Corporate Social Responsibility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Corporate Social Responsibility - Essay Example Corporate social responsibility helps build sustainable and stable business environments with healthy markets and surrounding communities (McCabe, 2). The key aspects for corporate social responsibility include; firstly, social investment which involves the company contributing to the infrastructure of the community. Secondly, transparency and accountability whereby the company is transparent on what they do, this will help build confidence from the outside on their business. Thirdly, CSR is aimed at enlightening self interest whereby they are able to work well with the community and, lastly, to increase the expectations of the community on their business and that it is not all about getting profits but, also for providing employment and helping the community in their projects. Corporate social responsibility involves a company’s social investment in a society and the trust they build through their CSR activities. A strong CSR is associated with good business and successful le adership; the way they relate to the community will affect their relationship with their customers and stakeholders (McCabe, 4). They, therefore have to be very careful in ‘giving back to the community’. This report will analyze the WD-40 company corporate social responsibility. WD-40 is a global consumer product company that deals with fabrication of products such as cleaning agents, chemicals, and aerosols. The board manages how the company handles its management and social responsibility, which includes compensations. The WD-40 CSR program assists the neighboring community, stakeholders and investors (WD-40 Company). The community is the greatest beneficiary of the CSR program. In terms of leadership and business ethics, they ensure that they treat all the stakeholders, customers and investors in the same way (Samuel & Celine Louche, 28). Leadership ethics involves the company’s culture of making ethical choices. It measures the company’s obligation to incorporating into the social aspects in their laid down objectives. Another important feature of CSR at WD-40 is transparency. Transparency put in place to ensure that the company is open in what it does to both customers and stakeholders. This help build trust in the whole society. WD-40 makes sure that it involves the employees in the verdict making process and administration of the company. This feature of CSR ensures that the company has a list of its stakeholders and how they engage with them and, that its part of global entities. In the aspect of community development, the company shows how it relates with the community through giving, donations and involvement in development activities (O'Brien, 2). The company should show their responsibility in protecting the health of the community at large. If they are engaging in construction activities, they devise ways to protect the environment by carrying out impact assessments and, giving the community a chance to show whether they are comfortable with their activities, i.e. they should be part of decision-making (McKinsey & Company, 5). The category that involves products and services covers the company’s responsibility in development and management of products and their impacts on the community. The company focuses on the health of consumers and market opportunities available. The quality of their products influences how a product or service will sell; they should ensure that their products work especially, that their products deal with cleaning (WD-40 Company). The human rights category measures the company’s commitment to respecting human rights and the freedoms associated with the human rights. This will help the company be recognized as one that values human

Training and Development Assignment Essay Example for Free

Training and Development Assignment Essay I have chosen the case #2, about the DEEP BAY INTERNATIONAL HOTEL, where there is a clear necessity to develop a certain strategy for training and development of the hotel’s personnel in order to gain more customer satisfaction and as a result more customers and consequently more profit and better position of the hotel in the market. Part 1: First of all we will conduct the training needs assessment TNS for the organization in order to identify the key concepts that need the most attention for creating a good training program for hotel’s personnel. It is true that the Tutors themselves play a key role in the recognition of students needs in this area as they are their first / main point of contact. Younger Tutors with less experience often need specific training to help them to be able to identify the signs which indicate that help may be required. In larger organizations such as universities there are normally professional councilors and mentors available for one to one sessions. In our case it is necessary to employ tutors from the outside in order to make an initial introduction to what the staff’s main goals and objectives should be like and than move on to implementing that knowledge at the workplace.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are often practical issues that need to be dealt with to ensure that students can achieve their learning goals i.e. crà ¨che facilities, transport issues, times of training and flexibility of training. Many training and further education establishments will address these issues to different degrees depending upon the size of the organization and the facilities and resources available. All of the areas discussed rely upon the correct management systems, administrative systems and infrastructure being in place. To enforce this it is the requirement that any training organization in the public sector involved with awarding bodies such as City and Guilds or O.C.R must have a comprehensive Equal Opportunities Policy in place. This policy outlines the philosophy of the organization in terms of offering equality of opportunity to all and specifically deals with issues such as race, gender, disability and age. The policy is available for public scrutiny and it (or parts of it) is quite often on display within the public areas of the organization. Once the policy has been established it is essential that it is reviewed regularly by a nominated department and kept up to date with current guidelines and legislation. All tutors, by the nature of the work that they do, must have excellent communication skills and be able to relate to individuals on a personal basis. This ability helps them to spot potential problems early and avoid unnecessary complications. It is also necessary to ensure that all students are aware that they can talk to their tutor in confidence about any problems that they may have. Development of communication skills for students is now becoming an essential part of the course content of many courses particularly NVQ’s and often includes other aspects of basic skills such as literacy and numeracy. Constructive feedback helps students assess their performance and gives the Tutor an opportunity to provide direction and praise or help them to be aware of their mistakes and what they need to do to ensure that they learn from them. However, perhaps some of the most important and challenging functions of HR professionals are directly related to the recruitment, selection, training, and appraisal of the organization’s employees (or potential employees as the case may be). It is up to HR manager or management team to create processes and methodologies in recruiting, training, and appraising its staff in such a way that it is congruent with the values, vision and culture of the organization. This can be an enormous challenge – especially in today’s business world where companies are constantly acquiring and merging together forming whole new identities at an exponential rate. In dealing with the ambiguity of the corporate world HR professionals realize that it is not singular performance of each and every HR function that will assure the best human resources for their organizations, it is the alignment and integration of all of the HR functions that create an environment that empowers and encourages employee growth, competency, and loyalty. In our case I would recommend the learner’s centered training approach because of the audience, which is the hotel staff that already has experience in working in the industry and only need to improve their skills and perception of the new wave of development. The health of any organization depends on the development of its people. If indeed the greatest asset is its human resources, then it is even more vital that the organization allow for its HR professionals to invest time and energy into this vital planning function. When planning how best to train new and existing employees, HR professionals should always be sure to address both immediate and long-range goals, behaviors and skills. However, more often than not, just like anyone else, HR people cannot always assume or pretend to know what would best work for everyone, so it is critical that before planning out the training process, they must conduct a thorough needs assessment. This can be done through many ways such as the administration of questionnaires and surveys to determine employee needs and expectations, observation of job functions and the organization as a whole, and other methods of qualitative information gathering. Once a training plan has been established, the entire process by which people learn what is expected of them in their new roles in the organization is socialization. This process, not unlike many other HR processes, has multiple stages such as: Entry/Anticipatory Socialization, Socialization/Accommodation, and Mutual Acceptance. It is important for HR professionals to recognize and encourage the full development of the new employee through all of these stages. Throughout the orientation and training of new (or old) employees, it is also important for an HR professional to conduct a training and development assessment. A thorough assessment would include an analysis of the training needs as well as the development needs over the next few years. Training needs should be based on immediate needs for changes in behavior, where as the long-range development goals should be based on the acquisition of knowledge and skills to be used now and in the future. Positioning employee training to focus on short and long term development helps HR professionals to look â€Å"down the road† and address how they can help their employees meet challenges, create change and ensure the overall health of the organization. In using this futuristic approach, an imperative strategic alignment is built to integrate employee training and development, with that of employee performance management. Through the needs analysis that was conducted with the current manager, we found that even the best employees can always use a little more training. Even though the new employee may come with experience under their belt, they still need to be trained to do their job within the Deep Bay International Hotel organization. Since most new employees in this position come from a corporate background, they need to be acclimated to the Deep Bay International Hotel and its unique culture and position as a teaching hotel. The employee also has the need to be trained in just what their duties on the job are, beyond what the job description tells them. This type of training needs to be done within the first weeks that the employee is on the job, so that they can perform their job function as effectively as possible. Management skills in particular are not usually fully developed until someone has been working as a manager for years, and even then, there is often room for improvement. Since the new employee in this situation may only have two years experience, and in what may have been a limited managerial role; management training is necessary. By participating in a training program, managers can make more informed decisions in their management capacity. One area that the needs analysis found training to be necessary is in the human resources side of this management position. Thus, one of the key areas a new manager will be trained in his how to hire, fire, and retain good employees. Leadership and teamwork skills are an integral part of working at the Deep Bay International Hotel. Thus, the training programs allow the new employee the ability to grow their leadership skills and learn how to function well in a team and develop teams among those that they supervise. Part 2: Training Objectives Familiarize the new employee to the Deep Bay International Hotel culture and operations. The employee should be able to state how their job functions within the whole Deep Bay International Hotel organization. The new employee will learn what are the responsibilities of their job at the Deep Bay International Hotel and the correct way to perform their key duties. Within two weeks the employee should be able to manage the functions of the banquet and conference services department with only limited help from other managers. Management development, enhance upon the employee’s current management skills so that they may become more effective managers. Evaluate and improve skills relating to human resources. The employee should understand and be able to discuss and the proper techniques for hiring, employee retention, and firing. Improve management leadership skills, so that the manager can more effectively manage their employees. Manager should be able to interact with and work in a team environment on a regular basis. Manager should be able to divide his subordinates into functional team groups to maximize their effectiveness. Part 3: Evaluation Process The evaluation process is multi-part because the employee is going to be trained in such a breadth of topics. The first two objectives, understanding the employee’s place in the Deep Bay International Hotel and its culture, and being able to perform their job function with only limited assistance can be evaluated together. After the employee has been on the job for three weeks, the Banquet Dept. head should sit down and meet with the new manager. The department head should discuss with the manager their level of understanding about their job. Additionally, the department head should speak with the employee’s coworkers informally to see if they have any constructive criticism for the job that the new manager is doing. The Banquet Dept. head should prepare a performance appraisal for the employee that should state the employee’s current level of acclamation to their job. This appraisal should then be presented to the employee and discussed with the department head so that the employee can work on the areas in which they are weak. The appraisal should be presented as something that is purely to help the employee, not as something that will affect things like raises, etc. The employee’s human resource skills, the third objective, will be evaluated in two ways. The first way that the skills will be evaluated is in an interactive test that will be given both before and after training with the Retention and Motivation CD-ROM from the AHMA. This test will evaluate the employee’s skill improvement after they have completed all of the training parts of the CD-ROM. The employee’s skills will also be evaluated in an objective fashion by the employee’s supervisor, the banquet dept. head. The skills will be given an initial ranking after the head’s meeting with the employee in the beginning of training. The dept. head will do a performance appraisal approximately two months after the employee has started. As part of this appraisal, the head will distribute anonymous evaluations to the supervisor’s subordinates that ask about his/her motivational skills. This appraisal will evaluate the employee’s current human resource skills as well as his/her level of improvement from starting at the Deep Bay International Hotel. The team building skills of the employee will also be evaluated in multiple steps. The evaluation will come after step one of the training process, the Increasing Teamwork: Productivity video. Simple tests that quiz about the basics of teamwork will be given to the employee before and after and their performance accordingly evaluated. From the dept. head’s meeting with the employee initially, a framework of teamwork skills to work on will be developed. The team retreat will help the employee to further develop his/her skills in this area as well. About two months after the employee has been hired, the dept. head should determine the change in the employee’s level of teamwork skills. This evaluation should cover both the manager’s ability to work within teams as well as to form then amongst his subordinates.       Bibliography: Adler, Nancy J. International Dimensions of Organizational Behavior. South-Western College Publishing, Cincinnati, 1997. Fishman, Shirley R. Developing a Global Workforce. Canadian Business Review, 1996. Fowler, Sandra M., Mumford, Monica G. and Hoopes, David S. Intercultural Sourcebook, Vol. I: Cross-Cultural Training Methods. Intercultural Press, Inc., Yarmouth, 1995. Harris, Philip R. and Moran, Robert T. Managing Cultural Differences: Leadership Strategies for a New World of Business. Gulf Publishing Company, Houston, 1996. Hofstede, G. Cultures and Organizations; Software of the Mind. McGraw-Hill, New York, 1991. Knowles, Malcolm, Swanson, Richard and Holton, Elwood. Adult Learner: Definitive Classic on Adult Education and Training. McGraw-Hill Ryerson, Ltd., Whitby, 1999. Wheeler, Mardy and Marshall, Jeanie. â€Å"Developing Human Resources†, 1986.

Sex Differences In The Brain Psychology Essay

Sex Differences In The Brain Psychology Essay There has been ongoing debate and research on the differences between the male and female brain by endless amounts of researches. According to a few researches (Leonard et al., 2009), not much has been researched to show a sex difference in terms of behavioural. While many or some still believe that women and men think and act the same, there are actually some differences in each others brains that show otherwise. According to one Geary (1998), the development of sex differences are through sexual selection which relates to sex hormones and also sex differences in the brain. The main debate on this particular topic would be that both gender are equal in terms of thought , skills and life strengths. There also have been arguments giving theories that women and somewhat better than men in certain skills while men are better in certain skills than women. Some may question the importance of undergoing research on this debate but it is of utter most importance to discover the strength and weakness of both genders in order to achieve a better living environment. It can be seen in both male and female that there are differences between the brains through their behaviour, personality traits and life skills and their much stronger abilities. In terms of abilities, it can be seen in their visuospatial, verbal and quantitative abilities. This is shown through ones individual behaviour. For males, an example would be in terms of their visuospatial abilities which include object rotation (Nisbett et al., 2012). In other words, it is where they are able to imagine how an object would appear when rotated (Quinn Liben, 2012). Example would be in a particular subject requiring imagining object rotation in Video Games. Men are more likely to be able to create a game faster compared to women because of this particular ability and that may be the reason why men are usually the hunters. For there is a need of visuospatial abilities in hunting, which might explain this phenomena. As for women, they are more likely to score higher in verbal abilities such a s speech fluency and memory abilities (Nisbett et al., 2012). This may be the reason why women have a higher tendency to be giving speeches in any form without compromise. Although we may say that there are no differences, it is already shown through some research that differences among men and women can be seen. Besides that, there is another individual difference between both men and women which would be in terms of intelligence of different fields. The structure and organization of both male and female brains are similar but through deeper inspection, it can be seen that some parts of the brain between the male and female are differ from one another (Giedd, Castellanos, Rajapakse, Vaituzis, Rapoport, 1997). Another individual difference which can be seen would be aggression. Men tend to be more aggressive than women in terms of how they show it. It shows that men tend to be direct with their aggression. But as for women, they tend to show their aggression indirectly. A good example would be through gossips, straight forward remarks and many more. This shows that their aggression would be through words rather than physical harm. Before this there were arguments on why the treatment between men and women are different where men were treated much better than women in terms of given opportuni ties. This would lead to the idea of stereotyping between men and women. Although it shows that there are differences, the action of splitting both gender into their own groups might lead them to stereotyping and it wouldnt be healthy for both genders. In some way, through these research, it can be said explained that there is a difference between both genders but to some extent. These research act as guidelines in terms of assigning work or tasks depending on their strongest ability and knowing their limitations might help increase the chances of a better performance in a group, team or taskforce. There are also debates going around about effects of cultural differences upon the sex differences of the brain. In the opinion of Baron-Cohen (2005) culture and socialization has a part in affecting the male and female brain in terms of strengthening a certain area, for example their systematic side for the guys and emphatic side for the girls. But there are a few studies on infancy which strongly suggests that biological factors play an important role in developing a persons brain. According to Neisser et al. (1996), the influence on behaviour of postnatal and prenatal hormones are there, which also includes influence on cognition and personality and character of a male and female. It is said that sex hormones has an effect on human cognition in life, which might explain the why older women have better fluency in their verbal abilities (Wolf Kirschbaum, 2002, as cited in Nisbett et al., 2012). This is because a higher estrogen levels effect the verbal abilities of a person. As for males, if one were to be born with IHH (Idiopathic Hypogonadotrophic Hypogonadism), they would most likely have small testes which would explain why they would be doing badly in the more spatial parts when it comes to systemizing a task compared to normal males. Besides that, a male with AI (Androgen Insensitivity) Syndrome, they would also be doing worse in systemizing compared a normal male. Through the few research stated above, it can be seen that hormones play a big role in developing both female and male brains. There is an assumption or conclusion where there are absolutely no sex differences in the brain between both male and female (Jensen, 1998 as cited in Nisbett et al., 2012). There are some researches who supported this conclusion by conducting a 42 mental ability test (Johnson Bouchard, 2007, as cited in Nisbett et al., 2012). It is said that there are no differences between the sexes yet a contradicting statement says however, several test showed a difference between male and female (Nisbett et al., 2012). This may be caused by certain limitations faced by the experimenter during the time of research for different periods of time use different method. Some better than the other due to the increasing development in research method as time passes. Besides that, there are research that says that there are sex differences in behaviour. And a research supports that saying there was very little evidence to support the fact that there are sex differences in behaviour (Chiarello et al., 2 009). Little can be said about the behaviour as one could easily be influenced by the environment that they have been raised in. But in the way of thought and certain skill set, it can be seen there is a difference in the brain between both male and female. There are new theories that have been brought to light at this time period. One of them would be the empathizing-systemizing (E-S) theory. This theory states that the female brain tends to be more stronger in terms of empathy while the male brains are more towards the understanding and building of systems (Baron-Cohen, 2005). To further understand this, we must know the meaning of empathizing and systemizing. Empathizing helps a person able to source out someone elses emotions and thoughts while being able to interpret it to give the right emotional response. These people usually try to find out how a person feels rather than what they are doing thus making them more sensitive and able to care for them well. As for systemizing, it is the motivation or drive to explore and analyze the system, to be able to think out of the box and see the unseen, imagining possibilities by just looking at one shape and how it would turn out to be once it has been completed. They are able to figure out the workings of the system, but sometimes using the rules as guidelines. Through this theory, it can be said that, a person, may it be male or female, has a certain type of brain. There are three categories in this brain type. The first would be a stronger empathizing ability than systemizing which is labelled as brain type E. The following one would be a stronger ability in systemizing, which is labelled as brain type S. It can also be known as the male brain because the majority gender that has this type of brains would be the male compared to the female. The last one would be the strong ability in both empathizing and systemizing. This is labelled as a balanced brain which falls under category brain type B. Through this research, it can be seen there is a significance difference between the male and female brain in certain areas. In terms of verbal abilities, women score higher in this section of the research while men score higher in visuospatial abilities and quantitative abilities. Although this research is ongoing and never ending as new theories and findings will come out, there is no harm in applying what has been found into the world today. For example would be at work. Certain work can be divided among different gender workers depending on their strongest ability. Some may be given the task to increase their knowledge and ability in that field. By doing so, there is a possibility of increasing productivity, teamwork, communication and development of the company and employees. There has to be a certain level of equality to avoid stereotyping from happening in the workplace. In schools it is better not to split genders and have only gender based education as it may bring harm to b oth male and female in terms of mental and psychological factors. This may make boys and girls stereotyping one another once they leave school. As this topic falls in the area of cognitive psychology and neuropsychology, it can help us learn more about each gender. This could benefit everyone in the long run and also avoid any thoughts of stereotyping or sexism among both genders in the working and studying environment. As a conclusion, through this research, it can be seen that there are sex differences in the brain between both genders but only in certain areas. The strengths of one gender might differ from the other. The study of sex differences in the brain may continue and the debate will go on. As this progresses, new theories and finding will come to light. The influence of external sources like the environment in which a person has grown also effects the differences in the brain. Besides that, biological factors would also greatly effect the development of a persons brain. Applying this into our current situation might help in future developments and also it could end the thought of stereotyping another gender. Furthermore, the rapid development of new technologies could help us understand more of these differences in the future and maybe the society would change and be more open to allowing the application of these research into our daily lives.

The Roles of Individuals in their Communities in Ancient Greece Essay

The Ancient Greeks had many values that made their civilization successful, but one of the most important was their sense of community. The Greeks, especially in Classical Athens, considered their community in the decisions they made, and they were interested in the affairs of the state. It was important to them that their society was functional and productive, and their personal needs often came second to those of the state. Community was a central value in Greek culture, and the individual’s contribution to the community strengthened the state and benefitted each person. Some philosophers disagreed, with this, however, and valued independent thinking over obedience and loyalty to the state. The government structure reflected the Athenians’ belief that individual contribution is crucial for sustaining a productive society. In the Classical Era, which was from 490-323 BCE, democracy was implemented and resulted in the power over the state lying in each citizen’s hands. Every vote affected the decisions that were made for the community, and every person had a say. The democratic system increased the individual’s involvement and interest in state affairs, therefore making each citizen more aware of what was happening in his community. As Thucydides said in Pericles’ eulogy, â€Å"Here each individual is interested not only in his own affairs but in the affairs of the state as well: even those who are mostly occupied with their own business are extremely well-informed on general politics.† By being well informed, the Athenians made better choices for their polis and cared more about what was going on in their city. The specialization of labor also reflected the Athenian belief that each individual contribution is essential for ... ...i. How Electricity is Created. 28 April 2010. . Grant, Simon. Information and Technology Serving Human Development. 28 April 2010. . The Greenhouse Effect. 22 March 2010 . . Sharkey, Joe. Sometimes, You Just Have to Be There. Proquest. 22 Mar. 2010 http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=2&did=1947821801&SrchMode=2&sid=2&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1264612585&clientId=9168&cfc=1 Technology Timeline. 22 March 2010. . Torr, James D. The Information Age. Farmington Hills: Greenhaven Press, 2003. Washington State University. The Industrial Revolution. 22 March 2010 .

Marx Philosophy and the End of History

Karl Marx is, without a doubt one of the most influential thinkers to emerge in the nineteenth century, and the theories he proposed, have influenced various regimes in different parts of the world. His success is the result of the flexibility present in his theories to adapt themselves to the times. In his mid twenties Marx, turned away from philosophy and concentrated his attention more towards the economic and political aspects of the society. It was in the light of economics that he viewed the problems in society and sought to provide a remedy to it. He viewed society not as an independent entity. Contrarily, he saw, society as a reflection of the progress made by History. The progress made by history always left behind a legacy in its trail. This legacy had a profound impact in the shaping of society. The validity of this statement can be proven, by citing the example of the poverty in the Africa Americans as the legacy of their history as slave labourers. However the direction of History was uncertain and could not be predicted. It was dictated by the economic factors present in society. The only certainty was that an, ‘end of history’ was inevitable. In his theory on Historical Materialism, Marx carefully analyses the various factors influencing the different stages in the growth of society from slavery to modern day capitalism. Thus the views of Marx can be summed up under, four basic principles. Firstly, he believed that society followed a straight law of motion and underwent various phases in order to get to the final stage of Communism. Secondly, the laws governing the society were purely economic in nature, for the only thing that shapes society are the ‘material tools of production. Thirdly, he believed that these laws would continue to be in force until the end of History. Fourthly, the classes and the State would perish with the end of History. However this end would be brought about by a bitter struggle of one class against another. It must be mentioned in this context, that Marx borrowed the concept of a dialectical history, with a cognate beginning, middle and end from Hegel. Marx’s main concern was the ‘State’, which he viewed as the main tool of exploitation. It is the State and its various institutions that are utilised by the dominant class to wield their power. He advocated that the State was the most powerful tool of exploitation, whose sole purpose was to represent the interests of the ruling class. He chose to study the State through the annals of History. To him only ‘History’, could reveal the secrets at work behind the evolution of the state and determine its future shape. However, Marx did not consider History to be an open-ended process. Instead he saw a definite ‘end in history’. This end would result in the downfall of Capitalism and ensue the coming of a new era of Communism. An end in History did not signify an end to human life, it simply meant that there would no longer be any changes in the underlying principles or institutions for all the major problems had been solved and man’s major needs fulfilled. Before we can elaborate on the ‘end of history’, as predicted by Marx, it is essential that we know what history is all about. Marx claims that History has not progressed in a straight line. The coherent development of human societies through the ages has been a result of the various regimes that it has undergone. Marx thus traces the evolutionary process from, tribal based societies which were dependant on slavery and agriculture for subsistence, to theocracies, monarchies, feudal aristocracies, modern liberal democracies and finally to the technologically driven Capitalism. In his study Marx points out that the fundamental element present in all these different societies is the ‘class’ system and the ‘means of production,’ which determined which class would be dominant in the society. The ‘Class’ and the subsequent ‘class struggle’ were the sine qua non of Marx’s theory. History showed that the class who controlled the means of production was the dominant class in society. It is the tools of ruthless dominance and exploitation used by the dominant class to maintain their authority that would one day turn against them and spearhead the inevitable revolutions. History has shown that every revolution brought about a change in the social structure. This change did not bring about an egalitarian order it simply replaced the old dominant class with a new one. The unequal social structure continued to exist. Every revolution just changed the composition of the oppressor and the oppressed. The day that the society became classless would be the day that History came to an end. This end was possible with the rise of Communalism. While proclaiming the advent of Communalism, Marx refused to give a cognate shape to his ideal society. He claimed that the final shape of Communism would be the result of the different historical processes that society underwent. It was not a realisation of a predetermined moral idea. When it came to classes, Marx outlined two major segments into which society was divided. They were the oppressed or the ‘Proletariat’ as he called them and the oppressor or the ‘Bourgeoisie’. When the levels of oppression reached its penultimate point the oppressed class rose in rebellion and the outcome of this rebellion was a new society. Thus Marx stated, â€Å"The history of all hitherto existing societies has been the history of class struggle.† The day history ceases to exist; classes shall also cease to exist. Marx in his theories always stressed on the Historical aspect and asserted that every society contained within itself the forces of contradiction, known as the ‘Thesis’ and ‘Anti Thesis’. When these two contradictory forces clashed against one another, a class struggle emerged that sought to change the shape of society and replace the existing dominant class with a new one. This change was not permanent but would cease with the end of history, and there would finally emerge a classless society where each person enjoyed the fruits of his own labour. In his theory on History Marx, points out that in a divided society the tools of production are owned by the dominant section of society who exploit the weaker classes in order to amass more wealth and gain strength. But, there would come a time, when the levels of consciousness would rise among the oppressed class and they would unite in a struggle against the oppressors. History is replete with such examples. The slave society was replaced by the feudal society and the feudal society by the Industrialists or the Bourgeoisie. The coming of the Industrialist Revolution brought a boom in the industry and a new class emerged as the dominant section. They were the Capitalist class who owned the means of production. Like its predecessors the Capitalist society also contained within itself the seeds of dissent. The Capitalists became the dominant class who usurped the means of production and relentlessly exploited the working class or the proletariat. It resulted in the alienation of the worker. The working class was denied of the fruits of its labour and while the rich grew richer the poor grew poorer. The chasm continued to widen with the increase in wealth in the hands of the Capitalists. Despite the contradictions in the Capitalist regime, the ‘Communist Manifesto’ begins by praising the Capitalist system. It says that the Capitalist system has played a revolutionary role in History. It has shown what man’s endeavours can achieve. It has accomplished wonders, which surpasses the wonders of the world. It has conducted exoduses, which have overshadowed all past crusades in the world. Having praised the Capitalist system they go on to say that Capitalism by nature is based on ‘competition’ and the ‘market’. The same dynamics that propel capitalism will also be the reason of its downfall. When there are no more markets left to explore and exploit, the entire buying and selling cycle would collapse. Capitalism would  Ã‚   suffer from the phenomenon of ‘overproduction’ and   would be brought down to its knees. Harping on the ills of Capitalism, the Marxian philosophy, states that the Capitalist system would soon displace the smaller and individual producers. Marx went to the extent of saying that History would witness the replacement of indigenous farming with industrial and mechanised farming. Once this level of exploitation was reached the end of history would not be far away. This exploitation would unleash an era of unemployment and misery among the working class. When living under such miserable conditions became unbearable, history would witness a revolution spearheaded by the working class. Thus what Capitalism produces above all is its own ‘gravediggers’. It is the working class that would lead the final revolution to successfully remove the yoke of Capitalism. But the end of History or Communism as Marx viewed it was not to be achieved easily. The intermediate stage between Capitalism and Communism was the ‘Dictatorship of the Proletariat’. It was in this stage that the proletariat had complete control over the means of production as well as over the various institutions. The downfall of Capitalism, Marx claimed, would bring about the end of History. The phrase ‘end of history’ indicates a society based on Communism. It is a classless and egalitarian society where every man has full right over the fruits of his labour. From the ‘end of history’ there would emerge the final shape of the society. It would no longer undergo any more transformations, since all the major ills plaguing its predecessors had been removed. It was a society where man attained true economic freedom. Keeping in mind the fact that Marxism has a great deal of supporters it cannot be overlooked that the society Marx depicted in the end was more of a utopia rather than a reality. Though Marx’s philosophy has stood the test of times his views on the ‘end of History’ is yet to materialise. If we study the history of the world carefully we can see instances when the Marxian theory has borne fruit, but there have also been instances when the theory failed miserably. The theory of Marx was put to the test with the Russian Revolution. The theory defended itself by proclaiming that Russian society had not passed through the necessary stages in order to qualify as a successful communist society. Though the country was growing rapidly the society was predominantly feudal in nature. It had not been through the phase of Capitalism. The Soviet Union that was the glowing example of the success of Communism also faced failure. The downfall of the Soviet Union exposed the inherent corruption, inefficiency and irrationality present in the society. This picture of a communist society seemed to be absolutely contradictory to the egalitarian and classless society in a Communist Regime envisaged by Marx. The most important fact is that the ‘end of history’ is yet to manifest itself. With the ongoing scenario in the world Capitalism seems to have gained an even stronger foothold. Rather than an impending doom, capitalism is on a rise. The State that was supposed to wither away with the end of history is a far cry away. The State seems to be playing an even more important role today. It is far more intervening in the ways of man than predicted by man. Instead of being a tool of oppression the State has helped in maintaining stability, law and order in society. The end of history as envisaged by Marx is not easy to implement in practice. While envisaging an equal society Marx placed complete faith on the just and truthful nature of man. But man is by nature greedy. His wants keep increasing and to meet these wants he needs to amass resources. Thus, to think that man would be happy in his own little share would be a folly. It is inevitable that a man or a group of men would want to take over the reigns of power. Such a situation would lead to nothing but anarchy and chaos. It is because of the above reasons that the end of history seems such a far-fetched thought. The Marxian theory was not about right or wrong it was simply a theory of history. It followed the trends that had occurred in the past and on the basis of those sought to predict the future trends that would ensue. In so far that the theory acknowledged the presence of exploitation and domination in history it stands fully justified. It is only when it comes to predicting an end to Capitalism that the theory seems to falter. It seeks to attain the unattainable. In view of the above mentioned arguments, and in the light of the real world scenario, we can safely say, that, even though the political, economic and social institutions proposed By Marx are dead or dying away, his theory and influence on the world continue to exist. Works Cited Marx, . Karl,   Fredrick   Engels   and   David   Mclellan   ed,   The   Communist   Manifesto,   Oxford   World's   Classics   1848

Research Paper on Prayer

Research Paper on Prayer We live in a nation that says personal freedom is the fundamental and supreme value. There is no room for state-mandated prayer in a nation of citizens that greatly value their individuality. The nation we live in has no governmentally adopted religion or particular religious faith, this is because of the constitutional principle that the Supreme Court has maintained for many years, this â€Å"wall of separation between Church and State† that makes America a model of religious freedom. Religion matters tremendously in the United States, a world torn by conflict over religious differences the United States is the most religiously diverse nation on Earth. Therefore we are not officially a Christian nation, which gives us the ability to actually live up to the First Amendment and have more religious liberty in this country. That diversity will be endangered, not enhanced, if an amendment is passed that would promote organized school prayer. A proposal like enforcing prayer in public schools will create the type of division that the framers of the Constitution were seeking to prevent when they adopted the First Amendment. Children, who are required to attend school by law, should not be placed in the position of having to choose between pressures from their teachers, peers, and their parent’s instructions on religious practice. School sponsorship of a religious message is impermissible because it sends a subliminal message to the students, of leaving some who are nonadherents feeling as though they are outsiders. The current United States Supreme Court’s interpretation of the First Amendment does not prohibit students from praying voluntarily in school. However, it does bar organized school sponsored prayer. This is the difference between the right to pray in school, which is an absolute right, and the right not to be coerced to pray. Texas Governor Rick Perry led an organized prayer at an East Texas middle school on October 18, 2001. At the end of his prayer he offered â€Å"in Jesus’ name,† and some students responded with â€Å"Amen.† This is a problem because the students were required to attend this assembly therefore this was an organized prayer that students who may be nonbelievers or even of other religions were forced to participate in. The Governor took his personal perspective in consideration, â€Å"prayer life and a country that respects a higher being, our God, is a stronger country.† That is his belief and he took it upon himself to say that the majority of people in Texas believe the same thing. Has America along with the Governor forgotten about the rights of the minority? He overlooked the right not to be coerced to pray and the fact that not all Texans are going to be comfortable with the same prayer. Rick Perry is oppressing those that are of the Mormon, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist religion, or nonbelievers by saying that we all pray to the same God, and those who don’t should just show benevolence. The Governor should know that the founders of our nation strongly believed that the government, whether on the national or local level, should not become involved in any way in religious activities, which is exactly what he did. It is just not possible to have organized prayer in school w hen the United States is the multicultural melting pot of the world. In the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks, people in the nation should be called to prayer and students need a sanctuary. The sanctuary that students need can be found in the schools. Schools have students for at least 30 hours a week, which is more time than what the parents have in reality, and 30 times more than the church. More than any other institution in the world, the school has that unique opportunity with the next generation. The school is the school, an institution for learning, providing instruction and the church is the church, a clergy of a religious body. It is not the duty of the public school to teach religion or practice any majority religion. Parents are still the sole providers and teachers of morality for their children, and because students spend most of their time at public schools does not take away the duties that parents have to their children. Bringing a child up in a particular faith or teaching them the beliefs of a particular faith is a privilege and right of a parent. Wanting to bring religion to the children in public schools takes away that right and responsibility from parents. Most Americans do not want the government interfering in any of their most private affairs, one of them being religion. The public school that a parent’s child may be attending could be the very school that teaches a prayer that endorses beliefs that offend a parent. There are concerns about a decline in moral values in the country and in the increase in violence on the streets and in America’s homes. William Bennett, former Secretary of Education, claims that the 1962 decision, Engel v. Vitale of banning official prayer from the public schools, is directly responsible for the national decline. The 1962 decision marked a rapid plunge in SAT scores, a high rise in the teenage pregnancy rate and many other social problems. However, these are misleading claims, the social problems are related to the increase in wealth and opportunity and education between the richest and poorest people in our society. It is obvious that the decline and social problem have clearly nothing to do with prayer in public schools. For it is very crucial that America remembers that the school or any other government body cannot substitute for our churches, synagogues, mosques, homes, or any other place of worship. Prayer in the public schools will infringe on religious liberty rights, it will encourage divisiveness along religious lines in a public school setting, the minority religion will never prevail and their views will be effectively silenced. The nation’s founders believed that people should be free to pursue their own religious beliefs without government interference. Government endorsement of religion in a public school is a violation of the First Amendment and religious freedom should never be subjected to majority vote. You can also order a custom essay, term paper, thesis, dissertation or research paper on prayer from our custom research writing service which provides high-quality custom written papers at an affordable cost. Here is a list of the most popular essay topics on prayer: Should Prayer be Allowed in Schools? Prayer In School Religious Freedom? Power of Prayer Distant Intercessory Prayer Injustice on Prayer in Colleges A Prayer for Own Meany An Instrument of God Prayer for Success Does God Need the Church? Prayer Session Exodus 2:23-3:10 Prayer in Portrait of the Artist Analytical Response: Prayer before birth and Mid-term break

Procedure for applying Muskingum Method Essays

Procedure for applying Muskingum Method Essays Procedure for applying Muskingum Method Paper Procedure for applying Muskingum Method Paper For Muskingum method which is a hydrologic method, the discharge measurements alone are sufficient for routing. This is because it is assumed that the parameters of the Muskingum model capture the combined flood-propagating characteristics of a river reach. When the water resources schemes to be built are in their initial planning stages, the river gauging system may remain either underdeveloped or insufficient to give precise and rigorous measurements of flow depths and discharges. The Muskingum method is useful for predicting the preliminary outflow hydrographs required at the initial stages of planning spillway capacities. In addition, these outflow hydrographs can also aid the design of stream gauges for future use. Hence, the Muskingum model has a high significance for modern civil engineers (Das 2004 p. 130) The Muskingum equation is frequently used for routing of floods in river channels. The Muskingum method for routing flood waves in rivers and channels has been widely used in applied hydrology, since its first use in connection with a flood control project in the Muskingum County of Ohio about fifty years ago. Since its development around 1934 by McCarthy, the Muskingum method has also been a subject of many investigations (Strupczewski, Napiorkowski Dooge 2002 p. 235) The figure below shows the translational and storage processes in stream channel routing. (Gill 1979 22) The Muskingum method as explained above is a widely used hydrologic method for routing flood waves in rivers and channels. The standard procedure for applying the Muskingum method involves two basic steps: calibration and prediction. In the calibration step, inflow-outflow hydrograph data is taken from historical records to determine the parameter values for the Muskingum model of a river. This is used to solve the parameter-estimation problem. The prediction step is the solution of a routing problem in which the outflow hydrograph for a given inflow hydrograph is determined by using the routing equations. Figure below shows an example of routing using Muskingum method (Elizabeth 1994) Disadvantages of Hydrologic Routing The primary disadvantage is that the dynamic flow effect is not taken into account. In addition it is assumed that stage and storage is a single–valued function of discharge implying flow is changing slowly with time. This may not be true always, and is a case of oversimplifying things. Muskingum Equations Muskingum equation is a spatially lumped form of continuity equation and linear-storage and discharge relationship for a specified river reach. The first equation is common to all conceptual models. It is a physical continuity equation i. e. law of conservation of mass, which is later integrated over the entire river reach   (1) Muskingum method differs from other conceptual models with the second equations, which relates storage in the river reach, inflow and outflow. The equation (2) given above can be obtained by assuming that the total storage in the river reach is a weighted sum of the storages, corresponding to steady-state flow rates in terminating cross-sections, and that a linear relation exists between the prismatic storage and the flow rate. As we have seen in the sections above the two types of storages prism and wedge, and the functions which they depend on. Revisiting the same we get Prism storage = ; Wedge storage = The above equations can be rewritten as Prism storage = ; Wedge storage = The total storage volume at any time instant, t, can be calculating the above two storages.

Jazz the Bebop Revolution Essays

Jazz the Bebop Revolution Essays Jazz the Bebop Revolution Paper Jazz the Bebop Revolution Paper Chapter 18: The Bebop Revolution: Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie * Bebop is linked to Charlie Parker who presided at its beginning and during its rise to preeminence. During his lifetime the bebop style reached its highest level. * Bebop was developed by and for virtuosos. * Theories explaining why: Instrumentalists were seeking improvisitaional freedoms that they couldn’t find in the big bands; black musicians were reasserring their supremact; jazz was maturing. * Bebop drew small audiences to after hours clubs, primary in NYC harlem. It consisted of sophisticated chord structures, irregular melodies and flashing speed left uninitiated listeners befuddled. The Bebop Style * Produced 4 significant changes in musicians attitudes towards jazz and its performance. 1. ) It is required a greater understanding of jazz theory and called for virtuoso technique. 2. ) It introduced complex instrumental melodies and phrases to replace the simpler melodies of the big band era 3. ) It introduced increasingly complicated chords and rythms to the rythms section 4. It developed a cult of serious musicians who approached their music intellectually as well as emotionally. Technique * Jazz improvisation shifted from ornamenting an original melody to organizing new patterns of fast, active melodic lines. The patterns often ended up with an abrupt two note figure that suggested the word bebop of rebop. Bebop musicians developed theoretical relationships between distended chords and esoteric scales. Their theories justifies the use of notes that were previously considered too dissonant. These notes are called melodic extensions because they are not among the primary notes if the chords. Furthermore extensiions were added to chords by the pianist to add harmonic color. New Melodies * Within the new melodic patterns of bebop, imp. Notes usually the top notes of a melodic line were accented. * This outlined a slower melody * Bebop melodies were not as tuneful as those of the big band era. And the phrasing ovevrlapped the chords in angular leaps and bounds. The Rhythm Section * Carried the weight of harmony and rhythm. Made beats faster, and complicated rhythms. Bebop drumming increased in complexity through the use of polyrhythms, : two or more contrasting rythms are played at the same time. This conflict of different rythms blurs and disguises the regular beat. * In â€Å"Un Poco Loco† max roach plays a complicated pattern in which he accompanies the solos with the explosive punctuations called bombs, on the snare or bass drum in conjunction with cymbal crashes . The bombs and cymbal spashes dominate the sounds of the rhythm section and often the entire ensemble. AABA Form * Most Bebop performance were weighted heavily with solos with a minimum of arrangement. Rigidly arranged compositions of the big band eras were rejected; soloists freedoms appeared as a backlash response to the big band ensembles where long improvisitions were impossible. * Emphasis on improvisations not only created new melodies for old songs but also eliminated the original melody entirely. * In addition to borrowing older songs as a basis for solos bebop musicans composed new tunes that minimized the written melody and expanded the time for solos. * They followed the standard 32 measure AABA form, with the 8 measure section gaving the only written melody. Formed a structure for songs in different styles. * Became a vital element in bebop composition and improvisation. Charlie Bird Parker (1920-1955) * The word bird means only one person and one thing : Charlie parker and bebop. * Born aug 29, 1920; died in 55 die to susbstances inhaled and swallowed. * Became absorbed in jazz; only had a mother; bright student. * Accepted the loan od a brass from school but did not like it. * His mother bought him an ancient alto sax for 45$; keys leaked and it was hard to blow; but Charlie taught himself to play. * Joined an amateur dance band â€Å"Deans of Swings† An insurance claim gave him enough money for a new saz in 1936 * Admired was Lester Young(tenor sax in Count Basie’s band) * Parker thought that he was reaching that point where he could Jam with players of that caliber. * In 1937 he got up to play with the famous Bass drummer Jo Jones at Reno Club. His solo progressed well but then became lost in harmonic changes in the tune. Jones threw a cymbal at him. * Had a job playing in a dance band at Lake Taneycomo in Ozark Mtns. * He committed Lester Youngs solo to his memory. * Hired by Tommy Douglas in 1938 who helped him with music theor y. Charlie stayed close to Buster smith another sax player; Parkers Professoional Career: * First job was at the Parisien Ballroom, a taxi dance hall. * Every 60 seconds the bell rang and the band segued to a new tune. * Joined Jay McShann in Kansas City, a band that was second in popularity. * Joined Earl Hines in 1943 and worked on a regular basis with Dizzy Gillespie. They practiced formal braass and woodwind instructional studies at speeds previously thought impossible. It was then that the characteristic bebop sax-trumpet unison lines developed. * He organized small groups in NYC in 1945 and secured Miles Davis as a sideman. Recorded â€Å"KoKo† Him and his band were booked to go to cali but he turned in his ticket for drug money. * Had a narcotic problem; went to a mental hosp; when he got out in 1947 recorded ‘Relaxin at camarillo†. * 1947-1950 was most productive years; worked with small groups; * 1949 he played with strings. Some of his best solos; but lo st his carbaret lisence so only could play where liquor was not sold. * Birdland a NYC nightclub names for him. Bird brought his string orchestra, a few days after opening he fired the players bc he was drunk in the middle of a set and then went home and swallowed iodine asprin. Bird Lives is his music and contribution to Bebop. John Birks†Dizzy† Gillespie (1917-1993) * Born in Cheraw S. Carolina. * Could play piano at 4 and received a music scholarshiop at Laurinburg Insitiute in N. Carolina where he changed from Trombone to Trumpet. * Job with Fran Fairfaxs band got his name for sounding like eldrige; then 2 years later went to Teddy Hill band and made his first record. * Joined Cab Calloway orchestra in 1939 * Cab fired him in 1941 bc he thought Dizzy was shooting spitballs. * Jonah Jones and Milt Hinton were the culprits. And cab and dizzy made up. * 1942 he played in Les Hites band; hite reorganized withought him and dizzy experimented. Gillespie would prepare complex chord variations during the afternoon to challende the upstarts; thus began the rev of bebop. * 1943 he played with Earl Hines, Coleman Hawkins, Boyd Raeburn and Duke Ellington * His position as musical director of the Billy Eckstine band in 1944 was significant to advancement in bebop; Charlie played in sax section and other band members were bebop oriented. * Invited to the White House

Economic Indicator Analysis (XBOX 360) Research Paper

Economic Indicator Analysis (XBOX 360) - Research Paper Example Moreover, region specific media access to third party media is also offered through streaming services such as ESPN and Netflix. Currently a slimmer version of the Xbox 360 is being shipped which sports a number of features. These include Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n), TOSLINK S/PDIF optical audio out port, five USB 2.0 ports and a specialised AUX port. (Takahashi, 2010) All previous models of the Xbox series have been discarded since. The console ships with a standard 250 GB hard drive and a cheaper stock keeping unit ships with 4GB internal storage space. Special editions of the Xbox 360 ship with 320 GB hard drives. Microsoft holds that the Xbox 360 platform is only through half of its projected life that is deemed to continue up to 2015. (Robinson, 2009) In terms of performance and capability, IGN named the Xbox 360 as the sixth best video game console of all times out of a total of 25 gaming consoles. (IGN, 2011) The processor is a triple core Xenon designed by IBM. Each core can process two threads simultaneously and so in total it can process six threads. (Microsoft, 2008) The Xbox 360 handles graphics through the ATI Xenos GPUS that sports 10 MB worth of eDRAM and has a main memory pool of 512 MB. The controllers for the Xbox 360 are shipped in both wired and wireless models. A host of technical failures were associated with the Xbox 360 since its release but these have been dealt with by Microsoft by extending warranty periods to three years and by modifying hardware to accommodate thermal instability. Microsoft is a leading software and IT business company with roots stretching as far back as the late seventies. The company was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen on 4th April 1975. With the introduction of the company’s DOS (Disk Operating System) that was extensively utilised by IBM, the company saw unprecedented growth. The development of the Windows framework allowed the company to expand its reach to newer consumers around the globe. The mid nineti es saw Microsoft under fire for monopolistic business practices and was subsequently prosecuted under anti-trust laws. Moreover, Microsoft expanded into the word processing domain with its Microsoft Office software suite that sports little competition. Recent years have seen Microsoft diversifying its portfolio by delving into newer markets such as video games, consumer electronics, digital services, cellular phone operating systems and VoIP communications. As of 2011, the company hosts revenue of some $69.96 billion while its operating income stands at $24.1 billion as of 2010. The video gaming industry is far more open than the video games console industry as it allows successful start-ups. Developmental costs for software are lower than those for hardware and this allows the video games market to be more open to competition. However, the video games console market requires multi faceted research aimed at developing and sourcing hardware that can be utilised to outstrip the perfor mance of the competition’s consoles. Consequently, there are few companies in the market that are manufacturing and marketing video gaming consoles. Notably the market is occupied by Nintendo’s Gamecube and Wii, Sony’s Playstation series and Microsoft’s Xbox series. Both Nintendo and Sony develop customised hardware for their gaming console platforms including processing, storage and GPUs (Graphics Processing Units) along with networking and other supporting features. In contrast, Microsoft tends to source its hardware from various sources

Organizational Analysis on Wal-Mart Research Paper

Organizational Analysis on Wal-Mart - Research Paper Example The prime intention of the organization of Wal-Mart is to offer best products at lowest price so as to make its customers happy and contended. It mainly targets the customers of modest incomes rates but desiring to live a better life. Due to which, the organization expanded its operation by opening numerous stores in different countries. Wal-Mart comprises of almost 11,000 stores in more than 27 countries that helped the organization to amplify its customer base and distinctiveness in the market among others (Wal-Mart, 2014). The organization of Wal-Mart always desires to offer best quality of products to its customers in order to amplify their reliability and uniqueness in the market among many other rival players. This is done, in order to save the revenue of its target customers that may amplify its brand image and reputation. Moreover, by offering the products at a competitive price, the organization of Wal-Mart desires to enhance their life style and living standard to a significant extent. By doing so, the level of dependency and switchover costs of the customers might get reduced thereby amplifying their profitability and productivity of the organization of Wal-Mart among others. However, in order to become the leader in the segment of retailing, the organization of Wal-Mart need to offer best products at an effective price. Only then, it might become successful in amplifying its dominance and position in the market among others. But in order to fulfill the mission statement of the organization in an effective way, the human resource management offer significant concentration over certain areas such as planning, staffing, human resource development, compensation, employee relations, safety, security and risk management. This means, in order to offer best products, the organization tries to satisfy all the needs and demands of its employees effectively such as presenting

Marketing Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Marketing - Dissertation Example 110). While this is more pronounced overseas, as France and Germany have been shown in a study to take corporate stewardship more seriously than do Americans, Americans still believe that corporate responsibility is important – â€Å"a recent survey of some 2500 Americans found that 36 percent claimed they seriously considered a company’s corporate citizenship when deciding whether to buy its products† (Paine, 2003, p. 110). Moreover, if a corporation does actions that are disapproved of – say, it is revealed that the corporation conducts unnecessary and cruel tests on animals – this hurts the bottom line, and can lead to boycotts, which are a PR nightmare and can lead to a serious dip in consumers buying its products (Paine, 2003, p. 110). The reason why I chose this topic is because animal testing, especially when the testing is not necessary for advancements for human health, as is the case with cosmetics testing, is one that inspires much passio n on either side of the question, and is an important element of corporate social responsibility. For some people, any kind of animal testing should be verboten, even if the testing is done in the interest of finding human cures. For others, animal testing might not be a problem because, after all, they are â€Å"just animals.† For still others, certain kinds of animal testing might be acceptable, especially if the testing would lead to a medical cure, while other types of testing, such as testing regarding cosmetics, would not be acceptable. How each of these groups view this element of corporate social responsibility would be the center of the inquiry. C. Aims and Objectives The aims of this project will be to discover the feelings of people from all three of the above groups when it comes to certain companies that use animal testing. Do they buy from companies that use animal testing? If not, why not? If so, why? Perhaps a passionate animal advocate might buy products from a cosmetic company that animal tests – what might explain this incongruence? Moreover, I am interested in discovering if companies that do not test on animals emphasize this fact in the advertising campaigns. Lastly, I am interested in finding out how these campaigns affect consumers, and whether or not consumers are less likely to buy from companies that are known to test on animals, and more likely to buy from companies that tout the fact that they do not test on animals. D. Initial Literature Review One of the questions that is of interest is why some people care more about animal rights than do others. The reason why this is an important question is because it can answer why certain consumers will not buy products from cosmetic companies that use animal testing, while others do not care either way. Unti and Rowan (2001) theorize that childhood attitudes accounts for who has more compassion for animals than others (Unti & Rowan, 2001, p. 27). Other theories state that the concern from animals comes to a concern for the oppressed (Unti & Rowan, 2001, p. 27). As to the question of whether companies emphasize their corporate social responsibility, there is some indication that they do not (Blyth, 2003, p. 16). As for the question about how corporate irresponsible practices, such as animal testing, affect consumers, it is useful to examine how consumers react to other corporate social irresponsible

Image and Identity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Image and Identity - Essay Example son as such communication media allows lesser personal interaction with another person and thus â€Å"internal† qualities are left unseen (â€Å"Body Image,† par. 13). She quotes psychologist Dr. Hue-Sun Ahn as saying that â€Å"the increase of communication though electronic means †¦ [gives us fewer] opportunities to get to know people †¦ on a personal level† (par. 13). Personally, I just could not see how this lack of a more personal involvement in electronic communication directly affects our perception of how we look. Perhaps Rispin and Ahn’s stand simply reflect our irrational fear of technology. Dr. Reville, a professor at University College Cork in Ireland, explains that this fear is due to the perception that technology is unnatural and our â€Å"lack of understanding of [its] technical and scientific basis† (â€Å"If We Fear,† par. 2). True, technology has revolutionized the way we communicate that there is much less sensory involvement when we chat via instant messaging or call someone on the phone. But has it really transformed us into mindless nonchalant beings? Is technology taking away all of our emotions that we have failed to see â€Å"compassion, spiritedness, sense of humor, loyalty [and other] non-visible qualities,† (â€Å"Body Image,† par. 13) as Ahn puts it? Obviously, the answer is no, for technology merely speeds up the way we communicate and does not, in any direct way, change the way we think and feel. Yes, we use technology on a daily basis that we can’t seem to live without it. We send e-mails, we blog, watch YouTube. But at the end of the day, we still long for that one-on-one communication that no other medium could substitute. We have not forgotten to talk personally to friends, family, and mentors; we still laugh or cry on someone else’s shoulder; we fall in love. We are still, in every essence, human beings, with or without technology. We never really lost anything, not even our feelings. Speaking of blogging and YouTube (or

Article Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Review - Article Example The previous three models of strategic change were based on the preferred methods indicating how companies can bring about fundamental changes in their work in the best manner. The first model emphasized almost exclusively over the senior management for the planning and implementation of change. This planning oriented model had several issues in the implementation phase of the planned change, such as time, speed, resources, etc. which were often found to be inadequate in comparison with the previously considered options during the planning phase. Also, the middle managers were often not committed to the planned change since they were not involved in the planning process and thereby, have difficulties in understanding the proposed plan. Though, these middle rank managers have important information and ideas to contribute to the planning of the desired change. Hence, the second model was developed that focused on the implementation phase by including the middle managers in the formulat ion of strategic change plans, where detailed execution schemes were also discussed and developed. However, the organizations still experienced a number of implementation issues such as inadequate progress, broad systemic issues (norms, culture, policies, rewards, management styles, etc.), unexpected delays and organizational resistance. Thus, the third model came into existence focusing on the readiness for change but still there were problems like broad scale resistance, time limits, and emergence of new problems not been anticipated before during the planning phase. The unusual aspect of this model had been the involvement of employees, customers, suppliers and other key stakeholders in the implementation process. Due to the drawbacks of the previous three models, the fourth model of strategic change that is called ‘the learning organization’ is under development right now. This new model engages everyone, involved in origination, in the identification and resolution of the problems, all of the time. Summary of the Author’s Conclusions and/or Recommendations The plans developed under the learning organization model are not just the concepts of top management but are also completely shared and supported by the people involved in the development of these plans. The learning organization model improvises change by means of small rewards, experiments and institutionalization of success across the organization instead of just executing plans by the numbers. The true form of the change is gradually revealed by the creative and spontaneous actions of the people across the organization. Accomplishments and successes are bolstered and institutionalized with the passing time, which changes or augments the formal structures, systems, and procedures of the organization. This model selects the action, reflects and modifies the course as it goes that improves the speed and effectiveness of the implementation of the planned change. However, there is a danger that this model will lead to its own quick fix solutions in a box and that this model will be recognized as the ultimate solution for the problems like surprise and stagnancy. Thus, this new model recognizes that any specific plan or program can be unsuccessful. Even

Mentoring and Assessing Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Mentoring and Assessing - Personal Statement Example This reflective exercise will throw light on the intricate complexities of my profession, the demanding ethical implications of my job, and the rigorous requirement of my fitness for standards (NMC, Standards 02.04). This is a written account of it so it may invoke a critical appraisal of my own actions, and as expected will open vistas for self-analysis and experiential self-learning. This would enrich my skill of mentoring by development of knowledge, its transmission, and its use in practice setting (NMC 2004b). Throughout this account, I shall use Gibbs (1988) cyclical model of reflection. Reflection offers a subjective and contextual view of the world through my views. In the Gibbs cycle of reflection, every action will invoke a thought or feeling, so I would be able to evaluate those experiences and critically analyze them to make sense of it (Spalding, 1998). A careful analysis would aid a conclusion by consideration of all the alternatives of a happening scenario, so an action plan can be developed for future incidents in the practice. Evidently, this is a cyclical process of thoughts affecting our actions on a given situation where I can make sense of it. This would provide me with evidence as to how effective my actions were, thus creating a learning opportunity for me, and at the end of the cycle I would have new knowledge about the changed perspectives through the critical analysis (Fish and Twinn, 1997). Rationale NMC has well-conceived standards to support learning and assessment in practice. As per these standards, these learning and assessment processes, although designed to train the new entrants, applying the principles of learning theory, have important outcomes for mentors, practice teachers, and teachers (Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2004). This usually assumes the form of a developmental framework, and the development occurs in stages. The whole process of this developmental and assessment framework is required to be supported and assessed by mentors. The midwifery mentors who have additionally qualified to be sign-off mentors as part of their mentorship qualification programme would make the final assessment of practice, and after the assessment, if the registrant qualifies the NMC standards, they would be recommended to be registered (Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2004). To be able to do this, NMC has further designed the framework in such a way that if the outcomes are met withi n the rigorous provisions of accountability, the registrant nurses will be qualified to be registered. The domains in this framework are establishing effective working relationship, facilitation of learning, assessment with rigorous accountability, evaluation of learning, more importantly creating an environment of learning, establishing context of practice, promoting evidence-based practice, and inducing leadership. This framework will be suited for working in the modern healthcare, and there would be a perspective of inter-professional learning (Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2006). Furthermore, this has a close correlation with the career pathways of the nurses due to the fact that NHS has launched KFC scheme as indicators of terms and conditions of service for their

Image and Identity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Image and Identity - Essay Example son as such communication media allows lesser personal interaction with another person and thus â€Å"internal† qualities are left unseen (â€Å"Body Image,† par. 13). She quotes psychologist Dr. Hue-Sun Ahn as saying that â€Å"the increase of communication though electronic means †¦ [gives us fewer] opportunities to get to know people †¦ on a personal level† (par. 13). Personally, I just could not see how this lack of a more personal involvement in electronic communication directly affects our perception of how we look. Perhaps Rispin and Ahn’s stand simply reflect our irrational fear of technology. Dr. Reville, a professor at University College Cork in Ireland, explains that this fear is due to the perception that technology is unnatural and our â€Å"lack of understanding of [its] technical and scientific basis† (â€Å"If We Fear,† par. 2). True, technology has revolutionized the way we communicate that there is much less sensory involvement when we chat via instant messaging or call someone on the phone. But has it really transformed us into mindless nonchalant beings? Is technology taking away all of our emotions that we have failed to see â€Å"compassion, spiritedness, sense of humor, loyalty [and other] non-visible qualities,† (â€Å"Body Image,† par. 13) as Ahn puts it? Obviously, the answer is no, for technology merely speeds up the way we communicate and does not, in any direct way, change the way we think and feel. Yes, we use technology on a daily basis that we can’t seem to live without it. We send e-mails, we blog, watch YouTube. But at the end of the day, we still long for that one-on-one communication that no other medium could substitute. We have not forgotten to talk personally to friends, family, and mentors; we still laugh or cry on someone else’s shoulder; we fall in love. We are still, in every essence, human beings, with or without technology. We never really lost anything, not even our feelings. Speaking of blogging and YouTube (or

Mentoring and Assessing Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Mentoring and Assessing - Personal Statement Example This reflective exercise will throw light on the intricate complexities of my profession, the demanding ethical implications of my job, and the rigorous requirement of my fitness for standards (NMC, Standards 02.04). This is a written account of it so it may invoke a critical appraisal of my own actions, and as expected will open vistas for self-analysis and experiential self-learning. This would enrich my skill of mentoring by development of knowledge, its transmission, and its use in practice setting (NMC 2004b). Throughout this account, I shall use Gibbs (1988) cyclical model of reflection. Reflection offers a subjective and contextual view of the world through my views. In the Gibbs cycle of reflection, every action will invoke a thought or feeling, so I would be able to evaluate those experiences and critically analyze them to make sense of it (Spalding, 1998). A careful analysis would aid a conclusion by consideration of all the alternatives of a happening scenario, so an action plan can be developed for future incidents in the practice. Evidently, this is a cyclical process of thoughts affecting our actions on a given situation where I can make sense of it. This would provide me with evidence as to how effective my actions were, thus creating a learning opportunity for me, and at the end of the cycle I would have new knowledge about the changed perspectives through the critical analysis (Fish and Twinn, 1997). Rationale NMC has well-conceived standards to support learning and assessment in practice. As per these standards, these learning and assessment processes, although designed to train the new entrants, applying the principles of learning theory, have important outcomes for mentors, practice teachers, and teachers (Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2004). This usually assumes the form of a developmental framework, and the development occurs in stages. The whole process of this developmental and assessment framework is required to be supported and assessed by mentors. The midwifery mentors who have additionally qualified to be sign-off mentors as part of their mentorship qualification programme would make the final assessment of practice, and after the assessment, if the registrant qualifies the NMC standards, they would be recommended to be registered (Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2004). To be able to do this, NMC has further designed the framework in such a way that if the outcomes are met withi n the rigorous provisions of accountability, the registrant nurses will be qualified to be registered. The domains in this framework are establishing effective working relationship, facilitation of learning, assessment with rigorous accountability, evaluation of learning, more importantly creating an environment of learning, establishing context of practice, promoting evidence-based practice, and inducing leadership. This framework will be suited for working in the modern healthcare, and there would be a perspective of inter-professional learning (Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2006). Furthermore, this has a close correlation with the career pathways of the nurses due to the fact that NHS has launched KFC scheme as indicators of terms and conditions of service for their

Teenage Texting and driving Essay Example for Free

Teenage Texting and driving Essay With the advent of the smartphone, life has become much easier for all of us. We can now make a phone call, text, access social media sites and other pertinent applications all from one device. While the advances in the cellphone industry are amazing, they have come with dire consequences. Texting while driving has now become the leading cause of death of teenagers in the United States, overtaking drunk driving. Nearly every teenager looks forward to driving, it represents independence and freedom. While this new found freedom is great for the teenage driver, it represents fear and sleepless nights for parents. Today, not only does a parent have to worry about how their teenage son/daughter is driving but what they are doing while they are driving. In the past, the biggest fear of a parent was whether their child was drinking and driving, which is the cause of over 2,700 deaths and 282,000 treated for injuries, per year (Ricks 2013). As a result, drinking and driving has been the leading cause of deaths among teenagers for the past 30 years. However, per the CDC, since 1991, drinking and driving among teenage drivers has dropped over 54%, while 50% of teens between the ages of 15-18 admit to texting while driving (Ricks 2013). This shift in teenage driving habits has created a whole new concern among law enforcement and parents. Experts say texting while driving can be as distracting as drinking and driving, and laws banning texting while driving have very little if any effect on stopping the practice. â€Å"Composing a typical text message is roughly akin to closing ones eyes for nearly five seconds, during which time a car going 55 mph covers more than the length of a football field† (Savitz 2012). Due to the technological advances of the smartphone, and the fact that 50% of all teenagers admit to texting while driving, deaths of teenagers from texting while driving has skyrocketed. The latest data shows that over 3,000 teenage drivers died and over 300,000 were injured last year, as a result of teenage texting while driving. â€Å"The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety estimates that it is to blame for 11 teen deaths each day† (Savitz 2012). These deaths and injuries now make teenage texting while driving the leading cause of death among teenagers in the United States. With laws making no difference on whether drivers text, the number of deaths attributed to teenage texting while driving will only rise in the coming years. We can now manage our whole life from a cellphone, due to the technological advances in the cellphone industry. While this convenience saves everyone countless hours a day, over 3,000 teenagers die and over 300,000 are injured every year from this convenience. Texting while driving among teenagers is at epidemic levels and is now the number one cause of teenage deaths in the United States. Laws are not enough, only knowledge, training and a teen driver saying â€Å"No† to texting while driving will stop this epidemic. I for one have said â€Å"No†. References Ricks D. Study: Texting while driving now leading cause of death for teen drivers. Newsday, (Melville, NY) [serial online]. May 8, 2013:Available from: Newspaper Source, Ipswich, MA. Accessed September 1, 2013 Savitz E. Naughty, Naughty: Nearly Third Of Teens Text While Driving. Forbes. Com [serial online]. June 7, 2012;:36. Available from: Business Source Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed September 15, 2013

Incorporation of E-commerce into Business

Incorporation of E-commerce into Business INTRODUCTION OF THE TOPIC In the emerging global economy, e-business have increasingly become a necessary component of business strategy and a strong catalyst for economic development. The integration of information and communications technology (ICT) in business has revolutionized relationships within organizations and those between and among organizations and individuals. Specifically, the use of ICT in business has enhanced productivity, encouraged greater customer participation, and enabled mass customization, besides reducing costs. With developments in the Internet and Web-based technologies, distinctions be- tween traditional markets and the global electronic marketplace such as business capital size, among others-are gradually being narrowed down. The name of the game is strategic positioning, the ability of a company to determine emerging op- portunities and utilize the necessary human capital skills (such as intellectual re- sources) to make the most of these opportunities through an e-business strategy that is simple, workable and practicable within the context of global information and new economic environment. With its effect of leveling the playing field, e-commerce coupled with the appropriate strategy and policy approach enables Small and medium scale enterprises to compete with large and capital-rich businesses. On another plane, developing countries are given increased access to the global Marketplace, where they compete with and complement the more developed economies. Most, if not all, developing countries are already participating in e-commerce, either as sellers or buyers. However, to facilitate e-commerce growth in these countries, the relatively underdeveloped information infrastructure must be improved. HISTORY OF INTERNET In the 50s and early 60s, prior to the widespread inter-networking that led to the Internet, most communication networks were limited by their nature to only allow communications between the stations on the network. Some networks had gateways or bridges between them, but these bridges were often limited or built specifically for a single use. One prevalent computer networking method was based on the central mainframe method, simply allowing its terminals to be connected via long leased lines. This method was used in the 1950s by Project RAND to support researchers such as Herbert Simon, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, when collaborating across the continent with researchers in Santa Monica, California, on automated theorem proving and artificial intelligence. The Internet system was developed and ready in the Late 1980s, but The Cold War held up the progress. When it ended in 1992, the internet slowly became main stream. By the end of the decade, millions were using it for business, edu cation and pleasure. The Internet was designed in part to provide a communications network that would work even if some of the sites were destroyed by nuclear attack. If the most direct route was not available, routers would direct traffic around the network via alternate routes. The early Internet was used by computer experts, engineers, scientists, and librarians. There was nothing friendly about it. There were no home or office personal computers in those days, and anyone who used it, whether a computer professional or an engineer or scientist or librarian, had to learn to use a very complex system. WHAT MAKES THE INTERNET SO POWERFUL? The Internet is the lowest cost system ever developed to communicate with a potential audience of hundreds of millions of people all over the world. Even locally, the cost of a simple Web site is usually less than the cost of a modest ad in a business telephone directory. A Web site can also give more information than a telephone directory ad, including color photos, detailed descriptions of products and services, and price information that can be changed at any moment, for any reason, instead of waiting for a printed directorys next publication cycle. As a news medium, the Internet is faster and more flexible than a newspaper or magazine. A story can be added to a Web site instantly at any time of the day or night. There are no deadlines (except self-imposed ones) for Internet news. The printing press is always on, you might say. Even television news, aside from a few 24-hour news channels, must usually wait for scheduled news broadcast times instead of breaking into entertainment programming whenever a new story comes along. Television is also constrained by its necessarily linear information delivery format. It must tell a story, then another story, then take a break for advertising, then tell another story, and so on, in sequence. A viewer cannot choose to view only a few stories that he or she finds interesting, which may occupy only five minutes out of a 30-minute newscast. On the Internet, a reader is free not only to choose to view just those stories in which he or she is most interested, but also gets to choose the order i n which he or she sees them. If sports scores are the highest item on todays agenda, click and theres the sports section, as easy as turning a newspaper page. Another click and theres the score from the game that just ended, possibly with video highlights only one more click away. Corrections, changes, and updates to a story published on the Internet can be made as fast as they come in without waiting for a printing press to roll. Breaking news alerts can be sent instantly by email to subscribers who request this service, and a reader can instantly communicate with an online publications editors via email or, if the publication has this facility, post his or her comments on a message board for other readers to see right away, without waiting for a fax or mail to get through and an editor to look the message over and perhaps include it in the letters to the editor section several days after the original story ran. An online publication can also offer an advertiser something that is not available in any other medium: ads that link directly, with one click, to a Web page full of compelling reasons to buy the advertised product or service. Even if only a fraction of one percent of all people who see a Web ad click on it, that is still an infinitely higher percentage than can click on a magazine ad or TV spot for additional information—or even to buy a product directly from the advertiser right now. Even if few readers click on an individual online ad and buy right now, a Web ad still has the same branding and general get the name out effect as advertising in other media. If the cost of an online ad is similar to the cost of one in another medium, it represents a better value because of the ability it gives an advertiser to give an interested person an entire Web site full of information right away, only one click removed from the online publication in which that ad is running. But the most direct way to make money online, no matter how a merchant gets traffic to his or her Web site, is to sell over the Internet. E-commerce has had its ups and downs, but the overall trend is upward, and it is likely to stay that way for many years to come. Putting up a catalog Web site is far less expensive than printing and mailing paper catalogs, and the Web site can have instant ordering and credit card acceptance built right into it, whereas a paper catalog can generate only phone orders that require a horde of (expensive) live operators to process or mail-in order forms that a customer must fill outAn WHAT IS E-BUSINESS? E-business (electronic business), derived from such terms as e-mail and e-commerce, is the conduct of business on the Internet, not only buying and selling but also servicing customers and collaborating with business partners. One of the first to use the term was IBM, when, in October, 1997, it launched a thematic campaign built around the term. Today, major corporations are rethinking their businesses in terms of the Internet and its new culture and capabilities. Companies are using the Web to buy parts and supplies from other companies, to collaborate on sales promotions, and to do joint research. Exploiting the convenience, availability, and world-wide reach of the Internet, many companies, such as Amazon.com, the book sellers, have already discovered how to use the Internet successfully. E-business is more than just having a web presence to facilitate buying and selling. Frank Jones, VP of IBM Corporation, provides this definition: E-business is exploiting the combined power of the internet and information technology to fundamentally transform key business strategies and processes. The most common implementation of E-business is as an additional, or in some cases primary, storefront. By selling products and services online, an e-business is able to reach a much wider consumer base than any traditional brick-and-mortar store could ever hope for. This function of E-business is referred to as ecommerce, and the terms are occasionally used interchangeably. An E-Business may also use the Internet to acquire wholesale products or supplies for in-house production. This facet of E-Business is sometimes referred to as eprocurement, and may offer businesses the opportunity to cut their costs dramatically. Even many E-Businesses which operate without an electronic storefront now use eprocurement as a way to better track and manage their purchasing. revenue from 5% in 2000 to 10% in 2007 . Asia-Pacific e-commerce revenues are projected to increase from $76.8 billion atIn addition to buying and selling products, e-business may also handle other traditional business aspects. The use of electronic chat as a form of technical and customer support is an excellent example of this. An e-business which uses chat to supplement its traditional phone support finds a system which saves incredible amounts of time while providing opportunities unavailable through traditional support. By using virtual computer systems, for example, technical support operator s can remotely access a customers computer and assist them in correcting a problem. And with the download of a small program, all pertinent information about the hardware and software specifications for a users computer may be relayed to the support operator directly, without having to walk a customer through personally collecting the data. In the past few years, virtually all businesses have become, to some degree or another, an e-business. The pervasiveness of Internet technology, readily available solutions, and the repeatedly demonstrated benefits of electronic technology have made e-business the obvious path. This trend continues with new technologies, such as Internet-enabled cell phones and PDAs, and the trend of e-business saturation will most likely continue for some time. International Data Corp (IDC) estimates the value of global e-commerce in 2000 at US$350.38 billion. This is projected to climb to as high as US$3.14 trillion by 2007. IDC also predicts an increase in Asias percentage share in worldwide e-commerce year-end of 2001 to $338.5 billion by the end of 2004. Asia-Pacific e-commerce revenues are projected to increase from $76.8 billion at year-end of 2001 to $338.5 billion by the end of 2004. SOME OF THE WAYS I CAN INCORPORATE E-BUSINESS INTO A COMPANY The goal is to digitize transactions, which are simply defined as exchanges of information. The number of opportunities is limited only by your creativity, cost, and good business sense. The best advice is to determine the best opportunities for payback and address them first. Make sure the benefit will pay back or exceed the cost. The following is a summarized list of functions and activities where e-business applications are becoming embedded into the typical business model. Visualize, if you can, a business where each of these business activities is completely integrated with the others, to form a completely integrated e-business. After sales service; ie. billing, demand planning, engineering, inventory planning, purchasing, receivables Business analytics; ie. financial performance, marketing, workforce, production, enterprise management Consultant management Customer relationship management; ie. account management, customer self-service, contact management communications, promotions, surveys, quality, help desk, field service E-procurement E-store/e-exchange/product catalog; ie. delivering b2b and b2c e-commerce, Finance; ie. asset management, accounting, budgets, invoicing, payables receivables, investments, government tax returns payments, payroll administration Grant donation management Human Resources Management; ie. resource planning, benefits administration, reward programs, recruiting hiring, workforce management, pension administration Investor relations Marketing and sales activities; ie. products, technical information, sales support, product life cycle management, corporate resume, portfolio, customer lists, customer service Materials management Order management customer fulfillment Project management Public Relations Strategic partner collaboration HAVING TRADITIONAL BUSINESS : WHAT DO ONLINE CUSTOMERS SEEK Consumer attitudes of those who shop and purchase online are significantly different from the habits and preferences of consumers who visit stores. Their purchase decisions are driven and based on a different set of factors tied to the characteristics of the e-space environment. For an e-commerce business to survive, it is absolutely necessary to establish and maintain an intimate understanding of the customers, their behavior, and the factors that drive purchase decisions. In the current e-commerce environment, online consumers are highly sensitive to the following characteristics: Quick page download time, 8-10 seconds Fast navigation, 2-3 page views to get to the consumers objective Logical and understandable first page view; purpose of site, companys mission, organization of site Quality user-friendly web site, easy to read and view with interesting graphics Immediate customer service, a human to contact to ask questions while browsing Complete product descriptions, price and other charges, and pictures Contact information, company address, store locations, telephone numbers, email address Confidentiality regarding use or sharing of consumer information Opt-out, or permission-given privacy policies for consumer data entered on the site Security arrangements for online transactions Convenient return policies and options Order acknowledgement ability to check shipping status Site stability, similar look and feel for each successive visit 10 SUREFIRE IDEAS TO START YOUR OWN ONLINE INTERNET BUSINESS Become a freelancer Do you have any specific skill? Sell it. Go to elance.com to find the job opportunities posted there. Start information website Do you have a passion to research any niche topic? Gather it, process it, rewrite it and start a new informational website on the researched topic. Participate in affiliate marketing (sell others product) Why dont you sell manufacturers or marketers product? To be precise, sell others product. Sell an ad space If you have a website or blog sell an ad space from it. If you dont have, try having one exclusively made for selling ad space. Sell your own old stuffs through EBay Start selling your product or your neighbors or friends product through EBay. Create a Niche blog Do you Blog for Fun? No dont blog it. Blog to generate income out of it, get hired by companies to write blog for them. or create your own niche blog (this might over lap with any one of the above strategy). Sell your services If you have a talent in any particular domain, and then sell it as a service. Be an Online service provider. Example: Online Brokers (this might also overlap) Create e-books on any subject of your interest and sell it across various channels like EBay, Amazon, etc IS E-COMMERCE THE SAME AS E-BUSINESS? While some use e-commerce and e-business interchangeably, they are distinct con- cepts. In e-commerce, information and communications technology (ICT) is used in inter-business or inter-organizational transactions (transactions between and among firms/organizations) and in business-to-consumer transactions (transactions between firms/organizations and individuals). In e-business, on the other hand, ICT is used to enhance ones business. It includes any process that a business organization (either a for-profit, governmental or non-profit entity) conducts over a computer-mediated network. A more comprehensive definition of e-business is: The transformation of an organizations processes to deliver additional customer value through the application of technologies, philosophies and computing paradigm of the new economy. Three primary processes are enhanced in e-business : Production processes, which include procurement, ordering and replenish-ment of stocks; processing of payments; electronic links with suppliers; and production control processes, among others; Customer-focused processes, which include promotional and marketing ef-forts, selling over the Internet, processing of customers purchase orders and Internal management processes, which include employee services, train-ing, internal information-sharing, video-conferencing, and recruiting. Electronic applications enhance information flow between production and sales forces to improve sales force productivity. Workgroup communications and elec- tronic publishing of internal business information are likewise made more efficient. payments, and customer support, among others; and WHY ESTABLISH A BUSINESS ON THE INTERNET? Fact versus Opinion On techniques we have practised. We will be sharing with you the methods we have used to establish our own internet business rather than harping on about theories. You will be reading a real success story written by real people. Everything you will find here can be verified and put into practice by you. There is no denying that the internet has brought about a revolution. Never before have people been able to interact in such a cost effective and comfortable way. The Internet with its multiple communication channels also changes the world of business. Now it is possible for you to establish your own company with a very small financial investment or in some cases even without any start-up capital at all. The majority of people in any country in the world do not really like their regular jobs. Nevertheless they get up early every morning to go to work and when they return home tired and frustrated they switch on the TV to forget all about their problems. They often dream about a life t hat gives them the freedom to do what they really like with people who are friendly, intelligent, understanding and supportive. When it comes to business, most people confuse their personal opinions with facts. They believe in fact that they know something when in reality they dont have all the data to support their beliefs.In this document section you will find factual information that is based on our experiences and our experiences Now with the Internet available in almost every household in any developed country, it is possible to achieve the type of lifestyle you have always dreamed about. The following facts will show why you really should consider establishing your own internet company : Downsizing: Lets face it — a computer is more productive than a human in business. areas such as accounting, administration, data management, calculating, statistics and many more activities. Whatever industry you name — new technologies increase productivity which, in turn, often leads to fewer jobs. To be sure new technologies also create new jobs but these require a much higher level of qualification and knowledge. A person who has been working in the same sort of job for several years is often not capable of acquiring all the skills and qualifications needed for a job in a new workplace. Globalization: The world is becoming more and more interconnected. Even, or maybe especially after September 11, international travel activities have been increasing and this pattern will continue into the future. The number of companies that operate on a multinational scale is constantly rising because they need new market places. In Europe nations have agreed on a uniform single currency — the EURO, enabling the European Community to develop into a strong economic entity. The same sort of thing is taking place in Asia with China, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan forming a powerful economic alliance. Information: More than 500 million people worldwide are using the internet on a regular basis, with email and search engines as the most popular services. Information is power. People are able to influence, direct, convince, educate and manipulate others through one single tool: The distribution of information. Email and discussion forums allow people to share their thoughts, ideas and experiences with other people from all corners of the world. Cost Effectiveness : The internet is by far the most cost effective communication tool. If you want to send a letter via conventional or so-called snail mail it will cost at least around $1 (assuming you restrict yourself to two single sheets of paper). Sending the same amount of information via email will be up to 100 times cheaper with immediate delivery. THE ADVANTAGES OF THE INTERNET So, lets recap. Never have the chances for setting up and running your own successful business been easier than they are today: While traditional industries like manufacturing are shrinking, new industries are growing especially the  «information industries You can use the internet to find your customers and business partners worldwide Your customers and partners can find you on the internet. You can use the internet to build a strong relationship with your customers especially via email. You can use the internet to market your products and services. You can use the internet to acquire all the information, training and qualifications you need for your business. You can set up a business with a very small marketing budget, something almost impossible in the real world. You can certainly list even more reasons why it is possible for anybody with a computer and access to the Internet to establish their own business. At the same time the reality is that only a very small percentage of people who do have a computer and access to the Internet, establish and run their own business. Why is this? The answer is very simple. Most people anywhere in the world, spend too much time thinking about things they do not want, instead of thinking about things they do want. As a result there are only a few people who have their own company and they usually earn more money than somebody with a regular job. Owners of comapines usually have more personal and financial freedom than people with regular jobs. But what exactly do you need in order to own a company? Money? A University degree? The right friends? Well, maybe some of these things can help you with your business but then they are not essential and are no guarantee of success. We have analyzed a number of successful online business people and here is a list of important characteristics all of them possessed. We know that the following qualities are essential for success as a businessperson so you should take the time to go through them and check whether or not you have them. All the information about how to set up a website, how to run an email newsletter, how to get a high ranking at Google, how to generate huge traffic to your website etc. will be worth nothing if you dont have most of the following s kills and qualities. 121 WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN E-BUSINESS? Self-Motivation Most people wait until someone else tells them what to do. Thats the way our society is organized. You go to school and the teacher tells you what to do. You study at university and the professors tell you what to do. Your parents tell you what is right and wrong. You get a job and there you will have a boss and colleagues who tell you what to do. Now, we all have to learn from others clearly but we do have a choice about where we get advice. If you want to know how to establish your own business, would you ask your colleague who has been working in a regular 9 -5 job for 15 years or so? Think about your teachers at school or your University professors. Do you think they know how to set up a business and become an entrepreneur? If we examine truly successful people we will find that they have a high level of self-motivation. This applies to any calling in life. Consistency, the ability to follow through Many people who do have self-motivation, quickly get enthused and inspired by a new idea. Getting excited or even thrilled by an idea might be great for the moment. A business, however, requires constant activity. If you want to establish and develop a company you need a high level of consistency also known as stickability. Once you have made the decision to set up your business, you must follow through this decision with consistency. Think about your life can you come up with an example where you have proved your consistency, your stickability? Did you ever want to learn to play an instrument or a sport or a learn a foreign language? How long did you stick to your plan? How much time did you spend on your project and what have you accomplished? Chances are that you started a lot of projects and half way through the course you quit because things got tough and you lacked stickability. If this is the case fear not. You are not alone. The truth is that most people quit as soon as things get more difficult. Making a long-term commitment is not easy for most people. This applies to personal relationships too Self-Discipline Are you the sort of person who tends to raise your voice when something doesnt go your way? Or do you even have A tendency to shout at your spouse, children or colleagues when you are under pressure? Whenever you start shouting, swearing or using negative language you are wasting your energy energy better put to use on your business venture. Swearing and grumbling kills your creativity and blocks your mind. You must be strong enough to withstand any tendency to get angry or upset or else you will never succeed in your business. Courage It takes great courage to make decisions and set goals because this means you have to prove to yourself that you can follow your own words through to a conclusion. Look at your friends, family and colleagues. How often do you hear somebody make a promise like  «Ill call you next week. » or  «Ill look this information up for you. » or  «Sure Ill help you when you move house, just let me know when you need me. » Those are statements, offers, promises all based on words. Yet, how often are they followed by deeds? Do you make New Years Resolutions such as  «Next year Ill quit smoking »,  «Next year Ill start this business course at night school », and  «Next year Ill go on a trip to Paris or Egypt with you »? How many of those resolutions and promises have you kept? How many of them did you simply forget two weeks into the New Year? It takes courage to make a real decision, as you will have to make a sacrifice to follow it through. Also, when you start up a busine ss you will be alone, at least to begin with. There will be no-one to tell you what to do, nobody at first to motivate and support you. You will have to take responsibility for yourself and to a certain degree, for any possible partners and you can only lead others if you have your own fears under control and are willing to take risks. Many people do not set themselves goals because they are afraid of failing of admitting defeat and they think the best way to avoid defeat is to simply not set goals. Willingness to learn and the ability to change habits When you decide to start your own Internet business you are also deciding to go back to school again. Not in a real physical sense but mentally. You will have to trawl for every single bit of information that will get you closer to your goal. To learn means youll need to change your habits and habits are established patterns of behaviour and thinking that everyone acquires throughout their lives. However, most people are not aware of the fact that they have to learn something new every day and that in order to learn, in order to obtain new knowledge and new skills they have to change some of these habits. If you want to learn a foreign language you have to change your daily routine. For example the habit of listening to your favourite music on the radio. Instead you could be listening to audio recordings in the language you want to learn. We all have a tendency to get used to things that are not only comfortable but also do not require much activity on our part. We get used to watching TV in the evening and eating convenience food at the same time because this is comfortable and doesnt require any mental activity. IF you want to establish your business, you wont have much time to watch TV for entertainment. You have to change your habit of absorbing information passively into one of actively searching for information in order to analyze, filter and reorganize it. Creativity Establishing a business means creating a product, service or system that solves a specific problem or enhances a persons life in one way or another. You can achieve this purpose when you create something new This doesnt mean that you have to re-invent the wheel though. Examine any new product development that enters the market and you will see that this  «new » creation is not entirely new but has been made up by combining existing elements in a novel way. This action of rethinking existing elements is the formula of creativity. So, in order to create something new you have first to analyze an existing product to find out how it can be improved, developed or enhanced in any way so it will do a better job. Take Google — its founders examined and analyzed existing search portals, in particular Yahoo and MSN. Based on their exhaustive studies they came up with an indexing and searching system that provides a higher search term relevancy. Study peoples behaviour — ident ify their latent needs and desires and you will tap into a never-ending supply of product ideas. Vision Vision is the ability to see things not as they are right now, but what they will be like in the future. Most people are so stuck in the moment, so preoccupied with their personal daily problems that they dont have the time or energy to think about how a particular market can develop in the future. Look at any successful business venture and you will find that its founder was able to project into the future, to estimate how peoples behaviour will change. Your success in business is directly related to your vision capacity » and your vision capacity is determined by two factors: How far ahead are you able to see into the future and how precise are your predictions? When Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded Google in 1998, they could see well beyond the year 2003, in which they yielded A revenue of almost $ 1 billion. By 1998 Yahoo and MSN were operating worldwide known search services and no one would have thought that two students could take the lead in the industry within 5 years. Y et, Brin and Page had become excellent analysts of the web search market and they collected and Incorporation of E-commerce into Business Incorporation of E-commerce into Business INTRODUCTION OF THE TOPIC In the emerging global economy, e-business have increasingly become a necessary component of business strategy and a strong catalyst for economic development. The integration of information and communications technology (ICT) in business has revolutionized relationships within organizations and those between and among organizations and individuals. Specifically, the use of ICT in business has enhanced productivity, encouraged greater customer participation, and enabled mass customization, besides reducing costs. With developments in the Internet and Web-based technologies, distinctions be- tween traditional markets and the global electronic marketplace such as business capital size, among others-are gradually being narrowed down. The name of the game is strategic positioning, the ability of a company to determine emerging op- portunities and utilize the necessary human capital skills (such as intellectual re- sources) to make the most of these opportunities through an e-business strategy that is simple, workable and practicable within the context of global information and new economic environment. With its effect of leveling the playing field, e-commerce coupled with the appropriate strategy and policy approach enables Small and medium scale enterprises to compete with large and capital-rich businesses. On another plane, developing countries are given increased access to the global Marketplace, where they compete with and complement the more developed economies. Most, if not all, developing countries are already participating in e-commerce, either as sellers or buyers. However, to facilitate e-commerce growth in these countries, the relatively underdeveloped information infrastructure must be improved. HISTORY OF INTERNET In the 50s and early 60s, prior to the widespread inter-networking that led to the Internet, most communication networks were limited by their nature to only allow communications between the stations on the network. Some networks had gateways or bridges between them, but these bridges were often limited or built specifically for a single use. One prevalent computer networking method was based on the central mainframe method, simply allowing its terminals to be connected via long leased lines. This method was used in the 1950s by Project RAND to support researchers such as Herbert Simon, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, when collaborating across the continent with researchers in Santa Monica, California, on automated theorem proving and artificial intelligence. The Internet system was developed and ready in the Late 1980s, but The Cold War held up the progress. When it ended in 1992, the internet slowly became main stream. By the end of the decade, millions were using it for business, edu cation and pleasure. The Internet was designed in part to provide a communications network that would work even if some of the sites were destroyed by nuclear attack. If the most direct route was not available, routers would direct traffic around the network via alternate routes. The early Internet was used by computer experts, engineers, scientists, and librarians. There was nothing friendly about it. There were no home or office personal computers in those days, and anyone who used it, whether a computer professional or an engineer or scientist or librarian, had to learn to use a very complex system. WHAT MAKES THE INTERNET SO POWERFUL? The Internet is the lowest cost system ever developed to communicate with a potential audience of hundreds of millions of people all over the world. Even locally, the cost of a simple Web site is usually less than the cost of a modest ad in a business telephone directory. A Web site can also give more information than a telephone directory ad, including color photos, detailed descriptions of products and services, and price information that can be changed at any moment, for any reason, instead of waiting for a printed directorys next publication cycle. As a news medium, the Internet is faster and more flexible than a newspaper or magazine. A story can be added to a Web site instantly at any time of the day or night. There are no deadlines (except self-imposed ones) for Internet news. The printing press is always on, you might say. Even television news, aside from a few 24-hour news channels, must usually wait for scheduled news broadcast times instead of breaking into entertainment programming whenever a new story comes along. Television is also constrained by its necessarily linear information delivery format. It must tell a story, then another story, then take a break for advertising, then tell another story, and so on, in sequence. A viewer cannot choose to view only a few stories that he or she finds interesting, which may occupy only five minutes out of a 30-minute newscast. On the Internet, a reader is free not only to choose to view just those stories in which he or she is most interested, but also gets to choose the order i n which he or she sees them. If sports scores are the highest item on todays agenda, click and theres the sports section, as easy as turning a newspaper page. Another click and theres the score from the game that just ended, possibly with video highlights only one more click away. Corrections, changes, and updates to a story published on the Internet can be made as fast as they come in without waiting for a printing press to roll. Breaking news alerts can be sent instantly by email to subscribers who request this service, and a reader can instantly communicate with an online publications editors via email or, if the publication has this facility, post his or her comments on a message board for other readers to see right away, without waiting for a fax or mail to get through and an editor to look the message over and perhaps include it in the letters to the editor section several days after the original story ran. An online publication can also offer an advertiser something that is not available in any other medium: ads that link directly, with one click, to a Web page full of compelling reasons to buy the advertised product or service. Even if only a fraction of one percent of all people who see a Web ad click on it, that is still an infinitely higher percentage than can click on a magazine ad or TV spot for additional information—or even to buy a product directly from the advertiser right now. Even if few readers click on an individual online ad and buy right now, a Web ad still has the same branding and general get the name out effect as advertising in other media. If the cost of an online ad is similar to the cost of one in another medium, it represents a better value because of the ability it gives an advertiser to give an interested person an entire Web site full of information right away, only one click removed from the online publication in which that ad is running. But the most direct way to make money online, no matter how a merchant gets traffic to his or her Web site, is to sell over the Internet. E-commerce has had its ups and downs, but the overall trend is upward, and it is likely to stay that way for many years to come. Putting up a catalog Web site is far less expensive than printing and mailing paper catalogs, and the Web site can have instant ordering and credit card acceptance built right into it, whereas a paper catalog can generate only phone orders that require a horde of (expensive) live operators to process or mail-in order forms that a customer must fill outAn WHAT IS E-BUSINESS? E-business (electronic business), derived from such terms as e-mail and e-commerce, is the conduct of business on the Internet, not only buying and selling but also servicing customers and collaborating with business partners. One of the first to use the term was IBM, when, in October, 1997, it launched a thematic campaign built around the term. Today, major corporations are rethinking their businesses in terms of the Internet and its new culture and capabilities. Companies are using the Web to buy parts and supplies from other companies, to collaborate on sales promotions, and to do joint research. Exploiting the convenience, availability, and world-wide reach of the Internet, many companies, such as Amazon.com, the book sellers, have already discovered how to use the Internet successfully. E-business is more than just having a web presence to facilitate buying and selling. Frank Jones, VP of IBM Corporation, provides this definition: E-business is exploiting the combined power of the internet and information technology to fundamentally transform key business strategies and processes. The most common implementation of E-business is as an additional, or in some cases primary, storefront. By selling products and services online, an e-business is able to reach a much wider consumer base than any traditional brick-and-mortar store could ever hope for. This function of E-business is referred to as ecommerce, and the terms are occasionally used interchangeably. An E-Business may also use the Internet to acquire wholesale products or supplies for in-house production. This facet of E-Business is sometimes referred to as eprocurement, and may offer businesses the opportunity to cut their costs dramatically. Even many E-Businesses which operate without an electronic storefront now use eprocurement as a way to better track and manage their purchasing. revenue from 5% in 2000 to 10% in 2007 . Asia-Pacific e-commerce revenues are projected to increase from $76.8 billion atIn addition to buying and selling products, e-business may also handle other traditional business aspects. The use of electronic chat as a form of technical and customer support is an excellent example of this. An e-business which uses chat to supplement its traditional phone support finds a system which saves incredible amounts of time while providing opportunities unavailable through traditional support. By using virtual computer systems, for example, technical support operator s can remotely access a customers computer and assist them in correcting a problem. And with the download of a small program, all pertinent information about the hardware and software specifications for a users computer may be relayed to the support operator directly, without having to walk a customer through personally collecting the data. In the past few years, virtually all businesses have become, to some degree or another, an e-business. The pervasiveness of Internet technology, readily available solutions, and the repeatedly demonstrated benefits of electronic technology have made e-business the obvious path. This trend continues with new technologies, such as Internet-enabled cell phones and PDAs, and the trend of e-business saturation will most likely continue for some time. International Data Corp (IDC) estimates the value of global e-commerce in 2000 at US$350.38 billion. This is projected to climb to as high as US$3.14 trillion by 2007. IDC also predicts an increase in Asias percentage share in worldwide e-commerce year-end of 2001 to $338.5 billion by the end of 2004. Asia-Pacific e-commerce revenues are projected to increase from $76.8 billion at year-end of 2001 to $338.5 billion by the end of 2004. SOME OF THE WAYS I CAN INCORPORATE E-BUSINESS INTO A COMPANY The goal is to digitize transactions, which are simply defined as exchanges of information. The number of opportunities is limited only by your creativity, cost, and good business sense. The best advice is to determine the best opportunities for payback and address them first. Make sure the benefit will pay back or exceed the cost. The following is a summarized list of functions and activities where e-business applications are becoming embedded into the typical business model. Visualize, if you can, a business where each of these business activities is completely integrated with the others, to form a completely integrated e-business. After sales service; ie. billing, demand planning, engineering, inventory planning, purchasing, receivables Business analytics; ie. financial performance, marketing, workforce, production, enterprise management Consultant management Customer relationship management; ie. account management, customer self-service, contact management communications, promotions, surveys, quality, help desk, field service E-procurement E-store/e-exchange/product catalog; ie. delivering b2b and b2c e-commerce, Finance; ie. asset management, accounting, budgets, invoicing, payables receivables, investments, government tax returns payments, payroll administration Grant donation management Human Resources Management; ie. resource planning, benefits administration, reward programs, recruiting hiring, workforce management, pension administration Investor relations Marketing and sales activities; ie. products, technical information, sales support, product life cycle management, corporate resume, portfolio, customer lists, customer service Materials management Order management customer fulfillment Project management Public Relations Strategic partner collaboration HAVING TRADITIONAL BUSINESS : WHAT DO ONLINE CUSTOMERS SEEK Consumer attitudes of those who shop and purchase online are significantly different from the habits and preferences of consumers who visit stores. Their purchase decisions are driven and based on a different set of factors tied to the characteristics of the e-space environment. For an e-commerce business to survive, it is absolutely necessary to establish and maintain an intimate understanding of the customers, their behavior, and the factors that drive purchase decisions. In the current e-commerce environment, online consumers are highly sensitive to the following characteristics: Quick page download time, 8-10 seconds Fast navigation, 2-3 page views to get to the consumers objective Logical and understandable first page view; purpose of site, companys mission, organization of site Quality user-friendly web site, easy to read and view with interesting graphics Immediate customer service, a human to contact to ask questions while browsing Complete product descriptions, price and other charges, and pictures Contact information, company address, store locations, telephone numbers, email address Confidentiality regarding use or sharing of consumer information Opt-out, or permission-given privacy policies for consumer data entered on the site Security arrangements for online transactions Convenient return policies and options Order acknowledgement ability to check shipping status Site stability, similar look and feel for each successive visit 10 SUREFIRE IDEAS TO START YOUR OWN ONLINE INTERNET BUSINESS Become a freelancer Do you have any specific skill? Sell it. Go to elance.com to find the job opportunities posted there. Start information website Do you have a passion to research any niche topic? Gather it, process it, rewrite it and start a new informational website on the researched topic. Participate in affiliate marketing (sell others product) Why dont you sell manufacturers or marketers product? To be precise, sell others product. Sell an ad space If you have a website or blog sell an ad space from it. If you dont have, try having one exclusively made for selling ad space. Sell your own old stuffs through EBay Start selling your product or your neighbors or friends product through EBay. Create a Niche blog Do you Blog for Fun? No dont blog it. Blog to generate income out of it, get hired by companies to write blog for them. or create your own niche blog (this might over lap with any one of the above strategy). Sell your services If you have a talent in any particular domain, and then sell it as a service. Be an Online service provider. Example: Online Brokers (this might also overlap) Create e-books on any subject of your interest and sell it across various channels like EBay, Amazon, etc IS E-COMMERCE THE SAME AS E-BUSINESS? While some use e-commerce and e-business interchangeably, they are distinct con- cepts. In e-commerce, information and communications technology (ICT) is used in inter-business or inter-organizational transactions (transactions between and among firms/organizations) and in business-to-consumer transactions (transactions between firms/organizations and individuals). In e-business, on the other hand, ICT is used to enhance ones business. It includes any process that a business organization (either a for-profit, governmental or non-profit entity) conducts over a computer-mediated network. A more comprehensive definition of e-business is: The transformation of an organizations processes to deliver additional customer value through the application of technologies, philosophies and computing paradigm of the new economy. Three primary processes are enhanced in e-business : Production processes, which include procurement, ordering and replenish-ment of stocks; processing of payments; electronic links with suppliers; and production control processes, among others; Customer-focused processes, which include promotional and marketing ef-forts, selling over the Internet, processing of customers purchase orders and Internal management processes, which include employee services, train-ing, internal information-sharing, video-conferencing, and recruiting. Electronic applications enhance information flow between production and sales forces to improve sales force productivity. Workgroup communications and elec- tronic publishing of internal business information are likewise made more efficient. payments, and customer support, among others; and WHY ESTABLISH A BUSINESS ON THE INTERNET? Fact versus Opinion On techniques we have practised. We will be sharing with you the methods we have used to establish our own internet business rather than harping on about theories. You will be reading a real success story written by real people. Everything you will find here can be verified and put into practice by you. There is no denying that the internet has brought about a revolution. Never before have people been able to interact in such a cost effective and comfortable way. The Internet with its multiple communication channels also changes the world of business. Now it is possible for you to establish your own company with a very small financial investment or in some cases even without any start-up capital at all. The majority of people in any country in the world do not really like their regular jobs. Nevertheless they get up early every morning to go to work and when they return home tired and frustrated they switch on the TV to forget all about their problems. They often dream about a life t hat gives them the freedom to do what they really like with people who are friendly, intelligent, understanding and supportive. When it comes to business, most people confuse their personal opinions with facts. They believe in fact that they know something when in reality they dont have all the data to support their beliefs.In this document section you will find factual information that is based on our experiences and our experiences Now with the Internet available in almost every household in any developed country, it is possible to achieve the type of lifestyle you have always dreamed about. The following facts will show why you really should consider establishing your own internet company : Downsizing: Lets face it — a computer is more productive than a human in business. areas such as accounting, administration, data management, calculating, statistics and many more activities. Whatever industry you name — new technologies increase productivity which, in turn, often leads to fewer jobs. To be sure new technologies also create new jobs but these require a much higher level of qualification and knowledge. A person who has been working in the same sort of job for several years is often not capable of acquiring all the skills and qualifications needed for a job in a new workplace. Globalization: The world is becoming more and more interconnected. Even, or maybe especially after September 11, international travel activities have been increasing and this pattern will continue into the future. The number of companies that operate on a multinational scale is constantly rising because they need new market places. In Europe nations have agreed on a uniform single currency — the EURO, enabling the European Community to develop into a strong economic entity. The same sort of thing is taking place in Asia with China, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan forming a powerful economic alliance. Information: More than 500 million people worldwide are using the internet on a regular basis, with email and search engines as the most popular services. Information is power. People are able to influence, direct, convince, educate and manipulate others through one single tool: The distribution of information. Email and discussion forums allow people to share their thoughts, ideas and experiences with other people from all corners of the world. Cost Effectiveness : The internet is by far the most cost effective communication tool. If you want to send a letter via conventional or so-called snail mail it will cost at least around $1 (assuming you restrict yourself to two single sheets of paper). Sending the same amount of information via email will be up to 100 times cheaper with immediate delivery. THE ADVANTAGES OF THE INTERNET So, lets recap. Never have the chances for setting up and running your own successful business been easier than they are today: While traditional industries like manufacturing are shrinking, new industries are growing especially the  «information industries You can use the internet to find your customers and business partners worldwide Your customers and partners can find you on the internet. You can use the internet to build a strong relationship with your customers especially via email. You can use the internet to market your products and services. You can use the internet to acquire all the information, training and qualifications you need for your business. You can set up a business with a very small marketing budget, something almost impossible in the real world. You can certainly list even more reasons why it is possible for anybody with a computer and access to the Internet to establish their own business. At the same time the reality is that only a very small percentage of people who do have a computer and access to the Internet, establish and run their own business. Why is this? The answer is very simple. Most people anywhere in the world, spend too much time thinking about things they do not want, instead of thinking about things they do want. As a result there are only a few people who have their own company and they usually earn more money than somebody with a regular job. Owners of comapines usually have more personal and financial freedom than people with regular jobs. But what exactly do you need in order to own a company? Money? A University degree? The right friends? Well, maybe some of these things can help you with your business but then they are not essential and are no guarantee of success. We have analyzed a number of successful online business people and here is a list of important characteristics all of them possessed. We know that the following qualities are essential for success as a businessperson so you should take the time to go through them and check whether or not you have them. All the information about how to set up a website, how to run an email newsletter, how to get a high ranking at Google, how to generate huge traffic to your website etc. will be worth nothing if you dont have most of the following s kills and qualities. 121 WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN E-BUSINESS? Self-Motivation Most people wait until someone else tells them what to do. Thats the way our society is organized. You go to school and the teacher tells you what to do. You study at university and the professors tell you what to do. Your parents tell you what is right and wrong. You get a job and there you will have a boss and colleagues who tell you what to do. Now, we all have to learn from others clearly but we do have a choice about where we get advice. If you want to know how to establish your own business, would you ask your colleague who has been working in a regular 9 -5 job for 15 years or so? Think about your teachers at school or your University professors. Do you think they know how to set up a business and become an entrepreneur? If we examine truly successful people we will find that they have a high level of self-motivation. This applies to any calling in life. Consistency, the ability to follow through Many people who do have self-motivation, quickly get enthused and inspired by a new idea. Getting excited or even thrilled by an idea might be great for the moment. A business, however, requires constant activity. If you want to establish and develop a company you need a high level of consistency also known as stickability. Once you have made the decision to set up your business, you must follow through this decision with consistency. Think about your life can you come up with an example where you have proved your consistency, your stickability? Did you ever want to learn to play an instrument or a sport or a learn a foreign language? How long did you stick to your plan? How much time did you spend on your project and what have you accomplished? Chances are that you started a lot of projects and half way through the course you quit because things got tough and you lacked stickability. If this is the case fear not. You are not alone. The truth is that most people quit as soon as things get more difficult. Making a long-term commitment is not easy for most people. This applies to personal relationships too Self-Discipline Are you the sort of person who tends to raise your voice when something doesnt go your way? Or do you even have A tendency to shout at your spouse, children or colleagues when you are under pressure? Whenever you start shouting, swearing or using negative language you are wasting your energy energy better put to use on your business venture. Swearing and grumbling kills your creativity and blocks your mind. You must be strong enough to withstand any tendency to get angry or upset or else you will never succeed in your business. Courage It takes great courage to make decisions and set goals because this means you have to prove to yourself that you can follow your own words through to a conclusion. Look at your friends, family and colleagues. How often do you hear somebody make a promise like  «Ill call you next week. » or  «Ill look this information up for you. » or  «Sure Ill help you when you move house, just let me know when you need me. » Those are statements, offers, promises all based on words. Yet, how often are they followed by deeds? Do you make New Years Resolutions such as  «Next year Ill quit smoking »,  «Next year Ill start this business course at night school », and  «Next year Ill go on a trip to Paris or Egypt with you »? How many of those resolutions and promises have you kept? How many of them did you simply forget two weeks into the New Year? It takes courage to make a real decision, as you will have to make a sacrifice to follow it through. Also, when you start up a busine ss you will be alone, at least to begin with. There will be no-one to tell you what to do, nobody at first to motivate and support you. You will have to take responsibility for yourself and to a certain degree, for any possible partners and you can only lead others if you have your own fears under control and are willing to take risks. Many people do not set themselves goals because they are afraid of failing of admitting defeat and they think the best way to avoid defeat is to simply not set goals. Willingness to learn and the ability to change habits When you decide to start your own Internet business you are also deciding to go back to school again. Not in a real physical sense but mentally. You will have to trawl for every single bit of information that will get you closer to your goal. To learn means youll need to change your habits and habits are established patterns of behaviour and thinking that everyone acquires throughout their lives. However, most people are not aware of the fact that they have to learn something new every day and that in order to learn, in order to obtain new knowledge and new skills they have to change some of these habits. If you want to learn a foreign language you have to change your daily routine. For example the habit of listening to your favourite music on the radio. Instead you could be listening to audio recordings in the language you want to learn. We all have a tendency to get used to things that are not only comfortable but also do not require much activity on our part. We get used to watching TV in the evening and eating convenience food at the same time because this is comfortable and doesnt require any mental activity. IF you want to establish your business, you wont have much time to watch TV for entertainment. You have to change your habit of absorbing information passively into one of actively searching for information in order to analyze, filter and reorganize it. Creativity Establishing a business means creating a product, service or system that solves a specific problem or enhances a persons life in one way or another. You can achieve this purpose when you create something new This doesnt mean that you have to re-invent the wheel though. Examine any new product development that enters the market and you will see that this  «new » creation is not entirely new but has been made up by combining existing elements in a novel way. This action of rethinking existing elements is the formula of creativity. So, in order to create something new you have first to analyze an existing product to find out how it can be improved, developed or enhanced in any way so it will do a better job. Take Google — its founders examined and analyzed existing search portals, in particular Yahoo and MSN. Based on their exhaustive studies they came up with an indexing and searching system that provides a higher search term relevancy. Study peoples behaviour — ident ify their latent needs and desires and you will tap into a never-ending supply of product ideas. Vision Vision is the ability to see things not as they are right now, but what they will be like in the future. Most people are so stuck in the moment, so preoccupied with their personal daily problems that they dont have the time or energy to think about how a particular market can develop in the future. Look at any successful business venture and you will find that its founder was able to project into the future, to estimate how peoples behaviour will change. Your success in business is directly related to your vision capacity » and your vision capacity is determined by two factors: How far ahead are you able to see into the future and how precise are your predictions? When Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded Google in 1998, they could see well beyond the year 2003, in which they yielded A revenue of almost $ 1 billion. By 1998 Yahoo and MSN were operating worldwide known search services and no one would have thought that two students could take the lead in the industry within 5 years. Y et, Brin and Page had become excellent analysts of the web search market and they collected and