Human Energy Use

Human uses of energy over 10,000 years are explained in Changing Environments (Morris et al, 2003a). Until 10,000 years ago humans lived as hunter gatherers in small groups, this changed in the current interglacial stage or Holocene with the introduction of agriculture. Figure 2. 19 page 82 of (Morris et al, 2003b) indicates that during the early agriculturalist period humans had begun to domesticate animals that could be used for carrying and pulling. Energy use increased from 0. 24 W (calculations – Morris et al, 2003c, p 81-82) per day per capita in the previous period to 0. 8 W per day as it was realised that extra somatic energy obtained from food could be assisted by the use of tools made from metals such as bronze and iron. Energy use advanced by using tools, and as we moved to the advanced agriculturalists period energy consumption more than doubled to 1 W. The industrial society brought major changes in the use of energy with agriculture, transport and mining. There w ere increases in the use of fossil fuels as workplaces and homes were heated and the steam engine was introduced. (Morris et al, 2003d p 83). We can see in Figure 2. 9 page 82 of (Morris et al, 2003b), that during the period energy consumption rose to 4 W. The greatest increase of energy is 11 W in the technological society this was 10 W more than the early agriculturalists. This period sees energy increases in home, commerce, industry, agriculture and transportation. It is also during this time that we begin to see the use of fossil fuels to create electricity, gas and oil and also the introduction of nuclear fuel. There is a large increase in oil use during this period due to the increased use of transportation. (Morris et al, 2003d p 83).

Three Different Religious Views on Serving the Homeless

Devin Felder Miss Coles World Religion 8 December 2011 Three Different Religious Views on Serving the Homeless People who practice Buddhism believe that giving is a major foundation of their lifestyle. They believe that being generous is very important and to be taken seriously. â€Å"Compassion and love are not mere luxuries.? As the source both of inner and external peace,? they are fundamental to the continued survival of our species† (His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama). They see serving others as a vow or commitment they have made with their faith.They view this subject as if you can see yourself in others, who is there for you to hate? Buddhist monks â€Å"beg† for a living to make themselves dependent upon the compassion of others. â€Å"If you do not tend to one another, then who is there to tend you? Whoever would tend me, he should tend the sick† (Vinaya, Mahavagga 8. 26. 3). They believe that you harm no one, help anyone you can. â€Å"Just as a mother w ould protect her only child at the risk of her own life, even so, cultivate a boundless heart towards all beings.Let your thoughts of boundless love pervade the whole world† (Sutta Nipata 149-150). They believe in considering others as yourself. Jewish law mandates helping the poor and that specifically includes housing. Jews feel that the word â€Å"charity† implies that your heart motivates you to go beyond the call of duty. They also feel that the word â€Å"tzedakah,† however, literally means righteousness — doing the right thing, and a â€Å"tzaddik,† likewise, is a righteous person, someone who fulfills all his obligations, whether in the mood or not.Helping the less fortunate is very important to them and helps them to feel complete. â€Å"Abraham gave Malki- Tzedek one-tenth of all his possessions† (Genesis 14:20). Jews believe that it is their duty to help others in need. â€Å"Jacob vowed to give one-tenth of all his future acquisi tions to the Almighty† (Genesis 29:22). They believe that rightfully that God commands them to help the poor. It is their right. If there is a needy person among you†¦you must open your hand and lend him sufficient resources for whatever he needs.For the poor will never disappear from the earth, which is why I command you: open your hand to the poor and needy kinsman in your land† (Deuteronomy 15:7-8, 11). They have a sheer compassion for helping those in need. Muslims believe that it is part of our human nature to help, support, and be generous towards those who cannot cover their own needs. Which is how I feel about the subject. â€Å"He who sleeps on a full stomach whilst his neighbour goes hungry is not one of us† (Prophet Muhammad). They try not to think about the homeless as being any lesser than them, they that they are people too who may have just lost their way. He (Allah) has set up the balance (of justice), in order that ye may not transgress (due) balance. So establish weight with justice and fall not short in the balance† (The Qur’an 55: 7-9). They believe that Allah is testing their love for him when they encounter the unfortunate. They think that if you are patient, caring and forgiving towards others, no matter what you’ve done, Allah will have mercy on you. â€Å"Whoever relieves his brother of a trial or a difficulty in this life, God will relieve him of a trial in the next life† (Prophet Muhammad).They feel that in order for them to move on into the next life they must keep Allah happy by helping out others. They believe that one wants for his brother what he wants for himself. Homelessness and poverty and how we handle is a very touchy subject all around the world. All of these faiths all basically have the same concept on homelessness. They all feel that it is their purpose on Earth to help others who cannot sometimes help themselves. We al want the satisfaction of knowing that we helped a person in need.

Phineas Gage and Emotional Intelligence

On aghast fateful day In September 1848, a Job he was a master at – safe explosions of rocks), a slight distraction caused him to sis a step In the process of blowing up rocks, a 13. 25 lb. Iron tampering rod, measuring 37 Inches entered sage's left cheek, peeling his skull and his brain before excellent at high speed through the top of his head. Miraculously, Epiphanies survived and lived through his accident with little or no Impact to his valuables. He responded to treatment, and In less than 2 months he was pronounced cured and well, he could talk. Elk and there was vision In his left eye behind which the rod pierced through. All was well after Epiphanies' recovery until he started showing signs of aggression, he sots his respect for social conventions, he basically lost his personality, and the once loved and respected foreman by family and friends was now a stranger. His new found temper and profanity cost him his job that he was once revered for and for the remaining 1 1 years of his life that he lived after the accident he was forced to become highway some will call a circus attraction to earn a living.The link between Epiphanies gage and emotional intelligence According GTAG Salesman's book 1995, emotional intelligence emotional intelligence is he capacity for recognizing our own feelings and those of others, for motivating ourselves, and for managing emotions well in us and in our relationships. Sage's story also helps us to understand the complexity of the human brain that there is a portion dedicated to reasoning emotionally, managing a sense of responsibility towards self and others.Sage's accident took out his entire frontal lobe; a doctor named Harrow tried to explain the link between the accident and the changes in sage's behavior, The effect of the injury appears to have been the destruction of he equilibrium between his intellectual faculties and the animal propensities. He was now capricious, fitful, irreverent, impatient of restraint, vacillating†¦ Halls physical recovery was complete, but those who knew him as a shrewd, smart, energetic, persistent business man, recognized the change In mental character.

Sociology class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Sociology class - Essay Example The factors are associated with the mannerism, behavior, family background, cultural predisposition of the society, family unit, outlook, opinion, mindset, outlook of the individual that broadly depends on the upbringing and the family orientation. These are the basic factors or elements which contribute to the personality of the individual and hence the individual's attitude towards others. A congenial, co-operative, understanding, empathic attitude in the family nurtures and inculcates the positive attitude in the personal disposition of the child and in every family member. This attitude aids in positive gesture, actions and feelings. A positive attitude towards mankind, influencing thoughts and personal attitude brings a soft attitude. In contrast, if the individuals is brought up with frustration and abuse then the personality displays such traits through short tempered nature, aggressive temperament, unhealthy feelings towards others, negative approach for life and also for peo ple. It is essential to study sociology as it relates to people and how they interact with their environment. It is related with the anthropology and psychology. Society has interrelationships and networks.

Understanding food principle and preparation- study guide questions Essay

Understanding food principle and preparation- study guide questions - Essay Example Gelatinization denotes the process of breaking intermolecular bonds in a molecule to allow its hydrogen binding sites to form more hydrogen bonds with water molecules. The main factors that influence gelatinization are the amount of water used, the temperature of the water and the amount of the gelatin. When hot water is added directly to starch, their intermolecular hydrogen bonds are broken. As a result, new hydrogen bonds are formed between the individual molecules and water molecules thereby resulting into lumping. The fresh egg is spheroid with one of the edges slightly larger than the other. It has a cylindrical symmetry along the horizontal axis. The shell is thin and hard. When the egg deteriorates, the shell becomes thinner and slightly less firm. The formation of the gray-green discoloration in a cooked egg is due to the formation of ferrous sulfide at the point where the yolk and the egg white meet. It can be avoided by keeping the eggs in a single layer in the frying

French colonialism in Tunisia why did the french want to colonize Research Paper

French colonialism in Tunisia why did the french want to colonize Tunisia - Research Paper Example After the exit of the Ottoman Turks from Tunisia, major European powers were involved in a contest as to who would occupy the North African country. The French had to surpass two other European powers, in order for the former to establish its control over Tunisia. Both the British, Italians lost to the French in the occupation and gradual colonization of Tunisia. Accordingly, this essay will seek to establish the factors that led to the French occupation and colonization of Tunisia. Among the possible reasons for the French interest in Tunisia could be economic gain. At the time France was colonizing Tunisia, the latter was in a serious financial predicament, owing to numerous European debts2. Did France stand to gain economically by colonizing a financially weak country? On the other hand, Algeria, already a French protectorate and its proximity to Tunisia was of significance to the French colonists3. We shall also consider that maybe the French wanted to colonize Tunisia so as to i mpose French culture on the Muslim-dominated country. A final factor that could have motivated France to colonize Tunisia would be the need for the former to re-establish itself as a key power in global politics. The only way for France to achieve this imperialism would be through amassing as many colonies as possible. The topic on the French colonization of Tunisia is very intriguing. This is based on the fact that Tunisia is a country that borders the Sahara desert, the largest dessert in the world4. The leaves one wondering what could be so appealing about Tunisia, in order for it to be a centre of interest for three European powers. Particularly, why would France, a country recovering from major losses in Europe such its crush in the Franco-Prussian war want to colonize a country in economic crisis? France was willing to forego its interests in Cyprus to the British, in exchange

What not to eat or eat when pregnant Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

What not to eat or eat when pregnant - Essay Example According to the author, some of these foods contain a bacterium that causes listeriosis (Ward). This infection is critical since in addition to serious health problems, it may cause miscarriages and stillbirth amongst pregnant women. The article presents the fact that some large fish contain mercury that may affect the brain and nervous system development of a child. The article recommends that one should first test the doneness of the animal meat with a thermometer and ensure that eggs are cooked until there are no longer runny (Ward). Moreover, it advices that pregnant women should wash their hands after handling hot dogs and the luncheon meats and also avoid he fluid from the packages containing these foods. Pregnant women may only eat up to 12 ounces of low in mercury seafoods in a week. Finally, it recommends that one should stick to the baking instruction provided and not eat raw dough. The article forbids women from drinking excess caffeine. According to the article, it can pass to the baby and affect their heart rate (â€Å"Mayo Clinic†). Currently, some studies indicate that drinking caffeine may cause miscarriages amongst women. In addition, the article also prohibits herbal tea since some may affect the development of the baby. Finally, the article advices women to avoid alcohol as it may affect the baby. Mothers who drink alcohol have higher risks towards miscarriages and stillbirths (â€Å"Mayo Clinic†). Too much of it also leads to foetal alcohol syndrome. Recommendations provided by the article include the fact that pregnant women should consult their health providers on the use of herbal tea. In addition, the article claims that no level of alcohol has been proven unsafe but women should just avoid it completely. Finally, concerning caffeine, the recommended dose is less than 200 milligrams a day (â€Å"Mayo Clinic†). In addition to stating the foods and

Making a Golf Ball More Aerodynamic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Making a Golf Ball More Aerodynamic - Essay Example From the research it can be comprehended that it is highly anticipated that the results will answer the age-old question of how far a dimpled ball can go. There has been many studies completed with respect to improving the yardage of balls through the use of engineered golf clubs and improved golf greens; but, not much testing has been conducted in improving the ball’s internal mechanisms. The purpose of this study is to not only understand the inner workings of the golf ball and a breakdown of the materials used in the balls of today, but, also to further understand the aerodynamics of how the ball travels in the air and water. Through the conducting of these tests, it may be revealed that not only to improve the balls outer skin would improve the desired result of increased yardage, but, it may be found that there are lighter materials that could be used that provides the height, speed, weight and distance that many golfers need to improve their sport. Through the informatio n and data provided it is anticipated that perhaps a new generation of golf ball may be a viable option for the golfing industry and provide the insight into how materials may be a potential shift in how golf balls are manufactured. A 3D model of the location of the sensors will be produced and once this data has been successfully gathered through the use of several different testing methodologies, an analysis will then detail the results.

Strategic Decision Making in a Global Business Setting Case Study

Strategic Decision Making in a Global Business Setting - Case Study Example 2. A cultural audit is needed to evaluate these two firms. The audit would evaluate the demographics of the population, education, and experience of the staff. The demographic variables to be judged are age, gender, language and ethnic background. The AMI operation seems to have a deficiency in terms of balance of gender. Only 15% of the worker populations are women. Such an imbalance in gender composition is not healthy and could be used as evidence against the firm if the company ever got into litigation with female workers. AMI also suffer from glass ceiling symptoms since not enough women are part of the managerial staff. The cultural audit performed at UCTC demonstrated that the firm has great diversity within its staff. A good initiative for this firm would be to create seminars and trainings to discuss the importance of diversity and how it can be used as a competitive advantage in the business industry. 3. Due to the differences in culture between the two firms my consulting firm could serve as a valuable intermediary that can create a plan to achieve synergy among the two business entities in the long run. The organizational culture affects the ability of the change agent to incorporate changes (Recklies, 2011). My first action would be to meet with the managerial staff of each company independently.

Compare between Russia and America in Economic Essay - 1

Compare between Russia and America in Economic - Essay Example Apparently, with the advancement and reform in the environmental domain, nations’ were engaged in providing effective means of production and distribution to earn high competitive advantages. Thus, overall the concept of economic elaborates the process through which, the nation produces and distributes goods and/or services in a community for its all round development. Moreover, economics is identified as a widely extended concept, which is further sub-divided into different aspects including micro and macroeconomics. It is these distinctions made through the economic behavior of a country that indicates the underlying causes of why a nation performs better than the other or vice-versa (Stanford, â€Å"Economics for Everyone: On-Line Glossary of Terms & Concepts†). These underpinnings of economic assumptions can be better understood through the comparison of two economies, as is intended for this study. The two economies considered herewith are the American and the Russian economies. America, as an economic power, is often regarded one of the most technologically powerful nations, hosting a strong foundation of private businesses. Its skilled labor pool has also been one of the key drivers of its growth. Besides, the businesses in the US hold high level of flexibility in taking the key decisions concerning sustainable growth, which has further contributed towards the overall strengths of the economy (OECD, â€Å"OECD Economic Surveys: Russian Federation†; â€Å"OECD Economic Surveys: United States†). On the other hand, Russian economy had to undergo significant changes and reforms following the collapse of Soviet Union that in turn helped the economy become intensively market based. The reforms Russia had to witness during the ea rly 90’s of privatization have led to significant alterations in its economic model overall (OECD, â€Å"OECD

Job Hunting in the Health Care Environment Essay

Job Hunting in the Health Care Environment - Essay Example Medical jobs for the health care environment are available in different health care facilities. The jobs have high benefits and a lot of remuneration; therefore, the vacancies are highly competitive. Qualified professions apply for jobs. The health care environments providing these jobs include hospitals, school systems, long-term care facilities and residential based programs. The increase of the number of people opting to study health care programs is because of increase of demand for the health care professions. The jobs give professionals a chance to work in environments from which they gain exposure and career growth (Kramer, 2006). Most individuals look for jobs in this field because of the excellent remuneration prospects. A small number is service minded and have a noble call. Job-hunting these days has been made easy by the high levels of technology. The facility of online job searching makes it easy to find jobs in health care environment instead of wasting time on job list ings and newspapers. There are also recruiting agencies that have job databases therefore those looking for jobs are able to register online, and they are informed as vacancies arise. One is given the right job positions available depending on his or her job description and preferences. Job-hunting requires one to look for a growing or vital organization however, the applicants for online job should be careful to impress the employer, complete all sections of the given application, and should be careful on their typing to avoid errors (Hopkins, 2012).

Cell Phone Use While Driving Essay Example for Free

Cell Phone Use While Driving Essay Cell phone use while driving has caused unnecessary injuries and deaths throughout history. Those injuries and deaths prove the ignorance of the victims and set an example for others. Many people have lost their loved ones in cell phone related accidents but with every experience comes a lesson, which in this case is that cell phone use while driving should not be allowed. The road would be a safer place to drive if the use of cell phone while driving is prohibited. The risk of accidents increases significantly when a cell phone is being used while driving. A study by the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis estimated that six percent of vehicle crashes causes about 2,600 deaths and 330,000 injuries a year, which can be linked to one or more of the drivers involved using a cell phone (â€Å"Cell Phone Use While Driving a Big Cause of Accidents†). According to this study, the use of cell phones while driving is causing many unnecessary deaths and injuries. To treat those irresponsible drivers, all the citizens of the United States pay in the form of taxes. The forbiddance of cell phone use while driving will not only make the United States to be a safer nation, but it will also make it a happier nation. Many people are unaware of the dangers and effects of cell phone use while driving. To most people, drunk driving is a very serious crime, but using a cell phone while driving is a trivial matter. However, a research by the University of Utah proves that drivers drunk at the .08 percent blood-alcohol level drive slower than drivers using a cell phone. Driving with a cell phone is more distracting because drivers tend to concentrate less on the road, and more on the conversation, which leads to many accidents. If one is caught driving drunk in Michigan, his or her license is suspended for several months and an additional fine ranging from $250-$10,000 has to be paid. If the crime of drunk driving has such punishments, then the use of cell phone while driving should also have severe punishments. To many people, it may seem that cell phone use while driving should not be outlawed because emergency calls need to be attended or made any time. However, people can pull over to the side and make or receive emergency calls. According to the Human Factors and Ergonomics society, cell phone distraction puts the driver at a four time great risk of a crash. It may take more effort to pull over, stop, and call, but doing so would decrease the number of accidents by a massive number. . Even using cell phones during school times can be a big problem. It can  distract a students studies, since he/she will be too busy texting and calling people; he/she wont be able to concentrate and will keep thinking about those text messages. If there is something bad then they will be depressed all day long. If parents need to talk to their children urgently they will be able to talk to them during school. Some students during classes are always tense because of someone/something so by calling or texting they can clear their tension and focus on studies. Cell phones will help them solve the problems outside the school so they can peacefully study. Schools should understand how important it is for students to study and this is only possible if they are not thinking about anything else. The rate of accidents for drivers using cell phones has increased alarmingly. The convenience that cell phones offer must be judged against the hazards that they pose. Therefore, the government should ban the use of cell phones while driving, which would not only decrease the number of traffic injuries and deaths, but will also make the road a safer place to drive. The use of cell phone while driving is a crime that should be outlawed and punished for severely. There are two dangers linked with driving and cell phone use, including text messaging. First, drivers should not take their eyes off the road while dialing. Secondly if the drivers start talking on the phone then they get so lost in others conversations that they have no clue what is going on in front of them which causes them to get in an accident. That is one reason why so many states and countries banned the use of cell phones while driving and even in schools so young teenage people know when they have to use the phone and when not to.

Discussing the relationship between Strategic Management and Leader

Discussing the relationship between Strategic Management and Leader In this assignment its going to be discussed about the strategic management and leadership. It will be analyzed and the relationship between the strategic management and leadership. The organization which will use to describe the link between strategic management and leadership is ACCOMMODATION TIMES and it will discuss about the impact of strategic management and leadership on the organization and how they work. Management and leadership Understanding the relationship between strategic management and leadership Leadership involves the quality  to lead whereas the strategic management involves the way the goals of the organisation are achieved. The leadership works towards the achievement and implementation of the strategic goals in a way that it moves ahead in a smooth manner. The strategies are been made by the leadership of the organisation. This involves the management and the way the targets of the organisation are been achieved with the strategies that are been laid down. The link between the strategic management and leadership are remotely related to each other , the way the leadership is working on the achieving the goals that are set is the work of the leadership of the organisation to deal with it. This involves the exact functioning of the organisation. According to Neil Ritson Strategic management is the organised development of the resources of the functional areas which are financial , manufacturing , marketing , technological , manpower etc, in the pursuit of its objective it is the use of all the entity resources, It is a set of policies adopted by senior management, which guides the scope and direction of the entity. It takes into account the environment in which the company operates. (Neil Riston, 2008) LEADERSHIP: In Audrina words a leadership is when you guide the organization into a result that your group has agreed upon. You and the rest of the team have a defined understanding to determine the ability and to articulate visions and goals. Leadership is said seen just as a facet of successful manager. It usually works on precedence for strategic planning and management and long-term success. (Audrina Majella, 2008) Leadership is a skill which a person develop through the experience for example in Accommodation Times general assistant after having experience become the Genaral Manager they never appoint a Genral Manager straight away because leadership you learn through experience and strategic management through courses and trainings. LINK BETWEEN STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP: A leadership is the bridge between strategic management and their target .its because of a leadership that organization gets their desired tasks and targets Management is responsible for people and resources in a unit according to rules or values that have already been set while the leadership set a direction to the people in group. It can understand the link between strategic management and leadership by this example that good leadership and effective management are always the of success in any organization so both of these are the skills which going side by side without management a good leadership can only satisfy for the time being not in a long term same as an effective management is nothing without the good leadership. When great leadership is jointed with effective management, you are able to set a direction and be able to allocate the resources the way you want. Not only that, you will achieve your goal the way you have thought and the way you want to achieve. Analyse the impact of management and leadership styles on strategic decisions The decisions made by the management  are a unique way of implementing it, so the decisions that are made by the, management impact the organisation. So it is essential for the strategic decisions to be made perfect in a way that it works out for the organisation as a success. At times if the Leadership of the organisation fails to make a perfect decision in the perfect manner then the strategies are falling apart and the targets of the goals that are been set are not been achieved .So the leadership is the core thing that has to formalise the strategies in such a way that the impact of the decisions that are been made in a success. The leadership should make such strategies in such a manner that the organisations various departments re able to achieve and work on it with efficiency. Evaluating how leadership styles can be adapted to different situations. Origin of strategic management is based on :- The traditional perspectives which involves the  Economic entity The resource based view of the firm its  a collection of resources skills and abilities The stake holder approach  a network of relationships among the firm and its stakeholders Strategic Management:- Strategic Management is a is a process to establish priorities on what we have to achieve in the coming future for the organisation and the Leadership of the organisation is responsible for not only making it but implementing it to success Strategic management  forces us to make a choice on what has to be done and what is not to be done, whereas the leadership is the one which decides on the same. Leadership helps to bring the entire organisation together for the achieving the targets. Whereas the strategic management helps to put the entire organisation in a single game plan so that they move ahead together in a same direction rather than helter shelter situation. So this helps in the execution of the game plan effectively which will be done with the effective leadership qualities of the management of the organisation We need to put down the guideline where the resources has to be allocated so that the allocated resources work out effectively in a success formula Nature of strategic management involves  Ã‚   A global perspective for the survival of the businesses One of the vital tools is an e-commerce The other important thing in it is the natural environment, which deals basically with the strategic issue. The nature of the leadership involves bringing the perspective to the The 3 stage process of it involves Formulation of strategy Implementation And evaluation Sm achives organisational success My Organisation of findings is Accommodation Times Accommodation Times was started by Mr. Murari Chaturvedi in the early eighties. It is the first real estate newspaper of India. The Idea behind this was a simple idea by the founder of this newspaper to start a fully dedicated newspaper for real estate in India. During this there were a lot of problems been faced by him, which saw Mr.Chaturrvedi to even give up his job of the prestigious Times of India Group Of newspaper. At present, Accommodation Times is one of the largest newspapers of Real estate newspaper in India. It covers various aspects of real estate, giving various dimensions to real estate in India. It is broadly been centralised from Mumbai but the subscription reaches all across the Indian State. It is been run by a very short but a dedicated staff involving the family members Mr. Murari Chaturvedi.It has been recognised by the former President of India Dr.Abdul Kalam for the work towards the Indian Real Estate Industry. It is published every two weeks. The current executive editor is Dr. Sanjay Chaturvedi; the chief executive officer is Ajay Chaturvedi The Goal of the Workers in the organisation is to bring about a proper knowledge of the Real estate to the uneducated Indian Real estate market. The organisation runs a series of development lectures and educates the industry people about the various factors that need to be looked into and learnt in the industry. There are various courses even been run by the organisation to teach the young guns of India about the vast scope and proper knowledge of Real Estate. The basic Idea of the Organisation if to make Industry recognition from the government of India and simultaneously highlighting  and educating the masses about the real estate industry. The core focus of the organisation still remains on the News of the real estate but during the years the focus has been shifted from  time to time. Listing education of the industry, proper way of the channelizing the objectives and the functioning of the real estate sector of the industry. The Objectives of the organisation now also involves education, strengthening of the realtors, clean and efficient news. The conclusion The organisation is successfully implementing the strategies and the leadership is effectively working and polishing the complete team and is constantly working on the improvement of the organisation. The leadership has been constantly on the high standards. The leadership has been an example for the complete industry. The strategies which were been laid down during the inception of the Newspaper has been achieved succesfully.The leadership and the strategies laid down have worked efficiently and worked together in tandem. The skills that the leadership has brought about the success Task 2 2.1 Management and leadership theories in the organization Accommodation Times Management Leadership Concepts in the organisation:- In accommodation Times the Management and the leadership is focusing on the continueos expansion of the newspaper through the various means of the channel of the advertisemenst and anlso by improving the better standard of the the news that is imparted to the people or say the reader of the newspaper. The core focus of the management and the leadership is to focus on a time and time again on the spread of the knowhow of the real estate and giving more knowhow to the common man , so that there are more and more number of people that are in the habit of reading of the newspaper . The increase in the base of the readership only gives a brand value but the core finances that are being brought to the Newspaper are through the channel of the advertisements. As the advertisements cover the cost of the printing and even get the maximum profit to the newspaper. So following this strategy the newspaper has a core team which is designed under the leadership of the CEO Mr. Ajay Chaturvedi so that the hurdles are cleared very easily for the team. In this way the team gets a direct support of the higher management for their assistance so that whenever they look out for an answer or a help they get it through the Higher Management in the form of the CEO Mr. Ajay Chaturvedi. The Editorial team is focusing on bringing on those issues to light that are of a unique important to the common man who is reading the newspaper And on the other hand the Editor in chief is focusing on maintaining the dignity and maintaining the values of the organisation , so that never any values are being compromised for the sake of any monetary gains and any of the ethics that the newspaper has been following since the last 3 decades , that should not be compromised that is the main focus of the Editor in chief. In this was the organisation is having its concepts clear to each and every department and that brings about to the very good balance between the work of the Management the leadership theory of the organisation Most common theories used in the organization The three theories that are followed are:- Transformational leadership Transformational leadership is a leadership approach that is defined as leadership that creates valuable and positive change in the organisation. Transformational leadership is a type of  leadership style  that leads to positive changes in those who follow. Transformational leaders are generally energetic, enthusiastic and passionate. Not only are these leaders concerned and involved in the process; they are also focused on helping every member of the group succeed as well. (About .com phycology) In the organisation Accommodation Times the leadership plays a very vital role in the changes that the newspaper adopts and has seen over the last few decades since the the inception of the newspaper. The higher management has a good amount of the influence on the way to the others who are working in the organisation. So we can see such kind of leadership in the organisation Charismatic Leadership The Charismatic Leader gathers followers through dint of personality and charm, rather than any form of external power or authority. Charismatic leadership is leadership based on the leaders ability to communicate and behave in ways that reach followers on a basic, emotional way, to inspire and motivate. We often speak of some sports and political leaders as charismatic (or not) an example being John F. Kennedy. (From Wikipedia) In accommodation Times the leaders or say the higher Management are very charismatic in the way they get or approach to the lower management or even to their clients as well, so when it is looked in that the way the finances re been brought in the form of the advertisement are totally based on the charisma of the higher management and the leaders, if said to be precise. Emotional Intelligence:- Emotional intelligence is the aptitude, volume,  skill. A self-perceived ability to identify, assesses, and controls the emotions of oneself, of others, and of groups. Different models have been proposed for the definition of Emotional intelligence and there is disagreement about how the term should be used. Despite these disagreements, which are often highly technical, the ability and trait models (but not the mixed models) enjoy support in the literature and have successful applications (From Wikipedia) The organisation accommodation times also have a very subtle but effective approach on this theory as they have been involved in that true reporting and have been efficiently involved in the spread of the know how about the industry and the standards of the industry that are existing that they give to the common people to read and get aware about.in this way it is very evident that leadership Is following the emotional path or approach very subtle as they never succumb under the pressure of the newspaper advertises. 2.2 Leadership Strategy for sustenance of the Organisational guidelines:- There are very simple but effective approach that the organisation is following and the way it is been handled in the last few decades speaks for itself. The organisation follows the concept of spreading the knowhow to the common man in the city and the country, that what is the real estate and how it is effecting and how it is functioning in the country and the city. The organisational also follows the approach of true reporting and follows the guidelines to implement it so that it is never been compromised over in the functioning of the newspaper. The team works on the guidelines that are been laid down by the Editor in Chief since the inception of the newspaper. Assistance Theory:- The organisation is having a very good and open theory when it comes to approaching the different in the organisation. The CEO even function with the lower level of the management and even the lower level of the management has an environment in which they can approach to the various different departments in the organisation. SO at any time when anyone who is requiring any assistance then they get it directly. This maintains the way of working in a very efficient manner, as there is assistance for each and every one in the organisation whenever it is required and necessary. Team Leader Behaviour Approach in Accommodation Times:- The team leader of the organisation are very efficient and able to lead and represent the team and the industry as well, so there is a sense of relax environment in the organisation that whenever there is a assistance or the way the work is functioning in the organisation. So the way in which the behaviour approach in the organisation goes about to read it is very obvious that the team leaders in the organisation is going about to the way of their work or the guidelines that the various are following.Comapritavely it is very good leading environment in the organisation. Management Role Transactional Theory in Accommodation Times:- The role of the management in the Accommodation times is a very vital role been played in the organisation so that the smooth functioning of the newspaper is being carried on from time to time. The management plays a very vital role in pushing the lower level of the organisation for the work in the office. Also the Management pushes the financial generating in the organisation so that the newspaper is going on the path of success from time to time. Task 3 3.1 current leadership requirements Overview Current leadership requirements in Accommodation Times:- The organisation is focusing on spreading its wings and the subscription on the overseas market so that they can get a very good amount of the overseas advertises as well. As the patronage leadership is and has been focusing on the city and maximum to the country only and this has the middle level management, as the middle level is all set to expand its wings to the international level. The middle or to say the newer generation has a few different guideline that are to be followed in the expansion of the newspaper to the overseas market ,as there has to be certain values and the ethics that has to be compromised. So the editor and the editor in chief are very adamant to follow the change and the expansion with the compromising of the ethics and the values. So the team which is working on the expansion. Generic challenges are the challenges that the organisation is facing in the generic way, to learn this out we have to study the whole way of functioning of the organisation or say various types of challenges that arise. Few examples that can be told are like:- 1) Competition 2). Quality 3). Innovation 4). Retaining competent resources 5). Training 6). Reducing cost 7). System improvement 8). Increase sales, productivity 9). Customer Satisfaction 10).Value addition 11).Adapting changes A Virtual Organisation (VO) is a dynamic pool of distributed resources shared in a trusted way by a dynamic set of users belonging to one or more organizations.   In which major processes are outsourced to partners. Best it can be defined is a company is one whose members are geographically apart, usually working by computer  e-mail  and groupware  while appearing to others to be a single, unified organization with a real physical location. Examples of few of the virtual organisation are Facebook Google Microsoft Wikileaks These are a few of the virtual organisation that are existing in the present times and are very famous as well. This type of organisation has given a very diverse effect in the current global environment. Diversity as a characteristic of the organisation goes further: one is only satisfied when not only the numbers are right, but also when everyones talents, input and assets are used, as a result of which the relevant organisation can serve a wider group of customers and become a stimulating workplace for all employees. Power theories there is a situation of established people and outsiders (as far as this organisation is concerned) the dominant or self-evident will be the norm (this how we do it here) and the minority is often described in negative terms as a deviation from the dominant, so forcing the minority party often to prove that his or her way of working is possibly different but need not necessarily be worse. Cultural differences Differences in culture often manifest themselves in the way in which people deal with instructions, arrangements, conflicts and leadership; all aspects which impact upon how smoothly a multicultural organisation runs. Apart from cultural differences  as such there are dimensions which are connected to a class background, or sex of course, which also impacts upon how people experience the interaction between them. Identity theories Everyone has  different identities:- A sexual identity (man/woman), an ethnic identity (black/ white/immigrant) but also for example a job identity. At which moment is one being addressed in which identity and foremost who determines this. Diverse workforce The reasons for promoting diversity are pretty obvious: to contribute to a fairer society, improve the quality of staff by reaching untapped pools of talent and to increase consumer confidence in a workforce that reflects the clients that it provides services. Some of these differences are relatively unproblematic such as eye colour and hairiness, while others cause us to consider carefully how we treat certain groups. Examples of the latter include education, culture, gender, language, socio-economic backgrounds, religion and sexuality, as well as ethnicity. A useful concept of diversity will therefore incorporate these differences. Ethnicity is certainly one of the most important types of diversity, both because of how closely people identify themselves with their ethnic origin and because of the large disparities in areas such as education and employment between different ethnicities. However, things are moving in the right direction. This is what Accommodation Times has noted down as in the form adjustments for a few employees:- If you have dyslexia and need extra time during assessments. If you use sign language we will make an interpreter available for your interview If you use a wheelchair or have limited mobility we can ensure your interview takes place in an accessible room If you have back pain and need to stretch we can provide breaks in an interview. The need for a diverse workforce is part and parcel of the human resource requirements associated with successful continuous quality improvement initiatives. A diverse workforce in which the contributions of each member-faculty, staff, or administrator, are respected and valued is an institutions most important asset. Such a workforce is able to synthesize a variety of perspectives and processes for the successful completion of tasks. Employers can build on established individual and group strengths and develop policies that create an environment to get the best out of each individual. Interim leadership:- Usually an Organisation leader retains the leadership until his or her successor takes over; however, in some situations this is not possible. This may be because the leader passes away or because a leader is forced to resign due to controversy or scandal before a convention can be organized because a leader is forced to recontest his or her leadership or because a new department is incorporated from existing organisations caucuses. Sometimes an outgoing leader decides to resign immediately in order to ensure organisational unity. This is because he or she has accepted an appointment or been elected to another position, or they have lost their seat in a general election and are unable or unwilling to attempt to contest. When a sudden vacancy occurs an interim leader is appointed by the organisations caucus or the chief executive. Changes in reporting and control Changes to the Reporting on Controls at an Organization have evolved over the years for many reasons including: changes in financial reporting to user organizations; changes in the control environments of service organizations; changes in the technology available to the service organizations and the requests of user organizations therein 4.1 Development and leadership skills:- Leadership development is one of those things that are often awfully hard to define but you know when you see it, and you definitely know when its missing.   Indeed Leadership is one of those areas about which a huge amount is said while at the same time leaving big questions hanging in the air unanswered. Essential Skills of Leadership development in the organisations Good Communication: Effective communication is a two-way process sending the right message, that is also being correctly received and understood by the other person/s. Being Articulate: Being articulate can be wonderful until you find out that society uses two languages. A second vocabulary has to do with symbolic meaning and not exact meaning. It is called words for words sake. For those who are never taught this mental illness can bring about a collapse of language as the mind enters the realm of confusion and fear Think On Your Feet:-the people in the organisation need to follow this line of thinking so as to that there is a smooth functioning and a clear understanding of the various views that are and will be raised on time to time basis. Humour: Humour is by far the most significant activity of the human brain.Humor brings insight and tolerance. Irony brings a deeper and less friendly understanding Flexibility. So this has to be understood by the leadership of the organisation so as to be very chirpy as well Integrity: Adherence  to  moral  and  ethical  principles in the organisation means that there is integrity in the organisation. Compelling Presence:-there should be a very effective and a good way of presence of the leadership and the various departments in the organisations, so as to maintain the smooth functioning of the organisation. That can only be achieved by the means of compelling presence 4.2 Report on the usefulness of the methods used to plan the development of leadership skills: Conclusion: Role of strategic management is much bigger than leadership and it can be said that leadership is involved to get the strategic goal defined on the behalf of company owner or share holder. Leadership is developed through the experience and development activities. A smart leader should have the ability to identify the current and future needs of the leadership.

Nestle: A Global Multinational company

Nestle: A Global Multinational company Brief of company: Nestlà © with headquarters in Vevey, Switzerland was founded in 1866 by Henri Nestlà © and is today the worlds leading nutrition, health and wellness company. Its sales for 2009 were $ 112.3 billion, with a net profit of $ 11.1 billion. They employ around 276,050 people and have factories or operations in almost every country in the world. Reasons for selecting the company: Nestlà © can trace back its origins to 1867, from selling milk-based baby foods and condensed milk as its primary products to a market leader in todays Food Beverage Industry with more than 6000 brands under its belt ranging from coffee and candy to hotdogs and pasta. Instead of just reaping the profits from the market, Nestlà © has given back to the community by adopting social responsibilities, showing above the bar ethical behaviour and in many cases raising the standards in the industry. Its founding ethos reflects the basic ideas of fairness, honesty, and a general concern for people. Main strategic issues facing the company: Nestlà © has been facing Nestlà © boycott since 1977 due to its promotions of the use of artificial infant foods. Growing resistance of consumers against the use of genetically engineered foods in Nestlà ©s products. Increasing competition. Increasing awareness in the consumers with the demand of being socially and ethically responsible increasing day by day. Increasing control and regulations in the policies of the governments worldwide. Companys contribution to the National Economy: Switzerlands GDP for the year 2009 was estimated at $522.4 billion with GDP growth rate of 2.8% (2010 estimate). Out of which Merchandise exports for 2009 were of $173 billion. *Companys contribution to the regional economy: Nestlà © employs around 280,000 people all over the world and have factories or operations in almost every country in the world. Nestlà ©s gross revenue for the year 2009 was $ 112.3 billion and RD investment was $ 2.11 billion. *Recent strategic dilemma: Environmental impact of palm oil and the role of multi-nationals such as Nestlà © in this. Recent strategic choice: In March 2010, Nestlà © purchased Krafts North American frozen pizza business for $3.7 billion. Nestlà © has been heavily investing in Africa. Source of Information on Company: http://www.nestle.com (334 words) Executive Summary This assignment analyzes Nestlà ©s current situation and strategies in context of Global Food Beverage Industry and then recommends the key strategies Nestlà © should use to be more successful and retain its status as the global market leader in future. To analyze the FB Industry on a higher level and examine Nestlà ©s external environment, the following business models are used in this assignment: Industry Life Cycle, Key Success Factors and Porters Five Forces. And to analyze Nestlà ©s current status and its internal environment the business models used are: SWOT analysis, Strategic Factor Analysis, TOWS Matrix. After analyzing the information based on the above mentioned models, Nestlà © is currently facing issues like product recalls, stagnant growth, high logistical costs, negative publicity and false allegations which are damaging its image and goodwill in the market. To combat some of these issues Nestlà © has introduced innovative and healthier food products to cater the rising number of health conscious consumers, started focusing on the rising middle class consumers in developing and emerging economies, which has helped Nestlà © to increase their growth again post the 2009 Financial Crisis. For further improvement in the market share and company image, key strategies recommended to Nestlà © are Expansion strategy through strategically acquiring and merging with its competitors and investing in production facilities in developing economies and Growth through Innovation in health nutrition food segment. One area that Nestlà © has to care of immediately is improvement in its Public Relations management to create a high level of loyalty and trust in its customers by building and reinforcing the notion that Nestlà © still follows its founding ethos of fairness, honesty, and a general concern for people. (277 words) Industry Life Cycle Introduction Growth Maturity Decline Time I ND U S T R Y SALES The Global Food, Beverage and Tobacco Industrys growth has slowed down in recent years. But all this is set to change due to the recent technological advancements, rapid globalisation and opening up of the many restricted markets worldwide such as India, China, African nations, etc. With the technological advancements in food processing, handling and storing capacity and the rapid emergence of organized retailing in Asia, Africa, and other third world countries, along with fast changing demographics and habits has changed consumption the patterns and is fuelling the next growth trajectory for the global food, beverage and tobacco industry. The Global Food, Beverage and Tobacco Industry is in the High Growth stage of the growth phase as the increase in sales has slowed down in recent years. The global food, beverage tobacco industry generated total revenues of $6,319.2 billion in 2009, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.4% for the period spanning 2005-2009. Food sales generated total revenues of $4,235.4 billion, equivalent to 67.1% of the industrys overall value and sale of beverages generated revenues of $1,581.7 billion in 2009, equating to 25% of the industrys aggregate revenues. The industry is forecasted to grow at CAGR of 3.8% for the five year period 2009-2014. Nestlà © recorded revenues of $99 billion in year ending December 2009, showing decrease of 2.1% compared to fiscal 2008. In 2009, Nestlà © renovated 7,252 products for nutrition or health reasons, as health awareness among consumers is rapidly increasing and it wants capitalize on the health conscious trend. Nestlà © has been active in Developing Emerging (DE) economies through its subsidiaries in Asia Pacific, Africa, the Middle East, Turkey and Latin America. Nestlà ©s sales in emerging countries accounted for almost 32.5% of total revenue and reached $32.32 billion in 2009. According to IMF, the advanced economies are set to grow at 2.1% and 2.4%, respectively, in 2010 and 2011, while the DE economies are forecasted to grow at 6% and 6.3% in 2010 and 2011, respectively. Therefore in the future, Nestlà ©s growth will be driven by high-growth DE economies. Key Factors for Success Key Success Factors Weight Rating Weighted Scorecard Rating Weighted Scorecard Rating Weighted Scorecard Branding 0.20 5.00 1.00 4.00 0.80 4.50 0.90 Diversification 0.15 4.50 0.67 4.00 0.60 4.50 0.67 Product Quality 0.15 4.00 0.60 4.00 0.60 4.00 0.60 Pricing 0.15 3.50 0.52 3.50 0.52 4.00 0.60 Distribution Network 0.10 5.00 0.50 3.50 0.35 5.00 0.50 Packaging 0.10 4.00 0.40 3.50 0.35 4.50 0.45 R D 0.10 5.00 0.50 3.00 0.30 4.50 0.45 Market Dominance 0.05 5.00 0.25 4.50 0.22 4.00 0.20 Total 1.00 4.44 3.74 4.37 Key Factors for Success in the Food and Beverage Industry: Branding in FB industry is of utmost importance as people do not prefer to buy products that they are not familiar with; also in this industry brand image is everything as it can attract consumers to a companys new products if it is already reputable in the market. Diversification in FB industry are almost always related as companies prefer to have a healthy portfolio of products while still maintaining their core competencies and using them in their related products; as by having a large range of products a company will be more competitive and would not have to rely on a single product. Product quality is very important in FB industry, as bad quality products can will lead to consumer boycott of the companys products, health issues in consumers and lawsuits against the company. While quality of the products also have to justify their prices, such as normal milk chocolates (Nestlà ©, Cadbury, etc.) cannot be priced high while specialty chocolates (Lindt, Godiva, etc.) are high priced. A strong distribution network is a must in FB industry as it gives the companies low costs operations, fast delivery, and optimal shelf presence in retail stores. RD is vital for gaining market share for the companies as development of better tasting, more nutritional and new foods beverages is the fastest way of capitalizing on the fast changing trends of the consumers (like current healthy organic food trend). Two of the many competitors that Nestlà © has, I have chosen Kraft Foods and Unilever for the comparison of KFS. After analyzing the KFS it is clear that Nestlà ©s response to the current and expected key success factors is above the industry average, with Unilever quite close behind and Kraft Foods just managing the industry average. So the analysis of KFS also reinforces Nestlà ©s position as the largest FB Company in the world. Porters Five Forces Model: Potential Entrants: Product Differentiation Switching Costs Distribution Channels Cost Disadvantages Suppliers: Financially weak Large no. of suppliers Buyers can do Backward Integration Substitutes: Private label products Niche products Cheaper alternatives available Buyers: Large Retailers Financially strong Backward Integration Low Profit margin Other Stakeholders: Health Groups Environmental Groups Fair Trade Organizations Rivalry among existing firms: Large number of players Dominance of big players Highly diversified markets Analysis of Porters Five Forces: The Bargaining Power of Suppliers (Low): The bargaining power of suppliers in FB Industry low as the raw materials for this industry includes fruits and vegetables, meat and fish, dairy products and grains, tobacco, cereals and grains, etc which could be purchased in the open markets around the world. And some FB producers have integrated backwards into producing their own raw materials, negating the need for suppliers. Also suppliers tend to be financially quite weak giving market players upper hand. The Bargaining Power of Buyers (High): The bargaining power of suppliers on the other hand is quite high as typical buyers are large retailers such as Wal-Mart, Carrefour, etc. who are financially very strong and usually make large purchases and enter into long term contracts with market players; as the profit margins for the buyers is quite low. So loss of one retailer could significantly impact upon a manufacturers revenue. Buyers are frequently integrating backwards, with many retail chains offering their own branded packaged food goods usually referred to as Private label products. The Threat of Potential New Entrants (Present): The threat of new entrants is high for small players who only serve few products and few markets (regional or national players) but is low for highly diversified big market players such as Nestlà ©, Unilever, etc. who operate globally. Since its a highly fragmented market small-scale entrance by occupying a niche in the industry is possible and high these days. But new entrants have to bear switching costs (which can be quite high) as its very hard to convince consumers to try new brands/products. Also big players can restrict the access to distribution channels for new players through their contacts and power in the market. The Threat of Substitutes (High): The substitutes are often cheaper and just as popular with consumers in FB Industry as most of the products in this industry are in a way a substitute of some other products, like Tea for Coffee, Coke for Pepsi, NutraSweet for Sugar, etc. These days private label products, organic foods; nutritional foods, etc. are also rapidly substituting the packaged foods. And there are almost no switching costs for end consumers as they just pick any new products instead of their regular ones if they want to experiment. The Extent of Competitive Rivalry (High): The competitive rivalry among the firms is quite high in this industry as the enormous size of the industry creates endless opportunities for the players to compete for. Large number of players, ready availability of substitutes, low entry barriers, low bargaining power of suppliers and fast changing customer tastes intensifies rivalry in the FB Industry. And also slow down of sales in the industry in 2009 will intensify the competition in the market, as everyone would try and gain market share now by take sales away from other competitors. Relative Power of Other Stakeholders (High): SWOT Analysis: Internal Factors Analysis Summary (IFAS): Internal Factors Weight Rating Weighted Score Comments Strengths S1: Finance 0.15 5.00 0.75 Low debt/asset ratio S2: Global Presence 0.10 4.50 0.45 Market Leader S3: Brand 0.10 4.50 0.45 One of USAs most admired S4: RD 0.10 5.00 0.50 Industry leader S5: Diversified Portfolio 0.05 4.50 0.22 More than 6000 brands Weaknesses W1: Quality Control 0.20 3.50 0.70 Increase in product recalls W2: Growth 0.10 3.00 0.30 Growth recovery slow W3: Emerging Markets 0.10 3.20 0.32 Less emphasis W4: Logistics Cost 0.05 2.00 0.10 Quite high W5: Perceived Image 0.05 2.00 0.10 Considered to put profit first Total Score 1.00 3.89 Strengths: Nestlà © apart from being the market leader in FB Industry is also financially very strong with highly diversified portfolio of more than 6000 brands, global presence, and strong RD capabilities; and in the process has developed a very strong brand image which it uses as leverage to generate high sales. As it has global presence it has customized its products according to consumer preferences in the local markets. Nestlà © is also the leading company to invest heavily in RD (annual invest of $ 1.8 billon approx.) as it considers innovation as one of its primary growth drivers. Weaknesses: Due to the sheer size and geographical diversity of Nestlà ©, controlling quality in many of its factories and supply chains is becoming difficult for Nestlà ©; which in turn is resulting in product recalls, loss of goodwill, and effect to the brand image of the company, which can lead to low customer loyalty. Another one aspect where Nestlà © is lagging behind is that it has not been focusing much on emerging markets as majority of its sales are from developed markets. Its logistical costs and inventory management costs are also quite high due to its geographical diversity. Its growth has been has slow after the economic downturn as compared the industry as a whole, which has been on the recovery track since. External Factors Analysis Summary (EFAS): External Factors Weight Rating Weighted Score Comments Opportunities O1: Health food trend 0.15 4.50 0.67 Rise in health consciousness O2: Developing Emerging economies 0.10 3.50 0.35 High growth rate O3: Opening of Eastern Europe 0.05 3.00 0.15 Can expand there O4: Out-of-home consumption 0.10 3.50 0.35 More than 40% in Americas O5: Premiumisation 0.10 3.20 0.32 Growing incomes Threats T1: Rising prices of raw materials 0.10 3.00 0.30 Climate change food shortages T2: Specialized competitors 0.15 3.50 0.52 General Mills in Yogurt Mkt. T3: Increasing Regulations 0.15 4.00 0.60 Spats with FDA T4: Currency Fluctuations 0.05 2.50 0.12 Strong Swiss Franc T5: Negative Publicity 0.05 3.00 0.15 Due to alleged unethical business practices Total Score 1.00 3.53 Opportunities: One of the major opportunities which can be the future growth driver for Nestlà © is healthy and nutritional foods segment, as by 2014 the global organic food market is forecasted grow by 60.7% since 2009 and while the global functional drinks market is forecasted to grow by 32.9% since 2009. Also further penetrating the Asian, African and Eastern European markets by using merger, acquisition and joint venture strategies can also be a major growth driver for Nestlà ©. The growing level of incomes of the middle class around the world is also providing Nestlà © with opportunities for launching its premium products such as Mà ¶venpick, etc. in the developing economies. Threats: Two of the major factors threatening Nestlà © are specialized competitors and increasing regulations by government bodies. As Nestlà © is highly diversified it faces problems when it has to compete with competitors who are highly specialized in one product such General Mills in US Yogurt Market. Also any change or stricter enforcement of regulations by government bodies like FDA, tend to threaten Nestlà © as it would have to change its production process or may even face lawsuits pay fines due to some violations of the regulations, which will also give rise negative publicity about the company. Due to the economic downturn of 2009, currencies fluctuations have been hurting Nestlà © as Swiss Franc has strong against the most of the other currencies. Strategic Factors Analysis Summary: Strategic Factors Weight Rating Weighted Score Duration Comments S H O R T I N T E R M E D I A T E L O N G S1: Finance (S) S3: Brand (S) 0.15 5.00 0.75 X Large amount of cash 0.10 4.50 0.45 X Major global brand W1: Quality Control (W) W3: Emerging Markets (W+O) 0.20 3.50 0.70 X Recent product recalls 0.10 3.20 0.32 X Give more emphasis O1: Health Food Trend (O+S) O5: Premiumisation (O) 0.15 4.50 0.67 X Major growth area 0.10 3.20 0.32 X Increasing incomes T2: Specialized Competitors (T+O) T5: Negative Publicity (T) 0.15 3.50 0.52 X Possibilities of JVs 0.05 3.00 0.15 X Significant impact on customer loyalty Total: 1.00 3.88 Short Term: The FB Industry can see short and explosive bursts of growth, so it is necessary for Nestlà © to always have few strategies ready for short periods or it might not be able to capitalize on important trends or fads. For short term Nestlà © should focus on Premiumisation in developing and emerging economies as the incomes of the middle classes is rising there, which is fuelling their want of premium products now. Since Nestlà © already has lot of products in the premium segment, so all it has to do is to launch them into developing and emerging economies now; which will only take short time period to do and with minimum costs. Intermediate Term: Quality Control, Emerging markets, health food trend and specialized competitors are factors which Nestlà © will have to address in the intermediate time period, as they can adversely its sales if left unchecked. Nestlà © has to bring its quality in to control quickly otherwise it will be at risk of losing its loyal customers and might even face lawsuits. By expanding and capitalizing in emerging markets like India, China, etc. and current health food trend Nestlà © will be able to compete with its competitors and maybe also gain market share in the process. Collaborating with its competitors or buying them out in the segments which require specialized skills will take some time but is a necessary step or in long term they might become a huge threat to it. Long Term: Nestlà ©s long term scenario is quite balanced as it is financially very strong with a brand name that is counted among the top 25 brands in the world, but it also has repair its deteriorating image in customers minds. Being the market leader in the industry and with worldwide renowned brand Nestlà ©s sales revenue is far greater than that of its competitors which gives it high leverage capabilities while operating in the market. It has been coming under attacks from various social groups in recent years, which has been damaging its goodwill among its customers. Nestlà © has to strongly address this issue slowly and carefully so that it is come back to haunt it, and do that it has to invest heavily in very effective and efficient Public Relations management team. TOWS Matrix: Internal Factors (IFAS): External Factors (EFAS): Strengths (S): Finance Global Presence Brand RD Diversified Portfolio Weaknesses (W): Quality Control Growth Emerging Markets Logistics Cost Perceived Image Opportunities (O): Health Food Trend Developing and Emerging Economies Opening up of Eastern Europe Out-of-home consumption Premiumisation SO Strategies: Develop products for health nutrition segment. Find joint venture partners in Eastern Europe. WO Strategies: Expand Nestlà ©s presence in Eastern Europe Asia. Change Nestlà ©s perceived image. Threats (T): Rising prices of raw materials Specialized Competitors Increasing Regulations Currency Fluctuations Negative Publicity ST Strategies: Do backward integration. Either use joint venture acquisition strategies or RD to gain market share. WT Strategies: Invest in PR management to improve the image of Nestlà ©. Emphasize on developing emerging markets to gain market share. SO Strategies (Maxi-Maxi): SO strategies are formed so that the strengths of a company can be used to capitalize on its external opportunities. So by analyzing Nestlà ©s strengths and opportunities available to it I have decided to use two strategies for Nestlà ©s future growth. As the demand of healthy nutritional foods is increasing Nestlà © can use its strong RD capabilities to develop products for this segment. Another strategy that Nestlà © can use is to find partners for joint ventures in Eastern European market as it being relatively new, it might not be aware of how things happen there; so it should first do joint ventures there to study the market first as opposed to moving with full force in the market. ST Strategies (Maxi-Mini): A company applies ST strategies to avoid its external threats using its strengths. As Nestlà © is financially very string it has the capabilities to do backward integration with its suppliers, which will in turn insure Nestlà © of a secure steady supply chain and quality of its raw materials. Another strategy that Nestlà © can also use is that through its financial strength, brand image and global presence it can either acquire or enter into joint ventures with its competitors who are highly specialized; or it can use its strong RD to also develop specialized products for that segment. WO Strategies (Mini-Maxi): WO strategies are aimed to improve a companys internal weaknesses by capitalizing on its external opportunities. Nestlà © can reduce its logistical and inventory management costs by expanding its presence to Eastern Europe and Asia. Another strategy that Nestlà © can use is to change its Perceived image (of putting profit first) by developing and introducing more healthy nutritional products. WT Strategies (Mini-Mini): WT strategies are defensive tactics employed by a company to reduce its weaknesses and avoiding its external threats. As the image of Nestlà © is being tarnished by negative publicity arising out of recent product recalls, compliance issues for violating regulations, etc. it should heavily invest in its PR management; so that such negative publicity could be avoided next time. Nestlà © should put more emphasis on selling in developing and emerging markets to continue steady growth while increasing market share and also for purchasing and producing there to counter the rising prices of raw materials and labor costs. Assessment of Current Company Performance: Efficiency: Nestlà ©s recently been following the strategically expanding through acquisitions and investments. It has been quite successful in expand its line of frozen foods in North America through the acquisition of Kraft Foods frozen pizza line for $ 3.7 billion in cash. Nestlà © also had several other small acquisitions in the first quarter of 2010 which did not have a significant impact on the Groups sales and profit for the period. Nestlà ©s acquisition related costs in the first quarter of 2010 were about $ 13.4 million. Effectiveness: Nestlà © was effective in carrying out its expansion strategy through acquiring frozen pizza line from Kraft Foods as where the company had only a minor presence until now; it is the market leader in frozen food segment in North America. It successfully integrated Kraft Foods pizza business into the Nestlà © Group as well as its 3,620 employees, with their valuable talent and expertise in Nestlà ©. The frozen pizza line showed 14% organic growth in the first quarter of 2010. Sales and profit of Kraft Foods frozen pizza business in the first quarter of 2010 amount respectively to $ 6.11 billion and $ 65.2 million. Return to Investors: Nestlà © paid dividend of $ 5.632 billion in the first quarter of 2010 which showed an increase of 7.8% when compared to the dividend payment of $ 5.223 billion in 2009 for the same period. Increase in dividend shows that Nestlà © is starting to recover from the financial crisis of 2009. The share value of Nestlà © went up by $ 0.91 per share for 2010. Review of Options for Future Direction In order to address its weaknesses and external threats Nestlà © has to critically use its strengths and capitalize on its external opportunities by using some of the strategies mentioned in the TOWS matrix earlier. One of the strategies that Nestlà © can use is expansion strategy through strategically acquiring and merging with its competitors and investing in production facilities in developing economies. It should acquire or start joint ventures with firms in developing markets like India, China, Russia, etc. to capitalize on their booming economies and gain market share quickly before other global players enter the markets as it has the financial backing to support such expensive ventures. Also it should start investing in developing markets to develop its own production and distribution facilities so as to eliminate dependency on local players. Another strategy that Nestlà © should undertake is Growth through Innovation in health nutrition food segment. Due to the rising education levels and general awareness around the world consumers are becoming more more health conscious, which is an important opportunity and will be a future growth driver for Nestlà ©. It should use its highly developed RD capabilities to develop more healthy and nutritional foods to cater to this growing group of consumers. Implementation of New Strategies Structure: Nestlà © has a decentralized organizational structure which has been very beneficial to it as far flung divisions could take decisions in real time to exploit the opportunities present to them; but due the huge technological advancements in the past few years this autonomy has led to conflicting practices within the company; making it a nightmare to coordinate activities between divisions in different geographical zones. It has to centralize its operations to gain a tighter control over its far flung divisions and businesses, so that Nestlà © can (with a unified centralized system) leverage its products in real time on a worldwide scale to generate higher sales. Systems: Nestlà © has its production and logistical systems under control to meet any unexpected growth surge in a short period of time and to fuel growth for expanding in developing markets. But Nestlà © has to take care of its supply chains as they can virtually leave Nestlà © hanging in the air if any change in natural political environment takes place with the possibility of disruption in supply of raw materials or a drop in the Why do Multinational Companies Exist? Why do Multinational Companies Exist? According to Needle (2010), Multinational enterprises are those enterprises which carry its production activities in more than one country. These companies make sure of the supply of raw material to the other country they are operating in. As per Buckley and Casson (2009) many of the multinational operate in different country because of many reasons such as low labour costs, serving a huge market, cutting of their taxes and production costs, innovation in technology and exploitation of resources. According to Dickens (2011), today we are living in borderless world as there are no boundaries that exist between the countries or nations. Globalisation is the new trend changing the political and cultural order of the world (Buckley and Ghauri,2004). Every operation that has been carried out by companies goes around the world. Innovation is growing very fast and so do competitiveness. Globalisation can be define as the increase in the frequency and duration of linkages between countries leading to similarities in activities of individuals, practices of companies, and policies of governments (Czinkota 2005). From the statement we can say that companies go global because of many reasons as now the countries are linking to each other to share the information and wealth. As said by Rugman and Verbeke (2005), Firms become multinational because they want to grow, expand and diversify their operations. Operating in their home country wont satisfy them so they go global. Using the resources of their home country make it obsolete or bound them in a limit to not to go further. Then firm decides to go global by making investment on their further growth. As argued by Madura (2008) following are the theories which a firm follows when it globalises such as: Theory of Comparative Advantage The Imperfect Markets Theory The Product Cycle Theory As explained by Madura (2008), Comparative advantage theory says that when countries specializes or have expertise knowledge in one field than they dont waste their resources or energy on research of other field, they share or trade with other countries to share their expertise field. They take advantage of their expertise knowledge and become a head in comparison with others. Labour force is skilled and lower in cost in India and China as compared to western countries. They can be transported or hired for the operations for other companies. Companies such as Intel, IBM, Wipro operate in different countries because to utilise their efficient resources. These companies are operating in India, having their call centres outsource sharing the expertise knowledge in the field of Information Technology as India produces a large amount of IT experts. Imperfect market theory says that if the markets of a country stop trading with other countries than there will be no international trade. As per Dewey (1969), if the markets of the countries were perfect then there would be an easy transfer of resources from one country to another. Factors of production like labour, raw material, machines and capital can be transferred wherever they are demanded. This temperament of deal between the countries creates a similarity in costs and removes the relative cost of advantage, global trade and investment. In todays world there are situation when imperfect market conditions arises, where transfer of labour and other factors of production is restricted at some level. For example, MNEs such as Gap and Nike take advantage of the resources related countries. Imperfect market offers these companies to exploit their market and cross the trade barriers of import and export. According to Madura (2008), in Product Cycle theory, firms establish first in their home country by utilising all the resources available in the market. In home market they have an advantage over competitors. After operating in home market firm feels to expand their operations by entering into foreign market and producing their products overseas, reducing their transportation cost and other cost of production. There are existing competitors in the global market and to compete with them they introduces new technology and products in the market. For example, Dell, Lenovo, Toshiba are the companies who spent lot of their resources in their research and development for the latest technology. As argued by Kapoor and Grub (1973), firms motivate themselves to become multinational enterprises because of the foreign direct investment that helps in crossing the trade barriers to other countries. They also explore different cultures and management structure followed in different countries. Firms become multinationals in order to reduce the risk of foreign trade and become politically and economically well established. By going global they create a good relationship between the nations and create a name and goodwill to the firm. For example, many of the American companies are going global as they now operating their activities in the growing economy of different countries such as Brazil, China, India, Russia etc. Many of the emerging market companies such as HTC, Samsung, Nokia etc. are also spending on their research and development and sharing the information on technology sector. According to Markusen (1995), as he explains the Dunnings OLI framework that there are three advantages in which a company can have direct investment. Firstly, Ownership advantage is when a company has trademarks and copyrights of producing a product line and no other company can duplicate their product. Secondly, Location advantage is there when a firm creates his monopoly in a particular region serving a large amount of society. It is done as the foreign market offers the low cost of production to firms which make it profitable for the firm to serve that region. Thirdly, Internationalisation advantage says that if there is a market to cater than instead of going out there and start a new production unit, its better to license and sell your technology to a company and they will produce units for you. As stated by Madura (2008), there are some ways by which firms become multinational enterprises. International Trade Licensing Franchising Joint Ventures Acquisitions of existing operations Establishing new foreign subsidiaries According to Hill (1994), International trade means exporting and importing of goods and services between different nations and different companies. If a company start facing losses that it can reduce or stop exporting or importing from different countries as there is no huge investment involved in it. For example, many of the U.S. firms such as Microsoft, IBM, General Electric generates there huge amount of revenue from import export. As argued by Needle (2010), Licensing means that a firm uses several modes such as copyrights, trademarks, patents etc. to register their process of operations or the technology they use. They can transfer or share their technology with others according to their wish with low capital involved in it. For example, in India all the parts of telephone communications are manufacture by ATT and Verizon Communications as they have a licensed agreement. All the drugs that are produced and exported to Hungary and other countries are made by Eli Lilly Company. It has been argued (Spinelli et al. 2004) that Franchising means when a company authorizes its residents of the same country or other country to open an outlet using the brand of the company. Its market policies, product line and the franchisee have to follow the protocol of the parent company. In return to this the franchisee has to pay a royalty fee to the company periodically. For example, McDonald, Pizza Hut, Subway sandwiches have many outlets in many countries that are operated by the local residents of the respective countries. As per Yan and Luo (2007), in Joint Ventures two firms come together to achieve their common goal in the competitive market. In ventures risk sharing ratio is equally divided for the defined project and there should be a mutually understanding between them. These enterprises are also politically acceptable in different nations. For example, Nestle has a wide distribution of its home products throughout the world. So there has been a joint venture between General Mills Inc. and Nestle to distribute the cereals produced by the General Mills by using the distribution channel of the Nestle. It has been argued (Reed et al. 2007) that acquisition of existing operations means that the company acquires the existing competitors in the local market or in the foreign market. A company takes over another organisation as they incur heavy losses and cannot operate in the competitive market and also to vertically or horizontally integrate. A company explores the resources of another company and take advantage of the already setup done by that company. For example, Procter and Gamble acquired a bleach company situated in Panama. According to Rugman and Verbeke (2005), another way of entering in global world is by establishing new subsidiaries. The large organisations create or distribute its departments into different companies and are wholly or partially controlled by the parent company. The main organisations are called the parent company and the other is known as holding companies. If the company is totally owned by the parent company that their stock is also owned by the parent company. There is always a protection of technology as the information is not leaked out. At the same time it also involves high costs and risks in the foreign market. For example, a truck company called Overnite Transportation is a totally purchased subsidiary of Union Pacific Corporation. Conclusion At last it can be said that, the role of MNC in developing itself and the nations are very important. It in one way helps to build and economy by various advantages. At the same time it can have different repercussions if not properly strategized. The above description gives all the major points in making of an MNC. Also the essay describes the various parameters needed in making of an MNC.

Plato :: essays research papers

Since the human beings came together and began to live communities, necessities to be administrated became the most important subject for human kind. There were said many things on this issue; there have been put many claims and interpretations on well, just and equal administration by many philosophers. They searched for the best administration that will guide people equally, just and well; that will provide sustainability, peace and prosperity between communities. In fact there are many forms of government that operating in the world. These regimes/forms of government are born from the characters of people who live in them and who are governed by them. It is necessary to mention something about Plato’s general theory in order to understand him very well. First of all Plato’s Republic is about a method of doing political philosophy. It is a systematic sustained treatence of issues, issues of just society, issues about state, issues about individual. These are all public things. He wanted to find an ultimate meaning of all these things; why they exist, how they should exist. He wanted to find absolute answer for these. So in this sense Plato’s Republic reaches old and known conclusion of major interests in their own right. His Republic provides epistemological and metaphysical combination for his political theory. According to Plato, a political society constitutes a natural whole that is own kind of excellent and well being. It means that society creates an aggregation individual, something more than that, and it has a natural existence. Individual and society can be defined as a unity and according to Plato a society and an individual are so similar that each has a proper and set of virtues. So for Plato, the character, opinion like attitudes of an individual are the product of society, and the individual has no existence without society. They imitate the society, if a society is right/just, the individual is right/just. Individuals drive their ability from society and they are trained in that way. According to Plato, the understanding of justice is about societal needs, which are common to all members of society. So society can satisfy members’ needs efficiently by dividing their labours. So people are born with their skills and virtues according to Plato. They would know these skill s and virtues when they grow up. If they are not fit for forming they should not do that. This is why importance/role of education come to discover each person’s skills.

Southern Masculinity in Faulkner’s The Unvanquished Essay -- Faulkner?

Southern Masculinity in Faulkner’s The Unvanquished The narrator of Faulkner’s The Unvanquished is apparently an adult recounting his childhood. The first person narrator is a child at the story’s outset, but the narrative voice is lucid, adult. Telling the story of his childhood allows the narrator to distinguish for the reader what he believed as a child from what he â€Å"know[s] better now† (10). The difference affords an examination of dominant southern masculinity as it is internalized by Bayard and Ringo, and demonstrates the effects on the boys of the impossible ideal. The initial indication that narrator Bayard may be an adult recounting his childhood comes with the past tense in the story’s opening line: â€Å"Behind the smokehouse that summer, Ringo and I had a living map† (3). Other summers have passed between the narration and the action of the story; this summer is â€Å"that summer,† not last summer or the summer before, presumably. Temporal distance is suggested in personal and episodic description, as well: â€Å"[Louvinia] used to follow us up and stand in the bedroom door and scold us until we were in bed†¦[b]ut this time she not only didn’t wonder where we were, she didn’t even think about where we might not be.† The differences in language between narrator and character are dramatic, as well. Bayard’s inadequate description of the railroad to Ringo (â€Å"only hearsay†), though not articulated in the narrative, is undoubtedly inferior to the narrator’s description of t he railroad: It was the straightest thing I ever saw, running straight and empty and quiet through a long empty gash cut through the trees and the ground too and full of sunlight like water in a river only straighter than any river, with the crossties cut off e... .... There are two attainable models of masculinity for Ringo in the story. Joby is defeated, withered, frustrated, subservient â€Å"even† to white women. He can live and function in southern society, but only as a slave. The other, Loosh, is angry, defiant, independent, subservient only to the point that he must be until he escapes or is set free. He cannot live in southern society except as a slave, so at first chance, he leaves. The narrator, with appropriate distance from the action, hints that Ringo will shed the stagnant familiarity of slavery, and risk reinvention like Loosh has. Ringo’s infatuation with the railroad appears to the boy Bayard to be part of their regular game of one-upmanship, but the adult narrator â€Å"know[s] now it was more than that with Ringo†¦[it was] the motion, the impulse to move which had already seethed to a head among his people† (81).

Trials and Tribulations in James 1:12-18

Trials and Tribulations in James 1:2-18 The Epistle of James is one of the books of the New Testament that deals with the Christian character and how to deal with daily Christian life. The author of James identifies himself in the opening verse as â€Å"James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ†. Many speculated that the author was the attributed to the apostle James, brother of John and the son of Zebedee. The text refers to present persecutions and the time of writing is consistent with the persecution in Jerusalem during which the apostle James was martyred and put to death by Herod (Acts 12). There seems to be evidence that the author was the other James, the son of Alpheus and the half-brother of Christ. He was also one of the twelve apostles. I will in this paper attempt to expound on the trials and tribulations in James 1: 2-18. After research and study, I have found that in the first eighteen verses James is teaching Christians how to conduct themselves when under the cross. He is giving comfort to Christians who are under the oppression of temptation and trials. He pronounces that blessings and rewards are assured to those who endure their trials and afflictions as the walk throughout this Christian life. James also points out that all of those sins that bring sufferings and the temptations that men endure are not created by God. God cannot be the author of sin; he is the author of all that is good. James is allowing us to understand in these verses that we will endure trials and we will endure tribulations. As Christians our trials and tribulations works for a purpose and not just as a punishment in our life. This concept should help us even today to know that our suffering is purposeful and that God rewards us for bearing our own cross as Christ bears his cross. As we break down these verses let us look at who James was writing to. This will give us an understanding of the message. In the first verse James mentions the condition of those to whom he writes: The twelve tribes which are scattered abroad. The greatest part of, ten of the twelve tribes, were lost in captivity; but yet some of every tribe were preserved and they are still honored with the ancient style of twelve tribes. These however were scattered and dispersed. They were dispersed in mercy. Having the scriptures of the Old Testament, the providence of God so ordered it that they were scattered in several countries for the diffusing of the light of divine revelation. They began now to be scattered in wrath. The Jewish nation was crumbling into parties and factions, and many were forced to leave their own country. Even good people among them shared in the common calamity. These Jews of the dispersion were those who had embraced the Christian faith. They were persecuted and forced to seek for shelter in other countries, the Gentiles being more merciful to Christians than the Jews were. Now let us breakdown each verse from verse 2 through 18. The overall breakdown of verse 2 through 12 shows us the suffering of the Christians in this world is that of an instructive manner. As we can see from the original Greek language, that James uses imperative commands that is illustrated through this Epistle. James is implying that troubles and afflictions may be the result of being mature Christians, even those Christians who have been serving well and being faithful unto the Lord. The devil embodies faithful Christians in trials and tribulations in order to cause separation between Christians and God. The devil expects that temptations and trials will result in sin which will cause further separation from God. It is the duty of Satan to cause doubt in the mind of the Christian so that they will believe that God is incapable of delivering us from those situations. James is instructing us not to look at our trials and tribulations as hopeless but hopeful because we know that we are fulfilling a greater purpose by enduring those trials and tribulations in our life. As we, as Christians, go through our storms in our life it causes us to understand and gain a greater trust in the Lord because we are yet spared by his grace and we are made advocates of his mercy. The twelve tribes that James is writing to have been dispersed from their land and are going through difficult hardships and persecution. James is reassuring them not to give up but to rejoice because their persecutions and hardships are working a greater purpose in their lives. These temptations, as James points out, are â€Å"divers† temptations. The word â€Å"divers†, in the Greek, means that it is varied or of different kinds. James lets us know that the temptations that you may endure, the afflictions you may endure, will be of different nature, stature, size and makeup. They may be more than one or more of the same. Since our trials may be of many and different kinds we have to put on the Armor of God as Paul states in Galatians. In the second verse of James he tells us to â€Å"Count it all joy, when ye fall into divers temptations†. In order for us to count in all joy we must not fall into a pitiful state of mind which would make us vulnerable while we are in our trials. The world would have you to believe that you should just throw in the towel when you have endured pain and suffering. The world is not set up as a vehicle for grace. When is despair, the world presses down even further in order that hope is a mere distant idea. The world would have you to believe that weakness is a disease that should be cured. But God lets us know that we should not be conformed to the world or that of the world but we should live knowing that He is there for us. In the third verse, James says that when you endure your trials and tribulations you must know that the testing of your faith produces patience. In other translations it mentions that the testing of your faith produces endurance or perseverance. The word produces lets us know that it is brought forth or manufactured. James is saying that every time your faith is tested – it will cause you to increase your patience, endurance or perseverance. The faith that is spoken of here as tried by afflictions consists in a belief of the power, and word, and promise of God. Many readers of the New Testament feel as though Paul and James contradict each other on the issue of faith. They have differences in the emphasis on faith but the fundamentals are the same. Both Paul and James agree that both faith and works are essential parts of the Christian life. They each have different roles. They also agree that salvation comes from God and it is not based on works. We cannot do anything to earn salvation. The difference is that Paul and James are writing to different audiences so their letters have different interpretations. Paul needed to deal with the fact that people thought that Gentiles needed to be circumcised and adhere to other works of the law in order to be converted to Christianity. James on the other hand had to deal with the fact that people thought the faith in God is enough for salvation and he wanted to stress that we have to put that aith into action. As Christians, we have to possess patience, endurance and perseverance. Too often we believe that those adjectives are not popular in our daily lives. Once again, as Christians, subscribe to the concept that we have to humble ourselves and not allow pride to be visible in our lives. When we are tried, we are tried of our grace but that trying of our grace produces another gr ace that we give. Christian patience is an active process in the life of the believer. That patience should outweigh our passion. We should not allow the indulging of our passions to hinder the operation and effects of patience. When we allow patience, endurance and perseverance to have its perfect work, we train ourselves to increase our handling of future situations. As a football player I can remember in practice running plays over and over again. My coach said that we will run the play until it is perfect. As the coach, his job was to prepare us for the battle, team vs. team. He was perfecting us so that when we get into the battle we can execute without having to think about the fundamentals. When we go through the testing of our faith, it is allowing us to mature and grow our faith so that the more we are tested; the better we should be able to handle the situation. When we bear all that God appoints, and as long as he appoints, and with a humble obedient eye to him, and when we not only bear troubles, but rejoice in them, then patience hath its perfect work. After the work of patience is complete is will allow the Christian to want for nothing. The Christian will be endure and possess all that is needed to get through and persevere through the end. In verse 5 James tells us that if we lack wisdom all we have to do is ask God and He will give it to us liberally and generously. When the child of God has to endure trials and tribulations they do not have to endure it alone or confused. James imperatively tells us that we can ask God for the wisdom to understand what we are going through and why we are going through it. Like the Christians in James’ time they had the opportunity to ask God for the wisdom that they lacked. This was different because before Christ they did not have direct access unto God. Because of Christ we now have direct access unto the father and now we can go to God and ask Him for the things that we lack. The key is that we ask for the understanding and not ask for the removal. Like Paul states in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, he had a thorn in the flesh and he did ask God to remove it but God’s answer to him was that he wasn’t going to remove it but He will supply Paul with enough grace to see him through his thorn. In this way we don’t have to solely desire to be delivered, we can embrace our presence in the trial and tribulation which gives us a greater understanding of the purpose of God in our lives. I believe that going through the storms and coming out of the storms gives us a better advantage in our Christian walk than if we just went in our storms and was pulled out immediately. God does not want to keep anything from us. He will reveal to us the â€Å"Mystery of the Kingdom of God†. This word mystery is not our human interpretation of the word but divinely it is what is not known but will be revealed. If you ask God for understanding he will give it to you without reproach. God doesn’t get tired of us asking nor does he limit us to our asking. I can see how we as humans can get irritated at children who continuously ask over and over for things. God is the opposite. He wants us to ask and be totally dependent on Him. As we look at verse 6, James lets us know that there is a requirement to us asking God for wisdom. He states that we have to ask God in faith and not waver. This is critical in our approach to God for wisdom. The children of Israel went back and forth with God, in one instance they believe after God has done something for them, in the next instance they are doubting God and worshipping other idols. The children of Israel exemplified a wavering attitude. This is critical for us today. James is once again imperatively telling us that when you approach God you must have faith in God and have faith in the wisdom that God will provide through the trials and tribulations. James is telling us that as a Christian when we approach and pray to God for wisdom we have to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God has the power to do whatever He wants to do and we must not waver in God’s word. The additional idea of that verse is that a man that wavereth is like a wave of the sea that the wind will toss to and fro. As Christians we cannot be like a wave from the sea that depending on which way the wind blows that is the way we go. James gives us more insight on the path of the man who is wavering in his faith unto the Lord. James lets us know that the man that wavereth will receive nothing from the Lord because a double minded man is unstable in all his ways. This is crucial because the proclamation is that the man is unstable in all aspects of his life. If you are not strong in your faith unto the Lord, He will not give unto you the wisdom that you need to live a strong Christian life. Such a distrustful, shifting, unsettled person is not likely to value favour from God as he should do, and therefore cannot expect to receive it. In asking for divine and heavenly wisdom we are never likely to prevail if we have not a heart to prize it above rubies, and the greatest things in this world. As we journey into the latter verses of this passage we start to see similarities of language with the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew and the sermon on the plain in Luke. In verse 9 James gives a comforting insight that the people who is of a low degree can rejoice in that he will be exalted. This is prophetic language in that James is assuring exaltation after being in a low degree. Once again James is giving assurance that those who are weak, those who are humble will be lifted up by God. It is not a hypothetical uplifting but a commanding promise that those who are low, are weak, and endure through their trials and tribulations will be lifted up by God. Not only does James point out the lifting of those who are humble but he also personalizes them by calling them our brothers. The term â€Å"our brothers† allows us to embrace those who are low and in despair and not to cast them away. As James speaks to the twelve tribes of Israel he is letting them know that all, even those who are not like them, are their brothers and that Christ will raise them up and exalt them. In comparison to the Sermon on the Mount, James gives us confidence and then warns of despair. In the 9th verse he tells those that are rich, in that they will be low, will pass away like the flower that is within the grass will pass away. Take a look at what reason rich people have, notwithstanding their riches, to be humble and low in their own eyes, because both they and their riches are passing away: As the flower of the grass he shall pass away, he and his wealth with him. Trials serve to remind the rich and the high that though they are comfortable in this life, it is still only this life, which fades as the grass grows brown and the flowers fade away. The riches of this world will certainly fade away – but James says that the rich man also will fade away. If we put our life and our dentity into things that fade away, we will fade away also. How much better to put our life and our identity into things that will never fade? If a man is only rich in this world, when he dies, he leaves his riches. But if a man is rich before God, when he dies he goes to his riches. In verse 12, James again resembles the Sermon on the Mount language and gives a blessing for those who endure temptation. In those great statement s of blessing, Jesus wasn’t finished telling us how we can be blessed. Here, we learn we can be blessed as we endure temptation. Temptation is one of the various trials (James 1:2) we face. As we persevere through temptation, we are approved, and will be rewarded as the work of God in us is evident through our resistance of temptation. The crown of life which the Lord has promised reminds us that it really is worth it to endure under the temptations we face. Our steadfastness will be rewarded as we demonstrate our love for Jesus, to those who love Him, by resisting temptation. At the end of the passage let’s look at verse 13 – 16. Temptation does not come from God. Though He allows it, He Himself does not entice us to evil, though God may test our faith without a solicitation to evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. James knew that most people have an evil tendency to blame God when they find themselves in trials. By His very nature, God is unable to be tempted in the sense we are tempted, nor can He Himself tempt anyone. God doesn’t tempt us. Instead, temptation comes when we are drawn away by our own fleshly desires and enticed – with the world and the devil providing the enticement. James warns us that when the flesh begins to produce and give birth, it brings forth sin. That sin then will produce death. Springing forth from corrupt desire is sin. Springing forth from sin is death. This progression to death is an inevitable result that Satan always tries to hide from us, but we should never be deceived about. Satan’s great strategy in temptation is to convince us that the pursuit of our corrupt desires will somehow produce life and goodness for us. If we remember that Satan only comes to steal, and to kill, and to destroy (John 10:10), then we would resist the deceptions of temptation more easily. James imperatively warns us not to make a mistake and err. In the last two verses in this passage, we see that every good and perfect gift comes from God. From our own fallen natures and from those who would entice us, we expect no true goodness. But every good and every perfect gift comes from God the Father in heaven. Let us also observe that God is the Father of the Lights. The visible light of the sun and the heavenly bodies is from him. He said, let there be light, and there was light. Thus God is at once represented as the Creator of the sun and in some respects compared to it. What the sun is in nature, God is in grace, providence, glory and infinitely more. Every good gift is from him. As the Father of lights, he gives the light of reason. God’s goodness is constant. There is no variation with Him. This means that God never changes. His word is the same yesterday, today and will be tomorrow. God never sways nor is he swayed. He is unlike the wavering man that James spoke of before. He will not change his word to justify our lives. God’s word is there for us. We can see God’s goodness in our salvation, as He initiated our salvation of His own will, and brought us forth to spiritual life by His word of truth, that we might be to His glory as firstfruits of His harvest. James may be speaking of his own generation of believers when he calls them firstfruits. Some have speculated on this even more, saying that James has in mind a wider redemption among unknown creatures of God, of which we are the firstfruits of that wider redemption. In brief summation, James has given us the recipe to deal and embrace the trials and tribulations that come in our life. We as Christians must realize that trials and tribulations will come and we must be ready to count it all joy and to be prepared for God to exalt us even from low places. Bibliography The Bible, King James Version Believer’s Bible Commentary. William MacDonald and Art Farstad. Nashville;Atlanta;London;Vancouver : Thomas Nelson Publishers. Tyndale Bible Dictionary. Walter A. Elwell, Ph. D. and Philip W. Comfort, Ph. D. Tyndale House Publishers, 2001. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 10 Oct. 2006. Grace Online Library, 20 Nov. 2006.