Monday, September 30, 2019

Crossing the Wire Essay

I will recommend this book to my friends because it is full of excitement and tough challenges. Back Description of Major Characters Victor Flores- a 15 year old boy living in central Mexico full of perseverance and determination to cross the Mexican – American border to find work in the united states to support his family. Rico- Victor’s best friend who must cross the border to support his parents living in central Mexico. Miguel- a wise young father of four Victor met in his journey. Victor tags along with Miguel as they cross the border until they run into border patrol and get split up. Julio- a street wise kid who earns pocket money with Victor in a cramped border town until he decides to move on and cross the border through a drainage tunnel that ends up in the U.S. when it rains. Summary This book starts out in central Mexico but when 15 year old Victor Flores’ family needs money victor has to cross the border to find work in the states. On Victor’s journey he meets a man named Miguel and together they try to cross the border into the states. On their journey the run into the border patrol and get split up. Later on victor meets Julio and together they work on the streets trying to put together their plan to cross the border. One day it started raining and Julio knew that it was the perfect opportunity to float through the drainage tunnel that ends on the other side of the border. Victor decides not to go. A few weeks later Victor notices an old friend standing in line at the soup kitchen. It was Rico! Victor couldn’t believe it he’d thought that Rico had already crossed the border. So they spent a few days catching up and planning their journey across the border. They set off a few days later as mules with a few other people. During their trip as mules they heard that they were going to be killed at the end so they had to escape. They made it all the way to the highway and then they hitched a ride to Tucson where Rico’s brother lived. When they got to Rico’s brother’s house they went to the front door and rang the doorbell but they discovered that his brother had left. Now they didn’t know what to do. They decided to go to La Perra Flaca to look for work in the onion fields. There wasn’t any work left there so they were sent to Washington to work in asparagus fields and finally there was work. About a month later they got there first paychecks and they sent them home alas. Rico wasn’t a very good field worker and he wanted to go home and go to school. So a few days later he went home but Victor stayed for work.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Intro to humanities test

Which term describes the line of kings under Charlemagne? Carolingian 2. ) During the High Middle Ages, the most important center for education became the University of Paris. True 3. ) Relics were sacred religious items that became an important aspect of spiritual and economic tradition for the Church. True 4. ) Which artist is credited as being responsible for bridging the gap between the Byzantine and Renaissance styles? Ghetto 5. ) Charles the Great created a system of education known as: The 5 says 6. The Haggis Sophia is the holy site where Charles the Great was crowned. False 7. ) The Great Schism began with the election of Pope Charlemagne. False 8. ) Who was the most influential Scholastic philosopher, influenced by Aristotle philosophy? 9. ) â€Å"Exodus† refers to the Old Testament story of Moses and literally means: going out 10. ) The Great Schism was a war between England and France, primarily about land disputes, which lasted for 116 years. False 1 1 .Patriarch was the author of both the Secretes and Canterbury Tales. False 12. ) The â€Å"Summary Theological† was written by which author? Aquinas 13. ) Dante was the author of which of the following? (select all that apply) Inferno, Divine Comedy, Paradises 14. ) The New Testament Greek term for â€Å"one who is anointed† Is â€Å"Christ. † True 15. ) Which of the following are examples of early Christian symbols/imagery? (select all that apply) Fish, Anchor, Olive branch 16.The Rule of Saint Benedict was established to regulate: the papacy 17. ) Chartres, Salisbury, and Notre Dame are examples of Gothic cathedrals. True 18. ) The Abbey of Saint Denis Is considered the first example of Gothic architecture True 19. ) Which of the following are examples of literary figures from the Middle Ages? Chauncey, Dante, Bursars 20. ) Which of the following are examples of Gothic architecture? Pointed arches, gargoyles, flying buttresses, stained glass

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Public Relations in media and cultural contexts Essay

Public Relations in media and cultural contexts - Essay Example While the number of clients has increased, the number of brokers has also grown in the recent past (Bacchetta, Benhima and Kalantzis, 2014, 50). In an attempt to engage in the forex market, I learned various characteristics that are associated with consumers while purchasing items over the internet. In particular, I learned my personal character as far as an online purchasing is concerned. In the foreign exchange market, the seller of services is recognized as a forex broker while consumers are known as the retail traders. It is common that individuals are reluctant to make online purchases due to fear of leakage of their private information to other individuals and lack of trust on companies to deliver the quality of services and goods they promise, as well as the methods of money transfer. My decision with respect to choosing the best broker was characterized by a number of questions regarding the methods of payment and safety, the security of my information, and obtaining the best price and services. While evaluating my consumer behaviors, I attempted to relate my online-purchasing behavior when I resolved to choose the services of markets.com. I decided to choose markets.com as my forex broker despite the large number of brokers in the market. It is with respect to the choice of markets.com that I endeavor to reflect on my consumer-behavior as far as the online purchasing is concerned given that I needed a company which would pay my profits without taking into considerations other factors that may affect negatively my income. Additionally, it would be significant to evaluate my behavior of dealing with a company that would not disclose my personal information to a third party, as well as the concerns of the methods of payment (Bhatia and Jain, 2013, pp.5-17). Ching (2012) provides a Technology Acceptance Model which shows the intention-attitude behavior with respect to predicting the acceptance of a

Friday, September 27, 2019

The Relationship Between Racial Identity and PsychoSocial Outcomes Essay

The Relationship Between Racial Identity and PsychoSocial Outcomes Among African American Males - Essay Example This is when the youth experiment with all their hearts and show these outcomes to the world, of course with the world either accepting them or rejecting them in the process (Oyserman and Gant, 1996). The youth embarking on establishing who they are synthesize what they already know from their childhood, with their accumulated skills and abilities, and use these to construct their adult selves that do seems to justify who they really are. This adult self provides meaning and order to its thoughts, experiences, feelings and actions. Aside from these interior functions, it sought to motivate actions to the ones around it through providing incentives, standards, plans, strategies and rules of conduct. Thus, the adult self is a social construct, relying heavily on the support of the society, as it could be the one dictated by the inherent norms or it could be the one setting the norms. The social environment is also the background for which the youth can source the resources it needs i.e. education, economic resources to enable them to obtain the skills and characteristics to be the adult deemed worthy of their sociocultural position. This paper would posit racial identity as the dependent variable and the independent variables are the future achievements of the black male, in or outside of school, the black youth's self-esteem and image and the level of psychological distress he suffers. Adole Adolescents deciding on their future adult selves are open to seems-like limitless alternatives for them to choose from, varying only on their personal attainments and available resources. Nevertheless, adolescence has a funny way of imposing a limit on these alternatives. This limit is the belief that they cannot or do not have the capabalities to succeed in school, leading to a general decline in the interest as well as involvement in learning, in school or otherwise, increase in risky deliquent behaviors and suscpetibility to depression (Osyerman and Gant, 1996). This simply describes the plight of many youth black males. Though it is the same that they are open to experiment in their adolescence in order to determine who they are, society seems to be harder on them that the restriction adolescence impose on their supposed-to-be limitless pallet of identities to choose from is much more existent than their white peers. Therefore, there are evident claims of youth black males in more increased risk for school failure and dropout, arrest and incarceration, as one can see in various studies. It is important to note that this manifests more in blacks residing in America, or African-Americans adolescents. Whatever a white youth has to face as a challenge to prove itself to the world, the African-American has to take on double (Osyerman and Gant, 1996). For example, it is natural for youth in the cities to seek out for itself employment opportunities that would sustain them and lead them to satisfying career paths amidst the tapering of these labor possibilities. However, there had already been imposed a job ceiling on African-Americans that often times, advancing from entry-level positions became quite impossible. Moreover, the blacks living in poverty is actually dismaying as it increases rapidly, and jails swamped with these youth rather than the schools. The African-American are mostly in unstable, low-paying jobs or unemployed that most of them gave up on even seeking one. Thus, the

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Quality of Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Quality of Life - Essay Example According to a report by MSN Staff, the annual human development index for the year 2009 was released ranking Norway on the top of the list of 182 countries. The lowest ranking is awarded to Niger while Canada comes on the number 10th . The statistics of human development report and resources provide essential information about the human development index and other indicators . HDRO uses the statistics taken from international data agencies. Data sources are provided at the end of each table that can be matched to references in the bibliography . Different units are assigned different jobs. The Outreach and Advocacy Unit holds discussions with policy makers and encourages public debates, and functions in the direction of bringing change on the basis of ideas and analysis of the HDRs. Currently, Wynne Boelt is the Outreach Analyst and Marisol Sanjines is the Senior Outreach and Advocacy Advisor of the Unit. The criteria used in establishing the QoL index are different in UNDP and other private agencies. The human development index goes beyond GDP to a wider definition of quality of life. It maps overall human development that is estimated from long and healthy life, education -- to be estimated from adult education and raw admission data, and a well maintained living standard to be estimated by equality in buying capacity, PPP, and income. The index is not a complete entity in human development as it misses on other crucial parameters of gender and income inequality or not easy to measure definitions of human dignity and political freedom. The index is a wide mirror of human growth and the complicated relationship between income and living standard (Human Development Report 2009). Out of many variants of HDI, short-term policy change is affected by income and

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

The Relationship Between Institutions and Economic Development Essay

The Relationship Between Institutions and Economic Development - Essay Example Neoclassical growth theory limits to identify the prerequisites of economic performance, such as capital accumulation and technical progress. To explain why people save, invest, learn and seek knowledge, different institutional systems and values that success or failures are based on must be paid special attention. The relationship between institutions and economic growth has been a central debate of the economic arena for a long time. A century ago, the free society realized that the institutional system plays a fundamental role in economic development-no longer seen as an inevitable gradual transition from local autarky to specialization and division of labor. The establishment and the functioning of institutions reflect the transition from chaos to order by the creation and enforcement of rules or procedures guiding economic and social life. Thus, the institutional system ensures the normal course of real and nominal economy. However, only efficient institutions are growth-promoti ng (Milo, 2007, p.23). There is a vast empirical literature that studies the impact of institutions on economic performance, particularly on growth (Easterly and Levine (2003), Acemoglu et al. (2001), Fukuyama (2006)). From the reverse connection perspective, the first hypothesis stating that economic growth enhances the good functioning of institutions is associated with the name of Martin Lipset, who argued that increased income and human capital accumulation are the best ways to have effective institutions. The second hypothesis states that limited central authorities and therefore, good institutions, lead to superior economic performance. This point of view is also included in the works of Montesquieu and Adam Smith and, later, in those of the ambassadors of neo-institutionalism (Buchanan, Coase, North, and Williamson). In short, the basic idea of institutionalism is that institutions create the rules of economic game; the latter provide economic incentives and thus influence th e behavior of economic agents. Competition, productivity, innovation and private firms develop in an institutional environment that fosters efficient behaviors and penalizes inefficiency. If economic performance is unsatisfactory, ultimately, institutions will be changed. Reformulated, economic and social changes are institutional changes. One of the most important issues that influence the analyses of linkages between institutions and economic development is that there is no general consensus on the definition of institutions. Chang (2005) highlights three key functions of institution in fostering economic performance: Coordination and administration; Learning and innovation; Income redistribution and social cohesion. In some Asian economies in transition from socialism to capitalism, the rapid progress of free market institutions has reduced the transaction costs. In other situations, they have remained high as a result of insufficient knowledge of market mechanisms, of ambiguous rules and bureaucracy, weak legal system and corruption. Stable political structures, well-defined and recognized property rights and legal enforcement of contracts have reduced transaction costs, explaining the success of the world’s most powerful economies. Transaction cost theory was used in the analysis of general interest issues such as the role and governance practices, definition of market institutions or in explaining the differences between economic performances of nations. Related to the last element mentioned, the theory developed in close connection with the role of institutions in fostering economic efficiency by reducing trading costs. North concluded that capitalist and democratic institutions (free market, state, justice) are the result of efforts to minimize transaction costs (North 1991,

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Flexible Budgets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Flexible Budgets - Essay Example This paper will outline the difference between the two methods of budgeting. Flexible budget records and outlines different information than static budget since it records the daily activities of budgeting and accommodates the accountings entries and activities that are new to the budget system. Unlike static budget which is prepared before the beginning of accounting period, flexible budget is prepared daily and continues till the end of the period (Mowen, 2012). Static budget ensures comparison and variance analysis is done due to presence of actual budget and estimated budget while the flexible budget does not involve comparison of budgets as there is only one budget. A flexible budget is not always better as it does not involve many activities like variance analysis to evaluate the performance of the company. Static budget is usually preferred where a business estimates the budget and wants to compare the difference between the estimated budget and actual budget (Mowen,

Monday, September 23, 2019

Web Mining and Social Multimedia Research Paper

Web Mining and Social Multimedia - Research Paper Example However, how does data mining filters the information gathered from the web from undesirable and inaccurate data that is so often giving us difficulties in gathering valuable and high-quality results? It is common knowledge that the data found on the web is unstructured, dynamic, complex and huge in amount. This results in difficulties for analyzing such data. What techniques and applications are used in Web Mining to overcome these difficulties? The answers to these questions could benefit both research and industry communities. Web Mining and Social Multimedia Introduction Web mining refers to the application of data mining techniques to extract patterns from the web. Generally data mining allows for analysis of data in order to make rational decision based on the data report collected. It is common knowledge that the data found on the web is unstructured, dynamic, complex and huge in amount which results in difficulties for analyzing such data. Consequently the information gathere d by web mining can be further evaluated using various software or through the traditional data mining parameters such as classification, clustering and association. There are three main axes of web mining which include content mining, usage mining and structure mining. Content mining is usually applied in the examination of data collected by web spiders and search engines. On the other hand, structure mining is used when examining the structure of given websites while usage mining is generally used to study data related to user’s browser as well as the data collected by the forms users usually submit during their web transactions. When such data is being analyzed based on the web documents, especially with a wide spread of social multimedia, the information gathered can benefit research institutions, businesses and economy overall. Additionally web mining can potentially be used in customer relationship management by helping to evaluate the customer behavior, effectiveness o f the website as well as quantify the success of the marketing campaign used in the World Wide Web. Although web mining has numerous potential benefits particularly with regard to the interpretation of meaningful data, the technology has also been regarded as a disruptive technology due to some of the risks it poses both to personal and cooperate privacy (Domingos, 58). For example, the sophisticated technologies used in web mining have significantly increased the risk of information abuse as well as privacy violation. As many social media platforms continue to urge their users to become more transparent by revealing their personal information, the privacy of such users may be compromised. There are a number of data base technologies through which web mining can be used to discover the patterns in data. Some of the commonly used database mining techniques used in web mining include clustering, association and data classification. The difficulties in gathering quality data using web mining techniques usually arise from the fact that there are currently no agreed upon quality assessment models as well as the difficultly that arises from handling the quality of information particularly during the query processing and integration of data. In web mining, some of the scenarios in which the problem of data quality may arise include during the integration of scientific or business data and during the dissemination of the collected data. History of web mining The concept of web mining has rapidly grown in a short period of time both in terms of

Sunday, September 22, 2019

A geopolitical analysis of The Clinton Administration's 1995 National Research Paper

A geopolitical analysis of The Clinton Administration's 1995 National Security Strategy - Research Paper Example The national security strategy of 1995 Clinton administration was listed out in a document titled, A National Security Strategy of Engagement and Enlargement, published by the White House in February 1995 (The White House, 1995). The new strategy had its attention more focused on the â€Å"ethnic conflicts† which were on the rise all over the world and also the challenges raised by the so-called â€Å"rogue states† (The White House, 1995, p.1 of preface). Another major aspect of the change that was reflected in the NSS 1995 was the shifting of attention of the US from the communist nations, towards a wider geopolitical realm, to say, the whole world. Geo-politically, the two major concerns, which have prompted the formulation of a new security strategy for the US, had been â€Å"the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction† and the â€Å"political instability in many countries and regions† caused by population explosion and â€Å"environmental degrada tion† (The White House, 1995, p.1 of preface). It was evident that the US was redefining its national security concerns on geo-political lines rather than the previous practice of seeing national security in relation with the ideological realm, especially communism. The immediate yet indirect threats to global political stability from certain regions and nations based on geopolitical issues like ethnicity, and environment were seriously accounted for, the first time in US history. The new National Security Strategy was prepared â€Å"in accordance with Section 603 of the Goldwater- Nichols Defense Department Reorganization Act 1986 (The White House, 1995, p.1 of preface). The declared key objectives of this strategy document had been, â€Å"to sustain our [America’s] security with military forces that are ready to fight, to bolster America's economic revitalization [and] to promote democracy abroad† (The White House, 1995, p.1 of preface). The first two objectiv es represented the natural security concerns of any nation but the third objective was specific to America with its long history of intervening in the matters of other nations with a vision of a global super power. And the attention imparted to link the economic development of the nation with the security aspect is again unique to the US. This is an indicator of the geo-political stand that this country has been adopting ever since its establishment as a rich and powerful nation. The dependence of the US economy on weapon trade, oil, and other natural resources (scarce inside the nation and available in plenty in the third world and the Middle East) can be one reason why concepts of security become entangled with internal matters of foreign countries and regions for this nation, thus giving national security a distinct global geopolitical edge. For example Saudi Arabia has been â€Å"the largest customer for US military hardware† (Cohen, 2003, p.356). Similarly, the greatest labor force that America has to run its industries has been flowing from Mexico (Cohen, 2003, p.135). And â€Å"the United States invaded Haiti in 1915 to protect U.S. investments and properties in a military occupation that lasted until 1934† (Cohen, 2003, p.107). Making of the NSS The National Security Strategy document is prepared by the US government administration beginning the process with a â€Å"preferred approach to national security† (Bartolotto, 2004, p.6). The â€Å"process of initiating, controlling, developing, writing, and publishing the NSS† is entrusted with the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, who also is the head of

Saturday, September 21, 2019

The Simpsons contains Essay Example for Free

The Simpsons contains Essay Violence is regularly exhibited on the sitcom, most notably by the notorious Itchy and Scratchy, a parody of the cat and mouse antics of Tom and Jerry. Far from being a negative factor, this is intended to highlight the amount of violence on television and how children can be easily influenced by it: in the episode Itchy and Scratchy and Marge, Maggie attacks Homer with a mallet after watching the gruesome cartoon. Corruption appears often too with Major Quimby and the police force as excellent examples of this. The Simpsons also promotes family values and Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie are all intertwined in a close family unit. Despite all the troubles and mishaps they may face, the Simpsons always overcome their problems and every episode concludes with them together. Religious and racial tolerance is another topic the show tackles which characters from all sorts of ethnic backgrounds including Apu, a Hindu Indian immigrant and Krusty the clown, a Jewish entertainer. Both have had special episodes to themselves revealing that their true inner nature is just the same as anyone else. There is an enormous amount of moral and social issues dealt with by The Simpsons. Some of these occur in episodes repeatedly, maybe to add emphasis their importance. For example, the villainous Sideshow Bob is always trying to murder Bart because he foiled him in his scheme to conquer childrens television. However, despite trying repeatedly Bob has yet to succeed. The message behind this is clear: crime does not pay. After thirteen seasons and 276 episodes, The Simpsons have become a cultural phenomenon with Bart being named as one of the most influential figures of the 1990s. With celebrity guest voices and innumerable catch phrases like eat my shorts and doh! the programme will forever be a celebrated classic. In contrast to The Simpsons, Southpark does not possess any deep underlying themes or messages. Similar to other sitcoms like The Young Ones and Faulty Towers It only exists purely for entertainment values. The coarse language and often obscene story lines may be offensive to some viewers, especially when the show involves four eight year old children as the central characters. However, its twisted humour still succeeds to amuse many others. A typical episode portrays the strange day to day lives of Eric, Kenny, Stan and Kyle. Kenny dies a gruesome death in each episode and this has become a trademark for the program. The show, similar to The Simpsons and all other memorable sitcoms, has also spawned many catch phrases. Southpark specialises in creating comedy from another persons misfortune. If everybody took Southpark too seriously then it has the potential to offend anyone and everyone. The level of perception in situation comedies varies from one to the next. Whereas The Simpsons contains a spectrum of deep messages, other sitcoms like Southpark have no meaning whatsoever except to entertain viewers. Although both are animated shows, the former still possesses similarities to contemporary society and its themes are very realistic issues.

Friday, September 20, 2019

The Fast Moving Consumer Goods Information Technology Essay

The Fast Moving Consumer Goods Information Technology Essay FMCG industry, on the other hand called as CPG Consumer packaged goods industry primarily deals with the production, distribution and marketing of consumer packaged goods. The Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) is those consumables which are normally consumed by the consumers at a regular interval. Some of the prime activities of FMCG industry are selling, marketing, financing, purchasing, etc. The industry also betrothed in operations, supply chain, production and general management. FMCG industry provides a wide range of consumables and accordingly the amount of money circulated against FMCG products is also very high. The competition among FMCG manufacturers is also growing and as a result of this, investment in FMCG industry is also increasing, specifically in India, where FMCG industry is regarded as the fourth largest sector with total market size of US$13.1 billion. FMCG Sector in India is estimated to grow 60% by 2010. FMCG industry is regarded as the largest sector in New Zealand which accounts for 5% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Some common FMCG product categories include food and dairy products, glassware, paper products, pharmaceuticals, consumer electronics, packaged food products, plastic goods, printing and stationery, household products, photography, drinks etc. and some of the examples of FMCG products are coffee, tea, dry cells, greeting cards, gifts, detergents, tobacco and cigarettes, watches, soaps etc. Some of the well known FMCG companies are Sara Lee, Nestlà ©, Reckitt Benckiser, Unilever, Procter Gamble, LOreal, Coca-Cola, Carlsberg, Kleenex, General Mills, Pepsi and Mars etc. The purpose of this topic is to investigate the relationship between the factors that affect the outsourcing decisions in FMCG industry of Pakistan. There are higher trends seen in the market for outsourcing in many FMCG companies but still it is reflecting as there are a number of factors which inhibit the FMCG companies to make outsourcing decisions. Outsourcing occurs as a result of intimate acquaintance between subcontractors and managing departments. Outsourcers want to decrease the cost of production and the cost of management by distributing work to avoid other costs such as wages and compensation. However, outsourcing helps society by decreasing unemployment, making the economy grow and decreasing social problems. Outsourcing is also a way to boost the economy and it helps producing industries to survive in the market. However, it is not a guarantee that the producing industries will survive. It is just one of the devices that FMCGs should use in management, but it depends on managerial efficiency in the industries. If FMCGs want to survive in the age of globalization, they have to adopt management techniques suitable for each situation in order to survive in the current industrial climate. Nowadays, macroeconomics and microeconomics have been changing very rapidly, in every region. This situation is forcing all countries in the world to adapt to competition resulting from globalization, including modifying government policies, international relations, free trade area agreements, etc. Changes are also occurring in industrial management, especially organizational management, production management and technology, delivery, and marketing management, in response to both local and international competition. In the competitive environment of manufacturing concerns and evolving technological era, to enhance efficiency and productivity, cost remains a challenge to overall manufacturing industry to compete with rivals in providing the best total lower cost to end customers and to secure the market share in order to add value to the shareholders. To invest heavily in capital investment such as machineries, buildings and land to expand space in supporting the production operation is a burden to most companies if the return of investment is not valuably. Organizations that outsource are seeking to realize benefits or address the following issues: Cost savings The lowering of the overall cost of the service to the business. This will involve reducing the scope, defining quality levels, re-pricing, re-negotiation, and cost re-structuring. Access to lower cost economies through off shoring called labor arbitrage generated by the wage gap between industrialized and developing nations. Focus on Core Business Resources (for example investment, people, and infrastructure) are focused on developing the core business. For example often organizations outsource their IT support to specialized IT services companies. Cost restructuring   Operating leverage  is a measure that compares fixed costs to variable costs. Outsourcing changes the balance of this ratio by offering a move from fixed to variable cost and also by making variable costs more predictable. Improve quality Achieve a steep change in quality through contracting out the service with a new service level agreement. Knowledge Access to intellectual property and wider experience and knowledge. Contract Services will be provided to a legally binding contract with financial penalties and legal redress. This is not the case with internal services. Operational expertise Access to operational best practice that would be too difficult or time consuming to develop in-house. Access to talent Access to a larger talent pool and a sustainable source of skills, in particular in science and engineering. Capacity management An improved method of capacity management of services and technology where the risk in providing the excess capacity is borne by the supplier. Catalyst for change An organization can use an outsourcing agreement as a catalyst for major step change that cannot be achieved alone. The outsourcer becomes a  Change agent  in the process. Enhance capacity for innovation Companies increasingly use external knowledge service providers to supplement limited in-house capacity for product innovation. Reduce time to market The acceleration of the development or production of a product through the additional capability brought by the supplier. Co modification The trend of standardizing business processes, IT Services, and application services which enable to buy at the right price, allows businesses access to services which were only available to large corporations. Risk management An approach to  risk management  for some types of risks is to partner with an outsourcer who is better able to provide the mitigation. Venture Capital Some countries match government funds venture capital with private  venture capital  for start-ups that start businesses in their country. Tax Benefit Countries offer tax incentives to move manufacturing operations to counter high corporate taxes within another country. Scalability The outsourced company will usually be prepared to manage a temporary or permanent increase or decrease in production. Creating leisure time Individuals may wish to outsource their work in order to optimize their work-leisure balance. FMCG Industry and Outsourcing Companies that were struggling to increase the capacity to support the ramp up demand at times were upset when there was a drastic downturn of demand cut. As a result, the sudden downturn would affect the resources and investment that were put into supporting the end customers demand. Team of human resources and machineries that consumed production space and being idled would increase the overhead and fixed cost, thus affecting the companies badly in their financial statements. In addition, training and development to up skill internal resource skills set in terms of running the operation effectively, bringing up technical content expert, specialist ability to perform research and development to add value, effective management and maintaining the operation would require significant investment in human resources. Thus, most of the companies started to explore opportunities to reduce cost and to improve profit margin in order to maintain competitive edge in the market. One of the identified opportunities was to outsource non-core business functions to external service providers at a lower operating cost. Outsourcing decisions are those strategic decisions that change the operating strategy of an organization both in manufacturing and services. The most important step in any outsourcing decision is to clearly define the scope of the activities that are being considered for outsourcing versus previously in sourced. Outsourcing becomes a basic strategy of the FMCG industry and is essential for FMCG firms to stay competitive in the global environment. From firms perspective, outsourcing offers several advantages, such as reducing or stabilizing overhead costs, gaining cost advantage over the competition, concentrating on core activities and organizational specializations, providing flexibility in response to changing market conditions, and reducing investment in high technology based manufacturing organizations. Through 2004 onward business growth strategy changes and business growth was restored as the first priority for most worldwide businesses, making cost reduction the second or third priority. Ensuring business growth as well as business process speed, agility and cost reduction requires a unique mix of internal and external capabilities, skills, services and processes. Only a business-driven sourcing strategy supported by good-enough sourcing execution capabilities will guarantee successful business outcomes as well as improved performance and competitiveness. Lack of an outsourcing strategy or relevant skills and processes to manage outsourcing relationships is the most important reason for the failure of service and manufacturing industry. Global competition, increasing regulation and inspection, the development of specific standards and the industrialization of services will raise the competitive bar for the FMCGs services and business processes, making it compulsory for the FMCGs to work on their core business in source let the others do their job for you. By competing on core competencies and outsourcing non-core areas, FMCG companies achieve consistently higher performance over the globe in all fields especially manufacturing and supply chains through consistent focusing and tracking their Key performance indicators. For any of the company to make decision for in source or outsource, its the company strategic decision which will make the basis for the whole in source or outsource process. For making any decision, decision maker will consider the following perspective in their mind or they must have good answers for these questions. Determine what your company needs to or should do best strategy driven long-term positioning Determine how best to do things profit driven short to intermediate term competitiveness INSOURCING/ OUTSOURCING STRATEGIC DECISION KEY STEPS IN SERVICE BASE INDUSTRY An executive level cross-functional decision-making process identifies core competencies and areas for internal investment. The level of internal control required by the companies and prospective direction for operational insource/ outsource decisions are identified and analyzed based on strategic value and relative competitiveness of the company in the market. Document complete strategic decision making process and the implementation process for the strategic decision being made as it provides closed-loop assessment for continuous improvement of the decision in the long run. Align the implementation strategies, processes and Key performance indicators with criteria and assumptions used in strategy formulation or development and in sourcing /outsourcing decision process. STANDARDIZED OUTSOURCING PROCESS FLOW IN FMCG INDUSTRY Stage Key Activities Rough Timeline BU Role COE Role Opportunity Consideration Align on business need gain mgmt commitment to evaluate options Identify options to consider (e.g., internal cost savings, consolidation, off-shoring, outsourcing) Perform Options Analysis / Size of Prize (not detailed financial analysis) If potential for outsourcing, contact outsourcing COE for support NA PR PR PR PR C C Evaluation Team Kick-Off Establish small team to perform preliminary evaluation of outsourcing (Project Mgr/Business Mgr, Deal Mgr, Purchases Mgr, FA Mgr, HR Mgr, External Rel.) 1-2 wks PR C Initiate Evaluation Project Agree on top-line preferred deal parameters with OS COE (e.g., general scope boundaries, sell all vs. partial assets) Develop Keep Price Analysis using the CBA model (COE website) Develop preliminary project success criteria Develop preliminary project process, timing and critical path Consider advisory needs (e.g. external consultants, legal support) Consider need for employee communication pre-market evaluation activity Confirm business management alignment support to evaluate the option 1-4 wks SR SR SR SR C SR PR SR SR SR SR PR SR C Market Evaluation/Discovery Analyze market and identify potential suppliers (e.g., market position, capabilities, potential for savings monetization) Develop supplier materials (cold call message operation review presentation) Meet with suppliers (generally worth meeting w/up to 10 or so if available) Evaluate findings of visits and determine potential for outsourcing RFI may go out as part of typical assessment activity 4-8 wks PR PR C SR C C PR SR Decision to Pursue Outsourcing Refine project objectives, scope, etc. (w/knowledge of market evaluation) Prepare recommendation to pursue outsourcing Gain management approval per Decision Authority PRIOR to RFP Determine the small group of suppliers to be engaged in an RFP (3-4 ideally) Execute CDAs with these suppliers Expand project team (RFP leader, Legal, Administrative support, etc) Develop communication plan communicate to employees if not yet been done Base Case Financials 2-3 wks PR PR PR SR PR PR C C C SR PR C C RFP Development Draft and gain approval to RFP Develop RFP timeline (release date, supplier engagements, site visits, submittal date) Release RFP and instructions to suppliers 4-6 wks PR C PR TPO PR TPO RFP Process Execution Perform step-by-step RFP completion process w/suppliers (e.g., RFP review session, electronic QA cycle, preliminary solution review) Receive review bids, and execute formal solution walk-thru process Get revised bids and perform evaluation (operational, HR, financial) 4-8 wks SR SR SR SR SR SR Downs elect Process Develop recommendation to down select to 1 or 2 suppliers (keep 2 suppliers ideally to maintain competitive environment) Get management agreement 1-2 wks PR PR C C Due Diligence Conduct due diligence as required (us on suppliers; suppliers on us) 1-2 wks PR TPO Final Bids Provides suppliers with draft contract Request Best Final Offers (if appropriate) 1-2 wks C C PR PR Negotiations and Contract Signing Negotiate detailed price and contract terms (w/2 suppliers as long as possible) Align on final down select Get management approval Finalize internal and external communication plans (with External Relations) Sign contract and execute related communications 4-6 wks C PR PR PR PR PR C TPO C C Transition and Closing Put full transition team in place Execute required transition steps (including road shows, job offers, etc) Develop and execute companion agreements in other countries Execute closing Prepare deal files 4-12 wks PR PR SR PR SR PR PR Primarily Responsible Total Time Required* SR Shared Responsibility 5 10 months (ex Transition) C Contributor 6 12 months (w/Transition) TPO Technical Process Oversight * will vary based on project scope Problem Statement The rapidly changing global industrial environment, cost of working capital, research and innovation, releasing key internal resources, concentrating on Core business functions, obtaining better organizational form has significant impact on outsourcing decision making in FMCG industry of Pakistan. Hypothesis H1: Outsourcing activities are increasing day by day in FMCG Industry of Pakistan. H2: FMCG industries are Outsourcing in all areas of their business not only manufacturing operation. H3: FMCG industries are Outsourcing to reduce Operating cost. H4: FMCG Industries are outsourcing to increase concentration on their core business. H5: FMCG Industries are outsourcing to Improve Quality of Services. H6: FMCG Industries are outsourcing to Acquire Specialized expertise and knowledge H7: FMCG industries are focusing on Selective Outsourcing. H8: FMCG industries have midterm Outsourcing contracts. H9: FMCG industries make Outsourcing contracts with good reputable companies. H10: FMCG industries make Outsourcing contracts with companies that produce at lower cost. H11: FMCG industries make Outsourcing contracts with companies that have advance technology and management experience. H12: Losing control of the certain business is the major concern in FMCG industries to make Outsourcing contracts. H13: Increasing dependence with outsourcers is the major concern in FMCG industries to make Outsourcing contracts. H14: Difficult to bring in source after conflicts is the major concern in FMCG industries to make Outsourcing contracts. H15: Disclosure of commercial secrets is the major concern in FMCG industries to make Outsourcing contracts. H16: Conflict of Interest with outsourcing partner is the major concern in FMCG industries to make Outsourcing contracts. Outline of the Study The research structure based on five chapters as follows: Introduction about the Outsourcing and FMCG industry. The literature review had provided theoretical background of the research and cites author had previously researched on the topic of factors affecting outsourcing decision The research methods chapter included method of data collection, statistical technique and hypothesis development. The results chapter had included findings and interpretation of the results. The conclusion, discussions, implications and recommendation section provided the final logical analysis. Definitions Outsourcing Outsourcing is an agreement in which any task; operation, job or process that could be performed by employees within an organization, but is instead contracted to a third party for a significant period of time-one Company provides services for another company that could also be or usually have been provided in-house. FMCGs   It is an acronym for  Fast Moving Consumer Goods. It is defined as fast selling, low unit value  consumer products  normally in universal  demand. It includes categories like foods, soft  drinks, toiletries, cosmetics and other non-durables. CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW Most of the companies that were struggling to increase the capacity to support the ramp up demand at times were upset when there was a drastic downturn of demand cut. As a result, the sudden downturn would affect the resources and investment that were put into supporting the end customers demand. Team of human resources and machineries that consumed production space and being idled would increase the overhead and fixed cost, thus affecting the companies badly in their financial statements. In addition, training and development to up skill internal resource skills set in terms of running the operation effectively, bringing up technical content expert, specialist ability to perform research and development to add value, effective management and maintaining the operation would require significant investment in human resources (David Mackey and Kaye Thorne, 2003). Thus, most of the companies started to explore opportunities to reduce cost and to improve profit margin in order to maintain competitive edge in the market. One of the identified opportunities was to outsource non-core business functions to external service providers at a lower operating cost. Outsourcing decisions are those strategic decisions that change the operations strategy of an organization both in manufacturing and services. The most important step in any outsourcing decision is to clearly define the scope of the operations that are being considered for outsourcing (Cook, Mary, F. and Gildner, Scoot B. 2008). Human resource professionals throughout the world are being asked to do more or less, to enhance productivity while controlling costs and to find out new ways to increase profitability. (Uddin, Gazi, M. 2005). Outsourcing is not a new notion. For decades, jobs have been migrated from other part of the countries namely American and European countries as well as other overseas countries to global service providers primarily India, China, Singapore and Malaysia due to lower operating cost. According to Cynthia A. Kroll (2004), a regional economist from University of California Berkeley, the recent wave of outsourcing affected a different mix of jobs, at different wage levels. It was not confined only to a small set of industries but cut across all industrial sectors in new geographic area rapidly (Cynthia A. Kroll, 2004). William P. DiMartini (2005), Senior Vice President at SunGard Availability Services said businesses in all industry segments found that limited internal resources would make outsourcing an attractive, cost-effective and prudent option that would allow them to focus on their core competencies (AccountingWEB.com, 2005). Demand for outsourcing is a result of demand for organizational products by the target audience. On the basis of organizational estimate of total turnover, practicing managers can attempt to establish the nature and type of outsourcing required to that esteemed goal (Uddin, Gazi M. 2005). Outsourcing advantages to name a few include lower operating cost, improve competitiveness, low in capital investment, shift resources to focus on core functions, generate demand for new growth and market segment, access to world class capability, sharing risks and make capital funds available for core business investment. Bangladesh is a least developed country, basically an agrarian economy, having around 24 million acres of cultivated land, employing about 14.5 million cultivators. Manufacturing industries have grown around Dhaka and Chittagong based on agriculture input of jute, cotton, chemical and gas based industries. Industrial production growth has averaged more than 6% over the last 5 years. The export sector has been the engine of industrial growth, with ready-made garments leading the way, having grown at an average of 30% over the last 5 years. Primary products constitute less than 10 percent of the countrys exports; the bulk of exports are manufactured/processed products, ready-made garments and knit wears in particular. (www.euroitx.com) There are many manufacturing concerns in Bangladesh that are looking into outsourcing opportunity to reduce cost and to overcome the internal limitations and achieve lower cost of operation. The country is now moving towards industry based economy from the agro-based one. Hence, this study was an attempt to access determinants influencing the outsourcing decision and to research the manufacturing concern in Bangladesh on how well the factors would influence the manufacturing industry in Bangladesh to outsource certain function of their business areas to external service providers. The study also aimed at finding out the influencing factors that influenced the companies in outsourcing decision and helped the companies to overcome the internal limitation barriers. In the early 1980s, outsourcing typically referred to the situation while organizations expanded their purchases of manufactured physical inputs, like car companies that purchased window cranks and seat fabrics from outside the firm rather than making them inside. Nowadays, outsourcing took on a different meaning. Presently it refers to a specific segment of the growing international trade. This segment consists of arms-length, or what Bhagvati (1984) called long-distance purchase of services abroad, principally, but not necessarily, via electronic mediums such as the telephone, fax and the Internet. Outsourcing can happen both though transactions by firms, like phone call centers staffed in Bangalore to sen7e customers in New York and X-rays transmitted digitally from Boston to be read in Bombay, or with direct consumption purchases by individuals, like when someone hires an offshore firm to provide plans for redesigning or redecorating a living room (Bhagwati, J. et al. 2004) In an era of rapid technological change and short product life cycles, companies were trying to reduce cost and maintain quality at the same time which implied that companies would need to specialize in what they did best and de-emphasize management attention from business processes that did not directly impact the business. Outsourcing was a means to partner with service providers so they could handle specific business processes better, faster and at a lower operating cost (V. Krishna Polineni, 2001). It was defined as the transferring one or more internal functions of an organization to an external service providers. According to the analyst Dean Davison, the outsourcing was growing about 20 percent to 25 percent per annum (Dean Davison, 2006). Outsourcing has become an alternative, which all major corporations must consider in order to remain competitive. It helped to increase efficiency, improve service quality, accountability, values, decreased headcounts and cash infusion and gain access to world class capability and sharing risk (The Outsourcing Institute, 2006). One of the primary advantages of outsourcing arises quickly from the reduction of overheads. This might give rise to an immediate, and possibly one-off, advantage in terms of the avoidance of future or recurrent capital outlay, and the savings in office space and equipment provisions if these could be released during the outsourcing decision. There was clearly a staff cost reduction possible here, and this could be the predominant element in directly-attributable, ongoing cost savings. The spin-off from this might benefit the business support services department where the outsourcing was partial, and could be especially useful where the capital cost was high and recurrent, particularly if there was uncertainty about the future costs of maintaining effective and competitive business support. It was an investment risk transfer, in other words. Where outsourcing is total, the benefit was accrued directly by the core business it translated to a capital injection to the customers busines s. This was one of the major driving reasons of the outsourcing of IT provision in the early 1990s generally agreed as having been led in 1989 by Kodak, which outsourced all of its IT operations to IBM (Jonathan Reuvid and John Hinks, 2001). This could also confer a great deal of flexibility on the company. For a centralized organization which was providing a range of its support services from its own personnel and offices, the move to outsourcing could allow a downsizing of the property commitments. Consider the impact on the organizational infrastructure requirements of a change to outsourcing IT provision, payroll and credit processing, pensions, catering, recruitment, training, Human Resource Management (HRM), cleaning, security, lettings, software development, estates and building management. It could also confer direct scope for downsizing or increased options for organizational re-structuring through property and HRM flexibility. The transfer of a non-core service provision to a variable cost would allow economies of scale to be passed on from the supplier, and also would mean that incremental changes in the process capacity of the customer (upwards or downwards) could be covered at proportional rather than quantum cost changes. Where scope to vary the scale of the contracted supply was agreed, this has allowed the business organization to make maximum use of its marginal capital for core process change rather than non-core process support change. This could allow decreased time to market for new products or processes, and also increased scope for changes. Outsourcing solutions can provide an excellent chance to get the company service provision out of a rut and, if properly managed, to stimulate new solutions to problems from the mixing of different approaches. A noticeable feature of the global economy is the enhancing international products. Robert Feenstra (1998) describes the remarkable international specialization in the manufacturing products. For example, the raw materials of manufacturing products like Barbie dolls (plastic and hair) are obtained from Taiwan and Japan. Assembly used to be done in those countries as well as to lower cost locations like Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and China. The growth in international specialization can also be observed in aggregate statistics. William Zeile and Gorden Hanson et al (2003) document the importance of trade within multinational firms. David Hummels et al. (2003) show that trade in intermediate inputs has grown faster than trade in finished products. While the globalization of production may yield important productivity benefits, there is a widespread view that it has also adversely affected low skilled workers. There are frequent media reports on how low-skilled labors in the firs t world countries are hurt when manufacturing jobs are relocated in the US and in many other countries have picked up on this theme to push for greater restrictions on trade with developing countries. Yet, despite its prominence in the public debate, there is little systematic evidence of the extent to which low-skilled workers are harmed by outsourcing to poor countries (Hsieh, Chang T. and Woo, Keong T., 2005). Outsourcing has existed in the USA for over 30 years particularly the business pr

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Native American Medicine Essay -- Essays Papers

Native American Medicine "Native American medicine is based on widely held beliefs about healthy living, the repercussions of disease-producing behavior, and the spiritual principles that restore balance." -Ken "Bear Hawk" Cohen (Chrisman 1). The beliefs that Cohen is referring to are shared by all North and South Native American tribes, however, the methods of diagnosis as well as the treatments vary significantly. This is mainly due to the fact that Native American medicine is based upon a spiritual view of life. A healthy person is someone who has a sense of purpose and follows the guidance of the Great Spirit who represented the central religious figure for most tribes (Chrisman 2). It is believed that someone is unhealthy because they have done something morally wrong, or not within their culture's boundaries of what is deemed acceptable. If the tribe member did do something wrong, often they would not receive medical treatment because it was believed that they were learning a lesson as a direct result of their actions. However, many times when an illness could not be accounted for the patient would receive medical attention. Native American medicine was administered through two primary sources, rit ual procedures and rational therapy (Vogel ix). These two sources provided working combinations that were able to cure many illnesses for several reasons. The medical practice of rational therapy was generally practiced first. It is referred to as rational therapy because actual substances, such as parts of plants and herbs, were used and often resulted in medical success. Many people do not realize how many contributions the Native Americans made in the field of medicine. They experimente... ...y due to the advances in scientific medicine, the introduction of medical insurance, free services, and the general availability of the medical care today. Also, many tribes have had to relocate to land where their valuable resources of plants and herbs may not be present. When a tribe member is ill, often he will visit a clinic on the reservation rather than the shaman. While at the clinic variations of the Native American remedies are used. The white man adapted the native practices to administer them through the clinics and hospitals. The medicine that we practice today is a combination of Native healing practices and modern science. The vast contributions made by our Native Americans must not be overseen or forgotten. The indigenous peoples of the Americas set up the basic grounds of experimentation and administration of multiple pharmaceuticals used today.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

war poetry and one related material :: essays research papers

â€Å"When the Power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.† Jimi Hendrix. The topic we are studying is Experience through Language. This type of text is used to get a message through to the responder using literary techniques. From the start of time people have been documenting expressions on war for and against. Two articles I’ve chosen that relate to war are a Propergander poster from England in 1914 and the poem â€Å"The Soldier† composed by Rupert Brooke in 1915. We see how both composers try to convey the glories of war. This is one of the main messages in both pieces of material. In the poster there is persuasion to Patriotism. This is displayed by the bold letters spelling the sentence â€Å"Britons Wants You†. The effect of this makes the viewer feel as if what is said is directed at him or her. The same message is found in ‘the soldier’ in the first few lines ‘if I should die, think this of me, that there’s some corner of a foreign field, that is for ever England there shall be in that rich earth a richer dust concealed’ – this quote makes the reader feel pride for his country. It glorifies war. There is a visual aid in the poster of Lord Kitchener pointing at you. Lord kitchener was displayed on many recruitment posters pointing at ‘you’. The technique of him pointing engages the viewer by making him or her feel dedicated toyou their country. Another message in ‘The soldier’ is the sacrifice for your country. A technique used to show this is 1st person speech as in the line â€Å"if I should die, think only this of me.† Using 1st person makes it more personal as it lends an authenticity. Another technique is the repetition of the word England. This emphasizes an important point the composer wants to send to the reader. He has respect for his country. Rupert Brooke uses lines like â€Å"Shaped, Made aware† it gives personification as if England has nurtured them like a mother. Both sources mention biblical or religious allusions. In the poster there is the words â€Å"God Save The King† in capital letters.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Colonial Persuasion :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  27, 2002 â€Å"Radical Declaration† Gentlemen, there comes a time in all of our lives when we must stand up to our overseers. As our fellow countryman, Thomas Paine, declared, â€Å"It is ridiculous for an island to rule part of a continent, 3000 miles away.† Moreover, the restrictions on trade, the newly passed declaration allowing for the quartering of large bodies of armed British troops, and the closing of the port of Boston, shows that our dictator is unwilling to compromise on these â€Å"Intolerable Acts.† Furthermore, it seems as though it is but a small group of wealthy, extremely privileged, land owning loyals, who wish to remain under this tyranny. The king refuses to hear our grievances and has even disallowed us trial by jury. The esteemed patriot and my good friend and neighbor, Samuel Adams, tells me that he has received word from â€Å"A Virginian who wrote home from London that King George’s own House of Commons says he is ‘very obstinate’ and ‘shan’t continue to reign with any peaceable conduct toward the colonies’.† (Langguth, 28) So my friends, I ask you all how long can we continue to be treated as hostiles? Why should we wish to remain loyal to a country that deprived us of religious freedoms for generations, not to mention those of us who have no tie to the king and Britain at all? Why should we not seek independence? Why should we give into our selfish, greedy, loyalist neighbors, while the British troops are killing our friends, attacking our cities, and laying sole claim to OUR goods? I say we put a sharp and decisive end to our ties with the tyrannical king and HIS country. This bold declarative statement, however, will require the support and backing of all colonists not just my northernmost neighbors.

How Do I Spend Long Summer Vacation Essay

Examinations are over the long summer vacation has begun. How do you feel? How do you want to spend your long holiday? Many of you may spend hours playing ICQ or computer games. Others will sleep through the days. Indeed we deserve some rest and relaxation. But how about some other interesting and meaningful options? Let’s begin with taking care of our physical well-being. Choose an exercise or a game that you would like to learn. Joining a swimming or judo class, or learning to ride a bike with friends can all be good fun. Just remember, you need patience and discipline to master a skill. Reading is fun too. It helps improve your language skills. Why not make a trip to the big central library in Causeway Bay or visit a nice bookstore? Find a sear, relax and read. Set yourself a goal of reading at least one book this summer. There are also a variety of activities and camps on offer for young people leadership training and adventure-based activities are all appealing. Do you know what A.Q. and E.Q. stand for? Adversity quotient and emotional quotient respectively. You can find out more about them through those activities. It may be difficult for you to make up your mind. Consult your teachers or family. There is a saying: â€Å"Helpfulness is the source of happiness.† You are a powerful and practical source of help to those in need. There are various organizations that recruit and offer training for voluntary workers. Voluntary work can be a challenging and rewarding experience. Years ago, when I was still at school, I enjoyed my time serving physically disabled children at a special school. The experience later inspired me to pursue a career in helping others. No matter what, enjoy a meaningful and fruitful summer vacation.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Culture of Portugal

The country of Portugal has many rich cultural facets in food, music and sports. Situated on the west coast of the Iberian Peninsula that it shares with Spain, Portugal’s culture was shaped by the influences from the Latin, Visigoth and Muslim cultures. Many men in Portugal go into the Atlantic to catch fish while the women are homebound doing chores like house work or cleaning the fish. The men are the bread winners while the women are the housewives who take care of the home. The kids are free to make their own decisions outside of their home. It is mandatory for children to go to school until 6th grade but after that they are free to choose to carry on in school or help out in the working society. Even though the children have freedom outside their homes, it is within the culture for children to not leave the house until married and have their own children because of the strong family ties. Divorce was not an option in Portugal for many years. After the revolution of 1974, divorce was finally allowed into the Portuguese culture dominated by the Roman Catholic religion. Portugal has been known to be a very homogenous society over the years with mainly one language and one religion, Portuguese and Roman Catholic respectively. The Do’s and Don’ts of the Portuguese Culture are quite simple but different from the way of life that we know here in the States. For example: each time you meet someone new, you take time to get to know them; do not use first names unless you know them very well, the Portuguese have a lot of respect for academic titles for doctors and engineers and are addressed accordingly; upon meeting for the first time, the Portuguese can be quite reserved and formal if they do not know you well; don’t write in red because it is considered rude; if invited to someone’s house, do bring flowers; do not stretch in public because it is also rude; tip taxis 10% on each ride and by just using common sense and smiling at all times you will not go far wrong. The food of Portugal Varies by the region you visit. In the north, there is caldo verde and sardines. Caldo verde is a type of kale & potato soup flavored with a spicy sausage. This soup is eaten with broa, which is a grainy corn bread with thick crust. The traditional wine that goes with this food in this region would be the vinho verde. This is a young wine made from grapes that grow on arbors that often serve as property markers. In the northeastern region a popular dish is the Tras o Montes, which is fresh and cured pork used in many meals. A stew consisted of mixed meats and vegetables called cozida a portuguesa originated in this region has become a national dish. In central Portugal Cheeses are a very important part of the meal and fish like octopus, squid and eel. And finally in the south, a soup called gazpacho with bread and smoked pork. Overall as a nation, Bacalhau, or codfish, has been the most popular fish sine the 15th century. The Bacalhau croquettes are popular appetizers and for dessert cinnamon on top of rice pudding. Port wine which is the symbol of the city Porto, is a major export and is only used in rural households during ceremonial occasions or offered to celebrated guests. The annual killing and preserving of the pig is an important ceremony in the culture of Portugal. The event which last two days, usually occurs in late December or January. This process involves making sausage, smoking ham and salting other parts of the pig, including the stomach area. On the first day of this celebration called Sarrabulho, the noon meal consists of rice, innards and the blood of the pig. The country of Portugal observes fourteen holidays throughout the calendar year. The major days include the following: Freedom day (25th April), day that Portugal went from a dictatorship to a democracy in 1974; Portugal day (10th June), celebrates 16th century epic poem that brought fame and fortune to Portugal; Assumption (15th August), day Mary was taken into heaven; restoration of independence (1st December), celebrates the end of the Iberian Union. Many of their holidays fall are shared and fall on the same days as the US holidays like new years day, Good Friday, Easter, Labor Day and Christmas day. Clothing is a huge essential aspect of the culture in Portugal. The people of Portugal are very particular about their clothing attire and dressing styles. Like in many countries clothing ranges from the modern to traditional dressing patterns. The clothing industry plays a very important role in the economy of the country. The clothing ranges from the urban to the rural region. Usually the city people are extremely well dressed. They bear the resemblance of the western influence with western pattern clothing. In the rural areas, clothing is in tune with the traditional pattern of dressing. Men’s traditional outfits include stocking caps, berets that are teamed with trousers and baggy shirts. Women wear black shawls and long dresses. Black or dark colors are usually worn for carrying out daily chores, however brightly hued clothing is usually worn on special occasions. The music of Portugal was influenced by Ancient Rome’s traditions. The genres music include classical to popular. The history of the music can be divided into music production from the middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, and Romantic and Modern times. The music in Portugal offers a rich history and privileged geographical location which despite its European roots, reflects the intercontinental interactions with Portuguese discoveries. Despite all the rich culture in music, Portugal and more specifically the city of Lisbon is better known for the birth place of Fado. Fado is a melancholy urban genre of music that was believed to date back to the 15th century when it was believed that women would cry for the longing of their husbands who sailed the seas. Even though Arabs left the region in the 13th century, the instruments like the Portuguese guitar have Arabic imprints that are heavily used in the singing of Fado. In the year 1939, Fado became an international popular genre with Amalia Rodrigues. A Singer and actress, she made stylistic adjustments to Fado that have made her the most influential fadista of all time. Amalia Rodrigues revived the Fado tradition. She was followed by many new, young musicians who have contributed to the social/political revival of the music adapting and blending it with new trends. The new artists walk a fine line of adapting and carrying the old traditions while trying to bring in a new audience. Portugal takes a huge liking to the most popular sport in the world, football. Three major clubs that come out of Portugal are Sporting and Benfica both in Lisbon; and FC Porto based in Porto. The big three as they are known in Portugal not only compete in football but also in basketball, handball, futsal and volleyball. The Portuguese national team is one of the finest in Europe and the world and it evokes tremendous passion on its people. In studies it was proven that during the days of the National team games held throughout Portugal while hosting the Euro 2004 Championships, heart attacks increased by 46% for males with cardiovascular problems. With past players like Eusebio, Figo and now Christiano Ronaldo, Portugal has produced some of the best world class players in the game. Bullfighting is another popular sport. Unlike their Spanish compatriots, the Portuguese do not kill the bulls in the ring. The bullfighters come out usually dressed in an 18th century style coat and three-cornered hat. The horns of the bull are sheathed to protect the horse. The bullfighter, which is always on the horse, is followed by Forcados who are young men that take on the bull bare handed. And finally since Portugal is situated along the Atlantic Ocean, it is a popular destination for aquatic activities. It has become over the years a center for the activities the long seacoast and mild climate make for popular sailing, surfboarding and scuba diving. From the early 1990’s the Portuguese entrepreneurs along with the tourist board have heavily promoted the coastline for these popular sports and have been a revelation for the economy. From it’s vast array of food, including the ever so popular Bacalhau, to it’s most cherished music in Fado; Portugal has a unique mixture of cultural brilliance that’s sets it apart from it’s neighbor Spain and, for that matter, any country in Europe. With its pleasant climate along the coastline, it is not a surprise that they are hosts to many aquatic activities and produce a fine wine in Port. With Football being the hands down most popular sport in the country that drives the passion of the people, there is also an uprising of other sports through the big three clubs (Sporting, Benfica and Porto). Most importantly, family values and the cultures they create for the country of Portugal is still the core to most of the society who continue to live and have deep roots in their society modeled by their Catholic faith. References http://www.everyculture.com/No-Sa/Portugal.html https://www.britannica.com/place/Portugal http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portugal

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Funny Ads

â€Å"Humour certainly succeeds in getting people’s attention and is the most effective advertising strategy of our time. † Advertisement is one of the important things for a company’s marketing. It can say that in today’s modern life advertisement plays a key role in order for any company or product to succeed the advertisement must deliver a powerful message which attracts the consumer’s attention (Creativenerds 2010). That is because â€Å"advertising can achieve communications object such as informing people about brands, it can create awareness and it can move people closer to choosing one brand rather than another. (Blithe 2009) Humour has become a mainstay of advertising campaigns and has proven to be one of the most effective methods ever devised for selling products and creating a positive brand image (Clayton n. d. ). That is because Funny advertisements are a way to make sure they provide something different to the eyes of customers to s tand out in the crowd of products of services (SloDive n. d. ). Advertising is defined as a paid insertion of a message in a medium, and it is probably the most prominent of all marketing activities.Non-marketers often think that advertising is all that marketers do, which is of course not case the definition specifically excludes anything that is not paid for, or anything that does not pass through a medium, or anything that does not convey a message (Blithe 2009). However, it is true that using humour in advertisement can get people’s attention but it is not the most effective advertising strategy of our time. This essay will firstly show the disadvantages of using humour in advertising with some examples, and secondly, it also mentions some benefits of funny advertisement together with an example.The last thing is the recommendation about an advertising strategy. It is clear that the most obvious advantage of funny advertisement is that it does get more attention from cons umers and is better like. That is because humour is not only one of the best ways to captivate your audience’s attention but it also makes a product or service easier to recall or remember. People will probably love to  remember things  that make them smile or laugh and making people recognize a product is the most important thing for company’s marketing. The quote from presidiacreative is the good example. Humor is the best medicine, and this holds true in advertising as well, humor is one of the best ways to captivate your audience’s attention. Whether the humor is blatantly obvious, or a subtle joke, funny advertisements are always appreciated by the public, which is why so much effort goes into Superbowl ads. † (presidiacreative 2011) Furthermore, funny advertisement can get more attention because most people like funny things and it put them in a good mood. People love to be entertained that is why laughter has an enormous power when it comes to  advertisements.If asking some people about any advertisement that they seem to remember up to this day, more than 80 percents of them will think about  advertisements  that made them smile or laugh. They will relax and pay more attention when they know that advertisement has a sense of humor. Also, it create a more comfortable atmosphere and positive image for the company as Mr. Daboll, CEO of Ace Metrix, said â€Å"If you're equal on relevance and information, almost always funny will win over unfunny ads because it drives the other scores like likability and attention. (Neff 2012) Another advantage of using humour in advertising is that it can persuade people to buy products. Many people decide to buy the product because they like the advertisement. That is why the advertisement has a lot influence on circulation. According to Bhatti’s survey (2012), more than 50% of the current Vodafone customer is the result of effective funny advertisement created. Moreover, for a dvertisement, creativity is most important, and funniness is an extra added bonus for success. The Huggies advertisement is the very good example. It was successful funny advertisement because it conveys the message that a kid with a serious bladder problem can be contained. † (Hollis 2011). From two reason mentioned above it can understand that the advantages of using humour in advertisement are that people tend to enjoy it more, remember it, talk about it and then ultimately purchase a product. If a brand manager or a marketer always remembers that as long as people smile, they will surely buy. On the other hand, trying to use some serious approach in advertisement can make people find it boring and they will skip your advertisement (Sterling 2012).Although funny advertising has some advantages, it also has a lot disadvantages. The first one is that it can make consumers laugh but do not make them buy and the worst thing that could happen, and does happen, is for people to n otice the advertisement and remember the joke, but not the business (Theselfemployed n. d. ). It is true that funny advertisements are useful for entertaining viewers, but are not the most effective way for advertisers to convince those viewers to buy the product. There was a report about this point from Ace Metrix.It presented that â€Å"Funniness had little correlation with effectiveness in a scoring system that incorporates watchability, likability and persuasion among other factors. In fact, funny ads were slightly less likely to increase desire or purchase intent than unfunny ones. † (Neff 2012) These means that perfect ad is one that is appealing and memorable and effective all in the same breath (Pride et al. 2007). As Mr. Peter Daboll, CEO of Ace Metrix, said â€Å"Just being funny doesn't make an ad better, but being funny, relevant and informative are the things that really make an ad work† (Neff 2012).Secondly, some viewers cannot understand what those ads w ant to advertise. That is because there are a lot of jokes, slangs and spoken language in funny ads, so some people can understand but some people cannot. Nigel Hollis (2011), chief global analyst at Millward Brown, a global market research company, said that â€Å"Humor is culturally specific. Subtle references and puns tend to travel badly. † This is the example of one of the viewers’ opinion on the incomprehensible funny advertisement. I'm confused by the latest TV commercial for Adidas running shoes. The one that has the guy running through the city, and everything gets disrupted when he runs by it. Waterbeds explode, tractor trailer tires blow out, balloon floats deflate, a kid gets knocked off a pogo stick. At first I thought it was because the guy's feet smelled so bad he was causing all of this to happen, but the commercial is for a running shoe, so they wouldn't do that. † (Sassone 2005) This will make the company lose the group of people who cannot unde rstand he advertisement. A lot of people simply do not have a sense of humours, so if they think that the advertisement is not fun or they do not understand it, the company will lose these people immediately, and the potential size of the market will shrinks (Professional Advertising n. d. ). Thirdly, not all ads can be funny. It is believed that advertisement is a representative of company so if companies use funny things in ads that should not be funny, it will provide bad effect to companies’ images. In addition, advertising humor can backfire.If companies make a joke at the expense of any one group, they will surely alienate them. For example, many years ago, in Thailand, there was disrespectful act toward Buddha in one restaurant’s poster to make people fun. As a result, a lot of Thai people blamed on that restaurant and were banned it. This is because Buddhists who see a Buddha image placed in an improper place will feel very unhappy and may become subject to con flict arising from such situations. (Knowingbuddha n. d. ). Finally, some people cannot get any information from funny advertisement while some get bored with the same jokes.As the Professional Advertising said â€Å"The first time we see it we may laugh out loud. But after a while, although we still may smile at the joke, it’s not so funny anymore. Funny ads need to be replaced periodically. † (Professional Advertising n. d. ) Generally, when someone got the jokes, those jokes are not funny anymore. In the same ways as a funny advertisement, the first time people see the advertisement they will feel fun and interested, but they will find it not funny anymore when they see it again and again.Additionally, some advertisements have a lot of funny things but less information. In fact, giving information about a product is the most important of advertising and using humor is a supplement. Although funny advertisements drive the great advertising attributes such as attentio n and likeability, low information and relevance on many funny ads results in creating lower desire for the advertised products than non-funny advertisements (Tuttle 2012).This is the same concept as Michael Curran, Resource Manager at Capgemini, that â€Å"If an ad is merely funny and does nothing to bolster the featured product’s attributes, however, it’s probably a failure, no matter how funny the ad is. † (Tuttle 2012) In conclusion, Funny advertisement can get attention from viewers but it not always makes them buy a product. Besides, some people cannot understand what the ad wants to advertise and they sometimes cannot get anything about the product but fun. Also, not all ads can be funny.As a result, using humour in advertisement is one advertising strategy but it cannot be used with all advertisements and it is not the best way. It is recommended that companies should take care in considering what’s best for their brand. Don’t just jump on the funny band wagon because everyone is doing it. Every product must have its own proper way to advertise, so if a company can find that proper way, it will succeed in advertising. Some products are suited for funny advertisement but some are not, so companies should think carefully before advertising their product. Word count: 1670

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Deception Point Page 40

â€Å"This photo reveals,† Tench said, â€Å"that your candidate is holding secret meetings with an organization that represents private space enterprises.† Tench motioned to several other documents on the table. â€Å"We also have internal SFF memos calling for huge sums of money to be collected from SFF member companies-in amounts commensurate with their net worth-and transferred to accounts controlled by Senator Sexton. In effect, these private space agencies are anteing up to put Sexton in office. I can only assume he has agreed to pass the commercialization bill and privatize NASA if elected.† Gabrielle looked at the pile of papers, unconvinced. â€Å"Do you expect me to believe that the White House has evidence that its opponent is engaged in profoundly illegal campaign finance-and yet, for some reason, you are keeping it secret?† â€Å"What would you believe?† Gabrielle glared. â€Å"Frankly, considering your skills for manipulation, a more logical solution seems that you are plying me somehow with phony documents and photos produced by some enterprising White House staffer and his desktop publishing computer.† â€Å"Possible, I admit. But not true.† â€Å"No? Then how did you get all these internal documents from corporations? The resources required to steal all of this evidence from so many companies certainly exceeds the grasp of the White House.† â€Å"You're right. This information arrived here as an unsolicited gift.† Gabrielle was now lost. â€Å"Oh yes,† Tench said, â€Å"we get a lot of it. The President has many powerful political allies who would like to see him stay in office. Remember, your candidate is suggesting cuts all over the place-a lot of them right here in Washington. Senator Sexton certainly has no qualms about citing the FBI's bloated budget as an example of government overspending. He's taken some potshots at the IRS, too. Maybe someone at the bureau or at the service got a little annoyed.† Gabrielle got the implication. People at the FBI and IRS would have ways of getting this kind of information. They might then send it to the White House as an unsolicited favor to help the President's election. But what Gabrielle could not make herself believe was that Senator Sexton would ever be engaged in illegal campaign funding. â€Å"If this data is accurate,† Gabrielle challenged, â€Å"which I strongly doubt it is, why haven't you gone public?† â€Å"Why do you think?† â€Å"Because it was gathered illegally.† â€Å"How we got it makes no difference.† â€Å"Of course it makes a difference. It's inadmissible in a hearing.† â€Å"What hearing? We'd simply leak this to a newspaper, and they'd run it as a ‘credible-source' story with photos and documentation. Sexton would be guilty until proven innocent. His vocal anti-NASA stance would be virtual proof that he is taking bribes.† Gabrielle knew it was true. â€Å"Fine,† she challenged, â€Å"then why haven't you leaked the information?† â€Å"Because it's a negative. The President promised not to go negative in the campaign and he wants to stick to that promise as long as he can.† Yeah, right! â€Å"You're telling me the President is so upstanding that he refuses to go public with this because people might consider it a negative?† â€Å"It's a negative for the country. It implicates dozens of private companies, many of which are made up of honest people. It besmirches the office of the U.S. Senate and is bad for the country's morale. Dishonest politicians hurt all politicians. Americans need to trust their leaders. This would be an ugly investigation and would most likely send a U.S. senator and numerous prominent aerospace executives to jail.† Although Tench's logic did make sense, Gabrielle still doubted the allegations. â€Å"What does any of this have to do with me?† â€Å"Simply put, Ms. Ashe, if we release these documents, your candidate will be indicted for illegal campaign financing, lose his Senate seat, and most likely do prison time.† Tench paused. â€Å"Unless†¦ â€Å" Gabrielle saw a snakelike glint in the senior adviser's eyes. â€Å"Unless what?† Tench took a long drag on her cigarette. â€Å"Unless you decide to help us avoid all that.† A murky silence settled over the room. Tench coughed roughly. â€Å"Gabrielle, listen, I decided to share this unfortunate information with you for three reasons. First, to show you Zach Herney is a decent man who considers the government's well-being before his personal gain. Second, to inform you that your candidate is not as trustworthy as you might think. And third, to persuade you to accept the offer I am about to make.† â€Å"That offer being?† â€Å"I'd like to offer you a chance to do the right thing. The patriotic thing. Whether you know it or not, you're in a unique position to spare Washington all kinds of unpleasant scandal. If you can do what I am about to ask, perhaps you could even earn yourself a place on the President's team.† A place on the President's team? Gabrielle couldn't believe what she was hearing. â€Å"Ms. Tench, whatever you have in mind, I do not appreciate being black-mailed, coerced, or talked down to. I work for the senator's campaign because I believe in his politics. And if this is any indication of the way Zach Herney exerts political influence, I have no interest in being associated with him! If you've got something on Senator Sexton, then I suggest you leak it to the press. Frankly, I think this whole thing's a sham.† Tench gave a dreary sigh. â€Å"Gabrielle, your candidate's illegal funding is a fact. I'm sorry. I know you trust him.† She lowered her voice. â€Å"Look, here's the point. The President and I will go public with the funding issue if we must, but it will get ugly on a grand scale. This scandal involves several major U.S. corporations breaking the law. A lot of innocent people will pay the price.† She took a long drag and exhaled. â€Å"What the President and I are hoping for here†¦ is some other way to discredit the senator's ethics. A way that is more contained†¦ one in which no innocent parties get hurt.† Tench set down her cigarette and folded her hands. â€Å"Simply put, we would like you to publicly admit that you had an affair with the senator.† Gabrielle's entire body went rigid. Tench sounded utterly certain of herself. Impossible, Gabrielle knew. There was no proof. The sex had happened only once, behind locked doors in Sexton's senatorial office. Tench has nothing. She's fishing. Gabrielle fought to retain her steady tone. â€Å"You assume a lot, Ms. Tench.† â€Å"Which? That you had an affair? Or that you would abandon your candidate?† â€Å"Both.† Tench gave a curt smile and stood up. â€Å"Well, let's put one of those facts to rest right now, shall we?† She walked to her wall safe again and returned with a red manila folder. It was stamped with the White House seal. She unhooked the clasp, tipped the envelope over, and dumped the contents out on the desk in front of Gabrielle. As dozens of color photographs spilled out onto the desk, Gabrielle saw her entire career come crashing down before her. 46 Outside the habisphere, the katabatic wind roaring down off the glacier was nothing like the ocean winds Tolland was accustomed to. On the ocean, wind was a function of tides and pressure fronts and came in gusting ebbs and flows. The katabatic, however, was a slave to simple physics-heavy cold air rushing down a glacial incline like a tidal wave. It was the most resolute gale force Tolland had ever experienced. Had it been coming at twenty knots, the katabatic would have been a sailor's dream, but at its current eighty knots it could quickly become a nightmare even for those on solid ground. Tolland found that if he paused and leaned backward, the stalwart squall could easily prop him up.

Friday, September 13, 2019

Anti-Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Anti-Globalization - Essay Example Globalization is portrayed as a positive thing from which undeveloped countries can benefit. However an alternative view suggests something else. Some people are of the view that through the excuse of globalization the developed countries are exploiting the weak economies. They are making the undeveloped countries dependant on themselves and would eventually result in making them their slaves. The theory behind the movement was so strong and convincing that it brought together the ideological school of thoughts who believed in anarchism and communism, and the activists who have a much pragmatic approach to life. Before this movement nothing had worked in order to unite these two opposite forces. The ideology behind the movement is as I have previously mentioned, strong economies use the excuse of globalization to further strengthen their economies and in the process drain the weak economies. Basically, globalization is giving rise to accumulation of wealth and power. The strong are getting stronger and the weak weaker. The undeveloped countries have started becoming increasingly dependant on the developed nations and thus the developed countries are in a position to make or break them. One of the ba... They do not understand the basic value systems. For instance Pakistan's electricity company has been taken over by a Saudi company and now Pakistan is facing the worse electricity crisis ever. According to Noreena Hertz, in her book 'The silent takeover' "Corporations have become behemoths, huge global giants that wield immense political power" and in the process of their evolution, "justice, equity, rights, the environment, and even issues of national security fall by the wayside." This as we can see is very true. Another major issue is that anti-globalization activists believe that the concept of intellectual property has been overly dramatized and stretched. Now information and intellectual property which used to be possessed collectively by a country or an ethnic group is being retained by a smaller portion of people. Thus sharing of resources has finished. The people cling on to their intellectual property and share very little of it with others. Thus weaker people can not benefit from it and are at a loss. Generally they are the big companies who have retained this kind of intellectual property thus their market concentration increases. Labor issues are also a major back bone of the movement. Referring back to the privatization of Pakistan electric company we see that the developed countries are influencing the developing countries to privatize their businesses. This is because in their opinion privatization is a good thing and therefore they are forcing others to go for it too. However privatization causes unemployment for many of the employees. There have been many influential works seen in the movement. Examples of them include Naomi Klien's book 'NO Logo'. This book talks about the unethical side of the production processes of the multi

Thursday, September 12, 2019

TUI Group Environmental Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

TUI Group Environmental - Essay Example Established in 1997 the company has expanded its operations in tourism to emerge as the market leader globally (TUI AG, 2015). The company has invested in three business portfolio; TUI Hotels and Resorts, TUI travel and the cruise ship venture. TUI has strong portfolio comprising of over 1,800 travel agencies, 300 Hotels, 13 cruise liners, 130 aircrafts, six airlines, etc. The company recorded turnover of â‚ ¬18.7 billion in 2013/1014 financial year (TUI AG, 2015). TUI operates in more than 180 regions with over 30 million clients. The company’s shares trade on London Stock Exchange (FTSE) and in Frankfurt Stock Market. TUI experience strong competition from Thomas Cook, First Choice Holidays, Rewe Touristik and My Travel Group. TUI’s growth strategy is to increase the number of hotels by opening more 60 hotels and purchase four new ships.Porter’s five forces analysis promotes the understanding of sources of sources of external challenges facing the industry.T he threat of new entrants: The tourism industry requires high capital and is controlled by a few market leaders. However, the possibility of entrants of low-cost airlines offers price threat to TUI. Developing of efficient rails and customers preferences for personal vehicles can have adverse effects on the company. Substitutes: The social media, TV and other social activities pose some threats of substitutes though not a perfect replacement of tourism. Also, tourism is highly undifferentiated thus there is low threat of substitute.

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

ISMG Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 6

ISMG - Essay Example Keeping information from the analyst could have serious legal implications for Barton and could land him into trouble. The best approach for Barton would be to focus on the positives and try and only answer questions that the analyst asks (Austin, Nolan and ODonnell). The basic reason behind the poor structure of the recovery plan was neglect on the part of the company’s IT department. The neglect of recovery plan allowed the organization’s employees to take it for granted. This further led to the plan’s frequent testing (Austin, Nolan and ODonnell). Continuation testing and validation of the recovery system ensures that the recovery plan is in up to date and ensures that the concerned individuals at the organization are well prepared in case an unfavorable incident occurs within an organization. Recovery plans are to be tested by an organization at least once every year. Moreover costs of carrying out the test were also one of the reasons why the organization was not enthusiastic about reviewing its recovery plan. Neglect of the recovery system and lack of interest on the part of the organization’s management proved to be costly to the entire organization (Austin, Nolan and ODonnell). Shutting down an organization’s IT system is a major setback. Not only would that mean loss of profits but would also have an impact on the company’s reputation. Shutting down the IT system is the last resort and must only be used after all options have been thoroughly reviewed, examined and deemed ineffective. IT systems must be shut down when there is a fear that an attacker has placed a malicious piece of software, such as a Trojan, within the organization’s network (Austin, Nolan and ODonnell). Usually such a piece of software provides the attacker with a backdoor to access the network and cause damage to the network itself and the data that resides within the network. In such a case an organization must shut down its