Author: chris

Dexter: “Love American Style” (Season 1, Episode 5)

The television series Dexter, directed by Robert Lieberman, explores the fictional life of Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), a serial killer and blood spatter analyst in Miami. Its season 1 episode entitled “Love American Style” (2006) depicts how insecurity, greed, and corruption are common problems affecting the society. This theme is developed in part by the show’s treatment of cultural identity.

To depict cultural identity effectively, the film director Lieberman features Hispanics, Asians, whites, and blacks, thus presenting the full range of Florida’s demography. In particular, the show talks about cultural identity issues in Cuban American society through characters such as Sgt. Angel Batista (David Zeyes) and more focus at Jorge Castillo (José Zúñiga). Life in the diaspora is presented through Cuban food, music, culture, and religion (Episode 1). However, the Cuban characters are painted as being power hungry, manipulative, murderous, and sexually deviant.

Angel Batista, homicide detective, is struggling with a relationship, which is a Cuban societal issue. In the first episode, Batista is revealed as an unfaithful man who is involved in several sexual scandals; he is in the process of a divorce. He is a heavy drinker who casually engages in illicit sex. The connection between Batista’s sexual desires and Cuban ethnicity are made clear from his language use (“la passion”). The detective’s career is constantly at risk because of his obsession with women. Batista is depicted as typical Cuban characters based on power thirst and immorality.

Jorge Castillo is presented as a character suffering from his cultural identity. Castillo lives in denial of his Cuban race and culture. Castillo leaves the dead bodies in the ocean, where they are washed ashore and the bodies handled as those of illegal immigrants. Castillo is a rich person who drives very expensive cars, lives in a beautiful home by the ocean, and operates a junkyard as a cover to his illegal operations.

Castillo is married to Valerie, a beautiful, blue-eyed, blonde woman. The couple believes their luxuriant life is a real reflection of the American dream. Castillo is culturally assimilated by North American culture. His intermarriage with Valerie clearly demonstrates this. Marrying a white woman shows that the social gap between the two races has been narrowed.  Castillo is ascending into white American Society through Valerie (1.5).

To live the American dream, Castillo fights against his Cuban identity to assume the North American culture. He asserts that he is a white through marriage and lifestyle, though not through birth. His junkyard is a symbol of his identity crisis. It is full of old car parts and a rusted car which is a representation of Castillo’s tainted morality. His personality has been damaged by his chase for the American dream. Dexter accepts this fact and admits he finds it difficult to understand why “Americans” are obsessed with cars. He believes that the chase of American dream is difficult and robs people their sanity, he says another American dream is his nightmare (1.5).

The junkyard is also a hiding place for fishing boats and trafficked people. In most cases, the victims are murdered. In doing so, Castillo believes he is fulfilling the American dream. Human trafficking is the way he affords his lavish lifestyle (the American lifestyle). Further revelation of Castillo’s ill character is seen during his conversation with Dexter.  Castillo talks of “a row boat with a hole in it” in reference to his gradual way of luring his victims before killing them.

Castillo pretends to have very limited Spanish knowledge. In essence, this was a message to Dexter that he was a fellow American. He says, “I’m American, pal, just like you.” Later, Castillo is seen ordering immigrants into the junkyard in Spanish (1.5). Castillo thus stands out as a man having a cultural identity crisis.

In Dexter (Love American Style), Cuban’s have been portrayed as people suffering from cultural immorality. Cuban are power thirsty, manipulative, murders and sexually deviant. Possibly, this explains why some members of the society are fighting to detach themselves and find new roots. Castillo is an example of a Cuban who is dissatisfied with his own community and seeks solace in pursuit of American dream. The director of the film has not only succeeded in painting the bad Cuban cultural setting but also provided audience a chance to compare it to the “ideal” American culture.  Through the pursuit for American dream, it is clear that Cubans believe in a better lifestyle with moral values.

 

Work Cited

“Love American Style.” Dexter. Showtime. 1 Oct 2006.

International Strategy Report: Coca-Cola Company

Coca-Cola Company is a multinational business organisation with headquarters at Atlanta, Georgia, United States (US). The company is listed at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE); Coca-Cola Company specialises in non-alcoholic beverages syrups and concentrates. The organisation dates back to 1886 after John Stith Pemberton, a pharmacist who discovered the Coca-Cola formula, which was later, developed into a brand in 1889; incorporation of the Coca-Cola Company dates back to 1892. It is worth noting that Coca-Cola Company offers other brands numbering to more than five hundred and distributed to over two hundred nations in the world. It is estimated that Coca-Cola Company serves more than one point seven billion each and every day (Coca-Cola Company, 2011 p. 9).

1. Business environment

Micro-environment

Micro-environment affecting Coca-Cola Company identifies with the company, suppliers, marketing intermediaries, customers, competitors and the public. Operations of the Coca-Cola Company depend on the target nation since business environment varies with diverse dynamics within the business environment. The board of directors with the inclusion of commercial managers, country manager and the human resources manager have the responsibility of overseeing the operations of Coca-Cola Company within the target nation. It has been noted that the board of directors have the responsibility of setting general policies and goals of the company within the boundaries of the nation. The supply chain managers are under the board of directors and accorded the responsibility of the providing the Coca-Cola products and services in a timely manner. Financial managers have the responsibilities of managing financial assets within the nation in developing the marketing plan, in which the marketers engage the plan in instituting the budgets. Regional managers are responsible for the subdivided regions within a nation. Public Affairs and Communications manager has the sole responsibility of enhancing business relationships among the partners and stakeholders and in making sure those connections with the global community is at the required standards (Pendergrast, 2013 p. 130).

Suppliers are organisations or individuals who enhance input to the organisation within a nation. Marketing management within the nation of operation has the responsibility of making sure that all the materials needed are in place and that accurate assessment is made depending on the changing business environment. Marketing intermediaries are businesses and individuals supporting the consumption, distribution and promotion of the services and products offered by the Coca-Cola Company. Marketing intermediaries within a nation identifies with commercial brokers, circulation of goods brokers, brokers of financial and credit institutions and the broker marketing services among others depending on the nation of operations.

The customers of Coca-Cola Company in the nation of operations are classified as the consumer market, reseller markets, business market, international markets and the government markets (Saylor.com, 2012 p. 3). Coca-Cola Company is sensitive on the perception of the customers on the brand, since the customer is the consumer of the products and services. Meeting the demands of the target customers is critical for satisfaction and sustenance.

Competitors of Coca-Cola Company depends on the nations of operations; there are a number of organisations in the beverage market. Taking a look at the United States, the major competitor is Pepsi among others. Each and every nation of operation has a diversity of customers and the segments targeted by the products in the market. Coca-Cola Company engages promotions in the media within the jurisdictions, in making sure that the company maintains a significant market share.

The image of Coca-Cola Company to the general public is very critical; the public has the capability of affecting the products and services in a negative or in a positive manner. Taking wrong actions in diverse of ways that affect organisations in a negative pattern. Public relations in Coca-Cola Company with the jurisdiction ensure that the right brand image is enhanced.

Macro-environment

Macro-environment affecting Coca-Cola Company identify with economic environment, natural environment, technological environment, political environment and cultural environment. Economic environment in the world has been unpredictable basing on the global changes encouraged by socialisation and modernisation. Recession and growth has influenced the demand and supply of Coca-Cola products and services (Isdell & Beasley, 2009 p. 107). Recession and supply in the global market shape the consumer purchasing power. It has been noted that the purchasing on the other hand influence the consumer price index and the inflation index among others. United States experienced recession in 2008 that influenced the demand and supply of the Coca-Cola products and services.

Natural environment identifies with the problems experienced by Coca-Cola Company which are cultivated by the natural environment. Industrial waste and emissions discharged by industries to the waterways has been of interest in protecting the natural environment. Organisations have been encouraged to conserve and create friendly natural environment, in which Coca-Cola Company has been on the forefront in enhancing a ‘green’ industry and environment (Scott, 2013 p. 171). The energy prices are ever rising, Coca-Cola Company has been sensitive in creating alternative sources of energy that are renewable. Material resources has been scarce, a model that has led to overexploitation of the natural resources, Coca-Cola Company has been committed in searching for new materials in the line of production and in making sure that the bottles used in packaging the products are recyclable.

Technological environment has been changing with time; Coca-Cola Company has been committed in research and design as a way of developing a competitive edge over the rivals. Coca-Cola Company has been committed in developing efficient processes in production and also in packaging (Pendergrast, 2000 p. 498). The organisation has constantly redesigned its bottles in ways that they take advantage of the available technology, and in conforming to the environment. An example is the plant bottle that is developed from plastic and molasses 30%. The new bottles are recyclable, an indication that they conserve the environment by 30% in reducing the carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere. Coca-Cola Company is doing away with PET bottles with time, as a way of changing with technology and environment.

Political environment in the globe varies with the nations of operations, it has been noted that Coca-Cola Company makes its decisions in accordance with the political environment as per the nations of operations. Political environment influence the legal factors with the jurisdictions; which includes the policies, local authority, governments, corporate law, civil law, customer legislation, investment law and tax laws among others (Saylor.com, 2012 p. 2). Regulations in advertising, product quality, copyright protection and issues of food safety among others, political environment also influence the laws that protect the benefits of the consumers. The political environment has the capability of creating a threat or a benefit to the operations of Coca-Cola Company.

Cultural environment varies with nations of operations, it has been noted that cultures influence product comparison with others in the market, an indication that the practice has the capability of creating a competitive edge or threat to the products and services of Coca-Cola Company. There are cultures holding Coca-Cola products on issues of health among other aspects. Coca-Cola Company builds confidence of the consumers by enhancing safety and quality of its products.

PESTLE (Political, Economic, Sociological, Technological, Legal, and Environmental) analysis has been critical in the operations of Coca-Cola Company. In the earlier segment of this paper, the factors have been discussed in relations to the operations of Coca-Cola Company in the global context. PESTLE has been influential in shaping the business environment in Coca-Cola Company that is useful in strategic decision making models. The world is facing diverse changes, an indication that Coca-Cola Company has to develop mechanisms of adapting to the changes in developing a competitive edge (Pendergrast, 2013 p. 322); which is critical in comprehending the bigger picture of the organisation and the environments in different nations.

SWOT analyses on Coca-Cola Company reflected on the Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats of the organisation. Strengths pegged on Coca-Cola Company identify with that Coca-Cola is a recognised brand in the world having a worth of $77,838 billion United States dollars. Coca-Cola Company has the widest beverage market share, Coca-Cola Company engage in vigorous advertising and marketing, Coca-Cola Company has extensive distribution channels of the beverage products, Coca-Cola Company has developed customer loyalty in the world, Coca-Cola Company has developed mechanisms offering supplier bargaining powers and that Coca-Cola Company has enhanced an all inclusive Corporate Social Responsibility (Pendergrast, 2000 p. 583).

Weaknesses associated with Coca-Cola Company identify with the fact that the organisation has excessive focus on drinks that are carbonated, the product portfolio of Coca-Cola Company is undiversified, Coca-Cola Company has high debt values basing on acquisitions, Coca-Cola Company in the recent decades has experienced high levels of bad publicity basing on health issues related to the products and that Coca-Cola Company has developed a number of brands that has failed over the years.

Opportunities in Coca-Cola Company has seen a rise in the need of bottled water, which has encouraged the organisation to develop Dasani, another opportunity is pegged on the increased demand in packed foods and beverages, emerging markets are offering fast growing market share for the Coca-Cola Company and Coca-Cola products and that the organisation has an opportunity in growth facilitated by acquisitions (Isdell & Beasley, 2009 p. 267).

Threats facing Coca-Cola Company are changes in the preferences of the consumers, scarcity in the supply of clean water, strong dollar, intense legal battles that are forcing the organisation to disclose to the public the side effects of its products, decreasing net profits and gross profits due to high operational costs, high competition in the target markets and saturation of drinks that are carbonated in the target markets.

1. History of Coca-Cola Company

Coca-Cola Company specialises in beverages in the world, with the headquarters being based in the United States. The current Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is known as Muhtar Kent with an employee base of one hundred and forty six thousand two hundred individuals who are directly employed. Coca-Cola Company supports diverse human capital indirectly with the nations of operations. Revenue as at 2012 was standing at $48.01 billion and the profits as at 2012 were standing at $9.01 billion. The major competitors in the beverage industry identify with PepsiCo Inc., Unilever, Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc., Groupe Danone, Nestle S. A., and Kraft Foods Inc. among others.

Globalisation has been taken serious by the Coca-Cola Company, the brand has managed to gain substantial support from the target market; a move that has encouraged Coca-Cola Company to gain growth, momentum and capitalization in the ever expanding markets (Scott, 2013 p. 100). Coca-Cola Company has been ranked as the largest organisation dealing with beverages. The organisations has been pushing for expansions in the world, the current nations of operations are more than two hundred, with suppliers exceeding eight four thousand mark.

Surveys have indicated that more than seventy percent of the sales originate from outside the United States markets; this has made Coca-Cola Company to be one of the largest organisations in the world worth multi billions of dollars. Entry mode in different nations is not a one model approach; there are a number of factors that influence the entry mode in the target company. Different jurisdictions in the world has supported Coca-Cola Company in operating within their markets, while there are hostile markets that has discouraged Coca-Cola Company to operate within their markets (Isdell & Beasley, 2011 p. 171). Coca-Cola products have been banned in a number of nations citing threat to the public health and that Coca-Cola product encourages cases of obesity.

Coca-Cola Company has faced a number of labour suits with accusations of discrimination associated to benefits of health care to the human capital and child labour sweatshops. The target markets have been flooded with alternatives, who are the competitors. The obstacles faced by Coca-Cola Company has not discouraged Coca-Cola Company in providing refreshing, quality and products that are satisfying in the target market (Allen, 2005 p. 313). Coca-Cola Company has managed in making sure that all the Coca-Cola products have the same taste, the recipes for making Coca-Cola has been a big secret to the organisation, prompting tight controls at the facilities used in the manufacturing of the recipe.

Globalisation of Coca-Cola Company started in the 1900s; the first bottling plants outside United States were erected in Panama and Cuba; which was inline expansions of the military in the United States. The plants were largely successful, a model that made Coca-Cola Company to bypass delivery and shipping costs. This led to opening of other bottling plants in Philippines, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Testing of the foreign markets was critical in making strategic decisions on the beverage product (Blanding, 2010 p. 76).

Coca-Cola Company created a centre for global relations that facilitated establishing plants and foreign relationships in the globe, by 1926, it was noted that Coca-Cola Company had expanded to diverse nations. Coca-Cola Company over the decades has been involved in rapid expansion and mass production, which generated local partnerships and local branches in different nations of operations. Cold war and World War II did not stop the expansion of the Coca-Cola Company, and the Coca-Cola brand grew stronger and stronger. Coca-Cola Company has been recognised for its global expansion and efficiency.

Porter’s five forces focus on threats associated with new entrants, threats associated with substitute products, threats associated with bargaining powers of the target market, threats of bargaining powers associated with the suppliers and finally on the threat associated with competitive rivalry in the firms that are existing (Isdell & Beasley, 2011 p. 100). In Coca-Cola Company, threats associated with potential competitors or new entrants are of medium pressure in that entry barriers are low and by the fact that Coca-Cola has been considered both as a brand and as a beverage.

Threat of substitute products is rated as medium to high pressure in the sense that the global market in the twenty first century has a number of substitute beverages, ranging from energy drinks, juice products and sodas among others. Threats of bargaining powers from the target market have low pressure. This an indication that individual buyers have pressure associated by the brand. Coca-Cola Company has already gained brand loyalty among the target market. Bargaining power from the suppliers is rated as low pressure. Coca-Cola Company’s suppliers are not differentiated or concentrated in regards to the ingredients used in the production of the Coca-Cola products (Saylor.com, 2012 p. 4). Coca-Cola Company has the largest supplier network of the products. Rivalry among the existing firms is rated at high pressure. It has been noted that the closest competitor is Pepsi, which has competing brands. Pepsi and Coca-Cola Company support outdoor activities and events as a marketing model. Other brands in the market have not gained the success experienced by Coca-Cola Company and Pepsi.

BCG matrix Coca-Cola Company reflects on the stars, cash, question mark and dogs. Stars in Coca-Cola Company show high business growth although the environment of operations is highly competitive. Cash in Coca-Cola Company indicates low growth business with high points relating to shares. Question marks in Coca-Cola Company are an indication of low point share in the business, although characterised with a high growth rate. Dogs in Coca-Cola Company indicate businesses characterised with low expected growth rate and low relative share, an indication of sustainability (Blanding, 2010 p. 184). Coca-Cola Company shows high stars, an indication of high business growth rate, question marks in Coca-Cola Company are few which indicates devastation, cash cows are low on the vertical axis and high on the horizontal axis indicating business growth rate is low and market share is high. Dogs in Coca-Cola Company indicated low market share, indicating a need for liquidation.

Porter’s Generic Strategies reflects on competitive advantage and competitive scope of Coca-Cola Company, mainly in cost leadership, differentiation, cost focus and differentiation focus in regards to Coca-Cola Company. Branding in Coca-Cola products has been influential in differentiation of the products from others in the target market. Examples of brilliant logos used by the Coca-Cola Company identify with the swoosh of Nike and the brand Coca-Cola that is handwritten, which is critical in setting the right tone for differentiation focus strategy. Coca-Cola Company on the other hand offers quality products at affordable costs, a move that has encouraged differentiation in the target market (Coca-Cola Company, 2011 p. 17).

Ansoff matrix in Coca-Cola Company is critical in expressing market penetration, development of the product, development of the market and diversification. Ansoff’s matrix is used in exploiting the product range within Coca-Cola Company. It has been noted that some of the common products associated with Coca-Cola Company are Diet coke, Coca-Cola Vanilla, Fanta Icy Lemon, Coca Cola share size, winnie the pooh Roo Juice and Powerade among others.

1. Corporate Social Responsibilities (CRS)

Coca-Cola Company has developed a respected brand in the world. It has been noted that building of the brand has been possible through an all inclusive corporate social responsibility. The main products of Coca-Cola Company are five major brands that are non alcoholic. CRS has been essential in dealing with ethical and moral issues both in the domestic markets and in the international market. Coca-Cola Company has developed one of largest distribution channels spanning in almost all nations of the world (Allen, 2005 p. 207).

Conflicts between ethical and social responsibilities and corporate strategy are added through enhancing effective investor relations among the diverse stakeholders depending on jurisdiction.  Coca-Cola Company has developed effective mechanisms of dealing with waste water and water management plans, which is critical in enhancing sustainability. Initiatives in energy conservation, recycling activities and programmes relating to community development have been critical in the conservation of the environment. Corporate social responsibility in Coca-Cola Company has enabled the organisation to operate in different guidance, legislation and regulations in building a competitive edge.

Corporate social responsibility in Coca-Cola Company has engaged corporate self regulation within the system. It has been noted that CSR policy has been functioning as a business model. Self regulating mechanism in Coca-Cola Company has been useful in active compliance and in monitoring the progress of organisation. Coca-Cola Company has enhanced global ethical standards, spirit of law and in dealing with international norms (Kent, 2011 p. 130). CSR within Coca-Cola Company had been engaging and being in compliance in building social good. Interests of Coca-Cola Company are shared among the stakeholders of the organisation, in ways that the vision and the mission of Coca-Cola Company have been influential in setting the right consumers, environment, communities and employees.

Coca-Cola Company was influential in building public sphere in building the brand image. CSR has been influential in building strategic management models that are critical in sustaining the product in the environment. Coca-Cola Company has been among the fortune 500 companies in the United States. Coca-Cola Company has managed to overcome the challenges that organisation has faced in the global environment (Kent, 2011 p. 77).

List of References

Allen, F (2005). Secret Formula: How Brilliant Marketing and Relentless Salesmanship Made Coca-Cola the Best-Known Product in the World. 4th ed. New York: Harper Paperbacks. 200-322.

Blanding, M (2010). The Coke Machine: The Dirty Truth Behind the World’s Favourite Soft Drink. 3rd ed. London: Avery Press. 34-200.

Coca-Cola Company. (2011). 125 Years of Sharing Happiness. Coca-Cola Company. 1 (1), 3-19.

Isdell, N. & Beasley, D (2009). Inside Coca-Cola: A CEO’s Life Story of Building the World’s Most Popular Brand. 2th ed. London: Pan Macmillan-St. Martin’s Press. 12-299.

Isdell, N. & Beasley, D (2011). Inside Coca-Cola: A CEO’s Life Story of Building the World’s Most Popular Brand. 3rd ed. London: Pan Macmillan-St. Martin’s Press. 78-201.

Kent, M (2011). Coca-Cola: 125th Anniversary. 2nd ed. New York: Editions Assouline. 45-139.

Pendergrast, M (2000). Coca-Cola Company. 2nd ed. New York: Basic Books. 105-653.

Pendergrast, M (2013). For God, Country, and Coca-Cola: The Definitive History of the Great American Soft Drink and the Company That Makes It. 3rd ed. New York: Basic Books. 128-348.

Saylor.com. (2012). Globalization and the Coca-Cola Company. The Saylor Foundation. 2 (4), 1-4.

Scott, R (2013). Coca Cola Slipcase Set of 3: Film, Music, Sports. 3rd ed. New York: Assouline. 105-187.

 

 

 

Critical Assessment of the Changing Relationships between Transnational Corporations and Nation States

The growth of the global economy

According to Al-Rodham and Stoudmann[1] , the term globalization is not a single concept which can be covered under a particular time frame. In addition, it is difficult to expound upon the term with certainty so as to apply to all individuals in all situations. Globalization entails economic integration, that is, policy transfer across borders, knowledge transmission, cultural stability, and power relations, reproductions and discourses[2]. Globalization is a concept which has been defined differently overtime, from political, social and/or economic points of view. Basing on their opinion and knowledge of globalization with regard its nature today, Al-Rhodam and Stoudmann[3] define globalization as a process which comprises of the causes, course and effects of trans-cultural and transnational integration of human and non-human activities. This implies that communities of people are consistently changing and experiencing change.

Globalization may be categorized into economic globalization, cultural globalization, and political globalization[4]. Economic globalization majorly involves rapid extension of international trade, capital market flows and foreign direct investment[5].

Technological developments are regarded the major drivers of most globalization processes. Technology can be described in terms of five major concepts: possession, instruments, knowledge, production, and change[6]. Developments in telecommunications and data processing capacities enable the coordination of research, marketing, and production operations across the globe[7]. Millions of households are now in possession of computers[8].  Computers have drastically evolved in their roles as they are no longer a reserved tool for business organizations and states, but also a household electronic appliance for information processing and retrieval, communication, entertainment and education. The Internet has ensured that information is shared around the globe twenty-four hours a day. Many businesses have exploited the internet to market their services and products around the world. Furthermore, text messaging, voice mail, and mobile phones ensure instantaneous communications across countries and states.

Changes in transport technological have also played an important role in globalization due to the fact that they have caused a drastic transformation in air, sea, rail, and road travel. Air transport has expanded trade and tourism across continents, as it has now become faster and more affordable. Innovations in the transport sector usually encompass communication and information technology.

Due to innovations in technology, entrepreneurs, particularly multinational corporations (MNCs) have fully exploited more free markets to spread production processes across the globe[9]. The decline in transport costs and the Internet have significantly impacted on the volume of trade, economic transactions and financial flows through the reduction of the methods and time of delivery and payment of products and services.

• The nature and purpose of the nation state

Most scholars contend that globalization culturally, economically, and politically undermines the autonomy of nation states. Globalization virtually causes all nation-states to be part of a larger series of global transformations and global flows. Communications, people, capital, goods, and weapons, in addition to beliefs, fashions, pollutants and crime move very fast across the territorial boundaries. This has become an entirely interrelated global order. Nevertheless, globalization is still incomplete. Whereas the world economy is globalized, society, politics, regulation, and law are still mostly national, with a slow emergence of bounds imposed by Westphalian or modern international states system[10].

As a reaction to economic globalization, many national states are rapidly coming together through memberships in transnational organizations with common political aspects[11]. Examples of such transnational organizations include: the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the United Nations (UN), and the European Union (EU)[12]. Though membership of these organizations has some benefits to nation states, it is also possible to lead to partial transfer of sovereignty from the nation state to the organization. For instance, EU law now has precedence over UK law in Britain.

There has been too much criticism than praise of globalization in developing countries[13]. Singapore, which was ranked the second most globalized country in the world in 2012 has signed Free Trade Agreements and introduced many multinational corporations into the domestic economy[14]. This is among developing countries that have really managed to be at the top in globalization. Nonetheless, there are concerns with regard to the impact of globalization in eroding the Singaporean identity, by overlooking national natural resources and the country’s culture. This is the same problem that Somali, which is ranked among the failed countries in globalization, faces. Somali receives international support from organizations such as the IMF and the World Bank on certain conditions which the country is supposed to comply with[15]. Due to overreliance on external relief, the country has failed to exploit its natural resources. The culture of Somali has also been eroded, leading to security problems in the country that has destabilized its proper functioning. Thus, the international and regional agreements also impact on the sovereignty of a country.
1.2. The nature and purpose of the TNC

Transnational Corporations (TNCs) are businesses whose operations are carried out in two or more countries[16]. TNCs have an unquestionable level of influence or power around the globe[17]. Consequently, they have attained and exhibited their capability in respect of influencing the direction of economic and political policies both domestically and internationally.

Specifically, a TNC combines aspects of global, Multinational and International companies by working with international institutions, which have given them a go ahead to fully take advantage of any country that they deem favorable for their businesses[18]. For instance, the World Trade Organization has allowed TNCs to pursue ‘free trade’ without taking into consideration such issues as human rights.
1.3. The relationship between the state and the TNC

The widespread approach to the creation and sustenance of economic growth in the current global atmosphere is attributed to the implementation of free-market principles[19]. On the face value, TNCs fiercely advocate for the free market system on grounds that it contests the control of market operations by governments, encourages the concept of free trade and stirs up a constructive implication with its seeming relationship to the growth of democracy. It is contended that in the pretext of promoting the advantages of the free market system, TNCs have attained significant influence in the global society, which has undermined democracy, exploited developing countries, and devastated the natural world[20].
TNCs seek to make money and grow market share. This conflict with the conventional efforts of effectively allocating human and natural resources in a way that benefits the entire society. Consequently, the conventional purpose has been ignored as most countries allow TNCs to grow in size, and develop into very dominant economic players, creating jobs (just a few of them) and boosting national income. This makes them to become very powerful and drive away potential critics.

In third world countries, the objective of TNCs is to ensure maximization of their profits through the reduction of the cost related to input such as raw materials and labor. Research shows that 80% of the countries in the third world are left out, hurt, and/or marginalized by the operations of TNCs.

Economic globalization involves the development of massive TNCs beyond the regulation of national governments[21]. TNCs with lifestyles, logos and brands outline a ‘global culture’ which undermines national culture[22]. TNCs such as Starbucks, Google and Amazon are capable of moving investment and production across the globe toward places which have favorable conditions[23]. Nation states from an individual perspective are not able to regulate the operations of TNCs and have therefore lost a considerable amount of power upon their own economies. Furthermore, several TNCs are more powerful than many governments[24]. This makes it easy for them to politically influence their countries. Accordingly, there are high chances that the TNCs will influence the passage of laws which favor their own interests rather than the interests of the country as a whole.

TNCs are reported to have devised more sophisticated ways of avoiding taxes in the recent years. As such, prominent companies such do not pay any taxes on their huge international profits[25]. In early 2013, protesters in the United Kingdom (UK) attacked Starbucks branches on grounds that the company evades taxes. Most Internet and computer companies based in America are accused of not paying taxes there, on their profits made overseas. This has been noted to also have a considerable impact on developing countries. This is an issue that has not been resolved as to how to handle such TNCs[26].

1.4. Influences affecting the actions of the State and the TNC

Since the World War II, Brenton-Woods institutions like the World Bank, The International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Trade Organization (WTO) have made efforts in reconstructing the international economy through “liberal market-oriented global capitalism” as a result of the influence of the industrialized states[27]. These institutions have pressurized developing countries into liberalizing their economies through the application of force and sanctions to make these countries get committed to trade liberalization and deregulation. International institutions focus on promoting equality in economic growth in respect of their members. They have however been criticized for putting too much force on developing countries by setting certain conditions which are perceived as agents for undermining the sovereignty of such countries.

It is contended that TNCs have influenced the World Trade of Organization (WTO) so that it issued a policy statement which declared that ‘free trade’ should not be interfered by environmental concerns and human rights. This is due the influential power that TNCs have amassed overtime. The IMF and the World Bank have also been criticized for the use of the money given to them by TNCs to loan third world countries, which has given TNCs a chance to fully exploit these countries[28].

Civil society encompasses the set of organizations, behaviors, and institutions located between the family, the business world, and the state. Particularly, it involves non-profit and voluntary organizations of varied kinds[29]. Civil society organizations (CSOs) are increasingly playing a significant role in recognizing and dealing with global and transnational issues by mediating between political regulation and societal interests. CSOs and networks relate to TNCs in governance and development comprises of an important force for regulatory change. CSOs aim at providing checks and balances on the increasing and unprecedented size and power of TNCs so that they may not undermine human rights and other ethical issues. Whereas the minority elites advocate for more regressive monetarist and neoliberal policies, others including mainstream CSOs are advocating for collective will in the bid to restore global rules for  accountability and transparency which aim at promoting human security for all, protecting biodiversity and the survival of natural evolution, and promoting sustainable development, as well as an environmentally sound economic growth.

In the contemporary global society, global corporations are required to issue reports on corporate social responsibility (CSR)[30]. In addition, the public requires businesses of all types to visibly indicate their CSR initiatives. CSR is used by most businesses in promoting various policies, increasing employee loyalty, generating bran equity and burnishing their image. This has led to a majority belief that CSR is a win-win situation for both the public and corporations.

However, there is a significant disagreement between CSR advocates and free trade advocates with regard to the nature of corporate social responsibility for global companies[31]. According to CSR activists, though profit is significant, there is need for a greater purpose to the existence of corporate companies in the same way as to that of humanity. Accordingly, CSR activists advocate for the adoption of socially responsible policies on human rights, environmental, and labor issues, though special issues may arise that the companies may be required to handle such as rainforest conservation, technology transfer, women’s rights and animal rights. Free trade advocates propose that corporate social responsibility should on entail the maximization of return-rates to the general shareholders in accordance with the law. With the increasing sensitivity to environmental and social issues by the general public and consumers, corporations need to seriously look into their societal role as expectations of them enlarge. This has a possibility of increasing their goodwill in the global society and reducing the need for strict state regulations[32].

 

References

Al-Rodhan R.F. Nayef &Stoudmann Gerard. “Definitions of Globalization: A Comprehensive Overview and a Proposed Definition.” Geneva Centre for Security Policy: Program on the Geopolitical Implications of Globalization and Transnational Security. 2006.

Nur Yusuf Ahmed. “Reviving the Somali Economy: Business Regulation and Development Opportunities Associated with Globalization.” Bidhaan, vo. 7.

Acs J. Zoltan & Preston Lee. Tehnology, and Globalization: Introduction to a special issue on small and medium-sized enterprises in the global economy. Small Business Economics, 1997, 9(1):1-6.

Amaldas Marystella. The Management of Globalization in Singapore: Twentieth Century Lessons for the Early Decades of the New Century. Journal of Alternative Perspectives in the Social Sciences. (2009). Vol 1, No 3, 982-1002.

Milovanonic Goran, Barac Nada, & Andjelkovic Alexandra. “Corporate Social Responsibility in the Globalization Era.” Economics and Organization, 2009, 6(2):89-104.

Henn, Marcus. Tax Havens and the Taxation of Transnational Corporations. International Policy Analysis. June 2013.

Hobson Jr. Ira. The Unseen World of Transnational Corporations’ Powers. Accessed on October 26, 2013 from: http://www.neumann.edu/academics/divisions/business/journal/Review_SP06/pdf/transnational_corporations.pdf

Wolf. “Will the Nation-State Survive Globalization?”; David Harvey, A Brief History of Neoliberalism (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005); Holton, Globalization and the Nation-State, 69.

[1] “Definitions of Globalization: A Comprehensive Overview and a Proposed Definition.” Geneva Centre for Security Policy: Program on the Geopolitical Implications of Globalization and Transnational Security, 2006.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Wolf. “Will the Nation-State Survive Globalization?”; David Harvey, A Brief History of Neoliberalism (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005); Holton, Globalization and the Nation-State, 69.

[5] Hobson Jr. Ira. The Unseen World of Transnational Corporations’ Powers. Accessed on October 26, 2013 from: http://www.neumann.edu/academics/divisions/business/journal/Review_SP06/pdf/transnational_corporations.pdf

[6] Wolf. “Will the Nation-State Survive Globalization?”; David Harvey, A Brief History of Neoliberalism (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005); Holton, Globalization and the Nation-State, 69.

[7] Acs J. Zoltan & Preston Lee. Tehnology, and Globalization: Introduction to a special issue on small and medium-sized enterprises in the global economy. Small Business Economics, 1997, 9(1):1-6.

[8] Ibid.

[9] Hobson Jr. Ira. The Unseen World of Transnational Corporations’ Powers. Accessed on October 26, 2013 from: http://www.neumann.edu/academics/divisions/business/journal/Review_SP06/pdf/transnational_corporations.pdf

[10] Acs J. Zoltan & Preston Lee. Tehnology, and Globalization: Introduction to a special issue on small and medium-sized enterprises in the global economy. Small Business Economics, 1997, 9(1):1-6.

[11] Ibid.

[12] Wolf. “Will the Nation-State Survive Globalization?”; David Harvey, A Brief History of Neoliberalism (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005); Holton, Globalization and the Nation-State, 69.

[13] Nur Yusuf Ahmed. “Reviving the Somali Economy: Business Regulation and Development Opportunities Associated with Globalization.” Bidhaan, vo. 7.

[14] Amaldas Marystella. The Management of Globalization in Singapore: Twentieth Century Lessons for the Early Decades of the New Century. Journal of Alternative Perspectives in the Social Sciences. (2009). Vol 1, No 3, 982-1002.

[15] Nur Yusuf Ahmed. “Reviving the Somali Economy: Business Regulation and Development Opportunities Associated with Globalization.” Bidhaan, vo. 7.

[16] Hobson Jr. Ira. The Unseen World of Transnational Corporations’ Powers. Accessed on October 26, 2013 from: http://www.neumann.edu/academics/divisions/business/journal/Review_SP06/pdf/transnational_corporations.pdf

[17] Ibid.

[18]Hobson Jr. Ira. The Unseen World of Transnational Corporations’ Powers. Accessed on October 26, 2013 from: http://www.neumann.edu/academics/divisions/business/journal/Review_SP06/pdf/transnational_corporations.pdf

[19] Wolf. “Will the Nation-State Survive Globalization?”; David Harvey, A Brief History of Neoliberalism (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005); Holton, Globalization and the Nation-State, 69.

[20] Wolf. “Will the Nation-State Survive Globalization?”; David Harvey, A Brief History of Neoliberalism (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005); Holton, Globalization and the Nation-State, 69.

[21] Hobson Jr. Ira. The Unseen World of Transnational Corporations’ Powers. Accessed on October 26, 2013 from: http://www.neumann.edu/academics/divisions/business/journal/Review_SP06/pdf/transnational_corporations.pdf

[22] Ibid.

[23] Henn, Marcus. Tax Havens and the Taxation of Transnational Corporations. International Policy Analysis. June 2013.

[24] Hobson Jr. Ira. The Unseen World of Transnational Corporations’ Powers. Accessed on October 26, 2013 from: http://www.neumann.edu/academics/divisions/business/journal/Review_SP06/pdf/transnational_corporations.pdf

[25] Henn, Marcus. Tax Havens and the Taxation of Transnational Corporations. International Policy Analysis. June 2013.

[26] Ibid.

[27] Hobson Jr. Ira. The Unseen World of Transnational Corporations’ Powers. Accessed on October 26, 2013 from: http://www.neumann.edu/academics/divisions/business/journal/Review_SP06/pdf/transnational_corporations.pdf

[28] Ibid.

[29] Acs J. Zoltan & Preston Lee. Tehnology, and Globalization: Introduction to a special issue on small and medium-sized enterprises in the global economy. Small Business Economics, 1997, 9(1):1-6.

[30] Milovanonic Goran, Barac Nada, & Andjelkovic Alexandra. “Corporate Social Responsibility in the Globalization Era.” Economics and Organization, 2009, 6(2):89-104.

[31] Ibid.

[32]Milovanonic Goran, Barac Nada, & Andjelkovic Alexandra. “Corporate Social Responsibility in the Globalization Era.” Economics and Organization, 2009, 6(2):89-104.

 

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Source: Kim, C., Junes, K., & Song, R. (2003). Effects of a health-promotion program on cardiovascular risk factors, health behaviors, and life satisfaction in institutionalized elderly women. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 40(4), 375–81.

Introduction

Kim, Junes, and Song (2003) conducted a quasi-experimental study with a one group pretest-posttest design. “A convenient sample of 21 elderly women was recruited from a home for elderly people.” (Kim et al., 2000, p. 376). The purpose of the study was to determine the health benefits of a 3-month health-promotion program for institutionalized elderly women on cardiovascular risk factors,health behaviors, and life satisfaction. These researchers found the following positive effects from the program: reductions in total risk score, improved health behaviors, and improved life satisfaction. However, Kim et al. (2003) noted a decrease in these positive effects 3 months after the completion of the health-promotion program.

Relevant Study Results

A total of 25 women were enrolled in the health-promotion program and 21 subjects completed the program with three sets of outcome assessments at pretest, 3 months, and 6 months. The mean age of the subjects was 77 years, and 90% of them had been diagnosed with one or more chronic diseases. The significance level of the study was set at α = 0.05. The results from the study are presented in the two tables that follow. Table 2 describes the health-promotion program’s effects on cardiovascular risk factors, and Table 3 describes the effects on health behaviors. The third dependent variable of this study was life satisfaction, which was significantly improved from pretest to the end of the health-promotion program at 3 months and at 6 months follow-up.

 

TABLE 2 ■ Program Effects on Cardiovascular Risk Factors

	PRETEST	3 MONTHS		6 MONTHS
Variable	M (SD)	M (SD)	Paired t ᵅ	M (SD)	Paired t ᵇ
Total risk score	20.1 (4.5)	16.8 (3.2)	4.14*	18.1 (4.0)	2.56*
Cholesterol	200.2 (29.1)	189.6 (25.3)	2.03*	192.7 (22.1)	1.73
Triglyceride	164.2 (42.0)	150.4 (44.1)	2.58*	142.9 (53.5)	2.20*
BMI	22.7 (3.0)	22.1 (3.0)	3.44*	22.9 (3.0)	−0.80
Systolic BP	121.7 (14.6)	117.2 (12.3)	1.57	115.6 (13.4)	1.66

BMI (body mass index), BP (blood pressure)

*p < 0.05.

aPaired t-test results between the pretest and 3-month measures.

bPaired t-test results between the pretest and 6-month measures.

Kim, C., Junes, K., & Song, R. (2003). Effects of a health-promotion program on cardiovascular risk factors, health behaviors, and life satisfaction in institutionalized elderly women. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 40(4), p. 378

 

TABLE 3 ■Program Effects on Health Behaviour

	PRETEST	3 MONTHS		6 MONTHS
Variable	M (SD)	M (SD)	Paired t ᵅ	M (SD)	Paired t ᵇ
Total health behavior	66.3 (8.1)	69.7 (5.0)	−3.02*	68.1 (5.1)	−1.34
Health responsibility	2.19 (0.5)	2.13 (0.3)	1.03	2.29 (0.3)	−1.39
Exercise	1.88 (0.3)	2.58 (0.3)	−7.75*	2.29 (0.4)	−3.93*
Diet behavior	3.41 (0.3)	3.47 (0.2)	−0.93	3.26 (0.3)	2.00
Stress management	2.39 (0.4)	2.44 (0.3)	−0.65	2.45 (0.3)	−0.70
Smoking behavior	2.85 (0.8)	2.92 (0.8)	−1.45	3.01 (0.7)	−0.96

*p < 0.05.

aPaired t-test results between the pretest and 3-month measures.

bPaired t-test results between the pretest and 6-month measures.

Kim, C., Junes, K., & Song, R. (2003). Effects of a health-promotion program on cardiovascular risk factors, health behaviors, and life satisfaction in institutionalized elderly women. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 40(4), p. 379.

EXERCISE 31 QUESTIONS (1-10)

1. What are the two groups whose results are reflected by the t ratios in Tables 2 and 3?

 

The two groups whose results are compared is a sample of 21 elderly women immediately after 3-month health promotion programme and 3-months after completion of the health programme where the considered variables are cardiovascular risk factors and health behaviour.

 

2. Which t ratio in Table 2 represents the greatest relative or standardized difference between the pretest and 3 months outcomes? Is this t ratio statistically significant? Provide a rationale for your answer.

 

BMI represents the greatest relative or standardized difference between pretest and 3 months outcomes.

This is shown by; 3.44 – (-0.80) = 3.44+0.80 = 4.24

This t ratio is statistically significant because compared by the one obtained in pretest there is a significant difference.

 

3. Which t ratio listed in Table 3 represents the smallest relative difference between the pretest and 3 months? Is this t ratio statistically significant? What does this result mean?

 

Stress management represents the smallest relative or standardized difference between pretest and 3 months outcomes.

This is shown by; -0.65 – (-0.70) = -0.65+0.70 = 0.05

This t ratio is statistically significant because compared by the one obtained in pretest there is a significant difference, especially considering one is positive while the other one is negative.

 

4. What are the assumptions for conducting a t-test for dependent groups in a study? Which of these assumptions do you think were met by this study?

 

The assumptions are:

• The samples are evenly distributed
• Same treatment is given to all samples
• All samples participate fully in the experiment

 

The assumption one and two were met in this study since all the participants were elderly women living within the same setting and they were subjected to similar conditions.

 

 

5. Compare the 3 months and 6 months t ratios for the variable Exercise from Table 3. What is your conclusion about the long-term effect of the health-promotion intervention on Exercise in this study?

 

It shows that it was statically significant, but negatively. This may imply that the long-term effect of the health-promotion intervention may have negative influence on exercise.

 

6. What is the smallest, significant t ratio listed in Table 2? Provide a rationale for your answer

 

The smallest significant t ratio listed in Table 2 is -0.80 for BMI after 3 months. This shows a negative influence on BMI after the completion of the health-promotion programme.

 

7. Why are the larger t ratios more likely to be statistically significant?

 

This is mainly because they show significant response from the treatment or conditions to which the study participants are exposed to in course of the study.

 

8. Did the health-promotion program have a statistically significant effect on Systolic blood pressure (BP) in this study? Provide a rationale for your answer.

The t ratio is statistically significant for systolic BP because a comparison of pretest and 3 month outcome show a significant difference.

 

9. Examine the means and standard deviations for Systolic BP at pretest, 3 months (completion of the treatment), and 6 months. What do these results indicate? Are these results clinically important? Provide a rationale for your answer.

They show a slight change which may be clinically important since clinical results are supposed              to be within a specific range because deviations from that range indicate an abnormality.

 

1. Is this study design strong or weak? Provide a rationale for your answer.

This study design is strong because it ensures that the participants were subjected to the most appropriate conditions.

 

BONUS QUESTION

Would you, as a health care provider, implement this intervention at your facility based on the

Total Risk Score results? Provide a rationale for your answer.

As a health care provider I would highly recommend this programme because it seems to have significant positive influence on health of elderly people which would be essential to improve their health.

Wondering

Wonderings may culminate into positive outcome in relations to improving the classroom experience for the teachers (Anderson, O’Connor, & Greene, 2006). They can also culminate and provide a guide to robust research exploration in a classroom. This paper presents a number of wonderings that would be effective in guiding in research exploration and how they reflect a passion in professional life today.

The three wonderings  that I  can use for action research in my classroom are; what are the strategies that a teacher can employ to ensure that student’s attitude is enhanced in their classroom, how can slower learners’ be handled to ensure that they also perform well like their counterparts?  and how can the students with special needs in the classroom be attended to and made to feel comfortable in the classroom situation to enhance their learning?

These three wonderings are important and viable in guiding the research to ensure that I improve my classroom experience. In the current learning institutions, students have different abilities and some of them have various disabilities that require special attention (Zeteroglu et al. 2012).  Such students in most of the time are disadvantaged from the learning process.  The current training of teachers does not provide enough training on how to handles students with special need (Johnson & Kuerten Dellagnelo, 2013). Furthermore, the current needs  whereby teachers are required to sign  performance contracts has worsened the situation as teachers target those students that are performing well. They leave the slow learners and those with special needs to struggle on their own because of the perceptions that they cannot perform well (Buchanan, 2012) Therefore, these wondering will help to dig deeper in finding out why these disparities happens and the way forward.   Student attitude towards learning and towards their teachers is also another aspect that affects the performance of the student s overall. It is therefore prudent that this is investigated to find out the best strategies that can be used to ensure that the attitude of students towards leaning and towards their teachers is improved to enhance learning.  Class environment can only be enjoyable and fulfilling if students are able to interact freely with their teachers, ask questions, and even engage in constructive debates with their teachers (McVicker, 2009). Strategies that can be applied to foster learning may include commending them for the  good  thing they have done,  encouraging them to ask questions, allowing them  time,  express themselves so as they feel that the teacher  is not  a person to  fear  but an individual to assist them understand various learning concepts.

These three wonderings are a clear reflection of my professional life today.  Currently I do believe that learning is an opportunity for the students not just to acquire academic skills and knowledge but is a multifaceted concept that requires that students learn social skills to be able to understand how to interact with the entire society. Therefore, this is why I do believe that,   teachers must adopt to strategies that allow the students to feel part of the learning and to participate in learning process well.   If students can be able to feel free to ask teachers questions without fear and feelings of intimidations then, classroom environment can be enhanced.  It is also important to recognize and embrace the fact that slow learners and students with special indeed have the capability and right to be taught just like the other students (Wise & Usdan, 2013). That is why I would ensure that in my teaching I also attend to their learning needs to help them achieve their goals.

Education is important in our society and it is the responsibilities of the teachers to ensure that they create a conducive environment to help the learners to understand the concepts and feel at home even as they acquire their skills.

 

References

Anderson, P. J., O’Connor, K. A., & Greene, H. C. (2006). Action research: Questions asked,       questions answered. Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, 72(4), 13–28.

Buchanan, J. (2012). Telling tales out of school: Exploring why former teachers are not returning to the classroom, Australian Journal of Education (ACER Press). 56(2): 205-217.

Jacobs, N. (2013). Traditional teacher education still matters, Phi Delta Kappan, 94(70): 18-22

Johnson, K., & Kuerten Dellagnelo, A. (2013). How ‘sign meaning develops’: Strategic    mediation in learning to teach, Language Teaching Research, 17(4):409-432

McVicker, C. (2009). Inquiring Illinois teachers want to know: Action research questions from     the field! Illinois Reading Council Journal, 37(1), 22–26.

Wise, A., &  Usdan, M. (2013). The Teaching Profession at the Crossroads, Educational   Leadership, 71(2): 30-34.

Zeteroglu,  E et al. (2012).  Determining the Opinions of Preschool and Primary School Teacher   Candidates on Creativity and Metaphorical Perception, Educational Sciences: Theory &    Practice. Autumn Supplement, 12: 3135-3152

 

 

 

 

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

 

Forward-Looking Statements

 

The form 10-k contains forward looking statements in the jurisdiction of 1995 private securities litigation reform act. All the statement apart from historical facts, addition to guidelines, business financial position is forward looking. Terminologies such as expects, projections, and future are used to describe forward looking statements. In any case, forward looking statements present current management prospects and they are naturally uncertain. Actual financial results may differ materially due to a number of factors such as changes in foreign exchange rates, fluctuations in international economic climate, global events consumer spending, development of electronic commerce, competition, potential changes in operating results, time Amazon.com invests in new opportunities, global expansion and development, management of risk inventory, strategic operations , payment risks, seasonality, acquisition, inventory management risks and competition. Consequently, the current worldwide conditions increase a number of risks. These risks could make results to fluctuate considerably from the prospects of management (Aboody, D., M. E. Barth and R. Kasznik 2012).                                          The company’s main source of income is sale of a variety of goods as well as services. These products mainly include merchandise and content acquired for resale from suppliers and third party vendors. In generally, the company recognizes gross income from products sold from inventory as products and net share of income is recognized from products sold by other vendors as service sales. On the hand, the company offers services including fulfillment, subscription of digital material, electronic advertising marketing and promotion. The financial objective is centered on long term and sustainable increase of cash flow[1] per every share. Cash flow is triggered by increased operating revenue and effectively controlling the operating resources[2] and capital expenses. Increase in operating capital stems from growth in sales and effectively controlling operating expenses, through investments made by the company in the long term strategic projects. To enhance the volume of sales, management focuses on increasing all client needs such as reducing prices, increasing availability, improving product categories, faster and effective service delivery, increasing reliability and improved selection.                                 Moreover, the company seeks to effectively control dilution of shareholders as they maintain flexibility in the issuance of shares like funding, aligning employee rewards and acquisitions. Stock units are used as a platform for equity reward since; the company thinks that in this manner they are able to support the interests of workers and shareholders (Aboody, D., M. E. Barth and R. Kasznik 2012). During the assessment of shareholder dilution, the company integrates both vested as well as unvested stock, without considering projected forfeitures. As of December 31, 2011 and 2010, outstanding shares plus stocks awarded was 468 and 465 million respectively.    The company’s fixed expenditures include all expenses used in the operations of technology and AWS; to increase, develop and add more features to the website, Kindle appliances and develop fulfillment centers. Basically, variable expenses fluctuation with volume of sales, whereas fixed expenses increase based on the timing, geographical development, and category development. To minimize variable expenses on unit basis and help the company reduce prices, they seek to enhance sourcing, raise discount and minimize defects during production. And to reduce increase in fixed expenses, the company aims at enhancing efficiency in all their processes (Aboody, D., M. E. Barth and R. Kasznik 2012).

Based on the company strategic model, it is in position of turning inventory so as to have an income generating operating cycle[3]. In 2011, 2010, and 2009, inventory turnover[4] was approximately 10, 11 and 12 respectively. Changes in turnover are expected because it is affected by many aspects such as in-stock inventory, expansion in new geographies, level of outsourcing fulfillment and product mix. Additionally, in 2011, 2010 and 2009, accounts payable days[5] were 74, 72 and 76. However, this is likely to change due to a number of reasons including seasonality, mixing volume of sales by other vendors, fluctuations in payment terms and conditions.

The company reports its financial results in USD that fluctuates considerably in exchange rates affecting results as well as consolidated patterns. For instance, weakening of the USD means that the company’s operation costs and consolidated sales in the global locations will be greater. Conversely, if the dollar strengthens operation costs and consolidated sales in the global locations will reduce tremendously. As such, the company’s diversification move is beneficial to its shareholders. Addition, the company thinks that it is important to assess all operating outcomes and increases prior to and after the currency fluctuations. Re-evaluation of inter-company balances can contribute to considerable benefits and charges related to the effect of exchange rates. Volatilities in currency may go on that is likely to positively or negatively affect recorded financial results as well as consolidated patterns (Aboody, D., M. E. Barth and R. Kasznik 2012).

 

Critical Accounting Judgments

 

The writing of financial reports in tandem with widely approved standards of the United States (“GAAP”) demands expectations and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets as well as liabilities, earnings and costs, and associated reporting of contingent assets and liabilities in the consolidated financial reports and associated notes (Aboody, D., M. E. Barth and R. Kasznik 2012). The SEC has identified firms’ critical financial policies as the ones that are most significant to the depiction of the firms’ fiscal status and outcomes of operations and which demand the company to make its most complex and subjective judgments, normally as an outcome of the need to make approximations of matters that are intrinsically tentative.  Following this description, it is necessary for the company to put into consideration critical financial reporting policies and judgments highlighted below.

 

 

Inventories

Records, comprising of items accessible for sale, are elementarily accounted for by use of FIFO or first-in-first-out approach, and are prized at the lower of cost or market value. This analysis demands us to make judgments, anchored on presently-accessible information, concerning the likely approach of disposition, like through sales to individual clients, returns to product merchants, or liquidations, as well as anticipated recoverable values of each cluster. These statements regarding future outlook of records are intrinsically tentative.  As a determinant of kindliness, for every one percent of additional record valuation approvals at December 31, 2011, the company would likely have recorded an extra cost of sales of about $50 million.

 

As of December 31, 2011, operations were as follows:

 

Description of Use		Square Footage (1)				Operating Segments		Lease Expirations (1)
		(in thousands)
Office lease			3,416			North America		From 2012 through 2026
Office lease			837			International		From 2012 through 2021
Sub-total			4,253
Fulfillment and other			26,364			North America		From 2012 through 2026
Fulfillment and other			17,690			International		From 2012 through 2025
Sub-total			44,054
Total			48,307

 

The statement above is a representation of the sum leased space exclusive of sub-leased space. It is literally a lease of corporate assets in various regions.

 

Goodwill

Goodwill is evaluated in terms of impairment yearly or time and again when an occurrence happens or conditions are altered indicating that the carrying cost might not be recoverable. During annual test, goodwill is then tested against impairment by first comparing the inventory estimate of total assets to the moderate value of the accounting units. In the event that fair values comes way below the book value or qualitative attributes suggests that it is somewhat probable. Another test is executed to calculate the amount of impairment as the disparity between the estimated fair value of benevolence and the carrying value (Aboody, D., M. E. Barth and R. Kasznik 2012). Fair value is therefore approximated by accounting unites that hinge on discounted cash flows. Futuristic financial projections are centered on the best estimate of future net sales and functional expenses, anchored mainly on anticipated cluster expansion, cost, market segment share, and fiscal circumstances.                                                           Some approximates of discounted cash flows entail businesses as well as geographies with controlled fiscal history and increasing income replicas. Variations in these forecasts could significantly alter the amount of impairment registered (Aboody, D., M. E. Barth and R. Kasznik 2012). It is important to note that monetary and credit market volatility directly affects fair value determinants through our weighted aggregate expenses of running costs used in determining discount rate as well as market capitalization. In times of uncertainty, significant judgment should be applied to determine whether credit or stock price variations are a transitory swing or a lasting trend. As a determinant of sensitivity, a protracted twenty percent decrease from December 31, 2011; ending stock price would not be a benchmark of possible destruction (Aboody, D., M. E. Barth and R. Kasznik 2012).

Stock-Based Compensation

Compensation expense is measured at fair value and recognizes it as reparation outlay over the service period for awards required to vest.   Fair value of controlled stock units is quantified based on share and stock common price. Approximations of stock awards expected to vest expects scrutiny for the figure that is surrendered. For quarterly estimates, 1% increase to the approximated give up rate would amount to $24 million effect on the 2011 operating revenue.   In this regard the accelerated technique, and not the straight-line approach, is employed for acknowledging reimbursement cost.  By use of this approach, over fifty percent of the recompense cost is disbursed during the first year of a vest season of four years (Aboody, D., M. E. Barth and R. Kasznik 2012). The impact merged statements of operations from variations in exchange rates versus the U.S. Dollar are below (in millions, except per share statistics):

		Year Ended December 31, 2011												Year Ended December 31, 2010												Year Ended December 31, 2009
		At Prior Year Rates (1)				Exchange Rate Effect (2)				As Reported				At Prior Year Rates (1)				Exchange Rate Effect (2)				As Reported				At Prior Year Rates (1)				Exchange Rate Effect (2)				As Reported
Net sales		$	46,985			$	1,092			$	48,077			$	34,290			$	(86	)		$	34,204			$	24,691			$	(182	)		$	24,509
Operating expenses			46,176				1,039				47,215				32,856				(58	)			32,798				23,522				(142	)			23,380
Income from operations			809				53				862				1,434				(28	)			1,406				1,170				(41	)			1,129

 

The statement above stands for the end results that would have culminated into had exchange rates in the reported phase been analogous as those in impact in the similar before year phase for operating outcomes. It is also a symbol of an increase or decrease in documentation totals stemming from variations in exchange rates from those in effect in the comparable year phase for running outcomes.

 

 

 

 

Income Taxes

The company is also answerable to income taxes in both the United States and various foreign authorities. Critical analysis is therefore expected in reviewing and approximating our tax positions and determining our provision and tax accruals for such taxes (Aboody, D., M. E. Barth and R. Kasznik 2012).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

 

Aboody, D., M. E. Barth and R. Kasznik. (2012). Firms’ voluntary recognition of stock-  based compensation expense. Journal of Accounting Research (May): 123-150.

 

1

Free cash flow, a non-GAAP financial measure, is defined as net cash provided by operating activities less purchases of fixed assets, including capitalized internal-use software and website development, both of which are presented on our consolidated statements of cash flows. See “Results of Operations—Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.

 

2	Working capital consists of accounts receivable, inventory, and accounts payable.

 

 

3	The operating cycle is number of days of sales in inventory plus number of days of sales in accounts receivable minus accounts payable days.

 

4	Inventory turnover is the quotient of trailing-twelve-month cost of sales to average inventory over five quarter-ends.

 

5	Accounts payable days, calculated as the quotient of accounts payable to current quarter cost of sales, multiplied by the number of days in the current quarter.

 

Crimes

Crime in the United States is compiled by the annual uniform crime reports in the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Annual Uniform Crime Reports are represented by the annual National Crime Victimization Surveys and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI). FBI publishes reports on law enforcements (Crimes Against Public Order and Morality, 2010), crime rates varies with States. This paper will reflect on Arson as an example of the crime against property, first degree murder as the crime against persons and disorderly conduct as the crime against public order or public-order crimes.

Crime against property (Arson)

Arson in the United States is a crime of maliciously and intentionally setting fire to wild land areas, buildings, cars and other property; the main intention of arson is to cause damage to the property (Redsicker & O’Connor,  2006). Arson by far is different from natural wildfires and spontaneous combustion. Actus reus and mens rea supports that in arson attacks, fires are started deliberately by owners who seek insurance compensation or setting property of other people under fire. Persons involved these kinds of attacks are known as arsonists (Redsicker & O’Connor,  2006).

In the United States, arson attacks are divided into three categories identifying with first degree arson, second degree arson and third degree arson. Statutes vary degree of the crime depending on the intention attached to the criminal activities. Common law in the United States varies with States. First degree arson attack happens when human life is lost or harmed in the process of arson attacks (Redsicker & O’Connor,  2006). An example is the Cameron Willingham case in Texas and Raymond Lee Oyler case in California.

There are different penalties attached to arson attacks depending on the different states. Crimes in the three categories vary and some are more serious than others. Comparing arson attacks, first degree murder and disorderly conduct, it has been noted that first degree murder is the severest, followed by arson attacks and finally followed by the disorderly conduct. Taking an example of New York City, arson attacks are divided into five categories and carries with them different penalties. First degree murder in most states is responded to by death penalty or being jailed for life, proving the seriousness of the crime. (Redsicker & O’Connor,  2006)

Crime against Persons (First degree murder)

According to the United States law, murder is related to some extents to homicides. It has been noted that different states have different laws related to murder cases. Murder cases are tried at the state jurisdictions and federal jurisdictions; and in some cases, offenders can be subjected to state and also federal jurisdictions without double jeopardy (Kellerman, 2008). Murder crimes in the United States have no statute of limitations. Murder is the serious crime among the homicides crimes; murder is characterized with intentional act which is unlawful in killing another individual with intent of fatal consequences.

United States federal laws have set clear rules on first degree murder, which is punishable by the federal, militaries and the states. Felony murder is considered as an example of first degree murder, which is characterized with premeditated and willful acts (Kellerman, 2008). Other degrees of murder identifies with second degree murder, third degree murder, voluntary manslaughter and involuntary manslaughters. Punishment for first degree murder by the federal is life sentence or death sentence. Militaries set first degree murder to life imprisonment or death; which also applies at the state laws. Laws on murder vary within states as per the unborn victims of violence act. Taking an example of the Arizona state, first degree murder results to a death penalty (Kellerman, 2008).

Crime against public order (Disorderly Conduct)

Crimes against public order in most cases are related to issues of moral aspects within a community. Disorderly conduct is an example of a crime against public order, in the sense that they disturb public peace, cause public nuisance and threaten the moral standings of the society (Crimes Against Public Order and Morality, 2010). Other examples pegged on crime against public order identify with rioting, vagrancy, public indecency, loitering, prostitution, gang activities, obscenity, soliciting and cruelty directed at animals.

Disorderly conduct in this context punishes the offender for the issues relating to public decency, disturbance of peace and on public morals. Statutes relating to disorderly conduct vary with jurisdictions depending on the activities that are considered as criminal activities. The statutes are traceable to the goals of the common laws in punishing issues relating to breach of peace. Rioting happens when disorderly conduct is pegged on a number of individuals (Crimes Against Public Order and Morality, 2010).

Reflecting on Florida State, it has been noted that there are defined statutes that protects the public against disorderly conduct, which results to criminal case, and at times related directly or indirectly to other crimes. According to the Florida Statutes, section 877.03, it clarifies on disorderly conduct and on breach to peace. In the sense that persons involved in disorderly conducts are corrupting public morals, affect peace and causing public indecency. Most cases are related to fighting and brawling among others. Disorderly conduct according to the Florida state is a second degree crime, which is punishable according to the section 775.083 and 775.082 (Crimes Against Public Order and Morality, 2010).

In conclusion, there are different penalties for crimes against property, crimes against people and crimes against public order. It has been noted that crimes against people are the most serious carrying life imprisonment or death penalties, then followed by the crime against property and finally by crimes against disorderly conduct that carries the minimal charges.

 

 

References

Crimes Against Public Order and Morality . (2010). Crimes in U.S. , 403-449.

Kellerman, J. (2008). The Murder Book . New York: Ballantine Books.

Redsicker, D. & O’Connor, J. (2006). Practical Fire and Arson Investigation. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press.

 

 

 

 

 

Capstone Project.

            A systems integration project plays a cardinal role in management by providing valuable opportunities for success. It is an essential practice that is deemed important for improving the quality of   increases accountability of among the workers, reduces wastage of resources, and enhances independence of the health workers (Baldoni, 2010). To achieve these benefits, system integration in a hospital must have the right components and interfaces needed for the execution of the project. It is in this light that this study looks at the components and interfaces of a system integration project in a hospital.

Requirement Specification.

The two main requirements that are important when establishing interfaces and components of systems integration include goals and scope of integration. These two requirements also influence other needs such as compatibility of the software used in developing a system. With regards to goals of integration, the following requirements will be specified

System standards and reuse for all projects in the organization

• Infrastructure requirements for inter-application and management of related activities
• Management and reduction of ineffectiveness of point-to-point integration
• Balancing short term needs with long term architectural requirements
• The specific requirements on scope of the project entail the following
• Definition of the service interface
• Management, discovery and governance of life cycle changes in the interface
• Definition of system integration points
• Synchronization and propagation of data across the network

Connectivity of different elements such as bridges, protocol adapters, gateways, and connectors

The scope will entail semantic integration that will be important in determining the transformation of data and desired format for data contents. Moreover, the scope will also entail the routing, generation of message and patterns of data packet delivery to enhance security and integrity of data (Patterns & Practices, Microsoft Corporation 2002).

Process Used To Obtain Requirements

To obtain the aforementioned requirements, a system analysis process will be deployed that will enable identification of various parts of a system based on the functions and processes. For instance risk analysis process revealed the requirements that important to ensure security such as data encryption and message generation to enhance the security of data. The other analysis that was applied in the process was architectural analysis  was applied to identify needs that relate to interface of the system, data synchronization and propagation, system tools such as gateways, routers, bridges,  switches, adapters, the network layers. Architectural analysis also revealed connectivity requirements needed for the project.

The last type of analysis that was employed during identification of requirements was  change management analysis. The analysis will reveal issues related to short and long term requirements of the system’s architecture, systems standards and reuses of various tools in the system, and discovery and management of lifecycle changes. Change management analysis  will also  be applied in the determining issues related to risk that can cause  project failure in the future(Baldoni, 2010)..

 

The project will involve different participants drawn from the hospital who will play different roles to ensure its success. The stakeholders for the project will include the following groups and individuals; the board of directors of the hospital, the management, the suppliers, the technical team, and the heads of different departments in the hospital (Patterns & Practices, Microsoft Corporation, 2002).

The board of directors will play the sole responsibility of ensuring that funds for the project are available and the shareholders are informed about the goals and objectives of the project. The board will also collaborate with the management in monitoring the progress of the project.

The management of the hospital will play a set of roles which entail assessment and evaluation of the project goals, coordination of the project activities, collaborating with departmental heads to ensure that project their needs are accounted for in the project goals. The management will also play a significant role of providing adequate information to the board concerning the progress and any other relevant issue. The suppliers will coordinate with the management and the technical team to supply the right materials that will be used in the project.

 

The technical team of the project will play a continuum of roles that span from management of the project to consultation with other stakeholders. The technical will pursue specific duties which entail:

• Identification of commonalities that are needed to ensure integration of frameworks and components
• Consultation with the departmental heads to identify project needs and issues that should be included in the integration process, for instance issues such as priorities, requirements and expectations of each department.
• Implement architecture requirements such as middleware that is necessary for authorization, management and authentication of the infrastructure.
• Establish integration activities and roadmaps which should be integrated in the project
• Establish and maintain the desired artifacts which include service Meta data, patterns of design and desired architecture.

 

The last categories of stakeholders that will participate in the project are the departmental heads. These individuals will collaborate with their followers to identify specific needs that should be included in the project. For instance, the clinical departmental can raise management of health records that needs to be integrated in the system interface. The departmental heads will also play other duties which include coordination with the technical team to identify the desired pattern for integration, best initiatives to address integration challenges and identification of opportunities for service improvement and consult with the technical team on technical issues related to project integration.

 

Components and Interfaces.

 

The components that will be used in systems integration in the hospital will entail 7 main domains. These domains will be drawn from the major functions and departments of the hospital. The first domain will be physician need requirements which will encompass issues such as physician participation in decision making and participation in administration. The next domain is governance and leadership of the hospital, which touch on structure, the board and the management, and strategic decisions. The domain on financial integration will ensure that systems are properly organized to manage relationship between the payments financial receivables.

The other important domain is patient oriented and responsiveness. This domain will ensure communication of patient needs, storage of patient information; enhance access to patient information and most importantly security of patient information. This domain will be operated together with the domain on clinical integration and coordination of care. The component will establish the guideline for providing  services that are important in ensuring the quality of health care and it also integrate behavioral health initiatives into  the main care system (Baldoni, 2010).

To improve the quality of health care, there is need to integrate the component on quality. This component will improve the quality of health care services by testing the strategic initiatives and plans, provide opportunities for evidence-based activities through information sharing and leadership coordination. The domain will also provide innovative opportunities important for improvement of health care quality. The last component that will be needed to complete the composition of the domains is the component on information. This component will ensure that health records are electronically available, enable tracking of patient feedback, patient information requirements (Noble, 2011).

The aforementioned components mainly fall in the business or operation of the systems integration. However, the interplay between different layers in system integration will enable the execution and management of the component. For instance, information on various components will be available in the data layer. To retrieve information, a systems operator will have to access the information through the presentation layer and execute information requirement through the operation or business layer (Patterns & Practices, Microsoft Corporation, 2002).

Interfaces

The most common interface recommended for systems integration in a hospital is the HL7 interface. The model allows a health organization to reduce cost of investing in new technology requirements since the interface has automatic systems for adapting its requirements. The effectiveness of the HL7 emanate from its ability to define messaging and application standards and determine how information is transmitted to various sections. The interface model will enable different users of the system to perform their duties according to the organizational rules.

 

The other interface is the Common User interface which is also important in data management and integration of different functions in a hospital. CUI will enable interaction of various users, systems, operations and functions within the organization. As interface, CUI is one of the tools that is important in facilitating the interaction between the data layer, operations and the presentation of the system’s architecture.

Measurable Functional requirements

The measurable functional requirements of system integration outline what the system is expected to achieve or the businesses that the system are to do.  In this case, the measurable requirements will be identified through the guidance of various metrics. The first metric is performance whereby the system integration will be expected to improve efficiency and effectiveness of data management and information exchange. The system is expected to enhance the speed of data exchange by more than 80% within the next two years. The other metric that will be used is computability. The system will enhance computability with different software requirements to reduce inefficiency in operations. The level of compatibility of the system is expected to rise to more than 98% percent of the total components of the system (Pfluegel, Siegel & Skeen, 2006).

 

 

The next important metric for measuring functional requirement is capacity. The system will be expected to improve its capacity in order handle more operations and large amount of data from various sections within the organization. The capacity of different components tools as bridges, switches, connectors and tools will be upgraded to enhance the performance of the system.   Interoperability metric will be used to measure the level data configuration and storage. In this regard, the system will use different data languages such as SQL and XML to determine how data can be configured very easily (Noble, 2011).

Measurable Non-functional requirements

Measurable Non-functional requirements define how the metrics mentioned in functional requirements should be attained. To ensure that system improves performance and efficiency, it is important to determine whether the system can interface easily, whether the system is flexible to accommodate changes. Moreover, it   is also important to determine whether the system is user responsive in order to meet the requirement of the users. The other important non-functional measure in this case will determine the whether the system enhances data security and integrity through transcription and other data security measures (Pfluegel, Siegel & Skeen, 2006).

Assumptions of the Project Scope

• The assumptions of the project scope entail the following
• The project will define service and user interface
• The project will enable management and discovery of life cycle changes
• The project will enable synchronization of data across the system
• The project will also enhance data security, and ensure efficiency and effectiveness of operations in the hospital.

The project will also take into account all the tools that will be needed in building the system’s architecture such as bridges, connectors, gateways, and routers. The other important assumption is that the scope of the project will take into account the needs of users who rely on the system to execute their activities (Eriksson, 2008).

Pros and Cons of Proceeding with the Project

Proceeding with the project will have the following advantages:

• Enhance effectiveness and efficiency in the hospital
• Ensure proper allocation and utilization of resources for increased performance
• Enhance management of health records and customer feedback for improving health care quality

However, proceeding with the project may have some disadvantages which include the following: Increased cost of operation that will be needed for project implementation and maintenance the project will also require the organization to invest in a lot of resources that will be needed to train the employees in the hospital.

 

 

 

References

Baldoni, R., M.(2010). The Evolution of Publish/Subscribe Communication Systems. Future        Directions of Distributed Computing. Springer Verlag LNCS Vol. 2584, 2003.

Eriksson, H. (2008). Business Modeling with UML: Business Patterns at Work.  NY. John Wiley   & Sons.

Leatt, P.  & Leggat, S. (2007).Governing Integrated Health Delivery Systems: Meeting     accountability Requirements, Health Management Research Unit. Technical Report. No.   96-0,

Noble, J.  (2011).Classifying Relationships Between Object-Oriented Design Patterns      Proceedings of the Australian Software Engineering Conference.

Patterns & Practices, Microsoft Corporation. (2002). Application Architecture for .NET.    Designing Applications and Services. Retrieved from.             http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnbda/html/distapp.asp.

Pfluegel, A. Siegel, L.  D. Skeen. (2006). The Information Bus – An Architecture for Extensive   Distributed Systems. Proceedings of the 1993 ACM Symposium on Operating Systems Principles.

Capstone Project: Quality Assurance System Integration

Quality assurance system integration refers to the merger of quality assurance subsystems to enhance efficiency and quality (Luttig, n. d.). Organizations integrate their quality assurance systems to enable them reduce the costs of operations. There are categories of quality assurance and methods that can be utilized to enhance quality assurance in an organization.

Quality Assurance Categories

Completeness: – this refers to the nature of the database (Chemuturi, 2010). A complete quality assurance database implies that all the data matches the known standards for, table structure, typology, projection, precision, and other data-related model requirements.

Validity: -validity refers to the degree of accuracy in the organization’s quality assurance database (Chemuturi, 2010). A valid database should have a definite domain and range. Therefore, the database’s validity focuses on whether the database’s values are complete, accurate, and rationally consistent.

Logical Consistency: -logical consistency is the determination of the relationships between values of two, three, or more attributes that are functionally-related. One may determine the logical consistency of a quality assurance database by conducting a physical examination of the objects; then correlating the findings with what is contained in or shown by the database (Chemuturi, 2010).

Physical Consistency: -This is the measure of the topological and geographical extent precision of one’s database (Chemuturi, 2010). The database is said to achieve physical consistency if its infrastructural components such as control rooms are physically compliant with the database’s descriptions.

Referential Integrity: -This is the measure of the relationships between two or more related tables with special reference to their foreign or primary key relationships (Chemuturi, 2010). Often, foreign and primary keys must be present and must link the data sets in the tables based on the pre-identified rules for each of the tables.

Positional Accuracy: -this is the measure of how consistent every object’s real spatial position matches with the content of the database (Chemuturi, 2010). Positional error is often introduced by incorrect cartographic interpretations or digital storage correctness inaccuracies.

Quality Assurance Methods

Continuing Education: Continuing educational is a regular-professional based education program that is offered to an organization’s workforce. Often, organizations have their own varied professional content that included technicians, clerks, and those at the management level (Resch-Genger, 2008). Continuous education programs are offered to each category of workers to update their professional skills. In practice, continuing education is a domain of the registered professionals such as nurses and teachers. Such professionals are usually required to complete a certain amount of credit hours a year for their licenses to be renewed by the regulator (Resch-Genger, 2008). However, other professionals can be subjected to continuing education to improve their professional skills. For example, IT technicians may be subjected to regular training to enable them enhance their skills on hacking, malware software, and cyber attacks, among other skills.

Disseminating Practice Guidelines: -This refers to the issuance of rules and guidance to the organization employees on the ideal professional and personal conduct within the organization (Resch-Genger, 2008). In most cases, such guidelines are in the form of how-to-do manual which offers step-by-step guidance on what one needs to do in a given scenario. For example, the National Health Medical Research Council (NHMRC) publishes clinical research guidelines to assist clinicians in making informed decisions in their day-to-day operations. Similarly, other professional organizations publish their own professional guidelines to enhance best practices by their professional workforce.

Continuous Improvement: -Continuous improvement or continuous quality improvement refers to the continuous institutional improvement process (Resch-Genger, 2008). This method has four main components that are continuously performed to assure quality: planning, implementing, checking, and implementation. First and foremost, the organization should plan for the action to be taken. Once the plan is in place, the management of the organization implements the plan. Thereafter, the management evaluates the progress of the implementation process to identify whether it is accomplishing its objectives. The evaluation is then followed by carrying out changes on the plan before proceeding with the implementation process. After the plan has been implemented, the management would draft a new plan to enhance changes to the plan. Therefore, continuous improvement is a continuous implementation of plans to assure that there is quality.

In addition, continuous improvement requires the cooperation of all the workers. Usually, the policy directive starts from the top management then trickles to the action teams via the quality improvement team. Action teams incorporate all the departmental or sub-departmental employees and their manager. It is the work of the action teams to implement the action plans from the quality improvement team. As a rule, action team members are members of the same professional or department; therefore each team implements an action plan that is relevant to their line of profession.

Designing Management Information Systems with Uniform Data Elements: -this implies that the organization’s information systems have the same data table outlook, similar rules of data entry, and algorithms. Overall, uniform data elements make it easier for the organization’s workforce to process and analyze data. In addition, uniform data elements make it easier to train staff on how the information technology works because the basic rules of operation are the same. For example, data tables for an in-patient hospital might have elements such as the name of the patient, credit card number, state or country of birth, current physical address, age, gender, and marital status (Ghorbani, Ahmadi, Sadoughi, & Ghanei, 2012). Such data allows the hospital workforce to minimize data-related errors.

Conducting Comparative Research: -Comparative research helps in identification of how similar organizations work to enable one to copy such organization (Resch-Genger, 2008). Usually, comparative researches are done at a national or regional level. Such research helps the organization to seek expert analysis, user analysis and evaluations, cost analysis and other aspects of the programs run by similar institutions before adopting universal measures to enhance quality. Comparative research also enables organizations to make informed decisions on the effectiveness of policies and how to accomplish better results.

The objective of comparative research is to avail new information on the technology, management policy, or organization’s structure to the organization’s performance. Researchers conduct investigations to discover information such as the latest cyber attacks, how they are executed, and trends in data management tools (Resch-Genger, 2008).  Such information is then used to train the organization’s workforce and measure that can be used to mitigate potential threats to the organization such as cyber attacks.

Quality Controls (Q.C.): -quality controls refer to the review of the factors and elements related to the organization’s performance. Often, such evaluation focuses on three main aspects: First, job management enhances professionalism and integrity service delivery processes such as record keeping. Secondly, quality controls place emphasis on staff competences in knowledge and experiences. Thirdly, quality controls focus on soft elements and attributes such as personal confidence, organizational culture, staff motivation, and quality-related aspects. Essentially, quality control targets aspects that promote quality in the organization. Thus, the organization emphasizes such attributes with the hope to assure quality.

Continuous Improvement Use in Supporting Quality Assurance for the Hospital Integration Project

            Continuous improvement method is the best method for supporting quality assurance for the hospital project because it enhances continuous quality within the organization. As a norm, continuous quality improvement requires frequent evaluation of the quality assurance system integration project to mitigate any current or future challenges. Continuous improvement will ensure that the merged hospital quality assurance system continuous undergo reviews and evaluation to improve its performance. For example, over time, the hospital will be in a position to identify the cost implication of the system before making changes (Luttig, n. d.).

In addition, continuous improvement will enable the hospital to update its data system on continues basis to comply with the dynamics affecting the IT industry. This is because of the fact that the IT industry is subject to frequent cyber attacks. Continuous improvement will also enable the hospital staff to adapt to the new system since it is critical in transforming the hospital staff’s culture towards the newly integrated quality assurance system (Dlllard, Gladd, and Hutton, (n. d.). The method will further make use of other methods such as comparative research thereby enabling the hospital’s action teams to ensure quality for the entire hospital.

 

References

Top of Form

Chemuturi, M. (2010). Mastering software quality assurance. Boca Raton, Fla: J. Ross.

Top of Form

Chorafas, D. N. (2013). Quality control applications. London: Springer.

Bottom of Form

Bottom of Form

Dlllard, J. W., Gladd, R. E., Hutton, V. (n. d.). Laboratory software applications development: Quality assurance considerations. Retrieved 23, October, 2013, from, http://www.bgladd.com/papers/ITORL1.PDF

Ghorbani, N. R., Ahmadi, M., Sadoughi, F., & Ghanei, M. (2012). Developing data elements for research information system in health; a starting point for systems integration. Iranian Journal of Public Health, 41(12), 30–39.

Luttig, D. (n. d.). A proven approach for successful systems integration. FIS Position Paper. Retrieved 23, October, 2013, from,http://www.fisglobal.com/ucmprdpub/groups/public/documents/document/C011355.pdf

Top of Form

Resch-Genger, U. (2008). Standardization and quality assurance in fluorescence measurements. Berlin: Springer. Bottom of Form

COMPARISON OF HERMES PERFUME FROM ANY YEARS

            In the current competitive business environment, advertisement has become a necessity for any business to survive. These advertisement strategies have to be effective and resonate well with the end user. In light of these, this paper first takes an in-depth look at one of the most successful ad campaigns of Hermes international S.A., the company that is the manufacturer of Hermes Perfume.

It however begins by giving a brief overview of the background of the firm since its founding. A listing of several fragrances for both men and women that have been manufactured by the company since 1951 can also be seen. In connection to this, it then makes a comparison between various Hermes perfumes over the years. Some of the aspects that shall be taken into consideration in this comparison are:

• Year of Creation
• Brand Uniqueness: Scent and Ingredients
• Brand Performance on the market

At the end, the paper draws conclusions and gives recommendations on how the firm could better design and execute its advertisements so that this has the intended effect on the target audience. Images and supporting facts and figures have been used to substantiate the content of this paper. Reliable sources have been used to substantiate the content of this paper. Images have also been used to give a visual impression of the content.

Background

Hermes Perfume is one of the products manufactured by Hermes International S.A., a French manufacturer founded in 1937 and has its headquarters in Paris, France. Since, the 1950s, its logo has always remained a horse with a Duc carriage. Some of the other products manufactured by the same company are lifestyle accessories, ready-to-wear, leather as well as luxurious goods. Some of its popular products are the Kelly Bag and the Birkin handbag.

The company is composed of various individual as well as company holdings. In 2010, the founding family had a holding worth 62.79% in the company. According to the Wall Street Journal, another company, LVMH which deals exclusively with luxurious goods has a 20.21% stake in the company although there have been a number of speculations that LVMH intends to take over the company (Wsj, 2013).

The company has had tough and challenging times since its founding but it has always managed to stay afloat. This has been attributed to its usage of exclusively natural substances for the manufacturing of its products, a stark contrast to other companies that have been using synthetic materials. Another contributory factor to its survival has been the diversification of its products. The company initially concentrated on entirely on leather and silk goods but had to expand to ostrich-skin jeans as well as motorcycle jackets to tap into new markets. Since then, the products is manufactured in France with a lot on emphasis on its quality.

Various Brands over the last few years

Ever since its creation, the company has released several masculine as well feminine brands of its perfume onto the market: a brief overview of these brands and their respective years are as follows:

Fragrances for Men:

Year	Fragrance
1986	Bel Ami
1970	Equipage
1998	Rocabar
2006	Terre D’Hermes

 

Fragrances For Women:

Year	Fragrance
1961	Caleche
1974	Amazone
1984	Parfum d’Hermes
1995	24, Faubourg
1999	Hiris
2000	Rouge Hermes
2007	Kelly Caleche

 

 

 

 

Perfumes for Both Men and Women

Year	Fragrance
1951	Eau d’Hermes
1999	Eau d’Orange
2003	Un Jardin en Mediterranee
2005	Un Jardin sur le Nil
2008	Un Jardin après la Mousson
2009	Eau de Gentiane Blanche
2009	Eau de Pamplemousse Rose

 

From 1951 to date, this perfume house has at least 57 perfumes to its name. The next section draws comparisons between three of these brands:

Comparison of three Perfumes

The three perfumes that shall be compared in this section are:

• Hermes Un Sur Le Nil Perfume
• Hermes Jour d’Hermes
• Hermes 24 Faubourg Perfume

Hermes Un Sur Le Nil Perfume

The creator of this perfume is Jean Claude Ellena and is the second in the Un Jardin – A Garden Series. In English, this name translates to “A Garden of The Nile”According to Hubpages (Hubpages, 2010, p.1) this is arguably the most popular of all Hermes fragrances. This unisex brand was released in 2005. Its scent is warm fruity and some of the ingredients used in its manufacture are: Incense, Sycamore, Green Mango and Calamus.

It is likeable by both men and women since it is neither too strong nor too sweet. It is mostly suited for warm weather. Because of its success and widespread acceptance, it is necessity to those serious about fashion. 

Hermes Jour d’Hermes

This fragrance was released in 2012 and is meant for women. Its creator, just like the previous perfume is Jean Claude Ellena. The perfume’s name is simple and quite descriptive. It can be translated into English as ‘Gift of Time’. It has a tart grapefruit element that makes it have a floral scent. A discerning nose would also notice a fruity component in the mix, mainly the mango and the sweat pear fruits. It is also quite a popular brand among women.

Hermes 24 Faubourg Perfume

This perfume was created in 1995 and is intended for the female customers. Its creator was Maurice Roucel. The perfume has an aroma that is flowery and light. This effect is quite long lasting and can be felt days after. Additionally, it is regarded as one of the most expensive perfumes and costs about $1500 an ounce, making it the fourth most expensive perfume in the world (Therichest.com, 2013)

Ad Campaign

In order for any business to remain expand, it has to market and advertise its products to its current as well as potential customers. Hermes international S.A, as well, is never left behind in this campaign. Over the years, the company has undertaken various strong Ad campaigns both locally as well as internationally. These have been done both in the mainstream media such as television, radio and newspapers as well as on the social media front through various platforms such as Facebook and twitter. The company has even bagged various awards for the professional and successful execution of these campaigns.

The next section looks at one of the most successful campaign strategies, which have ever been employed by the company – The Hermes Spring/Summer 13 campaign. This was an ad campaign fronted by the company in the fall of 2013.

The Advertiser and Market Share

The advertiser in this Campaign is the manufacturer of the Hermes perfume, Hermes International S.A. The company, however, employs the services of internationally acknowledged models in its campaign. The Norwegian model, Iselin Steiro has been starred in the campaign (Chick, 2013). Nathaniel Goldberg photographed her. In this ad, Iselin is seen having worn the Aux Sports D’hiver.  Below are some of the images used for the Ad.

 

 

In the first image, we see Iselin carrying the Berline Bag while walking through ice during winter. The ease and elegance of how she moves despite carrying the bag is meant to portray the efficacy and convenience of the bag. In the second image, we see her having fun adorned in sport-inspired, tailored attire while ice-skating.

Products on Offer

In this ad, the product that is being advertised is the Mini Berline bag as well as Hermes Scarves, which is one of the brand new products of the company. The orange Berline Bag stands out as she walks through the thick snow moving from flag to flag. The flags are amazingly also made from scarves.

The bag comes in many different colours. Its strap is adjustable and can be removed, therefore making it easy to carry both during the day and at night as well. The white blouse and the black trousers that come along with it is a reflection of sporting life. The bag sells at €4,700, which translates, to about 4,000 pounds. This might seem a bit too high at first, but should not be a problem for the ardent fashion lover with a keen eye for quality as well as glamour.

 

Theme of the Campaign

The Ad runs under the theme, ‘sporting life’ (BragmyBag, 2013). The Norwegian star model Iselin Steiro is featured and the photograph has been taken in a cold environment in the snowy mountains. She is carrying the bag while hiking through snow that is 10cm thick.

Ohlala Magazine (Ohlalamag, 2013) recaps the words of the firm and says, “this new summer campaign is all about a sporting life.”

When was the Ad Campaign?

The release of the Ad was slated for the Fall/Winter time of 2013. This is understandable as the company aimed at marketing its winter-wear. The campaign continues to run to date.

Where Does The Ad Appear?

The firm has used various avenues to ensure that its adverts reach the maximum audience. It has utilized both the mainstream media and the online platform. On the internet, this Ad appears on various fronts. One can see it on the internet on various websites, but also on its official website, www.hermes.com. Additionally, the advert can be found as a movie clip on youtube (Youtube, 2013).The company has also been running the ad on the popular social media platform, Facebook.

The company has also been running mobile ads. This has been done on various mobile-optimised websites. This is effective, as it has been noticed that many people nowadays access websites via their mobile devices.

Was the Campaign Strategy Successful?

In my opinion, this campaign strategy was immensely successful in many ways. In fact, Ohlala Magazine (Ohlalamag, 2013, p.1) Hermes puts it correctly by saying that “every Hermes campaign is like waking up from the most refreshing and delightful dream. This summer 2013 is no exception“.

The images displayed are simply visually compelling and extremely appealing to all and sundry. The scarves, clothing and bag seem to match well and are a perfect fit for the model who wears them. The beauty has been emphasized by the usage of bright colors, which seem to emit warmth and comfort.

Additionally, there have been positive reviews and remarks both from the public as well as from pundits in the fashion industry. Experts like Rebecca Robins (Shea 2013) have attested to the successful strategies employed by the firm to conduct its advertisements.

Impact of these Campaigns

The success of the campaign can also be appraised by the positive impact of these campaigns both on its net gains as well as on its public image as a result of its unique ad packaging.

First, the company saw a dramatic rise in its second-quarter sales, registering a growth rise of 16 percent. The highest growths were noted to originate from The United States of America and Asia. In fact, this growth was recorded in its sale of home furnishings. Apparently, the campaign to advertise its clothing had a spiral effect of boosting the sale of its other products.

Pundits assert that the key to the company’s successful advertisement strategies is its unique ability to mix innovation with heritage, subsequently winning over new customers and maintaining the current existing ones. Rebecca Robins, one of the company’s director who is based in London asserts that Hermes is one of those brands that create value across different generations and become a crucial component of our culture and heritage.(Shea, 2013). The company has additionally received various awards from The Fragrance Foundation, initially called “FiFi” for its compelling advertisement strategies. The The Hermes Spring/Summer 13 campaign has received widespread acceptance, a sign of its success.

Partnerships

For many years now, the company has had a fruitful partnership with the Tuareg people from North Africa. As a matter of fact, designs displaying the nomads of the Sahara have often appeared in many of Hermes products. Additionally, for the success of its products, the company has employed the services of various designers and perfumers. Some of the notable names are: Maurice Roucel, Jean-Claude Ellena, Bernard Bourjois, Jean Guichard, Francois Caron and Akiko Kamei.

Conclusions and Recommendations

In order to remain successful in the market, it is important for any business to focus on its objectives. Campaigns should not be over-hyped, only for the customer to be disappointed by the final product once they buy them. Rebecca Robins goes further and states that those brands that shall continue asserting their dominance in the industry are those that deliver the services that they promise beyond the customer’s expectations (Shea, 2013. P.1).

In light of this, Hermes should not only continue providing quality service but also boost its creativity and innovation. This requires the employment of skilled and talented individuals as well as the embracement of technology in the delivery of its services. It should boost its campaigns through advertisement on the social media, through platforms such as Facebook and twitter. The adventisement and widespread usage of mobile apps on various platforms such as Android and iOS, as well is important. Users are ever ready and willing to download and use mobile applications that would enable them easily access the products and services of the firm.

References

Bragmybag. 2013. Hermes Fall Winter 2013 Ad Campaign: The Mini Berlin Bag. Retrieved

from: http://www.bragmybag.com/hermes-fall-winter-2013-ad-campaign-the-mini-berline-bag/

Chick, M. 2013. Hermes Fall 2013 Ad Campaign Featuring Berline Bag. Retrieved from:

http://www.spottedfashion.com/2013/08/08/hermes-fall-2013-ad-campaign-featuring-berline-bag/

Hubpages. 2010. Hermes Un Jardin Sur Le Nil. Retrieved from:

http://effalicious.hubpages.com/hub/Hermes-Un-Jardin-Sur-Le-Nil-Perfume

Ohlala Magazine .2013. So Chic / Hermes Spring Summer 2013 Campaign. Retrieved from:

http://www.ohlalamag.com/en/2013/01/so-chic-herm%C3%A8s-summer-2013-campaign.html

Shea, E. 2013. Hermes sales up 16pc, drive by home furnishings, spring/ summer campaign.

Retrieved from: http://www.luxurydaily.com/hermes%E2%80%99-sales-in-asia-america-boost-revenue-16pc/

Therichest. 2013. The Top Ten Most Expensive Perfumes in the World. Retrieved from:

http://effalicious.hubpages.com/hub/Hermes-Un-Jardin-Sur-Le-Nil-Perfume

Wall Street Journal.2013.  LVMH Drops Appeal on Market Watchdog’s Fine Over Hermes

Stake. Retrieved from: http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20130903-707348.html

Youtube. 2013. The French Fashion House Hermes Has Introduced the 2013 Spring         Campaign. Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0K_J_P56qg