Strategic management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Strategic management - Case Study Example Every business in the ring fenced so that lenders have no rights to any other assets. Virgin evolved from private companies to a group where some companies are listed. I believe that inspite of the fact that The Virgin Group appears to have numerous organizations in as numerous distinctive fields, there are presumably some vital connections between the specialty units. With these key connections Virgin can attain a few advantages, for instance, economies of scale when purchasing supplies or with their logistics, more control over the business, access to more purchaser data over a few related organizations or by making it less demanding for the corporate guardian to comprehend and deal with every vital specialty unit on the off chance that they are all in comparable fields. (Keller, Parameswaran & Jacob, 2011).   However, overall Virgin takes pace after a random broadening method. This implies that The Virgin Group is an association which moves out of its own industry or market and seeks after new open doors wherever they are accessible. It adventures its present capabilities and sets about broadening in ways which can make utilization of these abilities easier and this further may overall be under-utilized. The Virgin Group as an issue guardian values all its organizations. The Virgin Group attains esteem by understanding the systematized markets. The Virgins administration group has made a decent showing in recognizing fulfillment in the business. The administration group aptitude and experience matched to the system permits the organization to offer more for less. The Virgin gathering likewise increased the value of its organizations with the brand name and utilized the brand name to overcome hindrances. The Virgin brand name is a shoppers supporter and as noticed before the brand is highly regarded with the British. The Virgin Group as a corporate parent additionally assists with restricting the dangers for alternate organizations

San Francisco estuary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

San Francisco estuary - Essay Example Therefore, the bay is very important to the people since it also contains marshes and mudflats that act as a source of food to fish in the area(Edmund,  2012). Therefore, this makes fishing a key economic activity in the area. The estuary has been found to support over a hundred species of fish that inhabit both the salty and fresh water. Apart from fish, the estuary also supports wildlife such as birds. Therefore, the estuary indeed contributes significantly to human welfare around the area. However, with time different human activities have posed a key threat to the bay. This is due to the negative effects that industrial, agricultural and mining activities have on the organisms that have inhabited the estuary. In addition, both birds and fish have been forced to migrate due to destruction of 80% of its marshes. Therefore, indeed different ways of restoring the estuary need to be developed (Edmund,  2012). The population of growth rate of San Francisco was reported to be very h igh after the population number clocked 825, 900 people in 2012 census. The number of children born each year keeps on increasing and yet, the corresponding death rate remains very low. Therefore, with this high population growth, the number of persons demanding food also keeps on increasing each year. ... Destruction of the wetlands affects the overall balance of the ecosystem since; it affects the flora and fauna in the estuary. Different food chains also become broken since; degradation of the wetlands also forces some birds and mammals to migrate the area (San Francisco Bay Joint Venture, 2001). Dredging is also an issue that has been raised by the increasing population (Cohen & Laws, 2012). Dredging leads to increased dumping of the dredged sediments thus, causes pollution of the estuary. Increased industrial activity also causes increased level of pollutants from the industrial wastes. Pollution has been found to be a key problem to the estuary since the year 1879. For instance, mining activities bring a large number of pollutants such as mercury to the estuary. Urban runoff is also a key source of pollution to the estuary. This is because; it carries with it chemicals and metals washed from the streets. On the other hand, petroleum products also enter the estuary through spillag e from motor vehicle engines and other accidental spills such as from boats and ships. Pesticides used in agriculturemay also be washed to the water thus contributing to the pollution (Cohen & Laws, 2012). On the other hand, some of the pesticides used to control weeds in the water may also pollute the estuary despite being helpful. Therefore, it is indeed essential that the authorities focus on controlling pollution since; it has many detrimental effects on the bay. Human behavior indeed increases the habitat fracture because; most of the reasons leading to the fracture arise from human activities (Edmund,  2012). For instance, mining, agriculture, construction and industrial activities are all activities that are caused by humans. Therefore,

Global economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Global economy - Essay Example Nevertheless, the end of 2010 was marked with the U.S.’s decision to throw additional money into the domestic economy, to encourage economic growth and slow down the economic downturn. Controversial and radical, the decision to apply to quantitative easing became one of the most actively discussed issues in economics. That quantitative easing has far-reaching implications for the domestic and global economy cannot be denied, but its role in the development and expansion of the positive economic growth is yet to be defined. At the end of 2010, the Central Bank of America announced its decision to pump up additional $600bn into the domestic economy (Elliott & Inman 2010). The decision to use quantitative easing mechanisms was justified by the failure of the American federal authorities and the Fed to accelerate economic growth, encourage lending, and reduce unemployment (Elliott & Inman 2010). It should be noted, that the past recession became the worst economic downturn in Amer ica and the rest of the world since the Great Depression (Elliott & Inman 2010). As a result, traditional instruments of economic recovery failed to improve the situation. Quantitative decision for the U.S. was similar to the instrument of last resort, when there is nothing else the Fed can do to alleviate the burden of economic problems within the country. As part of its strategy, the Fed would purchase long-term Treasury bills every month, until the middle of the year, totaling to $75bn (Elliott & Inman 2010). The United States claims that quantitative easing is simply inevitable, when the state wants to preserve â€Å"ultra-low† interest rates for an extended period, thus keeping the amount of the borrowing costs unchanged for at least two years (Elliott & Inman 2010). The principal intentions of quantitative easing are but positive. The reality, however, is not as bright as economic theory tries to create it. Even if quantitative easing has a potential to support relative stability in the U.S., it may have damaging and even fracturing effects on the global economy. It should be noted, that economic theory treats quantitative easing as â€Å"the central bank’s asset purchases that are designed to inject money directly into the economy to raise asset prices, boost spending and so keep inflation on track to meet the 2% target† (Ganley 2010). The most probable sources of additional assets for the Central Bank include â€Å"insurance companies, banks and non-financial institutions, pension funds and firms† (Ganley 2010). Such injections directly into the economy are justified by the rapid contractions in the amount of spending that follow global financial crises (Ganley 2010). More often than not, quantitative easing is used to stop price deflation and encourage real output (Ganley 2010). The history of quantitative easing dates back to the beginning of the 1990s, when Japan found itself in the midst of a deep economic and financial crisis (Kurihara 2006). â€Å"The development and implementation of the zero interest policy had to encourage economic recovery but did not produce any real effect on the economic development in the country† (Kurihara 2006). Quantitative easing was introduced to initiate long-term economic growth in Japan. Unfortunately, and after so many years of economic recovery and growth in Japan, whether quantitative easi

Human Trafficking and Sex Tourism in Latin America Essay

Human Trafficking and Sex Tourism in Latin America - Essay Example Brazil is one of the countries in the Latin America mentioned in many international reports to have experienced blossoming sex tourism and human trafficking. The tremendous development of sex tourism and human trafficking in Brazil attributes to various historical, political, economic and social factors. Currently, serious cases of children involvement in commercial sex have gained an upward gradient as many of the participants are under-educated or totally illiterate. Evolution of the Menace According to Hannum, sex tourism in Latin America evolved as a result of increased demand for sex among the wealthy Europeans who travelled to Latin America to obtain cheap sex from the regional women. The evolution of sex tourism in the Latin American countries also relates to the establishment of military bases of foreign armies in those regions. The British armies are held as major participants in the evolution sex tourism in the Latin America. In the views of Hannum, governments of the Latin American countries like Brazil resolved to support tourism in their specific countries as this was one of the ways to generate massive revenues. Promotion of tourism in these areas coupled with the increase in number of commercial sex workers desperate for the foreign European currencies. Sex tourism as per the current statistics has grown to a multibillion dollar industry in Brazil. However, most of the revenues gathered from the sector do reach the government in either ways (Hannum). The industry encompasses women, males and international clients who either come to obtain sex or to sell their sex to respective consumers. Current Status, Trends and Predisposing Factors Hannun in reference to the reports of End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Child Trafficking (ECPAT), estimates that child sex tourism in Brazil rose to 500,000 in the year 1994. This is number is exceptional to Brazil alone without putting into count similar cases in other Latin American countries. Hannun reports that research conducted by the Predo Foundation averred that most incidents of prostitution among children in the larger Latin America correlate to regional incapability to care for its population. Reports indicate that most children resort to prostitution as an alternative way to earning a living. In addition, most of the children engaged in prostitution in the Latin American countries, specifically Brazil are victims of civil conflicts who faced abusive families. Hannum further demonstrates that increase in child sex tourism in Brazil links to the growing dislike of the old sex workers feared to have infections of sexually transmitted disease. Moreover, Hannun confirms that child sex tourism in Brazil and entire Latin America is factored by sex clients’ feeling of freedom from their social cultural rules that restrict the practice. The rigorous growth of child sex tourism in Brazil also relates to the increased media advertisements of jobs that lure desperate childr en to apply for such rare vacancies in their respective countries (Hannum). Advertisements of luxurious free travel have also been one of the ways used by dealers in the sex tourism industry to hunt for children and other sex tourism practitioners. Increase in sex tourism in Brazil also links to the wide internet advertisement of sexual pictures that trigger the urge for sex among the

Integrity from Kings and Carters views Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Integrity from Kings and Carters views - Essay Example The Letter from Birmingham Jail written by Martin Luther King Jr. appears to be the very fabric of Stephen Carter’s three steps to integrity articulated in the book Integrity. Of course, this does not imply that Carter mainly uses King as his guiding principle in formulating his definition of integrity; probably King is one of the many people with genuine integrity that Carter viewed in order for him to establish the three steps to integrity. It is uncertain, nevertheless, if King would agree to Carter’s three steps, particularly the third step. There are problems inherent in Carter’s â€Å"saying openly.† King would generally view or interpret Carter’s integrity based largely from his own life and belief system. Reading King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail, the three steps of integrity expounded by Carter appear to be in harmony with King’s thoughts, actions, and expressions. Of the three categories of integrity, King’s integrity through his letter is justified as articulated in Carter’s third step: â€Å"saying openly that you are acting on your understanding of right from wrong† (Carter 7). Carter admits that the third step is the most difficult part of attaining integrity or an integral life. He argues that the present-day American individual will do everything merely for the sake of social acceptance. Conversely, Carter’s integrity requires a person to say openly on the reason for his or her action, even at the expense of personal interest. This is what King did; he expresses openly to a group of people -- namely, the religious clergymen -- about the reason for his action (i.e., peaceable assembly). ... it deeply before he -- together with his brothers and sisters who are black Americans like himself -- went to the streets in expressing his sentiments concerning the prevalence of racism in the country. By and large, King would view or interpret Carter’s definition of integrity based from his contemplative, active, and writing life. In Carter’s view, on the other hand, King’s thoughts, actions, and sayings fit well to his integrity paradigm. In the first step to integrity, Carter explains that an integral life requires the person’s â€Å"discerning what is right and what is wrong† (7). To discern or think about what is good and what is not is a prerequisite for an integral life. With respect to the first step outlined by Carter, King is a contemplative person. He contemplates on the things or ideas that are relevant to his life as a person in general and as an African American in particular. In his letter, it is apparent that King has made several t hinking concerning the existence of racism characterized in segregation. He has cited many and varied experiences, all of them are ugly, of the black community within the white-dominated society. For one thing, King mentions about the signboards and other displays in the grocery stores that contain an anti-black message. The most touching of the numerous examples presented in the letter is when an African American child asks his father why â€Å"white people treat colored people so mean† (King). King has discerned deeply and even philosophically before he takes his action to the streets. In the second step to integrity, Carter states that a person with integrity has to act based from what he or she has discerned, even at â€Å"personal cost† (7). From King’s letter alone, Carter would say that this man is a man of

Unemployment in black america Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Unemployment in black america - Research Paper Example Evidently, it is clear that the employment rates of minority groups are much lower as compared to the employment rate of the white people. Statistics show that black Americans have been particularly affected by this racial bias, as the unemployment rate of these minorities is higher than that of whites and other minorities groups such as American Indians. The consequence of this is that Black Americans continue to wail in poverty while there is notable economic development among the whites. Although educational differences may be the reason for this low employment rate of Black Americans, it is clear that discrimination and ignorance labour laws by organizations are the major reasons for this trend. The issue of unemployment for the Blacks in America has a long history that dates back to the last six decades. In the late 1950s, discrimination was at its highest peak and little had been established to alleviate this discrimination. Discrimination in the employment sector was depicted in various perspectives in the employment sector. First, it was quite hard for a Black American to acquire a job in this region of the world as compared to the whites. Secondly, the Africans were assigned only manual labour that saw them become more of slaves than employees. In terms of wages, they were paid much lower than the whites for similar job positions. For African women, it was rare for them to find a job and only handle domestic chores. The feeling that prevailed is that Black Americans were aliens who did not have equal rights to the whites who were the natives of America. As a result, this minority groups was isolated in the slums and most of them did not afford basic commodities such as food and housing (Nunnally and Niambi 431). The poverty level was very high in the slums where most of the African Americans lived. National statistics conducted in America during this time shows that the unemployment rate in America during this period was double

Assessment item 3 . Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Assessment item 3 . Report - Essay Example For instance, a study conducted among students at Loyola University of Chicago revealed that communication could facilitate a specific target that aims to change or reform something, which in this case was a campaign for social justice. The process involved using communication in order to advance the project, with undergraduate students applying communication theories into practice to facilitate talk and action, which resulted in a campus-wide initiative that spurred dialogue, debate, and consensus building. (Cissna 2009, p497) With the positive outcome of the project, it became clear that the theories that were put into practice successfully achieved the purpose and objectives of the students involved. This may be a very specific or small example, but that it demonstrated the potency of effective and systematic communication at work. Sluijsmans, Dochy and Moerkerke (1999) emphasized that, â€Å"students in modern organizations should be able to analyse information, to improve their problem-solving skills and communication and to reflect on their own role in the learning process.† (p293) II. ... Also, from the students’ end, the interest is also generated out of the desire to please and impress by how well a specific project or report is delivered in front of his or her classmates. One of such students remarked that â€Å"peer assessment is one of the most nerve-wracking class activities because one has to get the approval of not just one individual but a bunch of people.† (Personal Correspondence) Seger, Dochy and Cascallar (2003) succinctly defined peer assessment as the â€Å"arrangement for learners and/or workers to consider and specify the level, value or quality of a product or a performance of other equal-status learners and/or workers.† (p65) A research by Mizoguchi, Dillenbourg and Zhu (2006) on the subject reported that it has become a very popular instructional assessment method as it reached a particular level of reliability and effectiveness because it supposedly â€Å"improve the high-order thinking and learning motivation of students.â⠂¬  (p298) Unarguably, scholars and academics are quite enthusiastic about this learning model, which can be integrated in a number of classroom activities such as in writing, drafting portfolio, presentations, test performance, and even those that involve behaviors, and a number of others. It is safe to say the possibilities are endless to a creative teacher. Specific benefits of peer assessment, from the perspective of students, are as follows: Students learn in a non-threatening and often friendly environment. About 60 percent of students are, according to Irons and Alexander (2004), content to allow averaged final student assessments to be used summatively, but only if these were moderated by the teacher. (p93) There would be more feedback generated for a specific work or task done not just from the