Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Argument Between The Theistic And Atheistic Viewpoint

The argument between the theistic and atheistic viewpoint has been and always will be relevant. The relevance of this argument continues to carry over throughout generations because, as humans, we all have the desire to know the answers to the questions presented about life. We all want to be able to answer the hard questions, is God real? If the answer is yes, how did we come to that conclusion? H.J. McCloskey is the author of an article titled, â€Å"On Being an Atheist,† within this article he argues against the theistic viewpoint in hopes of shaking the theists conclusion that there is a divine creator. He answers the questions about God and his relevance to life by saying there is no God. He came to this conclusion by determining that if†¦show more content†¦He does not choose how we respond when faced with the decision of right and wrong because if he did there would be no choice to allow our free will to contemplate. Satan tempts humans by coating sins in the i llusion of happiness. We would not indulge in sin if it was presented to us as toxic as it actually is so Satan manipulates us by making it sound as if it will bring ultimate happiness. However, happiness is temporary and we all have the knowledge to access the sin that is presented in front of us and decide if it is right or wrong. We are given the choice through our free will to choose what is right or what is wrong and it is communicated to us through our moral conscience. William Lane Craig, a cosmological theist, firmly believes that an individual’s sense of morality exist because of God and his convictions. Theists believe that God often communicates His path through an individual’s moral compass, also known as that â€Å"still small voice†. When we choose wrong we allow evil to enter, misusing the gift God has allowed our minds to obtain. To a non-theistic mind McCloskey’s argument may have relevance but when someone who has knowledge on both theism and atheism analyzes the problem of evil the question regarding the worlds need for God without evil has to be considered. If God were to create all humans with the inability to make the mistake of falling into temptationShow MoreRelatedEssay on Right to Religion589 Words   |  3 Pagesparticular focus on the United States of America. The Right to Religion Basically, the right to religion involves the liberty to have as well as practice religion together with principles of one’s selection, encompassing theistic along with non-theistic beliefs in addition to atheistic beliefs. In this case, the right of religion covers freedom to practice one’s religion in terms of adoration, honoring and practice not leaving out teaching. However, this right to manifest a doctrine is contingent uponRead MoreThe And Evolution Between Creationism And Creationism1023 Words   |  5 PagesAmericans consider the controversy between creationism and evolution as existing on a dichotomous scale. This belief is inaccurate which is why the exercise of presenting the Creation/Evolution Continuum is highly successful both in middle and high school as well as universities. The continuum is not meant to change a student s beliefs or exalt one position over another, it is rather to demonstrate that there are many points of view and show the complexity of the argument (Scott, 2000). The continuumRead MorePhilosophical Analysis of a Non-Philosophical Stimulus1956 Words   |  8 Pageselements of his external world: but the photograph is the depiction of how the individual is still infinitely free in his capability to act and react to events: to choose and be responsible for his own actions. There are contradictory philosophical viewpoints, for example Freud might argue from a perspective of psychic determination. As Erich Fromm summarises, Freud might claim that ‘there is this secret, hidden, dissociated personality, and...this personality has a tremendous effect on everything weRead MoreExistentialism vs Essentialism23287 Words   |  94 Pagesor goal. In this sense, humans are free to choose their own destiny.   * is a philosophical term which asserts that there is a distinction between essential and non-essential (contingent or accidental) characteristics of an object. Essentialism assumes that objects have essences and that an object’s identity is its essence. Aristotle distinguished between an object’s essence and its existence. Its essence is â€Å"what a thing is.† Its essence is â€Å"that a thing is.† An object’s essence is the collection

Monday, December 16, 2019

Walmart Global Expansion Free Essays

Wal-Mart’s Global Expansion Introduction Sam Walton established Wal-Mart at Arkansas in 1962. It has grown dramatically over the last 40 years and has become one of the world’s largest retailers with the sales of $401 billion in a year ending Jan. 31st 2009. We will write a custom essay sample on Walmart Global Expansion or any similar topic only for you Order Now Wal-Mart has approximately 7,000 stores globally with 2 million employees. It is the largest private employer in Mexico and Canada with the employee figures hitting around 1. 4 million in this region. It also operates 3,600 additional stores in 16 worldwide markets that include China, Japan, South Korea, India and United Kingdom. Wal-Mart does particularly well in Canada where they have a chain of 314 stores. In 2008, it had 92,284,000 dollars of gross profit. Wal-Mart serves its customers and members over 200 million times per week and ranked first among retailers in Fortune Magazine’s 2009 Most Admired Companies survey. Wal-Mart provides sustainability- focused products. Wal-Mart not only provides jobs for senior citizens and students but also provide opportunities to build careers with competitive salaries. The retailer claims that 75% of its stores management team joined the company as hourly sales associates. Wal-Mart has also got an impressive ethical policy which includes regular use of recycling products and creating almost zero landfill waste. The company also makes vast amount of donations to different local level charitable organizations every year for improving people’s lives, which made Wal-Mart a trusted organization for funding the community programs to address hunger, homelessness, education, job training and other basic needs. International Expansion of Wal-Mart and its Benefits By 1990, Wal-Mart realized that the opportunities for growth in United States is becoming limited because of the saturation of the market and decided to expand their business globally. Their international expansion put a greater impact on international market and has changed the way business is conducted globally. It has also increased the benefits for the consumers as it helps them spend less money on goods they purchase. The company’s relationship with their key suppliers such as General Electronics (For appliances), Unilever (For Food Products) and Procter Gamble (For Personal care products) is very good. All these suppliers are internationally recognized with vast global expansion and because of this Wal-Mart are able to demand deeper discounts from the local operations of its suppliers. Apart from these world renowned suppliers Wal-Mart also does business with more than 2,500 minority and women-owned business enterprises (MWBE). The result of this good relationship with suppliers means they can lower their prices to attract more consumers, gain market share and increase their profit margins in international market. Wal-Mart claims in its data sheet for December 2009 that its international business achieved 11. % rise in sales for the whole financial year. Except the profit and market share another benefit of international expansion for Wal-Mart is the flow of different ideas for example, a double-floor store in New York was opened because of the success of multi-floor stores in South Korea. Other ideas such as the layout of the wine department in Argentina have now been used into th e layouts of company’s stores worldwide. Wal-Mart is also constantly trying to improve its reputation ethically and consistently helping over 100,000 charitable and community-focused organizations by providing financial and volunteer support. Retailer’s policy of buying fair-trade products in the international market is also attracting the attention of many consumers to shop in Wal-Mart. Risks When Entering Other Retail Markets The idea of expanding internationally was initially jeered off and the critics showed that Wal-Mart’s style of trading only suits to an American market, which in other countries is not going to work because of the different market structure, people’s taste and the popularity of already established retailers. But instead of all the critics Wal-Mart went ahead with an idea and in 1991opened their first international branch in Mexico. Expanding business internationally also brought some risks for the retailer as being new in the market they faced problems like bad infrastructure, lack of leverage from their suppliers and no knowledge about consumers taste, which resulted the rise in prices of their products and lack of interest from the consumers. One prime example of this kind of mistake was in Mexico where they merchandised products like ice skates, lawn mowers and fishing tackles which were good sellers in United States but without a surprise didn’t do well in Mexico. Managers had to reduce prices to sell that stock but it was re-ordered because of the automated ordering system. These problems created a large risk to prove the critics right about Wal-Mart not surviving internationally. Diminishing the Risks Wal-Mart learned vastly from their experience in Mexico and after that whenever they entered any international market they took strict measures on not repeating the same mistakes. To avoid risks of making past mistakes they made deals with vehicle companies which means improved and frequent distribution system, adapted local environment and merchandised goods in stores that appealed local tastes. With the grown presence of Wal-Mart in the international market their suppliers built factories near the distribution centers so they could serve the company better, which meant frequent inventory and cutting down the cost to get better market share. These are the tactics that has made Wal-Mart one of the most successful and globally recognized retailer in the world. Entering Mexico via Joint Venture Wal-Mart first entered Mexico through a joint venture with Cifera, because it was the largest local retailer in Mexico which was somehow within the standard as Wal-Mart was in the United States. The other reason it entered through a joint venture was because they wanted to be on the safe side when entering a new market considering they had no previous experience of the market they were planning to enter and hoped the experience from Cifera will help them in making their brand global, which they had planned to do after the market in America got saturated for domestic growth. Financial Aspect of Joint Venture As for the financial aspect of joint venture seems to be that both companies can benefit from the profit as well as share the risk and cost. Get a greater access to resources which both companies can share with each other and also the availability for both companies to a new market distribution. While not to forget the risk of this particular idea for a business is that every company has different objectives on how to move forward with the business. The other risk is the communication flow as one company can be centralized and the other decentralized. Purchase of Joint Venture Partner The major reason believed to push Wal-Mart to buy of their Mexican joint venture partner Cifera. Was that they had gained enough experience working in Mexico which was around about 7 years and during that time they had increased their sales of good as well as made contacts to help them prosper without the help of having a joint venture. After getting exposed and experience within the market they had considered to start their own chain of stores to have a firsthand control rather than having to collaborate with their partner to make certain decisions. The other reason could be considered that is since their deployment in the Mexico during 1991 when goods were being sold at 20 percent more than in the States due to various different conditions such as transport and production of goods. They were able to sort out the problem by at first having a deal in place with a major transport company to bring products from their factory to the stores in Mexico, which later on opted on suppliers to open factories around areas where stores were located which enabled to cut down on logistics cost. Having this in place they were able to provide the same goods in the same price as they did in the States. Difference of Strategy for Dominance Before explaining the strategy that Wal-Mart pursued it would be helpful in understanding the strategies. As per the question four different strategies were provided to consider and show the one chosen by Wal-Mart to match its strategic choice and why. The four strategies are global strategy, localization strategy, international strategy, and transnational strategy. Global standardization strategy is a â€Å"strategy that focuses on increasing profitability by reaping cost reductions from experience curve and location economies† (Hill, 2009). Localization strategy is a â€Å"plan which focuses on increasing profitability by customizing the goods or services to match tastes in national markets† (Hill, 2009). Transnational strategy is a â€Å"plan to exploit experience-based cost and location economies, transfer core competencies with the firm, and pay attention to local responsiveness† (Hill, 2009). Lastly international strategy is â€Å"trying to create value by transferring core competencies to foreign markets where indigenous competitors lack those competencies† (Hill, 2009). Domination The strategy that Wal-Mart used to go global from United States was the global strategy at first in Mexico but after noticing that the strategy has no affect rather than sales going up they had to cut down the price of goods to be able to sell them. This enabled the company to change from global to localization strategy which is to focus on increasing profitability by customizing the firm’s goods or services they provide a good match to tastes and preferences in different national markets. This enabled them to adapt to the local market and provide goods that matched the local environment. As for making sense of this strategy it was a valuable and the right decision considering the outcome from the change. As profit grew so did the hold in the market as well as outsmarting their nearest rival by having more than twice as many stores within the country. Conclusion To conclude, Wal-Mart benefited vastly from their global expansion. It experienced an increase of global market share, reputation and profit margin. It also gained economies of scales. Although, they faced massive problems when they took their business internationally but they quickly learned from their mistakes and adapted the strategies according to different international markets, which benefited them in many ways. Wal-Mart ranked 8th in 2009 Forbes Magazine’s of global companies but 1st in global retailers ranking and if they keep attracting consumers by their business strategies then without a doubt it will stay the top retailer for a long time. How to cite Walmart Global Expansion, Papers

Saturday, December 7, 2019

My Three Weeks in the Dominican Republic Essay Example For Students

My Three Weeks in the Dominican Republic Essay As of today at about 2:44 p.m, I will be landing at one of the most beautiful islands in the world, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Hopefully this trip will be a good get-away for me to relax and figure out what I really want to accomplish in my life, all this â€Å"I have to get good grades† has gotten me a bit out of track and a bit confused as well but hopefully this trip is enough. I need get on the plane to Punta Cana at 7:40 a.m. The round trip ticket cost me $442.20 not bad actually, bringing my total of $5000 down to $4,557.8. The trip has one stop in the Philadelphia airport where I will have to wait an hour and 45 minutes, then take the next flight to Punta Cana at 9:50 a.m. I get to the Punta Cana airport at 2:44 p.m but because of security purposes and certain procedures a passenger has to follow I will be leaving the airport at around 3 or so, where a taxi driver is waiting to take me to the Four Point hotel in the Punta Cana resort village. Upon arrival I pay the man in $50 US dollars and book a room for 5 nights costing me $107 a night for a total of $535 bringing down my total to $4,022.8. Crazy how money goes huh? I have spent above a thousand dollars in one day, the first day. I actually have a pretty good impression on my choice of hotel though. I decide to walk up the stairs instead of taking the elevator just so i can get familiar with the hotel and so far so good, I am not regretting anything. Everything seems to be perfect and clean. Just the way i like it. Day 2 Day 2, today is the official day. Hopefully today I will be venturing some cool adventures. It is 8:30 in the morning, not so bad of a morning, it’s pretty chill outside. I head down to the resorts buffet for breakfast, luckily for me I dont have to worry about paying for a plate of food because all meals come bundled with the room. The steaks were pretty good actually, I mean it is a Spanish country right? Honestly from reader to writer, one of the main reasons why I came here, was because of the food and because of that fact that I knew I can definitely got get the extremely needed tan. It is exactly 12:00 p.m just when the sun is hitting the middle sky. Perfect time for tanning. I go back to my room and get my towel and some tanning oil. About 4 hours have passed by and gosh I can already see a difference, well hopefully the lines a under my biking mean a good thing. It is about 4:30 and I just remember I have to visit the car enterprise so i can rent car- seems like paying a cab everyday will probably lead me to my last dollar bill. Day 3 I am actually thinking of going to visit my family, wait, you know what? that is part of my plan now. It is day 3, 6 in the morning to be exact. I kind of want to hit the gym but ill rather go for breakfast and give my family a surprise. Oh man I cant even remember when was the last time I saw them, hopefully they remember my face, i tend to hear a lot that Ive changed over the past years. Hopefully i look better now. It is about 15 of 12 I head to the other side of Punta Cana where most of my family is at. Cant lie, i am pretty excited but nervous at the same. I am already imagining what their reactions are going to be if they actually do remember me. Day 4 You dont understand how amazing this place is, there might actually be a possibility of settling a life here, after college of course, though what if i come to a college here in Punta Cana?. I definitely would not mind. Well, it is day 4, 7:30 in the morning, and todays plans are, to make plans, since i dont have any yet. I am thinking of visiting a lot of different places. I have no idea what places I want to visit but i’ll find out, hopefully with the help of the internet and some locals that i will strangely be approaching today. But first thing is first and that is my stomach. I am currently at one of the local â€Å"Cafe† restaurant in the resort. The coffee definitely tastes different but it sure tastes wonderful. I head down to the â€Å"mini library†, i mean my room is bigger than this â€Å"library†. The research is going good so far, a lot of amazing different sites and lands and historical places and parks and beaches and lakes. God i love this place. Day 5 Day 5, last day at the resort. Tons of packing to do, well not really. If the packing goes well hopefully by 12:00 pm Ill be free. I heard about samba classes that is held by a profession dancing crew that the resort has a partnership with just so they can have a variety of activities for us to do and well, you know, I am definitely in there! It is 12:30 sharp, 30 minutes past my original plan but it’s okay. I head down to the dance studio about a block away from my room. I am definitely ready for this. One thing I know about Dominican Republic. They love dancing. I wish i wouldve found out about this classes earlier though, not the last day ugh. Day 6 Day 6, I am currently on my way West of Punta Cana, to the city of La Romana. From there I exchange some of my USD to the countries currency, pesos. I took $1000 USD and converted it to pesos, each USD is around 43 pesos so I was left with around 43,000 Dominican Pesos. Since I was already in the city I decided to check in the Hotel Frano that was around the area since it was getting late. I pay 2161 for the night, not bad, I mean it is no longer a 4 point hotel anymore but i mean, it doesnt matter because as of tomorrow I will be visiting tons of places, hopefully. Monopoly or is it just phony EssayDay 14 I pack up the supplies and take a personal cab down to the airport of Puerto Plata to pick up the vehicle I reserved. The cab ride was very long and took the majority of the day. When we finally arrived I gave the taxi driver $150 USD leaving me with $1,509.8 USD left. I rent the vehicle for six days costing me a total of $476 USD tax included. This leaves my total to $1,033.8 USD. Im running very low on money so I decide to stay in a cheap hotel called Celuisma Cabarete for three nights which costs $34 per night. This leaves me with $931.8. It is late at night so I park the car and head to my room to sleep. Day 15 I was already in the Puerto Plata area so I decided to check out a swimming place called the 27 Waterfalls of Damajagua which is a free lagoon type thing where anyone can go swim by the waterfall or jump from it if they want. The place is fully inhabited by locals who go daily for a free routine of jumping from waterfall, the lake, and back. I eat what the local merchants sell me, wasting about 200 pesos plus the food I still have from the night on the beach. At the end of the day I drive back up to the hotel, Day 16 Today I left the car in the hotel and was picked up early in the morning for a Dominican Outback Safari tour which cost me $80. The truck took us along dirt roads to the lesser inhabited areas of Puerto Plata. The tour was very educational and fun. It lasted around 7 hours approximately and I got to learn more about the countries history and its rich culture. After the tour the tour truck made a stop to a local restaurant where the meal cost me a total of $80 (minus the $80 for the tour today i spent $160 USD). I figured the prices are so high because this is a large tourist attraction in the city. Today I was left with $771.8 USD. I now have to find a way to stretch that amount for the next five days. Day 17 Today I spent the day around the hotel seeing what it had to offer. After breakfast I went down to the pool area and decided to try out yoga with one of the personal instructors. Later today I stocked up on supplies and went to a personal hiking trip in Pico Isabel de Torres. The trail was 5 miles long and took moderate effort to complete. It didnt cost me anything because it was a natural trail for anyone to use. At the end of the day I book the hotel for one more night ($737.8 USD left) and prepare for sleep. Day 18 From Puerto Plata I drive down to the City of Santiago, arguably one of the more modernized cities of the country. Its an hour trip and I spend about $30 on gas ($707.8 USD left). Upon reaching the city I quickly check into the Hodelpa Hotel which costs $100 USD a night and I book two nights. After the free lunch I go to a baseball field and play some baseball with a friendly group of girls. I spend the whole evening playing and after losing I head to the mall to do some girl shopping. Today has been a very long but enjoyable day, I head back to my hotel room to sleep. Day 19 Today there is a special event taking place in the city called Las Patronales which is a celebration of the countries independence and culture that travels across different parts of the country all year round. I spend the entire day in the hotel and leave at night for the event. Everyday there is a special guest star appearance in the festival and in the Patronales in Santiago it happens to be Romeo Santos. Everyone is having a good time drinking, dancing, going on the rides, and singing that I lose track of the time and head back to the hotel at dawn. Day 20 Today I checked out of the hotel and slowly drove through cities, countrysides, and military bases making my way back to the Punta Cana area. Dominican Republic as a whole is very diverse in its scenery. I check back in the Hotel I first arrived to. I pay the usual $107 ($400.8 left) and I turn the car back in around the airport. Arriving back to the hotel, at night I go to the pool area and bar where I drink some pià ±a colada before heading back into my room. It has definitely been the vacation of my life but I am crazy for a bed right now. Day 21 The complimentary hotel bus takes me back to the airport free of charge. I get on my 1:33 p.m flight and ill be landing in Philadelphia airport again, i’ll then wait 2 hours and 33 minutes. Hopefully by 8:31 i’ll be landing in Boston. Since I have money to spare I pay $25 to upgrade my seat to first class. Bibliography: Flight Ticket hhtps://m.cheapair.com/air/bookflight?sid=1cid=379 Dominican experiences http://www.lonelyplanet.com/dominican-republic/travel-tips-and-articles/76828 Map of Dominican Republic https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Santo+Domingo+Zona+Colonialie=UTF-8ei=T6wKU_n2AcPFsATh9YHYCAved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ Dominican Outback Safari Tour Bus http://www.viator.com/tours/Puerto-Plata/Dominican-Outback-Safari/d795-2476POP_7 Alisei Hotel Rates http://aliseihotelspa.com/rates-reservations/ http://www.adventurerentcar.com/flotilla.php 27 Waterfalls guide http://www.27charcos.com/index.php Dominican Holiday Calendar http://www.listindiario.com/rd_festivos Hodelpa Hotel Chain http://www.hodelpa.com/en/ Few Facts about Dominican Republic http://dr1.com/articles/twenty_one.shtml Dominican Festivals http://www.welcome-dominican-republic.com/Dominican-Republic-holidays.html http://www.sixt.com/php/reservation/offerconfig

Saturday, November 30, 2019

Snmp - Report free essay sample

The objectives of this report are to provide the reader with a clearer understanding of network management, the concepts inherent in the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), comparisons of SNMP with other network management protocols, how SNMPs are used in network management, and, finally, to provide the results of experiments carried out using several different modem configurations. SNMP is an internet-standard system of digital message format, or protocol, for managing devices on Internet Protocol (IP) networks. Routers, switches, servers, workstations, printers, modems are examples of such devices that support SNMP. It was introduced in 1988 to meet the growing need for managing Internet Protocol (IP) devices [2] and is used mostly in network management systems to monitor network-attached devices for conditions that warrant administrative attention. SNMP includes an application layer protocol, a database schema, and a set of data objects [1]. Network management is a general concept that employs the use of various tools and techniques, and systems to aid human beings in managing various devices, system, or networks. We will write a custom essay sample on Snmp Report or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page One such model of network management is called FCAPS, or Fault Management, Configuration Management, Accounting Management, Performance Management, and Security Management. Under the SNMP system and the FCAPS model, one or more administrative computers, called managers, are tasked to monitor and/or manage one or more pieces of software, called agents, which run on the network device. Specifically, the manager is a server which is running some kind of software system that can handle management tasks for a network. SNMP uses the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) as the transport protocol for passing data between managers and agents. The upside to the unreliable nature of UDP is that it requires low overhead, so the impact on the network’s performance is reduced. Management information is the operational parameters of SNMP-capable devices. The definition of managed objects can be broken down into three attributes: Name, Type and syntax, and Encoding. Managed objects are organized into a treelike hierarchy, this is the basis for SNMP’s naming scheme. Care must be taken when identifying managed objects or Object Identifiers (OIDs), across different versions of SNMP as there are enhancements to the naming scheme. Table of Contents Summary faults, collecting long term performance data, remote configuration of devices, and the remote control of a device. Another aspect of SNMP is network monitoring, or the monitoring of an entire network as opposed to individual routers, hosts, and other devices. This is called Remote Network Monitoring (RMON) and it can be used to monitor not only LAN traffic, but WAN interfaces as well. In the SNMP system, there are two kinds of entities: managers and agents. A manager is a server running some kind of software system that can handle management tasks for a network. Managers are often referred to as Network Management Stations (NMSs). An NMS is responsible for polling and receiving traps from agents in the network. A poll, in the context of network management, is the act of querying an agent (router, switch, Unix server, etc. ) for some piece of information. A trap, on the other hand, is a way for the agent to tell the NMS that something has happened. The agent is a piece of software that runs on the network devices that are being managed. It can be a separate program or it can be incorporated into the operating system. Today, most IP devices come with some kind of SNMP agent built in. The agent also provides management information to the NMS by keeping track of various operational aspects of the device. When the agent notices that something bad has happened, it can send a trap to the NMS, where it is handled appropriately. Figure 1: Relationship between an NMS and an Agent Network Management SNMP is really about network management. Network management is a general concept that employs the use of various tools, techniques, and systems to aid human beings in managing various devices, systems, or networks. One such model for network management is called FCAPS, or Fault Management, Configuration Management, Accounting Management, Performance Management, and Security Management. Fault management is used to detect, log, and notify users of systems or networks of problems as downtime of any kind is usually not acceptable. Fault management dictates that fault resolution first isolates the problem by using tools to determine symptoms, tries to resolve the problem, and then finally record the process that was used to detect and resolve the problem. Configuration management is used to monitor network and system configuration information so that the effects on network operation of various versions of hardware and software elements can be tracked and managed. This information generally is stored in a database of some kind. As configuration parameters change for systems, this database is updated. This data store can also aid in problem resolution. Accounting Management is used to ensure that computing and network resources are sued fairly by all groups or individuals who access them. Through this form of regulation, network problems can be minimized since resources are divided based on capacities. Performance management is used to measure and report on various aspects of network or system performance. Performance management usually starts when performance data is first gathered. Baseline levels are then established based on analysis of the data gathered. Finally, performance thresholds are established. A problem usually happens when these thresholds are exceeded. The last aspect of FCAPS is Security Management which is used to control access to some resources, such as a network and its hosts, and to help detect and prevent attacks that can compromise networks and hosts. Security management does not only involve network security systems but also physical security. This is usually accomplished through the use of various tools and systems such as firewalls, Intrusion Detection Systems (IDSs), Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPSs), antivirus systems and policy management. Applying the Concepts of Network Management The endeavor of network management involves solving a business problem through an implementation of some sort. The basic idea is to reduce costs and increase effectiveness. There are four different possible levels of activity when it comes to managing a specific service or device. Inactive, where no monitoring is being done, reactive, where a problem is dealt with only after it occurs, interactive, where components are monitored and interacted with to troubleshoot them, and finally, proactive, where the system provides a root-cause alarm then initiates predefined automatic restoral processes all while being monitored. However, the ability to monitor a service or system interactively or proactively begins with trend analysis and reporting. Accounting Accounting Security Security Performance Performance Fault Fault Configuration Configuration Network Management Network Management Change Management Change Management Proactive Proactive Inactive Inactive Reactive Reactive Interactive Interactive Trend Analysis Trend Analysis Response Time Reporting Response Time Reporting Alarm Correlation Alarm Correlation Figure 2: Concept of Network Management Trend Analysis and Reporting In general, the goal of trend analysis is to identify when systems, services, or networks are beginning to reach their maximum capacity, with enough lead time to do something about it before it becomes a real problem for end users. Trend analysis is aided by Response Time Reporting which measures how various aspects of the network (including systems) are performing with respect to responsiveness. To narrow down the many alerts and events into a single alert or several events that depict the real problem, Alarm Correlation is used. Alarm Correlation is also used to help operators know that an agent is indeed up and operational after being in a bad state. Trending also helps determine which device is constantly unreliable for investigation. The key to trouble resolution for the operator is knowing which information provided is valuable and can help resolve the problem. If possible, alerts and alarms should provide the operator with enough detail so that he or she can effectively troubleshoot and resolve a problem. However, in the event that the network is altered, planned or not, change management is used to prevent unreliable networks and systems, and ensure the correct level of notification with minimal user impact. The key steps for change management are: 1. Assigning a change controller. 2. Holding periodic change review meetings. Documenting change input requirements. 4. Documenting change output requirements. 5. Defining a change approval process. 6. Holding post-mortem meetings. 7. Developing an emergency change procedure. Subsequently, change planning is a process that identifies the risk level of a change and builds change planning requirements to ensure that the change is successful. The eight key steps for change planning are: 1. Assigning all potential changes a risk level prior to scheduling the change. 2. Documenting at least three risk levels with corresponding change planning requirements. Identifying risk levels for software and hardware upgrades, topology changes, routing changes, configuration changes, and new deployments. 4. Assigning higher risk levels to nonstandard add, move, or change types of activity. 5. Including lab validation, vendor review, peer review, and detailed configuration and design documentation. 6. Creating solution templates for deployments affecting multiple sites. 7. Including information about physical layout, logical design, configuration, software versions, acceptable hardware chassis and modules, and deployment guidelines. 8. Documenting network standards for configuration, software version, supported hardware, and DNS. Finally, caution must be taken when implementing a network management system as this can mean adding more staff to handle the increased load of maintaining and operating such an environment. On the other hand, this monitoring should reduce the workload of the system administration staff. The Structure of Management Information The Structure of Management Information (SMI) provides a way to define managed objects and their behavior. An agent has in its possession a list of the objects that it tracks.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Refutation Definition and Examples

Refutation Definition and Examples In rhetoric, refutation is the part of an argument in which a speaker or writer counters opposing points of view. Also called  confutation. Refutation is the key element in debate, say the authors of The Debaters Guide   (2011). Refutation makes the whole process exciting by relating ideas and arguments from one team to those of the other (The Debaters Guide, 2011). In speeches, refutation and confirmation are often presented conjointly with one another (in the words of the unknown author of Ad Herrenium): support for a claim (confirmation) can be enhanced by a challenge to the validity of an opposing claim (refutation). In classical rhetoric, refutation was one of the rhetorical exercises known as the  progymnasmata. Examples and Observations Refutation is the part of an essay that disproves the opposing arguments. It is always necessary in a persuasive paper to refute or answer those arguments. A good method for formulating your refutation is to put yourself in the place of your readers, imagining what their objections might be. In the exploration of the issues connected with your subject, you may have encountered possible opposing viewpoints in discussions with classmates or friends. In the refutation, you refute those arguments by proving the opposing basic proposition untrue or showing the reasons to be invalid...In general, there is a question about whether the refutation should come before or after the proof. The arrangement will differ according to the particular subject and the number and strength of the opposing arguments. If the opposing arguments are strong and widely held, they should be answered at the beginning. In this case, the refutation becomes a large part of the proof . . .. At other times when the opp osing arguments are weak, the refutation will play only a minor part in the overall proof. -Winifred Bryan Horner, Rhetoric in the Classical Tradition. St. Martins, 1988 Indirect and Direct Refutation Debaters refute through an indirect means when they use counter-argument to attack the case of an opponent. Counter-argument is the demonstration of such a high degree of probability for your conclusions that the opposing view loses its probability and is rejected...Direct refutation attacks the arguments of the opponent with no reference to the constructive development of an opposing view...The most effective refutation, as you can probably guess, is a combination of the two methods so that the strengths of the attack come from both the destruction of the opponents views and the construction of an opposing view. -Jon M. Ericson, James J. Murphy, and Raymond Bud Zeuschner,  The Debaters Guide, 4th ed. Southern Illinois University Press, 2011An effective refutation must speak directly to an opposing argument. Often writers or speakers will claim to be refuting the opposition, but rather than doing so directly, will simply make another argument supporting their own side. This is a fo rm of the fallacy of irrelevance through evading the issue. -Donald Lazere,  Reading and Writing for Civic Literacy: The Critical Citizens Guide to  Argumentative Rhetoric. Taylor Francis, 2009 Cicero on Confirmation and Refutation [T]he statement of the case . . . must clearly point out the question at issue. Then must be conjointly built up the great bulwarks of your cause, by fortifying your own position, and weakening that of your opponent; for there is only one effectual method of vindicating your own cause, and that includes both the confirmation and refutation. You cannot refute the opposite statements without establishing your own; nor can you, on the other hand, establish your own statements without refuting the opposite; their union is demanded by their nature, their object, and their mode of treatment. The whole speech is, in most cases, brought to a conclusion by some amplification of the different points, or by exciting or mollifying the judges; and every aid must be gathered from the preceding, but more especially from the concluding parts of the address, to act as powerfully as possible upon their minds, and make them zealous converts to your cause. -Cicero, De Oratore, 55 BC Richard Whately on Refutation Refutation of Objections should generally be placed in the midst of the Argument; but nearer the beginning than the end. If indeed very strong objections have obtained much currency, or have been just stated by an opponent, so that what is asserted is likely to be regarded as paradoxical, it may be advisable to begin with a Refutation. -Richard Whately, Elements of Rhetoric, 1846)​ FCC Chairman William Kennards Refutation There will be those who say Go slow. Dont upset the status quo. No doubt we will hear this from competitors who perceive that they have an advantage today and want regulation to protect their advantage. Or we will hear from those who are behind in the race to compete and want to slow down deployment for their own self-interest. Or we will hear from those that just want to resist changing the status quo for no other reason than change brings less certainty than the status quo. They will resist change for that reason alone. So we may well hear from a whole chorus of naysayers. And to all of them, I have only one response: we cannot afford to wait. We cannot afford to let the homes and schools and businesses throughout America wait. Not when we have seen the future. We have seen what high capacity broadband can do for education and for our economy. We must act today to create an environment where all competitors have a fair shot at bringing high capacity bandwidth to consumers- especial ly residential consumers. And especially residential consumers in rural and underserved areas. -William Kennard, Chairman of the FCC, July 27, 1998 Etymology: From the Old English, beat Pronunciation: REF-yoo-TAY-shun

Friday, November 22, 2019

A Critical Look at Death of a Salesman

A Critical Look at 'Death of a Salesman' Have you ever loved a rock band that had lots of great songs you cherished? But then the band’s hit single, the one everyone knows by heart, the one that gets all the airtime on the radio, isn’t a song you particularly admire? That’s the way I feel about Arthur Millers   Death of a Salesman. It’s his most famous play, yet I think it pales in comparison to many of his less popular dramas. Although it’s by no means a bad play, it certainly is overrated. Wheres the Suspense? Well, you have to admit, the title does give everything away. The other day, while I was reading Arthur Miller’s esteemed tragedy, my nine-year-old daughter asked me, â€Å"What are you reading?† I replied, Death of a Salesman, and then at her request I read a few pages to her. She stopped me and announced, â€Å"Daddy, this is the world’s most boring mystery.† I got a good chuckle out of that. Of course, it’s a drama, not a mystery. However, the  suspense is a vital component of tragedy. Sure, when we watch a tragedy, we fully anticipate death, destruction, and sadness by the play’s end. But how will the death occur? What will bring about the destruction of the protagonist? When I watched Macbeth for the first time, I guessed that it would conclude with Macbeth’s demise. But I had no idea as to what would be his undoing. After all, he and Lady Macbeth thought they’d never be â€Å"vanquished until Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him.†Ã‚   How the heck is a forest going to turn against them?! Therein lies the suspense because, sure enough, the forest comes marching right up to their castle! The main character in  Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman, is an open book. We learn very early on in the play that his professional life is a failure. He’s the low-man on the totem pole, hence his last name, â€Å"Loman.† (Very clever, Mr. Miller!) Within the first fifteen minutes of the play, the audience learns that Willy is no longer capable of being a traveling salesman. We also learn that he is suicidal. Spoiler! Willy Loman kills himself at the end of the play. But well before the conclusion, it becomes clear that the protagonist is bent upon self-destruction. His decision to kill himself for the $20,000 insurance money comes as no surprise; the event is blatantly foreshadowed throughout much of the dialogue. The Loman Brothers I have a hard time believing in Willy Loman’s two sons. Happy: He is the perennially ignored son. He has a steady job and keeps promising his parents that he’s going to settle down and get married. But in reality, he’s never going far in business and plans to sleep around with as many floozies as possible. Biff: He’s more likable than Happy. He has been toiling on farms and ranches, working with his hands. Whenever he returns home for a visit, he and his father argue. Willy Loman wants him to make it big somehow. Yet, Biff can’t hold down a 9-to-5 job to save his life. Both brothers are in their mid-thirties. Yet, they act as though they are still boys. The play is set in the productive years following World War II. Did the athletic Lowman brothers fight in the war? It doesn’t seem like it. If they had, perhaps they would be completely different people. They don’t seem to have experienced much during the seventeen years since their high school days. Biff has been moping. Happy has been philandering. Well-developed characters possess more complexity. By leaps and bounds, the father is the best part of Arthur Miller’s play. Unlike many of the show’s flat characters, Willy Loman has depth. His past is a complicated tangle of regrets and undying hopes. Great actors such as Lee J. Cobb and Brian Dennehy have mesmerized audiences with their portrayals of this iconic salesman. Yes, the role is filled with powerful moments. But is Willy Loman truly a tragic figure? Willy Loman: Tragic Hero? Traditionally, tragic characters (such as Oedipus or Hamlet) were noble and heroic. They possessed a tragic flaw, usually a bad case of hubris. (Note: Hubris means excessive pride. Use the word hubris at cocktail parties and people will think you’re ever-so-smart! But dont let it go to your head!). In contrast, Willy Loman represents the common man. Arthur Miller felt that tragedy could be found in the life of ordinary people. While I certainly agree, I also believe that tragedy works best when the main character’s choices become whittled away, much like a masterful yet imperfect chess player who suddenly realizes he is out of moves. Willy Loman has options. He has a lot of opportunities. Arthur Miller seems to be criticizing the American Dream, claiming that Corporate America drains the life out of people and casts them away when they are no further use. Yet, Willy Loman’s successful neighbor continually offers him a job! Willy Loman declines the job without ever explaining why. He has a chance to pursue a new life, but he wont let himself give up his old, soured dreams. Instead of taking the decent paying job, he chooses suicide. At the play’s end, his loyal wife sits at his grave. She does not understand why Willy took his own life. Arthur Miller would claim that the dysfunctional values of American society killed him. However, I believe that Willy Loman suffered from senility. He exhibits many of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s. Why couldn’t his sons and his ever-attentive wife recognize his failing mental condition? It’s a mystery to me.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Standard American English and Lyrics of Songs Essay

Standard American English and Lyrics of Songs - Essay Example For an exceptional artist to use African American language, she must have obtained a tremendously prodigious number of fans who understand her language better. For instance, when she says â€Å"to the left† is African American idiom and according to Beyonce and the song, she meant that her lover should leave the house and go away to somewhere else. Therefore, the quote â€Å"to the left† according to the standard Britain English, it is incomplete or rather â€Å"to the left† can directly and literally mean go to the left. Therefore, as far as Britain English is concerned, the meaning in those lines is not absolute. Another instance where the use of Standard English is losing the meaning is on the quote â€Å"matter fact†, here there in no preposition, but it is normal with standard American English but not standard Britain English. The meaning will always change when an artist uses standard English, for example, words like â€Å"cause† and †bout† in the song, gives a different meaning hence changes the meaning. When using words like cause instead of because, and bout instead of about, that only gives a total difference and meaning. Artists should reconsider the use of one language that can be understood easily with all people internationally. By this information, the song can reach the listener hence no problems to the

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

With reference to research findings, consider whether an Essay

With reference to research findings, consider whether an organisation's external environment has a direct causal influence on its internal structure or whether - Essay Example At the same time, the management of the organisation can fight against the pressures coming from the external forces and this process acts as a mediating influence. This can be shown to be true with practical examples of various companies as well as the research done by business analysts. The simplest example of the external forces which can influence the internal structure is the culture of the country where the business operates. For instance, a multi-national company can have a very different structure amongst its various branch offices depending on the cultural requirements of various locations where it operates. As discussed by Bartlett & Ghoshal (1998), the differences between national and corporate cultures can even lead to conflicts between the way things are structured at a local office and the management directives coming from the home office. The home office often wishes to recreate the corporate structure followed at their location in a country where the national culture can be significantly at odds with the way the corporation is structured. One such example is the case of GE’s position in Hungary where the local culture had structured the company based on the amount of time a person had served with the company. Since seniority became the basic premise of promotions, the Hungarian operation soon became bloated and could not match the expectations of GE’s head office in America (Welch, 2005). The external environment had affected the internal structure to the extent that operations managers from the home office had to step in and make changes to the present system in order to save the company’s base in Western Europe. GE’s culture is reportedly based on individuals and intrinsic motivation which helps its employees seek benefits for the company while they seek benefits for themselves. As outlined by Jack Welch in Winning (2005), GE rewards those employees who are instrumental in helping GE grow and achieve the corporate vision and

Saturday, November 16, 2019

The Prosecutors by Gary Delsohn Essay Example for Free

The Prosecutors by Gary Delsohn Essay The Prosecutors by Gary Delsohn, depicts American justice at its best and worst, It reveals the secrets of the current legal system with information that are more awful and realistic than any small screen show or any thriller. The Prosecutors gives an insight into the real-life lawful dramas that are seen daily in our courtrooms. It informs, alerts, amuses, and even makes us angry at times about the miscarriages of justice, but eventually shows in harsh detail the particulars that go into the working of our legal system. Gary Delsohn, was for the first time allowed access to spend a year in a metropolitan prosecutors office. The author presents a fascinating; secret look at how Americas more overstrained legal system really operates. Perceived by John OMara, a hard-hitting, cynical homicide chief, and Jan Scully, a proficient District Attorney, The Prosecutors’, illustrates these committed civic servants at work. The cases that these two people come across in this one-year are unforgettable, a simple robbery that goes bad breaks down a family forever, an acclaimed doctor is charged for the murder of his own daughter. A twenty-five-year-old bitter case blows up and brings terrible pressure and inquiry to the D.A.s office, which involves Patty Hearst and the SLA (Symbionese Liberation Army). A top-ranking state prosecutor’s son faces a possible death sentence for abduct, rape, and slaughter.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The most intriguing cases of all these were definitely the 1975 robbery and murder case at the Sacramento-area bank. It’s this SLA bank robbery case that clearly stands out in â€Å"The Prosecutors,† and understandably so. For almost twenty-five years, the family of the victim, a 42-year-old mother of four children, who was fired at and killed during the robbery, had tried hard to bring the killers to justice, the family members had always suspected the killers to be associates of some puzzled terrorists who abducted the newspaper heiress Patty Hearst in 1974. But Myrna Opsahl’s family members never got any respite from the case, because the office of the district attorney couldn’t get adequate proof to try the case, even after Hearst’s 1982 journal revealed, what had actually taken place at the Crocker National Bank in April 1975.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"For the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department and the Sacramento district attorney’s office, the Carmichael bank robbery is one of those hideous failures that just won’t seem to go away,† (Gary Delsohn).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   For John O’Mara, the homicide chief in the district attorney’s office, the case is terrifying, with no proper proof and unsatisfied family members of the victim, particularly one of Myrna Opshal’s sons, Jon Opsahl.   He wouldn’t let the case pass on and frequently disapprove of the Sacramento prosecutors for messing up the case. O’Mara is one of the important and most vibrant character in the book, although in the beginning the book port ray’s him as a picture of a graying prosecutor. But Delsohn supports his portrayal of O’Mara, presenting why a person with so much knowledge was so apprehensive of taking the SLA robbery case. In the end, it’s Delsohn’s access to the district attorney’s office, which gives us much information about this case and how the law operated during that time. Taking the case of the Bread Store trial, a failed theft that twisted into a murder when the accused, Rick Brewer, an ex-convict who had formerly stalled the same setting, fired from a shotgun into the store’s manager Jason Frost, after finding out that the whole amount from the days proceeds had been put down in a floor safe. The Bread Store case is symbolic of the vulnerabilities that prosecutors must go through when they take the trial of murders anywhere in the country, considering this lawbreaking murder where the person who drives the car in which the accused escapes is as guilty as the person who committed the crime. Taking the case of Nikolay Soltys, the security guard who was an immigrant from Ukraine who stabbed six of his relatives to death, which included his three-year-old son and pregnant wife. Prosecutors had a tough time when Nikolay killed himself to avoid trial. An average day in a city District Attorney’s office is tough, where work can take its toll on the people who do it. Most of the cases coming into the DA’s office are slaughter; children inflicted to child abuse, rape, robberies, drug deals, and fake currency rackets. It is a never-ending process of new crimes coming in day to day. This type of work cannot even be taken home and shared with your family. The prosecutors think about crimes, while sitting, standing, eating and drinking, these people are not even spared during their lunchtime, passing on shocking snaps of the crime scene. A prosecutor’s job is a tough nut to crack, as their relationship with they families get soured, because of their spending long hours in the office almost on a daily basis. During the course of his stay at District Attorney’s office, Delsohn reminds us that trials have become very rare these days. More than eighty five percent of the 36,000 crimes and misbehaviors charged every year by the Sacramento DAs office ended up with a plea agreement before the trial, as settlement. In the DA’s office at Sacramento, it mostly differs depending on who the in charge people are, but sometimes there is a strong and rarely insignificant competition between the sheriff, the FBI, the local police and the district attorneys office. But comparing the state attorney general and U.S. Attorneys office, the enmities and self-esteem battles can be unpredictable. Particularly the district attorneys office should do proper investigation before impulsively accepting what the police and feds say, about who should be detained and charged. Prosecutors have to keep the police under control to see that the case is prosecutable and concrete. Bad things can happed if prosecutors lose their independence and doubts. Gary Delsohn feels that the most important part of being an insider in the DA’s office for a year was that, he had the advantage of seeing the prosecutors’ working procedures in a manner that the media and an average outsider could not. The District Attorney’s office has been a witness to innumerable heartbreaking stories over the years, but theres hardly anything to compare with the moving release that comes after a long, stress filled murder trial, when the murder victim’s family finally speaks. The DA’s office is always humming with people, people who are related to horrible crimes, people who are innocent, but mistakenly accused of crimes, real criminals and their families etc. Works Cited Gary Delsohn, Inside the DA’s Office, Jurist, 22 February 2007. http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/forum/forumnew126.php.    Critic Reviews, Redding Book Club, 22 February 2007. http://bookclub.redding.com/reviews.cfm. The Prosecutor, Traveling Sounds.com, 22 February 2007. http://www.travelingsounds.com/Title.aspx?titleId=3212. Court tales make an arresting read, Rocky Mountain News, 22 February 2007. http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/books/article/0,1299, DRMN_63_2164233,00.html.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

The Cold War Continues: From Joseph Stalin to Vladimir Putin Essay

"Nobody and nothing will stop Russia..." -- Vladimir Putin In March of 2014 Russia invaded Ukraine, unleashing a maddening flurry of concern across the world. Originally the concern was how to defend Crimea Ukraine from Putin’s forces, however, the concern has since changed. Seemingly overnight, Putin managed to worm his troops into Crimea, and dominate part of Ukraine. But where does this expansion of power end? Trying to delegate and monitor a power-hungry politician is now the focus of nearly every government in the Western world. In an article written by The Guardian’s Ian Traynor, it states that Putin has declared that if he wanted to, â€Å"Russian forces could conquer Ukrainian capital in two weeks.† This amount of confidence is highly unnerving considering Russia’s track record on simply showing up and invading a country seemingly out of nowhere. That specific action and behavior has been associated with Russian leader Joseph Stalin during the Cold war, and now is a continuous and growing concern with Vlad imir Putin. Vladimir Putin’s aggressive actions toward the western world, specifically Ukraine, is inspired by the steps Joseph Stalin took during his rise to power by developing a cult mentality, using brute force to invade countries such as Greece and Turkey, and issuing threats to all countries who disagreed with his expansion of power and communism during the Cold War. It was Stalin’s increasing aggression towards Europe and the United during the Cold War that made him one of the most feared and unpredictable individuals at that time. Today, Putin is exhibiting identical behavior by following in Stalin’s footsteps and is issuing threats in addition to ignoring what Europe and the United States has to say. At the ... ...5788398/2D5751C189D04504PQ/10?accountid=14902 Ian Traynor, â€Å"Putin claims Russian forces ‘could conquer Ukraine capital in two weeks.’† The Guardian, September 2, 2014. Web. 5 May 2015. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/02/putin-russian-forces-could-conquer-ukraine-capital-kiev-fortnight Julie A. Cassiday, Emily D. Johnson, â€Å"Putin, Putiniana and the Question of a Post-Soviet Cult of Personality,† The Slavonic and Eastern European Review 88 (2010): 680-707. Kennedy-Pipe, Caroline. Stalin’s Cold War: Soviet Strategies in Europe, 1943 to 1956. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1995. Robert Skidelsky, â€Å"In Ukraine, Putin may be accelerating his own demise.† The Daily Star Lebanon, September 3, 2014. Web. 5 May 2015. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Opinion/Commentary/2014/Sep-03/269383-in-ukraine-putin-may-be-accelerating-his-own-demise.ashx#axzz3COhHc9EU

Monday, November 11, 2019

Attitude of Young People of India Towards Luxury Brands Essay

Introduction: A couple of generations ago, a typical purchase decision for the average Indian would be choosing between, say, clothes and electronic goods whenever they had a little cash to spare. Today, the customers’ dilemma involves making up their mind between Prada and Gucci, Merc and Lamborghini. Marie Antoinette would say, â€Å"If they can’t have bread, give them brands instead! † In a relatively short time span of 20 years, India has moved from pavement markets to swanky malls, from frugal minded consumer to who want it all and from a population largely obessed with celebrity gossip to one which yearns to gain knowledge. India is taking wing. It is not simple because India is set to become the fastest growing major economy in the world. The combination of a large young working population, rising income levels, overwhelming consumer optimism and increasingly urbanized lifestyle is driving consumption growth in India. The market potential of world’s second largest population has not gone unnoticed. International Luxury brands have India on the radar. As developed market continue to battle economic turmoil. India offers luxury brand owners unrivalled growth opportunities. The Indian luxury market is projected to reach USD 14. 72 billion in 2015(CII and A. T. Kearny, 2011). It may represents only 1-2 percent of the global luxury market, but its market growth rate of more than 20 percent per annum, promise positive returns for luxury players. A flow of international brands from Giorgio Armani to Ferrari to Sofitel Hotel have entered the Indian market to claim a share of the luxury rupee. Many others are waiting, watching and preparing. This is not just about today’s market but a key strategic market of the future. Problem Definition: * Young consumer attitudes are essential for the marketers to plan their strategy in reaching the target consumers. So in our study we have focused to segment young consumers according to attitude variables. Objectives: * The aim of the study is to segment young consumers based on their three important beliefs parameters (confidence, trust, optimism) as we know beliefs is an important attitudes of consumer Literature review: 1. THE ROLE OF CONFIDENCE IN UNDERSTANDING AND PREDICTING BUYERS’ ATTITUDES AND PURCHASE INTENTIONS * Peter D. Bennett and Gilbert D. Harrell * Journal of Consumer Research * Vol. 2, No. 2 (Sep. , 1975), pp. 110-117 * Published by: The University of Chicago Press * Article Stable URL: http://www. jstor. org/stable/2488752 This research examines the role of buyers confidence in the formation of attitudes and purchase intention. It supports current buyer behavior theory which postulates a positive relationship between overall confidence in a brand and intention to purchase the brand. It also examine buyers confidence in their own ability to judge attributes of brands. 2. NEED FOR UNIQUENESS AND CONSUMPTION BEHAVIOUR FOR LUXURY BRANDS AMONGST INDIAN YOUTH * Authors: Meenakshi Handa, Arpita Khare * JournalInternational Journal of Indian Culture and Business Management * Publisher : Inderscience Publishers * ISSN:1753-0806 (Print),1753-0814 (Online) * IssueVolume 3, Number 5/2010 * Pages489-502 The purpose of this research was to examine the Indian youth’s need for uniqueness (NFU) and their attitudes towards luxury brand as an expression of individuality. A primary research was conducted amongst Indian University students to ascertain their NFU and perception of luxury brands. It was apparent that while the NFU is not very high amongst the Indian youth, luxury brands do symbolize status and individuality to them and serve a value-expressive function. As the Indian social system is witnessing a transition from traditional family driven values to more of western and individual-centric values, NFU and expression of self-identity amongst Indian youth may also become more marked. While marketing global luxury brands in India, advertising may be focused towards conveying a new identity to the consumers yet maintaining a balance with traditional norms and value systems. 3. LUXURY’S NEW DESTINATION – CHANGING PARADIGMS OF THE INDIAN CONSUMERS – AN EMPIRICAL STUDY * DR. BUSHAN D. SUDHAKAR*; ARUN KUMAR. PARISE * International Journal of Multidisciplinary Management Studies * Vol. 2 Issue 1, January 2012, ISSN 2249 8834 * Online available at http://zenithresearch. org. in/ In this study the researcher investigate, Indian consumer migration towards Luxury brands form value middle tier brands. The findings suggest that there is significant difference with the gender difference, social status, price, quality to purchase a luxury good. There is a higher association between the annual household income and Purchase of luxury goods It clearly says that affordability, quality, availability, celebrity, self-satisfaction, image and social status are the key drivers to the migration of consumers to Luxury brands from value middle tier branded goods. It confirms the view that brand perception and purchase value is, apart from socially oriented motives of buying to impress others also affected by financial, functional, and individual aspects. It would seem that the dimensions presented in this paper are appropriate variables for segmenting the market for branded items. 4. ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE CONCEPT OF LUXURY: AN EXPLORATORY ANALYSIS * Bernard Dubois, Groupe H. E. C & Gilles Laurent, Groupe H. E. C. * Asia Pacific Advances in Consumer Research Volume 1, 1994 * Pages 273-278 In this paper is the author did an exploratory analysis of the perceptions and attitudes attached to the word (and underlying concept of) â€Å"luxury†. It is hoped that the results presented below will stimulate further research in the area and eventually contribute to the development of a theory of luxury acquisition and consumption behavior. Research Gap: The literature available on topics such as Need for uniqueness and consumption behavior for luxury brands amongst Indian youth, luxury’s new destination – changing paradigms of the Indian consumers – an empirical study, There is no study on attitude (belief like confidence, trust and optimism) of Young people of India towards Luxury brands, which will help in marketers to plan their strategy in reaching these new and promising target consumers. It is essential for the marketer to understand how consumers think and value a product. There has been a vast increase in the luxury market and attempts are being made to attract the youth through different marketing strategies. This research will identify the different belief parameter which is an important attitude of young people of India which influence them towards luxury brands and provide information for better understanding of young customer. Research Design:. Sample Design: Sample size: is hundred (100). Sample techniques: it is judgmental sampling these samples/ respondents will be selected from both NIFT students and young working professional’s i.e. young people’s working in companies like TCS, Infosys and Wipro. Observational Design: This research based on primary & secondary data. The primary data are collected through structured questionnaire. Primary data generally means those raw data which are handled first handedly and haven’t any previous meaningful interpretation. Secondary data collected from different journals, book and internet on topic of people’s attitudes and luxury brands. Statistical design: we are going to segment young consumers based on their three important beliefs parameters (confidence, trust, optimism) as we know consumer belief is an important factor of consumer attitude. Our proposed segmentation tool is Cluster analysis. We will be using Hierarchical cluster with between groups linkage as the clustering method based on squared Euclidian distance. Ward’s Hierarchical Clustering Method: Ward considered hierarchical clustering procedures basedon minimizing the ‘loss of information’ from joining two groups. This method is usually implemented with loss of information taken to be an increase in an error sum of squares criterion. ESS. First, for a given cluster k, let ESSk be the sum of the squared deviations of very item in the cluster from the cluster mean (centroid). If there are currently K clusters, define ESS as the sum of the ESSk or ESS = ESS1 + ESS2 + †¦ + ESS K At each step in the analysis, the union of every possible pair of clusters is considered, and the two clusters whose combination results in the smallest increase in ESS (minimum loss of information) are joined. Initially, each cluster consists of a single item, and, if there are N items, ESSk = 0, k = 1,2, †¦ , N, so ESS = O. At the other extreme, when all the clusters are combined in a single group of N items, the value of ESS is given by N ESS =j=1nxj-x†(xj-x’) where Xj is the multivariate measurement associated with the jth item and i is the mean of all the items. The results of Ward’s method can be displayed as a dendrogram. The vertical axis gives the values of ESS at which the mergers occur. Ward’s method is based on the notion that the clusters of multivariate observations are expected to be roughly elliptically shaped. It is a hierarchical precursor to nonhierarchical clustering methods that optimize some criterion for dividing data into a given number of elliptical groups. We discuss nonhierarchical clustering procedures in the next section Proposed Questionnaire: 1=strongly agree 2=agree 3=neither agree or disagree 4=disagree 5=completely disagree Please do tick which option you feel most†¦ Statement no 1: 3. 3. 2. 2. 5. 5. 4. 4. 1. 1. â€Å"I buy luxury products because good quality of product† Statement no 2: 3. 3. 2. 2. 5. 5. 4. 4. 1. 1. â€Å"Luxury means some extra things which is adding more value than the regular brands have† Statement no 3: 3. 3. 2. 2. 5. 5. 4. 4. 1. 1. â€Å"I buy luxury products whatever I can afford & whatever I want† Statement no 4: 3. 3. 2. 2. 5. 5. 4. 4. 1. 1. â€Å"I preferred luxury products what I like, if I like it a lot and feel like it’s worth my money† Statement no 5: 3. 3. 2. 2. 5. 5. 4. 4. 1. 1. â€Å"I preferred luxury brands because it brings higher aspiration in my life† Statement no 6: 3. 3. 2. 2. 5. 5. 4. 4. 1. 1. â€Å"I like to have BMW or Ferrari in future†.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Corporate Strategy Essay

In Corporate Strategy, Collis and Montgomery explain there are two kinds of diversification—linked and constrained. Companies using linked diversification enter new businesses when it relates in some way to another business they are already in (it is linked to it), but does not necessarily have any connection to their other businesses. If they are using constrained diversification, however, they only enter a new business if it is based on their core resources or competencies. Companies based on linked diversification have little coherence to their overall corporate strategy, while companies using constrained diversification tend to be more focused. Constrained diversification allows companies to maximize the effect of their resources because they are shared (100). Apple uses constrained diversification. Apple is, inherently, a personal computer company (hardware and software), and their businesses utilize their competencies in developing hardware and software. The Macintosh, iPad, iPhone, iPod and AppleTV are all computers, which allows Apple to share resources between businesses. For example, the Macintosh, iPad, iPhone and AppleTV all run OS X, Apple’s operating system. This creates economies of scope, which, Collis and Montgomery point out, create cost savings for the company because their resources are shared across multiple businesses (72). Rather than just have related businesses, though, each business is a focused platform with no extraneous products or product types. The Macintosh, for example, consists of two kinds—desktop and notebook. These separate product lines each share resources and complement each other. The iMac and MacBook Pro are both primarily constructed from aluminum and glass, so not only do they share the same materials (which reduces costs), but they resemble each other, creating unity between product lines. Each platform, too, complements the other. Apple’s Macintosh computers sync their media and personal data (calendar, contacts, email) seamlessly with the other platforms. Because they work so well together, owning products from each platform benefits users by creating an experience where their devices â€Å"just work.† The platform advantage does not apply just to Apple’s devices. Through iTunes, users can purchase music, movies and television shows that syncs across all of their devices, or even do so from their iPhone or iPad. The App Store allows users to download applications for their iPhones and iPads wherever they are, and now the iBook Store, released in April, will allow them to do the same with books. Because Apple has chosen what businesses to enter carefully, these platforms reinforce the others and make them more powerful. The sum is greater than the parts. This creates a complete package for consumers to choose, and it is difficult for competitors to match. Their platform strategy makes each individual business more valuable than it would be as a separate entity. Their strategy can be improved, however. Currently, MobileMe—a service Apple offers that keeps contacts, calendar, and email in sync across multiple devices over the air—is a premium service that costs $99 per year. This is the wrong approach. Rather than a premium service, MobileMe should be free and integrated into Apple’s platforms. MobileMe should act like the â€Å"glue† that integrates the platforms and as a draw for users. Apple’s goal should be to get as many MobileMe users as possible. Once someone is happily using MobileMe across their various devices, they are less likely to switch to a competitor’s product.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Megalopolis From Boston to Washington

Megalopolis From Boston to Washington French geographer Jean Gottmann (1915-1994) studied the northeastern United States during the 1950s and published a book in 1961 that described the region as a vast metropolitan area over 500 miles long stretching from Boston in the north to Washington, D.C. in the south. This area (and the title of Gottmanns book) is Megalopolis. The term Megalopolis is derived from Greek and means very large city. A group of Ancient Greeks actually planned to construct a huge city on the Peloponnese Peninsula. Their plan didnt work out but the small city of Megalopolis was constructed and exists to this day. BosWash Gottmanns Megalopolis (sometimes referred to as BosWash for the northern and southern tips of the area) is a very large functional urban region that provides the whole of America with so many essential services, of the sort a community used to obtain in its downtown section, that it may well deserve the nickname of Main Street of the nation. (Gottmann, 8) The Megalopolitan area of BosWash is a governmental center, banking center, media center, academic center, and until recently, the biggest immigration center (a position usurped by Los Angeles in recent years). Acknowledging that while, a good deal of the land in the twilight areas between the cities remains green, either still farmed or wooded, matters little to the continuity of Megalopolis, (Gottmann, 42) Gottmann expressed that it was the economic activity and the transportation, commuting, and communication linkages within Megalopolis that mattered most. Megalopolis has actually been developing over hundreds of years. It initially began as the colonial settlements on the Atlantic seaboard coalesced into villages, cities, and urban areas. Communication between Boston and Washington and the cities in between has always been extensive and transportation routes within Megalopolis are dense and have been in existence for several centuries. Census Data When Gottmann researched Megalopolis in the 1950s, he utilized U.S. Census data from the 1950 Census. The 1950 Census defined many Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in Megalopolis and, in fact, MSAs formed an unbroken entity from southern New Hampshire to northern Virginia. Since the 1950 Census, the Census Bureaus designation of individual counties as metropolitan has expanded as has the population of the region. In 1950, Megalopolis had a population of 32 million, today the metropolitan area includes more than 44 million people, approximately 16% of the entire U.S. population. Four of the seven largest CMSAs (Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Areas) in the U.S. are part of Megalopolis and are responsible for over 38 million of Megalopolis population (the four are New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, Washington-Baltimore, Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City, and Boston-Worcester-Lawrence). Gottmann was optimistic about the fate of Megalopolis and felt that it could work well, not only as a vast urban area but also as the distinct cities and communities that were parts of the whole. Gottmann recommended that We must abandon the idea of the city as a tightly settled and organized unit in which people, activities, and riches are crowded into a very small area clearly separated from its nonurban surroundings. Every city in this region spreads out far and wide around its original nucleus; it grows amidst an irregularly colloidal mixture of rural and suburban landscapes; it melts on broad fronts with other mixtures, of somewhat similar though different texture, belonging to the suburban neighborhoods of other cities. (Gottmann, 5) And There's More! Furthermore, Gottmann also introduced two developing Megalopoli in the United States - from Chicago and the Great Lakes to Pittsburgh and the Ohio River (ChiPitts) and the California coast from the San Francisco Bay area to San Diego (SanSan). Many urban geographers have studied the concept of Megalopolis in the United States and have applied it internationally. The Tokyo-Nagoya-Osaka Megalopolis in an excellent example of urban coalescence in Japan. The term Megalopolis has even come to define something much more broadly found than just the northeastern United States. The Oxford Dictionary of Geography defines the term as any many-centered, multi-city, urban area of more than 10 million inhabitants, generally dominated by low-density settlement and complex networks of economic specialization. Source: Gottmann, Jean. Megalopolis: The Urbanized Northeastern Seaboard of the United States. New York: The Twentieth Century Fund, 1961.

Monday, November 4, 2019

International Law Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

International Law - Research Paper Example Goliath and Junior are correct because their trade policies cannot be termed as monopolies outside the United States. Cayman Islands (Junior, Ltd.) is a foreign company and is, therefore, not subject to the laws governing trade in the United States. Goliath Inc is also not liable to the law suit being supported by the United States since its contract with Junior Ltd does not affect the American market. Regulations concerning price fixing are normally applied internationally. However, when there are laws that seek to restrict price fixing to national sovereignty, challenges arise in finding out whether Goliath and Junior violated the anti-trust law (Mann and Barry, 2004). The major controversy arises due to the applicability of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act to foreign businesses. It is true that Goliath was in contract with a company of foreign origin. However, its market is outside the United States. It is, therefore, difficult to enforce the law to the international market (Hylton, 2003). The geographic market is very important in determining whether the two companies engaged in illegal dealings. According to the act, the confines of the market are only within the United States. The market in which companies sell their products should be national, regional or local but not global. Goliath Inc. and Junior Ltd. have not committed any crime by engaging gin contracts that may affect the international market. The United States government should only be concerned if the operations of the two companies are affecting the national and interstate markets. The market in which an organization, for instance, Goliath Inc. and Junior Ltd. serve is not limited by transportation costs, the kinds of service, or product they sell and the geographic location of their competitors. Different countries have different laws concerning market monopolies. It is, therefore, difficult to find Junior Ltd with any wrong doing since the company is registered in line with

Saturday, November 2, 2019

PhD - comprehensive exam - rewrite - question 1 Essay

PhD - comprehensive exam - rewrite - question 1 - Essay Example However, in developing countries improvement of existing infrastructure still remains the most integral element of the public policy. Although the direct relationship between availability of developed infrastructure and healthier economy is still debated, there is little doubt that such relationship exists and has been confirmed, both explicitly and implicitly, in a plethora of studies. Research in the field of infrastructure development in developing countries features a number of distinctive techniques, assumptions, limitations, different potential for error and error minimization techniques. Such variety is, obviously, due to extreme broadness of the term ‘infrastructure’. The American Heritage Dictionary, defines this word as â€Å"the basic facilities, services, and installations needed for the functioning of a community or society, such as transportation and communications systems, water and power lines, and public institutions including schools, post offices, and prisons.†1 Furthermore, rapid technological and political evolution has resulted in some other important concepts (e.g. homeland security) being defined under this term. The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast research methodologies used to study the development of infrastructure in developing countries. Since the term infrastructure is too broad, only one type of infrastructure services, namely librarianship, has been chosen as the focus of this research. The choice is determined by the reasonable consideration that narrowing the research subject will facilitate the process of comparison and reduce the potential for error. The scarcity of serious research in the field of infrastructure improvement in developing countries provides another justification for the choice. The author and supervisor agreed to take librarianship as the focal point in achieving the research purpose. Hemami’s

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Bruno in the East Village Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Bruno in the East Village - Essay Example The people have the power to dictate the progress and operations of a restaurant as in the case of Bruno. I totally agree with that view as the people who visit the restaurants can determine its present challenges as well as enabling it to overcome them. The challenges that the restaurant faces despites its short stay is a result of their own making if what the author says is anything to go by. The poor conditions at Bruno such as uncomfortable seats marked by a long row of tables with chairs and banquettes have served to keep people away from the restaurant. The author compares the seating arrangements at the restaurant as those in the police cells and that confirms how worse the conditions are. One has to wait for a long time before their meals are served and that indicates poor customer relations. The critics who are quick to criticize all the efforts that are being undertaken by the restaurant in an effort to improve their services should not do so in haste. The restaurant should be given time to adjust to new conditions before they begin to receive negative responses from bloggers, critics, and competitors. I firmly agree that some restaurants just like other businesses are successful in making their advertisement very alluring and catchy to the eyes of the public but very little to show for it when one visits the actual places. The things that a firm shows to the public should not be very different from the actual events within their premises.

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Case Scenario, Final Discussion Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Scenario, Final Discussion - Case Study Example These include social aspects of people. For example, there are people who are difficult to deal with. People who are non-compliant. In text books and literature, it is assumed that all patients are compliant.This means that what is taught in text books is enhanced by the actual practice. Therefore one cannot fully rely on the knowledge in schools when they get to the actual practice. This however does not mean that it should be ignored. There are also hospitals and procedures that govern a health facility. There are the standards set to regulate the actual in the work place. They can be different from what the nursing text books say and other forms of literature. This is because every facility is unique with its own set of rules. A nurse should therefore know when to apply the books knowledge and when to apply knowledge gained from experience (Ramsden, 1992). A culture of safety is when an organization priorities the safety of patients. Elements of culture safety include making safety a priority across the organization, Training of on going assessment of safety, clear safety goals for patients and policies. The only way the culture of safety can be attained is by speaking up. Many health workers witness cases of rules being broken among their colleagues, but they do not report. Drew’s case is not different. He should speak up without feeling intimidated in order to uphold the culture of safety. He should approach the RN with those concerns and should not be intimidated by the fact that he is an inexperienced fresh graduate. Drew should also air his concerns in writing to the relevant authority.He should stand up for what is right and this will even earn him respect from his colleagues. The hospital environment should set an atmosphere where health workers can speak up openly. Patient safety can be defined as liberty from accidental harm due to medical care or medical error. If Drew speaks up, he will prevent patients from getting infections and

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Conservative Government Welfare State: 1951-1964

Conservative Government Welfare State: 1951-1964 Why did the Conservative government of 1951 to 1964 expand the Welfare State? Introduction The underlying consensus at the beginning of the 1950’s, thanks to a growing sense of affluence, was that poverty was gradually being eliminated and levels of pre-war deprivation were something of the past that was reflected in a move towards fuller employment and the reallocation of resources directed towards the welfare state (see, for example, Rowntree and Lavers, 1951). There were, however doubts raised as to the reality of this optimism (Silver and Silver 1991: p. 148). Although post-war 1945 welfare provisions brought in by the Labour party may have led to the amelioration of poverty this, at the same time, had the affect of masking the fact that poverty was still a significant social problem (Titmus 1962; Macdonald 1963). Sections of the UK population thus still appeared to suffer from poverty (Harvey 1960). Interestingly, during the post–war Labour administration, the Conservative opposition voiced agreement with the inauguration of the welfare state because the Second World War had shown the benefits to be derived from collective effort. Such effort was subsequently reassigned to the organisation and planning of state bodies that helped promote opportunities throughout society (Silver and Silver 1991 p. 156). In this regard, when the Conservatives regained power in 1951, they were already predisposed to take a positive stance towards Attlee’s welfare reforms not least because the Labour government had been quite moderate in its general outlook (Morgan 2000, p. 8). Moreover, immediately after the end of the Second World War the Conservatives had expected to be returned to power but the Labour party had instead been elected. This was thought to be because the Conservatives were regarded as the party of war whereas Labour appeared to be better placed to deal with post-war social reconstruction. The Conservative Period in Office and Attitudes to Welfare On coming to power in 1951, the Conservatives under Churchill (who retired in 1955) were expected to â€Å"roll back the welfare state† but, as a result of the post-war political consensus, were not inclined to reverse the welfare reforms of the previous Labour government. In fact, the Tories were keen to demonstrate that they were capable of administering the welfare state as well, if not better, than the Labour party (Lehmberg and Heyck 2002). This was despite those in the Conservative party, such as Thornycroft, who were against such a policy (Bridgen and Lowe 1998). Furthermore, the Tories continued to hold to the â€Å"one nation† ideal of Disraeli and Baldwin. Having said this, the Conservatives tended to allow state control to be ceded somewhat to the demands of a market economy causing a rupture to open up between the needs of welfare and economic imperatives. In this respect, they also denationalised the steel industry and road haulage system. And some changes to Labour policy were enacted with more of a bias towards private finance in certain sectors of welfare but all the Tory leaders of the period were keen to uphold social peace and, in this regard, the trade unions were treated with respect (More 2006, p. 164). Churchill, in particular, with memories of the trade union riots in 1910 and the General Strike in 1926, wished to rule over a harmonious land (Morgan 2000, p. 9). Eden (prime minister from 1955-1957) had also been a â€Å"one nation† politician who had previously stood down from Chamberlains administration. Douglas-Home as the last Conservative prime minister (1963-1964) of this administration also believed in non-confrontational politics. The Conservative party’s attitude to welfare from 1951 to 1964 has been referred to as a wet-dry cycle by Willetts (1992). The dry period is deemed to have occurred between 1951 and 1957 that involved containing the welfare state. In fact, housing expenditure actually increased from 1951 to 1954 yet welfare benefits hardly kept up with the inflation rate and means tested national assistance declined in value in comparison to earnings (Atkinson, 1969 p. 20). Moreover, spending on health care also came under restraint (Webster, 1996 p. 6). This may have been connected to problems with the UK’s balance of trade in 1952. 1954, however, saw the end of austerity and rationing that was to lead the way to the â€Å"feel good† factor. Fortunately, international economic events began to weigh in Britain’s favour in relation to the terms of trade that meant more could be spent on welfare projects without damaging the value of sterling (Porter, 1999). Churchill had te nded to leave domestic affairs to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, R. A. Butler, who was keen to continue with the welfare policies of his Labour predecessor, Gaitskell, leading to what has been termed â€Å"Butskellism.† Churchill’s successor, Anthony Eden, took a similar line in renouncing laissez-faire economics as the arbiter of social affairs (Lehmberg and Heyck 2002 p. 252). However, after 1957 and during the â€Å"wet period†, Harold Macmillan’s (prime minister from 1957 to 1963) â€Å"middle way† saw the welfare system again undergoing expansion.[1] This was reflected in the increasing prosperity of the country and the move towards full employment. It was during this period that the existing Chancellor of the Exchequer, Peter Thorneycroft, resigned in response to Macmillan’s unwillingness to reduce public expenditure. Importantly, Macmillan, had already helped frame the Tory’s policy on social reform during the 1930’s, which was influenced by the high unemployment rate of this period, and was therefore disposed to continue with Butskellism and a managed economy. In this respect, Macmillan has been referred to as the quintessential moderate (Morg an 2000, p. 9). In fact, Macmillan seemed to have been successful in wooing many working class voters to the Conservative cause that was exemplified in the statement â€Å"you have never had it so good.† Macmillan’s policies therefore led to an increased acceptance of the need for a managed economy, full employment and the necessity of welfare. The Tories were split by two opposing forces; one where national economic efficiency was to be enhanced as opposed to improvement in opportunities and living standards of those at the lower margins of society. This necessitated reduced taxation and incentives to promote individual enterprise and increased investment in housing and education to ensure an appropriate workforce. The question arose, however, as to what extent should the market or central government dictate the course of events. National efficiency was, at the time, regarded as crucial in order to prevent any further reduction in the UK’s economic prowess. Yet raised public expenditure was deemed necessary to improve social assistance to those on lower incomes that would serve to narrow the continuing disparities in wealth. In response to the latter, the amount spent on welfare gradually increased during the Conservative term in office from 14% to approximately 16% of national income. The Hospital Plan of 1962 also saw a move towards greater investment in the NHS and in 1959 insurance contributions became linked to earnings to provide the basis for a state pension. Most of these initiatives, however, were predicated on the idea of the â€Å"opportunity† state where the government provided the conditions allowing individuals to have greater opportunities and equality to succeed in society (More 2006, p. 165). In this way, Macmillan thus sought to balance the needs of the economy with a more just welfare system. Conclusion The main reasons why the 1951-1964 Conservative government chose to continue with and, to some extent, improve the welfare state had to do with: The previous experiences of key Tory politicians with the divisiveness relating to social issues of the pre-war years. The coming to power of the Labour party after the end of the Second World War suggesting that the electorate was ready for a new start and wanted to rectify the social failings of the first half of the 20th century. The Tories had seen the benefits of this policy and therefore wanted to continue with the system to realise a â€Å"one nation† objective. The growing prosperity of the country together with almost full employment, especially during the latter part of the 1950’s, meant that welfare was more affordable. A realisation that poverty continued to be a problem in particular areas and social situations. The recognition that social policies, especially in areas of health, education and social security, could benefit the economy. The fact that Macmillan had been re-elected with an increased majority in 1959 was evidence that such a policy had been successful and should be extended. The need for a â€Å"middle way† to be struck between the needs of the economy and the demands relating to welfare and poverty. A positive welfare policy created the conditions for an â€Å"opportunity† state making the economy more dynamic and flexible. Although Conservative policies had led to improvements in economic prosperity during their period in office, this was accompanied by as â€Å"stop-go† economy that had led to the UK falling behind foreign competitors leading to the impression that forward looking ideas were in short supply. The coming to power in 1963 of the titled Douglas-Home only served to reinforce this impression and the Labour party were returned to power in 1964 with Harold Wilson as prime minister. References Atkinson, A. B. 1969. Poverty in Britain and the Reform of Social Security. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Bridgen, P. and Lowe, R. 1998. Welfare policy under the Conservatives 1951-1964. Kew, UK. Public Record Office. Macdonald, D. 1963, Our Invisible Poor. The New Yorker Magazine. January 19. More, C. 2006. Britain in the 20th Century. Harlow: Pearson Education. Morgan, K.2000. British Political Culture Since 1945 – Consensus, Protest and Change. pp. 4-22 In, The Great, the New and the British: Essays on Postwar Britain. A. Ribberink. and H. Righart. (eds.) Instituut voor Geschiedenis: Utrecht. Harvey, 1960. Casualities of the Welfare State. Fabian Tract (London) No. 32. Lehmberg, S. E. and Heyck, T. W. 2002. A History of the Peoples of the British Isles. London: Routledge. Porter, D. 1999. Juggling with Welfare and Greatness: Britain under the Tories, 1951-64. History Review. p. 28 Rowntree, B.S. and Lavers, G.R. 1951. Poverty and the welfare state: a third social survey of York dealing only with economic questions. London: Longmans. Silver, H. and Silver, P. 1991. An educational war on poverty: American and British policy-making 1960-1980. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Titmus, R. M. 1962, Income, Distribution and Social Change. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Webster, C 1996. The Health Serivices since the war. Vol. 2. London: HMSO. Willetts, D. 1992. Modern Conservatism. London: Penguin. 1 Footnotes [1] Macmillan’s book â€Å"The Middle Way† published in 1938 based on his experiences of mass unemployment in the north east of England set out his political outlook that combined some market oriented principles with public control that helped secure a sustainable economy for the benefit of a greater swathe of the population.