The Global Presence Of Zara Commerce Essay

The Global Presence Of Zara Commerce Essay PESTLE Analysis is a type of situation analysis where we need before starting market decisions or business plans. It is extremely important to identify the external environment. The only way to accomplish our goal is through a PESTLE analysis which contains six factors that influence on a business: Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal. Besides it is also very important for a company to be fully awake of the actions their competitors take. These kinds of factors change constantly. It is no surprise why every time we talk about fashion the same name always comes up: Zara. The largest and the most famous Spanish clothing company in the world. There stores covers almost every continent in the world. The Zara Company was established in 1975 by Amancio Orgega, Zara is the flagship of Inditex (Industria del Diseà ±o Textil, S.A.), the company is located in Galicia, the north-west part of Spain. In a relatively short time frame Inditex has become one of the biggest clothing retailer in the world with 2,692 stores spread across 62 countries worldwide by the end of January 2006. In addition to Zara which accounted for 66 percent of the groups turnover in 2005, Inditex owns seven smaller store brands: Bershka (avantgarde clothing), Pull and Bear (youth casual clothes), Massimo Dutti (quality and conventional fashion), Oysho (undergarment chain), Stradivarius (trendy garments for young women), Kiddys Class (childrens fashion), and Zara Home (household textiles). Political Factors The government and political parties are accountable for evolving the political environment in a country. The chief silent factor in a business is government; they can help an industry by using the form of policies. Zara has been present in Spain, and merely one more main distribution centre for Europe. In addition, the political help that is provided for expansion of the business in other countries must be assessed critically. Because European countries have predictable and safe economic environments, Zara has choices to expand its business around Europe. And these are some of the most important pull factors that give a clear definition of the internationalisation of Zara include: The 1986 admission of Spain in the EU; The globalisation of the economy potential economies of scale; The homogenisation of consumption patterns across nations Zaras believes that national frontiers are no impediment to sharing a single fashion culture The eradication of export obstructions and the growth of Information Technology. (Lopez Fan, 2009). As we know already Zara is a Spanish company so establishing a new branch in another country and all the terms which are related to taxation are political factors for Zara group. The political emphasize on the role of goverment and its effects on our company, and also extent of participation in a political situation. For example Indian government is willing to provide foreign investment in their nation; The Company Zara was provided an open market by India. However the government of India has its own policy which is to be followed by companies as Zara which formed a joint venture with TATA (Shah, 2011) Economic factors Production not transferred to low cost locations: Zara resisted the famous in industry trend to produce fashion cheaply in countries like China. Zara states that this offers more control as it controls most of its steps on the Supply Chain, the design, manufacture and the distribution of products (CNN, 2001). In the UK, half of what products Zara sells are made in Spain, a quarter in the rest of Europe and another quarter in countries in Africa and Asia. For example, longer shelf life clothing such as t-shirts is outsourced to cheap suppliers mostly in Asia and Turkey (Business Week, 2006). Zero Advertising Policy: The rarest company policy is the policy not to advertise. While Zaras competitors mostly rely on expensive advertising campaigns, Zara prefers to invest into opening new stores instead (CNN, 2001). Producer of nearly 11,000 items annually: There is a large product range in the Zara Company. While the competitors of Zara produce about 2000-4000 items annually, Zara produces a whole 11 000 items. In addition brand loyalty is built and an increased number of customer visits as a result of Zara changing its designs every two weeks. A customer visit in Spain on a high street in Zara is 17 times a year compared to 3 times in the average street stores. (The Guardian, 2002). Shortening Product Life Cycle: While the designing of a new product and getting it to the stores by industry takes 6 months, Zara needs just 2 weeks to do the same (Business Week, 2006). To recap, Zara breaks all the guidelines, but it seems that using this strategy proves to be very successful, because Zara is considered to be one of the largest stores in industry. Social Factors Growing of income: People began to look for a high quality and comfortable life when their disposable personal income rose. A wide market share is provided to Zara from this kind of trend. Personalized consumption turns into the mainstream of society. A major guarantor of Zaras success is a small amount, variety, cheap. Fast Fashion: When talking about the strategy of design, an article in Business world Magazine defines it as follows: Zara was a fashion imitator. It focused its attention on understanding the fashion items that its customers wanted and then delivering them, rather than on promoting predicted seasons trends via fashion shows and similar channels of influence, which the fashion industry traditionally used. There will be a depreciation of 0.7% of fashion goods every single day. A new product, from its designing to manufacture, logistics operation and the final sale, needs only about 2 or 3 weeks in Zara. Affordable Fashion: Fashion has received attention by a growing number of people. However, only a small amount of people can afford it because fashion is a masterwork of top designers. By tracking these fashion elements, the designers of Zara design their own product in order to make it affordable to most consumers (Badu, 2010). Technological Factors RD and Production 1. Fast production: Zaras deliveries take up to 6 weeks instead of 6 months which is usual for their competitors.(Ghemawat Nueno, 2006). 2. It is easy for Zara to control their suppliers since they amount to 20. These 20 suppliers account for 70% of Zaras production. Other companies for example have 200 suppliers or even more. Logistic 1. Zara have their own distribution centre with an order to delivery time of 24 hours for Europe and 48 hours for USA and Asia (Tokatli, 2007). 2. The shops receive two deliveries from Zaras distribution centre. Which gives the shops the opportunity to have low inventory and a high turnaround within the shop (Lopez Fan, 2009) (Ghemawat Nueno, 2006). Flexible Supply Chain 1.Zara is vertically integrated and controls its entire production chain. An effect of great importance of the control is the re-reducing the bullwhip effect. (Ghemawat Nueno, 2006) 2. Zara has very short lead times. The Agility of their supply chain allows Zara to deliver from product design to the final customer within 2 weeks for repeat models or 5 weeks for new products (Mazaira, Gonzà ¡lez, Avendano, 2003). Environmental Factors Zara tries to help the sustainable growth of the society and the environments which it interplays with. This dedication to the environment is a fragment of the Inditex group corporate social responsibility policy. Objectives and Actions: At the sores: Zara puts a lot of effort on eco efficiency at their shops. Energy saving is one of the key approaches to ecological preservation the company embraces. Another approach is the development of efficient management models for their stores that proposes some restrictions or changes to be carried into effect for all of the companys processes, from the design of the store itself, the lighting and heating or cooling system equipment, to the possible recycling of furniture and decoration. Zara stores offer only paper or biodegradable plastic bags. About 90% of the bags Zara gives out to customers are papermade. 1. Waste reduction and urge to recycling Every year Zara processes millions of hangers and security tags. In addition both the cardboard and plastics used are recycled. 2. Increasing awareness among the team members Zara heightens all their employees awareness of the need for sustainable practices such as trimming energy consumption, using sustainable transport or modifying habits. With the product 1. The company uses mostly ecological fabrics, like organic cotton. Zara Supports ecological agriculture and uses organic cotton in the manufacturing of selected clothing items(100% cotton, completely free of pesticides, chemicals and bleaches). Due to their distinctive label such products can be recognized very easily at the stores. 2. Producing PVC -free footwear Zara does not use any petroleum derivatives or non-biodegradable fabrics for the production of their footwear. In the transportation Zaras fleet of Lorries ship over 200 million pieces of clothing per year and use 5% biodiesel fuel, which results in lowering the emission of CO2 into the atmosphere by over 500 tones Animal welfare policy All of the animal products, including fur and leather sold at Zara stores is supplied only from animals grown in livestock form and never from animas killed by poachers for skin sale. (Zara, 2010) Legal Factors Plagiarism Plagiarism has become a hug problem in the fashion industry. Trends are very often imitated and cheaply as well as illegally sold in the street. Global expansion Since the European has a smoothly operating trade and legal system which facilitates business operations in member countries, other countries around the world do not provide the same reliabilities . In communistic countries loss of a private run business to the local government is highly probable. Conclusion: Zara has had a very successful history from the moment they opened their small Spanish dress shop, and as we can see now the little-known brand has grown into a leader of the apparel market in less than 30 years. Now the footprints of Zara is nearly everywhere. The big design group, unique strategy, environmental management idea and other operational strategies make Zara success. This PESTLE analysis seeks to improve our understanding of the firm. The research has examined the internationalisation process of the firm with a special focus on motives, entry options and international marketing strategies. The main drawback that arises in a single case study is that of limited validity and representativeness which constrains the potential for making generalisations (Creswell, 1998). Another limitation is that the study was based solely on secondary data. However, this case is deemed adequate to provide good insight, and establish the avenue for future studies.

Challenges for Supply Chain Management

Challenges for Supply Chain Management introduction The biggest challenge facing the Vancouver manufacturing plant was that for the rest of Hewlett Packard, there was no problem; When it comes to real dollars, inventory costs do not enter into the P L statements, but losses hurt our revenues. Dont talk to us about inventory-service trade-offs. Period. Vancouver was held up as a model of efficiency (Kanban) and the DeskJet printer range was a runaway success. A culture of territorialism and poor communication exacerbated the lack of urgency. Damaging internal rivalry was rife as a result of disjointed an myopic decision-making in the absence of any truly global approach to the supply chain key performance indicators (KPIs); the bullwhip effect was writ large all over the firms supply chain. The problems brewing were real and mounting and we argue that the best solution would require a fundamental overhaul of HPs production and supply chain resulting in the need to establish a new manufacturing plant in Europe. The consumer electronics industry is the very embodiment of [key] aspects of supply chain management and related risks, (Sohdi, 2004), due to the short product lifecycles, tough competition, and global nature of the business. The DeskJet printer business presented a new challenge for HP as the firms expertise was in highly customized, low volume, and long lead-time manufacturing and supply chain. In DeskJet, high volume, short product lifecycles, and high obsolescence risk were the name of the game. Printers were in transition from an innovative product to a functional product but the supply chain did not reflect this. HP used OEMs to source components and then did their own assembly. HP made high margins on the cartridges, and the printer was the conduit. HPs success in Europe was beginning to rival the home market in sales, adding further complications due to the need to modify power sources and languages for local markets. In Europe, product option AB had the highest monthly mean demand, and demand was more dispersed over the options than in North America, where virtually the entire sales were in option A. Monthly standard deviation in demand for the popular options was quite high at +- 30%. Even more importantly, the company was holding large and expensive safety stock due to the long shipping lead times and the prohibitive cost of air freight. The success of HPs DeskJet printer range in spite of an un-optimized supply chain suggests that there were significant potential gains in profitability if the right solution were found. In addition, despite high inventory levels, stock-outs were still occurring, threatening the most precious asset of all in the highly competitive printer market: customer loyalty and sentiment. Questions of internal efficiency and customer fulfilment had to be evaluated against the backdrop of a rapidly growing printer market, which was exploding along with the proliferation of desktop PCs. Despite organizational inertia and competing priorities, a number of avenues were open to HP at the time, including inventory management-the benefits of postponing final assembly-product design, and the introduction of JITD. We examine each and delve deeper into the business and customer benefits of launching a production site in Europe to fully capitalize on the surge of the printer market. The market is evolving rapidly and needs a strategic realignment of its supply chain. Creating a European manufacturing facility, plus integrated financial performance and risk management (Hahn Kuhn, 2009) will also improve shareholder returns (by improving inventory management and hence cash flows) and will mitigate risk. Postponement strategy To be successful the DeskJet supply chain must match customer demand. It must be in the zone of strategic fit, with a better match in Europe between responsiveness and uncertainty. It must integrate sales, manufacturing, distribution, and operations. Postponement is a solution to support future DeskJet expansion in Europe and to meet European demand. A successful postponement strategy requires significant degrees of cohesion; departmental barriers will need to be brought down, processes restructured and products redesigned. However, the rewards of implementing a successful postponement strategy are great. HP is not without challenges to implement a successful postponement strategy. Significant organisational change and coordination would be required. As Pagh and Cooper state (1998), The notion of postponement is to maintain the product in a neutral and noncommittal status as long as possible in the manufacturing process. In order to support this, characteristics of the DeskJet that have to be localised should be added at the last moment. Standardising the DeskJet would make inventory management and forecasting easier. It is also a way to allow cost-effective end user customisation. By creating customisation, additional lines can be introduced and consumer needs are met more easily. Customisation will assist HP in differentiating itself and in capturing the market. Based on Cooper (1993), we propose the use of the deferred packaging postponement strategy. The DeskJet peripherals are not common to all markets whilst the formulation is common. Postponement requires tight integration of processes and the formation of a holistic view. In the case of DeskJet printing, redesigning the product to make it more modular will increase manufacturing costs, but would lower the total supply chain costs. A modular design will standardise the design and thus standardise procurement processes. Making the DeskJet design more modular will also limit the inclusion of components that differentiate the product until the latest possible moment. Other benefits of modularity are identified by Feitzinger and Hau (1997), including the ability to manufacture modules separately or in parallel, thereby reducing production time and assisting with problem diagnostics in identifying quality problems. When considering a supply chain strategy, all elements from the design, procurement, manufacture, sales and distribution must be considered in unison. For example, making the DeskJet power supplies universal voltage may be more expensive, but it would provide HP with a more flexible use of inventory and would reduce forecasting errors. Marketing must be involved in the design process to validate that product variety and customisation meet market requirements. Finance must be engaged to provide activity-based costing, (ABC) statistics to support scenario analysis. All stakeholders and their differing viewpoints must be considered in order to build a holistic model of the revised supply chain. Successful postponement requires that organisational boundaries are traversed. HP should work with resellers and distributors to provide some product localisation and customisation tasks. In many cases resellers will require significant support, training, and systems to carry out these tasks. The long term value outweighs the short term investment. In all cases, postponement partnerships must be made on the basis of empirical evidence and having considered the interdependencies of the model. The decision to build European manufacturing capability and interfacing this capability with European distribution is crucial to support DeskJet sales in Europe. We support establishing a European plant as a strategy given European demand. However, in addition to the plant, distribution centres across Europe should be capable of managing product localisation and replenishment of all localisation materials. Opening a new facility in Europe Companies becoming global and enjoying growing revenue and expanding market shares across geographies face an important challenge: inertia. Being agile and being able to react quickly to changing conditions sometimes requires risky decision in volatile, uncertain environments, and sometimes mandates direct investment in foreign locales. The company must admit that what sustained past success will no longer work and must be adapted. This is the challenge Hewlett Packard faced when the Vancouver facility, which served the U.S. market, at the time HPs largest, could no longer meet the needs of growing overseas markets which were becoming progressively more important in terms of units sold. (Monthly mean of 23,108 units in Europe vs. 26, 611 units in North America). Hewlett realized that in terms of lead time, inventory optimization, transportation costs, and localization/customization, trying to serve European clients with its U.S. manufacturing facility was no longer viable despite var ious attempts at technology innovation and optimization, changes in product design, and shifts in its logistic processes; the problem could not be solved. (Transit time by sea takes up to five weeks.) As the European market matured, it needed one or more manufacturing locations geographically close to local suppliers and to end customers. However, selecting the correct locations in which to put one or many distribution centers and manufacturing facilities required performing scenario analysis (Sodhi, 2003) and considering several important criteria in a holistic framework for value-based performance and risk management in [robust] supply chains (Hahn Kuhn, 2009): Customer and supplier location, concentration and importance: the ideal location is a center of gravity based on weight clustering, transportation cost, the geographical location and relative importance of difference suppliers and customers. Order delivery time is a critical unifying dimension (Tempelmeier, 2001) when selecting a location that serves downstream needs. However, the center of gravity has to be modified by introducing additional constraints as listed below. In other words, optimization under many constraints must be performed. And this has to be done dynamically, including current data and future projections. Labor: The skills, training, and demographics of the workforce, unemployment trends, productivity, cost of labor, unionization, work regulation, work culture all vary widely across Europe and have to be considered. Cost and availability of land: The real estate environment of the area under consideration has to be analyzed: sites, building availability, construction cost, regulation, including environmental regulations, the availability and reliability of utilities, local construction companies, and maintenance providers. Corporate taxes and incentives: taxes are another layer of costs that have to be taken into account. Local authorities and governments may be competing to attract foreign direct investment and job-creating investments, offering tax and other financial incentives which can contribute to returns and lower risks. Logistical infrastructure: HP needs to evaluate connections to highways, rail transport, and the proximity to airports and seaports, all of which have to be reliable and cost effective. They also have to find credible logistic/transportation partners. Other criteria include the local climate and exposure to natural disasters. Finally, the company must provide expatriate personnel to manage the operation and its labor so quality of life issues must factor into the selection of the location. The process of selecting the optimal location is a multi-stage, top-down one, where initial screening produces a short list of countries or regions and then additional and more demanding criteria are added to narrow down the initial list through several iterations until one or two final locations are selected. The benefits of a manufacturing facility in Europe are significant and affect every step in the supply chain which now has a better strategic fit. Physical, financial, and information flows are better aligned. The market is as large as the U.S. but more diverse and will be better served. Raw materials procurement becomes more streamlined. Inventory days fall because one benefit of standardization (with local customization) is that inventory can be moved from one region to another so as to avoid piling up inventory in one region and stock-outs in another. The chain has moved to more of a push-pull system. Lead times are shorter. Finished product also does not pile up. The cost of manufacturing goes down and since printers were rapidly becoming a commodity product, economies of scale and cost savings are vital since customers choosing between two inkjet printers of equal speed and quality will make their decision based on cost and reliability. From a management perspective, handling th e supply chain becomes easier since it is optimized to regional needs but still integrated in a global framework that captures the benefits of HPs scale in buying power. The supply chain better serves customer needs and enables the company to grow more effectively in Europe and also is a model for other regions as they develop. The company can better manage its risks; it has reduced its exposure to inventory and transportation risk and improved its ability to manage supply chain supply and demand uncertainties in Europe. (Uncertainty metrics like margins, forecast error, stockout rates are all lower.) Finally, the improved supply chain should improve shareholder returns since operating margins, asset turns, and cash flow are positively affected. Other Improvement Opportunities As HPs management moves forward, it should take into account the following additional recommendations: A clear, overarching strategy for Europe needs to be defined and implemented across HPs corporate headquarters. Conflicting and competing corporate interests need to be reconciled with a clearly delineated command and communication structure. A clear company-wide and bottoms-up consensus should be reached about the framework necessary to achieve lasting success in Europe. HP needs to adopt improved corporate communication and defined spheres of responsibility and accountability across the organization. The case reveals that some of the companys most important technological advancements have been discovered by happenstance. Enhancing its technological advancement process with a more rigorous collaboration and innovation model would render technological and supply chain process improvements less susceptible to chance. For example, common global KPIs on inventory would be a good starting point. HP should remove organizational barriers to reduce lead time. (Billington Lee, 1992). The company should establish a dedicated European Localization Management Team to assess current local market trends as well as the viability of the suggestions above. The company should explore further trade opportunities within the European Union and in Eastern Europe, beyond just the tax and other cost-savings options. HP should exploit e-commerce, using the internet to take orders and organize distribution. The company should develop a supply chain risk-management framework to anticipate and mitigate any disruptions. A new or enhanced supply chain is an opportunity to integrate currency risks, cyber attacks, failed communication with suppliersterrorismnon-compliance. (Bosman, 2006). HP should modify its local marketing strategies based on national and cultural consumer demographics. The marketing and PR teams should also utilize available resources to identify such opportunities and participate within the European supply chain community. There are green opportunities within the supply chain that could be exploited. Technology Information processing: JITD New systems and better forecasting will make the problem visible but not solve it. The greatest gains are fundamental: Streamline design of the product to facilitate manufacture at the DCs and build capability at the DCs. However, there are still technical gains that can be made. Conclusion The HP case is an example of how effective supply chain management requires both a revised management paradigm (strategic change) and more sophisticated tools and techniques (optimization). The postponement strategy is a better strategic fit between the supply chain and HPs product life cycle across the key strategic and competitive variables: innovation, customer service, and cost leadership since printers are rapidly transitioning to maturity. Establishing a manufacturing plant in Europe, a major change in HPs printer supply chain, will improve the companys performance in four critical areas: costs, customer satisfaction, shareholder returns, and risk management. The companys physical flows, financial flows, and information flows will all be more aligned and efficient. After the initial capital cost of establishing the plant, the company should experience substantial cost savings from lower material costs, better predictability, improved supply assurances (no shortages), and lower inventory carrying costs. There is a tight linkage between sales, inventory, and product availability, (Raman et al, 2009), and so customer satisfaction, as measured by lower lead times, reduced variability in demand, fewer stock-outs, and enhanced ability to customize by region, should improve. The company will also position itself for future growth. HP should see the benefit of improved customer satisfaction in rising sales and market share in Europe. Shareholder value will be enhanced by the positive impact the supply chain changes will have on inventory and working capital and hence on operational value drivers like operating margins, asset utilization, and cash flow. Finally, the company will enjoy significant improvements in risk management. (Hahn Kuhn, 2009, referring to others). Certain risks, like being out of stock of a key component or product, will be entirely eliminated. Others can be mitigated through improved ability to contingency-plan and catch problems earlier. Th e company will be able to offload other risks or share them with suppliers and customers. And it will be able to consciously select risks, rather than passively absorbing them. Overall, the revised supply chain and the new manufacturing plant in Europe will be a catalyst for dramatic improvements in HPs operating and financial performance, not just on the Continent, but around the world. Bibliography Billington, Corey, Lee, Hau L. (1992, Spring). Managing Supply Chain Inventory: Pitfalls and Opportunities. Sloan Management Review, Volume 33, Number 3. Bosman, Ruud. (2006, April). The New Supply Chain Challenge: Risk Management in a Global Economy. FM Global. Cooper, James C. (1993). Logistics Strategies for Global Businesses. International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management, Vol. 23, No. 4, pp. 12-23. Feitzinger, Edward, Lee, Hau L. (1997, January-February). Mass Customization at Hewlett Packard: The Power of Postponement. Harvard Business Review, pp. 116-121. Hahn, Gerd Jurgen, Kuhn, Henirich. (2009, October 30). Value-Based Performance and Risk Management in Supply Chains: A Robust Optimization Approach. Working Paper. Department of Production and Operations Management-Catholic University of Eichstaett-Ingolstadt, Germany. Intermarine USA. (2009, December). Heavy-lift Air Transport Faces Capacity Loss, Competition. Intermarine Industry News. Lee, Hau L. (1995, Sept.-Oct.). The Evolution of Supply-Chain-Management Models and Practice at Hewlett Packard. Interfaces, Vol. 25, pp. 42-63. Raman, Ananth, DeHoratius, Nicole, Kanji, Zahra, (2009, June 12). Supply Chain Management at Hugo Boss (B)-the M Ratio. HBS Case No. 609-055, Harvard Business School Technology Operations Mgt. Unit, University of Portland and HBS. Sodhi, ManMohan S., (2003, Fall). How to Do Strategic Supply Chain Planning. Cass Business School Research Paper. Sloan Management Review. Vol. 45, No. 1, pp. 69-75. Sodhi, ManMohan S., Lee, Seongha. (2004, October 1). Global Supply-Chain Risks in the Consumer Electronics Industry. City University London, Sir John Cass Business School, Cass Business School Research Paper. Tempelmeier, Horst. (2001, December 31). Inventory Service-Levels in the Customer Supply Chain. OR Spektrum, Vol. 22 No. 3, pp. 361-380.

Domino Theory :: essays papers

Domino Theory The Domino Theory Here is my report on the Domino Theory The ?Domino Theory? is a complex and interesting theory. It is based on a simple rule of physics. That rule is inertia. Inertia is defined in the dictionary as, ?the tendency of matter to remain at rest or to continue in a fixed direction unless affected by some outside force.?1 This can be seen by making a line of dominoes, one right after the other and pushing the first domino over. The rest of the dominoes will fall over until the last one is down. They gain speed and power as the process is carried out. This analogy can be used to show what could happen to the political make-up of a specific geographical area in the world. The analogy, though, uses domino?s instead of countries. That is to say that if one country in a region practiced one particular type of government this might influence neighboring or bordering to adopt this type of government, for example the underlying principle behind the domino theory. Although the domino theory has physically been occurring since the beginning of time, it was only given a specific name and meaning 44 years ago by president Dwight D. Eisenhower. He used this theory to refer to the potential spread of communism in Southeast-Asia. He specifically said that,?You have a row of dominoes set up, you knock over the first one, and what will happen to the last one is the certainty that it will go over very quickly. So you could have a beginning of a disintegration that would have the most profoun d influences.?2 The influences that he was talking about were the influences of communism. He believed as many others did that if one country in Southeast-Asia fell to communism then all of the surrounding countries would also. President Eisenhower had led the allied coalition against Hitler in Europe during WWII. He was deeply disturbed by the way that Communism had taken hold of Eastern Europe after the war. He was also concerned by the way that Asia had been taken over by Japan so easily in WWII. This build-up can be shown in the maps below. As you can see the size of Japan?s power at the end of its rule is about twice as large as its power at the beginning. The countries which bordered Japan fell over to Japan very quickly as the war went on and giving Japan more power while doing so.

Plagiarism and the Internet :: Cheating School Education Essays

Plagiarism and the Internet Premarital sexual activity and drug and alcohol use are high in the list of problems in schools and universities today. Equally as severe is plagiarism, the act of taking credit for another person words or ideas. Plagiarism is a major problem in educational institutions. There are reasons for this action, the  ¡Ãƒ easy ¡ÃƒÅ" way out of writing assignments and projects. However, there are also ways to remedy the situation. Thus, plagiarism is a problem, but it is possible through education to substantially lower its use. Students rationalize entirely too much when it comes to essays and other assignments. Whether it is poor time management or lack of incentive, plagiarism is always wrong. Not only is taking another person ¦Ãƒ s thoughts not moral, but it is punishable by law. It is a serious offense. Pupils plagiarize because it is virtually effortless. With the Internet both available everywhere and used as a daily necessity, there is a plethora of information at one ¦Ãƒ s fingertips. Also, students find that plagiarism is not addressed as a serious problem because it is often undetected, much less punished. These reasons encompass the motives behind plagiarism. The situation isn ¦Ãƒ t entirely hopeless, however. Education is the key to decreasing the thirty-six percent of college students who confess to plagiarizing papers and other such materials (Paradigms 1). One way to educate is to inform students of the Copyright Act and of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The former states that fair uses are not an infringement of copyright (Loren 4). A fair use refers to uses such as reports, essays, and research in which a source is properly cited. The Digital Millenium Copyright Act provides for copyright owners who believe that their material on the Internet is breaching their rights (Loren 4). Both of these laws have severe consequences. If educators familiarized their students with these, then plagiarism would decrease inversely with the understanding of the severity of the act. Teachers must make this effort, just as students must make their own effort to do their own work. Also, teachers ought to enforce discipline when it co mes to a violation like plagiarism and create an association between plagiarism and punishment, not plagiarism and indifference. This is how plagiarism should be dealt with in the classroom. An omnipresent situation in schools today is plagiarism.

Drug War Failures and Drug Company Successes Essays -- Argumentative P

In the May 1999 issue of Harper's Magazine, Joshua Wolf Shenk's article "America's Altered States: When does legal relief of pain become illegal pursuit of pleasure?" states: From 1970 to 1998, the inflation-adjusted revenue of major pharmaceutical companies more than quadrupled to $81 billion, 24 percent of that from drugs affecting the central nervous system and sense organs. Sales of herbal medicines now exceed $4 billion a year. Meanwhile the war on Other drugs escalated dramatically. Since 1970 the federal antidrug budget has risen 3,700 percent and now exceeds $17 billion. More than one and half million people are arrested on drug charges each year, and 400,000 are now in prison. These numbers are just a window into an obvious truth: We take more drugs and reward those who supply them. We punish more people for taking drugs and especially punish those who supply them. On the surface, there is no conflict...The drug wars and the drug boom are interrelated, of the same body. The hostility and veneration, the punishment and profits, these come from the same beliefs and the same mistakes. The pharmaceutical industry is booming; the war on drugs is escalating. Are these statistics unconnected or do they reveal a deeper insight into our society? What factors influence our moral perception of drugs? What separates the good drugs from bad ones? In Shenk's words, "When does the legal relief of pain become illegal pursuit of pleasure?" To answer these surprisingly difficult questions, we must examine drugs themselves-the origins of their legality and the reasons given for their moral status. This examination will reveal some misguided explanations to the questions above-explanations that have obscured a more urgent problem in ... ...cide for people fifteen to twenty-four to triple since 1960 (undoubtedly this rise in depression has fed the need for more legal and illegal drugs)? Maybe it is the discontent and frustration that is behind the recent school massacres that continue to happen (psychiatrists with their arsenal of drugs flock to these scenes ready to help the victims)? These are questions we must ask, and in this new line of inquiry we must not forget Shenk's insightful words: But we often don't realize that the feeling is inside, perhaps something that, with effort, could be experienced without the drugs or perhaps, as in the psychiatric equivalent of diabetes, something we will always need help with. Yet all too often we project upon the drug a power that resides elsewhere. Many believe this to be a failure of character. If so, it is a failure the whole culture is implicated in.

The Empire and Colonialism in Asia

Modern European empires came about because of the desire for the wealth to be had from overseas trading and markets. European countries that acquired empires did not plan these conquests. Europe was trading with Asia and other parts of the world long before modern empires arose. The success of early trading and the need to expand their markets led the powers of Europe to find the means to secure overseas lands for their exclusive use. Also the fierce competition between European countries for trade and world markets led to the securing of overseas interests which led to empires. Economic expansion played a key part in the building of European empires. â€Å"An empire is a system of interaction between two political entities. One is dominant and exerts political control over internal and external policy, the other is weak. † Imperialism is the desire to control colonies or dependencies and imperialism is how empires are formed. European countries had to have the power to dominate other societies. Attributes that European countries had to encourage imperialism and empire were a centralised government, differentiated economies and a shared political loyalty. Military strength was vital too, both on land and on the sea. qualities, but they also had to have the drive to acquire an empire. Control of a vast empire fed into national pride. Colonialism was the policy used to expand a country's influence and power. When a foreign power rules another group of people (usually separated from them by an ocean) a colony is formed. The ruling power usually sent its own people to govern. This was allowed to happen by virtue of the ruling country's advanced state of technology and more complex society. Europe was lured into the outside orld through the prospect of trade. Colonies provided many economic benefits such as sources of raw materials, markets for surplus goods, new goods that could be traded to other countries (such as diamonds, gold and spices) and investment opportunities. There were other reasons for expansion such as security considerations and spreading religion, but it was the huge economic benefits that fueled the fire of imperialism. The Portuguese and the Spanish began their quest for empire in the fifteenth century and they were closely followed by the British and the Dutch in the seventeenth century. This desire for expansion was known as capitalism, the drive to search for overseas profits, raw materials and markets. Once trade was established, the struggle for power and control of trade between European countries led to the expansion and protection of overseas interests. This protection and expansion led to the creation of empires. The Iberian empires of Spain and Portugal both set out to trade with Asia for exotic goods such as silks and spices. Notions of empires and conquests did not come until after trade was established and successful. Portugal began trading along the west African coast hile in search for a trade route to the rich markets of Asia. In 1498, Vasco da Gama found that route rounding the Cape of Good Hope and sailing to India. The Portuguese had successfully established a monopoly of trade in Asia. Pedro Alvares Cabral sailed in 1498. He was supposed to follow da Gama, but got lost and ended up in Brazil in 1500. Soldiers and settlers were sent to these lands to help solidify Portugal's hold on the valuable territories. Portugal had colonies in Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Sao Tome, Principe, Brazil, Malaysia, Indonesia and China By the middle of the 1500's. They were threatened by the Spanish arriving close by in the Philippines in 1565. () Bases and administrative centres were set up in Ambonia and Tidore and Portugal had a strong hold on India in Bengal. Portugal gained enormous wealth from these lands. They obtained gold and participated in the slave trade from Africa. They also got gold and diamonds from Brazil. The spice trade from Asia was very lucrative. Portuguese planters in these lands contributed also to the overall wealth of the country. Portugal overextended itself, however, and was invaded successfully by Spain in 1580. England, the Netherlands and France were able to steal away parts of the empire during this time. After regaining its independence, Portugal never really rose to its former glory. It was constantly under attack by Spain for many years. It did hold onto many of its colonies until the mid 1970's, but the people of those colonies did not allow Portugal to take all of their wealth as it had done before. Spain had also set out to trade in Asia, but they were sidetracked by Columbus' discovery in 1492. Columbus was trying to bypass the monopoly Portugal had over trade in the East. Instead he enabled Spain to build an empire which included Mexico, Central America, most of the West Indies, the Southwestern portion of what is now the United States and the western part of South America. The Spanish exploited the Caribbean and the Americas for economic advantage. The Spanish Empire also included Portugal, present day Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, and the Philippines. Spanish colonies were set up to keep control of trade and resources after threats from the Dutch and the English. Also colonies were set up to support the home economy. Many wars and poor management led to the decline of Spain's control of this vast empire. Much land and military resources were lost when Spain came out on the losing side of several wars. Many of the people in the colonies revolted against harsh Spanish rule. Cuba, the Philippines, Guam and Puerto Rico were the last of Spain's valuable holdings to go after their defeat in the Spanish-American War in 1898. Economic interests for Spain were at the head of expansion. Gold, silver and precious stones were seen as the â€Å"treasure† of the Spanish Empire. Both Portugal and Spain initially set out to trade and profit from Asia nd only advanced towards empire when their economic After 1600, northern European countries began trading overseas regularly and started to develop economic interests that led to empires. The English and the Dutch saw how lucrative Spanish and Portuguese colonies were and they developed aspirations of their own. The Dutch East India Company and the English East India Company emerged in the early seventeenth century as major powers to take trade away from Portugal and Spain. The English and the Dutch used their dominant naval forces to remove Spain and The English gained power in India over the Portuguese. They acquired Madras and Bengal. The English were only interested in trading with the East, not in colonising the area. They made agreements with the rulers of India for favorable trading conditions. When the Mongul rulers of India began to lose power, then the English East India Company stepped in and took over to protect its economic interests. England did settle extensively its colonies in North America and parts of Africa. England, weakened also by many wars, lost or gave independence to most of its empire. The Dutch by virtue of their superior navy were able to create a tremendously extensive empire in the East. The Dutch captured the fort on Ambonia from the Portuguese and the Portuguese ended up losing their stronghold, Malacca. The Dutch East India Company set up headquarters in Batavia (which is now called Jakarta) in Indonesia. They had exclusive trading rights with Japan and also controlled Ceylon and the southern tip of Africa. They colonized New Netherland which is New York today. The Dutch fought many wars and were finally defeated by the English in 1784. Ten years later they were invaded by the French. Most of their possessions were confiscated during this time. rivals in trade so they had to establish footholds in rder to preserve their trading. The Dutch had settlements in Batavia and control of trade in the far east. The English acquired Madras and Bengal. England ended up ruling over India to protect profitable trade, not for glory or sovereignty. There was no movement of population into India and only after a century and a half did anything besides trade play a part in relations with India. These footholds resulted in empires, but they were conceived in order to maintain economic advantage in the east. European empires hold their roots in early trade and the search for overseas markets. John Cuningham, an conomist, suggests that evolution of empire is due to † gradual extension of commerce [and] advent to trading companies coupled with the desire to enrich power and prestige of the mother country. I agree with this statement because of the origin of trade that European empires had. European countries began expansion in search of riches like gold and diamonds, trade like spices and silk, and land to grow valuable crops like coffee. They only resorted to control when their economic enterprises were in danger. Empires developed as a means of economic expansion to enable European countries to maintain their profits, raw materials and markets.

Communication Essay

In this assignment I will be explaining which each of the different forms of communication are and describing them in more detail and giving examples of each one. In health and social care we need communication skills are vital for anyone who wants to work within this environment. One to one communication is basically one person communication with another person but nobody else will be joining in the conversation. Other ways of having a one to one communication could be sending an email to someone and them replying or instant messaging someone. An example of having a one to one communication within health and Social care would be when a patient is talking to his/her doctor or a doctor talking to a patient’s family. Group communication is harder than one to one communication skills because it only works properly if everyone within the group is communication. This is very hard because normally within a group there is people who talk a lot and some who rarely talk or sometimes people who do not talk at all. An example of group communication would be when people go to an AA meeting. If you have no idea what an AA meeting is its Alcohol Anonymous so people who are alcoholics go to there to try and stop drinking. Formal communication is normally used by a professional. It is normally started with a polite greeting like â€Å"how are you today? † or â€Å"Good Morning† because they want to show respect to you. People normally use formal communication when in a meeting or a conference. In this type of communication using slang words or foul language like swearing is avoided and correct pronunciation is used. An example of this would be if a staff member isn’t working as good as they should be then the manager would have to give them a warning so they would have to use the correct use of wording so that they won’t think they are getting fired. Informal Communication is normally used with people who you are close with or know very well like family, friends and boyfriends. Informal Communication is the opposite of formal communication. It is usually used when in face to face conversation with a friend or relative- a personally known person. Informal communication is also used in e-mail, texts, and telephone conversations. An example of this would be in some areas it is common to call people love even though you have only just met them. Verbal communication is using words to tell your ideas, thoughts and feelings. Good verbal communication skills are being able to express your ideas clearly through your words. An example of this is by showing video’s you are helping the client to listen, by making hear a tape they are also listening, helping them to read books allows them to reading words and so on and understand them. Non-verbal communication is sending out message without speaking. You can send messages using your eyes, the tone of your voice, facial expression, hands and arms, gestures, the angle of your head and body posture. Within a few seconds of meeting a service user most people will usually be able to what they are feeling. You will be able to tell if they are tired, happy, angry or sad even before they haven’t said anything. You can tell what people are feeling by the use of body language. Now I will be explaining the non verbal messages which we send by using our bodies. The ones I will be talking about are posture, gestures,facial expression, touch or contact, use of signs, symbols and pictures, objects of references, writing, technology aids. Voice tone is basically the way you say something. If you say something in a loud voice people may seem you as angry and if you say something in a calm voice it will show that you are friendly. An example of this would be if you say â€Å"Hello, are you having a good morning† then this will show that you are friendly. Posture is the way you sit or stand. Sitting with crossed arms normally means you’re not taking any notice. Leaning back can send the message that you are relaxed or bored which leaning forward means you are interested. Posture is the way you sit or stand. Sitting with crossed arms can mean you’re not taking any notice. When you are leaning back can send the message that you are bored or not interested and when you are leaning forward it shows that you are interested in the conversation. An example in a health and social care setting would be when you are talking to a child at a school then you would be leaning forward to make sure the child knows you are interested in the conversation. Gestures are hand and arm movements that can help us to understand what a person is saying. Some gestures carry a meaning of their own. When you do something that is a success most people will put their thumbs up and if you do something perfection most people will put one hand on their waist and do a circle with their hands. You can tell what a person is feeling or thinking by the way they have their eyes. Your eyes get wider when you are excited or attracted to someone. A fixed stare may send the message that someone is angry at the person who she/he is staring at. When someone is looking away when they are talking to you it means they are not interested. Standing or sitting eye to eye can send a message of formality or hostility. A slight angle can create a more relaxed and friendly feeling. Touching another person during a conversation can send message of care, affection, power over them or sexual interest. Gestures made with hands or arms, written symbols or diagrams such as traffic signs all communicate message to people. Braille is a form of written language for the blind, in which characters are represented by patterns of raised dots that are felt with the fingertips. An example of braille being used in the health and social sector would be a blind person maybe reading a letter in braille sent from hospital concerning their health; they’d have to feel the dots to understand what has been written. Paintings, photographs, sculptures, architecture, ornaments and other household objects can communicate messages and emotions to people. People often take photographs or buy souvenirs to remind them of happy experiences they have had. Language does not have to be based on sounds that are hears. Signing systems such as Sign Language provide a full language system for people who do not use spoken language. An example of sign language would be if someone needs help with their hearing difficulties. Written Communication is where someone talks by writing a letter or an email. An example of written communication would be if someone is trying to get a care assistant job will be sending their cv of by an email. Technological aids – Humans can communicate across distance and time by using written messages, email and text messages. Information can be recorded electronically, helping us to communication more efficiently than writing on paper. Electronic aids can turn speech into writing such as mini com for people with a hearing disability or voice typing for people with dyslexia. AN interpreter is someone who can translate speech. A signer is someone who can use sign language to speak. A translator is a person who translates one language to another. Lip reading is an aid to communication for Deaf and hard of hearing people. Lip-reading classes help regain confidence and lessen the feelings of isolation that so often come with hearing loss. Most people misunderstand deafness. It’s invisible and doesn’t change the way you appear to other people, but it can change the way you feel. You may: * Feel excluded from everyday activities and conversations * Find it difficult to cope in some situations * Feel frustrated when trying to communicate with people around you Makaton is a language programme designed to provide a means of communication to individuals who cannot communicate efficiently by speaking.