Science Fair Essays - Water Pollution, Drinking Water, Water

Science Fair Science Fair Project 3/21/00 Science 21 Background Information I tried to figure out how does the Wellesley tap water compare to the water of the surrounding towns. Before I started my tests I guessed which town would have the best quality water without any initial data. I thought that Wellesley tap water would be the cleanest water in the area because Wellesley has the resources and the money to keep its water at a high quality. The objective of this project is to determine water content in various drinking water supplies and then rate then from most favorable to least favorable. For this, I needed a way to test the water quality. I eventually came upon a pet store called Pet World had a fresh water testing kit. This kit called the Deluxe Fresh Lab test for several aspects of water quality such as pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Hardness, iron, carbon dioxide, and chlorine. In my tests I did not use all the test that new kit was equipped with, I only choose the aspects that I felt were harmful to humans and aspects that I felt relevant to the initial water quality. The towns I selected from around the Wellesley area were Natick, Weston, Needam, and Newton. I originally tested for pH, Ammonia, water hardness, nitrite, iron, water hardness, and chlorine. However, during my discussions with my mentors and when testing I found that testing for Ammonia, iron, and chlorine was not relevant to help me find my result. My tests involve the use of a color chart, which would, give a value to the amount of variable present in the water sample. I used distilled water as a control because the testing of the distilled water should always show the same result. These are the different components I tested, and why they were important to the water quality. Only I have explained how on the color chart the component is measured. pH pH, term indicating the hydrogen ion concentration of a solution, a measure of the solution's acidity. The pH helps determines how corrosiveness the water is. A water source with a high pH is less likely to corrode the pipes in your home and in any other pipes which supplies water. An area with a lower pH level is more corrosive to your pipes. The composition of pH in tap water varies enormously from location to location depending on the source of the water and water treatment process. My freshwater test kit uses Zero as most acidic and 14 as most Basic in accordance with the color chart. Hardness (GH-KH) Water hardness is measured by the amount of calcium and magnesium salts in water. This natural property of water is demonstrated by the fact that soft tap water foams much easier when soap is added when magnesium and salts are not presented, then in salt water or water that is hard. Calcium and magnesium salts of sulfate, nitrates and chloride are very soluble and are therefore a relatively stable component of water hardness. The amounts in which these salts are presented are called the permanent hardness, which is part of the general hardness. The parts that consist of salts that have a low solubility and are therefore an unstable component of the GH. This unstable part is called the carbonate hardness or KH, Since the salts involved are carbonates of magnesium and calcium The test kit that is used uses a system of drops in coordination with a color chart. You are to count the number of drops put into the 8 cm of water until the water turns into the color on the chart. Then you are to compare the number of drops added to another chart that shows how hard the water is. Nitrites Ammonia in water naturally occurs as the result of waist from fish. When dissolved in water it can turn the water toxic. Like ammonia, Nitrites can deem water undrinkable. Nitrites are chemicals that can be dumped or seep into the water. Nitrites are found in things like fertilizers and is a chemical used to package meat. It is important to monitor Nitrites because it has shown in tests that it can cause cancer. The Nitrites on my on the color chart measured from

Expert Guide to SAT Grid-Ins 5 Key Tips

Expert Guide to SAT Grid-Ins 5 Key Tips SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you’re planning to take the SAT, you may have heard of this strange question type known as grid-ins. You probably know that there are multiple-choice questions and an optional essay, but what are grid-ins? Problems that require you to draw pictures or graphs, perhaps? The reality is grid-ins are almost identical to multiple-choice questions; they justdon’t provide answer choices. This guide will explain what grid-ins are, discuss where they appear, outline how many appear on the SAT, and provide tips on answering them. What Are SAT Grid-Ins? Grid-ins, also known as student-produced response questions, are questions that don’t provide you with possible answer choices. While regular multiple-choice questions look like this: Grid-in questions look like this: As you might have guessed, these are called student-produced response questions because they require you to come up with the answer on your own- no possibilities are provided for you. They’re also called grid-ins because you need to grid in the correct answer on your answer sheet. For a typical multiple-choice question, you’d simply bubble in A, B, C, or D to answer the question. For a grid in, you’re provided with a grid such as the one below. The slash represents a fraction line, and the period represents a decimal point. You then write the answer in the four slots provided and fill in the corresponding bubbles beneath. Below, I’ll provide some examples of how to grid in responses. If an answer doesn’t take up all four spaces (such as 8, 17, or 347), you can start it in any column. For example, if the answer is 201, either response below is correct: If an answer can be written in fraction or decimal form, you grid it in either way.For example, there are three acceptable ways to grid ${2}/{3}$. Where Do SAT Grid-In Questions Appear? These questions only appear on the SAT Math section in both the no-calculator and calculator portions. They will always appear at the very end of these two parts after the multiple-choice. How Many Grid-In Questions Are There? There are 13 total grid-in questions.There are five in the no calculator section and eight in the calculator allowed section.As I mentioned before, they always appear at the very end of the section, so they’ll be questions 16-20 in the no calculator section and questions 31-38 in the calculator section. How to Grid-In Answers Effectively: 5 Key Tips To ensure you answer grid-in questions correctly and to save time on the actual SAT, you should familiarize yourself with the rules now.That way, you won’t have to read the instructions during the test. Here are the five key tips regarding grid-in questions: Mark no more than one circle per column. There are no negative answers (since there is no way to bubble in a negative sign). You’ll never include pi in your answer; you’ll use a decimal. For example, 3Ï€ would be writtenas 9.425. You can write answers as fractions or decimals, but you cannot use mixed numbers. For example, $3{1}/{2}$ would need to be grid in as either 3.5 or ${7}/{2}$ since the grading machine will read $3{1}/{2}$ as ${31}/{2}$. Some questions will have more than one answer (they’ll typically tell you that in the question). Only grid in one answer. For example, if you’re asked for one value of x, which makes $(x-1)(x-3)=0$, then the answers are $x=3$ or $x=1$, and you’d have to choose to grid in either 1 or 3. SAT Grid Questions Let's look at a couple of example questions to see how these questions work on the actual test. Example 1 Wyatt can just at least 12 dozen ears of corn per hour and at most 18 dozen ears of corn her hour. Based on this information, what is a possible amount of time, in hours, that it could take Wyatt to husk 72 dozen ears of corn? Answer Explanation: Since Wyatt can husk at least 12 dozen ears of corn per hour, it will take him no more than ${72}/{12}=6$hours to husk 72 dozen ears of corn.Since Wyatt can husk at most 18 dozen ears of corn per hour, it will take him at least ${72}/{18}=4$hours to husk 72 dozen ears of corn.Therefore, it could take Wyatt 4 to 6 hours, inclusive, to husk 72 dozen ears of corn. As I mentioned, when there are multiple answer possibilities, you simplychoose one to fill in. In this case, it would be easiest to grid an integer such as 4, 5, or 6. However, you could also useany number between 4 and 6, inclusive, such as 4.5, 4.7, 5.2, etc. I'd advise against griding in non-integers whenever possible as it'll take longer, and there's a higher risk of making an error. Example 2 Jessica opened a bank account that earns 2 percent interest compounded annually. Her initial deposit was $\$100$, and she uses the expression $\$100(x)^t$ to find the value of the account after $t$ years. Jessica's friend Tyshaun found an account that earns 2.5 percent interest compounded annually. Tyshaun made an initial deposit of $\$100$ into this account at the same time Jessica made a deposit of $\$100$ into her account. After 10 years, how much more money will Tyshaun's initial deposit have earned than Jessica's initial deposit? (Round your answer to the nearest cent and ignore the dollar sign when gridding your response.) Answer Explanation: The question told us that Jessica made an initial deposit of 100 dollars into her account, and the interest on her account is 2 percent compounded annually. We will use this given information and the compound interest formula to figure out how much money Jessica has after 10 years. The compound interest formula is $A=P(1+{r}/{n})^(nt)$, where: P = principal amount (the initial amount deposited) r = annual rate of interest (as a decimal) t = number of years since initial deposit. A = amount of money accumulated after t years, including interest. n = number of times the interest is compounded per year. In Jessica's case, A is what we're trying to find, $P=100$, $r=0.02$, $t=10$, and $n=1$ because the interest is compounded once per year (annually). So, $$A=100(1+0.02)^(10)$$ $$A=100(1.02)^(10)$$ $$A=121.899$$ After 10 years, Jessica’s deposit is worth $121.899$ rounded to the nearest tenth of a cent. In Tyshaun's case, A is what we're trying to find, $P=100$, $r=0.025$, $t=10$, and $n=1$ because the interest is compounded once per year (annually).So, $$A=100(1+0.025)^(10)$$ $$A=100(1.025)^(10)$$ $$A=128.008$$ After 10 years, Tyshaun’s deposit is worth $128.008$ rounded to the nearest tenth of a cent. Jessica’s initial deposit earned $21.899$, and Tyshaun’s initial deposit earned $28.008$. Therefore, to the nearest cent, Tyshaun’s initial deposit earned $6.$ dollars more than Jessica’s initial deposit. As I mentioned, when gridding in, you cannot include any units. In this case, you'd need to ignore the dollar sign- as mentioned in the question. Example 3 Answer Explanation: Since the radius of the circle is 10, the circumference is $2Ï€r=20Ï€$. The full circumference of a circle is 360 °. Thus, an arc of length $s$ on the circle corresponds to a central angle of x °,where ${x}/{360}={s}/{20Ï€}$, or $x={360}/{20Ï€}s$. Since $5s6$, it follows that ${360}/{20Ï€}(5)s{360}/{20Ï€}(6)$, which becomes, to the nearest tenth, 28.6 x 34.4. Therefore, the possible integer values of x are 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, and 34. As I mentioned, when there are multiple answer possibilities, you must choose one to grid-in. This question explicitly asks you for only one possible integer value, so make sure you select either 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, or 34. Review Grid-ins only appear in the SAT Math section at the end ofthe no-calculator and calculator sections. They require you to produce a response- no answer possibilities are provided for you. Remember these fivekey tips when answering this style of question: Mark no more than one circle per column. There are no negative answers (since there is no way to bubble in a negative sign). You’ll never include pi in your answer; instead, you’ll use a decimal. You can write answers as fractions or decimals, but you cannot use mixed numbers. Some questions will have more than one answer (they’ll typically tell you that in the question). Only grid in one answer. What’s Next? Need additional help preparing for the SAT? Check out our ultimate SAT study guide. Taking the SAT soon? Learn how to cram for the test. Unsure how to prepare for test day? Learn what to do the night before the SAT, and read the rules and regulation. Not sure where you’d like to go to college? Learn how to do research right. Once you know where you’d like to apply, learn how to pick an SAT target score. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this Math strategy guide, you'll love our program. Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Article Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Review - Article Example belief and understanding that if only the next biggest competitor could be eliminated that business could somehow get better, the fact of the matter is that the competition that these two firms provide to each other as well as the ideas that are ultimately â€Å"borrowed†/stolen between the two are yet another reason why the firms continue to operate with such a high premium placed on innovation, design, and development. This tense competition is further interesting due to the fact that the article raises the specter of Internet Explorer and Netscape as well as the resurrection that Apple experienced as a result of the iPad under Steve Jobs ultimate direction. What these cases help to bring to the mind of the reader is the fact that as soon as a single firm gains market dominance and somewhat eliminates a rival, the ability of the dominant firm to continue to efficiently innovate and design quality products necessarily decreases. In this way, the reader can appreciate the way in which the firms in question are currently locked in competition; meaning that this ultimate translates to increased quality to the end user. Gupta, Poornima. "Insight: Apple and Samsung, frenemies for life| Reuters." Business & Financial News, Breaking US & International News | Reuters.com. Reuters, 10  Feb.  2013. Web. 24  Feb.  2013.

Crisis Management Plan and Media Communication Essay

Crisis Management Plan and Media Communication - Essay Example It is important for institutions with strong performance orientation to develop viable promotional plans and crisis management techniques that enhance growth. Researchers and marketers assert that institutions with growth aspirations need to advance their crisis management capacity including effective media identification to ensure that the information relayed reaches prospective individuals. Dispute resolution requires superior plan, and execution of activities to facilitate problem awareness and development of amicable solutions. Similarly, it entails proper identification of viable and effective media system that would enable wide coverage of information with an aim of enhancing decision-making. . It is proper for companies to integrate their systems with strong media communication plan that is economically viable and socially relevant to avoid unwarranted disputes. The design should be issue oriented and customer focused with an aim of providing essential information that advance s customers knowledge about available services. As noted marketing planning and media, identification has been a prevalent factor that has affected growth in most companies. The impediment requires effective strategies and policies to advance realization of excellent output including satisfaction of stakeholder needs. Indeed, media provide a superior communication channels through which companies relays basic information to consumers and receives various feedbacks for purposes of adjustments. Such communication may cause crisis in service delivery including unwarranted disputes with the potential to stall operations in various operating sectors. Therefore, institutions need to a

Please read the attachments carefully you'r able to know what I want Essay

Please read the attachments carefully you'r able to know what I want - Essay Example Moreover, the NoSQL databases are deployed in a distributed environment and open sourced (NoSQL. n.d). It is pertinent to mention here that there are four (4) types / categories of the NoSQL database include: the document oriented database, XML database, graph database and key-value store / database. In the document oriented database the data is stored in the documents, the examples include: the CashDB, MongoDB etc. In the XML databases, the data is stored in the XML format, the examples include: the BaseX, eXist etc. In the Graph database, the data is stored as the collection of nodes that connected using edges, the examples include: DEX, Stones GrapgDB etc. The key-value store refers to storing data without schema in the form of strings, hashes, stored sets etc., and the examples include: Riak, BigTable, etc. One of the NoSQL databases is developed by the Oracle Corporation. The Oracle NoSQL database is characterized by the BASE – Basically Available, Soft State, and Eventua lly Consistent. The Oracle database used to replicate data in a way that data would be always available to the users, moreover, to avoid unavailability it distributes / share data among several database storage servers. The soft state refers that the Oracle NoSQL database allows inconsistent data and assigns its responsibility to the application developers. The Eventually Consistent refers to the ability of the NoSQL database becoming and presenting consistent data with the passage of time and its usage. Generally, it can be stated that the NoSQL database management systems are used to deal with huge data where the data does not necessitate being relational. The NoSQL database has the capabilities of storing, retrieving and appending data in a highly efficient manner without discrepancy of the data size. It is pertinent to mention some of the organizations dealing with massive data and use the NoSQL database for manipulation of the data, these organizations include: the LinkedIn, Go ogle, Amazon, Twitter and Facebook (Oracle Corporation, 2011). NoSQL and Relational Database Management Systems – the Differences There are several diverse features of the Oracle NoSQL database that makes it different from the traditional Relational Database Management System (RDBMS). On the basis of the differences, the management of any organization can take an informed decision whether to employ the Oracle NoSQL database or the RDBMS. One of the main differences between the NoSQL and RDMS is scalability. The NoSQL data stores have the ability to scale it even on the distributed systems and it can be deployed over several database servers. Whereas, the RDMS can only be deployed and scaled over a single server and it is the reason that the NoSQL databases can handle a huge number of data. This is one of the main motives of the growing popularity of the NoSQL. Moreover, as the NoSQL database can be deployed on several servers, therefore, these databases offer high data availa bility with little or no unavailability. Moreover, the performance of the NoSQL database is highly efficient as compared to the RDBMS, because the data is being shared and processed on several servers. But in order to provide the data highly available along with high performance, the NoSQL databases compromise the data consistency, as the data is redundantly stored or replicated on the diverse servers (Strauch, n.d). The NoSQL databases have been developed focusing the BASE acronym of Basically Available,

SWOT Analysis Wal Mart Stores Inc

SWOT Analysis Wal Mart Stores Inc To analyse or diagnose any business, we must examine closely the issues with which the company is confronted. We will need to look very hard to grasp the overall picture of what is happening try and establish a helicopter view of the company to discover and grasp the specific problems. Generally, a detailed analysis of any business should include seven areas: The history, development, and growth of the company over time The identification of the companys internal strengths and weaknesses The nature of the external environment surrounding the company A SWOT ANALYSIS The kind of corporate-level strategy pursued by the company The nature of the companys business-level strategy The companys structure and control systems and how they match its strategy Analyse the companys history, development, and growth A convenient way to investigate how a companys past strategy and structure affect it in the present is to chart the critical incidents in its history that is, the events that were the most unusual or the most essential for its development into the company it is today. Some of the events have to do with its founding, its initial products, how it makes new-product market decisions, and how it developed and chose functional competencies to pursue. Its entry into new businesses and shifts in its main lines of business are also important milestones to consider. Identify the companys internal strengths and weaknesses once the historical profile is completed, we can begin the SWOT analysis. Use all the incidents we have charted to develop an account of the companys strengths and weaknesses as they have emerged historically. Then we examine each of the value creation functions of the company, and identify the functions in which the compa ny is currently strong and currently weak. Some companies might be weak in marketing; some might be strong in research and development. Make lists of these strengths and weaknesses. 2) SWOT ANALYSIS AND MACRO ENVIRONMENT FOR DECISION MAKERS Many changes from the macro environment have the potential to cripple even the best of strategies and must therefore be watched. Managers should note any changes in the environmental factors as conducive to innovation. Potential changes in exchange rates, especially unanticipated large ones, central bank policies that raise interest rates, and taxation laws, along with demographic and socio political changes, all have the potential to impact firm strategies. Managers should examine them carefully for potential threats and opportunities. In particular, they should examine the potential impact of changes in tax policies concerning the Internet. This analysis of a firms current performance, appraisal of its business model, appraisal of its competitors business models, analysis of industry attractiveness, assessment of its macro environment, projection of the evolution of the Internet, and a forecast of its environmental changes is sometimes called a strengths and weaknesses, opportuniti es, and threats (SWOT) analysis. After an analysis of where the firm is now, a manager may also decide not to pursue profits as previously planned but to hone the firms capabilities to fit another firms portfolio of capabilities so that it can be acquired by the other firm. On the other hand, a firm whose exit strategy had been to be acquired, with no intention of ever making profits, may decide that it now wants to become profitable after all. In all these cases, a firm has decided to move into new areas. It is now intent on doing certain things that it had not done before. If moving into these new areas requires entirely new capabilities, the objective to do so is sometimes referred to as a firms strategic intent. 2.1) SWOT ANALYSIS AND COMPANYS STRATEGIES Having identified the companys external opportunities and threats as well as its internal strengths and weaknesses, we need to consider what our findings mean. That is, we need to balance strengths and weaknesses against opportunities and threats. Is the company in an overall strong competitive position? Can it continue to pursue its current business or corporate-level strategy profitably? What can the company do to turn weaknesses into strengths and threats into opportunities? Can it develop new functional, business, or corporate strategies to accomplish this change? Never merely generate the SWOT analysis and then put it aside, because it provides a succinct summary of the companys condition, a good SWOT analysis is the key to all the analyses that follow. Over all we can say that a good strategy is designed to fit organizational capability with environmental opportunity. It is best summarized by the SWOT approach. 3) ANALYSE CORPORATE-LEVEL STRATEGY AND SWOT ANALYSIS 3.1) Companys businesses. Do the company trade or exchange resources? Are there gains to be achieved from synergy? Alternatively, is the company just running a portfolio of investments? This analysis enable us to define the corporate strategy that the company is pursuing (for example, related or unrelated diversification, or a combination of both) and to conclude whether the company operates in just one core business. Then, using SWOT analysis, we debate the merits of this strategy. Is it appropriate, given the environment the company is in? Could a change in corporate strategy provide the company with new opportunities or transform a weakness into a strength? For example, should the company diversify from its core business into new businesses? We should consider other issues as well. How and why has the companys strategy changed over time? What is the claimed rationale for any changes? Often it is a good idea to analyse the companys businesses or products to assess its situation and identify which divisions contribute the most to or detract from its competitive advantage. It is also useful to explore how the company has built its portfolio over time. Did it acquire new businesses, or did it internally venture its own? All these factors provide clues about the company and indicate ways of improving its future performance. 4) ANALYSE BUSINESS-LEVEL STRATEGY AND SWOT ANALYSIS Once we know the companys corporate-level strategy and have done the SWOT analysis, the next step is to identify the companys business-level strategy. If the company is a single-business company, its business-level strategy is identical to its corporate-level strategy. If the company is in many businesses, each business will have its own business-level strategy. We will need to identify the companys generic competitive strategy differentiation, low cost, or focus and its investment strategy, given the companys relative competitive position and the stage of the life cycle. The company also may market different products using different business-level strategies. For example, it may offer a low-cost product range and a line of differentiated products. Be sure to give a full account of a companys business-level strategy to show how it competes. Identifying the functional strategies that a company pursues to build competitive advantage through superior efficiency, quality, innovation, an d customer responsiveness and to achieve its business-level strategy is very important. The SWOT analysis will have provided us with information on the companys functional competencies. You should further investigate its production, marketing, or research and development strategy to gain a picture of where the company is going. For example, pursuing a low-cost or a differentiation strategy successfully requires a very different set of competencies. Has the company developed the right ones? If it has, how can it exploit them further? Can it pursue both a low-cost and a differentiation strategy simultaneously? The SWOT analysis is especially important at this point if the industry analysis, has revealed the threats to the company from the environment. Can the company deal with these threats? How should it change its business-level strategy to counter them? To evaluate the potential of a companys business-level strategy, We need to perform a thorough SWOT analysis that captures the ess ence of its problems. Once we complete this analysis, we will have a full picture of the way the company is operating and be in a position to evaluate the potential of its strategy. WAL-MART 5) COMPANY HISTORY AND ITS FOUNDERVISION Samuel Moore Walton, the billionaire boy scout of Bentonville, Arkansas, built an empire on a fervid belief in value, pioneered by ideas like empowerment, and revolutionized retailing in the process. Dead at 74 after a long fight with cancer, he did not invent the discount department store, although it hardly seems possible that he didnt. He grabbed hold of the leading edge of retailing in 1962 and never let go, creating a value-powered merchandising machine that seems certain to outlive his memory.. In 1994, the still-young company earned $2.3 billion on sales of $67 billion. A $1,650 investment in 100 Wal-Mart shares in 1970, when they began trading, is worth $3 million today. He taught American business that the vast amount of American people want value. He saw the future, and he helped make the future. According to a retail executive, while Walton was one of the great showmen of retailing, if he had been a television preacher hed have become Pope. As a manager he applied such concepts as a flat organization, empowerment, and gain-sharing long before any one gave them those names. In the 1950s, he shared information and profits with all employees. He ingested as much data as he could to get close to the customer and closer to the competition. He stressed flexibility and action over deliberation. Wal-Mart is ultimately a monument to consumers: it has saved them billions. Sam Walton truly believed that nothing happens until a customer walks into a store with a purpose, buys some thing, and walks out. His philosophy was simple: satisfy the customer. Operating nearly 2,000 stores in 47 states, Wal-Mart remains the leader in the discount store industry. In addition, with over 400 Sams Clubs, Wal-Mart is a major factor in the Warehouse Club industry. Combining general merchandise and groceries, Supercenters represent the companys fastest growing segment, with 65 to 70 stores planned in fiscal 1995 on a base of 68. Walton long ago wanted manufacturers to see themselves, wholesalers, retailers, and consumers as parts of a single customer-focused process rather than as participants in a series of transactions. He personally and permanently altered the relationship between manufacturers and retailers, which has historically been, to put it politely, antagonistic. About five years ago he asked Procter Gamble executives to view a focus group of Wal-Mart executives talking about their prickly relationship with the packaged-goods company. It was sobering. His strategy clearly was that we ought to be able to work together to lower the costs of both the manufacturer and the distributor and get lower costs for consumers. Walton got both sides to focus on distribution costs and how to cut them. Wal-Mart linked PG with its computers to allow automatic reordering, thus avoiding bulges in order cycles. With better coordination of buying, PG could plan more consistent manufacturing runs, rationalize distribution, and lower its costs, passing on some of the savings. This systematic approach is now in broad use throughout the industry. Walton has been described as a visionary, and he clearly was that. His vision was apparent in 1956 as a Ben Franklin variety store owner. To lure one of his first store managers, Bob Bogle, away from the state health depart ment, Walton showed him the books and offered to pay him 25 percent of the stores net profit in addition to salary. 6) STRATEGIC ANALYSIS OF WAL-MARTS SUCCESS Wal-Marts Competitive Capabilities What accounts for Wal-Marts remarkable success? Most explanations focus on a few familiar and highly visible factors: the genius of founder Sam Walton, who inspires his employees and has molded a culture of service excellence; the greeters who welcome customers at the door; the motivational power of allowing employees to own part of the business; the strategy of everyday low prices, which offers the customer a better deal and saves on merchandising and advertising costs. Strategists also point to Wal-Marts big stores, which offer economies of scale and a wider choice of merchandise. Such explanations only redefine the question. Why is Wal-Mart able to justify building bigger stores? Why does Wal-Mart alone have a cost structure low enough to accommodate everyday low prices and greeters? What has enabled the company to continue to grow far beyond the direct reach of Sam Waltons magnetic personality? The real secret of Wal-Marts success lies deeper, in a set of strategic business decisions that transformed the company into a capabilities-based competitor. 6.1) Competitive Environmental Change Rivals are constantly changing their strategies and such changes, especially new game strategies, have to be watched very carefully. A firm is said to pursue a new game strategy if by performing value chain, value shop, or value configuration activities that differ from what the dominant logic of the industry dictates, or by performing the same activities differently than the logic dictates, the firm is able to offer superior customer value. Wal-Marts early strategies were new game strategies. It decided to move into small towns, saturate adjoining towns with stores, build distribution centers, and improve logistics, with an empowering culture and information technology to match. This allowed Wal-Mart to achieve high economies of scale and bargaining power over its suppliers. This in turn allowed the firm to offer its customers lower prices than its competitors. The starting point was a relentless focus on satisfying customer needs. Wal-Marts goals were simple to define but hard to execute: to provide customers access to quality goods, to make these goods available when and where customers want them, to develop a cost structure that enables competitive pricing, and to build and maintain a reputation for absolute trustworthiness. The key to achieving these goals was to make the way the company replenished inventory the centerpiece of its competitive strategy. This strategic vision reached its fullest expression in a largely invisible logistics technique known as cross-docking. In this system, goods are continuously delivered to Wal-Marts ware houses, where they are selected, repacked, and then dispatched to stores, often without ever sitting in inventory. Instead of spending valuable time in the warehouse, goods just cross from one loading dock to another in 48 hours or less. Cross docking enables Wal-Mart to achieve the economies that come f rom purchasing full truck- loads of goods while avoiding the usual inventory and handling costs. Wal-Mart runs a full 85 percent of its goods through its warehouse system-as opposed to only 50 percent for Kmart. This reduces Wal-Marts costs of sales by 2 percent to 3 percent compared with the industry average. That cost difference makes possible the everyday low prices. Thats not all. Low prices in turn mean that Wal-Mart can save even more by eliminating the expense of frequent promotions. Stable prices also make sales more predictable, thus reducing stock- outs and excess inventory. Finally, everyday low prices bring in the customers, which translate into higher sales per retail square foot. These advantages in basic economics make the greeters and the profit sharing easy to afford. With such obvious benefits, why dont all retailers use cross-docking? The reason: it is extremely difficult to manage. To make cross-docking work, Wal-Mart had to make strategic investments in a variety of interlocking support systems far beyond what could be justified by conventional ROI criteria. For example, cross-docking requires continuous contact among Wal-Marts distribution centers, suppliers, and every point of sale in every store to ensure that orders can flow in and be consolidated and executed within a matter of hours. Wal-Mart operates a private satellite-communication system that daily sends point-of-sale data directly to Wal-Marts 4,000 vendors. Another key component of Wal-Marts logistics infrastructure is the companys fast and responsive transportation system. The companys 19 distribution centers are serviced by nearly 2,000 company-owned trucks. This dedicated truck fleet permits Wal-Mart to ship goods from warehouse to store in less than 48 hours and to replenish its store shelves twice a week on average. By contrast, the industry norm is once every two weeks. To gain the full benefits of cross-docking, Wal-Mart has also had to make fundamental changes in its approach to managerial control. Traditionally, in the retail industry, decisions about merchandising, pricing, and promotions have been highly centralized and made at the corporate level. Cross-docking, however, turns this command-and-control logic on its head. Instead of the retailer pushing products into the system, customers pull products when and where they need them. This approach places a premium on frequent, informal cooperation among stores, distribution cen ters, and suppliers-with far less centralized control. The job of senior management at Wal-Mart, then, is not to tell individual store managers what to do, but to create an environment where they can learn from the market-and from each other. The companys information systems, for example, provide store managers with detailed information about customer behavior, while a fleet of airplanes regularly ferries store managers to Bentonville, Arkansas headquarters for meetings on market trends and merchandising. As the company has grown and its stores have multiplied, even Wal-Marts own private air force hasnt been enough to maintain the necessary contacts among store managers. Therefore, Wal-Mart has installed a video link connecting all its stores to corporate headquarters and to each other. Store managers frequently hold video conferences to exchange information on whats happening in the field, such as which products are selling and which ones arent, which promotions work and which dont. The final piece of this capabilities mosaic is Wal- Marts human resources system. The company realizes that its frontline employees play a significant role in satisfying customer needs. Therefore, it attempts to enhance its organizational capability with programs such as stock ownership and profit sharing geared toward making its personnel more responsive to customers. Even the way Wal-Mart stores are organized contributes to this goal. Where Kmart has five separate merchandise departments in each store, Wal-Mart has 36. This means that training can be more focused and more effective, and employees can be more attuned to customers. 6.2) COMPETITORS AND THEIR STRATEGIES Kmart did not see its business this way. While Wal-Mart was fine-tuning its business processes and organizational practices, Kmart was following the classic textbook approach that had accounted for its original success. Kmart managed its business by focusing on a few product-centered strategic business units, each a profit center under strong centralized line management. Each SBU made strategy -selecting merchandise, setting prices, and deciding which products to promote. Senior management spent most of its time and resources making line decisions rather than investing in a support infrastructure. Similarly, Kmart evaluated its competitive advantage at each stage along a value chain and subcontracted activities that managers concluded others could do better. While Wal-Mart was building its ground transportation fleet, Kmart was moving out of trucking because a subcontracted fleet was cheaper. While Wal-Mart was building close relationships with its suppliers, Kmart was constantly switching suppliers in search of price improvements. While Wal-Mart was controlling all the departments in its stores, Kmart was leasing out many of its departments to other companies on the theory that it could make more per square foot in rent than through its own efforts. This is not to say that the Kmart managers do not care about the business processes. After all, they have quality programs too. Nor is it that Wal-Mart managers ignore the structural dimension of strategy: they focus on the same consumer segments as Kmart and still need to make traditional strategic decisions such as where to open new stores. The difference is that Wal-Mart emphasizes behavior-the organizational practices and business processes in which capabilities are rooted-as the primary object of strategy and, therefore, focuses its managerial attention on the infrastructure that supports capabilities. This subtle distinction has made all the difference between exceptional and average performance. Kmarts management did not pay attention to this new game strategy, which resulted in the firm being overtaken by Wal-Mart. Kmart has never recovered. 6.3) SWOT ANALYSIS (S)trengths Wal-Mart is a powerful retail brand. It has a reputation of value for your money, convenience and a wide range of production all in one store. Wal-Mart is a powerful retail brand. It has a reputation of value for your money, convenience and a wide range of products all in one store. Wal-Mart has grown substantially over the years both domestically anmd through acquisition globally. For example, it purchased the United Kingdom-based retailer ASDA. The Company has a core competence in information technology to support its international logistics system and IT also supports its efficient procurement. A focused strategy is in place for human resource management and development. Talent is key to Wal-Marts business, and its invests time and resources into the training and retention of its people. (W)eaknesses Wal-Mart is the worlds largest grocery retailer, and control of its empire, despite its IT advantages, could leave it weak in some areas due to the huge span of control. Since Wal-Mart sells products across so many sectors (clothing, food, electronics, etc) it may not have the flexibility of some of its more focused competitors. The Company is global; but has a presence in few other countries. (O)pportunities It has the opportunity to take over, merge with or from strategic alliances with other global retailers, focusing on specific markets such as Europe or the greater China Region. The Stores are only in a few countries and opportunity exists to expand in large consumer markets India and China. New locations and stores types are mobbing from large super centres to local malls. Continued strategy for the opening of large super centers. (T)hreats Being number one means that you are the target of competition, locally and globally. Being a global retailer exposes you tp political and social problems in countries where you operate. Intense price competition in a threat. 7) CONCLUSION Completing a SWOT would have identified the threat as a focus on immigration and the possibility of lost crops due to un-harvested products. That threat turned to a weakness for those organizations that did not develop alternative strategies. For those who made the investments in increased mechanical harvesting, no business interruption occurred. For those who waited, it became a competitive disadvantage. Being able to forecast changes in the market and business will lead to insight regarding potential issues and opportunities to be faced in the future. The insights gained from engaging in this forecasting exercise can then be used to create plans of action to deal with the issues before they can have detrimental effects on the functioning of the business.

Leonard Peltier Should be Released from Prison Essay -- Argumentative

Leonard Peltier is currently serving time in the Leavenworth federal penitentiary for the shooting deaths of two Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) agents. According to FBI documents, at around 11:50 A.M. on June 26th, 1975, agents Jack Color and Ron Williams were supposedly searching for Jimmy Eagle, a thief wanted for stealing a pair of cowboy boots. The agents encroached on the Jumping Bull Compound in Oglala, South Dakota of the Pine Ridge reservation, in two separate vehicles that no one could recognize (Incident). In this area, there were several members of the American Indian Movement (AIM). After the intrusion of the agents, someone-and it is unsure who-fired a shot and a shoot out began. By the end of the shoot out at Pine Ridge, Williams, Color, and one AIM activist, Joe Stuntz Killsright, were dead (Incident). Peltier was one of the AIM members at the Jumping Bull Compound, and ultimately he was charged and convicted on murder charges. There is a great controversy surr ounding the Peltier case. A large contingency of both domestic and international citizens and organizations feel that Peltier has been wrongly convicted, while the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other government authorities here feel as justice was served. Leonard Peltier should be released from prison via Executive Clemency because the evidence that he was convicted under was inconclusive and insufficient to warrant a conviction, the FBI committed many acts of misconduct when pursuing Peltier as fugitive and trying to extradite him from Canada, and his trial was unfair. As an individual committed to social justice, human solidarity, and the liberation of the people, this case is of great interest to me since it is a prime example of the ri... ...ight be lying or covering up something, or even just being far too zealous and unprofessional, is rejected a priori because of the cognitive dissonance it causes in the individual that believes in the FBI. Most people that push for Peltier's guilt simply don't look honestly and objectively (or at least as objectively as possible) at the evidence. Leonard Peltier, currently serving his twenty- fourth year of prison, should be immediately released. As I have shown, there is much reasonable doubt as to whether or not he committed this crime. The hard evidence is minimal to non-existent against him, he was illegally extradited from Canada on perjured affidavits, and his trial was unfair since it was in a hostile setting and the actions of the court seemed biased. While there is no good reason to keep him in prison, there are several good ones for letting him out. Leonard Peltier Should be Released from Prison Essay -- Argumentative Leonard Peltier is currently serving time in the Leavenworth federal penitentiary for the shooting deaths of two Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) agents. According to FBI documents, at around 11:50 A.M. on June 26th, 1975, agents Jack Color and Ron Williams were supposedly searching for Jimmy Eagle, a thief wanted for stealing a pair of cowboy boots. The agents encroached on the Jumping Bull Compound in Oglala, South Dakota of the Pine Ridge reservation, in two separate vehicles that no one could recognize (Incident). In this area, there were several members of the American Indian Movement (AIM). After the intrusion of the agents, someone-and it is unsure who-fired a shot and a shoot out began. By the end of the shoot out at Pine Ridge, Williams, Color, and one AIM activist, Joe Stuntz Killsright, were dead (Incident). Peltier was one of the AIM members at the Jumping Bull Compound, and ultimately he was charged and convicted on murder charges. There is a great controversy surr ounding the Peltier case. A large contingency of both domestic and international citizens and organizations feel that Peltier has been wrongly convicted, while the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other government authorities here feel as justice was served. Leonard Peltier should be released from prison via Executive Clemency because the evidence that he was convicted under was inconclusive and insufficient to warrant a conviction, the FBI committed many acts of misconduct when pursuing Peltier as fugitive and trying to extradite him from Canada, and his trial was unfair. As an individual committed to social justice, human solidarity, and the liberation of the people, this case is of great interest to me since it is a prime example of the ri... ...ight be lying or covering up something, or even just being far too zealous and unprofessional, is rejected a priori because of the cognitive dissonance it causes in the individual that believes in the FBI. Most people that push for Peltier's guilt simply don't look honestly and objectively (or at least as objectively as possible) at the evidence. Leonard Peltier, currently serving his twenty- fourth year of prison, should be immediately released. As I have shown, there is much reasonable doubt as to whether or not he committed this crime. The hard evidence is minimal to non-existent against him, he was illegally extradited from Canada on perjured affidavits, and his trial was unfair since it was in a hostile setting and the actions of the court seemed biased. While there is no good reason to keep him in prison, there are several good ones for letting him out.

Politics and Religion Essay

To answer the hypothetical question whether or not, if I was a political leader in the early seventeenth century, I would use religion to my own ends would be very difficult and daunting. At the very outset, it should be noted that the 17th century was a very exciting period. It was characterized by major movements, shakers, upheavals and pivotal points. To be brief and concise, allow me to offer a timeless, albeit simplistic answer to this above mentioned hypothetical question. My answer would be NO, and I offer three reasons to back my answer. 1. Politics and Religion must never mix. Most democratic countries declare in their state principles and policy that there should be a separation of Church and State. So much so, matters of spiritual import can not and must not exist alongside matters of political and ‘worldly’ dominions. To mix both would be to invite chaos and perhaps, bigotry, social injustice and create inequities due to over zealous religiosity. 2. Lessons in History tell us that religious standards imposed by those who wield political influence crumbled in time. Such lessons definitely point out that indeed, sound judgment dictate that a political leader should not use religion to advance his own ends. We see abdications, uprising and other violent overthrows and civil uprising involving religious disquiet and bigotry towards political leaders, not only in the 17th century, but all throughout history, when religion is used by political hands. Religion, being the opium of the masses may prove beneficial at times, but in the long run, like the effect of drugs or opium, people come to their senses, and again, as earlier pointed out, there must be a separation of matters of faith and matters of state. 3. Using religion to advance one’s ends, no matter how noble is morally wrong. One should use sheer power of conviction, political will and strength of character and unbridled and sterling leadership qualities if one is to be an effective political leader. The use of spirituality or religion in advancing one’s political ends is a moral wrong. This by example, as the Spaniards once were, is called mammon after Christ/Cross. Up until now, the Roman Catholic Church is plagued and beset by the wrongs committed by the Church officials during the dark ages. This only shows that again, Religion and Politics are two ‘incompatible’ concepts, and should be avoided. While an enlightened governance or political leadership is a paradox, it should not be an impossibility. After all, conscientious leadership is a desired trait for a political leader, however, out and out, politics and religion should not be put out in one outfit, especially so in such turbulent a time as the 17th century. For the above stated reasons, I reiterate my answer; No. If I was a political leader in the 17th century, I will not use religion for my own end.

Antebellum Rights for Blacks essays

Antebellum Rights for Blacks essays The antebellum period is generally considered the time between 1820 and the beginning of the war in 1865. Slavery was an integral component of the culture in the United States at that time. Abolitionists abounded in the North while the trade' continued to flourish in the south. Three documents from that era present the social as well as legal perspective The first is an article by a prominent doctor, Dr. Samuel Cartwright, entitled, Diseases and Peculiarities of the Negro Race. It was his purpose to validate the ownership of slaves as a means of providing shelter and industry to a race handicapped to such a degree that they could not prosper on their own. The second document is the opinion of Justice Taney in the Dred Scott versus Sanford case of 1857. Here, it is legally determined blacks of the pre-Civil War era do not have the rights of an American citizen. The third document is a speech presented to the United States Senate on March 4, 1858 by James Henry Hammond wherein he argues that the black race are slaves through natural law. All of these documents were written in the belief that slavery was a legitimate social institution based on the inferiority of the black race. The Southern plantation system was socially and economically dependent on slave labor to continue. The chattel slave was owned and had absolutely no rights, including the right to life, that was not controlled by the owner. The plantation owners did not consider slave labor to be 'free' inasmuch as the care and upkeep of the slaves was their responsibility. In the 1840's a physician, Samuel Cartwright, created a psychiatric diagnosis called "drapetomania" that was specific to slaves - most notably found among freed slaves. The disorder was characterized by "a partial insensibility of the skin, and so great a hebetude of the intellectual faculties, as to be like a person half as...

The Population Solution

The Population Solution Question...1. Most people assume that human numbers will stabilize at some point in the future. Discuss the conditions which can contribute to the solution of the population explosion.- The Population Problem Solution -'Let us suppose that the average human being weighs 60 kilogram's. If that's the case then 100,000,000,000,000,000,000 people would weigh as much as the whole Earth does. That number of people is 30,000,000,000,000 times as many people as there are living today. It may seem to you that the population can go up a long, long time before it reaches the point where there are 30,000,000,000,000 times as many people as there are today. Let's think about that though. Let us suppose that the population growth rate stays at 2.0 per cent so that the number of people in the world continues to double every 35 years. How long, then, will it take for the world's population to weigh as much as the entire planet? The answer is - not quite 1,600 years.English: This image is a reproduct ion of an origin...This means that by 3550 AD, the human population would weight as much as the entire planet.... Even if that were possible, it wouldn't give us much time. If the growth-rate stays at 2.0 per cent, then in a little over 2,200 years - say, by 4220 AD - the human population would weigh as much as the entire Solar system, including the Sun... and by about 6700 AD - the human population would weigh as much as the entire Universe.' The preceding paragraph, by Isaac Asimov describes quite alarmingly just how bad the population problem really is, that in considerably less time that has passed since the days of Julius Caesar the population will equal in mass of that of the earth. Most people assume that human numbers will stabilize at...

Human Resource Issues in Setting up Projects in France Essay

Human Resource Issues in Setting up Projects in France - Essay Example Managers must screen the external environment before entering the market. If these factors are neglected before going to the country, organization may end up in loosing huge amount of money and resources (Human Resource Management, pg 1, 2008). That is why HR managers should consider all the aspects very carefully as the availability of the required labor force also depend upon these factors. Other than that a company has to answer the question that why they want to go to that country, who will be the workers, what will be the structure, from where will the finances come and what are the legal requirements to consider. As a HR manager ones job is to find out about the labor force availability and the legal requirements. Both the areas are the most important areas for the company to enter in a new country, as workers are the one who are responsible for running the business, where as legal laws keeps a check on your activities and business (Globalization and Environment, pg 2, 2009). The final decision is highly based on the report submitted by the HR manager. It is not a surprising thing that a company wants to do business in France, the simplest reason is that the company wants to enter into the worlds 6th economic power, which is open to all and has been a center of innovation, lifestyle and creativity. There are many reason... As there are benefits for setting up a business in France, there are drawbacks as well, and to minimize those drawbacks Human Resource manager has to use different approaches to analyze the environment of the country (Rose, pg 123, 2006). One such approach is PEST (Political, economical, social and technological) analysis. It is a very useful tool to screen the environment of any country. The analysis helps the company to set the directions, predict the growth and decline and environment for operations (Mathis & Jackson, pg 132, 2006). PEST Analysis of France Political environment: The political environment is stable in the country for the new investors from abroad. Government has formed policies to support such business and at the same time safeguarding the interest of the employees by giving flexible working hours and good retirement packages. There is no political uncertainty in the country, thus it is safe to invest as far as political factors are concerned (Mathis & Jackson, pg 110, 2006). Environmental conditions: 80% of the countries electricity is generated through nuclear plants, where are the main source of increase in temperature, where as, being the industrial country it is now facing environmental challenges. Thus any new business will have to deal with new environmental policies in order to set up the business (Daft, pg 123, 2001). Social environment: France is one of the most liberal countries in the world, but still face some social issues such as the diversity of among its residents and their life style conflicts. There is a huge % of child born with out a married couple and increase

Case Study Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Case Study - Coursework Example Since they would not have any legal right to make improvements on the catalytic exhausts for the reason that they are not the manufacturers, their proposal can gain momentum if it is opened to public debate whose influence can motivate positive response since it would be a good thing to the environment. However, the main disadvantage would be that the manufacturers may just copy the idea for refinement then refuse to have such changes on their product. (b) Another alternative to patent the idea then licence the product to an existing manufacturer would be the most viable option. One main advantage would be that they would not face much hassles with regards to procurement of an operating licence since they would be partnering with the manufactures of the product hence they would not require a big deal on licensing one main disadvantage would be that they may not be able to enjoy the benefits of their discovery as they maybe sidelined to positions of second or third party by the manufactures. (c) They may set up a company and manufacture and market the product themselves. Well, in the event that they manage to do this, this would be the best option of all since they would have overall responsibility of their product and would be in full control of the whole business. However, the main disadvantage would be that of copy right laws. This would not be their invention hence would need to fulfil the requirements of the law with regards to copyright. 1.2 (i) The main corporate objective goal would be the ability to meet reputable standards in the manufacturing industry. In fact, the main goal would be competence to produce quality products in the market. (ii) The financial strategy would need to take into consideration the injection of operating capital that would enable the organisation to realise some profit as well as the ability to cover the