Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Stanley Tookie Williams Essay - 869 Words

Stanley Tookie Williams III was born on December 29, 1953 in New Orleans, Louisiana. At the age of six he moved to South Centrals West Side neighborhood in Los Angeles. He was known as a fighter and running the streets of South Centrals Westside. He attended John C. Freemont High School but was expelled and never graduated. The Crips started when the Baby Avenues were formed by Ray Washington in 1969. Tookie joined him in 1971 and formed the West side portion of what is now known as the Crips. The Crips were initially started to eliminate all street gangs and create a strong neighborhood watch. Tookie said we started out to, in a senseÂâ€"address all of the so-called neighboring gangs in the area and I thought I could cleanse the†¦show more content†¦The jury recommended the Death Penalty and the judge accepted the recommendation and sentenced him to death. Once he was sent to jail he got put in solitary confinement and remained there for 6 and a half years. He then started on his great path to Redemption. He wrote several childrens books advocating non-violence and positive alternatives to gangs. In 1997 he wrote and posted an apology on his website for forming the Crips. Tookie Williams was reportedly nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize every year from 2001 to 2005. Nominations came from a member of the Swiss Parliament and four times by Notre Dame University Philosophy and Religion Professor. He was also nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature by a Brown University Professor of English Literature. Then, in 2004 he helped broker a peace agreement called, The Tookie Protocol for Peace, for what had been one of the deadliest and most infamous gang wars in the country, between the Bloods and the Crips. Tookie Williams received a letter from U.S. President George W. Bush commending him for his social activism, one of some 267,000 Call to Service Awards that were sent out. However, Bush was not able to grant him clemency, since his conviction could only be pardoned by the governor of the State he is convicted in. The only person able to drop his charges was the Governor of California who is presently still in office;Show MoreRelatedEssay about Stanley Tookie Williams943 Words   |  4 PagesStanley Tookie Williams III Stanley Tookie Williams III was born on December 29th 1953 in New Orleans, Louisiana to a younger mother at 17. The family was abounded by his father in 1959. Shortly after his father leaving the family him and his mother boarded a Greyhound bus headed to Los Angles in hope to find a better life for them both. As I young child he found it more interesting to be in the street than be at home. He had become the new kid on which led him to be subjected to the neighborhoodRead MoreStanley Williams: Murderer, Thief, Philanthropist2282 Words   |  10 Pagesâ€Å"Stanley Williams – Murderer, Thief, Philanthropist.† This was how a bibliography website described the occupation of Stanley Williams. It was very bizarre to see those three strikingly different words in the same sentence because they don’t normally belong together. Stanley Williams was not at all what anyone would classify as normal though. He grew up with very bizarre living conditions. Stanley Williams was born on December 23rd 1953 in New Orleans, Louisiana. His father left the family earlyRead MoreThe Ethical Issue Of The Act Of Capital Punishment On Prisoners1422 Words   |  6 Pagessentenced they could sleep better’ Stanley ‘Tookie’ Williams was the co-founder of Los Angeles Crips, a street gang which operated in Los Angeles. In 1981 Stanley Williams was convicted of murdering four people during two robberies and was sentenced to death. He was described as ‘Cold blooded killer’ by his prosecutors with no regard for human life. Throughout the procedure he always maintained that he was innocent and never apologised. But whilst he was on death row, Tookie wrote 9 children books to educateRead MoreBehavior, Lack Of Self Control And Behavior982 Words   |  4 Pagesperson’s behavior. Stanley â€Å"Tookie† Williams was a co-founder of a street gang in California called the crips’s, he was sentenced to the death penalty on 4 counts of murder. Although he maintains his innocents on the crimes, he does not deny the generating of a country wide gang. His behavior changed after being imprisoned, instead of fostering the criminal activities of gangs he started participating in truces and anti-gang advocacies. In the interview with Documentary Now! Tookie describes his bleekRead MoreCapital Punishment Should Be Banned1515 Words   |  7 Pagessentence is the case of Stanley â€Å"Tookie† Williams. Tookie is also known as one of the early leaders of Los Angeles’ â€Å"West Side Crip† Gang, notorious for their rivalry with a gang known as the â€Å"Bloods†. Tookie was sentenced for the murders of four individuals from three different crimes he had committed, a botched robbery that resulted in no deaths, the murder of Albert Lewis Owens a Caucasian 7/11 employee, and the murder of three Taiwanese immigrants. An article titled, â€Å"DOES TOOKIE DESERVE TO DIE?† byRead MoreTaking a Look at Violence1415 Words   |  6 Pageshas become a major problem throughout various neighborhoods across the United States. There are at least 21,500 gangs and more than 731,000 active gang members, according to the Departm ent of Justices 2005 National Gang Threat Assessment (Cherish Stanley-Stanford). There are numerous reasons as to why people join gangs but the key reasons are, poverty, boredom, peer pressure, and despair (why people join). Gangs usually exist in poor and badly maintained areas. People who are struggling with makingRead MoreCriminal Justice Seventh Edition, Individual Liberty And Privacy851 Words   |  4 Pagesaccess to religious programs, according to a prisoner who spent the majority of his life on death row, prison can drive a person to insanity. Stanley â€Å"tookie† Williams, the cofounder of the gang â€Å"crips† throughout his memoir Life in Prison, states that prison is a repetitive cycle on a daily basis involving the same actions over and over again (Samaha, Williams). Doing the same thing over and over can become monotonous; if activities such as school, work, or hobbies can become a source of unchangingRead MoreSolitary Confinement, By F. Scott Fitzgerald1311 Words   |  6 Pagesuntil they are determined to be safe around other people. The feelings projected by the men being interviewed in the documentary tie in with the feelings that Stanley â€Å"Tookie† Williams expressed in his book, Life in Prison. All of the inmates, including Stanley, acknowledged that solitary confinement, or the hole, causes people to go crazy. Stanley complained of the small cells and how it made many men go stir crazy. In the film, they showed exactly how small the cells are and the limited room for activityRead MoreMy First Paid Teaching Job907 Words   |  4 Pagesviolence, child abuse, the impact of media and the prison industry which angered and upset many parents who believed that these were adult issues and not fit for their children. Also teaching her students about convicted killer activist Stanley â€Å"Tookie† Williams after being asked about him by a few students which led to letter writing campaign by the students to the Governor of California at the time, Arnold Schwarzenegger was heavily frowned upon. They asked about the then current update on hisRead MoreWhy is there so much poverty in the United States? Essays991 Words   |  4 Pagesovercrowded penal systems filled with gang members serving sentences for a variety of crimes. Under these conditions, many states have prisoners awaiting their punishments on death row. According to an article INSIDE DEATH ROW/At San Quentin, â€Å"Stanley Tookie Williams a prisoner at San Quentins Death Row and co-founder of the Crips gang in Los Angeles, was sentenced to death for murdering a convenience store clerk in Whittier (Los Angeles County) and two motel owners and their daughter during robberies

Monday, December 23, 2019

The Human Rights Act By Viscount Sankey Essay - 1929 Words

Decades before the implementation of the Human Rights Act , Viscount Sankey’s prose in Woolmington v DPP alluded to the presumption of innocence as the â€Å"one golden thread† which runs through the web of English criminal law . He essentially establishes that the legal burden of proving the defendant’s guilt lies with the prosecution . This principle is arguably underlying in every jurisdiction that respects ones right to a fair trial and is the foundation of the criminal law. There are two important themes that must be discussed relating to the principles set out in Woolmington: Firstly, in this case it was acknowledged that there can be instances where a reverse burden of proof is applied and that in fact, the onus is on the defendant to prove his innocence rather than for the prosecution to prove his guilt. Secondly, despite some departure from the Woolmington principle, it does not inevitably necessitate that the law has been unfaithful to its underlying rationale. A common deduction of the Woolmington principle is that Sankey, in his judgement, is ambiguous and left too much open to interpretation. Furthermore, it has been argued by Adrian Zuckerman that the way in which something is written can in fact lead to a justified imposition of a legal burden on the defendant and that the accused will only have to prove their innocence by disclosing an onerous burden in situations where legislation expressly commands them to. Article 6(2) of the ECHR states: â€Å"EveryoneShow MoreRelatedPresumption Of Innocence 33593 Words   |  15 Pages To what extent has the presumption of innocence enunciated in the case Woolmington v DPP [1935] AC 462 vis-a-vis criminal cases changed in light of the Human Rights Act 1998? Discuss. History The sixth century Digest of Justinian (22.3.2) provides, as a general rule of evidence: Ei incumbit probatio qui dicit, non qui negat - Proof lies on him who asserts, not on him who denies†. It is there attributed to the second and third century jurist Paul. Similar to its Romanic predecessor, Islamic

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Political philosophy Free Essays

Michel De Montage’s Of Cannibalism uses several different themes and techniques to exemplify his belief that human nature is innately good. Imitation slanders the Resurrection Western culture by comparing them to uncivilized natives who live with nature. Imitation begins by bashing at the Western Worlds values and stating, â€Å"really it is those that we have changed artificially and led astray from the common order that we should rather call wild† (Imitation 152). We will write a custom essay sample on Political philosophy or any similar topic only for you Order Now Imitation then refers to the natives life and highlights all of the stigmas that are absent in their lives, â€Å"the very words that signify lying, treachery, dissimulation, avarice, envy, belittling, pardon- unheard of† (Imitation 153)†¦ Rather their culture values â€Å"valor against the enemy and love for their wives† (Imitation 154). According to Imitation the concept of human nature is eternally good and derives from the simplistic ways of the natives. The European Western culture refers to the natives who live with nature in simplicity and harmony as barbaric, when in laity they surpass the natives in several forms of barbarity†¦ L think there is more barbarity in eating a man alive than in eating him dead; and in tearing him by tortures and the rack a body still full of feeling, in roasting a man bit by bit, in having him bitten and mangled by dogs and swine, than in roasting and eating him after he is dead† (Imitation 155). Essentially, Imitatio n is justifying the so-called â€Å"barbaric† natives and their practice of cannibalism by implying that his European people are even crueler due to the corruption of society. Europeans have damaged the pure state of nature with their overspent, while the â€Å"savages† live in a state of bliss. â€Å"So we may call these people barbarians, in respect to the rules of reason, but not in respect to ourselves who surpass them in every kind of barbarity† (Imitation 158). Imitation is implying that part of our deferred human nature is to view any other belief, lifestyle, or ritual different than ours as barbaric†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Each man calls barbarism whatever is not his own 152). Michael De Imitation believes that the natives lifestyle is our origin of society; the Western culture is the lifestyle presented by the soiled human mind. He tastes â€Å"Neither is it reasonable that art should gain the pre-eminence of our great and powerful mother nature. We have so surcharged her with the additional ornaments and graces we have added to the beauty and riches of her own works by our inventions, that have almost smothered her† (Imitation 1 52) thus exemplifying how our society has taken away the value of purity and simplification. Consequently, Imitation sheds light upon how our human nature also continuously pushes us to reach further than we can. Our society originated upon simplicity of the natives â€Å"They are still in that pappy state of desiring only as much as their natural needs demand, anything beyond that is superfluous to them† (Imitation 1 56) we have evolved to become a barbaric society that finds natures purity mundane. The ethnographic resource that Imitation used to determine his stance upon human nature is primarily a secondary source man who lived with the natives for ten to twelve years. Essentially, Imitation used the information from this man to draw his conclusions regarding human nature and the origin of our society. This information enabled him to make a drastic comparison between he two groups, allowing him to oversimplify the natives and bash on the Western Europeans. With these resources, Imitation stated that our pure unsoiled human nature is good and our society and desire to strive for more has corrupted us and consequently propelled the evolution in human behavior. All of Montage’s beliefs are primarily drawn from another man who lived with the natives, since this is a secondary resource Montage’s credibility is highly questionable and more likely to be biased upon is interpretation of that man. Another significant writer whose thoughts and ideas correlate with Michael De Imitation is Rousseau Jean-Jacques. In Rousseau The Social Contract and Discourses he described all the different types of inequalities that exist between humans in an attempt to determine whether they are â€Å"natural/physical† or â€Å"unnatural†. His overall belief, like Imitation, is that human nature is innately good and it is our society that has corrupted us. Rousseau states that the savage man is self sufficient and content with what he has, â€Å"l see him satisfying his hunger at the first brook; finding his bed at the foot of the tree which afforded him a repast; and, with hat, all his wants supplied† (Rousseau 47). Rousseau begins by explaining how the nature of man is very similar to that of an animal and the only difference between man and animals appear when the concept of perfectibility and free will is included. With this difference, that in the operations of the brute, nature is the sole agent, whereas man has some share in his own operations, in his character as a free agent. The one chooses and refuses by instinct, the other from an act of free will† (Rousseau 53). The underlying inequality between the two demonstrates that man yearns to Moore the nature in which things must be and rather chooses to follow their free will, â€Å"men run into excesses which bring on fevers and death; because the mind depraves the senses, and the will continues to speak when nature is silent† (Rousseau 54). It is in our human nature to adapt to our natural environments and survive upon what nature has provided us with; ‘those who come well formed into the world she renders strong and robust, and all the rest she destroys† (Rousseau 48). Rousseau questions the civilized man by highlighting what his abilities could be without machines. He states â€Å"If he has n axe, would he have been able with his naked arm to break so large a branch? If he had a sling would he be able to throw a stone with so great velocity†¦ F he had a horse, would he have been himself so swift of a foot? â€Å"(Rousseau 48). All of these questions emphasize that man is and should be capable of completing all basic tasks without the aid of machines that our society has created. An isolated man without all of these equipment’s is forced to adapt and shape himself to his environment, thus proving that our human nature is self sufficient and good without societies corruption. We ay conclude tha t the origin of our society consists of savage men who did not have the power civilized men do. Essentially, the change in our society corrupted human nature and caused a great sense of inequality â€Å"Give civilized man time to gather all his machines about him, and he will no doubt easily beat the savage; but if you would see a still more unequal contest, set them together naked and unarmed, and you will soon see the advantage of having all our forces at our disposal†(Rousseau 48). Thus proving how our society has corrupted natural law and created new forms of inequality that defy eternalness. The overall force that propelled a change in our society is the increase of human population. As times began to evolve men started to settle down, build families, and create languages, which resulted in the development of reason and ultimately striped us from our natural environment. â€Å"By become inning domesticated they lose half these advantages†¦ As he becomes social and a slave, he grows weak, timid, and servile; his effeminate way of life totally enervates his strength and courage† (Rousseau 52). Rousseau drew his ethnographic resource from Thomas Hobbler’s work n the state of human nature by countering him completely. Hobbes believed that when a man is in his natural state his is in an egocentric violent state, and society is the only way to prevent that. Rousseau defies his beliefs by claiming the opposite, when a man is in a state of nature he is with peace and happiness and society is what corrupts that. The last philosophical writer, Thomas Hobbes, portrays a perspective on human nature that defies Imitation and Rousseau. Hobbes believes that human nature is entirely greedy and ill without the stabilization provided by a greater power such as he establishment of a state to protect all its citizens. Hobbes begins his argument by claiming that he has found a greater equality than strength amongst men, which is their wisdom (Hobbes 183). He then continues to State that human nature is greedy, envious, and self praising ‘Yet they will hardly believe that any so wise as themselves, for they see their own wit at hand and other men’s at a distance† (Hobbes 184). This explains why man lives in a constant state of reaction to the worldly encounters he has, thus provoking his desires and wants in the world. At a pure state of nature man is essentially fighting three things â€Å"Competition, diffidence, and glory† and this is all for the desire of gain, safety, and reputation of man (Hobbes 185). Essentially, the state of nature makes men go against each other and create a constant state of war â€Å"during the time men live without a common Power to keep them all in awe, they are in the condition which is called Ware; and such a Ware, as if every man, against every man† (Hobbes 185). In a pure state of nature any man can kill anyone creating a constant fear and anxiety since everyone is essentially equal. When taking a journey his arms himself, and seeks to go well accompanied; when going to sleep he locks his odors; when even in his house he locks his chests† (Hobbes 186-187). Hobbes claims that it is not a sin that human nature is to feel insecure and greedy of one another because everyone man just wants to protect his own life, but the only solution is to have a greater power to protect everyone’s right. â€Å"The desires and other passions of men are in themselves no sin. â€Å"No more are the actions that proceed from those passions, till they know a Law that forbids them†(Hobbes 187). By having a greater power protecting everyone’s life, man is able to live in a state of peace â€Å"Where there is no Common Power, there is no Law; Where no Law, no Injustice Force and Fraud are in Ware the two Cardinal virtues† (Hobbes 188) Hobbes believes that having a greater power to protect all men’s lives is what our society originated upon. Without society, man alone is a greedy, lustful, and selfish for the protection of his own well- being. In a state of pure nature all men are equal and anyone can kill each other, our society (greater power) comes in to protect everyone of their sights, thus saving humanity. Essentially, mans envious selfish desire propelled a change for a higher power, thus demonstrating the evolution of human history from solitude to civilization. Hobbes most likely used the Jesuit Relations as his ethnographic resources to draw his conclusions. This to some degree is a biased conclusion because he is stating that the only solution to the greedy human nature is a greater power of protection, in reality there may be several other solutions as well. All three philosophical thinkers are similar and very different in regards to the concept of human nature. In general, all three thinkers agree that society has propelled a change within our human nature. Imitation and Rousseau believe that society corrupted our human nature, while Hobbes believes that it protected us. Overall, the thought processes and beliefs of all writers are biased in regards to the time period they are living in. Each writer is speaking in perspective to what is going on in the current society and their interpretations of it. This allows us to understand how our history has changed and the overall effects it has upon human nature; which is constantly evolving based on society. How to cite Political philosophy, Papers

Saturday, December 7, 2019

A Story Called Unconditional English Literature Essay free essay sample

Very few minutes in life can convey a adult male to rupture on the happiest twenty-four hours of his life. The events that lead up to this twenty-four hours of extreme joy are filled with concern and uncertainty. We find ourselves worrying about the things that could travel absolutely incorrect and doubting our abilities to get by with the changing of our lives. One of these minutes is the twenty-four hours you are introduced to a new life. The twenty-four hours your kid is brought into this universe in all their flawlessness and inexperienced persons. On this twenty-four hours we learn the true definition of unconditioned love. I sat in a little infirmary room listening to the sounds of adult females shouting in child birth emanating through the door. Nervous and perspiration, I did my best to conceal my uncomfortableness as I tried to soothe the adult female that would convey my boy into this universe. We will write a custom essay sample on A Story Called Unconditional English Literature Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page She had been in labour for three yearss now. I knew she was in tormenting hurting and I would non allow her see the concern in my face. This proven hard as I struggled with my ain concerns and uncertainty. My focal point, nevertheless, was to stay unagitated and insure that she felt every bit comfy as possible while she went through the hurting of kid birth. My married woman, Arica, was in and out of slumber, non holding slept much in the past three yearss. The hurting would come with the contractions but as it subsided she would fall back asleep. It was in these minutes of remainder that I let my resoluteness, to conceal my concerns, faux pas and the grounds covered my face. Siting down to counterbalance for the overpowering weight that was on my shoulders I looked over at my female parent, who was besides at that place to see her grandson enter the universe, and she began to soothe me. Equally long as you do your best everything will turn out mulct. my female parent assured me. But before I could reply, I heard the small computing machine Begin to do the Tell narrative honking sounds that meant a contraction had started and immediately snapped back into comfort manner. As Arica began to groan in torment and submerge out the other shrieks that could be heard throughout the ward, I jumped back to my pess and rapidly grabbed her manus a s if I had neer allow it travel. The physician was in and out every 30 proceedingss to look into on her dilation and give a brief conjecture on how much longer it would be. I knew he had to be busy as it sounded like there were at least 3 other adult females giving birth. As the hours passed I began to happen it more hard to keep in my concerns inquiring the nurse Does it usually take this long? She replied with a smiling this kid is obstinate and cosy. She so assured me these things take clip. Feeling somewhat better I readied myself as I heard the bleeps coming from that small raging computing machine once more. At long last the physician re-entered the room and said, It s clip with a large smiling. Taking his small axial rotation about stool, he looked at me and said, You want to catch him? Confused and astounded that this would even come up, I remained quiet and every bit still as a marble statue. Then before I knew it I was being shunted into topographic point following to the physician. As Arica began to force I became more and more nervous. What was the physician believing? I had no experience in child birth. What if I drop him? I asked. Oh do nt worry about it said the physician I m right here if anything goes incorrect. As my kid began to coronate I knew it was merely a affair of clip before my unequal parturition accomplishments were put to the trial. Yet before I even had the clip to come to this decision my boy was dropping into my outstretched, towel covered custodies. Thankfully the physician was right following to me. I had non taken into history how slippery a new born kid was and as he slipped off from me the physician stepped in and took control. As I looked at this beautiful creative activity clip came to a hault. He was perfect in every manner. Certain he had a cone shaped caput and he was covered in blood, but I knew theses things would go through. I took in every characteristic of his bantam organic structure, from his bantam, wrinkled fingers to his outstandingly beautiful sky bluish eyes. What was likely seconds felt like an infinity and my boy was rapidly swooped out of my custodies. I wanted to protest at this indignation, but I rapidly realized that it was for the good of my boy. I took this minute to look at my married woman, whom I had stopped soothing after I was asked to show my kid catching abilities. I could see in her face the contemplation of my emotions. The absolute felicity and joy of this twenty-four hours would populate on timelessly in our Black Marias. I took her manus once more and tried to talk but establish my pharynx blocked. I told myself I would nt yield to cryings, but found myself fighting to keep them. I think she knew what I wanted to state because she smiled at me and nodded her caput. And at that really minute the cryings that I had been fighting to keep back came out like a waterfall. The following thing that happened took me wholly by surprise. Finally drawing myself back together, I noticed the physician transporting a five gallon pail. Showing my ignorance once more I asked What s that for? Smiling, he looked at me and said you will see . He moved his small axial rotation around stool and replaced it with this five gallon pail. Cocking my caput to the side in arrant confusion I looked once more toward my female parent for account, but she was paying attending to the newborn kid being cared for by the nursing staff. Before I could acquire her attending and inquire I heard the physician say all right one last good push . I turned back merely in clip to see a ball of what looked similar blood but thicker and about flesh like. Nasty! I exclaimed, holding been caught wholly off guard and unable to keep from shouting. My female parent hearing me turned about and scowled Charlie that was nt really nice . The physician began to laugh stating I thought you mi ght state something like that . After being taken to the nurses station, cleaned and checked by the physician my beautiful boy was laid into the weaponries of my married woman. I could see in her face the absolute love that was make fulling my bosom and psyche. Once once more tearful and unable to talk, I looked at the both of them lying in that infirmary bed and knew this would be one of the happiest yearss of my life. I eventually understood why my parents had put up with me through my rebellious and experimental old ages. There was perfectly nil this kid could make that would alter the manner I felt about him in this ageless minute of pure joy. On this twenty-four hours I was introduced to the proper usage of the commonly used term unconditioned love. Prior to this I had thought that the love that I felt for my married woman was unconditioned. However, I found the love we felt for one another was conditional common feelings. It relied on love and committedness which can melt over clip. This love, nevertheless, was unchanging, deathless, and neer stoping love. Nothing could alter the effortless love I felt toward this new life.

Friday, November 29, 2019

The Ipremier Company Denial of Serivice Attack. Case Analysis Essay Example

The Ipremier Company: Denial of Serivice Attack. Case Analysis Paper The iPremier Compant (A): Denial of Service Attack Summary of the case: iPremier, a Seattle based company, was founded in 1996 by two students from Swathmore College. iPremier had become one of a few success web-based commerce, selling luxury, rare, and vintage goods over the Internet. Most of iPremier’s goods sell between fifty and a few hundred dollars, and the customer buys the products online with his or her credit card. iPremier’s competitive advantage is their flexible return policies which allows the customer to thoroughly check out the product and make a decision to keep the product or return it. The majority of iPremier customers are high end, and credit limits are not a problem. iPremier had contracted with Qdata, an Internet hosting business. Qdata provided iPremier with most of their computer equipment and connectivity to the Internet. Qdata was not an industry leader and was selected because it was located close to iPremier’s company headquarters and had been serving iPremier throughout the course of its new and developing business. Qdata did provide basic floor space, power, connectivity, environmental control, and physical security, and offered some high-level management services such as monitoring of web sites for customers and Internet security services such as firewall protection. On January 12, 2007, iPremier Web servers were brought to a standstill. A denial-of-service (DoS) attack had occurred. Hackers launched the attack on iPremier. Luckily for iPremier, this was only a denial-of service attack, possibly launched by a script-kiddie, or even a competitor trying to disrupt service. We will write a custom essay sample on The Ipremier Company: Denial of Serivice Attack. Case Analysis specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Ipremier Company: Denial of Serivice Attack. Case Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Ipremier Company: Denial of Serivice Attack. Case Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The attack could have been a lot worse. iPremier’s customers pay for their purchases with credit cards, and they keep a data base containing all credit card information on their customers. The credit card database is. However, it leaves them vulnerable to an attack by hackers. If a hacker had obtained total access to their system customer credit card numbers could have been in jeopardy. As the events unfold, iPremier managers discover problems with their plans for responding to crises and struggle to understand and control the situation. 1. How well did this company perform during the attack? The company did not perform as well as they should have been able to. There were multiple areas where problems arose, such as the technical architecture of the IT system, relying only on the 3rd party, Qdata, to monitor their IT infrastructure, keeping out of date manuals, and not maintaining their emergency procedures. However, some people trying to fix the attack did an adequate job considering the problems the company had. Joanne and Leon Ledbetter did everything in their power to restore the website and protect the customer data, which even included running red lights. Leon was so new that he didn’t know exactly what to do. Training for an emergency would have proven useful. The CIO, Bob Turley, knew of the emergency protocol and out of date manuals, but never did anything to alleviate these problems. This put the company in a significant disadvantage, and created a bigger problem than what was necessary. Faced with this problem, Turley was able to facilitate direction for the company as best as he could, which ended with the security breach stopping. Even after the attack, when the company did not know whether the customer information, which included credit card information, the company had no intention to announce the security breach to the public. This can be detrimental to the company if customers became impacted because of this issue. This is probably an unethical response to this event, and further shows how bad the company performed during this crisis. 2. What should they have done differently, before or during the event? One of their main problems was relying solely on Qdata to monitor their IT infrastructure. It sounds like Qdata was not keeping up to date with their investments in technology and adequate personnel. When Joanne was at Qdata, she made it sound as if the staff was uneducated and only allowed her limited access to resolve the situation. Their Website monitoring system and Internet security services did little to nothing to help resolve the situation. Another problem was iPremier neglecting to update their facilities and equipment because they wanted to focus more on expanding the company. This is a risky move because as the company grows the IT infrastructure needs to row to keep up with the greater risks a failure could cause. iPremier was not prepared for an attack; they could not even find their binder full of procedures in case of an emergency such as this one. They also had turned off their ability to log detailed information in case of an attack and Joanne believed that their firewall had not been set up properly. For this reason, they have no idea for why the attack h ad stopped. In some instances it may have appeared that they had panicked a little too much. They almost notified the police of the incident. They would have been a very hasty and unnecessary move. As far as I know, the police would have not been able to do anything to help the situation and at the same time the press would have access to the story. This would have hurt iPremier’s public relations and upset their executives and BOD. Their panic may also have caused an accident. Joanne was driving fast and running red lights. Again, if she got into an accident and the press got hold of why the accident occurred, there would have been a negative press release about the company. 3. What should they do in the after math of the event? Premier learned the hard way with this web’s attack that they needed to find a more effective outsourcing client. iPremier needs to realize the importance of security, especially in the e-commerce world where there is unlimited access through the Internet to valuable customer information. Security needs to be the top priority of any e-commercial company. They should make some changes to effectively solve their security problem. First of all, their existing contract with Qdata needs to be renegotiated. This will allow employees at iPremier to act as consultants for Qdata and help them upgrade their existing system. The consulting time will be an added cost, however it is far less expensive to consult rather than hiring another outsourcing client. Second of all, iPremier need to separate its web server from its critical system; this will help to eliminate access to important information by a hacker. No system is totally safe from an attack but the separation of systems will help to deter amateur hackers. Beside, iPremier needs to develop a plan of attack if they undergo a DoS again. By doing so, they can have a strategy to implement before, during, and after a denial-of-service. If their plan is effective the system then down time ill be decreased, and vital information will be secure again in a timely manner. Also when an attack occurs iPremier needs to have an expert to call to effectively walk top-level executives through the process of getting their system up and running. Finally iPremier’s current firewall needs to be updated with the addition security for example filter or sniffer, to successfully inhibit information packets that will initiate a DoS attack. 4. What, if anything, should they say to customers, investors, and the public about what has happened? iPremier’s made had no plan to announce the attack to customers. This may be a costly mistake. Because iPremier does not know the extent of the attack, or what was targeted, they do not know the extent of the risk to their customer. Officials of the company feel that making the attack public could risk their reputation from a public relations standpoint. However, not informing customers of the attack could be more costly. iPremier must quickly determine how they are going to approach this problem from an IT standpoint: will they hire another firm to research or will they work with Qdata to investigate the event? Next, iPremier should make a public announcement concerning the potential risk of compromised customer credit cards. Premier should also announce that their plan to remedy this problem and inform customers of how they will keep customer information safe in the future. Finally, iPremier should make a statement to reflect that they made every attempt to notify the public immediately after the attack to prevent any potential fraud to occur on customer credit cards. A simi lar event occurred with major retailer, TJ Maxx, several years ago. TJ Maxx did not discover the information leak for several months, and did not inform the public for some time after that. Not only did this create a public relations nightmare for TJ Maxx, there were also legal ramifications to their decisions. iPremier is correct in assuming they may lose customers in this process. However, the alternative approach, to remain silent, could prove more detrimental. Many customers will appreciate the honesty and the opportunity to close compromised credit cards immediately. On the other hand, if iPremier takes no action, and customer cards are compromised, they will face strong customer dissatisfaction and potential legal ramifications as well.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Working Style of Microsoft essays

Working Style of Microsoft essays In this article How Microsoft Builds Software the author has tried to draw our attention towards the style of designing software by Microsoft. Microsoft is regarded as one of the pioneers in the development of various software applications like WinNT, Microsoft Office etc. The author is trying to show how Microsoft drifted from the general notion of writing software or designing applications and how they reaped success through their effort and making a niche for themselves in the software industry. Microsofts key practices in product development may initially look like they are following the methods used by hackers in the early stages of the software programming to design application, this may be true in some way as Microsoft uses the same concept of small teams in designing applications and making changes as and when necessary thereby improving these products by incrementally evolving their features. This small teams interact with each other almost on daily basis with common development languages, common coding styles, standardized development tools, bringing in customers off the street to try prototypes in their lab, delivering the software on the due date that are good enough and improving the product thorough further development and releasing more versions of the product. The approach used by Microsoft called Synch-and-Stabilize, without this approach it would have never been able to capture the software industry and continue to do so in the future. In this rapidly changing world of software Spiral Model of software engineering in designing applications; it has same t...

Friday, November 22, 2019

Bedford Wedding Planners Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Bedford Wedding Planners - Essay Example In the paper, the detailed operations plan has been made to promote the carefully designed value proposition through an elaborate marketing strategy. To shed light on the financial perspective, expense forecast, sales forecast and profit forecast for BWP have been prepared. Bedford Wedding Planners (BWP) is a service company, which provides end-to-end consulting services for weddings and holy unions. BWP planners are experienced and hard-working professionals with profound knowledge and event planning experience. BWP is different in a way that it provides customers with extremely focused attention. BWP understands requirements of clients and works along with them to organize the wedding of their dreams. The customers’ aspirations become BWP`s tasks to be completed. So, whether the customer wishes a Western, Chinese, Indian or Las Vegas-style wedding, BWP provides the best. The value proposition of BWP includes weddings, receptions, holy unions, budgeting and managing every asp ect of a wedding so as to make it memorable for individuals involved. Irrespective of the wishes of customers and type of event, BWP desires to fulfill the dreams of clients pertaining to every detail of the event planning, such that it is both pleasurable and memorable experience. Thus, BWP offers a plethora of packages, carefully tailored for catering to requirements and preferences of each couple. BWP is absolutely confident that this venture will be a great success and also forecasts net income to increase  consistently over next few years.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

International Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

International Strategy - Essay Example It is also in a way the need of the hour as domestic based companies can no longer shield themselves from the effects of multinational corporations. International diversification carries with it significant advantages. Taking into account the obvious advantages in terms of the increased market size and a higher return on investment, there are also other advantages that help the company take down its per unit costs and hence increase profit margins. These accrue from taking advantage of economies of scale to drop down fixed costs or per unit costs. This is further aided by the domestic incentives that the other countries may provide to aid their own economies which would give the expanding firm a comparative advantage. The development of international business level strategies however does depend on some factors. One of the chief is the amount of risk averseness of the management who may or may not be willing to take such a big step requiring possibly high capital expenditure. There is also the degree of environmental scanning performed by the firm and the degree of planning formality used to guide the planning process. Finally a crucial element in the decision to go international is the amount of munificence in the domestic industry environment. Entrance into the international markets can be made by exporting directly to the market, making use of possible domestic incentives. ... company wants to retain greater control, acquisition of a company or formation of a whole owned subsidiary may be the best option in terms of allowing greater autonomy in decision making. Amazon is a company that enjoyed considerable growth since its inception and enjoys an international market of customers through its online store. The company now decided to go global with Amazon's DRM-free MP3 digital music store. This is an important decision as it would expose the company to a whole new horizon of opportunities and risks ("Amazon to Begin International Rollout of Amazon MP3 in 2008."). The motive for this expansion seems to be the traditional need to expand beyond the domestic market and tap in that reserve of international customers. However more than that, this seems like an inevitable choice for Amazon given that competitor multinational firms such as Apple with its I-pod and I-tunes store already have an international base and may keep creeping on Amazon's customers. Apart from being the need of the hour, this expansion will allow the company to enjoy possibly higher return on investment given the rise in its customer base and increased sales could see quarterly profits rising steadily. The company may also be able to enjoy economies of scale in terms of learning as handling a diverse customer base will allow it to come into contact with and become adept at fulfilling unique customer requirements. This experience the company can use to bring innovation to its operations in the domestic market and other areas of the business, something other competitors in the domestic market may not be able to enjoy. Since the main focus of sales will be online, the company has the benefit of not having to make an alliance or acquisition of any companies as it is able to

Monday, November 18, 2019

Denny's Restaurant Chain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Denny's Restaurant Chain - Essay Example The restaurants never close except when legally necessary. Denny’s offers breakfast, lunch, dinner and salads. It was in the year 1977 that the company started its Grand Slam breakfast. In 1987, Trans World Corporation bought the Denny’s and soon, in 1991, the headquarters of Denny’s was moved to Spartanburg, South Carolina. Soon, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts bought a considerable amount of share in Trans World Corporation and then, forced the company to sell its many unimportant projects. Thus, Denny’s hotel chain became its primary business. Soon, Trans World Corporation renamed itself to Denny’s Corporation. Presently, the company trades under the symbol NASDQ: DENN. Today, the company operates through 1600 restaurants throughout 50 US states, Canada and Mexico. In addition, there are 578 Denny’s restaurants in Japan operated by a subsidiary of Seven & I Holdings, and there are seven Denny’s restaurants in New Zealand. Admittedly, the co mpany has a large number of special offers and gift programs that help keep the customers loyal and interested. One such activity is its practice of offering free meal to everyone who visits the restaurant on his or her birthday. Though this activity of promotion was dropped by the company in 1993, many individual franchisees even now continue this practice. Also, the company uses the latest technology so that every time it updates its menu, its franchisees easily manage to get the latest version in no time (Hughes Network Systems, 2011). In fact, a point that keeps the company afloat in the present diminishing economic situation is the quality and care it offers. To illustrate, the Dateline NBC conducted a thorough survey of 10 most popular dining chains in the US in the year 2004. In the survey, it was found that Denny’s had the lowest number of violations of health standards. According to the company, the reason behind this success in protecting the health of customers is the strict adherence to Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points. Though there arose many allegations of racial discrimination against the company, the company managed to improve its position and presently employs a considerable proportion of ethnic and minority staff. As of 2010, minorities represent 62% of the company’s total workforce and 41% of the overall management. In addition, 40% of all the franchisees are owned by minorities, and nearly half of the Board of Directors is minorities and women. Thus, for two consecutive years, the company entered Fortune’s ‘America’s 50 Best Corporations for Minorities’ list (Dennys.com, n.d). Like many other major restaurants that are primarily dependent on blue-collar consumers, Denny’s too has been hit by recession. For example, in the fourth quarter of the year 2008, sales fell by 6.1%. For the year, fall was 3.7%. As a result, the company stock price plunged 30.5% in a period of one year. Howev er, Denny’s was not ready to succumb to the recession. It started aggressive plans to meet the hard times. To attract the customers in the time of recession, Denny’s has adopted an aggressive strategy. The strategy is to practically give away the company. To illustrate, the company aired a commercial in February that offered free Grand Slam breakfasts to all who walk into the restaurant any time between 6 am and 2 pm, in the name Super Bowl. Admittedly, there was a rush and nearly 2 million

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Daimlerchrysler Ag Change Management Business Essay

Daimlerchrysler Ag Change Management Business Essay Change management means to plan, initiate, realize, control, and finally stabilize change processes on both, corporate and personal level. Change may cover such diverse problems as for example strategic direction or personal development programs for staff. Change is the continuous adoption of corporate strategies and structures to changing external conditions. Today, change is not the exception but a steady ongoing process. On contrast business as usual will become the exception from phases of turbulence. Change management comprises both, revolutionary one-off projects and evolutionary transformations Introduction to DaimlerChrysler AG DaimlerChrysler AG-the third-largest car maker in the world-is the product of the November 1998 merger of Daimler-Benz AG of Germany and Chrysler Corporation of the United States. Vehicles built by the resultant powerhouse include Mercedes-Benz luxury passenger cars; a micro compact car sold under the name Smart; Chrysler, Jeep, and Dodge cars, pickup trucks, minivans, and sport utility vehicles; and commercial vehicles, including vans, trucks, and buses, under the brand names Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner, Sterling, Setra, and Western Star Trucks. The companys revenue stream is heavily weighted toward the United States and Europe-the Mercedes Car Group and the Chrysler Group divisions account for the majority of company sales. The company has been plagued with problems in recent years related partly to its investment in Mitsubishi Motors. Its troubled Chrysler division experienced a $637 million loss in 2003 due to restructuring costs and slowing U.S. sales. In addition to its vehicle manufacturing operations, DaimlerChrysler is a leading provider of information technology services in Germany and offers a variety of financial services-including vehicle sales and leasing financing, dealer financing, and insurance services-primarily in North America and Europe. The European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS), which is 33 percent-owned by DaimlerChrysler, operate as the worlds second-largest aerospace and Defense Company. Models of change management Lewins model Unfreeze the current paradigm of the organization. This involves understanding the need for change. Then communicating that need to the people. People should be open to change in structure, behavior and thinking. Change the organization paradigm by introducing new theories in the organization. This is a lengthy process as the new method will take time to sink in. people will question the new method thus it is important that there is a strong channel for feedback. Refreeze the changed paradigm. This is the stage where the change is inculcated into the organization and people followed the changed methods as a part and parcel of the organization. Kotters 8 steps creating a vibe of change into the members gather supporters to guide change create a vision explain the vision to the supporters empower people to follow and spread the vision create shot objective or milestones improvements and feedback Inculcation of change by making it a part of structure and system. Complex model which recognize the need of individual organizations. Johnson Scholes and Whittingtons model identifies the variables that the organization faces. Time is how quickly change is needed. This can be identified by the Balogun and Hailys model. Scope is the degree of change that is necessary. Continuity what is the incremental factor History is the past experience of change Skills what capabilities are required and what do we have. Resources which are available for change management. Readiness is the willingness of people to accept change. Power is where the of the organization lies i.e. with management employees, stakeholders etc. McKinsey 7S framework identifies the areas that management need to focus on in order to manage change effectively Structure is the hierarchy and the departmentalization of the organization before and after the change. Strategy is the plans that organization makes i.e. when to compete? Where to compete? And when to compete? System is the alignment of the strategy with the business objective and at what level evolutionary stage the organization stands. Shared values is what type of culture prevails in the organization Style is the leadership style of the management. How are decisions made? Staff is the human resource of the organization. How trained they are and what staff is needed? Skill is the organizations ability to use its resources. Thus measure of the efficiency of the organization. Need for strategic change in Chysler Chysler has been to the top and now has lost most of its profit. Strategic intervention techniques The purpose of intervention techniques is to improve the efficiency and the effectiveness of the organization. Strategic intervention techniques focus on improving the processes through which ideas are generated and then gain feedback on the ideas. These techniques make some thing happen and also focus on what is happening French Bell Jr (1994). The reasons for interventions can be To gain feedback To educate people To invoke rapid change in the organization. Rapid and sudden change in the external environment Intense competition Driving forces for change in GM Driving forces are the reason that GM requires to change its strategy and align itself with the environment. Few of the forces that pressure Gm to change are as follows Low economic growth in the car manufacturing business has stumped most of the manufacturers. Car manufacturers on government support are making cars at a loss but yet there cars are in the market and cutting the market share of other companies. Japanese car manufacturers are making better cars at low price which is the main competition for GM. Change in technology in the industry has been an issue. Honda and Toyota have advanced in technology at a higher rate than GM. Rising oil prices have also caused the industry to rethink there strategy. Resource implications for GM GM CEO Rick Wagoner has put in a lot of effort to turn around GM since 1992.but his response to change in the environment was too slow. The resources of GM can be evaluated using 5 Ms model Money has been the problem for GM for sometime now but government is ready to help them but they do not have a turn around strategy. Manpower of GM has not been able to generate new ideas which show dulled motivation, and poor creativity skills by the management and other employees. Also GM is stuck in contacts with employees with huge pensions. Minutes time frame for adaptation has always been short for GM and it has always lagged behind the need of time. Material has very special item oil which has sky rocketed. So the price of car manufacturing is rising as well as the price of maintaining a car. Machinery has been the major issue for GM as its competitors have acquired new machinery and processes which are better than that of GM. Due to these factors GM has not been able to change. These are the forces that create resistance for change. Change and stakeholders Stakeholders are an integral part of the organizational paradigm. To bring change in the organization, stakeholders should own the change. The process of change should start from within the stakeholders. To change the culture stakeholders should realize that there is a need for change. Then they should be directed into the right direction. In Kotters 8 steps model for change the role of stakeholders can be incorporated. The model pushes the organization to make its own decision and define its process of change. Kotters model for change for GM Kotter gives a model of change in the organization in which the stakeholders are empowered to make change for themselves. I shall use this model to explain how GM can bring about change in the organization with the help of its stakeholders. Step 1: Create urgency For change to occur it is necessary the whole organization realizes the need for change and puts its effort in making the change. For this purpose managers can paint a grim picture of the future if continued on the same path. Explain to the shareholders the increase in ability of the organization to exploit its resources. There should be feed back from the stakeholders and there ideas should be incorporated in the change process. In case of GM it is not very difficult to paint a grim picture because the next step to bankruptcy is liquidation. The decline in the performance of the company has been a question mark for a long time now. So in GM people are ready for change and stakeholders support the management. Now there is need for discussions so that the ideas and the wills of the stakeholders can be incorporated in the change process. Step 2: Coalitions This is the point where the leadership emerges; people among the stakeholder should take charge of the groups. It is necessary that to identify the key leadership and make them commit to the change in the organization. This is necessary that people who are selected for the leadership believe in the change. In case of Chysler they have to find leaders in order to bring change. Recognition of the people who will help GM to evolve and to accept the changed processes is necessary, if it wishes to make any type of change in its strategy. Step 3: Vision for change When the process of change starts there are many idea of floating. All these ideals need to be linked together if in order to form a vision. This vision needs to be simple and understandable. The vision gives people a sense of direction; they understand the purpose of the change. For change to be successful you need to know the main idea behind the change. For this purpose prepare a summary of the future endeavors of the company. Knowing about the future helps people to support the organization. In case of Chysler the mission statement is quite clear G.M. is a multinational corporation engaged in socially responsible operations, worldwide. It is dedicated to provide products and services of such quality that our customers will receive superior value while our employees and business partners will share in our success and our stock-holders will receive a sustained superior return on their investment. But unfortunately Chysler has not been able to deliver. The vision of the Chysler needs to be communicated effectively through the organization. Every stakeholder needs to believe in the mission statement of Chysler. Step 4: Communication of vision Every person in the organization needs to know the objective of the change. The previous paradigm of the company will produce resistance against the new method. The New Mission statement needs to overcome the resistance and unite the organization on a single path to success. For this the management needs to address all the doubts and problems of the people. Divide the vision into smaller objectives and tie the performance of individual with the achievement of these objectives. In Chysler the management should take responsibility of communicating process of change through the organization. A process of change developed from the input of stakeholders is easier to communicate back. Step 5: Remove obstacles In the process of change, there will always be resistance. The objective of the management is to minimize this resistance and bring the stakeholders to a common platform on which everybody can express their opinion. As the process of change moves forward, there should be constant checks for any barriers to change. In Chysler the inner management has failed to provide change in the organization. The change in GM can be induced from the outside; perhaps a change agent will help GM over come change barriers. Another good way to bring about change is to award the people who embrace the change. Step 6: Create short term objectives For the process of change to work people need to know that it is working. For this management can divide the main objective in to simpler objectives. The management should thoroughly analyze the short term objectives such that they are achievable and motivation. For the achievement of every objective the employees should be rewarded. In Chysler that management need to step up and divide their long-term objectives into the short term goals. The management should make the stakeholders believe that they are capable of changing the business for the better. The most important stakeholder of GM is the government. The government needs to know that that GM can stand on its feet, for it to bail out the company. Step 7: Build on the change The process of change is not complete he unless and until the change culture has inculcated into the organization. Changes in many organizations fail because they do not fully implement the changed processes. The changed processes should become part and parcel of life in the organization. The people of the organization need to build on the changed processes and achieve even more success. The management of Chysler should not stop at making the government believed that they deserve a bailout, but should make efforts to build on the changed processes. Step 8: Change in corporate culture The most difficult thing to do in bringing about change into the organization is to change the culture of the organization. In history many of the mergers in companies have failed because they unable to merge the culture of the companies. Changing the culture of the company is a very long and hard process. Chysler will need to change the culture and introduce a fresh method to succeed in an unattractive industry. At this point the employees of General Motor will not be motivated; the management needs to bring faith back into the employees. Monitoring progress and conclusion The final step in the management of change would be to monitor the performance of the company. For this purpose appraisal of each of the activities of the company will be performed. The justification of activity will provide grounds by which the productivity of the activity will be measured. The idea of kaizen should become a part of the activities of the business. The process of change is very lengthy; it takes years for change process to become part of the culture. The management of the organization needs to be very patient and need to prioritize their objectives. In Chysler it is necessary that people accept the change and once the changed processes have settled in there should be continuous evaluation and revaluation. The U.S market has become very saturated thus not allowing the companies to grow as fast as they would like. For the companies to survive they need to use there resources with utmost efficiency.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Insanity in The Yellow WallPaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and A Rose

Comparing â€Å"The Yellow Wall- Paper† by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and â€Å"A Rose for Emily† by William Faulkner I picked two short stories that I would like to compare and contrast in this essay. The first story is called â€Å"The Yellow Wall- Paper† and was written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. The second story I chose is called â€Å"A Rose for Emily† and was written by William Faulkner. Both of these stories are about women who have serious mental problems. These stories are similar in that aspect, but there are also some differences. In this essay, I will compare and contrast these two short stories and determine which one best illustrates insanity. The first thing that I noticed about these stories was that they were purely fictional. I also noticed that they both had a weird twist. â€Å"A Rose for Emily† is about a woman who kills her lover and hides him in her home: The man himself lay in the bed. For a long while we just stood there, looking down at the profound and fleshless grin. The body had apparently once lain in the attitude of an embrace, but now the long sleep that outlast love, that conquers even the grimace of love, had cuckolded him. In â€Å"The Yellow Wall-Paper† the woman starts out normal and gradually sinks into depression. Her depression gets so bad that she begins to see objects in her wall paper: We have been here two weeks, and I haven’t felt like writing before, since that first day. ...

Monday, November 11, 2019

Ambassadors

Jenya Mavromati Panayiotis Karafotias IREL-480-9 For my paper I decided to write about the ambassadors of Denmark, The United States of America and Uruguay. His Excellency Mr. Tom Norring, the ambassador of Denmark, was one of the ambassador’s to come this semester. He decided to focus his speech not on his country but more on the global financial crisis and how it affected Greek economy. He said that even without the crisis the situation in Greece would have been messy. Despite the fact that Maastricht Treaty allows the GDP deficit in European countries not more than 3% Greece had deficit 6-7%.Ambassador said that in 2006-2007 the government of Kostas Karamanlis managed to restrain the deficit to the acceptable level, but later in 2008 they failed. Karamanlis hoped that he would be reelected and he promised to restrain the deficit, but people lost faith in him. Later George Papandreou revealed the new information about the deficit. The deficit for that time was not 8% but 12% . And thus the rescue program was established by the European Union. So Greece took course to the EU and the IMF. They wanted a hard cash and the EU and IMF tried to help with it. Then the restructuring fund was established.The public expenses had to be cut. As ambassador said â€Å"Greece has one of the biggest public administrations† and the cutting of public sector expenses will help to decrease the deficit. He also pointed out that 25% of Greek economy is black economy. The only one thing which he said about his country was that the Denmark is not the part of Eurozone. One of the reasons I enjoyed the speech of Danish ambassador was because he seemed very honest when talking about the topic. When giving his speech, he gave personal examples and continuously referred to the audience.The second ambassador was the ambassador of Uruguay, his Excellency Mr. Jose Luis Pombo Morales. He decided to focus his speech on his country and its relations with Greece and other European c ountries. Mr. Jose Luis Pombo Morales, talked about political system in Uruguay, that it is a  representative democratic  republic with a  presidential system. Also, he told us that, the members of government are elected for a five-year terms by a  universal suffrage  system. Uruguay is a  unitary state: justice, education, health, security, foreign policy, defence are all administered nationwide.The Executive Power is exercised by the  president  and a  cabinet  of 13 ministers. Plus to that, Mr. Ambassador talked about Uruguay as one of the biggest wool and meat exporter to the EU countries. Mr. Jose Luis Pombo, told the audience, that Uruguay is one of the most economically developed countries in South America, with a high  GDP  per capita and the 52nd highest  quality of life index  in the world. Uruguay is rated as the 2nd least corrupt country in  Latin America  (behind  Chile), although Uruguay scores considerably better than Chile on domesti c polls of corruption perception.Its political and labour conditions are the highest level of freedom on the continent. The third ambassador, I want to talk about, is the ambassador of the United States of America, his Excellency Mr. Daniel Smith. Ambassador focused his speech on Greek- Turkish relations and financial crisis. His speech was very diplomatic, and tried to keep neutrality, when some students asked him questions about problems in Libya and Greek-Turkish conflicts. But, Mr. Smith, gave very clear idea, about the USA and its foreign relations. Also

Saturday, November 9, 2019

The Importance of Answering Questions in Complete Sentences

The Importance of Answering Questions in Complete Sentences In language arts lessons, elementary school students learn that writing allows them to communicate ideas. But to do it effectively, they must understand the essential  elements of good writing.  This begins with sentence structure and unambiguous language that readers can easily comprehend. Some young students can find writing laborious. So, they often subconsciously rely on clipped answers in response to a writing prompt. For example, in a getting-to-know-you exercise at the beginning of the school year, you may ask your students to write answers to a few questions: What is your favorite food? What is your favorite color? What kind of pet do you have? Without instruction, the answers will likely come back as pizza, pink, or dog. Explain the Importance Now you can demonstrate to your students how, without context, those answers could mean something different than the writer intended. For instance, pizza could be the answer to any number of questions, such as: What did you have for lunch? What food do you hate? What food does your mother never let you eat? Teach students to answer questions in complete sentences to add detail and accuracy to their writing. Show them how to use keywords in the question itself as a cue when formulating their answer. Teachers refer to this technique as putting the question in the answer or turning the question around. In the example, the one-word statement pizza becomes a complete sentence, and a full thought, when the student writes, My favorite food is pizza. Demonstrate the Process Write a question on the board or an overhead projector for students to see. Begin with a simple question such as, What is the name of our school? Make sure the students understand the question. With first graders, you may need to clarify, whereas older students should get it right away. Then, ask students to identify the keywords in this question. You can help the class target them by asking the students to think about what information the answer to the question should  provide. In this case, its the name of our school. Now demonstrate to students that when you answer a question in a complete sentence, you use the keywords you identified from the question in your answer. For example, The name of our school is Fricano Elementary School. Make sure to underline the name of our school in the question on the overhead projector. Next, ask students to come up with another question. Assign one student to write the question on the board or overhead and another to underline the keywords. Then, ask another student to come up and answer the question in a complete sentence. Once students get the hang of working in a group, have them practice independently with a few of the following examples or with questions they come up with on their own. Practice Makes Perfect You can use the following examples to guide your students through skills practice until they get the hang of using complete sentences to answer a question. What is your favorite thing to do? Answer: My favorite thing to do is ... Who is your hero? Answer: My hero is ... Why do you like to read? Answer: I like to read because ... Who is the most important person in your life? Answer: The most important person in my life is ... What is your favorite subject in school? Answer: My favorite subject in school is ... What is your favorite book to read? Answer: My favorite book to read is ... What are you going to do this weekend? Answer: This weekend, Im going to ... What do you want to do when you grow up? Answer: When I grow up, I want to ...

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Objectivity in Journalism

Objectivity in Journalism Merriam Webster defines objectivity as expressing or dealing with facts or conditions as perceived without distortion by personal feelings, prejudices, or interpretations. Objective journalism, as defined by the book is fact driven journalism. In general I believe, it is impossible for a journalist to be completely objective because journalists are human and humans are subjective by nature. It is possible, however, for journalists to strive to be objective. The first article which I critique and analyze is an international article which directly affects me along with a specific category of people. The second is a local article about issues of parking which affect the larger population of Seattle. Both of the articles are from the Seattle Times.The first article that I have chosen is an international article about the U.S. bombing that took place in Najaf, Iraq. The technique the journalist uses to convey the message about the bombing for this particular article is objective journalis m using the inverted-pyramid style.English: Imam Ali Mosque - Shrine of: 1st Shia Ima...I believe the major function that is displayed by reading the article is the use of surveillance, and how the journalists create a "watchdog" on the U.S. government. The article does an excellent job of answering who, what, where, when which are generally at the begging of the article. This approach signifies that it is informing the reader and allows the reader to maintain a proper surveillance of what sort of action the U.S. government is taking overseas. Initially the article begins with "Radical Iraq cleric Muqtada al-Sadr was wounded in a U.S. bombardment of the holy city Najaf." This statements explicitly answers the questions of who, what, when, and where. It goes on further answering how it happened, "U.S. lead troops clashed with fighters loyal to al-Sadr near the Imam Ali mosque", "Smoke billowed across the city...

Monday, November 4, 2019

HIPPA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

HIPPA - Essay Example Reading current newsletters and journals would be pivotal since it provides update information on the new trends. The research would also encompass investigating how various related companies or organizations employ the HIPAA rules and regulations (Luxton, Kayl & Mishkind, 2012). While at this, I will be keen on the strengths and weaknesses of these organizations to ensure that the new practice redress any errors. Besides, personnel in the organization must also be interviewed to know their perceptions or attitudes towards the new policy (Luxton, Kayl & Mishkind, 2012). I would also study how the organization has attempted to comply with the HIPAA. All these will provide a good head start. I will be able to strategize a plan for the application of the HIPAA. Also, in order to ensure compliance, I would advise the physician about the security standards of HIPAA. They demand that they have the obligation of securing the patient electronic medical information (Luxton, Kayl & Mishkind, 2012). It should be done by using a series of procedures and mechanisms that aim at restoring the confidentiality, availability and integrity of the information. That is to say, that the physician is accountable of the medical information about the patient. In a case of any irregularity, the physician will be held responsible (Luxton, Kayl & Mishkind, 2012). The new medical practice location should be in a place enough security that will provide ample protection for both the electronic media and other documents. The information here is the one that is collected, maintained, used and transmitted by the physician (Luxton, Kayl & Mishkind, 2012). The general practitioner must know that the more discrete the new practice is regarding the medical information of pa tients, the more trustworthy it will become. HIPAA controls the manner in which a physician can use and disclose the health

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Healthcare Management Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Research Paper

Healthcare Management Centers for Medicare and Medicaid - Research Paper Example care has other responsibilities which include the standards for administrative simplification from the (Cms.gov, 2014) Accountability Act of 1996 and (Allgov.com, 2014) Health Insurance Portability. It also has another responsibility for worth standards in durable health care facilities through its certification process and survey (Cms.gov, 2014) process, quality standards for clinical laboratory under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments as well as oversight of HealthCare.gov. (Allgov.com, 2014) The Medicare together with Medicaid programs were contracted into law on 30th July 1965 (Cms.gov, 2014). LBJ who was the president by then is seen at the signing ceremony during independence at the Truman library in Missouri (Cms.gov, 2014). Truman who was the former president is also pictured seated beside him. President LBJ held the ceremony there in honor of the leadership of President Truman on health insurance. He had first proposed it in 1945. The most important legislative modification to Medicare referred to as the Medicare Modernization Act was as well signed into law by (Cms.gov, 2014) President George W. Bush (Cms.gov, 2014) from Texas, on 8th December 2003. This historic legislation is of significance to the outpatient as it adds the outpatient’s drug prescription advantage to Medicare and it also leads to many other significant changes (Cms.gov, 2014). A number of changes have been implemented (Cms.gov, 2014) to Center for Medical services programs since 1965 (Cm s.gov, 2014). In addition, the agencies that are concerned with the implementation of these programs have also changed (Cms.gov, 2014).The head of the Center for Medical services programs is as well the Administrator of the Center for both the Medicaid and Medicare Services (Cms.gov, 2014). This position of leadership is appointed by the president and the Senate confirms it. The Center for Medicare Services hires a total of approximately 4,100 employees 2,700 (Cms.gov, 2014) of the

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Critiques of Management Theories Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Critiques of Management Theories - Assignment Example This paper therefore gives an account of certain management theories by providing a detailed critique on each and how they affect organizational management. Additionally, the theories are going to be discussed in correspondence to the contributions of Frederick Taylor and Max Weber, and how they would have perceived each of these theories. Before getting into the main discussion of these management theories, foremost of all, Taylor’s and Weber’s contributions will thus be looked at briefly as discussed below. Frederick Taylor’s contributions to organizational management are considered very instrumental in changing the perceptions and approach to management. Taylor came up with what is known as scientific management. The theory is credited for the belief that it would improve the working environment by motivation employees through remuneration and maintaining that managers should concentrate on activities that promote worker’s cooperation. Weber on the othe r hand developed principles that came to be known as ideal bureaucracy which mostly insisted on the division of labor and specialization, positive relationship and competency as the key tools for effective management (Rainey, 2011). The Hawthorne Studies The Hawthorne studies were an analysis which was conducted between 1927 and 1932 at Western Electric’s Hawthorne Company in Cicero, Illinois. Several research teams engaged in the study including Elton Mayo and Fritz Roethlisberger from Harvard faculty members and William Dickson the head of Hawthorne’s employee relations research division. The study was focused on the effects of different levels of lighting on the productivity by controlling the lighting in the area in which the employees work. These were known as the physical and environmental influences of the workplace. The lighting or illumination studies also focused on the psychological aspects such as how lighting manipulates group pressure, leadership and team work. The employee’s group productivity was assessed and compared with that of another employee group whose lighting was left unaltered. The findings were that as illumination was increased in the experimental employee group, productivity also improved. This was suggested that it was due to the impact of the motivational effect on the workers as they were pleased by the attention from the researchers and as a result of the interests being shown in them during the study. Regardless of the experiment, one reasonable conclusion is that the productivity of the other group not exposed to lighting continued to increase considerably. The illumination studies after a while was therefore short-lived, but its evaluation effect is still practiced to date. These findings thus become the contributing factors to the strengths and weaknesses of the Hawthorne effect. The strength of this study is that it is surely a tool that gives a framework which can be used to increase the productivity o f workers within an organizational set-up through the motivation of workers, appreciating their work input and output, and maintaining quality working environments. This can be applied in today’s hospitals and healthcare systems, by improving the working conditions and work environments of medical staff and other personnel. Additionally, it enhances motivation on medical workers when consistent positive changes are made in the working environment, thereby enhancing work behavior and quality service delivery from hospitals and the health care systems. On the contrary, the weaknesses of the study are that as much as it

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Hinduism Essay Example for Free

Hinduism Essay Hinduism is the religion of the great majority of the people of India. The word comes from the Sanskrit sindhu, â€Å"river,† and originally referred to the Indus. Hinduism is actually a collection of many native Indian religions, past and present. It is responsible for the social structure of India, especially for the caste system (a hereditary class system). The oldest of the world’s great religions, Hinduism is the only one without a founder. It has never tried to win converts by force and has always tolerated other religions and absorbed ideas from them. Hinduism has about 20 sects, with beliefs that range from primitive forms of animism to the highest reaches of mysticism and philosophy. Many of the sects and cults seem to be separate religions. Yet all have a family relationship since they spring from common traditions and thrive on the conditions peculiar to India. Most have a mystic strain and all stress nonviolence. †¢ Describe the major tenets of the Hindu belief system. Hinduism has many sacred objects and places. The cow is the most sacred of animals and must be protected. Most sacred of all places is the Ganges River, to which millions go each year to bathe and to become purified. Hindus believe in rebirth, or reincarnation, and in what they call the law of karma. Under this law the conditions of each new lifetime are determined by the actions of the preceding life. To the Hindu, salvation consists of liberating the soul from attachment to worldly desires in order to gain union with Brahman. If a Hindu dies liberated he must be born again into this world and again endure its suffering.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

How Important Is Race In US Politics?

How Important Is Race In US Politics? I am the son of a Black man from Kenya and a White woman from Kansas, asserted Barack Obama in 2008; and for as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story possible. This speech came in March 2008; until this point candidates on both sides had avoided discussing race as an issue. Obama wished to establish himself as a candidate outside of race, yet ultimately this was not possible. Those opposed to this strategy ensured that race remained an integral factor in the 2008 election and the wider US political scene. Race can be seen to link to a variety of policy areas. For example, a recent New York Times article states that, four in 10 Black children are born into poverty [while] less than one in 10 White children are.  [2]  Statistics such as this demonstrate that race in connection with economics and class are central issues for US politics more generally. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention compiled an extensive report in January 20 11 detailing racial disparities in a broad array of health problems; highlighting the continual significance of race as a policy issue, particularly in popular discourse, as this report received much mainstream media attention.  [3]  Yet the subsequent issues raised by race have changed. No longer are blatant displays of racism socially or legally acceptable; so what is preventing us from deeming America a post-racial society?  [4]  Furthermore, why is a post-racial society the aspiration? On the one hand, it falls in line with the American principle of a united nation, yet on the other hand it is considered dangerous to attempt to embrace different cultures, after so many years of segregation. Furthermore, the absence of overt discrimination does not mean that exclusion has ended, rather, that the character of [such] discrimination has changed.  [5]   This paper shall argue the continuing importance of race in US politics, both through its overt influence on policy making as well as its implicit influence; as often discussions which avoid race are making an equally important statement. This essay shall consider race largely in terms of traditional binaries of Black and White. Incorporating an analysis of ethnicity will be too broad, particularly as language and immigration would need to be considered. Obamas election as a mixed-race American has brought traditional binaries of Black and White back to the forefront of discussions. While other minority groups do add another layer of complexity, analysis of this goes beyond the scope of this essay. A further constraint has meant that race will be discussed with regard to the domestic, and in particular, on a federal level. Historically race issues differed between states, and while there may still be variation regarding perceptions between more conservative or more liberal states, a discussion of federal policy regarding race will allow wider conclusions to be drawn. Race can be considered to encompass issues of governmental policy, party policy, public perceptions and political strategy. If race is viewed in this way it is possible to attempt to separate political and legislative conceptions of race from discussions of individual discrimination. The former is the focus for this paper. All of these factors become heightened during election years, where race continues to divide people, even within the same party. Notably, the emergence Tea Party faction on the Republican side, a platform for conservative populist discontent demonstrates views held are not true of all of the Republican Party; furthermore, it may not necessarily represent views of all Tea Party movements, as there is no single Tea Party.  [6]  It is the nature of US political parties to encompass huge variation within the main parties. Election years provide an increased awareness of the political, and as such will provide recent examples of the trends in racial politics. This c an be seen presently through the debate over Obamas place of birth; with the administration choosing to release the long birth certificate before the next election cycle. The argument will proceed through three substantive sections; firstly a discussion of race and the electorate; second, the factors which continue to shape racial inequality; and finally governing, including an analysis of candidate choice. Race and class Recent shifts in the American demographic are crucial to understanding how race as an issue has changed, particularly in the post-Bush era. This change in administration provided substantive change in some areas, but arguably not during the 2008 campaign period. Minorities did, and will, continue to be a secondary concern while White voters retain plurality status, this notion featured prominently in the 2008 general election, as voting statistics suggest parties will continue to bring White issues to the forefront in order to win elections. It can be seen that there is a glaring ideological disconnect between the desire and reality of a race-free society.  [7]  Teasley and Ikard, in their article The Myth of Postracism suggest the danger of complete investment in postracial thinking, particularly for the most economically vulnerable African American population. The prominent liberal view of racial policy suggests a cautious approach, favouring the idea of a colour blind society. While it is suggested that there is no currently viable alternative to a liberal vision of race, it can be inferred that at least racialism as a theory acknowledges the persistence of racism in America.  [8]  Critical Race Theory (CRT) favours a race conscious approach, reliant upon political organisation. In arguing the need for CRT, Metzler presents an argument for why the term postracial is meaningless as a critique.  [9]  Usefully, the theory also allows for intersections between race, class and sex. A basic premise is that while electoral decisions may claim to be colour blind they are actually steeped in racist ideology.  [10]  For example, it can be argued that race as a political factor will be avoided as much as possible; unless a politicians political survival depends on it. Example 2008 or Sotomoyar The premise of a race neutral campaign is to develop a coalition of support, regardless of race. Yet ultimately, there remains a divergence as to why different r acial groups voted for Obama, while many Whites voted for Obama as a way to move beyond race, many Blacks voted for him as a way to vindicate the entire Black race.  [11]  While the term vindicate may be unnecessarily emotive, the notion of collective Black support for Obama is significant as an example of the continual relevance of race in US electoral politics and the differing motives for voting behaviour. The mere suggestion that issues still exist as Black or White demonstrates the continuing importance of race. After his 2000 election victory, Bush was famously advised that if he did not improve his minority vote, he would be unable to win the next election. The pattern of immigration in the US has left the country with a large multicultural demographic. The nature of such immigration, being both forced through slavery, and voluntary, is a relatively unique phenomenon; as such racial issues are historically rooted in much of American society. This seems to make some of the electorate, particularly minorities, more inclined to talk about race, while often having the opposite affect among White voters. Due to the growth in minority populations, there has been a proportional decrease to the White population. In 2008, the Black population alone comprised 12.8% of the population. The national census of 2010 puts this original figure at 12.6%, demonstrating a further demographic shift, wi th African Americans no longer comprising the majority minority, with the Black population comprising a smaller proportion than other minority groups.  [12]  This suggests a limit to traditional oppositional binaries of Black vs. White, with new minorities gaining ever increasing populations, and in theory increasing significance. Binaries remain important, but it is important to realise that they do not always give us a complete picture; as an increasing number of citizens describing themselves as multi-racial, 3.4% in the last census.  [13]  However, in the 2008 election focus was not given evenly to each minority group. Perhaps because some minority groups are more valuable when translated into votes, or perhaps because some groups are more politically active than others. South Asian voters had a huge impact on the democratic primaries in 2008, particularly in California, yet the binary view continued to dominate discussions. This may have been a temporary fluctuation, en couraged by the race between a Black candidate and a White candidate for the presidency. Yet it seems that the trend is actually a continuation from a longstanding history of dealing in terms of Black and White issues of race. The Black community also remains much more vocal than other minority groups, particularly more assimilated Asian voters. Ultimately, binaries remain useful in demonstrating the importance of race in contemporary politics, as it remains that conflicts between Black issues and White issues are at the forefront of debate, particularly with regard to healthcare and education. In the 1990s, Bill Clinton restored the Democratic Partys competitiveness by mostly avoiding the race-specific rhetoric and policies that had helped drive disaffected White voters toward the Republican opposition. The boom he presided over produced political and economic benefits for African-American families as well as well as Whites, making him popular with both groups. Comparing this to the situation in 2008; a deeper analysis of Obamas poll numbers [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] indicates that very little changed in terms of voting habits in this election cycle.  [14]  Thus, on the surface it seems significant that Obama has successfully reproduced the polling numbers of Clinton, a White Southerner, adding substance to the post-racial argument.  [15]  Yet in context, Obama was nominated during a period of frustration with the outgoing Republican administration, at a time of economic uncertainty, and when a generation of African Americans had won elected office. Thus it can be seen how race as a domestic issue is closely interlinked with other factors, notably feeling toward the outgoing administration and the fluctuating state of the economy. As such, examples which are often cited to demonstrate the decreasing significance of race can actually be at least partially attributed to other factors. The socioeconomic divide in America is expanding; in a multiracial society where the races are unequal, there will often be a racial dimension to class differences, for class is an efficient recoder of racism.  [16]  Reed suggests that this is an historical trend, built on the back of enslaved Africans, as such, for Reed, race and colour have always been the ultimate determinants of socioeconomic status.  [17]  Yet it seems that the greatest divide came long after the period of reconstruction. Since 1970 the socioeconomic divide has become more evident; while the status of the most disadvantaged members of the minority population deteriorated, that of the advantaged has notably improved.  [18]  This is clearest in relation to the Black American population. As such, it seems that race becomes less important because of socioeconomic factors. The rate of improvement is also notable; in several areas, such as college attendance, Blacks [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] have made those improv ements at a relatively faster rate than the reported progress of comparable Whites.  [19]  Thus, the fact that the number of Blacks enrolled full-time at colleges and universities nearly doubled between 1970 and 1980 (to over 1 million) demonstrates that there is a growing economic schism between lower-income and higher-income Black families, with the lower members of the community being left behind.  [20]  Policies such as affirmative action enhance this trend, doing more for the more advantaged members of Black communities compared to those from lower incomes. With race being so closely connected to socioeconomic conditions, it only increases its importance as a factor in US politics as the subject becomes broader. Hooks divides the Black community into class groups, and suggests that this has a considerable impact on perceptions by both the Black and the White community.  [21]  The impact of this has been to divide the Black community into sub groups, with many of the higher-income families becoming increasingly assimilated with the White community. As a basic concept this is still relevant, yet much of what Hooks outlined has become dated. Hooks argued that class-based racial integration disrupted what he terms, racial solidarity in essence; that previously class standing was irrelevant to the Black community, but increased integration has erased this bond between communities.  [22]  While it can be accepted that there did exist a sense of community, it is not true to say this has diminished to the extent which Hooks believed. Significantly, it seems the nomination of Obama reignited a sense of Black community; the mobilisation of Black voters can be attributed to a growing sense of g roup consciousness and empowerment.  [23]  Yet what is more convincing, is Hooks argument regarding communities. The emergence of what has been termed, a Black middle class, has led to wealth being removed from communities, leaving the poor and underclass as isolated segregated communities.  [24]   Race and the media It is important to consider whether race can continue to be discussed independently, or if class is now a more important issue. It seems the two issues are, and have been, fundamentally intertwined, due to long standing inequalities linking back to before the Civil War. However, the extent of this has changed, and the emergence of Black middle class has led class to move toward the forefront of political discussions of race. It is significant to discuss how and why the public produce conceptions of race, with particular emphasis on the role of the media as a source. As a nation, America emerged from a unique system of oppression and slavery. As such, race remains deeply rooted in the lives of many Americans. In an age where post-racial politics seems to be a common aspiration, for electoral benefit as much as for issues of equality, it is important to realise how race continues to appear on the political agenda. Some significant events can be cited in contemporary American politics a s periods of change. The terrorist attacks of September 2001 permanently altered American domestic and foreign policy and new issues of race were raised with the growing politicisation of Islamophobia. More recently, with regard to the binaries discussed so far, came the political impact of hurricane Katrina in 2005. Worst affected by this disaster was the city of New Orleans, which had a substantial Black population. The suffering of the people of New Orleans allowed the Democratic Party to establish itself as an alternative; and allowed it to distinguish itself through the racial politics of hurricane Katrina. It gave the Democrats the chance to put race onto the political agenda, yet arguably Obama attempted to distance himself from this strategy. This task was made easier for the Democrats due to a period of highly publicised racial shaming. By the time of the 2008 election, the Democrats were seen as a viable alternative to the Republican Party, who were famously said not to ca re about Black people.  [25]  This quote from an influential Black performer became a popular sound bite, demonstrating the importance of the media, and as such it did much to contribute to Bushs unpopularity. Following hurricane Katrina, many people sought to answer the question of whether its social effects and the government response to the countrys biggest natural disaster had more to do with race or class. Or if again, they were unavoidably linked. An argument surrounds the prominence race received as a factor in the Katrina disaster. While liberals could be accused of citing race in an attempt to reference a wider, more historic discrimination against Blacks, it was not an effective strategy as it did little to alter government policy. Therefore, although addressing Katrina as a race issue had a profound effect on the electorate, it was only later that it began to really influence policy. However, it seems that concluding class to be a more significant factor, is to divert attention away from race, thus [discouraging] a deeper discussion about the ways race and class intertwine.  [26]  Ultimately, Katrina is a prime example of the intrinsic way race and class are intertwined, largely due to the historical nature of racism in the region, in relation to housing and neighbourhood distribution. Few comparisons were made between White and Black residents, but as Lavelle and Feagin suggest; only 17% of Whites lacked access to a car to evacuate with, compared to 60% of Black residents.  [27]  Media images showed nearly all those left suffering in New Orleans were Black Americans, making it seem like a race issue; however those in more financially stable positions were able to live in safer areas, those families most able to afford homes in safer flood-protected areas and that had resources to evacuate easily suffered much less than poorer families, seemingly suggesting a class issue. Furthermore, what is also significant about the Katrina example is the way in which the media reported the story. The media are one of the most effective methods of communication across the US, as such, what is reported is highly influential among the electorate; It is universally accepted that mass media hold great power, as they transmit information to the public and are free to highlight certain news items and ignore others, setting the agenda of public life and creating consensus or disagreement on certain issues.  [2 8]  However, it took until September, a month after the disaster, for the media story to shift from stories of Black crime to the failures of government in mediating the disaster. Representation of race in the media has often contained rigid stereotypes, particularly with regard to the traditional binaries. This becomes increasingly problematic when it is considered that the portrayal may equate to the only contact a member may have with a particular racial group. In a study carried out by Johnson, he highlighted this dilemma; questioning the consequences; If somebody is living in Boston, and all their information on Black Bostonians comes from the media, what does that look like?  [29]  Johnson purported that White owned media in Boston tended to report more according to stereotypes than the Black owned media. While it was the Black owned agencies that were said to carry more positive stories, alongside the negative. Conducting a follow up to this initial study in the 1980s, Johnson looked at the distribution of coverage at the turn of the century. While crime stories continue to top the kind of coverage given to African Americans, the percentage of this coverage has dropped. Among Black owned media, education stories became central, with crime stories being placed much lower. Perceptions are crucial in politics, particularly in such a vast nation as America. Kellstedt suggests that there is a lack of substantive evidence supporting the notion that media coverage of race actually affects public opinion in any systematic way, yet he goes on to assert that it is an underlying assumption that the media has helped shape the course of race politics.  [30]  Due to their communicative role, the way the media chose to relay stories, or even the choice in stories they portray, have a profound impact in the electorate; there is a discourse of racism that advances the interests of Whites and that has an identifiable repertoire of words, images, and practices through which racial power is applied.  [31]  However, although the media still dominate communication, candidates are having an increasingly close relationship with the electorate through mediums such as social networking. As such, it seems candidates are getting increasing access to the electorate, thus racial issues can be dealt with or avoided, as the candidates chose. Of course this is relative, and the media will always retain the power of scrutiny, as is the nature in a liberal democracy. If the media shape the political agenda in the aforementioned way, then what constitutes a racial issue? It seems any number of issues could constitute a racial issue. For example, with regard to education the percentage rates of high school graduates can be used to summarise that Black students are still failing at an alarming rate compared with White students.  [32]  Or with regard to housing; although overt discrimination is no longer practiced, other practices still take place to isolate minorities from the housing market. Issues regarding joblessness, healthcare and criminal justice all continue to disproportionally affect people of colour. But what is important to question is whether these issues should be framed as racial issues, or whether this in itself is an acknowledgement of a continual inequality. If the nation were to truly adopt colour blind policies, then the theory would suggest that issues should be discussed independently from race. As such, a policy about the environment should be isolated, even though it may impact disproportionately communities of colour. But if these issues are no longer treated in isolation, politicians can be accused of pandering towards affirmative action, which is still viewed sceptically by many of the electorate. To acknowledge that so many political issues can become issues of race acknowledges the uniqueness of race as an issue area. Whether the trade-off between isolating policies is acceptable, or desirable, gets to the heart of racial policy in the USA. Is Race neutrality possible? Finally, it will be useful to look at the last presidential campaign, in order to discuss whether it can be concluded that the campaign was race neutral, and why this may have been an aspiration to so many candidates.  [33]  While this may have been the intention, partisan strategy among other factors, ensured that race was not allowed to remain off the political agenda. This continued to be true in light of the 2010 midterm elections, even though Obama was not on the ticket, much discussion among the media was once again given to his African American status and the impact this would have. Race can be seen to affect politics both implicitly and explicitly. Candidate choice was undoubtedly the aspect of race occupied most by the media. The beginning of the campaign was in line with the notion of an inclusive America. Yet the campaign shifted with the widespread circulation of Reverend Wrights sermon, in which he controversially said, the government lied about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq being a threat to the United States peace.  [34]  Obamas candidacy became very clearly race bound. At this point Obama had to justify himself in racial terms, which was a strategy which had been avoided until this point. The significance of what has since been termed Obamas race speech in 2008 is not just that it was the first point in the campaign that race became openly discussed, but it is rather what Obama did in this speech, he acknowledged the continual tensions; a part of our union we have yet to perfect.  [35]  He demonstrated that he was a clear personification o f both oppositional binaries, while offering an ability to transcend them. Black support can be seen to be both a strength and weakness for democrats. Black support can alienate other groups of voters, traditionally there have been tensions between the Black and Hispanic communities.  [36]  De-racialization is seen during campaigning when candidates attempt to avoid explicit references to race issues, in attempt to remain inclusive. Concurrently, candidates use implicit strategies such as using racial symbolic Black and Latino faces in their literature; while putting increased emphasis on issues which are perceived to be racially transcendent and ultimately, attempt to appeal to a broad selection of the electorate.  [37]  Thus even when race is not vocalised during an election, it still plays a vital role. Charles Hamilton first proposed a race neutral strategy in 1973,  [38]  Obama has been said to follow such strategy, in that he did so much to avoid discussing race as an aspect of his campaign.  [39]  The supposed advantage of such avoida nce is to encompass the widest possible selection of the electorate. With regard to voting behaviour, issues need to be directed at those who will provide the swing vote. There are limitations on the political power and influence of minorities, thus making it rational for parties to focus on the White majority, and to use deracialisation strategies.  [40]  For example, Democrats traditionally receive a disproportionate share of the minority vote, as such, it is in their interest to direct policy to White issues because they can rely on receiveing Black votes regardless; thus, the United States has racially polarized politics while race, itself, is depoliticised.  [41]  The running of a race neutral campaign is an acknowledgement in itself of the importance of race. If accepting that Black and White voters continue to prioritise different issue areas, it is also true to acknowledge that the running of a race-neutral campaign can be difficult to balance. The aim is to attract White voters without losing a connection to the Black community. Race will continue to be an issue even after the election period ends. With regard to Obama, it is again a new phenomenon; if it assumed that the race neutral campaign will extend to an attempt at race neutral governing, then Obama will continue to avoid the issue of race. This has been seen through the first half of his first term. Race issues are not overtly mentioned unless completely necessary. However this is not due to Obamas skilled pragmatism. In fact, it seems Obama may be constrained by those who elected him in the first place, as well as by the partisan tactics of the Republican opposition. If Obama had mounted a concerted series of racial policy issues, then White voters may have felt alienated. A lot of the early fears from the campaign would be perceived to be correct: for example that Obama was an African American; interested in prioritising minority issues. This goes against the intended pluralistic nature of US politics. Reed claims that Americans will have to mount a concerted effort to have Obama promote anything regarded as a Black issue.  [42]  Thus, have African American issues actually been side-lined and consequently jeopardised through the election of the countrys first Black president. If Obama does continue to down play racial issues, Conservative arguments declaring the irrelevance of race will be strengthened.  [43]  Conservatives use Obamas image as a sign that racism is dead, while at the same time evoking race strategies against him.  [44]  Race becomes an unavoidable issue of cont Toyota: Sustainable Strategies And Global Success Toyota: Sustainable Strategies And Global Success The global auto industry is a key sector of the economy for every major country in the world. A huge invests in research, development and production result in gaining high industry performance (OICA, 2010). The high competition of key players in automotive include; BMW, FIAT, Ford, General Motor, Honda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Peugeot Citroen, Toyota, Renault, Volkswagen, Hyundai and Daimler à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..(Datamonitor, 2010). Toyota Motor Corporation has become one of the most successful companies in the world today. In 2010, Toyota was ranked number 5 of the worlds largest corporations (Fortune, 2010) and number 11 of the best global brands (Interbrand, 2010). It is also considered as the most profitable organisation of automobile (Datamonitor, 2010). For almost 15 years J.D Power and other research firms have consistently rated Toyota and its luxury line, Lexus, among the top automotive brand. Over 50 years automotive operation worldwide and its launched the world first commercial hybrid car, Prius, enhance Toyota more strengthen and gaining high competitive advantage over the rivals in term of its reputation and reliability, initial quality, and long-term durability (J.D Power, 2010; Stewart and Raman, 2007). Thus, study of Toyota international business operation could be provided distinctive knowledge for researcher in term of strategic implementation from some well-known literatures and an investigation of some facts and information could enhance more analytical skills. Therefore, this report will start with the analysis of automobile industry including; market overview, market size and it competition situation. Follow by the reviews of Toyota Motor Corporation. Then, it strategic management will be examined. After that, Toyota performance assessment will be scrutinized. Strategic analysis will be provided in order to obtain deep analysis of corporation. Finally, conclusion part will be summarised all information according to the researchers study. 1. Automobile Industry 1.1 Market Overview Due to the progressive globalization, the climate change and the idea of air quality improvement, automobile manufacturers have put more efforts to create sustainable development which is to minimise fuel consumption and exhaust emission (UNEP, 2002). They have also made use of advanced technological solution to reduce waste and emission in the factories as well as to improve the vehicle safety and recycling ideas (Oliver Wyman, 2010; UNEP, 2002). Moreover, it is very crucial for the industry to continue the concept of great product design and innovative development such as the initiative in hybrid technology (Sturgeon, 2009, Oliver Wyman, 2010). In addition, Sturgeon et. al. (2009) explained four characteristics of the automobile industry which are: A small number of huge firms have more power than small companies. Eleven huge and dominant companies from three countries including Japan, Germany, and the USA. The automobile industry has developed strong regional structure along with globalisation integration. The final product assembly of vehicle has been moved to the home market due to political sensitivity issues. There are only few generic parts and component systems that can be fit to all products. Therefore, it has to be customised before production. The automobile markets condition has also been driven by globalization which can be divided into four categories Market globalisation drivers, Cost globalsation drivers, Government globalisation drivers, and Competitive globalisation drivers (YIP, 1992). The firms should understand and recognize these drivers in order to evaluate and gain their competitive advantages. Analysis of the globalisation drivers for the automotive industry is demonstrated in Figure 1. Figure 1: Yips globalization drivers of automobile industry Source: Authors own 1.2 Market Size The global market of new cars has been recovered from a decline in value in 2008. In 2009, the market rose by 2.7% and reached a value of $1,019.2 billion while its combined annual market growth rate was just 2.1% during 2005 2009. According to the pie chart shown on Figure 2, Toyota Motor Corporation took a 15.3% share of the markets volume being a leader in the market, compared to Volkswagen (14.2% ) and Ford (8.1%) (Datamonitor, 2010). Figure 2: Market size and share of automobile Source: Adapted from Datamonitor (2010) 1.3 Porters Five Forces Porters five forces (Porter, 1980) is the crucial tool to be used to analyse the important forces that determined the competitive power of automobile industry as illustrated in figure 3 understand both the strength of your current competitive position, and the strength of a position youre considering moving into. Figure 3: Porters five forces Source: Authors own Threat of New Entrants It can be said that there is low threat of new entrants in the automobile industry since it has reached the mature stage of the product life cycle. If a new company wants to enter the market, it needs to achieve economic of scale cost reduction and mass production. Consequently, the new comer is required to have a huge amount of capital in order to own its automotive manufacture and innovative technology. Moreover, it is quite difficult for a new player to have its distribution channel and dealers due to the strong channel of the key companies and their reputation. Bargaining Power of Suppliers In order to produce a vehicle, it consists of many components perform final product assembly. A lot of suppliers are then involved in production process. They are very similar due to the fact that raw materials are not different. As a result, it will be very easy to change suppliers since they have low bargaining power. Bargaining Power of Buyers Consumers are the main players in this industry since the automotive business depends on them. It is not difficult for them to switch the brands if they are not satisfied. However, in order to purchase a new car, they have to deal with a dealer only. Therefore, it can be said that there is moderately high bargaining power of the buyers in the automotive industry. Threat of Substitute Products Public transport, walking, cycling etc. can be substitute products for automobiles. Also, the geographic location has considerable effect on consumers purchasing decision. People in Venice, for example, travel by boat only. However, it will be more convenient to use automobile in order to go to most places. Consequently, threat of substitute products is moderately low. Intensity of Rivalry among Competitors There is very high intensity of rivalry among competitors due to a lack of product differentiation. It is found that the key players in the industry are fairly balanced; therefore, one can easily gain the others market share. As a consequence, in order to advertise a product, the company has to consider and compare all aspects including quality, price, durability, and others to its competitors. 1.4 Strategic Groups Analysis Porter (1980) defined a strategic group as a group of companies in an industry which implement similar strategy. According to figure 4, it can be seen that the mass market follows cost leadership strategy while differentiation strategy is implemented by the luxury group (Peng, 2009). The ultra-luxury group generally utilises focus strategy (Peng, 2009). For Toyota Motor Corporation, Toyota and Scion brands are developed by cost leadership strategy to compete in the mass market whereas it distributes Lexus brand for Luxury market (Toyota, 2010). Figure 4: Strategic group analysis Source: Adapted from Peng (2008) and Henry (2008) Furthermore, Oliver Wyman (2010) suggested that the automobile industry can be split up onto two different types of companies including mega groups and independent champions. Mega groups have their own manufacturers, technologies, platforms, and engines whereas independent champions depend on channel resources and their networks. Consequently, Toyota has been considered as maga groups due to the reasons above. This can be illustrated by successful OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) paradigm as shown in figure 5. Figure 5: Successful OEM diagram Source: Adapted from Oliver Wyman (2010) 2. TOYOTA Motor Corporation 2.1 Company Background Toyota Motor Corporation, a Japanese automaker, was established in 1937 by Kiichiro Toyoda (Toyota, 2010). Owning to its solid finance and an increase in demand of vehicles, it had become one of the strongest carmaker around mid-2008 (IHS, 2010). This is also because of its potential business strategy focusing on product innovation and its production efficiency (Takeuchi, Osono, and Shimizu, 2008). Finally, in 2010, Toyota was ranked number 5 of the worlds largest corporations (Fortune, 2010) and number 11 of the best global brands (Interbrand, 2010) 2.2 TOYOTA Global Vision 2020 Toyotas vision is to investigate and balance the relationship between the cycles of nature and the cycles of industry. Thus, its slogan is Open the Frontiers of Tomorrow which expresses the desire of Toyota and the efforts of its employees toward the realization of societys dreams in order to build a way to a new world. The Toyota group believes that it can be accomplished though the energy of people and technology (Figure 6) (Toyota, 2010). Figure 6: Toyota global vision 2020 Source: Adapted from Toyota (2010) 2.3 TOYOTA Biodiversity Guideline Biodiversity framework (Figure 7), one of the sustainability principles of Toyota, was developed in order to emphasise on three areas; contributions through technology, collaboration and cooperation with society, and information disclosure (Toyota, 2010). Figure 7: Toyota biodiversity guideline Source: Adapted from Toyota (2010) 2.4 TOYOTA Corporate Social Responsibility Toyota CSR policy consists of three main areas including social, environmental, and economic aspects (Figure 8). Based on its guideline principle, Toyota implements all business activities in order to create harmonious and sustainable society in each country (Toyota, 2010). Figure 8: Toyota CSR policy Source: Adapted from Toyota (2010) 3. Toyota Strategic Management 3.1 The Toyota Way In 1935, Sakichi Toyoda, the founder of the company, originally purposed five key principles to develop company and its employees beliefs (Toyota, 2010). After that, in order to provide rigorous training to the new generation of its employees, the company realised that these five important principles should be documented and divided into two pillars (Figure 9) which are Continuous improvement and Respect for people (Toyota, 2010, Stewart and Raman, 2007). For the first pillar, Continuous improvement can be called Kaizen which is Toyotas basic business management (Liker, 2004). It also focuses on individual learning and improvement by evaluating ones self and being creative in order to achieve goals. Also, Toyota presents its second pillar by providing employment security and developing employees participation and responsibility in order to build understanding, trust, and loyalty among the team members (Liker, 2004). Figure 9: The Toyota way Source: Adapted from Toyota (2010) 3.2 New JIT a Management Technology Strategy Model of Toyota A unique business strategy of Toyota called New JIT (Figure 10) has brought about its successful management and operation in the global market. New JIT is a management technology strategy model including three key areas; Toyota Marketing System (TMS), Toyota Production System (TPS), and Toyota Development System (TDS) (Amasaka, 2002, 2007). Figure 10: A management strategy model Source: Amasaka (2002) 3.3 Toyota Production System (TPS) Toyota production System (TPS) is the distinctive production system which enhances Toyota gaining higher competitive advantage over it competitors (Toyota, 2010; Amasaka, 2002; Takeuchi, Osono, and Shimizu, 2008). Taiichi Ohno invented TSP strategy in late 50s. Today this strategy became one of the most production efficiency in the world and many leading company use this platform extensively as an ideal prototype (Toyota, 2010; Takeuchi, Osono, and Shimizu, 2008). TPS designed House platform which mean that everyone can understand how it works (Figure 11). Toyotas global strategy on production is simple: Toyota Production Systems (TPS). TPS was designed by Taiichi Ohno who was in charge of production for Toyota after WWII. Ohno implemented this strategy in the 1950s and 60s and today Toyota is one of the worlds most efficient factories because of TPS. The goal of TPS is to provide the best quality, lowest cost, and shortest lead time through the elimination of waste (Toyota, 2010, Amasaka, 2002). Below is the actual Toyota Production System layout in its form of a house.(Figure 11). Figure 11: Toyota production system Source: Toyota (2010) 3.4 Key Management Drivers Takeuchi, Osono, and Shimizu (2008) pointed out the key of Toyotas success called Toyota six forces. It is influencing contradictions inside Toyota organisation can be divided into three forces of expansion and three forces of integration. Three forces of expansion causes changes and improvements in the company which are include setting impossible goals or near-unattainable goals from the view point of senior executives, local customization by producing products to suit local market needs and customise business operations under the same platform in each country and region, and experimentation that Toyotas eagerness to experiment helps it clear the hurdles that stand in the way of achieving near impossible goals. Another three forces of integration controls the balance between expansion and transformation. It can be seen this integration from values from the Toyota founders vision commitment and performance, up-and-in people management, and open communication to all level of employee closely. 4. Assessing Toyota Performance 4.1 Brand and Product Performance In the market of passenger cars, Toyota owns and operates 3 major brands; Toyota, Lexus and Scion (Toyota, 2010). Toyota offers more than 116 models distributing through different segments and provides customised models to attract local customers of each region in order to increase its sales volume (IHS, 2010). It can be seen Toyotas model strategy as shown in Figure 12. Figure 12: Model strategy Source: Adapred from Toyota (2010) 4.2 Global Operation and Expansion According to figure 13, on March 31st, 2010, Toyota had got 300,000 employees and 66 plants in 27 countries and regions with approximately 170 distributors and 8,000 dealers worldwide (Toyota, 2010). The efficient Toyota Production System (TPS) and high RD lead Toyota to a stronger position than its rivals in the automobile market (Takeuchi, Osono, and Shimizu, 2008). According to Toyota (2010) the number of vehicle had produced in FY2010 were 6,809,000 units. It was decreased slightly when compared to last four years. The major products which distribute worldwide came from Japan plants (58.1%) follow by Asia (15.6%) and North America (15.3%) (Figure 14) (Toyota, 2010). Regarding to distribution strategy, there are two main logistical concepts which are regional bases approach and dock-based approach are implemented by Toyota (Toyota, 2010). Despite the fact that Toyotas head office is located in Japan, its subsidiaries were founded over the world in order to create multiple regional headquarters including North America, Asia, Europe, and others ; (IHS, 2010). This means that the company can utilise localisation strategy to satisfy different customers needs in each country. On the other hand, dock-based operation is used to manage the inspections and quality control before distributing to the regional dealers again (Toyota, 2010). Figure 13: Toyota operation Source: Toyota (2010) Figure 14: Toyota production Source: Toyota (2010) 4.3 Financial Performance During FY 2010, Toyota posted better-than-expected results despite the global massive recall saga, which affected almost 10 million vehicles worldwide. For the 12 months ending 31 March 2010, the automaker returned to profitability on the back of swift cost-cutting measures and strong sales recovery in major markets, including Asia, rebounding from its first-ever annual loss posted during the previous fiscal year. The automaker posted a net profit of  ¥209.4 billion (US$2.25 billion) during FY 2010, compared with a net loss of  ¥437.0 billion during the previous fiscal year. Operating profit stood at  ¥147.5 billion, versus an operating loss of  ¥461.0 billion during the previous fiscal year, while pre-tax profit at the company stood at  ¥291.4 billion, compared with a pre-tax loss of  ¥560.4 billion, respectively. The significant improvement in operating earnings was largely thanks to  ¥520 billion in savings through cost-cutting efforts, and  ¥470.0 billion in savin gs through a reduction in fixed costs. Revenues at the company declined by 7.7% y/y, however, from  ¥20.5 trillion to almost  ¥19.0 trillion, as a result of the drop in vehicle demand in major markets, including North America and Europe, and unfavourable currency translation effects. Figure 15: Financial performance Source:Toyota (2010) 5 Toyota Strategic Analysis 5.1 Competitive Strategy According to Porters generic strategy (Porter, 1980), it can be said that Toyota is placed in the group of stuck in the middle. However, Thompson and Strickland (2008) mentioned this strategy could be named as Best-cost provider since Toyota offers customers more value for money low cost products with comparable quality and features. This is because of Toyotas revolutionary lean production system based on product differentiation strategy with understanding of customers, rather than a relentless pursuit of cost reduction in the cost leader category (Thompson and Strickland, 2008). As shown on Figure 16. Figure 16: Toyotas competitive strategy Source: Authors own 5.2 Core Competency One main characteristic that Toyota always emphasises is Quality. Consumers make their decision to buy this brand because of its reliability and its durability. Moreover, in order to stress its quality, it has been said that the vehicles are Made by Toyota. This means that the quality of its vehicles is exactly the same even though they are produced from different part of the world (Toyota, 2010). However, there is another remarkable feature that Toyota has made efforts to create and present in order to change consumers perception. It is Innovation. In 2000, Toyota launched Pirus Hybrid to introduce its sustainable technology (Toyota, 2010). This product gained customers attention and were sold out about a million in the mid of the year. As a result, Full hybrid has become its core competent technology in 2010 (Toyota, 2010). Last but not least, it is its unique production system called Toyota Production System (TPS). This system includes Just-In-Time (JIT), one-piece flow, Kaizen (continue to improve), Jidoka (automotive stop), and Heijunka (leveled production) leading Toyota to provide the best quality, the lowest cost, the shortest lead time, and the best safety (Amasaka, 2002). Consequently, Toyota can achieve highly competitive advantages over its competitors. 5.3 SWOT Analysis Strengths The strong reputation and brand image is a significant competitive advantage to boost companys sales in both domestic and international market. Consumers recognize Toyota brand and its popularity so they are more willing to pay for its premium products. Research and Development (RD) has been emphasised to ensure and enhance its quality and its safety. Also, Toyota always pays more attention on environmental compatibility when developing new products. With its strong and powerful distribution channel and dealer network, Toyota can distribute and sell its products through 170 distributors and 8,000 dealers across the world. Toyota Production System (TPS) has been successfully developed leading Toyota to gain efficient production with the best quality, the lowest cost, and the shortest lead-time. Weaknesses Due to two safety recalls announced by Toyota, consumers have less confidence in its products and its brand image. This also has a significant impact on companys share price causing a drop of stock exchanges in Japan and overseas. Employees pension fund has been decreasing owning to the financial instability. Toyota has been forced by regulation about unfunded pension; therefore the company cannot control its liquidity position. Opportunities Regulation about energy saving and emission provides a great opportunity to Toyota since it has been developed Prius, a hybrid vehicles over the years. Hybrid technology is one of the most valuable competitive advantages of Toyota enhancing it to gain higher market position. In the next ten years, China, India, and South East Asian countries are forecast to be a key driving automotive market. Therefore, Toyota should take this opportunity to obviously present its brand in the Asain markets which could help increase its market share effectively. Due to many new cars launched by Toyota during 2009-2010, the company will be able to gain higher customer interest contributing greatly to companys sales growth. The global automobile industry has been recovered from the economic recession and is expected to gradually accelerate in next year. Toyotas products and service can be expanded since they can be sold and distributed through its distribution network over the world. Threats Since there is high competition in the automobile industry, sale of Toyotas vehicles may be low and affect the companys finance and operation. Due to the different emission standard in different country, Toyota who sells and distributes products and service to more than 100 countries has additional cost in order to test, develop, and manufacture each product for each country. Toyotas financial status is quite sensitive to foreign currency exchange fluctuation, especially the Euro, and the US dollar affecting material cost and price of products sold in foreign currencies. Conclusion The key success of Toyota based on the integration of its competitive advantage and its business philosophy of understanding people as well as balancing cycles of nature and industry. The constant RD and excellent product innovation have a massive effect on Toyotas performance its market growth and its market share. The operational excellence is implemented as a strategic weapon in order to improve its products and quality through its production strategy. The Toyota Production System (TPS) is efficiently developed and effectively integrated with Toyota Marketing System (TMS) and Toyota Development System (TDS). Local customisations and multi-segmentations build Toyota more powerful than its rivals and gain positive perception from local consumers.