12 Best Business Writing Books [Updated 2019]

12 Best Business Writing Books [Updated 2019] Because every business person needs to write well at work, there are hundreds of books specifically about business writing. I have a bookshelf and Kindle full of them because I read everything I can on this subject. Many business writing books are meh, and some are good. One problem with a book specifically devoted to business writing is that business writing is comprised of different elements of general writing. A specific business writing book can be formulaic and reductive. â€Å"Use this model† doesn’t work well when the information that goes into that model changes and requires discernment. These 12 books represent the best of the various elements that comprise good business writing. I recommend these books to clients in Instructional Solutions'business writing courses. BOOKS ON WRITING IN GENERAL How to Start, be Organized, and Not Panic 1.Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott This book is the most applicable to business writing and one of my favorite books. Anne Lamott is brilliant, funny, and breaks down the process of writing. Anything Anne Lamott writes is a joy to read. This excerpt reflects the essence: "Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that he'd had three months to write. It was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother's shoulder, and said, 'Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.'" How to Extract the Essence 2.The Writing Life by Annie Dillard A little esoteric, but no one is better than extracting the essential core of a concept than Annie Dillard. Her advice in this book is the heart of writing an executive summary statement well. She also explores the joy and heartbreak of writing well. BOOKS ON WRITING STYLE Best How-to-Write Book 3.On Writing Well by William Zinsser This book is the classic guide on effective non-fiction writing. If I had to choose only one book to read to improve business writing, it would be this one. It will help readers write better and understand how to improve what they’ve already written. Best Current Style Book 4.The Sense of Style by Steven Pinker Its subtitle is â€Å"The Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21st Century.† Pinker is a Harvard lecturer and a master linguist. His writing is very entertaining. He takes a â€Å"descriptivist† approach to grammar, rather than a â€Å"prescriptivist,† by advocating clear language and breaking grammar rules when needed. This book is a must read for contemporary business writers, but in business writing I recommend staying with grammar rules unless clarity requires a break. Many business readers might pounce on a grammar â€Å"error,† not realizing that breaking the convention actually improves meaning. The Classic Book of Style and Clarity 5.The Elements of Style by Strunk and White This little book has been the bible of style for over 50 years for a good reason. Be sure to read a later version that is edited by E.B. White, also, as it’s more comprehensive than William Strunk’s first edition. Best Book to Cut Bloat 6.Why Business People Speak Like Idiots by Brian Fugere Published in 2005, this book is still sadly very relevant. Business writing is drowning in jargon and meaningless buzzwords that obscure real information. It identifies four strategies to cut the bloat. hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(41482, '39de76fa-b005-4d0a-9136-a9a423513681', {}); Best to Improve Sentence Construction 7.It Was the Best of Sentences, It Was the Worst of Sentences by June Casagrande Strong sentences build strong documents. This book beautifully deconstructs clear sentences. This book is a wickedly funny, no-nonsense guide. Best Grammar Book 8.Eats, Shoots, and Leaves: The Zero Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss Who knew grammar and punctuation could be so funny? This best-selling book is an impassioned manifesto, complete with amusing error examples (dead sons photos may be released). Truss leans more to the prescriptivist school of grammar than the descriptivist, which matches business writing requirements. STYLE GUIDES Best for Templates and General Guides 9.The Business Writer’s Handbook by Gerald Alred, Walter Oliu, and Charles Brusaw Very useful for models and overall business writing standards. If You Have a Website or Publish Internal Information to Staff 10.The Associated Press Stylebook 2019 The definitive style guide to use if you publish anything on the web. It is regularly updated. The 2019 version is now available and has an updated section on gender considerations. Best for Current and Evolving Usage 11.Garner’s Modern English Usage, 4th Edition An invaluable desk reference for grammar and usage. It has recently been expanded and covers both American and British usage. It’s especially useful for the evolution of new words and their usage. Most Comprehensive 12.The Gregg Reference Manual, 11th Edition Traditionally, the Gregg Reference Manual has been the style guide of choice for business writers. It’s easy to navigate and depth of coverage is unmatched. The Associated Press Stylebook is now often a business’s standard guide, but Gregg has information not found in other guides. What books about business writing have helped you? Please share in comments!

15 Quotes for Christmas Decorations

15 Quotes for Christmas Decorations Decorating your home during Christmas can be a lot of fun, especially when done with your loved ones. It is a great way to bond with family and friends. Colorful festoons, fairy lights, snowflake cutouts, and ribbons can make the atmosphere festive. So work up your imagination, and create magic with Christmas decorations. Theme-based decorations are a big hit with kids, regardless of age. You can even bake a cake with the theme, to add a dash of excitement. Instead of posting  Christmas cards  with your family photographed hugging each other, you can do something better. If you are a whiz at art and craft, you can make your own Christmas decorations rather than using store-bought trinkets. Get your family and kids to participate in making Christmas decorations and make this a family project. Besides saving money, you will also enjoy doing the project together. Hang photographs of your family during childhood, adulthood, best days and worst days. Take your friends for a  walk down memory lane with old pictures. Nothing is more charming than reminiscing good old days with a bunch of friends. These quotes from the famous and not so famous can inspire you decorating ideas that can help make your home and Christmas tree stand out in the neighborhood. Eva K. Logue A Christmas candle is a lovely thing; it makes no noise at all, but softly gives itself away; while quite unselfish, it grows small. Burton Hillis The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: The presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.Henry Wadsworth Longfellow I heard the bells on Christmas Day / Their old, familiar carols play, and wild and sweet / The word repeat of peace on earth, good-will to men! Charles N. Barnard The perfect Christmas tree? All Christmas trees are perfect! Larry Wilde Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall. Roy L. Smith He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree. Lenore Hershey Do give books- religious or otherwise- for Christmas. They’re never fattening, seldom sinful, and permanently personal. Ashley Tisdale Love Christmas, not just because of the presents but because of all the decorations and lights and the warmth of the season. Mary Ellen Chase Christmas, children, is not a date. It is a state of mind. Charles M. Schulz Christmas is doing a little something extra for someone. G. K. Chesterton When we were children we were grateful to those who filled our stockings at Christmas time. Why are we not grateful to God for filling our stockings with legs? Peg Bracken Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas. Richard Paul Evans The smells of Christmas are the smells of childhood. Norman Vincent Peale Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. Kin Hubbard Nothing’s as mean as giving a little child something useful for Christmas.

Consumer behaviors in purchasing ethical products Dissertation

Consumer behaviors in purchasing ethical products - Dissertation Example This research will begin with the statement that the current generation of consumers in the United States and in the United Kingdom has come to have plenty of expectations concerning the products that they purchase and it has taken quite an effort by the various companies involved to ensure that these consumers are satisfied. Sales for organic and ethical products in the United States and the United Kingdom are rising, more so than sales for conventional products, and consumer demand for these products is increasing despite the global economic downturn. These consumer behaviours that have developed over the years have made the study of their characteristics and origins most useful. It has become the trend in these two countries for consumers to buy products that are perceived to fulfil environmentally friendly, natural, organic, local, or humane requirements and enhance the corporate responsibility profile of the companies that are involved in the supply of such products. In the Unit ed Kingdom, most of the ethical products that have come to be sought out by most of the population are in the food industry and according to the grocer, Asda, stated that almost half of the mothers in the United Kingdom spent more on organic food than any other and this was despite the strained financial situations in many households. While some of the major retailers in the United States, such as Wal-Mart and Safeway are increasing their aids of organic products, in the United Kingdom, on the other hand, the retailers seem to be reducing their offerings of similar products. Â  Despite this being the case, among the offerings that are directing the way in retail stores are augmented sales of organic breads and grain foodstuffs and "ethical" beverages. Among the banks of the United Kingdom which adhere to a strict ethical policy, is the Co-operative Bank whose main policy has always been that no deal goes to corporations tangled in the arms trade, animal testing, among many other un ethical activities. In this bank, the clients elect every year to determine how their money is used, and because of this, new anxieties are frequently involved, such as genetic modification or climate change. One of the most remarkable achievements of this bank is that it has rejected over nine hundred million pounds value of loan bids since it agreed its ethical policy and current practices in 1992. Because this bank does not invest its customer’s money in the stock exchange, it has been found to be more stable than other banks, and this has contributed immensely to its continued growth during the credit crisis. Because of the growth in the awareness concerning social responsibilities, ING’s clients have continuously agitated for the offering of ‘ethical’ products and services so that they can be sure they are making a contribution to a more sustainable society. In order to satisfy these demands, ING has continuously moved with the times and has started o ffering products and services such as a ‘green’ savings account, a ‘green’ loan or insurance policy, or ‘sustainable’ investment funds and as a result, this company has set for itself the target of introducing a range of new ethical products and services every year. Research Objectives The objective of this line of investigation is to scrutinize the diverse issues concerning ethical consumer behavior in the United States and the United Kingdom. Furthermore, there is the need to determine whether or not ethical consumerism is a trend which is here to stay despite the economic recession in these two countries. In order to help in the realization of the objective of the study, it is necessary to pose the following questions: 1) What information is used by consumers to make choices on buying ethical products? 2) What is the influence of market communication of ethical products purchases in UK and USA? 3) What is the influence of Price Purchasing of Ethical products in USA and UK? 4) What are the in-store advantages of Ethical products in USA and UK? Preliminary Literature Review When people make decisions regarding

Japanese Haiku Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Japanese Haiku - Research Paper Example Based on Zen Buddhism (Purves), the genre of haiku as a means of poetic expression emerged as far back as in the 14th century, originally being a subgenre of traditional Japanese Waka poetry inspired by Chinese models of versification. At that time, this poetic form was referred to as hokku, yet later, in the 16th century, it acquired the shape of a separate genre and got its modern name from the poet Masaoka Shiki in the 19th century. One of the earliest remarkable haiku poets is Sogi, who lived between 1421 and 1502 and was a Zen monk from Kioto (Fig. 1). The poet writing haiku is commonly referred to as haijin, and Matsuo Basho is considered the most famous haijin in Japanese poetic history. The word â€Å"hokku† initially meant the first stanza of another poetic form, renga, or the first stanza of tanka poetry. However, feudal Edo period lasting from 1615 to 1868 brought huge popularity to it and made it a self-sufficient genre (Sher), which was later renamed by Masaoka Shiki. Gilbert and Yoneoka provide a quotation of R. H. Blyth describing the peculiar qualities of Haiku that – according to his statement – made this poetic form unique and so popular: â€Å"It is not merely the brevity by which [the haiku] isolates a particular group of phenomena from all the rest; nor its suggestiveness, through which it reveals a whole world of experience. It is not only in its remarkable use of the season word, by which it gives us a feeling of a quarter of the year; nor its faint all-pervading humour. Its peculiar quality is its self-effacing, self-annihilative nature, by which it enables us, more than any other form of literature, to grasp the thing-in-itself†. Therefore, it could be stated that the main peculiarity of haiku lies in its succinct nature and intense effect produced on the reader. Haiku as a rather free and expressive poetic form contributed to democratization of Japanese poetry and

The Formation Of Gender Identity Essay Example for Free

The Formation Of Gender Identity Essay The debate over the factors affecting the formation of gender identity has more than a 100-year history, whereas the professional evidence-based level of the debate has been represented since the 1950s. In the Western sociology and psychology, gender identification is composed of a number of aspects, including perception of one’s gender roles, social identity and self-perception in general. The present paper is designed to address the role of biological, social and psychological factors in gender identity-shaping. In fact (Ellison, 2000), human behavior greatly depends upon hormonal secretion, as it is widely known that adrenaline is released when the brain receives a message about certain environmental threats and results in anxious and uneasy behavior, whereas   endorphins are released during exercise and result in a positive inspiration and sociability. Female sex hormones derive from ovaries and include progesterone and estrogens (mainly 17-beta-estradioll), whereas the major male hormone, testosterone, is produced by the testes. These chemicals are responsible for the formation of secondary sex characteristics and determine behaviors, attributed to the specific gender role. Masculinity in terms of gender identity is normally associated with assertiveness, self-control and aggression, provided by testosterone (Ellison, 2000), whereas femininity is conceptualized as compliance to dependence, interest in care about others and comfort creation. Byne and Parsons (1993), the followers of the classic model, indicate in their theoretical research of biological and neurobiological conditioning of   gender identification that a person’s gender is determined during conception, but the fetus begins to develop sex organs only at the 6th week of pregnancy.   Therefore, the developing testes or ovaries might begin hormonal secretion â€Å"off schedule†, which affects the development of the neural network of the brain and results in the person’s inability to accept their biological sex and the sense of gender dysphoria. Dittmann (1990) states that girls with congenital adrenal hyperplasia, the disease that refers to the overproduction of androgens, are more committed to the masculine roles like violent games, inclination to leadership in peer groups, willingness to increase physical strength, and are more likely to fell to certain degree uncomfortable in their female body, as the scholar notes that a number of teenage girls are unwilling to accept their physical development and differentiation. Similarly, boys with the Turner syndrome that refers to the excessive release of female hormones tend to de-valuate their biological sex (Tiefer, 1992). It needs to be noted that the evolution of sexuality in childhood is associated mostly with sex role games and self-observation:   â€Å"Children this age are very curious about bodies – their own and other peoples. They are trying on roles and behaviors† (Haffner and Needleman, 2001, p.41). At this stage, children experience a gradual transition from unconsciousness to awareness of their sexuality, so Dittmann holds that parents, aware of the child’s hormonal disease, can diplomatically interfere then and assist children in developing a superstructure of gender roles over their biological sex. One of the most interesting approaches to gender identity is biological psychology. On the one hand, Sharpe (2003) writes that the brain structures, which refer to communication (listening and speech) and emotions or empathy are notably better developed in females , whereas the male brain is hard-wired for system construction and perception/analysis of visual information. However, Haffner and Needleman (2001) write that infancy is characterized by the active synaptogenesis, or the strengthening of neural connections, to great extent dependent upon the environment. As the researchers write, â€Å"the development is on the one hand genetically determined, but the formation and pruning of synapses are controlled by the environment† (Haffner and Needleman, 2001, p.46). As a result, parental taboos upon sex role games and the lack of gender-sensitive childrearing (neutral treatment of infants and pre-school boys and girls as sexless) that stabilize the synaptic connections between neurons in the specific brain structures (e.g. the growth of hippocampus in boys playing spatial memory games) might   bring in the future a misperception of one’s biological sex up to the manifestation of androgyny   in the later adolescence (sporadic display of male and female behavioral patterns). Furthermore, it is important to take into consideration the cognitive and moral development of 3-5-year-old children as discussed by Paiget (Haffner and Needleman, 2001) who alleges that this period is characterized by the first sparkles of self-awareness and the reflex-based belief in the relationship between â€Å"naughtiness† and punishment. Hence it is quite easy to cause an imbalance in the child’s sex and gender awareness through imposing excessively stringent moral restrictions upon the child’s behavior. The dominant social psychological approach to gender role taking is Bem’s comprehensive gender schema theory that stresses the meaning of environmental factors. In 1971, I created the Bem Sex Role Inventory to measure how well the person fits into their traditional gender role by characterizing their personality as masculine, feminine, androgynous, or undifferentiated† (Bem, 1981, p. 355). The scholar believes that under the ever-lasting influence of the environment and broader cultural context the person carefully sorts all behaviors into the categories of masculinity and femininity and then employs them with relation to the cultural and social context. However, a substantial gender identity collapse might occur when professional values and desire for equality in career opportunities begin to interfere with gender beliefs; for instance, female leaders and executives recognize they are â€Å"tomboyish† and excessively committed to the masculine behaviors in non-wo rkplace settings (Bem, 1981, p. 356). To sum up, gender identity is rather a social construct than a set of biological, namely hormonal determinants. As a result, increasingly more specialists in neuroscience consent to the fact that the degree of consistency between biological sex and upbringing determine the formation of gender identity in the future (Dittmann, 1990; Haffner and Needleman, 2001) . For instance, the paper has incorporated the article showing the effect of parental guidance and the degree of progress in the cognitive and moral areas on the stability of synaptic connections in young children. Similarly, hormonal secretion is not pre-planned before the birth, but might occur under the specific social and psychological conditions (e.g. girls with anorexia nervosa are rather androgynous in demeanor than feminine and suffer from the deficiency of estrogens). Thus, the environmental factors might reinforce the inborn somatic substrates referring to the aspects of gender identity or result in their alteration, increasing or decreasing the person’s responsiveness to the neural impulses, which drive sex-related behaviors. Reference list Bem, S. (1981). Gender schema theory: A cognitive account of sex typing. Psychological Review, 88, 354-364. Byne, W. and Parsons, B. (1993). Human Sexual Orientation: the Biologic Theories Reappraised.   Archives of General Psychiatry, 50 (3), 228-239. Dittmann, B. (1990). Congenital adrenal hyperplasia. I: Gender-related behavior and attitudes in female patients and sisters. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 15, 401-420. Ellison, C. (2000). Human Sexual Response. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger. Haffner, D. and   Needleman, R. (2001).   Childhood sex play and synaptogenesis. The Family Journal, 11: 39-50. Sharpe, R. (2003). Adult Sexuality. The Family Journal, 11: 420-426. Tiefer, L. (1992). Historical, scientific, clinical and feminist criticisms of â€Å"the Human Sexual Response Cycle† mode. Annual Review of Sex Research, 2: 1-23.

Essay --

The documentary titled Killer at Large: Why Obesity is America’s Greatest Threat is a documentary shedding some light on the growing trend of America and its expanding waistlines. The documentary is geared to unmask the epidemic of obesity in our country. The film sheds some light to our society is how our society is fixated with living and unhealthy lifestyle. The film goes on to inform you on how bad the situation really is, where two-thirds of the American population qualifies as obese or overweight. The documentary tried to uncover the root and causes of how this epidemic came to be and how it can be reversed. This documentary shows great examples on how obesity is a rapidly growing epidemic as important as terrorism according to Former Surgeon General Richard Carmona. He stated, â€Å"Obesity is a terror within. It destroys our society from within†¦.† If we don’t take responsibility and change our horrible eating patter we are going to be doomed. One of the main reasons for obesity other than the lack of a healthy diet is the modernization of our world. In the years when our parents... Essay -- The documentary titled Killer at Large: Why Obesity is America’s Greatest Threat is a documentary shedding some light on the growing trend of America and its expanding waistlines. The documentary is geared to unmask the epidemic of obesity in our country. The film sheds some light to our society is how our society is fixated with living and unhealthy lifestyle. The film goes on to inform you on how bad the situation really is, where two-thirds of the American population qualifies as obese or overweight. The documentary tried to uncover the root and causes of how this epidemic came to be and how it can be reversed. This documentary shows great examples on how obesity is a rapidly growing epidemic as important as terrorism according to Former Surgeon General Richard Carmona. He stated, â€Å"Obesity is a terror within. It destroys our society from within†¦.† If we don’t take responsibility and change our horrible eating patter we are going to be doomed. One of the main reasons for obesity other than the lack of a healthy diet is the modernization of our world. In the years when our parents...

The Ideal Role for Business in Society

The Ideal Role for Business in Society Introduction Business has been going along since long before money, insurance plans, and global warming were even a glimmer in someone’s mind. The days of trading your skill for what you needed are still present today, but in a much different realm. Most people do not rely on their neighbor to grow vegetables for their family to eat while they herd the sheep. Disposing of chemicals and building a greener society were not a worry on the mind of anyone many moons ago. It has changed and businesses can overlook people’s personal issues, individual need, and impact on the environment. The ideal role for business in society is to treat their employees fairly by providing respectable employment plans that fit individual needs and being greener in society by caring to implement plans to reduce their carbon footprint. Ben and Jerry’s Ben and Jerry’s started out as small ice cream makers in Vermont with a very small company that grew astronomically. They did not intend on having a plan for responsibility to employees, society, and the planet. They are a prime example of how a business that is not focused solely on the bottom line can make a difference in the community and the world. In 2010 to make the company greener they said, â€Å"Our vision is that the entire country will switch over to hydrocarbon (HC) freezers that are significantly more energy-efficient and use gases with lower global warming potential than standard freezers, which use hydrofluorocarbons (HFC). † (Ben and Jerry’s Social and Responsibility Report 2010). They are making effort to do something to improve the environment even if it does cost them some profits. They give back to the community and support jobs with their foundaiton stating, â€Å"Through the Foundation, we’re helping immigrant workers, neighborhood groups, farm workers and dozens of other groups around the country to get organized and fight for a fair deal. In 2011, Ben & Jerry’s contributed $2,180,808 to the Foundation based on the 2010 sales of the Company. † (Ben and Jerry’s Social and Responsibility Report 2010). These are all things Ben and Jerry’s or any corporation could certainly overlook ithout many reprocussions , but being outardly accountable and charitable makes them a more appealing company to buy from. This also leads the way in showing other corporations that you can make a difference in the world, grow as a company, and be responsible. The Walt Disney Corportation When I think of The Walt Disney Company I think of fun amusement parks, Mickey Mouse, and entertaining childern’s movies. They are much more than that step ping up to the challenge of being reposible as a corporation to its employees and the environment. Disney has a very focused plan to do their part in the environment as shown in the chart below. (The Walt Disney Company 2010 Corporate Citizen Report) The goals and plan they have to minimize the effects of on the environment is something every company should be doing, and having it available for the public to read is another positive apect. The employees at disney receive opportunity to pursue further education and get great benefits packages. They state, â€Å"But we know your life isn't just about work. You have additional things going on – family, friends, personal interests, education and more. The Walt Disney Company offers a comprehensive total rewards package that helps you live your best life, grow personally and professionally, and get rewarded for the results you deliver. † (Disney Careers. Total Rewards). This leads me to believe that Disney has a vested interest in the employees they hire and care about them as individuals. Tyson I see a commercial for some hungry teenagers and how Tyson chicken nuggets or strips satisfies their cravings, but I rarely stop to think if they treat their employees fairly or the environment. Tyson is a leading corporation that does care saying, â€Å"We offer one of the best benefit packages, not just in the industry but in the nation. † (Tyson Corporation. Tyson Benefits. ) They a great plan for all realms of health care, stock options, retirement plans, a full service credit union, education and leadership training, discounts on all products. They participate in hundreds of community events, showing they care about the public. Tyson also is striving o not just follow the guidelines of the law but to go above and beyond to protect the enviornemnt, â€Å"For Tyson Foods, protecting the environment is about more than maintaining compliance with the environmental laws and regulations applicable to our operations. It’s about embracing a process of continual improvement aimed at protecting the environment for future generations. † (Tyson. Sustainablity Report. Planet). They recyle, reduce amount of water used, evaluate using an alternative fuel source, r educe packing waste, conserve energy, and reduce the number of trucks on the road. They are focused on the future and know that playing their part is not just about following the law but providing more for the community and the environment. Strengths| Weakness| Opportunities | Threats| Improving the quality of life for employees| Losing profits from spending time and money on things other than the product or service| To gain customers from being a reputable company| You may go out of business by focusing too much on these other items| Helping the environment| Stockholders may think this a waste of funds| Recognized as a company that does more for society| Bottom line is effected | SWOT Analysis For Tyson Foods, protecting the environment is about more than maintaining compliance with the environmental laws and regulations applicable to our operations. It’s about embracing a process of continual improvement aimed at protecting the environment for future generations. For Tyson Foods, protecting the environment is about more than maintaining compliance with the environmental laws and regulations applicable to our operations. It’s about embracing a process of continual improvement aimed at protecting the environment for future generations. For Tyson Foods, protecting the environment is about more than maintaining compliance with the environmental laws and regulations applicable to our operations. It’s about embracing a process of continual improvement aimed at protecting the environment for future generations. Conclusion Corporations need to be responsible while still earning a resonable profit to continue thriving, changing, and becoming better. â€Å"Doing no harm beyond meeting legal requirements regarding the environment, conditions of employement, community relationtions, and ethics. The law always lags behind the best practice. † (Charles Handy What is a Business for). It is the corporations reposnsibility to step up and take action instead of being forced to by law or any other orgainzaitons. Corporations need to start doing more and providing the information to the public so we can see that they are actually making not just a profit but a change to make the world a better place. Sources Ben and Jerrys. Social and Environmental Assesment Report 2010. http://www. benjerry. com/company/sear/2010/index. cfm Harvard Business Review. What is a Business for. Charles Handy. (Page 7) The Walt Disney Company. The Walt Disney Company 2010 Corporate Citizen Report 2010. http://corporate. disney. go. com/CITIZENSHIP2010/environment/overview/ourapproach/ The Walt Disney Company. Disney Careers Total Rewards. http://disneycareers. com/en/working-here/total-rewards/ Tyson Corporation. Careers. Why Tyson. Tyson Benefits. http://www. tysonfoodscareers. com/Why-Tyson-Foods/Benefits. aspx Tyson Corporation. Sustainablitity Report 2010. Planet 4. 0. http://www. tysonfoods. com/Sustainability/2010/Planet. aspx

An Indigenous understanding of Reciprocity

Reciprocity is an underlying principle expressed throughout Aboriginal societies. Outline and Illustrate the Importance of this fundamental concept In the economic, social, spiritual and political spheres of Aboriginal life (refer to reciprocity In the index to Edwards 2005). The word reciprocity's conjures up a feel good image of ‘caring and sharing' (Schwab 1995: 8). However according to Peterson (1 993: 861) there is a darker more sinister side to this word when applied to Indigenous Australians.He defines it as ‘demand sharing' rather than reciprocity and he states hat Blurter Jones (1 987: 38) labels it tolerated theft. Peterson (1993: 860) goes on to assert that little ‘giving' Is purely altruistic because the giver might simply be protecting themselves from ‘pay-back† if they do not give, or be expecting some mutual benefit. Edwards (2004:76) espouses that white Australians disregarded the reciprocity of traditional territorial rights and misunder stood the code of mutuality in social relationships.They also failed to identify the privileges and responsibilities central to Aboriginal society based on relationship and reciprocity (Edwards 2004: 24). In order to enter a discussion on reciprocity with regard to our Indigenous culture, It must be looked at on two levels. First how reciprocity Is a central principle that has pervaded Aboriginal societies for millennia and secondly the impact that reciprocity with the Western culture has had on this Indigenous community, since the advent of Colonization.The Western way generally requires the borrower to formulate a case of need, whereas the Aboriginal approach is slanted towards the giver having to explain why he cannot give (Schwab 1 995: 8). However there is an increasing recognition that mutual benefit worked better within the Indigenous community when Aboriginals were hunter gatherers than It seems to In today's welfare society. Schwab (1995: title page) leans towards this real ization in his discussion paper short titled â€Å"The Calculus of Reciprocity†, where one could interpret the meaning of ‘calculus' to be the study of changed {mathematical}.He outlines an accepted act of generations of give and take, to one that is gradually changing to take' and either delayed ‘giving back or not at all. In the past the food or other goods ere shared out until they were all gone (Schwab 1995: 3-4) but Increasingly a ‘complex yet subtle calculus Is employed on a dally basis as Individuals decide which expenses (or gifts) require immediate attention and which can be deferred' (Schwab, 1995: 15). Reciprocity influences the political climate of Aboriginal society, especially the law, which was, is now, and always will be.According to Needing, Davis and Fox (1986: 42) an Elder sums it up when he says the Aboriginal Law never changes, â€Å"always stay same† while conversely, Western law Is â€Å"always changing†. There Is an Inte rconnectedness of all things, an agelessness which bears witness that spoilt exists now, as it did before and that creation exists as an historical fact and also has present currency and will into the future. In Colonial times, the principle of reciprocity was enigmatic to the Westerners and a constant source of acrimony – politically, legally and culturally.The Aboriginal philosophy of reciprocity encompassed the idea that if the balance of life was disturbed, there must be a ‘corresponding action' to repair the Imbalance and the status quo must be preserved aboriginal life and this essay will discuss the importance of reciprocity with regard to economic, political, social and spiritual spheres of Aboriginal life, although it is difficult to compartmentalize Aboriginal society due to its complexity, as there is an overlap and interconnectedness in all things.The economy is interwoven with politics, as social life is melded with spirituality. Pre Colonially, the concept of reciprocity had ensured the survival of Indigenous Australian peoples' lifestyle as a distinct economic style for thousands of years (Sermons, H. 2005: 70). In more recent mimes, colonial interference with its autocratic removal and relocation of key individuals and whole groups resulted in virtually a complete collapse of the traditional Aboriginal economy.As hunting and gathering is no longer possible for city dwellers, the concept of reciprocity becomes even more important, from an economic point of view, due to the nature of extended families all co-habiting in one small dwelling because of mutual obligation or reciprocity. According to Smith (1991) household structure has to stretch to encompass the extra-household fiscal networks it now accommodates. One must consider the concept of reciprocity or mutual benefit to obtain an understanding of domestic expenditure patterns.To better understand the impact of reciprocity on a single family, here is an example from the Lacuna c ommunity (Wallpaper people), which is currently representative of many Aboriginal communities (Sheathe, E 2005: 151). This anecdote illustrates how (poor) Aboriginal health is indisputably linked to their economic situation and that reduced eating patterns (feast or famine Schwab 2004: 5) are encouraged by the government welfare system.Elizabeth and David are out shopping for their extended family,4 hen Emily approaches and asks for food explaining her welfare money has run out, she is given quite a large amount of food. Elizabeth explains ‘l like to shop Just before it closes, because there are fewer people here †¦ In the mornings there are too many hungry people waiting for you' (Sheathe, E 2005: 152). This means Elizabethan family will eat well for a few days and then when the food runs out (earlier than intended because she has given some away) they will have to eat sparingly, or not at all, until the next welfare payment.At the same time David has been approached by Steve to use his gun and ammunition. David is reluctant to give up his gun fearing Steve will damage it, but willingly gives ammunition. David says ‘All the time people want things from you. It is no good. ‘ Later Steve returns and gives David a very small proportion of his ‘kill' (Sheathe, E 2005: 1 53); this is representative of a refused reciprocation. Stave's exchange is small because David did not share his gun. In the case of Emily, one can assume that if she has spent her welfare money before 1 1. 5 am on the day she received it, then it is doubtful she will reciprocate Elizabethan ‘gift' NY time in the future, as Emily has demonstrated she is unable to budget within her own economy. So, while reciprocation might have worked pre-colonization, it can be seen that in the present welfare economy, it is no longer a system of reciprocation, but rather a system of using and abusing one's kin because reciprocation is seen as a ‘right' and seemingly no l onger has to be ‘repaid', however the ‘shame' involved in not paying back (especially if the person has the means) has not changed (Schwab 2004: 6).The substance abuser, or the drunkard still have to be supported by their kin but hey are an economic threat to the household and possibly provide no means of return of the traditional arrangements of reciprocity while advocating that Indigenous people accept more responsibility so a sound economic base can be rebuilt for Aboriginal Communities. Both Elizabeth and Davit's self-protectionist attitudes seem to reflect the ‘modern' interpretation of reciprocity, that it is their kin's right to take', while sadly, they conceivably no longer expect them to repay in kind.Therefore the economy of this single household is skewed by having to support the immunity in general, instead of specifically their own family. In the past this would have been balanced out by equal trade-off, from Emily and Steve (or their immediate kin) bu t now days, due to issues such as alcoholism, homelessness, lack of education and substance abuse, true reciprocity is not as ubiquitous as it once was.A displaced sense of entitlement on the part of the taker' seems to be replacing the traditional sense of reciprocity and a certain wary counting of the cost seems to be reflected in the ‘giver's' calculus where the whole concept seems to be becoming a social burden Schwab 2004: 8). Indeed, Peterson (1993) in his article ‘Demand Sharing: Reciprocity and the Pressure for Generosity among Foragers' asks the question â€Å"Why is there a positive enjoyment to share if sharing is commonly by taking rather than giving? † (p. 861).When it comes to establishing the economic basis of a family, it becomes very difficult to measure their actual income due to people moving in and out of households, but Western society dictates that families meet eligibility criteria in order to qualify for welfare. The ideology of traditional reciprocity is not taken into account ND Schwab (1995: 16) suggests that politics, or policy makers ‘accommodate rather than contravene' these monetary instabilities and the ever changing family support arrangements. Western politics or law is generally not taken on board by Aboriginal society, or if it is, it is with reluctance and resentment.With this in mind, Schwab (2004: 2) wrote his discussion paper â€Å"The Calculus of Reciprocity' to further a ‘better understanding of the principles of reciprocity in contemporary Aboriginal communities' in the hope that it would better inform government policy makers, at a local, state and national level. There are two sets of politics (law) that the Aboriginal people must abide by. On the one hand there are the Politics and Law of Australia and then there are their own laws and politics as illustrated by The Dreaming, where explicit moral lessons transmit the ideology of didactic human behavior (Schwab 2004: 3).There is outra ge in Australia at the suggestion that certain individuals seek to impose elements of Shari law, but we turn a blind eye, or have a lack of understanding of Indigenous people carrying out their version of reciprocity when it comes to breaking their own laws. Some of the punishments imposed by Aboriginal Law include, death, spearing or other forms of corporal punishment (e. G. , burning the hair from the wrongdoer's body), individual ‘dueling with spears, boomerangs or fighting sticks, shaming, public ridicule, exclusion from the community or total exclusion (Australian Law Reform Commission ND: 1).The code of reciprocity controls the mutual rights and kinship obligations of the individual and encompasses the cultural norm of ‘payback for wrongdoing (Fryer-Smith, S 2002: 2. 18). As well as an understanding that reciprocity means the sharing of tools and food, there is also a oral principle of reciprocity with its negative forms encompassing retribution and revenge (Alkali and Johnson 1999, in Burbank 2006: 7). Burbank (2006: 7) stated that be killed, then reciprocity can be satisfied by the killing of another family member as due to the intricacies of kinship they are considered one and the same.This viewpoint would be considered barbaric in Western culture and would not be tolerated. As Edwards (2004: 73) states, the person who breaks the law must serve the sentence and for another person to pay the penalty would not be Justified or even permitted in Western law. In indigenous land management, the politics of reciprocity (between Western and Indigenous) should involve knowledge and understanding but the white Australian man tries to impose his vastly different practices onto the Aboriginals who have been practicing successful land management for millennia.Disappointingly much of the thousands of years of Indigenous knowledge are often disregarded by Whitefishes' (Baker, Davies, Young, 2001: 158). To illustrate the disparity of understanding of the principles of reciprocity in Colonial times, Edwards (2004: 73) outlines the anecdote where the Elder showed he settler a waterhole and then considered it a reciprocal action to later kill a sheep for food when the settler used the waterhole to water his flock.This Aboriginal would then be dealt with by the police and the courts and he would be mystified as he could see no Justice in a system such as this where reciprocity did not play a part. In his law, laid down by The Dreaming it would be sanctioned behavior to take the sheep as pay back for food for his clan. Western politics plays a part in the downfall of the concept of reciprocity, firstly by taking away the dignity of Indigenous people ho cannot reciprocate for their welfare payments in any quantifiable way.Secondly because life has so drastically changed for the indigenous people since Colonization, they now find themselves stripped of their place and their land and instead find themselves in the undignified position of be ing passive welfare recipients. So many have fallen by the wayside and become victims of alcohol and substance abuse due to their once well organized and purposeful life being ripped away. This has made them reliant on their relatives generosity, which leaves them no self-respect and minimal fiscal, physical or emotional resources to pay back with.Therefore the notion of reciprocity as a system of checks and balances to maintain social equilibrium (Bourne and Edwards, 1998, 100, p 106. In Fryer-Smith, S 2002: 2. 18) is stymied for some. Traditionally social stability has been maintained within the Aboriginal society because reciprocity has functioned as a means of equilibrium. Reciprocity has been important throughout all social and family relationships, where a complex system of kinship lines exists. This system relies heavily on the responsible and reciprocal participation of all members from the give-and-take of tools and hunting weapons, to the sharing of food.As one Elder expla ined: â€Å"Sharing Just a way of life for Aboriginal people, probably in our genes or something. Might be left over from the old days when we were hunters and that .. . All Aboriginal people know what it's like to be hungry. We Just can't turn away someone who says he's hungry †¦ I guess white people have a hard time understanding that one† (Schwab 1991: 145), whereas Western society is built on capitalism, meaning that some of its central values are totally opposed to the tradition view of Aboriginal culture (Richardson J 2006: 144). Moieties subtle and often invisible to some (Schwab 2004: 3). Indigenous societies place emphasis on social identity and the obligations individuals have to conform to the expectations their society has mapped out for them, whereas in Western societies the emphasis is on the individual and the rights and freedoms of that individual and there is no expectation that people will conform (Edwards, 2004: 52). Almost any behavior is accepted, as long as their actions do not harm others.Aboriginals believe there is a balance within ourselves that incorporates our social lives and our spiritual lives and to integrate ourselves into the ecology and consciousness of this oral, we need to intertwine these two worlds in our daily existence (Lower 1991 : 49). The requirement of reciprocity underpins most aspects of spiritual life, including ritual, ceremony and the protection of sacred sites (Fryer-Smith, S 2002: 2. 18). If one gives to the ancestor's by way of ceremony, song, ritual and dance they reciprocate by giving the strength, power and knowledge of the spirits (Lower 1991 P: 48).Likewise if one honors the earth, the earth will reciprocate with an abundant harvest. An Aboriginal had/has a responsibility to perform the rituals that released the creative rowers that abide in the land and if these rituals are not performed, great harm could befall the land. Even today, Aboriginal land management techniques rely on understandi ng the religious links between the Indigenous peoples and the land (Baker et al 2001: 113). Western society puts its faith in science and technology, while keeping an eye on the weather, to reap the finest harvest.They do not pray or perform religious services to interact with the land. Indigenous people believe the whole environment is formed by The Dreaming, there is a sense that all things partake in the sacredness of life. For millennia, Aboriginal people have co-existed with spiritual beings in their daily life. The essence of spirituality is present throughout the material world and through a cryptic sense of time; Aboriginal People seamlessly connect with the Dreaming origins of their spiritual being (Edwards 2004: 86).Aboriginal religion is bound up in The Dreaming and dictates that responsibility consists of acting in accordance with a few moral principles. For Aboriginal people, being deprived of their land means a â€Å"deprivation of access† to The Dreaming and th e severing of a certain life-force which breaks the link with The Dreaming. It is this very real deprivation that has broken the spirit of many an Aboriginal person, leaving them empty and heartsick (Triggering 1988: xv-xvii).Aboriginal people base their claim to ownership of the land on their belief that the spiritual forces which shaped the land also created them and still inhabit this land today (Edwards: 19). Rose (2004: 42) points out that earth is the initial mother, the mother of everything. She goes on to say that all knowledge and all living beings in their diversity are ultimately born of earth. Non-indigenous Australians often countryside the significance of the land to Aboriginal people; however The Aboriginal Land Rights and Native Title movements have increased awareness of this issue.As Rose (1987) says in her article â€Å"Consciousness and Responsibility in an Australian Aboriginal Religion†, if people protect the land by burning, using the country, performin g ceremonies to increase the bounty and by protecting the dangerous Dreaming sites so that no harm escapes, the land will repay them by reciprocal relationship that ensures the continuity of life for all involved, the land, humans, animals and the plant life (peg. 262). Partaking in this exchange of life will lead to balance for the land and its inhabitants. DRP.Pollinate in â€Å"Looking after our Spirit† (Pearce, M 2012) states that we have a duty of care to engage in reciprocity with the earth and to ensure that the environment we have inherited is left in the same, if not better condition, than when we got it. This is an ideal philosophy, but unfortunately the greed of many non-indigenous ventures such as mining for minerals and gas in many traditional lands has caused an imbalance and to the eyes of the Indigenous peoples, many landscapes are now out of balance and the aim of cooperation has been pillaged.Non-indigenous ventures plunder the land and they take, but they d o not reciprocate by giving anything back, although Western conservation laws are beginning to address this situation. As this essay has demonstrated, reciprocity is an economic means of survival and the Indigenous political system is built on the presumption of reciprocity, while the Australian Judicial system has been influenced by Aboriginal philosophy. Such documents as ‘Aboriginal Customary Laws and Sentencing, Aboriginal Customary Laws and the Notion of ‘Punishment† by the Australian Law Reform Commission, (ND) and theAboriginal Bench book for Western Australia Courts (2002) by Fryer Smith have been distributed to foster an understanding of the concept of reciprocity that Aboriginal life is founded on. Society is based on complex kinship lines where reciprocity is expected and accepted but is open to exploitation as demonstrated by those abusing the passive welfare system and who no longer honor the traditional social norms. A fulfilling spiritual life revolv es around maintaining relations with the Dreaming Spirits.

Swisher Motor Case Analysis Essay Example

Swisher Motor Case Analysis Essay Example Swisher Motor Case Analysis Paper Swisher Motor Case Analysis Paper Essay Topic: Push Precious Wayne Swisher, President and Chief Executive Office of Swisher Mower and Machine Company (SMC), was weighing the proposal of a private branding arrangement for SMC’s line of riding mowers. He thought the inquiry presented an opportunity but details should be studied more closely. Situation Analysis: Company Background: Established in 1945 by Max Swisher, SMC grew steadily with unit volume for SMC riding mowers peaking at 10,000 units with sales of $2 million in 1966. In the 1990s, the unit volume remained constant with around 4,250 riding mowers per year. Compared with 1,263,000 unit sales in riding mowers and tractors industry, SMC only occupied around 0. 3% market share. Max Swisher, the current CEO, thought maintaining a small company image had also been an important aspect of his business philosophy, which led to the good personal relationships with dealers and customers alike. SMC produced limited but differentiated products. SMC’s flagship product, the Ride King, was credited with the first zero-turning-radius riding mower. SMC also produced a trail-mower called T-44 with a cutting width of 44 inches. Kits, the self-propelled push mower, accounted for 8. 2% of SMC’s total sales, though it did not provide a material contribution to the company’s gross profits. The replacement parts for mowers posed a good business for SMC, accounting for 20% of the total sales. The following table showed the detailed comparison of the percentage in total sales and total gross profits across different modes of mower together with replacement parts. 1995 dataRide KingT-44KitsReplacement Modes of MowerRiding MowerTrail-mowerPush mower/ % of total Sales63. 60%8. 20%8. 0%20% % of Gross Profits57. 80%13. 20%029% SMC planned to broaden SMC product line in 1996 by introducing a high-wheel string trimmer product, Trim-Max, a high-wheel, walk-behind product. With manufacturing plant in Warrensburg, Missouri, SMC owned an annual capacity of 10,000 riding mower units on a single 40-hour-per-week shift with distribution mainly in non-metropolitan areas. About 75% of sales of SMC were made in non-m etropolitan areas. SMC sold 30% through wholesalers, 25% through direct-to-dealer, 40% as private-label, and the rest 5% as exports. It sold the Ride King through wholesalers, who located throughout the country, focusing on farm dealers situated in the south central and southeastern US. SMC remained a profitable company since its founding with a net profit return on sales of 10 percent or more annually. The sound financial position minimized the need for any major short-term or long-term financing. Industry Backgrounds: Riding lawn mowers are classified as lawn and garden equipment with two basic configurations, the front-engine lawn tractors and rear engine riding mowers. However there are some mid-engine riding mowers on the market, such as those produced by SMC. Front-engine lawn tractors are the most popular design followed by rear-engine and mid-engine models. Rear engined lawn tractors are perceived as stronger and more durable. Competition in riding lawn mower market was fierce with ten manufacturers comprising major competitors in 1995, while SMC only occupied around 0. 3%, based on sales units. All these companies made Riding mowers under a nationally branded name and at the same time were engaged in private-label production. It was estimated that private-label mowers account for 65 to 75 percent of total industry sales. Each riding mower manufacturer priced its products at price points. The representative retail prices for national and private-label riding mowers typically ranged from $800 to $5,000. The manufacturer’s price of Ride King of SMC, $ 650, was quite comparative, compared with industry average. Sales trends of riding mowers were cyclical and highly seasonal. With slice decline of sales in 1991, projections for 1995 and 1996 point toward further increases in unit volume. Industry statistics show that over half of manufacturer shipments of these products occur in the four-month period from January to April. A SWOT Analysis on current situation of SMC: InternalStrengthsWeaknesses Producto Distinct products o High quality, simple design, ease-to-use and maintain, no significant claim o Interchangeable parts o Competitive priceo Limited range of products o Perception on rear and mid engine not as strong and durable as front-engine Managemento Customer-oriented Personal relationship with dealer, distributors and end-customers o CEO expertise in marketing, VP of Sales for 6 yearso One man makes all the decision o Small business mentality Marketingo Co-op advertising with its dealers o Good relationship with dealers and end-customerso Previously neglected consumer advertising o Insufficient attention for promotion and advertising campaign o No national distribution network RDo One new product on the way (Trim Max)o Not so aggressive Financeo Consistent net profit of approx. 10 percent o Adequate cash flow to finance operation o Minimize the need for short-term or long-term financingo Poor cost management o Possible liabilities – self-insurance of products External OpportunitiesThreats Market expansiono Limited market coverage (south central, southeastern). Potential expansion to the west o New target market include consumer housing, in addition to farms o Private labels business may be growingo Many big competitors like Honda, John Deere, American Yard Production etc with stronger financial resources and economic size of capacity Industry Outlooko Growing industrieso Cyclical industry o After next year, industry may be down Technologyo Possibility for automation by technology development in long term (production streamline, cost reduction)o Imitation is allowed as patent expired Problem Statement How to grow the business since sales plateau existed for almost 20 years despite continuous profits? This is what Wayne Swisher had been concerned for several years. In early 1996, Wayne Swisher received a certified letter from a major national retail merchandise chain, inquiring about a private branding arrangement for SMC’s line of riding mowers. Wayne had to decide whether or not to accept the proposal as well as the next step to grow SMC. The Private-label Proposal Contract: A 2-year contract which could be automatically extended on a year-to-year basis, with price and other terms negotiable then. Also can be terminated by any party with a 6-month notice. ? Product: Minor changes based on Ride King ? Order: An annual order of approximately 8,200 units, a sample order of 700 standard riding mower units to be delivered in Jan1997. ? Price: FOB; 5% discount on SMC’s manufacturer’s list price for its standard model; Reorders will be at the same price Marketing: SMC did not need to make any promotion effort to either the chain or the consumers. In addition, the private label relationship with the chain should be held confidential. ? Negotiable Inventory holding payment term: The chain would carry inventories in its regional warehouse. However, only until the mowers were shipped to a company store, or only when they had been in a regional warehouse for 2 months, would title be transferred and would the 45 da ys’ payment term start to take effect. Warranty: SMC’s standard warranty would be required for all mower parts. SMC was expected to bear any labor costs resulting from warranty work at $22 per hour. Replacement parts would be sold to the chain at present price point and shipped FOB factory. Proposal evaluation To facilitate our analysis with limited information, the following reasonable assumptions are taken: a) Unit sales without cannibalization, selling prices and costs (except the additional costs mentioned in the case) of Ride King would remain the level of 1995. b) Ignore the impact of decreasing unit fixed cost with expanded production volume. ) Recognize sales in late 1996, though the sample order of 700 was to be shipped and sales were to be recognized in 1997 d) Assume consistent cannibalization rate among two-year contract period (=300 cannibalized annually/8,200 annually) e) Average the one-time costs of $10000~12000, i. e. $11,000, and the costs are expense d when accepting the proposal. f) Assume SMC could well arrange production and avoid excess OT work for PL/Ride King over the minimum of 2100 units/year. g) Assume the new mowers under proposal (â€Å"PL†) occupied the same capacity as Ride King did. ) Assume after negotiation, title can be transferred upon shipment from SMC. Sales Analysis (Table A) Total Ride King Sales, both the original and those from Private Label proposal (â€Å"PL†), would be 4,874, 12,100 and 12,100 units for year 1996~1998 respectively, with net increase of 674, 7,900 and 7,900 after cannibalization. Financial Analysis ? Additional income per unit (Table B) * As stated in Assumption b), united fixed cost is overstated. Hence, gross profit of the proposal would be slightly higher. Hence, the proposal would bring an additional per unit income of $42. 5 (gross profit of 6. 5%) if within the 10,000 capacity with a single 40-hour-per-week shift and an additional income of $16. 25 (i. e. GP of 2. 5% ) if over capacity with overtime work. ? Capacity Analysis (Table C) Assume SMC could manage to arrange a smooth production without significant fluctuation to counter the seasonal delivery. Hence, production volume could be consistent with sales volume as shown in Table A. Hence, in 1996, as total production volume still under capacity, no overtime work for PL needed. While for both 1997 and 1998, 2,100 units of PL would be produced with overtime work. Incremental Income (Table D) Based on the assumption and calculation above, total incremental income can be derived as follows. The proposal would generate an extra net profit before tax for SMC of $11,098, $88,850 and $88,850 in year 1996, 1997 and 1998 respectively. On the base of year 1995, the sharp increase in sales by 178% would bring in a 21% increase in net profit before tax. Table D Ride King199619971998 Cannibalization loss Gross Profit per unit97. 5097. 5097. 50 Cannibalized volume-26-300-300 Cannibalization lost-2,535-29,2 50-29,250 Additional Income from PL Within capacity Volume7006,1006,100 Gross Profit per unit (see Table B)42. 2542. 2542. 25 Additional Income29,575257,725257,725 Over capacity Volume02,1002,100 Gross Profit per unit (see Table B)16. 2516. 2516. 25 Additional Income034,12534,125 Total Additional Income29,575291,850291,850 Incremental Income27,040262,600262,600 Additional Cost One-time cost-$11,000$0$0 **Additional Financial expenses For additional AR (ignore that of sample)$0-$57,929-$57,929 For additional Inventory (Average inventory of 2100units. )$0-$116,091-$116,091 Additional net profit before tax$16,040$88,580$88,580 1995199619971998 Additional net profit before tax $11,098$88,580$88,580 Net Profit$430,200$446,240$518,780$518,780 % increase in net profit 3. 73%20. 59%20. 59% Sales -Ride King $2,713,354$2,535,000$2,535,000 -PL $432,250$5,063,500$5,063,500 Sales$2,730,000$3,145,350$7,598,500$7,598,500 % increase in sales 15. 21%178. 33%178. 33% For detailed information on Additional Financial Expenses, please see the Table F as follows: (To simply analysis of AR financing cost, we ignore cannibalization of the sample order, and use the same selling price and payment term of PLs for the small quantity of cannibalized Ride King. Also, we ignore the inventory financing cost for 1996. ) ** Additional Financial Expenses 199619971998 Cost to finance additional AR Cannibalized Ride King-26-300-300 PL7008,2008,200 Net Additional Unit Sales 6747,9007,900 Net increase in Sales (@617. 5)$416,195$4,878,250$4,878,250 Impact on AR (45 days /360)$52,024$609,781$609,781 Cost to finance additional AR (@ 9. 5%)$4,942$57,929$57,929 Cost to finance additional Inventory Additional average inventory (assume nil for sample order)02,1002,100 Average unit cost [=((6100*(650-42. 25)+2100*(650-33. 5))/8200]$0$582$582 Average inventory cost$0$1,222,008$1,222,008 Cost to finance additional Inventory (@ 9. 5%)$0$116,091$116,091 ? Sensitivity Analysis: In order to gauge the risks associated with the terms and conditions of the proposal, SMC tried to analyze the sensitivity of the sales and profits to the changes of terms and conditions in payment terms, inventory costs, interest rates and cannibalization volume. To illustrate the point clearer, the breakeven point of each terms and condition is calculated with other situation held constant. SensitivityNo Additional Profit Payment terms -65% 114 days Extra holding inventory-131%3,700units Interest rate-196% 14. 3% Cannibalization volume -22%1,690units Because all these conditions above are unlikely to happen, SMC can be rather confident that the proposal is quite favorable in making profits. Evaluation of the proposal Just like a coin has two sides, the proposal also has pros and cons. SMC can benefit from the private label proposal from six aspects. SMC can enjoy the increase in sales and profits after accepting the proposal. The details can be seen in the following table: 19951996 Increase*1997Increase*1998Increase* Sales2,730,0003,145,60415. 22%7,598,500178. 33%7,598,500178. 33% Net Profits430,200446,2403. 73%518,78020. 59%518,78020. 59% * % increase versus those in 1995 If SMC accepted the proposal, its sales could rocket up almost 178% in 1997, compared to sales in 1995. It profits could be increased by 21% in 1997, compared to those in 1995. The proposal posed a good opportunity to SMC to increase sales and profits. SMC could also benefit from stable demands for its products in the next two years. The private proposal would offer stable orders to SMC. SMC could fully utilize its currently idle production capacity. Without acceptance of this private label proposal, the idle manufacturing capacity is 5,800 units per annum, more than 50% of total capacity. The high opportunity cost incurred could not be neglected. Furthermore, SMC could utilize this opportunity to make entry into the most important retail distribution channel: national retail merchandise chains, which currently accounts for 24% of the national market. Moreover, this proposal could provide an extra benefit of free test market! In fact, SMC remains a regional manufacturer of riding mowers for almost half a century. Its sales had plateaued for a decade while industry as a whole embraced record increase in recent years. SMC could take this precious chance to survey customer reaction across US to its unique mid-engine products with the help of the mass merchandise distributor’s strength of marketing without even using any of SMC’s scarce valuable marketing resources. Additionally, this new challenge would be a best learning opportunity for SMC when it operates on a scale twice the size of current operation. SMC could learn how to cope with the production within or even exceeding full capacity. For example, stretched manufacturing would lead to unprecedented pressure for purchasing department, warehouse management, logistics, etc. On the other hand, SMC should look at the other side of coin and analyze the cons of the private label proposal as well. Upon adopting the proposal, SMC would contribute more than 50% of its capacity for Ride King to one single private label mower production. Furthermore the improvement of SMC’s own brand could be limited by the remaining 42% production capacity. Limited capacity could hamper the introduction of new product, say missing the good timing, or could lead SMC to miss the good chance to grow current brand, say if demand for current brand increased. Other than capacity, the proposal also put pressure on SMC’s other resources, such as financial budget, labor, general management, etc. Private label production would consume a certain part of the limited and valuable corporate resources. Moreover, accepting proposal to manufacture private brand and distribute the private brand through other channels might lead to potential conflict with its traditional distributors. Although the chain’s outlets were located in metropolitan areas, there would be some overlap in trade areas with SMC’s current dealers. SMC, a small concern, relies heavily on its regional dealers to promote its products to consumers. Such a bold move might lead to certain percentage of independent dealers to drop the SMC line. The less profitable Private Label could cannibalize 300 units of the sales of more profitable Ride King annually in 1997 and 1998. What is more, the cannibalization rate could be higher than estimated 300 units a year. Additionally, SMC had to bear the risks ssociated with the private label plan. Accepting the proposal is confronted with two uncertainties. One is that the mower producer had committed two third of its current capacity to one single distributor. Once there was no renewal of the contract, it would be difficult to develop another comparable buyer. The other is that the contract would be terminated midway, i. e. one party is entitled to break the deal with a six-month notice beforehand at any time. Furthermore, although the total sales and output would expand almost twice, the increase in profits will not keep the same pace with the increase of the sales. Finally, SMC should consider other potential costs. For example, sudden expanded production might lead to quality insurance challenges. The product liability claims might eat up the minute increase in profit from the contract. Plus, the warranty costs would $22 per labor hour. Alternatives: ? Alternative 1: Accept the proposal and, in the long run, develop own brand based on the experiences of private label production: SMC should incorporate the consideration of the following elements when accepting the offer. Firstly, during negotiation with the mass distributor, SMC should try its best to make the contract terms more favorable. Albeit its bargaining power is somewhat limited, as a reliable provider of a highly differentiated mower product, SMC had some say o n the some part of the contract. To negotiate to transfer title upon shipment by SMC would be very reasonable and fair. Holding inventory of an average of 2,100 units in the chain’s regional warehouse under SMC’s title would be very unfavorable to SMC, given PL’s high average monthly inventory financing cost of ~$4. 61 per unit per month and even higher AR financing cost of ~$4. 9 per unit. Although SMC would not hold a big chance for this as in title transfer, still Wayne could try as 15-day could save SMC an AR financing cost of ~$19,310 a year. Secondly, in order to enhance its own brand and strengthen its own brand product, SMC should make this deal only as a short run option. Production of private label can only be regarded as a temporary way to improve SMC’s sales and profits, and is not a reliable one in the long run. To develop its core competency, SMC has to emphasize on improving its own brand image and establishing its own national distributio n channel. Further actions should be taken if SMC decides to accept the proposal: Aimprove its current product mix. In its four core products, Kits makes up to 8. 2% of its annual sales yet offer zero profits. With the coordination among its relevant functional area within the firm, SMC could gradually drop the whole product line of Kits if it could not improve its profitability. BHire more temporary labor to avoid excessive overtime work Since the firm scaled up its production, it should hire temporary labor with adequate training to ensure the on-time delivery and quality control. Excessive overworking for a long period might causes the decrease in both workers’ productivity and production quality. Of course, SMC should reach a good trade-off between the costs to hire extra hands and the improvement in productivity and quality. C Establish nationwide distribution network Unsatisfied being a regional riding mower provider, SMC should take the chance of free market test provided by the private label proposal to help establish its own national distribution network. Western part of United Sates poses great new chance for SMC. DDiversification of product lines It is important for SMC to build more consumers-oriented mower in addition to its current farm mower offering. For example, mowers used in cutting the grass in garden offer great potential for SMC since SMC are already quite specialized in movers used by farmers. The change in product orientation would help it to capture different market niche and widen its target customer base. ? Alternative 2: Reject the proposal and concentrate on the development of own brands: On the other hand, SMC should consider further actions to develop alternative strategies if it rejects the proposal to produce the private label. ALaunching of new product: Trim Max. If rejecting the offer, the company could put more of its limited resources to the launch of Trim Max as a strategic move, widening its product line of trail-movers under the Swisher name. But the firm will possibly be confronted with some uncertainties, such as poor sales of Trim Max. BImproving profitability of Kits or discontinue it Among SMC’s four core products, Kits makes up to 8. 2% of SMC’s annual sales yet offers zero profits. With better coordination among its relevant functional areas within the firm, SMC could examine closely the root causes of the unprofitability of Kits and try to eliminate the non-value added portion of the value chain. If SMC cannot improve Kits’ profitability at last, it should consider dropping the production of Kits at all. CEstablishing nationwide distribution network Upon rejection of the offer, in the long run, SMC should put its efforts on establishing national distribution network for its product mix, especially Trim Max, the new introduction to the market. As we mentioned earlier, the western part of United Sates is untouched yet. SMC could try to push the distribution channel toward the western part. DDiversifying product lines The advent of the new product, Trim Max, would no doubt improve the product diversification. Furthermore, SMC should expand the newly introduced products and reduce the reliance on its old flagship product, the Ride King, which was designed in the 1950s. EMore advertising Obviously, the introduction of the new product should be fully assisted by full-scale advertisements and vigorous promotions. SMC can promote its products in the current geographic scope of distribution channel to expand the sales. Furthermore, SMC could consider vigorously promoting its product to the untouched part, the western part of US, and help to set up the national distribution channels. Final decision: After delving into all the pros and cons of the two alternatives, Wayne believes that SMC should adopt this private label proposal with eyes on the long-term development of own brand. Major reasons: For SMC, the benefits are comprised of both direct and indirect contributions. Direct cost saving and profit generation, Aexcess capacity utilization The most important reason to accept this offering is that SMC can make a full use of its capacity and make more profit. As we have explored previously, SMC has around 60% of idle capacity which comprised a potential opportunity costs. In addition, analyzing from economics’ angle, we find that total fixed costs of SMC’ s products remain unchange d with the utilization of idle capacity. The additional revenue arising from the sales of private label may possibly increase profits in SMC. BProfitability In 1996, sales can increase by 15. 2% and net profits would boost by 3. 74% after accepting the proposal. In the next two years, the sales and net profits will be rocketed to 178. 3% and 20. 59%, respectively, comparing with those in 1995. Indirect benefits on regarding the production of private label as a stepping stone to promoting SMC’s own brand AAccumulation of profits to finance future development The increased profit aroused from the contract could be accumulated as retained earning to finance the company’s future expansion. This is especially true, when SMC is of such a small scale (market share is less than one percent). It would be quite difficult to fully expand after sales and profits had plateaued for more than a decade. At this stage, private label production could provide SMC with necessary profits, which could finance future development. BAccumulation of operational experience The firm can get much precious experience on operating business on a larger scale and in full capacity. The experience includes management, marketing, operation and technology experience. All of these experiences should be considered as a preparation for great leap in the future. One afternoon in early 1996, Wayne Swisher, satisfied with his analysis about the current and future development of SMC, was confident that SMC could both benefit from the private label proposal, the birds at hand, and stay in track with the long-term development of SMC’s own brand. The funds, raised by utilization of excess capacity and the production of private label, and the experiences learned from production in full capacity, could assist SWC to step further to fully develop its own brands in the long run.

200+ Writing Prompts To Help You Think Outside The Box

200+ Writing Prompts To Help You Think Outside The Box Whether youve never heard of writing prompts or youre a huge fan of them  like I am, youre going to love this post. If youre not familiar, they are basically writing ideas to spark your imagination while writing. Who doesnt love getting new ideas (especially when youre out of them)? Read on for fresh writing prompts to give you new ideas for your own writing. How To Think Outside The Box With 200 Plus Writing Prompts via @devinberglundWhy You Should Use Writing Prompts You know those days when you write something and then you delete it all to try writing it again... And once you've written something, it still doesn't sound exactly how you want it to so you scratch the whole thing. This is the kind of situation when  you should try out some writing prompts. They are meant to get you thinking about your project  from another perspective. Writers who don't struggle to find writing ideas would also benefit from using these. You see, it gets you thinking in a different way. And thinking outside of the box will help you produce more creative ideas  to give your content a unique perspective. Sick of struggling for writing ideas? Get your 200+ writing prompts here.The Different Kinds Of Writing Prompts Writing prompts are popular in the journaling and creative writing worlds, which opens the door to many different kinds of prompts. But in this post, you'll learn about  three writing prompts that will help you in the content marketing world:  You've got fill in the blank prompts,   question prompts, and prompts that tell you to look somewhere for your ideas. This isn't to say that there aren't more out there that will help you, but these are the ones you'll  focus on throughout this post. Recommended Reading:  How To Write Amazing Posts With This Blog Writing Checklist Here are  a few examples of some writing prompts: Fill In The Blank Prompts {#}  Ways To  {Overcome Challenge} Question Prompts What is your content core? Prompts That Direct You To Look Elsewhere For Your Ideas Go to where your audience is. What questions are they asking? Writing Prompts To Get You Writing Here  are several examples for each  kind of writing prompt  to  help you come up with some awesome content: Fill In The Blank Prompts: A list of ways that your product will help you with _____. Wish I'd known ____ before ____. What ____ means for {company or industry}. The best things I learned at ______. ______: I Learned The Tough Way. What happened on this day_____ {pick a number} years ago. 100 ____ that will ____ you be more awesome at what you do. We've been doing this wrong... Ask ____ {pick a number} people the same question and compile it into a collaborative blog post. Why this ____ {pick a speech video} speech teaches you all you need to know about ____. ____ {pick a number} _____ {type of videos} Videos That Will Help You ______. The ultimate guide to ______. Do _____ {number} Things By _____ {age}. What ____ {name of someone or something} Never Told You The Truth About ____. Why I'm going to quit ______. What are the goals for your next five  years? ____ {number} Real People Share Their Biggest _______ {topic} Problems ____ {number} Ways To Track _____ {topic} Your _____ Without Going Crazy ____ {number} Blog Posts To Read When You're _____. This Trick Helped Me ____. What You Need To Know If You're _____. How I Went From ______ To _____. ____  {number} Empowering Ways To Track ____ Without ____. The Truth About ____. ___ {number} Crucial Things To Do If _____. ___ {number} ___ That Will ___. ___ {number} ___ Share The Top Tips They Give To _____. What Is ___, Anyway? Here's What Makes The Real Difference Between ____ And ____. Is Giving Up ____ A Good Way To ____. Here's Everything You Need To Know About ___. Why ___ Doesn't Want You To ___. Is This The Reason You Can't ___. The Exact Formula For ___. ___ {number} Ways ___ Can Help You ___. Why ___ Should Just Relax About ___. ___ {number} Ways To ___ Without ___. ___ {number} ___ {topic} Hacks To Add To Your Bag Of Tricks Real-Life Solutions For _____. Low-Cost Tools To Help With ____. Conquer Your Fear Of ___ With ___. ___ {number} ___ Ideas To Give A Try Must-Have ____ Tips To Have For ___ ___ {year} ____ Trends ___ {number} DIY ___ Ideas ___ {number} ___ Budget Busters Easy ___ Tips For Your ___. Easy-To-Make ___ That Will ___. Must-Have-Tools For A ___. ___ On A Budget: Tips To ___. 1-Hour Tips For ___ That Will ___. ___ {Topic}: Easy Ways To ___. Spruce Up Your ___ With These Awesome ____ Tips. ___ {number} Things ___ (certain title for a person) Do. ___ {number} Rules That Are Stupid. ___ {number} Warning Signs That ___. The Heartbreaking Reality Of ___. ___ {number} Things That ___ {certain people title} Think About ___. Question Prompts: What are some things people in your field want to know? What are positive conversations about things in your field being held? What are negative conversations that are being held in your field? What trends are big in your niche or field right now? What plugins and apps help you do your job better? What is your core content? If you could interview a person in your niche, who would it be? How'd you get started in your career? If you could interview a person in your niche, who would it be? How'd you get started in your career? What didn't work for you? What questions do you get? Compile it into your FAQ. What makes my company different? What is something that you enjoy every day? What adventures do you experience in your career? What are your top distractions and how do you deal with them? What's your motto for your company or blog? What's a current frustration of yours? What advice has stuck with you for a long time? Who gave you that advice? What's a day in the life of ___ {you} look like? Who is the one person that you definitely couldn't live without? What books would you recommend your followers to read? What would you tell someone who wants to go into your career? What is the toughest thing about being a ___ {your job title}? How To Make Your Products Look Appealing? Prompts That Direct You To Look Elsewhere For Your Ideas: What are your competitors writing about? Take a look at three of yours and combine them together and create something amazing-er than they make. Look for keywords and let them be your guide. What are your customers' pain points and how can your product help them? Go find out what they are saying their problems are. Take a look at your top content in your analytics and write more like those or even revamp your old posts. Is there a change I could make in the next 24 hours... Look through all the comments on your blog and answer comments in blog post form. At the  end of the  year, list your posts by category and publish that as a post. Search out your brand persona on social media and find out what questions they are asking. Use them as blog prompts. Search on Twitter search and on Google Trends. Why customers are going elsewhere (put a spin on it to make it positive.) Social media tips for your industry. Take an unrelated topic and somehow tie it into your niche. Profile readers or customers. QA interview with your team. Write your own manifesto. Write a parody post. Read forums to find writing prompt ideas. Write a truth vs lie post. What The Worse Customers Can Teach You About... Get the rest of your writing prompts in your free kit now! Recommended Reading: How To Write A Blog Post: Your 5-Point Checklist To Rock A Perfect Blog Post Want To Create Your Own Writing Prompts? Sometimes it can be tough to take other people's suggestions  and customize them so that your ideas can shine through brightly. So I am going to show you how to create your own writing prompts because sometimes all you need is to find the ideas yourself. If you follow these steps, I promise you'll find a handful of new creative ideas. Here are the secrets to coming up with new #writing ideas! #amwritingHere's How You Can Create Your Own Writing Prompts There are plenty of different places to look for writing prompts.  One of my personal favorite places to look for prompts is in magazines. (Especially in health magazines.) Cosmopolitan has been cited  as a great headline source by headline masters. Why not use headlines to spark your writing ideas? They make great prompt ideas. Any kind of magazine or magazine's website works, too. Look in a variety of magazines (stretch to different genres as well): health, beauty, sports, cars, and home living magazines. When you look outside your niche and into other niches, you might find something new that you wouldn't have seen somewhere else. And that  will strengthen your writing. Honestly, you'll learn a lot from those headline writers. They are good at what they  do. Picasso was known for saying: Good artists copy, great artists steal. So mirror that in your own life as a writer. Don't just copy the ideas. Steal them and make them your own. Make sure you don't get distracted if you're creating your own prompts. It can be so easy to spend the rest of the day on the internet looking at nothing- in the name of research. You know where that bunny hole leads. And it doesn't lead to productivity or getting your projects done. It can be so easy to waste time on the internet in the name of research.Recommended Reading: 9 Ways To Reclaim Your Breakthrough Content Ideas From Old Posts Here are your  writing prompt creation steps: 1. First off, make a huge list of topics and ideas that you'd like to write about.  Keep those handy by downloading the spreadsheet that accompanies this post, or in a tool like Evernote. 2. Go to a magazine website or look at an actual magazine. 3. Find headlines that catch your attention. 4. When you find a headline that sounds catchy,  look at it. What makes it catchy? I am going to choose this headline as my writing prompt idea example: "12 Ways To Take Your Pushups To The Next Level" Now, if you remember from our other post, "Here Are The 101 Catchy Blog Title Formulas That Will Boost Traffic By 438%", we talked about blog post headlines that have numbers in them do better than ones without. Now, there are plenty of ways that we could use the idea above to inspire our own writing. My example from above:  12 Ways To Take Your Pushups To The Next Level This will sorta turn into a fun "fill in the blank" game with topics that interest you. Recommended Reading: 10 Easy Blog Post Ideas To Fill Your Editorial Calendar 5. Rework the headline you chose into your own blog prompt. Look at your list of topics and things that you want to write about.  All you have to do now is take out some words and insert some of your own.  Magazines are really good at writing their headlines, so start practicing and let them help you come up with your own writing prompts. Here are a few variations: __ {number} Ways To Take Your ____ To The Next Level __ {number} Steps To ___ Your ____ ____ ____ And what do they look like when you add your own style and flair to them? 23 Ways To Take Your Customer Service  To The Next Level 17 Steps To Write Your Best Content Ever After you've done that, it's time to figure out what the steps are that are going to help your readers solve their problems. 6. Create a huge database of ideas like this.  After creating a ton of exciting prompt ideas, write them all down in a writing prompt library. You can store your writing ideas in a notebook, in an  Evernote note or even in a  Google Docs  or Sheets  doc. (I've created an Excel document for you to use and that is included in the bundle that complements this post.) It will look something like this: How Should You  Use The Writing Prompt Library? All you have to do is fill in these questions: List your prompts. In what blog category will the blog prompts fit? Do you have a keyword for it yet? When do you want to publish the post? If you find something else that you'd like to track in your Writing Prompt Library, add to the columns at the top and then track away. Now You're Ready To Rock And Write... How awesome is it to have all these ideas? And don't you just love that "magazine headline" secret to finding new writing prompts? I know it can be hard to come up with ideas of your own. So if you are still struggling to find things to write about or are still trying to get unstuck, make sure you download the writing prompts tear sheet to get 200+ writing prompts and your writing prompt library.

The strategy that was used by MTN Group to expand to different parts Essay

The strategy that was used by MTN Group to expand to different parts of the African and Middle Eastern markets - Essay Example In 1994, the government authority granted a license to Vodacom and Mobile Telecommunication Network (MTN) to operate mobile phone networks in South Africa (Oxford Business Group, 2008). The MTN Group had the vision â€Å"to be the leading provider of telecommunications in emerging markets† (Erasmus and Shenk, 2008 p61). This has been the watchword of MTN and the group is now operational in 21 countries in Africa and the Middle East (Banhegyi, 2007). In all these countries, MTN has access to over 488 million people and has over 28 million subscribers (Banhegyi, 2007). It is now listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. In Africa, MTN has operations in Botswana, Cameroon, Cote D'Ivoire, Nigeria, Congo, Rwanda, Swaziland, Uganda and Zambia amongst other nations. MTN Group has its headquarters in South Africa where it all started. This paper examines the strategy that was used by MTN Group to expand to different parts of the African and Middle Eastern markets. It will examine the strategies from the context of dominant theories and ideas relating to international business. The second part of the research will examine the strategies for further expansion of MTN into other markets around the world. MTN Group Expansion Strategy In order to examine the expansion of MTN to different countries around the world, important elements and aspects of International Business will be examined. This include: Entry Mode Entry Timing Firm Size Institutional Matters Entry Mode Entry mode describes the methods and systems used by a business to expand into a foreign country (Andexer, 2008). It describes the various approaches that a business uses to create a presence in a foreign land. Popular methods include franchising, licensing and joint ventures (Ireland et al, 2011). According to Singh (2008), MTN expanded to other countries through a mixture of Greenfield Investments and Mergers/Acquisition. A Greenfield Investment is the â€Å"establishment of completely new operations in a foreign land† (Paul, 2009 p357). In some countries, MTN created new telecommunication companies that were meant to provide services. This was particularly popular in smaller and war thorne African countries that had limited infrastructure. This involved investing and creating new infrastructure from the scratch. Through this, MTN exported their resources to these new venues. They applied principles from South Africa and learnt about the local environments. Through this, they built brands and new systems in the foreign nations that they operated within. In other countries, MTN expanded through mergers and acquisitions. Mergers and acquisitions involve forming strong partnerships or acquiring other businesses in order to being operations in a new country (Johnson and Turner, 2009: MacDonald et al, 2011). MTN Group purchased other companies like Areeba and Spacefon technologies in several parts of the continent (Bridge, 2009). These two companies were sprawling brands in th e Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa (Pan, 2011). MTN just purchased these companies and took over their assets and began to operate in their capacity as an independent company in these foreign countries (Venter et al, 2009). Through this mixture of mergers and acquisitions and greenfield investments, MTN was able to set up different operations around the world. The shareholders of the South African company expanded their scope of control and took over these foreign and new markets. The mergers were mainly

English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

English - Essay Example In some instances, the symptoms come and go irregularly making predictions of the signs difficult. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), between the ages of ten and twenty-four years, mental illnesses lead to nearly all disabilities. Symptoms of mental illnesses are managed through medication or psychotherapy and some can be eliminated. In other people, the illness may make periodic occurrences meaning such people remain under treatment for their entire lives. The most common types of mental illnesses are schizophrenia disorders, mood disorders and anxiety disorders (Tulchinsky & Varavikova, 2009). Mentally Ill and Disabled Young people between the ages of sixteen to twenty four have the highest prevalence to mental illnesses, which is at one in four people. In the oldest age group, between seventy-five and eighty-five years, the prevalence declines to about one in twenty. This implies that young people do not have the abilities of coping with stress as compared to the ol der and mature people. In addition, some social factors have an effect on mental illness among individuals. These include marital status, education level, and unemployment. Higher levels of education result in better life. This is because the highly educated are more likely to find better paying jobs and this makes their lives comfortable. The largest population of men that is affected by mental disorders is between the ages sixteen and thirty-four. In women, the most affected population is between sixteen and twenty four years of age (Godan et al, 2008). Babies born prematurely, especially those born at less than thirty-two weeks of gestation have higher chances of being hospitalized with delusional and schizophrenia disorders. This can be attributed to the fact that such babies’ brains are not fully developed and as a result, they cannot cope with the world’s stress. Men and women experience the same levels of mental illnesses although the rates are highest in both s ingle men and women. Separated and married people have higher probabilities of developing mental illness than married people. Women have higher probabilities of experiencing anxiety and depression disorders while men are more likely to experience substance abuse disorders. Men have higher chances, more than twice likely to experience substance abuse disorders as compared to women. Alcohol is the most abused as compared to other drugs. The number of men and women who have schizophrenia is even but women experience later onsets, better recovery and fewer times of illnesses (Godan et al, 2008). Race affects the way people have an outlook of life. This means that some people, because of their race are not happy with life and this increase the chances of falling mentally ill. African-Americans, Hispanics and Asia-Americans have higher probabilities of becoming mentally ill than Caucasians. About twenty-five percent of African Americans are uninsured and cannot have access to quality ment al healthcare. Stigma associated with mental disorders keeps many African-Americans away from seeking any form of treatment. This implies that the number of African-Americans suffering from mental illnesses is high as compared to Caucasians. African-Americans who seek for treatment have higher chances of terminating it prematurely than their Caucasians counterparts. In addition, African-Americans have hi