International Business Strategy Hill

International Business Strategy FALL 2010 Course Outline 1. motivation and description of the course Companies today confront an increasing array of choices regarding markets, locations for key activities, outsourcing and ownership modes, and organization and processes for managing across international borders. This course focuses on the international dimensions of strategy and organization, and provides a framework for formulating strategies in an increasingly complex world. The goal of this course is to provide the foundations for taking effective action in the multi-faceted world of international business. 2. ourse structure The structure of this course follows a logical sequence where first the international environment is analysed in relation to the international strategies of firms. Next, we study the optimal scope of the firm across geographic markets, and whether a firm should diversify – or expand its scope across different geographic markets. Such a scope economy can either be demand side, when the firm can replicate a strategy that works well domestically in a country that was previously missing that product or service, or supply side, when a firm seeks to exploit a valuable resource from within a new market. In the first case, a firm arbitrages a product or a strategic capability into a new market whereas, in the second case, it arbitrages the factor cost advantage of a new market. We will also see that in order for the firm to extend the scope of activities under its own management to a foreign country, there has to be some market failure present preventing that firm from simply licensing or selling its valuable resource to an indigenous firm – or buy it from an indigenous firm in the case of supply-side scope economies. As most cross-border expansion of significance currently occurs through M&A or alliances, we look at the particular hallenges such operations entail for the firm. Finally, we examine how the off-shoring of activities may help firms to better compete in the global economy. Method The course proceeds through a combination of lectures, readings, and making use of the case method. You should have completed the set readings prior to a class and be prepared to answer t he case questions in class. This means that you should have read the assigned case for a class and be prepared to answer the questions on that case. Some classes have Optional Readings, which are simply listed in case you have particular interest in reading further on a topic. Case analysis involves an enhanced role for class discussion, supplemented by lecture material. Generally, the goal of class discussion is to arrive at a collective analysis of the issues presented by the materials. Analysis of international strategy issues is not accomplished through the routine application of formulas, but rather through reasoned analysis under conditions of limited information, uncertainty, by individuals and groups from different backgrounds and with particular schemas and ways and structures of organizing knowledge. With a case, you should be able to identify the key issues, problems, and opportunities facing the central protagonists, to articulate and evaluate alternative approaches to tackling the problems, and to describe the course of action that you recommend and the reasons for your recommendation. Case selection criteria in part includes variation across contexts and you should be able to port and apply the frameworks, concepts and tools from one case, context and part of the course to another. Course Readings The principal textbook for the Course is: Hill, Charles W. L. 2011. International Business: Competing in the Global Marketplace. NY: McGraw-Hill International Edition (Eighth Edition). Readings from this textbook are supplemented by cases and other readings. 3. assessment Individual grades for this course have two components: – Class attendance + assignments(25%) – Written exam (75%) 4. course overview and materials 27 September Introduction and course structure Globalization and regional integration Learning Objectives: †¢ Explain the phenomenon of globalization; Explain why managers today need a global perspective; †¢ Describe the effects of globalization on markets and production; †¢ Explain how technology and innovation support globalization; †¢ Globalization versus regional economic integration; †¢ Business strategies and regional integration. Reading: Hill, Chapter 1. Globalization Chapter 8. Regional Economic Integration. Optional Reading: P. Dicken. 2007. Global Shift mapping th e changing contours of the World economy, 5th edition, London: Sage Publications. October What makes countries and regions different? The role of culture, institutions and political and economic systems. Learning Objectives: †¢ Identify the business and economic implications of differences in culture; †¢ Understand differences in political and economic systems of countries; †¢ Discuss the role of public policies in relation to the competitiveness of a country; †¢ Explain how indicators of a country’s competitiveness can help firms decide where to locate production activities. Reading: Hill, Chapter 2: National Differences in Political Economy. Chapter 3: Differences in Culture. Optional Reading: E. Thompson, National Competitiveness: A Question of Cost Conditions or Institutional Circumstances, British Journal of Management, Vol. 15, 197–218 (2004). 11 October International trade theory, foreign direct investment and competitiveness Learning Objectives: †¢ Explain the evolution of different trade theories; Discuss the relevance of the New trade theory and Porters diamond; †¢ Discuss the importance of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the world economy, and the changing patterns of FDI over time; †¢ Present different theories that explain why a company would undertake an acquisition rather than a Greenfield investment; †¢ Explain horizontal FDI, and suggest the conditions under which it may be most applicable; †¢ Explain vertical FDI, and suggest the conditions under which it may be most applicable. Reading: Hill, Ch. 5, In ternational Trade Theory, Ch. 6. The Political Economy of International Trade Ch. 7. Foreign Direct Investment . Optional Reading: Dunning, John. 2009. Location and the multinational enterprise: A neglected factor? (+ Comments). Journal of International Business Studies, vol. 40, No. 1, 5-41 The Global Competitiveness Report, 2010-2011, World Economic Forum, Geneva 18 October Successful FDI promotion: how regions seek to influence corporate FDI For corporate FDI to be successful, it should pre-empt or be aligned with the FDI priorities of the host country and region. International businesses cannot achieve durable advantages if it is out of sync with the aspirations of policy makers in the ‘go-to’ locations. Hence executives should seek to understand such aspirations and the related strategies. This module explores how policy makers seek to make their constituencies more attractive for FDI. It addresses the challenges that both National Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs) and Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) face to develop successful strategies and to see these through to implementation. In this context, the module will cover both the offer that IPAs and RDAs can provide to corporate FDI decision makers, as well as the delivery thereof. Real life examples will be used to understand what works and what doesn’t work today – both for mature economies (e. g. Western Europe), transforming economies (e. g. Central Europe) and emerging economies (e. g. Asia). Learning Objectives: †¢ Understand the prevailing economic development concepts and FDI promotion strategies; †¢ Explore the pro’s and con’s of the strategies; †¢ Understand the prevailing incentive schemes that regions use to attract corporate FDI; Understand the EU’s policies towards incentives; †¢ Distil common guidelines for policy makers; †¢ Understand what corporations can and should do to capitalize on local economic; development concepts and FDI promotion strategies. Optional Reading: Michael E. Porter, 1990. The Competitive Advantage of Nations, Free Press 25 October The Strategy of International Business: Creating value from internationalisation Learning Objectives: †¢ Understand how internationalisation can create value; †¢ Measure the contribution of an internationalisation strategy; †¢ Assess the business model of the firm in an international context. Discuss how firms should handle the complex international environment; †¢ Suggest the reasons why firms may decide to enter international business, and identify the benefits from international strategies; Case: CEMEX Reading: Hill, Ch. 12, The Strategy of International Business, pp 419- 447 Extra note: â€Å"The value of a global strategy: the ADDING framework†. Extra note: â€Å"Adapting the business model to international markets†. Discussion Questions: 1) What benefits have CEMEX and the other global competitors in cement derived from globalization? Use the ADDING framework in answering this question. 2) What explains the better than average performance of CEMEX? How does this relate to industry specific factors and the competition within the industry? 3) What makes CEMEX’s internationalization process so effective? What procedures and techniques are used? 4) In what other countries could CEMEX profitably expand its business? What are important factors to be considered for entering new markets. 1 November Holiday 8 November The Strategy of International Business: Design and implementation Learning Objectives: †¢ Outline the basic strategies undertaken by MNEs, and specifically focus on how they relate to the needs for local responsiveness and cost minimization; †¢ What are the advantages and disadvantages of using a global strategy? †¢ Discuss how firms should handle the complex international environment. Reading: Ghemawat ,P. â€Å"redefining Global Strategy, Chrossing Borders in a World Where Differences Matter†, Harvard Business School press, Cambridge, MA, 2007. Chapter 3 – Global Value Creation. Case: BRL Hardy Discussion Questions: ) What are the driving forces behind BRL Hardy to become a global company? 2) What is the source of tension between Stephen Davies and Christopher Carson? How effectively has Steve Millar handled the differences? 3) Should Millar approve Carson’s proposal to launch D’istinto? Why or why not? 4) What recommendations would you make to the organization concerning the conflicting proposals for Ke lly’s revenge and Banrock Station? What would you decide to do as Carson? As Millar? 15 November The Organization of International Business: Organizational architecture of the International firm. Learning Objectives: Identify the different kinds of organizational structures and internal control mechanisms that international businesses can use to manage global operations; †¢ Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of centralized and decentralized decision systems; †¢ Present the basic types of organizational forms that multinational firms use; †¢ Describe the control systems and integrating mechanisms available to multinational firms; †¢ Show how the organizational architecture, control systems, integrating systems, and decision making choices multinational firms have available must be consistent with their strategy and industry environment. Case: BRL Hardy Reading: Hill, chapter 13, The Organization of International Business, pp 449-484. Optional Reading: Verbeke, Alain, Kenworthy,. Thomas. 2008 . Multidivisional vs metanational governance of the multinational enterprise, Journal of International Business Studies, 39( 6) : 940-956 22 November Growing internationally to become a world leader. The case of AB InBev. Invited lecture by Mr. Beni Roos, former executive director Interbrew 29 November Entering foreign markets Learning Objectives: †¢ Present the advantages and disadvantages of six different modes of entering new countries and markets; †¢ Bring together the issues of FDI theory and the issues of strategy and organization to better understand why different firms may make different decisions regarding the best modes of entry; Case: Lincoln Electric Reading: Hill, chapter 14, Entry Strategy and Strategic Alliances, pp. 487-518 Optional Reading: Kim, W. Cha, Hwang, peter. 1992. Global Strategy and Multinationals’ entry mode, Journal of International Business Studies, 23, 29-53. Discussion Questions: 1. Put yourself in CEO John Stropki's shoes. Should Lincoln Electric expand into India by investing in a major production facility there? 2. If you were to expand into India, would you enter through acquisition, a greenfield site, or some type of joint venture? Which factors would inform your decision among these entry mode choices? 3. In which countries is Lincoln Electric likely to be most successful or least successful? Why? How would this guide your own choice of where to place Lincoln Electric's production facilities abroad? 4. When Lincoln Electric goes to India and other countries, what factors should determine how much it adapts its core incentive pay-for-performance management practices to local labour market norms? Should Lincoln Electric follow the adage â€Å"when in Rome, do as the Romans do,† or should it seek to always replicate the recipe behind its success in the home plant in Cleveland? 6 December Cross-Border Arbitrage and Outsourcing Learning Objectives: Understand cost, resource, and market-based advantages of on-shore, near-shore and off-shore locations and their implications for â€Å"roles† of operating units, and how to exploit differences across countries to directly create value; †¢ Present the phenomenon of outsourcing jobs from â€Å"advanced nations,† such as the United States or Western Europe; †¢ Understand that while much attention is paid to t he economic differences across countries – such as through offshoring and outsourcing – there may be important arbitrage differences based on cultural, administrative, and geographic differences. Reading: Hill, chapter 16, Global Production, Outsourcing and Logistics, pp 562-586 Optional Reading: Ferdows, Kasra, 1997. Making the most of foreign factories. Harvard Business Review (March): 73-88. AT Kearney, 2009. The shifting geography of offshoring Lewin, Arie Y. e. a. , 2009. Getting Serious About Offshoring in a Struggling Economy, Shared Services News (February): 19-23 Discussion Questions: 1) What are corporate risks associated with outsourcing, and what can be done to mitigate these risks? 2) Are wage arbitration based outsourcing tactics soon to become redundant as result of global wage cost escalations? 3 December Setting up international strategic alliances Learning Objectives: †¢ Discuss the role of strategic alliances, their advantages and disadvantages, †¢ Highlight the factors critical to making alliances work Reading: Hill, chapter 14, Entry, Strategy and Strategic alliances, pp 487-518 Optional Reading: Reuer, Jeffrey. (2004). Strategic alliances: Theo ry and evidence. New York: Oxford University Press. Case: Lasserre, P. ; Flament, A. ; Fujimura, S. ; Nilles, P. , Renault and Nissan – A marriage of reason. INSEAD (2001) 20 December Review session

Bill Gates Leadership Quality Essay

Gates and his two sisters had a comfortable upbringing, with Gates being able to attend the exclusive secondary â€Å"Lakeside School†. Bill Gates started studying at Harvard University in 1973 where he spent time with Paul Allen. Gates and Allen worked on a version of the programming language BASIC, that was the basis for the MITS Altair (the first microcomputer available). He did not go on to graduate from Harvard University as he left in his junior year to start what was to become the largest computer software company in the world; Microsoft Corporation. Bill Gates married Melinda French Gates in 1994 and has three children, Jennifer, Rory and Phoebe. Both Bill and Melinda are keen Philanthropist’s starting the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation which has committed more than $3. 2 billion to global health, $2 billion to improve learning opportunities to low income families, $477 million to community projects and more than $488 million to special projects and annual giving campaigns. Bill Gates retired as Microsoft CEO in 2008. Bill Gates- An Entrepreneur, Manager and Leader: †¢ Focus: Bill Gates has demonstrated over nearly thirty years the importance of clarity of thought and execution. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he did not move away from the domain he understood better than anything else – software. He has pursued the objective of dominance in software in general and operating systems in particular that has few parallels. Venturing into unfamiliar territory may be fashionable but carries a high degree of risk. If ever a need arises for an absolute example for what Peters and Waterman called â€Å"Stick to the Knitting† and Hamel and Prahalad termed core competence, one needs to look no further than Bill Gates and Microsoft. Focus also means the ability to pursue one’s goals whatever the obstacles may be. Such a degree of perseverance is hard to come by. †¢ Thinking big: Along with focus, the ability to dream big and pursue that with single-minded determination sets Gates apart from other entrepreneurs. This is particularly true of entrepreneurs from emerging economies like India where an ultra-conservative attitude has stifled growth. Entrepreneurs need to develop confidence in themselves and their team that they can take on the world and come out winners. †¢ Passion: Simply put, if anything is worth doing, it is worth doing well. From a simple thank you note to a complex proposal, it is critical to place the stamp of excellence on whatever one undertakes. Equally important is the need to constantly innovate. Change is the only constant and the more agile and adaptive we are to change, the more successful we can be. †¢ Learning as a life-long process: Though dropping out of college to his dreams, Bill Gates has probably read and written more than most of us ever will. In the process, he has shown the limits of formal education. Important as formal education is, perhaps it is more important to realize that learning is a life-long process. Knowledge is infinite. Even if we keep assimilating it without a break throughout a lifetime, we would not have scratched the surface. Knowledge should lead to humility and wisdom – not arrogance and one-upmanship. Gates as philanthropist: Aside from being the most famous businessman of the late 1990s, Gates also has distinguished himself as a philanthropist (someone working for charity). He and wife Melinda established the Bill ; Melinda Gates Foundation, which focuses on helping to improve health care and education for children around the world. The foundation has donated $4 billion since its start in 1996. Recent pledges include $1 billion over twenty years to fund college scholarships for about one thousand minority students; $750 million over five years to help launch the Global Fund for Children’s Vaccines; $50 million to help the World Health Organization’s efforts to eradicate polio, a crippling disease that usually attacks children; and $3 million to help prevent the spread of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS; an incurable disease that destroys the body’s immune system) among young people in South Africa. In November 1998 Gates and his wife also gave the largest single gift to a U. S. public library, when they donated $20 million to the Seattle Public Library. Another of Gates’s charitable donations was $20 million given to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to build a new home for its Laboratory for Computer Science. In July 2000 the foundation gave John Hopkins University a five-year, $20 million grant to study whether or not inexpensive vitamin and mineral pills can help save lives in poor countries. On November 13, 2000, Harvard University’s School of Public Health announced it had received $25 million from the foundation to study AIDS prevention in Nigeria. The grant was the largest single private grant in the school’s history. It was announced on February 1, 2001, that the foundation would donate $20 million to speed up the global eradication (to completely erase) of the disease commonly known as elephantiasis, a disease that causes disfigurement. In 2002 Gates, along with rock singer Bono, announced plans for DATA Agenda, a $24 billion fund (partially supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) that seeks to improve health care in Africa. Although many describe Gates as cold and distant, his friends find him friendlier since his marriage and since the birth of his daughter, Jennifer, in April 1996. Further, he recognizes his overall contribution to both the world of technology and his efforts in philanthropy. In Forbes magazine’s 2002 list of the two hundred richest people in the world, Gates was number one for the eighth straight year, coming in with a net worth of $52. 8 billion. Bill Gates Criticism: With his great success in the computer software industry also came many criticisms. With his ambitious and aggressive business philosophy, Gates or his Microsoft lawyers have been in and out of courtrooms fighting legal battles almost since Microsoft began. The Microsoft monopoly sets about completely dominating every market it enters through either acquisition, aggressive business tactics or a combination of them. Many of the largest technology companies have fought legally against the actions of Microsoft, including Apple Computer, Netscape, Opera, WordPerfect, and sun Microsystems. Why do I like Bill Gates: I think Bill Gates represents the best of us. – its not just what he’s doing but how he thinks about what he’s doing. He’s a curious geek. He wants to find interesting problems to solve. He believes that smart, self-motivated people working together can make a difference. Bill Gates reflects the best qualities of a generation that has grown up finding the innovative ways to apply science and technology to impact our everyday life in mostly positive ways. Gates made an important and potentially difficult transition at age 52, leaving Microsoft as CEO and devoting more of his time and energy to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. It’s a shift in focus, moving from defining strategy for Microsoft to a broader strategy for improving the lives of the world’s poor. He is a self-made American who has matured into a role model and leader. He is thoughtful and tactful where a younger version would have been brash and impetuous. Like Windows, improvement for Gates has required multiple iterations but the insistence on getting it right won out eventually. The newest release of Bill Gates is the best yet. He’s not just analytical when he talks about improving education. He appears to be moved while describing his interaction with highly motivated teachers who see their profession â€Å"as a higher calling. † He highly recommends â€Å"Big History† a series of lectures by David Christian, available through â€Å"The Teaching Company. † It`s really very depressing when we learn that how American executives have brought ruin to American business and our economy. They aren’t leaders worth following. Gates is different. He deserves genuine admiration, in my view. He’s more than a technologist. He’s both a realist and an optimist. He’s become a world leader worth listening to.

Dramatic techniques Essay

In act four Proctor has to make the decision whether he should or should not confess. Arthur Miller uses dramatic techniques such as the use of descriptive stage directions. These tell you of the feelings emotions and actions of the characters such as in the opening of the act were Miller sets the scene by saying â€Å"The place is in darkness but for the moonlight seeping through the bars†. Arthur miller also describes sounds such as the sound of footsteps the shouting and the drums used to add drama and tension to the act. Hale has considerably changed from when we first saw him, as now he is no longer self-assured or confident like when he was first introduced. The audience sees a change in which Hale is presented as a different character to the beginning of the play, Hale is now described as being guilty and he is noticed to be different by the other characters â€Å"They look at him for an instant in silence. He is steeped in sorrow, exhausted, and more direct then he ever was† as opposed to his first description of a â€Å"Tight skinned intellectual†. Hale decides to try to convince Elizabeth to help them as they think that she is the only one who can convince proctor to confess, and as Proctor is a respected man within the village they hope that the other accused will also confess. Hale knows that neither he nor Parris could convince Proctor to confess so Elizabeth is there only hope of persuading Proctor before dawn.  When hale pleads with Elizabeth to talk to Proctor to persuade him to confess she is silent and will not speak to hale, but Hale then tells her Proctor will die at dawn, which makes Elizabeth ask if she can speak with proctor. Elizabeth dose not promise to convince proctor to confess however she pleads with Danforth to allow her to speak with Proctor as she knows that he will die at dawn and she wants to see him one last time before he is hung. Proctors appearance is now a visual shock as he is a contrast to when he was first introduced, as he is now a shadow of his former self. When we were first introduced to Proctor he is described as â€Å"powerful of body† and â€Å"not easily led† which is the opposite of how he is described now. Proctor is now described as being â€Å"another man, bearded, filthy, his eyes misty as though webs had overgrown them†. This shows the audience he is no longer the once proud Proctor who was gained the respect of people as he entered the room. Proctor is pressured to confess as he loves Elizabeth and dose not want to leave her as now she has a child on the way and when Proctor questioned her on what he should do she told him â€Å"I wan you living John, that’s sure†. Elizabeth also tells him that a hundred or more have confessed. However Proctor is also pressured not to confess as people which he knows have not confessed such as Giles. Elizabeth tell Proctor that Giles stood mute and did not answer his indictment so that he would be pressed and die a Christian death, she also tell him that Giles said only two words â€Å"More weight†. This adds conflict to proctors decision as Giles was an old man and yet he died for his beliefs so that his sons would get his farm. Proctor is also told that Rebecca nurse has still not confessed. Proctors body language towards Elizabeth is different to how he used to address her. Proctor now shows himself to be guilty and dose not know what to do â€Å"with great force of will but not quite looking at her† this show the audience that Proctor dose want to talk to her but his guilt is holding him back. In this section of act four Proctor is shown to be in turmoil as he is not sure whether or not Elizabeth dose want him back or not and whether or not she loves him still â€Å"pauses- then with a flailing of hope†. Emotive language is used in the stage directions to suggest that Proctors decision to confess or not is emotional words such as pain and agony show how Proctor feels although he is not physically in pain he is emotionally torn between his the decision he must now make. Proctor realises that Elizabeth still cares for him when she tells him that there is still some good in him. This adds to Proctors confidence allowing some of his guilt to be lifted and gives him the strength to look into her eyes and ask for her forgiveness. Elizabeth realises that Proctor is about to makes his decision and knows what it will be this adds to the emotion. Proctors decision to confess is dramatic as it builds up wen he rises slowly until he cant hold in what he wants to say anymore and shouts out in great pain â€Å"Enough, enough-.† Proctors decision to confess leads the audience to believe that because he has decided to confess then maybe this will influence Elizabeth and Rebecca nurse to confess. It also makes the audience think that Proctor will live.  The speed of Danforth and the others adds tension as it shows the audience the urgency of getting Proctor to sign as it will soon be to late as its not only Proctor they want to confess. Danforth also wants Rebecca as they feel that hanging these people will cause the villagers to rebel as Proctor and Rebecca, are respected people. Danforth is and the others are so rushed as time is running out and dawn is nearing this means that it will soon be to late for them to save Rebecca and also Proctor may change his mind to confess.

HistoryUTmidterm Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

HistoryUTmidterm - Essay Example The Triangle of fire has a good deal of historical significance. It led to the transformation of the labor system of New York State. It also led to the fire safety measures adoption that represented the whole country. The New York Factory Investigative Commission participated actively in this transformation. It also wrote the thirty- six different bills that related to labor which the state legislature adopted in the long run. There was also adoption of security measures and monitoring of the conditions in the factories which the unions and the local government agencies did and people use them to date.Wilson Woodrow used fourteen points to make known the idea of a League of Nations. There was a change of the League of Nations to the United Nations. Wilson considered it necessary for the world to unite in order to establish guidelines and to make sure the world was safe. He found it easy using the military to aid in enforcing the people’s decisions. Nonetheless, the League of N ations was not a success, after the Second World War, there was a change of the League of Nations to United Nations with a goal to maintain peace globally and assist in financial problems. This has to some point been successful but not totally. It has changed America to being a world wide country. Jacob Coxey was a well-known political figure. He was also an advocate for labor-rights in the late nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries. When he arrived in Washington, he stipulated the centralized government without delay help workers by employing them to work on community projects, for example, roads and buildings that belonged to the government. Coxey also ran for the Populist Party candidate for Ohio governor in 1895 and 1897. In 1895, he got fifty-two thousand votes; however, as the economy improved Coxey's strength diminished. In 1897, he got less than seven thousand votes but still did not give up in politics. Addams became one of the most esteemed and well- known individua ls in the state. This is because she played crucial roles in a number of ongoing campaigns. Addams also played a role as a social outcast which inspired her in writing articles. She was a founding personality in Women the American Civil Liberties Union, American Civil Liberties Union National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People and International League for Peace and Freedom. She was so popular such that when Theodore Roosevelt wanted the presidential appointment of the Progressive Party in 1912. Theodore asked her to second the appointment, and this was a record in history her being the first woman to have participated in this. Addams also wrote books on peace and war in her public career from 1914 till her death. In the last years of her life, she spent less time at Hull-House much of her time working for world peace and to end racism. She died of cancer on May 21, 1935 and left an impressive academic legacy that is yet to be fully discovered. PART TWO Question two G ermany declared the use of sub-marine war on 9th of January, 1917. The main cause of America joining the war was to have a key impact on the First World War. Another reason that might have made America take part in the war was because Wilson Woodrow supposed that if Germany won the First World War then it would be outrageous world wide, and this motivated them was to join the war on the Allied side so as to prevent them from winning. Additionally, the U.S decided to join the war because their sea men were murdered and their trading ships were sunk. Despite their being neutral, this affected their economy considerably and they joined the war on the allied side just to help win the war quickly. An additional reason was because Germany had sent the Telegram for the Zimmerman to the government of Mexico. This is because they had promised significant assistance in recuperating territory lost to USA in the war that involved the Americans and Mexicans amid 1846-1848

An empirical study on foreign language anxiety and its impact on Thesis

An empirical study on foreign language anxiety and its impact on students' language acquisition and classroom progress and achievement - Thesis Example The foundation year is a crucial phase between school and university level study which often determines the course of a student’s academic career. It is a time when study habits are formed, and choices are made about future subjects. There is considerable research on what factors help and what factors hinder students in second language acquisition. Early research looked at motivation and attitude (Gardner and Lambert, 1972) but since then several different approaches have been developed and the terminology used to describe this field does vary considerably. Young (1998) and Arnold (1999) approach the subject using the broad term â€Å"affect† to cover all kinds of emotional contributions that students bring to the classroom, while Horowitz (1997) uses the approach of â€Å"beliefs about language learning† which emphasizes the kind of concepts that students have in their minds about the business of learning a language. Horowitz (1988) demonstrated that what students believe about language learning influences how they learn, and most crucially also how well they learn. In an empirical study Horowitz et al. (1986) focus on the element of foreign language anxiety as â€Å"a conceptually distinct variable in foreign language learning† and note that this may be partly caused by teaching methods that encourage a defensive position (Horowitz et al. 1986, p. 125). Its effects can include the production of shorter written texts, more concrete utterances and fewer qualifications. Test anxiety is factor for some students, while others are even afraid to speak in class because they fear being negatively evaluated by their classmates or by the teacher. The work of these researchers on group of second language learners in Texas resulted in the development of the â€Å"Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale† (Horowitz et al., 1986, p. 129). This is a very useful tool designed to ascertain the sco pe and severity of foreign

Crisis Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Crisis Management - Essay Example While security cover is definitely essential for public figures, it cannot be implemented at the cost of inconvenience to other public. The essential concept of security cover needs to be based on preventive strategy which also caters sufficiently for abnormal and emergency security conditions. Security cordon needs to ensure prevention of carriage of arms in close vicinity of the dignitary, visible and invisible security protection in two or three security tiers, traveling to be undertaken in protected convoys, deceptive actions like frequent alternative routes, frequent rotation of dignitary in convoy vehicles, medical evacuation facilities and other such measures as described below: Security Cordon. Visible elements like uniformed and civilian clothed security guards should form a cordon in two or three tiers with bullet-proof jackets around the dignitary during all his movements in public areas. Metal detectors and physical check-up of people likely to come into close proximity with the dignitary should also be undertaken to prevent anyone carrying arms with an intention of harm. Travel. The dignitary is to travel in a convoy of three vehicles with his seating to be decided at last moment. An ambulance with necessary medical and emergency equipment is to join as the fourth vehicle. 02 armed guards are to be present in all the three vehicles. As far as possible, he is to be carried in a bullet-proof car. Three routes are to be pre-decided out of which one is to be chosen at the last moment. Public Appearances. Efforts have to focus on proactive prevention techniques by developing ways to identify and neutralize people who pose a threat to the dignitary. Essentially, this would involve cordoning off the immediate area to the extent possible with facilities for observation from elevated towers, preventing carriage of arms to the meetings, identifying and preventing individuals with past known criminal record from entering the area, take assistance from all law-enforcing agencies in achieving such precautions to the extent possible and ensure his safety in public places with or without use of force. Meeting the Press. Most dignitaries love to meet press and show their security-be-damned attitudes for sake of cheap popularity. Security personnel have to accomplish their duty in spite of these conditions. The press members should be thoroughly sensitized regarding security threats to the dignitary. Further, the press members have to be clearly identifiable and preferably segregated from the public to interact with our dignitary. The dignitary should also be advised of the measures undertaken by us and requested to cooperate by not breaking the security cordon. If possible, an organized press conference should be arranged at an appropriate closed in-house location than publicly. Medical. A competent medical attendant duly cleared by security agencies for his clean and reliable background record with all necessary emergency equipment is to follow the convoy in the ambulance. A specialist doctor should remain on emergency call during the entire duration. Protection Plan for Residence. Security arrangements at residence would involve the following: a. A well laid-out security cordon to block any miscreant from entering the residence. b. Regular patrolling of all vulnerable points along the residence. c. Scanning and keeping a watchful eye on all incoming visitors including employees at

The Marketing Situation of X Infotech Research Paper

The Marketing Situation of X Infotech - Research Paper Example X Infotech services are sought after by a host of customers, in different sectors, as Mainframes have applications everywhere. Installing a new server costs around $100,000, with storage solutions costing extra. Naturally, most customers of the firm are company representatives or startup businesses. The company needn’t bother about Age and psychographic information about its customers, as most of them are young geeks looking for a foothold entry into new business models. Most orders are placed online, or through customer calls Monday to Friday. Maintenance of systems is a major priority, as Mainframes systems are subject to command failure, or allied shortage. For this purpose only, the company hires trained, experienced technical staff on a per-request basis, and is gradually expanding its scales. The core philosophy of X Infotech is â€Å"commitment to customer needs†, for which it is continually striving ahead. One new emerging area is the dot com boom. Many start up s rely on highly-secure 128 K encryption devices, to facilitate payment options on their websites, thanks to the arrival of e-commerce. This calls for enormous space in the server area. As mentioned in the Boston Matrix, this falls under Question Marks, and it has become the most significant business for IBM vendors. After initial installation, a large number of controlling applications in Mainframes can be configured online. All the customer has to do is, log on to numerous vendors which understand the particular script in which the programs have been initialized. Naturally, low-cost vendors from India are an attractive option to several cost-conscious customers, and it’s not good news for X Infotech, who need to do their homework well, if not willing to be eaten by trouble brewing abroad.

Distance Learning Techniques in Organizations Essay

Distance Learning Techniques in Organizations - Essay Example Some more numbers below put into perspective the growing trend in distance learning (Sloan consortium): Among companies also, there are similar trends emerging which show that organizations are increasingly shifting their thinking towards distance training. According to Dr. Amy Finn (Chief Learning Officer at Centra Software), â€Å"smart organizations know that e-learning is a strategic solution that must be deployed throughout their organization. It is no longer a question of â€Å"if,† but â€Å"when.† e-learning is becoming and will continue to be a part of the organizational infrastructure, similar to mail packages and other suites of products used to increase organizational productivity.† The method of training is being changed from the traditional classroom training in order to reduce travel and per diem cost. In order to be focused and relevant, we need to first define what we are trying to achieve. Therefore, we could define the scope of â€Å"training from distance† as: Having identified the various instructional media and techniques, we can now look in details the pros and cons for each. This would help identify the most suitable technique to undertake in different situations. There are two types of learning environments depending on whether or not the trainees receive the inputs at the same time as the trainer imparts the training. If the trainees receive the inputs at the same time as the trainer imparts the training, it is called asynchronous learning environment.  

Vegetarians Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Vegetarians - Essay Example Many humans follow omnivorous diet taking dramatic nutritional advantage flexibility that is not there to other omnivorous species. However, the flexibility has risks like failing to consume significant nutrients or harmful microbes or ingesting toxins an issue that gets known as "the omnivore dilemma". In contrast with animals, who instinctively are sure on what food to eat and what to avoid, human beings should learn these differences, relying heavily on the transmitted cultural information. Hence, the cultural information kinds that guide food selections are not well comprehended. Across the two studies in the article, they have given evidence on the psychological vegetarian's underpinnings are marked distinction in Indian cultural and Euro-American contexts. The Euro-American vegetarians seem to have more consideration of the daily food choices impact on the animal and environmental welfare (Ruby et al. 342). The consideration is more endorsed on universalistic values of equality , social justice, and peace than did their counterparts of omnivorous and less endorsed to authority ethic. On the contrary, the Indian vegetarians do not differ from their counterparts of omnivorous in reported environment concern, universalism, or animal welfare, though are more religious. They strongly believe that eating meat pollutes an individual personality and spirit and more endorsed on Purity Ethics, Authority, and In-group. Hence, different communities have different opinions and beliefs on vegetarian choices.

Intelligence gathering Essay Example for Free

Intelligence gathering Essay The primary objective of intelligence gathering â€Å"†¦is to deal with future danger, not to punish past crimes. † This rings especially true in the world of terrorism. Although you are not seeking to punish past crimes, you cannot discount their usefulness when attempting to understand the future. Information is endless in terms of quantity. There are no limitations to the resources that can create useful and viable information. Perhaps the best source of information is that which comes from human sources. However, in law enforcement the use of undercover officers and informants is limited. The costs and risks associated with such operations are exponential. Also, many of the terrorist groups and organized hate groups are closed societies and are difficult to infiltrate. â€Å"To invade Iraq without preparing to deploy immediately and instruct properly the forces necessary to establish order, protect the inhabitants rich cultural legacy, and safeguard the material infrastructure of government and the health system is hardly to evince concern for real people as distinguished from abstract ideas. † (Thomas 2003 4). Nor is Ð ° determination not to tally at least the civilian Iraqi dead and maimed, the collateral damage, as it were, of liberation. Nor is leaving Afghanistan in shambles the better to pursue Ð ° war of choice and opportunity but hardly necessity in the Middle East, Nor is willed amnesia about the fate of the Central American countries where, in the name of democracy during the Reagan years, neo-conservatives championed war rather than fostering compromise and leveraging the social change that might have given substance to democratic forms. But all of these acts and omissions are entirely consistent with Ð ° cynical power-sharing compromise with the hard proponents of an unadorned chauvinism. And they are consistent as well with Ð ° sentiment that administration realists and neo-conservatives appear to possess jointly, which is indifference to what liberal humanitarians deem essential: due regard for the opinion of our old democratic allies and due concern for the lives of the peoples we propose to democratize. â€Å" (Thomas 2004 11). Therefore, much of the information gathered comes from traditional sources such as reports, search warrants, anonymous tips, public domain, and records management systems. This information is used to populate various investigative databases. When investigating Ð ° crime or developing answers to ongoing patterns, series, or trends, law enforcement personnel often rely upon numerous databases and records management systems. â€Å"One predictable yet little remarked consequence of the outrages committed in America on 9/11 has been an upsurge of academic interest in the study of terrorism. The number of US institutes and research centers and think thanks which have now added this subject to their research agendas or, in some cases, have been newly established to specialize in this field has mushroomed. In Britain and other European countries the increase in interest has been more modest: some universities are now beginning to recruit specialists in terrorism studies to teach the subject as part of the curriculum of political science or international relations. Yet throughout European academia there is still Ð ° deep-seated reluctance, if not outright refusal, to recognize that studying terror as Ð ° weapon, whether by sub-state groups or regimes, is Ð ° legitimate and necessary scholarly activity. Most of the standard British introductory texts on politics and international relations make no reference to the concept of terrorism, or if they do it is only to dismiss it on the grounds that it is simply Ð ° pejorative term for guerrilla warfare and freedom fighting. Equally remarkable is the neglect of the use of terror by regimes and their security forces. The omission of Ð ° reference to these phenomena in the introductory texts is all the more startling in view of the fact that throughout history regimes have been responsible for campaigns of mass terror, of Ð ° lethality and destructiveness far greater in scale than those waged by sub-state groups. (Mary 2003 25) â€Å"It takes little imagination to see that the events of September 11 delivered Ð ° profound shock to Americas sense of its relationship with the outside world. Commentators inside and outside the United States strove to find words to express their sense of the enormity of the attacks. The attacks were Ð ° â€Å"wake-up call for Americans. † They constituted the â€Å"end of American innocence,† Ð ° final blow to Americas privileged position of detachment from the messy and violent conflicts that blighted less favored countries. America had now once and for all entered the â€Å"real world† of international politics, its â€Å"illusion of invulnerability† finally shattered. An important assumption behind these reactions was that Americas stance toward the outside world could and must change as Ð ° result of these events. American isolationism (in so far as it still existed), its tendency to act unilaterally, indeed its famed â€Å"exceptionalism† itself must inevitably give way to an acknowledgment that the United States was just like any other power. What precise policy implications might flow from such recognition was as yet unclear; it was enough that the events of September 11 constituted Ð ° turning point in American foreign relations. The world, it was said repeatedly, would never be the same again, and neither would America. Simulation exercises of terrorist situations which have occurred can be extremely useful. Lessons can be learnt. Response patterns and negotiating positions have to be viewed in the broader context of government policy-making. Problems shown up by simulation can be examined with Ð ° view to solution are policy-makers prepared for Ð ° potential crisis or not? Communications breakdown, working at cross purposes and the impact of critical disorganization are regular difficulties. Terrorist tactics and strategies change and this can strain the capabilities of the authorities to respond effectively. â€Å" (John 2004 33-36).

Factors Affecting The Pakistan Tourism Industry

Factors Affecting The Pakistan Tourism Industry Pakistan appeared as a modern nation on 14 August 1947. There are four provinces and all four are gifted with heritage and culture. It is one of fertile and unique collections of majestic and rugged mountains, lush fields, deserts, rivers, lakes, seashores and landscapes enriched with friendly and hospitable people thus making it a heavenly destination for tourists with different tastes. Pakistan is known in the world of tourism because of the mountainous regions of the north, the Hindukush, Karakoram and the Great Himalaya who form the densest concentration of high peaks in the world. Kalam (Swat valley) in Pakistan is known as the Switzerland of Asia. The Hunza and Chitral valleys in Pakistan were the home to a small pre-Islamic animist Kalasha community who claim descent from the army of Alexander the Great (Mapsofworld.com). The historical and archaeological sites of Ghandhara and Indus Valley civilizations, Mohenjo-Daro, Taxila and the Mughal Empire are the examples of oldest ci vilizations in Pakistan. This multicultural nature of the country also contributes to the tourism industry in the way that it offers various traditions, customs and festivals for the tourists to explore and enjoy. Problem statement: According to the above paragraph, Pakistan seems to be a perfect place for tourists to be visited but still the tourists arrival is decreasing day by day if we take into consideration the years from 1995 till 2008. Aims and Objectives: The aim of my thesis is to find out the positive and negative factors which are affecting the Pakistan tourism industry and also the cause of tourists declining ratio. Find out the role of the government towards the development of this industry and suggest some strategies that can improve this sector and also discover the hidden potential of tourism industry. Another motivation behind this research is to examine and compare the economic effect of tourism in terms of money and job generation in our country as compared to the neighboring countries. Research Questions: The research questions are: What are the factors affecting tourism industry in Pakistan? How much potential Pakistan has got in tourism industry? How tourism industry created revenue and job for the country? What will be the strategies to develop the tourism industry in Pakistan? What the government should do to develop the tourism industry in Pakistan? Literature review and theoretical background: In this chapter, I will discuss some of the available literature and compare it with my research work giving a broader picture of the unique nature of the work and its practical usefulness. Literature review: Kakar et al. 2007, in their research thesis provided a relation between tourism and employment in Pakistan. The purpose of this research was to determine the rate of employment generated in different occupations from the tourism sector. The survey was carried out by personal visit to the hotels, restaurants, souvenir shops, travel agents, car hire firms, tour operators and airline offices. They designed a questionnaire for this purpose. The survey was restricted in the sense that it was carried out in only two cities of Pakistan i.e. Swat and Abbottabad and secondly it was carried out in hotels and restaurants. No attempt was made to determine the total impact of tourism on different employment sectors like taxis, guides, entertainment, travel agencies etc. furthermore the statistical data provided on the number of hotels, number of beds and the number of people employed is limited in the sense that there is no proper information about the time/date/year in which the data was recorde d. Baloch (2007) in his research of managing tourism in Pakistan deals with the issue of diagnosing the cause of crawling nature of Pakistans tourism growth and suggest ways to develop this industry through natural, historical and cultural resources. The research was carried in Chitral valley only. The methodology used was recording the views of tourists, locals, hoteliers and data collection from Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) and Ministry of Tourism. The research is restricted in the sense that the deteriorating condition of this industry is explained only for 2006 and there is no proper statistical data provided for Chitral valley. The data was collected from the concerned departments and there is no proper findings obtained from the tourists and hoteliers. Although some of the studies found and discussed above are related to the tourism industry in Pakistan but there is hardly any research that focuses mainly on positive and negative factors effecting Pakistan tourism industry on a whole and compare this industry to its neighboring countries. Ill focus on factors effecting tourism, its impact on employment and the revenue earned for the whole country. The research will include statistical data for last fourteen years which will help in comparing the performance of this sector with other countries also. Theoretical Background: There are many positive and negative factors which are affecting Pakistan tourism industry. These are as follows: Positive factors: The tourists usually travel to see different places and things other like climate, nature, cultures, people, customs, arts, cuisines, languages, unique festivals, old historical buildings and sites etc. the reason why Pakistan has a great potential in tourism industry is that it posses every single thing that could meet the demand of visitors. Following are the types of tourism in Pakistan: Diaspora Tourism: According to Clarke (2003) the term Diaspora refers to a person who is from one country but originates from another and identifies with the country of origin. The term Diaspora can be approached from two different directions, as a typological tool and as a social condition. When the term is used typologically it refers to a group of people who have moved from one place to another and who still identify with their homeland. The homeland is just a metaphor, it may not even exist but it still carries significance for the individual. Clarke (2003) argues that Diaspora is people who have relocated for any of five different reasons; victim, labor, trade, imperial and culture. All of these reasons are in some way forced upon the individual, which is the central idea behind this type of approach to the Diasporas phenomena. For example, the British who immigrated involuntarily to the different colonies were imperial Diasporas. The typological approach to the Diasporas issue is that it disrega rds the differences within the different groups. So it is more accurate to describe Diaspora as a condition. The condition of being from one place but of another and identify with sentiments towards a homeland (Clarke, 2003) According to Ali Eteraz (2008), more than 7 million Pakistani people are living outside from Pakistan. Pakistan has got a large number of Pakistani Diaspora which can contribute a positive role in the economy of Pakistan. Apart from Diaspora, visiting friends and family tourism is also very important. Many of these Pakistani Diasporas have friends and families living in Pakistan, and they continue to visit these friends and families playing more positive role in the development of Pakistani tourism. Domestic Tourism: According to Richter (1989), many countries of the world take domestic tourism as a poor cousin and didnt pay much attention but according to Boniface and Cooper domestic tourism make up 80% of the world tourism flow. In Pakistan, there are many worthwhile places which not only attract international tourists but also domestic tourists. Heritage Tourism: Pakistan is a home to the most spectacular ancient cities of the world including the Indus and Gandhara civilization. Taxila, Moenjodaro and Harrppa, museums, Mughal heritage and the silk route, Badshahi Masjid, Shalimar Gardens, Tomb of Jahangir and the Lahore Fort (UNIC, 2011). Lahore Fort K Ali Figure 2: Lahore Fort (Source: http://www.gardenvisit.com/garden/lahore_fort) Religious/ Spiritual or Pilgrimage Tourism: Pakistan is also famous for its shrines and temples. Each year not only Muslims from different countries come to visit the holy shrines but also the Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhist visit Pakistan for pilgrimage (UNIC, 2011). https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitxnUqDQYyiV4exnzs2lMxCTaJfBFNbHxDmgAVLbY_wlUFGi_ECuRKINma1oLehi9XkuTrhF2i_d6ZgAfh9uE7nbxKYD5JFy-5isLvjhIoj9C72fGXY_p-jgaZrciHD-t_gFgvDWkxQyqa/s400/shrine-abdullah-shah-ghazi.jpg Figure 3: Shrines of Pakistan (Source: http://pak-istan.blogspot.com/2009/09/shrines-of-pakistan.html) Cultural Tourism: Besides archaeological sites and architecture masterpieces of Mughal emperors and British antecedents, Pakistani cuisine and festivals are yet another interesting part of rich Pakistani culture. The food streets in Pakistan are becoming a major source of attraction for tourists as they can enjoy the local Pakistani food as well as the colorful streets and people shopping in the streets at the same time. Famous food streets in Pakistan are Food Street Gawalmandi and Anarkali in Lahore, Melody and blue area Food Street in Islamabad, Burns Road in Karachi, and Ghantar Ghar in Peshawar. Festivals tend to provide celebration, joy, mental and physical refreshment to not only local people but also the tourists who come with the aim to explore and enjoy different cultures and festivals. Some of the famous cultural ceremonies and festivals of Pakistan include Lok virsa mela, Horse and cattle shows, Basant or kite flying, Festivals of lamps, Northern areas festivals including the famous Kalash festivals and Silk route festivals etc (UNIC, 2011). Food Street, Lahore Figure 4: Food Street Lahore (Source: http://www.studentsoftheworld.info/sites/country/26292.php) Adventure or ECO Tourism: ECO or adventure tourism is the most significant part of the tourism industry as Pakistan is blessed with worlds most beautiful and renowned mountains, lakes valleys, glaciers and passes. Tourists not only enjoy the site viewing but also perform activities like skiing, hiking, surfing, camping and cruising. Mountaineering and trekking are the most exciting activities that tourists enjoy. World 2nd largest mountain K2 and Switzerland of Asia known as Swat valley is also located in Pakistan. Silk route is also included among Pakistan attractions as it is an ancient route connecting east and the west. Pakistan is also home to 31 natural and manmade lakes and reservoirs. The helicopter or train safari is also very famous among tourists as they travel to see the most spectacular views of landscapes and mines across the country. The helicopter safari is the latest means of travelling as it takes the tourists high in the sky so they can enjoy the highest peaks in the north and deserts in th e south (UNIC, 2011). click here to enlarge Figure 5: Ayubia (Source: http://www.offthemap.ca/diaster.php) Wild Life Tourism: There are about 14 national parks which give a beautiful glimpse of the rich Flora and Fauna of Pakistan. And there are 2 safari parks with various types of animals like tigers, lions, monkeys, elephants, giraffes, pythons, birds, deers etc (UNIC, 2011). https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLa3UbVjnTJp_9PMzIZvkrgX-LJZfaOeL7BhDLeTGbZIHwFoPcJEMOGXwcHJ21P_tANkUeqfbCm3Nxbjq3ag7Xg3aJrW9xzzZF5wf2Sk27aupX1n4R0nFOCS1164Dx2TiBtojfA937GAE/s320/CIMG2056.JPG Figure 6: Kund Wild Life Park (Source: http://kiranpalwasha.blogspot.com/2010_03_01_archive.html) Sports Tourism: Pakistan is popular as a tourist sports destination. Himalayan range which is the worlds highest mountain range in the world demands for professional trekking along with general trekking. Other types of sports tourism include white water rafting, wild boar hunting in deep forests, shandur polo games, mountain biking, golf, ice climbing, rock climbing, snowboarding, skiing, caving and pot holding etc. rich people and prince come from middle east for deer hunting in Pakistan. All the above mentioned factors contribute positively to Pakistan tourism industry but along with these, there are also negative factors which are affecting Pakistan tourism industry and have resulted in the loss of tourists arrival in Pakistan. Negative Factors: The negative factors effecting Pakistan tourism industry are the views and opinions of domestic and international tourists obtained via questionnaire and interview. According to the tourists, the biggest problem they are facing while travelling is security issues which include the current insurgency in Pakistan. Even the domestic tourists dont feel like travelling in their own country. Second issue of tourists decline is negative image of Pakistan portrayed by media to the outside world. Lack of infrastructure, ineffective promotional policies, inadequate tourists services and facilities, lack of initiatives by concerned government departments, inadequate knowledge and training of personnel in tourism sector, law and order situation especially in the high tourists attraction areas, inadequate infrastructure facilities, lack of incentives in the tourist sector, failure to show and project the positive image of the country via media to the outside world, low allocation of annual touris t budget, lack of development and facilities in the mountain regions, lack of understanding to the tourist needs, the overtaking and change of governments and administration within the country (army rule) and high inflation rate are the key points which have altogether made tourism an unsuccessful industry in Pakistan. The tourism Ministry is not playing sufficient role and tourist faces difficulties in getting timely visa and other informations. The tourism authorities must focus on this sector as tourism is the only sector, which can contribute substantially in the poverty alleviation and improving the living standards of the local community. Factors Effecting Tourism Positive Factors Negative Factors Security problems for the tourists Less marketing and publicity on international level Weak travel and tourism framework Low allocation of annual tourist budget High inflation rate Overtaking and change of governments Lack of initiative by concerned government departments Presence of tourist attractions Mountains Valleys Lakes Historical places Rich culture Rich food Salt mines Spring festivals 5 stars hotel chains Restaurants Handicrafts Museums Business environment Factors effecting tourism Figure 8: Factors effecting tourism

The History and Future of the Olympics Essay -- Exploratory Essays Res

The History and Future of the Olympics It is the year 2004, and everyone who is anyone in the world of athletics is headed to Athens, Greece. To some people Athens is just an ancient city where the myths of Hercules and Zeus were originated, but this year, it's not just an ancient city, it's a reunion of where sports began. Even thought they won't be played in the nude it will still be considered a reunion. That's right; the Olympics are headed back to their hometown of Athens, or at least it's close enough. However, looking back on the years, both modern and ancient, there has been quite a change in our Olympic events. The ancient Olympic event was all about glory, athleticism and total representation of one's own country. It seems to me that the Olympics have lost some of its touch when it comes to athleticism (cryptoworld.com). In addition, whatever happened to the idea of Amateur Athleticism? There was even a federation called International Amateur Athletics Federation formed, and it was stated that in order to participate in the Olympics, one must not be paid. Now, in modern terms, all they must do is take a break from being paid in their professional season to participate. The motto of the ancient Olympics is "Citius, Altius, Fortius", which in terms that we understand, "Faster, Higher, Stronger". Where are these three words are interpreted in table tennis, archery, equestrian, race walking, curling, synchronized swimming, synchronized diving (Contoni). These "games" just are not exciting and have nothing to do with the motto "Citius, Altius, Fortius". So, what does make an Olympic sport a spo rt? The answer is a majority of vote or enough complaints about discrimination against a sport that the International Olympi... ...cs." Physics Web. September 2000. http://physicsweb.org/article/world/13/9/8. Kahn, Jonathon. "Why Too Many Olympic Sports Are Neither." July 12, 2000. March 26, 2004. slate.msn.com/id/86069. Mallette, V. "Technology and the Olympics." Sport Information. http://www.ausport.gov.au/info/factsheets/tech.html. Michaelis, Vicki and Yu, Vincent. "IOC panel wants to drop basesball, add golf." USA Today. April 7,2004 http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2002-08-28-golf_x.htm People's Daily Online. People Daily. Monday, October 20, 2003. March 26, 2004. http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200310/20/eng20031020_126437.shtml. Technology and the Olympics. "Sport Information." 1996. March 15, 2004. http://www.ausport.gov.au/info/factsheets/tech.html "The Olympic Games." Winged Sandals. March 15, 2004. <http://www.abc.net.au/arts/wingedsandals/history2.htm>

Essay --

The growth of agriculture and railroads in Texas and in the United States helped form our economy today. Railroads today pass through a lot of Texas, and even in big cities like Houston or Dallas. Since there are so many farms and open farmland (especially in south and west Texas), railroads can carry the produce and livestock to their destination. James Watt invented the first steam engine in about 1769, and from then on, railroads were a must for transportation, since cars had yet to be invented. Railroads began to be built before the Civil War. It originally took about 6 months to get from the west of the US to the east, but now it only took 7 days. With railroads expanding all across the country, agriculture was affected in a mostly positive way. Now, crops and other goods could be transported by train anywhere in the US, and fast. When Stephen F. Austin brought the â€Å"Old 300† to Texas, they got about 4,338 acres for grazing, and 177 acres for farmland and labor. This is where the first slave-based cotton plantation came into being. The Texas’ farms were starting to be a commercial business. Small family farms were becoming more frequent, and the livestock business became popular, all between 1836 and the Civil War in 1861. Cotton production generated most of the state’s agriculture production and sales. 58,000 bales were produced in 1850, but in 1860, there were 431,000! The number of slaves grew to more than triple as well, from about 58,200 to about 182,500. The whole population of Texas tripled too. It was kind of like a ‘Texas Cotton Rush’! There were many immigrants who settled in Texas. Some of those towns are still here today, such as New Braunfels, Brenham, and Boerne. Those are German towns. Also, immigrants from... ... could easily and (more importantly) quickly move from farms to cities to be sold. Even livestock could be carried by freight to reach markets across the country. The expansion of agriculture and railroads helped form Texas’s present economy. The invention of the steam engine not only allowed people to move across the country in 7 days, instead of 6 months, but it also allowed crops and livestock to be carried to markets and places where they would be sold anywhere in the country. They could be moved to another farm in Texas as well. Since it’s such a large state, railroads were a necessity for travel, and general transportation. The railroad-building boom lasted 40 years. The production of cotton in Texas introduced some of the first slave-based cotton farms, and was the dominant crop for a very long time. After this event, Texas’s economy was forever changed.

High School Football :: Personal Narrative, Autobiographical Essay

I've never decided if I actually miss playing football. I played tight end and outside linebacker for one season, during my freshman year of high school. The previous winter I'd lifted weights often enough for a junior high kid, then I long jumped in track during the spring and kept in good condition all summer. I was no all-out beast, but for me it was decent dedication. Our coach, Mr. Noble, was horrible. I respected him at the time, and so did everyone else--he was six five and had some serious guns. He'd contrive a good practice with the assistant coaches for ten minutes every day while we ran the perimeter of the practice field, a workout monotonous as recopying history notes. We were in better shape than any other team in the county, but we couldn't play football worth a lick. I started in one or two games toward the end of the season after the first string tight end, Mitch, fractured his wrist, and before the second-string fullback, Eric, learned the position. Like all of the only-half-decent guys, I played special teams every game. Problem was, I sucked at blocking because I had no girth, and I couldn't catch very well because all we ever practiced was blocking. In games, we almost always ran the ball. Our tailback, Conor, kicked butt. He'd have been even better if our coach didn't make him run stupid plays all the time. We'd be fourth and eight at our own 35, and Coach Noble--he made us address him as "sir" all the time ("Yes, sir," "I don't understand, sir," "Sir, I have to leave practice early tomorrow, sir.")--would tell Hildebrand, the QB, to call a blast, an off-guard run right up the middle. Conor would've been better, too, if the linemen, such as myself, had skill as well as endurance. There's a picture in the yearbook from that season that makes me feel like a loser every time I see it--Conor's charging through the line, and I'm on my feet with my knees bent and no one to block, my guy diving for the tackle. Man, I really handled him. Maybe things will change after I graduate, but sometimes I feel like I never deserved to keep playing, that I never would have been good enough to have any real confidence in my ability. But then I go to a Friday night varsity game and the stands are on their feet as the team charges onto the field under lights blazing against a solid black sky and I think, that could be me out there jumping around, pulse racing, hollering.

Operations Management Essay

1. How should quality be defined at this restaurant? Outline which quality tools you would use to assess the situation at The Raja’s restaurant. Quality of service is the most important aspect to a customer. The concept of quality can be defined in various ways. By definition â€Å"Quality is consistent conformance to customers’ expectations† (Slack, Chambers and Johnston, 2004). Each customer has expectations of different quality standards and quality service. In The Raja Tandoori restaurant quality has been declining recently. An example of this is patrons have to wait as long as 45 minutes to be seated, in addition to this it can up to 40 minutes more to get a good meal served to the table. The dimensions of service quality are reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy and tangible factors (James A. Fitzsimmons et al, 2004). The customer survey results indicate that 87% of customers believe the quality of food at the restaurant is excellent. Also, the dining experience is very good; being represented by 81% of customers. However, 78% of customers have expressed that they found the waiter to be only at satisfactory standards, this is likely to be due by the lack of staff experience. 70% of customer responses showed that they were served within a reasonable time. The 30% could be justified due to the poor quality of ingredients being delivered; restricting the chef in meal preparations. (See appendix 1 for workings). However, there are some good aspects such as the variety of food, waiters are always available and on the look for any requests, there is also the additional service of hot flannels are being brought to refresh diners. Many quality tools can be used to assess the situation at The Raja’s restaurant. Total Quality Management (TQM) is a way to approach â€Å"the organisation of quality improvements† (Slack, Chambers and Johnston, 2004). TQM is a process of involving everyone in an organisation in continuously improving products and processes to achieve on every occasion; quality that satisfies customers needs (John Naylor, 2002). â€Å"It seeks to integrate all organizational functions†¦to focus on meeting customer needs† (http://www.isixsigma.com/library/content/c031008a.asp). TQM was introduced by Feigenbaum (1957) and developed further by Deming, Ishikawa, Taguchi and Crosby. W. Edwards Deming (1950’s) introduced 14 points for quality improvement. He wanted to focus on the product instead of the process. Continuous Improvement (CI) emphasises quality and reduces cost. The Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle (see appendix 2) is important in inspecting quality in one stage of the quality improvement process. The owner of The Raja restaurant can emphasise the importance of quality by having better teamwork skills and more employee involvement that can ultimately lead to a quality service. Kaoru Ishikawa developed quality circles which imply on the importance of group roles in working and learning. Teams of 3-5 members can be set up at the restaurant; their aim is to identify the causes of quality failure. Each team could focus on a certain aspect such as the quality of food or service. To assess problems of quality at the restaurant cause-and-effect diagrams (fishbone diagrams) can be used. This can help find the cause of problems by working backwards to find a possible cause of a quality problem. Below is a cause-effect-diagram for the effect of the poor service at the restaurant. TQM has an emphasis on meeting customer expectations; the Raja restaurant needs to establish this in order for it to be successful. At peak times customer meals should be prepared within the typical time limit of 25 minutes instead of 40 minutes. The variety of food that is made available to customers also needs to be considered, the wider the variety made available may ultimately attract more customers. There have also been delays in clearing tables this ultimately leads to delays in seating people. All these problems result in poor quality of service. The central foundation of the restaurant is based on customers, it is customer based service, hence the importance of improving quality. Errors that emerge from the service of the restaurant lead to inefficiency and this in turn results in poor service to customers. As the cook mainly controls the quality of the food it is essential that all ingredients are available, recently the purchase of ingredients for the restaurant have not been good enough. The lettuce has appeared wilted and the tough chicken has had more meat than bones. This has ultimately led to certain dishes not being made available. It needs to be established that each individual operation contributes to the overall success of the restaurant. Requirements of customers and the restaurant itself need to be defined for example the quality and speed of service and what customer expectations are. Mystery shoppers can be used at peak times to find out exactly how service needs to be improved. Each individual contributes to quality; therefore each person has the ability to improve quality. Members of staff need to be given empowerment to make suggestions. All staff should be involved in the improvement of performance in the restaurant; this can lead to a better team. The benefits of empowerment are: * Better customer service * Satisfied customers * Employees feel more secure about the job * Promotes ‘word-of-mouth’ advertising and customer loyalty The costs of quality are prevention, appraisal, internal and external failure costs (see appendix 3). It is essential to train and develop employee skills to suit the requirements of the restaurant. Identify problems and correct them before they have occurred. Negotiate with suppliers to improve the quality of ingredients. The ultimate goal is to increase quality of service in the restaurant, once this is achieved costs will fall. A quality strategy needs to be implemented into the Raja restaurant to provide long-term goals which are relevant to the restaurants aim. This can be achieved by implementing groups, such as quality circles and setting certain tasks and aims. Training employees is another strategy this could focus on eliminating errors and improving quality. 2. How would you improve the service experience for customers of the Raja? Following the definitions quality is a very important issue that needs to be taken into consideration for every movement that a business does, nevertheless there is also design, layout and production to be considered, is having this in mind that we overlooked at Raja’s situation. To keep up with new business and competitors you need to innovate, differentiate, create something special and unique, a customer that has an experience is likely to return and therefore be loyal to your business as well as recommend it to others. The Raja’s Restaurant needs to be re-modernised, the old wall paper should be scrapped and in its place should be something more welcoming and pleasing, giving the feel of a calm and clean environment. The layout should also be changed making a separate entrance between the dining in customers and those who just want to take the food away, one type of customer should not interfere with the other so a distinction should be made clearly. There is even the possibility of expanding the business and introducing a take-away menu where customers could place orders over the phone and have it delivered to their address that would leave even more space for customers who prefer dining in and would also increase customer numbers. Whilst many customers may enjoy listening to the radio, many others may not, it will be good to have a mixture of music, compiling a good CD collection as well as the traditional radio station, and this is likely to please almost everyone as it gives a feel of a balanced environment. Use the free parking as an advantage and make customers aware of this facility, especially on Fridays and Saturdays nights when high streets are crowded with people going to different places and parking space is limited. The Raja needs concentrate on its service speed, customers don’t like waiting and if the waiting is long they might find it easy going elsewhere, to make sure quality issues are resolved they need to reduce waiting time, focusing especially over weekends when demand is higher. In order to do that waiters should not have to help in the kitchen, fetching food, be involved in any form of food preparation or do any food sequencing for the chef. More kitchen staff needs to be employed, employing more staff will mean higher costs but it will also mean higher turn over of tables. Having more kitchen staff also means you can have more food variety and new dishes can be introduced, a new menu can be designed following seasons variations, this should prevent customers from being bored and keep coming back to try new things. As we expect the number of customers to grow we need to also plan for more waiters to be working on the waiting area, service should always be at high standard and customers should never have to ask for anything. Making sure there is good quality service means people will feel satisfied and return more often. Cost reduction is another important issue, if your ingredients are expensive your food will be expensive and it will attract fewer people, working with a single supplier that can provide good quality ingredients, fresh and reliable goods will automatically reduce cooking time, speeding up the process, also bulk buying is cheaper and a deal can be negotiated for ingredients that are bought more often. Big suppliers can also deliver, that should save even more time so management can focus on planning and improving other things, such as appraising staff and overlooking problems. Proper training should be provided to all members of staff; everyone should comply with the Health Safety Regulations for food and always maintain standards, the working environment should always be clean and well maintain, this will not only make working easier but will also show an improvement on the visual aspect. All staff should be properly dressed for their functions and always make sure they are running their tasks smoothly. Managers should concentrate in individual performances as well as team performances, having a good and healthy work environment will motivate employees and customers will notice it. After introducing this big transformation, if performance is still low promotional schemes can be created to bring customers back, a loyalty card with a discount percentage is likely to attract many people and give them the impression they are getting another advantage here that they can’t have elsewhere.

Is Terrorism a Muslim Monopoly

Terrorism is not a Muslim Monopoly Kamlesh Kumar Singh Research Scholar Deptt. of Sociology Banaras Hindu University Varanasi-221005 [email  protected] com M. N. – 09369240262, 09026399178 Abstract â€Å"All Muslims may not be terrorists, but all terrorists are Muslims†. This comment, frequently heard after the Mumbai bomb blasts implies that terrorism is a Muslim specialty, if not a monopoly. The facts are very different. First there is nothing new about terrorism. The term terrorism derives from the Latin verb terrere, â€Å"to cause to tremble or quiver. It began to be used during the French Revolution, and especially after the fall of Robespierre and the â€Å"Reign of Terror†, or simply â€Å"The Terror† in which enemies of the Revolution were subjected to imprisonment, torture, and beheading, the first of many modern example of state terrorism. Sociologically, terrorist groups often recruit disaffected and alienated individuals, often motivated by strong ideologies like nationalism or religion to commit terrorist acts. These in turn generate societal fear and exacerbate conflicts and hatred within the social fabric. Terrorism is generally defined as the killing of civilians for political reasons. Going by this definition, the British Raj referred to Bhagat Singh, Chandra Shekhar Azad and many other Indian freedom fighters as terrorists. These were Hindu and Sikh rather than Muslim. In 1881, anarchists killed the Russian Tsar Alexander II and 21 bystanders. In 1901, anarchists killed U. S. president McKinley as well as king Humbert I of Italy. World War I started in 1914 when anarchists killed Archduke Ferdinand of Austria. These terrorist attacks were not Muslim. Guerrilla Fighters from Mao Zedong to Ho Chi Menh and Fidel Castro killed civilians during their revolutionary campaigns. They too were called terrorists until they triumphed. Nothing Muslim about them. In Palestine, after world war second II, Jewish groups (The Haganah, Irgun, and stern Gang) fought for the creation of a Jewish state, bombing hotels and installations and killing Civilians. The British, who even governed Palestine, rightly called these Jewish groups' terrorists. Many of these terrorists latter became leaders of independent Israel. Moshe Dayan, Yitzhak Rabin, Menachem Begin, Ariel Sharon. Ironically, these former terrorists then lambasted terrorism, applying this level only to Arabs fighting for the very same nationhood that the Jews had fought for earlier. In Germany in 1968-92, the Badar-Meinhoff Gang killed dozens, including the head of Treuhand, the German Privatization agency. In Italy, the Red Brigade kidnapped and killed Aldo Moro, Former prime minister. In 1970, the popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine hijacked three western Jetliners. The groups forced the planes to land in the Jordanian desert, and then blew up the planes in an incident. In 1972, Palestinian gunmen from the same movement stunned the world when they took Israeli athletes hostage at the Munich Olympic Games. The Japanese Red Army was an Asian Version of this. Japan was also the home of Aum Shinrikyo, a Buddhist cult that tried to kill thousands in the Tokyo metro system using nerve gas in 1995. In 1975, an OPEC (organization for Petroleum Exporting Countries) meeting was disrupted in Vienna, Austria when a terrorist group led by the notorious Carlos the Jackal entered, killing three people and wounding several in a chaotic shootout. In this case no Muslims were involved. In Europe, the Irish Republican Army has been a catholic terrorist organization for almost a century. Spain and France face a terrorist challenge from ETA, the Basque terrorist organization. In, India the militants in Kashmir are Muslim but they are only one of several militant groups. The Punjab militants led by Bhindrawale, were Sikhs. The United Liberation Front of Assam is a Hindu terrorist group that targets Muslims rather than the other way round. Tripura has witnessed the rise and fall of several terrorist group and so have BODO strong holds in Assam. Christian Mizos Mounted an insurrection for decades and Christian Nagas are still heading militant groups. In sum, terrorism is certainly not a Muslim monopoly. There are or have been terrorist groups among Christian, Jews, Hindus Sikhs and even Buddhists. Secular terrorists (anarchists, Maoists) have been the biggest killed. Why then is there such a widespread impression that most as all terrorists groups as Muslim? I see two reasons. First, the Indian elite keenly Follows the western media, and the west feels under attack from Islamic groups. Catholic Irish terrorists have killed for more people in Britain than Muslims, yet the subway bombings in London and Madrid are what Europeans remember today. The Badaar Meinhoff Garg , IRA and Red Brigades no longer pose much of a threat, but after 9/11 Americans and Europeans fear that they could be hit anywhere any time. So they focus attention on Islamic militancy. They pay little notice to other forms of terrorism in Africa, Sri Lanka or India; these pose no threat to the west. Within India, Maoists pose a far greater treat than Muslim militants in 150 districts, one-third of India's area. But major cities feel threatened only by Muslim groups. So the national elite and media focus overwhelmingly on Muslim terrorism. Doing Ph. D. on the topic â€Å"Terrorism: A Sociological study of Victim's Families

Danger of a Single Story Essay

In her inspirational speech on the TED television series, Chimamanda Adichie argues that single stories of specific races or regions often create misconceptions of their true natures. Adichie, born and raised in colonial Nigeria, uses previous life experiences to support her claims regarding false stereotypes, most evidently during her childhood and her first visit to the USA. Living under a colonial environment, Adichie was constantly being exposed to foreign ways of life; she had a decent education, read children books about men drinking ginger beer, and was taught to be thankful for the opportunities she was gifted. However, not until later in her life did Adichie realize that these influences were incomplete and untrue representations of Western life. This helps to demonstrate â€Å"how impressionable and vulnerable we are in the face of a story, particularly as children,† and how we can not truly know the truth until it has been concretely revealed to us. Furthermore, when Adieche moved into her college dorm with a white roommate, she was automatically pitied. Her roommate’s â€Å"single story of [Africa was] catastrophe,† and not until they interacted further did it occur to her that she was no different from anyone else. These are just two examples of common stereotypes; innumerable others exist around the world, one of which is that of Muslims, the prominent occupation of the Arab region. Unfortunately, there are groups who claim to be ‘Muslims’ that commit despicable acts globally, such as the plane attacks of 9/11, the Boston Marathon bombings earlier this year, and the perpetuate persecution of refugees in Central Asia (Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, etc. ), that set a bad image upon Islam. Nevertheless, the media disregards the majority of the positive stories of the Arab region, therefore exclusively establishing Muslims as terrorists inspired by spite and ill-will. The single story of Muslims, as is the stereotype of Africans and Westerners, creates a false and incomplete depiction of their authentic essences.

Teens Becoming Parents

Teens Becoming Parents 56% of young women and 73% of young men today have had intercourse by the age of 18, compared to the 35% of young women and 55% of young men in the early 1970’s (Facts. ) Each year, nearly one million teenagers in the United States become pregnant. One third of these pregnancies result in being aborted, 14% miscarry, and 52% bear children (Kids. ) What are the effects of having children at a young age? Education, being unprepared, and a change in responsibility are just a few of the effects of having a child at a young age.Seven out of ten teen mothers complete high school or eventually earn their G. E. D. , but are less likely than women who delay childbearing to go on to college (Sex. ) Having a child in high school makes it more difficult to focus on your studies. Late nights staying awake to feed, change, and care for your baby, can have a huge impact on your ability to focus on school and other tasks you face. As a teenage mother in school, you miss out things such as your prom, sports, and other extracurricular activities.Unpreparedness is another effect of having a child as a teenager. Most teenagers if they work, work minimum wage jobs and have no way of supporting themselves and a child. When a box of diapers for a newborn cost around $32. 50, and last maybe a month, and a can of formula that cost $13, last maybe a week, your priorities of how you spend your money also changes. You no longer are able to go out with the girls for an all-day shopping trip or get your hair and nails done. Every penny you make goes to taking care of that child.The combination of the minimum wage jobs and going to school, allows for very little quality time with their child. Without a good support system, raising a child as a teenager is almost impossible. In 1992, the federal government spent more than $34 billion on welfare for families begun by teenagers, which is $16. 6 billion higher than in 1985 (Babies. ) Prior to becoming a teen parent, most high school students have no concept of what responsibility is. They think that life is theirs to do with as they please.If they want to go out with friends and have good time, they do just that. However, when they become a parent they have minimal time to go out with friends. Their main priority should become their child and taking care of that child. Most teen parents rush out and get married to try and hide that the child was conceived out of wedlock, but most marriages in this form end in divorce somewhere down the line. Having a child as a teenager can really change your life. Most teenagers can’t handle going to school and raising their child, so they drop out of school.Being unprepared for a child, makes it that much harder. Teens should really wait until they are old enough, with their priorities in order, and prepared to take care of a child. Raising a child is a full time job in itself. Works Cited 1) â€Å"Facts in Brief: Teen Sex and Pregnancy,† The A lan Guttmacher Institute, 1996. 2) Kids Having Kids, Robin Hood Foundation, 1996 3) Sex and America’s Teenagers, The Alan Guttmacher Institute, 1994. 4) â€Å"Babies Born Into Peril,† Chicago Tribune, 22 May 1994

Brittany maynard Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Brittany maynard - Essay Example This itself becomes a testament to the fear of not complete living, which is what Brittany Maynard’s husband feared in the first place. Overall, the ethics regarding euthanasia and tube feeding are going to be very imperative in the future. Medical professionals must have a balanced approach to tackle these issues that will continue to be prevalent in near sight. In accordance to Oregon state law regarding death with dignity, a brain tumor is recorded as the official cause of death on her death certificate. For example in which a patient is explicit in their decision making. In Brittany Maynard case, this was true. As a matter of fact, when a patient denies treatment- it is the moral obligation of the medical professional to question the motives and the justification to not be provided with treatment. It was clear that medical professionals do have the right to indulge in this issue, even if seems to be highly personal. Maynard married Daniel Esteban, who did not have much say in this say. I felt that he should give his perspective on this issue. Confronting Death: Who Chooses? Who Controls? A Dialogue between Dax Cowart and Robert Burt . (n.d.). Digital Common Laws. Retrieved August 11, 2014, from

Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development Essay - 1

Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the project constructs a feasibility study on a new venture creation. The emphasis is on the role of the entrepreneur and the process of applying relevant theories and concepts. â€Å"According to intellectuals and business experts, the definition of entrepreneurship is simply the combining of ideas; hard work and adjustment to the changing business market†. Entrepreneurs use personal initiative and engage in calculated risk-taking, to create new business ventures. This can be achieved by raising resources to apply innovative new ideas that solve problems, meet challenges and satisfy the needs of a clearly defined market. Understanding the importance of how entrepreneurs develop, the circumstances that can encourage or induce entrepreneurship and the beliefs of entrepreneurs could prove helpful both in supporting the existing class of entrepreneurs along with boosting economic growth. The selected business entrepreneur is Steve Jobs, the founder and Chief executive officer of Apple since 1976. By 1980, Apple had released three improved versions of personal computers whose success made this founder a multi-millionaire.   An innovative computer pioneer who helped found Apple Computer and returned to the company to bring it the second period of success in the industry. The characteristic that is going to be tested and discussed is the innovation theory. The context will explore innovative entrepreneurship which looks at the development process of an idea into an application.  pplication. Innovation can be defined as â€Å"Transformation of a new idea into a new product or service, or an improvement in organization or process† (Heye 2006). The paper is set to describe the entrepreneurial and innovativeness of Steve Jobs while at the same time providing a detailed literature review of the development of small business and the role of innovation in the process. In addition, the paper takes a closer lo ok at the ways employed by Steve Jobs in making Apple a top company in the US and the world in general. Literature Review Innovation and creativity is a concept that enables the entrepreneur to exploit new ideas from concept to completion. This entrepreneurial characteristic implies the discovery, assessment and exploitation of opportunities. In perspective this leads to new products, services or production processes; new strategies and new markets for products and inputs that did not previously exist (Shane and Venkataraman 2000). Similarly product innovation could be a new model in the existing product range or a new product outside the existing range but in a similar field of technology. â€Å"Moving the focus to product innovation leads to very different conclusions on how alternative institutional set-ups affect economic performance† (Bengt-Ã…ke Lundvall and Vinding 2004). This demonstrates the advantage of product innovation as it can lead to an increase in profitability for organisation that implements the support of product innovation in their corporate strategy. To thrive in the globa l economy, entrepreneurs must rise to the challenge of achieving prosperity through increasing innovation. For instance, NESTA’s Innovation Index shows that companies that introduced a new product from 2002 to 2004 saw an average employment growth of 4.4% during the subsequent 3 years compared to 2% for non-innovative businesses (Design Council 2011). Research overtime has developed and shown that since the early work of Schumpeter (1950) the role of an entrepreneur has been linked with innovation. Amabile et al. (1996) define creativity as â€Å"the production of novel and useful ideas† (p. 1155), while Heye (2006) refer to innovation refers as â€Å"the implementation or transformation of a new idea into a new product or service, or an improvement in organization or process† (p. 253). Stevenson and Gumpert (1985) further indicate that innovation is the â€Å"heart of entrepreneurship† (p. 85). Therefore, entrepreneurship is viewed as a prime source