their online channels. Internet accessibility is still limited to millions of Indians, who rely on cyber cafe’s for internet access. Additionally, acquiring broadband connectivity in Indian homes is still some distance away. However, recent aggressive pushes by local telecom companies is bringing broadband to homes and is seeing phenomenal success and herein lies Dell’s opportunity to capture the segment with an established retail format. It must be noted that the Company has tapped into a retail strategy and has recently been featuring their â€Å"Studio† range and â€Å"Adamo† Range designs in retail outlets. As of December 2007, Dell’s focus was to open up to 10,000 retails stores worldwide. This is a required growth strategy and vital to its success. With reference to product categories, it is becoming increasingly apparent that notebook sales are outperforming desktops. This should be aligned with Dell’s competitive strategy and strong focus should be on selling notebooks in the international markets. The Company should look at offering the best functionality in this range of products to cater to the rising younger segment that don’t shy away from increased features and are ready to pay the price for them. The Company is realizing that product differentiation is becoming essential and hopes to launch unique products that will create ‘product lust’ amongst its consumers. A recent product launch includes a new mp3 player called â€Å"zing† which Dell wants to focus on and improve growth. The product is expected to compete with Apple’s iconic iPod. Although Dell possesses a significant advantage with regard to cost savings because of its direct customer model, it must be aware that its competitors are catching up and the relative gain it had is slowly diminishing. Region wise and Product Wise Strategic Analysis of Dell Dell’s continued success for many years was largely attributable to its Cost Leadership Strategy. The Company’s focus was not on R&D and innovation, but instead relied on standards based technologies. Furthermore, the Company does not necessarily look for first mover advantage either. Instead, the strategy has been to wait till the market or product category is ripe for commoditization. Once the innovation is commoditized, the Company offers more cost effective versions, enabled by supplier JIT and customer conjoint. For example, the customer builds their own computer on the Dell website and thus only pay for what they value, while Dell gets real-time information on consumer demand and preferences. The above mentioned approach has delivered consistent results to Dell both from a strategic as well as a financial perspective. In order to assess whether this approach can continue to yield positive results in the future warrants a region and product wise analysis. The same is as follows. Dell has divided it’s regions into three distinct parts: †¢The Americas †¢EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) APJ (Asia Pacific and Japan) Each of these regions is discussed below: Dell in the Americas Consumer preferences in the American region are rapidly changing and the computer and technology market is becoming increasingly saturated. Higher levels of product innovation, coupled with sleek designs and efficient performance have become the benchmarks for the players catering to these markets. C ustomers are showing a higher level of buying power, as many alternatives are available to them (For further details, please refer to the five forces analysis presented in Appendix 2). Although it was the cost leadership strategy that proved so successful for Dell in the Americas, it’s slowly losing ground. In sum, Dell has been so successful in the past because †¢Of a strong initial lead in cost leadership, and also in quality (e. g. driving down the number of human touches to the computer to drive down defects) and ordering/upgrading convenience, and †¢It does not rest on its laurels (considering (1) a ‘sustainable' competitive advantage), but continues to ‘run faster than competitors' on both dimensions. It must be noted that although Dell largely focused on cost leadership strategy, it employed the differentiation theory as well. The Company did this by better ordering/service, better relations with businesses through open standards that allow easy change and upgrades etc. For players in this region to thrive and sustain a competitive advantage, it’s important that no one business level strategy is solely focused upon. For example, a pure differentiator may become unreasonably expensive as the market matures. On the flipside, too much emphasis on cost leadership will allow for other Companies to capture market share through innovation. Furthermore, the emergence of low cost regions such as China and India may prove to be a hindrance to a Company striving to be a cost leader in the Americas. In lieu of this, it’s advisable that Dell adopts an Integrated Cost Leadership/ Differentiation strategy for this region. This is a hybrid strategy that is becoming more important as competition intensifies. Through this strategy, firms are able to improve their ability to: †¢Adapt quickly to environmental changes. Learn new skills and technologies fast. †¢More effectively leverage core competencies across business units and product lines. †¢Produce products with differentiated features that customer’s value and provide these differentiated products at a low cost. In terms of product focus, Dell has to continue its focus on XPS PC to effectively conquer competition. It†™s now become inevitable that Dell should spend significant amount on R&D to stay ahead in the game. The other change should be the move to laptop segment and offer differentiation there. That’s where the future growth exists in this region for Dell. The corporate growth depends strongly on the server, storage and networking segment. The corporate customers too want more for less and therefore the IT Services and solution segment needs to be exceptionally strong for Dell. The Company must also give increased importance to staying ahead of competitors in terms of the product cycle. Historically, Dell’s presence especially in the PC market has been from the growth stage till the maturity phase and it’s reaped the benefits. However, the PC market is on its decline and there are serious alternatives that need to be considered. Dell now has to keep abreast of market developments to ensure that it participates in a product lifecycle from Introduction stage. From a diversification perspective, it can be seen that Dell is a very well known brand in the Americas and it enjoys tremendous recall and brand equity. Keeping this in mind, it might be desirable for the Company to undertake unrelated diversification in this region. Dell might benefit from moving into other sectors within the same macro industry. Examples could include digital content, other areas of media and entertainment etc. Dell in the APJ region The Asia Pacific area forms a powerful region for Dell’s growth. It’s been projected that a significant part of Dell’s growth story in the 21st century would be attributed to its presence in this region. Currently, Dell is already said to be as big as a Fortune 300 Company in this region alone. The APJ region is divided in three parts as follows: †¢One is the Pacific Rim which includes Australia, NZ and based in Singapore. This also covers the area of Southeast Asia. †¢The other big propellant of growth is China and India. †¢The third part is Japan (including Korea). The strategic thrust to be given by the Company cannot be the same for the entire region. Each sub region will have its own specific strategy that is best suited for it. While Japan, Australia, NZ (Including Singapore) are mature markets for Dell, China and India are the upcoming markets for the company. The strategy used and recommended for the Americas would work well for Dell in Japan, Australia, NZ and Singapore area given it’s existent base in the region. The strategy in China and India has to be different. Here the customer is still very cost conscious. As the statistics show that in China there are only 5. computers per 100 inhabitants and in India there are 1. 4 computers per 100 inhabitants. Clearly, combined, this will be the biggest computer market in the world in time to come; any company can’t afford to call itself a global player without having a significant presence in this region. We recommend Focused Cost Leadership strategy for Dell in this region and do believe that it’d do well by reaching out to the customers by opening retail outlets across the region for the following reasons: †¢Usage of credit cards is still extremely low in this region. †¢People prefer to get the touch and feel of the product before buying it. Confidence on internet buying is not high. †¢Internet itself is not widespread in the region therefore can’t become a powerful sales channel in the short term. In terms of product, Dell would still do well by focusing on elementary PC products and laptop products in this region. Although there will be a niche number of customers in the high end segments, the masses are not yet ready to embrace products like the XPS, in China and India. The threat Dell faces is from a number of local players, there are a lot of players here who can do what Dell did in 1984 i. e. reate a new PC through reverse engineering processes. Dell has to find a way to match the prices through its JIT, supply chain an d process improvements. From a diversification perspective, Dell would do well by focusing on related diversification – A strategy in which an organization operates in several different businesses, industries or markets that are somehow linked. This is already apparent in the current business mix of the Company, and the revenue growth in the segments such as IT services and storage services stand testimony to the fact that related diversification is desirable. Dell’s in the EMEA region Dell’s presence in Europe too dates back to over 15 years. Dell set up its first manufacturing plant in Ireland in 1990 and later created another unit in Poland in 2006. EMEA, because of various languages, cultures and profiles is a very complex region to manage. Each country/ sub region is at a different stage of maturity and therefore it’s recommended that Dell goes with Integrated cost leadership/ differentiation strategy in this region too. Dell is synonymous to cost leadership strategy in the computer industry and therefore it simply can’t afford to lose that advantage. What’s needed is additional focus on quality and R&D to deliver differentiation for customers and to stay ahead in the game. On the product front, quite like in the America’s, Dell must start focusing on Data Centre Solution division set to simplify IT complexities and address needs of an emerging cloud computing market. It must be noted that Dell in 2008 announced the expansion of the data centre solutions business unit in EMEA, further developing the company’s solutions and services capabilities in the region. This has to be the next step in Dell’s strategy for the fast emerging cloud computing market following the successful launch and subsequent customer adoption of DCS last year. On the product front, it is advisable that Dell’s strategy focuses on differentiation. It is especially relevant for the Company to focus on the corporate segment of customers and give impetus to its IT services and solutions. On the diversification front, for a complex market like EMEA we recommend Related – Constraint Diversification. Moderate to high level of diversification is when the firm generates less than 70% of its sales revenue from its core business and when the businesses have products, technological or distribution linkages. Recommendations This next section of the report will focus on the above presented analyses, and recommendations will be given to Dell. The recommendations will provide feasible suggestions that can be used by the Company in the future. The recommendations are as follows: †¢The Company should look to aggressively pursue and build upon its existing retailing strategy. They can do this by collaborating with both bricks and mortar retailers as well as internet based e-tailers. Furthermore, the Company can also look at diversifying into retail and setting up their own single brand stores. Bricks and mortar stores will be especially relevant in India and China, where online retailing is till at a nascent stage. Dell has already initiated its retail strategy in India where its products are showcased in the â€Å"Croma† store as one example. More such initiatives need to develop for the Company to be able to penetrate the masses. The â€Å"touch and feel† aspect is very important to customers in India and China and is an integral part of their buying process. A slightly different strategy is proposed to attract customers in these regions. Dell customers can enter a Dell store, customise their products with a Dell representative who would be connected to Dell’s systems, and work with the customer to arrive at a personalised and tailo red product. This will keep in line with Dell’s strong manufacturing chain and the order can be closed within the store itself. Additionally, credit card penetration and internet access is low in developing countries. In physical retail stores, Dell can accept cash and close the sale, as this will be more beneficial to customers who prefer to transact with cash as opposed to credit cards. †¢The Company needs to provide new products with differentiating factors. Standards based technology is not the order of the day anymore. Dell needs to focus on more scanning, monitoring, forecasting and assessing of the external environment so that they are able to spot new trends and capitalize on it. The deterministic component of the external environment has also changed, and Dell needs to keep the larger general framework in mind. The Company needs to look to make changes within its internal environment as well. Resources need to be mobilized to build up R&D capabilities. Innovation has proven to be a core competency for other major players such as HP, and Dell needs to respond by launching large R&D initiatives so that they can innovate as well. This is especially relevant in developed countries, where standards based technology is getting increasingly saturated. Dell can perhaps look to spend at least 5% of their revenues on R&D expenditure (In 2006, it was just 0. 8% compared to HP’s 3. % and Apple’s 3. 7%). †¢Dell needs to focus more on marketing initiatives to reach out to the younger generation of customers. This segment presents immense potential that the Company is currently not tapping. A dedicated sales and marketing team needs to be established, and there is a need for a Chief Marketing Officer as well. †¢Dell could establish extensive CRM programs, where the customers get qu ick and timely feedback in relation to a problem. Don’t compromise on the training of the workers that are honed in order to handle queries and complaints. The Company must make sure each query is handled by skilled personnel who are well aware of the nature of the problems. †¢The Company could concentrate more on product categories that are growing fast and capitalize on these. For example, Dell needs to pay attention to the storage and IT service categories because they offer promising growth in the future, although they don’t make up a bulk of the revenues right now. As IT services are the fastest growing revenue earner for the Company, Dell might choose to diversify or expand in this area and go beyond just IT infrastructure. The Company can look to expand its footprint by continuing to acquire companies that form a part of their strategic agenda. Synergistic fits can be exploited and tapped, and strategic acquisitions, joint ventures and other alliances will give Dell the opportunity to pursue aggressive growth through inorganic means. †¢Dell should look at going beyond the metros and major cities in China and Indi a. There are hundreds of secondary cities within these two countries that present immense potential that must be tapped. The Company should aim to focus more on the masses, as opposed to large businesses and SOE’s. Providing strategic leadership is extremely imperative for Dell if it’s to continue on its quest in sustaining competitive advantage. The Company should look to boost employee morale by focusing on more HRM practices. More initiatives like Tell Dell need to be incorporated. The organizational culture needs to be nurtured so that employees feel motivated to work in the Company. Conclusion: Dell has been a major force to reckon with and has established a position of leadership in the computer industry because of its inherent advantages in supply chain management, effective distribution systems, and lean manufacturing processes. The Company is now looking to take its sustained competitive advantage to the next level. However, in order to do so, there are certain strategic adjustments that the Company must consider to avoid becoming a laggard. The key to ensuring that the Company will continue to lead the way in the industry is for it to conduct a thorough analysis of the external as well as internal environment and see where the strategic intent has to change. This report outlines the areas in which the Company needs to focus on to consolidate and continue earning above average returns.