Business Ethics at Acme Corporation Essay

Mr. Frank Garcia was a new salesman at Acme Corporation. At Acme Corporation the corporate culture was top down or hierarchal and Garcia quickly learned that because of the competitive nature of the medical supplies industry few mistakes were tolerated. One of his very first sales clients was Mr. Otis Hillman, the buyer for Thermocare, a national hospital chain. The sale was a huge success resulting in a $500,000 contract for Acme and an additional bonus of $1,000 for Mr. Garcia. Months later, Mr. Garcia called on Mr. Hillman of Thermocare to increase the existing contract by some $500,000. The deal went through and Garcia received yet another bonus and a letter of achievement from the vice president of Marketing, however the deal cost Acme Corporation a pair of season tickets to the Cubs. On another occasion, Mr. Garcia approached Thermocare for an additional contract worth $750,000, once again Garcia was successful, but this time in return for the favor Acme had to pay for a trip to Cancun Mexico for Mr. Hillman and his wife. Lastly Acme Corporation decided to host a thank you party in Las Vegas for all of their best clients. The clients were informed that, if there is anything that they needed that they should let their salesperson know. That very night Mr. Hillman from Thermocare approached, Mr. Garcia and suggested to him that he was interested in attending an â€Å"adult entertainment club†. Garcia informed his boss, Amber about his client’s request. Amber was very laid back and replied, â€Å"we will take care of it†, however Garcia was a little concerned and asked â€Å"but what will Acme say if this gets out? † to which Amber responded, â€Å"Don’t worry, it won’t. † Taking a closer look at this scenario with Thermocare, Acme Corporation is faced with a few ethical issues. Firstly, we can look at the ethical issue of bribery. It is clear to see that in order for a sale to be successful, Garcia had to bribe Mr. Hillman on each occasion. In other words, each time Garcia proposed a new deal/contract to Thermocare it resulted in a cost Acme. Another ethical issue is Acme paying for Mr. Hillman to attend an adult entertainment club, an activity that is considered to be morally unaccepted and frowned upon by society. Additionally, even though Amber, Mr. Garcia’s supervisor was made aware of these unethical situations regarding the sale contracts with Thermocare, she was so concerned about making a profit that she had no issue with complying with their demands. One may ask, if Mr. Garcia was correct in complying with the demands/wishes of Mr. Hillman. In my opinion, Mr. Garcia was only following orders from his supervisor. If there is any one to blame for the ethical misconduct it should be Amber. In each instance, Mr. Garcia referred the situation to Amber. Furthermore, as the supervisor it was Amber’s responsibility to ensure that Mr. Garcia was conducting business in an ethical manner, however in reality Amber was not doing her job. On the other hand all of the blame should not be solely placed on Amber. It is obvious that Mr. Garcia was also driven by the need for large cash bonuses, in the back of his mind, he knew what he was doing was unethical, however as long as he was getting rewarded for his sales performance, he saw no problem with meeting the demands of Mr. Hillman. He figured as long as he making money for the company, what he was doing was indeed justified. However it could be argued that, Mr. Garcia could have easily referred the matter with Thermocare to another supervisor, if he felt that the decision he made, would have negatively impacted the reputation of Acme Corporation as an ethical corporate citizen. In conclusion, we all know that in order for businesses to survive, they must earn a profit. However the life of an organization may be shortened if these profits are realized through misconduct. Additionally businesses must balance their desires for profits against the needs and desires of society, and maintaining this balance often requires comprises. In the case of Acme Corporation if they wish to achieve and maintain a standard as a reputable and ethical corporation it must discontinue its current business practices and sales techniques. Furthermore, Acme must establish an ethics program that will communicate the core values of the organization to all employees and clearly capture the rules and principles that the company defines as appropriate conduct.

Gothic Art Essay

Gothic art refers to an art movement in the middle ages (Van de Bogart 70) that started in France around 1140 (the time that the ambulatory of the Church of Saint-Denis was constructed [Encarta â€Å"Gothic Art and Architecture†]) and lasted up until late 16th century throughout Europe (Encarta â€Å"Gothic Art and Architecture†). In this paper, an introduction to Gothic art, with a concentration on Gothic church architecture, shall be discussed. To effectively provide an overview of this artistic style, this paper shall tackle the following: the roots of the term, â€Å"gothic†; a discussion of the characteristics of Gothic architecture; conclusion. Explaining the Term, â€Å"Gothic† The term â€Å"gothic† was used by Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574), the Italian artist and historiographer known for this book on the famous architects, to refer to the artistic style that characterize the French churches such as the Notre Dame de Paris and the Church of Saint-Denis (Chapuis â€Å"Gothic Art†). The term came from the barbarians called Goths who were then known to lack the civility that the people â€Å"civilized† people such as the Romans ought to have. These barbarians were one of the Nordic tribes likened to that of the Vandals as despoilers (Tarnocyova 69) that brought the â€Å"civilization-filled† Roman Empire into flames (Chapuis â€Å"Gothic Art†). As such, the Goths represent a regression or at the very least a certain sort of backwardness, crudeness, and lack of refinement. In fact, the Academie d’Architecture, meeting in 1710, still described unacceptable architectural manners as â€Å"gothic† (Tarnocyova 69). Hence, the term is originally a pejorative term that intends to put down an artistic style and say that the style is at the very least barbaric and rude. The reason why Vasari charged the artistic style as â€Å"gothic† has nothing to do with the merits or demerits of the style. It also has nothing to do with the logic and ingenuity that the artistic style exhibits. Rather, Vasari, just like most people during the Renaissance, were victims of the prejudices of their period. It should be recalled that the Renaissance was characterized by despise for tradition. As such, anything that belonged to the â€Å"dark ages† cannot be considered as good and of value. It is only fairly recent that the artistic manner and beauty of the gothic period is acknowledged for all its already-perceived merits. Gothic Architecture Gothic art is widely known primarily because of Gothic architecture. In fact, as was already stated in the introduction, the beginning of the Gothic period is pegged on the time of the construction of the chevet of the Church of Saint-Denis. It was 1127 when Abbott Suger, then the Abbott of Saint-Denis who was also the confidant of French Kings like Louis VI and Louis VII (Wikipedia â€Å"Gothic Architecture†), decided to rebuild the Church of Saint-Denis. This rebuilding eventually gave way to a new art period. How was this period initiated, then? At this point, it will be worthwhile to first state the Abbot’s philosophical ideas that contributed a lot to the underlying spiritual ideology of the Gothic Saint-Denis. Abbot Suger was some sort of philosopher/theologian in his own right. Corresponding with the theologian Dionysius from Syria (whose philosophy was some sort of Neoplatonist Christianity) (Helfrich â€Å"History of Gothic Architecture†), Suger came with the theory that God could best be represented as a powerful light, as a â€Å"supernatural light† as he would call it (Helfrich â€Å"History of Gothic Architecture†), who through his omnipotence, spiritualizes everything that is material. As such, God’s church ought to be a place where light is mostly present. God’s church, being the gathering place of his people, ought to also be the place where God, as light, could put his people together represented by an enveloping light. With this in mind, Abbot Suger started rebuilding the west front of the church first (the abbot left the Carolingian nave untouched and moved to reconstruct the eastern part of the church). The initial impetus that defined the changes that the abbot did on the church was the desire to put more light on the choir. He wanted the effect of having something like a â€Å"Heavenly Jerusalem† (Tarnocyova 69) that is primarily perceived to be luminescent, in one way reflecting the glory, majesty and power of the One True God. In this way, the Church acts truly as Christ’s earthly bride, bringing heaven-on-earth, making the physical reflect what is spiritual. It was this eastern reconstruction that would eventually be considered the very first Gothic art. Putting this ideal was not an easy task to do. In the first place, the Romanesque period created bulky churches with thick walls and fewer and smaller windows. The creation of light, then, would entail an architecture that was different from what was then mainstream. It was in the face of this task that Abbot Suger’s architects thought of using a more sophisticated technology, the pointed arch. The use of the pointed arch gave the architects additional flexibility that was not accessible through the curved arches. For one, the use of the arch meant lesser lateral thrust of the roof on the walls (Chapuis, â€Å"Gothic Art†). In addition to this, the new system of ribbed vaults allowed for thinner columns, allowing the stone material of the vaults to be lighter (Chapuis, â€Å"Gothic Art†) and space to be wider. Another important technology is the flying buttress that gave support to the thinner walls. These allowed for more space and more windows to be installed in these churches. More space and more windows meant more light penetrating the Church (or, in the case of Saint-Denis, the ambulatory of the church). Thus, Suger’s ideal is now a reality and Gothic architecture, with its characteristic pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and flying buttresses, is finally born. It does not mean of course that Abbot Suger thought of Gothic architecture from a vacuum. It has to be remembered that â€Å"ribbed vaults, buttresses, clustered columns, ambulatories, wheel windows, spires and richly carved door tympanums were already features of ecclesiastical architecture† (Wikipedia â€Å"Gothic Architecture†). Even the pointed arch which is used to typify Gothic architecture is not a product of a strike of genius. Assyrian architecture already made use of pointed arches as early as 720 B. C. (Wikipedia, â€Å"Gothic Architecture†). Islamic presence in Europe, most especially in Spain, would account for the introduction of these arches in the West. What characterizes Gothic architecture then is not the presence of these individual architectural traits but the putting of these elements together forming a unique architectural style that allows for spires, space, pointed arches, ribbed vaults, grand rose windows, clustered columns, ambulatories to exist in one magnificent monument. Actually, as it could be noticed, these characteristics were put together not out of whim; Abbot Suger did not put these traits together just because. Instead, these architectural traits were utilized because of a purpose: the creation of light and space in the choir of Saint-Denis. Thus, as is always acknowledged, these beautiful architectural traits came together out of technical need. Gothic architecture then is a product of a technical and spiritual need that eventually is characterized by the typical Latin cross floor plan at the same literally showing forth height and light (Helfrich â€Å"History of Gothic Architecture†). Everything in a Gothic church shows forth height. This vertical emphasis could immediately be felt by an external viewer who may rapture in awe over the spires and pinnacles of Gothic churches. The facade as well as the entire west front of a church has pointed arches, shafts, and main arcade all of which pointing up. These amplify the already overwhelming effect of spires that unanimously bring the gazer’s eyes to heaven. Entering the Gothic church would continue that ethereal experience since the nave of a Gothic church is usually very high in proportion to its width. Upon looking up, the gazer would be led to look the ribbed vaults all of which leading to a boss in a pointing way. Not only would the gazer be enamored by the height that uplifts the spirit; there is also the magnificent ray of lights that passes through strain glasses and more magnificently through rose windows. Gothic churches are famous for these magnificent rose wheel windows the best ones such as those in Notre Dame and Chartres create the effect of the flooding of light all over the cathedral. These light rays are complemented by the large and numerous other windows in the church. The flooding of light and the univocal stress on height is again complemented by the Gothic sculpture on the tympanum or columns or totally not attached at all to architecture (Encarta â€Å"Gothic Art and Architecture†). Such architecture is characterized by naturalism at the same time the constant solemn disposition (Encarta â€Å"Gothic Art and Architecture†). Conclusion Gothic art, specifically Gothic architecture, has been created initially out of the spiritual need that Abbot Suger problematized in Saint-Denis. This was then followed by the architectural-technical need to be able to answer to this spiritual need. These series of needs brought forth the fusion which is now acknowledged to be one of the greatest styles in architecture called gothic art. Works Cited â€Å"Gothic Architecture. † Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 2 October 2007. 5 October 2007. . â€Å"Gothic Architecture† History Link 101. January 2004. 2 October 2007. http://www. historylink101. com/lessons/art_history_lessons/ma/gothic_architecture. htm. â€Å"Gothic Art and Architecture. † Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia, 2002. â€Å"Gothic Art. † Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 4 October 2007. 5 October 2007. . â€Å"Parts of a Cathedral. † Medieval Time Reference. 2 October 2007. http://www. btinternet. com/~timeref/cathpart. htm Chapuis, Julien. â€Å"Gothic Art†. In Timeline of Art History. October 2002. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 10 October 2007 http://www. metmuseum. org/toah/hd/mgot/hd_mgot. htm. Helfrich, Serge. History of Gothic Architecture. 10 October 2007 http://www. xs4all. nl/~helfrich/gothic/architecture. html Tarnocyova, Bronislava. †Gothic Architecture† Bratislava Leaders Magazine III (2007): 68-69. Van de Bogart, Doris. Introduction to the Humanities: Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, Music and Literature. New York: Barnes & Noble, 1970.

“The Street” by Ann Petry Essay

In this novel, The Street by Ann Petry, tells just how hard life can be on the streets of Harlem. Reading Petry’s Novel, I mentally put myself in the shoes of, Lutie Johnson. Lutie is an African American woman who is also a single mother. Lutie tries her best to provide the best life she can for her and her son, Bub. Lutie experiences racism in the novel, and also discrimination and sexism. To get the life that she wants for herself and for Bub, Lutie must make some very hard decisions. This book took me through all the hard work and steps that Lutie must make and go through to make her and her son’s life better. This novel begins in November 1944, a cold and windy day in New York City. Petry glorifies the tendency for human independence by developing a plot in which she has to provide for her and her son all by herself, she is put threw racism, sexism, and hardship. The Street is a classic example of Petry’s naturalistic talent. Petry illuminates the anger, frustration, and resignation felt by Negroes during World War II. The story is written in the third person omniscient point of view. Although Lutie is the main character in the novel, Petry provides powerful insight into the lives of Bub, Min, Jones, Mrs. Hedges, and Boots. Each character’s point of view weaves together with the others to better show what a devastating impact racism, poverty, and gender had during that timeframe. The adult male characters in the story show what little respect they hold for women. They see the women as little more than sex objects. The women in the story show how their past experiences and current circumstances makes it virtually impossible for a black woman to ever achieve anything more than what they have managed to achieve thus far. In our society of today, there are many images that are portrayed through media and through personal experience that speak to the issues of black motherhood, marriage and the black family. Wherever one turns, there is the image of the black woman in the projects and very rarely the image of successful black women. Even when these positive images are portrayed, it is almost in a manner that speaks to the supposed inferiority of black women. Women, black women in particular, are placed into a society that marginalizes and controls many of the aspects of a black woman’s life. Therefore, many black women do not see a source of opportunity, a way to escape the statistics of their everyday existence. For example, if I were to ask a black mother if she would change her situation if it became possible to do so, some women would change, but others would say that it is not possible; This answer would be the result of living in a society that has conditioned black women to accept their lots in lives instead of fighting against the system. A lot of women today fall victim to system and actually content with that life style. If more women had the amount of determination that Lutie Johnson had it would defenliaty be a lot more successful black women in today’s society. The reason I chose Ann Petry, novel; was because the message that she is sending is real, granted this novel was written in the 1940s, the same experiences that she had to face, black women are still dealing with them today. The only differences are the black women in today’s society lack the drive and determination of Lutie. I personally see young black females go though the same issues, but now days they are looking for the easy way out. Which would more than likely be, Mrs. Hedges, a older lady in Lutie apartment building who runs a little whore house. â€Å"If you live on this damn street you’re supposed to want to earn a little extra money sleeping around nights. With nice white gentlemen.† Chapter 3, Pg 86 So in order to make a long story short, Ann Petry novel Street, portrays, realism The tendency to view or represent things as they really are. The meaning of realism and the novel goes hand and hand. The novel was very much straight forward; or maybe it was just easy to understand the struggle that Lutie was in counting, is the same thing a lot of females that I know personally got though every day. That moment when you can read something or see something, and it makes you remember; that just when you think that you have it bad, it always someone who has it even worst. In Lutie case no matter how hard she tries to get her head above water, it always something to drag her rite back down. So I say that to say this, â€Å"you never know the hand that you being dealt, but you have to play to win.†

Nature and Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Nature and Technology - Essay Example This means that historians study human actions, what determines actions, and what actions bring about. What determines action has usually been considered to be mental phenomena such as beliefs, hopes, and desires, whereas what results from human activity has typically been taken to be artifacts and further activity. The focus of history, as a result, has emphatically been human beings. Apart from environmental determinists and historical ecologists or environmentalists of various stripes, nature has largely been ignored. Technology, moreover, has been almost universally construed as a means for furthering human ends, as artifacts people produce, together with the skills and knowledge these artifacts require and engender, so as to facilitate their lives. According to this way of thinking, technology, unlike nature, is part of history. It is so because it shapes, facilitates, and is brought about by human activity. Whatever is part of history has a history. On the standard line of thinking, consequently, there is a history of technology but not of nature. The history of technology is simply that slice of the total realm of human activity that is tied to technology. In addition to technological objects, this slice includes the actions that generate, use, or result from technology, the knowledge and skills technology requires and engenders, and, it should be added, the complexes of these matters that are given such designations as computer networks, assembly line manufacturing, medical practices, and scientific investigation. Nature, by contrast, is not, on the standard view, part of human history. Hence, it has no history. Or rather, any conception of nature as a historical entity or realm-such as those of Whitehead, Alexander, and contemporary biological evolutionary theory-works with an expanded notion of history that does not attribute to generic history any particular connection to humans a nd human history (for example, history as events in time, as development, or as contingency). On these wider conceptions, the history of nature simply is, or pertains to, the temporal course or development of nature. There is no history of nature as something peculiarly related to humans and their history. At best, nature and its history form a backdrop against which (human) history takes place. A variety of developments has begun to chip away at the hegemony of this general conception of (human) history. Most centrally, its subversion is part of the general reconsideration currently underway of the relationship between society and nature. It has become tenuous, theoretically, to construe this relationship either reductionistically or oppositionally. This development, in turn, challenges the opposition between history and nature that is a facet of the venerable concept of history and that parallels, and maybe depends on, the society-nature opposition. (Mitcham, 233) It should be stressed that activity remains crucial to history on this expanded conception of its domain. In the first place, actions, as the moments of practices, are absolutely central to practice-arrangement nexuses. More deeply, one condition of the existence of history qua the development of the social site (or, for that matter, qua the course of activity) is the historicity of the individual lives bound up with it. By the historicity of

After the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, are police officers Essay - 1

After the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, are police officers a threat to minorities - Essay Example ic Garner in Staten Island where the two African Americans were killed by police officers under worrying circumstances have regenerated the issue of racial profiling and police brutality against the minority. After being accused of engaging in the sale of untaxed cigarettes in the Island of Staten, Garner was put in the illegal choke by a police officer eventually killing him. Brown on the other hand was suspected by police officers as he walked with a friend in a St. Louis suburb with the cop eventually killing him despite being unarmed and following the order (Singer, 2014). It is important to note that there exists sharp division regarding the issue across the minority blacks and majority whites with the views equally drawing from race association. The deaths of these two individuals at the hand of police officers is a clear testament that police officers are a threat to minorities because the men were unarmed and killed irrespective of any signs of resisting arrest. Those opposing the issue of race to play a role in the death of Garner and Brown are not a surprise that they all hail from the white race. A survey conducted by Pew Research Centre in 2014 indicated that only 16 percent of the white majority attributed race to play a role in the deaths of the two blacks (Pew Research Center, 2014). While majority of the whites opposing the role of race in the deaths stand with that decision, they fail to present supportive evidence relating to the cause of the deaths. Some say the deaths resulted as a result of mare accidents while others argue that the suspects might have failed to comply to the orders making the police officers to become annoyed and eventually over reacting. Considering the concept based on accidents, it fails to hold ground as police officers are fully trained in handling suspected criminals and interrogating them in a more professional manner. Inflicting pain to a suspect through the use of an illegal choke or shooting an unarm ed suspect is

Marketing Planing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Marketing Planing - Essay Example It is expected your report demonstrates strong evaluative style you should draw on the relevant theories covered within the course (course book attached) you must relate your answer to your chosen organization ( eg : Barclay's, HSBC U.K etc) Harvard referencing Stlye This paper is aimed at looking at how the recent credit crunch is affecting banks and how this in turn affects international business. The paper argues from a marketing point of view. Here the paper looks into how marketing can help restore confidence and competitive advantage into some of these troubled banks. The recent credit crunch in the U.S is a cause for concern for governments, regulatory bodies, businesses, individuals, stock markets, etc. This issue is affecting world trade in that it is currently making it difficult for banks to provide loans to businesses given the significant losses encountered so far as following prior sub-prime mortgage lending. The first part of the paper looks into the institution in question. Here our institution under case study is the Barclays bank. The first part of the paper discusses the various ways through which Barclays bank could be affected by the crisis. The second part of the paper discusses the role of marketing towards restoring a com petitive advantage and creating value for Barclays bank. The last part of the paper presents the conclusion and recommendation. Bar... The last part of the paper presents the conclusion and recommendation. 1.1 Overview of the institution under case study -Barclays Bank Barclays PLC (Barclays) is an international and major player in the world financial system. It is headquartered in the United Kingdom, a global financial services provider and is engaged in retail, commercial banking, credit cards, investment banking, wealth management and investment management services. (Report 2008). The bank is present in Europe, United States, Africa and Asia using different strategies with respect to different markets. According to an independent analyst review, the Company operates in business segments: For example, UK Retail Banking, Barclays Commercial Bank, Barclaycard, Global Retail and Commercial Banking (GRCB)-Western Europe, GRCB-Emerging Markets, GRCB-Absa, Barclays Capital, Barclays Global Investors and Barclays Wealth (Company's Report 2008). Today, Barclays Plc is listed in major stock exchanges in the world such as the London, the Tokyo and the New York etc. Barclays Plc has consolidated its position through a series of mergers and acquisitions. For example, according to the company's web page, in November 2008, Barclays PLC announced that it has completed the purchase of the Italian residential mortgage business of Macquarie Group Limited. According to the company's (2008) report, Barclays PLC was ranked as the 25th largest company in the world according to Forbes Global 2000 (2008 list) and the fourth largest financial services provider in the world according to Tier 1 capital ($32.5 billion). It is the second largest bank in the United Kingdom based on asset size, although its

Martin Luther's 95 Theses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Martin Luther's 95 Theses - Essay Example At his reflection, he knows that there is a lot of challenges to go against the norms by attacking one whom everybody praises, not even those the public disgraces will be spared. In a very conscious manner, he knows that he has a great beam on his own eyes so he cannot say he is super perfect to attack other men. Luther is against impious doctrines and their impiety not necessary on their bad morals. The reevaluation of his thought is sharply on the judgment of men and to preserve the passionate enthusiasm, following the example of Jesus Christ, who, in his keenness, calls his adversaries a creation of vipers, blind, children of the devil, and hypocrites. For example, when the great prophet, Paul charges a sorcerer with being a child of the devil, which he sees as the act of all malice and all subtlety; he defines such servants like evil workers, deceivers and dogs. In his, the court of Rome is full of a lost, desperate, and hopeless impiety overwhelmed by corrupt men. Which he has greatly abominated, and he feels disturbed that the people of Christ should be cheated under the pope’s given name and the excuse of the Rome Church. He says he is not doing the impossibilities, or being pessimistic on his labor alone, against the furious opposition of so many flatters any good can be done against the impossible situations. As a debtor to his congregation, he knows few will be ruined by the plagues of Rome. He blames the people of being reluctant to act on the laying waste of goods, souls, and bodies. These things are more clear to them than light and Rome church, previously the most sacred of all churches has become the most anarchistic hideout of thieves, hell not even antichrist could come to devise any addition to it wickedness. Concerning Christian liberty, Luther, explains that Christian faith is not easy, and nobody has the wisdom upon it as there is no experiment proof among the

Managing Human Resources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words - 1

Managing Human Resources - Essay Example For the last two decade they had achieved 20% growth annually, whereas similar types of organization had failed to continue their business. According to the higher management of the Container Store their success is due to the unique recruitment and training policy of the organization. It also spends 18% of the sales revenue on their employees. The performance review system for employees of the organization is also unique in nature. This paper will enable us to appraise the contribution of Human Resource Management in the organizational development, strengthening the employee-employer bond and increase in productivity within the organization. It will also enable us to know the importance of human resource management in an organization. This paper will impart knowledge about the dynamic nature of the HRM and how it helps to increase productivity within an organization. This paper will mostly deal with relevant industrial facts and analysis revolving around the mentioned case. It will h elp us to understand and evaluate whether the HCM model adopted by the Human Resource Management is best fit for the Container Store outlets or not. Moreover, this paper will also help to analyze the problems of a manager during the performance evaluation of the employees in the best practice model of HRM. Human Resource Management in an organization T The current corporate and business culture has been marked by â€Å"The elimination of many middle-management positions, the vertical and horizontal compression of job assignments, and self managed work teams draws attention to ‘strong’ leadership and corporate culture, and the critical role of HRM.† (Bratton & Gold, 2000, p.56) In simpler words, HRM is a process of managing the employees of an organization. It is also an innovative process of managing the workplace. It includes organizational, personnel administration, manpower and industrial management. It is a complex interlinked process between activities which are considerably affected by external factors like legal, economic, political, geographical, social, technological and global environment. The HR activities are managed, designed and changed in respect to these earlier mentioned different external factors. The important HR activities comprises of Strategic HRM, equal employment opportunity, staffing, talent management and development, total rewards, risk management and worker protection, as well as employee and labor relationship. Through these activities HRM plays its part and helps to give a competitive edge to the organization by properly managing the workforce as well as the workplace. Organizational strategies are mostly based on the areas of strength of the organization. So, core competency is a unique capability of organization which helps to create differentiation and high value from its rivals. Value creation is also a very important thing which is now being performed by the HRM. This helps to give a competitive edge to th e firm over its competitors and also helps to focus on the firm’s core competencies (Han, n.d., p.3). Several roles fulfilled by HR Department are administrative, operational and employee advocate, as well as the strategic role. High degree of alteration in role is also noted in the process of HRM. Now-a-days HRM is divided into traditional HRM and Strategic HRM. This new form SHRM creates a value generation to the organization. Between the two different processes HRM and SHRM,

Microanalysis of the recent Market, economic conditions, and the Essay

Microanalysis of the recent Market, economic conditions, and the outlook - Essay Example The good returns in March were attributed to positive economic data on employment and retail sales. In S&P 500, stocks listed in all sectors ended the month in a positive territory led by healthcare, utilities and consumer staples sectors which were among the best performing. The investors mainly bought into stocks offering relatively high dividend yields, strong brands, and some other business models that had lagged behind. Broadly, consumer discretionary and financial stocks outperformed the market expectation. The rest were less robust led by stocks from the energy sector which was the least performing. The stocks did well across all market capitalizations, with value and growth shares fairly matched during the month. In the month of April, the stock market underwent what analysts would call market correction after touching record highs in both the S&P 200 and DJIA. The DJIA touched levels just below 14900 while S$P 500 rallied to above 1,600 points. Analysts say the market has to correct itself after a rally which began late 2011, through 2012, to March this year. The indices dropped at the close of the month as compared to the March data. Going forward, the markets are picking in May, but the yearly cycle sell off is expected in the next few days which might depress the market (T. Rowe Price Investment Services, 2013). Bonds market produced flat results in the month of March with the long-term government bonds being the poorest performers in the category of domestic fixed income sectors as the yields realized were modest. The investment corporate bonds which had the lowest nominal yield rates, trailed the entire market and significantly lagged behind compared to high yield counterparts. The high-yield bonds benefitted from robust equity market and relatively low levels of new issuance in the month. The mortgage-backed securities performed better the overall investment- grade market which was propped by higher yields which lured investors back into the sect or alongside Federal Reserve. Foreign bonds on the other hand, lagged and posted modest losses. This was due to the major currencies devaluing against the US dollar which weighed on foreign markets’ bonds besides political turmoil and rise in the risk aversion by traders on the emerging market’s investment vehicles (Shreve, 2013). Treasury yields, on the other hand, moved higher in the month, but retraced a portion of the previous gains. In the first half of the month, long-term yields steadily with a ten-year year notes reaching 2.06% which was an almost one-year high on the 8th of March. The rise was manly driven by the promising labor market report which raised the prospect of future market inflation and the less accommodative Federal Reserve policy. The Labor Department had earlier, in February, announced that the unemployment rate had fallen to a four-low of 7.7%, with the number f jobs created standing at about 236,000. The services sector also showed surprising strength which was reflected in the healthy growth in retail sales. The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) has a two-day meeting in the month of March. They decided to maintain the monetary policy, but it altered the assessment of the overall economic outlook of the country. This time they were more upbeat saying that the labor market conditions had shown signs of improvement in recent months. The fed, led by Ben Bernanke

Intro & Conclusion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Intro & Conclusion - Essay Example An estimate taken in 2006 on the consumption of gasoline and diesel by commercial trucks was a staggering 54 billion gallons. The American Trucking Association (ATA) has always been under great scrutiny in the field of research and technology in order to reduce the hazards facing this massive industry. With great support from its intermodal conference, the ATA are making all efforts to bring about a much safer trucking industry through their various programs like the ‘Clean Trucks Program’ and others. The trucking industry has also committed itself in taking drastic steps towards reducing the consumption of fuel by about 86 gallons, thereby lessening the carbon footprint of its vehicles by approximately a billion tons n its agenda for the following 10 years. The ATA also proposes to provide a safer and cleaner environment for its 8.7 employees in its industry by implementing innovative methods that have undergone tried and tested research especially in the areas of energy and fuel conservation, fuel consumption, rules for air pollution, fuel standards, disposal of waste products, standards for vehicle emission and improvements in energy efficiency. The ATA is also striving to find solutions to the various challenges that face them regarding the Traffic policy of the Government and to bring about a more pleasant and harmonious working experience in its trucking

Discussion Board Question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion Board Question - Essay Example Even the title of the graph is misleading. At first, one thought that the graph will give a step-by-step procedure on how to burn calories. The graph creator might have made the graph this way to emphasize that a cheeseburger contains the highest calories among the beer, soda and doughnut. He might have thought that putting pictures of the different products will add to the effectiveness of the graph in presenting information. The graph may be improved by putting scales. In this way, the reader will know what the numbers represent. The graph should have an X and Y axis. The X-axis may symbolize the number steps that have to be taken to burn a certain number of calories. The Y-axis may represent the number of calories contained per food item presented. Another way to improve the graph is by presenting it in a graduated manner meaning as one goes through the right of the X-axis, the number of steps to be taken increases. The title of the graph may be stated as â€Å"Number of Steps Needed to Burn Calories from Certain Food Types†. I do not think that it is ethical to portray information in the way the graph is presented. It is very misleading especially among the young because they might think that drinking beer is better than eating a cheeseburger or a doughnut, simply because it will take less steps to burn the calories in a beer than in a cheeseburger or doughnut. The graph may also have a negative impact on restaurants offering cheeseburgers and

Ict implementation Essay Example for Free

Ict implementation Essay Once the system is created, it is important to test the system, this is so I can discover any faults within the system and to make sure that I have met the end user requirements The system will be tested with: normal data ( data which is the normal to test) Extreme data ( data which is exceeded test range) Erroneous data( data which is totally wrong to test) Macro testing Formula testing- formulas must be correct and linked to specific cells VLookups- must be correct and linked to specific cells the lay out of the test pan will be in table format , illustrating each test as fully as possible at this stage . the plan will include the following column heading:# test no . test criteria what is to be tested test purpose why is it been tested data what data is used to [perform the test ie. Normal extreme expected outcomes actual outcome i will produce evidence of my test results by illustrating each one with screen shots and all will be cross referenced and annotated properly this will be shown after the implementation is done . Testing User interface Test number Test criteria Test purpose Expected outcome Actual outcome 1 Click the command button stock list. To check the stock table opens The overall stock sheet should open The stock list worksheet opens 2 Click the command button customer details To check the customer details opens The overall customer details should open The customer details worksheet opens 3 Click the command button Build your own pc To check the Build your own pc opens The overall Build your own pc should open The Build your own pc worksheet opens 4 Click the command button Invoice To check the Invoice opens The overall Invoice should open The Invoice worksheet opens 5. Click the command button Exit To check the Exit worksheet opens The overall Exit worksheet should open The worksheet exits and saves as requested 6 Click the command button HELP To check the help button /Vba opens The help button should open with a message box The help button opens showing a message box Screen shots of Testing : Test number 1 The user clicks on the stock list button and the stock list worksheet opens: As you can see below the worksheet stock list opens and works Test number 2 The user clicks on the stock list button and the customer details worksheet opens: As you can see below the worksheet customer details opens and works Test number 3 The user clicks on the stock list button and the Build your own pc worksheet opens: As you can see below the worksheet customer details opens and works Test number 4 The user clicks on the stock list button and the invoice worksheet opens: As you can see below the worksheet invoice opens and works: Test number 5 1) the user clicks on the command button exit below is what message box appears this give us 2 options. If I dint want to exit excel is would click no and the message box that will appear is : If I clicked yes my work would get saved and it would exit my worksheet . Test number 6 The user clicks on the command button (a) help a message box should appear as shown below (a) As you can see below the help button opens . Test number 7 The user clicks on the homage button (1) and the homepage worksheet will open (2) (1)Homepage button (2) as you can see below the homepage opens once the homage navigation button has been clicked Test number 8 The user clicks on the worksheet button invoice (1)as shown below and the following will show(2) (1)user clicks the button. (2) As you can see below the invoice worksheet opens Test number 9 Stock list worksheet Test number Test criteria Test purpose Expected outcome Actual outcome 7 Click the command button home page To check the if the button goes to the home page The homepage should open The homepage worksheet should open 8 Click the command button invoice To check the Invoice opens The overall Invoice should open The Invoice worksheet opens 9 Click the command button hide grid lines To check if the gridlines disappear when clicked The grid lines should disappear. The grid lines did not show on the worksheet 10 Click the command button show grid lines To check the button shows the gridlines The gridlines should show The gridlines show on the worksheet 11 Click the command button print To check the button prints the worksheet out The stockist worksheet should print out The worksheet printed out . Customer details(worksheet) Test number Test criteria Test purpose Expected outcome Actual outcome 11 12 13 14 15 Design your own pc (worksheet) Test number Test criteria Test purpose Expected outcome Actual outcome. 16 17 18 19 20 Invoice(worksheet) Test number Test criteria Test purpose Expected outcome Actual outcome 21 22 23 24 25 Implementation User interface To set up my new computer system I need to use a spreadsheet software package and so I choose to use Microsoft excel. I used this software as it is simple to use for setting up and provides the most commonly used spreadsheet package . This means that the most of the people who are able to use the pc and use Excel , and I know that the employees at PC systems who will be using the system can use the software. I collected the data for the spreadsheet by contacting Pc Systems contacting office , materials and extra and for the pc parts and other information I used from the PC Systems website. How to record the macros on the user interface and all pages Firstly I used clip are as shown below to get the pictures for my user interface: Below is how I opened the clipart menu Once the clip are menu is opened I searched for the following items for the pictures to come up that I used for my interface clip art menu The following clip art images I used for my interface as shown below. MACROS Once the pictures are in place I now can record the macros I need to navigate around the spreadsheet as shown below . Step 1 : Firstly I needed to click on tools then macro and then record new macro as shown below Step 2 Then I give a name for my macro . eg macro 1 then press OK Step 3 Now you will see a little play and pause button icon as shown below Step 4 Now I have to select the destination of the macro as you can see at the bottom of the worksheets there are named worksheets eg when I made the customer details macro I will do the following as shown below. Once customer details has been selected I then clicked stop on the macro button as shown below . Step 5 once I had clicked stop I then clicked on the picture which was relevant to customer details as shown below then right click on the picture and select assign macro as shown here Step 6 Then once it has opened now I will select the macro I have just made to link it with the button as show below Once macro 1 is found then click OK and the macro works and it links to the customer worksheet. I did this to all my macros which are link on the user inter face as shown below I used the same method on all 4 of them. I also have navigation buttons on the other worksheets to return to the user interface so the user can move around my spreadsheet quick and efficiently. VBA code : Vba code is useful for producing message boxes , and are easy to do as shown below and again they are linked to my picture Help I opened vba up as by pressing ALT, F11 together and this screen should appear: (1) (2) entering the code as shown below into vba . I have included the following message for the user so if they have problems with the software or with any formulas or buttons they can contact the helpline so I can help them and guide them in the write direction . Now right click on the picture as I said before and assign macro and then choose helpline and once it is done the outcome is Now I am going to make an exit button using vba so the user can exit excel immediately and saving there work at the same time . using this button below . this method is used again by right clicking on the picture and assigning the macro as shown below : Then open up VBA as shown above. Now enter the code as shown below Once this coded is entered I linked it with my button as shown in the other example and the out come should be as shown below .. first click on the exit icon then this message box will appear If no then If yes then application quits successfully. Named ranges Once I have entered the stock information into my spreadsheet I need to name the ranges to use them in a v look up . to make it easier for the use to make calculations and search for the criteria needed to run the system correctly Step 1 I highlighted customer details as shown below Then I named the highlighted items customerddd as shown below using the toolbar as shown below :then I pressed enter so that it confirms that the name has been changed and is saved . I used this method to name all of my ranges and named them appropriately. To show all of the named ranges I did the following InserName define Then this toolbox opens showing all the named ranges and the formulas in the specific range as shown below . here you can add names and delete them . V-look ups Combo boxes A combo box sometimes called a drop down box is a list of items from which you can choose one item of data. To open the combo box menu I needed to right click on the mouse and select forms as shown below : Once I have clicked on the forms the menu below opened : As shown above I then selected the combo box item, then I drew the combo box in the correct column to make it look professional as shown below . Once I drew the combo boxes they need to be linked to a Vlookup and I need to format the control to link with the specific sell eg, product number as shown below(2) (1) (2) First I had to right click on the combo box and select the format control as shown below ` Spinners A spinner button enables you to increase or decrease the value of a number in a cell by clicking the control. firstly I right clicked on the excel tool bar and selected forms as shown below . Then I selected the spinner from this menu choice as shown below . Then I drew the spinner on my spreadsheet as shown below : Then I needed to format the spinner to a specific cell to make calculations as shown below . i firstly right clicked on the spinner and the menu below appeared I then selected format control as shown below and the following message box appeared . Evaluation In my evaluation I will first of all consider each of the end user requirements stated in the specification in turn and my objectives , and evaluate the success of below are my general objectives. Start up screen and Homepage buttons and links to all the pages back and forth . I have met this objective as My spreadsheet has a start up screen and various buttons which were requested by the user so the user can move around the spreadsheet efficiently and are able to open and close worksheets also there are 2 other buttons which I used vb code so if the user gets stuck or damages the spreadsheet they contact the help line also there is a save and exit button which will make a back up of the work for future reference and a print button eg. For the output of the invoice as needed which will save a lot of time compared to the old system where everything is done by paper and when a record needs to be found it took a long time and even got lost on the other hand the spreadsheet saves records and time and is much more reliable and efficient compared to the old system Various work sheets such as , hardware sheet ,invoice sheet etc I have met this objective as there are 4 separate work sheets to separate the collection of data (stock) and the output(invoice) 4 separate sheets helps the user move around the interface smoothly as he can open and close the preferred work sheet as needed. Automatically store customer details and what they have bought. Once item is bought it is taken away from the stock. Protect the work sheet so no formulas can be altered by the user . Use formulas to calculate total cost and vat etc Labels to help the customer when moving on to a button option boxes to let the user choose the best product eg memory for them Limitations In the system there are various limitations I have recognised. In one of my validations it wasnt accurate as when I typed in incorrect data the error message wasnt displayed .this would then create inaccurate data as the user wouldnt be aware of there mistakes Improvements In the system there are various improvements that can be made to improve the overall system Also to improve my system I would create a separate spreadsheet that contains each customers details of the products they have previously bought and what they have ordered so the end user knows what the existing customers have bought so the user can deciide to give discount for spending so much money etc valuable customer. End user comments. I arranged a meeting with mr Anderson who will be using the system to see how he feels about It and helps reduce work load that he originally had to do . I first of all gave the end user a couple of days to familiarise to the new system . Here are the end user comments :   The deign is practical and doesnt irate the eyes the colour is restful and doesnt distract the users attention .   Navigation is easy , as is adding and deleting information   Alternating through the worksheets are very easy   The out out of the system (the invoice) are very organise and very consistant. The macros , formulas and v look ups help reduce lots of manual imput which saves time .   There are few errors made as validation used on different data helps keep data accurate and up to date My overall comments I think my design is reliable and easy to use , there are only a few things that I can change and they are mentioned in my improvements , I think I have reduced massed amounts of user input compared to the paper work what they had to do before which took allot of time and effort , also the system looks professional and is very efficient and is very user friendly. User guide Contents page Description Page Introduction / Installing / Opening the system 1 Functions of the user interface Customer sheet Entering customer details Deleting customer details Introduction Welcome to the Invoicing System. This system has been created so that you can create an invoice in a seconds compared to the paper work that you used to do. Installation The system works directly off the USB memory stick, or alternatively you can copy it to the computer and run it from your computer. Simply press ctrl c on the Invoicing System file, and then press ctrl v in on the hardrive or in my documents on your computer Opening the spreadsheet system   Insert the USB stick.   Next, click on My Computer Next, open the memory stick (a). If the logo is not there then wait for a couple of minutes as computer may be trying to detect the key or press F5 to refresh the page to help the computer detect the inputted device . then click on the invoice system (b) and open the file. (A) (b) Once the system has been opened the following pop up will appear about the security of the spreadsheet on the screen as shown below If this is presented then simply click on Enable Macros. This will activate the buttons in your spreadsheet . but if you click disable the spreadsheet will open but the macro buttons will not work which will effect the spreadsheets efficiency (C)The screen below will be presented once the spreadsheet has opened below : User interface. The user interface is the heart of the system which allows you to access the invoice system, and to access the stock list and access the customers list and allow users to choose what they would like to buy. To do this, simply click on the buttons at the top of the screen. These buttons are on all sheets, in the same place and with the same names, they will all open their appropriate areas when you click on them and do the tasks the same . Customers To enter the customers details into the system, you will first need to select the button from any area. This will open up the customers sheet which should look something like the one below.

How has Reapportionment Affected Nevada?

How has Reapportionment Affected Nevada? After the Census of 2011, how have reapportionment affected the State of Nevada. Does it benefit or hurt the least populated areas/cities/counties versus the larger cities/counties. Please provide facts and details to support your findings. ABSTRACT Nevada is one of the states of the mountain west. A lot of demographic amendments were witnessed by the state in the first decade of 21st century. It was seen in the census that it was one of the highest population gaining states in the country. Due to this reason, it is believed that this region has become a home for a lot of people who are diverse in terms of the demography and geography. With the help of these factors, it has been seen that Nevada has become one of the new swing regions in the country. With the help of this paper, we will try to examine the impact of reapportionment in the Nevada state. Apart from this, we will also try to draw a comparison between the impacts of redistricting on areas with varied number of population. It is believed that the area of Nevada before redistricting was considered as rural area. So the process of reapportionment is considered to have been a boon for the area as the policies were amended in a manner the rural interests were taken care o f on the costs of the urban requirements. INTRODUCTION Apportionment is the process with the help of which the seats in the House of Representatives in the united nations of America are divided. As per the apportionment of 2010, the total population in the Nevada state was reported to be 2709432 out of which 2700551 were the resident population and 8881 were reported to be overseas. The numbers of representatives in this state as in 2010 were reported to be 4. Nevada was of the 6 six states which gained one seat each as an apportionment that was done on the basis of the census of 2010. The population of the region constantly rose and this was one main reason due to which a gain in the seat was observed in this area. It was also seen that the seats from a lot of states of the U.S. were cut down. New York and Pennsylvania lost two seats each and there were 8 other states as well which lost one seat each as a result of apportionment. (Damore D. F., 2013) It has been keenly observed that the population of the country is constantly shifting towards the southern and the western parts of the country from the northeast and the Midwest parts. Since Nevada belonged to one of these parts, the population in this state of the country trolled to a higher level and thus an additional seat was given to the state. The nation growth rate of the population in the time period of 2000 to 2010 was seen to be 9.7%. But in the Nevada state this rate was outpaced to 35.1% being the highest in the country. Due to this, the Las Vegas metro area is believed to have the highest population in the area and hence is highly concentrated in the entire region. One important factor that is worth noting here is that a lot of ethical diversity has been seen in the state. The minority population in the Nevada state increased by almost 11 percent in the last decade. Due to this, around 45% of the residents in the Nevada region are believed to be non-whites. These change s proved to be highly important in terms of politics. Due to the electoral factors, the maximum seats in the region belonged to the Democratic Party. DISCUSSIONS On the basis of the brief overview that has been presented above, it can be seen that the increasing population was one of the main reasons behind the reapportionment and redistricting in the Nevada state. It is believed that the interests of the minorities and urbanization will increase in the region in such a way that the politicians take an advantage of it. It has been seen that population is not one of the most important factors that results in apportionment or redistricting of any states in the U.S. the population in a country migrates from one part to another and therefore leads in changing the political preferences. In many cases, it is believed that the apportionment should be done on the basis of the number of population in that particular area. The most basic formula that is used to carry out the process of the apportionment also works on this factor only. In cases when the number of seats or representatives is less or high in comparison to the population of that area, it i s termed as misapportionment or malapportionment. However, in case of the United States, it is a rule that there have to be two seats in each senate irrespective of the population, geography or demography in that region. Also, after each census’s result, the process of apportionment has to take place in the United States of America. Since, the population in the Nevada region increased, with the process of apportionment, one additional seat was given to this region. However, this criterion holds true only for the lower house. The process of apportionment of the upper house is carried out through several other processes. (Crocker, 2011) The impact of the process of apportionment holds a lot of importance when it is done on the basis of the population distribution in the states. Since the number of people belonging to a particular region or state is more in comparison to any other state, it becomes important that they are paid more attention in the House of Representatives as well as the senate. Obviously the least populated areas of the cities are often at a loss in comparison to the benefits that are enjoyed by the highly populated areas of the city or county. The concept of misapportionment is highly prominent in the country but it does not in any way confer to the benefits attributed by its defenders. It is seen that misapportionment has often lead to different views of people. The minorities often have proved to be the biggest sufferers in the course of this process. The number of minority groups in the country is quite high. However, the representation to these minorities is only given in the smaller states whi ch are considered to be unnecessary. One more argument that is prevalent in this regard is that the senate was formed only to protect the rights of the residents living in smaller state which is not accurate in any case. In comparison to the senate, the house of the representatives is considered to be way more balanced in this regard. (Brown, 2014) After discussing the benefits that are associated with the apportionment, it is also important that we pay some attention to the costs associated with it. As per the census of 2010, it was seen that around a quarter of the country’s population resides in the states of New York, California and Texas itself. The biggest political disadvantage associated here is that the political candidates face a lot of arduous issues in winning a seat in the constituencies which is larger in size as well as in terms of population. However, this expense stays to a minimum level in smaller states. Apart from campaigning, the process of fund raising too isn’t an easy task for the contenders in bigger states. Due to this, the contenders in the smaller states often win by a larger percentage in comparison to their counter colleagues in larger states. The advantages given to the senators of smaller states often help in augmentation of their influence in comparison to the other senators. (Damo re, 2012) CONCLUSIONS Seeing all the above made arguments, it is seen that there is a strong need of a new convention of the constitution. The abandoning or reducing the powers of the senate can be a good process in this direction. Also, apportionment should be done on the basis of the needs of the people living in a particular area as well. Although population holds an important place in this entire process, it is important that work is done on other areas as well. Judicial intervention is considered to play a very important role in this process thus leading to a fair process of equal state apportionment. It is important to pay attention on the demographic as well as the geographic factors of every state. With the visible trend, we can see that Nevada would surely see a rise in the population in the next census and therefore, it will become important to take a note of the needs of various groups and communities of people living in that area. Another factor that needs to be mentioned here is that the popu lation of the U.S. is increasing at a drastic rate. However, the number of members in the House of Representatives and the senate has not increased with the same pace. This clearly shows that the number of leaders to represent the people of various areas is insufficient. In the states like Nevada, the rate of growth of population in the last decade was almost 35% but the number of seat added to the state was only one which sounds inappropriate. There are a lot of rules mentioned in the constitution regarding the process of apportionment. But the number of amendments made in this regard is quite low. The leaders of the leading parties need to become more lenient in this direction. On the basis of the discussions made above, it can be clearly concluded that there are benefits as well as costs that are associated with the process of apportionment in the United State of America. It is also believed that with the course of time, work will be done in the areas in order to cure the disadva ntages that are associated with the process of apportionment in respect to the population of various cities and counties in the states. (Burnett, 2011)

Internal Analysis Strong And Weak Points Marketing Essay

Internal Analysis Strong And Weak Points Marketing Essay Analyse basically the chosen marketing mix. (normally you use the actual marketing-mix, but since that does not automatically exist now in the Netherlands, you need to assess the (known and/or expected) strengths and weaknesses. Elements to analyse actual strategy of the company (abroad) and strong /weak points influencing you mkt-mix (e.g. investment budget can be too low) Use your own survey results concerning the product or substitute products where relevant, in order to know if this influences (strong point/weak point) your actualperformance. Elements you must include are therefore: * product (benefits, attributes, core, actual, augmented -branding strategy) * price (pricing strategy -price setting), including costs you will have, break-even, etc * distribution (chosen partners, online, direct ): strategy and costs * communication : strategy and costs, can be internal and external, is promotion wise related to distribution and product/branding Also, but less extensive, since this goes beyond IP-1à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ * personel/employees: HRM -strategy and costs * purchase function / supply chain: costs for managing the value chain, etc * finance ! (investment =? Do you have the money ? Do not ignore, you need it for your budgetting, so at least name it and explain how much is involved, keep the costs as low as possible )(finance=communication costs, personnel costs, starting up costs, The total must be coherent, realistic and financially feasible Relevant conclusions CHAPTER 2 INTERNAL ANALYSIS -STONG AND WEAK POINTS Introduction The internal analysis of the company can be also associated with SWOT analysis. This is an analysis of the strenghts, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the company. Internal analysis is essential for the company because it can measure the companys current situation and it can help to further the development of the company. By analysing these four sides of the company we can better understand what is needed to further the growth of the company. It is necessary to analyse our situation in its current position in order to make better planning for the future. Since our goal is to introduce the product and the company to the Dutch market successfully we need to internally analyse our strenghts, weakneses, opportunuties and possible threats in the new market. By the internal analysis we can also make improvements in our overall marketing strategy. By internal analysis of the company we can easily identify marketing opportunities, problems and evaluate performence. The main purpose o f the internal analysis is to gain a better picture of the companys overall performance and to help us with making better marketing decisions for the future growth. Structure of the internal analysis This analysis is going to show the strenghts and weaknesses of our marketing strategy. We will analyse each part of the marketing mix in order to estimate its efficiency. Elements to analyse: Extensive analysis: Actual strategy of the company and strong/weak points influencing our marketing mix Product analysis Pricing analysis Distribution analysis Communication analysis Less extensive analysis: Personnel/Employees HRM strategy and costs Purchase function/Supply chain Finance At the end of the analysis we will provide a relevant conclusion. Actual strategy of the company and strong/weak points influencing its marketing mix Product analysis Our market offering is a soft, multivimatin drink. What is special about our product is the concept of the product. It stands out from other multivitamin drinks in the same product group. In this part of the analysis we are going to analyse the benefits, attributes, the core of the product, the actual product, the augmented product. The analysis will include the strong and weak points of the product which will affect our actual performance. Product benefits: As a main benefit of our product can be considered the fact that it is healthy and it includes a lot of vitamins.Another benefit is the innovative packaging. It is attractive and offers to the customers a special way of drinking. It is also interesting and more fun than other products in the same product group. The cap consists vitamin powder which falls into the water in the bottle immediately after opening the cap. Product attributes: Product Quality: For the quality we dont have to change anything, because our product GO! Now has a very good quality, and its a very popular drink because of quality in Eastern Europe. So we hope that Dutch consumers will have the same opinion about our product. Product Features: Based on our survey, we dont have to add any additional features for our product. Product Style and Design: Our product has an eye-catching style, so we dont have to change it. For design, its a bit a problem for now. We think that in future we will change it for the Dutch market, because design it is a deep understanding of customers needs. But for now we will leave it the same. Branding: Brand is very important for the product, and our product brand is still unknown for the Dutch market. For Dutch market we have change already the name of our brand, so we made it much easier for local consumers. Packaging: We have quite a good packaging, especially for the Dutch market, because our main product GO! orange flavor is in orange color, and, based on survey, people like especially this feature of our product. The only thing that we have to change is that we have to translate the product information from creation to Dutch and English languages. Labeling: We will not change the label, we dont need this, because based on the survey we made, we found out that consumers are fully satisfied with the product we offer. Product Support Services: We will conduct a survey among our customers periodically to assess the value of our future service, and that will also help us for obtaining new ideas. Core customer value of our product: Our product offers to the customers healthy and refreshing drink. It improves their lifestyle. It is also a new way of drinking which is a lot of fun. Actual product: GO! is a a refreshing multi-vitamin drink in innovative package, adapted to everyone who lives on the go and actively enjoys their free time. The product itself is in an orange packaging. It is a new way of drinking. You open the cap. Add GO! water to suit your taste. Then you close the cap and shake the bottle. Your GO! is ready. In the end you enjoy the unforgettable taste of your favorite multivitamin drink. The slogan of this product is Open and GO! Augmented product: The service the company provides is that if you are not satisfied with the product they will do everything they can to help you with your problem. They have also a delivery service, you order it on the internet and deliver the next day. Delivery takes too long so this is a weakness but if there is big interesnt in buying the product online we can make changes and fasten the delivery of the product. Branding strategy: Even though the brand is very popular in some East European countries it is still unknown in the Netherlands. We will make some changes in the brand name because it is too difficult to remember and it doesnt make any sense for the Dutch consumers. Of course, it is still possible to keep the brand name of the product but it will not be the best choice because its too long and its also hard to remember and pronounce. We need something simpler in order to make our product popular. Our products original brand name was Cedevita GO! and we have decided to shorten it and change it only to GO!. The new name is easier to pronounce and to remember its also with big letters so it draws the customers attention. Also the word Go have a meaning in English and it means proceed which associates with sport and physical activities that are important for the health. Pricing analysis We suggest for the client to put the price at à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 2,00 The price Atlantic Grupa puts is à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1,40, the retailer price is à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1,70, so the best price for our client would be à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬2,00 since the customers in Holland have a little bit more money to spend. And since the nature of the product is to be on the go, it would be a normal price since the other products are quite expensive as well(tank stations, AH to go etc.). And with à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬2,00 you would have a nice price. And combined with a psychological setting it would result in the final of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1,99 Another part of our pricing analysis is that the price of our product is quite high to reflect a certain amount of exclusiveness. So in that sense, we would like to pick premium pricing from the options Kotlers mentions to us. Abroad the BEA is 15,849 since this amount of euro is the constant costs. That means Atlantic Grupa has to sell exactly 11.321 bottles of cedevita GO!. With a sale of 1.684.295 and a net income of 99.292 in 2010 it is fairly easy to get out of the BEA in Holland. In Holland however, we have to include promotion costs in our constant costs and that will result in slightly higher BEA. We still believe that this BEA can be seen as a threat if our promotion program fails, normally companies always expect losses in the first few years. The promotion costs will be around 20700 and this will increase the BEA to 11.321+8280=19.621 Distribution analysis Distribution channels for our product: It is an indirect marketing channel, because we will sell our product in supermarkets. That means that we have to use one or more levels of intermediaries to help us to bring the product to final buyers. It is crucial to use this marketing channel for our product, because intermediaries could create greater efficiency in making goods available to target markets. Through their contacts, experience, specialization, and scale of operation, intermediaries usually offer the firm more that it can achieve on its own. Our distribution channel will look like this: Producer Wholesaler Retailer Consumer Distribution functions: Information: with information we could know more about actors and forces in the in the marketing environment, that affect our product. Promotion: with promotion we could tell more about our product to our target consumer market. Matching: this will help us to bring the product, which is matched to Dutch consumers needs. Physical distribution: the main function of physical distribution is to: transport and store the goods. Financing: with financing we can cover the cost for the product chain. Risk taking: we need to take risk of carrying out the channel work. Distribution objective and strategy: Main objective is to minimize the total channel cost of meeting customer-service requirements. That means that we have to focus on our target market group, to satisfy needs and wants of our customers, and minimize the channel cost. We will use intensive distribution strategy for our products, we will stock our products in as many outlets as possible. Our products have to be available where and when consumers want them, to provide maximum brand exposure and consumer convenience. Use of logistics: Logistics involves getting the right product to the right customers in the right place at the right time. So it is very important to organize in the right way. First of all we need a warehouse in the Netherlands, to store our products, while they wait to be sold. We will use the distribution centres, because they are design to move goods rather than store them. This will help us to take orders, fill them efficiently, and deliver goods to consumers as quickly as possible. Then as the inventory management also affects customer satisfaction, we have to decide how much inventory to order. We have to maintain balance between carrying to little inventory and carrying too much. After that we need to choose transportation for our product. The best way to transport our goods is by trucks. Mainly, because truck is highly flexible in their routing and time schedules, and they can usually offer faster service than railroads. The last step is a logistic information management. We will use the internet-based electronic data interchange (EDI). EDI will provide us with a simple, fast, and accurate process for capturing, processing, and sharing channel information. EDI costs exists of: Implementation Time Maintenance Fees VAN Charges Mailbox Costs Communication analysis Communication target groups: Our target groups will be: Young people Physically active people Sportsmen Students People who travel very often Communication objectives: Our main objective is to make the consumers buy our product. But this is not a very easy task since in order to fulfill it we need to understand the consumer and his needs and wants. We also need to know on which buyer-readiness stage the target audience now stands and where should it be. The buyer-readiness stages are the stages which the consumer normally passes through on their way to purchase. It includes awareness, knowledge, liking, preference, conviction, and purchase. Since our product is new to the Dutch market we already know that our target group is not aware of the product. So our first task will be to make consumers familiar with the new product. After that we need to use the promotion mix tools in order to create positive feeling and conviction about .It is possible that we will offer special promotional prices in order to attract customers. Still, the most important thing is to convince the consumers that our product provides superior value for them and to get them to the purchase stage of the buyer-readiness stage. Media: We will use nonpersonal communication channel for our product, this means that we will use media that will carry messages without personal contact or feedback. Basically, we will use online media (e-mail, company web site, and online social and sharing networks), print media (newspapers, magazines), display media (flyers, posters). Promotion tools: For our product Go! we will use advertising and sales promotion. For advertising we will mainly use online advertising, which includes: Contextual ads that appear on a search engine results pages Companys web site Banner ads Social network advertising Advertising networks E-mail marketing. We will also use In-store advertising, which includes: Placement of product in visible location in store Advertisements on shopping carts Advertisements on in-store video displays For sales promotion we will use special cents-of deals to attract consumers ` attention by offering strong incentives to purchase our product Go! Promotions: We will advice our client to use sales promotions. The best is to use consumer sales promotion. That means that we will target our promotion on a consumers. Good examples of the consumer sales promotion are: Cents-off deal: Offers a brand at a lower price. Price reduction may be a percentage marked on the package. Price-pack deal: The packaging offers a consumer a certain percentage more of the product for the same price (for example, 25 percent extra). The non-stop retailing can be used to promote the clients product to the customer. Each of our competitors has a web-site and the products can be purchased online. The sites also include a lot of promotions. Non-stop retailing allows customers to research the product online first and then decide rather to buy it or not. The web-sites do more than selling products to the customers; they also make them go to the supermarket and shop there. Promotion budget: We will use objective-and-task method, because we think that it is the best method for our promotion campaign. With this method we will: Define specific objectives Determine the task that must be performed to achieve these objectives Estimate the cost to of performing these tasks (the sum of these cost is the proposed promotion budget) We surf the Internet and found out that our communication budget will vary from 18100 to 20700 euros for a month, depend on quantity and quality we will need to promote our product. It consists of: Magazines advertisement-from 13000 to 15000 euros Advertisement on the most popular Dutch social web site Hyves 700 euros Advertisement on various Internet search engines (Yahoo, Google) from 900 to 1500 euros To create and maintain our Go! Web site 1500 euros Flyers and posters 300 euros Employee salary for posting flyers and posters 2000 euros Since the product is completely unknown on the Dutch market we need to do a lot of promotions and advertisements in order to make it popular. This is of course a weak point because we need to build an image of the product from the zero. We will spend big amount of money on promotions and this can also affect the product price because it can make the product too expensive. Personnel/Employees HRM strategy and costs The HRM-strategy is in terms of originality as innovative and interesting, as the product itself. First of all I want to mention that there is a majority of women on the work floor and based on the financial reports they are doing quite well with their current settings. There are 62% females and 38% in the company with 1800 employees in total. We would recommend decreasing the brand managers since there are more then 200 of them in the company. Instead of focusing on the amount of brand managers we think that their salary would be better spent on mass-marketing, of course it would be less effective but you have a much greater public you can reach. The median age is around 30 but we believe that this can be lowered if younger people can be hired instead of the older ones, this is a price-cutter and also brings fresh wind/talent to the company. finance If we estimate the total calculation of our financial analysis we have to take account with the following factors: Personnel costs/research costs Promotion/media costs Distribution costs( EDI system) Transportation costs We believe that there is no personnel extensive use in our project( or at least in the early steps of it), with a research department of around 50 people divided into finance, marketing and laws should be sufficient enough for a non-superficial answer to the obstacles Atlantic Grupa will face. So if I calculate the total personnel costs with an average salary of 1800 euro(the centre is located in Eastern-Europe, lower salaries) it should be 180050= 90.000 Gross salary costs every month for the personnel/research ( I believe these 2 factors can be merged into 1since research is always done by the personnel.) Furthermore, promotion costs will be around 20.000 euro`s a month. The distribution costs is very tricky since setting up a logistic information system(EDI) is quite expensive which is mainly used by the bigger companies. The costs start from 40.000 euros and can reach 900.000 euros depending on mapping size, it is also important to note that maintaining an EDI costs around 18% of the price you paid for the system every year. A price of 200.000 for the system is enough to guarantee a high quality distribution system. Transportation costs are around 7 cents for every bottle sent, so 70.000x 0.07= 4900 euros So if i calculate everything together it would result in: 200.000+90.000+20.000+4900=314.900 euros starting up costs with 36.000+90.000+20.000 extra every month and 0.07cents x every bottle sold (variable cost)=146.000 extra per month 314.900 Euros+ 146.000 every month(and perhaps some credits ;-)), we believe that this fits in the SMART approach -

Essay --

Is human nature fundamentally good or bad? Mengzi argues for the instinctive goodness of human nature; however, admits our inherent goodness must be encouraged through propriety. Mengzi treats nature as one’s natural â€Å"potential, inclinations, or capacities† (Liu 68). It is important to note, however, that he only views nature as the beginning. Mengzi believes that the way we behave as mature humans is the result of how successful we are in fulfilling our nature. Other Confucians, like Xunxi, argued â€Å"human nature is bad; his goodness is the result of man’s deliberate effort† (86); however, Mengzi believed the contrary to be true. According to Mengzi, nature refers to the natural inclinations of humans. Thus, any development in the opposite direction is a direct consequence of some form of external stimuli. Mengzi views nature as a â€Å"species-specific notion† (68) that separate us from lesser animals. More specifically, humans are distinct from animals because they are born with moral virtues. Mengzi believed that because all humans belong to the same species, all humans possess the same universal nature. He goes further by claiming that due to our collective universal nature, any differences demonstrated by mature humans are owing to an â€Å"external environment and individual effort† (69). For the purposes of this paper, let us assume that Mengzi is correct in his argument for the innate goodness of human nature. So if humans naturally tend toward virtue and all possess the sprouts of morality within, what rationalizes the inconsistency between instinctive goodness and manifested badness? Although Mengzi highlights the heart/mind of our nature desires moral virtue, he also acknowledges that â€Å"desire for physical comfort and material g... ... chef. While it is true that a human’s physical and biological attributes are determined biologically, no two humans are actually identical. That being said, how can all human’s morals be a biologically determined constant? It would be more plausible to think that while humans have the capacity for moral virtue, the extent on which they are able to actualize this capacity differs as much between people as physical traits such as taste. This leads us to another criticism. The second example is also flawed. Consider the Iron Chef Bobby Flay. He is known for, amongst other things, being a world renowned chef as well as a television show called BBQ with Bobby Flay. Although many people would view his cooking as amazing, these tastes are not shared by all (a vegetarian for example). This is just another example of his flawed belief of a shared and universal human nature.

Symbolism and Irony in Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown Essay -- Young

Symbolism and Irony in Young Goodman Brown      Ã‚     Ã‚   Nathaniel Hawthorne's " Young Goodman Brown " is the story of a young man faced with the reality that evil is a part of human nature. The story illustrates how naivetà © can drive a person to lunacy. Young Goodman Brown, who symbolizes that Puritan " every man, " is shocked when he sees respected clergymen and women of his village at the devil's communion. His disbelief that it is normal and acceptable to be intrinsically evil causes him to live a life of despair. In the story, symbolism and irony are cleverly implemented to show that no one is completely good or evil, and that the tension between these opposites is where power to progress onward is generated. There are more elements to the story than just the battle of good vs. evil. Sexuality also becomes an issue in the story.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   At the beginning of the story, Young Goodman Brown bids farewell to his young wife. The particular aspect of his life that she represents is illustrated by her name " Faith. " Faith " ...thrusts her pretty head into the street, letting the wind play with the pink ribbons of her cap... " (Hawthorne 272). Already the dynamic symbolism between nature and the home is set up. Nature, particularly the wind, forest, and darkness symbolizes sinfulness and evil. The home, specifically Faith and her pink ribbons, symbolizes the perceived safety and security of the Puritan community as asylum from the sin of the rest of the world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Goodman Brown begins his journey into the woods. He reprimands himself for leaving Faith on such an errand, but promises to " cling to her skirts and follow her to Heaven " (Hawthorne 272) when he returns. This " errand " is never clarified, but it... ...986. 5: 2737-40. Fogle, Richard, H. Hawthorn's Fiction: The Light and the Dark. Oklahoma. University of Oklahoma Press, 1964. Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "Young Goodman Brown" An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Ed. Alison Reeves. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1995. Shear, Walter. "Cultural fate and social freedom in three American short stories." Studies in Short Fiction, fall 92, Vol. 29 Issue 4, p543, 7p. Swisher, Clarice., ed. "Color and Images in The Scarlet Letter." Readings on Nathaniel Hawthorne. Greenhaven Press, Inc., 1996. VonFrank, Albert J. "Pretty in Pink: Young Goodman Brown and New-World." Critical Essay on Hawthorn's Short Stories, Boston: G.K. Hall & Co., 1991. Zanger, Jules. "Young Goodman Brown" and "A White Heron":Correspondences And illuminations. Papers on Language & Literature. Summer90, Vol. 26 Issue 3, p346, 12p.   

Reduce,Reuse and Reclycle Essay

Practicing these three steps (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) helps us lessen the environmental impact that manufacturing and distributing products have on our environment. Reducing waste is the most effective 3 R practice, because it means not producing unnecessary waste in the first place – So there is zero impact on the environment. If we reduce what we buy and use in the first place and reuse wherever possible, fewer things need to be recycled and the amount of waste we produce will fall. The next best is Reuse, because it extends the life of a product. That item still had to be made but it is used over and over, reducing the need to make new stuff. Recycling in the end is the reprocessing of materials. It helps reduce pollution caused by waste and the need of raw material so that rainforests can be preserved. BENEFITS: We are going to give you some tips and practical examples how to save money, energy and the environment. 1. Do not waste food, make sure that you buy what you are going to consume, give leftovers to your pets or discard them in a responsible way. (Environmental friendly). 2. Grow your own vegetable, fruits, and flowers. 3. When you leave a room always turn the lights off – Do not forget to switch off all the electrical equipment’s, turn down your emersion heater. 4. Instead of using dishwasher, wash dishes by hands from the sink 5. Always turn the tap off when you wash your teeth. You do not need the tap running when you are brushing your teeth. 6. Instead of buying a lot of books, you can borrow from the library or charity shops. 7. Do not automatically get rid of your old newspaper; use it in place of paper towels to clean glasses and mirrors. Shred it to make packaging materials, use it as a fire starter. 8. Reuse junk mail envelops for your own mail. Just put a label over the see through window or if the envelop has a bar code at the bottom, run a black marker through it. 9. Do not dump water you use to cook vegetable; water your plants with it. 10. Use the public transport (trains, undergrounds) rather than cars to reduce pollution. ADVANTAGES OF RECYCLING: Recycling uses much less energy than producing new materials from scratch. This means less fossil fuel is burnt and less greenhouse gas is emitted. The vast majority of materials collected from your doorstep are recycled and used in the UK. This means less fuel is used to export waste and import new materials. Recycling helps to reduce pollution, Co2 emissions caused by waste and preserve natural resources for futures generations. Recycling is one of the best ways for you to have a positive impact on the planet in which we live. It is so important to both, the natural environment and us (Human beings). N. B: However, recycling still creates some pollution because it is an industrial process. That’s why â€Å"Reduce and Reuse† are the most important of the 3 R practice. Did you know? Recycling Aluminium uses only five per cent of the energy and emissions needed to make it from raw materials. Each year in the UK, we go through over 1. 2 million Tonnes of electrical waste. (That’s the equivalent of 150 Thousand double decker buses). Prevention is better than cure as the doctors say. Therefore, we must act fast as the amount of waste we create is increasing all the time. We are going to conclude our topic with this wise and pertinent citation of Margaret Mead: â€Å"Never doubt a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. †

Essay: Case Study

G became aware what the counterpart has planned for the agenda and he was surprised and concerned about he detailed and long business meals and cultural trips without any information or expenditures, knowing that the companies budget is limited. Asking for more information, the local organizer of the counterpart ignored Mr†¦ G's requests, even the solicitation to speak with the boss, was rejected due to busyness and non-existent importance. At the end of the conference Mr†¦ G was surprised in the positive way, that the conference finally was a complete success.Why were the communication and the procedure of organizing the conference between the two parties so efferent? According to the theory of Edward T. Hall Is this, a classical example of monochrome and polychrome cultures. In polychrome cultures like in the example of the venue, time Is flexible. It Is accepted to do various things at once, agendas and business meals were extended at the pleasant way or laid, and cultur al events will be organized without consultation. Also communication, via emails like in the example of Mr†¦G, is not always enjoyable with people from this culture. Because of the different meaning of time. Time is wasted and not taken seriously because it can be changed in seconds; they have a constant state of flux. Scheduled events or plans can be discarded or changed immediately. They interact with several customers at once, and are entangled with each other. Arranging dates therefore is very difficult. In the view of Mr†¦ G, who is obviously a monochromatic type, is this situation awkward. He likes doing things one by one and in an accurate way.Plans or events are scheduled down to the last detail without Interruptions and In a linear way of time. It is important take ointments seriously without breaking deadlines. Monochromatic types are short- term oriented and therefore leisure time Is only accepted after the Job Is done and projects are promptly and satisfactory. Another culture difference, which occurs In this example, is the dimension of power distance from the theorist Egger Hefted. And expect that power will be allocated unequally. According to Hefted there are two differences, low power distance and large power distance.In large power distance cultures as in the case, employees are awaiting for instructions by their boss. They need to be told what to do, in the way it has to be done and they also accept the high differences in the range of salaries and executive positions. Mr†¦ G requested several times for more information's but Ms. K the local organizer ignored his objection, even a request for a conversation with the boss of the local organizer was denied due to busyness of the boss. Which means the boss has other important things to do and no one is allowed to interrupt him or to question his decisions.Here the subordinates accept the high power status, and when the boss gives the control way like in the case, organizing the e vent, neither Ms. K nor Mr†¦ G has to doubt about the planning progression of the international conference. In lower power distance culture, subordinates like Mr†¦ G and others superiors consider to be treated equally. Flat hierarchies are expected, without having differences in executive positions. That's why Mr†¦ G felt quite unsatisfactory to be treated unfairly. He only wanted to be well informed about the progression for the conference and be aware of new circumstances for his planned project.

Union Movement in Late 19th Century

During 1870 through 1900 workers joined together; responding to the power of their employers caused by the growth of industrialization. The worker did not always have the luxury of leaving after eight hours of work, the right to representation, or the even the right to work in a safe environment. The working people of nineteenth century America had to unite in struggle to achieve the gains that are often taken selfishly and taken for granted today. There were many successes and failures in organized labor; the successes were often obtained through the loss of the worker, often through lost wages, jobs, or even death. The organization structure of the union during 1870 through 1900 went through different cycles and strategies to achieve what they wanted. One of the first effective regional organized unions was the Knights of Labor formed in 1869. The knights took in not only skilled workers but also any worker that could be truly classified as a producer. The knights took their peek in 1885 when strikes against Union Pacific, Southwest System, and Wabash railroads attracted public sympathy and succeeded in preventing a reduction in wages, at this time they boasted a membership of 700,000. 1886 was a troubled year for labor relations. There were nearly 1,600 strikes involving 600,000 workers, with the eight-hour day being the important item for all of the strikes. Failure of some of the strikes and internal conflicts between the skilled workers and the unskilled led to a decline in the Knights popularity and influence. Another organization called the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions created a constitution that other unions could adhere to. This constitution met in Pittsburgh on Nov. 15 1881 and was created by representatives of the cigar makers, the printers, the merchant seamen, steel workers, carpenters and local units of the Knights of Labor. One of the most important items in the constitution created by the FOTLU recommended that the legal eight-hour work day be an objective for every union to achieve. The FOTLU thus accelerated a strong national push for a shorter work week. The AFL grew from 140,000 in 1886 to nearly on million by 1900. With these strengths in numbers they often preferred striking over political action. The struggle for workers rights, wage increases and protests against wage cuts were often unsuccessful resulting in violence and death. Chicago workers were agitating for the eight-hour work day for months. On May 1st and 2nd 1886 were eighty thousand workers went on strike, bringing most of Chicago†s manufacturing to a standstill. On May 3rd a fight between hundreds of strikers and non-union replacements broke out. Chicago police quickly moved in to restore order, leaving four unionists dead and many wounded. Angered by the deadly force of the police a group of anarchists called on workers to arm themselves and participate in the massive protest demonstration in Haymarket Square on May 4. Only 3,000 members assembled and started out peacefully until late evening when someone still not known to this day threw a bomb that killed seven policemen and injured 67 others. Even though no evidence was ever found about who threw the bomb four anarchists were found guilty and sentenced to death. Ever since the Haymarket square symbolized for radicals and trade unionists everywhere the injustice of a capitalistic society but also associated negatively unions as un-American, criminalistic, and violent. Many other activists died or received injuries for their cause all around the country. In July of 1877 strike riots halted the movement of U. S. railroads. After a few weeks of shutting down most of countries railroad system federal troops were sent in to try to end the nationwide strike. This resulted in more violence and death; in Chicago for example federal troops killed 30 workers and wounded over 100. On June 14, 1877 in Pennsylvania ten coal-mining activists were hanged. October 1887 the Louisiana militia shot 35 unarmed black sugar workers striking to gain a dollar-per-day wage and lynched two strike leaders. 1894 federal troops killed 34 American Railway Union members in Chicago attempting to break a strike. July 1892 three hundred Pinkerton guards helped introduce scabs into the workplace by opening fire on striking Carnegie mill steel workers, this resulted in the death of seven guards and eleven strikers. The idea of demonstrations was often to get the attention of management to show that they mean business and can†t be pushed around so easily. New York garment workers won the right to unionize after a seven-month strike. They secured agreements for a closed shop, and firing of all scabs. Striking miners in Idaho dynamited the Frisco Mill. Leaving it to ruins, getting the attention they wanted. The popularity and growth of unions everywhere showed companies that they are not going to walk over their workers as easily as they did in the past. Although union demonstrations resulted in workers being injured, dead or fired they set the way for unions in the future to be successful in their endeavors. These demonstrations were successful in the fact that they showed management and companies that the American worker can unite and be heard as one voice rather than a mass of passive workers that would take any injustice given to them. It is to these unions that we owe many of the benefits and rights we see and use today, such as fighting injustices such as biases and discrimination, winning the right to representation and collective bargaining, and the right for education for every child.