Remuneration and Employee Motivation in the Retail Industry Research Paper

Remuneration and Employee Motivation in the Retail Industry - Research Paper Example The current paper focuses on the examination of the relationship between remuneration and motivation in firms’ operating in the retail industry. It seems that employee motivation is strongly affected by the remuneration policies used within a specific organization. However, this relationship has many aspects; it is possible for the employees’ performance to be kept at high levels even if the amount of compensation (or other benefits) paid to employees is not increased. The skills of the managers involved in the relevant efforts are of critical importance for the achievement of the above target. The above assumptions have been also verified in practice through the survey conducted for this study. Most of the participants – employees in two large shopping centers in London, UK – have stated that the conditions in the workplace are quite important for their performance – even if the remuneration is lower than expected. However, in the long term, a fair remuneration strategy is required in order for the productivity of employees to be kept at high levels. The increase of employee motivation – as a factor influencing their performance – can be achieved only through appropriate HR policies. The conditions of the market, however, have also a crucial role; during periods of strong financial turbulence, the ability of managers to proceed to specific initiatives like increasing the remuneration of employees is limited.

Southwest Airlines Case Anaylsis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 10000 words

Southwest Airlines Case Anaylsis - Essay Example They lived up to their dreams since Southwest Airlines now ranks the fourth largest airliner that is operating under the logo LUV on NYSE in the united states of America. Rolling King and Herb Kelleher completed the necessary paperwork to create Air Southwest Co. the name by which the southwest airlines was known. Following the filing of approval by the two pioneers with the FAA, on 20th February, 1968 their plan to fly between the three Texas cities was approved by the Texas Aeronautical Commission. Southwest continued to expand all through the 1980s and 1990s, and by 1993, it was operating between 34 cities in 15 states. This airline progressively expanded across the southwestern states into the northwest, the Midwest, and the state of California. Besides, it ventured into new destination in Florida and on the east coast. Owing to the low prices it offers it quickly conquered the markets share it explored. In fact; some competitors were forced to withdraw after Southwest Airlines entered their markets, allowing the company to expand faster than expected (David 1999). For instance; when the Southwest Airlines ventured into California market (1990) it quickly scooped 20% of the intrastate market, sending a number of its competitors out of Los Angeles-San Francisco route, thus dominating the route. This happened because they were unable to contest the $59 one-way flight charges, with their $186 one way fare (Scholes 1999). In late 1994, United Airlines started to make a come back to the west coast routes. They tried to launch a low-cost, high-frequency shuttle services to no avail, because even a shuttle could not contest with southwest in a direct battle, as a result United Airline had to relocate its shuttle out of Southwest Airlines' routes and to some extent abandon some routes altogether (David 1999). Nowadays a lot of people travel by plane, the airline industry has hence increased in service provision and even in scope specializing cargo and passenger planes. Southwest Airlines Company ventures in this industry in a unique way providing fairly low priced air transport in over 58 cities across the United States of America. Despite the September 11th terrorist attack, that caused a major blow to the airline industry, the Southwest Airlines Company still persisted when other airline corporations sunk into debts. Based on the information on southwest airliners from News Week and Wall Street Journal, the corporation enjoys steady sales (David 1999). The major attribute for their unwavering success is their low-cost model and the knowledge by the competitors that the low prices of southwest are far from being matched. Therefore; by decreasing the prices even lower, the southwest airline corporation can push a company into bankruptcy (Scholes 1999). An outstanding objective of Southwest Airlines involves dedication to top-quality service delivery coupled with a sense of friendliness, person's dignity, hospitality, and company zeal. Among the services the company provides are, short haul, point to point, high frequency, and low fare air transportation between 58 cities in the United States (David 1999). The organization of Southwest Airline Company adopts an upside-down pyramid where the senior management is at the base and

Comparison of Home-Made and Store Bought Apple Juice

Comparison of Home-Made and Store Bought Apple Juice COVER PAGE TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT This extended investigational report was aimed to show and prove how store bought apple juice (golden circle) is unhealthier and less beneficial to the body than home-made apple juice. The apple juice samples were analysed and tested using pH using litmus paper Determination of Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) by iodine titration Determination of fruit acids by iodine titration (sugar acid ratio) Testing foe simple sugars Refractometer These tests were used to find out the differences between store bought and home-made apple juice and which was unhealthier and less beneficial to the body. It was found that- X X X X X This report discusses apples and both their benefits and deficiencies, investigating the chemical reactions that are occurring whilst doing the experiments to gather a better knowledge and understanding of the chemical processes that occur. The aim of the investigation is to prove that store bought apple juice is unhealthier and less beneficial to the body in comparison to homemade apple juice. AIM The aim of this experimental investigation report is to identify, determine and prove that home-made apple juice will be much healthier than that of the store bought apple juice. INTRODUCTION Consumers are becoming increasingly demanding of food manufacturers. They want to know exactly what is in the food they are eating. Some people need to be aware of the content in food due to severe allergies, while others want to know so they can maintain a healthy diet .These days, due to increase in amounts of advancements in chemical and biological technologies, Chemicals that are more than just added preservatives, additives and sugar can be added into any kind of food to make a certain user friendly product that is available in the market. Therefore manufacturers are trying to create food and beverages by manipulating certain ingredients in the product which contain artificial ingredients rather than natural ingredients. A good example of it is Apple juice. Commercial apple juice typically include Vitamin C to increase the ascorbic acid content as well has some certain preservatives, additives and certain sugars to prolong shelf life. This report compares a home-made apple juice with a high end commercial grade apple juice (golden circle). APPLE Apples are the most common fruit that is eaten. It even states that â€Å"An apple a day keeps the doctor away†. There are almost nine types of apples that are grown and found in Australia and the rest are imported from overseas. Apples are one of the best, because it is rich in minerals and vitamins. It has minerals like potassium(K),Calcium (Ca) , phosphorous (P), magnesium (Mg) , manganese (Mn), iron (Fe) , sodium (Na) , copper (Cu) , zinc (Zn) and vitamins like A,B1( thiamine),B2( riboflavin),niacin and folate.In Queensland there are only four family farmers that provide apples to whole of Queensland. They are the Simon Favaro, David and Roslyn Sutton, Nicolette and Vincenzo’s. Because there are not many farmers that grow apples in Australia, apples are imported from different countries. But the countries that it gets imported from needs to meet the legislations of food organizations. It mainly get imported from Japan and china as it is cheap and it is high quality. BENEFITS OF APPLE Apples have many benefits when it comes to eating healthy. Apples are known for their high amounts in antioxidant activity, and it contains a lot of beneficial vitamins and minerals that are needed for the body and are low GI. Antioxidants are molecules that oxidise to form other molecules. Oxidation when occurring can have a reaction forming free radicals. But in turn the antioxidants get rid of these free radicals so it does not damage the body. Reducing agents like thiols , ascorbic acid and polyphenols are antioxidants which are present in apple. Apples help prevent diseases like Brain health, stroke, diabetes, cancer and heart diseases. All these diseases are prevented when linked back to antioxidants. DEFICIENCY OF APPLE Apple just like any other fruit has vitamins and minerals and if not supplemented with it, you may suffer from different diseases. Because apple contains potassium(K),Calcium (Ca) , phosphorous (P), magnesium (Mg) , manganese (Mn), iron (Fe) , sodium (Na) , copper (Cu) , zinc (Zn) and vitamins like A,B1( thiamine),B2( riboflavin),niacin and folate, not getting enough amounts of these vitamins and minerals might hinder your health and may damage your body. Some diseases that can be causes are scurvy, wound to heal slower, make skin more sensitive and joint pains. Apple juice contain Phytonutrients which help reduce the chances of artery blockage However this assignment deals with apple juice .The commercial apple juices adds gratuitous amounts of sugars that are unhealthy and less beneficial. Even though the store bought apple juice might say zero sugar, it contains artificial sweeteners that are more harmful than normal sugar. Artificial sweeteners are synthetic sugar substitutes but may be derived from naturally occurring substances, including herbs or sugar itself. Artificial sweeteners are also known as intense sweeteners because they are many times sweeter than regular sugar. VITAMIN C Vitamin C which is commonly known as Ascorbic acid (C6H8O6), is found in a lot of organic compound, and especially in apple juice and has antioxidant properties. Its melting point is 192o Celsius and the boiling point is 553o Celsius. (Wiki, 2014).It has a molar mass of 176.13 g.mol-1.This Vitamin is essential for humans as it reduces kidney and liver diseases, acne and chronic fatigue syndrome(CFC),it is also uses as an agent in enzyme and non-enzyme reactions. The international Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry names Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) 2-oxoL-threo-hexono-1, 4-2, 3-enediol.Its visual aspect is a white solid, and the impure samples of it are yellowish. This acid can be oxidised to dehydroascorbic acid ((5R)-5-[(1S)-1 , 2-dihydroxyethyl]furan-2,3,4,5(5H)-trione) Ascorbic acid is commonly known acid, because it is weak acid and definitely a weak sugar acid and has a structure that is similar to glucose. This acid is found to have one of the lowest pH levels. Nevertheless when the acid is standardised the pH level rises to more than 4.0, It is profusely found only in its ionised formation, it is called ascorbate.(BIO CyC , 2004).Because ascorbic acid has properties of having antioxidants in it , it is often used as a preservative and additive in few drinks. Ascorbic acid has one downfall; it cannot protect fats from the oxidation process. (ncbi , 2006).Because ascorbic acid can be destroyed easily by reactions occurring with different gases, it is very hard to preserve it for an extended period of time. Therefore the manufacturers try to seal the food and beverages preventing gases from entering and destroying the product chemically. It is also used as an agent to prevent browning of enzymic foods. MALIC ACID Malic acid is a weak organic acid and it has a molecular formula C4H6O5.Malic acid are found in many fruits and plant matter. It sometimes is noticed as ascorbic acid than malic acid because the chemical structure is quite similar. The IUPAC name for malic acid is hydroxybutanedioic acid and has a melting point of 1300 C and a boiling point of 3220 C. Its molar mass is 134.09 g mol−1.This acid can be found in various types of food and it acts as a natural preservative. It is sometimes used as a flavour additive because the acid is quite tangy in taste. HYPOTHESIS The quantity of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in home-made apple juice is higher than the amount in a commercial store bought apple juice, making them healthier. Home-made apple juice has a higher pH than commercial apple juice due to ascorbic acid occurring naturally The amount of sugar in commercial apple juice is higher than that of home-made apple juice , which makes it less beneficial for health The quantity of fruit acids in commercial apple juice is higher than that of the home-made apple juice, making it less beneficial. METHODS Preparation of apple juice Materials: 1 x 1kg apple(fresh produce) 1 x 1 x 3 x 250mL Erlenmeyer flask 1 x 5mL Dropper 1 x 25mL pipette 1 x 50mL burette 1 x Burette Stand 4 x 250mL beaker Determination of Vitamin C by Iodine Titration (Malic Acid) Aim: This experiment aims to determine how much vitamin C , both the apple juice have. Hypothesis: The quantity of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in home-made apple juice is higher than the amount in a commercial store bought apple juice, making them healthier. Materials: 1 x Distilled water 1 x 500ml graduated cylinder 1 x 250mL Volumetric flask 3 x 250mL Erlenmeyer flask 1 x 5mL Dropper 1 x 25mL pipette 1 x 50mL burette 1 x Burette Stand 4 x 250mL beaker 1 x 600mL beaker 1 x Electronic scale 1% Starch indicator Potassium Iodide Potassium Iodate Ascorbic Acid 3M Sulphuric Acid 3 x Apple juice samples 1 x Funnel Method: Iodine Solution (NOTE: Prepared by the lab technicians prior to the experiment) 5g potassium iodide and 0.2680g potassium iodate was dissolved in 200.0mL of distilled water. 30.0mL of 3M Sulphuric acid was added. This solution was poured into a 500.0mL graduated cylinder and diluted to a volume of 500mL with distilled water. The solution was mixed. The solution was transferred to a 250.0mL beaker to allow ease of pipetting. Vitamin C Standard: 0.250g of ascorbic acid was weighed and added to 100.0mL distilled water (in a 250mL volumetric flask). The solution was diluted to the 250.0mL mark with distilled water. The standard was labelled. Titration: 5.0mL of the standard was added to a 250.0mL Erlenmeyer flask using a pipette. 2 drops of the 1% starch indicator solution was added. It was swirled to ensure it mixed properly. The above steps were repeated three times with all standard and juice samples (the pipette was rinsed between uses with distilled water). The burette was rinsed with some Iodine solution and then filled (using a funnel) to the zero mark. The solution was carefully titrated until the blue/ purple endpoint was reached and persisted after 20 seconds of swirling. The final volume was recorded. This was repeated for all aliquots. Determination of Fruit Acids by Titration (Sugar Acid ratio) Aim: This experiments tried to determine which apple juice contained more malic acid. Hypothesis: The quantity of fruit acids in commercial apple juice is higher than that of the home-made apple juice, making it less beneficial. Materials: 1 x 50mL Burette 1 x Burette stand 1 x 25mL Pipette 1 x Distilled water Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) O.1M Phenolphthalein 1% in 95% ethanol 3 x 250mL Erlenmeyer flask 2 x Apple juices Method: NOTE: While doing this experiment the home-made apple juice sample was too concentrated and thus after taking advice from the laboratory technician, we diluted distilled water in the apple juice, to make it less concentrated and easy to see the titration and thus the values were changed.25 ml of home-made apple juice sample was diluted to 250ml diluted water (1:10) 3 drops of Phenolphthalein were added to the samples in the Erlenmeyer flasks. This was repeated three times for both apple juices. 0.1M solution of NaOH was poured into the burette until it reached the zero mark. The sample was slowly titrated with the NaOH until the endpoint was reached (light pink that lasted after 30 seconds of swirling). The amount of NaOH used to titrate was recorded. This was repeated for all samples. Testing for Simple Sugars Aim: This experiment tried to determine how much sugars each sample contains and which juice has more samples Hypothesis: The amount of sugar in commercial apple juice is higher than that of home-made apple juice, which makes it less beneficial for health Materials: Benedict’s reagent 1 x Scale illustration colours and associated sugar concentrations 1 x 500mL Beaker 6 x Glass Test tubes 1 x Test tube holder 1 x Graduated cylinder 10mL or 100mL 2 x Apple juices 1 x Kettle 1 x Distilled water 1 x 25mL pipette Method: 4.0mL of apple juice was added to a test tube using a pipette. 1.0mL of Benedict’s reagent was added to the juice. It was swirled to ensure it mixed well. This was repeated three times for both types of apple juice (the pipette was rinsed between each use with distilled water). Each sample was labelled to ensure there was no confusion over which sample reacted. The kettle was filled with water and boiled. The boiling water was then poured into the 500mL beaker. All the samples were held in the beaker for a few minutes (about 3 minutes) until the colour change was totally completed. The colour change was noted and compared to the Scale illustration. The results were recorded. Repeat for all samples. pH using Litmus Paper Aim: This experiment tried to determine the changes of pH between store-bought and homemade apple juice. Hypothesis: Home-made apple juice has a higher pH than commercial apple juice due to ascorbic acid occurring naturally Materials: litmus paper 1 x Glass Stirring rod 2 x 100mL beakers 2 x Apple juices 1 x Tweezers Method: The samples of Apple Juice were added to separate 100.0mL beakers. A piece of Litmus paper was removed from the vial. The samples were stirred using a glass stirring rod. Some solution was obtained on the end of the stirring rod. The litmus paper was held using the tweezers on one end and a drop of sample was placed on it using the stirring rod. The colour change was noted according to the scale provided on the litmus paper vial. This was repeated three times for the homemade and store-bought samples. The results were recorded. Refractometer: Aim: Aim of this experiment was to determine the brix value for the samples of apple juice. Materials: 1 x Refractometer (sugar, Brix value) 1 x Distilled water 1 x Dropper Paper towel 2 x Apple juices Method: The Refractometer was calibrated to zero by dropping a few drops of distilled water on the glass section (this was only done once as recalibration is only needed every half hour). Three to four drops of apple juice were dropped on the glass section. The reading was then recorded. The Refractometer was cleaned using distilled water and paper towels between uses. These steps were repeated for three samples per apple juice. REFINEMENTS Determination of Vitamin C by Iodine Titration (Malic Acid) Materials: 1 x Distilled water 1 x 500ml graduated cylinder 1 x 250mL Volumetric flask 3 x 250mL Erlenmeyer flask 1 x 5mL Dropper 1 x 25mL pipette 1 x 50mL burette 1 x Burette Stand 4 x 250mL beaker 1 x 600mL beaker 1 x Electronic scale 1% Starch indicator Potassium Iodide Potassium Iodate Ascorbic Acid 3M Sulphuric Acid 3 x Apple juice samples 1 x Funnel 1 x sheet of white paper 1 x kettle 1 x 500mL beaker 1 x electronic thermometer Method: Iodine Solution (NOTE: Prepared by the lab technicians prior to the experiment) 5g potassium iodide and 0.2680g potassium iodate was dissolved in 200.0mL of distilled water. 30.0mL of 3M Sulphuric acid was added. This solution was poured into a 500.0mL graduated cylinder and diluted to a volume of 500mL with distilled water. The solution was mixed. The solution was transferred to a 250.0mL beaker to allow ease of pipetting. Vitamin C Standard: 0.250g of ascorbic acid was weighed and added to 100.0mL distilled water (in a 250mL volumetric flask). The solution was diluted to the 250.0mL mark with distilled water. The standard was labelled. Titration: 5.0mL of the standard was added to a 250.0mL Erlenmeyer flask using a pipette. 2 drops of the 1% starch indicator solution was added. It was swirled to ensure it mixed properly. The above steps were repeated three times with all standard and juice samples (the pipette was rinsed between uses with distilled water). The kettle was boiled and the water was poured into the 500mL beaker. The samples were placed into the boiling water bath until a temperature of 20ËÅ ¡C was reached. The burette was rinsed with some Iodine solution and then filled (using a funnel) to the zero mark. The sheet of white paper was placed under the burette tap. The solution was carefully titrated until the blue/ purple endpoint was reached and persisted after 20 seconds of swirling. The final volume was recorded. This was repeated for all aliquots. Determination of Fruit Acids by Titration (Sugar Acid ratio) Materials: 1 x 50mL Burette 1 x Burette stand 1 x 25mL Pipette 1 x Distilled water Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) 1M Phenolphthalein 1% in 95% ethanol 3 x 250mL Erlenmeyer flask 2 x Apple juices 1 x white paper 1 x Kettle 1 x 500mL beaker 1 x electronic thermometer Method: 3 drops of Phenolphthalein were added to the samples in the Erlenmeyer flasks. This was repeated three times for both apple juices. 0.1M solution of NaOH was poured into the burette until it reached the zero mark. The kettle was boiled and the water was poured into the 500mL beaker. The sample was placed into the boiling water bath until a temperature of 20ËÅ ¡C was reached. The sheet of white paper was placed under the burette tap. The sample was slowly titrated with the NaOH until the endpoint was reached (light pink that lasted after 30 seconds of swirling). The amount of NaOH used to titrate was recorded. This was repeated for all samples.

Persuasive Speech: Do Not Eat Fast Food -- Persuasive Speech

Specific Purpose Statement: To persuade the audience not to eat fast food. Relevance: You all have probably experienced fast food sometime throughout your life. Credibility: The first thing that comes to mind when mentioning fast food is greasy, oily, unhealthy garb, yet most of us consume junk food on a daily basis anyway. There are over 300,000 different fast food restaurants in the US. People frequent them because of convenience (quick and usually cheap). In such a fast-paced society, people are eating more fast food than ever before (Stefanov, Sebastien). Preview: I am now going to inform you about what fast food is, what a typical meal contains, why fast food is unhealthy. Body I. A. What is fast food? 1. Fast food is any food that is quick, convenient, and usually inexpensive (Fast Food Facts). a. Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly. The term "fast food" refers to precooked foods such as fries or pizza that typically must be used within a few hours, or they become dried out and unpalatable (Ali, Sam). b. Fast food places like McDonalds, Burger King, Jack-in-the-box, Wendy’s, Whataburger, etc., are all considered fast food restaurants. II. A. A typical meal and some facts 1. According to the "Nutritional Facts" that are posted on McDonald's web site, one Big Mac contains 540 calories and 29 grams of fat, which is 45 percent of the national recommended daily value based on a 2,000-calorie diet, according to McDonald's. One large order of fries contains 500 calories and 25 grams of fat, which is 38 percent of the recommended daily value. The 32-ounce Coca-Cola Classic adds another 310 calories (Ali, Sam). a. Harvested potatoes contain about 80 pe... ...com/article/7532/>. "Fast Food Facts." Center for Young Women's Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2011. . "Fast food facts from the Super Size Me Web site ." The VivaVegie Society, Inc. . N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2011. Manohar, Uttara. "Fast Food Facts: Effects of Fast Food." Buzzle Web Portal: Intelligent Life on the Web. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2011. . Stefanov, Sebastien. "fast food calories - AskMen." AskMen - Men's Online Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2011. . White, Janice. "Why Fast Food is Bad for You." HubPages. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2011. .

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Dominic Cole’s IELTS Blog www. dcielts. com The bar chart below shows the quarterly profit forecast for three major US companies in 2012. Write a report for a university lecturer describing the chart. You should write at least 150 words. You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. Quarterly pro? t forecasts for three major US companies in 2012 1500 1350 1200 Pro? t in millions of dollars 1050 900 750 600 450 300 150 0 Jan-March Apr-June July-Sept Oct-Dec Microsoft Ford IBM Dominic Cole’s IELTS Blog www. dcielts. comThis bar graph shows the quarterly change in pro? ts for Microsoft, Ford and IBM in 2012. The ? rst point to note is that while both Microsoft and IBM are predicted to show a substantial growth in pro? ts in this period, there is going to be little movement in the ? gures for Ford. It should also be remarked that although IBM will start the year with the lowest margin, it is predicted to be the most pro? table company by the end of the year. If we look at the numbers in detail we see that Ford is expected to make a ? st-quarter pro? t of around $825 million and this should rise marginally to $900 million by the end of September, only to fall back to its starting point by December. In stark contrast, IBM is predicted to show a steady growth in pro? ts throughout the year, shooting up from just over $180 million to exactly $1,200 million by the year? s end. After a dif? cult ? rst quarter where its pro? ts drop by around half to around $200, Microsoft is forecast to follow a similar pattern of steady growth from April to December, ? ishing at $600 million. notes 1. This report relates to future predictions. See the variety of language that refers to the future 2. The report starts by noting the two main points: general growth apart from Ford and that IBM moves from the least pro? table to the most pro? table 3. The second paragraph deals with each company in turn. It is linked by the comparisons comparing Ford to IBM and then IBM to M icrosoft 4. The word pro? t is repeated consistently but there is some effort to use synonyms or related phrases

Coffee and Starbucks Essay

?Introduction Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee company and coffee house chain headquartered in Seattle, Washingston. Starbucks was founded in 1971, when three academicians, began a specialty coffee store called Starbucks Coffee, Tea and Spice in Seattle (Starbucks Corporation, 2009). In 1996, Starbucks operated its first international store expansion in Tokyo, Japan. With current approximately 19,500 stores in 58 countries (Location xcelerated, 2012), Starbucks is quickly becoming one of the best known brands and the largest specialty coffeehouse company in the world. The Market Demand of Coffee. The demand of coffee in the United States has rose 2 percent in 2011(Perez, 2011). Americans drank 77. 4 billion cups of coffee during a year (Perez, 2011). A statistics showed that â€Å"the average consumption among coffee drinkers in the United States is 3. 1 cups of coffee per day† (E-Imports, 2012). With gathering the information and statistics, it has proved the demand of coffee market in the US is extremely high. Also, the coffee market is the potential market for rivals entering into. Hence, Starbucks has to attain strong competitive advantages and market demand with its resources and capabilities. Starbucks’s Resources and Capabilities An organization has the ability to identifying and determining the competitive power of their resources and capabilities to create competitive advantage. Business resources are the productive input or competitive asset that is owned or controlled by the organization (Thompson, 2012). In the case of Starbucks, the resources and capabilities are coffee bean, store ambience, employee culture, and brands and reputations. Coffee Beans Coffee beans are the natural resources of Starbucks. They are one of the most valuable resources for coffee industry. Starbucks was a purveyor of specialty coffee – it has seemed top-notch coffee beans to produce high quality of coffee. High quality of coffee beans was usually sourced directly from coffee-producing countries, for instance Kenya, Guatemala and Indonesia. Starbucks was usually acquired the coffee bean at a premium price for suppliers who suited the Starbucks’ standards, socially and environmentally responsible farming. Starbucks has committed the long term contracts with the supplier in order to protect both party with the price and quality of coffee beans. The Starbucks’s coffee beans provided a sustainable competitive advantage in the face of active competition. It is due to the high quality and premium coffee beans sourced from other country were uncommon and costly to imitate for competitors. Store Design and Ambience Starbucks was positioned as a â€Å"third place† between beyond home and work with the store design and relaxing ambience. The design of store is provided a comfort and relaxing environment for its costumer. Each detail of likes the style of fixtures, the edges of countertops and the texture of slate floors was examined to enhance the unique ambience and mood of the Starbucks store. With blended the colorful banners and artworks, the merchandise displays, the music and the aromas, Starbucks has created an attractive, consistent and stimulating environment that provided comfort of a home for customer, excellent customer service and quality products as the concept of â€Å"third place theme† (Moon & Queich, 2003) cited by (Harveywallbanger, 2012). These elements made the Starbucks experience key in retaining its customers with the competitive advantage and capture new markets. The store design is valuable by providing a third place theme, a relaxing and conform atmosphere. Besides, it was rare design in United States as Starbucks is the first mover to replicate the Italian style coffee store. Competitors are difficult and costly to imitate as the Starbucks has an exclusive In-House architects and designers to ensure the right image and character for each store. Employee Culture A vital dynamic in Starbucks’s growth was the human resources, its employee. Starbucks has provided a great work environment around its employees, one of its most important resources and sources of sustainable competitive advantage (Gates et al. , 2011). Schultz believed that a plentiful employee benefits package was a key competitive advantage. Starbucks was the first company to offer all employees, even part-timer, were qualified to get healthcare benefits, participate in the Bean Stock program for stock option grants. Besides that, Starbucks has offered an extensive training program to each employee that includes a commitment to customer service experience and the knowledge of products (Balaban et al. , n. d). All employees of Starbucks were trained to have good customer experiences for retaining customers. For example, they were trained â€Å"just say yes† to customer requests. Starbucks’ approach towards employees benefited to company has maintained the turnover rate at 60-65 percent, while the other national industry turnover is about 150-400 percent a year. The plentiful employee benefit package provides a sustainable competitive advantage to Starbucks. It is added value to Starbucks because employees will have the better job performance due to the motivation and courage. It was rare as the Starbucks was the first company provided healthcare benefits and stock option plan. And also, it is costly to imitate for Starbucks’s competitors. Brand and Reputation Brand recognition and reputational are essential resources and capabilities to Starbucks’s competition advantage. According to Starbucks Strategy Fortune, â€Å"Starbucks store traffic has risen between 6 percent and 8 percent a year even in a down economy†. Starbucks reputation was growing mostly by word of mouth rather than spending on advertising. Schultz believed that opening numerous stores helped to build the brand to Starbucks by increasing awareness of the brand. On the other hand, Starbucks also strengthened its brand and reputation with Fair Trade Certified coffee and corporate social responsibility (CSR). The company collaborated with CARE and Conservation International to encourage environment responsible methods of growing coffee. These activities would be created the attention and attraction of its customers on the brand of Starbucks. Due with the strength of brand and reputation, Starbucks was achieved sustainable competitive advantages in the specialty coffee segment. Michael Porter’s Five Forces Model. One of the powerful and widely assessment tools of an organizations industry’s competitive forces is the five forces model, created by Michael Porter. This model embraces that the competitive forces affecting industry success go beyond rivalry among competing sellers and include four coexisting sources (Thompson, 2012). The Michael Porter’s five forces are the threat of entry, the threat of substitutes, the bargaining power of buyers, the bargaining power of supply and rivalry among competing sellers. I will identify the competitive environment of Starbucks in coffee industry by using Michael Porter’s Five Forces Model. 1) Industry Rivalry The industry competition among the existing firms is positioned at the center of Porter five forces model. Rivalry is gradually growing against Starbucks each year as the growing of industry. The growth of industry rivalry has increased due to introduce the new products into the market and differentiate products based on quality, service and selection (Gamble & Thompson, Jr. , 2011) cited by (Brown, 2011). With this point, Starbucks has introduced a new way of having premium coffee and new product of Frappuccino, was greatly differentiated from the competitors. Starbucks also served coffee with the highest freshness standards with FlavorLock bags. Starbucks compete to against two strong orgationation in the fast food industry who have operated coffee beverages and stepped into coffee market, McDonalds and Dunkin’ Donuts. The competitive threat distributed by McDonald’s to Starbucks was referring to the Consumer Reports magazine in 2008 , which rated that the McDonald’s the quality of coffee is better and the price is cheaper as compared to Starbucks. The industry’s growing has slowed down while the industry competition is increasing among existing firms. In short, the force of industry rivalry formed by the competition among coffees industry is characterized very strong. 2) The Threat of New Entrance The second competitive force of Porter’s model has significant differenced in the late of 80s and the recent competitive environment of Starbucks, is no barriers to entry. According to Porter (2008), barriers of entry are low in the specialty coffee industry. The coffee houses in the United States were about 585 in 1987 and 25000 in 2007. It showed that the new entrants of specialty coffee market was increasing speedily in 20 years. Besides that, the specialty coffee market had grown from $11. 5billion (2005) to $12. 27 billion (2006) in the United States. Due to the market demand growing rapidly, it was attracted a number of fast-food retailers, such company as McDonald and Dunkin’ Donuts. In addition, the product differentiation (included coffee selection, roasting and brewing) is considered weak. With these elements, it can be established that the threat of new entrants in coffee industry is moderate. However, Starbucks has a strong competitive advantage with a well-known brand and image, the quality service and diversity products, and a strong market in the segmentation. 3) The Threat of Substitutes Another competitive force of Porter’s model is the threat of substitutes. The force of substitutes is significant decreased in the coffee market. This is because, there are only little of substitutes product, such substitute as soft drinks, energy drinks and fruit juices. The principal substitution of products has posed a slight threat to coffee industry were carbonated soft drinks which introduced by the Pepsi and Coca-Cola company. In the past few years, studies have done that coffee has increasingly obtained the preference of consumer more than carbonated soft drinks. This is probably concentrated the healthy related with carbonated soft drinks, and evidenced that coffee is a relatively healthy preference. (Harding, 2000) cited by (Larson. , 2008) Based on the information and evidence, the threat of competitive substitute products is considered to be weak for Starbucks Corporation. 4) The Bargaining Power of Suppliers The bargaining power of supplier has changed in several ways through the widely growing in the coffee industry. Starbucks was purchased it premium coffee beans from the farmers that were numerous, small and unconnected during the late 1980s. In the recently years, coffee beans suppliers were joint by Fair Trade Certified coffee and acted like a large entity. Specialty coffee companies were making the coffee beans suppliers gradually important by seeking greater quality of coffee to compete the competitors in the market. The coffee beans suppliers today are more power, with increased joint and increased importance upon high quality coffee beans. Starbucks has work out with the coffee beans suppliers into continuing fixed-price commitments in order to ensure an adequate supply, which decreased the supplier bargaining power. (Larson, 2008) 5) The Bargaining Power of buyers. The last element of five forces model is the bargaining power of buyers. The force of the buyer’s bargaining power is defined to the buyer’s capability to force down prices, and seek for higher-quality products and services (Porter, 1998, p. 24) cited by (Larson, 2008). The bargaining power of buyer in specialty coffee segment is considered high, since two strong competitor of Starbucks, McDonalds and Dunkin’s Donuts have offered the lower prices. However, Starbucks has introduced the several new products and high quality of coffee, highly differentiated to maintain consumers satisfied and away from competitors in the coffee market. Thus, the buyer bargaining power has offset and became moderate. The Summary of Michael Porter’s Five Factor In summary, the coffee market faces very strong forces from the industry rivals but it obtains weak forces from the threat of substitutes. Besides, the other three forces are considered as moderate. Generally, the impact of the five forces is moderate in the specialty coffee industry. Therefore, Starbucks is able to obtain the ideal revenues in the coffee market with operated effectively and efficiently. Starbucks’ Generic Strategy. There are three successful generic competitive strategies that organizations can apply to achieve their competitive strategies, included overall cost leadership, differentiation and focus, defined by Michael Porter. Overall cost leadership strategy implies an organization to apply lower overall costs to attract consumers. The differentiation generic strategy contains the creation of service and product as being valuable and unique for the industry. Focus is the last generic strategy, which aims a certain market of a product line (Porter, 1998, p. 38) cited by (Larson, 2008). However, Starbucks are suitable the broad differentiation strategy of the five generic competitive strategies nowadays. This strategy allows Starbucks to serve a broader customer base with the differentiation of product and service (Grant, 2009) cited by (Brown, 2011). This approaches to retain and attract as many consumer with the generally product mix. Starbucks had the unique skills, products and services reputation with the distribution segment of specialty coffee industry. For instance, Starbucks was developed an icy-blend of dark-roasted coffee and milk, named Frappuccino. This drink was a hit with $54 million sales in the first year on the national market. In addition, the high-quality standards and strong employee culture of Starbucks were known well in the specialty coffee industry. The high-quality coffee beans are purchased from Fair Trade Certified, considered a differentiation product to other competitors. The employees of Starbucks were also trained to have strong customer experience. In the differentiation strategies, Starbucks have strengthened the brand and reputation for quality and creative flair. Starbucks’ Strategy Options. Starbucks is able to create three strategic options for sustaining competitive advantage and further growing the business by having evaluated its forces. The three strategic options for Starbucks are that diversification, expansion and merger. 1) Diversification The diversification of a business is that introducing new products and offering new services to the industry. There are two way of diversification for business, be related or unrelated. Starbucks is suited to attempt related diversification, reflecting more association with the specialty coffee industry. Schultz believed that the company has lacked on blockbuster products, only the variations of products. Starbucks has a successful product diversification in the history with launched coffee and tea beverages, brewing and serving equipment, roasted coffee beans, music and gifts. The introduction of savory products such as cake, donut and muffin is a successful diversification as it can be combined with the existing product and core product, coffee. The diversification strategy is a good option for enhancing Starbucks’ growth and competitive advantage. 2) Expansion. The expansion of an organization can be within a country and into an overseas market. Starbucks should reduce their expansion efforts in the United States and focus to expand its business into new countries to further internationalize it. The Economist stated, â€Å"While Starbucks has expanded so have its rivals. The firm’s home market seems to have reached saturation point. † With the rapid expansion, Starbucks is oversaturated in the United States. Therefore, this strategy option is suitable for Starbucks as the United States coffee market is reaching saturation point. If Starbucks has to go further growing and expanding, the international expansion is one of the best strategies for Starbucks. 3) Merger and Acquisition According to Investopedia, it defined as â€Å"a merger is an alliance of two organizations while an acquisition is the attaining of one organization by another. † The strategy of merger and acquisition sets out to accomplish the same goal, by increased broad customer base, market share and corporate strength of business. In the history, Starbucks has merged with Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream to develop super premium ice cream and acquired a premium tea company, Tazo LLC. In the case study of Starbucks, there states that there were about 25000 coffee houses in the United States in 2007. The merger and acquisition of small specialty coffee retailers will enhances the market position, market share and competitive advantage of Starbucks. This is a strategy that will exploit opportunities whilst avoiding threats to further growing and expansion of Starbucks. Recommendations The first and most important process which Starbucks should take is to diminish the efforts expansion in the United States. According to Starbucks’ strategy Fortune, a new store will often cannibalize about 30% of the sales of a nearby Starbucks. The continuing aggressive of expansion in the United States by opening as many new stores of the same area is an act to cannibalize store sales. The reason why Starbucks should diminish their expansion plan is the coffee market has reached the saturation in the US. The overcapacity of expansion plans in a location will be met with failure to an organization. On the basis of all the evaluation and evidence referred for the strategy options, the recommendation is to further expand internationally. Starbucks can convey the remained investment into international development plans by reducing the expansion plans in United States. The expansion of international market offers a supreme target with three fundamental objectives. The first reason is the lack of awareness of coffee market in many countries which represent the prospective market share. For instance, Starbucks currently opens approximately 20,000 stores with 13,000 in the US and 7000 in foreign countries. The total coffee consumption per person in the US has lowered much than many countries, such country as Finland and Italy. With gathering the information, this proves that expand internationally, there is a massive coffee drinking population and potential market share to be selected. (Starbucks Corporation, 2008) cited by (Larson, 2008). Another reason that international expansion offers an ideal prospect is that the expansion of product innovation. For example, Starbucks has announced their Tazo tea brand into the Japanese market. And, Tazo was brought into the United States market as it was a successful trial in Japan. Tazo green tea has brought a success to Starbucks as it was a national drinks and showed that the power of brand in North America. Starbucks could have to evade the risk of brand reputation as more innovative products should run a trial in international markets. Since the markets have yet visible to Starbucks for a period time, it is possible to avoid a great risk with affecting the brand reputation. Therefore, Starbucks has great competitive advantage in the markets with expand intentionally. The last reason of international expansion is to increase the brand reputation. Building brand image is key factor to an organization as the brand will affects an organization’s sales and position in the market. For example, in case of Starbucks, the company has increased revenue from $7. 8 billion in 2006 to $9. 4 in 2007, along with an increase in brand value. In order to recover the exclusivity of Starbucks brand, Schultz would focus the expansion of international countries and slow down the expansion of the United States. Therefore, the international aggressive expansion will help to strengthen its brand image and regain a strong competitive advantage for Starbucks. In a nut shell, I am highly recommended a strategy decision to Starbucks is that expanding into international markets. International countries have represented the ideal potential market shares with the high demand of specialty coffee. By applying this strategy, Starbucks will continue to be the leader in the specialty coffee industry and further regain and strengthen its competitive advantage. Furthermore, it also gains the customer satisfaction in the international markets. International expansion is the way to move forward. Reference Balaban, S. et al. (n. d) â€Å"Management 600† Starbucks Coffee Company. http://cobweb2. louisville. edu/faculty/regbruce/bruce/cases/starbucks/starbucks. htm [Accessed on 7 April 2012]. Brown, H. (2011) â€Å"External Environmental Analysis of Starbucks and the Coffee Industry† Strategic Management MGMT 4340 http://www2. uhv. edu/chapao/MGMT4340/Samples/Project%20Sample%203. pdf [Accessed on 9 April 2012] E-Imports (2012) â€Å"Coffee Statistics† Espresso Business Solutions. http://www. e-importz. com/Support/specialty_coffee. htm [Accessed on 5 April 2012]. Gates, R. et al. (2011) â€Å"Strategy Analysis MGMT 562† http://freedownload. is/pdf/strategy-analysis-mgmt-562-2925711. html [Accessed on 6 April 2012]. Harveywallbanger. (2012) â€Å"Starbucks’ Customer Retention Strategies 89† HubPages.http://harveywallbanger. hubpages. com/hub/Starbucks-Customer-Retention-Strategies [Accessed on 6 April 2012]. Heavey, J. (2012) â€Å"Starbucks a Strategic Report†Scribd. http://www. scribd. com/doc/27614539/Starbucks-a-Strategic-Report-by-James-Heavey [Accessed on 8 April 2012]. Larson, R. (2008) â€Å"Starbucks a Strategic Analysis† Past Decisions and Future Options http://coe. brown. edu/documents/StarbucksaStrategicAnalysis_R. Larson_honors_2008. pdf [Accessed on 8 April 2012]. Location Excelerated (2012) â€Å"How many Starbucks are they? † Location Excelerated. http://loxcel. com/sbux-faq. html.

Application Essay Sample to Get Into the University

Application Essay Sample to Get Into the University Contribution by the school of art and science Once I enroll in the school of arts and science, I expect my career to be improved by the knowledge from my tutors and also from the colleg3e archives that include materials used in their one and a half decades of operation. Apart from that, I expect the Penn community to provide a good ground for my projects. This will help on reducing my traveling expenses during project writing. In addition, this will help me give back to the community as my findings will be relevant to the issues on the ground The unique aspects of the University of Pennsylvania As the university draws its students from all over the world, I expect my stay in the university to provide me with a chance to interact with persons from diverse cultures. This will help me increase on general knowledge as well as getting first hand information of people from various places. The university has campuses situated in different parts of Penn. I believe that the university will thus give me a chance to transverse across Penn and eventually learn a lot about the community and traditions of Penn. Conclusion Apart from academic qualification I believe that I will have benefited from the vast of knowledge about the state as well as giving back to the state at the end of my course. This mutual benefit, I believe, shall be a boost when I get into the job market. I also believe that at the end I will have contributed to the growth of Penn community.

School Supplies List for College Students

School Supplies List for College Students Heading to college? Youll soon find that your work  is a little more intense compared to high school, so you will need the right supplies to help meet the challenge. A basic list that includes  lined paper, folders, pens, and pencils, is a given. But to get the most out of  your study time, youll need a few extras. The items listed here should cover most all your bases, although your professors will likely hand out a  syllabus  during the first week of class that will list additional items specific to that particular course. To Keep With You Whether you use a backpack or a tote bag to carry your stuff around, make sure these items are always inside, along with the basics listed above: Post-Itâ„ ¢ Flags: Dont ever read an academic book without sticky note flags! These little wonders are great for keeping track of important passages when reading a book. Theyre also handy for marking pages when writing book reviews and research papers.  Student Planner: Every professor will supply students with a syllabus that lists assignment due dates and test dates. Youll want to record these dates right away! As soon as you receive that syllabus, start recording your due dates. You should also consider using the sticky note flags for test days or due dates. From day one, the planner will become your new best friend when it comes to staying on top of your studies.Tiny Stapler: To make sure you dont lose important information, keep a stapler on hand for those times when professors hand out stacks of papers for you to read, and for assembling and turning in assignments of your own. Your friends will love you if youre always equipped with this essential tool.Highlighters: Highli ghters are useful for pointing out important terms and definitions in workbooks and articles. You can also use different colors of highlighter to create a code for different topics when conducting research. Calculator: If you sign up for any kind of math class, expect to invest in the right calculator for the job.MLA Style Guide: Most freshman-year classes require writing essays- and, depending on your major, you might write essays for the majority of your classes until you graduate. In any event, most professors will expect you to use MLA guidelines. Theyll be looking for very specific formatting on title pages, essays, and bibliographies. The style guide will show you how to format citations, page numbers, and more.Index Cards: Youll go through hundreds of index cards in college. Nothing can compete with them  when it comes to memorizing terms and definitions, and  flashcards are essential for studying for tests.Memory Stick: These little devices are sometimes called flash drives or jump drives, but the name is not important. Youll need a portable storage device  of some kind for backing up copies of your work.Blue Book: These small, blue-colored booklets  are used for essay-t ype exams and are available for purchase at your university bookstore. You should keep one on hand at all times since test dates can sneak up on you. For YourStudy Space Carve out a spot in your dorm room, bedroom, or other space, and devote it specifically to your studies. It should hold a bright lamp, a desk large enough to work on with your computer or tablet, and a printer if you choose to buy one instead of using those in the computer lab. It should also have enough blank wall space to hold a large calendar and a bulletin board. Here are our suggestions on how to stock this space: Big Wall Calendar: Record all due dates on a big wall calendar that you can see when you enter your room.Colored Stickers: Use color-coded stickers on your big wall calendar, like blue dots for test days and yellow dots for assignment due dates.Printer paper: Keep a stock of paper on hand for printing out assignments. Dont be late turning in a paper because you couldnt print it out!Post-It Cover-Up Tape: This tape is great for studying for a test.  Use it to cover up keywords in your notes, a textbook, or a study guide, and voil, you have a fill-in-the-blank test. It sticks lightly to the paper to cover up words or definitions, so you can cover up a word, print on the tape, and peel it off to see if your answer matches the answer underneath the tape.Glue, Scissors, and Tape: You may not need these items very often, but when you need them, you really need them.Bulletin Board and Pins: Organize your life and keep family photos close at hand with a bulletin board. Luxury Items These are by no means necessary, and they can be expensive, but they will make your study time much more productive. Smartpen by Livescribe:  This is a favorite tool for math students, who always seem to get it when the teacher lectures and works out problems, but then lose it when they sit down to work the problems on their own. The Smartpen  will allow you to  record a lecture while taking notes, and then afterward  place the pen tip on any word or drawing and listen to the part of the lecture that was taking place when those notes were recorded.  Post-Itâ„ ¢ Easel Pads:  This item is useful for brainstorming, especially in a study-group setting. Its basically a pad of giant sticky notes that you can cover with a mind-dump of notes, list items, ideas, etc., and then stick to the  wall or any other surface.Notebook Computer:  You will have access to computer labs on campus, but a notebook computer will free you up to do your work anywhere. If you have a laptop already, great, but you may find a notebook to be easier to use, more compact, and lighter to carry.  Printer/Scanner: Youll  be able to print your work out on your schools printers, but having your own is much more convenient- and it will allow you to check your work more easily. Make sure to get one with scanning capabilities. Scanners can be used to  create study guides from your books, which will help you in everything from preparing for tests to  writing a research paper. Laptop or Computer Notebook:  Again, youll have access to computer labs on campus, but owning a laptop or computer notebook with a click-on keyboard will free you up to do your work anywhere.Smartphone:  While your professors  will likely not allow phones in their classrooms, having access to a smartphone will enable you to use a wealth of education-specific apps once you are away from the classroom.

How to Use the Preposition To

How to Use the Preposition To To is one of the most common prepositions in English. The preposition to also a part of the infinitive form of the verb. For example, these are all infinitives: To doTo playTo sing Infinitives can be combined with other verbs such as hope, arrange, want, etc. I hope to see you next week.Tom arranged to have his sister picked up at the airport.Your sister wants to help you understand mathematics. The preposition to is also used as a preposition of movement or direction. To is sometimes confused with at or in. Both at and in show the place, but to shows movement to this place. For example: I live in Boston. Lets meet Tim at the town center for lunch. BUT I drove to Boston. We walked to the town center for lunch. Here is a summary of the uses of the preposition to. Important prepositional phrases with to are also used as discourse markers beginning sentences to link one sentence to the next. The Preposition To for Movement Use the preposition to when indicating that there is movement from one place to another. In other words, the preposition to with verbs such as drive, walk, go, hike, fly, sail, etc. Were flying to San Francisco on Thursday for a meeting.We thought we should walk to the bakery for breakfast because it is such a beautiful day.The captain sailed to the closest port. It should be noted that the preposition to is never used with the verb arrive even though it indicates movement. Use the preposition at with the verb arrive I arrived at work early in the morning.The children arrived at the park to meet their friends. To as Time Expression The preposition to can also be used to refer to time in the same sense as the time expressions till or until. Meridith worked to (OR until, till) five and then left.Were going to wait another three weeks to the end of the month. From/To Time Expressions When a starting time and a finishing time is mentioned, use the preposition from to express the beginning and to for the end. We usually work from eight in the morning to five oclock.She played the piano from ten to twelve. To in  Phrasal Verbs The preposition to is also used in many phrasal verbs. Here is a short list of some of the most common: look forward to somethingobject to somethingappeal to someoneboil down to somethingget to something I look forward to seeing you soon.Peter objected to the way he acted.That car really appeals to Susan.It boils down to this: You need to work hard.Just a moment, Ill get to that subject soon. To as Infinitive of Purpose   The preposition to is used as an infinitive of purpose to mean in order to. For example: I spent some money (in order) to get some help.Susan hasnt worked so hard (in order) to give up! Linking Phrases With To The preposition to is also used in a number of common phrases to link ideas, often at the beginning of a sentence. To a great extent To a great extent begins or ends sentences expressing that something is mostly true. To a great extent, the students work hard in this schoolI agree with Toms ideas to a great extent. To some extent To some extent is used to express that something is partially true. To some extent, I agree with the ideas introduced in this discussion.The parents are at fault to some extent. To begin/start with To begin/start with is used to introduce the first element in a discussion with many points. To begin with, lets discuss the problems weve been having in the classroom.To start with, Id like to thank you for coming tonight. To sum up To sum up introduces a final review of the key ideas in a discussion. To sum up, we need to invest more money in research and sales.To sum up, you think that its all my fault!. To tell the truth To tell the truth is used to express an honest opinion. To tell you the truth, I think Doug is not doing a very good job.To tell you the truth, Im tired of listening to politicians tell us lies.

IT Conference White Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

IT Conference White Paper - Essay Example However, the PSI-CoE has also indicated its interest in increasing effectiveness, efficiency, cost saving and productivity of the program. Army requests are currently the only requests being processed by the CoE; this however rules out the army reserves and the national guards. The main objective behind this move was to ensure the CoE had the sole responsibility of issuing security clearances and at the same time, bring down any other channel apart from the CoE that issued security clearances. Initially, about 36% of the total requests are being accepted with percentage destined to rise significantly after merging. Pros and Cons Pros The APG will acquire a new platform, while at the same time the additional technical personnel will boost its operations by making it efficient and effective. The APG NEC is currently indicated to lack high bandwidth pipes connecting its different locations, thus the building up of an updated network infrastructure will upgrade the process of attaining a nd working on the information received in the APG NEC. In addition to this, supplementing technical support will also increase efficiency and effectiveness of the Aberdeen Providing Ground Network Enterprise Center. The joint services between the various departments of security will enhance corporation between the numerous personnel involved in the different departments. A good example as indicated is the facilitation of the military intelligence (COEMI) by the Intelligence command (INSCOM). In addition to this, workstation maintenance is destined to be provided by the APG NEC especially if the joint services between the CoE and the MI are undertaken. Moreover, improvement of security is guaranteed upon undertaking the course of action. This will be made possible as the crucial facilities such as the technical and network infrastructure will undergo upgrading or complete makeover. Self-reliance and self-containment will also be upheld in missions, as it will provide the APG NEC with greater flexibility. In order to achieve self-reliance, the mission will rely on organic staffing (Personnel Security Investigation – Center of Excellence (PSI-CoE) IT Way Ahead Conference

The growth in internet use has affected cultures around the world, Essay - 1

The growth in internet use has affected cultures around the world, leading to a westernised, homogenous world culture - Essay Example With the use of the Internet, multi-national businesses are giving tough time to the local business in the Eastern countries. However, the reality is much more different than this argument. The local businesses in these parts of world do not face much commerce problems with the emergence of the Internet instead they are getting more benefits. Some believe that the Eastern youth culture is being negatively affected by the onslaught of the Westernization. The Eastern youth adopts the Western life styles. However, the core cultural values and beliefs in any of Eastern culture have maintained their inbuilt structure and existence in its original shape. This fact can be validated by the fact the religion of Islam, which represents a major segment of culture prevalent in the Eastern societies, is the fastest growing religion in the world. In the subsequent parts of this paper, first the notion of Westernization and the Internet have been included to provide the basic understanding about th e Westernization and the use of Internet to promote the western values. Subsequent to that, a part describing the Internet and Business is mentioned to highlight the impacts of the Internet in the local and international business context. Before the conclusion, the Internet, Westernization and youth culture part has been included to differentiate between the impacts of the westernization and the actual youth culture values and norms. Globalization has often been used as a substitute for (i) internationalization; (ii) universalization; (iii) liberalization; (iv) Westernization; (v) deterritorialization (Scholte 2005). He contends that the first four uses remain unsatisfactory mainly because they fail to provide anything novel about the current era. The concept of cultural invasion is based on the notion that the infiltration of Western values into the Eastern societies. The Eastern societies do not have similar culture,

Strategies for Management Improvement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Strategies for Management Improvement - Essay Example These are what to sell and whom to sell (Stone, 2001). It is entirely related to the markets and products. In this matrix, there are four quadrants that represent four courses of action that could be considered while making any strategic decisions regarding the growth of the organization. The matrix is shown below. In this growth strategy, existing products of the organization are sold in the existing markets. There are four major objectives that could be achieved by adopting market penetration strategy. These are increasing or maintaining the current market share of the existing products, securing dominance in the growth markets, restructuring a grown-up market and finally increasing the usage of the existing products by the existing customers. Increasing or maintaining the current market share of the existing products: this objective could be attained by adopting more competitive strategies regarding pricing, advertising. Putting in more resources into personal selling might also be helpful in achieving this objective. Restructuring a grown-up market: Any mature or grown up market could be restructured by driving out the competitors. Innovative pricing strategies need to be designed so that the competitors consider the market as an unattractive one. Again extensive promotional campaign would work as a catalyst in the process. In the ‘market development’ growth strategy existing products are sold into new markets. Implementation of this strategy would include selling products in new geographical locations, establishing or finding new distribution channels and designing innovative pricing policies. One of the most effective growth strategies is introducing new products in the existing markets where the organization already has its presence. New competencies are required to develop in order to adopt this strategy. Organizations can either develop entirely new products or simply modify the existing products in order to get the attention of the customers in the existing markets.

Professional athletes and celebrities as role models Essay

Professional athletes and celebrities as role models - Essay Example 1). As contended by Shaw, Whitehead and Giles, â€Å"celebrities are meaningful figures in the lives of young people in particular, and elicit a much more complex set of responses than simple imitation (577). In this regard, one is firmly convinced that people are able to discern who among the professional athletes and celebrities could be good models and who are anti-role models whose influence could lead those emulating them into significantly disastrous consequences; as such, not all professional athletes and celebrities are good role models who must be imitated and revered. In a study conducted by Read, the author focused on â€Å"ways in which the gendered social construction of the ‘popular girl’ infuses girls’ ideas as to their role models: those representing who they would like to be when they ‘grow up’† (Read 1). Apparently, Read discovered that â€Å"young boys were not likely to consider either their male or female teachers to be r ole models – favouring instead sports or TV stars or male relatives and friends of their family† (Read 5). ... The reasons for selecting these personalities as role models vary. For girls, the reasons range from appearance, accomplishments, and personality (Read). â€Å"Many of the girls who cited aspects of appearance as reasons for choosing particular role models chose celebrities, especially pop singers, as their role models, often (but not always) choosing singers of the same ethnicity as themselves† (Read 7). Likewise, it was contended that the disparities between selecting professional athletes for boys and celebrities for girls stem from this theoretical framework: â€Å"boys have traditionally displayed an active posture and girls, a passive one †¦ girls’ behaviour has historically included a focus on relational and intimacy work, nurturance and emotional supportiveness, and a concern with developing feminine allure† (Adler, Kless, and Adler 170). Regrettably, at very young ages, the development of role models was recognizably premised on external appearances and the image that is projected on the outer facade. There could be danger of emulating celebrities with hidden vices and unconventional behavior. In an article written by Shaw, Whitehead and Giles, the authors explored the contention that â€Å"negative roles models, celebrated in the press, lead to the heightened risk that young people will themselves engage in health risk behaviours such as drug use† (Shaw, Whitehead and Giles 575). Their study focused specifically on Amy Winehouse, a talented singer-songwriter with publicly known image of drug abuse (Shaw, Whitehead and Giles). The authors cited a study written by Boon and Lomore study which disclosed that â€Å"the majority of participants claimed that their idols had a

Informal Care Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Informal Care - Assignment Example Management of CHF requires shared responsibilities as increasing number of CHF patients have decreased formal care provision. Informal care is an avenue that has best potential for ensuring adequate quality of life for CHF patients, and at the same time also ensuring that CHF patients get more attention than would have been possible in formal care. Clark et al (2007) survey of informal carers and their patients has pointed out that informal care givers have been able to manage and ensure adequate quality of life for CHF patients. Authors have pointed out that informal and invisibl3 care could be even better managed if the informal care givers were given basic training for recognizing and managing some of CHF symptoms. Francine et al (2002) provides enlightening statistics that in 2002 there were at least 41 million people with chronic debilitating conditions. Another issue might be increased longevity through intervention better nutrition and quality of life - thus the proportion of old people afflicted with chronic conditions is continually rising. Informal caring which may be through family or friends (and usually is honorary) has taken on increasingly important role as formal carers reduce in proportion to the chronically ill. Incidentally most of the informal care is given by women, be it daughters or sometimes wives. The toll on women caregivers is quite stressful with many women being forced to take lower paying jobs that allow them more time for. Care giving has also been known to be mentally taxing and causing emotional stress. Caregivers are more susceptible to indigestion and high blood pressure and caregivers, who care for patients with Alzheimer and psychopathological disorders, may h ave bouts of depression. Informal care givers are not given adequate governmental support and many of the services performed for ill disposed may not be reimbursable through NHA or Medicaid. Francine et al (2002) reiterate that policies should be introduced that recognize the efforts and work performed by the care givers. As care givers tend to be over 40, many of the social workers and care givers might themselves be in need of support in coming years (Francine et al 2002). Understanding Chronic Heart Failure may be important to appreciate the need for informal care. Donovan (2008) defines CHF as condition affecting older population which affects temperament and frequently is terminal. Using survey of care givers gave 3 dimensions which were important in informal care. Caring for CHF patient was frequently a shared activity and involved both visible and invisible methods of caring. The severity of symptoms determined the type and quantity of intervention requirements. The carer's lack of formal knowledge was contrasted by knowledge gleaned from experience with CHF patient. The informal care givers were cognizant of patient's mood, physiology temperament changes and could relate to these changes with corresponding requirements of more intensive care provision. The visible caring activities, managing medicine and personal care, were found to be tiring. As CHF conditioned worsened CHF patients were found to require

The Impact of Political Institutions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Impact of Political Institutions - Essay Example The Scottish Parliament is composed of 129 members of Parliament (MPs), directly elected by Scottish voters, who make laws regarding domestic issues such as crime and justice, education, health, agriculture, environment, transport, economic development and local government (Calman Commission, 2009, p.4). The Parliament at Westminster, with 59 Scottish MPs, makes laws regarding security, foreign affairs and social security (Calman Commission, 2009, p.4). The Scottish Executive is then in charge of enforcing these laws. Whereas the Scottish Parliament benefits financially from the central government’s money, it has no real power over its taxes. Scotland receives 60% of its spending from the British tax income (Calman Commission, 2009, p.4). However, with regard to economic independence, Scotland is allowed to vary the basic income tax by up to 3 pence in the pound taxed (Calman Commission, 2009, p.4). Thus, though politically independent, Scottish Treasury has no economic independence from the rest of the UK. This dependence is historical. Scotland has always had economic ties to the rest of the country, but has constitutionally been independent (Calman Commission, 2009, p.5 - 6). Due to the 1707 Act of Union, Scotland was allowed to retain its own judicial and educational system. However, economy and legislature, as well as the executive branches became subject to the Parliament at Westminster (Raco, 2003, p.80). The devolution of power is only a symmetrical copy of the historical structure of the UK before 1707. The US has a federalist system, unlike the UK. The UK is still an overwhelmingly unitary nation - state, where the central government controls everything (Vile, 2007, p.3). The US has a federalist system with separation of power between the judiciary, legislative and executive branches (Vile, 2007, p.3). Unlike the British system of central government, the US

Informal Care Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Informal Care - Assignment Example Management of CHF requires shared responsibilities as increasing number of CHF patients have decreased formal care provision. Informal care is an avenue that has best potential for ensuring adequate quality of life for CHF patients, and at the same time also ensuring that CHF patients get more attention than would have been possible in formal care. Clark et al (2007) survey of informal carers and their patients has pointed out that informal care givers have been able to manage and ensure adequate quality of life for CHF patients. Authors have pointed out that informal and invisibl3 care could be even better managed if the informal care givers were given basic training for recognizing and managing some of CHF symptoms. Francine et al (2002) provides enlightening statistics that in 2002 there were at least 41 million people with chronic debilitating conditions. Another issue might be increased longevity through intervention better nutrition and quality of life - thus the proportion of old people afflicted with chronic conditions is continually rising. Informal caring which may be through family or friends (and usually is honorary) has taken on increasingly important role as formal carers reduce in proportion to the chronically ill. Incidentally most of the informal care is given by women, be it daughters or sometimes wives. The toll on women caregivers is quite stressful with many women being forced to take lower paying jobs that allow them more time for. Care giving has also been known to be mentally taxing and causing emotional stress. Caregivers are more susceptible to indigestion and high blood pressure and caregivers, who care for patients with Alzheimer and psychopathological disorders, may h ave bouts of depression. Informal care givers are not given adequate governmental support and many of the services performed for ill disposed may not be reimbursable through NHA or Medicaid. Francine et al (2002) reiterate that policies should be introduced that recognize the efforts and work performed by the care givers. As care givers tend to be over 40, many of the social workers and care givers might themselves be in need of support in coming years (Francine et al 2002). Understanding Chronic Heart Failure may be important to appreciate the need for informal care. Donovan (2008) defines CHF as condition affecting older population which affects temperament and frequently is terminal. Using survey of care givers gave 3 dimensions which were important in informal care. Caring for CHF patient was frequently a shared activity and involved both visible and invisible methods of caring. The severity of symptoms determined the type and quantity of intervention requirements. The carer's lack of formal knowledge was contrasted by knowledge gleaned from experience with CHF patient. The informal care givers were cognizant of patient's mood, physiology temperament changes and could relate to these changes with corresponding requirements of more intensive care provision. The visible caring activities, managing medicine and personal care, were found to be tiring. As CHF conditioned worsened CHF patients were found to require

Separting the Components of Panacetin Essay Example for Free

Separting the Components of Panacetin Essay The purpose of this experiment is to investigate the composition of a simulated pharmaceutical preparation Panacetin, a proposed type of pain-killer. Panacetin is typically made up of sucrose, aspirin, and acetaminophen, but the third component in this experiment is unknown. The unknown component is suspected to be a chemical relative of acetaminophen, either acetanilide or phenacetin. Using techniques such as extraction, evaporation, and filtration, the three components will be isolated based on their solubilities and acid-base properties. The percent composition of Panacetin will also be deduced based on the masses of the three dried components; this is done to verify the composition attained is consistent with those listed on the preparations label. As a result of this investigation, my teammates and I allowed the Panacetin to undergo gravity filtration and separation techniques in order to identify whether there are any discrepancies in the components of the Panacetin. Furthermore, recrystallization and purification methods were used to determine if the unknown substance were similar in properties to either of the suspected unknown substances by comparing factors such as melting points to the chemical properties of phenactin and acetanilide. The results were as expected, based on the molecular weights and ratios of each separated chemicals, as well as the boiling point of the unknown it was determined that these ranges were close enough to indicate that the label is reasonably accurate in its composition. To add on however the identity of the unknown component differed from what the label indicated. In the end, the percentage composition attained based on our observations and yield confirmed that indeed the chemical composition of Panacetin were as indicated on the preparations label. The identity of the unknown component however suggested that the preparation did not contain acetaminophen as indicated, but instead was consistent with the chemical properties of acetanilide.

The Debate About The Fall Of Rome History Essay

The Debate About The Fall Of Rome History Essay The debate about the fall of Rome and the way it happened is a centuries-old one and its vitality has been undiminished over the years. The traditional theory has the Roman Empire being violently overturned by barbarian Germanic tribes who started invading en masse during the last years of the fourth century. That wasnt the first time that the Empire had to deal with pressure on its borders, but this time it eventually collapsed because it had already declined as a civilization due to internal problems. The first scholar to support this line of thought was Gibbon in the late eighteenth century. His great, multi-volume, work goes by the title The Decline and fall of the Roman Empire, which speaks for itself as for its writers thoughts (?). He argued that the most important cause which brought about the end of the Roman Empire was the expansion and gradual predominance of Christianity. First, the new religion and the structures that came with it (such as the church and the monasteries) interfered with the distribution of wealth inside the Empire, by accumulating it in institutions that were inaccessible by the state.  [1]  Second, its pacifist ideology reduced the armys will to fight and its theology corrupted the classical ideals through the spread of superstition.  [2]   Another scholar arguing along the same lines was Rostovtzeff. He states the Late Empire was in retrogradation?, a sad and decadent remnant of its former self, partly because of the increase in absolutism during the reigns of Diocletian and Constantine and the emperors who succeeded them. Together with Gibbon, his arguments form the core of the traditional theory, which puts stress especially on the issue of decline as the main reason which made the disintegration of the empire, as a political entity, eventually inevitable.  [3]  Due to the work of these two scholars, the Fall of Rome has ended up being seen as something like the platonic idea of decline.  [4]   Along with the traditional theory, we should consider the work of a more recent scholar. Following the same methodological path as Rostovtzeff, Jones credited the barbarians with the destabilization and collapse of the Roman Empire. Their invasions, he argues, should be seen as a destructive agent which placed strain on the Roman administration.  [5]  At the same time, in a well-known passage, he speaks of a large part of the population that was consuming without producing anything, such as senators, soldiers and the clergy. These idle mouths, as he calls them, partly a result of barbarian pressure again, at least as far as the army was concerned, was the main reason for the economic waning of the Late Empire.  [6]   Jones contribution was twofold. To begin with, he proposed a new chronological period, extending further than 476, the date traditionally considered as signaling the moment of death of the Roman Empire. His ending date was 602, the year of the emperor Maurices death as he strongly believed that the Roman Empire continued its existence, albeit geographically diminished, in the East, at least until the advent of the Slavic tribes in the Balkans at the end of the sixth century.  [7]  This way, he managed to provide a connection between late- and post-Roman societies, hinting that there might have been a causal relation between the two.  [8]  Secondly, he breathed new life in a period that was all but put aside by his contemporaries as of not much particular interest and after him scholars gradually started to perceive the Late Roman Empire in its own right.  [9]   This was countered by traditionalists in 2005 with the publication of a book under the title The fall of Rome and the end of civilization. In this book, the author Bryan Ward-Perkins is arguing fervently that the fall of Rome was a violent experience for the people involved, which involved much bloodshed and catastrophe.  [10]  It was centered more on radical change than gradual transformation and was characterized by decline and resulted in a decline in civilized values which actually that a number of Roman cultural achievements were lost.  [11]   Although this view has its merits and should not be discredited without consideration, it needs to be examined carefully because it conceals the danger of oversimplification. First, it can be argued that the author has gone too far with his emphasis on violence and catastrophe. Violence, no matter how hard on a society, is not by principle an agent of radical change which rules out any chance of transformation. Human history is full of violence and it would be surprising if the fourth and fifth centuries did not involve any at all. Despite Ward-Perkins vivid depictions, much of what was considered Roman did not disappear with the Empire. Roman qualities, such as a literate culture, can be shown to have survived as late as the seventh century, proving that the devastating barbaric invasions did not actually have such a devastating effect after all.  [12]   Stemming from that, we should examine if there was a specific moment in time when Rome actually fell. If we cannot point out such an instance, then we should regard it as a more gradual process. Italy, for example, shows that society was able to maintain its order in the face of much devastation.  [13]  And if, as Ward-Perkins himself admits, there was no single moment, not even a single century of collapse  [14]  , then we should discard catastrophist theories as inadequate and try more. We should also keep in mind that the author comes from an archaeological milieu  [15]  and, as a result, most of his proof comes from the study of material evidence.  [16]  Archaeologists of the period tend to be advocates of the notion of decline more often than historians, mainly because such a decline is much more evident in the material remains of the Late Roman era.  [17]  In addition to that we have to be careful with the origin the evidence. In the case of Ward-Perkins, he doesnt hesitate to support his theory on data from Britain,  [18]  but Brittania (i.e. the part of Britain which was conquered by the Romans) had never been the archetypal Roman province. So Britain is far from being the typical example of what happened after the Romans had left the island, particularly given the fact that we can find other provinces of the Roman Empire, which shared a completely different fate, such as Egypt and Syria.  [19]  When talking strictly about the west, one has to be extremely cautious when trying to combine both the archaeological data with historical sources that might give the impression of continuity. One way approaches, such as the one only just discussed, will not do. Late Antiquity With good reason one might ask what the need of such a dramatic reassertion of the traditional view on the fall of the Roman Empire. The word traditional itself implies the existence of an opposite, neoteric theory. In 1971, Peter Brown published a book which defied all the assumptions of the traditionalist school.  [20]  His book The world of Late Antiquity: from Marcus Aurelius to Muhammad argues about continuity, transformation, cultural and religious renewal. The enthusiasm that the book was met with in academic circles, especially in the United States, resulted in the banishment of terms as catastrophe, change, crisis and decline.  [21]  Brown was influenced by the views of an earlier scholar, Henri-Irà ©nà ©e Marrou, who argued that late antique art had not deteriorated and that it should be looked at in its own terms. Brown was influenced by the work of Henri Pirenne. In his works the Belgian scholar supported that there was continuity to be found in terms of long-distance trade in the Mediterranean which was not affected by the barbarian invasions but collapsed with the great Arabic conquests of the seventh century.  [22]  Brown placed a new stress on the period resulted in a recent rethinking of Pirennes views through the prism of the newly proposed notion of continuity.  [23]   Finally, Brown could also be considered an influence because, as we saw earlier, he was the first to propose a causal connection between the Late Roman Empire and the post-Roman era. Thus, given the entailed predominance of continuity which was easily detected in themes such as art and religious belief, a new historical period has been founded with its own characteristics, that of Late Antiquity,  [24]  in which some of the basics of classical civilization still survived  [25]  . Its boundaries stress from the third to the eighth century, but they are still unfixed, with every writer proposing different dates, according to the issues they deal with. Brown relied heavily on the methods of historical psychology and psychoanalysis. This methodological innovation is a general trend among scholars of Late Antiquity, particularly those in the United States. They have more or less identified themselves with the kind of history that falls outside the scope of socio-economic history. For example, the history of Christianity has proven very fertile for studying Late Antiquity, especially the effects it has had on different aspects of human life, such as death, sexuality and the family.  [26]  Thus, this school of thought has made astonishing contributions in such fields as gender and culture history, the history of mentalities and of popular belief. Such methods, however, often tend to function with no respect to periodization and as such they lead to fragmentation.  [27]   Indeed, the work of these scholars shows more emphasis towards individuals and their perspectives than to the society they live in.  [28]  As a consequence, post-modernist theories concerning source analysis have relied heavily on the works of scholars after Brown, while, in the meantime, the old philological approach has been largely abandoned. Ancient texts are dealt with not so much for their narrative value, but as agents the mentality of their authors.  [29]  Of course, works exclusively focused on different authors have a lot to offer to the ongoing discussion of the period, but dogged commitment to them might create a handicap for our understanding of the period as a whole.  [30]   Furthermore, partly as a response to the traditional view of catastrophe, scholars of Late Antiquity have been particularly keen on seeing continuity and transformation. But this attitude can be harmful in two ways. First, the notion of continuity seems to have an overshadowing effect on the particularity of issues in a certain period. If everything is proven to carry on from the past not changed in the least, then historical periods will automatically lose their individual tone, by which it is defined.  [31]  Simultaneously, by relying to heavily historical sources (as they provide ampler evidence for continuity) we may be overturned by the findings of archaeological research (in the way Ward-Perkins was). Second, emphasis on continuity and transformation is the expulsion of their opposites from contemporary history books. Terms such as crisis and decline seem to have been anathematized in modern research and this has started to raise objections, even by scholars who are not polemicists of continuity itself.  [32]  Powerful words like these falling into disuse can only be detrimental for historiography. These terms are usually avoided because of their moral implications, and it is somehow assumed that if there is decline someone needs to be charged with it.  [33]  But we always have to bear in mind that history is a science and historians should concentrate purely on the facts of their research. Nevertheless, Late Antiquitys impact shouldnt be confined within strict scientific limits. Continuity along with transformation, apart from being objects of historiographical debate, is also too powerful of terms to be overlooked by contemporary politicians. From 1993 to 1998 a large research project, funded by the European Science Foundation (ESF), brought together scholars from across Europe. Its title was Transformation of the Roman World and its aim was to provide a widely accepted interpretation of the fall of Rome, along the lines of a smooth passage to what was to become todays Europe.  [34]  Two thousand years after Augustus history is being repeated: the European Union is commissioning its poets to create its own foundation myth. Late Antiquity is a new period that has had to carve its way bravely into powerful, deep-rooted views of modern historiography, much like the barbarians who had to carve their kingdoms fighting against the mighty Roman Empire. But unlike the former, somewhere along the way it had to make sacrifices which rendered it less effective as a means of interpretation and more limited in its scope. Also, it came to associate itself with allies with political agendas, who might have promoted it, but in the long term damaged somewhat its credibility in terms of objectivity. After all that, it is not surprising that Avril Cameron, a great advocate of the Brown school, herself admits Late Antiquity is in danger of having become an exotic territory, just before suggesting that it should be tested also in the fields of economic and administrative history.  [35]   Pekepersonal thekerkerethoughts-synthesis/LA+med west Thus far, weve witnessed in brief a powerful debate: Ward-Perkins book came as a vivid reaction to a whole school of thought formed around Browns work, which itself was another dramatic response to an older tradition. But extremism is inherent in violent reactions, because only through opposition one side can define itself and stand out in relation to its adversaries. Naturally, the existence of opposition itself should not lead us to believe that one side is absolutely right, while the other is absolutely wrong (and in most cases they are not). Rather, it should direct us towards an evaluation of the new conclusions that emerged from the conflict and setting the problem on a new base. However, it should be noted that both books have something in common: they are heavily focused on different geographical areas, where their conclusions seem to be more frequently affirmed. This way, Brown was able to find plenty of continuity in the eastern part of the Empire, while Ward-Perkins discovered a great deal of catastrophe in its former western provinces. As Jones had underlined long before those two, historians often tend to forget that only a part of the Roman Empire actually fell to the barbarians.  [36]  So, nothing would be amiss if things were so well defined, but they are not. And although it seems that Late Antiquity is better suited for early Byzantine history, there are also those medieval scholars who deem it rewarding to try their hand at the concepts that this new approach brought with it. Late Antiquity and early medieval history One of these was jean claude van dam (the muscles from brussels) mouahahhahahaha Late Antiquity and the barbarians The exclusion of notions of violence and catastrophe from the debates concerning the fourth and fifth centuries, which Late Antiquity scholars promoted, created a historiographical vacuum and a way had to be found for depicting the relations between the Roman Empire and the new arrivals. If violence could not be used to describe them, then the sources had to be searched for a different sort of evidence. The subsequent reexamination of the sources gave birth to the notion of accommodation. The first scholar to do that was Walter Goffart. In a well-known book,  [37]  published in 1980, he described in detail the way that the barbarians were settled on Roman lands. According to Goffart a fairly straightforward arrangement between the late Roman administration and the barbarian tribes can be derived from the sources. The critical feature of this arrangement was that the Empire relinquished its rights on the taxation of the region in which a group of barbarians were settled and instead those taxes would be collected by the barbarians. However, according to this theory, there was no expropriation of land, no partition of it to smaller units to be apportioned and no need for extra money from the tax payers.  [38]  The only one who had something to lose in the process would be the central administration and this definitely helps explain the fact that there is no sign of any noteworthy resistance from the local population in the regions where the barbarians were settle d in this way.  [39]   The aforementioned theory was further elaborated by Durliat. After analyzing the sources rigorously, he managed to take Goffarts theory one step further. He argued that land tax in the Late Roman Empire amounted to no more than 20% of the harvest and it was collected and administered by the curiales. They split it in three and kept one third for their citys expenses. The other two thirds were then sent to Rome to be used for the needs of the army and the central administration. With the advent of the barbarians, this system was very conveniently transformed to accommodate them: the curiales no longer sent anything to Rome but instead conferred the appropriate amount to the barbarian group that happened settle in their citys administrative region. Furthermore, he argued that this modus operandi continued unaffected after the fall of the western Roman Empire, in the different successor-states, until the collapse of the Carolingian Empire.  [40]   This theoretical synthesis was attractive to scholars, not only due to its clarifying simplicity and astonishing applicability, but also because it served to explain the lack of any negative sentiment in the sources. The importance of it becomes clearer, if we take under consideration that actually there were complaints on the part of the sources, wherever the barbarians had not settled peacefully but by force.  [41]  As we saw earlier, the curiales were unconcerned if two thirds of the land tax changed recipients, as long as they were still obtaining their part undiminished. One can easily imagine the effect that this argument had on the debate on continuity, especially since it was centered on Western Europe. Of course, this theory didnt fail to raise some eyebrows. Liebeschà ¼tz criticized Durliats arguments on a twofold basis. First, he doubts that late Roman cities actually collected for themselves any part of the imperial taxes and second, he argues quite convincingly that such an agreement would eventually provide little actual security to the settling barbarians, as security is usually better ensured through direct property of the land, than through any fiscal rights. Whats more, it seems perfectly reasonable to assume that it was exactly this security that the barbarians were looking for and of course, their position of power during the last centuries of the Roman Empire made sure that they were not likely to settle for anything less.  [42]   Moreover, Durliats theory was commented on further in an article in 1998.  [43]  There, Wickham analysis Durliats arguments and dismisses them one by one. Initially, he disagrees that the strict fiscal meaning which the latter ascribes to terms such as possessors and fundus is actually the one intended by the legislators of the fourth and the fifth century and in so doing he undermines the theory from the beginning. But he goes on to challenge other aspects such as the idea that Church constituted a part of the state administration in the post-Roman kingdoms (and thus church property consisted only of fiscal lands) and the view that servus is the term used to suggest a free landowner. By providing hard evidence following the chronological order (Late Empire, Romano-Germanic Kingdoms, Carolingian Empire), Wickham manages to discredit convincingly the arguments about fiscal continuity throughout this period. But, it should be noted that in the end of his article, where he discusses briefly the issue of continuity, he states that while he is not averse to it himself, it should not be considered tantamount to complete absence of change.  [44]   However, the predominance of continuity does not sit well with terms like barbarian invasions and Germanic immigration. So, historians had to find ways to circumvent this problem; they started by looking at the ethnic identities of the Germanic peoples, because it could be argued for example that there was no clear-cut sense of common identity between barbarian groups, such as the Goths, or some common characteristics that defined Germanic then it would be possible to downplay the importance of the aforementioned terms. This way, Late Antiquity affected another heated debate (and in the meantime was affected by it); that of European national identities. The contribution of Walter Goffart has been essential at this point. Apart from fiscal continuity, in his Barbarians and Romans, he was also arguing about against the existence of definite ethnic identities among the barbarians. Another centuries-old historiographic tradition before him interpreted the movements of the Germanic tribes according to contemporary political ideas.  [45]  For example, before the Second World War, Kossina had argued that there was a separate, identifiable culture to be associated with every Germanic tribe we come across in the sources and in 1961 Wenskus had maintained that there was a core of tradition carried by the elite of each barbarian group, according to which the whole mass of the tribe was defined.  [46]  But, according to Goffart migrations have served as the factual underpinnings of early Germanic unity.  [47]  Thus, if he could prove that no such unity actually existed, the migration and invasion theories would lose all sense. Indeed, he argues for a short history of these peoples oblivion was a result of translocation. The common past of these peoples at any point stressed as back as the time before their last migration.  [48]  He refuses to use sources of the sixth century such as Jordanes because, in his opinion, they only reflect the ideas of their own times and cannot be trusted for their evidence of the distant past.  [49]  Finally, after taking under consideration also the deductions of archaeological research, he thinks that, if one wanted to look at the discontinuity provoked by the advent of the barbarians, he should definitely put the emphasis on Rome and its security. It was the appeal that the Empire had on the barbarians and not their own expansionist agendas that brought about the fall, in an imaginative experiment that got a little out of hand.  [50]   It is therefore clear that Late Antiquity has given historiography of ethnic identities new areas of research to explore. This process gets even more complicated with the interference of modern international politics and historians of the Early Middle Ages recently find themselves and their research at the center of contemporary political debates  [51]  . One can discern a pseudo-history in the making, which serves political and nationalistic purposes in the sense that it tries to define distinct nations that were created centuries ago once and for all. Another assumption is that by right these nations should form separate political entities, according to their defined ethnicity and territory.  [52]   To sum up, the search for continuity of the Late Antique scholars might not have been successful in the field of fiscal policies and accommodation but it ascertained the fact that we cannot presume long histories and ethnic identities of the Germanic peoples. This certainly confirmed transformation instead of catastrophe and crisis for some aspects of the fourth and fifth centuries but it surely proved that there was much discontinuity and heterogeneity concerning the notion of identity.  [53]  And since the Early Middle Ages are of such a great importance in the international political stage, scholars of the period should benefit from the results of research in this field in order to prevent their academic field from becoming a plaything in the hands of international politics. (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Projecting their own experiences on another period of time (as historians often do)