The Demand of Samsung

I. The demand for smartphones worldwide. – The worldwide mobile phone market grew 1. 9% year over year in the fourth quarter of 2012 (4Q12), as the number of smartphone sales raised to levels nearly equal to those of other phones. 219. 4 million units in 4Q12, which represents 45. 5% of all mobile phone shipments, the highest percentage ever. On an annual basis, 712. 6 million smartphones were shipped globally in 2012, which was 44. 1% more than in 2011. Top Five Smartphone Vendors, Shipments, and Market Share Calendar Year 2012 (Units in Millions) Vendor2012 Unit Shipments2012 Market Share2011 Unit Shipments2011 Market ShareYear over Year Change 1. Samsung215. 830. 3%94. 219. 0%129. 1% 2. Apple135. 919. 1%93. 118. 8%46. 9% 3. Nokia35. 14. 9%77. 315. 6%-54. 6% 4. HTC32. 64. 6%43. 68. 8%-25. 2% 5. Research In Motion32. 54. 6%51. 110. 3%-36. 4% Others260. 736. 5%135. 327. 5%92. 7% Total712. 100. 0%494. 6100. 0%44. 1% Source: IDC Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker, January 24, 2013 - The huge demand from all over the world -> the need for expanding the production facilities as well as the employees. II. Production plan -Over the world,Samsung has plants in 5 countries: China,Korea,Brazil,India and Viet Nam. – The Vietnam unit of the company has started construction on the plant in Yen Binh Industrial Park in Thai Nguyen province.Operation of the plant, which will mainly produce mobile phones, is expected to start from the end of the year, and production is projected to be boosted since 2014 to hit 120 million units by 2015. -Together with the current plant in Bac Ninh Industrial Area in Vietnam, the completion of the new plant will lift production capacity of Samsung's Vietnam unit to 240 million by 2015, accounting over half of Samsung's total projected capacity. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung (2nd, R), leaders of Samsung and guests press the button to start work on the hi-tech complex of Samsung in Thai Nguyen >The locations of the factories have major effects on the firm’s performance as establishing factories in these countries helps reduce the cost of renting space as well as the labor cost than in other countries due to the fact that they are big countries with a high population. ->helps increase the revenue of the firm. -The more factories they build, the more benefits they gain because according to economies of scale, the average cost per unit produced declines as the firm produces more units as the facilities stay the same. ->helps sell more products-> more profit.

Fredric Jameson – Postmodernism

It gives examples of different artists like; Andy Warhol, John Cage, Phil Glass and Terry Tillie who started off in an expressionist format than went off to add some â€Å"punk and new wave rock into the rapidly evolving French nouveau roman fashions. † (Frederic Jameson Postmodernism or, The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism, l) With the visible and detailed architecture that emerged from postmodernism to ether implacable â€Å"so called international style† (Frederic Jameson Postmodernism or, The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism, l) of Frank Lloyd Wright works.From the simplicity, fabrics, contexts and surroundings he had analyzers, analyze how profound his work was with a term â€Å"Master† (Frederic Jameson Postmodernism or, The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism, l) with identifying its characteristics. The ending just brings forth the beginning of the chapter and talks about the relationship the public have with their historical knowledge. How one can cater to the arts in a very profound way with â€Å"emotion ground tones. (Frederic Jameson Postmodernism or, The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism, l) While others Just reflect on the artwork in a political stances and vase it off a â€Å"multinational capital,† (Frederic Jameson, Postmodernism or, The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism, l) which creates more space for new works to make money in a sense. Work Citied 1. Frederic Jameson Postmodernism or, The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism, I Frederic Jameson – Postmodernism By Anises-Peters

Jacques Cartier Essay

Jacques Cartier was born in St. Malo, France on December 31st in 1491 and died there also on September 1st 1556 when he was 65 years old. The name of his home was Limoelou. He married Mary Catherine des Granches in 1520. He was a respectable sailor and had travelled to South America and mainly Brazil before his great expeditions to Canada. The King in France was named Louis I and he was looking for a northern passage to China which was called the Orient in that time. Cartier had two relatives called Jean LeVeneur and the Abbot of Mont saint-Michele who convinced the king of France to fund and help Jacques Cartier find the passage to the Orient. Cartier left to find this passage on April 20th of 1534 and sailed with two ships. This was Cartier’s first of 3 trips that he made to Canada. The ships were called the Triton and the Goeland. He crossed the Atlantic Ocean and got to Newfoundland in only 20 days. It was at this time that he started to explore Newfoundland, the areas that se now know as the Atlantic Provinces and the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. Some of the islands he visited were The Islands of Birds. His crew killed about one thousand birds. Most of the birds were Great Auks, which look like puffins, and now they are extinct. When he landed in Newfoundland he met with Indians called Micmacs but he didn’t trust them and then when he sailed north to Gaspe he met Indians fishing that were from a tribe called the Iroquois. This place was called Honguedo and the chief of the Iroquois group was Donnacona.   Cartier wanted to show his importance to the Indians and put up a big wooden cross with the French symbol of the Fleur des Lys on it. It was July 24th 1534. During this time he also took the land in the king of France’s name. Donnacona was not very happy. However, Cartier made a large feast and invited Donnacona and his two sons (Domagaya and Taignoainy) to go back to France with him. Cartier promised to bring them back. Donnacona and the others spent eight months in France and when they came back with Cartier on his second voyage and because they had learned to speak French they helped Cartier learn a lot of information about this new land and helped Cartier find the great river that he had missed on his first voyage. It was now May of 1535. For his second voyage he sailed with three ships and one hundred and ten men. The ship’s names were: Grande Hermine, Petite Hermine and Emerillon. Jacques Cartier was hoping to find many jewels and gold to take back to the king of France. During his second voyage many men got very sick with scurvy and died. Scurvy is caused by not having enough vitamin C and can cause loosing teeth, spots on the skin and bleeding. 85 men survived because the natives taught them how to make and drink a mix made with the bark of the white cedar. Cartier sailed up the great river to Stadacona which is now Quebec City and then went by longboat to a village called Hochelaga which he called Mont Real. From the top of Mont Real he could see that would not be able to go any further into the river. Cartier spent the winter of 1535 to 1536 in Stadacona and returned to France in May of 1536 with about ten natives including Donnacona and his sons. Unfortunately, he went back without finding any riches but he did plan to colonize the areas he saw during his second voyage. On his third voyage to Canada in August of 1541 he arrived without the natives that he captured during the second voyage and the Captain who the king of France put above him was Jean-Francois de La Roque Agona de Roberval. Agona was now the only chief at Stadacona. Cartier and Roberval settled with some seeds for flowers, cows, kitchen gardens, and seeds for turnips, cabbage, and lettuce. They called this settlement Charelsbourg-Royal. The sailors also collected what they thought were diamonds and gold. Cartier decided that a passage to China did not exist and so he returned to St. Malo. The diamonds and gold ended up being quartz and iron pyrite (fool’s gold). Roberval continued with the colonization of the area but Jacques Cartier because he did not have enough money and because the king was disappointed in Cartier’s voyages. Jacques Cartier never returned to Canada again. He spent the rest of his life giving navigation advice, being a Portuguese translator and going through his travel memories. He still lived in Limoelou, St. Malo with his wife. He never had any children and died of the plague on September 1st 1557. Cartier’s most important contributions were that he gave Canada its name from the word â€Å"Kanata† meaning village. He discovered Prince Edward Island. He was the first explorer to go to the Gulf of St. Lawrence and he drew the first to draw very good maps of the St. Lawrence River which was very important to the explorers that came after him. In 1905 a representative of Canada who went to France asked the French Government to build a statue of him in St. Malo. In 1984 Limoelu, Cartier’s home was bought, restored and made into a museum by the Macdonald Stewart foundation. Jacques Cartier’s name will forever be a part of Canada’s History. This makes him a great explorer. Bibliography World Wide Web Encyclopedia of French cultural heratige in North America. â€Å"Jacques Cartier† http://www.ameriquefrancais.org Helen rain. http://helen-rainblogspot.com/2009/03/jacquescartier.html Wikipedia. â€Å"Jacques Cartier†. http://www.wikipedia.org Birth of Jacques Cartier. http://www.lookandlearn.com/blog/?p1983 Jacques Cartier, Explorer. http://www.answers.com/topic/jacques-cartier Internet Images Google Images. Jacques Cartier. http://www.google.ca/images?hl=en&source=imghp&biw=1276&bih=791&q=jacques+cartier&gbv=2&aq=5&aqi=g10&aql=&oq=jacqu

Comparison of the Persian Gulf War of 1991 and The Iraq War of 2003 Essay

Comparison of the Persian Gulf War of 1991 and The Iraq War of 2003 - Essay Example War and reports of war have been a reality of our life, more so in recent times. After 9/11, the threat of war had been looming large, especially with the President George Bush coming out with knee-jerk jingoistic reactions, which was pardonable considering the shock and dismay generated by the incident.Then came the actual war in 2003. The question of the political expediency of the War of 2003 was drowned in a collective American fear of threats to security. George Bush's speeches were also engineered to keep the morale of the people high, in the tradition of past war leaders of the world (Churchill, for instance)In this war rhetoric, the image of the American soldier was glorified. The soldier was a savior and a friend. In the First Gulf War of 1991, George Bush, Sr. had done the same thing. He depicted through his speeches, the perfect image of an American soldier. Our soldiers, he said, are "some of the finest men and women of the United State of America" who "leave their spouse s and their children, to serve on the front line halfway around the world. They remind us who keeps America strong: they do." (Bush). He continues, "in the face of danger, they are brave; they are well-trained, and dedicated" (Bush) He mentions that they are willing to sacrifice their lives and their time to be with their families to fight for peace for the whole world (!)There is deceptiveness, conscious or unconscious, in a speech of this nature. It is implied that peace is brought about through war - a debatable statement. There is also an implication that those who fight are there, by their own free will. "There was an American soldier who said to an Iraqi soldier: 'it's okay, you are all right, you are all right'. . . Let us always be caring and good and generous in all we do" (Bush) The image is sought to be created as if the American soldiers have gone to have a party in Iraq. It needs a vigilant media to talk of an Abu-Ghraib or a Guantanamo Bay. Bush's American soldier is t he perfect gentleman (something like the British image of their 'bobby'- the gentle policeman - who nevertheless shot an innocent Brazilian immigrant on mere suspicion that he was responsible for the London train station bombings!) Bush's speeches are cleverly done, and achieve the purpose they want. In that sense they are masterpieces of their own genre of political writing. However, they seem to fall on the border of fact and fiction. Coming to Swofford's Jarhead- the irony is that this is 'fiction', but it gives a more real picture of war than do Bush's speeches! Swofford talks of the war from a soldier's perspective. There is no attempt to romanticize it. He talks of the dirt and the dust, and the rape, pillage and arson that taint war. He brings home to us that there is never a clean war or a good war. All war is terrible and dehumanizing. Swofford himself fought as a young marine in the Gulf War of the 1990's. He had written his memoirs then, and he uses this to liberally create the atmosphere of his story. He writes of writing to loved ones, " I was in the desert, sending out messages worldwide, claiming for love with my pen, and with each letter I wrote and sealed part of me escaped the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. At time I thought I might write myself away" (Swofford, 37). Swofford's book is a powerful book about the truth of war. As a matter of fact, we must remember that throughout history, there have been many who have fought wars and have come back convinced that peace is the only solution for bringing about lasting comfort to all humanity. Swofford tells what we all perhaps instinctively know, that the real reasons for war are "the old white fuckers and others who have billions of dollars to gain or lose in the oil fields, the deep, rich, flowing oil fields of the kingdom of Saud" (Swofford, 11). Solyan's article, What Bodies talks about the attempt by the US government to hide truth from

To Do the Right Thing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

To Do the Right Thing - Essay Example Lies, even the smallest ones, weaken relationships and lead to bigger problems down the road. When I sat and thought about what Learner spoke, i felt, most people in principle would agree that lying is wrong. However, I believe that lying is much more than the untruths that can come out of one's mouth. It is, too often, also in the way one lives their life. There is no justification for a lie, no matter what its form. An essay such as this allows one to sit for a few moments and examine his life. I found myself sitting here thinking about what examples I could share that were a 'good enough' to be recognized as a lie while, at the same time, maintain a balance so that it would somehow seem acceptable. The reader may see my words and think to himself that, given the same situation, he would do the act or speak likewise; that somehow his justification would make my lie right. In doing that very thing, I was, in effect, doing what I had just stated was never justified. I was making my own life, my very existence, into a lie. Not in word, perhaps, but a lie, none the less. So, in truth, I offer you an example of a lie within my own life. In trying to convince ourselves that, somehow, there must be a reason for telling a lie no matter for what reason, I found myself imaging what it would be like to live in a place where exactly wha

Corporate Failure Rates and the Impact of the 1986 Insolvency Act Essay

Corporate Failure Rates and the Impact of the 1986 Insolvency Act - Essay Example Interest rates are important because they reflect the monetary policy manifestation. Increase in inflation rates also result in increase in failure rates. Lastly, the age of a business is important because the lesser the age of a business, the more chances are that it would not survive. It was assumed that the failure rates would have a positive relationship with interest rates, cost of use of capital, price levels and company formation and on the other hand, it would have a negative relationship with profits and credit availability. An error correction model was constructed which connected these variables with failure rates. Also, ADF test and PP test were carried out to find out the long term effects of the variables mentioned above. Regression analysis was also done on an equation formed by Johanson method (1982). The results from the Chow test show that the imposition of the Insolvency act of 1986 has had some effects on the failure rates. Also, the coefficient of the dummy variable was also negative and statistically important which makes it possible for us to conclude that the failure rates decreased since the introduction of the Insolvency act. Corporate Failure Rates and the Impact of the 1986 Insolvency Act is a very extensively researched case study. ... CritiqueCorporate Failure Rates and the Impact of the 1986 Insolvency Act is a very extensively researched case study. This study aims to find evidence of the effectiveness of the Insolvency Act of 1986 by studying time series data of failure rates after and before the act was introduced. It has studied previous studies, collected present data and carried out statistical analysis on that data and compared the results.The abstract in the beginning is concise and clear as it gives a brief account of what is in the paper. All the important points regarding the previous studies, procedure, results and conclusion are given. Next comes introduction and the introduction also sets a base that makes us ready for what is coming next. It briefly describes the Insolvency Act and its effects on businesses. This not only makes it very easy to grasp the main idea but it also makes it understandable to anyone who is studying the area under discussion for the first time. Technical terms such as 'wron gful trading' and many others that were used throughout the case study were straightforwardly defined right after they were used, which made the matter very comprehensible and easy to understand.The literature that is included in the case study is just enough to give good empirical evidence regarding the subject matter. Every fact that is given is either supported with a previous data, literature of present findings. This case study aims to see the effects of this act 11 years after its implementation therefore it will help us know its long term effects. The limitations of previous studies are also given when it was mentioned that 2 or 3 years is not a long enough time to adequately study the long term

Fiji Electricity System Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Fiji Electricity System - Research Paper Example The value of imports from Fiji has been increasing and hit the $3 billion US mark in 2006. The main contributing factor to the increase is the mineral fuels importation. The mineral fuels have increased in value since 2004 to 2008. It represents a change from US$400 to about $1.2 billion. The overdependence of the industry’s on fuel importation reveals how the economy is vulnerable to the rising fuel prices. The vulnerability is of concern given that the increase in demand for electric power has overwhelmed Monasavu Hydropower Station limits over the last decade. It results in the supplementation of its energy requirements with diesel generation (F.E.A. n.d.). Fiji can be termed as better than its larger neighbors. It has about 80% of its people (about 92% in urban areas) accessing electricity. By 2008, its average electricity production mix was composed of 33.7% diesel, 62.1% hydro, 0.6% wind and 3.6% biomass. Energy consumption in Fiji has increased to 715.2 million kWh in 2009 from 202.8 million kWh in 1980. Because the hydropower component is variable as it depends on the weather patterns, the ever growing demand for electric power has to be fulfilled by importing diesel-based generation. FEA has an ambitious plan of producing 90% of its electricity by use of renewable energy resources by 2015 (Lal & Atul n.d) Fijis pricing tariff rates are the lowest in the Pacific Islands region. As of recent times, its rates have stagnated though there was a marked increase in its demand and diesel usage. The cause of its low tariff prices is its rejection by the independent power producers because FEA could not pay them suitable buying rates. As at present, FEA supplies about 54% of the electricity market from its hydropower stations as it gets the rest from thermal generation. This condition is expected to change upon the installation of a new 42-MW hydropower system. In regards to estimates made by FEA, generation of

Financial Reporting and Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Financial Reporting and Analysis - Essay Example These spreadsheets should be common-sized and the figures compared to the company. The Balance Sheet helps to plot company's next year's profitability and what company's future business wealth will be by evaluating company's present year's Balance Sheet, and comparing with last year. To improve company's financial performance, the company needs to evaluate the major Balance Sheet components - Assets, Liabilities, and Equity. The company owns assets, such as cash, equipment, and property, to increase the company 's business profitability and future wealth. Return on Assets (ROA) compares Net Income and Total Assets to show how much income has been generated worth of the company's assets. The company's assets can be improved by evaluating each asset category to identify room for improvement and to manage company's inventory and collect accounts receivable better and faster. The important thing to remember for loan consideration is that if company's business experiences large variances in assets during last two year, ROA is to be calculated using an average of the assets over the period being evaluated When purchased, inventory is an asset recorded on the Balance Sheet. ... Managing Inventory Company's business manages inventory has an impact on both profits and cash flow. When purchased, inventory is an asset recorded on the Balance Sheet. At any given time, assuming a customer wants it, company can sell inventory to regain cash. One way to evaluate how well inventory is being managed is to look at the Inventory Turnover ratio. This ratio tells how many times the average level of inventory is sold, or turns over, during the year. The ratio should be used to compare company's own trends and to compare to the industry's averages. High turnover is generally good. High turnover, however, may also indicate that there is not enough merchandise, and sales are being lost. The important thing to remember is that if companion's business experiences large variances in inventory during the year, calculate Inventory Turnover using an average of the inventory over the period being evaluated Collecting Accounts Receivable Accounts Receivable describes money due from customers for products or services already sold.Liabilities Liabilities have an important supporting role that is vital to the creation of a healthy cash flow. The more cash a company has and the longer it can hold on to it, the better. One way to secure more cash and other assets is through the proper use of Liabilities. Liabilities are categorized as either short-term or long-term debts, called Current or Long-Term Liabilities Current Liabilities Current Liabilities are bills or loan payments due within the next business cycle, usually a year. The primary Current Liabilities are Accounts Payable, Accrued Expenses, and Short-Term Notes Payable. Several ratios, called Liquidity ratios, are used to measure a company's ability to pay its short-term bills, also called

Proposal Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Proposal - Term Paper Example Our people and years of experience in the market have made us an organization of choice. Our extensive network with major health service providers ensures that our customers receive comprehensive health care services. Access Mortgage Company can definitely take benefit from our extensive range of products and services. Besides we are also willing to offer the additional services of psychological counseling as well as substantive abuse rehabilitation with minimum costs. At a total cost of $125 per employee per month, Access Mortgage Company can enjoy both of these benefits besides getting the regular services of our company. Introduction Caring and providing for healthcare of the employees is one of the best investments organizations do in order to ensure that employees remain healthy and motivated. Psychological counseling as well as rehabilitation of the employees are some of the steps which can ensure that the employees are provided the requisite level of support by the organizatio n to remain productive and constructive not only for the organization but for the society as a whole. Psychological counseling as well as the providing help in rehabilitating the employees against substantive abuse is one of the key issues which an organization has to handle. Increasing pressure and stress level can really put a lot of pressure on the employees and can result into low productivity as well as irritating behavior. Offering professional help in such circumstances therefore can serve as one of the key steps towards ensuring the rehabilitation of the employee. United Health Group is one of the diversified health and well being company offering diversified range of services including insurance plans. United Health Group offers these services through its subsidiary with the name of UnitedHealthCare. UnitedHealthCare and Optium are two of the best services in the country offering advance level healthcare services including insurance plans to ensure that every American has a ccess to quality healthcare. In order to achieve this aim, we also partner with different organizations to offer custom made insurance plans which can cater to the different needs of the organization. This proposal will present details about our Company and what kind of products and services it can offer you to comprehensively offer your employees the option of psychological counseling and substantive abuse rehabilitation. History of the Company & Competitive Landscape UnitedHealthCare is part of United Health Group Inc, one of the leading and diversified groups offering health and well being related services across US. Established in 1977, UnitedHealthCare has evolved over the period of time and is now offering insurance plans to individuals as well as small and middle sized employers. Managed by approximately, 30,000 employees, company have been able to develop market for itself and have served as a cost effective alternative for individuals and firms to afford quality healthcare. (Hoovers) The overall competitive landscape suggests that the rising cost of healthcare has made it almost mandatory for Americans to go for medical and health

Hunting and animals Essay Example for Free

Hunting and animals Essay Charles Dickens once said, â€Å"There is a passion for hunting something deeply implanted in the human breast. † I agree with this quote. Hunting is very exciting and fun. However, many disagree with me. No one rides the fence though. You either think that hunting is good or that hunting is bad. What do you believe? Do you think hunting is positive or negative? I believe hunting is good because it helps feed those in need, it helps control the population of wild animals, and it helps farmers who may have animals on their land they want to get rid of. A lot of people look at hunting and think of all the gruesome things we are going to do to Bambi. They never stop to think about what the hunter is doing with the game. Hunters aren’t just killing animals for fun, they use the meat to either eat or donate it. Several hunters give their game to people in need. They donate their meat to homeless shelters or food banks for less fortunate people that might not be able to afford to put enough food on the table. That way the people in need will be able to have a little bit extra on their plate. Hunting also helps control the population of wild animals. You can only hunt during a certain period of time during the year so that the animals are able to reproduce and won’t become extinct. You are also limited to the amount of game you can get. That way it won’t become a chaotic free-for-all and protects the animals from being wiped out. However, if hunting wasn’t legal, the population of wild animals would skyrocket. This would cause a boost in the already high number of car crashes due to animals, such as deer standing in the middle of the road. According to State Farm, an estimated 1. 5 million vehicles collide with deer in the United States. This caused over $1. 1 billion in property damage. These crashes also caused several injuries and deaths. Hunters must also pay to get their hunting license. The money they spend for their licenses go back to the conservation of the environment. Finally, hunting also gets rid of unwanted pests. Several animals annoy farmers and other land owners by messing with the farmer’s crops. Animals will go through the fields and eat the crops that the farmers can go out of business because the crops aren’t plentiful or good enough. For this reason we need hunters because farmers wouldn’t be able to succeed and all of us would suffer because the less crops coming into the stores, the more money the stores are going to ask for the customers to pay for the product. So actually vegetarians depend on hunters. Most vegetarians buy their vegetables from local stores. Hunters get rid of the animals that would ruin the food vegetarians would buy. Many people think hunting is wrong simply because they don’t look at the benefits that come with hunting. Hunting has many benefits including feeding others, controlling wildlife population, and helping farmers get rid of unwanted pests. For most hunters, the reward isn’t killing animals, it’s knowing they helped people that may not be able to survive or succeed without them. That’s what boosts my passion to hunt.

The Changing Nature Of Public Diplomacy Media Essay

The Changing Nature Of Public Diplomacy Media Essay In this study I will attempt to respond to several questions. The first: Is Public Diplomacy is the right tool to change world opinion toward Iraq. If the finding that it will be possible which will lead to the second question which: What the ideal action plan for Iraq Public diplomacy? The third question will be: How can government policy makers apply this strategic tool? Certainly, the initial stages of this process will be complex. The objective of this paper to be presented on later stage as policy proposal for the Iraqi government. The study begins by exploring the concept of PD and why Iraq should consider establishing PD in the foreign ministry, and its impact on Iraq foreign policy. It then and introduces the diverse methods of national reputation building. In doing so, this dissertation suggests to consider a way of understanding international relations, which is foundation of national image building through public diplomacy. Finally, based on the findings of a pilot study and online survey focusing on the national image of Iraq, this study proposes establishing a PD department (PDD) within the foreign ministry and suggestion on how to deploy public with a case study Introduction Motivation Although reputation management has historically been restricted to companies or other organisational entities, countries are also increasingly concerned with their reputation relative to other countries and have started to actively measure and manage that reputation. For an entity to achieve a certain desired reputation outcome, it has to manage as much of its exposure to various target groups. That would mean, for example, steering media coverage by closely supervising what information is made public. Iraqs reputation abroad has dramatically deteriorated. Iraq is the only nation in the Arab world whose new-formed democratic system is constantly being challenged, and constantly been projected as country with no national identity, Iraqi leaders are often compared to Saddam and Iraqi actions against the terrorist and insurgent are often described as politically motivated policies. Conditions in Iraq are often compared with those that existed in Vietnam. Why national reputation matters? National reputation is unquestionably an instrument of power. Managing national reputation and nation-states relationship with stakeholders overseas has been an integral part of foreign-policy making and public diplomacy, national reputation has a direct impact on international relations of a nation and its national policies, ranging from political, economic to cultural (Gilboa, 2006) Yet the Iraqi government has failed to prevent the deterioration of Iraqs image and reputation in the world. The main reason is the lack of awareness and understanding of the critical role PD plays in contemporary international relations. In the information age, national reputation has become a critical asset and soft power has become a major instrument of foreign policy  [1]  . Communication, education and persuasion are the principal techniques of foreign relations, not military force. Even the US, the sole superpower, is slowly learning this hard lesson in the Iraq war. National reputation is what peoples around the world think about a states conduct and behaviour. Therefore, a grand strategy in international conflict requires the integration and application of three fundamental components: force, diplomacy and communication. The last component, communication, may even be the decisive factor Purpose My interest in the area rose from an awareness that the level and volume of coverage on Iraq had grown enormously in the past eight years and as such, my awareness of the subject itself had grown too. After a period of widely reading about and studying PD and analysing Public diplomacy strategy in country like South Africa, Colombia, Denmark and Israel and how those countries where able to improve there image abroad, it was my belief that this area need to be explore for the benefit of new Iraq and that a by writing a dissertation I could carry out may contribute little or nothing to the sheer quantity and wealth of studies, debates and articles that already existed on these topics. By contrast, it was my understanding that Iraq reputation and the foreign audience perception on Iraq in the media was a relatively misrepresented and the area of PD hast been explored and researched by the Iraqi policy makers and as such, it was my belief that if I undertook an examination of the topic I could contribute something on how the national image can be restored. What is more, my growing interest about PD concept, coupled with a doubt bout how Iraq been presented on the media and abroad led me to question various things about why Iraq reputation and national image has been deteriorated abroad  [2]  and why the Iraqi government dont a strategy in restoring the national image. Is what is being reported fact or conjecture? How accurate is people perception on Iraq? The fact that Iraq has been for so much time in the news since the regime change has placed Iraq in the centre of the world map, a privilege most third-world countries will never have. After hitting headlines for years, people know very well what Iraq is and where it is, this pre-existing knowledge is a valuable asset, and as such an asset any PD campaign for Iraq should capitalise on. Are the news and image reported precise and helpful or misleading and distorting? Why does there appear to be more reporting on the effects of war on Iraq than the improvement since the regime change? Why are there so many reports about how hopeless Iraq is becoming and that Iraq cant survive without the support of the US? Objectives These questions, among some more specific ones which I will detail later, are some of the reasons that I began to be interested in the way how PD can help the Iraqi government in communicating with foreign publics in an attempt to bring the foreign public closer to home and educate them about the New Iraq, its nations ideas and ideals, its institutions and culture, as well as its national goals and current policies. My concern was about the level of information people gain from the news then I studied the news and its role as a system of information. As such, the focus of this study, examining how informative the print press was during my chosen sample and the themes that were of predominant focus of debate. The questions I would like to address are: How Iraq been reported and represented in the media; what were the media interests on Iraq? In exploring the core themes and topics in the sample I will be able to distinguish what the public perception and therefore what audiences and policy makers will understand of the messages in the press. By dealing with these questions I will be able to conclude why Iraq government should aggrievedly peruse on forming a PD department at the MFA and that strategy of PD that the department can take to deploy the PD policy and how can be benefited prior to hosting the gulf cup in 2013 Literature Study In this I will be iinvestigating the domain of literature currently available on the fields of Nation image and PD has shown to be rather problematic, with both disciplines being still vastly understudied. While the empirical section of this study deals exclusively with those concepts, there are a few surrounding disciplines which at least fall into the margins of the relevant field and thus should also be discussed Images of Nations One school of thought investigates a concept similar to country reputation, namely the images of nations, or countries. Perhaps the most exhaustive study conducted in this field is the book Images of nations and international public relations by Michael Kunczik written in 1990. Here, Kunczik discusses the idea that the world is a large and complex communication network (1990:17) in which the mass media cannot be treated in isolation. He points out that although practically anything can contribute to forming an image of another nation (Kunczik, 1990:18), there are ways for public relations to remove prejudices between peoples. In the old days one could win over an empire by marrying, today you can win over peoples by a leading article. But according to Kunczik, is because the mass media is continuously feeding people images of nations (1990:20). Another observation he makes (1990:21) is the large amount of money that is fed into international image cultivation. This, according to Kunczik, shows how important governments rate the kind of an image their country, government or policies project abroad. One of the first times the term national public relations was used explicitly was in 1978 when Herzog, Israels ambassador to the United Nations, commented that  ´from the point of view of national public relations the Israeli policy of settling the occupied territories won in wars with the Arabs had done more damage than anything else (Koschowitz 1984 as cited in Kunczik 1990:21). For purposes of this literature study, it is important also to point out the observation Kunczik makes about the then-current state of research in the area of image cultivation by states. According to him, the book published in 1965, International behaviour. A social-psychological analysis by Kelman still ranked the definitive study in that field when Kunczik wrote his work in 1990. After pointing out very few other publications dealing with Image cultivation of nations, Kunczik concludes that Fundamentallyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the literature situation on the subject area addressed here is poor [because] public relations activities tend to be especially successful the less they are recognisable as such. Very often, therefore, scientifically non-serious sources have to be resorted to such as newspaper reports, personal statements etc. (Kunczik, 1990:24). Since this publication, Kunczik has done a number of studies following up on his idea of images of nations, focussing often on the international image of crisis countries. In his most recent study, Images of Nations and Transnational Public Relations of Governments with Special reference to the Kosovo, presented at a symposium in 2004, Kunczik points out in the introduction that the mass medias reality is not factual reality and very often does not correspond to real happenings. Mass media constructs a separate reality. That criteria used to construct this reality are the so called news values. But for the recipients, who have no primary access to most things reported on, this constructed world becomes factual reality. Even in this, Kuncziks latest study, he points out the relationship between news media and images of nations is not well researched. One study that could be particular relevant to the topic of this study was Is the Media Being Fair in Iraq? by The Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology  [i]   In this study it was found that the Iraq image was still suffering under coups and earthquakes style of coverage, and that histographic cultural perceptions continued to affect the trend of international news coverage of Iraq by the foreign press (which include Arabic Media). This study is not only served to provide raw data that to could help to understand how Iraq been portrayed abroad in both Arab and western world. But also to assess the degree to which typical tones of stories might reflect the political agendas of publisher, owners, editors and news anchors and other key media figures. While the above-mentioned study and those laying the ground-work of images of nations appear to provide a foundation to a dissertation on Will PD fix Iraq reputation can, it is of crucial importance to highlight that the theory to be followed is that of country reputation, not images of a country. While the two concepts of reputation and image are often confused as having the same meaning, they are in fact two distinguishable terms whose differences should be realised. Image versus Reputation Reputation, as opposed to image, is seen as a strategic concept developed around long-term impressions of an organisation built around a number of corporate images and actions (Fombrun Shanley, 1990). Already then, the idea crystallised that there was a difference between the two concepts: while images were regarded as having a stationary nature, reputations were seen as dynamic. In their recent book Reputation in Artificial Societies: Social Beliefs for Social Order, Conte and Paolucci develop the core of their reputation theory upon this difference between image and reputation. The authors point out that reputation cannot be seen as a static attribute, rigidly codified as footprints of social hierarchy. Reputation rather consists of dynamic properties because reputation attribution is a mental process that takes place within communication processes. According to the authors, image is conceived as a set of evaluative beliefs about a given target and reputation as the process and effect of transmission of the image. Image is seen as an evaluative belief and is said to be a static system, while reputation is a meta belief that carries no reference to the acceptance of established beliefs (Conte Paolucci, 2002). Public Relation The public relations practice also sees vast differences between Image and Reputation two misunderstood siblings that need better management (PR influences, 2003). While image on the one hand is built, costs money, is fast and opportunistic, reputation is earned, is an asset, is careful and industrious. In the words of Brown in A Sound Reputation, Reputationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦is a dynamic, not static, quality; it changes as individual opinions change. And there are two drivers of opinion change direct experience and indirect experience (2005:1). Brown also points out that the most common form of indirect experience is media coverage, which is an important finding for this study (2003:1). In a paper titled Reputation and the Corporate Brand (Argenti Druckenmiller, 2004:369), image is defined as a reflection of an organisations identity and its corporate brand, or more specifically, the organisation as seen from one stakeholder groups point of view. Depending on which stakeholder is involved, an organisation can have many different images. Reputation, on the other hand, is defined in that study as the collective representation of multiple constituencies [stakeholder groups] images of a company, built up over time and based on a companys identity programmes, its performance and how constituencies have perceived its behaviour. In short, images are seen as multiple, stationary reflections of an organisations identity and its corporate brands while reputation is the dynamic, collective representation of the various images of a corporation as perceived by different stakeholders. While an image is a fixed set of beliefs about a corporation, reputation changes as individual opinions change. Considering the large body of literature that highlights the differences between image and reputation, it is indeed questionable if the studies that fall under images of nations are in fact relevant to a study on Iraq reputation. While image, as the above definitions point out, is indeed a part of reputation, it is not reputation per se. ` Most literature dealing explicitly with the concepts of country reputation measurement and management today, are derived from the school of corporate reputation measurement and management, however, I will be only discussing the country reputation which relevant to this study should next be discussed. Country Reputation Country Reputation Management Already in 1999, Olins compiled a pamphlet titled Trading Identities: Why Countries and Companies are becoming more alike. Here, Olins puts forward the idea: As countries develop their national brands to compete for investment, trade and tourism, mega-merged global companies are using nation-building techniques to achieve internal cohesion across cultures and are becoming ever more involved in providing public services like education and health (1999:1). Pharoah writes in Building and Managing Reputation for Countries that Countries are increasingly realising that reputation matters and if reputation matters, then reputation needs to be managed. According to Pharoah, the governments of today are Increasingly becoming the brand managers of their country (Pharoah, 2004:1). These findings lead to the idea that instruments used to manage and measure companies could be argued to apply to countries as well. Country Reputation Measurement Applying reputation measurement theories to countries was adopted on through a research survey which was conducted by The Media Tenor on behalf of the South African government, with the results being published in 2000. The studys mission  [ii]  was to establish a framework for South Africa to effectively manage its Public diplomacy and its vision to To further strengthen confidence in South Africas ability to host a successful FIFA 2010 World Cup In cooperation with International marketing council (IMC),  [iii]  developed a tool according to which South Africa reputation was measured and the findings used to devise a framework for the active management of South Africas reputation and perception prior to the world cup 2010. The tool applied was an adapted version of Media Tenor used to measure the media coverage for ogranisations and countries. The method is composed of opinion leading media, along this method, a Analysis of all texts in opinion leading media  then questionnaire was designed, using Media Tenor reputation, measuring foreign public perceptions of South Africa and its competitive set, the same questionnaire was used to determine the perception of South Africa residents. That allowed the researchers to identify the similarity between internal and external perceptions of the country, or, between identity and reputation. This allowed the team to make recommendations about South Africa future reputation management efforts. The results of the study assisted the IMC team with their communication plan on how to further strengthen confidence in South Africas ability to host a successful FIFA 2010 World Cup. This approach and the instrument developed could be used for the reputation measurement o f any country They did however, highlight that in order to validate this, further research and more comparable studies would be needed. According to the authors, that tool allows governments to gain insights into which aspects in the perception of the general public drive the overall reputation of their country and how can we improved, what are the tools that can implemented, one of the method that south Africa launched was their Brand South Africa program, which also was part of the PD strategy towards improving the foreign public perception. The core of the Brand South Africa is a three-step framework whereby the first step incorporates a diagnosis of the current state of the countrys reputation, the second designing a future state thereof and thirdly managing the PD strategy.

Communication Skills for Teamwork: Reflective Summary

Communication Skills for Teamwork: Reflective Summary Social, Legal and Ethical Issues Reflective report This report is going to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the module â€Å"Legal methods and Ethical issues†. The aim of this report is to evaluate and describe the research that has been used for the group presentation and the performance of the group during the presentation. Also, another one point that will be presented in this report is the group work and the cooperation among the members of the group. Finally, throughout this report it will be demonstrated the aims of the module, the experience the students had from the module, how they were influenced and affected through this procedure and the knowledge learned and how is going to assist the students in the future. The modules aims include the awareness development of students, but also enhancing students’ knowledge and ability to critically analyze a numerous of social behaviors, ethical dilemmas and legal issues. Furthermore, by the end of the module, students will be able to make rational discussion and critical thinking about ethical issues. All of the above aims will help students to be ready to encounter any difficulties or specific circumstances of their working life in the context of social networks and digital communication. This module is very helpful and necessary for students, in order to gain knowledge on how all the above issues covered are related to their future, personal life and job. Additionally, students had to explore the knowledge gained through the module and apply it in practice, which means that students had to make their own research in a certain topic, analyze it and then present it. In our group was assigned the topic â€Å"Protecting you and your organisation from malicious digital attacks† which was a very interesting topic, including the legislation part. Furthermore, it was a very recent theme of the 21th century, since technology and internet are integral and crucial parts of our lives. Specifically, â€Å"malicious digital attacks† is a term of computing, which is any physical or electronic action taken with the intent of acquiring, destroying, modifying, or accessing a user’s data without permission. As has been stated before, the definition of malicious digital attacks is a very general topic and includes a lot of issues, thus we split it into part and each group member made their research on a specific part. My part was to find the companies which had been hacked, the security PR disasters and digital attacks that damaged the trustworthiness and reputation of the companies. The following paragraphs will analyze the research about malicious digital attacks and will describe the process of the research and my own path before the presentation. My initial search for articles gave me a lot of general and irrelevant information and it seemed very difficult and slightly confusing. Although, when I correctly understood the topic, I found helpful and relevant information, which made it extremely interesting. Additionally, my research was based on articles, so I used the Google Scholar to find information, since BBC news provided me with a variety of knowledge and examples of companies being hacked. In the appendix, you will find some of the sites that I used and two articles of BBC news with some of my comments on them. These days, the social media, internet and numerous of online organizations come first on people’s preferences for several reasons. The social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, are being used throughout the day by people, as a way of communication, promotion of products, companies and organizations, as a mode of entertainment and the most important are free. Furthermore, another company which has large number of users is Sony, which has online games (FIFA, PRO) and people can be entertained through that site very easy. There are lots of organizations and companies that people are using, but in my research I focused on the most frequently used, such as Facebook, Twitter, Dropbox and Sony. All of these companies have something in common, because they are the most popular, they were more easily hacked and more users were affected. People who use the social media every day have not only advantages, but also several disadvantages. Although Facebook, Twitter, Dropbox and Sony are free services, in order to have access to this applications is necessary for a user to provide all personal details, such as name and surname, email address, gender, birth date, phone number, username and password. Additionally in some cases, is necessary to provide credit card and bank account numbers in order to have access to online games like FiFA. Throughout my research I found that people’s personal details are not safe, because it is very easy for someone to hack a company and steal personal information of the users. Moreover, through my research I found that all of these online services have been hacked more than one time in the last two years, but also hackers have stolen numerous people’s personal details and passwords. In some cases, users lost a significant amount of money from their bank accounts due to online hacking. Therefore, people should be very careful, when they create accounts and also is recommended to change their passwords approximately every ninety days. As for our group work, according to Levin (2005), face-to-face meetings are necessary for direct and active communication among group members, instead of communicating through emails or Facebook, were people are unable to understand a person’s feelings and mood. For example, in our team students communicated through emails and meetings, as a result were had excellent communication without misunderstandings and conflicts. Furthermore, according to Hargie (2004) â€Å"team is a number of interdependent people bound together by a collective aim. An essential feature of a team is that the members co-operate to achieve jointly agreed goals†. Furthermore, there are several advantages from teamwork. As Levin (2005) mentioned, teamwork is an opportunity for students to learn more efficiently about the concept of a course, in relation to regular learning methods (i.e. lectures, textbooks). Also, they can develop a different way of thinking, adopt common goals and try to achieve them through teamwork, which is one of the most important facilitators in achieving positive, cost-effective outcomes in various organizational settings (Procter Currie, 2004). In addition, teamwork can be an enjoyable and useful experience, because from my perspective, teamwork helped me improve my communication and cooperation skills, since I had to work and achieve a common goal with different kind of people. A group can succeed in doing great things which one person cannot do it alone (Levin, 2005). In our case, if we weren’t a team, each one of us alone couldn’t effectively carry out all the duties and responsibilities of the project. According to Levin (2005), respect between the team members is the basic rule for a successful and efficient outcome, so we tried to respect each other by giving the opportunity and possibility to each member of the group member, to share their ideas and express their opinion about the project. This helped our team to better organize and successfully execute our mission, because we implemented the most original and innovating ideas and methods. Furthermore, the aim of the group work was to create a good and interactive presentation. Through group work, we found a lot of different and interesting resources to cover our topic and we were perfectly prepared for the execution of the presentation. The day of presentation was slightly stressful for our team members, because we had worked very hard and we wanted to succeed. Moreover, in my opinion, the presentation was good and interesting for the audience, who successfully participated in the quiz that our team created. The game included many questions which were presented during the presentation. The audience was broken in two teams and the team who answered more quickly and correctly the questions, won a price. In my point of view, the presentation was very interactive and entertaining for the audience. The feedback from the audience was really good, specifically for the quiz, because people laughed a lot and there was a very friendly atmosphere. The feedback forms were quite satisfactory, because most of the forms, as seen in the appendix, focus on the interactive quiz, which the audience liked the most. Generally, through people’s comments appears that the presentation was interactive and enjoyable, but also provided the audience with many useful information about the subject. On the other hand, there were some negative comments about the presentation. For example, the fact that the presenters read through their notes made the presentation less interactive and communicative with the audience. In my overview, this project was a very good and helpful experience for me, due to the excellent teamwork and team spirit. Throughout the preparation, our team had weekly meetings through which all of our group’s members took joint decisions about the tasks and duties of our project. Also, my group was very helpful for me, since they gave me good guidelines and there was an excellent communication and cooperation between us. The day of the presentation, was stressful, but I tried to be more relaxed and managed to properly present my part, because I worked hard and I did not want to disappoint both my team and me. In conclusion, I am very satisfied with myself and my performance before and during the presentation, since I worked hard with our group and I have tried to be as best as I could. Unfortunately, due to my stress and anxiety during the presentation I spoke very quickly and it might create some misunderstandings as to what I was saying. In conclusion, the semester one was very useful and interesting for the students. The knowledge and the experience gained will helped them in their future career for several reasons. Firstly, students succeed in creating a different way of thinking, in understanding the legal methods and ethical issues and to gather information and details for dissimilar topics. Furthermore, all the presentations were very good and students worked very hard to accomplish that, although there were some more interactive and interesting presentations, compared to others. This module helped students to understand how to analyze a big topic and how to execute a correct research. In this case, the group work was essentially for this project, because the subject was very large and each member of the group worked for a particular part and the results were certainly much better, compared to an individual work. References list: Hargie, O. (2004). Communication Skills for Effective Management. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Levin, P. (2005). Successful teamwork for undergraduates and taught postgraduates working on group projects. England: Open University Press. Procter, S., Currie, G. (2004). Target-based team working: Groups, work and interdependence in the UK civil service.Human Relations,57(12), 1547-1572. My research (links) Articles of my research: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13636704 http://www.criticalgamer.co.uk/2011/06/24/have-sony-turned-a-pr-disaster-into-a-pr-triumph-part-two/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13537128 http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2386378,00.asp http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-13206687 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-21160818 http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2011/05/sony-online-entertainment-hack/ http://www.heavy.com/tech/2013/03/a-timeline-ofcompanies-that-have-been-hacked-in-2013/ http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2013/02/twitter-hacked/ http://xbox.about.com/od/news/a/Xbox-Live-Fifa-12-Hack-Explained.htm

Art Styles of Last 100 Years :: essays papers

Art Styles of Last 100 Years The turmoil and changes that the world has faced over the last one hundred years has brought about some of the most interesting and intricate art styles ever. Some of the most influential artists have also arisen amongst these styles. Artists such as Andy Warhol, Salvador Dali, and Jackson Pollack are the leaders in their arts. Art movements and styles such as abstract expressionism, surrealism, the Cubist Movement, pop art, and international styles in architecture have been influenced by social life, war, reacting to other art forms, and rebelling. I will talk about these art forms in the following paragraphs. Abstract expressionism does not describe any one particular style, but rather a universal attitude, not all of the work was abstract, nor was it all-expressive. These artists put morally loaded themes onto their canvases. In contrast to the themes of social realism and regional life that characterized American art of previous decades. The main exponents of the field were Pollock, de Kooning, and Rothko, but other artists included Guston, Kline, Newman and Still. The painters who came to be called â€Å"Abstract Expressionists† shared a similarity of outlook rather than of style-an outlook characterized by a spirit of revolt and a belief in freedom of expression. Surrealism was a means of reuniting conscious and unconscious realms of experience so completely that the world of dream and fantasy would be joined to the everyday rational world in â€Å"an absolute reality, a surreality.† The major surrealist painters were Jean Arp, Max Ernst, Andre Masson, Rene Magritte, Yves Tanguy, Salvador Dali, Pierre Roy, Paul Delvaux, and Joan Miro. With its emphasis on content and free form, surrealism provided a change to the existing, highly formalistic Cubist Movement and was largely responsible for bringing about in modern painting the traditional value on content. The Cubist Movement began as an intellectual revolt against the artistic expression of previous eras. The cubists didn’t use the sensual appeal of paint, texture and color, subject matter with emotional charge or mood; the play of light on for, movement, atmosphere, and the illusionism that proceeded from scientifically based perspective. The cubists used fragmented and redefined pictures within a shallow plane or within several interlocking and often invisible planes. The International Style of Architecture has influenced buildings since World War 2. Beginning in Germany in the 20’s, the International Style consists of industrial materials such as glass, steel, and concrete in the form of geometric shapes.

Arthur Millers Presentation Of John Proctors Moral Journey Essay

Examine Arthur Miller's Presentation Of John Proctor's Moral Journey - The Crucible by Arthur Miller "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller is a play based upon an American settlement during the late 1600's. It is centred around actual events from history to try to portray the way of life in this era. Miller has chosen the confusion of the witch trials of this time, to provide a base for the struggles of his main character, John Proctor. At the beginning of the play the focus is laid mainly on introducing the main characters and storyline, but as the script unfolds, it becomes clear that John Proctor is the main character, something not immediately obvious from the beginning. It is how Miller presents and demonstrates Proctor's moral journey throughout the play, and the different channels he uses to do this that I will focus on. Act One really only sets the scene for the play by portraying the different characters in the Salem and how their ways of life revolve mostly around the 'church' and their religion. The inhabitants can for the most part be sectioned off into three groups; the established figures, eg. Rev. Parris; the citizens, and people who have in theory 'earned' their status, eg. Francis and Rebecca Nurse; and the 'outsiders', eg. Rev. Hale. This set-up seems to work well until the events of the play, when people become separated by their views, and everyone begins blaming others for their shortcomings in order to maintain their authority and status. The main power in the village being the church, naturally the Rev. Parris will do anything to keep his position, especially as Miller informs us that his character feels that for some reason everyone in the world is against him, and his life is jus... ... which he was innocent. At the very end, when he knew what would happen to him, Proctor refused to publish a lie about himself, or admit to a sin he did not commit. This shows at least some remnant of pride was left, even after everything he had been through - and this is what saves him in the end. It makes him realise that John Proctor wasn't as evil as he had thought, that, like everyone else, he was a mixture, and now with absolutely nothing to hide. Possibly, this act may cancel out John's adultery, especially as there is a lot of confusion around what are actually 'evil acts', and what are just natural flaws and instincts. Elizabeth says right at the end of the play, "He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!.." This suggests goodness and reconciliation in Proctor's act, as the once shallow and indecisive John, is finally decisive.

Mcdonald’s Strategic Management Globalization Strategy

Example 1 Localization strategy of McDonald's McDonald is using localization strategy in term of choose to localize the language that they use to sell the items especially burger and tries to localize the food itself, localization is absolutely necessary to attract customers across nations. One of the examples is McDonald’s localization of its food menu. u. Even though the menu is to a certain degree standardized all over the world, but some of items are unique to each country and that taste also localize of the local market.The burger that prepared by McDonald’s well known in all over world. In Japan customer can order a â€Å"koroke† burger that which contains katsu sauce, cabbage and mashed potato. In Hong Kong, customers can find a burger that is served between rice cakes not in sesame seed buns. In Malaysia, McDonald customers have much choice such beef burger, chicken burger and fish burger. McDonald provided chicken. Some of religious group do not prefer t o take beef so McDonald provided chicken and fish burger for them.More than that, McDonald in Malaysia do not provide pig meat burger because majority of Malaysia don’t not take pork and would also be upsetting for religious. In India the type of burger totally different from other country because eating beef is against to religious rules. McDonald's brand is strongly associated with hamburgers, but McDonald open vegetarian restaurants that provide vegetarian burgers. International strategy In the India market McDonald's accepted the international strategy over franchising to push their main competencies and to customize their goods and service according to the demand of local customers.This way the business be sure of on local subsidiaries in India to follow the rules and regulations of running McDonald's and make sure the goods and service must be standardizing. McDonald to complete standardization within an international scale is difficult because of Indian market is more traditionally diverse. McDonald's standardizes as much as can to make less costs, but they are conscious of cultural differences and have to accepted the perception of â€Å"think global, act local† (Hill, 2009).The subsidiaries provided by international strategy with some freedom, but the main controls belong to with managers at the center of operations in America. The subsidiaries provided by international strategy with some freedom, but the main controls belong to with managers at the center of operations in America. The Indian subsidiaries are approved the power to plan, make and market innovative products that directly respond to the local customers' preferences According to Hindu population cow is worshipped so McDonald’s does not use beef to prepare burger.In India McDonalds fully removed beef for pork for Muslims customers. As a replacement for of the ever-popular Big Macs set up in the west, McDonald's in India serves â€Å"Maharaja Macs â€Å" that contain mutton and some vegetarian rice pies. McDonald's is required to change and adapt their goods and service to local customer demand because the India customers have different favorites due to traditional and religious differences. More than that, in foreign countries there have local food for consumer while McDonalds is among one of the traditionally American fast food.McDonalds able to maintain the local tastes on condition that it focuses on its main competency of fast food. In Europe, from fast foot roots McDonalds unfortunately straying. In strength to compete like Starbucks, McDonald’s is turn-off the restaurant space extra upscale and easy, while offering in good health and more locally tasty foods. McDonalds also offering rental iPods and Wi-Fi available for customers. However, this strategy not only reduces the product fair play by get used to local tastes, but also changes McDonalds even additional away from its main competitors of fast food

Ethics Hw Week 6

ETHICS HW WEEK 6 ————————————————- 1. | Question:| Teddy's Supplies' CEO has asked you to advise him on the facts of the case, and your opinion of their potential liability. Write a memo to him which states your view of whether the company is exposed to liability on all issues you feel are in play. Include in your memo any laws which apply and any precedential cases either for or against Teddy's case which impact liability. Include your opinion of the â€Å"worst case† of damages the company may have to pay to Virginia.   | Your Answer:| Memo to CEO: Your company is in fact in liability for negligence in protecting the best interest of your employee, Pollard. Even though she participated in many of the sexual harassment situations your upper management did anything to stop or report any of the activities they were aware of. The people put n charge failed the compan y and Ms Pollard by not being responsible and assuming just as much responsibility as she had in the situation. Per the EEO guidelines: An employer is always responsible for harassment by a supervisor that culminated in a tangible employment action. If the harassment did not lead to a tangible employment action, the employer is liable unless it proves that: 1) it exercised reasonable care to prevent and promptly correct any harassment; and 2) the employee unreasonably failed to complain to management or to avoid harm otherwise An individual qualifies as an employee's â€Å"supervisor† if the individual has the authority to recommend tangible employment decisions affecting the employee or if the individual has the authority to direct the employee's daily work activities. A â€Å"tangible employment action† means a significant change in employment status. Examples include hiring, firing, promotion, demotion, undesirable reassignment, a decision causing a significant change in benefits, compensation decisions, and work assignment Employers should establish, distribute to all employees, and enforce a policy prohibiting harassment and setting out a procedure for making complaints. In most cases, the policy and procedure should be in writing. Small businesses may be able to discharge their responsibility to prevent and correct harassment through less formal means. For example, if a business is sufficiently small that the owner maintains regular contact with all employees, the owner can tell the employees at staff meetings that harassment is prohibited, that employees should report such conduct promptly, and that a complaint can be brought â€Å"straight to the top. † If the business conducts a prompt, thorough, and impartial investigation of any complaint that arises and undertakes swift and appropriate corrective action, it will have fulfilled its responsibility to â€Å"effectively prevent and correct harassment http://www. eoc. gov/policy/docs/harassment-facts. html By violating al of the above content we would recommend that Virginia be awarded damages for back pay, a psychological evaluation, a percentage of stocks/shares in the company for future earnings and action disciplinary to be taken against all parties involved| | | Points Received:| 25 of 30 | | Comments:| How did the management fail her? | 2. | Question:| The NJ Human R ights commission found that Pollard was the victim of Sexual Harassment and disparate treatment. Please answer these questions:   a. Provide the most current definition of â€Å"sexual harassment,† including a definition of quid pro quo and hostile environment sexual harassment. Name an appellate  court case where an employer was found liable for either quid pro quo or hostile environment sexual harassment. Describe the facts of the case, and the decision the court came to in the case. Include the citation to the case and a link to it online. Would the case apply to Pollard's case? Why or why not? Would you want to use this case in Teddy's favor or Pollard’s favor? (10 points)b. Explain which form of sexual harassment that you suspect NJ Human Rights commission found Virginia had been a victim of and why you feel that is the case. Provide law or a case to support your position. If you feel Pollard was not a victim of harassment in this case, explain why you feel that way, and provide law or a case to support your position;  Ã‚  (10 points)c. Explain what defenses to sexual harassment Teddy's had in this case (Include the name and citation of  at least two  federal or state sexual harassment case(s) which provide precedential support to your defense statement. (10 points. )d. What is disparate treatment and why do you think the Human Rights commission found it had occurred? Do you agree with this decision? (10 points. )  |   | Your Answer:| A. The legal definition of sexual harrassment is a form of sex discrimination. The legal definition of sexual harassment is â€Å"unwelcome verbal, visual, or physical conduct of a sexual nature that is severe o r pervasive and affects working conditions or creates a hostile work environment. Quid pro quo, a Latin term meaning â€Å"this for that,† occurs when your boss offers you benefits, or threatens to change your working conditions, based on your response to his demands for sexual favors. â€Å"I'll give you a raise if you go out with me†¦. † or â€Å"I'll demote you if you don't have sex with me† are examples of â€Å"quid pro quo† harassment. Hostile environment harassment occurs when physical, verbal, or visual sexual harassment is severe or pervasive enough to create a hostile or abusive work environment. This type of harassment does not require a loss or threat of loss of your job, or the promise of benefits. Comments about your body, sexual remarks, pornographic pictures displayed at the workplace, and touching and grabbing may all create a hostile work environment. In addition, the conduct must be unwelcome to you. If you like, want, or welcome the conduct, then you are not being sexually harassed. And if the conduct does not relate to your sex or have sexual references, it's not sexual harassment. 1998 the Supreme Court decided in Ellerth v. Burlington Industries, No. 7-569 and Faragher v. City of Boca Raton, No. 97-282 that companies may be held vicariously liable if supervisors sexually harass workers even if the employees do not report the harassment and suffered no tangible loss. By making employers liable for supervisors' sexual harassment encourages an employer, as no other regime does, to exercise the greatest possible care in screening prospective managers and in training, supervising and monitoring supervisory personnel. It gives employers an incentive to put effective policies and training programs in place. In fact, 54% of Fortune 500 employers admitted in one survey that fears of legal exposure prompted them to establish company policies against harassment. And experience has shown these policies and programs work. Companies that have implemented sexual harassment training programs have reported reduced numbers of claims that develop into lawsuits. http://www. hr-guide. com/data/A07202. htm yes this case would apply to pollards case because in this case too the sexual harassment was not being reported. The companies were too held liable for what was going on with their employers. B. I think they used the basic form of sexual haraasment in th eworkplcae because the boss did not threaten her with sexual advances but condonednthe mistreatment the other male employees had put on her. Even though she did not properly report the abuse I do feel that she was a victim because she encountered several incidents where her right swere violated. C. On June 26th, the U. S. Supreme Court decided the following two cases: Burlington Industries v. Ellerth Facts—The employee, Kimberly Ellerth, worked for Burlington Industries from March 1993-May 1994, as a salesperson in one of Burlington's divisions in Chicago, Ill. During her employment, she claims she was subjected to constant sexual harassment by her supervisor, Ted Slowik. Slowik was a mid-level manager. Burlington has eight divisions, employing more than 22,000 people in 50 plants around the U. S. Slowick was a vice president in one of five business units within one of the divisions. He had authority to make hiring and promotion decisions subject to the approval of his supervisor, who signed the paperwork. Slowik was not Ellerth's immediate supervisor. Ellerth worked in a two-person office in Chicago, and she answered to her colleague, who in turn answered to Slowik in New York. ttp://www. lkorn-law. com/articles/relevent/supreme_decides_sex_har. htm Faragher v. City of Boca Raton, and Burlington Industries Inc. v. Ellerth, the Supreme Court basically stated that the employer is responsible for the actions of the supervisor, even when the employer is unaware of the supervisor’s behavior. An employer can no longer claim that they did not know about the sexual harassment because the employee did not inform them, nor can they claim that they were unaware of the supervisor’s behavior. Out of the two cases listed above the first one is relevant to the case because even though she was disciplined for cell phone usage she was still sent to another area to be subjected to further humiliation by her male co-workers. The second case states where even though the Pollard did not reprt the abuse the supervisor was well aware of what was going on. D. Intentional discriminatory dealing with individuals having a disability or belonging to a particular group based on their age, ethnicity, race, or sex. The Human Rights commssion saw that Pollard was discriminated on due to her sex. Yes I fully agree with their decision. She should be awarded for all damages and future earnings. I would not want that particular job back but one in another area with maybe the same company. Read more: http://www. businessdictionary. com/definition/disparate-treatment. html#ixzz17DKebnxM | | | Points Received:| 40 of 40 | | Comments:| Great that you answered all parts of the question! Also I like that you used the case in which the cell phone discipline took place while it was determined that harassment occurred. This shows that 2 wrongs do not make a right! | 3. Question:| The CEO asks you to review the sexual harassment policy currently in place, which Virginia signed. He wants you to provide him with suggestions for change to it. Review the policy and give three recommendations for changes, enhancements and ideas for making the policy stronger. Include your reasons for these suggestions. If you find information online for making these changes, include citations and/or links to t hat information. Explain how your suggestions may have protected Teddy's in this case. Support these recommendations with current case law.   | Your Answer:| The contract signed by Virginia was vague. It also states that there will be a warning. She was terminated immediately. My suggestion would be to go further by having the employees attend sexual harassment training. They should also offer some type of support for their employees who think they are experiencing it or actually experiencing it. They should also make the supervisors and all employees aware of their no tolerance policy. â€Å"An employer should correct harassment that is clearly unwelcome regardless of whether a complaint is filed. For example, if there is graffiti in the workplace containing racial or sexual epithets, management should not wait for a complaint before erasing it. An employer should ensure that its supervisors and managers understand their responsibilities under the organization's anti-harassment policy and complaint procedures. An employer should screen applicants for supervisory jobs to see if they have a history of engaging in harassment. If so, and the employer hires such a candidate, it must take steps to monitor actions taken by that individual in order to prevent harassment†. An employer should keep records of harassment complaints and check those records when a complaint of harassment is made to reveal any patterns of harassment by the same individuals. http://www. eeoc. gov/policy/docs/harassment-facts. html| | | Points Received:| 18 of 20 | | Comments:| How should the employer â€Å"support † employees? | 4. | Question:| How would Pollard's case be impacted if her replacement had been a female? Would her case be different? Would her damages be different? Explain your answer.   | Your Answer:| Had Pollard been replaced by a female it would make her case weaker stating that it was her and her character in that position that caused the men to react the way that they did towards her. Replacing her with another male shows guilt on the companies side. Had they not been aware of the situation at hand or been doing something to avoid it, it wouldn't have made a difference if they would have hired another female. Her case would have been different beca use had they hired another female would have shown them being less guilty of any of the accusations against them. ecause they did hire a male, made them look more cautious or even suspicious. I don't know for sure if her damages would have been different but her case would have been. she was awarded damages on the jury thinking she was fired unlawfully. | | | Points Received:| 5 of 10 | | Comments:| Why do we blame the woman? The employer has a duty to protect its employees from harassment – that means the men MUST be required to abstain from harassment – not just work with all men. | Bottom of Form

Growth and Development of Characters: Gustad Noble and Elaine Risley Essay

In order to adapt in an ever-changing society, teeming with benevolence and intrigue, an individual must be able to adapt to differentiating surroundings. The human mind and body must grapple with disturbing memories or enthralling dramas of life. These thoughts are channelled through various emotions. Emotions are physical or mental expressions, often involuntary, related to feelings, perceptions or beliefs about elements, objects or relations between them, in reality or in the imagination. The growth and transformation of any entity cannot be justly physical, but also mental strength and wisdom. Past experience of any manner colours the human being for future of constant change. Gustad Noble of Rohinton Mistry’s Such A Long Journey and Elaine Risley of Margaret Atwood’s Cat’s Eye demonstrate the pattern of the â€Å"circle of life†: karma, religion, family and friends. The readers can visualize modest lifestyles maturing in the wake of sudden changes. These modifications have the characters questioning their moral heart as their life charts towards uncharted waters. The authors’ interpretations of these realistic situations construct a model for the readers to judge their lifestyles by. Mistry and Atwood use literary devices, diction, and clever wordplay to enhance the reading experience for the audience. The readers witness the protagonists becoming better individuals through adversity, as they overcome unforeseen challenges. Eastern and Western societies are so different in so many ways, and yet there are some elements that are universal: betrayal, love, compassion, family, and friendship. The emphasis of Elaine and Gustad’s struggles creates an illusion that their tragedies are the readers’ tragedies as well. The central theme of both novels is the need to embrace emotions, especially sadness, and not to run from them and also their different perspectives of change and isolation. It depicts that life has its fair share of bumps in the road, but with persistence and determination, they can be overcome. In the storylines of both novels, friendship and betrayal become quite evident and explicit. In Cat’s Eye, Elaine Risley allows her body and mind to be abused by her so-called â€Å"friends† and to question her sense of identity. This teasing by the girls, Cordelia, Grace, and Carol, shatters Risley’s self-esteem and leads her to adopt disturbed habits, such as peeling her skin, biting her nails, and chewing her hair. In the aftermath of the bridge incident, Elaine stands up for herself and takes a step forward for freedom the girls’ torment and torture. Realization comes crashing down on her, of how she had fallen for the illusion of false friendship. Her childhood was scarred from all the emotional pain she endured. Similarly, in Such A Long Journey, Gustad Noble had also believed he had been betrayed by his closest friend, Major Jimmy Bilimoria. The Major had sent him a large sum of money to be deposited in the bank, however it was money supposedly to be used to aid rebels in East Pakistan in its war effort. Gustad first thought it would be a heroic mission, aiding the army, but he soon realizes the danger he is bringing to his family and career. Unlike Elaine, who was emotionally attached to her â€Å"best friends†, Bilimoria’s actions came as a sudden shock. Jimmy was like family to the Nobles, the children respected and loved him, and provided so much enjoyment to all. First, he departed without a goodbye and then left the Noble family into a trap of deception. Gaustad has his suspicions, but sees this as a test of loyalty to his old friend. His entire family was against it, and for the most part, so was he. However, Gustad would not let his friend’s call go unanswered, but needed a little persuasion. In both situations, the readers want to reach out and help, and make the ordeal seem less complicated, but both characters are emotionally attached to their friends. When it comes to whether friendship was of importance, Elaine and Gustad stand on opposite sides. Gustad was the more open-minded of the two, even showing respect to the mentally unstable Tehmul, while Elaine shunned Cordelia physical, but was still shaken by her past traumas. Gustad does not prefer change as his life in the past is described as paradise to him. It is with change, comes problems. He blames the theme of change of causing his son not to go to IIT, as his son has changed into a different person from before who does not respect him. He also blames the theme of change on Jimmy’s betrayal as Jimmy in the past was seen as the â€Å"loving brother† but now, he focuses on deceiving Gustad to gain his own selfish goals. Gustad’s reluctance to change is further emphasized by the black wall which represents his life in the past during the war, and by leaving those on his windows he emphasizes that he wants things to be just as how they were back then. The black wall is another symbolist element used to represent change, although Gustad is disgusted by its pungent odour, he doesn’t want the wall to be demolished as it is the source of his isolation and separates himself from the rest of the world. On the contrary, with Elaine, change is almost constant throughout the novel. Her suffering in the hands of Cordelia, Grace, and Carol have left her scrambling for answers and questioning her sense of identity. As she matures into an adult, her haunting memories of her childhood continue to stay with her. Constant flashbacks remind her of the past, and how she overcame it. The marble of the cat’s eye is used to represent change, as it was like a talisman that protected Elaine from her past hardships. Before, it was Cordelia who held the upper hand in their relationship, but as they became adults, Elaine realized how both their lives ended in completely contradictory paths. Since everything did not go her way in her past, everything must be perfect in the future, and thus constant change. Both Elaine and Gustad explore the nature of memory and identity, and how experience of the present is coloured by past events. Spirituality and religion also impact the growth and development, as it plays a crucial theme in the lives of Elaine and Gustad. As the world seemed to crash down on him, such as Roshan’s illness, Sohab’s attitude towards going to IIT, Major Jimmy’s issue and his quarrel with a neighbour, Gustad would always turn to his prayers to solve these problems. In Hinduism and Christianity/Catholicism, a person of pure heart is always commended with good fortune, and this was displayed with both Gustad and Elaine. Elaine can be depicted as an immigrant from the start of her arrival in Toronto, different physically and mentally. She was raised as a boy, growing up with her brother Stephen, and was interested in different things than what â€Å"normal† girls would like. The other girls used Elaine like a lower being, in order to feel good about their sub-par appearance. The emotional pain Elaine felt was cured with the aid of the Virgin Mary. One can imagine the Virgin Mary speaking through Elaine as she rejected Cordelias’ demands, freeing her from her prison of unjust treatment. Likewise, Gaustad and his kusti allowed him too overcome the various obstacles in his life. For example, his sacrifice to save an elder’s life left him only with a minor limp, as his friend Major Bilimoria saved him from extensive damages. Also, as the stress began to mount to its peak on Gustad, the readers can easily identify his Gustad’s misfortunes began turning the other way; Roshan recovering, Sohab returning, and learning of Jimmy’s true motifs of the money. One can imagine the wall of divine beings, an idea of Gustad himself, helped alleviate these burdens. This wall became a temple itself, as provided a diverse mental comfort to those to look at it. Gustad would always praise the street artist who brought this monument to life, as it depicted the spiritual beings that the mortals worshipped to prosper in various aspects of life. Faith is almost always the first thing people turn to in times of need and quite different in both Elaine and Gustad’s cases. Elaine did not even believe in any superior beings, until Grace invited her to attend church. It’s peculiar because afterwards, as she prays to Jesus, that she is demanding her prayers are granted. She imagined God as someone who would answer all her problems in a heartbeat. In reality, sometimes life doesn’t turn your way all the time, and Elaine did not know that. This may be why she converted into a Catholic and worshipped the Virgin Mary. Gustad, on the contrary, seems to have been a religious man since his childhood. His childhood memories were fantasizing about protecting a castle and fighting off dragons with his sacred kusti. In the current timeframe of the novel, the readers learn countless people made it theirs. The wall had a certain calming aura about it, and that it is his morning ritual to pray before he commences anything else. Although both Gustad and Elaine’s thoughts upon faith and religion are quite different, one can say that it was divine intervention that aided them throughout all their hardships and suffering. Individuality or independence can be defined as the state or quality of being free from subjection or from the influence, control, or guidance of individuals, things, or situations. Gustad and Elaine feel the necessity of isolation, and confining themselves in their minds, without expressing inner emotions for a majority of the novels. The readers can witness the evolution of Gustad’s character as the novel progresses, before problem after problem began to amount. One can only imagine the internal pain he feels as Roshan falls ill, Sohrab defying his father’s ambitions, and Bilimoria’s apparent betrayal, it is hard not to wonder how he manages to cover his emotions. Gustad is one who does not like to express his emotions publicly, but is very open with his wife Dilnavaz. They both share a special bond, where they continuously support one another through the rough times. Again, the black wall comes into significance again. Gustad covers the windows of Khohad Building to isolate it from the atrocities of the world. The wall can be symbolism to support, protect, or guard something; similarly this is the same idea in the confines of Gustad’s mind as the wall represents the congested emotions trapped in his head. By demolishing the wall, it is as though he is letting himself become vulnerable and open. This represents the theme of isolation, as Gustad locks his emotions and only releases them when he cannot bear it anymore, especially when Tehmul dies and Sohrab returns towards the end. Elaine can also relate to isolation as well. As the other girls were tormenting her, she was always alone, no one to turn to. Her parents were completely oblivious to what was going on with their daughter. For example, after Elaine fell into the river and returned home, her mother did not accuse the other girls at all, even though Elaine covered up for their sake. She kept all her thoughts and feelings to herself, not knowing the load she had put on herself. Even as an adult, she continued to hide things from her closest family; another example being hiding her relationship with Josef from Jon after they were married. The readers understand Elaine’s behaviour; she cannot trust another person because of her past experiences. She hasn’t fully recovered from the entire ordeal. However, the one true difference between the two is that Gustad always turns to his family, while Elaine keeps to herself. When analyzing Mistry’s Such a Long Journey and Atwood’s Cat’s Eye one can clearly distinguish the significant components of both novels that the protagonists evolving as an individual and adapting tot their changing societies with a fair amount of struggle. Gustad Noble and Elaine Risley share many similarities, and also a variety of differences. They have both been through tough situations, and recovered in an assortment of ways. The readers witness the protagonists becoming better individuals through adversity, as they overcome unforeseen challenges. Eastern and Western societies are so different in so many ways, and yet there are some elements that are universal: betrayal, love, compassion, family, and friendship. Gustad had to let go of a simple lifestyle and found himself innocently drawn into a dangerous network of lies and deception. Elaine on the other hand found herself not being able to let go of a horrific childhood where a trio of other girls torment ed her. This impact on her life caused her to become more cautious in the future and also developing an obsession over those who caused her the misery. Family, friendship, karma, religion along with change and isolation affected how both Gustad and Elaine solved their problems. Gustad was amounted with family problems, with is daughter falling ill and his eldest son defying his ambitions. Gustad turned to his faith in order to find some sort of compassion and sympathy in his darkest hours. He did not express his emotions publicly, only releasing them to Dilnavaz when he could not bear them anymore. Change was not an option for Gustad, as he was not ready to accept them all; one example being the apparent betrayal for Major Jimmy Bilimoria. Unlike Gustad however, Elaine had no one to turn to discuss her issues. Due to the traumatic ordeal with Cordelia, Grace and Carol, Elaine had her self-esteem and body image shattered as she scrambled for answers. These events lead her to living a very conservative life, almost turning into the person she very well hated. As both she and Cordelia became adults, it is almost as if there fortunes had turned tables, on opposite ends of life. The same with Gustad, his good-natured character allowed his suffering to be minimal. Religion and spirituality had different affects and meanings with both protagonists. Gustad believed all his problems would be answered if he prayed with the right mindset. Elaine thought that her troubles would just disappear because of the abilities of superior begins, and the reason why she began attending church. Material objects also play important roles, Gustad’s black wall and Elaine’s marble. The black wall represented isolation and protection from the horrors and filth of the outside world. Even though it was treated without value, it provided Gustad with a special comfort, and probably the reason he turned it into a shrine. Elaine used the cat’s eye marble was used as a talisman, protecting her from her dilemmas. Even as she grew, one of her most influential paintings was the image of her marble, showing how she recovered from her horrific past. Thus, both Gustad Noble and Elaine Risley were impacted differently by family and friends, the themes of change and isolation, and most importantly, their understanding of their past experiences allowed them to mature as individuals.

Comparative Religion

Judea, Islam, Hindu – these are just a few of the various religions practiced all over the world, and with these religions, come their Gods, such as Allah, who is practiced by those with Islamic belief, and Brahman, who is known by a variety of names and forms by Hindus around the globe. Each religion has their own unique practices, their own unique beliefs, but with these differences comes similarities. Those who follow the faiths of either Islamic or Hindu religions have conflicting ideas, but still, both religions have similar aspects, such as the fact that both religions are monotheistic, not to mention the practice of charity and pilgrimage to God. Though with diverse names, both Islamic and Hindu religions worship one true God, making them both monotheistic, meaning that their religions only believe in one deity. The Qur’an, which is the holy book of Islam, asserts the existence of a single and absolute God that transcends the world. Though often mistaken as a polytheistic religion, Hinduism too believes in a one true God, but believes that He comes in a variety of shapes and forms. And it is here, that the two religions diverse. Islamic followers believe in an all mighty being known as Allah, unlike the Hindus, who worship Maya, Shakti and the sorts, all of whom are different extensions of the one true God. One could see as to why Hinduism is often mistaken as a polytheistic religion. But in truth, both are monotheistic. To become closer with God – this is the ultimate goal in life when it comes to both the Islamic and Hindu religions. The difference between the two lies as to how they become closer to God. Islam’s believe that their one purpose in life is to worship God, Islam literally meaning submission, specifically to God; the Islamic are expected to worship and adore him. The Hindu’s too belief that one’s goal in life is too become as close with God as possible through the acts of positive karma, in which one is reincarnated over and over again until a follower is one with God. To be one with God is the goal for followers of both religions. To become closer with God, followers of both religions are expected to associate themselves with acts of charities and good deeds. With the Hindus, this is similar to positive karma, in which they believe that when one does a positive act, something good will happen in return, and vice versa. Those of the Islamic faith though, strongly follow the Five Pillars, in which the basis of Islamic religion is worshipped upon; Confession, Prayer, Fasting, Charity, and Pilgrimage. Both Islam’s and Hindus alike commit themselves to charity. Hindu and Islam are practiced by millions of people around the world, in all four corners of the globe. As noted earlier, both religions are monotheistic, meaning that they worship none but one true God. Islam’s and Hindu’s alike wish for pilgrimage with their God, and followers of both religions must commit themselves to charity. But in the end, despite their differences, Hindu and Islamic religions do have their similarities.