CASE STUDY-WALMART'S JAPAN STRATEGY Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

-WALMART'S JAPAN STRATEGY - Case Study Example The author goes on to explain the issues faced by the company in its quest for international expansion. The major problem faced in Japan was the cultural diversity that existed between its American and Japanese employees. Another factor is that the company, known for its low prices, did not find favor with the Japanese mentality. Unlike the United States, the Japanese equated low prices with poor quality. In Mexico and the United Kingdom, the company faced stiff from other retailers. In Mexico, three of the prominent retailers formed an operational alliance to get the benefits of large-scale purchases in order to compete with Wal-Mart. The study suggests that the entry of Wal-Mart into Japan was timed perfectly (in a strategic context). The country was just emerging out of a recession and Wal-Mart hoped that low prices would be a hit with cash strapped consumers. But the strategy has not been accepted well by the people because of the reason mentioned above. The next section provides a balance sheet and income statement of the corporation for the years 2000 - 2003. It can be seen that there has been a steady growth over these years in all parameters like assets, income, profits and dividends.

Business Project Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Business Project Management - Essay Example However, with increased competition, widespread use of project management theories and processes in day to day functioning of businesses and blurring departmental and functional boundaries, projects are now considered no less than strategic processes underpinning theories and concepts of leadership, strategy, culture, communication, integration and appropriate know-how of relevant systems. This report aims at delving deep into this transformed outlook towards project management approach and how these management functions are shaping the traditional structure of project management into an amalgamation of project, change and process management. With the inclusion of relationship management, risk management, people satisfaction and motivation, empowerment and creativity; project management in itself is turning into a specialised body of knowledge comprising of the vital elements of management, strategy, human resources and operations. To demonstrate this tectonic shift, examples of vari ous projects ranging from big construction to IT ones have been taken so that theories and concepts can be understood in real life terms. ... Projects are time-bound, focus on a single time process and are usually complex in nature because of mingling of several distinct and unrelated functions. Limitation of time, cost and resources add to the characteristics of projects. On the contrary, processes are repeatable and do not suffer from limitations which are present in project management. Homogeneity is also more dominant in process management than do in project management. Traditional approach to project management Traditionally, projects used to be differentiated from that of processes because of superficial differences identified between the two. Their scope, extent of penetration in organization’s philosophy and strategy, resource allocation, level of inter-dependence of different functions and activities within the management of two and results achieved thereof lead to the misconception that projects cannot assume the status of processes and vice-versa. Typical project management cycle includes stereotypic phas es defined as requirements analysis, resource management, project methodology, risk management and project closure. These phases are technical in nature with clear specifications of roles, duty, inputs and respective outputs. They do not recognize the evolving nature of business place and components of business management like planning, controlling, decision making and more contemporary functions of management namely leadership, strategy, cultural ramifications, knowledge of systems and overall congruence with the components of process management. This makes the traditional approach to project management short of fulfilling the current needs of business and unique propositions. Evolved components of project management Prosci (2011) specifically highlights the tripartite nature of project

The Effectiveness of Aftercare Services for African American Families Article

The Effectiveness of Aftercare Services for African American Families in an Intensive Family Preservation Program - Article Example Family preservation programs in general tend to focus on prevention of unnecessary placements and future maltreatments. Hence this evaluation study has been an outcome based study program. The study was conducted after evaluation of previous programs in which it was found that treatment programs designed for neglected families have found very little success due to consistent lack of social support. And in particular African American children in particular form a majority in foster care and are less placed compared to their white counter parts. This study was designed to check the effectiveness of a Family Enhancement Program (FEP) established in 1994 that examined the rates of placements and neglect. 2. Identify the research design (e.g., secondary analysis, group design) and the specific sampling design used. Discuss the appropriateness of the design used with respect to internal and external validity. A longitudinal study design was used for the study in which families that were admitted to the FEP program were taken for observation. The reports and placements 1 year prior to the admission of the family up to 1 year following the termination of the final family admitted were considered for the family. As reports pertaining to 1 year before and 1 year after the study program was only considered the validity of study was appropriate. 3. Identify the key variables that were measured. How was each variable operationally defined, and how was each measured? Describe the data sources, data collection procedures, and instruments used. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the measurement method used. The major variables that were considered and measured in the program were placements, neglect, aftercare and other variables. During the time period of the study the placements of children in foster care, family foster care, residential and assessment services and hospital placement were monitored. An episode was considered

Young Entrepreneurs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Young Entrepreneurs - Essay Example This project also aimed at providing light to school going children from poor families who could not stand the smoke of the local kerosene lamp. The idea of developing the solar-powered lantern was originally presented by Wadongo at a local congress of young innovative youth’s forum in Kenya and was picked as a promising one with the potential to solve a problem in the community (Arrillaga-Andreessen, 2012). Wadongo did a lot of his research on the design and the sizes that most suited the targeted population. Through his various attempts to design a sustainable product that would not only last for long but also provide a cleaner source of energy, he came up with something that has been appreciated worldwide. His bight idea that only started in a small village in Kenya has now been recognized worldwide on various forums (Arrillaga-Andreessen, 2012). According to the locals, Wadongo’s project is one that has helped more children go back to school and the impact is felt almost immediately. The performances have increased in most schools that have adopted the use of the Solar-powered lantern. According to Wadongo, his project hasn’t reached its peak yet with several additions intended to be made. He wants to extend the scheme to cover more areas in the country, and at the same time sells his solar tapped power to major towns. He says that this approach will work best for him due to the frequent power blackouts experienced in those towns. His idea was driven by the fact that 90% of the country’s power is generated from hydro-power stations and the need for other reliable means of power generation was needed. According to Wadongo, the current power rates in the country are very high, and the consumers will welcome any form of cushioning. With the rates currently at Ksh 75 per kW unit, he intends to produce up to a total of 1000 kW for different premises.  Ã‚  

The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause Essay Example for Free

The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause Essay Point of View There are two points of view. One view is from the Simon (the vampire), and the other is from Zoà «, the girl whose mother is dying of cancer. Zoe is having a really hard time dealing with her mother’s sickness, especially since her father has become more and more distant as his wife gets sicker and sicker. Zoe is feeling like she has nowhere to turn, especially when she finds out her best friend is moving far away. Then she meets a very mysterious pale boy, and she feels like she can trust him. Perhaps he even needs someone like she needs someone. Simon, on the other hand, has been a vampire for hundreds of years. He is on the search for his brother, Christopher, who made him a vampire. Christopher was horrifyingly brutal and he killed their mother, which has made him Simons sworn enemy. Simon has been trying for most of his afterlife to find and kill Christopher for good, and he has finally tracked his brother to the town where Zoe lives. Once there, though, he finds himself drawn to Zoes loneliness. Before long, he is confiding in her and feeling compassion for the first time in a very long time. Setting in time and place The setting was more on a contemporary period, most usually at Zoà «Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s house and the hospital, at time when her mother is dying of cancer. However, flashbacks of past centuries bring back Simon’s memories of his mother. The setting blooms more about the understanding of love and how it blends no matted how different two beings might be. List all main characters and a brief description of each Zoà « – The 16-year-old girl whose mother is dying of cancer. Simon has been a vampire for hundreds of years. He is on the search for his brother, Christopher, who made him a vampire. Zoà «Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s mother – terminally ill, she is dying because of cancer. A brief plot summary 16-year-old Zoà « is faced with the reality that her mother is dying of cancer. When she meets the mysterious and handsome Simon, she feel he can understand her pain better than anyone else has. As Zoà «s life goes from bad to worse, Simon becomes her one true support. Conflict There is something very creepy about the pale young man. The question and conflict is will that creepy something (that is, the fact that Simon is a vampire) force the two apart? Theme How odd or incomparable two hearts may seem, love will always make them perfect for each other.

Criminology Essays Ecological Crime Criminal

Criminology Essays Ecological Crime Criminal Ecological Crime Criminal Are ecological approaches to criminality appropriate to help preventing crime? For some years, a small group of criminologists have been attempting to understand crime using the ecology of crime (Brantingham, 1993; Stark, 1987; Taylor and Covington, 1988). This is about how criminal opportunities are created in neighbourhoods. Crime prevention seeks to reduce the frequency of criminal behaviour by means that operate outside the Criminal Justice System. Crime pattern theory is particularly important in developing and understanding of crime and place, because it combines rational choice and routine activity theory to explain the distribution of crime across places or locations. In this essay, I aim to evaluate the different ecological approaches and to see how useful they are as a deterrent or actual crime preventer. This will be achieved my looking at the models and theories that make up the ecological or environmental approach. Jock Young identifies a series of linked processes that transformed the way crime was viewed or perceived. Although it was assumed that improved conditions and economic restructure would lead to a drop in crime, it was found that the opposite happened. Despite increasing the size of the police and the capacity of the prison system, crime had been increasing year after year. (Newman, 1972). According to Young, the volume of criminal activity grows in all parts of the world, especially countries where economic development was more vigorous. But following a steady and seemingly harsh rise in recorded crime in England and Wales between 1955 and 1992, the last thirteen years has witnessed an almost unprecedented decline in both police recorded crime and estimates of crime from the British Crime Survey. Jock Young referred to the growth in recorded crime during the years of the Keynesian Welfare state in the UK as an aetiological crisis for criminology. The expectation had been that with rising living standards and increased welfare provision crime would fall. Criminologists have become so used to explaining rising crime that they might now face a second aetiological crisis – explaining falling crime rates Essentially the ecological, or holistic, view is that a neighbourhood is like an ecosystem. An ecosystem has many parts to it, which fit more or less together to give that system some form of balance. The same with safe neighbourhoods. Everything has its own place, just as everyone should feel to some extent that they belong, or are part of, some place. When that ecosystem experiences changes that are too rapid or too extensive, then the system often becomes dysfunctional and out of balance. This might happen when a few extra bars open up that start to create disorder and noise problems in the neighbourhood. It might also occur when large proportions of traditional residents move rapidly out of a neighbourhood and the tenure of local tenancy drops too quickly. Perhaps the number of abandoned buildings in a neighbourhood increased beyond a certain point, a tipping point, and crime begins to climb dramatically. These are all examples of a neighbourhood out of balance. In such neighbourhoods, a niche is created for crime opportunities. (Brantingham, 1993; Stark, 1987; Taylor and Covington, 1988). According to Jacob (1961), the neighbourhood diversity and social mix influences the opportunities for crime, this began the work of CPTED. CPTED is an approach that looks at those who engage in criminal, or nuisance behaviour in public. By watching them carefully you will see they prefer some areas over others, they choose certaintimes of the day and week, and they focus on specific targets while ignoring others. It can reduce the social and psychological impact of crime in neighbourhoods. Most importantly, it improves the liveability and safety of urban places. (Newman 1972). A policy-oriented explanation of crime that states that minor signs of disorder in a neighbourhood, left unchecked, can result in more severe disorder and ultimately serious crime.   This idea was known as the broken windows theory. The term comes from an influential 1982 article in The Atlantic Monthly by James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling. The theory implies that if the first broken window in a building is not repaired, then people who like breaking windows will assume that no one cares about the building and more windows will be broken. Soon the building will have no windows. The theory endorsed the belief that crime was the result of lax police efforts and that stricter law enforcement policy is the primary ingredient to promoting safer communities. Wilson and Kelling theorized that if rude remarks by loitering youth were left unchallenged, they would be under the impression that no one cares and their behaviour will likely escalate to crimes that are more serious. Ever since Durkheim, many social scientists have subscribed to the premise that deviance and crime are normal properties of naturally functioning social systems. When trying to explain the causes of these behaviours, however, many social scientists typically resort to the idea of pathological origins. Overall, social scientists have yet to explain how and why normal individuals operating in unexceptional social environments deviate and commit crimes; recent developments in behavioural ecology and evolutionary biology provide new insights that promise to explain how deviance and crime arise naturally in populations of interacting individuals without necessarily implying genetic influences. We interpret criminal behaviours by which offenders expropriate goods or services from others as expressions of diverse behavioural strategies that derive from normal patterns of population-level social organization and interaction. This view accommodates both explanations that focus on individual causes of crime and those directed toward social factors. Our approach permits the generation of novel hypotheses and fully accommodates, simplifies, and helps unify important and diverse insights and findings amassed by a wide range of disciplines and theories that have tried to account for the nature and distribution of crime. A routine activity approach for analyzing crime rate trends and cycles. Rather than emphasizing the characteristics of offenders, with this approach one can concentrate upon the circumstances in which they carry out predatory criminal acts. Most criminal acts require convergence in space and time of likely offenders, suitable targets and the absence of capable guardians against crime. (Cohen and Felson 1979). Human ecological theory facilitates an investigation into the way in which social structure produces this convergence, hence allowing illegal activities to feed upon the legal activities of everyday life. In particular, the dispersion of activities away from households and families may increase the opportunity for crime and thus generates higher crime rates. (Hope, 1995). A variety of data is presented in support of the hypothesis, which helps explain crime rate trends in the United States 1947-1974 as a by-product of changes in such variables as labour force participation and single-adult households. Also the notion of absence of a capable guardian such as, police or security guards, locks or barriers, alarm systems and CCTV were thought to have also increase the likelihood of crime in that region or environment. The capacity of communities to prevent violence can be examinedfrom three perspectives: youth violence, child maltreatment,and intimate partner violence. The analysis suggests that communitysocial control and collective efficacy are significant protectivefactors for all three types of violence, but these need to befurther distinguished for their relationships to private, parochial,and state controls. It is argued that strong interpersonal tiesare not the only contributor to collective efficacy and violenceprevention. Weak ties, including those outside the community,and organizational ties are also seen as necessary. Violenceprevention programs should be structured in ways that contributeto the communities’ own capacity to prevent violence. Shaw and McKay argued that any city (in this instance they cited Chicago) could be divided into various concentric zones emanating from the centre of the city. You can visualise these zones by thinking about an archery target, for example, with the centre of the target (the Bulls-eye) being Zone 1 and each successive ring being named successively. The middle zone (Zone 1) is the central business district in any city. The next is the inner city (Zone 2), sometimes called the Interstitial Zone or Zone of Transition. This Zone is surrounded, respectively, by: Respectable working class housing (Zone 3), then by the (middle class) suburbs (Zone 4), the city fringe (rural / semi-rural areas) inhabited by the rich (Zone 5). Concentric Zones (Diagrammatic view) (Park and Burgess 1925) In examining crime rates in relation to each zone, Shaw and McKay found that one zone in particular (Zone 2) exhibited higher rates of crime than any other zone. This zone (which Shaw and McKay termed a zone of transition because it was to this area of cheap housing that successive waves of immigrants Irish, Italian, Polish and so forth came), had a consistently higher rate of crime than any other zone, regardless of which immigrant group dominated the cultural life of the area. This led Shaw and McKay (1969) to argue that the high crime rates were not a consequence of the behaviour of any one particular ethnic group (since it did not really seem to make much difference which ethnic group was dominant at particular times). Rather, they argued that something about the fact of living in such a zone was the root cause of the high levels of crime. This something was, according to Shaw and McKay, the fact that no settled community could establish itself in this zone because of the repeated waves of immigration into and emigration out of the zone. In effect, the high turnover of people in the zone of transition resulted in the idea of social disorganisation the idea that a lack of clear, moral, guide-lines deriving from a settled, stable, community structure resulted in a lack of informal social controls and hence a high rate of crime. However, as Felson and Clark (1998) suggest, there are 10 principles of crime opportunity theory. The first being that opportunity plays a major role in all crimes, not just property related crime, for example, studies of bars, and clubs show how their design and management play an important role in generating violence or preventing it. Their concept also notes that crime opportunities are specific (i.e. the theft of cars for joyriding has a different pattern for opportunity than theft for car parts). In addition, crime opportunities depend on everyday movements of activity and that one crime produces the opportunity for another. (Home Office, 2004). But they do suggest that reducing opportunities does not usually displace crime – Wholesale displacement is very rare and many studies have found little if no crime displacement, also focused opportunity reduction can produce wider declines in crimeas prevention measures in one area can lead to a reduction in another nearby, a diffusion of benefits. This is because offenders might overestimate the reach of those measures. To conclude, it is clear that ecological approaches to crime draw on the many different approaches such as, urban planning, decision making models, design, fear of crime and many more. As with many other approaches, they look at how and why is committed, and give the general understanding and in-look to crime but cannot it is not fully known whether such approaches can help to reduce crime. Although we know that crime is committed for many reasons, (e.g. money or gain, revenge, reputation etc.), even with the full understanding and application of ecological approaches, crime may be one of those things that can never be completely eradicated. References Crawford, A. (1998) Crime Prevention and Community Safety: Politics, Policies and Practices. Harlow: Longman. Eck. J.E., Weisburd. D. (1995). Crime Place: Crime Prevention Studies. Volume 4. Criminal Justice Press. Garland, D. (2001) The Culture of Control: Crime and Social Order in Contemporary Society. Oxford: Oxford University Press Felson Clark. (1998) cited from http://www.crimereduction.homeoffice.gov.uk/learningzone/scpprinciples.htm Accessed 12th January 2005. Hesseling, Rene B.P. (1994) Displacement: A review of the empirical literature. In Crime Prevention Studies, Vol. 3. R.V.G. Clarke, Ed. New York: Criminal Justice Press. pp. 197-229. Hope, T. (1995) Building a Safer Society: Strategic Approaches to Crime Prevention in Tonry, M. Farrington, D.P. (eds) Crime and Justice: Volume 19. Chicago: University of Chicago Press Jacobs, Jane. (1961). The Death and Life of Great American Cities. New York: Vintage. Kaplan, H.M., K.C. OKane, P.J. Lavrakas, and E.J. Pesce. (1978) Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design. Final report on commercial demonstration in Portland, Oregon. Washington, D.C. Westinghouse Electric Corporation. Newman, Oscar. (1972) Defensible Space: Crime Prevention Through Urban Design. New York: Macmillan. Sherman, L.W., Gartin, P.R. and Buerger, M.E. (1989) Hot spots of predatory crime: routine activities and the criminology of place. Criminology. 27:27-55 Stark, Rodney. 1987. Deviant places: A theory of the ecology of crime. Criminology. 25:893-909.

Pride and Prejudice :: English Literature

Pride and Prejudice "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of good fortune, must be in want of a wife." Taken from Jane Austen's classic novel, Pride and Prejudice, this is probably one of the most famous opening sentences in English literature. It is clear to see from this one sentence that the novel is going to be about money, marriage and morals. The question is, from whose perspective, is a single, rich man in want of a wife? As we begin to read the novel, it becomes apparent that it is Mrs Bennet who believes that all rich, single men must be in want of a wife when she says at the beginning of the very first chapter, "A single man of large fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls," (volume 1, chapter 1, page 1). Mr and Mrs Bennet have just five daughters. Unfortunately for them, they have no sons and in the time of Jane Austen writing Pride and Prejudice, it was only the sons who could, and would, inherit the wealth of the family. Therefore, with the Bennets having just daughters, it meant that the closest male relative, a cousin in this instance named Mr Collins, to the head of the household, Mr Bennet, would inherit his wealth. The ladies would then be left having to rely on family and would hope to be provided with all they needed. So, it was imperative to Mrs Bennet that at least one of her daughter's, if not all, married well. Well enough to be able to provide security for herself, the other daughters and of course, Mrs Bennet, should anything happen to Mr Bennet. In fact, as we see at the beginning of chapter three, when Mrs Bennet says, "If I can see but one of my daughters happily settled at Netherfield, and the others equally well married, I shall have nothing to wish for," (volume 1, chapter 3, page 5), that she would want for nothing else. As interactions between potential couples didn't happen very often, it was difficult for them to get to know each other properly. Generally, the only chance potential couples had of interacting with each other was at assembly balls, arranged by fellow family members or friends. Even then, they didn't get much chance of privacy and could only chat privately whilst dancing. "To be fond of dancing was a sure step towards falling in love," (volume1, chapter 3, page 5). As we progress through the novel, we see the heir to Mr Bennet's wealth, Mr Collins, plan to marry one of the Bennet girls as an "offer Pride and Prejudice :: English Literature Pride and Prejudice "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of good fortune, must be in want of a wife." Taken from Jane Austen's classic novel, Pride and Prejudice, this is probably one of the most famous opening sentences in English literature. It is clear to see from this one sentence that the novel is going to be about money, marriage and morals. The question is, from whose perspective, is a single, rich man in want of a wife? As we begin to read the novel, it becomes apparent that it is Mrs Bennet who believes that all rich, single men must be in want of a wife when she says at the beginning of the very first chapter, "A single man of large fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls," (volume 1, chapter 1, page 1). Mr and Mrs Bennet have just five daughters. Unfortunately for them, they have no sons and in the time of Jane Austen writing Pride and Prejudice, it was only the sons who could, and would, inherit the wealth of the family. Therefore, with the Bennets having just daughters, it meant that the closest male relative, a cousin in this instance named Mr Collins, to the head of the household, Mr Bennet, would inherit his wealth. The ladies would then be left having to rely on family and would hope to be provided with all they needed. So, it was imperative to Mrs Bennet that at least one of her daughter's, if not all, married well. Well enough to be able to provide security for herself, the other daughters and of course, Mrs Bennet, should anything happen to Mr Bennet. In fact, as we see at the beginning of chapter three, when Mrs Bennet says, "If I can see but one of my daughters happily settled at Netherfield, and the others equally well married, I shall have nothing to wish for," (volume 1, chapter 3, page 5), that she would want for nothing else. As interactions between potential couples didn't happen very often, it was difficult for them to get to know each other properly. Generally, the only chance potential couples had of interacting with each other was at assembly balls, arranged by fellow family members or friends. Even then, they didn't get much chance of privacy and could only chat privately whilst dancing. "To be fond of dancing was a sure step towards falling in love," (volume1, chapter 3, page 5). As we progress through the novel, we see the heir to Mr Bennet's wealth, Mr Collins, plan to marry one of the Bennet girls as an "offer