Wal-Mart and Nordstrom

Wal-Mart and Nordstrom are well known companies and established brands listed on Fortune 500 list. Wal-Mart caters almost all needs of its customers from grocery to clothing while Nordstrom operates in fashion retainging industry. It keeps collection of more than 500 brands in its store. Wal-Mart Wal-Mart is the largest retailer in America. These discount stores became part of American’s life in 1960s. At present it is operating in 15 countries, it employs more than 1.8 million associates worldwide. The number of stores is nearly 6,500 stores and serves more than 176 million customers per week. The â€Å"most admired retailer† according to FORTUNE magazine has just completed one of the best years in its history: Wal-Mart generated more than $312.4 billion in global revenue in the fiscal year ended January 31, 2006, establishing a new record and an increase of 9.5 percent. The company earned almost $11.2 billion in net income in fiscal 2005.[1] Wal-Mart has gone through considerable changes through the year 2003-04. Wal-Mart had increased its advertising budget by $434 million between 2003 and 2004. The mission of Wal-Mart has been to provide good jobs, good works, and citizens and do good investments in 2004. The vision of Wal-Mart has always been to provide customer each and every product at the lowest price. Wal-Mart focused on cost cutting by its strategy on the merchandise mix and various operations. It utilized its database for consumer and requirement analysis. This helped it to understand the demand pattern of various products and helped in inventory management to make products available when customer wanted it most. The marketing activities revolve around the equation People+ Price+ Product=Value. Company’s promotional strategies are not limited to a particular source. Company has utilized all the traditional and modern channels to reach its customer with its best offers. Wal-Mart adopts simple price promotion strategy in all its strategies. Its website is colorful attractive and displays various products and offers in each of its web page. Wal-Mart uses billboards and signboards which are placed at the public places and the places with high visibilities. The pamphlets and print materials are used for both in side the store promotion as well as outside the stores. Nordstrom Its one of the largest fashion retail stores in US. Its annual revenue is $7,722.9 million. It is ranked 8th in the general merchandiser group of fortune 500 companies. â€Å"Today, Nordstrom has grown from one downtown Seattle shoe store into a nationwide fashion specialty chain with renowned services, generous size ranges and a selection of the finest apparel, shoes and accessories for the entire family. The company's philosophy has remained unchanged for more than 100 years since its establishment by John W. Nordstrom in 1901: offer the customer the best possible service, selection, quality and value.† This claims to provide branded clothes in the best minimum prizes. It adopts various promotional strategies for the promotion of its store. These strategies include electronic medium such as internet and computers, events and programs and printed materials. Events like designer clothes events, in store beauty events, sales events and many others. The web presence of the Nordstrom’s website is elegant. It also works as a platform for the promotional strategies. Currently $ 5 shipping campaign is going on this website.   Its webpage has various attractive pictures creating interest about the products as well as self promotion of the company. It has its own e-catalogue which list all its product and accessories for the information and shopping purpose. Each of the company uses almost all kind of promotional tools to reach their target consumers and other stake holders. The use of web pages in both the cases has been different with similar objective of attracting consumer and selling. However the e-catalogue of Nordstrom and images used in the website is more urban and attractive. Wal-mart tries to attract mass and it is evident from its website presentation. Nordstrom conducts various events as one of its most important promotional strategies. Reference: Kotler, Philip, Marketing Management, Prentice-Hall Inc. New Jersy, 10th Edition, 2000 Nankani, Economic Growth in the 1990s: Learning from a Decade of Reform retrieved on 22 January 2007   from http://www1.worldbank.org/prem/lessons1990s/chaps/01-Ch01.pdf Serres, Chris Target vs. Wal-Mart, Is Target Corporation Any Better for Workers? May 22nd, 2005 retrieved on 22 January 2007     from http://www.reclaimdemocracy.org/walmart/2005/target_better.php http://investors.target.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=65828;p=irol-newsArticle;ID=233786;highlight=accessed on 22 January 2007 http://www.sathguru.com/Note_on_Retail_Industry.pdf accessed on 22 January 2007 http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/snapshots/957.html accessed on 22 January 2007 http://about.nordstrom.com/aboutus/companyhist/companyhist.asp accessed on 22 January 2007 [1] http://walmartstores.com/GlobalWMStoresWeb/navigate.do?catg=5

Are we True Muslims of Allah Essay

Today I am going to discuss whether we are true servants of Allah. Many of us say that we are Allah’s servants but do are actions really confirm it. There are three ways in which we can check if we really are the true servants of Allah. First we must know that he is our master and we are his slaves and we are entirely devoted to him. Secondly, we should only do those actions which will earn his pleasure and stay from the actions which will make him angry. Third, we must know that all our possessions belong to Allah and therefore we should us it as he has commended. Coming back to the first point that we are his slaves and he is our master we must realize that as his slaves we must always submit 100% to the will of Allah. There is a story recorded in history in which a very well mannered and understanding slave saw that his master was very worried. The slave asked his master why he was so sad. The master responded that he had a high debt but no money to pay them off. The slaves suggested that he should be sold in the market and use the money pay off the debts. The master refused because his debts were so high that even if he were to sell the slave it would not be enough to cover his debts. So the slave said to set the price at the amount of the debts and if anyone asks questions regarding the high price then to just tell them that this slave knows the rules relating to servitude and being a slave very well. So the master went to the market and was trying to sell the slave at the price that his debts were. When people saw the price of the slave they just laughed and who can really blame them. I mean who would want to buy a slave that’s really expensive when you can get one that s 10 times cheaper. After a little while a man came and asked the reason for the high selling price. To this the master responded that this slave knows the rules to servitude very well. The man decided to purchase him on the condition that if this was not true he would want a refund for the slave. Now the new master took the slave home and in order to see if this slave really knew the rules to servitude was true or not, the new master gave an order to whip this poor slave. In response to the torture, the slave did not cry or scream – nor did he even ask the reason for the beatings! After some time, the man asked the slave, Do you not feel any pain? and If you do, then why don’t you say anything. To this the slave said, I am the slave and you are the master and it is not appropriate that a slave questions his master – rather, he should agree 100% with whatever his master commands. If you grant me some blessings  then I will submit to you and if you punish me, still I will submit to you. Now although in this story the whipping is completely not justified its shows that we must all be like this poor slave. Like the slave said when he was getting whipped if you grant me blessings then I will submit to you and if you punish me I will still submit to you. For us this means that if something good happens in our life than we should thank Allah and if something bad happens to us or to those that we love then we should not blame Allah. We must accept that Allah knows best and keep on thanking him for what good he has brought in our lives and be patience with any hardship that we face. One who does not understand the secret behind being the slave of Allah would fall into the quranic verse of Sura Marij ayats 19-21 which mean Surely man is created of hasty temperament Being greatly grieved when evil afflicts him And stingy when good befalls him These ayahs basically just mean that when something good happens we thank Allah but when something bad happens we get upset at Allah. Also in the quran in sura sad ayats 82-83 shaytan is telling Allah Then by Your Might, I will certainly make them all live an evil life, except Your servants from amongst them, the ones whom You have purified (of sin).. Now if were not counted as the servants of Allah then unfortunately we are in shaytans side. And like the ayah said that the ones who are not the servants of Allah will live an evil life. The second point is that we must remember that Allah can be both angry and pleased with us. Therefore, we must always be careful to do only those acts  which will gain the pleasure of Allah and stay away from those things which will anger him. Ayatollah Khomeini used to emphasize the fact that there is no such thing as a minor sin – rather all sins are major – of course they are on different levels. However, one must keep In mind that we are displeasing and sinning against him, not that we feel that a certain sin is unimportant or small. Any kind of sin will displease Allah and therefore will displease the prophet and the imams. In a narration we read that Allah has said, Do not think that if you do 1 sin its no big deal because it may be for that 1 sin that Allah removes his protection on you. And also do not think that if you do a good dead it’s also not really a big deal because that one good dead may be the dead that makes Allah protect you. The third point to remember as part of being true servants to Allah is that we must realize everything belongs to Allah, whether it is our wealth, children, intellect or anything else. If one accepts this fact, then it is very easy for us to give our time, wealth, or anything else for the cause of Allah. As an example, if someone gives you one hundred dollars to distribute among the poor, we would see how easy it is for us to give out this wealth since the money was not ours. If we think about it whatever money we have is not really ours. rather, it is a trust that Allah has given to us that must be spent in His way how He has commanded it to be used. We must realize that everything we have is from Allah. Therefore, in conclusion, in order to be considered as true servants of Allah, we must be very careful of the three things 1. We must know and remember at all times that we are His slaves and He is our Master, and so we must submit entirely to Him. 2. We must perform only those acts which will earn His pleasure and stay from those things that will make him angry. 3. And finally we must know that whatever we have is really His property and it should be spent or used as He has commanded us.

The Importance of Doing and Turning Your Work in on Time

Browne 1 Patrick Browne 9-29-12 Mr. Slade Boondocks Driven Satire Sunday nights on Cartoon Network has become fertile ground for some of the most side-spitting, razor-sharp humor on this side of a cable box. The show concepts that constitute the â€Å"Adult Swim† block of programming on CN has drawn its fair share of rave reviews and harsh criticism from anybody willing to offer an opinion. For Afro-American viewers, no show represents that aforementioned razor's edge quite like Aaron McGruder's comic strip creation, â€Å"The Boondocks†.The first season of the weekly series found every way possible to poke humor at many of the events, individuals, and situations we see around ourselves on a daily basis. In some cases, the biting satire that's become this shows trademark may have opened up some ‘wounds' that some folk in and among Black America would prefer to have left stitched up. From the would-be Revolutionary Huey, to the saggy pants wearing, â€Å"thuggedâ €  out Riley, to the blatantly Uncle Tom-like Uncle Ruckus, the characters and situations are cleverly designed to force us to look at ourselves through a very revealing lens.No person, topic, or issue has been too ‘taboo' to examine within the show, which has drawn the ire of some of the more ‘prominent' faces within the African-American community. Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Oprah Winfrey, and Bill Cosby have been among the more outspoken detractors of the show, harping Browne 2 on the use of the dreaded â€Å"N† word among other things. The second season of the show may prove to be just as funny and potentially inflammatory as the previous one.The scrutiny has been pretty intense, drawing criticism from multiple sources in the black community, as well as some pretty severe rebukes from the aforementioned likes of Sharpton and Jackson. In fact, the pointed criticism that has come from these sources saying are we not supposed to talk about such things? Are we supposed to ignore some of the more embarrassing fads and unhealthy stereotypes that have come with this generation among black folk? I mean, we can talk about the war, how the government is ‘shafting' the black man and woman out of our ightful piece of the American Dream. We can talk about all these things, but there's a big stink about one person taking an assessment of our own house through his own prism. Maybe the real reason some folks are getting so uptight about what they see is because some of the material hits really close to home. As much as I respect the Cosby's and the Jackson's of the world, there method isn't the only means to get the message across. Sometimes the finesse and subtle nature of satire and humor can deliver the same powerful, heartfelt message.Sometimes, we as black folk need to be shocked and ‘awed' into seeing a particular reality. That's what this show is; A strong smack in the mouth†¦ A wake-up call†¦ Humor is a pretty revealing thing; If we can take the time out to laugh at some of our own shortcomings, we can take the same type of time out to correct those issues and set about the task of strengthening our communities. Will we hear the occasional curse word, sure†¦ We might even hear the foul Browne 3 and dreaded â€Å"N† word a few more times before the show leaves syndication.So what is more important? Listening and acting on the message delivered to correct said problems, or whining about a character that portrays something that practically all of us have seen at some point during our lifetime? I don’t know about the next viewer, but this show represents solid with most Afro-Americans, which is why I’ll be tuned in for season four†¦I may indeed get a good laugh out of the over-the-top ‘pimp’ behavior of â€Å"A Pimp Named Slick Back†, or the numerous references to some of the out-of-control aspects of hip-hop culture.Through that laughter I and others tend to see a bit more of the reality that some of Black America seems too apathetic or too afraid, to confront the satire that this particular show represents. I can’t think of a better way to start that process than speaking on this issue through our own prism. Since 2005, Aaron McGruder has brought the previously unexposed taboos of Black American culture in its most raw and comedic form to the forefront of this country’s conscience through our TV screens.The tales of Huey, Riley, and Granddad Freeman’s migration from the Southside of Chicago to the lily white suburb of Woodcrest has endured its share of controversy. From public condemnation by Rev. Al Sharpton to threats of legal action by BET, The Boondocks, one of the most watched shows to be broadcast on Adult Swim, goes straight for the jugular of many of the most famous and infamous figures of our generation.As the main character on the show, Huey’s neo-Black nationalist views have been the cente rpiece of some of The Boondocks’ most memorable moments. From blasting MLK for Browne 4 repeatedly saying ‘nigga’ on the â€Å"Return of the King† episode to calling Ronald Reagan a devil, Huey and his militant antics made way for more serious issues to be addressed. The way he schooled Granddad about the origins of Christmas and dropped knowledge about the negative and nostalgic images shown on cable giant Black Entertainment Television were classic and unprecedented.His less informed and gangster inclined little brother Riley barked ‘Ain’t nothin’ wrong with BET’, while he punctuated every sentence with an unapologetic ‘nigga’. Other episodes like â€Å"The Hunger Strike† and â€Å"The Uncle Ruckus Reality Show† ridiculed BET to the point where they pressured Sony to ban the shows. One of the funniest and ironically most criticized characters is Uncle Ruckus, a self-hating older black man and brother of Granddad Freeman creates a climate for one of the shows more controversial episodes, â€Å"Jimmy Rebel†.In this particular instance, Ruckus wrote music for a racist country singer, made mention to every known racial epithet to Black people, and called our president, ‘that baboon ‘Bama’. Other creative minds were not spared by McGruder’s satire, like Tyler Perry who was extremely roasted on the â€Å"Pause† episode, where they focused on Perry’s overzealous religious POV and used his cross-dressing and homosexual innuendos as fuel for the fire.It was a point in the episode where Granddad, whose voice is that of actor John Witherspoon, was forced by Perry’s character to say, ‘I renounce Ice Cube and all his works†¦even Friday! ’ Actor Kadeem Hardison was even clowned when his lack of persistent work in the film industry was mentioned as he auditioned for one of Perry’s plays turned films. Whitney and Bob by, Lil’ Browne 5 Wayne, and even fictional musical artists like Thugnificent are used to manifest negative, yet accurate portrayals of Black performers.There’s always talk about white television shows that ought to have black faces, but many of these same critics tend to overlook the reality that programming in general could stand to diversify, too. Diversity comes in many shades – most of which go beyond color. To that end, while it’s lovely to see so many shows strive to show the more â€Å"positive† aspects of black life, more often than not it appears to come at the expense of offering our perspective as it relates to race, class, and pop culture on the airwaves.There are plenty who confirm the satire found in the social and political commentary on the show, and other instances of the kind of acute humor found in shows like The Boondocks and Chappelle’s Show. That kind of humor, for the most part, can only be found in shows largely scri pted and conceived by whites like The Daily Show, or even Family Guy and The Cleveland Show. Those shows are great, but still come from a separate point of view.The Boondocks has been known to be brought up in conversations as a point of reference to show how much driven satire entertainment that is enjoyed by Black people is a step backwards toward the days of the minstrel shows, but you have to be able to keep laughing, even if it’s at your own shortcomings. Browne 6 Works Cited Allah, Shabe. â€Å"The Boondocks†. The Best of Boondocks. Source Magazine 24 June 2010. Seward III, Herbert. â€Å"The Boondocks†. The Boondocks: Offensive show or stinging reality. Yahoo article 16 November 2007. Arceneaux, Michael. â€Å"The Boondocks†. Black Satire. Thegrio 18 May 2012

Ideology and Social Movement in China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Ideology and Social Movement in China - Essay Example This interrelationship is of great significance in the development of Chinese culture, social movement and modernization. Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to investigate what happens to ideas and ideologies when they are transplanted to settings other than their own original time and context. The main focus will be on Confucianism applied to the challenge of modernization in China, modern western liberalism in pre- and post- May 4th era, and Marxism in both pre- and post- 1949 China. Until 1917, Chinese literary language was regarded as the key cultural domain or â€Å"the national essence†, and was one of the few elements of China’s tradition that did not succumb to the challenge of modernization presented by western imperialism4. The Chinese Civil War (1927 to 1949) drew to a close with the Chinese revolution of 1949, and later led to the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). By this time, traditional Chinese culture was believed to have expired, though the decline began soon after 1895. However, Mao Tse-Tung, the Chinese communist leader and others believed that modernization was â€Å"a self-renewal of China’s inherent tradition†¦of thought and culture,†5 and this was the basis on which Western sciences and technologies were transplanted into China, while rejecting the socio-political and ideological culture of the West. From the end of the 1970s, contemporary and modern western philosophical trends were gradually incorporated into Chinese ideologies, eliminating dogmatism and old traditional thought hardened by lack of reform. Confucius (551-479 BCE), the Chinese philosopher, thinker and educator, established various guidelines towards living human life optimally. Confucianism has deeply influenced Chinese philosophy and ideologies. One thousand years before the conceptualization of humanism in the West, Confucianism stressed on the value of humanity, the

The Relationship between the Consumers Need for Uniqueness and Essay

The Relationship between the Consumers Need for Uniqueness and Purchase Perception of Fast Fashion Co-Brands - Essay Example The paper tells that co-branding in fashion is the pairing of two of more branded products forming a separate and unique product. It facilitates parent brands to access to a broader consumer base as well as to form a new relationship with the clients. Fast fashion co-brands serve as a constructed idea and lifestyle which the consumers not only desire but also identify. People with a high need for uniqueness fell comfortable when they are different from others, as a result, engage mostly in changes towards dissimilarity related to others. They either counter to conform to creative choices, avoid similarity or like the unpopular. This is dependent upon consumers’ subjective judgment, quality and consumers need for the uniqueness of a product or service. Hypothesis developed to explain purchase perception include hypothesis 2; consumers having a higher need for uniqueness in fast fashion have higher favourable purchase perception of fast fashion co-brand, hypothesis 3; consumers having higher need for uniqueness on designer fashion brand have higher favourable purchase perception of fast fashion co-brands, hypothesis 4; consumers having higher need for uniqueness on fast fashion co-brand have higher favourable purchase perception of fast fashion co-brand. Empirical research methodology in form of survey questionnaires was used. A pilot survey was carried out to ensure that the survey questions and research instruments operate well. The authors also employed convenient sampling approach using a random survey procedure, week through. Need for the luxury design was higher than the need for uniqueness in fast fashion brands. Need for fast fashion came in between. Respondents’ need for uniqueness in first fashion co-brands had the largest impact on their purchase perception on fast fashion co-brands, followed by fast fashion brands and lastly, the need for uniqueness in luxury designer brands. Since fast fashion brands are easily and affordably possessed and are of comparatively low quality, consumers might feel they are less unique. Luxury designer fashion brands scored highest.

Sterility Testing of the sodium cromoglycate Eye Drop Formulation Essay

Sterility Testing of the sodium cromoglycate Eye Drop Formulation - Essay Example ingested into the human body, the area in and around the pharmacy should be kept free from any microorganisms that might spread infection within the human body. The specific eye drop formulation used in this lab consists of several different key components that increase its efficacy. In this case, the components in question are Benzylpenicillin and para-aminobenzoic acid. The effectiveness of these particular products in sterilising against the presence of microorganisms is seen once the products themselves are activated. As a result, in order for Benzylpenicillin to break down penicillin, it does need to first be inactivated by banzylpenicillinase. In addition, para-aminobenzoic acid produces folic acid that can hinder some of the processes taking place within any bacteria that is present, effectively sterilising them (Regamy 2004). In an effort to test for the presence of a wide range of microorganisms, a number of different specimen should be used. In this case, sulfonamid, phenyl mercuric nitrate, sodium metabisulphite, and sodium edentate were used as they provide an environment that allows for the ready testing of a variety of microorganisms, as opposed to a situation that would result if the eye drop formulation were composed of only one compound. Sterilisation is a process that involves the utilisation of chemical compounds that are designed to inactivate the functioning of disease causing microorganisms (Akers 2005). This experiment involved the use of several biological and physicochemical indicators that included quaternary ammonium compound (QAC), penicillin, sulphonamide, phenol sodium edentate (EDTA), and mercurials. The methods used to test for actual sterilisation included non-ionic detergent, beta lactase, the use of p-aminobenzoic and dilution method, and thioglycollate. The results revealed that the oxidised and reduced Brewer’s medium solutions retained their colours of green and hello respectively. This confirms the presence of

History of chinese calligraphy and its chatracteristics Essay

History of chinese calligraphy and its chatracteristics - Essay Example This was followed by the Zhou Dynasty (1100-256 B.C.) during which Chinese wrote on bronze vessels and variety of styles was created on greater seals. During the Qin Dynasty (221-206 B.C.) the use of lesser seal scripts, also known as xiao zhuan, was made standardizing the characters used for writing. Stone inscriptions were used during this time and scripts for clerical uses were also prepared. Clerical scripts developed more during the Han Dynasty (206 B.C. - A.D. 220). Such writings could be obtained from Stele Vessels, Stele for Zhang Qian and Stele for Cao Quan. Also, the cursive style of writing was developed during this period of time characterized by inscriptions on strips or silks. The regular script, cursive script and running scripts were developed during the Wei, Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties (220-580), the characteristics of which were represented by Stelae style from Northern Dynasty and Manuscript style from Southern Dynasty. The regular script developed to maturity during the Sui (581-618), Tang (618-907) and Five Dynasties (907-960). During these periods, seal, regular, cursive as well as clerical scripts were used. Personal Creative Styles emerged during the Song Dynasty (960-1279) where regular and cursive scripts were mostly used in the development of creative writings like poetry. During the Yuan (1271-1368) and Ming Dynasties (1368-1644), the ancient styles of writing in seal, clerical, regular and cursive scripts revived with further advancements. Several learning from the original works took place during these times. The Stelae school of calligraphy advanced during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) during which writers used their learning o n seal scripts and clerical scripts to create new writings unique from the past. Regular and cursive writings also flourished more during this period. The 20th century has witnessed radical development in Chinese calligraphy with

Reflective Thinking. Easy Jet on airline markets. PESTEL And SWOT Essay

Reflective Thinking. Easy Jet on airline markets. PESTEL And SWOT Analysis - Essay Example This step involves revisiting experiences and knowledge with respect to the topic in question and why and how one performs the task. It involves examination of values, beliefs, assumptions and attitudes. Reflective thinking helps clarify and recognise the connection between what one knows and learns (TLC, 2008). Figure 1: The Thinking Process (Source: TLC, 2008) The reflective report prepared aims to demonstrate my knowledge derived from the projects on Easy Jet and various sections like business environment, PESTEL, Porters Five Forces and other relevant theories which were used in the project. Findings from the Report Based on the project made on Easy Jet, I have found that Easy Jet is regarded as a low-cost operator and is performing well in Europe. It operates internationally and also in a domestic airline market. It aims to becomes the best and the cheapest airline operator in the world. The airline faces tough challenges from its competitors such as Ryanair, British Airlines an d others. One great impact which I have noticed is that with the coming up of low-cost airlines, travellers prefer to travel by air rather than by bus, train or other means of transport. However, it should also be noted that along with low prices the airline should also be able to provide a level of comfort for the passengers so that the passengers feel comfortable while travelling, and I think the airline will be able to retain its customers in a positive way. I have analysed the business environment with the help of tools like PESTEL analysis, SWOT Analysis, Porters Five Forces along with operational management, supply chain and micro economic factors. In the process of using Porter’s Five Forces – a tool taking into consideration five important forces and helping determine the level of attractiveness in a particular industry – it was learned that the airline industry cannot be considered to be attractive because of the many unfavourable economic conditions pr evailing in the airline industry. The cost of entering is high and maintenance of airline is also a costly affair (on the other hand, it reduces the threat from new entrants in the airline industry). The bargaining power of buyers has the potential to result in a threat because of the competitive price offered by other airlines. It has also been seen that a threat of substitute is pretty high, as with the existence of other transport means such as buses, trains, cars, etc, passengers prefer to travel rather than to spend almost the same or a slightly higher amount on more expensive means of transport. Reflective Statement While conducting the analysis, I have learned that the above tools form an integral part of any analysis and have helped me understand the impact of various factors on the organisation. The first framework which I have used to analyse the airline industry is PESTEL analysis; this is because PESTEL takes into account the industry as a whole and analyzes political fa ctors which might impact the industry, as well as economic, social, technological, environmental and, lastly, legal factors. Why PESTEL Analysis? PESTEL gives an overview of the industry and is necessary to conduct, as it helps organisation to take the advantage of the opportunities; it also has the potential to minimise the threats. In the process of conducting the project, I have understood that PESTEL analysis can be carried out in relation to any form of business and industry, and it is one of the most important tools through which the companies evaluate the external environment and make necessary changes to fit the competitive environment and to survive in it.

Legal History of Film Streaming Websites Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Legal History of Film Streaming Websites - Essay Example One such disadvantage is the increased risk of infringement of the rights of copyright holders. The Internet provides a faster, cheaper and easier access to entertainment content which inevitably increases the risk of unauthorized reproduction, unchecked distribution and illegal public performance of copyrighted content. (Aspen Pub, 2001). The advent of new digital technologies has eased the circulation of movies around the world which has been and continues to be the source of tremendous problems for the entertainment industry. With the advent of movie streaming technology, an individual can view a movie without downloading it from the website therefore; the ease of viewing has been enhanced. There are a large number of legitimate and legal websites that enable internet users to view motion pictures, live sports events, TV programs and other forms of entertainment. However, the problem of unauthorized public performance of movies has intensified with the advent of illegal and illegi timate movie streaming websites. (Litman 2001). History of Video streaming websites and Copyright Law issues: The demand for online viewing of movies surfaced in the year 1997 and is now a $1.9 billion industry. In 2001 two major movie downloading websites surfaced which were Movielink and Moviebeam. Both websites failed to establish a profitable market place and were sold in the year 2006. Today, one of the major legal movie downloading sites is Apple iTunes along with Amazon, Veoh, Hulu, Netflix and Blockbuster. (Finney, Angus 2010). One of the fundamental issues that arose with widespread use of the Internet was violation of copyright laws. In 1997, the Congress enacted the No Electronic Theft Act in an effort to prevent the unauthorized uploading of movies and videogames. In accordance with Telecommunications Act of 1996, Internet Service Providers will not be considered liable of copyright infringements committed by their website users if they agree to promptly remove the unlaw ful materials from their website. The advent of social networking and film clips sharing sites such as MySpace and Youtube was soon followed by lawsuits filed by copyright owners. In accordance, Youtube was sued by Media conglomerate Viacom for $1 Billion for the violation of copyright laws as thousands of copyright videos were uploaded by Youtube users each day. Youtube and Viacom solved the issue by negotiating outside the court but officials from Youtube stated in court that they fall in the safe harbor category of Digital Millennium Copyright Act which states that the Violator will not be liable for the violation if they promptly remove the material blamed with copyright infringement. Therefore, both MySpace and Youtube acted to prevent the resurfacing of such an issue by installing specially designed internal filters which prevent the uploading of copyrighted material. However, the critics of such lawsuits believe that it is perfectly legal to upload copyrighted material under the fair use Doctrine. The year 2010 proved to be hugely successful for Google and Youtube because the Court dismissed the billion-dollar infringement claim filed by high profile lawsuits and declared that Youtube falls under the â€Å"safe harbor†

Corporate finance and Financial Accounting Essay

Corporate finance and Financial Accounting - Essay Example However, it is the responsibility of the organization to formulate and implement appropriate strategies to deal with risks. For this case, the management of XYZ opted for acquisition of the company. XYZ sold itself to ABC International in exchange for $8.2 billion. After the acquisition, XYZ estimated that the worth of its shares would be placed at $100 per share. After the acquisition, ABC would take the sole responsibility of selling the XYZ’s stock exchange ventures situated in different countries that include Netherlands, Belgium and Portugal. ABC International’s operations ABC International is a leading global operator that deals with exchanges and the market for various forms of contracts ranging from agriculture to equity index. The corporation is based in the United Kingdom with its operations in Russell, Europe and some parts of the United States. The company operated under ABC Int’l as the trade mark and name. The company is managed by a board of direct ors, who set high standards that help in day-to-day management of the company. However, there exist guidelines and regulations of the organization that must be followed from time to time, subject to modification by the board of directors. This ensures a fulfillment of the best interests of the organization in line with the rules and regulations of the company. ... The company’s financial analysis is as presented below: Valuation ratio P/E Current 20.27 P/E Ratio (with extraordinary items) 20.27 P/E Ratio (without extraordinary items) 16.46 Price to Sales Ratio 6.61 Price to Book Ratio 2.46 Price to Cash Flow Ratio 12.39 Enterprise Value to EBITDA 11.19 Enterprise Value to Sales 8.02 Total Debt to Enterprise Value 0.13 Efficiency Revenue/Employee 1.27 Income per Employee 0.51 Receivables Turnover 10.34 Total Asset Turnover 0.04 For the liquidity ratio, the current and the quick ratio both stand at 1.04 while the cash ration remains at 0.05 Profitability ratio Gross Margin 70.00 Operating Margin 60.00 Pretax Margin 57.50 Net Margin 40.00 Return on Assets 1.20 Return on Equity 16.30 Return on Total Capital 12.50 Return on Invested Capital 12.88 Capital Structure Total Debt to Total Equity 30.00 Total Debt to Total Capital 20.50 Total Debt to Total Assets 3.00 Long-Term Debt to Equity 26.50 Long-Term Debt to Total Capital 20.00 Rationale fo r the acquisition The acquisition would ensure improvement in the ranking of the XYZ Corporation in the stocks exchange market. This is because of the strengthening of products and leadership (Ehrhardt & Brigham, 2011). After the completion of the acquisition, the new company will focus on the improvement of financial services, leading to high growth potential. Diversification of risks will attract more investors to invest in the company, hence growth and expansion of the company (Nofsinger, Kim & Mohr, 2010). In addition, existing investors will be certain of their investments, whereas the same venture will aim at increasing shareholder’s wealth through improved profitability. Acquisition

Life cycle of malaria Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Life cycle of malaria - Research Paper Example Direct observation has been a challenge. To overcome this hindrance, intravital microscopy along with fluorescence techniques was used. Conclusions: The success of this research proved that it is possible to observe and study the life cycle of malaria directly. The direct study used in this research opens up a new frontier in the fight against malaria. The purpose of this research is to comprehend the life cycle of malaria. It is important as it aids researchers in the design and implementation of interventions that can be used to hinder transmission and infection of malaria, and develop respective treatments. Four known plasmodium species are known to cause malaria: plasmodium vivax, ovale, malariae and falciparum (Bozdech, Llinas, Pulliam et al.). It has been proved that it is the female anopheline mosquitoes that transmit the plasmodium. The body of this paper begins with a description of the methods used for the research. The observations are stated after which they are discussed with concluding remarks following thereafter. Briefly looking at the life cycle of malaria, it is well known that they suck human blood as a meal and in turn inject infectious sporozoite stage parasites into people. These sporozoite stage plasmodia enter into the blood circulation and migrate to the liver. In the liver, they invade liver cells and go through replications differentiating into merozoites. The merozoites invade and enter vulnerable erythrocytes from where they go through differentiation and replicate over several days, rupturing and being released from the erythrocytes. They re-enter the blood plasma to begin the blood stage again. The parasites may differentiate into gametocytes while in the blood stage. A feeding mosquito takes them up to begin the cycle once again. This research seeks to answer the question: ‘What occurs in each life cycle stage of Malaria?’ (Hall and Fauci 1640) To

Essay about American Industrialization Essay Example for Free

Essay about American Industrialization Essay Industrialization between 1865 and 1920 had many different effects on American life. In some ways, industrialization improved American life. However it also created problems in American society. There are several advantages and disadvantages to industrialization. In the decades following the Civil War the amount of factory jobs and city jobs increased. Rural populations decreased as urbanization increased. (See Document 1) Education rates and steel production rates also increased during this time period. The growth of railroads made transportation easier and more available to the public. John D. Rockefeller argued that industrial combinations, such as trusts and monopolies, were a benefit to industry. (See Document 6) He stated that through industrial combinations a business could expand its markets, while producing low priced goods, and still making a profit for stockholders. Steel making entrepreneur, Andrew Carnegie, had donated much of his wealth to the building of public libraries and other charities. (See Document 7) There were several positive effects of industrialization on American society. Industrialization was also the cause for many problems in American society. With the rise of big business a huge gap was created between the rich and the poor. The rich business owners were very wealthy and always had the best of everything, while working man lived in poverty. (See Document 5) Many people worked in sweatshops for as little as 25 cents per day. (See Document 4) Workers organized into labor unions such as the Knights of Labor and the American Federation of Labor. Under these labor unions, workers fought for higher wages, shorter hours, and safer working conditions. (See Document 2) The huge amounts of wealth created by the hardships faced by the workers is why this time period of industrialization came to be known as the Gilded Age. Industrialization between 1865 and 1920 had improved the national economy and the life of business owners. However millions of Americans suffered from low wages and living in poverty. Industrialization had a major effect on all Americans.

Balance Of Payments And Trade In Uae Economics Essay

Balance Of Payments And Trade In Uae Economics Essay The UAE is one of the strongest and prosperous economies of the world. It has been growing continuously over the past few years. The country has been growing at the average rate of 6% per year in the past decade. In the previous years the countrys economy was majorly dependant on the revenue generated by export of oil and petroleum products. But from the last decade the economy of the UAE has been diversified and is now contributed by other industries like, tourism, real estate and construction. Currently the oil and petroleum sector accounts only for one third of the total GDP of the country which used to be three fourth parts till 1980. The current per capita GDP of the UAE is one of the highest in the world, 24,000 USD. The export and import policies and strategies of goods and services in UAE mainly depends upon the free trade zones in the country because in these free trading zones mostly non oil products are being traded. The main benefit of these trading zones is that they are exempted from the time consuming and irritating obligations of licensing and all. The foreign and international trade and business relationships of the UAE with other countries like India, China, Japan and European Union has been improved in the past years and the balance of payments and trade has also been increased in these years. Previously the country was in deficit of balance but now the balance has risen to surplus amount. (Balance Of Payments BOP) (Balance Of Trade: Definition) Balance of Payment The balance of payments (BOP) is a record of all transactions between one particular country and the rest of the countries. It compares the difference of value of imports and exports of products, services and fiscal transactions in terms of dollars. The  BOP includes the  trade balance,  foreign investments and investments by foreigners. The BOP calculates international transactions for a specific time period, normally one year. For nation sources of funds like exports and investments are surplus items and use of funds like imports and invest in foreign countries are deficit items. BOP indicates the economic and political stability of the country. You can analyze it, i.e., if a country has a positive BOP, it means that there is substantial foreign investment within that country. The value of national currency of a country gets appreciation if the BOP is positive. If the value of a countrys import is higher than the value of its exports then the balance will be in deficit. A def icit in the balance shows a dependency on foreign investors or an overvalued currency. After including all components in BOP sheet, it must balance. The overall surplus or deficit must be zero. If a deficit in the balance then the country pays off the difference of value by exporting gold or consented hard currency. When a country is not able to pay for its debt repayments then it is called as currency crisis or BOP crisis. It came with rapid decline in nations currency value. It occurs because of large capital flow which is related to economic growth. However at a point foreign investors become concerned about their inbound capital and pull out funds. The rapid drop in the value of currency occurs because of the capital outbound flows. This causes an issue for business firm of affected country who has received loans. Foreign reserves try to support the domestic currency with very limited options after government fatigued. It increases the interest rates in order to prevent declines in value of currency. There are three methods to correct balance of payment imbalance. Adjustment of nations internal prices and adjustments of exchange rates are important methods. (Balance Of Payments BOP) Rebalancing by adjustments of exchange rate An increase in the value of currency of nation make imports cheaper and exports less matched. So it tends to correct current account surplus and make flow of investment less attractive towards capital account in order to help with a surplus. Conversely a decrease in the value of currency of nation makes things expensive for people to buy and increase the competition in exports with the others. Thus helps to correct the deficit. If nation is selling more and imports less, than the demand of currency increases because selling nations currency will be the need of other countries to make payment for the exports. If nation is exporting goods of less value and importing value is more than to pay for the excess import value it replace it with foreign currency so the currency will increase in international market thus value of currency tends to fall. BOP effects are also influenced by the difference in interest rates of nations. (Balance Of Payments BOP) Rebalancing by adjusting internal prices and demand Making changes in the domestic economy is a standard approach to correct imbalance, when exchange rates are fixed by gold standard or when imbalance is among members of currency union. Change is optional for the country which is in surplus but it is must for the deficit country. Mechanism is automatic in case of gold standard. If a nation has favorable trade balance then there will be an inflow of gold. It will increase the money supply because of this prices increase and inflation occurs thus decreases surplus. If a nation has deficit BOP then there will be an outflow of gold and occurs a deflationary effect so that prices reduced and makes export more competitive, thus do the re-balance. (Balance Of Payments BOP) Balance of Trade The balance of trade being a larger part of the economic unit, BOP, which includes all economic transaction between one country and the rest world. If a nation exports more than it imports then it has trade surplus or favorable balance of trade. If imports are more than exports then it has trade deficit or unfavorable balance of trade. There must be a favorable balance of trade but classical economics says it to be more important as for a nation so as to fully utilize its available economic resources rather than to build a trade surplus. The balance of trade indicates the nations international economic position. Factors affecting the balance of trade is inclusive of: The cost of manufacturing of product and services in the exporting country is different than that in the importing country. The price and availability of other subsidiary products, raw material and other required inputs. Fluctuation in exchange rates. Various restrictions on different type of trading medium Non economic hurdles like, environmental, health and social. Trade deficit is bad or not, it depends on business cycle and economy. If a country is in recession then it would like to exports more in order to create demand and jobs. But in strong expansion, nation would like to imports more which raise price competition and limits the inflation. So a trade deficit may help during an expansion but not good in recession. (Balance Of Trade: Definition) The UAE Balance of Payment The UAE is a member of the GCC trade group and also a member of World Trade Organization, World Bank and International Monetary Fund for the past ten years. The country has never required financial help from the World Bank or the International Monetary fund because of its strong financial position and huge treasures of wealth. Balance of Payments which is an important economic indicator to determine the countrys financial condition in the global market, in the previous year was more than 100 billion AED because of the real estate and construction business in the country. In the previous year the official reserve account of the UAE has been increased by 50 billion AED. The economy of the country is majorly driven by tourism, construction, real estate, and oil industry. So the balance of payments has to be done from various perspectives in the UAE. According to the IMF three major accounts need to be taken care of for the balance of payments in such a diverse economy, these accounts ar e: (McRae.) Current Account This account keeps track of the countrys assets from trades of goods and services and one sided transactions from foreign countries. In the year 2004 the UAE Central Bank recorded the total balance of -9 billion AED. Capital Account This account is for the flow of payments of capital items. In 2004 IMF reported 78,062 million UAE capitals of machinery, medical and electricity. The export value of the above capital was 610 million AED. The trade surplus reported by CIA in 2004 was $19 billion. Financial Account This account handles the trade of stocks and bonds, currency transaction. The net investment projected by the International Monetary Fund in 2005 was 26.3 billion AED. The 392 commercial banks of the country have the total deposit of 491,523 million AED. Business Monitor International is a leading publisher of highly specific business information about the global markets of the world. In a report of BMI it is mentioned that the international trade of UAE will increase because of the improved two ways trading with US, Iran and SA. The boost in tourism and expansion in hotel and airport projects will also strengthen the position of UAE in balance of payments, the measure of payment flow between a country and the rest of the world. According to the report the import of the UAE is increasing by 8% per year whereas the export is declining by 6% in 2009 but is forecasted to grow again by 11% in 2011. The report also said that the current account balance of the UAE is more than 20% of the GDP for the forecast period which will definitely rise as the result of improved trading relations and flourishing tourism of the country. The Balance of Payment of the UAE in 2007 was 22.2% of the GDP which decreased till 2009 and is expected to increase up to 25.2% in 2011. According to the National US-Arab Chamber of Commerce the export of US to the UAE was increased by 40% between 2005 ad 2006. The re-exporting capability of the UAE is certainly good news for the balance of payments of the country. (FRANCO, 2007) Balance of Payment is the sum of exports products and services and net income like interests and foreign aids. Current account balance is a major indicator of any countrys financial condition. The current account balance or the balance of payments for UAE in the year 2005 brought the country at 13th rank in the world. It is 136.32 percent more than in the previous year. In 2006 UAE was on ranked as 10th country for the current account balance of 36.158 billion US$ which is around 60 percent more than in 2005. In 2007 UAE recorded a decline of 46 percent in the current account balance and rolled down to 20th ranking. In 2008 the current account balance for UAE increased by 13 percent and came at 19th position. In 2009 UAE recorded a drastic dip of 130 percent in the current account balance and came at 163rd ranking in the world. (FRANCO, 2007) The UAE Balance of Trade The balance of trade of the United Arab Emirate in the December of year 2008 was recorded to 231.1 billion AED. The economy of the country is no more dependent on the oil and petroleum products but still they are an important part for the revenue of the country. The major ingredients of the countrys imports are machinery, chemicals, transport equipments, and food and the major trading countries with UAE are India, China, Japan and European Union. The following figure shows the trade balance chart of the UAE. (United Arab Emirates Balance of Trade) The trade balance of the UAE has been very much dependant on the oil and petroleum revenue. The trade balance of UAE including the oil products has always been surplus in the past years whereas excluding oil and petroleum the trade balance was in deficit throughout the last decade. The country recorded a surplus in trade balance (including oil) of 19% of the total GDP in the year 2004, the value of which was 63 billion AED. The deficit in trade balance (excluding oil) in 2000 was maximum i.e. 26% of the GDP which has been decreasing gradually in the past years and as recorded only 8% of the total GDP in year 2004 with the value of 27 billion AED. (U.A.E. Trade Policy) The trade balance of UAE from the past years has been noticed to be shifting from deficit to surplus. A recent report from the Ministry of Foreign Trades of the UAE said about the commercial and business relations between UAE and India that the trade balance of UAE with India which was in deficit of worth 7.3 billion AED in the Q1 of 2009 has now been moving to positive side and in the Q1 of 2010 the trade balance was in surplus with the amount of 2.2 billion AED. The comparison of these two quarters shows that the value of non oil international trade between the two countries has been increased up to 83%. The value of the international trade in the Q1 of 2009 was equal to 20.5 billion AED and the value of trade in the Q1 of 2010 was 37.5 billion AED. These economic indicators are the proof of strong bilateral business and commercial relationships between the UAE and India. The development and the strength of the UAEs economy can also be seen from the results of the fiscal policies a nd strategies of the countries and their execution. The country has now developed a diversified economy and exports of non oil products. (UAE achieves a surplus of Dh2.2billion in its trade balance with India, 2010) Conclusion The above discussion of the balance of payments and balance of trades of the UAE depicts that the foreign trade and international fiscal and business relationships of the country has been improved in the past years. The balance of payments which used to be on the negative side and the country under the debts of other foreign countries has now shifted to the brighter side and increase to the surplus amount. The balance of trade of the UAE was majorly dependant on the export of oil products in the previous decade. But now the trade balance of the country majorly consists of export of non oil products. The trade balance of the country with other countries was in deficit in the previous year but now it has been increased to the positive side and stood up with surplus value.

Financial Management of Cadbury Limited

Financial Management of Cadbury Limited Cadbury Public Limited Company has been a large global company in the confectionary industry. The company was acquired by Kraft Foods in February 2010. Initially, the company was known as Cadbury-Schweppes Public Limited Company before the separation of its US beverage unit which is currently known as Dr Pepper Snapple Group (Cadbury PLC, 2010, p. 5). This process was undertaken through a demerger that took place between the two firms. In 2007, the company was able to close its factory in Keynashan. 2008 saw Cadbury Public Limited Company sold its Monkhill Confectionary for  £ 58 million. As a result, 800 employees were transferred to save them from losing their jobs. From 2009, the company started replacing its cocoa butter with palm oil (Cadbury PLC, 2010, p.4). There was no major improvement in this strategy since it was supposed to enhance taste and texture with a long term target on increased consumer demand. As all this was going on, there was a general backlash from consumers. These strategies and new business approaches were mainly being tried out in New Zealand. After things failed to materialize, the company was forced to revert back to its initial cocoa butter that had been the core of its business. The company also resolved to source for cocoa beans by using good, open and recognizable trade channels which would not be questionable. Initially, the change to palm oil had reportedly cost the company over 12 million in sales (Cadbury PLC, 2010, p. 7). In January 2010, Kraft Foods decided to buyout Cadbury. Kraft Foods had made an offer to take over the company for  £ 10.2 billion. This was rejected because the company considered the price as undervalued. It was not until 2010 that a consensus was reached between the companies after a hostile bid. Kraft Foods had agreed to give out  £11.5 billion for the deal. To make this successful, it had to borrow  £7 billion (Kraft Foods, 2010, p. 8). In doing all this, the company had a vision of becoming a global confectionary leader. Kraft Foods decided to base itself in Pennsylvania. As a matter of fact it has a controlling stake in Cadbury chocolates in the United States. In laying more emphasis on this deal, the company had seen it as the best opportunity to increase its market access to a global market that has been increasing considerably over the recent years. This takeover had been widely criticized across all divides as they saw Cadbury as a very crucial company in Britains economy (Kraft Foods, 2010, p. 4). There had been a general view that this deal was putting 30,000 jobs at risk. There was a protest on the amount of advisory fees that banks were charging in overseeing this deal. A bank owned by the government (RBS) was able to finance 84% of the deal. February 2010 saw Kraft Foods finalize the deal by securing 71% of the companys shares (Kraft Foods, 2010, p. 3). It fell short of its expectations of having a 75% stake that could have made it delist Cadbury from the stock market and make it part of Kraft Foods. The company was later on able to achieve this (its targets) which led to the delisting of Cadbury from the stock market. After this, the CEO and the financial officer had to resign. Discussion Business Cadbury has an established business with operations in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and the United states. The United Kingdom confectionary had eight factories with a staff of 3000 employees (Bradley, 2008, p. 5). In the UK some of the products it has been producing are done so under license; like the Cadbury biscuits under the license of Burton foods. From Ireland, chocolate produced is more than  £25 million (Costello, 2009, p. 4). This has been exported bringing in a lot of earnings. Its presence in the US is responsible with the manufacture of mints and gums. The companys Cadburys have been found and sold in the country but they are manufactured by Hersheys. This Cadbury can mostly be found in Hersheys stores (Bradley, 2008, p. 5). In addition to these, the company has factories in both Australia and New Zealand. To make it more effective the company has been upgrading its manufacturing plant in Claremont. In a more broad perspective, the company has a wide range of products that it has given to the market in a bid to enhance its business. In addition to these, it has its unique brands that have helped to generate enough revenues for the company. To cater for a large market, the company has more than 50 brands with 40 of them being more than 100 years old (MacAlister, 2009, p. 10). In the year 2004 after a decline in sales, the company was engaged in a restructuring program. To strengthen its business the company has been acquiring others to increase its market presence. Investors and product Cadbury has a large brand that has always given it a strong market presence. It has a long history of confectionary brands that have always been introduced every year to ensure that the market has variety to choose from. This means that every year has seen a new taste of brands. In addition, the company has beverages that have a long history from 1783 (Costello, 2009, p. 14).On the other hand it has favourite brands like Bassets and Bourn vita amongst others. Cadbury worldwide is a brand name that has established itself well in the market. The company trades its shares in the London stock exchange market. The last time before the company was acquired; its shares were trading at  £863 (Muspratt, 2009, p. 8). Its shares have been doing well in the market because of the long term strategy that had been adopted to increase its value. By investing in the company, investors have a reason to know that their investments will grow as the company has a global presence in a wide market. Kraft Foods has a wide range of brands for the market to suit the distinct and diverse tastes and preferences. These brands are spread out in more than 155 countries that the company has a presence in (Weisenthal, 2009, p. 9). Its strong brand presence has helped to build its core business in the market. With its 50 brands, the company has been able to serve a wide market satisfactorily without any problems. This has been well done to ensure that everybody has a good taste. As a result, consumers have been more passionate about their brands. The company trades its shares in the New York stock exchange market. In addition to these, those who have invested in the company are given dividends as the company has a dividend yield of 4.0 (Weisenthal, 2009, p. 19). Those who wish to be part of the company are encouraged to do so as information regarding its performance is provided. Financial market environment This environment is responsible for an effective marketing management. The two companies have had a good history in terms of their financial performance save for a few occasions. Before the acquisition, the company (Cadbury) had started outsourcing most of its activities including marketing. Because the company has a wide global presence it has spent a lot of money in marketing activities to increase its market share. This has not been resisted at all as it has been aimed at increasing its value with investors in mind. Marketing activities have got the necessary financial support to strengthen the companys brand in the market. After acquiring Cadburys, the company (Kraft) has ensured that it engages in active marketing campaigns to strengthen its presences. The company has a wide global market that is competitive. Because of this, the management has always provided a good budget for marketing activities. This can be well demonstrated in the TV commercials that the company has been running in different countries. Since the company has a presence in more than 155 countries it has ensured that its marketing is felt in every place (MacAlister, 2009, p. 15). Marketing has been done with an aim of increasing the companys market value which has helped to increase revenues. Because the company has a large financial muscle, a sizeable amount of money has been allocated to the management to ensure that its marketing activities are felt in the market. Business strategy The two companies have had progressive growth because of good business strategies. Cadburys has had a strategy of ensuring that it has presence in different markets to reach a wide base of customers (Holson, 2000, p. 9). To ensure that its manufacturing activities are not interfered with, it has plants in different countries for uninterrupted business activities. Because of a wide market, the company has ensured that it continues being innovative in giving customers new products every now and then to suit their divergent tastes and preferences (Weisenthal, 2009, p. 4). The company has adhered to healthy and safety practices to give itself a good name in the market. From its history it can be noted that it has introduced new products every year for continuity. Kraft Foods has been involved in a lot of research to come up with new products to increase its wide range of brands. The company has over 70 brands and this has made consumers more comfortable with their wide range became of choice (Holson, 2000, p. 2). Apart from this, the company has operations in more than 155 countries and this has enabled it to reach a wide market that it can sell its products to. It has also been involved in acquisitions to give it a wider market presence that the initial companies had. These activities have been done to enhance its financial position so that it can improve on its operations well (MacAlister, 2009, p. 5). To capture the attention of the market well with an impact, the company has engaged in promotions to enlighten the public about its products. These promotions have made consumers more knowledgeable about the company and its activities. Recommendations to develop Forex strategies With Forex exposures, the company has been unprotected in different areas. Because the company has a wide market presence (global), it is exposed to economic, translation and transaction Forex exposures. It can experience problems when their foreign accounts have appreciable loss. This problem can be brought about by currency devaluation and political events in different markets. It is recommendable for the company to always hold foreign currencies for the shortest time possible before conversions to avoid such problems. The company might develop a foreign sales channel as it continues going global as part of its strategy. This implies that it will have to come up with a way of hedging against any future devaluation. It will need to use Forex futures to project the future cash flows when they are denominated into the dollar as it is the globally acceptable currency for business. The new company should invest in currency exchange traded funds. This will protect it from Forex exposures with a long term approach to enhance investors value. The company has a long term strategy of increasing the value of shareholders to encourage more investments. In cases where the company feels threatened, it can sell short of the currency exchange traded funds. In addition, the company has to enhance their operational activities to develop a good Forex strategy. This means that the company must have clearly laid down responsibilities that will be reviewed by the management regularly. It will also need to have an effective Forex trading and reporting system as it has a global presence. To enhance this, the management has to ensure that there is effective reporting, centralized tracking and good uniform accounting policies in place. Data capture will also save the company from a lot of Forex exposures. This means that the accounting practices that are being used have to be accurate in presenting reports. On the other hand, the company must ensure that its business engages in solid data capture processes. Good policies have to be put in place supported by effective personnel as a way of ensuring sustainable Forex strategies. This means that all the policies that the company will engage in must be approved by the board before they can be used anywhere else. To enhance this, employees need to be well educated and informed. Conclusion The company has good prospects ahead because it has consolidated itself as a result of integrating acquisition strategy. This means that it has a high probability of attaining a wide market reach.

Men, Football, and TV Essay -- Sports Televison

Men, Football, and TV By a series of surveys, interviews, and looking at people’s personal history I will prove that even though some women enjoy watching football, a higher majority of men enjoy watching football more than women because most men grow up watching football. Because most men grow up watching football it is a logical conclusion that they would continue to watch it when they grow up. On the other hand most women do not grow up watching football so it is logical to conclude that since they do not watch it when they are young they have no reason to watch it when they grow up. It is my opinion that men enjoy watching football more than women do. I know that some women do watch football; however, I believe they watch it for different reasons than men do. I decided that this would be an interesting topic for a research paper because I believe that football is a more masculine sport that most males grow up watching with other males in their households. They continue to primarily watch football with males, as they grow older. I used many different methods in determining if my thesis was correct. I took surveys, conducted interviews, and looked at each individual’s personal history to try to support my thesis. By using these different methods I tried to eliminate possible error. I interviewed a male and female student about the game of football to see if gender plays a role in determining whether football attracts more males or females. I then surveyed five women and five men. One male student told me that he only began watching football this season because of his roommate. He stated that even though he watched football with his father when he was younger, he... ...they told me it was not to support a team but rather they like how it feels and they like how certain jerseys match their clothes. I asked the men if they buy football memorabilia. They responded that they have bought some football jerseys but they would only buy jerseys of their favorite teams or favorite players. My final conclusion is that personal history plays a role in whether or not men and women watch football. All the men who told me their personal history told me that they watched football when they were young and most of the men still watch it to this day. All of the women told me that they did not watch football when they were young. When asked if they watch it now many said no and some said that they watch it every once in a while. Because of this I concluded that personal history plays a role in whether or not men and women watch football.

Social Justice - Measure For Measure, Animal Farm, American History X :: essays research papers

Social justice is a topic known all to well in today's society. Such issues as social heirarchial structure and unjust representatives of citizens of nations are issues in need of attention by those in power. Corruption, lies and greed by those in power however stand in the way of this form of justice from occurring, leaving many with little or no social status open to prejudice on race, religious and sexual grounds. Outlined by William Shakespeare in Measure for Measure and George Orwell in Animal Farm is the ease in which power can corrupt. A utopian society is created once a farmer is overthrown from his position in charge of all the animals on "Manor Farm". A set of rules to govern the citizens of the revolutionary society was decided upon and these were to be the fairest and least controversial rules for the citizens of "Animal Farm" to abide by: "The Commandments were written on the tarred wall in great white letters that could be read thirty yards away. They ran thus: THE SEVEN COMMANDMENTS 1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy 2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a freind 3. No animal shall wear clothes 4. No animal shall sleep in a bed 5. No animal shall drink alcohol 6. No animal shall kill any other animal 7. All animals are equal. It was very neatly written, and except that "friend" was written "freind" and one of the "S's" was the wrong way round, the spelling was correct all the way through. Snowball read it aloud for the benefit of the others. All the animals nodded in complete agreement, and the cleverer ones at once began to learn the Commandments by heart." As months passed on Animal Farm, the pigs, who thought they were the dominant force in the running of the animal farm, became more and more in control. Animal Farm, had now become the fairest it would ever be. Word of what had happened to Manor Farm had spread across all of Ireland and England. Animals all over the country were following in their paths led by pigs Napoleon and Snowball. However, as this was happening, Animal Farm was heading to ruin as the pigs became selfish and ignorant. They would now consider themselves above the laws and commandments they had set, as they believed they had set the way for the new society. To a greater extent, leaders Snowball and Napoleon would control and decide the fate of the farm, setting rations, "In January food fell short.

Communication Is A Two Way Flow Essay

Communication is a two way flow of conversation where something is achieved e.g information effective communication is important in health and social care because through communication which is listening and talking you can make a better relationship with client. effective communication can make you understand your client emotions and feelings for example if a nurse is having a conversion with a patient and the nurse seem friendly , have positive body languages and interacting well, the patient is likely to open up to the nurse and discuss any worry that he/she is facing, which lead to better relationship. when communicating you need to show that you’re interested in what the person is saying, the more you look interested the more the person is going to trust and open up you. In health and social care you communicate with patient, colleague and other professionals for example if you were a doctor and you want to refer a patient to a surgeon, you would have to talk to the surge on to sort the patient operation. Conjunction with colleague us important because if you have a good relationship colleagues it would make the work a better place and make patients feel comfortable because they can sense if staffs are getting along. There are different types of communication informal and formal. informal: this is used between family and friends. Different social groups use different informal language to communicate so it might be hard for other people to understand. formal: this is used in health and social care for example if you went to a service they would say ‘good morning, how IIvan I help’ thus us to show that they respect you. multi agency working. Working with other professional for example GP ,hospital service require formal communication. non verbal communication is communicating without speaking, like facial expressions, sign language, gestures, eye contact, posture and tone of voice, this kind of communication can sometimes speak louder than words. Written communication, This is central to the work of any person providing a service in a health and social care environment when keeping records and in writing reports. Different types of communication need different styles of writing but all require literacy skills. A more formal style of writing is needed when recording information about a patient. It would be unacceptable to use text message abbreviations, such as ‘l8er’. Effective communication, including active listening, can be hard work. People  who work in health or social care environments tend to enjoy learning about other people and their lives. Things can go wrong, however, if: †¢ the context is wrong, e.g. the surroundings are unsuitable due to lack of privacy †¢ the service provider and service user are mismatched. Sometimes communication breaks down because of factors such as age, education level, gender and ethnic background †¢ a person withholds information because they fear being judged, for example, they have taken illegal drugs †¢ a person fears that confidentiality will be broken, even though this should never happen, for example, about their sexual orientation †¢ the service user thinks that the advice given is too vague and has not asked for clarification †¢ the subject matter is embarrassing, such as talking about sex or intimate body parts †¢ a person fears they are going to hear bad news so avoids going to a service provider until it is too late to help. If health and social care workers do not develop good communication skills, the effectiveness of their work will be reduced and things can go wrong. This will not help service users to feel good about themselves and can lead to worse consequences. Remember, it is important to overcome problems such as those listed above, communicate effectively, including checking understanding, so that you get the best out of your interactions with colleagues and service users. Formal or Informal Group conversations are more formal, clear and straight forward, eye contact, listening to everyone, pronociation Informal is less formal, don’t have to speak loudly, back and forward talking, more personal Argyle’s theory of the communication cycle centre’s on six core concepts, or, a cycle. The cycle is as follows: 1. An idea occurs. For example, let us say that our idea is wanting to buy a  car. 2. Message coded. This would be us putting our desire of a car into whatever medium we wish to communicate with. This may be a language, pictures, writing, or any other medium you can think of. 3. Message sent. Here we have communicated our desire for wanting a car. 4. Message received. The person or perhaps target audience we wish to notify of our desire to have a car [perhaps a parental figure] has received our message. 5. Message decoded. They now must take what we have said and attempt to decode it. Now, â€Å"I want a car† is pretty straightforward, but remember, not everyone is as transparent as this, and this is the step where communication breakdown may occur as they may decode our message incorrectly. 6. Message understood. Hopefully the last step was effective and they understand what you were trying to communicate. Now the cycle can begin anew. Burnard and Morrison According to the Philip Burnard and Paul Morrison (1997), A lot of communication in care work involves building a relationship with the service user. This involves giving them emotional support which builds trust. They also argued that communication without caring for the person in some way would not be able to work. Service users that go through emotional issues i.e. A teenager being sexual abused by a youth worker, is often at first a difficult and sensitive issue to talk about has a social worker for example. Any difficult and sensitive issues should focus on the emotional needs of the service user rather than giving out advice and information that is not needed since it is not needed since the service user is already likely to be overwhelmed with grief. In health and social care setting, Professionals should always try be supportive within difficult situations since this will help would towards making effective communication start between the  professional and the service user. Tuckman The environment can affect how well a communication goes, if the environment is a distraction it can cause a conversation to not flow very well, however the environment could help create a cincerarion.

Approach to Hr Data Collection, Storage and Usage

X's APPROACH TO HR DATA COLLECTION, STORAGE AND USAGE Within X data is being collected in a systematic approach of set guidelines. Subsequently stored and made easily available to all relevant people. Reasons why X collets HR data X needs to keep certain information in order to: satisfy legal requirements provide relevant information in decision making and for consultation requirement record contractual arrangements and agreements keep contact details of employees provide documentation in the event of a claim against the organisation The most important reason for collecting the HR data is to meet the legal requirement. In case of Government Department (e. g. Inland Revenue) demanding information on the number of employees, how many hours they work, their salaries etc X is obliged to provide these data. Furthermore, HR records contain information that can protect the organisation from claims (employee discriminated against or unfairly dismissed). Mainly though the HR data is collected in order to enable the organisation to make decisions related to the organisation and/or employees e. . human resources planning. †¦ Types of data that is collected within the X and how it supports the HR practice Within X there are many different types of data which is collected. Generally these fall into the following 3 ranges: employee records, company data and statutory records. Personal data is a type of data which consist of the following information: employee name, address, telephone number, next of keen etc. It enables H R to contact employees in case of last minute changes (over the phone) or any contractual changes (letters). Payroll data consist of a ‘basic pay’ and any ‘additional payments’. It allows HR to e. g. identify who is due for annual increment (X policy) through pay history monitoring as well as incorporate additional payments to the basic (contractual) salary e. g. honorarium or simply monitor number of employees with salaries over ? 40,000. Most importantly it facilitates employees’ salaries to be paid accordingly. Time data consist of absences (annual leave, sickness, maternity etc), attendances and time quotas. Employee absence is a significant cost to the business. Therefore, this type of data is mainly used by HR in order to manage absence effectively by accurate measurement and monitoring. Methods of storing records and its benefits There are two different types of storing data within X: automated and manual. Filling cabinets or reference book/diaries these are manual methods of storing HR records. Traditionally, filing cabinets are an effective tool for document storage as they provide users with visual prompts and tangible information. They are in a way a buck-up for all the automated types of storing data, which can be affected by a virus or an electrical failure. In the purpose of the legal actions employer is obliged to provide the originals of the employment contracts/ accident record books and other personnel records. Otherwise the employer must explain what happened to the original document along with the ‘statement of truth’. The Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS) is one of many automated methods of storing records within X. It is a reporting tool integrated with SAP HR that lets you request reports from inside Structural Graphics, which benefits the organisation: better analysis leading to more effective decision making higher accuracy of information/report generated more transparency in the system in higher speed of retrieval and processing of data reduction in duplication of efforts leading to reduced cost ease in classifying and reclassifying data fast response to answer queries improved quality of reports better work culture establishing of streamlined and systematic procedure mployee – Self Management UK legislation relating to the recording, storage and accessibility of HR data The most important UK legislation relating to the recording, storage and accessibility of HR data is Data Protection Act 1998. According to this act any data-user has to comply with a set of principles, which were designed to protect individuals from the misuse of data. General principles for data to be: fairly and l awfully processed; processed for limited purposes; adequate, relevant and not excessive; accurate and up to date; not kept for longer than necessary; rocessed in line with individuals’ rights; secure; and not transferred to other countries without adequate protection X is a public authority, hence The Freedom of Information Act 2000 plays very important role in data accessibility. Therefore, there are two fundamental rights with regards to the access for any person making a request for information to a public authority. The right: To be informed by the public authority whether or not the information requested is held by the Authority; and To have that information communicated to them Other UK legislations Acts: Limitation Act 1980 The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 Statutory Instruments: Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 (SI 2003/2426) The Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Acquisition and Disclosure of Communications Data: Code of Practice) Order 2007 (SI 2007/2197) The Data Retention (EC Directive) Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/859) Directives: Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC Privacy and electronic communications Directive 2002/58/EC

Children Should or Should Not! Be Paid for Good Grades

Children should or should not be paid for good grades? I believe that children should not be paid for good grades for several reasons. First of all, To get good grades depend on how each student learns and handles with the result he or she will receive at last. According to Sylvia Rimm, a child psychologist, money does not play an important role in achievement but consistency does. To illustrate, successful students always try to maintain their scores with unchangeable effort while others who once fail give up easily because they believe that there is no second chance to get rewards and compliment. Another reason is that paying for good grades does not mean paying for any knowledge at all. Like a case of Kasama and her 13-year-son, each grade in the report card has its price – laptop, cellphone, portable DVD player and even money. Thus, many children are so eager to have tutorials just to get ‘A's and then what remain in their heads will be soon replaced with what they want and eventually receive as a prize. Finally, paying for good grades can ruin children's confidence. For instance, I had never pay for better better grades until high school when almost all of my friends paid for tutorials. I felt like I could not be good enough without taking extra courses in spite of the fact that I could succeed my self-studying. To sum up, with these reasons given above, a lot of money should not be spend on getting only good grades.

Joyce’s novel Essay

The novels Mrs. Dalloway and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, written by Virginia Woolf and James Joyce respectively, are tales of persons who are challenged by the society in which they live. The roles traditionally handed down to men and women become elements of restraint for many of the characters within the stories. While convention dictates the actions that the characters should perform, the readers get the impression that the authors are in opposition to these traditions. Throughout the day spent with Mrs. Dalloway and her friends, situations arise in which characters become critical of others’ choices in a way that depicts the ideas of the narrator or author. Likewise, in the experiences of Stephen Dedalus and the other characters of Joyce’s novel, one finds that they often desire to perform actions alien to the stereotypical roles of their genders. In these novels, therefore, we find that there is no apparent desire within characters for males or females to inherit traditional gendered roles. In fact, we discover a desire to occupy a multi-gendered identity. This is important because it gestures at an identity separate from societal construction of gender. Hermione Lee relates that Virginia Woolf sought a â€Å"combination of sensibility and tenacity† in her work (xvii). This suggests a similar mixing of feminine and masculine qualities with which she imbues several of her characters in Mrs. Dalloway. Clarissa Dalloway has become a woman who ostensibly fits perfectly within the role societally configured for her gender. She is the wife of a statesman and the mother of a beautiful daughter. She throws fine parties and does the traditional female jobs of overseeing the servants, visiting the sick, and other things. Yet, Woolf appears immediately to intimate to the reader the undesirability of all this tradition to Clarissa herself, as she is seen at the outset of the novel going on an errand that should normally have been reserved for her servants. Her desire for independence is asserted in the first sentence, â€Å"Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself (Woolf 1). Though this rebellion is a small one and is buried in the guise of â€Å"womanly† work (going to buy flowers), the commercial aspect of it places her in the position of a business person, just as the errand frees her from the confines of the home. On this walk she thinks of Peter Walsh, a man with whom she once shared her passions for literature and freedom. Her thoughts and desires break through conventions that dictate the subservience of women. She considers marriage in a way that seems alien to its constitution, as she imbues her role in it with the type of independence that one does not usually find in the traditional view of marriage. She explains that her decision against marrying Peter was made because â€Å"In marriage a little licence, a little independence there must be between people living together day in day out in the same house; which Richard gave her, and she him† (Woolf 5). This demonstrates the extent to which she desires not to be subsumed by her husband as women often are in marriages. Continuing, she thinks, â€Å"When it came to that scene in the little garden by the fountain, she had to break with him [Peter] or they would have been destroyed, both of them ruined, she was convinced† (6). This tells what she considers her life would have been like with Peter. She seeks to add a portion of masculinity to her role by keeping something of herself and continuing to show herself to the world—a right that is usually granted without reservation to married men, but tacitly withheld from women of that time. Clarissa continues to demonstrate her inner tendencies to throw off the traditional gender role and to fulfill her political and occupational dreams. During that time in England, women’s occupations were limited to household-related chores. She considers other women who had lived non-traditional lives, and longs to have her life to live again so she could make different choices. The first of those choices would have granted her an occupation that would defy her gender. The narrator assures us that Clarissa Dalloway â€Å"would have been, like Lady Bexborough, slow and stately; rather large; interested in politics like a man; with a country house; very dignified, very sincere† (Woolf 8). The use of the phrase â€Å"like a man† is telling, in that it highlights the extent to which Mrs. Dalloway longs to be released from the confines of her sex. She wants to be endowed with the possibilities that attend a man. Also telling is her desire to be â€Å"very sincere† (8). Sincerity is not a trait that has been traditionally accorded to women, as they were encouraged to keep their thoughts to themselves (or perhaps not to have any at all). Therefore, a woman with any ideas or opinions can be considered to have been somewhat forced into insincerity by their very act of subordination to the will of their husband and in their pretence at never having anything to say beyond remarks about the running of the household. Clarissa’s urge to speak sincerely demonstrates her desire to combine traditionally masculine qualities with her feminine ones.

Marx and Weber within Religion

Marx and Durkheim jointly cover the nucleus of the sociological thought on various issues. They encompass the major issues within the sociological tradition. Religion remained their favorite sociological subject and their have speculated over the issue in the modern sociological context. Marxian reflection on the sociology of religion is very limited whereas Durkheim has contributed largely on the philosophical and sociological issues pertaining to religion.   Marx is considered as an avant-garde sociologist on the concept of religion. Being influenced by Hegel's philosophy, Marx considers religion is a manifestation of â€Å"material realities and economic injustice†. Therefore, he labels problems in religion are eventually ultimate social problems. Most of the Marxian thought on the sociological aspects of religion is reflected in the quite a few opening paragraphs of his â€Å"Contribution to the Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right: Introduction.† These are the same passages that include his widely quoted pronouncement on religion, that â€Å"it is the opium of the people.† Nevertheless, this statement by Marx can not be taken as demonstration of Marxian religious view. It is often misquoted devoid of its context. Marx’s starts his essay â€Å"Contribution to a Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right† with such words; â€Å"For Germany the criticism of religion is in the main complete, and criticism of religion is the premise of all criticism.† (Marx 1964B: 43) This raises the concerns why Marx has pronounced religious criticism as the essential element of all criticisms. The basic factor that compelled Marx to declare religious criticism as the basic form was the magnitude of significance that religion holds in the lives of humans. Now the question arises why Marx has declared the criticism of religion as he basic of all criticisms. John Macmurrary considers that it was the acknowledgement of historical judgment on the part of Marx. It was an illustration of his understanding on the social function of religion. He says in this regard; By criticism, in this phrase, we must be careful to understand what Marx understood by it, not the blank denial of religion, but the historical understanding of its necessity and function in society, which leads to its dialectical negation when its function is completed. Marx meant that the understanding of religion was the key to the understanding of social history. (Macmurrary 1935: 219) Mckown reinforces the same understanding like Mcmurray that Marx deems religion as a useful social tool and this thinking developed as profound analysis of social history pertaining to religion. But Mckown further emphasizes that this statement has too much generalization. (Mckown, 1975. p.46) Marx further asserts that religion is the production of social evolution and its serves society and state in several ways.   He does not eulogize religion but consider it of vital importance for layman as it enriches their lives with sense of worth. He says in this regards; Religion is, indeed, the self-consciousness and self-esteem of man who has either not yet won through to himself, or has already lost himself again. But man is no abstract being squatting outside the world. Man is the world of man—state, society. This state and this society produce religion, which is an inverted consciousness of the world, because they are an inverted world. Religion is the general theory of this world, its encyclopedic compendium, its logic in popular form, its spiritual point d'honneur, its enthusiasm, its moral sanction, its solemn complement, and its universal basis of consolation and justification. It is the fantastic realization of the human essence since the human essence has not acquired any true reality. The struggle against religion is, therefore, indirectly the struggle against that world whose spiritual aroma is religion. (Marx, 1964) Appraisal of religion is primary as religion creates the inverted delusions that the religion world i.e life hereafter, deities etc. is factual and that the material world is a shadow of that real life. So in his criticism of â€Å"religion†, he hit any religion that capsizes the physical world from being the primary reality. As an acquittal from his explicit attack on, Marx lessens his negative perception by evaluating the foundational purpose of religion in this way; â€Å"Religious suffering is at the same time an expression of real suffering and a protest against real suffering. Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the sentiment of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.† Marx’s religious viewpoint is not sympathetic toward religion and he does not consider it an extra-human phenomenon. But he is of the view hat religion is a product of society in order to provide solace to the distressed people. It was the mechanization of the poor to create an illusory world for themselves to create an escape from harsh realities of life. So he thinks that abolition of religion is necessary to eradicate the illusory world and create an environment for their real happiness. He says that religion is not a malady in itself but it is the indication and the remedy (simultaneously) of that malady i.e. religion is an expression and solution to a more fundamental happiness. So Marxian assertions about religion are not negative as they are often understood and interpreted. It manifests that Marx has a â€Å"partial validation of religion† until a suitable economic system does not remove the causes that created it. Marxian idea of religion derives its strength from his idea of â€Å"alienation†. He think hat it was â€Å"alienation† [1] that dehumanize the individuals and religious opium comes as a minimum resistance by the exploited people that provides illusory hope against the real exploitation. Another Marxian critic, Norman Birnbaum (1969), interpret this phenomenon in his way, to Marx, â€Å"religion is a spiritual response to a condition of alienation.† (p.126) Illustrating the ultimate and real purpose of religion (contrary to the view of the commom folk), he further exaplin Marxian view; â€Å"Religion was conceived to be a powerful conservative force that served to perpetuate the domination of one social class at the expense of others.† (Ibid 127).† So this a cause and effect phenomenon as this illusory hope of common and exploited folk further distoirts the socio-economic condition and in this way self-alienation of individual oincreases with more reliance on religion. Raines[2] sums up the Marxian sociology of religion in this way; â€Å"Like the Hebrew prophets of old, Marx knew that to speak of social justice we must become socially self-critical, and that means becoming critical of the ruling powers—whether they be kings or priests or investment bankers†¦. For Marx, all ideas are relative to the social location and interests of their production. And like the prophets before him, the most revealing perspective is not from the top down or the center outward, but the†¦point of view of the exploited and marginalized. Suffering can see through and unveil official explanations; it can cry out and protest against the arrogance of power.† (Raines) To Durkheim, religion was a social phenomenon that originates directly from the social needs of a society but he considers it an essential regulating force that shapes and determines the consciousness of a society. But its most important purpose is social cohesion. A close analysis of history by Durkheim[3] reflected that religion is a valid and vital force that binds the individuals and societies together.   Describing Durkheim motives o study religion on a broader level, Lewis Coser write in his monumental work â€Å"Maters of Sociological Thought†; Durkheim's earlier concern with social regulation was in the main focused on the more external forces of control, more particularly legal regulations that can be studied, so he argued, in the law books and without regard to individuals. Later he was led to consider forces of control that were internalized in individual consciousness. Being convinced that â€Å"society has to be present within the individual,† Durkheim, following the logic of his own theory, was led to the study of religion, one of the forces that created within individuals a sense of moral obligation to adhere to society's demands. (Coser, 1977. p. 136) Durkheim main concern was trace down the social origin of religion. the sociological interpretaion of religion. Fot this purpose, he tried to comprehend the basic forms of social religions. He   illustrated that Australian Toteism is the most rudimentary form of a religion. He considers that it was the basic social necessity of the social entity that compelled that group to devise a religious activity. Further explaining the social origin of religion, Durkhein says that religion is an epitome of social cohesion. To Durkheim, society was not a mere collection of individual but is has other internal and external dimensions. Internally, it is the substantial device that moulds our beliefs and attitudes while on the external horizon, it exerts and maintains pressures from the society to facilitate conformity to the above-mentioned collective beliefs and attitudes. For these two purposes, it devised the religious activity. He thought that the absolute purpose of religion is to enable people to show a willingness put their invidual interests and personal propensities and to put interests of society ahead of their own. So it capaciates the people to get ready for a cohesive social life. Ultimately, if individuals want to be happy, so they must regulate their individual needs and aspirations and their propensities must be confined into limits. This regulatory role must thus be executed by an external agency superior to the individual i.e. by society. Both these feature of social facts explains clearly that society is an independent entity that works for the collective benefits and dies not surrender to individual proclivities and requirements. Religion acts as social tool for this regulatory role of society. Religion internalizes that regulatory process and individuals act on that as an obligation. Durkheim consider religion as â€Å"society divinised† because religion only acts in the social domain. Durkheim observes god of divine manifestations of it as society itself. He takes god in the functional perspective and attributes functional traits to god and further links these characteristics to social phenomenon. For example, he says that â€Å"god is first of all a being that man conceives of as superior to himself in some respects and one on whom he believes he depends. †¦ Society also fosters in us the sense of perpetual dependence. †¦ Society requires us to make ourselves its servants, forgetful of our own interests†. (Elementary Forms for Religious Life, p. 208-209). Durkheim deems religion as â€Å"a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, that is to say, things set apart and forbidden—beliefs and practices which unite into one single moral community called a Church, all those who adhere to them† (Elementary Forms for Religious Life, p. 47). He makes an important distinction in religious domain that is based on the separation of human experiences i.e. profane and the Sacred. Profane is the dominion of mundane life experiences i.e. routine work, daily life activities etc. This sphere has an ultimate utilitarian approach. The sacred realm constitutes of no-mundane experiences that includes he recognition of a non-empirical authority and non-utilitarian activities.   He says in this regard; A society whose members are united by the fact that they think in the same way in regard to the sacred world and its relations with the profane world, and by the fact that they translate these common ideas to common practices, is what is called a Church. In all history, we do not find a single religion without a Church. (Elementary Forms for Religious Life, p. 44) So a superior fusion of profane and sacred life makes the social cohesion that is necessary to put the civilization on the path of progress and prosperity. He describes the social association as an incarnation of relation between individuals and divinity. Coser says in this regard; â€Å"Religion is eminently social: it occurs in a social context, and, more importantly, when men celebrate sacred things, they unwittingly celebrate the power of their society. This power so transcends their own existence that they have to give it sacred significance in order to visualize it. (Coser, 1977. p. 136) Durkheim does not support Comte’s assertion that humans must endeavor to create a new â€Å"humanitarian cult† based on the rational principles. Durkheim like Marx does not suggest an abrupt ending to religion but reinforces the Marxian that it should work until an appropriate alternative does not replace this vital sociological tool. He says in this regard, â€Å"We must discover the rational substitutes for these religious notions that for a long time have served as the vehicle for the most essential moral ideas.† (Moral Education, 1961. p.9) Coser sums up the religions ultimate function as described by Durkhein, in this way; Finally, religion has a euphoric function in that it serves to counteract feelings of frustration and loss of faith and certitude by reestablishing the believers' sense of well-being, their sense of the essential rightness of the moral world of which they are a part. By countering the sense of loss, which, as in the case of death, may be experienced on both the individual and the collective level, religion helps to reestablish the balance of private and public confidence. (Coser, 1976. p.139) So Both Marx and Durkheim consider religion important social tools that give purpose and meaning to the human life.[4] Both consider the values of world religions i.e. intrinsic value and dignity of human perspective an important element but Marx views it as a toll of the oppressor to perpetuate its practices and to provide a fictitious idealism of human dignity to the common folk.   However both consider institution of religion as an imperative social necessity hitherto. References Bellah, Robert. â€Å"Durkheim and History.† American Sociological Review 24 (1959): 447- 61. Chiodi, P. Sartre and Marxism. Harvester Press Ltd. 1976. Coser, Lewis A. Masters of Sociological Thought: Ideas in Historical and Social Context, 2nd Ed., Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. 1977. Emile Durkheim, Moral Education. New York; The Free Press.1961. Emile Durkheim, The Elementary Forms of Religious Life. New York; The Free Press, 1954. Macmurrary, John. The Early Development of Marx’s thought in Christianity and The Social Revolution. Ed. John Lewis;  Karl Polanyi;  Donald K Kitchin. London, Gollancz, 1935. Mckown, Delos Banning. The classical Marxist critiques of religion: Marx, Engels, Lenin, Kautsky. The Hague : Martinus Nijhoff, 1975. Marx. Karl. Introduction to a Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right. 1844 Pickering, W. S. F. Durkheim's Sociology of Religion: Themes and Theories. London: Routledge & K. Paul. 1984. Raines, John. Marx on Religion. Philadelphia : Temple University Press, 2002. [1] Chiodi, the famous Marxian critic, Has defined Marx concept of alienation in these words; â€Å" It is the negative process by which a subject makes himself other than himself by virtue of a constraint which is capable of being removed on the initiative of the subject himself. â€Å" (Chiodi, 1976. p.80) [2] John Raines is Professor of Religion at Temple University. [3] Most of the Durkheim’s critics regards his findings as theoretical and ahistorical contemplations but Bellah is of the view that â€Å"Almost all of [Durkheim's] own researches draw heavily from historical and ethnological sources and are in fact organized in an historical framework† (p.  448). [4] Durkheim considers it the ultimate function whereas Marx labels it as inverted and pretended reality.