Women s Rights Of Women - 1184 Words

Plan of Investigation Many women around the world today do not have the same rights as women do in America. A country that has truly had a rough timeline is Iran. Women are looked down at and aren’t thought have true humans but as objects a lot of the time. Women are looked down at, and are expected to just do the house chores and what is expected of women, raising the kids. Today in day, that is not the case in the US, but in Iran it is still a hard and difficult situation. In the year 1979, the women were required to start wearing the Hijab everywhere. This really downgraded women, to the point where even activists were stopped through cruel punishments such as, imprisonment or even the cruel act of torture. In Iran, the women are often physically abused by their husbands when they don’t follow the rules of the religion or government, leaving women below them and having to follow as they please. In a lot of situations women are seen as sex objects and then the caretaker of the males chil dren and are supposed to make them grow up to fullfill the family name. For my investigation on the difference in women s rights before the Iranian Revolution and after, I will be discussing between articles and authors to find the differences and the outcomes of both time periods in which women were downgraded. One of my main articles (Women’s), the author is explaining the cruel laws that women have to follow from before the revolution to present day. It talks about elections toShow MoreRelatedWomen s Rights Of Women Essay1455 Words   |  6 Pagesa myriad of women have expressed through outlets such as public assemblies, literature, and speeches. There have been three waves of the women’s movement, each targeting a variety of issues within each era. The third wave was in 1995, where Hillary Clinton spoke in Beijing, China, claiming that women’s rights were the same as human rights, that every aspiring girl deserved the civil liberties that every man was given around the world. Moreover, the movement had shifted towards women in d evelopingRead MoreWomen s Rights Of Women1265 Words   |  6 Pagesstands in the way of women being equal to men? Journalist Carlin Flora suggests the following, â€Å"While not all claims to humanity are universal and no one context, culture or continent can truly represent all peoples, the following three examples from very different contexts, cultures and continents show that some violations of women’s human rights are universal. In particular, it is still the case the world over that a woman’s reproductive rights, which impact on her right to life, are still seenRead MoreWomen s Rights Of Women881 Words   |  4 PagesTwenty –first century ladies are discovering it a daunting task to keep up both sexual orientation parts as an aftereffect of the women s activist development. They are presently assuming liability for both the supplier and the nurturer, battling like never before to acquire and keep a superior personal satisfaction. Woman s rights has supp orted in equivalent vocation opportunity, battling to get ladies acknowledged into the employment advertise, and what initially began as ladies strengtheningRead MoreWomen s Rights Of Women Essay1647 Words   |  7 Pagesthe early 1920’s, women thought they had achieved the unachievable. They could finally work, keep their earned wages, marry whomever they please, and even vote. After reaching their goal and fighting vigorously, women could taste equality and the freedom they deserved. While women still have the right to work in today’s society, women are not exactly treated equal in the workplace. Regardless of the past and the extreme measures taken to ensure equal opportunities for both men and women, there are manyRead MoreWomen s Rights Of Women1590 Words   |  7 Pagesthe 1920s, women were ignored in every aspect of their life. From politics, to social situations, women were constantly looked at as lesser. The 20s was a decade of women ready to fight for their rights. From gaining social freedoms, to getting political rights, the 20s was the first decade of feminism. Many women played key roles in the fight for women s rights through speeches, marches, and much more. The women that fought for their rights in the 1920s completely changed how women live their livesRead MoreWomen s Rights Of Women1230 Words   |  5 PagesWomen’s suffrage has stretched from the 1800’s to present day, as women have struggled to have the same civil and constitutional rights as men in politics and be appreciated as equals in the workforce. Groups of women known as suffragists questioned the customary views of women’s roles. Eventually our nation has evolved and realized that male-controlled societies suppress women’s rights. From the beginning steps taken in 1850 to 2013 with women earning combat roles in the military, women’s rolesRead MoreWomen s Rights Of Women1206 Words   |  5 Pagesto speak of women and the role o f women in this election, the subject of women is tiresome but necessary in a world where gender is still existent as an obstacle for most. I cannot identify what woman is. I am basing my definition from our modern understanding of woman, our general view, and the popular experience. People are using younger women voting for Bernie Sanders as proof of gender’s irrelevant in this election, that women have achieved their rights. Even if women ‘have rights now’ it doesRead MoreWomen s Rights Of Women1393 Words   |  6 Pages Women all over the world are being treated different than men. Iran is one of the places that women are being treated the worst. From restrictions to punishments, women in Iran are being treated with no respect, and that is not okay. Women’s rights activists have tried to get it to change, and have traveled to many places to try and get more people to join their movement. There are many issues with women not having the same rights as men. One of the main problems is that they are treated lessRead MoreWomen s Rights Of Women1272 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout history, women have fought a strenuous battle for equal rights. Many men, and even some women, all over the world believe that women do not share the same value and importance to society as men do. On September 5, 1995, Hillary Clinton spoke at the 4th World Conference on Women, on behalf of women all over the world. Clinton raised awareness on how women s rights are being violated and why it is important to recognize women s rights as equal to everyone else’s rights. Even today, in 2016Read MoreWomen s Rights Of Women1052 Words   |  5 PagesThe family has traditionally been the basic unit of Chinese society where women have long been charged with upholding society s values in their roles as wives and mothers. Especially in the Qing Dynasty, women were required to balance society s i deals with the reality of raising a family and maintaining a household. Throughout the imperial period and into the beginning of the twentieth century, the relationship among family members was prescribed by Confucian teachings. The revered philosopher

Secret Techniques for Business Management Essay Topics Only the Experts Know About

Secret Techniques for Business Management Essay Topics Only the Experts Know About To obtain competitive advantage two chief components are indispensable. Through the right guidance and advices a decision needs to be made. There are benefits and disadvantages to classic filing. Heck, you might not even have a start. Some have fixed guidelines you must follow. Standard filing systems are generally simple to comprehend. Standard file organization can get out of control. It is easy to access. Try to remember that all topics reference numerous, free on-line resources. Then pick which topics you want to master. Our panel of experts is quite thorough regarding the things that are essential for the thesis. You might also use a few of the assessments to the right in many of the sections to identify which topics that you wish to work on. Organizational culture is a significant aspect in any administration. Management or and business thesis alike have a lot of time. Topics are usually the same as we've listed them in the above mentioned discussion. The 5-Minute Rule for Business Management Essay Topics Included here are some time management tips I've picked up over time. Starting your own company normally requires a substantial investment. Small businesses create the greatest portion of new work in the nation. For instance, senior manager and me used to stop for a little chat with our clientele. Thus, our company is predicted to grow. When you run your own company, you're in charge of the direction that the provider goes, and you are in charge of your own future. In the area of digitalization, organizations are employing the email as an expert communication tool. Management of the restaurant is thinking about opening a quick food service attached to the principal restaurant as a way to deliver a possibility for those customers to take meals with them. So as to be popular, many restaurants are working to invent extra concepts that would entice customers. So our new restaurant had a terrific chance to attract them from the very start. Small restaurants that could offer excellent service typically have a stable flow of consumers. Managers must deal with multiple distinctive forces that pull and push their businesses and companies in any range of directions. Clients' preferences are always considered when selecting a segment of specialization. Selecting partners shouldn't be based on cost alone. On the flip side, detailed cost benefit analysis was carried out as a way to be certain that we don't suffer any significant losses by offering substantially cheaper prices. Low-income areas can draw in modest businesses as a result of decrease cost of operation, and can grow economically as a consequence of the new jobs, improving the standard of life of the region. Naturally, there's a location for improvement. Basically, the objective of a business is to generate income. The ability of a possible partner to support and add value to the supply chain later on needs to be taken into account. There are several prospective entrepreneurs who see themselves as making a great deal of money in a brief moment. Hence, if to begin a very good cause franchise may be the second hand. A good example of this could be a cabinet maker. You must be ready to accept that responsibility and the effects of your decisions. In spite of the fact that it is mainly employed for financial decisions, it can make just about any decision you've got to make somewhat easier, and more often accurate. Either by going into franchises, someone should have proper understanding of the product he would like to sell.

Contemporary Issues

Question: Discuss about the Contemporary Issues in Accounting ? Answer : Introduction The rule of corporate world is standing on the business transaction, wherein every transaction differs in terms of quantity, quality, process and price. In this contemporary world, businesses started to transact across the borders, which also increased immense level of competition in the global market. Thus, it became necessary to maintain all the financial processes in line and track all the investment, transactions and profit or loss (Babu, 2012). To illustrate the theoretical concepts associated with financial statements of BHP Billiton Limited, the study concentrates on outlining general purpose of financial reporting and different financial performance measures along with its relationship with accounting theoretical concepts. BHP Billiton Ltd is a leading global resource companies with the mission to create value for the sustainable stakeholders by developing natural resources. The company is categorized into two companies namely British BHP Billiton Plc and Australian BHP Billiton Limited, which are listed in Australia ASX Top 100 listed companies with different shareholders, but both are controlled by identical board of members (BHP Billiton, 2015). Accounting Theoretical Concept The basic theoretical concepts of accounting are largely related with the conceptual frameworks of finance, which demonstrate the required information through statements. Determining the Monetary Amounts Determination of monetary amounts is one of the important processes and theoretical frameworks through which BHP Billiton is able to maintain its viability in this competitive market. According to the company monetary amounts represented below, it is apparent that the production of copper has been increased by 9%, whereas overall revenue decreased by 21% from the previous years (BHP Billiton, 2015). Figure 1: FY2015 Performance Summary Source: (BHP Billiton, 2015) With the help of monetary amount or outcome of financial statements, the management determines the financial position of a company. The above depicted monetary amount clearly indicates that BHP Billiton needs to reassess its work process along with strategic implications as the performance has drastically been decreased from previous year. Elements of Financial Statement Financial statements include several elements such as assets, liabilities, equity, income and expenses among others, which help to identify the financial position of companies along with the annual expenses and income as compared to other competitors present in the market (Accounting Simplified, 2013). The assets of BHP Billiton can be categorized into two part namely current assets and non-current assets. Current assets include Cash, trade and other receivables, whereas non-current assets include inventories, property, plant and equipment and intangible assets among others.Figure 2: Assets of BHP Billiton, 2015Source: (BHP Billiton, 2015)On the other hand, the expenses of the company, as depicted in the below mentioned financial statement (Figure 3), include raw materials and consumables used, employee benefits expense, external services, third-party commodity purchases, net foreign-exchange, fair-value, government royalties payable, depreciation and amortization expenses, explorati on and evaluation expenditure among other. Figure 3: Expenses of BHP Billiton, 2015Source: (BHP Billiton, 2015) Recognition Revenue recognition is one of the accounting principles that acts according to the accounting principles and determines specific conditions of revenue. It maintains a record on business transactions, wherein loss is recognized as the 'lower of cost' (Alexander Archer, 2008). Considering this framework, in BHP Billiton Interest income are recorded on accruals basis and Dividend income is recognized based on the subsidiaries' declaration (BHP Billiton, 2015). Apart from this, the concept of probability is utilized in recognition to understand the degree of uncertainty and future economic benefits. In addition, the reliability concept of recognition measures the qualitative characteristics of financial elements (Alexander Archer, 2008). Selection of the Particular Basis of Measurement Based on the information obtained from determination of monetary amounts, certain elements can be outlined such as financial statements and recognition criteria for understanding of the companys economic conditions (Alexander Archer, 2008). Considering the situation of BHP Billiton, it structures its income statement or balance sheet for understanding the present economic position (BHP Billiton, 2015). General Purpose of Financial Reporting There are several financial measurements in the record of BHP Billiton that are considered as financial statements such as cash flow, remuneration process, valuation of assets, dividends, goodwill, provision, superannuation plan, net cash flow, market risk and balance sheet among others. These calculation processes critically help to implement the most suitable decisions in organizational process for both the management and its stakeholders. Based on these financial processes, creditors and investors can analyze the set of financial statements to predict future performances and its ability to pay the present as well as future debts (BHP Billiton, 2015). Financial Performances and Cash Flow Financial measure is known as subjective measure according to the measurement criteria based on which BHP Billiton Limited can identify the financial outcome along with future depiction (Frank James, 2014). However, to understand the financial performance, BHP Billiton needs a particular accounting measurement for which cash flow is the most suitable statement in evaluating its financial performance (BHP Billiton, 2015). Figure 4: Cash flow analysis of BHP Billiton, 2015 Source: (BHP Billiton, 2015) Cash flow is an important part of operation, which helps to raise the productivity of the performance and maintain the planning as well as control mechanism of the company as a whole (Frank James, 2014). Based on the cash flow statement of the company, it can be asserted that the cash generated from the operations in 2014 was comparatively higher than other two years (i.e. 2015 2013), which possess a challenge for continuing the business with higher profitability. Remuneration Process Remuneration is an index of financial growth provided to the employees of an organization for their efficient works and achievements. There are certain criteria for setting the remuneration for an organization, which are considered under the Remuneration Authority Act 1977, ss. 18, 18A. According to this Act, remuneration must follow a fair policy for the organization (Remuneration Authority, 2016). The Remuneration Report of BHP Billiton includes the elements that are governed by the legislation of the UK and Australia. The Remuneration Committee therefore determines particular remuneration for every member based on the elements that are presented in the below diagram (BHP Billiton, 2015). Figure 5: Components of Remuneration for BHP Billiton, 2015 Source: (BHP Billiton, 2015) Incentive and other Employee Benefits Incentives are utilized as the important drivers that the companies use to encourage the employees to work hard and achieve the target, which also help to retain potential employees based on better pay-rate (MaRS Discovery District, 2016). The Remuneration Committee of BHP Billiton provides certain benefits for the employees such as family health-insurance costs, personal tax return, death and disability insurance for employees and car parking among others. Apart from this, the company pays extra benefits for the CEO through travel allowance, wherein costs related to partner or spouse are also provided by the management. All the benefits are determined by the Remuneration Committee, wherein the benefits need to be within the limit of 10% of the base salary (BHP Billiton, 2015). Dividends Shareholders receive payments for owned shares from the particular company, which is known as dividend (Babu, 2012). Few companies avoid to issue dividends, as this can create a problem for them by forcing the companies to pay dividends on the same income amount twice. However, Australia ASX Top 100 listed companies pay dividends according to above stated aspects (Dividends.com.au., 2013). In the year 2015, BHP Billiton Limited paid 62 US cents for each share as final dividend, which further resulted as 124 US cents for each share of FY2015. The company always used to declare the dividend in US dollars as a main currency of the business. However, as mentioned earlier, there are two different entities which used to pay their dividends in different currencies. BHP Billiton Plc declares its dividends UK pounds or US dollars, whereas BHP Billiton Limited declares the dividends in UK pounds, US dollars, Australian dollars or New Zealand dollars (BHP Billiton, 2015). Superannuation Plan Superannuation plan refers to a companys pension plan designed for the employees. According to this plan, companies raise funds within the superannuation account, which do not include any tax implications till the employees retirement or any withdrawal. In Australia, superannuation plan is compulsory for ASX Top 100 listed corporations (Drew Stanford, 2003). BHP Billiton Limited ensured the superannuation contributions as 9.5% of fees for the financial year 2015 that has been increased from the previous year (i.e. 9.25%) as per the Australian superannuation law (BHP Billiton, 2015). Valuation of Assets As previously mentioned, cash, trade and other receivables, whereas non-current assets include inventories, property, plant and equipment and intangible assets are considered under the asset and listed in balance sheet according to current and non-current assets classifications. These values can be different for several significant purposes and procedures of establishment (BHP Billiton, 2015). Goodwill Goodwill is intangible in nature and is classified as the tangible assets and observed in the balance sheet, which cannot affect organizations' net income, but if it turns into impaired then it might affect the substantial (Babu, 2012). The company goodwill is largely associated with US Onshore petroleum from which the revenue generated in 2015 as US$3,026 million that is lower than previous years by US$542 million (BHP Billiton, 2015). Provision In context of financial accounting, provision is utilized as the account and BHP Billiton include around US$ 1,916 million provisions as depicted in the following statement (BHP Billiton, 2015). Without the presence of provision, ASX top 100 listed corporations directors have no right to pay for the services, which clearly indicate the significance of provisions in BHP Billiton (Tomasic et.al., 2002). Figure 6: Provisions in BHP Billiton, 2015 Source: (BHP Billiton, 2015) Net Cash Inflow The concept of net cash inflow is utilized in determining the short-term financial feasibility concerns of a company. The positive and negative net cash flow outcome is the basic indicator of companies viability, wherein negative amount of net cash flow represents the operational and functional problem within the existing process (Babu, 2012). Therefore, it is stated that the company cash flow outcome clearly depicts operational and functional problem in the work process (refer to Figure 4) (BHP Billiton, 2015). Market Risk Market risk is a systematic risk of corporate operations, which evolves in case investors experience loss due to certain functional problem factors (Babu, 2012). The major market risks for BHP Billiton is reduced price of commodities, changes in currency and demand in large markets such as Europe or China. Apart from this, the HSEC incidents or other frequent incidents also possess threats to continue the business with higher profitability (BHP Billiton, 2015). Conclusion From the inference of discussed sections, it can be concluded that each sections of accounting theory, statements and elements are the most important for maintaining the companys consistency and market hold in the long run. It is evident that with the support of monetary amount BHP Billiton can easily determine the financial position of it, which can also be utilized to attract large number of investors. Furthermore, cash flow, remuneration process, employee benefits, dividends, superannuation plan, goodwill and market risk among others also helped to understand the operational environment of the company organization along with the probable risks that might be raised in future work process. Based on the financial performance of the company for 2013-2015, it has been apparent that the company needs to reassess its policies and strategic priorities as the revenue, profit and cash generation has visibly been decreased within the particular period of time that in turn can have a huge neg ative impact to maintain a sustainable position for the long run. References Accounting Simplified 2013, Expense, Elements of Financial Statements, viewed 17 December 2016, https://accounting-simplified.com/expense.html Alexander, D Archer, S 2008, International Accounting/Financial Reporting Standards Guide 2009, CCH, US. Babu, G, R 2012, Financial Management, Concept Publishing Company, India. BHP Billiton, 2015, 'Resourcing global growth Annual Report 2015', Our Structure, 1-320. Dividends.com.au. 2013, Introducing the five star dividend rating system, Dividends.com.au., viewed 17 December 2016, https://dividends.com.au/ Drew, M, E Stanford, J, D 2003, Reasons for change, A Review of Australias Compulsory Superannuation Scheme after a Decade, no. 322, pp. 2-23. Frank, B, P James, O, K 2014, Cash flow and corporate performance: A study of selected food and beverages companies in Nigeria, European Journal of Accounting Auditing and Finance Research, vol.2, no.7, pp.77-87. MaRS Discovery District 2016, Incentives: Drivers in attracting the best employees, Employee compensation: Salary, wages, incentives and commissions, viewed 17 December 2016, https://www.marsdd.com/mars-library/employee-compensation-salary-wages-incentives-and-commissions/ Remuneration Authority 2016, Remuneration process, Remuneration Authority, viewed 17 December 2016, https://remauthority.govt.nz/remuneration-process/ Tomasic, R, Bottomley, S McQueen, R 2002, Corporations Law in Australia, Federation Press, Australia.

Should There Be Armed Guards at Schools free essay sample

Guns are weapons that should be feared; it is not something that should be seen every day in schools. We all know that the best way to end gun violence is to limit or prohibit gun ownership. But Wayne LaPierre, the N. R. A. ’s (National Rifle Association’s) executive vice president, thinks differently. He wants America’s schools to fight fire with even more fire. He is proposing to place armed guards in the nation’s schools, although they are unnecessary. They are costly, they create an uncomfortable learning environment for students, and the chances of another school massacre happening are very slim. Having armed guards in schools are not only useless, but costly as well. The N. R. A. has not determined how every school could afford the security. While the salaries may vary, armed guards usually cost a school 50,000 to 80,000 dollars a year. The N. R. A. ’s proposal would also cost taxpayers 15. We will write a custom essay sample on Should There Be Armed Guards at Schools? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 4 billion dollars annually. Is it worth it to waste so much money to prepare for an occasion that rarely happens? The N. R. A. ’s suggestion to place armed guards in the nation’s schools is just another way to sell more guns, not to keep the students safe. What message are they trying to send the students by having them greeted by armed guards when they arrive at their school doors? This will only create an uncomfortable school environment for the students. Guns will only frighten them, when the government should be doing everything in their power to help children be safe and secure in their schools. Chances of another school massacre happening are very slim, and when it does happen, the guards are useless. The last time a school massacre as big as the Sandy Hook shooting happened fourteen years ago (in 1999) at Columbine High School. LaPierre said that an armed presence on school grounds actually would provide what he calls â€Å"absolute protection† against an attack. He made a shaky assumption, considering that Columbine High School had an armed county sheriff’s deputy on the campus when it was attacked by two teenage gunmen. The sheriff’s deputy was unable to prevent the two gunmen from killing a dozen students, a teacher, and injuring twenty-one others. This proves that even a trained and armed guard is useless in a situation like this. Guns are dangerous weapons that should be feared. They are weapons that should not be seen in schools. Hiring, training, and paying the armed guards regularly will be very hard especially to schools with very tight budgets. What message are they trying to send the students by having them greeted by armed guards when they arrive at their school doors? Having armed guards will only make the schools feel like prisons. LaPierre has made a strong statement that has that has locked America in thought. Will an armed presence provide â€Å"absolute protection† as LaPierre said it would?

Flaws of Contagion Essays

Flaws of Contagion Essays Flaws of Contagion Essay Flaws of Contagion Essay In 2011 , the blockbuster, Contagion, was released, featuring several prominent actors. In summary, the movie is the story of a father who loses his wife and son to a completely brand new virus. This new virus, dubbed MOVE-I, originated from a bat in Hong Kong. The bat bit a fruit then dropped it into a pigpen infecting the pig that consumed the fruit with the bats virus. While pig was prepped to be cooked, the chef touched the pigs mouth, getting virus on his hand and shakes the hands of woman, Beth, making her patient zero for MOVE-I . The disease then spread to others who mom In contact with Beth or Beets belongings. After the CDC realized the existence of this virus, they promptly started researching It. After several days of research, clients were able to determine that the virus was 15 to 19 kielbasas In length and containing six to ten genes, typical of a paramours containing genes from bats and pigs, which attach to receptors found on cells In the respiratory and the central nervous system. The virus is seemingly able to be contracted through the respiratory tract, but kills the host by making its way to the brain and causing encephalitis. The vaccine for the virus was developed by first growing the virus in fetal bat cells in culture, propagating and isolating, and finally inoculating rhesus monkeys with attenuated and dead forms of the virus. Out of desperation for working vaccine, after observing one monkey surviving during the vaccination trials, one of the researchers injected herself with the tested vaccine given to the surviving chimp. By doing so, she skipped the entire clinical trials portion of developing vaccines and had the vaccine abstracted to be mass-produced. : While this movie was more scientifically accurate then most other movies, there are still several aspects of the movie that seem incorrect. One aspect of the movie that stood out to me as incorrect was what the virus was considered to be. According to one of the researchers, the virus was described to have the physical qualities of a ovoviviparous. This statement itself is already inaccurate since a virus genome should not defer so much between the viruses infects a host. Though there may be a wide range of genomic size across the entire ovoviviparous family, the strain of virus hat Infects a host should not differ as much. In addition, while physically the virus may resemble a ovoviviparous, it seems to have the pathological effects of a ovoviviparous, oblivious, and influenza combined. The virus Is highly contagious (a trait of avariciousness), yet kills the host quickly (common for oblivious), has a short Incubation period (traits of Influenza), and seems to cause encephalitis from entering through the respiratory tract (as seen by Influenza associated encephalitis). It Is extremely unlikely for a virus to exalt pathological effects of three different mammals of viruses at the same time. For a virus to have the traits of three different families viruses, they virus can no longer be considered a paramours. In fact this virus seems to relate more to oblivious because of the high lethality and transmissible of the virus. In addition to the unlikely identity of the virus, the origin of virus seems just as spread to a pig and then to humans, which mimic the transmission route of the Hander virus, which is part of the ovoviviparous family. While the route of transmission seems credible, it is who is infected first that isnt. According to the movie, the first person to be infected is the wife, Beth. However, in reality she would not be the first become infected. If contracting the virus is as simple as touching the pigs mouth, the farmer raising the pigs or the butcher the operators of the slaughterhouse that kills the pig should be infected first. The farmers are dealing with the pigs much more closely and the operators at the slaughterhouse are constantly being exposed to blood and other bodily fluids of the pig and so they should have a bigger change of becoming infected first as opposed to Beth. This is similar to the case of Hander virus, where the farmers were the first ones to become infected. However, if the virus has a high mutation rate, designing a possible vaccine for, it is extremely difficult. For example, designing the yearly flu shots can be somewhat of a guessing game. Scientists look at the global strains of influenza and make a prediction as to which strains will be prevalent the coming winter and then create a vaccine for those strains. Sometimes they are able to predict it well, other time they are not. This vaccine must constantly be updated or changed because the virus itself mutates so past vaccinations are no longer effective. Obtaining the perfect vaccination for highly immutable virus, like in the movie, is nearly impossible. In addition, the researcher would have to test the vaccine that she created more times before even thinking about injecting it in a human. The only basis that the researcher had that the vaccine worked was that one monkey survived with that vaccine. Normally, a vaccine needs to be tested on many more monkeys to see if it is truly viable. In addition, clinical trials are necessary to see how the general populace will react to the vaccination. Just because the vaccine works in animals does not mean that it will work the same in humans. Thus more tests are needed to ensure the quality of the vaccine. Lastly, after the Cutter Laboratories Incident, during which the vaccine made for polio actually caused polio itself, more stringent laws would have passed to require researchers to find the possible side effects of the vaccine. It would be terrible to have a repeat of the Cutter Laboratories incident for a lethal virus like MOVE-I.

Chinese Traditions and Tips on Etiquette

Chinese Traditions and Tips on Etiquette Learning proper Chinese etiquette takes time and practice. The most important thing to remember is to smile, be sincere, and open-minded. The ability to go with the flow and be patient is essential. The following are some Chinese traditions and etiquette tips. Tips for Making a Great First Impression It is becoming more and more popular to shake hands upon meeting, but oftentimes, a simple nod is how Chinese will greet each other. When a handshake is given, it may be firm or weak but don’t read into the firmness of the handshake as it’s not a sign of confidence like in the West but a simple formality. Avoid hugging or kissing during greetings and farewells. Upon meeting or at the same time as the handshake, a business card is presented with two hands by each person. In China, most name cards are bilingual with Chinese on one side and English on the other. Take a moment to look over the card. It is good manners to make a comment about the information on the card, such as the person’s job title or office location. Read more tips for greetings. Speaking a little Chinese goes a long way. Learning Chinese greetings like ni hao (hello) and ni hao ma (How are you?) will help your relationships and make a good impression. It is acceptable to give a compliment. When receiving a compliment, the typical response should be one of modesty. Instead of saying thank you, it is better to downplay the compliment. If you are meeting for the first time at an office, you will be offered either warm or hot water or hot Chinese tea. Many Chinese prefer to drink hot water because it is believed drinking cold water affects a person’s Qi. Tips about Understanding and Choosing Chinese Names When doing business in China, it is a good idea to select a Chinese name. It can be a simple translation of your English name into Chinese or an elaborately chosen name given with the assistance of a Chinese teacher or fortune teller. Going to a fortune teller to pick a Chinese name is a straightforward process. All that is needed is your name, date of birth, and time of birth. Do not assume that a married Chinese man or woman has the same surname as his or her spouse. While it is becoming more popular in Hong Kong and Taiwan to take or add the man’s name to a woman’s name, most Chinese women typically retain their maiden last names after marriage. Tips on Personal Space The concept of personal space in China is vastly different than in the West. On crowded streets and malls, it is not uncommon for people to bump into strangers without saying ‘Excuse me’ or ‘sorry.’ In Chinese culture, the concept of personal space is much different than the West, especially when standing in line to buy something like train tickets or groceries. It is typical for people in a queue to stand very close together. Leaving a gap just invites other people to cut in line.

Consumer bahaviour to develop a marketing plan Essay

Consumer bahaviour to develop a marketing plan - Essay Example In order to find the appropriate target market for The Alternative, this paper will be using the hybrid segmentation approach called demographic and psychographic profiles. In terms of demographic factors, it was found out that individuals in different often reveal different reasons why they look for healthier options. In the case of individuals within the 18-34 age brackets, being fit and healthy is consistent with their desire to look good. Within the 35-54 circle, the desire shifts as a way to deal with stress. The 55 above groups see it as medical-physical therapy. Looking at these age groups, The Alternative wants to focus on the 18-34 age brackets whose primary intention is to watch their weight and figure (). A part of a healthy lifestyle is an equally healthy diet unavailable in other fast food chains with their fat and calorie-laden offerings. Psychographic factors are also essential considerations. It should be noted that fast food chains often project bad images by providing unhealthy foods like burgers, meat pies, and carbonated drinks. However, consumers are often left with no choice especially if they have a fast-paced lifestyle. Fast-foods are often linked and preferred for their convenience and easy accessibility and perfect for people who love "fast service." The Alternative hopes to cater to this market segment. It is irrefutable that a lot of people, especially university students and young professionals often have less time to prepare their own food and would willingly grab a quick bite from fast food chains. However, these busy individuals also desire to be healthy in spite of their lifestyle. Thus, an alternative food chain would be perfect for them. The Alternative would cater to busy university students and young professionals aged 13-34 who desire to look good by eating healthier food options served in fas t food chains. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: Revealing the Motive Looking Maslow's hierarchy of needs, food is categorized at the lowest level of the pyramid together with other physiological needs like air, water, sleep, and clothing. Following these needs are safety needs, love and belongingness, and status or esteem needs. Although food is generally classified a physiological need, The Alternative will design a marketing mix which will not only project its product offering as a way to satisfy this lowest necessity but also the higher ones specifically love and belongingness as well as esteem needs. In the discussion above, it is already clarified that what The Alternative will be serving is the segment which primarily desires to "look good." Thus, the motive underlying the establishment of the fast-food chain goes beyond the mere satisfaction of the appetite and the physiological need to the fulfillment of love and belongingness and esteem needs. The Alternative will not be only offering healthy foods but healthy lifestyle which is needed to look good. Offering low calorie, healthy foods will help individuals to maintain their weight and figure, enhance the beauty of the skin, and fights harmful substances which causes physical imperfections. Having a good image and figure irrefutably translates to gaining love and belongingness, especially now that social acceptance is often based on how a person looks like. Having shapely legs, nice built and well-proportioned figure

COMEDY - INFORMATIVE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

COMEDY - INFORMATIVE - Essay Example o involved with the charity, through the earnings made by selling pixels from this website, I would be able to expand the area of social work and contribute to the good cause on an individual basis. As soon as you buy pixels from us and formalities are completed, you would be able to upload your picture within 5 minutes and have your own web space! So there you have the differential element that is not found in the suggested site. We also let you earn by sharing our revenues with you. Yes, I want you all to realize your dreams of becoming a celebrity! With just 10 cents, have your own web-space where you can advertise yourself to the whole wide world. Think unique with your space and rock the world, buddy! As soon as you have the IDEA that takes everyone by its exclusivity and funkiness! Apart from that we will also help you make money by sharing our revenues with you when people click your homepage. The larger the numbers of visitors on your webpage, the more money you get. Our primary affiliates would be the sponsors who would be gaining business through your homepages. For example; if you are slimming center then the hotels and fast food centers that promote healthy living would become sponsors when they advertise in our website. Thus, affiliate marketing would be our major earning

Self Awareness Essay Example for Free

Self Awareness Essay You can not expect to change what you are not aware of. To make meaningful change it is important to know what it is you want to change for yourself and not for your loved ones or for external approval. Many people change themselves based on how others want them to be or to achieve a certain status in society. This is not meaningful change, it has no personal meaning and will not give you the results you were hoping to achieve. How can you make meaningful change? The answer is self awareness. You need to be aware of your core values and core beliefs. Values for the foundation for your behaviour and everything you bring into your life. Your core beliefs determine your thoughts, decisions and the emotions you experience. A value is a belief, mission, or philosophy that is meaningful. Whether we are consciously aware of them or not, everyone has a core set of values. Values can range from beauty and wealth to loyalty and trust. If you don’t know or haven’t defined your values, you end up drifting along in life. Instead of basing your decisions on an internal compass you make choices based on circumstances and social pressures. You end up trying to fulfil others’ expectations instead of your own. Clarifying, and expressing your life in alignment with your core values is a primary step in knowing how to be happy and create change. Our core values and beliefs determine our progress and success in life. Your core beliefs are your own personal power. You have the ability to attract what you want. A core belief can originate from a place of positivity or negativity. So when you are thinking in your head â€Å"I don’t deserve to be in this persons presence†, this is a negative core belief that you have made up for no reason other than the you have low self esteem. With positive core beliefs and an inner awareness of your own thinking and how it controls your feelings you can become more self confident in many situations in life. It is your life to live your way, so its your choice to live the ramifications of beliefs that make you happy or miserable. Achieving permanent change will be difficult unless you become more attentive to yourself. What are your core values and beliefs? What is important to you? What motivates you? Letting others tell you what you need to change will not work and will not make you happy. It is your job to decide what you want to improve in your life. Your life will never be more fulfilling until you know your core values and beliefs. With a good set of core values and beliefs supported by your passions you w ill have a rewarding and meaningful change.

Technology - A Futuristic Prom :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

A Futuristic Prom RING, RING! "Hello, this is Matty337." "Hey Matty337, it's Zinc451, what's up?" "Nothin' much, I am just enjoying my Saturday afternoon home alone." "Oh, I Just called to ask you a question." "What is it Zinc? Is something wrong?" "No, Matty, I was just wondering if... well I know it's kind of short notice, but I was wondering if... you would like to go to the Neptunian Starlight Prom with me." "Sure Zinc I'd love to go!" "Yeah, I'll pick you up at 7:30, O.K.?" "Ya, I'll see you at 7:30, bye!" "Bye, Matty!" Finally, he asked me. I've been waiting all my life for Zinc to ask me out on a date. After all, I've only had a crush on him since the year 2149. Just think, the most astronomical guy in school asked me to the Neptunian Starlight prom of the year 2153. It's going to be the best night of my life! Oh no, I totally spaced it out. The prom is tonight and I don't have a dress. The Mars Mall is too many miles for my spacecraft to fly this afternoon from my galaxy purple house on 95070 Jupiter Street. What will I do? Suddenly, it dawns on me; I can order a dress off of the Universal Wide Web and have it teleported to my own house! My teleporter is a very complex machine used to make one object disintegrate and appear somewhere else in perfect replica. This is a machine that works on 3-dimensional objects as opposed to 2-dimensional sheets of paper. It looks almost like a fax machine and scans the original object, breaks it up into billions of tiny atoms, scans it to a new location and rearranges it in its perfect form. I run down stairs as quick as possible, there is no time to waste. I open the office door and plop down in the chair in front of my new 2153 Model Astrocomputer. After turning on the super fast computer and atomic laser printer I begin to work. When the 3-D super pixel screen comes up I immediately click on the blue U for Universal Explorer. I plug in my Interstellar Satellite Modem. I go to the top of the screen where the word DESTINATION: jumps out at me. I suddenly get a rush of excitement all throughout my body. Finally I am going to get the perfect prom dress! I click on the destination box and begin to type- www. Technology - A Futuristic Prom :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers A Futuristic Prom RING, RING! "Hello, this is Matty337." "Hey Matty337, it's Zinc451, what's up?" "Nothin' much, I am just enjoying my Saturday afternoon home alone." "Oh, I Just called to ask you a question." "What is it Zinc? Is something wrong?" "No, Matty, I was just wondering if... well I know it's kind of short notice, but I was wondering if... you would like to go to the Neptunian Starlight Prom with me." "Sure Zinc I'd love to go!" "Yeah, I'll pick you up at 7:30, O.K.?" "Ya, I'll see you at 7:30, bye!" "Bye, Matty!" Finally, he asked me. I've been waiting all my life for Zinc to ask me out on a date. After all, I've only had a crush on him since the year 2149. Just think, the most astronomical guy in school asked me to the Neptunian Starlight prom of the year 2153. It's going to be the best night of my life! Oh no, I totally spaced it out. The prom is tonight and I don't have a dress. The Mars Mall is too many miles for my spacecraft to fly this afternoon from my galaxy purple house on 95070 Jupiter Street. What will I do? Suddenly, it dawns on me; I can order a dress off of the Universal Wide Web and have it teleported to my own house! My teleporter is a very complex machine used to make one object disintegrate and appear somewhere else in perfect replica. This is a machine that works on 3-dimensional objects as opposed to 2-dimensional sheets of paper. It looks almost like a fax machine and scans the original object, breaks it up into billions of tiny atoms, scans it to a new location and rearranges it in its perfect form. I run down stairs as quick as possible, there is no time to waste. I open the office door and plop down in the chair in front of my new 2153 Model Astrocomputer. After turning on the super fast computer and atomic laser printer I begin to work. When the 3-D super pixel screen comes up I immediately click on the blue U for Universal Explorer. I plug in my Interstellar Satellite Modem. I go to the top of the screen where the word DESTINATION: jumps out at me. I suddenly get a rush of excitement all throughout my body. Finally I am going to get the perfect prom dress! I click on the destination box and begin to type- www.

“Student Involvement in Quality Enhancement in Higher Education”

Paper on the Topic Of â€Å"Student Involvement in Quality Enhancement in Higher Education† Prof. S. B. Vanjari ABSTRACT This Paper has been conducted the study of student’s participation in improving and maintaining the quality of education in higher education. The paper shows that student's participation in Quality enhancement plays very important role in enhancement in the standardization of the institution education at higher level. That role also important for planning, organization, communication, co-ordination and evaluation seemed to be an average level. Introduction and BackgroundHigher education and training institutions and quality assurance agencies operating in India are required to establish quality assurance procedures for the purposes of further improving and maintaining the quality of education and training which is provided by higher education and training institutions. The involvement of students in the established quality assurance procedures is an e ssential element of such procedures. The requirement to involve students in quality assurance activities relating to programs and awards is further stated in the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the indian Higher Education Area.Institutional and agency quality reviews which have taken place in higher education and training institutions over recent years have considered the issue of student involvement in quality assurance procedures. While such reviews have found that students are involved in most quality reviews undertaken in the Indian higher education system, the limited extent of student involvement at all stages of quality assurance procedures has been noted. A number of reports have recommended that Indian institutions need to ensure that students have the pportunity to provide regular feedback on all modules, programs and services, that student bodies and students in general become progressively more aware of quality review processes and that they are involve d systematically in quality assurance and enhancement initiatives. Common Principles for Student Involvement in Quality Enhancement Internal quality assurance: Quality Assurance Policy ? The institution enshrines the value of student participation in quality assurance activities at module, program, unit, department, college, faculty and institution level. The policy, associated procedures and calendar for reviews have formal status and are publicly available, actively communicated and known within the institution. ? The institution designs its student representation system to provide opportunities for student engagement in decision-making and quality management arrangements. These opportunities are enshrined and clearly set out in a Enhancement Handbook, Student Handbook or equivalent document and are actively communicated. As part of the institution’s development and implementation of a strategy for the continuous enhancement of quality, a policy and associated procedures fo r the assurance of the quality and standards of their program and awards have been established, setting out a role for students as partners in quality assurance. ? Common Principles for Student Involvement in Quality Assurance/Quality Enhancement Quality Assurance Procedures ? Students are represented at all fora that contribute to quality processes at the institution. ? In addition to formal feedback, informal feedback should also be sought and captured (e. g. eedback from individuals, focus groups etc. ) ? Students participate in internal quality reviews at module, program, unit, department, college, faculty and institution level as appropriate. Student Feedback on Modules, Program and Services ? Coherent and systematic student feedback mechanisms are in place for all modules, program and services. ? Student feedback on modules, program and services is analysed and such feedback is an explicit input to the quality assurance process at the institution. ? Outcomes of student feedbac k are reported back to students along with an action plan to address any issues raised.External quality assurance: External Quality Reviews ? Students are invited to participate in external quality reviews to ensure that the review covers issues of primary concern to learners. ? The external panel of experts includes an individual who represents a learner perspective. Principles for the involvement of students in reviews of quality assurance agencies ? Students and/or student representative bodies are invited to participate in the key stages of reviews of quality assurance agencies. ? The external panel of experts includes persons with a learner perspective. Common Principles for Student Involvement in Quality EnhancementSelection, training and recognition of students involved in Internal, External and Agency Quality Reviews ? The institution and quality assurance agencies work in partnership with student representative bodies to: ? Set out criteria for selecting students to partici pate in quality reviews. The criteria are clearly articulated and made publicly available. ? Put in place a transparent and fair process for selecting students. ? Provide appropriate training and support for students selected to participate in reviews. ? Recognize participation of students in quality assurance activities. Conclusion:Student participation plays a very vital role in quality enhancement of higher education level. Proper planning should be design for the student participation in an all student concern activities in the institution. Then it will become strength of institution as well as higher education REFERENCES:- http://www. iheqn. ie/standards/default. asp Arunkumar, R. Sharma. (2001). Financial management . Atlantic publications. Best, J. W & Khan, JV (1983)7th edition. Education Research an Introduction Newark, Longman N. C. T. E (1978) ‘Teacher education curriculum' a frame work, New Delhi:NCERT.

Spirit Bound Chapter Eleven

WELL. HOW PERFECT. It took us a while to decide our next course of action. We tossed around a few feeble ideas to track Robert and Victor, all of which we eventually shot down. Robert's phone was a cell, and while the CIA could trace those kinds of things, we certainly couldn't. Even if Robert's address was listed in the phone book, I knew Victor wouldn't have let them go back there. And while Adrian and Lissa could spot a spirit user's aura, we could hardly go wandering aimlessly in a city and expect to find something. No, we were out of luck with those two. There was nothing to be done now but head back to Court and face whatever punishment awaited us. We–I–had screwed up. With sunset approaching–and seeing as we no longer had a known criminal to get us in trouble–my group glumly decided to head to the Witching Hour to make our travel plans. Lissa and I had the potential to be recognized over there, but runaway girls weren't quite in the same category as fugitive traitors. We decided to roll the dice (no pun intended) and hang around guardians rather than risk more Strigoi attacks before we could get out of Vegas. The Witching Hour was no different from any of the other casinos we'd been to–unless you knew what to look for. Humans there were too interested in the allure of the games and glitz to notice that a lot of the other patrons were uniformly tall, slim, and pale. As for the dhampirs? Humans couldn't tell that we weren't human. It was only the uncanny sense Moroi and dhampirs had that let us know who was who. Sprinkled throughout the cheering, chattering, and–at times–wailing crowd were guardians. As in demand as guardians were, only a handful could be allocated full-time to a place like this. Fortunately, their numbers were reinforced by the wealthy and powerful who'd come to play. Excited Moroi whooped over slot machines or roulette while silent, watchful guardians hovered behind them, keeping an eye on everything. No Strigoi would come here. â€Å"What now?† asked Lissa, almost yelling over the noise. It was the first time any of us had spoken since deciding to go here. We'd come to a halt near some blackjack tables, right in the thick of everything. I sighed. My mood was so dark, I didn't even need any spirit side effects. I lost Victor, I lost Victor. My own mental accusations were on an endless loop. â€Å"We find their business center and book tickets out of here,† I said. â€Å"Depending on how long until we can catch a flight, we might have to get a room again.† Adrian's eyes were scanning the action around us, lingering longest on one of the many bars. â€Å"Wouldn't kill us to spend a little time here.† I snapped. â€Å"Really? After everything that's happened, that's all you can think about?† His enraptured gaze turned back to me and became a frown. â€Å"There are cameras here. People who may recognize you. Getting hard proof that you were in this casino and not Alaska is a good thing.† â€Å"True,† I admitted. I think Adrian's typical blase air was masking discomfort. Aside from learning why I'd really come to Las Vegas, he'd also run into Strigoi–Dimitri among them. That was never an easy experience for any Moroi. â€Å"Though we've got no alibi for when we were actually in Alaska.† â€Å"So long as Victor doesn't get himself spotted around here, no one's going to make the connection.† Adrian's voice became bitter. â€Å"Which really shows how stupid they all are.† â€Å"We helped put Victor away,† said Lissa. â€Å"No one would think we'd be crazy enough to let him out.† Eddie, staying silent, gave me a pointed look. â€Å"Then it's settled,† said Adrian. â€Å"Somebody go book us tickets. I'm going to get a drink and try my hand at some games. The universe owes me some good luck.† â€Å"I'll get the tickets,† said Lissa, scanning a sign that pointed out the directions for the pool, restrooms–and business center. â€Å"I'll go with you,† said Eddie. Whereas before his expression had been accusatory, he now seemed to be avoiding my eyes altogether. â€Å"Fine,† I said, crossing my arms. â€Å"Let me know when you're done, and we'll find you.† That was to Lissa, meaning she'd tell me through the bond. Convinced he was free, Adrian headed straight for the bar, me trailing after him. â€Å"A Tom Collins,† he told the Moroi bartender. It was like Adrian had a mental cocktail dictionary in his head and just checked them off one by one. I almost never saw him drink the same thing twice. â€Å"You want it spiked?† the bartender asked. He wore a crisp white shirt and black bow tie and hardly appeared older than me. Adrian made a face. â€Å"No.† The bartender shrugged and turned around to make the drink. â€Å"Spiked† was Moroi code for putting a shot of blood into the drink. There were a couple of doors behind the bar, ones that probably led to feeders. Glancing down the bar, I could see happy, laughing Moroi with red-tinged drinks. Some liked the thought of having blood with their alcohol. Most–like Adrian, apparently–wouldn't take blood unless it was â€Å"straight from the source.† It supposedly didn't taste the same. While we waited, an older Moroi standing next to Adrian glanced over at me and nodded with approval. â€Å"You got yourself a good one,† he told Adrian. â€Å"Young, but that's the best way.† The guy, who was either drinking red wine or pure blood, jerked his head toward the others standing at the bar. â€Å"Most of these are used and washed-up.† I followed his shrug, even through there was no need. Interspersed among the humans and Moroi were several dhampir women, dressed very glamorously in silk and velvet dresses that left little to the imagination. Most were older than me. Those who weren't had a weary look in their eyes, despite their flirtatious laughter. Blood whores. I glared at the Moroi. â€Å"Don't you dare talk about them like that, or I'll smash that wineglass in your face.† The guy's eyes widened, and he looked at Adrian. â€Å"Feisty.† â€Å"You have no idea,† said Adrian. The bartender returned with the Tom Collins. â€Å"She's had kind of a bad day.† The asshole Moroi guy didn't look back at me. He apparently didn't take my threat nearly as seriously as he should have. â€Å"Everyone's having kind of a bad day. You hear the news?† Adrian looked relaxed and amused as he sipped his drink, but standing so close to him, I felt him stiffen a little. â€Å"What news?† â€Å"Victor Dashkov. You know, that guy who kidnapped the Dragomir girl and was plotting against the queen? He escaped.† Adrian's eyebrows rose. â€Å"Escaped? That's crazy. I heard he was at some maximum-security place.† â€Å"He was. No one really knows what happened. There were supposedly humans involved†¦ and then the story gets weird.† â€Å"How weird?† I asked. Adrian slipped an arm around me, which I suspected was a silent message to let him do the talking. Whether that was because he believed that was â€Å"proper† blood whore behavior or because he was worried I'd punch the guy, I couldn't say. â€Å"One of the guards was in on it–though he claims he was being controlled. He also conveniently says it's all a haze and he can't remember much. I heard it from some royals who are helping with the investigation.† Adrian laughed, taking down a big gulp of his drink. â€Å"That is convenient. Sounds like an inside job to me. Victor'd have a lot of money. Easy enough to bribe a guard. That's what I think happened.† There was a pleasant smoothness to Adrian's voice, and as a slightly dopey smile came over the other guy's face, I realized Adrian had pulled a little compulsion. â€Å"I bet you're right.† â€Å"You should tell your royal friends,† added Adrian. â€Å"An inside job.† The guy nodded eagerly. â€Å"I will.† Adrian held his gaze a few moments more and then finally glanced down to the Tom Collins. The glaze-eyed look faded from the man, but I knew Adrian's order to spread the â€Å"inside job† story would stick. Adrian gulped down the rest of the drink and set the empty glass on the bar. He was about to speak again when something across the room caught his attention. The Moroi man noticed too, and I followed both of their gazes to see what had them both so starstruck. I groaned. Women, of course. At first I thought they were dhampirs since my kind seemed to be making up most of the eye candy here. A double take revealed a surprise: The women were Moroi. Moroi showgirls, to be precise. There were several of them, clad in similar short, low-cut sequined dresses. Only, each one wore a different jewel-toned color: copper, peacock blue†¦ Feathers and rhinestones glittered in their hair, and they smiled and laughed as they passed through the gaping crowd, beautiful and sexy in a way different from my race. Which wasn't a surprise. I tended to notice Moroi men ogling dhampir girls more often, simply because I was a dhampir. But naturally, Moroi men were attracted to and infatuated with their own women. It was how their race survived, and though Moroi men might want to fool around with dhampirs, they almost always ended up with their own kind in the end. The showgirls were tall and graceful, and their fresh, brilliant appearances made me think they must be on their way to a performance. I could just imagine what a glittering display of dancing they must make. I could appreciate that, but Adrian clearly appreciated it more, judging from his wide-eyed look. I elbowed him. â€Å"Hey!† The last of the showgirls disappeared through the casino crowd, off toward a sign that said THEATER, just as I'd suspected. Adrian looked back at me, turning on a rogue smile. â€Å"Nothing wrong with looking.† He patted my shoulder. The Moroi standing next to him nodded in agreement. â€Å"I think I might take in a show today.† He swirled his drink around. â€Å"All this Dashkov business and that mess with the Dragomirs†¦ makes me sad for poor Eric. He was a good guy.† I put on a dubious look. â€Å"You knew Lissa's fath–Eric Dragomir?† â€Å"Sure.† The Moroi gestured for a refill. â€Å"I've been a manager here for years. He was here all the time. Believe me, he had an appreciation for those girls.† â€Å"You're lying,† I said coolly. â€Å"He adored his wife.† I'd seen Lissa's parents together. Even at a young age, I'd been able to see how crazy in love they were. â€Å"I'm not saying he did anything. Like your boyfriend said, nothing wrong with looking. But a lot of people knew the Dragomir prince liked to party it up wherever he went–especially if there was female company.† The Moroi sighed and lifted his glass. â€Å"Damn shame what happened to him. Here's hoping they catch that Dashkov bastard and leave Eric's little girl alone.† I didn't like this guy's insinuations about Lissa's dad and was grateful she wasn't around. What made me uneasy was that we'd recently found out Lissa's brother Andre had also been kind of a party boy who fooled around and broke hearts. Did that kind of thing run in the family? What Andre had done wasn't right, but there was a big difference between a teenage boy's exploits and those of a married man. I didn't like to admit it, but even the most in-love guys still checked out other women without cheating. Adrian was proof. Still, I didn't think Lissa would like the idea of her dad flirting around with other women. The truth about Andre had been hard enough, and I didn't want anything to shatter the angelic memories of her parents. I shot Adrian a look that said listening to this guy any longer really would come down to a fistfight. I didn't want to be standing here if Lissa came searching for us. Adrian, always more astute than he appeared, smiled down at me. â€Å"Well, my sweet, shall we try our luck? Something tells me you're going to beat the odds–like always.† I cut him a look. â€Å"Cute.† Adrian winked at me and stood up. â€Å"Nice talking to you,† he told the Moroi. â€Å"You too,† the man said. The thrall of compulsion was wearing off. â€Å"You should dress her better, you know.† â€Å"I'm not interested in putting clothes on her,† Adrian called as he steered me away. â€Å"Watch it,† I warned through gritted teeth, â€Å"or you might be the one with a wineglass in your face.† â€Å"I'm playing a part, little dhampir. One that's going to make sure you stay out of trouble.† We stopped near the casino's poker room, and Adrian gave me a head-to-toe assessment. â€Å"That guy was right about the clothes, though.† I gritted my teeth. â€Å"I can't believe he said those things about Lissa's dad.† â€Å"Gossip and rumors never go away–you of all people should know that. Doesn't matter if you're dead. Besides, that conversation was actually to our–by which I mean your–advantage. Somebody else is probably considering the inside-job theory already. If that guy can help get it around even more, it'll ensure no one even thinks the world's most dangerous guardian could have been involved.† â€Å"I suppose.† Forcibly, I pushed my temper down. I had always been trigger-happy, and I knew for sure now that the bits of darkness I'd gleaned from Lissa in the last twenty-four hours were making things worse, as I'd feared. I changed the subject, steering to safer ground. â€Å"You're being pretty nice now, considering how mad you were earlier.† â€Å"I'm not all that happy, but I've done some thinking,† Adrian said. â€Å"Oh? Care to enlighten me? â€Å"Not here. We'll talk later. We've got more important things to worry about.† â€Å"Like covering up a crime and getting out of this city without being attacked by Strigoi?† â€Å"No. Like me winning money.† â€Å"Are you crazy?† Asking Adrian that was never a good idea. â€Å"We just escaped a bunch of bloodthirsty monsters, and all you can think about is gambling?† â€Å"The fact that we're alive means we should live,† he argued. â€Å"Especially if we've got the time, anyway.† â€Å"You don't need any more money.† â€Å"I will if my dad turns me out. Besides, it's really about enjoying the game.† By â€Å"enjoying the game,† I soon realized that Adrian meant â€Å"cheating.† If you considered using spirit cheating. Because there was so much mental power tied into spirit, its users were very good at reading people. Victor had been right. Adrian joked and kept ordering drinks, but I could tell he was paying close attention to the others. And even though he was careful not to say anything explicitly, his expressions spoke for him–confident, uncertain, annoyed. Without words, he was still able to project compulsion and bluff the other players. â€Å"Be right back,† I told him, feeling Lissa's call. He waved me off, unconcerned. I wasn't worried about his safety either, seeing as there were a few guardians in the room. What concerned me was the possibility some casino official would notice his compulsion and throw us all out. Spirit users wielded it the most strongly, but all vampires had it to a certain extent. Using it was considered immoral, so it was banned among Moroi. A casino would definitely have reason to be on the lookout for it. The business center turned out to be near the poker room, and I found Lissa and Eddie quickly. â€Å"What's the report?† I asked as we walked back. â€Å"We've got a flight in the morning,† said Lissa. She hesitated. â€Å"We could have gone out tonight, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She didn't need to finish. After what we'd faced today, no one wanted to risk even the slightest chance of running into a Strigoi. Going to the airport would only require a taxi ride, but even still, that would mean we'd have to risk walking out into the darkness. I shook my head and led them toward the poker room. â€Å"You did the right thing. We've got time to kill now†¦. Do you want to get a room and get some sleep?† â€Å"No.† She shivered, and I felt fear in her. â€Å"I don't want to leave this crowd. And I'm kind of afraid of what I'd dream†¦.† Adrian might be able to act like he didn't care about the Strigoi, but those faces were still haunting Lissa–especially Dimitri's. â€Å"Well,† I said, hoping to make her feel better, â€Å"staying up will help get us back on the Court's schedule. You can also watch Adrian get thrown out by casino security.† As I'd hoped, watching Adrian cheat with spirit did indeed distract Lissa–so much so that she grew interested in trying it herself. Great. I urged her to safer games and recapped how Adrian had planted the idea of an inside job in the Moroi guy's head. I left out the part about Lissa's father. The night miraculously passed without incident–either of the Strigoi or security type–and a couple of people even recognized Lissa, which would help our alibi. Eddie didn't speak to me the entire night. We left the Witching Hour in the morning. None of us were happy about losing Victor or the attack, but the casino had soothed us all a little–at least until we got to the airport. At the casino, we'd been flooded with Moroi news, insulated from the human world. But while waiting for our plane, we couldn't help but watch the TVs that seemed to be everywhere. The headline story that night was all about a mass killing over at the Luxor, one that had left no clues for the police. Most of the casino guards involved had died from broken necks, and no other bodies were found. My guess was that Dimitri had tossed his cronies outside, where the sun would turn them to ash. Meanwhile, Dimitri himself had slipped away, leaving no other witnesses behind. Even the cameras had recorded nothing, which didn't surprise me. If I could disable surveillance at a prison, Dimitri could certainly manage it at a human hotel. Whatever mood-improvement we'd achieved instantly disappeared, and we didn't talk much. I stayed out of Lissa's mind because I didn't need her depressed feelings amplifying my own. We'd arranged a direct flight to Philadelphia and would then catch a commuter flight back to the airport near Court. What we'd face once there†¦ well, that was probably the least of our concerns. I wasn't worried about Strigoi boarding our plane in the daytime, and without any prisoners to watch, I allowed myself to fall into much-needed sleep. I couldn't remember the last time I'd gotten any on this trip. I slept heavily, but my dreams were haunted by the fact that I'd let one of the Moroi's most dangerous criminals escape and allowed a Strigoi to walk free and gotten a bunch of humans killed. I held none of my friends responsible. This disaster was all on me.

Analysis Into the Vertical Integration Across the Value Chain of Sony Essays

Analysis Into the Vertical Integration Across the Value Chain of Sony Essays Analysis Into the Vertical Integration Across the Value Chain of Sony Paper Analysis Into the Vertical Integration Across the Value Chain of Sony Paper â€Å"The greater a firm? s ownership extends over successive stages of the value chain for its product, the greater the degree of vertical integration† (Grant, 2010, pp354). The consumer electronics industry value chain is depicted below: Thus a firm can be said to be vertically integrated if it owns and operates each of these stages of the value chain. The consumer electronics industry has many players who produce goods for purposes such as entertainment, communication and work. There are many determinants of success, including technical innovation, price competitiveness and brand awareness. The degree of integration in the value chain can influence success within the industry. Examples of firms who manage the value chain differently include Apple, who integrates their product design and retailing, but outsources the manufacturing assembly of their products, whereas Dell keeps its product design and assembly in-house, whilst using market contracts for component manufacturing and retailing. This report focuses on the consumer electronics division of Sony, a well-known brand in the industry, whose five different stages of the value chain (same as above chart) is analysed in more depth below. 1. Product Design The first stage of the value chain is Product Design, which Sony keeps in-house. The company emphasises on â€Å"building high-performance, easy-to-use and beautiful products with a distinctive Sony flair† (Sony, 20111). Within the consumer electronics value chain, there are numerous benefits of the vertical integration of product design. Evidence suggests there is strong correlation between the launch of new products and market performance (Souder and Sherman, 2004). Consequently, new designs and products can capture and retain market shares and increase profitability (Tidd et al. , 2001). Thus by having ownership over the product design and innovation stage, Sony can maintain complete control in creating its own competitive advantages to have an edge in the market. Due to the nature of product design, outsourcing would be unrealistic; Sony is likely to have Proprietary product technology unique to the firm e. g. their 3D technology. Consequently, there is incentive for the contracted company to behave opportunistically (Williamson, 1973), such as expropriating the technology and maybe even leaking it to rivals (Rao Novelli, 2010; Business Week, 2009), and so contracts of vast complexity would need to be written and agreed to prevent such opportunism, which is expensive (Williamson, 1973). Also, for the contractors to be incentivised to come up with the best technology or design, the contracts will have to be designed in such a way that the agency fees that the contractors will receive will be correlated to the market performance of the designed product, and this is extremely hard to measure or enforce in contract. Thus, the potential transaction costs (Coase, 1991), risks and complexity associated with Product Design far outweigh than the administrative and labour costs of vertical integration which makes outsourcing an unfavourable option. However, there are risks associated with keeping the product design process in-house. Most significantly, there is the risk of not having the flexibility, skills and capability to come up with groundbreaking technology and therefore fall behind your competitors. For instance, Sony failed to anticipate the trend towards mp3 technology which led to loss of market share in the portable music devices market in the early 21st century (Uggla and Verick, 2008). Further, the administrative costs of product design in-house are high, with Sonys investment in R activities amounting to JPY432 billion ($4. billion) in FY2010 (Datamonitor, 20111). On balance, vertical integration with respect to Product Design is the best strategy for Sony to adopt. Innovation within the technology industry is the key to success, and so Sony need to keep complete control over this process. 2. Manufacturing Assembly Sony uses both in-house production and outsourcing for the manufacturing and assembly stage of thei r value chain (see Appendix A). In 2009, 50% of their total annual production was in their in-house factories in Japan, with 60% of this production destined for export to other regions (Datamonitor, 20111). There are some benefits of maintaining vertical integration in manufacturing. First and foremost, vertical integration will help with control and coordination throughout Sony? s value chain. By owning production factories and operating its own logistics, it is readily able to respond to changes in consumer demand or market trends, with no reliance on external suppliers. That is, it has full control over its operations. Further, Sony has „trade secrets? which it wishes to protect from its rivals. In an industry which is shaped by technological advancement, keeping such trade ecrets is therefore of great importance. Not adopting an inhouse manufacturing strategy will always bear the risk of these secrets being expropriated by others. Also, if Sony were to outsource, it may require its manufacturers to make transaction-specific investments (Grant, 2010). There is a need for trust and a strong relationship, as well as rigid contractual agreements, thus making the transaction costs potentially high. Therefore it can be seen that manufacturing in house could avoid a lot of complexity. However, keeping manufacturing vertically integrated poses several issues especially with a big part of their operations being based in Japan. Firstly, the average hourly wage rate in Japan is ? 5. 86 (Ministry of Health, Labour Welfare, 2011), compared to countries like China which the rate is only ? 1. 28 (BBC, 2011). This has significant implications on operation overheads, and so the administrative costs associated with vertical integration. Secondly, the appreciating Yen has further raised overhead costs and has driven up the price of exports in recent years and therefore has made Sony? products less price competitive (Euromonitor, 2010). Finally, Japan is prone to natural disasters, with the Tsunami in March 2011 causing a significant disruption in component production, resulting in reduced device volume sales of its smartphones by 1. 5m in the three months to June 30 (Financial Times, 2011). Thus, â€Å"vertical integration represents a compounding of risk insofar, as proble ms at any one stage of production threaten production and profitability at all the other stages† (Grant, 2010 pp358). A further disadvantage that Sony has through integrating manufacturing in their value chain is that it tends to lead to higher overall costs because you need extra layers of management to coordinate all the activities (Kennedy cited in Business Week, 2009). This money could be invested instead in product design which is the fundamental key to success for companies like Sony. Also, there are limited incentives for in house manufacturing to minimise costs or to respond promptly to internal requests or queries (Grant, 2010 pp357), which will affect efficiency in production. The current manufacturing strategy might have to be reviewed as the risks seem to far outweigh the advantages. 3. Distribution Distribution is another aspect of Sony? s value chain, which involves taking the finished product from its manufacturing bases to retailing outlets worldwide. With regard to its current distribution policy, Sony can be seen as being vertically integrated, with logistics principally handled by Sony Supply Chain Solutions, Inc, a subsidiary founded and owned by the Sony Group. (SCSS) (Sony, 20112) There are a number of benefits of remaining vertically integrated in the operation of this part of the business. Firstly, it enables Sony to have control over the process. They are able to avoid time delays which potentially could arise if they were to contract with an external company. Related to this is flexibility, whereby they can ensure they have a full lorry before sending out the shipment, which will allow for efficiency. For example, SCSS in Shanghai is utilising a combination of milk round routes and round trip trucks run to increase transportation efficiency, which is also contributing to reduced CO2 emissions (Sony, 20112). As they produce such a large volume of products every year, it is better to avoid the transaction costs associated with contracting out to another logistics company as the minimum optimal scale is reached (Grant, 2010). As the frequency of transactions are high i. e. there will be a large number of shipments per week, the variable transaction costs will be high, and this could be avoided by keeping it vertically integrated. However, there are disadvantages associated with vertical integration in distribution. Essentially, it is another part of the business to manage, and so can give rise to increased administrative costs through extra managerial levels, increased co-ordination across the business†¦ etc. If they were to outsource, such costs could be avoided. An external contractor is likely to offer a significant discount as they ship large volumes of goods, thereby reducing the transaction costs. As for Sony, it is important to ensure the timely and accurate delivery of their products in order to maintain a good relationship with retailers. Moreover, the scale of their distribution is large enough to make vertically integration a cost-effective option. In fact, they are profiting from their distribution subsidiary as they utilise their remaining capability to serve other companies. Thus vertical integration is the preferential strategy for Sony. 4. Marketing Sony? s marketing department prepares the marketing strategies in-house and then employs a number of advertising agencies to develop communication plans for each product genre. For example, the 2011 global TV ad campaign for Bravia, by Grey London, aims to drive awareness of Sony? s 3D TV and the Qriocity streaming service for musics, TV and films (Owen and Brownsell, 2011). However, the company does not just rely on the advertising campaign to build up its brand value, it also resort to public relations by appointing leading PR agencies to create and implement PR strategies to promote the Sony products and the brand, and handle the social media, press office and experiential PR (Sony Electronics, 2011). By employing the professional agencies and not creating/executing the campaigns themselves, Sony can utilise the marketing and PR expertise of the agencies that would be too expensive for Sony to develop themselves and too small part of the business for Sony to reach the optimal scale of efficiency (Grant, 2010, pp356). The transaction costs associated with outsourcing would be worthwhile. 5. Retailing Sony runs its retail operation with three types of vertical relationships: franchise agreements, direct-channel retail stores and partnership with other retailers. Sony provides extensive support to the franchisee on the store concept and operational issues such as staff training and marketing (FranchisePlus, 2007). The benefit of adopting a franchising model for Sony is cost savings as the franchisees bears the investment and fixed costs for their franchises (Carney and Gedajlovi, 1991). Also, as the franchisees ultimately own the businesses, they will be naturally motivated to manage their business well (Rao Novelli, 2010, pp238). However, a disadvantage of franchising is that Sony does not have control over the quality of the operation of the retail stores, which could potentially lead to a negative impact on the brand image if the franchisee although motivated, „gets it wrong?. Indeed, Sonex Communications, a company who operates Sony franchises across UK, recently went into administration (Donnelly, 2011). Also, with a franchising strategy, Sony could obtain little feedback on how their products are perceived by their customers, and this would hinder their research and development and product design processes. Lastly, there would be a loss of managerial expertise if most of Sony? s retail outlets are franchised and therefore managed by non-employees (Carney and Gedajlovi, 1991). Sony also directly owns and manages their online shop and some of its retail stores. Williamson (1979) pointed out the major benefit for companies to own its own retail outlets is that â€Å"adaptations can be made in a sequential way without the need to consult, complete, or revise inter-firm agreements†. For example, Sony has closed nefifth of its direct retail stores (TGDaily, 2011) and replaced them with its new flagship Sony Stores in March 2010 to improve customer experience. This level of flexibility could only be achieved if Sony owns their retail outlets. Also, through interacting with the customers in stores, Sony can receive customers? feedback on its product features and shopping experience directly, which would be useful to future product designs and developments. However, owning their retail st ores can incur high administrative costs which include management costs, overheads and wages. Additionally, Sony distributes its products through other retailers such as Currys, Argos, Wal-mart†¦etc. Sony could benefit from a wider distribution by selling their products through other retailers. The obvious setback of such a strategy is that with retailers also wanting to make a profit, Sony? s profit levels would be further decreased. However, the transaction costs associated with this are completely acceptable as Sony will be losing out a huge market if they give up on partnering with other retailers to sell their products. Appendix B shows that only 18% of people buy their computer straight from manufacturers. Therefore, providing that Sony continue to use reputable firms such as Currys to do so, there is no need to make changes to this aspect of their retailing strategy. It is difficult to judge which the best strategy out of these three is. However, market research has shown that recent trends suggest that less people are going to other retailers to buy their computers (Mintel, 2011). Taking this into account, and also the setbacks of the franchising strategy, the future for Sony on their retailing operations probably lies into owning more of their own retail outlets. Suggestions Analysis of Sony? current value-chain indicates that changes can be made to their manufacturing and retailing. Manufacturing Assembly Firstly, Sony should move most of their manufacturing away from Japan to other countries. Since it is expensive and extremely complex to set up their own factories in other countries, the best option for Sony will be to vertically de-integrate and outsource its manufacturing to c ompanies in lower cost manufacturing countries such as China. By doing so they will avoid the high employee wages in Japan and thus have a positive impact on their cost structure and allow them to be more price competitive in the market. Further, â€Å"dispersing production activities to various locations around the globe where each activity can be performed most efficiently can lower costs† (Rao Novelli, 2010, pp281). If they were to base their production sites in a variety of geographic locations, they minimise the risk of production hold-ups through factors such as natural disasters, diversify the risks of currency fluctuations as well as being closer to their customers and so reducing transportation and distribution costs. Further, there is an extensive global demand for their products, which lowers the minimum efficient scale of production, and so it would be economical to manufacture their goods in several locations. An ideal decision will be to reduce the manufacturing in Japan to the level just satisfying domestic demand (currently 60% of the production in Japan are exported), and to also keep the manufacturing of the innovative products in-house in Japan to minimise the risk of intellectual rights infringements. Also, by de-integrating manufacturing from their value chain, they will be able to focus on their core competence of Product Design. Extensive outsourcing has been a key feature of fast-cycle product development throughout the electronics sector (Grant, 2010, pp358). Costs savings will arise through a reduction in the co-ordination and control of sub units within the business, and so fewer management levels, as well as the fixed costs of manufacture. Sony will be able to invest money saved into Product Design whilst simultaneously being price competitive against other companies such as Apple. In fact, it is consensus that the blame for Sony? s poor performance in recent years is largely down to them not being able to keep up with their competitors in terms of product design and innovation. However, there are risks and disadvantages with adopting this strategy. By outsourcing the manufacturing process, Sony will be outsourcing the „know-how? of its products; its proprietary product technology which is unique to Sony. There is risk that the supplier will expropriate the technology for their own use or that they will sell it on to Sony? s competitors (Rao Novelli, 2010, pp294), which would lead to a loss of competitive advantage in the product design stage of the value chain. However, Sony can apply for Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) to minimise this risk. By being legally protected, Sony can ensure their property is protected, with the existence of an IPR acting as a deterrent to the outsourcing company of opportunistic behaviour. However, there will be legal costs incurred throughout this process, which is a form of transaction cost. Further, there could be the problem of asset specificity which makes it unfavourable to outsource. If Sony develops some groundbreaking technology whereby in the manufacturing process an investment in specialised equipment is required, the supplier that they outsource the manufacturing to may have to invest in specialised assets to produce their goods, which increases transaction-specific spending. Mutual dependency between the supplier and Sony is created, where each party might fear that the other will abuse the relationship by seeking more favourable terms. It may be difficult to find a supplier who is willing to invest in the technology to manufacture products which are specific to Sony, as they may feel they are becoming reliant on Sony as a source of income, which could act as an inhibitor of trust between the two parties. Further, the supplier will know that Sony is dependent on them and so there is an incentive to charge a higher price and act opportunistically. Thus Sony will need to ensure that they have contractual agreements in place to inhibit opportunistic behaviour, which increases transaction costs. However, where closer supplier-customer ties are needed – particularly when one or both parties need to make transaction-specific investments – then a longer term contract can help avoid opportunism and provide the security needed to make the necessary investment (Grant, 2010, pp363). Thus Sony should establish long term contracts with the outsourced companies. However, the setting up of long term contracts will be a form of transaction cost incurred. A final problem of outsourcing is hold ups. This could be eliminated by contracts that fully specify prices, quality, quantities, and other terms of supply under all possible circumstances (Grant, 2010, pp356), but yet this also contributes to transaction costs. It can be seen that transaction costs are always worrying yet inevitable for companies looking to de-integrate. However, to look at it from a positive perspective, the transaction costs of outsourcing in this industry is relatively ow. This is because that most products in this industry is standardised (Financial Times 2005), and many other players in the electronics market outsource their manufacturing, such as Apple, suggests that there are many potential companies who have the capabilities to manufacture Sony? s products. Setting aside the potential possibility of the asset specificity problem, the existence of many buyers and selle rs in the market, with a number of alternatives, reduces the transaction costs and switching costs (Grant 2010). Retailing In the short term, Sony should continue with the structure that it adopts i. e. a mixture of franchises, ownmanaged retail stores and other retailers. However, once their brand recognition and reputation improves after a few years, they should reduce the number of franchises, and instead increase the number of retail outlets they own (especially in developing countries). The reason that immediate change in the retail ownership is not needed is because brand reputation and recognition is extremely important in determining if retail outlets will succeed. Brands like Apple with outstanding brand recognition could afford to own and open their own retail outlets, while as for example for less well-known brands like Alba, it will be really risky to operate their own retail stores. Therefore, it is recommended that Sony spend a few years on improving its product design and innovation and therefore improving its brand recognition before owning more retail outlets. As stated previously, the existence of a feedback loop is the main incentive for Sony to own their retail stores as opposed to franchises. To compete at the very top level, Sony ought to be cutting the edge in product design and innovation, and the feedback loop could really be of great help. Also, Sony needs to be opening more retail outlets in the developing countries to strengthen their established presence in the market, as Sony has a better brand recognition in those countries. For instance, in 2010, Sony? s sales in India grew faster than the market (Sony, 20113). Also, by having control over the continual investment in opening retail outlets, it will contribute towards increasing Sony? market share and ensure that the direction the brand is going is defined according to their plans rather than the franchisees?. They will be able to monitor the quality of the stores and react quicker to changes in consumer tastes, something which they have less control over if they were to continue store expansion through franchise agreements. Further, Grant (2010) said â€Å"not only do manufacturing and retailing require very d ifferent organisational capabilities; they also require different strategic planning systems, different approaches to control and human resource management, and different top management styles and skills. Therefore, if Sony were to de-integrate the manufacturing process in the value chain, they can focus on Product design and Retailing, adopting a suitable organisational structure like Apple, who display a robust financial position the companys total revenue increased to $65,225 million in FY2010 from $19,315 million in 2006, representing a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 36% (Datamonitor, 20112). Their growth in the market is attributable to a strong brand image of technical innovation, which Sony is capable of too. The risks of reducing and eventually phasing out the franchise agreements are that there will be increased administrative costs of integration. There will be a need for more managers to control the process. However, the greater the operation i. e. the number of retail stores they manage themselves, the lower the minimum efficiency scale. Thus as they expand the number of stores they operate themselves, they will become more efficient, and so reduce the fixed costs of vertical integration. Also, it is worth mentioning that the main focus for Sony? future development is product design and innovation, so as long as owning more retail stores could help in this aspect, the transaction costs could be negligible. Conclusion Suggestions made to the current value chain of Sony are to serve for one sole purpose, which is to increase the profitability and market share of Sony. This is going to be achieved with a focus on improving product design and innovation, something which Sony has been fal ling behind their competitors in recent years. Therefore, by outsourcing more manufacturing and owning more retail shops, Sony? investment capital, managerial expertise and strategy focus could be reshuffled and used on product design and innovation, which hopefully will see Sony catch up with its competitors and reach the heights they previously were in the late 20th century. References BBC, 2011. China minimum wage up by 21. 7% despite economic cooling [online]. Available from: bbc. co. uk/news/business-15456509. [Accessed: 29 November 2011]. Business Week 2009. Can Outsourcing Save Sony? [online]. Available from: businessweek. om/globalbiz/content/jan2009/gb20090130_697510. htm. 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Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, Vol. 1 Issue: 2, pp. 5 – 27. IPR, 2011. What is Intellectual Property? [online]. Available from: ipr. co. uk/intellectual_property_guide/what_is_intellectual_property. html. [Accessed: 29 November 2011] Kay, J. , 1993. Foundations of Corporate Success: How business strategies add value. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Ministry of Health, Labour Welfare, 2011. Minimum wage [online]. Available from:http://statsjapan. com/t/kiji/11521. [Accessed: 29 November 2011]. Mintel, 2011. Desktop, Laptop and Tablet Computers UK August