Evaluate an Entrepreneurial Venture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Evaluate an Entrepreneurial Venture - Essay Example 3Â  billion (Cozon, 2013). In less than four years, Dyson managed to become a market leader, as regard sales in vacuum cleaners, both in the US and UK markets, which clearly shows its success story. However, the journey that started with launching the Ballbarrow in the 1970s to the production of the extremely successful vacuum cleaner in the 2000s has been a rather difficult one. It involved struggles in procuring funds during the initial years to fighting court cases against multinational rivals for patent rights. Despite these major setbacks, Sir James Dyson persevered, and transformed his company into a leading manufacturing company in the market, amidst stiff competition from other large multinational brands. Dyson is considered as a great entrepreneur and his sense of innovation and business acumen is evident in his marketing of a product that used a technology rejected by other product manufacturers. The product, when launched, was priced at double the average market rates for similar products and there were very little advertisements and marketing done to promote it; instead, DAL commissioned retailers through their own efforts, an occasional article that described the product was published in newspapers, and the name was made to spread by a general word of mouth. Key Historical Facts James Dyson, a British entrepreneur in 1973, founded Dyson Appliances Ltd. ... The Hoover Junior vacuum cleaner he owned did not perform as he wanted and therefore took it upon himself to develop a better model. Between 1979 and 1984, Dyson developed over 5000 models of vacuum cleaners trying to make them more efficient. When he produced the first fully functional prototype, he had problems getting licenses in the European and American markets, mainly because other more established manufacturers feared the competition brought Dyson’s company. The company has a long history since its establishment in the 1970s. Here, we will examine some of the key historical facts such as products, market entry, funding and others critical to its start up. i.) Products In 1986, Dyson began the manufacture of the DC-series of vacuum cleaners. These had a lot of success on the market as discussed in the market entry segment. This series started with the DC01, DC02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 08T, DC9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 24, and DC25. Besides the vacuum cleaners, the company also deals in hand dryers. It is the manufacturer of the Air-blade hand dryer series. This series comprises of AB01, AB03, AB06, AB07, AB08, AB09, AB10, and AB11 (Dyson, 1998). The company also diversified into production of a bladeless fan called the Air Multiplier. The company also produced the contra-rotator washing machine CR01. This was followed by the CR02. The company however dropped this product line and ceased to provide any support services for it. ii.) Market entry The first vacuum cleaner that the company ever sold was sold in Japan for an equivalent of $2000 in 1986. This was not a sustainable venture for mass production. After setting up a research facility in Wiltshire in 1993, a cheaper model, the DA001 was produced and retailed at

How Boko Haram Developed And Under Developed Nigeria Essay Example for Free

How Boko Haram Developed And Under Developed Nigeria Essay 1.0 INTRODUCTION The stability of any society depends largely on the ability of its citizens to live together in harmony and peace. However, history has provided us with many instances of occasional uprisings in Nigeria which might have occurred as a result of a political, religious, cultural or tribal misunderstanding. Such squabbles, many a time, have ended up in bloodletting. Presently, Nigeria has not ceased to experience some misguided and misled fellowship in the name of religion. This is because, for some years now, many Nigerians especially in the Northern part of the country have lived in a perpetual fear of the unknown as a result Boko Haram insurgence. Thus, since 2009 till date, the activities of an Islamic sect called â€Å"BOKO HARAM† have bedevilled the Nigerian society and threatened the very foundation of her unity and peace. What baffles me is that these insurgents even claim to be fighting for justice in Nigeria. Also, it is pertinent to remark that while Nigeria is endowed with abundant resources, numerous challenges of insecurity orchestrated by Boko Haram insurgency nowadays within the polity appears to have created porous security condition that engenders violence and retards development. The basic question many Nigerians and foreigners ask is: How has Boko Haram developed or underdeveloped Nigeria? This paper is thus an attempt to address this question posed above. But this paper argues that boko haram activities have not been of any good help to Nigeria; hence, it has contributed to Nigerian underdevelopment especially the Northern part of the country. Before we proceed, it is of utmost necessity to clarify certain terms that will appear within this intellectual exposition. 2.0 CLARIFICATION OF TERMS According to Aristotle, ab initio disputandis, definitio nominis, (definition of terms is the beginning of any discussion.) hence, it is of paramount importance for us to clarify some of our key words that will frequently occur within the fabrics of this intellectual study. 2.0.1 Definition of Development and Underdevelopment According to Agbakoba, â€Å"development denotes a type of change, a purposeful or goal-oriented change†. While in the words of Walter Rodney, development â€Å"implies increased skill and capacity, greater freedom, creativity,  self-discipline, responsibility and material well-being†¦.more often than not, the term development is used in an exclusive economic sense-the justification being that the type of economy is itself an index of other social features†. Hence, our definition of development here is from economic perspective. Development therefore, could be defined as the process of empowering people to maximise their potentials and their ability to explore nature in order to meet daily human needs. It is a process by which the quality of human lives and capacity to surmount daily needs are considerably improved. However, according to Rodney, â€Å"underdevelopment is not absence of development, because every people have developed in one way or another and to a greater or lesser extent. Underdevelopment makes sense only as a means of comparing levels of development†. So, underdevelopment implies inadequate development, low levels of economic productivity as compared to other developed countries or regions. 2.0.2 BOKO HARAM Etymologically, the term Boko Haram is made up of two different words namely; Boko and Haram. Boko is the Hausa word meaning western education while Haram is the Arabic word figuratively meaning sin and literally meaning forbidden or impermissible†. Thus, the term when loosely translated means western education is forbidden. Boko Haram group propagates that western education is forbidden because it sees western education as corrupting the Muslims. However, Boko Haram group seems to me as a destructive political tool with a cosmetic pretension of being religious. Because Boko Haram group attempts not only to sow panic but also to undermine confidence in the government and political leadership of Nigeria, it could also be called a Terrorist Group. Little wonder the US government though belatedly has confirmed Boko Haram as one the Terrorist groups in the world. (cf. Punch Newspaper on Dec; 1, 2013) 3.0 Nigeria and Boko Haram Insurgence: An Exposition Since independence, Nigeria appears to have been bedevilled with ethno-religious conflicts. With over 400 ethnic groups, belonging to several religious sects, Nigeria since independence has been grappling and trying to cope with the problem of ethnicity and ethno-religious conflicts. Needless to say that, in May 1999, Nigeria returned to civil rule which was  accompanied with fresh hopes and latent optimism Regrettably, the worst seems to have occurred due to current rise in Boko Haram uprising. Boko Haram insurgency is a destructive political tool with a cosmetic pretension of being religious. Nigeria does not seem to have suffered only from the economic setbacks caused by Boko Haram bombings but also suffers from the battered image and humanitarian disaster the group inflicted on her. For instance, between July 27, 2009 and February 17, 2012, Boko Haram has launched fifty three (53) attacks in which 1157 people were killed and hundreds of people injured in the Northern Nigeria. T his indiscriminate and sporadic bombing seem to make Northern Nigeria increasingly unsafe and has compelled most non-indigenes of the region to relocate especially the Igbos. I therefore set out in this paper to argue with the following points, how the despicable activities of Boko Haram group have underdeveloped Nigeria. 4.0 How Boko Haram Underdeveloped Nigeria: A Critical Analysis The lethal activities of the Islamic sect, Boko Haram, are crippling the economy of Nigeria especially the North and has stultified the developmental strategies of the country thereby leaving us in the abysmal state of economic backwardness and underdevelopment. Although some may say that Boko Haram has some developmental characters because it has revealed the ineffectiveness of our force men, ensured checks and balances in government and has increased the rate development in the Southern part of the country. But I stand here to refute such claims saying that Boko Haram (Terrorism) has been of no benefit to Nigeria, rather it has led to the underdevelopment of Nigeria with these points: 4.0.1 Insecurity No meaningful development will thrive in any environment where people are in constant fear of the unknown due to insecurity. This is the dismal state in which Boko Haram activities in the Northern Nigeria have left us. Needless to say that, the security situation in Nigeria has become so alarming, disturbing, and upsetting nowadays because of the recurrent attacks of these Boko Haram insurgents. The spate of insecurity in the Northern Nigeria has impacted negatively on both the private and public sectors of the economy as many business men and traders have relocated their businesses from the region. This, though pathetically, has led to a massive underdevelopment of the North. This has warranted channelling of the money which would have been  used for other developmental strides to security in Nigeria annual budget. Little wonder the federal government spent 950 billion naira in 2013 only to combat insecurity caused by Boko Haram insurgence. Depopulation of the North and Overpopulation of the South Since current attack by Boko Haram group has become the order of the day in most Northern states, it has led to many Southerners and even some Northerners to relocate to the South for the sake of their life. This has led to the depopulation of the North and Overpopulation of the South; hence decreasing the Internal Revenue (1GR) of most Northern states thereby leaving the government with little or no money to carry out some developmental projects. In the other hand; due to large influx of people to the South, it has led to environmental problems like overpopulation, dilapidation of existing infrastructures, deforestation, cultural breakdown etc. These make life in both regions unbearable; hence pointing out that Boko Haram activities have succeeded in under developing both Northern and Southern part of the country. 4.0.3 Stifling of Economic and Social Development Boko Haram activities have led to dislocation of people from their business base, hence leading to disruption of economic activities. In Nigeria presently, the fear of Boko Haram is everywhere. Financial and business activities have been paralysed as everyone live in fear. Banks and their customers are also operating under difficult situation and have reduced their business hours to guard against being attacked by members of the sect. In most states in the North, the devastating socio-economic effects of the sect’s sequential killings and bombings, especially in Borno, Yobe, Niger, Kaduna, Kano, Kogi, Bauchi, Sokoto etc., have destroyed economic and commercial activities with many people relocating to other places. It should then be noted that Boko Haram have not only led to closure and/or abandonment of people’s business activities within affected region but also led to migration of people from the affected Region. It has also led to reduction of people’s patron age of product from the Northern Region. Also, the Boko Haram insurgence has reduced drastically; government derivation from the affected region (IGR) due to restiveness in those places as well as reduced investment and growth of business in the affected places without excluding government executed project. Little wonder why the 2011 World  Investment Report of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development reported that stillness in business activities caused by insecurity in Kano State alone has cost the Nigerian economy N1.3trillion. Furthermore, Boko Haram activities have stifled social developmental programmes like; youth employment, housing, health schemes, education, welfare services etc. in the Northern part of the country. In fact, almost all the states under Boko Haram rampage have been completely isolated economically, socially and politically. The resultant effect of these is underdevelopment of the country, especially the affected region. 4.0.4 Scaring Away of Foreign and Local Investors The inimical uprising of Boko Haram has negatively affected the relationship between Nigeria and other Nations of the world. Incessant bombing coupled with kidnapping and hostage taking with or without demand for ransom by the members of Boko Haram has scared away both foreign and local investors from Nigeria, especially the Northern part of the country. In fact, this terrorist group has paralyzed the diplomatic relation between Nigeria and many countries of the world. The concomitant result of all these are poverty, low per capita income and underdevelopment. 4.0.5 Reduction of Human resources The crisis occasioned by Boko Haram has led to the death of many ebullient Nigerians thereby reducing the skilled and unskilled labour force of the country. The United Nation affirmed this assertion by saying that about 1,200 people have been killed since May 2013 when a state of emergency was declared in three North Eastern states (Cf. Punch Newspaper Dec; 16, 2013 or Daily Sun of Dec; 17, 2013. Aljazeera TV on September 30, 2013 reports that since 2009, an estimated 3,600 people have been killed through Boko Haram’s disastrous activities. We can even talk of brutal Bama attack, 22 people killed in Catholic Church at Waga Chakawa village in Adamawa just last Sunday and myriads of other attacks perpetuated by Boko Haram insurgents at the end of 2013 and the beginning of 2014. All these lead to reduction of lives and properties worth over billions of naira and live our nation in the miserable state of underdevelopment. 5.0 EVALUATION AND CONCLUSION From the above analysis, we can affirm without any fear of equivocation that Boko Haram has really underdeveloped Nigeria especially the Northern part of the country that is why socio-economic activities in the North have drastically been reduced. The implication is that the crisis is rather under-developing Northern region and threatens Nigeria’s prospect of joining the league of highly developed countries come the year 2020. Personally speaking, the impact of the activities of the Boko Haram group in Nigeria cannot be overemphasised. It retards economic growth and distorts socio-cultural equilibrium and leads to environmental deterioration. At the same time, it resurrects the issue of suspicion which led to the Nigerian civil war of 1967-1970 among three major ethic groups in Nigeria. Regrettably, the activities of Boko Haram in Nigeria have paralysed almost all sectors of the countrys life and have distorted peace and stultified progressive development of Nigeria. Boko Hara m has really underdeveloped Nigeria.

The Problem of Evil Essay -- essays research papers

I do not believe that evil—as we typically understand it—exists in the world. I believe that what we perceive as evil is simply our misdirected use of the good that God provides. The reason that we even have an experience of perceived evil is because for the soul to experience itself as any particular thing, the exact opposite of that thing must come into the space. In other words, in this relative existence, hot cannot be hot without cold, tall cannot be tall without short, and you cannot be you without that which is not you. So I believe that what we call evil is just the opposite end of the spectrum of good, not something separate. Following this line of thought, the next step our logical minds would take, it would seem that in order for God to experience Itself as the all-consuming good, there had to be something called the all-consuming evil. Wrong! There is only God. God is all there was, all there is, and all there ever will be. Yet God wished to know Itself in Its own experience. Logically speaking, that which is divine cannot know and experience Itself except in the presence of that which is not divine. The problem is that which is not divine does not exist. So, since we have the power to create anything, we have simply called it forth through our thought process. That is to say we have imagined it. All religions—and philosophies—must wrestle with the problem of evil. We can look all around the world and see what we would clearly label as evil. Many say, therefore, ...

How a business can grow it’s customer base Essay

Coles Group Limited The Grocery industry is one of the most important industries in the Australian economy. The industry employs a big proportion of the workforce and is connected to many other industries in the economy environment. Supermarkets are one of the key players in the grocery industry providing around 70% of the value of the retail market for food and groceries. The  two major grocery chains – Woolworths and Coles – dominate with almost 70% market share of an industry valued at A$80+ billion. Over the past 5 years the sector has been witness of some significant developments. Dynamics were changed after new players like Costco entered the market and ALDI verified a rapid growth since its first appearance in 2001, making colossal to chase market shares by reviewing their campaigns. Some key statistics for the participants in the industry are presented in the Table 1 Table 1.1: Players in the grocery industry Retailer Market Share Woolworths 41.1% Coles / Bi-Lo 31.0% Other supermarkets ALDI 14.0% Speciality Foods / Franklin 7.1% Source: Coles Data, 2012 Coles is one of the two major supermarkets operating in Australia. In 1927 became property company and was launched on the Melbourne Stock Exchange; in 1985, Coles Myer Ltd.was established after a A$918 transaction. Myer was divided from the Coles Group to private equity interests in 2005, it has therefor not been part of the group since then. Westfarmers was founded in 1914, and in 1985 has been restructured to a public company and was listed on the ASX. Coles Supermarket is part of the Coles Group and subsidiary of Westfarmers for a total of: 749 full service supermarket retailer stores 792 liquor stores and 92 hotels 627 national fuel and convenience stores The reaserch conducted shows that Cole’s market share of 31% has not moved materially in recent years; is one of the successful supermarkets in Australia in terms of customer satisfaction, innovation in product strategy, marketing strategy, financial capability and strong work culture. To analyze the Global segmentation, we can consider the presence of Westfarmers  in New Zealand, but the nation largest employer remains committed to providing a satisfactory return to shareholders. The management of Coles supermarkets has not had many political barriers except the adherence to the sector’s rule and regulations. The slow growth uncertainity in the Australian economy poses a threat for thr retail players. The links between supermarket and fuel industries have been normalised. In response to concerns that cost of living pressures were affecting families, in 2008, the Australian Government commissioned the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to review of the industry. In 2010, the Trade Practices Act was recast as the Competition and Consumer Act, with several competition policy amendments in recent years. Supermarkets themselves have developed new pricing and marketing strategies. In 2011 Coles partenered with WWF-Australia to improve the sustainability of the seafood supply chain and to educate consumers about sustainable choices. Coles has also adopted new technologies developing its online shopping facilities. It also invested to improve its supply chain and distribution system with significant impact in cost savings. Coles’s commitment to their Ethical Sourcing Policy, a wide range of products, great logistics and a strong brand image among its internal Strengths. Being an important presence in the market, its operating cost is overall high and its management presents Weaknesses. The possibility to seek new sales opportunity and cut cost through technology and the potential to increase the customer base presents only a few of the Opportunities that Coles may have. The uncertainity that Australian economy presents, the vulnerability to attack by the key competitors of the market are to be seen as external Threats. From 2012, Coles has a new pricing and marketing strategy called ‘Down Down’. This has been a high profile campaign designed to increase its company performance. Other supermarkets have their own pricing strategies to compete, including IGA’s with â€Å"Locked Down Low Prices† from July 2012 and Woolworths’s â€Å"everyday low prices†. Over the last four years, Coles sales have increased by $4.8 billion to around $24 billion. Coles have out-performed the supermarket sector overall over the last four years, market share has gone up slightly. Growth in revenue reflects changes in prices and volumes. On the face of it,  a campaign like ‘Down Down’ should have the effect of lowering prices and increasing volumes. To obtain an overall picture of the savings to consumers we aggregate the price movement during this period and calculate a savings figure – based on both old volumes and current volumes. We find that in 2011-12, the one-year savings of the price reductions during the ‘Down Down’ campaign (i.e. over the 18 months from January 2011) is between $1.05 billion and $1.19 billion. The midpoint is $1.12 billion. The benefits of scale are generated due to the large average store size and the ability centralise their procurement so that they obtain better terms. Overall, Coles finds that the larger its stores, the more efficient they are, as measured by costs per store size. On average, a store that is 1000m2 larger has costs that are 3% lower – reflecting the spread of a number of fixed or standard costs for a store that are incurred regardless of store size. Over the past four years, Coles have also increased the productivity of assets, part of these improvements come for the fact that Coles operates larger stores whilst keeping the number of stores relatively constant. In this period Coles have divested or closed almost 90 smaller and underperforming stores and has acquired or built almost 90 larger, more productive stores. Sales generated from every square metre of selling floor area have increased almost 20%. While sales revenue has increased by 25%, total selling floor area has increased by 4.5%. Private labels are unbranded products purchased by supermarkets and then sold as their own products. Typically, these products are che aper than branded products because of limited marketing activities. Historically, private brands had an image of being quite avarage, targeting the most price-sensitive consumer; these days they are increasing thought of as an equal-quality, lower-price alternative. According to Coles’s data on ranging and space allocation decisions, Coles brand products are treated in the same manner as proprietary brand products. In many cases Coles brand products are located together with similar brands and less shelf space than proprietary brands. Coles periodically reviews if their brand is over/under represented by examining the quantity they sell relative to the space on the shelves. Private labels have been a matter of policy discussion: critics have asserted that they are part of a strategy to dominate the supply chain, thus reducing the viability of branded products. Table 1.2: White bread 650 Retail Prices Margin above COGS Coles Smart Buy White bread 650g $1.00 1% Wonder White Bread Wholemeal Plus Iron 700g $3.31 5.4% Table 1.3: Eggs 12 Pack 700gr Retail Price Margin above COGS Coles Eggs Free Range 12 Pack 700gr $4.04 24.5% Farmpride Eggs Free Range 12 Pack 700g $5.44 20% ï ¿ ¼Ã¯ ¿ ¼Ã¯ ¿ ¼Ã¯ ¿ ¼Ã¯ ¿ ¼Ã¯ ¿ ¼Ã¯ ¿ ¼Ã¯ ¿ ¼Ã¯ ¿ ¼Ã¯ ¿ ¼ Source: Coles Data We analyze the margins for branded and private label products, following the Tables 1.2 and 1.3. For the white bread the branded product yields greater margins for Coles – for Eggs, the opposite. This suggests it is unlikely that Coles systematically achieves higher margins on its own products and directly encourages consumers not to buy branded products. According to Macquarie, Coles and Woolworths hold 72% of the Australian grocery market. The concentration of competition has made the rivalry palpable, penetrating deep into consumers mind. â€Å"Our customers want good honest food which is fresh, available and affordable†, says Simon McDowell, marketing director of Coles. Woolworths upholds those same values: â€Å"We want our customers to trust us to deliver best quality food and the best value every time they visit one of our stores,† said Lizzy Ryley, GM marketing at Woolworts. The five main players in the Australian retail food industry have vastly differen t approaches. Woolworths and Coles have well-known and similar business models, and command the lion’s share of the domestic food and liquor market due to their long history in Australia. Woolworths is commonly perceived to be more ‘premium’ while Coles promises  low prices, but in reality the experiences offered by both are incredibly similar. Beneath all the taglines and promotional strategies , the mandates of both Woolies and Coles are based on two things: fresh food and value for money. Aldi, like Costco, operates in the eastern states and sells private label (Aldi-branded) groceries, electronics and everyday household goods like bathroom taps. IGA operate small-scale, privately owned, stores across the country specialising in everyday groceries and liquors. In terms of size, Aldi’s 305 stores (March figure) are believed to generate in excess of $5 billion, Costco generated $612 million in 2012/13, while Woolworths reported sales of $58 billion and Coles $36 billion in the 2012/13 financial year. IGA sales data couldn’t be found as they are private companies, however Metcash (ASX: MTS) supplies IGA stores and reported revenue of $13 billion in 2012/13. Therefore, as a rough estimate it can be assumed that Aldi, Costco and IGA account for between 15% and 20% of the Australian food and liquor market. To make the Company a more effective organisation and in order to maximazie the shareholders value, I would focus on increasing staff productivity as well as motivation, not to mention the emphasis of maintaining or increasing profit margins where possible; developing the ‘Down Down’ campaigne and lowering the average prices by a further 1.9% . I would enfasise Exploiting the presence if Westfarmers in New Zealand, I would try an international market penetration and the trading environment. Following a comprehensive reform program that began in the mid-80s, the New Zealand economy is now largely deregulated, and more internationally competitive. Food prices rose 0.6 percent in April 2014, and were up 1.5 percent on a year earlier, Statistics New Zealand declare. The monthly rise follows a 0.3 percent fall in March, and a 1.0 percent fall in February. Niche products and Australia’s reputation for product safety can help the company with the penetration.   I would try and finalize the acquisition of EziBuy, a leading direct retailer of apparel and homewares in Australia and New Zealand, so it will act as a launch pad for our next phase of growth but most importantly it would represent a stop for the expansion of Woolworths into the country. Last but not least I would continue investing in important environmental projects and partnerships to further reduce the impact on the environment and I would also improve efficiencies within the  supply chains, reducing gas emissions across the overall business. In the future I would develop a marketing campaigne based on our recycling and sustainable efforts and we will continue to work on ways to both reduce the waste and increase the level of recycling in our stores. References http://finance.ninemsn.com.au/newsbusiness http://www.deloitte.com http://www.stats.govt.nz http://www.austrade.gov.au/Export/Export-Markets http://www.woolworthslimited.com.au https://www.coles.com.au http://www.euromonitor.com ABARES, 2011, ‘Agricultural commodity statistics 2011.’ King, Matthew, 2012, ‘One shopping basket, four supermarkets, who wins?’ Wesfarmers, 2012, ‘Annual Report 2012’.

Riba’ and Gharar

Prohibition of Riba’ Generally Riba’ means that prohibition on any interest. In Islamic Finance system, investors and lenders are strictly disallowed to charge or receive interest. In the Shari’ah, â€Å"riba† technically refers to the premium that must be paid by the borrower to the lender along with the principal amount as a condition for the loan or for an extension in its maturity. According to Chapra (2006), term of riba is used in the Shari‘ah in two senses. The first is riba al-nasi’ah and the second is riba al-fadl..The term nasi’ah comes from the root nasa’a which means to postpone, defer, or wait, and refers to the time that is allowed to the borrower to repay the loan in return for the ‘addition’ or the ‘premium’. Hence riba al-nasi’ah is equivalent to the interest charged on loans While, prohibition of riba al-nasi’ah implies that the fixing in advance of a positive rate of retu rn on a loan as a reward for waiting and no difference whether the rate of return is small or big, or a fixed or variable per cent of the principal.It is important to note that, according to the Shari‘ah, the waiting involved in the repayment of a loan does not by itself justify a positive reward. Gharar is known as unacceptable risk taking which is another fundamental principle of Islamic finance central to the structuring transactions. It also can be considered some level of risk remains a fundamental aspect of commercial life and risk allocation a necessary component of Islamic finance; only disproportionate risk, speculative trading and transactions meeting exceeding limitations.According to Tabari (2011) gharar may rise from unacceptable levels of settlement risk, inadequate or inaccurate information and complex contracts where multiple transactions are not identifiable with multiple independent contracts. Besides, according to Iqbal (1999) Gharar in a contract arises whe re there is a lack of knowledge or there is a reasonable doubt about the control of either party to the contract over the completion of the exchange. The best example of gharar is gambling which have kind of unacceptable risk and gambling is disallowed in Islam.As a consequence, the major terms and conditions, such as the price, subject matter or time of delivery, must be determined when concluding the corresponding agreement. The main reason riba is prohibited because it prevents people from undertaking real economic activities. For example when a person having money is allowed to earn more money on the basis of interest, either in spot or deferred transactions, it becomes easy for him to earn without bothering himself to take pains in real economic activities.This leads to hampering the real interests of humanity, because the interests of humanity cannot be safeguarded without real trade skills, industry and construction. It support by Siddiqi (2004), Riba corrupts society and ult imate effect is negative growth. It must be a reason why Islam prohibits gharar, according to Gurulkan (2010), in a general context, the unanimous view of the jurists held that, in any transaction, by failing or neglecting to define any of the essential pillars of contract relating to the consideration or measure of the object, the parties undertake a risk which is not indispensable for them.This kind of risk was deemed unacceptable and tantamount to speculation because of its inherent uncertainty. Speculative transactions with these characteristics are therefore prohibited. In conclusion, riba’ and gharar will cause negative in social economics and that is a main reason, Islam prohibit these elements in business transaction. Even though, the debate still continue but prohibit it will save economics.

Frogs Essays - Amphibians, Frog, Chorus Frogs, Pickerel Frog

Frogs Essays - Amphibians, Frog, Chorus Frogs, Pickerel Frog Frogs A Frog is a small, tail less animal that has bulging eyes. Almost all frogs have long back legs. The strong hind legs make the frog able to leap farther than the length of its body. Frogs live on every continent except Antarctica, but tropical regions have the greatest number of species. Frogs are classified as amphibians. Most amphibians, including most frogs, spend part of their life as a water animal and part as a land animal. Frogs are related to toads, but are different from them in a few ways. The giant frog of west-central Africa ranks as the largest frog. It measures nearly a foot (30 centimeters) long. The smallest species grow only 1/2 inch (1.3 centimeters) long. Frogs also differ in color. Most kinds are green or brown, but some have colorful markings. Although different species may vary in size or color, almost all frogs have the same basic body structure. They have large hind legs, short front legs, and a flat head and body with no neck. Adult frogs have no tail, though one North American species has a short, tail like structure. Most frogs have a sticky tongue attached to the front part of the mouth. They can rapidly flip out the tongue to capture prey. Frogs have such internal organs as a heart, liver, lungs, and kidneys. Some of the internal organs differ from those of higher animals. A frog's heart has three chambers instead of four. And although adult frogs breathe by means of lungs, they also breathe through their skin. The eggs of different species vary in size, color, and shape. A jelly like substance covers frog eggs, providing a protective coating. This jelly also differs from species to species. Some species of frogs lay several thousand eggs at a time. But only a few of these eggs develop into adult frogs. Ducks, fish, insects, and other water creatures eat many of the eggs. Even if the eggs hatch, the tadpoles also face the danger of being eaten by larger water animals. The pond or stream in which the eggs were laid sometimes dries up. As a result, the tadpoles die. Certain tropical frogs lay their eggs in rain water that collects among the leaves of plants or in holes in trees. Other tropical species attach their eggs to the underside of leaves that grow over water. When the eggs hatch, the tadpoles fall into the water. Among some species, one of the parents carries the eggs until they hatch. For example, the female of certain South American tree frogs carries the eggs on her back. Among another species of frog, the midwife toad, the male carries the eggs wound around his hind legs. Males of another species, Darwin's frog, carry the eggs in their vocal pouch. Some tropical frogs lay their eggs on land. They lay them under logs or dead leaves. These frogs have no tadpole stage. A young frog hatches from the egg and begins life as a land animal. Tadpoles are not completely developed when they hatch. At first, the tadpole clings to some support in the water, using its mouth or a tiny sucker. A tadpole has no neck, and so its head and body look like one round form. The animal has a long tail and resembles a little fish. It breathes by means of gills, which are hidden by a covering of skin. A tadpole's form changes as the animal grows. The tail becomes larger and makes it possible for the animal to swim about to obtain food. Tadpoles eat plants and decaying animal matter. Some tadpoles eat frog eggs and other tadpoles. In time, the tadpole begins to grow legs. The hind legs appear first. Then the lungs begin to develop and the front legs appear. The digestive system changes, enabling the frog that develops to eat live animals. Just before its change into a frog, the tadpole loses its gills. Finally, a tiny frog, still bearing a stump of a tail, comes up from the water. Eventually, the animal absorbs its tail and assumes its adult form. After a frog becomes an adult, it may take a few months to a few years before

Bushido, The Samurai Code

Bushido, The Samurai Code Bushido was the code of conduct for Japans warrior classes from perhaps as early as the 8th century through modern times. The word bushido comes from the Japanese roots bushi  meaning warrior, and do meaning path or way. Literally, then, it can be translated as the way of the warrior.   Bushido was followed by Japans samurai warriors and their precursors in feudal Japan, as well as much of central  and east Asia. The principles of bushido emphasized honor, courage, skill in the martial arts, and loyalty to a warriors master (daimyo) above all else. It is somewhat similar to the ideas of chivalry that knights followed in feudal Europe. There is just as much folklore that exemplifies bushido- such as the 47  Ronin  of Japanese legend- as there is European folklore about knights.   What is Bushido? A more elaborated list of the virtues encoded in bushido includes frugality, righteousness, courage, benevolence, respect, sincerity, honor, loyalty, and self-control. The specific strictures of bushido varied, however, over time and from place to place within Japan.   Bushido was an ethical system, rather than a religious belief system. In fact, many samurais believed that they were excluded from any reward in the afterlife or in their next lives, according to the rules of Buddhism, because they were trained to fight and kill in this life. Nevertheless, their honor and loyalty had to sustain them, in the face of the knowledge that they would likely end up in the Buddhist version of hell after they died. The ideal samurai warrior was supposed to be immune from the fear of death. Only the fear of dishonor and loyalty to his daimyo motivated the true samurai.  If a samurai felt that he had lost his honor (or was about to lose it) according to the rules of bushido, he could regain his standing by committing a rather painful form of ritual suicide, called seppuku. A public ritual suicide or seppuku.. ivan-96 / Getty Images While European feudal religious codes of conduct forbade suicide, in feudal Japan it was the ultimate act of bravery. A samurai who committed seppuku would not only regain his honor, he would actually gain prestige for his courage in facing death calmly. This became a cultural touchstone in Japan, so much so that women and children of the samurai class were also expected to face death calmly if they were caught up in a battle or siege. Samurai recruits training for the Satsuma Rebellion. Three Lions / Hulton Archive / Getty Images History of Bushido How did this rather extraordinary system arise?  As early as the 8th century, military men were writing books about the use and the perfection of the sword. They also created the ideal of the warrior-poet, who was brave, well-educated, and loyal. In the middle period between the 13th to 16th centuries, Japanese literature celebrated reckless courage, extreme devotion to ones family and to ones lord, and cultivation of the intellect for warriors. Most of the works that dealt with what would later be called bushido concerned the great civil war known as the Genpei War  from 1180 to 1185, which pitted the Minamoto and Taira clans against one another and led to the foundation of the Kamakura Period of shogunate rule. The final phase of the development of bushido was the Tokugawa era, from 1600 to 1868. This was a time of introspection and theoretical development for the samurai warrior class because the country had been basically peaceful for centuries. The samurai practiced martial arts and studied the great war literature of earlier periods, but they had little opportunity to put the theory into practice until the Boshin War  of 1868 to 1869 and the later  Meiji Restoration. As with earlier periods, Tokugawa samurai looked to a previous, bloodier era in Japanese history for inspiration- in this case, more than a century of constant warfare among the daimyo clans. Modern Bushido After the samurai ruling class was abolished in the wake of the Meiji Restoration, Japan created a modern conscript army. One might think that bushido would fade away along with the samurai who had invented it. In fact, Japanese nationalists and war leaders continued to appeal to this cultural ideal throughout the early 20th century and World War II. Echoes of seppuku were strong in the suicide charges that Japanese troops made on various Pacific Islands, as well as in the kamikaze pilots who drove their aircraft into Allied battleships and bombed Hawaii to start off Americas involvement in the war. Today, bushido continues to resonate in modern Japanese culture.  Its stress on courage, self-denial, and loyalty has proved particularly useful for corporations seeking to get the maximum amount of work out of their salarymen.

3 Sentences with Unnecessary Semicolons

3 Sentences with Unnecessary Semicolons 3 Sentences with Unnecessary Semicolons 3 Sentences with Unnecessary Semicolons By Mark Nichol Semicolons, used to separate two independent clauses or two or more words and/or phrases in a list when at least one phrase is itself a list whose items are separated by commas, are sometimes erroneously employed when those conditions do not exist. Here are three such sentences, each followed by a discussion and a revision. 1. The regulation extends the civil market abuse regime to new markets and instruments; adds extraterritorial scope; and introduces a new offence of attempted market manipulation. A long sentence that lists several things with extended phrasing does not merit semicolons; commas are sufficient the separate the elements: â€Å"The regulation extends the civil market abuse regime to new markets and instruments, adds extraterritorial scope, and introduces a new offence of attempted market manipulation.† 2. The organization saw an opportunity to connect more clearly with a multitude of stakeholder expectations; position risk in the context of an enterprise’s performance, rather than as the focus of an isolated exercise; and enable organizations to become more anticipatory. This sentence does not require semicolons, either- â€Å"rather than as the focus of an isolated exercise† is clearly parenthetical to the second item, not part of a list within a list: â€Å"The organization saw an opportunity to connect more clearly with a multitude of stakeholder expectations, position risk in the context of an enterprise’s performance, rather than as the focus of an isolated exercise, and enable organizations to become more anticipatory.† (Notice how each item begins with a verb, signaling a clear syntactical structure.) 3. Advances in digital technologies- including intelligent devices and machines; virtual reality; mobile technologies; cloud computing; social business; and smart grids, factories, and cities in an app-centric world- are driving disruptive change. Only one item in this list itself consists of a list, and it is the last item, so no confusion about the organization of the sentence is likely: â€Å"Advances in digital technologies- including intelligent devices and machines, virtual reality, mobile technologies, cloud computing, social business, and smart grids, factories, and cities in an app-centric world- are driving disruptive change.† An alternative is to set the final item apart from the others: â€Å"Advances in digital technologies- including intelligent devices and machines, virtual reality, mobile technologies, cloud computing, and social business, as well as smart grids, factories, and cities, in an app-centric world- are driving disruptive change.† This version also avoids the cluttered look of a semicolon-laden sentence, though it makes the sentence slightly more complex. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Structure A Story: The Eight-Point ArcTaser or Tazer? Tazing or Tasering?48 Writing Prompts for Middle School Kids

Human Resource Management Information Information Systems Personal Statement

Human Resource Management Information Information Systems - Personal Statement Example During the dark days, any available job posting could be filled be anyone, this was due to the fact that; no special skills were required because technology had not advanced at that time. The main implication that various HR department have been going through includes, trying to keep up with the changing demand of labour skill that is changing at a high rate. Also, many companies have not included human resources as part of their strategies; rather they have incorporated technology in their strategies. HRIS, standards for human resources information system, this is a system where employee, statistics are kept in a data base. The information that is captured by HRIS includes; grade, history salary and education information. HRIS, Is basically a system where data and information of the employees in a company is captured and kept in a controlled manner This is software developed for the purpose of hr day to day running of the department. HR software have helped in streaming operations, improvement of relation in various department and finally removing barriers both vertically and horizontal in any organization set up. Hr software coordinates all the activities with accuracy and error

Literature Review--Outline or Prewriting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Literature Review--Outline or Prewriting - Essay Example The internet has impacted on the learners through transforming a threshold concept that change view of learners thereby assistsing in integrating previously learned material with the threshold concept as portals. Once this has been traversed then it brings an insight into the mind of a learner how to think and act like a library practitioner within a discipline (Hope, Kajiwara, & Liu, 2001). There has been a shortage of librarians to teach classes as a result of ever growing student body in most institutions of higher learning as Hope, Kajiwara, and Liu (2001) explain. The internet has provided an alternative mean of providing information and instruction an exploration which has supplemented traditional classrooms. Internet has enabled the use of a management system which inform students about resources and search techniques by creating a module which consist of films and documents about the library. According to Hope, Kajiwara, and Liu (2001), the use of internet on information literacy has made it possible for increased enrollment of international students in colleges and universities. The barriers of transitioning to a new environment to a new environment have been solved by the academic institution to provide resources and services just as a library for information seekers through the

Workplace mediations in cyberspace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Workplace mediations in cyberspace - Essay Example Bandwidth and connectivity speeds have been increasing. Parties in disputes are using technology to bypass the legal mechanisms or institutions (Armbrust 2000). The virtual platform is not only private but decentralized. This has enabled organizations develop a decentralized environment in the quest to develop dispute resolution mechanisms using cyberspace (Barrett and Barrett 2012). The participants of the cyberspace mediation are expected to develop a decision without involving the judges. The representation of multiparty disputes and other parties is not affected. Internet offers a platform for glass root information and development of information from the pluralistic nature of its architecture (Wang 2010). The applications within cyberspace make it possible to use enormous information from a variety of sources during the mediation process. The dispute resolution professionals are optimistic about the cyberspace mediation and the potential thereof (Hawk, Rieder, and Oviedo 2008). The development of a virtual dispute resolution mechanism is perceived to be the modern organizations’ highest aspirations (Barrett and Barrett 2004). The virtual architecture is expected to prove that mediators can use technology to resolve organizational issues within a short period (Armbrust 2000). This cyberspace mediation saves time and space. Research shows that virtual mediation shall cause organizations to invest in enhanced technology. This shall benefit other aspects about the operations of an organization (Breslow and Mousoutzanis 2012). Virtual negotiations eliminate travel costs and save money for the parties (Barrett and Barrett 2004). The mediators are said to be more effective in the digital platform given that the temperatures of the disputes appear to be low because of the geographical barriers. Numerous mediators argue that cyberspace mediations pose straightforward challenges (Doherty and Guyler 2008). However, the challenges are be overcome as a growing n umber of internet users get acquainted to online settings (Barrett and Barrett 2004). Critics argue that online communication and dispute resolutions cannot be a substitute to solving challenges while physically present (Breslow and Mousoutzanis 2012). This is linked to the values and attributes of communication during mediation. Many mediators argue that the fact that disputants are incapable of speaking is the reason for mediation (Armbrust 2000). The choice of using a digital platform which is perceived as slow and prone to breakdown is questionable (Hawk, Rieder, and Oviedo 2008). However, a growing number of organizations are targeting the global market and opening branches across the world (Gonc?alves 2008). The process of dispute resolution between to international branches or employees working in different continents has necessitated the use of technology (Barrett and Barrett 2004). The process of online mediation is said to ensure organizations or multinational operate as u nits despite the geographical barriers (Breslow and Mousoutzanis 2012). Online mediation offers better safeguards for caution and sensitivity compared to the conventional mediation (Breslow and Mousoutzanis 2012). The online mediums of mediation are lessening as a growing number of organizational or workplace activities become founded on technology (Armbrust 2000). The demands of the online platforms and the mediation process have advanced to the place of accepting online communications for exclusive transactions (Barrett and Barrett 2004). Technology has developed to an extent of replicating face-to-face interactions in comprehensive and inexpensive ways (Hartley 2007). Majority of participants in the online understand the dynamics and

Life science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Life science - Essay Example In the virtual education, mentors and students are not required to collaborate personally in a room (Christensen). Virtual education is particularly a blessing for individuals who can not make it to the institution. For example, young mothers with infants can often not manage to find time for attending the educational institution regularly. Likewise, working people often spare their academic progress because of work. With the facility of distance education at hand, people have been able to manage studies with work. They do not have to spare work in order to continue with their studies. Instead, they can maneuver their schedule to study after or before work as appropriate. The virtual world has diminished the significance of physical limitations and boundaries, while the quality of education has been maintained, rather enhanced in the virtual world as students can repeatedly attend the same lectures until concepts are clear. â€Å"While the lectures and assignments are preplanned and may be viewed multiple times, the student still has access to the instructor† (Tatum). I feel connected to the science through virtual education. Works cited: Christensen, Tricia E. â€Å"What is virtual education?† 2011. Web. 4 Feb. 2011. .

Personel Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Personel Finance - Essay Example In the event that I lose my job and I do not have a source of income, I will adjust my financial lifestyles, budget and the financial plans that I have. The following analysis will look at the specific steps and how my new lifestyle will be like. The loss of job will be characterized by decline in my income; hence difficulties in making my ends meet. The first will be to accept this new situation and discuss it with my important people in my life. I will adjust my budget so that I only spend my money on the basics of the life and only on what I can afford at the current economic status. This means I will adjust from spending on the things that do not bring any value in life at current status. For example I will stop going out or adjust to going out to the places that I can comfortably afford. I will invest the remaining resources to get another source of income such as securing another job or any income generating project. I will stop buying expensive clothes and only buy the basics. On the long term basis, this will affect my expected investments such as building my own

Life science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Life science - Essay Example In the virtual education, mentors and students are not required to collaborate personally in a room (Christensen). Virtual education is particularly a blessing for individuals who can not make it to the institution. For example, young mothers with infants can often not manage to find time for attending the educational institution regularly. Likewise, working people often spare their academic progress because of work. With the facility of distance education at hand, people have been able to manage studies with work. They do not have to spare work in order to continue with their studies. Instead, they can maneuver their schedule to study after or before work as appropriate. The virtual world has diminished the significance of physical limitations and boundaries, while the quality of education has been maintained, rather enhanced in the virtual world as students can repeatedly attend the same lectures until concepts are clear. â€Å"While the lectures and assignments are preplanned and may be viewed multiple times, the student still has access to the instructor† (Tatum). I feel connected to the science through virtual education. Works cited: Christensen, Tricia E. â€Å"What is virtual education?† 2011. Web. 4 Feb. 2011. .

RETAIL STRATEGY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

RETAIL STRATEGY - Essay Example In the face of economic growth and radical economic volatility at home, the most attractive retailing options may lie in Asia. Although few domestic retailers are positioned to capitalize on international opportunities, virtually all retailers will be affected by the emergence of the one-world marketplace. As the international borders and barriers come down and the free flow of products goes up, even the smallest mom-and-pop store will be swept up in change. The main trends in the retail industry include fragmentation, specialization and differentiation. Increasing cultural diversity and ethnic insulation lead to market fragmentation. Certainly a number of established retailers are poised to capitalize on the one common denominator that cuts across racial and ethnic diversity--the persistent emphasis on bang-for-the- buck, or value. However, currently most retailers are ill equipped to capitalize on the new opportunities promised by market fragmentation because they do not have access to the expertise required to understand the behavioral manifestations of cultural heritage and ethnic identification (Levy and Weitz 2004). The leading retailers of the 1990s will be those that shore up the knowledge gap by recruiting, hiring, training, and promoting people or by employing outside consultants from cultural and ethnic backgrounds corresponding to those market fragments that promise the greatest profit potential (The Committee for the Histor y of Retailing and Distribution 2009). Although the UK market has grown in absolute terms, the 1990s promise smaller targets of opportunity, both in sheer size and in duration. The factors fueling population growth are conspiring to produce what some have termed "the death of the mass market--and mass marketing" (Levy and Weitz 2004). Although birthrates continue their downward trend,

Fresh Food vs Canned Food Essay Example for Free

Fresh Food vs Canned Food Essay Eating is an activity that we as humans do at least two times a day. We live in a world where the variety of food is immense, and we are responsible for what we eat. We decide what we are about to eat and how it will affect our bodies. However, each food differs from one to another. For example are the fresh food and the canned food. Fresh foods and canned foods are two kinds of different types of food that have their own benefits and disadvantages. The most notable difference between these two kinds of foods is their flavor. Fresh food have great flavor because they keep their natural conditions. Canned foods however, lack a lot of its flavor characteristic because there are some other chemical products added to the natural foods. Comparing both types of foods we can notice another difference. That is the health factor that affects our bodies. While the fresh food keep their original freshness and flavor, canned foods lose some of the original fresh food nutrients when stored, and also it has chemical ingredient when consumed too much will become toxin in our bodies. Another difference between these two types of food is the cost. Canned foods are much more expensive than the fresh foods. In contrast to the cost, canned foods are easier to find, they also require less work to prepare than fresh food. As we can see there are three main differences between the fresh foods and the canned foods. However, the main reason we chose our foods lies on our personal choice, based on time each person has, the money and the importance we give to our nutrition and health. Therefore it is important that you consider your possibilities and choose the best type of food for your convenience and life style.

Childrens Stories Of The Nineteenth Century English Literature Essay

Childrens Stories Of The Nineteenth Century English Literature Essay memorable adventures that remain popular today. Children continue to feel the heartaches of heroines such as Jo March in Louisa May Alcotts Little Women -which has never gone out of print, (Watson, 2009, p13) and eagerly turn the pages of Robert Louis Stevensons colonialist Treasure Island to read about Jims adventures and bravery. Yet these seemingly fun-filled Bildungsroman stories are reliant upon a value-system delineated by patriarchal constructions of gendered social roles of the late nineteenth century in which they were written. Both novels overtly indicate that in order to achieve personal value or capital (and thus maturity), the boy and girls of these stories are expected to succumb to the social expectations defined by their respective genders, ultimately replacing their juvenile freedom with responsibility and obligation. Consequently, for the purpose of this essay, fatherhood has been interpreted as influential masculine authority that invests both guidance and support in achieving this maturity. These depictions will be compared and contrasted in an attempt to argue that despite absent fathers, seemingly opposite contexts, perspectives and heavily gendered ideals, these novels both depict fatherhoods that challenge the gendered assumptions and values underpinning the imperial beliefs and identities .. of this period (Montgomery, 2009,p108.) Whilst seek(ing) to empower young readers to become active agents of future change'(Sambell, Reader 2, p.386) by challenging the apparent flight from domesticity (Tosh, 1999,p4)of the time. Little Women and Treasure Island stand at the threshold of changing notions about childhood (and consequent changes in childrens literature), between more didactic literature from earlier in the century, and the more purely amusing literature written later. Little Women, focusing on four sisters in a middle-class New England domestic setting, gives particular insight into the changing position of fatherhood to girls and women in American Civil War society, whilst Treasure Island forefronts an imperial masculine identity aimed towards British boys in the height of colonial expansion (Montgomery, 2009,p74). These differing contexts are crucial to consider as they serve as a frame by which the child, and (importantly) parent, reader would interpret the authors messages and ideals of fatherhood, and ultimately contributed to their success. The comparison of the depictions of fatherhood will begin by analysing Alcotts portrayal of key father-figures within Little Women, followed by a comp arative study of fatherhood issues addressed in Treasure island. The March family, with their initially absent father, portrays a female-dominated domestic world in which men, including Laurie, Mr. Lawrence, publishers, suitors, and even Mr. March, play second fiddle. However, the patriarchal society of the time dictate that, just as Jim Hawkins journey towards accruing capital must be initiated by an investment of masculine capital, the lessons of domestic virtue within Little Women are always framed within the context of physically or ethereally present father-figures. Mr. Marchs letter sparks his daughters journeys toward virtue in the novel and he is credited as the guiding source of Marmees goodness as well as providing the time frame for the first half of the book. When Jo questions her mother on how she learned to control her emotions, she turns to the example Mr. March set before her. She claims; He never loses patience, never doubts or complains, but always hopes, and works and waits so cheerfully that one is ashamed to do otherwise before him. He helped and comforted me, and showed me that I must try to practice all the virtues I would have my little girls possess, for I was their example. (p76) Through Alcotts use of heterodiegetic   narrative the reader is shown how each of her daughters strive to become the selfless, loving woman that Marmee represents, and by making Mr March the source of her goodness, Alcott attributes all moral authority and value to him. Alcott, through Mr March, constructed the home and Marmee herself, so that even when he is gone she remains behind, reinforcing the values of the patriarchal domestic authority her husband instilled within her. Alcott states (perhaps a little too earnestly) that despite the clear image of the five energetic women [who] seemed to rule the house (p229) he remains head of the family (p230) and the underlying source of social value and authority in the March family. These (frequent) explicit assertions of need for masculine validation and portrayal of domesticated manliness however, are in complete contrast to the image Alcott uses of his return as an invalid (p168)muffled up to the eyes'(p164). This broken man leaning on his wifes arm (Fetterley, p26), consigned to the library for the majority of the story, seemingly contradicts the very patriarchal assertions that Alcott loudly professes throughout. Similarly, as Fetterley asserts, Mr Marchs illness is consigned to the distant background and only vaguely referred to (ibid) instead hinting at a new form of patriarchal role-model; one that plays second fiddle to God and Mother (p181). Alcotts use of Intertextuality in the thematic elements of Pilgrims Progress woven throughout the plot reaffirm her religious ideologies and highlight the novels links to more didactic nature. Christian becomes a masculine authority of piety and perseverance to whom the March girls look for guidance and strength . Similarly, the March girls are repeatedly instructed to call upon their Heavenly Father to help them bear their burdens. The girls therefore have three ethereal masculine figures of moral authority steering them as they learn to fulfil their gendered roles: their father (in his absence), God, and Christian. When the girls need the physical presence of a man, they have Laurie: The girls describe Laurie as a remarkable boy (p278) whom they use as a standard to measure both other young men and their own behaviour; Angry Jos ill temper is highlighted when even good-natured Laurie had a quarrel with her (p104); Vain Meg first realises her misconduct through Lauries disapproval in Vanity Fair (p87); shy Beth is shown Laurie as a model of accomplishment without conceit (p67); and selfish Amy is saved from thin ice by his composure, from dull Aunt March by his ability to entertain, and from an unsuitable marriage by his reprimand (p74,180,397). Yet, despite this conformance to the conventional father role, the relationships also prove reciprocal as Laurie is also educated by the March girls:   It is Amy who urges Laurie to wake up and be a man (p384), Jo who manages his relationship with his grandfather (p198-203) and he himself credits them for a part of my education (p429) resulting in newly acquired manly virtues (p395.) This re-education of the male characters to conform with the female model that the women provide, along with Marmees pleas for the equal involvement of fatherhood in family life(p366), is put into increasingly successful practice by each of her sons-in-law. Fetterley describes how when Jo gets final father-figure, her big man or Papa Bhaer..her rebellion is neutralized (p29) and suggests Alcotts compliance with the gendered assumptions of fatherhood, yet once again there are clues that covertly challenge this view. Jo and Friedrich exhibit the most reformation of the traditional family in that Jo chooses the life work for herself and her partner, and provides the setting for their new school (Dalke, p563). She is financially independent and ultimately becomes responsible for educating boys. It is the opportunities provided by the strength and stability of the March matriarchy for reinventing manhood that lead the husbands, sons and fathers of Little Women to be re-educated by the women they love. Love which becomes, by the novels end, not the power play described by Fetterley, but rather an act performed mutually by both mothers and fathers to promote the reformation of a patriarchal society by beginning with the reformation of a single family. Like Little Women, Treasure Island can be read as a Bildungsroman, however in direct contrast it involves a rite of passage of Jim Hawkins predominately autodiegetic (retrospective) narration of his journey to maturity from which, as Stevenson notes, Women were excluded (xxvi) (with the exception of Jims mother and Captain Flint- who notably gets the last word in this masculine novel.) Whilst Little Women is saturated with figures of masculine authority and guidance, Treasure Island subjects its protagonist to little or no direct masculine, patriarchal authority as Jims father is fatally ill and soon dies. Yet, unlike Alcotts explicit portrayal of what the children should and should not be, the men Jim comes to admire are neither wholly good nor bad examples; they each contain traits Jim admires and traits he detests, and Jims achievement of independent mature identity lies in his own negotiation of father figures and rival male groupings, reaffirming the ideology of individualism (L oxley, p63) and, like Little Women, emphasising the authors belief in the need for change. In contrast to Mr March, Jims biological father is immediately portrayed as weak and lacking of authority. Jims lack of respect for this authority is demonstrated when he takes Billy Bones money to stand watch instead of helping his father as he should. Stevensons focalisation through young Jim (Montgomery,2009,p99) of his weak, poor father (p11) whose unhappy death (p10) was attributed to his terror (p10) heightens the sense of disappointment and serves to justify Jims delight in the company  of men as different from his father as he can find. Jims disappointment in the chicken-hearted men (p32) in town is also clear; none of whom offer to help his mother retrieve the money owed to  her (ibid) and it is instead left to a woman and a young boy. Stevensons choice of these weak male authorities suggests a failing  model of masculinity, frail in the threat of adversity. Jims father is unable to contend with the problems caused by the pirate; his son, and wife, however, can. In Jims quest  for self-definition it becomes clear that, from the start, Jim respects Long John Silver and prefers him to all other father-figures offered to him. Among the gentlemen, the Squire is too imperceptive and too gullible to carry sufficient moral authority, and too self-involved to be aware of Jims needs. Captain Smollet, from the start, establishes himself as stern and uncompromising. Only Dr Livesey shows any readiness to respond emotionally to Jim, as Sandison suggests, his confident authority (p55), innate compassion and demonstrable integrity (p56) set him up as an appropriate alternative moral authority (p57) but Stevenson questions this choice as a father-figure through his (pirate-like) mercenary pursuit of profit (Loxley, p75). Silvers clean and well-run inn, his  appearance, demeanour, and the obvious efficiency with which he   runs  his  establishment, clearly  impress  Jim and  immediately  contrasts are drawn  to  his biological fathers inability to run his own inn (ibid.) The connection between the two fathers is quickly established and continues when Silver almost immediately  takes on Jims education at the docks (p72-73,) more than we have been told Jims father ever bestowed upon his son. Stevenson differentiates Silver from other pirates such as Flint and Pew, who died a beggar-man (p106) by emphasising how he has a wife and has his money properly invested. Trelawney introduced him as a man of substance: he has a bankers account which has never been overdrawn (p69.) Silver, too, boasts about his financial success: I laid by nine hundred safe, from England, and two thousand after Flint à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ all safe in bank (p101). Silver has a keen eye for accounts and savings, jus t as those pillars of the community, the doctor and the squire, are eager to get their hands on pirate treasure. At odds with the increasingly industrial and imperial society in which Treasure Island was written, was the earlier notion that the domestic sphere . . . is integral to masculinity'(Tosh,1999,p4). In this romantic adventure-story filled with gentlemen, Stevenson leaves a lasting impression that the most admirable are: a boy of fourteen; whose actions from the start are driven by a wish to protect his mother and home, and a crippled pirate; the only married adult in the book besides Jims father. These characters operate in an absence of conventional nineteenth century acceptable masculinity, yet they affirm qualities ascribed to the gentleman as, first, a husband and a father. Stevensons critique of masculinity in the empire, lies in the depiction of Silver as paternal surrogate father to Jim. It is this non-biological redefinition of the father-son relationship in Treasure Island -which Stevenson wrote with input from his young stepson-that the strength of his argument lies. Stevenson seemingly blames the empire for the erosion of British fathers importance in their childrens lives. His juxtaposition of treasure-seeking pirates and gentlemen as potential fathers for Jim portrays scathing critiques of the types of men created by greed, capitalism, and colonialism, and highlights the need for the individual child to be cautious of false promises for adventure. By the end of the novel, Stevensons view of the British Victorian gentleman emerges as part pirate and part child, but most importantly, like the fathers of Little Women both committed to their roles in the family. Despite the obvious contrasts in technique, context, subject matter and style of fatherhoods depicted in Little Women and Treasure Island, similarities have been highlighted in the authors subversion of nineteenth century patriarchal ideals. Both texts have been shown to implicitly promote domesticity in their key father figures, whilst encouraging reformation of the traditional family model by rewarding individualism and therefore seek(ing) to empower young readers to become active agents of future change (Sambell, Reader 2,p.386.) Word Count 2198

Pompeii :: essays research papers fc

Pompeii Pompeii is possibly the best-documented catastrophe in Antiquity. Because of it, we know now how the Pompeians lived because they left behind an extensive legacy of art, including monuments, sculptures and paintings. Pompeii lay on a plateau of ancient lava near the Bay of Naples in western Italy in a region called Campania, less than 1.6 kilometers from the foot of Mount Vesuvius. With the coast to the west and the Apennine Mountains to the East, Campania is a fertile plain, traversed by two major rivers and rich soil. However, in the early days, it was not a remarkable city. Scholars have not been able to identify Pompeii’s original inhabitants. The first people to settle in this region were probably prehistoric hunters and fishers. By at least the eight century B.C., a group of Italic people known as the Oscans occupied the region; they most likely established Pompeii, although the exact date of its origin is unknown. â€Å"The root of the word Pompeii would appear to be t he Oscan word for the number five, pompe, which suggests that either the community consisted of five hamlets or, perhaps, was settled by a family group (gens Pompeia)†(Kraus 7). In the course of the eight century B.C., Greek and Etruscan colonization stimulated the development of Pompeii as a city around the area of the Forum. A point for important trade routes, it became a place for trading towards the inland. Up until the middle of the 5th century B.C., the city was dominated politically by the Etruscans. In the course of the 6th century B.C., the influence of Greek culture is also documented by terracottas, ceramics and architecture. A group of warriors from Samnium, called Samnite, invaded the region in the 400’s B.C. Pompeii remained a relatively unimportant village until the 200’s B.C., when the town entered a prosperous period of building and expansion. The Romans defeated the Samnites, and Pompeii became part of the emerging Roman state. Pompeii joined th e Italic revolt against Rome, the Social War of 91-87 B.C., and was crushed by Sulla. Although the city was not destroyed, it lost its autonomy, becoming a colony called Colonia Veernia Cornelia P, in honor of its conqueror L. Cornelius Sulla. By 79 AD, Latin had replaced Oscan as the principal language, and the laws and culture of Imperial Rome were implanted. The â€Å"romanization† had began. Pompeii grew from a modest farming town to an important and sophisticated industrial and trading center.

Didls on George Bernard Shaw Essay

In this letter by George Bernard Shaw, the author conveys vivid detail that is emphasized about the death of his mother. Within this text, the author’s attitude towards his mother and her cremation is utilized by the use of diction, detail, and imagery that serves to express the authors feeling of sentimentality and rebirth from the enchanted tone he attributed his mother with. Throughout the excerpt, the author begins his oration in an admirable tone. The author portrays his attitude towards his mother’s cremation as a positive outlook in life. With the excessive usage of diction, the author describes what lies beyond the oven door of the crematory oven as â€Å"wonderful†, while other people sought it as horrifying to see it. Shaw describes the oven being â€Å"No roaring draught. No flame. No fuel.†; rather, with the appearance of â€Å"cool, clean, sunny† of the coffin. Shaw evokes a sense of diction that is viewed with full of life. The cremation is depicted as a â€Å"beautiful fire† like â€Å"pentecostal tongue† suggests the mother as a spirit ascending from the coffin with the rebirth of life itself. By the presentation of diction use with the mother being rebirthed with attribution of new life, the author’s attitude can be best described in a blissful manner. Although Shaw describes the rebirth of his mother with the excessive usage of diction, he also attributes the cremation with vivid detail of imagery. Shaw’s usage of imagery with his mother’s cremation gives the reader an insight of the author’s attitude towards his mother. When Shaw describes the coffin of â€Å"streaming ribbons of garnet colored lovely flame, smokeless and eager, like pentecostal tongues†, his view of imagery suggests fire is a symbol of life and that there is a spirit ascending from the coffin. Shaw also notes his â€Å"mother became that beautiful fire,† before the cook â€Å"swept her up into a sieve and shook her out: so that there was a heap of dust and a heap of bone straps,† makes the imagery that Shaw conveys to his mother as a spirit being humorous. What Shaw portrays through these details is that by the burning of his mother, the corpse is then observed full of energy and life itself, allowing her rebirth into a spiritual figure a mockery of flesh and bone. By the use of imagery, Shaw is trying to emphasize that the quality of the cremation makes it better compared to a burial. Despite Shaw’s admirable and blissful attitude throughout his oration, there was detail among the letter that gives the reader a more insightful thought of the attitude portrayed to his mother and her cremation. When Shaw addresses â€Å"O grave, where is thy victory?†, it gives the reader the sense that the grave is provided only with death compared to the cremation that allows the spirit to somewhat escape the body and be set out as free, giving the crematory positive connotations. This puny detail shows the difference of the grave and crematory that gives an insightful attitude towards what the author is trying to convey about his mother and her crematory. In all, Shaw’s strange appreciation of the event attributes him with the recognition of victory of life over death from releasing the spirit of his mother through the fire of the crematory.

Kant on the Nature of Genius

Kant was an 18th century German philosopher whose work initiated dramatic changes in the fields of epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, aesthetics, and teleology. Like many Enlightenment thinkers, he held our mental faculty of reason invests the world we experience with structure. In his works on aesthetics and teleology, he argued that it is our faculty of judgment that enables us to have experience of beauty and grasp those experiences as part of an ordered, natural world with purpose.In the philosophy of Immanuel Kant, genius is the ability to independently arrive at and understand concepts that would normally have to be taught by another person. An essential character of â€Å"genius† for Kant is originality, or a talent for producing ideas which can be described as non-imitative. In the Critique of Judgment (1790) Kant defines genius as an artist capable of articulating truths or understanding in an imaginative, and uniquely creative way [1]. The articulation of the truths or understanding involves both a judgment by a viewer and the methodology by which it is created, and that specific criteria for both must be present for the designation of â€Å"genius†.   Kant assumes that the cognition involved in judging art is similar to the cognition involved in judging natural beauty.Thus, while two objects may have aesthetic beauty but the way they are created imparts the object with â€Å"soul†.   Kant argues that art can be tasteful (that is, agree with aesthetic judgment) and yet be ‘soulless' – lacking that certain something that would make it more than just an artificial version of a beautiful natural object.   He further claims that what provides soul in fine art is an aesthetic idea that unlike rational ideas can’t be adequately exhibited sensibly.A genius generates aesthetic ideas, exhibits them tastefully, in a way that is universal and capable of being shared. While observing the work of art the viewer should experience the same state of mind the artist had while creating it.â€Å"The power of communicating one’s state of mind, even though only in respect of the cognitive faculties, carries a pleasure with it, as we can easily show from the natural propension of man towards sociability (empirical and psychological). But this is not enough for our design. The pleasure that we feel is, in a judgement of taste, necessarily imputed by us to every one else; as if, when we call a thing beautiful, it is to be regarded as a characteristic of the object which is determined in it according to concepts; though beauty, without a reference to the feeling of the subject, is nothing by itself.† (Kant Section 9, pp 1)One analogy that has been made is that to make a chair, one must know, in advance what a chair is, and create it with the intention of creating it.   In this respect Kant assumes that the creation of art is an exercise of will.   This is a convenient definition because it allows him to also distinguish art from nature because he assumes there is no prior notion or will behind the activity nature. This leads to a dilemma in whether one can call some forms of modern art a reflection of genius, if those works are created randomly, or allowed to self shape based on the physical properties of matter such as glass or ceramics.Another dilemma it raises stems from our definition of who has will or intention. For humans it is clear that the intention to express a thought or feeling through the creation of a physical art is an act of will, but do other animals have will is a matter of metaphysics rather than philosophy. According to Kant’s definition it would be difficult to know for sure if art painted by cats [2] or other non-mammals [3] would qualify, since for Kant non humans are part of the natural world and not endowed with will. Yet, as all of us know who own pets, animals have both distinct personalities and wills.For Kant, art also means somet hing different from science, since it is a skill or practical ability that is more than just an understanding of awareness of something.   He also distinguishes from a labor or craft which has a vested interest or purpose in having the product itself. This also limits who can be a genius since any art that has a function separate from the function of being observed and understood for the idea it expresses, must not be real art, and its creator not a genius but a craftsman. This definition seems anachronistic since in many fine art museum there are displayed fragments of pottery or metalwork that are considered art today yet when they were produced, were produced by craftsman so that they could be used by ordinary people who were not concerned with the deeper meaning of what that plate may have represented.It would seem that the ability of the craftsman to mix metals or use new firing techniques to achieve a texture or impression of strength not found when traditional materials wer e used is expressing a form of genius. His idea was to create an object, regardless of its popular usage, that was different from the ones before that, when viewed by the recipient or purchaser gave them the impression that this new object, such as a sword, was better, stronger, more reliable or more facile. Thus according to Kan’s first definition of art, the expression of a concept by exercise of will is fulfilled. It would seem then that the use of the object later has no relevance on whether or not the object is art, and as a consequence no bearing on whether its producer is a genius.Kant spends much effort to categories arts into mechanical and aesthetic, agreeable and fine art. What it is defines the state of mind of the creator when producing it, and therefore creates the criteria of whether the final product actually reflects the thought or will of the person creating it.   Kant introduces yet another rule to this confusing definition by stating that it should not b e obvious (which would be in poor taste) what the intentions actually were.   Thus it would seem that for an art to be truly genius it should convey a message of concept, somewhat unclearly so that no one is 100% sure what the creator’s intentions were.   Thus the less obvious a message (though no message is also bad) the more likely the creator is to be a genius.According to Kant genius is the talent (natural endowment) that makes it possible to produce art which is an object that has no predefined definite rules or concepts for producing or judging it in a way that satisfies aesthetic judgment that is more than a functional object, or a representation of something natural. To make things art must have elements of originality for it to be a characteristic of genius. This means also that fine art properly is never an imitation of previous art or nature, though it may ‘follow' or be ‘inspired by' previous art and nature. To be radically original is difficult, b ecause all human production is in some form an imitation or a trained action through other artistic influences, schools, and culture.Kant's approach to art emphasizes our interest in it rather than the artwork in itself. The artwork is beautiful insofar as it instigates an intellectual activity termed reflective judgment. For Kant, the viewing of art rouses us to an intellectual involvement with the world in which the very sense of order by which the whole world can be articulated as a whole and be kept in balance is brought to light.   Reflective judgment does not determine whether something exists or not. It also does not determine what specific qualities a particular object might actually possess. Such judgments are cognitive and belong to the field of science. Reflective judgment judges whether something is beautiful. Beauty is never experienced as a determinate thing. We do not experience beauty directly, although it is always implicated in our experiences of the world. Beaut y is a feeling induced by our sense of an ordering, a valuing, at work in the world that lies beyond any explicit demonstration.   The ability of the artist to generate such thought in the observer is thus deemed genius.There is a dilemma with this point of view, since what generates such thoughts for an individual is that individual’s experience. So one is left to wonder is the genius in the artist who created an object that could elicit that experience, or is it in the observer who is open to allowing that experience to occur in themselves? Thus if I look at a painting such as American Cubist Stuart Davis (1894-1964), Report from Rockport, 1940, and feel no understanding or connection, is it my lack of genius or his? If I feel a negative response is that a sufficient criteria of genius?Kant indirectly makes the artificial requirement that for something to reflect genius, it must be liked by the observer, not disliked. This is evident in his effort to define taste as invol ving the judgment that a thing is beautiful. Taste is a subjective judgment in which an object is referred by our imagination to our subjective selves, to the feeling of pleasure or displeasure that the object arouses in us. The representation of the object rather than the object itself is what is at issue in this judgment–not the building itself but its manner of being formed would be the matter of an aesthetic judgment. Though perception is always colored by experience, and is necessarily subjective, it is commonly taken that that which is not aesthetically satisfying in some fashion cannot be art. However, â€Å"good† art is not always or even regularly aesthetically appealing to a majority of viewers.In other words, an artist's prime motivation need not be the pursuit of the aesthetic. Also, art often depicts terrible images made for social, moral, or thought-provoking reasons. For example, Francisco Goya's painting depicting the Spanish shootings of 3rd of May 180 8, is a graphic depiction of a firing squad executing several pleading civilians. Yet at the same time, the horrific imagery demonstrates Goya's keen artistic ability in composition and execution and his fitting social and political outrage.Kant defines several aspects that lead to the formation of an individual’s taste. The first is quality which is supposed to be an objective evaluation of the object being considered. This means that a science of art appreciation has to be developed to define good from bad art in a way that is agreeable to everyone since it follows some pre-set rules, as w ell as generating a psychologically positive impact.â€Å"†¦ when [a man] puts a thing on a pedestal and calls it beautiful, he demands the same delight from others. He judges not merely for himself, but for all men, and then speaks of beauty as if it were a property of things. Thus he says that the thing is beautiful; and it is not as if he counts on others agreeing with him in his judgment of liking owing to his having found them in such agreement on a number of occasions, but he demands this agreement of them. He blames them if they judge differently, and denies them taste, which he still requires of them as something they ought to have; and to this extent it is not open to men to say: Every one has his own taste. This would be equivalent to saying that there is no such thing as taste, i.e. no aesthetic judgment capable of making a rightful claim upon the assent of all men.† (Kant, p. 52; see also pp. 136-139.)Another aspect of taste is quantity of positive appreciation (which means many people have to agree).   This judgment cannot, however, be proven. We can only ask others to look again with more attention to some aspects in hopes that can be induced to see something that eluded them in the first place. Thus genius of the artist grows with the contemplation of the observers, again indicating that it is as much attributable to the viewer as it is to the producer. A third criteria of taste is the purposeness of an object, or that it should have a reason for being there, greater than just the artists desired to memorialize the object.   Finally the last aspect of taste is the feeling of satisfaction in the object by the observer.To summarize, according to Kant, art encourages an intuitive understanding, was created with the intention of evoking such an understanding or an attempt at such an understanding in the audience, has no other purpose or function, may communicate on many different levels of appreciation, leads to many different interpretations, or reflections, demonstrates a high level of ability or fluency, and creates an appealing or aesthetically satisfying structures or forms upon an original set of unrelated, passive constituents.   This definition leads to a vagueness and subjectivity to art appreciation that varies from person to person, and an uncertainty who is most responsible the artist or the observer.De spite the attempt to attribute genius to the creator of the artistic object, all the definitions suggested to help the observed form a value judgment externally define what is artistic, or beautiful. Thus it would seem that for an artist to be truly appreciated and considered, he has to conform to the opinions of non artists, and tailor his work to stimulate their positive responses within the rule network they created.   This is undoubtedly responsible for statements like â€Å" he was ahead of his time† and why truly innovative artists are seldom appreciated during their lifetime.  [1] Critique of Judgment. Trans., James Creed Meredith. (Oxford: Clarendon, 1988)[2] Why Cats Paint: A Theory of Feline Aesthetics Heather Busch, Burton Silver, Ten Speed Press, Berkeley CA, 1994.[3] Museum of Non-Primate Art. http://www.monpa.com

The outsourcing of the Canon Europe

The outsourcing of the Canon Rupee's finance and accounting management to Accentuate Total words: 2772 Contents l. Introduction In 2006, the Canon Europe decided to outsource its finance and accounting business to the Accentuate consulting company. As a well-known imaging solution company, Canon Europe confronted with fierce competition in 2006. Although Canon Europe is a subsidiary of Canon Inc. Of Japan, the company contributes about one-third of Canon Inc. ‘s worldwide sales revenue.At the initial stage of transforming, to focus on those activities which are significant to its competitive positioning, the executive of Canon Europe determined to establish a shared-service center to centralize the company's finance operations. After a series of testing and analysis, Canon Europe found out that cooperating with the right outsourcing partner is the only way to achieve greater effectiveness. This measure not only can be used to reduce costs of their finance processes and improve the efficiency of them, but also to create powerful differentiating relationships with supplier.After the careful review of the proposals of all the candidates of vendors, Canon Europe finally decide outsource the finance and accounting business operation to Accentuate. The contract duration is seven years, and Accentuate provided Canon Europe with a range of finance processes through the management of the Accentuate Delivery Center in Prague. II. Outsourcing Project Overview By the reason of Cannon Europe was constantly confronted with increased completion and tighter, the executives of Canon Europe decided to create a powerful, differentiating relationships with suppliers by improving finance processes to reduce he costs.They also determined to improve the finance and accounting, like ordering from approved suppliers using standardized purchase orders, could increase their compliance . Initially, the executives thought that centralizing the company's finance operations would be th e right way to achieve the goals which were mentioned above. But by 2006, they found out that the only way to further savings and greater process effectiveness is through outsourcing. In the autumn of 2006, Accentuate submitted a proposal to Canon Europe that included significant details about its research on high performance.Subsequently, Canon Europe executives recognized Accentuates capabilities are relevant to their company's own strategic direction, and they also initiatives to achieve world-class finance operations, following detailed conversations with Accentuate leaders, the executives finally decided to outsource the company's European shared-services operation to Accentuate. Canon Europe signed a seven-year business process outsourcing contract with Accentuate, focusing on finance and accounting.Managed through the Accentuate Delivery Center in Prague, Accentuate provides Canon Europe with a range of finance recesses, including accounts payable, cash posting and fixed asse ts administration, as well as travel expense processing. Services are provided in 12 languages to Canon Europe businesses in 14 European countries. Ill. Client Perspective The experience of client Canon Europe had a good experience in this whole outsourcing process. Accentuate helped Canon achieve the objectives because running finance and accounting back offices is teacher business of them.Accentuate were able to deploy their economies of scale, and their expertise and process focused to help Canon achieve world-class performance. In fact, within the outsourcing activities, the Canon Europe reached the goal of improving their productivity baby percent in three years. Sourcing model The model that Canon Europe used is sole supplier model, which means Accentuate provides the entire finance accounting service to them. To the Canon Europe, the outsourcing model they chose is appropriate.Outsourcing finance and accounting presents a series of unique challenges that require deep expertis e and sophisticated toolkits. Furthermore, the vendor corporations need the right resources, innovation and talent to positively impact their business. The main benefit of this model is the sole accountability of the supplier, which makes the governance of the venture easier relative to other configuration models. Briefly speaking, it is a wise decision for Canon Europe outsourcing its whole finance and accounting process to an onshore vendor.Canon Europe selected a offspring outsourcing model to cooperate with Accentuate. According to the Decision-making matrix on outsourcing which was suggested by Hillocks (2002), the Canon Europe outsourced their â€Å"Qualifiers†, which means the organization outsourced their finance and accounting department-?the radical activity for business operations, but do not contribute to the company's competitive positioning in a major way. Strengths and weaknesses The company intended to invest more in their core competitiveness such aspirator m arketing, customer service and looking after their channel partners.Therefore they are realistic in paying vendors, and recognized back office administration as a secondary activity and do not wish to invest in back office innovations. Secondly, â€Å"thereat a number of strength that Canon has realized through the relationship with Accentuate. â€Å", said by Chris Poppa(Accentuate Senior Executive). For instance, this outsourcing activity increased visibility and transparency on the finance processes, more responsive service from the Prague Deliver Centre improved management control through the formal discipline.And finally, Canon Europe can focus on their core business and not worry about the back-office processes. The Canon Rupee's outsourcing weakness lies in that they are a large company, this fact results to the difficulties when they selected vendors. There are so many factors they need to consider, for instance, the reputation, the capability of handle massive ATA and the technology innovations of the suppliers. The organization's own characters decide that the number of vendors they can choose from is limited, and it due to the cost controlling becomes even more difficulty.Retained capabilities The capabilities that developed by Canon Europe through the outsourcing activities are as following: First, relationship building. Creating a powerful, differentiating relationship with supplier is one of the aims of Canon Europe. Actually,building a relationship involves helping users understand developmental of finance and accounting for the business ND the improvement of productivity, helping users and financialexpertscollaborate, and ensuring users' ownership and satisfactions. The second capability is informed buying.Generally, this capability related to the challenge of managing the finance and accounting outsourcing strategy in a way that meets the interests,priorities, and goals of the business. For example, the transition from a shared-services mode l to the Accentuate Delivery Center in Prague was completed in only four months, furthermore, there was no reengineering needed and all finance activities were quickly stabilized. Thirdly, to protect the current and future contractual position of the firm, Canon Europe also had the contract monitoring capability.It is important to note that the contract monitor ensures that the business position is contractually protected at all times while the contract facilitator is mainly involved in the day-to-day operational 1 . Furthermore, as a contract monitor, Canon Europe needs to ensure that their business position is contractually protected at all the timely 2. Risks in outsourcing deal The Canon Europe also met several risks. First of all, considering that Canon Europe ND Accentuate are both influenced organizations in the world, they both have the differentiations culture.Provided that during the process of outsourcing, both parts have limited opportunities for interactions, hence it w ill cause misunderstandings and poor change management controls 3. The structural risk may also exist in the process of the duration of outsourcing. Structural risk refers to the danger that the relationship between clients and suppliers may not work as expected. Whatever, transaction preprocessing insurance claims processing are happily easy to monitor using preciseness's to measure their quality 5.Therefore these activities present low structuralism. Lastly, if an organization decides to outsource some business which includes sensitive data, then a carefully managed outsourcing contract may be preferable. This is because large established clients are probably more careful about protecting their reputation. Expected value Within Canon Rupee's new finance and accounting outsourcing environment, there is now greater assurance that activities are being executed effectively with maximum efficiency, and that productivity and continuous improvement are daily priorities.Such advancements demonstrate why the goal to improve productivity within the outsourced activities by 25 percent in three years is well within reach. To sum up the foregoing, the business achieving performance continually. To keep the relationship between Canon Europe and Accentuate getting better is also the value that this outsourcing activity brought. Actually, Canon Europe paid careful attention to the levels of relationship competency of the supplier, without they wish to maintain a close long-traineeships.Whatever, they found out that Accentuate has the ability to support the future changes in their business direction, and the needs of their innovations the supplier, so the long-term relationship would be a potential value they wish to obtain. ‘V. Supplier Perspective Good pick for supplier From the perspective of Accentuate, this contract was a good pick undoubtedly. First and for most, Accentuate built the partnership with Canon through this outsourcing process, this laid the foundatio n of theorization's of strategic partner in the future. Actually, in 2010, Canon enters $9. Ban to launch in collaboration withAccentuate to deliver customized information and media management solutions for large European organizations. Given these facts, we can make a conclusion of both parts already built good relinquishment's the finance and accounting outsourcing process. Advantages and disadvantages The vendor selected in this outsourcing case possessed plenty of advantages. First of all, finance and accounting (F) was one of the first processes that Accentuate start to outsource, henceforward have more than 15 years operational experience in Finance and Accounting business process outsourcing.Secondly, Accentuate was also en of the best consultant companies in that time, which means they had better reputation and lower risk than other companies. Last but not least, Accentuate has their own R teams, which maximize the efficiency and increase the possibilities of reaching the go al successfully. While outsourcing, three technology innovations of Accentuate play an important role. For example,the first of these is an Accentuate- developed self-service portal that is updated daily to help Canon Rupee's suppliers control, access and monitor invoicing and payment activities.As for the disadvantages, one of them is the technology solutions growth in Accentuate is much slower than consultancy roles in the fierce competition of the consultant industry. Therefore, once Canon encountered some technique problems in the outsourcing process, Accentuate may not provide powerful supports to them efficiently. Risks to vendors Like most of devotedness, Accentuate also had risks in this outsourcing process. One of them is reputation loss, it would happen as the venture failed.No matter what the real reason is, the supplier always should take the responsibility for the failure first. Another risk is the security of techniques and intellectual property. Elementally repertory rights are also one of major concerns to both the client and the supplier 19. Thus, companies should be particularly careful, because the absence of suitable contractual safeguards can put at risk the firms' rights to its own intellectual property. For example, the development and the application of Accentuates technology innovations are belong to the core competence of the organization.And the Accentuate-developed self-service portal also has key function to the completeness of the whole outsourcing project. Expected value As an outstanding consulting company, Accentuate expects not only to manage the entire successfully, but also to develop the partnership with the Canon Europe. Cooperating with some well-known companies successfully, like Canon, will expand the influence of itself. Furthermore, building the partnership with those companies will also bring plenty of opportunities to the future development to Accentuate.Hillocks suggests that enterprise partnership's involves risk- reward and Joint ownership arrangements, offers promising way to leverage cost and quality gains as well as knowledgeableness and exploitation. V. Recommendations Safeguard of client's position To mitigate the risk that Canon Europe may face, the organization interacted on a daily basis with Individual Accentuate teams (one for each process such as accounts payable and cash posting).Besides, to increase the visibility of the clients, the Accentuate Planning and Control enables management and process owners to capture and track critical path activities and issues in real time. The extraction of value for supplier For the supplier, provided atone of their targets is obtaining extraction of value from the contract, then the following factors are important: firstly, Accentuate should ensure they provided the desired services according to the contract.Secondly, manage to protect the safety of the sensitive data, like ensure the data to be used in appropriate ways, and periodically check that authorized personnel are following designated procedures. Win-win situation As the contract manager of insubstantial public sector agency noted â€Å"Suppliers have to make a reasonableness's to stay in business. You don't want them to lose moneybags the worse their business gets, the worse your business gets. â€Å"Theodosius uncovers that both parts in the outsourcing process are interest- elated.Creating a win-win situation's the client receives increased value- adding services and disruptive generates better revenues and obtaining more opportunities. When Accentuate completed the outsourcing project, the Canon Rupee's employees were free from time-consuming finance transactional tasks, and they are now able to focus on strategic activities to add value to the businesses. Improvement or changes In the next five years, the organizations recognize back office administration as a secondary activity and do not wish to invest in back office innovations, whereby the equines proc ess outsourcing will overshadow IT outsourcing.The clients should invest much more in contract value due to the contract management is a major determinant of outsourcing successes. Second, to avoid the outsourcing failure, the thing that Canon Europe should considerately suppliers other than sole supplier model, as a large company, the outsourcing process of Canon Europe would be more complex than others, therefore continue with only one vendor would carry high amount of risk. In the future, selective sourcing with multiple suppliers will remain the dominant trend.