Military Action

In my essay I will investigate the phenomenon of war, starting with its theory and definition, and going to its factors and the principles of its justification, and then finishing with its costs. In particular, I will point out the factors of a just war and support each of them with the necessary argumentation. Also, I will describe the factors that must be considered when military action is justified.And finally, I will mention direct and indirect costs of war. On the whole, the purpose of my essay is to explore on the concept of just war, using the terms: just war and the theory of just war and applying the concepts: concepts of sovereignty, state and nation. In order to provide a necessary scientific ground for my investigation, I will cite the information from reliable sources:   The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Just War Theory† and the War on [T]error by Brian Moresonner, and others.First, according to Brian Moresonner, the roots of the term â€Å"Just War† go back to the Ancient times of Greeks and Sumerians and throughout the history of mankind the concept of just war has been developed [3], eventually growing up into a separate theory with its own principles and traditions. Moresonner in his â€Å"Just War Theory† and the War on [T]error (2004) points out that meaning of â€Å"Just War† â€Å"usually evolves when two or more similarly cultured peoples engage in combat over and over, as they share the same cultural values the two or more peoples set up conventions and perhaps even codes of what is acceptable in combat with each other.† [3].At the same time, The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy   (2005) holds that the theory of just war â€Å"deals with the justification of how and why wars are fought.† [4]. This justification can be of two kinds: historical or theoretical. [4]. Theoretical justification deals with ethics of forms of warfare and war. [4]. On the other hand, the historical aspect just ifies rules and agreements applied in different wars across the ages. [4].Second, due to The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2005), every just war is characterized with a list of factors, which generally should contain the following:–   Just cause, which means a cause of aggression can be considered just if it is a response to â€Å"a physical injury (e.g., a violation of territory), an insult (an aggression against national honor), a trade embargo (an aggression against economic activity), or even to a neighbor’s prosperity (a violation of social justice).† [4].–   Proclamation of war made by a proper authority. This factor implies the relationship between government and people, and is closely connected with the concepts of sovereignty, state and nation. In simpler and more general terms, government, as an organ of authority in a state, can declare war. [4].–    The possession of right intention. This factor forbids pursuing self-intere sts or aggrandizement for the sake of justice in the war. [4].–   A reasonable chance of success. This factor means that just cause and right intention are insufficient for a just war. The sides involved should calculate al the benefits and the costs of the campaign.–   Proportion in the means which are used. This factor requires that the goal of the war â€Å"must be proportional to the other principles of just cause.† [4]. For example, if a nation A invades a land which belonged to the nation B, nation B has right to take the land back. It will be a just cause. But at the same time, the counter attack of B should be proportionate and aim only at retrieving the land. [4].Third, in case when the factors of a military action are taken into consideration, those ones, which will justify it, should be based on the right of self-defense. This right was established by the UN Charter, Geneva and the Hague conventions and it states that a nation can start a war is i ts sovereignty is endangered.   So, to my mind, justifying factors should involve :1) Direct aggression against the country, or its allies, or those countries which are not able to protect themselves against a direct aggression. Thus, in the U.S.A. current ideology suggests self-defense as a right response to direct aggression. The main concerns of U.S. ideology here are freedom and safety of its citizens, and proportional intervention against the defender. For example, such war in self-defense against Japan was declared by American policy on December 7, 1941.2)   Indirect aggression against the country. However, this premise is the most difficult to evaluate. This difficulty comes out of ideological divergences of all the countries in the world. In other words, to understand how a particular country would be engaged in a war based on this premise, one must really know the ideology of this country. For instance, all the military actions of the U.S.A. initiated after the World Wa r II are considered to be based on U.S. response to indirect aggression. In this case the term ‘indirect aggression’ implies the controversy between capitalist and communist regimes and the opposition of American democracy to dictatorship of the former U.S.S.R. and its allies.Finally, each war has its direct and indirect costs. To my mind, direct costs of war concern its human casualties and money spent by the parts involved. For example, it was estimated that during World War II 20 million o soviet people died, and the cost of Iraqi war or America has already overreached 2 million dollars. On the other hand, there are indirect costs of wars, which generally can be seen in postwar period. Among such costs I can mention: refugees and immigration, poverty, collapse of economic and political systems, epidemics, pollution of environment, etc.Bibliography:1)   Carl Schmitt, The Concept of the Political, George Schwab, trans., Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1996, p. 26.2) Mark Osiel, Obeying Orders: Atrocity, Military Discipline, and the Law of War, New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers, 1999, p.100.3) Moseley Alexander. Just War Theory. The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 2005. 28 Aug. 2005 4)  Plaff Tony. Peacekeeping and the Just War Tradition. US Army War Colege. September, 2000

Is Your Glass Half Full or Half Empty Essay

Shakespeare quotes â€Å"there is nothing good or bad but thinking makes it so. † These are words of wisdom, as Shakespeare had discovered centuries ago that are still relative to the daily events that occur for the average twenty-first century adult. People often waste too much time thinking about small negative aspects of their day which creates added stress that is not necessary. Like over analyzing every detail of a minor nuisance you’ve encountered. Stress from daily negative occurrences throughout the day everyday add up and have significant harmful effects on mental and physical health. Stress, however is subjective and lies in the eye of the beholder. Therefore stress really does not exist at all, it is all in your mind and you are the one that makes the decision to over analyze every little detail of a situation or not, which allows your thinking, perceptions, attitudes, and appraisals of events to determine what is stressful to you. What initially causes stress is anything that you look upon that is bad or negative in some way. It is how and what we perceive to be negative that brings upon stress on one’s daily life. A decision is based on one’s judgments of their own estimation of value, worth, and quality given a specific situation. According to Cannon-Bard’s theory of emotion, the response comes after the fear experience. Therefore one will experience fear, or stress from threats, illness, change, danger, pressure, conflict, long term frustration, or anxiety. Stress and fear can evolve from any form of threat that is real or perceived. Cognitive reactions are the result of Shakespeare’s quote, therefore the responses to stress after the initial threat or fear. Cognitive reactions teach you methods to change your perception of the way you think for future prevention. Neuroticism is the response that includes emotional, anxious, insecure, and vulnerable aspects regarding stress. Health consequences include both physical and psychological effects. Physical effects include hypertension, eating disorders, procrastination, low immune system, and high levels of cortisol. Psychological effects include impaired memory, impaired performance, and inability to respond to a situation. Health psychology is the most current approach to increase the potential of general well-being. Health psychologists believe in prevention rather than treatment. Therefore they help to predict the onset before an episode. Changing one’s behavior plays a huge role in the resolution of healthy living. Cognitive Therapy is the modern approach which involves changing the way you think and understanding the reason to abandon your old reasoning for a new different perspective on the same thought. The ABC model, where the B in the model stands for beliefs is the most crucial part when analyzing Shakespeare quote. The problem is that people have different believes, opinions, and perceptions of what is good and bad. Unconsciously we begin to form a belief system of what we believe is good and bad from parents, peers, and school. We use beliefs to interpret ourselves, other people and the world in general. In conclusion, the essence on Shakespeare’s quote is to never say anything bad about yourself therefore you avoid the entire idea of the negative pessimistic attitude. The power of positive thinking will change your perspective and feelings. From a cognitive perspective, you can create happiness by decreasing your negative thoughts and increasing your positive optimistic thoughts and views and reducing stress to live a healthy and positive life. When analyzing the question â€Å"is your glass half full or empty? † is hinting at how you view life in general either with an optimistic or pessimistic view. The decision is ultimately up to you.

Endeca Technologies Essay

Executive Summary Endeca Technologies is a software company that established by Steve Papa on September 4th 2001. In the case, the company is currently looking for a Series C round funding to reduce the expected pre-money valuation multiple times because of the NASDAQ had fallen. In the end, the company got a rough pre-money valuation of $25M. At this time, there are two different term sheets that each of them contains some pros and cons putting in front of Papa to let him choose. Overall, Papa should choose the first term sheet because the benefits in that term sheet are more than the second term sheet, and at the same time it has less cons. Does Endeca look like a good investment at this time? Overall, Endeca looks like a risky choice for investors to invest. Since Endeca is a technology software company, this industry is very competitive and intensive; everyday there are new firms emerge in this industry with new technologies and ideas. At the beginning, Endeca planed to make a Series C round funding in around November and Decemeber in 2000. However, because of the NASDAQ was falling, the CEO Papa realized that raising funding at that time was vey hard. Thus, Papa extended the funds from Series B to an extra six months. Papa’s action gave many other firms to have the chances to catch up and build up their technologies and management strategies. Thus after this six-months delay, Endeca needs to put in more effort to gain back its market status. What are the motivations for BVP and Venrock? Ampersand? Bessemer Venture Partners and Venrock invested in the second round on Endeca. Because Papa had connections with Venrock, where he had served a summer internship while at HBS. Papa and Venrock built the good relationship at that time, thus Venrock is willing to invest in Endeca, which is his motivation to invest in the firm. Ampersand is a new potentially company that will invest in Endeca in Series C. This is a very diversified company and so far they didn’t invest in any technology company similar to Endeca  yet. First, because Ampersand never invested in any firm in this industry yet, as a diversified investing firm, they are willing to take the chance to try new thing to invest on Endeca. Secondly, Ampersand has a long-standing connection to Endeca’s top management team, which is also Ampersand’s motivation to invest in Endeca. How has the CEO handled the C round? Would you do anything different? The CEO Papa hasn’t handled the Series C round well due to many different reasons. First, as mentioned before, because at that time the NASDAQ was falling, in order to avoid the bad investment situation and wished the market will get better again, Papa stretched the Series B investment for an extra six months. However, this turned out to be a bad decision. The fact is that the market didn’t improve later and the company was having difficult to get the term sheet from investors. Secondly, even though fortunately Papa got two term sheets in the end, what he did wrong was that he made a verbal commitment to the insider-led and a potential client DGSCP says that one offer is better than the other one. If in the end Papa choose the other offer, he might be risky on breaking his words in front of DGSCP and losing business with them. If I were responsible for handling the C round, I would definitely do things differently. First of all, I would not delay the Series C round investment. I think investment funds are extremely important on doing a business; it is always better to prepare for enough funding rather than need it but cannot get the money. In addition, I would not bring the insider-led and the potential client DGSCP into the deal to give any verbal commitment before I made my decision. Provide a detailed discussion of the pros and cons of the two term sheets. Which is more favorable to Endeca? Evaluate the two term sheets both financially (in terms of value) and non-financially (other terms.) Which provides them with a higher probability of survival and success? First Term Sheet Pros Cons Many investors who invested before, easier for the transition Barely dilutes Venrock Original Price equals to Liquidation Preference Made verbal commitment before Potential client DGSCP involved Lower price per share, $0.985/share Less Capital Low valuation Second Term Sheet Pros Cons Higher Price per share, $1.25/share More capital Bring in new investors, new opportunity Lose Anger Series B investors and DGSCP in the C round More complicated because of new investors Ampersand doesn’t have much experience in investing this industry Accrued dividends and redemption rights As the chief representative for Endeca’s shareholders, which deal should recommend to the Board? Why? As the chief representative for Endeca’s shareholders, I think Papa should choose the first term sheet. According to the analysis above, the first term  sheet has more benefits over the second term sheet and less cons compared to the second term sheet. The only thing I concern about the first term sheet is the capital is less than the second term sheet. However, in reality the capital that the second term sheet provided is still far from what Papa initially wanted for Series C. Most importantly, because Papa made the verbal commitment with the potential DGSCP client that he would choose the first term sheet, consider the future cooperation and business that Papa would probably do with DGSCP, I think it is a wise choice to choose the first one at this point.

How can rituals facilitate the Grieving after the funeral Essay

How can rituals facilitate the Grieving after the funeral - Essay Example And so, sooner or later a person dies and the people who love him or her, family, friends and colleagues, are faced with the difficult job of dealing with death and the grief and period of mourning that come with it. Hence, grief brought about by the loss of someone important in one’s life, is an emotion that is felt by almost everyone at least once in their lifetime. It is a universal phenomenon that is unique to man (Jeffreys, 2005b, p. 24). In this context, the grief being experienced is akin to bereavement, â€Å"the loss of a loved one through death† (Archer, 1991, p. 1). Because of this universal nature of grief and bereavement and the intensity that goes with it—with people experiencing it having a tendency to fall into deep depression—grief counseling and therapy have evolved as a useful science that aims to facilitate the completion of the grieving process and help survivors move on as grief is not something that can be handled by most with just one bout of crying or just a shrug indicating â€Å"that’s life.† With the emergence of grief counseling and therapy, grief theories have been reinvented and formulated in order to better understand the grieving process and so that grief therapists and counselors can also be more effective in helping survivors cope and move on. Although much has been written and said about grief, one thing is obvious; and that is, because it deals with human experience, it cannot be completely boxed into just one theory as it varies with each person and situation (Jeffreys, 2005b, p. 24). There are many factors that aid in the successful facilitation of the grieving process and discussing them all will constitute the writing of an entire volume. Hence, it is better to focus on one aspect that has been proven to be effective in easing survivors into the stages of the grieving process. Rituals, whether shared or

Analyse the external marketing environment &consumer buyer behaviour Coursework

Analyse the external marketing environment &consumer buyer behaviour - Coursework Example In addition, the level of ‘supply and demand’ (Hisrich, 2000, p.16) in a market denotes the market’s economic potentials, thus it is considered as a factor that can influence the market’s economic environment. In regard to the promotion of iPhone 6 in China the country’s economic environment needs to be checked in order to decide whether Chinese consumers would be able to pay for the specific product or not. As for the technological environment, this refers to the ‘means used for transforming materials into goods and services’ (Sahaf 2008, p.57). In other words, in each country the technological environment denotes the country’s performance in regard to manufacturing and services (Lancaster and Reynolds 2005). The technological environment of China would be checked when developing the marketing plan for iPhone 6; indeed, in a market where products of advanced technology are highly appreciated the chances of iPhone to achieve high sales would be more, as also explained in the next section. The economic environment can highly impact the sales of iPhone 6. The influence of economic environment on the particular product would have the following form: a) in regard to local economic environment: in case of the increase of unemployment, as related to the decrease of the income, people in China would face difficulties in buying this product (West et al. 2010); also, if inflation across the country is increased then the prices of products would follow a similar path. In this case, consumers could decide that they do not want to pay a significantly high price for the particular product (West et al.2010), b) in regard to the global economic environment: the increase of turbulences in global markets or the possible appearance of a strong financial crisis at international level could make Chinese consumers less willing to pay for products of high technology, such as the iPhone 6. In fact, in the above case, their priorities in regard to the goods

VAMPIRE SOCIAL FEAR Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

VAMPIRE SOCIAL FEAR - Essay Example The concept of the existence of vampires was further glorified by eminent classic and contemporary literature authors that have created frenzy amongst the masses regarding the existence of these creatures. (Belanger, 2005, p. 49) As mentioned earlier, on a literary front the idea of vampires have fascinated, amazed and scared people throughout the ages. The belief in the existence of demons and spirits has been a prime aspect of all faiths and are often deemed to be the forerunners of the creation and concept of vampires; a dead blood-sucking nocturnal being that is largely associated with evil and the damned. Roman, Greek and Mesopotamian cultures all had a common notion regarding the existence of vampires but the concept itself gained more shape in Eastern Europe, where the legends narrated that vampires were revenants of sinner, suicide victims, people involved in witchcraft and corpses under the possession of malicious spirits or people who died of vampire bites. There were count less speculation regarding the appearance of vampires and before human physical features were used to typify Vampires, they were vastly believed to bestial creatures, which were damned for the rest of eternity and their existence was only meant to plague the living. The Description of the appearance of vampires is illustrated immaculately by the following quote from Sacred Hunger authored by Michelle Belanger, a self-proclaimed Psychic-vampire, who has published several books on this entire concept and has demonstrated the contrasts between the media portrayal and folkloric image of vampires, she states, â€Å"The vampire has come a long way since its beginnings in folklores†¦ Though, monstrosity in their hungers there is an ineffable something that inspires their so-called ‘Victims’ to willingly open their veins. Yet in stark contrast, the vampires we encounter in the tales of Eastern Europe are little more than corpses. These foul and bestial monsters terrorize whole villages, filing their victims with horror and disgust.†(Belanger, 2005, p. 14) Therefore, from the aforementioned quote it is abundantly clear that there is a huge schism between the perception of vampires in contemporary and the portrayal of folklores. Belanger has defined the true meaning of vampirism and the prevalence of this belief in gothic sub-cultures. It has become more of an identity for people and the term ‘vampirism’ itself is not used to signify bestial behavior or monstrosity, and is now given similar connotations as people who are left-handed; the latter due to the widespread belief that left-handed people are evil. The aforementioned analogy describes that vampirism is no longer emblematic of a blood-thirsty creature but all those people who are in pursuit of vital energy. However, this is still a subjective approach to the subject and having mentioned the prose will focus its attention back to the area under discussion that is whether or no t the social fear derived from these creatures is in anyway valid and the amount of insight provided by literature and conception of fictional characters to demonstrate this aspect. Therefore, the substance of the following prose will juxtapose the folkloric illustration of these creatures and how authors have portrayed the image of these creatures. In order to gain greater amount of insight in to the subject, the prose will

Program capstone IP2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Program capstone IP2 - Essay Example y and Unmistakability, meaning that a clear and accurate relationship exists between the criteria and the real consequences, comprehensive but concise, meaning that they cover the range of relevant consequences but the evaluation framework remains systematic and manageable and there are no redundancies, direct and ends-oriented, meaning they report directly on the consequences of interest and provide enough information that informed value judgments can reasonably be made on the basis of them, measurable and Consistently Applied to allow consistent comparisons across other options. It clearly elaborate the criteria should be able to distinguish the relative degree of impact across other options. The exclusion of the qualitative descriptions of impact may not be there, or impacts that can’t be physically measured in the field. For good decision making, you should include the following metrics into your framework to minimize the chances of making a bad decision. First perform a condition Analysis, what is motivating the need for a choice, what might occur if no decision is made, who will decision impact either indirectly or indirectly, what data, exploration, or supporting information you have to validate  the inclinations driving your  decision. Secondly, Focus your Decision to Public Scrutiny and remember there are no decisions which are private. Rather the details surrounding any decision will likely come out. In addition, conduct a Cost/Benefit Analysis, by doing the potential benefits derived from the decision justify the expected costs. Assess the Reward or risk Ratio; what are all the likely rewards, and when compared with all the potential risks are the odds in your favor, or are they stacked against you. Furthermore, Evaluate whether  it is the Right thing to do. I.e. standing behind decisio ns that everyone supports doesn’t particularly require a lot of boldness. On the other hand, standing behind what one believes is the right decision in the face of

Sprungli family business analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Sprungli family business analysis - Essay Example This was possible since Rodolphe Lindt used the â€Å"conche† which he had introduced so as to produce chocolate which is loved and cherished to this modern day and age. He blended delicate flavor which grew and became reputable globally as Swiss chocolate (Coady, 2006). The original Spungli business eventually split up into two distinct companies namely the Lindt and Spungli business which is a public company with the other one being the family run branch known as Spungli confectionary. The division of the Company particularly took place in 1879 when Rudolf Spungli decided to devide his company between his sons David Robert and Johann Rudolf. David Robert became the owner of the family run branch known as Spungli confectionary that is today known as the Confiserie Sprà ¼ngli  while Johann Rudolf gained ownership of the Lindt and Spungli business which is eventually became a public company. However, in 1899, Sprungli family company and business which was called the â€Å"Chocolat Sprungli AG† received the request of acquiring the Rodolphe Lindt business which was smaller in stature but reputable and massive in taste and quality of chocolate which it produced. This paper critically analyzes the Sprungli family business with specific focus t o is background, history, current challenges, succession issues as well as recommendations for parallel planning process. Spungli Confectionary families run business also popularly known Confiserie Sprà ¼ngli  is the remnant of the original company started by David Sprungli in 1845. It is the initial stage where the founder and owner manage the business since it is relatively small in capital base or number of customers. In the year 1859, one of its subsidiaries in Paradeplatz grew in stature and might to become one of the famous, renowned and loved pastries and chocolate meeting points. This was the stance where the business was

Significance and Implications of Research Ethics to Nursing Essay

Significance and Implications of Research Ethics to Nursing - Essay Example Research ethics plays an important role in the nursing management and leadership. Since leaders and managers of healthcare institutions should abide by the highest ethical standards, they can guarantee ethical nursing practice only through research ethics. Both qualitative and quantitative research provides evidence that nurses can use to treat their patients or prevent specific medical conditions. Leaders and managers in nursing depend heavily on nursing research to provide effective directions and decisions that nurses can prefer in their medical undertakings. It implies that research ethics merits objectivity in nursing management through the provision of concrete results. Effective nursing management entails nursing practice and decision-making that is anchored on concrete evidence from research. Such research could either be qualitative or quantitative but either way, it must embrace ethical principles. Burns, Grove, and Gray list consequentialism, principlism, virtue ethics, an d deontology as four major nursing ethical theories that concern research ethics. These ethical theories inspire the thinking of leaders and managers in healthcare institutions to make ethical decisions in nursing practice. With regard to consequentialism, the outcome of nursing research determines the morality of the research. It means that the response in connection with certain medical undertakings can only be valid if they are positive irrespective of the decision-making process or the ethical principles applied to the research.

On Medical Surgical Type II DM Patients, How does RNs Obtaining Their Research Paper

On Medical Surgical Type II DM Patients, How does RNs Obtaining Their Own Accu Check Findings Compared to Nursing Assistants Obtaining the Accu Check After Timely Insulin Delivery - Research Paper Example The paper will also focus on the organization culture, expected outcomes of the solution, methods used to achieve the outcomes and the impact of these outcomes on quality of care. A good and meaningful solution to the core question of this research paper is to let nurses to take their Accu-Chek findings and adjust their staffing ratios. Currently on the med-surg units, during the day shift the nurse patient ratio is 5:1 while the night shift nurse patient ratio is 6:1. Increasing the number of nurses will enable the nurses to obtain Accu-Chek readings more easily and effectively while at the same time increasing efficiency in the hospital. The newly hired nurses would undergo training on the use of Accu-Chek meters as is the requirement by both the manufacturing company and hospital policy. A closer look at the practice in today’s hospitals would give a general idea of current practice. For example, The State Hospital of Utah has a Nursing Policy and Procedure Manual that states that all it’s newly hired staff are to receive training on the use of Accu-chek (2005). This is a realistic intervention to the setting because it increases the total number of nurses available resulting in the nurses being in a better position to take their own Accu-Chek readings and institute any urgent action that may arise based on the readings obtained. The nurses currently stationed at the hospital can train the newly hired nurses on how to use the Accu-Chek meter. This would reduce the cost of implementing this intervention to the cost of hiring new nurses. But is the intervention consistent with the organizations culture and resources? The members of staff have a basic idea of EBS. The resources required to implement the intervention are minimal as only a few nurses would be hired. The nurses would educate the newly hired nurses on the use of the Accu-Chek meter. This would allow prompt

Intelligence Community Credibility- How do we get it back Research Paper

Intelligence Community Credibility- How do we get it back - Research Paper Example Therefore the accent in activities of intelligence community was shifted to a multi-perspective consideration about challenging issues of American society and the main goal of this organization is currently seen in serving American nation and not only to respond to the President. For the majority of people Intelligence Community is associated with films about spies. In America 14 agencies and organizations are united in a group where its participants develop their intelligent activities for provision of national security. Intelligent Community has a regulative basis specified in Executive Order 12333, which was signed by President Ronald Reagan on December 4, 1981 (Intelligent reform, 2008). In accordance with this order Intelligence Community provides American government with the information appropriate for foreign, defense, and economic policies. There are â€Å"four methods of intelligence collection: human, signals, imagery, and measurement and signatures intelligence (HUMINT, S IGINT, IMINT, and MASINT)† (Intelligent reform, 2008). All activities of IC are conducted under the guidance of the Director of Intelligent Community. Since 1947 Intelligent Community experienced numerous reforms. The most recent reform was conducted in the beginning of the XXI century, in 2004. After a dreadful terroristic act on September 11 the main claim of the act was a propagation of "unity of effort" (Intelligent reform, 2008). It was necessary to integrate and develop information sharing. Potential threats facing American society had to be more properly considered by Intelligent Community. Information is the central focus of representatives of intelligence community, policymakers, enforcement officers and other participants of this organization. A more detailed discussion of information is a way out to forecast potential terroristic threats. Intelligence community currently is supposed to perform the following function: â€Å"The threats posed today by terrorist group s, rogue states and transnational criminal networks are severe and daunting, and the increased effectiveness of the intelligence community is helping us combat these threats† (Fixing Intelligence: for a More Secure America, 2003). Currently a mutual collaboration of DNI and CIA is directed on an intelligence community efficiency increase. In such a way, ‘group think’ may facilitate ideas competition, which is relevant to intelligence analysis. Moreover, DNI is supposed to undermine power and authority of the Defense Department and intelligent support may be neglected. Nevertheless, DNI confirmed expectations and shifted its accents to consideration of community-wide matters. Consequently, management aspect of intelligence community is also better regulated now. A creation of the National Counterterrorism Center is another modern innovation introduced in the activities of the intelligence community, because it is directed on facilitation of terrorism-related intell igence analysis and deals with counterterrorism efforts regulation on behalf of the federal government. A modern generation of intelligence analysts is surrounded by enormous possibilities and tools facilitating their work. Electronic resources and information technologies facilitate a process of information sharing/discussing (Herrington, 2008). With regard to a wide-spread occurrence of social networks, officers of intelligence

Genetically modified (GM) foods Essay Example for Free

Genetically modified (GM) foods Essay What does a tomato, soybean, and McDonald’s French fry have in common? They are all some of the most commonly genetically modified foods sold on the market today. By using the genetic information from one organism, and inserting or modifying it into another organism, scientists can make food crops stay fresher, grow bigger, and have the crops create their own pesticides. Nevertheless, the technology to modify genes has surpassed its practicality. Genetically modified foods need to be removed from everyday agriculture because of the threat they pose to human health, the environment, and the impact on global economy. Genetically modified (GM) foods could produce new toxic substances, and/or allergens. A gene from the Brazil nut was inserted into the DNA of a soybean plant to increase the nutritional value of the soybean. However, this particular gene in the GM soybean also produced an allergen (a substance that causes allergic reactions in people). Fortunately, the plant was not put into production (McHughen 119). Another example is of a GM tomato called â€Å"FLAVR SAVR†. The tomato is larger, tastier, and stays fresher longer than commercial tomatoes on the market. Combining conventional tomato genes with the genes of an arctic trout produces the â€Å"FLAVR SAVR†. Nevertheless, questions such as â€Å"Will people with sea food allergies be able to consume the tomato?† and â€Å"Will the trout genes in the tomato enable new bacteria growth, and thereby make the tomato hazardous to eat?† have still not been answered. This causes the â€Å"FLAVR SAVR† to be a potential hazard to human health (McHughen 14, 112). Since technology is new with regards to genetics, there is no real way of knowing whether genetically modified foods would take a negative impact on the body. An incident that occurred in 1989 concerning the nutritional supplement L- Tryptophan is one way of testing the long-term effects of a GM food (Background on L-tryptophan and 5-hydroxy L-tryptophan and the eosinophilia myalgia syndrome, U.S. Food and Drug Administration). The manufacturer had apparently altered its manufacturing process to speed up production, and had not realized the toxic side effects. However, it caused a potentially fatal illness called Eosinophilia Myolgia Syndrome in which 37 people died and 1500 more were permanently disabled (Background on L-tryptophan and 5-hydroxy L-tryptophan and the eosinophilia myalgia syndrome, U.S. Food and Drug Administration). Therefore, it was taken off the market shortly after the reports of widespread illness among consumers of the supplement. Another two examples of diseases that have been created by GM crops are glufosinate (Hart 21), which causes birth defects in mammals, and glyphosate (Hart 88), which is now linked to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Therefore, it is evident that the general public is the guinea pig for GM food, and today’s drugs may not be able to combat the diseases that may arise from eating the food. Superbugs are created when genes transfer from one species to another, and if an antibiotic-resistant or pesticide-resistant gene were to transfer from an organism into a disease creating bacteria, then an antibiotic-resistant or pesticide-resistant bug would be created (Miller 83). This applies to bacteria and viruses that are symbiotically related. Gene modification is indirectly making life resistant to diseases, and these bacteria and viruses will adapt to the new form of life and create new disorders. Furthermore, GM crops may make the â€Å"normal† biological pest spray obsolete. This is because pests will soon develop resistance to the spray because of the widespread planting of GM crops. Nevertheless, superbug pesticides have not yet been manufactured, nor have superbug antibiotics been created (Miller 92). Consequently, the health risks for humans through superbug infections or by eating GM food is very serious, and the consequences that may come about have the potent ial to be life threatening. Genetic engineering of food crops has the potential to affect the biodiversity of a region in effectively two ways. First, wild populations of weed may be replaced by GM crop/weed, due to the GM crop spreading outside the crop field and interacting with natural weed and slowly becoming GM weed. Since GM crops are produced to be resistant to pesticides and herbicides, there is the possibility that they could invade wild grasslands and other places and prosper because of these special characteristics. If this happened, the native grasses would be unable to compete and biodiversity would be lost in these regions. Also, many genetically engineered crops contain anti-viral genes and there is the potential that these genes could combine to form new and dangerous strains of viruses, which could destroy specific crops. Although, to date, there is no direct evidence of these occurring naturally, the potential is clearly increasing (UK Agricultural Biodiversity Coalition. What is happening to Agricultural Biodiversity?). The second way in which the biodiversity of a region is potentially affected is by the decreasing crop varieties that are being planted. This is a problem already existing in agriculture today, and results in a loss of genetic variety within crop cultures. Farmers being forced to use only patented seeds are an example of a potential decrease in biodiversity. If traditional seed varieties are used, farmers will be at a financial disadvantage due to better tasting, better looking crops produced by farmers using GM seeds. In the U.S., and some other countries, laws have been passed and are currently in effect stating that the use of non-patented seeds is prohibited. This will restrict the crops to a few species, leaving them more at risk to new pests that may form (UK Agricultural Biodiversity Coalition. What are the underlying causes of the Losses of Agricultural Biodiversity?). The European community is by far the most anti-GM, so to speak, when it comes to the retail of GM food in their supermarkets (Tackling Food Safety Concerns over GMO’s, Consumer attitudes and decision-making with regard to genetically modified food products). Regulations are being imposed on the European Parliament, individual European nations, and some stores themselves have all imposed restrictions on GM foods. Manufacturers must label all foods that might have genetically altered ingredients. This includes food with genetically manufactured organisms, food with an intentionally modified molecular structure, and food that has been isolated for microorganisms, fungi, and algae. Furthermore, the genetically altered food must not mislead the consumer, present any danger to the consumer, or differ from the food that it is intended to replace so that the altered food is a nutritional disadvantage to the consumer (Tackling Food Safety Concerns over GMO’s, Development of meth ods to identify foods produced by means of genetic engineering). This legislation has now created trade barriers for food coming into Europe – some imported food is genetically modified and creates a risk to the people’s health and safety. Nevertheless, because some supermarkets in Europe have decided to be non-GM only, this has created a competitive disadvantage for the â€Å"half†-GM supermarkets. This response to consumer pressure is also having an effect on some companies or countries that cannot meet the legislative needs, and are obliged to lose markets and/or market shares (Tackling Food Safety Concerns over GMO’s, European network safety assessment of genetically modified food crops). If the world finally agrees to the consumption of GM food, European countries will be the last to â€Å"give-in† to the more lenient regulations. If one is to ask a North American if the product he or she is eating contains GM food, he or she will most likely show a blank stare. This is because regulation of GM food in North America is relatively relaxed when compared to Europe (Borger, second paragraph). Since the manufacturer is not required to label their products, the consumer is oblivious to buying GM food at the supermarket. Agriculture and technology are both being heavily invested in the United States. Profit is an important driving force for the developed world, and agricultural exports make up a large portion of exports from the United States (Borger, third paragraph). Since the demand for food is always increasing, the demand to produce more food at a faster rate requires the need for better biotechnology to be put into practice. And because of the lax laws in effect for the United States, and Canada, North Americans are â€Å"in the dark† with regards to what they are eating during their meals. North Americans are not educated about the risks of GM food, nor are they aware of where to find information regarding how much GM food is in their groceries (Borger, 12th paragraph). This poses a serious threat to the potential health of North Americans, as they are nothing but â€Å"lab rats† waiting for their first abnormal â€Å"twitch†. Human health can be seen as the greatest factor when considering the manufacturing of GM food. This is because of the few diseases and viruses that have been discovered which formed through the use of GM food. Also, the potential for new diseases and/or viruses through the use of GM food is increasing, and people are not aware of the risks. Antibiotics or pesticides have not yet been created to combat the superbug, and this is a concern for humans, as it will infect people, and crops altogether. There is a potential for the biodiversity to decrease because of gene transfers from one species to another, creating more powerful crops, which may take over the natural populations of weeds and grasslands. An additional way for the biodiversity to decrease is by farmers planting only a single variety of crop, thus wiping out the varied species needed to keep the diversity within crop fields. Europeans are the most aware of GM food, and are taking the necessary precautions and legislative actions to protect themselves against the use of GM food. However, North Americans are the least aware of GM food, and their government has not yet educated their citizens on the risks of GM food. There are too many risks involved in the use of GM food, and its removal from the agricultural and biotechnological industries will benefit human health, the environment, and global economy.

Proton Was Incorporated In May Marketing Essay

Proton Was Incorporated In May Marketing Essay Introduction Proton was incorporated in May 7, 1983. Proton is Malaysias first national car maker company. Proton is a Malaysian automobile manufacturer headquartered in Subang Jaya and Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia, with a manufacturing plant in Tanjung Malim, Perak. It all began in 1979, Malaysias Father of Modernization, Tun Mahathir Mohamad, (the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia), mooted the idea of establishing an automotive assembling and manufacturing industry in our country. Proton successfully produced its Malaysias first car, the Proton Saga, which is commercially launched on July 9, 1985 by our prime minister who had originally conceived the idea of a Malaysian car (History of Proton Malaysia, 2010). Protons objectives include the development of indigenous research and development capabilities, world class manufacturing and production standards, design capabilities as well as a presence in the global market. To further cement their successes, they come out with the new model such as Persona, Exora, New Saga and Preve. According to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Proton Preve has been developed accordance with global standards of quality and safety (Proton unveils latest car model the Preve, 2012). Today, they are constantly seeking progress that drives PROTON as a brand that encompasses not only making the best cars, but embracing the values that comes with it. Currently, export is one of the mode entries that Proton is using to expand its market. For instance, Proton cars are making their mark internationally as competitive and innovative automobiles. They are now being exported to 50 countries including the highly competitive United Kingdom and continental European markets. In order to reach the commitment from customers, business associates, shareholders, government agencies, and employees, Proton is realizing its goal of being an internationally successful Malaysian automotive manufacturer. It is achieving this by being customer oriented and by producing competitively priced and innovative products. Besides that, Proton has agreed with Chinas carmaker company, Hawtai Motor Group Ltd on Memorandum of Understanding (MoU to gain collaboration in product development and give licensing on its current models to Hawtai Motor Group to be manufactured by Hawtai in China (Proton signs MoU with Chinas Hawtai Motor, 2011). Main purpose for this collaboration is to develop the new models by sharing the cost and joint design. This enables Proton to lower down their cost and discover the potential cross-supplying of components from local Malaysian vendors to China. Proton also has relationship with the Youngman Automobile Group located in China. Youngman Automobile Group has been buying the Gen2 model from Proton since 2007 and selling the model under its own brand name. Proton is an automobile technology that is the pride and symbol of Malaysian innovation and dedication. Proton is preparing ahead now, with a view to globalize throughout the world. They will be breaking new grounds, opening n ew markets, and delighting new customers. Current Expansions Joint Venture Proton Holdings Berhad has a joint venture with Chinas Hawtai Motor Group Ltd to extend their expansion to China. They had come out with an agreement of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Chinas Hawtai Motor Group Ltd to explore collaboration in their product development that allow Malaysian car manufacturer to expand their business to China (Zaharin, 2011). Besides, Proton will also license its current models which are Proton Exora and the upcoming model presently coded P3-21A to Hawtai Motor Group. These two models will only sell in Chinese domestic market and there are under Hawtai brand and maybe with co-naming with Proton because they had joint venture to extend their brand to worldwide so that everyone in different country will know their brand (Zaharin, 2011). According to Proton Group Managing Director, Dato Sri Haji Syed Zainal Abidin, Proton are now concerning into new models that manufactured by Hawtai Motor Group and it is suitable to redevelop to act as the substitut e for existing Proton models so that the development and tooling costs will be shared by both companies (Proton signs MoU with Chinas Hawtai Motor, 2011). Partnership Proton-Lotus engineering is also having partnership with Youngman. Youngman is a family-owned company which is located in Jinhua, Zhejiang and now it has renamed itself as Engineered by Lotus. The car with the brand name of T5 SUV is the production of car upon the partnership between them. T5 SUV is the extended form of Gen-2 platform and it will use engines from Protons CPS upwards and will be priced in the range of RM 50,000 to RM 75,000. In order to going global, they also designed right-hand drive version and also left-hand version so that the model can be acceptable by all the nations and sold worldwide (Vong, 2012). Proton Holding Berhad is also carry out partnership with Mitsubishi Motors Corporation which is located in Japan. This partnership was found to be failing due to the lack of technology transfer in year 2005. Proton has established a 20 years old relationship with Mitsubishi, but in the end it still broke down (Tan, 2005). However, Proton and Mitsubishi still wish to extend their partnership option in year 2008. Upon the partnership, Mitsubishi will be able to deal with the development and production of all vehicles which is under Proton brand and Proton also allows building new Mitsubishi-based vehicles (Klose, 2008). Export    Since 1983, Proton has established its automotive position consistently in producing and exporting cars. Currently, Proton has risen to a level where it has exported to more than fifty countries which include traditional export markets such as United Kingdom, Asia and South America including Australia, Turkey, Russia, India, Laos, Egypt and Argentina. Other than that, Proton is also aggressively expanding their business in other countries including Middle East and South Africa (Gabilaia, 2001).  However, Proton  does not export cars in the United States because of strict American regulations (Aero, 2012  ). Proton started its international exporting in the late 1980 which exports from Malaysia to other right hand drive markets like New Zealand. However, it was not as success as compared to the United Kingdom so Proton had withdrawn from the New Zealand market in 1990 (Mandalina landy, 2009). When Proton first export of cars in Europe was started in 1988 where it exported to Republic of Ireland and a year later, they expand their export market to United Kingdom. There was a large unit of cars being exported to United Kingdom and Ireland in 1989 since the United Kingdom is the largest export market of Proton. They export the cars through its distributor in UK which is its subsidiary, Proton Cars (UK) Ltd. When Proton decided to export their car in UK, it shows a significantly improvement on the overall sales performance and increase in production units. According to Mandalina landy, Proton somewhat suffered poor quality product has made Protons image in UK being affected included the sale s of the car dropped 14 900 units in  1993  to 4 600 in  1998. In addition, Proton also has suffered for intensive competition from other countries in automotive industry such as Japanese and South Korean carmakers. Therefore, Proton is too rely on its major export market in United Kingdom, Proton can export to other European countries since the company has not much expansion towards European countries. Even though ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) agreements has been reduced the trade of entry to ASEAN country makes Proton decided to make further expansion to ASEAN country (Mandalina landy, 2009) but it just with a small units of car exports to Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Brunei, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. Thus, it contributed to lower in term of Protons production and profitability. There are six original members of AFTA: Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia,  Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Now AFTA has included 4 members which are Vietnam, Laos, Myammar and Cambodia (Gabilaia, 2001). According to Aero, Proton does not officially exported their car to Vietnam. Besides, South Africa is the second country after Singapore where Proton has exported Satria Neo (Thestar, 2006). Proton would still retain its status as a national carmaker, but they will be focusing on its export markets (Choong, 2012). This can help Proton to offset the poor sales pe rformance on other export markets such as european market. Generally, Proton enters into some other countrys market via signing a distributor agreement with local based distributor such as Indonesia, Thailand and Australia. Forward  integration  is one of the strategies in order for Proton to gain the ownership control of its distributor. Thus, through signing distributor agreement that Proton as owner and controller of the distributorship of Proton cars can increases its control over its distributor. Besides, countries with left hand driving culture such as Singapore and Australia, Proton are producing and exporting left-hand car models to enter the market whereas neighboring market such as Thailand and Indonesia, Proton are serving them with right hand drive model of cars. Since car exports  are contributing substantial revenues for Proton. Therefore,  from 2008 onwards, Proton plans to push for annual car exports to 100,000 within the next few years (Neil McDonald, 2006). Acquisition Due to a lack of technology transfer, Proton has ended partnership with its major supplier Mitsubishi Motor in 2004 (Alborz Fallah, 2007). However, it does not affect Proton much regarding the supply of component part since they had been acquired Lotus Cars Company in 1996. Through acquisition, Proton able to obtain an additional source of engineering and automotive expertise since Lotus is well known with its engineering design and technology knowhow. According to Gabilaia, Proton is doing research and development with Lotus engineering and Petronas Formula1 team in order to build their own national car with their own engine without relies on the some component part supplied by Mitsubishi. As Proton was lacking of competitiveness in domestic and international markets, several measures were taken to upgrade the company over the years. The turnaround point was through acquisition of Lotus by Proton, Proton  is gaining the advantages from lotus in term of a major RD house through the well regarded  Lotus  Engineering as well as enter into European market which have been traditionally less responsive to Proton. Since Proton did the usual mistake among late coming automakers exporting from the very start to expand to the most competitive markets in the global North, it had made Proton suffered poor image quality. Thus, Proton regain the opportunity to go after a completely different customer segment without eroding the Proton brand in European market through acquired Lotus (Abdur-Rahman Syed, 2011). Future Expansions Partnership Proton has expanded over 50 countries in the world but they have yet to capture a big presence in Asia nations. As we know, India has the worlds second largest population in nations after China. Proton should target India to expand their operations since Indias market is not as compact as China yet which is still very prospective. As the failure of developing a concrete partnership agreement between German automaker Volkswagen and Proton (Paul Tan, 2006), Proton should gain another partner to broaden their market. Thus, we suggest Proton to pursue a partnership with the Japanese car-maker, Maruti Suzuki, a subsidiary company of Suzuki Motor Corporations which is a carmaker leader in India. Maruti Suzuki is a leading automobile manufacturer and the market leader in India car segment. By having a partnership relationship with Maruti Suzuki, Proton can easily capture the Indian market by the existence of well brand reputation of Maruti Suzuki in India. Maruti Suzuki has established a highly profitable joint venture with the India government that creates nearly monopolistic trade in the Indian automobile market. This is also one of the reason why Maruti Suzuki able to become Indias largest passenger car company. Through this joint venture, Proton can avoid many complex regulatory procedures from government department while entering India market. On the other hand, in order to continually dominate India domestic car market opportunities, Proton can propose to Maruti Suzuki with its multi-purpose vehicle (MPV), Proton Exora to be launched to the India domestic market. Although Maruti Suzuki has its own MPV in India but the price is much higher than Proton Exora. Indias car market does not have much (MPV) with a lower price. Proton Exora can offer a lower price than other MPV cars currently existing in the market. The proposal is likely to be successful because the MPV cars price is much higher than Proton Exora. Besides, Proton can collaborate with Maruti Suzuki in making diesel-powered car. The demand for diesel-powered vehicles has surged in the country following the widening gap between prices of petrol and diesel. (Maruti Suzuki may not meet 10% sales growth target in FY13, 2012) The gap between prices of petrol and diesel widening from Rs9.83 to Rs25 now, obviously there has been a shift in demand towards diesel. Proton can support the manufacturing process of diesel car by exporting their technology from Malaysia to India. For example, Lotus Omnivore engine which offers a 10% increase in fuel efficiency compared to stratified direct injection engines. Based on Protons current practices, we know that Proton is exporting their cars to its major countries like United Kingdom. This practice indicates that their exporting strategy is too narrow because they just focus on exporting large units in one country. Proton should focus more in exporting large units of cars to ASEAN country like Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Pakistan and so on. It is because these countries have the lower-cost based locations where it can provide low-rate of warehouse to put their cars (Hills, 2011). Moreover, it can also lower the paid for substantial costs of establishing manufacturing operation compared to United Kingdom (Hills, 2011). Another issue of exporting cars is the transportation costs; in which it requires high exporting cost to export car units to other countries (Hills, 2011). This will lead to low profitability and high expenses. Proton should try another mode entry instead of exporting, they can choose manufacture their car units regionally like wholly owned subsidiaries (Hills, 2011). Recently, Proton has selected a new entry mode like joint ventures with Chinas Hawtai Motor Group Ltd in China (Zaharin, 2011). The disadvantage of this practice is risky because it will reduce Protons controlling power to its partner (Hills, 2011). For example, Proton Exora and P3-21A only can sell in China and it is under Hawtai brand. It shows that Proton has no power to make any decision in China market. In addition, Proton would not have the full control over their partners. A good example, all models will be manufactured by Hawtai Motor Group for redeveloping to substitute Proton models in China (Zaharin, 2011). Furthermore, this practice would lead to battles and conflicts for control between the firms if their main objectives and goals are different and it may arise different point of views. For example, Proton Holding Berhad and Mitsubishi Motors Corporation where the partner give a slow pace of technology transfer and lead to end up their partnership in 2005 (Tan, 2005). This kind of problems would be serious if both of the firms are from different country due to the different views and perceptions. In order to prevent this problem arise, one of their partner must have a full controlling interest (Hills, 2011). Acquisition Acquisition is a good expansion strategy to be implemented but a suitable acquisition is vital in order to make profit. Acoording to Proton Cars Berhad managing director, Dato Syed Zainel, Proton is looking forward to be more export oriented in the future. Protons strategies dovetail particularly in the areas of quality enhancement and improvement, cost improvement and enhancement of production efficiency (Future plan- Proton, 2008). In my opinion, Proton should acquire carmaker which has more similarity of car category as Proton such as Mitsubishi. Instead of partnering with Mitsubishi, Proton should acquire their company since Proton is funded by government and has higher capital compared to Mitsubishi, a fully private owned company. Mitsubishi is also a well recognized carmaker company globally which can help Proton to boost up its brand name. Currently, Proton is already the partner of Mitsubishi Corporation under the partnership with EON Berhad since 2005 (Mitsubishi Motors, 2012). Mitsubishi is making losses in the European countries due to difficult operating environment and in debt-hit continent and is expecting to end manufacturing automobiles in Europe by end of 2012 (Loss-making Mitsubishi, 2012). This condition would be a favorable opportunity for Proton to acquire Mitsubishi. By acquiring Mitsubishi, Proton can gain benefit by sharing Mitsubishis global network to make exportation to uncovered regions such as North and South America, Africa and Oceania which are already the global network of Mitsubishi (Global Network Mitsubishi, 2012). In North America, Proton can export its car to countries like United States, Canada and Mexico which made up of high income (U.S.A), middle income (Canada) and lower income (Mexico) customers. With these varieties of income level, Proton should export cars of different price ranges to fulfill the American requirements. Currently, Proton does not export their cars to United States of America due to strict regulation of their government. By acquiring Mitsubishi, Proton can gain benefit by indirectly scheming into the American market. In Africa, Proton can export its car to countries like Zimbabwe, Nigeria and Kenya which mostly are made up of low income citizens which cannot afford expensive cars. Proton can produce cars which are of lower prices compared to prices of other carmaker companies offering them in the market to capture the African market. Meanwhile, Proton can scheme into customers that are not so fussy in countries like New Zealand and Palau in Oceania. Oceania societies are not very fussy in picking up car brand like Proton may be new to them but able to prosper at the same time. Other than using Mitsubishis global network to do exportation, Proton can get benefit by adopting Mitsubishis Japanese technology which is very innovative, effective and efficient. As we know, Proton often criticized for not being innovative enough in designing their car models. By acquiring Mitsubishi, Proton can gain full ownership of Mitsubishis Research and Development centre. Thus, Proton can send its local engineer to learn the Japanese innovation and technology. Mitsubishis technology also can benefits Proton by enhancing the quality and production efficiency of Protons car and making cost improvement As mentioned in the current expansion, Proton had acquired Lotus which has a strong market branding in the European continent (Lotus Purchased by Proton, 1996). Proton can use Mitsubishi technology to manufacture their cars and at the same time uses the Lotus branding to market their cars to the European continent to reposition both Mitsubishi and Proton among the European countries. By acquiring Mitsubishi in the future not only Proton can improve the production of their car in terms of quality but can also globalize our local brand across all continents. Conclusion In conclusion, Proton is an example of successful national car maker. Due to strong government support, Proton car became an icon of both personal and national success in Malaysia. Proton provides good quality and affordable car in order to encourage local residents to purchase and promote patriotism. There are plenty of ways of expanding a business. Proton has been expanding their business in other countries to fit the customers changing needs and also competing in this highly competitive market. The first current expansion strategy used by Proton is by exporting their product to other countries. Proton had successfully penetrated into United Kingdom, South America as well as Asian countries after meeting a number of challenges in terms of quality problems and regulations of other countries. Subsequently, acquisition is also one of the expansion strategies. Proton had acquired Lotus after ended its partnership with Mitsubishi. Proton is gaining the advantages from Lotus in term of a major RD and expertise to develop its own engine without relies on Mitsubishi. In 2011, proton has joint venture with Chinas Hawtai Motor Group Ltd to extend their expansion to China. Proton will license its current models which are Proton Exora and the upcoming model presently coded P3-21A to Hawtai Motor Group to extend their brand to worldwide so that everyone in different country can recognize their brand. Proton Holding Berhad was carrying out partnership with Mitsubishi Motors Corporation which is located in Japan. This partnership was a failure due to the lack of technology transfer in year 2005. On the other hand, we recommend Proton to pursue a potential collaboration with the Japanese car maker which is also the car maker leader in India, Maruti Suzuki. Maruti Suzuki is a leading automobile manufacturer, therefore it can easily capture the Indian market by the existence of well brand reputation in India. We also recommend Proton to collaborate with Maruti Suzuki in making diesel-powered car due to the reason of demand for diesel-powered vehicles has surged in the country following the widening gap between prices of petrol and diesel. Proton can also use acquisition for their future expansion. We recommend Proton to acquire Mitsubishi and use the Mitsubishi technology which can help in enhancing quality and productivity as well as cost improvement of Protons cars and at the same time uses the Lotus branding to market their cars to around the world. Mitsubishi also has a wide global network which they had already expended to all regions in the world. By acquiring Mitsubishi, Proton can benefit from using their global network to do exportation. To achieve an excellent result, Proton will have to constantly strive to be at the forefront of the industry. Proton also has to persistently improve its products and services in the wake of increasing competition in this market. Their mission is to dominate the pursuit of being the first choice of car making company for Automotive Products Services.

Marketing Plan for Launching a Chocolate Brand India

Marketing Plan for Launching a Chocolate Brand India India is on the move and so are the markets in India. Apart from economic changes. India is also facing social changes like changes in life style, hobbies etc. New fashions, Advertisements holidays, etc. are in today. Further, food habits of Indians are changing rapidly. Chocolates, which were believed to be kids preference, are now being consumed by kids, teenagers, and adults. Chocolate market in India (Currently 20,000 tones is growing at the rate of 22% annually). To take advantage of the growing market, international confectionery companies are getting ready to woo the proverbial Indian Sweet tooth. An influx of worlds leading Chocolate players is expected. Further, since Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is a representative body of the Indian Industry, it receives its inquiries for pertinent marketing information from various domestic and international players, who want to invest in India. In the above context, the prime objective of this report is to prepare a marketing plan for any brand that is planning to enter the India Chocolate Market. Therefore, this report is generic (broad based) to the extent that it does not focus on any single brand. However, this may prove to be a relevant marketing guide for any brand launch in India. METHODOLOGY As mentioned earlier, the objective of the study is to formulate a Marketing Strategy for any new entrant in the Indian Chocolate Industry. While recommending the said strategy detailed information from both primary and secondary sources was collected and analyzed. This included: Primary Sources Four level primary information collections were undertaken. These were: In order to get relevant information regarding competition, executives of the following chocolate players in the market were interviewed: Mr. Sanjay Verkey, Branch Manager, Cadburys India Ltd., ANZ Grindlays Building, Connaught Place, New Delhi. Information: Cadburys profile, products, distribution, etc. Mr. Verma, Sarura Business (I) Ltd., Panchsheel Vihar, New Delhi, the company that has launched Mars Inc. brands (imported) in India. Information: Complete marketing strategy-since, imported chocolates marketing is a new concept Mr. N Bohidar, Manager Corporate Communication, Nestle India Ltd., Connaught Place, New Delhi To analyze buying behavior and in order to gain an insight into the buyer need-satisfaction level, a questionnaire was formulated and administered among 80 people. The profile of the respondents was as follows: Consumers of chocolates 12 years + in Delhi. This was since; chocolate consumption was witnessed amongst all age groups. A distributor was also interviewed so as to get pertinent information regarding the most important P of FMCG marketing Place, information provided by Mr. Rajesh Mittal, Ex-distributor of Nestle India (Rohini district), was extremely helpful in recommending the distribution strategy. Extensive interviews were conducted with retailers in the Naraina Vihar area. These included pan shops, bakeries, departmental stores, etc. they provided information on various facts of chocolate distribution such as point of purchase material (dispensers etc.), infrastructure problems, critical informational regarding the policies of the present players in the market, etc. Secondary Sources A number of secondary sources of information were used. These were: Mr. M.N. Rao, Secretary, Indian Confectionary Manufacturers Association, Sugar House, Nehru Place, New Delhi. Information: Industry statistics, problems facing the industry, future outlook, etc. Also measures being adopted for cocoa production development. Confederation of Indian Industries reports. PHDCCI FICCI library. Internet websites of Cadburys, Nestle and indiainfoline.com, askjeeves.com Extensive use of secondary information in the form of magazines/journals/newspapers clippings, such as Business World, Business Today, Business India, AM, Brand Equity, Economic Times, etc. The methodology adopted was as follows: Industry scenario Sketch (utilizing secondary information) Extensive interviews held with Primary/Secondary Sources (Companies/Chocolate manufacturers Association) Interview with ex-distributor of Nestle India Ltd. Extensive retailer interviews in Naraina Area Formulation and administration of a questionnaire Formulation of the Recommended Strategy on the basis of the above mentioned Primary and Secondary Information Limitations of the study Since, the administration of the questionnaire was restricted to Delhi, results may provide an urban view of the buying behavior and the like. Also, secondary sources were used for information regarding Amul. Industry scenario was also drawn up, utilizing secondary information. THE INDUSTRY SCENARIO With the entry of multinationals, and home companies sprucing up their act, the confectionary market is booming. Mckinsey has estimated the confectionary industry to touch a whopping Rs.8500 cr. by the year 2009. Till the eighties, the chocolate market was small and the product category itself was fuzzy. In the eighties, Cadburys the virtual monopolist had decided to focus its efforts on making chocolates a distinct category with an identity of its own. And the marketer had sharply positioned its product at children to do that. Hence, chocolates bore an only for kids tag, and kept adults at bay. By the end of the eighties, Cadburys still ruled the roost with over 80 % market share. And though several brands like Amul and Campco tried to break into the market, none of them had succeeded in shaking the leaders grip. In fact, Cadburys had become a brand virtually generic to chocolates. Then chocolates were used to reward and reinforce positive behavior and hence were categorized as a luxury reserved for special occasions. This was, a stark contrast to the west where chocolates were snacked on, eaten as mini meals or just to suppress pangs of hunger. But constant working by players like Cadburys (re-launch of Cadburys Dairy Milk targeting adults and as a casual any-time buy) and Nestle towards exploding the myth that chocolates are meant for children only has resulted in the segment booming. Trends in the Industry With socio-economic changes rapidly taking place, the young and not so young population will lead a new life style and chocolate eating is definitely going to be widespread and acceptable. In the industry, both population and family incomes as well as urbanization are on the increase. There has been a significant growth in the middle class, with 5.8 million people having upgraded to the quoted middle class. There is quantified data on FMCG usage having increased (NRS -VI IRS 98 figures) Thanks to the above reasons the growth in the chocolate market is estimated to be at 28% in 2009. But marketers in the industry are looking forward to a much higher growth rate, as Indias per capita consumption of chocolates is only 15 Gms. Versus 6 kg in the west. The Industry Chronology Year Demand Rupee Growth Rate 1990 12000 tones 350 cr. 2 % 1994 Excise duty increased to 15 % 13 % Excise duty further increases to 28.75 % Cocoa Prices Zoom Drops to 6 % 1995 Excise duty reduced to 25%, further to 20% and finally to 18%. Import Nestle launches Kit-Kat sets up a new unit. Production arrangement with CAMPCO continues. Mars selects production site. 1996 Market zooms up due to greater marketing thrust by players (especially Cadburys) Chocolates Selected import item 22 % 1998 Chocolates Open general license 20000 tones 22 % 2003 Quantitative restriction lifted 32000 tones 22 % The Indian Chocolate market can be sliced into four parts. Moulded Chocolate Segment comprising slab chocolates like Dairy Milk chocolates, etc. These are made by pouring the ingredients into moulds. Countline Segment comprising bars like 5 star, Bar One, Perk, Kit Kat, etc. These have ingredients other then chocolate and are usually bar shaped, making for chunky bites. Choco-Panned Segment comprising chocolate forms like Butterscotch, Nutties, Tiffins, etc. Panned varieties have different cores/centers, which are covered with a layer of chocolate. Sugar-Panned Segment comprising chocolate forms such as Gems, Chocolate à ©clairs, etc. These generally have a sugar coating on the outside. The Chocolate industry has grown from 12000 tonnes in 1990 to around 32000 tonnes in 2001. The rejuvenation exercise of Cadburys, was one of the key reasons behind the churning up of the countrys Rs. 350 crore chocolate market to a growth rate of 22% in 1996, from a mere 2% two years earlier. Chocolate Market Shares Interestingly, kaira district cooperative Milk Producers Ltd. (KDCMPL) the manufacturer of Amul chocolate is selling whatever it produces. Limited capacity is also a reason for the share it has. However, Amuls memorable advertising campaign positioning it as a A Gift for someone you love, saw the sales graph rising. Amuls sales grew by 39% then. Ever since, Amul has maintained a low profile. It can further be seen that Amul (see findings). Other Domestic Players The only other organized player in the market is Campco, which has an insignificant share of the market. It is supplying its production to Nestle. Apart from this Campco did come up with its new brands like Treat. But crunch of resources grossly effected the pace of the company and is hardly to be heard of today. CHOCOLATE LAUNCHES OVER THE YEARS 1956 Cadburys Milk Chocolate launched 1967 Cadburys 5 Star launched 1970 Cadburys Éclairs launched 1974 Amul chocolates launched 1986 Cadburys milk chocolate re-launched as Cadburys dairy milk (CDM) 1991 Nestle chocolates launched. Cadbury counters Nestlà ©s entry with all silk, and unfurls huge consumer promotion campaign. CDM revamped. Nestle launches Milky Bar; Cadbury counters with Creamy Bar. 1994 Cadburys Real Taste of Life and 5 Stars Reach for the Stars campaign rolled out. Éclairs revamped and renamed Dairy Milk Eclairs. 1995 Cadbury launches Perk, pre-empting Nestles Kit Kat. Overtures is withdrawn. 1998 Market growth rate tops 40 percent per annum. IMPORTED BRANDS Considering the high growth potential, various multinationals wanted to set up facilities in India (Mars being one of them). However, shortage of cocoa, seasonality in demand, and the absence of a proper cold chain deterred them from investing in India. The government also moved the import of chocolates from special item list to open general license category. The duty structure was also reduced. This resulted in making import of foreign brands easier and price competitive. Due the above, mars inc.- the US giant, who had decided to set up facilities in 1995 (the site for which was also selected), decided to postpone its investment plans. An alternate strategy was formulated to import Mars chocolate brands into India through Sarura Business (I) Ltd. Sarura, which came into existence about and year ago, imports Mars brands and sells through its own distribution network. Highlights of the strategy being followed are mentioned below: Imports Mars brands every 40 days, after careful demand analysis. Takes 20 to 22 days to reach India. Duty structure Customs Duty 40% Counter vailing Duty (a form of excise) 2% Special Duty (Surcharge) 3% The import duty on finished product is expected to come down to 20-25 % in a phased manner. Distribution Logistics The company has its operations being controlled from Delhi. A typical FMCG distribution chain is being utilized. This includes- Carrying Forwarding Agents Distributors Retailers and Wholesalers (about 5000 as of now) Consumers In Delhi, the company reaches the retailers and the wholesalers on its own. It operates about 3 vans, and each other retailer is serviced twice a month. MARKETING OBJECTIVES Short Term Objectives Taking into consideration the growth rate of the market competition with major brands, the marketing objectives can be as under: To introduce chocolates in various new flavors. To make a place in consumers mind. To provide quality chocolates at affordable price. To achieve a market share of around 15% by the end of two years of operation by the means of 7.5% by creating the new market. 7.5% by taking competitors share. Long Term Objectives Investing in strengthening the grass root level operations like cocoa farming, milk collection and storage. A broad product portfolio, a large and efficient RD department, decentralized management, etc. Nestle has about 2000 distributors in 1700 towns and more than 500,000 retail outlets to match this MARKET RESEARCH In order to recommend and execute an effective strategy for marketing of goods services, a systematic market research needs to be undertaken. The buyer preference research would play a vital role in the assessment of consumers taste/purchase habits and a better understanding of the consumers mind. In fact the strategy formulation/recommendations in this report of the marketing mix relies heavily on these research findings. A questionnaire was administered (as mentioned in the Methodology) amongst people of different age groups and professions. Results from this research provided interesting cues, which were extremely beneficial in the formulation of the recommended marketing mix. The main object of this research/questionnaire were as follows: To find out the current taste/chocolate eating habits. To find out the extent of brand loyalty. To get feedback of consumers perception about flavors and conventional outlets. To find out extent of price sensitivity. Retail outlet preference. Brand preference etc. OBSERVATIONS Based on the basis of the questionnaire research, some of the facts that came to the fore have been listed below. These research findings played a key role in the development of the recommended marketing strategy. AWARENESS PURCHASE PREFERENCE Top of Mind Awareness Purchase Preference What influenced you to buy the selected brand PURCHASE BEHAVIOUR Reasons for Purchase Chocolates A gift to a love one As a gift it is for IMPULSE DRIVEN Most of my chocolate purchases are preplanned I often pick up chocolates while I make other purchases REINFORCING IMPULSE PURCHASE IMPORTANCE OF ATTRIBUTES PERCEPTUAL MAPS Importance of various Attributes in Chocolates Rank of Chocolates on various attributes Attributes 1 2 3 4 5 Taste CDM KitKat 5 Star Perk Amul Quality KitKat CDM Perk 5 Star Amul Packaging KitKat CDM 5 Star Perk Amul Price Perk 5 Star KitKat Amul CDM Flavor KitKat CDM Amul Perk 5 Star Add-ons KitKat Perk CDM 5 Star Amul Brand image CDM KitKat Perk 5 Star Amul PRODUCT RELATED Taste Preference Size Usage. What size of a chocolate go you normally buy- PRICE RELATED Suitable price for a 40 gms Chocolate Price Perception. The price of most preferred brand is Price sensitivity (Elasticity). If price of your favorite brand is reduced. You will buy more of it Price sensitivity. If the favorite brand is few Rs. Expensive would you to go for it ADVERTISING/PROMOTION RELATED Advertisement Recall Test Unaided Most like Ads Unaided Whether, sales promotion would affect your purchase decision Band loyalty. If a particular brand is not available, you will: If you want to buy a wafer chocolate, say Kitkat and if it is not available, you would settle for a Bar/Moulded chocolate say 5 Star or CDM CHOCOLATE BRANDS IN INDIA Are you happy with the kind of chocolate brand available in India PLACE RELATED Outlet Preference DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE OF THE RESPONDENTS Age Sex Marital Status Occupation Monthly income Michael Porters Model for Competitive Advantage There should be continuous efforts towards competence by drawing down costs and improving product quality. According to Michael Porters 5 point model for competitive edge, any corporate entity needs to counter threats posed by the following five market forces. The Corporate Entity Potential Entrants Competitors Activities Suppliers Buyers Substitutes Potential Entrants With the increase in growth rate of the market and wide spread acceptance of chocolates in Indian market, companies like Mars, Sara Lee etc. are eyeing the chocolate market. American Hershey foods etc., also plans to enter in it. Though these companies would facilitate further growth of the market, they would also want a share of the pie. Further, a favourable duty structure would facilitate import of international products than new manufacturing units being set up. MARKETING MIX The objective of the marketing mix developed is: To develop a product that is available, affordable, based on local raw material, and adapted to the taste the nutritional habits of the population. The elements of the mix Product, Price, Place Promotion have been entailed below: Product As mentioned earlier, the two most important segments of the market are moulded and countline segment (segments have a high share of the market). Also, it can be seen in the findings, the Indian consumer does not recognize the difference between moulded and countline segment. Further, a key decision that needs to be taken is to decide whether to have a core brand focus of have a plethora of brands. Here, it would be advisable to launch a complete basket of products covering both the countline and the moulded chocolate segment (at least if not Panned). A range of brands can help cushion out risks over the entire offering. Also, it has been that to sustain in the long term, a complete portfolio of chocolates for every taste is essential. However, a concentration strategy may be adopted in the first phase, focusing on one core flagship brand. The various product attributes have been mentioned below: Stipulations regarding the use of Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil HVO (since it contains nickel) may be adhered to. Nickel in chocolates can cause cancer. However, research is still on to prove this. Product formulation should keep this aspect in mind. Packaging: The packages or the cover packs, of the brands can be in Blue, Green and Red color which represents a fun element. The packaging should MARKET TESTING PLAN It would reduce the risk of failure in the market where it goes national, by validating the marketing mix. Facilitate validation of positioning. Allow corrective action through incorporation of consumer feedback. For test marketing the chocolates, the plan may be as follows: Test Objectives: To validate the brand names, new outlets, etc. and to measure the sales volume, pricing and promotion policy. Competitor reaction can also be analyzed. The product may be launched in Bombay (as a soft test launch). This selection was based on: Bombay is uniformly represented by the target segment. Competitor activity is high. Also, Nestle was able to wrest a significant market share from Cadburys when it was launched. Bombay is representative of the target segment. IMPLEMENTATION A Well-designed marketing plan counts for nothing, if not implemented properly. Success in the market place depends upon the way the plan is implemented. The launch is recommended to be before winters-say September or October, since- That period would facilitate high Diwali sales, and FUTURE OUTLOOK The growth and expansion of the Indian chocolate market in the past has been hampered, due to stiff excise duties on chocolates (at 18 percent while other agro based products are being charged as low as 8% and a few, even 0% excise) and non-availability of quality cocoa in the country. Also, import of chocolates has been put in the OGL category, with duties being reduced (in a phased manner). The industry has made recommendations to the Indian government to go back to the special item list category, in order to safeguard the domestic industry. However, continuous marketing focus by the players in the market has resulted in the industry looking up like never before. These companies/brands have become much more market savvy. The Indian chocolate market is transforming and new players (Sara Lee is planning to set up base in India) are entering the market. Hence, considering the low per capita consumption of chocolates, the future of the industry seems to upbeat.

Shadows On The Wall by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor Essay example -- Shadow

Shadows On The Wall by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor Dan Roberts: Dan is the main character in Shadows On The Wall . He is constantly seeing and feeling some very strange things on his vacation . Every morning he takes a jog very early around Micklegate Bar . He also makes a new friend on his journey to York , England . Dan is 15 years old . Joe Stanton: Joe is a cab driver . He and Dan become really good friends . Joe is an old but wise man in many ways . He also takes Dan to see all the sites in York and drives all the people around , but mostly the people staying at the Hotel . Ambrose Faw: He was the leader in the Faw family . He and Joe are also very good friends and they have known each other for almost the whole lives . Rose: Rose was married to Ambrose and had four kids . She is also a psychic like her mother . She is a very kind person . Nat: Nat was Ambrose’s son . He wants to leave the gypsy clan and have adventures when he grows up . He and Dan become good friends and Nat shows Dan around their camp . Nat also keeps bothering Dan because he wants to trade for Dan’s belt , but Dan said no because it is the only belt he brought with him . In the end they end up trading anyway . Jasper: He is Ambrose’s oldest son . He is also a mute , but he could talk when he was younger . One day he came running out of the woods scared and never talked again . Dan sometimes hears him singing in the woods . When he told Joe he said it was more like a chant . Dan has also seen Jasper turn into a type of monster with lime-green hair . Jasper is always staring at Dan . Orlenda: Orlenda is Nat’s older sister , she is often looking at Dan . Her grandmother thinks that she is going to run away with a gorgio . The grandmother considers Dan a gorgio . She barely talks to him but they are always near each other . Granny: the granny is Rose’s mother and she can tell the future . She believes that everyone of the gypsies have a special power . She also knew exactly when she was going to die and she was right . Rachel: Rachel is the youngest of Rose’s children and doesn’t do much in the book but help around with the little things . Mr. Roberts: He is Dan’s dad . All through the book he is acting very strangely on the entire trip Mrs. Roberts: She is Dan’s mom , she is also acting very strangely and her and her husband are kee... ... into the soldiers face he turned Joe .They were both dripping with sweat and they sat there and talked until sunrise . In the moring the other gypsy clan came and they finished the funeral and burned the granny’s things . After Dan and Joe ate they left because Joe knew that they wanted to be alone . On the way home Dan told Joe about how he saw Ambrose in the tower and that he was getting soil . Then Joe told Dan that the old woman wasn’t born in the gardens(Museum Gardens).Before Dan had left the camp he traded his belt with Nat for an old Romany coin . That was the last day Dan was in York . When he got back to the hotel he took a shower then went to sleep . When his Parents got back They all packed and left . That night Ambrose went to the hotel and asked for Dan but Mrs. Harrison told him that they left . After Ambrose left the hotel he went to the stream and threw Dan’s belt in the deepest part of the water . That is how the book ends . VII. This was a really good book . There were some boring parts , but most of it was good . There were some really good parts in this book , and there were alot of adventurous parts . I think the ending is very confusing .

Abortion :: essays research papers

Years ago when a women would get pregnant she would have a baby. Today accidental pregnancies are solved by a method called abortion. With this method the newly formed fetus is basically removed from the mother’s body and destroyed. Although the whole process of having an abortion seems not especially pleasant, they seem to be popular. Many people argue that abortion is plain and simple murder. They reason that if a woman feels responsible enough to have sex, she needs to be responsible enough to deal with the consequences. No matter what the circumstances may be. The fourteenth amendment states that no state shall deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without a good reason and a fair trial. Pro-life supporters use the fact that in the United States constitution it clearly states that no one can kill anyone else without due process to fight against abortions. They reason that we must follow all of the other amendments so why do we not fully follow the fourteenth? The unborn baby has a constitutional right to life unless due process of the law is put into effect. But how can due process be in effect when the baby can not even speak for itself? Basically pro-life supporters argue that the baby can not be killed because it has the constitutional right to life. Non-abortions advocates also argue that abortions get used too regularly as a form of birth control. They believe that abortions are put into the same category as the â€Å"pill† and the Depo-Provera shot. They also believe that while abortions are legal and so available, people do not see unprotected sex as serious as they should. Women may consent to un-protected sex because if they become pregnant they figure they can always just go get an abortion. Pro-life supporters believe that abortions are a simple way out of a very complicated problem. However, the illegalization of abortion may bring on many consequences. If someone falls victim of rape and becomes pregnant it is not fair to make them keep the child. The mother would of course love the child, but with that would come a form of hate. It is true that one should take responsibility for their actions, but rape is no action of their own. Rape is an act of violence and no women should have to have a baby out of it. As a women I agree that I, and only I, should make the decision of rather to have an abortion or to not have one.

Definitions of events management Essay

Events management can be said to have emerged from the increasing commercialisation of popular celebrations, from big affairs such as concerts to small and private gatherings. Bowdin, et al. explained that in certain historical aspects, the increasing importance of events were noted because of the benefits they bring as enumerated through its purpose and objectives. An example noted by the authors were the emergence of the industry as encouraged by political and religious reasons; this happened in the United Kingdom where exhibitions became a popular event that it needed to be sustained. The approach to the sustainability of events, especially as this would lead to the formation of an industry, would then become integral to the management requirements of this practice. Across the world, the management of events would become a more formal approach in organizing festivals and other festivities. Bowdin, et al. therefore presented the following definition of events as follows (14): â€Å"[†¦] anything which happens; result; any incidence or occurrence esp (sic) a memorable one; contingency or possibility of occurrence; an item in a programme (of sports, etc.); A type of horseriding competition, often held over three days (three-day event) consisting of three sections ie dressage, cross country riding and show jumping; fortune or fate (obs); an organized activity at a particular venue, eg. for sales promotion or fundraising. † Based on these definitions, the events that fall under event management are applicable in all aspects. Basically, the last definitiion, â€Å"an organized activity at a particular venue, eg. for sales promotion or fundraising† (14) can be said to already encompass what an event is. However, it should be also noted that the fundamentals of events management also refers to the uniqueness of the event, hence, it is memorable. At the same time, an event may have many sub-events such as â€Å"items†. Last but not the least, as based on the cited definition, an event also includes contingency or possibility of occurrence. This therefore brings up the aspect of events management in which case it is not just about ensuring that the event takes place, but also the management formalises the event in a sense that it is defined by a specific strategy. As previously mentioned, an event in the events management context becomes a project; in this case, the aspects of project management is applied. It is initially important to define what a project is, and according to Bowdin, et al, (267), an event as a project â€Å"produces an asset [†¦] the asset is the ultimate deliverable of the project. The management is the planning, the organizing, leading, and controlling of the project†. Hence, based on these, Bowdin, et al. presented the definition of event management in the following (267): â€Å"The project management of events concentrates on the management process to create the event, not just what happens at the event [†¦] (it) is called the ‘overlay’ as it integrates all the tasks of management. Event management is made up of a number of management areas including planning, leading, marketing, design, control and budgeting, risk management, logistics, staging and evaluation. Each of these areas continuously affect each other over the event life cycle†. Shone and Parry, furthermore, mentioned that in order for an event to be managed in a similar context, the event has to be â€Å"special†; based on this, the authors presented the following pointing out the definitions of events that are managed: †¢ Leisure events (leisure, sport recreation) †¢ Personal events (weddings, birthdays, anniversaries) †¢ organisational events (commercial, political, charitable, sales) †¢ cultural (ceremonial, sacred, heritage, art, folklore) The Events Management Concept and Practice Event management is therefore a discipline and a practice. There are many concepts and aspects of event management that needs to be considered especially among those who specialise in certain components of the practice. One of the common perceptions of event management is its dimension as a coordinating activities. Silvers (28) mentioned that in event coordination, the coordinators visualise, organise and synchronise the different elements of an event. In addition, in event coordination, the coordinator also identifies the purpose, scope and the program of the event by means of identifying its intent, extent, and content. Another important point raised by Silvers (28) is that, in agreement with the past discussions on the nature of event management as similar or related to project management, the author also further mentioned the processes involved both in the coordination and the management of events. These aspects, for instance, is through the discussion on the Project Scope (28-29): †¢ Identifying the needs and requirements of the event including the definition of its purpose and the expected outcomes †¢ the description of the product as spelled out by the type of event †¢ product analysis or the identification of the components of the product †¢ the feasibility of the product as based on the analysis of the resources From these, the event becomes more definite through the design of a Work Breakdown Structure and Activity Schedule (29). Another important approach in event management can be considered in the perceptions of the customers, competition and the sponsors. Silvers discussed the aspect of the consumers and the competition. According to the author, the customers make up the â€Å"marketing realm† of the event (30). Hence, it is important to identify a target segment because this helps in the design of the event, from its scope to its marketing to its implementation. Silvers also discussed the competition; for cases such as bars and clubs, any weekend night poses a great amount of competition for any establishment holding an event that night. As the author stressed, it is significant that the bar or club is aware what kind of other events that will take place in another establishment. It is therefore in the strategy of the club or bar owner, along with its hired events specialist, to determine how to best approach competition.