Personal Narrative Machismo - 1500 Words

Machismo is a rather popular Spanish word meaning strong or aggressive masculine pride. I know this word so well that we could basically move in together because I have seen it take life before my own eyes for years now by my no one else but my father. This word has brought pain and suffering to my mother and by doing so has also inevitably harmed me. This word has shown me the ugly and the mean. But, this word has also shown me what I am and what I will not be and for that, I am grateful. The sun had started going down and the blazing heat that accompanied July with it as the stars and crickets started slowly making appearances. The day was coming to an end and I was sleepier than ever due to the intense heat that seemed to drain every†¦show more content†¦The only difference now, is that I am old enough to be the one to listen to my mother and let her vent out to me as she has never talked about this to anyone. My mother explains that she got into a heated argument with my father on their way back from the local little market because she undeniably caught him looking at another women in a way that she felt uncomfortable. Obviously, my father being the macho man that he often portrays to be, does not care about how she feels in the slightest about the situation because to him, that is what a man does. A man can look at whomever he pleases. A man can go wherever he pleases. A man can do whatever he pleases. I am confused to feel a tear drop onto my leg as I had not noticed that I was already swimming in a beach of my own tears. My heart hurt to see my mother breaking down like that. By that time, it was already so late in the night that all my siblings were already tucked in bed and sleeping ever so peacefully. My mother and I were the only ones still up as she could not get herself to go to bed with the man who had just broken her heart again. I often did not want to get involved in my parents’ conflicts because I tend to advice my mother on wh at her options are, such as divorcing him, leaving him, and moving away, but she always goes back to my father because she states that she was raised to stay by her husband’s side no matter what. â€Å"†¦ but I love him† sheShow MoreRelatedDon t Be Afraid Gringo1148 Words   |  5 PagesIn almost every culture, machismo (or patriarchy) exists. Women are considered to be inferior and are treated as if they were objects. It is fair to assume that all women have or will face abuse or oppression for the mere fact that they are women. In Honduras, machismo is the backbone of society. In the book Don t Be Afraid Gringo, Elvia Alvarado tells the story of the life of the Honduran campesinos (peasants) in the context of the military government of Osvaldo Là ³pez Arellano and the installationRead MoreGender Roles And Women s Careers1532 Words   |  7 Pagesthe understanding of this paradox lies with an appreciation of the gender role ideologies of marianismo and machism o, which socialize women and men differently across cultures. Gender role expectations have not completely disappeared from women’s experiences in their day to day professional interactions, and are not confined to members of traditional societies. When marianismo and machismo are not understood within the proper context, women’s overall self-esteem and successful career outcomes canRead MoreComparison Of Abrego And Diaz s Life876 Words   |  4 Pagesfamily home. The parallels were amusing but soon became uncomfortably similar. 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According to Dalrymple, travel writing is key to a comprehensive understanding of globalization within a contemporary contextRead MoreNananna1497 Words   |  6 PagesRiding The Pine: Tim Bowling’s personal reflection of professional hockey in â€Å"Na Na Na Na, Hey Hey Hey Goodbye† In â€Å"Na Na Na Na, Hey Hey Hey Goodbye,† Tim Bowling, an author, poet, and a fishing boat deckhand (Stewart et al 237), articulates how professional hockey has evolved over his lifetime. He laments how a game he was enamoured with no longer captures his complete attention and is not as relevant in his life as it once was. However, Bowling admits he still has a sheepish curiosity for the latestRead MoreA Nuanced Understanding About Gender And Development2781 Words   |  12 PagesIntroduction As specified for the purposes of this course, this â€Å"infinity of traces† can be thought of as a personal record or archive that has shaped my identity. Given the course’s broad topic theme list, the critical inventory items, I chose to develop a nuanced understanding about, are based upon my personal experiences. Specifically I am addressing, from a personal perspective, how the topics of gender in work, global reconstructing, masculinities and economic transformations, and reproductionRead MoreAn Allegorical Reflection on the Mexican Revolution4344 Words   |  18 Pagesonce removed and central to understanding the narrative, this portrayal of the Mexican Revolution valorizes and romanticizes the contributions of women. It both informs the spectator that this is at once a historical reenactment of the Revolution at a microcosm level, the family, and through the family constructs a critique of the Revolution as it pertains to female identity in terms of power, economics, and race. 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In the 21st century, it is less widespread than in previous centuries for family members to work together in family businesses given the importance of personal preferences and the generalization of the university education. Family structures and sizes vary significantly; however, generally families live together until longer lives and have fewer children compared to traditional family setups. A few people

Stem Cell Research †Developing a Cross between Species...

Ethics of Stem Cell Research – Developing a Cross between Species The idea of a chimera, a cross between species, has been around since the mythological creatures of ancient Greece, such as the centaur (a man’s torso with a horses body) and the griffin (the wings, head, and claws of an eagle and the body of a lion). Today, due to our advances in biotechnology, we are seeing this mythology become a reality, but in a different respect. Human-nonhuman animal chimeras are being developed by injecting animal blastocysts with human embryonic stem cells. The cells need to be injected at the right point in development, after the body plan of the animal has formed and before the immune system develops. It is done at this time to avoid†¦show more content†¦The chimeras could also provide more accurate animal models for research. With all the good that may be on the way with the present findings, the ethical issues and potential for abuse of this knowledge is both heavy on the heads of scientists. In the 1998 article by Rick Weiss, the â€Å"human-animal chimera† seems off limits, however the research is now well underway. The article was published in the Washington Post and shows how we have strayed from our original intent: â€Å"In an unusual move applauded by ethicists and government officials, the university association holding patent rights to Thomsons cells said that anyone wishing to work with the cells will have to sign an agreement promising not to use them to clone an individual or to make a human-animal chimera, a seamless cross-species hybrid that could, in theory, be made by injecting human stem cells into a developing embryo of another species.† (Weiss, 1998) Other issues include the possibility of increasing the intelligence of the animal. Determining what human-like attributes the animal will develop is not easy to determine. Cautionary measures should also be made to insure that we do not create a slave-race. Throughout history, humans have always used discriminatory factors to generate a hierarchy, such as race, religion, or nationality. Another issue is that it mayShow MoreRelatedGenetically Modified Organisms And Stem-Food Report1053 Words   |  5 PagesWith reference to a recent news report analyse how genetically modified products are created and evaluate the use of stem cells to combat disease. Genetic modification is the manipulation of DNA in an organism. It involves extracting a gene from one organism then inserting it into another organism that is usually of a different species but can be the same. The genes can also be manufactured instead of being extracted from the organism. Genetic modification can be done to plants, animals and evenRead MoreIntroduction Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a2200 Words   |  9 Pagesnegative effects on skeletal muscle innervation, ALS has a survival duration time of only 3 to 5 years (Rowland). Etiology Incidence The cause of ALS is unknown. No consistent links have been found between ALS and race, ethnicity, or location. Men appear to be more likely to have ALS, and older people between the ages of 40 and 70 have it more frequently than younger people, with the mean age being 55 to 65 years (Wijesk). There are two types of ALS: sporadic and familial. Sporadic ALS tends to be theRead MoreBenefits Of Spinach Cells1593 Words   |  7 Pagessecondary goal is to culture rat cardiac cells and use the extracellular matrix as a three-dimensional scaffolds for tissue growth. Tissue Engineering As stated by Castells-Sala et al. (2013) â€Å"tissue Engineering is a [developing] scientific field focused on the development substitutes for tissues by controlling biological, biophysical and/or biomechanical parameters in the laboratory.† The general principles of tissue engineering involve combining living cells with a natural/ synthetic support orRead MoreAgriculture Technology Working Model1795 Words   |  8 PagesAgriculture technology working model Modern technology is already being used in agriculture. The best example is the use of gene technology or what’s popularly known as agricultural biotechnology in developing drought and herbicide resistant crops. Through genetic engineering, scientists have been able to introduce traits into existing genes to make crops resistant to drought and herbicides. One good example is the use of Bacillus Thuringiensis, commonly known as Bt. Bacillus Thuringiensis, isRead MoreThe Development And Production Of Golden Rice1774 Words   |  8 PagesTransgenesis is the genetic modification of the traits of an organism through the transfer of genetic material from one species to another [8]. This method is when a gene is inserted into a different specie so that the organism will attain the desired gene from the foreign (different) specie. These organisms can express the genes from foreign species because the genetic code for all organisms is similar which results in that particular DNA seque nce that codes for the same proteins and therefore theRead MoreCorporate Social Responsibility ( Csr )1314 Words   |  6 Pagesand ignored the ethical, social and moral sectors. But in the recent times, the businesses are getting a grip of the significance of the social, ecological and environmental effects on their success. This has resulted in the emerging interactions between organizations and social segments thus giving rise to corporate social responsibility (CSR) . This paper discusses about the ways and methods of CSRs that are applied in the University of Wisconsin and the impact these methods created on the socialRead MoreGenetically Altering Our Future Essay1402 Words   |  6 Pagesimpacts on scientific discoveries and research of the time; with current ethical standards to be met, newer medical innovations are put to the test, and examined to see if they are morally correct and should be performed. One of the most controversial and debated forms of research is work do ne regarding the modification and alteration of the mammalian—specifically human—genome. Tremendous advancements in understanding the human genome trace back to Gregor Mendel’s cross breeding of pea plants, and haveRead MoreReece Biology Study Material3724 Words   |  15 Pagesin a species genome is not necessarily a good indicator of biological complexity because A) most genes are never turned on. B) many genes are repeats. C) this does not take into account the alternative splicing of pre-mRNA. D) this does not take into account mRNA-mRNA interactions. E) this does not take into account protein-mRNA interactions. Answer: C Topic: Concept 35.1 Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension 4) Choose the option that best describes the relationship between the cell wallRead MoreGenetically Modified Organisms ( Gmos )1736 Words   |  7 PagesGMOs are unanimously bad; however, at the same time, research tells us that there are numerous advantages associated with GE. The Opposition With GMOs on the rise, consumers are increasingly choosing to go exclusively organic, but on what basis are they choosing to do so? As said by Lord May of Oxford, â€Å"†¦ there has always been initial distrust of new ideas and new technologies† (qtd. in Cook 34). In truth, all the resentment towards GMOs stems from the fear of new technology; only in the latterRead MorePlant Disease And Control Strategies For Plant Diseases Essay4993 Words   |  20 Pagescancrosis A, brought about by Xanthomonas campestris pv. citri, is a damaging problem of such products as grapefruit, sweet orange and tangelo. In any case, satsuma mandarin, Ponkan and Hassaku orange are impervious to the problem. Resistance of citrus species to ulcer, considering inalienable as well as obtained attributes. Secondly, This essay gives a basic understanding of the disease which includes symptoms and its annual disease cycle. Annual disease cycle comprises of the survival, dispersal, infection

Business and Corporate Law Effective Functioning of Business

Question: Discuss about the Business and Corporate Law for Effective Functioning of Business. Answer: Business contracts and their enforceability is essential part of the effective functioning of the businesses. In this context, this report analyses whether contract is enforceable or not in the given situations. 1. Situation (a) Jane is going overseas and offers to give her Lotus super 7 sports car to Jack. The market value for this vehicle is around $25000. Jack accepts. The issue is to identify whether consideration is present and the agreement is legally enforceable. Analysis Consideration is necessary to forming a valid contract. According to the Australian contract law, consideration can be defined as the price of a transaction between two parties. In consideration there are two parties, one is promisor and another is promisee (Dickinson, et al. 2014). In many jurisdictions, it is stated that there is no need to consideration in each and every exchange for a legal contract. In this given case there is no availability of consideration. In this situation market value of the sport car is given which is not worthwhile for the consideration. Jane is offering super 7 sports to jack, and he accepts this offer. However, no clarification of consideration is given, that Jack will give this much money to Jane. According to Australian law, only accepting the offer does not turn into contract. For a valid contract there should be some legality of consideration (Mitchell, et al. 2016). On the other hand, this contract is not enforceable because in this case there is no consideration. Related case: In case of White and Bluett (1853), father lent money to his son and said to stop complaining about the distribution of property among his children. After dying his father estate sue to pay the debt. In this there is not presence of consideration so this contract cannot be enforced by law. Conclusion: In the given case, the consideration is not present and hence this contract is unenforceable by law. Situation (b) Jane offers to sell Jack her Lotus super 7 sport car for $25,000 which is also equal to its market value. Jack accepts. The issue is to identify whether consideration is present and the agreement is legally enforceable. Analysis In the second case, Jane is offering the sport car for $25000, and jack accepts the offer to purchase the car. In this case the consideration is present because the value of the car is disclosed by the Jane and acceptance of this offer by jack, also depict the legality of contract. On the other hand, the price of car is offered is also worthwhile according to the market value of car. Along with this the two parties are performing the action of contract in exchange of car. On the other hand, the consideration is also moving from the promissor. According to the Australian contract law, consideration should have value but need not to be adequate (Round, 2013). as well as in this case the value of car is sufficient as Jane offers to Jack. In this case, Jane and Jack agreed upon the promise of purchasing and buying car. This contract is enforceable by law because all the legality related to the consideration has been fulfilled. As in this situation Jack accepting the agreement of contract, leads into enforceable by law. In this case the contract law of Australia is applicable to perform the action by two parties. Related Case: In case of Beaton v Mcdivitt (1987), Mcdivitt promised to transfer the portion of her land to the Beaton. Beaton moved to work on the land and worked as he required. After seven years, a dispute arose between the two parties, and Beaton was ordered off. In this case the consideration had been provided for working on the land. On the other hand in this case, the consideration was also sufficient (Australian Contract Law, 2010). Conclusion: Adequate consideration is present and the agreement is enforceable. Situation (c) Jane offers to sell her car for $2500 which is very low as compared to the market price of $25,000. Jack accepts the offer. The issue here is to identify whether the consideration is present and whether the agreement is legally binding to both the parties. Analysis: In this situation, it is clear that the consideration is present and thus, Jack has an enforceable agreement or contract. This is because an offer for sale was made and communicated by an offeror in return for a consideration and the acceptance of offer was communicated by the offeree to the offeror (Latimer, 2012). However, this situation reflects a case of inadequate consideration. As per the Contract Act, a contract made with inadequate consideration is not considered as void. As long as there is some consideration, the courts are not concerned about its adequacy. Consideration must be sufficient and should have legal value (Gibson and Fraser, 2012). Thus, for an agreement to be valid, the consideration need not be adequate. The adequacy of the consideration is something that can be decided by the parties involved in the contract. The consideration is considered to be sufficient if it is not illusionary, tangible and has some economic value (Clarke and Clarke, 2016). Moreover, a consideration should not be past. This means that a promise, if given after the goods has been exchanged or act performed is not enforceable. Conclusion: It can therefore be concluded that in this case Jane is offering her car for a consideration of $2500. Even though this consideration is inadequate, it contains economic value in the eyes of law. Also, since the offer and acceptance is communicated by both the parties, the agreement is enforceable by law. Therefore, Jack has entered an enforceable agreement. 2. Situation In this case, a ship maker company goes into a contract with North Ocean Tankers to build tankers. In this contract, no provision is included that contains the provision for currency fluctuations. But, after the devaluation of currency of United State by 10 percent, the ship maker demanded more US$3 million as compensation otherwise it would stop the construction of tankers. Therefore, North Ocean Tankers Company reluctantly agreed to pay more because it already booked a charter for the delivery on time. Now, the North Ocean Tanker Company wants to recover the exceed money after nine months of tankers delivery. Now, here the issue is whether buyer or North Ocean Company will succeed in recovery of excess money or not. Analysis Contract Law: A contract is a legally valid agreement between two or more parties. It makes the contractual relationship by different elements such as offer, acceptance, and valid consideration between each party (Mckendrick, 2012). In the above case, the contract is made between ship maker and North Ocean Company with a valid legal acceptance and consideration. But, this contract includes only sales provisions and considerations of tankers and does not include any type of consideration about currency fluctuations. Therefore, Duress law can be applied in this case which is described as below: Duress Law: In a contract, when an individual enters into an agreements as a result of threat than, that person goes to a contract law termed as Duress law. In other words, Duress refers to a situation where an individual acts as a result of threats, violence, and pressure from other person or party (Poole, 2014). Moreover, in Duress law only unlawful physical violence is considered as threats but in present time the courts have identified much economic duress in various situations or cases which is used as unlawful economic pressure. In Duress law there is no free consent as a vitiating aspect in context of contract law. Duress in contract law functions as a common law. The Duress law gives a rise to an action without the amounting of pressure for undue the influence of equity. The effect of finding undue influence and duress is that the contract will be voidable (Sullivan and Hilliard, 2014). But, the doctrine of Duress provides a wide scope for unlawful activities. From the analys is, it is found that duress may be of three types such as duress to the person, duress to goods, and economic duress. There are described as below: Duress to the person: Duress of the person refers to the threats of violence, and violence from other persons, whether it may be intended or actual. Beside this, there is no need of claimant in threat of violence (Holmes, 2013). The need of complainant is to prove that the pressure was the main reason to enter in contract. Duress to Goods: Duress of goods relates to threats by one party to another by seizing of goods and property through illegal way. In respect of duress, it is analyzed that the position of goods is seem likely not to survive if it is veteran in court. But, to achieve the claim in court it is essential for one party to demonstrate that another party made extremely pressure and leave no other alternative to avoid this threat (Laws, 2014). Economic Duress: In economic duress, one party makes illegal economic pressure in order to include another party in the contract (Rudolph, 2013). In concern of the given case study, the shipbuilder made economic duress on North Ocean Tankers to enter in the contract by demanding extra US$3 million due to the decline in value of currency as a result of unstable economic environment. In this context, the buyer has the right to recover excess money paid to shipbuilder. In economic duress, it is not essential for North Ocean Tankers to prove that the shipbuilder exerted pressure to enter in the contract. It is because economic duress alone is the big and main reason that forces another party to enter in the contract (Gearey et al, 2013). Similarly it is found that, the duress always makes a contract voidable and provides the right to recover the losses to injured party in terms of goods and money (Samuel, 2013). Moreover, the victim party can sue the other party for threats that are considered unlawful in the eyes of law. Related Case: For example, in the Universe SentinelCase, Liberian registered ship was black listed by a trade union. As a result, no any pull boats would be available, so the ship could not navigate and hence terrible consequences followed. The unions maintained a payment from its welfare fund as a condition to remove the name of the ship from the blacklist. In this case the owner of the ship is liable to pay the money to the union. The union may successfully claim for the recovery of the money under the doctrine of economic duress. Conclusion: In concern of the above case, it can be concluded that North Ocean Tankers has the right to recover the excess payment from the shipbuilder. It is because, the demand of extra US$3 million will be considered as illegitimate and economic pressure on the buyer was exerted that will make this contract voidable. Along with this, there was no alternative left for the North Ocean Tankers against the protest by shipbuilder in order to resist the pressure to stay on the contract. Additionally, protest by shipbuilder including threats to breach the contract makes the contract voidable in the court and provides the right to buyer to recover excess money from the shipbuilder. Reference Australian Contract Law (2010) Beaton v Mcdivitt [online] Available at: https://www.australiancontractlaw.com/cases/beaton.html (Accessed: 17 August, 2016) Clarke, P. and Clarke, J. (2016) Contract Law: Commentaries, Cases and Perspectives, 3rd edn. Australia: Oxford University Press. Dickinson, A., Keyes, M. and John, T. (2014) Australian Private international Law for the 21st Century: Facing Outwards. UK: Bloomsbury Publishing. Gearey, A., Morrison, W. and Jago, R. (2013) The Politics of the Common Law: Perspectives, Rights, Processes, Institutions. USA: Routledge. Gibson, A. and Fraser, D. (2012) Business Law, 6th edn. Australia: Pearson. Holmes, O. W. (2013) The Common Law. USA: Courier Corporation. Latimer, P. (2012) Australian Business Law 2012. Australia: CCH Australia Limited. Laws, J. (2014) The Common Law Constitution. UK: Cambridge University Press. Mckendrick, E. (2012) Contract Law: Text, Cases, and Materials. USA: OUP Oxford. Mitchell, R., ODonnell, A., Marshall, S. and Ramsay, L. (2016) Law, Corporate Governance and Partnership at Work: A Study of Australian Regulatory Style and Business Practice. USA: Rouledge. Poole, J. (2014) Textbook on Contract Law. UK: Oxford University Press. Round, D. K. (2013) The Australian Trade Practices Act 1974: Proscriptions and Prescriptions for a More Competitive Economy. Germany: Springer Science Business Media. Rudolph, J. (2013) Common Law and Enlightenment in England. UK: Boydell Press. Samuel, G. (2013) A Short Introduction to the Common Law. UK: Edward Elgar Publishing. Sullivan, J. and Hilliard, J. (2014) The Law of Contract. UK: Oxford University Press.

Sustaining the transformation free essay sample

This book puts emphasis on the transformation of an American citizen into a marine and the importance of sustaining the change. It is imperative because our war fighting ability depends on a lasting transformation not only during the time of the individual’s Marine Corps career but also when he or she returns to their civilian communities. 2. General plot/story line: The Marine Corps does two things: make marines and win our nation’s battles. Winning battles depend on how well we make marines. Those who have earned the title have been polished and honed by attentive mentoring. We have to remember that to sustain the transformation because it ensures that the flame of enthusiasm does not wane. The reason for such a juristic transformation from a normal citizen to a marine was because we saw a change in the operating environment where our marines would be deployed to and to prepare them for future battles. We will write a custom essay sample on Sustaining the transformation or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The way of fighting has truly changed in the 21st century, because now we fight in decentralized operations, we use advanced technology, increasing weapons lethality, mixing of combatants and non-combatants along with urban combat. To succeed in ever changing operating environments, marines need to be good decision makers, trained to the highest standards and self-confident. In order for NCOs, staff NCOs and officers to help implement ways to sustain the transformation, they need to first understand the different phases of transformation: Phase 1: Recruitment. Recruiters screen young people with solid character, good moral standards and personal values. Phase 2: Recruit Training. The Drill Instructor becomes the next person to transform the individual’s life. They become their role models. The recruits will learned that they can exceed their own personal limitations through teamwork, perseverance, and courage. Phase 3: Cohesion. Once in the fleet, leaders must try to strengthen the cohesion that was born during recruit training because it binds marines together. Cohesion could be implemented by: A. Individual morale: leaders must know our marines and look out for their welfare. B. Confidence in the unit’s combat capability: The longer marines serve and train together in a unit the more effective they become and the more confident they are in their unit’s capabilities. Success in battle can be attributed to a unit’s overall confidence in its level of performance. C. Confidence in unit leaders: It is earned as marines spend time in company of their seniors and learn to trust them. Leaders must earn the respect of their marines. D. Horizontal cohesion: Peer bonding of a sense of trust and familiarity between individuals of the same rank. Enhanced personnel stability promotes familiar and effective working relationships. E. Vertical cohesion: Mutual sense of trust and respect among individuals of different rank. Leaders that show concern for their marines and lead by example will earn the trust and respect of their subordinates. Ultimately, it increases fighting power, provides positive peer pressure and reinforces our core values. Phase 4: Sustainment is continuous. Implement wherever practicable: †¢Deployment †¢Family day †¢6-month recognition †¢Unit training and exercises †¢Unit events †¢Battle anniversary †¢One month recognition †¢In-briefs †¢Graduation and unit reception †¢Command involvement Phase 5: Citizenship. People transformed by their marine experience and enriched by their internalization of our ethos, ideals and values become a legacy of productive citizens. They are transformed by their experiences while on active duty and enriched by their internalization of our ethos, ideals and values. 3. What I learned from this book: What I learned from this book is that although we’ve all earned the title marine, our core values and ways doesn’t just end at the conclusion of boot camp, we have to bring it with us to the fleet and eventually use our Military teachings back with us as citizens. We can contribute good into our communities because our customs and curtsies, respect, core values, adaptation abilities, leadership traits, etc. , would be what sets us out to be different than the general population. 4. Why others should/should not read this book: I feel that marines of all ranks should read this book. Near the end of boot camp, I remember my Drill Instructors telling my platoon about how terrible marines sometimes acted when they were clearly taught otherwise in boot camp. I remember them telling me that they wanted to be a Drill Instructor because they wanted to make a positive and long lasting impact on people. They also told us that no matter how hard they’ve trained and honed us in the way they wanted us to be, as soon as we leave, we would still be whoever we wanted to be, it would be our choice whether or not to keep those teachings with us. And they were right, I’ve met a lot of marines that have abandoned them. This book emphasizes on the importance of keeping our transformation, not only for our Marine Corps career but also for the good of our communities.

Suggested Format for a Reflective Journal free essay sample

Suggested format for a reflective journal Dr Elaine Regan, Postdoctoral Research Associate, King’s College London This is one of many possibilities, but it will give you some idea of the types of questions that you can usefully ask yourself. Feel free to modify this format to suit your needs. Write a page (or two) for each session, completed by you in order of the sessions. Complete this information after each time you do some work on the course. This includes the formal sessions, the related reading and any other preparation, such as work in groups. Answer only the questions that apply but think carefully about whether each question applies or not. A Reflective journal/diary is not like an essay! In your notebook you reflect on the academic content of the INQUIRE course/workshop in relation to your professional practice. It can be written in an essay-type prose, with an introduction and conclusion, or it can be a mixture of continuous prose, notes, bullet points etc. We will write a custom essay sample on Suggested Format for a Reflective Journal or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The contents should (www. llas. ac. uk/resources/gpg/2395): ? relate the content of a workshop and related reading to your own teaching and personal development support any statements you make with evidence and examples from your reading and from your practice ? refer to insights gained into your practice ? consider the intention to try out new ideas and methods ? identify the need for further exploration of issues ? identify longer-term development What would an unsatisfactory entry be like? ? A description only of content from a workshop and reading ? Little reference to the workshop and related reading ? Generalisations unsupported by evidence or examples of how an insight or opinion came about A satisfactory diary entry would: Review (what happened in the course or something you tried form the course in your teaching) ? Reflect (make sense of what happened) ? Digest (absorb the implications of the learning event and link it with experience, action plans or questions for you to e xplore further) Keep the following page in the front of your notebook to stimulate your thoughts and writing (taken from www. audiencedialogue. net/journal. html). Your name Session date Session number Session topic What did I read for this session (apart from the notes)? What was the most interesting thing I read for this session (mark it above with an asterisk) why was that? What were three main things I learned from this session? What did I previously think was true, but now know to be wrong? What did we not cover that I expected we should? What was new or surprising to me? What have I changed my mind about, as a result of this session? One thing I learned in this session that I may be able to use in future is I am still unsure about Issues that interested me a lot, and that I would like to study in more detail Ideas for action, based on this session What I most liked about this session was What I most disliked about this session was Miscellaneous interesting facts I learned in this session

buy custom The Tragedy of Hamlet essay

buy custom The Tragedy of Hamlet essay The tragedy of Hamlet is an enigma. At one time Hamlet should kill the king but the play portrays him as a failure since he is unable to kill him. Some people argue that Hamlet fails to revenge because his inner feelings do not permit him. He seems to be weak-willed. It could also be that the task placed on his shoulders was too heavy for him. Other critics argue that Shakespeare wanted to show tragedy of a person who is weak-willed and at the same time poorly equipped. Other critics argue that Hamlet fails to kill the king because of the obstacles he comes across as he tries to accomplish his goal. Opposition from the king and his people proves that it was difficult to kill the king at once. These critics believe that Hamlets aim was not to kill the king, but to chastise him and expose him for his guilt. Discussion Two things happen at the end of the tragedy. Hamlet kills the king alongside with four other victims. The audience gets surprised since they did not expect that to happen. Reasons of the killing are so obvious such that the audience has forgotten the initial reason for revenge. People do not hear about the death of Hamlets father in the end of the play. The king getskilled as a result of different reasons from vengeance. The tragedy, therefore, reaches its catastrophe. The kings death, however, gets overshadowed by several immediate causes and several other deaths. These killings are different from other killings that had occurred previously in the tragedy. Most of the previous deaths happened but did not get noticed. The queen also dies and people do not seem to notice. We only see Hamlet biding the farewell. Hamlets death also gets overshadowed and blurred. After his death he is no longer remembered. The tragedy can be explained by two formulas. First, we shall use the formula of the story where Hamlet avenges his fathers death by killing the king. According to the formula of the plot, Hamlet does not kill the king for that reason but for different reasons other than vengeance. This contradiction is a part of the play by Shakespeare who intended to express himself by teasing the audiences emotions. The tragedy fulfills its task set from the beginning, but it keeps on deviating. The audience realizes later that it came from a totally different direction. The reasons that prevented Hamlet from killing the king, led to the death of the king. The catastrophe gets to a point of contradiction when the play gets iinterrupted by irrational events. However, the mystery and obscurity come from the author (Shakespeare 78). Conclusion In conclusion, the plays contradiction revolves around the story, plot and the dramatis personae. These three factors develop differently. Hamlet makes feelings of the audience move to two levels. First, one can see the goal of the tragedy and secondly the digressions also arise. After the kings death, people immediately get attracted by the death of Hamlet, the protagonist. This gives the spectator the understanding of the contradictions and conflicts that existed throughout the play. Different people give different reasons for Hamlets delay or failure to act. Some say that the task given to him was tough for him to tackle. Others believe that Hamlet was a coward, with some other critics arguing that Hamlet was an imaginary person since he had died even long before the start of the play. However, we have found out that it was the authors tactic to bring out the message intended to give it to his audience. He, however, manages to kill the King at the end of the play, though he appear s to have killed him for different reasons rather than vengeance for his fathers death. Buy custom The Tragedy of Hamlet essay

Do pressure groups strengthen or undermine British democracy Essay

Do pressure groups strengthen or undermine British democracy - Essay Example ed to have a thorough examination regarding the role of these pressure groups in British democracy including magnitude of impact they have on the ordinary citizens. The subject deserves to be analyzed from both sides so as to understand the extend which these groups strengthen democracy and the extend they are a hindrance to democracy. A balance between the two sides of the research will be used to draw a conclusion on the role of pressure groups in regard to democracy in Britain. Pressure groups are nothing more than formal institutions whose main aim is to impact on policies for public provisions in a democratic society. They present shared views, attitudes and perceptions regarding various policies. This type of non-partisan activism usually seeks to draw public attention to some issues in which they hold a controversial stand concerning them as compared to political parties. They then use various tools like campaigns and the media to create public awareness and raise public concern regarding them. This is important because some of the ordinary citizens may not be well aware of any change in policies nor how these changes are going to affect them. Therefore, they act as an important public awareness and education tool and hence a channel through which the public can enjoy their democratic rights. According to Coxall and Robins (1998), the best way in which pressure groups strengthen democracy is getting the public to participate in politics regarding various issues that affect them. This is important because it increases public participation in politics and their access to the government’s political system. They become more effective when there are confronting pressure groups holding varied views. This provides a platform for expression of views. The varied ideas are later on used to reach a consensus in which the varied views and concerns are considered. Pressure groups provide social progress as a way of strengthening democracy. The social progress is one

Patricia Benner Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Patricia Benner - Essay Example Benner went on to work as nurse for several years, including a period in an intensive care unit, an emergency room, as a staff nurse, and in home care. She then returned to academia, as a researcher at the University of California. In 1984, she authored the work which set out the basic principles of her influential theories – From novice to expert – Excellence and Power in Clinical Nursing Practice. Benner had become very interested in the Dreyfus model of skills acquisition, and, in this work, adapted this to nursing. Her main intention in doing so was to answer the question ‘how do nurses learn to do nursing?’ (enursescribe.com). This book was based on 21 sets of interviews Benner had conducted with newly-graduated nurses and their preceptors. Additionally, Benner interviewed or observed some 51 experienced clinical nurses, a further 11 newly-graduated nurses, and 5 senior nursing students, hoping ‘to further delineate and describe characteristics of nurse performance at different levels of education and experience’ (Benner, 1996, p.xiv). Among Benner’s many other works are the 1996 book Expertise in Nursing Practice: Caring, Clinical Judgement, and Ethics, with Christine Tanner and Catherine Chesla, and Caregiving, with Suzanne Gordon and Nel Nodding, published in the same year. Her work has had an enormous influence on nursing training and practice, and already in 1985, the year after the publication of From novice to expert, she was elected to the fellowship of the American Academy of Nursing. Benner has also been elected an honorary fellow of the Royal College of Nursing. This influence has also spread well beyond the United States. For example, Benner’s work has provided the basis for a redesigned system of nursing practice and education in three states in Australia (earthlink.net). Benner proposed that a

SELF-DEFINED PROJECT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

SELF-DEFINED PROJECT - Essay Example hat’s left from Experiencing the Divine†¦an expression of the artist’s spiritual nature in the material world†¦[it] is the portal to the soul† (Darlene). According to Andrej Tisma art allowed man to discover â€Å"deep secrets penetrating the source of things†. In primitive society, when religion was held central to the community, the priest was the same as the artist. He created prayers and hymns that allowed man to connect wit the divine. As society modernizes and beliefs become secular, the artist has finally risen up to assert his individuality and his interpretation of what the world is. This new form is called mental art. Unlike the earlier forms of art which tried to depict reality, or make a statement about the imagined reality, mental art allows the artist to communicate using his own concepts. In Rudolf Steiner’s words, â€Å"The basis of artistic creation is not what is, but what might be; not the real, but the possible†. This new form allows the artist to bring forth the â€Å"knowledge† that is burning alive inside him. For some people this â€Å"burning† is the seed of the divine, man’s ultimate connection to the being called God, the Source, the Creator. Because creativity is of divine nature, often the artist cannot recognize an artwork when he/she is done with it. Some would say â€Å"I can’t believe I did this† - an indication of the â€Å"other† which lives inside a person. The nature of this other is no longer within the bounds of this paper, what is sure, however, is that art is the medium of co mmunication between the â€Å"other† and the physical man. Creativity is its highest manifestation – man may deny revealing it, but such denial cannot last forever. When it reaches its peak, it will strive to break all barriers in the same way that mental art is now breaking social norms. This idea is supported by this quote from the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas, â€Å"If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you

Types of power supply and their applications

Types of power supply and their applications Types of Power Supply and their applications Power supply is a device used to provide the electric energy to operate the devices running on electric power. It has many special ways to provide electric energy to a specific system â€Å"it is mother of the system† ( Brown, 2001, p.1 ). The basic functionality of power supply is to convert Alternative Current voltage to regulated Direct Current voltage required by electronic devices. A typical power supply has four different modules each of them has a specific function. (Source: http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/powersup.htm) Transformer is the first module and its function is to convert high voltage Alternative Current to low voltage Direct Current. The second module is Rectifier and its main function is to convert low voltage Alternative Current to Direct Current. The third module is Smoothing, the Direct Current produced by the Rectifier is varying, so Smoothing reduces this variation to small rippling. Last module is Regulator, it sets the Direct Current voltage to fixed value by removing the ripples. This is a basic design of power supply. The design can be huge and complicated based on the requirements. This essay will present the four major types of power supply which are Linear Regulators and Switching Mode Power Supply, Programmable Power Supply, Uninterruptible Power Supply. The first type of power supply is Linear Regulated Power Supplies. They are the basic type of power supply. they produce the regulated output voltage by dropping the input voltage. To achieve this, it relies on variable conductivity of an electronic device. Hence, the lot of power wasted in the form of heat. â€Å"it is though, a very electrically quiet power supply† (Brown, 2001, p.11). they are often used in ground based equipment and distributed power systems. Linear regulated power supply function by converting varying Alternative Current input to regulated Direct Current output. The typical circuit used in this type has two range. One allows more voltage at lower current and the other allows more current at lower voltage. Linear regulated power supplies come in two basic forms called series regulators and shunt regulators. Series regulated power supplies are most common form of linear regulated power supply. The power dissipated in series regulated device is the product of power supply output current and the voltage drop. Shunt regulated power supplies are the simpler form of Linear Regulated power supply, but they are less efficient. Simplicity is the main advantage of linear regulated power supplies. They have been widely used in industry for a long time. They are used in systems that require extremely low noise. They are more suitable and cost effective for low power applications. They are used in ground based applications and distributed power systems. Since the linear regulated power supply has very low power output voltage ripple, it is used in low noise / low ripple applications such as communication and radio device where noise is very critical. It is more efficient in the application which output voltage is almost equal to input voltage. The second type of power supply is Switching Mode (SMPS). It operates in ON-OFF mode. It uses switching circuits and energy storage elements such as capacitors and inductors to get the regulated output voltage. â€Å"These circuits are ideally lossless with 100% energy transfer† (Johnny, 2006, p.1). The main advantage of Switching Mode Power Supply is the higher efficiency because of low power dissipation. It is simpler and light weight because of the elimination of heavy low frequency transformers and generates low heat. It is used in domestic products which often have universal inputs. Mobile phones have changed their power supply technology from linear regulated to Switching Mode Technology. It is widely used in aircraft electric power such as airplane ground support. The third type of power supply is Programmable Power Supply. It provides the power through a computer interface. It generally depends on both Linear regulated and Switched Mode technologies to produce accurate output power. A Programmable power supply typically consists of microcontroller, current, voltage programming circuits such as analog to digital convertors, serial peripheral interface, keypad and a LCD display. The desired voltage parameter is given as the input to microcontroller through key pad. Intern, microcontroller convert analog voltage from a voltage source to digital through analog to digital convertor. This digital voltage is regulated through serial peripheral interface to get the desired voltage which is inputted to microcontroller through keypad. The main advantage of programmable power supply is that accurate required voltage can be produced which is not possible from either linear regulated or switching mode power supply. It is mainly used in automated equipment testing. They are also used in ultrasonic vibration measurement tools. The last type of power supply is Uninterruptible power supply. It is widely known as UPS or power back up. It is widely used as backup power to protect the devices from crashing due to sudden power loss. There are three major categories of Uninterruptible power supply, offline -standby, online and line-interactive. The first category is Offline /standby Uninterruptible power supply. It provides surge protection and battery back-up up to 20 minutes. When the input power supply falls below the threshold level, then Uninterruptible power supply turns on its power circuit providing power backup to the device up in certain time (In this type 20 minutes). Line-Interactive Uninterruptible power supply is the second category. It generally uses only one main power convertor to generate the power. â€Å"With its low cost and durability, the line-interactive UPS has been used successfully in millions of IT installations worldwide† (Hoff and Samstad , 2004) . The typical protection time varies from 5 minutes to 30 minutes. The last category is Online, the operation of Online Uninterruptible power supply is very similar to Standby or Line-Interactive type. The typical protection time varies between 5 minutes to 30 minutes. But, it provides electrical firewall between incoming utility power and sensitive electronic equipment. The main purpose of Uninterruptible power supply is to provide the protection to devices from crashing due to sudden power loss. Some of the Uninterruptible power supplies are also capable of correcting the common utility power problems such as, total loss of input voltage, momentary increase or decrease input voltage, spikes , noise. They are mainly used for surge protection and back power for computers, data centers and telecommunication equipment. They are used to provide the electric isolation for the equipment which are sensitive to power fluctuations. In conclusion, there are various sources of power being used to provide the power to the systems effectively and efficiently. For example, solar energy and wind power are being converted to electric energy to provide the power to large industrial applications. Power supplies are the heart of any system which requires electrical energy. They not only provide power but also provide the protection to the system against outside disturbances. Therefore, design and development considerations of a power supply are more important. As technology is growing, more advanced power supplies are being invented to provide best protection and efficient power to the devices.

Ethics and Leadership in Engineering

Engineers play a significant part in the development, prosperity and safety of people around the globe. The primary role of engineers is to identify/sense and respond to a need by constructing or creating a solution with certain specific guidelines. While it is the responsibility of engineers to develop such structures, it is also their responsibility that their creation serves the function in a proper manner, take all safety precautions while making it and give the safety directions to the users after handing it over. Discussion These structures, however, do not stay safe forever. No matter how safe a construction or a creation is, it reveals its failure after sometime. Eventually these failures lead to dire consequences some time. Engineers struggle all the time to avoid failures and make their solution safer and more efficient. Sometime mere lacking of professional ethics is the reason. In UK, the seriousness of ethical issues, which arise in professional lives of engineers, has been recognized recently. However, in USA this has been recognized for some time. Their universities offer substantial guidance and support to their professionals. The Royal Academy of Engineering, in 2005, initiated the process and brought its publishing in the form of â€Å"Statement of Ethical Principles†, which outlines the specific ways in which engineers across UK are committed to upholding certain ethical values. During the same time, UK Engineering Council amended its standards for chartered and incorporated engineers, in order to increase awareness of ethical issues. It appears that this has resulted in having a profound effect as many universities have incorporated ethical perspective in their studies. Professional Engineers strive to develop solutions that improve the health and safety conditions for the welfare of society. The statement of Ethical Principles sets standards for professional Engineers (Statement of Ethical Principles. 2005). It presents four principles that guide engineers in their professional duties. It includes Accuracy and Rigour, Honesty and Integrity, Respect for life, Law and the Public Good, and Responsible Leadership. Accuracy and Rigour means, Engineers have the responsibility to acquire and sustain the information relevant to their practices; they should also keep their knowledge up to date. It is also the responsibility to always act with care as their profession requires a strong commitment. They should only perform their services in the field of relevant competence. Since the technical knowledge, an Engineer can understand are not easy for the others, therefore, it is the duty of engineers to not knowingly mislead others as it can have dire consequences and therefore unethical. Honesty and Integrity means; engineers should act with high standards of professional ethics. They should not accept any bribery or questionable payment from anyone. They should act in the best interest of employer, unless it is not in conflict with rights of the other party. Respect for Life, Law and the Public Good, entails that engineers should be aware of relevant laws and regulations and should work accordingly. Conservation of nature and its resources should be a priority. They should act in the best manner that does not bring bad image to their profession. Responsible Leadership involves practicing high level of standards and leadership in the management of technology. Provide awareness to the public. Listen to the concern of the society. Adhering to these principles will bring good name to the profession and will make sure that it achieves what it is meant to be, welfare of society. However, we can have numerous examples from the past, of such negligence and improper conduct in this respected profession. In past successive accidents of railway occurred in UK, which were later fully investigated. These include the accident of Clapham Junction rail crash, on 12 December 1988. 35 people killed while 100 injured, when oncoming train ran into wreckage. Another on, 19 September 1997, Southall rail crash, killed 6 people and 150 injured. It occurred because of a collision with freight train. On 5 October 1999, Ladbroke Grove rail crash happened, when train passed the signal at danger and resulted in the head on collision, killed 21 while 523 injured. Investigation reports show that these could have been prevented by timely action of professional engineers. In America, a TV Antenna Tower collapsed in 1982, killing several people. Later investigation showed that safety measures were not taken as should have been (Uff, 2012, Pp13). Conclusion Engineering is a much respected profession. This respect demands responsibility. Adhering to rules but there arise ethical responsibilities too. However, if professional engineers stick to the four principles and apply them in their activities, it will surely add more value to this profession for sure. Running Head: leadership techniques Managers do things right, while leaders do the right thing. [Name of writer] [Name of institution] Managers do things right, while leaders do the right thing Thesis Statement â€Å"Managers do things right, while leaders do the right thing†. Introduction â€Å"Leaders create and change cultures, while managers and administrators live within them.† (Edward Schein) Managers do things right, while leaders do the right thing. Leader also sounds similar to the manager to the common man. But we know there are subtle differences. It takes a totally different approach to become a leader. These subtle differences create the difference that is visible in performances of organizations. There have been many theories on leadership and management. Talking about whether a manager is born or developed, what styles are of management exist and which is appropriate. Also, what a leader does, where his/her power comes from. First of all we will differentiate between a leader and a manager. Then we will discuss some models and theories related to it. Discussion The role of a manager is to achieve goals effectively and efficiently, by planning, organizing, co-ordinating and controlling. The importance of time is immense. On the other hand, leaders create and communicate a vision, then energise their followers towards achieving that vision. Leaders create a culture of shared values, beliefs and rituals to challenge the status quo. Managers use position authority to make subordinates work towards goals. While leaders motivate and inspire their followers to achieve their goals. Today the trait theory (born leaders) is criticized more. It is argued that even leadership has different styles, which are learned with experience rather than born traits (Daft, 2003, Pp.518). Ashridge Management College did research and found four major classifications of management styles. Tells, sells, consults, join. In tell style, the manager is autocratic, making a decision and imposing it on others. In sell style, manager still makes a decision on self like basis, but try to explain the logic behind it. In consult style, manager makes decision but in consultation with his/her subordinates. The most democratic style is join style, where manager himself becomes part of the team that makes joint decisions, and also claims the responsibility of that decision afterwards. Research indicates managers are generally thought to be having told or sell style. While employees prefer consult style. Choosing which style is more appropriate, depends on several factors. Contingency approach by Charles Handy suggests that four factors need to be understood to answer this question. The environment, task or people, trust or control, liking or respect (Schermerhorn 2012, Pp.266). Each particular combination of these factors results in a different situation and, therefore, requires a different tailored approach of management towards it (Robbins & Judge, 2010, Pp.393). Michigan and Harvard identified two basic types of leaders. Task oriented and people or relation oriented leaders. Both have their own advantages and disadvantages. Ohio state research suggests that task orientation and people orientation can be achieved simultaneously; they are not mutually exclusive. Blake’s management grid proves this research by suggesting rather than asking a question that a manager should be task or people oriented; ask to what extent a manager should be task and people oriented (Daft, 2003, Pp.522). Managers and leaders differ in their approaches towards performing similar tasks. The approach of management is routine in nature. They like to work under conditions of certainty, strive to gain as much information as they gain, take relatively less risk. Leaders on the hand challenge the status quo. They talk about changing the culture and create followers with their motivation and persuasions skills. Leaders create a shared culture towards achieving the vision that followers own. Conclusion Who is best, a leader or manager is, however, a question depending on what needs to be accomplished. If it is a routine or not so dynamic environment, then decision tilts in favour towards manager. While if it involves dealing with changing and fluctuating situation with lots of risk involved then it will require the initiative approach of a leader.

Rhetoric and Life

Dylan Macknight Mrs. Womack Per. 6 14, September 2009. Value of Life Essay Different authors use different techniques to persuade. The three main ways of persuading are through: pathos, which uses emotions, ethos, which proves their credibility, and logos, which implies the general message. Shakespeare, Lance Armstrong, and Amanda Ripley have all written articles arguing their opinion on the value of life. Of the three articles Lance Armstrong best persuades the audience with his argument that life is very valuable and that you could better your life from something negative, through his exceptional use of both logos and pathos.Armstrong applies the use of ethos very clearly in his article. For example, â€Å"I still don’t completely understand it; all I can do is tell you what happened†. This shows that he is writing credible work and that his ideas are non-bias. He is telling the story as is and he is not trying to lead you on. Lance also uses pathos to persuade his au dience as well. An example of this would be when stated â€Å"I have cancer†. Cancer is a serious disease and the thought of having it draws on someone’s emotions quite strongly.This quote made the reader feel sympathy for him. Overall, Armstrong did the best job at persuading. In Hamlet’s Soliloquy, Shakespeare uses ethos, pathos, and logos as an attempt to persuade his audience, but is not as effective as Armstrong. Shakespeare uses logos the most in his work. When he states â€Å"To be or not to be, that is the question†, he is portraying the message of how much his own life is worth, personally, not how valuable life is a whole. That is one downfall in Shakespeare’s work compared to Armstrongs.Another reason Hamlet’s Soliloquy is not as successful at persuading is because in his writing there is no one else to compare and contrast their life with. Hamlet is written as somebody who is contemplating suicide. It is very hard to understand s omeone’s thoughts and interpret them as they were intended to be. This is what makes the soliloquy quite faulty in persuading the reader. Amanda Ripley voices her belief on what a life is worth in the article that she wrote for Time Magazine.She argued how much money one can assign to another’s life, and if different people should be worth more or less then others. Time Magazine and CNN took a poll last month stating, â€Å"86% of the people should have received the same amount†. Who is to say that the majority of humans are worth the same dollar amount and a select few should receive more money. Many people do not agree with the way Ripley argues her opinion in â€Å"What a Life is Worth†. She states, â€Å"I am proud of what my country tried to do, I think the intention is noble†.This shows that she had a previous opinion on the subject prior to the article that she had written. That adds a possibility that the article is prone to being bias towa rds her opinion. That is how Ripley failed to persuade her readers. Ultimately, of the three articles, Lance Armstrong best persuades his audience with his argument that life is very valuable and that you can better your life from something negative, through his exceptional use of logos and pathos. Many of his readers are left feeling completely persuaded by his value on life.

Use These 50th Wedding Anniversary Toast Quotes

Use These 50th Wedding Anniversary Toast Quotes Watching a young couple in love is joy, but watching an aging couple in love is bliss. When a couple has cherished their marriage for 50 years, it certainly calls for a special anniversary event. If youre the one giving the toast, youll want to plan your speech in advance. Its good to keep a celebratory toast under five minutes to keep the event light and fun. And focus on honoring the couple while shying away from embarrassing anecdotes that could make someone uncomfortable. Sprinkle in a toast  quote or two in your speech to help  you express your joy at the occasion and make it extra poignant, whether youre a child of the couple, the party host,  or one of the gold-anniversary  betrothed. Anonymous Newlyweds become oldyweds, and oldyweds  are the reasons that families work. â€Å"You are the parents that all kids hope to have; you are the couple that all lovers hope to be; and you both are the pillars of support that every family wishes it had.   Never laugh at your wife’s choices.  You are one of them.† Love is like an earthquake- unpredictable, a little scary, but when the hard part is over you realize how lucky you truly are. â€Å"You don’t marry someone you can live with. You marry the person who you cannot live without.† Moonlight and roses are bound to fade for every lover and every maid, but the bond that holds in any weather is learning how to laugh. A toast to love and laughter and happily ever after. Felix Adler Love is the expansion of two natures in such fashion that each includes as the other; each is enriched by the other. Pearl S. Buck A good marriage is one which allows for change and growth in the individuals and in the way they express their love. Mahatma Gandhi â€Å"Where there is love there is life.† Erich Fromm Immature love says: I love you because I need you.  Mature love says, I need you because I love you. Greek Proverb The heart that loves is always young. Mignon McLaughlin A successful marriage requires falling in love  many times, always with the same person. Ricardo Montalban â€Å"True love doesn’t happen right away; it’s an ever-growing process. It develops after you’ve gone through many ups and downs, when you’ve suffered together, cried together, laughed together.† Rita Rudner In Hollywood, a marriage is a success if it outlasts milk. Its so great to find one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life. Paul Sweeney A wedding anniversary is the celebration of love, trust, partnership, tolerance, and tenacity. The order varies for any given year. James Thurber Love is what youve been through with somebody. Themis Tolis â€Å"To love is nothing. To be loved is something. But to love and be loved, that’s everything.† Vincent van Gogh Love is something eternal- the aspect may change,  but not the essence.

[WATCH] Why millennials need to find their passion

[WATCH] Why millennials need to find their passion As the head of the Henry Ford Museum, Patricia Mooridian knows a thing or two about American history. And from that knowledge, she derives inspiration for her own professional life. She knows that America is a land of innovation, a place where no problem is too big to solve. Watch her explain how she harnesses this can-do attitude in her everyday life, and how you can too. Source:[DailyFuel]

Creating High Performance teams in the workplace Essay

Creating High Performance teams in the workplace - Essay Example A group of six to seven people does not comprise a team. Teams are a group of individuals within a group with a common goal (Griffin &Moorhead, 2011, p.268). Groups and teams are not the same as group is a collection of people who may not have the same goal but in team the goal remains the same for every team member (Griffin &Moorhead, 2011, p.268). In a team, the decisions are taken either by the group together or a single person who may have better skills and expertise (Katzenbach & Smith, 2001, p.8). In a team, there is a continuous and a rigorous assessment of the performance of the team members (Katzenbach & Smith, 2001, p.9). Team activities help a person to inculcate leadership qualities in his personality (Franz, 2012, p.5). Features and benefits of team working Collaboration- In a team, the members work together to fulfill the common goal. Effective team work can produce tangible and intangible benefits for an organization in the form of increase in the quantity of the produ cts and increased customer satisfaction (Parker, 2011, p.5). Communication- In a team work, communication plays a major role. The leader would communicate with his team members on a regular basis as a good team cannot be built unless there is proper orchestration or communication of thoughts (Pritchett, 1992, p.2). Reducing complexity- Any activity that is first sorted out within a team will help to reduce its complicity and chaos in the operation (Willcocks & Morris, 1997, p.8). Balance of individual contribution – In a team, every member contributes his knowledge and expertise. The dominant members also contribute their expertise but they do not suppress the opinion of the others (Clutterbuck, 2007, p.70). The team leader would try to ensure that there is no imbalance in this regard Mutual support- In a team, the members mutually supports each other and help in continuous improvement (Goethals, et al., 2004, p.1533). Mutual trust can help the team to establish a work climat e and a communication process (Barner & Barner, 2012, p.40). Effort- The effectiveness of a team performance is assessed by its efforts. The effort that a team might put in depends on the task which should be motivating for the team members (Parcon, 2006, p.92). Cohesion - Team cohesion describes the way the team comes together in a social work (Kornspan, 2009, p.57). There is a positive relationship between performance level and cohesion in a team (Jowett, 2007, p.95). Effective ways to create high performance teams There can be many ways and tactics to create a high performance teams. a few aspects like bonding pattern in newly hired team, removing low morale in the project team, the team fit , resolving conflicts and increasing participation and creativity in the team can lead to a high performing team. It is often observed that new recruits or people joining an organization in their teams face difficulty and are uncomfortable with the environment. Also, sometimes the people with in a team feel isolated due to the factors like loneliness, new environment etc. This can harm the productivity of the team to a great extent (Roussel, 2011, p.244). So, the manager needs to make the new recruit comfortable with the team. Organizations face problems where there is inconsistency in the fit amongst the workers. In a team, some people can be productive working in a traditional work environment but as the working environment changed, there may be situations where these workers may not be able to work with

Toyota Strategic Analysis and Strategy Formulation Research Paper

Toyota Strategic Analysis and Strategy Formulation - Research Paper Example Strategic Management: Toyota Strategic Analysis and Strategy Formulation First, the company’s global vision is to â€Å"lead the way to the future of mobility, enriching lives around the world with the safest and most responsible way of moving people† (Toyota-global.com 2011). Further, this vision is based on the commitment to quality, high innovativeness and respect for the earth. From the company’s vision, it is clear that Toyota seeks to be the industry leader way into the future. The company’s mission statement is â€Å"To sustain profitable growth by providing the best possible customer experience and dealer support†. The mission and vision statements reveal that the company’s current and future are pegged on sustainability, quality and customer satisfaction. The company’s range of guiding principles involve honouring the every nations law to be a true global corporate citizen, respecting customs and cultures around the globe, production of cleans and safe products, outstanding products through technology, fostering individual creativity and teamwork through an appropriately enabling corporate culture, harmonious growth with the global community and healthy cooperation with stakeholders. From these objectives, it can be discerned that Toyota seeks to remain within the law at all times, provide quality and safe products, respecting the environment and the community while balancing this with stakeholder interests. These principles also indicate the time-tested ethical inclination of Toyota; sustainable development and respect for environment and harmony in the company’s work environment. Internally, the company not only seeks to comply with all labor and employment laws and regulations but goes a step further and establishes a culture for its employees based on mutual trust and mutual responsibility (Toyota Motor Corporation 2006, p. 8). The company’s values are integral in attainment of its objectives as it seeks to fulfill its mission and drive towards the established vision. Internal Analysis of Toyota The review of Toyota’s internal resources will follow the format of first establishing the strengths of the company and then the weaknesses. This will then be followed by an analysis of Toyota’s product development and a value chain analysis of Toyota’s operations. Strength: Organisational- The â€Å"Toyota Way† Toyota has successfully implemented their widely recognized â€Å"Toyota Way† strategy in all its global business operations. This strategy is based on operational excellence through a 4-P model; philosophy, process, people and problem solving. Philosophy is anchored on long-term thinking; process on waste elimination; people on respect, growth and chall enge; and problem solving through the concept of continuous improvement. The resultant effect of this strategy is organizational performance excellence due to sustenance of high quality that not only attracts customers but also makes them loyal (Liker 2004, pp. 1-2). The â€Å"Toyota way† is a clear strategic strength since it is tailor-made for the company as evidenced by the fact that most of the other operational excellence strategies pursued by organizations around the world were developed from it, including the popular â€Å"

Human Papilloma virus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Human Papilloma virus - Essay Example They each have their own surface that they prefer to attack. Some like the moist areas such as the mouth, anus and genitals while others prefer the hands, face and scalp. â€Å"When HPV does take hold, it grows a lump of thickened skin. Thats the wart.†(Davis,2011). The wart will shed its skin in time and that skin will carry, and transmit the virus. They will form painlessly on the hands, face or scalp. The â€Å"Plantar† wart will form on the soles of the feet and are the only painful form of wart. On the genitals a painless cauliflower like growth will form. In extreme cases HPV can cause cancer of the cervix, penis, vagina or anus. The wart will cultivate its own blood supply and nerve and this makes it very difficult to just go away on its own. The body will eventually recognize and fight the virus by creating its own antibodies to HPV and will cause the wart to drop of, but, this takes time and normally will take one to two years. There are over the counter remedies including Salicylic Acid which will irritate and eliminate the wart. There are also prescribed therapies such as Antiviral Creams that stimulate the immune system and stunt the growth of warts and you can also have the wart surgically removed. Vaccinations are available for girls at 11-12 years of age and for boys from 9-26. I am not a medical expert, but it seems to me that warts are just a relatively innocent, annoying part of human life in much the same vane as pimples. We have medical experts who like to dramatize some aspects of medicine and try and frighten us with their fancy words and researches. â€Å"HPV Infection is Usually a Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) and is Easily Spread by Having Sex with an Infected Person†.(Mayo Clinic,2010.) .There is a stigma as soon as â€Å"Sexually Transmitted† is quoted. Well guess what? you can catch the common cold if you have sex with someone who has the Flu. Does that make the common cold a sexually transmitted disease?, I think not.

Legal clinical choice Essay Example for Free

Legal clinical choice Essay The case of Harriton v Stephens tackled the controversial wrongful life actions. It sought to finally pass upon the validity of the said action under Australian law. Such actions are controversial and complex due to the questions of law and public policy surrounding it. The determination of the issue is of great importance, especially now, because of the recent developments such as abortion becoming a legal clinical choice if it was made to avoid chronic disabilities due to in utero related deceases. This paper will seek to provide an analysis of the finding of the High Court: namely, the majority’s proposition that wrongful life actions can not prosper because the victim could not demonstrate that he or she had suffered any harm capable of being understood or assessed by the court as well as Kirby’s proposition that denying the existence of wrongful life actions erects an immunity around health care providers whose negligence results in a child who would not otherwise have existed, being born into a life of suffering. Section 2. Facts Alexia Harriton was born â€Å"profoundly, incurably and tragically disabled†. The disability was due to her exposure to the rubella virus before she was born. Olga Harriton, the mother of the appellant, called Dr. Max Stephens, a general practitioner, to treat her for an illness. She informed him that she was concerned because she was getting rashes and fever, two symptoms of the rubella virus. She further informed the doctor that this was a problem because she believed herself to be pregnant. Under the advice of the doctor, Mrs. Harriton underwent blood testing to determine if she had the rubella virus and to check if she was indeed pregnant. Upon the release of the results, she contacted Dr. Paul Stephens, the son and partner of Dr. Max Stephens, to present the results of the blood testing. He concluded that she was pregnant but was not suffering from the rubella virus. However, it would seem that Mrs. Harrington was misdiagnosed by Dr. Paul Stephens. As a result, Alexia was born suffering from mental retardation, blindness, deafness and spasticity, all of which are effects of the exposure to the rubella virus. Alexia filed a wrongful life action against Dr. Stephens under the claim that had he been diligent in his duty as a doctor, he would have correctly diagnosed Mrs. Harriton who would, as a result of the information about the effects of the virus to the child and the option to undergo abortion, have aborted the fetus avoiding the wrongful birth of Alexia. The case was dismissed in the Supreme Court of New South Wales and the Court of Appeal, before it was brought to the High Court of Australia, which ultimately dismissed the appeal. Six judges ruled in favor of the respondent. Kirby J was the lone dissenter. Section 3. Analysis A. Duty of Care The question of whether or not Dr. Stephens owed Alexia a duty of care by providing Mrs. Harriton with advice, which would ultimately lead to her being aborted is the principal issue in this case. It is the opinion of the majority that there is an inextricable link between the existence of a duty of care and the existence of a legally cognizable damage suffered by the plaintiff in such a way that if the latter is absent, the former can not exist. The majority’s reason for this proposition is that damage is the gist of an action for negligence. The existence of a duty of care presupposes that damages would result to the offended party as a result of the negligence of the party owing the duty of care. The lone dissenter, Kirby J, on the other hand, did not believe that damage to the plaintiff should be proved in order to establish the existence of a duty to care. Contrary to the opinion of the majority, he did not believe that there was a legal relationship between the two concepts. His Honour was content to conclude that the case fell within the established duty of care that a doctor owes to a foetus to avoid causing it prenatal injury. Analyzing both approaches, it can be observed that damage is an issue that looms largely in the ratio of the majority as compared to the ratio of Kirby J’s opinion. As a result, the absence of proof of injury according to the â€Å"well-settled and well understood principles† of tort law was the main reason why the action failed.

Bennet on Religion :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bennett sets up an unsettling depiction of today’s society. However, it seems as though he is merely trying to draw pathos out of readers. He mentions the most heinous crimes, and extreme situations and attempts to pass it off as a normal occurrence in society. He states over and over that â€Å"something has gone wrong with us.† Though some of the situations he speaks of are accepted as socially deviant but most all of society, some of it is extremely relative. He speaks a great deal on out of wedlock births. And further, he goes onto to include them in a list of things that â€Å"are not good to get use to.† To some people, out of wedlock births are not a horrible things. It is common for single women to want to have a child before they are no longer able to. He loses some ethos when he attacks this perspective, especially being that this viewpoint is becoming more and more accepted. Also, he speaks a great deal about our low achievement sc ores on the secondary education level, but fails to mention how our educational institutions are set up differently than other countries. For example, we, by law, require all minors to attend school, where as many other countries do not, and only educate the more intelligent students. Equal education oppurtunities cannot be a bad thing, or credited to social regression. Bennett also lays a great deal of blame on the media. He makes the transition from Bach and Buddy Holly to Guns ‘n’ Roses and 2 Live Crew. However, he left out nearly two decades of music which, in essence had the same types of messages as these two examples. He does not note any â€Å"social regression† during this era, so it seems to be an indirect correlation between social deviance and music.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bennett offers the solution of bringing religion back to educational institutes. He states that â€Å"we must have public policies that once again make the connection between our deepest beliefs and our legislative agenda.† It is unfair to assume that the morality set up by the ten commandments in the Bible is even an accurate distinction between what is and is not moral.

Contractual and Non Contractual Liability Essay

I. Contract   A contract is an agreement having a lawful object entered into voluntarily by two or more parties, each of whom intends to create one or more legal obligations between them. The elements of a contract are â€Å"offer† and â€Å"acceptance† by â€Å"competent persons† having legal capacity who exchange â€Å"consideration† to create â€Å"mutuality of obligation. † Contracts may be bilateral or unilateral. A bilateral contract is an agreement in which each of the parties to the contract makes a promise or set of promises to each other. For example, in a contract for the sale of a home, the buyer promises to pay the seller $200,000 in exchange for the seller’s promise to deliver title to the property. These common contracts take place in the daily flow of commerce transactions, and in cases with sophisticated or expensive promises may involve extensive negotiation and various condition precedent requirements, which are requirements that must be met for the contract to be fulfilled. Less common are unilateral contracts in which one party makes a promise, but the other side does not promise anything. In these cases, those accepting the offer are not required to communicate their acceptance to the offeror. In a reward contract, for example, a person who has lost a dog could promise a reward if the dog is found, through publication or orally. The payment could be additionally conditioned on the dog being returned alive. Those who learn of the reward are not required to search for the dog, but if someone finds the dog and delivers it, the promisor is required to pay. Elements At common law, the elements of a contract are offer, acceptance, intention to create legal relations, and consideration. Offer and acceptance In order for a contract to be formed, the parties must reach mutual assent. This is typically reached through offer and an acceptance which does not vary the offer’s terms, which is known as the â€Å"mirror image rule†. If a purported acceptance does vary the terms of an offer, it is not an acceptance but a counteroffer and, therefore, simultaneously a rejection of the original offer. Intention to be legally bound In commercial agreements it is presumed that parties intend to be legally bound unless the parties expressly state the opposite as in a heads of agreement document. For example, an agreement between two business parties was not enforced because it contained an ‘honor clause’ which stated the parties wish that the agreement not be reviewed or enforced by a court. In contrast, domestic and social agreements such as those between children and parents are typically unenforceable on the basis of public policy. For example, a husband agreed to give his wife $100 a month while he was away from home, but the court refused to enforce the agreement when the husband stopped paying. Consideration is something of value given by a promissor to a promisee in exchange for something of value given by a promisee to a promissor. Typically, the thing of value is a payment, although it may be an act, or forbearance to act, when one is privileged to do so, such as an adult refraining from smoking. This thing of value or forbearance from some legal right is considered to be a legal detriment. In the exchange of legal detriments, a bargain is created. II. Contractual Liability Contractual liability, is exactly as it sounds. A contract is a legal binding agreement between two or more persons.  When you sign, or agree to the terms of a contract, then you have accepted the contractual liabilities set forth in the document. Liabilities are things that you can be held accountable for, and may have to repay or replace, in the event that they occur. For example, a renter’s agreement may state that, â€Å"†If upon moving out of the premises stated in the contract, any part of the premises is destroyed, you may be accountable for and have to pay to repair, or replace the damage†Ã¢â‚¬ . Contractual liability (or liability because of a contract) has a very broad meaning—a promise that may be enforced by a court. Consider the following simple example. I agree to paint your house for $1,000 and collect $500 prior to the job. After I accept the $500, I obtain a more lucrative offer and never show up to paint your house. You can go to court and claim the $500 you paid me, as I have breached the contract. Your claim is a contractual liability claim. Contractual liability can take many forms, but is basically holds you accountable for damages that are stated in the contract. Another example can be a publishing contract. If you are found guilty of plagiarism, the publisher is not accountable for the act. It is your contractual liability, to release the publisher from fault, and take it yourself. In a nutshell, contractual liability, is anything that you agree to in the terms set forth in a contract. Before entering in to any contract, if you do not understand the terms, consult with an attorney. III. Non-contractual liability The term non-contractual liability can be defined as tort liability. Tort liability is legal obligation of one party to a victim as a results of a civil wrong or injury. This action requires some form of remedy from a court system. A tort liability arises because of a combination of directly violating a person’s rights and the transgression of a public obligation causing damage or a private wrongdoing. Evidence must be evaluated in a court hearing to identify who the tortfeasor/liable party is in the case. Some torts are also crimes punishable with imprisonment, the primary aim of tort law is to provide relief for the damages incurred and deter others from committing the same harms. The injured person may sue for an injunction to prevent the continuation of the tortious conduct or for monetary damages. For example, a factory was built in A village. Then this factory releases so much smoke and waste which can harm to human health and environment. Therefore, this factory has to take responsible for her releasing. Among the types of damages the injured party may recover are: loss of earnings capacity, pain and suffering, and reasonable medical expenses. They include both present and future expected losses. Torts fall into three general categories: intentional torts (e. g. , intentionally hitting a person); negligent torts (e. g. causing an accident by failing to obey traffic rules); and strict liability torts (e. g. , liability for making and selling defective products). Intentional torts are any intentional acts that are reasonably foreseeable to cause harm to an individual, and that do so. Negligence is a tort which depends on the existence of a breaking of the duty of care owed by one person to another from the perspective of a reasonable person, it is just carelessness not intenti on. Strict liability wrongs do not depend on the degree of carefulness by the defendant, but are established when a particular action causes damage.

Nike Innovation

Nike Inc. Prepared by: Chuck Viasi MBA 330 – Innovation and Technology Management August 11, 2012 ————————————————- Executive Summary Nike, Inc. is a globally-recognized athletic sports apparel company with strong brand loyalty. The foundations of Nike’s success today were established by its Co-Founders Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman in 1972. As an athlete and a coach, their relentless pursuit of improved athletic performance instilled a competitive spirit in the culture of Nike. As such, the organization’s culture is one of the key reasons that Nike excels in this industry.We will see how the management style fosters innovation, and how the competitive spirit blended with curiosity and a constant scan of the external environment feeds the creative process. The company has become adept at integrating their knowledge into innovative approaches to improve athletic performance and connect with their customers through design and marketing. Our research on historical trends and processes within Nike indicates that the company’s core competencies are innovation and marketing; the underlying reasons the company is now the most recognized and coveted sports brand in the world.As Nike faces increased costs for materials, the company has made a strategic shift to couple sustainability principles with innovation to create a better company that can, in turn, can make a better world for all of us. Ultimately, this strengthens the company’s ability to compete globally in the future as well as positively impact society. Executive Summary (Stoney/Jen)1 Table of Contents (Stoney/Jen)2 Nike’s Mission Statement (Jen)4 I. The Business of Nike (Jen)4 A. Historical Innovations (Isaac)4 B. Portfolio of Products (Isaac)5 II. Product Life Cycle (Isaac)5 III. Business Model (Isaac)6 IV. SWOT (Stoney)7A. Strengths (Stoney)7 i. Strong Cap italization (Stoney)7 ii. Globally Positioned (Stoney)7 iii. Strong Brand Recognition (Stoney)8 iv. Solid Barriers to Entry (Stoney)9 v. Innovation (Stoney)9 B. Weaknesses (Stoney)9 i. Outsourced Manufacturing (Stoney)9 C. Opportunities (Stoney)9 i. Professional Sports Market (Stoney)9 D. Threats (Stoney10 i. Severe Competition (Stoney/Jen for Adidas)10 ii. Global Economy (Stoney)11 E. How do Nike’s Strengths Reinforce Nike’s Opportunities? (Stoney)11 F. How do Nike’s Weaknesses Relate to Threats? (Stoney)12 V. Nike’s Value Chain (Stoney)12 A. Make (Stoney)12 B. Move (Stoney)12C. Sell (Stoney)12 D. Use (Stoney)13 E. Reuse (Stoney)13 F. Plan (Stoney)13 G. Design (Stoney)14 VI. Porter’s 5 Competitive Forces (Stoney)15 VII. Organization (Jen)16 A. How the Culture Supports Innovation and Success (Jen)16 B. Org. Structure for Optimal Alignment with Customer Markets (Jen)17 C. Breaking into New Sports with Independent Teams (Jen)18 VIII. Innovation Proce ss (Jen)18 A. Innovation Kitchen and Sources of Inspiration (Jen)18 i. Athletes (Jen)19 ii. Customers: Lifestyle Trends (Jen)20 iii. Deep Dives (Jen)21 iv. Art, Artists and Buildings (Jen)21 B. Experts, Incubation and Collaborations (Jen)22IX. From Idea to Commercial Product (Jen)22 X. Product Introduction to the Market (Jen)24 A. Marketing Strategy (Jen)24 B. Event Pacing and Limited Edition Products (Jen)25 XI. Integrated Strategy: Sustainability and Innovation (Jen)26 A. Nike and China (Isaac)26 B. GreenXchange, Considered Design, Considered Design Index (Jen)27 C. Impact on Corporate Goals and Strategy (Jen)28 XII. Conclusion (Stoney/Jen)28 References29 Nike’s Mission Statement: To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete* in the world. *†If you have a body, you are an athlete. † ————————————————- I.The Business of the Company Nike (NYSE: NK E) makes high performance athletic clothing, footwear, sportswear, and equipment. The company is headquartered in Beaverton, OR, and employs more than 30,000 people. Nike is the most recognized and coveted sports brand in the world, valued at $10. 7 Billion. (Nike, Inc. , n. d. ) As their Mission Statement indicates, Nike innovates for all athletes – from elite to everyday athletes – to improve sports performance. Nike markets its products under its own brand, as well as Nike Golf, Nike Pro, Nike+, Air Jordan, Nike Skateboarding, and subsidiaries including Hurley International and Converse.The company also operates retail stores under the Nike town name. A. Historical Innovations * In 1962 Bill Bower man and Phil Night- Launched Blue Ribbon Sports (Tiger Shoes) with 500 dollar mutual fund. * 1978-Blue Ribbon Sports renamed themselves to NIKE. * 1980- Nike IPO and became publically traded. * 1980- First air sole shoe system Nike runner shoe * 1984-Signing of Michael Jor dan and first Air Force one basketball shoe. * 1985Air Jordan Revolution- 30 plus versions of air Jordan’s * 1989-Waffle shoe sole incorporated by adding rubber to a waffle machine. 2000-Nike shocks introduced and Nike portfolio formed * 2003- Nike ID shoe customization- allowing customers to make customized shoes from a computer, * 2006- Nike shocks tech * 2008-Nike Research lab environmentally friendly * 2011, Nike collaborated with Tom-tom for the launch of Nike+ Sport-Watch GPS. * Present Nike Innovation Kitchen- green products and greener product cycle. B. Portfolio of Products Nike’s portfolio consists of Converse, Nike Golf, Nike Baseball, Air Jordan shoes/Accessories, Hurley International.Nike is a leading designer, marketer and distributor of athletic footwear, apparel. Nike has done a spectacular job of diversifying their portfolio and being able to implement competitive advantage in all brands. The Company’s key product lines consist of: * Shoes * App arel * Equipment & accessories ————————————————- II. Product Life Cycle NIKE’s products and services falls in the growth stage of the product life cycle due to their ability to diversify products and rapid growth in sales and profits.According to knowledge. com â€Å"Nike is at a ranking of #135 in revenues generated by America’s 500 largest corporations. Of the nineteen billion fourteen million in revenue 2. 1 billion  was profit. † Nike is the niche when it comes to introducing new product and that is why there are at the growth stage allowing them to produce capital at a rapid pace. They always have new products coming out and new angles of approaches and that keeps them in the growth areas of the product life cycle. ———————————————— - III. Business ModelNIKE has a gift of trying new ideas that other organizations are too scared to attempt. The Nike business model consists of five steps. 1) Conducting research 2) Manufacturing product shoe, clothes, etc. 3) Retail 4) Consumers 5) Down cycling. , Nike introduces products to the market with athletic endorsements and mass marketing. They have the products assembled overseas for a fraction of the cost it would cost to manufacture in the in the United States. The Nike Corporation is known as innovators for making a product at low cost and charging an above average price in retail. I believe that this model works well for Nike as every time they have a new shoe come out that is expensive and overpriced they still have people waiting in line overnight for their shoe product. Nike Business Model ————————————————- IV. SWOT Analysis Strengths| Weaknesses| Well c apitalized| Outsourced manufacturing| Globally positioned| History of human rights scrutiny| Solid brand recognition creating competitive advantage| | Strong barriers to entry| | Innovation/product development| | Environmentally conscious culture| | Marketing| |Opportunities| Threats| Professional sports market segment| Severe competition| Growth in global apparel market| Global economy| Leadership in US market| Third world governments| Global marketing initiatives| Black market/counterfeit market| | | (MarketLine, 2012) A. Strengths i. Strong Capitalization: According to the Nike 10K report net income for 2011 was $2. 1 billion; although this is a drop from the previous year Nike still maintains a strong capital position. Last year Nike also saw their inventory go up as a result of future orders and the company repurchased $1. billion dollars of class B stock which is part of a 4 year $5 billion repurchase program. Thus far Nike has repurchased 30. 4 million shares for $2. 3 billio n. Even with this repurchase program Nike still has $4. 5 billion in cash, cash equivalents or short-term investment reserves so they are well positioned with capital for the future. (Nike, Inc. (2011) ii, Globally Positioned: Nike was ranked #1 in shoe and apparel revenue in 2011 and remains positioned well for the future. In the global shoe market there are two main players, Nike, a US-based company, and Adidas, a German company.Nike remains focused on defending their leadership position in the industry by signing contracts with the NFL, NBA, MLS, European soccer teams, and college sports teams. One of their advertising plans has historically included elite athletes like Michael Jordan, who still has the highest ranked athletic shoe in the history of the industry. Adidas sticks to its core values of â€Å"function first†. They also market their shoes by fashion, as modern, and as cool enough. While Nike is king in America, Adidas is the leader in European markets.The Adidas brand had a market share of 38% while Nike was right behind at 37% (Jones, 2011) In 2006 a study by William Hanrahan positioned global shoe marketers as follows: Hanrahan, (2008, p. 8) This graphic shows all the leading brands of shoes with their global positioning as of July 2006. Nike is located in the average to low affluent market with its main competitor being just a little larger (at that time) and a little higher in affluence. iii. Strong brand recognition creating a competitive advantage: The Nike swoosh is a recognized brand logo throughout the world.While Nike is known to charge a premium price for their average affluent market they are also known for quality and catering to the needs of the athlete. The target market for Nike is the young athletes and they are loyal to Nike as through advertising, Nike connects to this audience by demonstrating a keen understanding of their psyche and lifestyle. iv, Solid barriers to entry: Nike’s strong global brand has created a barrier to entry in the sports market. Other barriers include high capital requirements, high research and development costs, and keen innovation instincts. . Innovation: Innovation is a core competency for Nike as they pour investment dollars into research & development. The â€Å"Innovation Kitchen† generates the majority of their innovative ideas, which will be discussed in another part of this report. B. Weaknesses: i. Outsourced Manufacturing: One weakness is the fact that nearly all of their apparel and shoe manufacturing is outsourced. While this is an advantage from a cost perspective, and allows Nike to focus on their core competency, Nike gives up a lot of control by outsourcing to suppliers.The risk involved includes problems with governments and a workforce that that is out of there control. Another weakness that the company has displayed in the past is human rights and they are constantly under the pressure by human rights groups. C. Opportunities: i. The pr ofessional sports market: Nike’s target market has always been the athlete. The market segment that Nike is currently expanding is the professional sports arena with growing contracts with the NFL and other professional sporting leagues and teams across the world. Nike is the leader in the U. S. arket for all shoe and apparel sales and should continue to be the first choice of athletes who are looking to improve performance. Nike will also continue to make strides with advertising campaigns across Europe and India. D. Threats: i. Severe competition: The global shoe and apparel industry continues to experience fierce competition as major brands go head-to-head for competing for market share. According to Films on Demand video, Sports Shoe Wars, Adidas paid $1. 2 billion to retain the rights to the China Olympics for advertising rights at 23 of the 24 venues. The thought behind Adidas advertising campaign was â€Å"1. billion people with 2. 4 billion feet. † India is cle arly the next battle ground. Adidas is Nike’s most formidable competitor; the fight for market domination has spanned many decades and is publicly fought. Nike is the industry leader in the U. S. footwear and athletic apparel industry and has a strong brand portfolio (â€Å"Zacks Bull†, 2011). Adidas is known for making a solid, quality product which has historically missed consumer tastes. This was evident in a kid focus group conducted by Adidas in which kids were asked â€Å"if Adidas were at a party, where would it be? The kid’s responded â€Å"hanging around the keg† while â€Å"Nike would be with the girls. † (Stevenson, 2003) The belief at Adidas is Nike’s leadership position has been achieved solely through marketing, not through quality product performance. In a short film about the 2008 Olympic Games in China, Herbert Hainer, CEO of Adidas explains: I think if trying to find differences between the two companies, we’d have to say Adidas is more oriented towards product and performance and Nike more towards marketing. If they need hip hop culture to do that they will use it.But don’t think that Nike puts more into lifestyle than we do. We also communicate a great deal, like I said, we’re trying to do that in connection with the Olympic games†¦to win the people of China by saying we’re the ones who are helping your athletes. (Kirchhoff, 2009) In 2006, Adidas acquired Reebok to strengthen its position against Nike. The acquisition of Reebok led to control of 20% of the market as opposed to Nike which, at the time, had about a third of the $145 billion worldwide market. (Sorkin, Feder & Dash, 2005) The acquisition gave Adidas more leverage to compete for celebrity athlete endorsements. ii.The global economy is another threat that has already taken hold with a clear slowdown in worldwide shoe and apparel sales over the past few years. While the economy continues to be a proble m, a clear threat to Nike remains the volatility of third world governments where much of the materials and manufacturing is completed. E. How do Nike’s strengths reinforce their opportunities? Being well capitalized, Nike is in a position to take advantage of the professional sports organizations and teams target market. Many of these teams are recognized around the world and the Nike swoosh will be prominently displayed on their uniforms.Strong barriers to entry allow Nike to focus on their current competition with few to no disruptive technologies introduced by other companies in the shoe or apparel market. F. How do Nike’s weaknesses relate to their threats? Outsourcing manufacturing is a company decision they are comfortable with as they have done this for several decades now. The main benefit behind the outsourcing is expense reduction, and ability to focus on core competencies. However, along with these expense reductions comes human rights scrutiny that tends t o follow Nike wherever they go. A good reputation takes a long time to build and a short time to lose.But, they have made similar strides in the past with environmental groups and now will not allow harmful substances to be used for research and development there environmental groups recognize their environmental corporate culture and have worked closely with Nike over a period of 14 years to create these environmental values within the company. (Kirchhoff, A. (Director) (2009). ————————————————- V. Nike’s Value Chain Make, move, sell, use, reuse, plan, and design. A. Make: Since 1995 Nike has reduced petroleum based solvents used to manufacture shoes by 96%.Nike also created a new rubber that targets the reduction of the most toxic chemicals and shared the formula with the entire industry. The Nike â€Å"make† portion of the value chain employs 1,000,000 wor kers in 50 countries. The have also conserved enough materials in the last 5 years to produce an additional 15 million pairs of shoes. B. Move: Since 1995 Nike has used 100% recycled cardboard for shoe boxes. Clothing is also made from a lighter material which allows for less water usage in cleaning and it dries faster saving energy and allowing for larger drying loads in the process.Nike has 23 distribution centers located around the world and is working with logistics partners to reduce the footprint created in shipping and packaging of products. C. Sell: From June 2010 to January 2012 Nike employees donated 17,207 hours for community projects just in their North America retail stores. The employees completed 543 different projects that targeted youth sports. Approximately 219,000 plastic shopping bags were saved by the retail team in Australia in one year. With the plastic bag savings they began to charge an additional 10 cent fee and all proceeds from this fee were donated to lo cal youth sporting programs.This program resulted in a 55% reduction in plastic bag usage from the previous year and generated $26,000 for youth athletic programs. D. Use: In 2006 Nike did a study to find out where the most CO2 was being generated during the lifecycle of a typical pair of shoes. The study showed that 46% of these emissions came from the washing and drying. To further the study Nike came up with a 39% reduction in energy use simply by washing in cold water. This study was performed in an effort to reduce the carbon footprint and clothing now comes with instructions to use cold water and dry on a line instead of a dryer where possible.This cleaning method will also extend the life of the clothing. E. Reuse: Packaging accounts for up to 22% of the waste in the Nike value chain. Since 1995 all shoe boxes have been made from 100% recycled materials. In every square yard of school playground â€Å"play top† rubber there are approximately 40 pairs of grinded up shoe s where the rubber has been recycled. Nick also incorporates fiber into their Hyper Elite Platinum shorts that is made from 100% recycled polyester. The recycling of shoes has reached 25 million pairs collected globally since 1990. Nike’s goal is to â€Å"weave yesterday’s products back into tomorrow’s value chain. F. Plan: In 2010, Nike founded the Green Xchange with several other companies in an attempt at open innovation with other businesses. This Green Xchange is used to share intellectual property and conserve the planet’s resources and climate. In 2011 nearly 500 tons of waste was composted from the Nike headquarters and approximately 1. 6 million pound of waste was recycled. Those 500 tons equals about 65% of the total waste. Business travel has also been reduced to 3% of past travel requirements. Nike also focuses on minority owned businesses. G. Design: Each year over 16,000 materials are used in various products each year.Each pair of shoes co ntains about 30 different materials alone. Because so many different materials are used Nike has come up with â€Å"materials index† that measures the impact of each material in four areas. These areas include energy, chemistry, water, and waste. In 2010 15 million T-shirts were made using organic cotton that was grown without the use of fertilizers, defoliants, or pesticides. Nike has evaluated over 80,000 different to measure their environmental impact and typically uses 6 that make up most of their materials volume. These 6 items are polyester, rubber, cotton, synthetic leather, and leather and EVA foam.Finally, through planning and reducing their waste stream approximately 280,000,000 plastic bottles have been saved from landfills and used in polyester textiles. â€Å"In 2011, more than 31. 5 million Nike garments contained at least some recycled polyester fiber. † (Nike value chain, 2012) —————————â₠¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ———————————————— ————————————————- VI. Porters 5 Competitive Forces à ¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- The Organization (Format taken from Quick MBA, 2010) ————————————————- VII. Organization A. How the Culture Supports Innovation and Success An organization’s culture is typically defined by management at the top. Without a doubt, Nike’s legendary former CEO and Co-Founder, Phil Knight, was influential at developing a culture of innovation. His odd management style inspired employees to make their own decisions.He deliberately didn’t respond to questions or offered a vague nod. His executives became adept at interpreting his lack of response or nods as freedom to do their own problem solving and innovate. Most employees, like Tinker Hatfield, VP of Innovation, considered silence a yes to move forward. (Roth, 2005) Parker has c ommented that Knight has â€Å"always given me incredible freedom in my roles. † (Birchall, 2007, para 8) Whether intentional or unintentional, Knight personally provided critical ingredients for cultivating and nurturing a culture of creativity and innovation.The competitive spirit is deeply ingrained in the culture and employees are driven to succeed. The highly-popular slogan â€Å"Just Do It† is an internally-embraced philosophy that captures this competitive spirit. Nike’s culture gives employees the opportunity to accomplish, occasionally fail and learn from mistakes. Repeated failure faces punishment. (Jagersma, 2003) Curiosity is considered key to success and it is expected that employees will maintain a level of curiosity or risk failure.According to author Fields, the former CMO of Nike, Scott Bed bury, was quoted in the book Chasing Cool: Standing Out in Today's Cluttered Marketplace, as saying: â€Å"If you were the head of Nike Basketball, you damn well better know what's going on in the minds of young basketball players–the music they listen to, their vernacular, how they define success, what they fear, what they dream. The bulk of it is just about getting out there and wandering around. And anybody in the marketing group at Nike was penalized, if not put into early retirement, if they didn't get out there, if they weren't continually curious. (Fields, 2007) Hero worship is also deeply ingrained in the culture. Buildings on the Beaverton, OR campus bear the names of image-building power athletes. (Rapaport, 2002) To evoke the spirit of innovation through organizational history, storytelling about heroes and heritage is a critical part of Nike’s corporate culture. (Ransdell, 1999) Ekins, Nike’s official company storytellers, sport a swoosh tattoo on their ankle and evangelize about the Nike brand and its sports technology. (â€Å"Remarkable†, 2010) Today, the management style of Mark Parker, CEO, c ontinues to nurture innovation and keeps the channels for creativity open.He does not shut people down in meetings and prefers to let people share what they’re working on, even if a project will not get a green light. (McGirt, 2010) B. Organizational Structure for Optimal Alignment with Customer Markets In the mid-2000s, the company moved from a product-based structure to a customer-focused organization with categories like women’s fitness, running, and basketball. This allowed Nike to follow the greatest opportunities and to develop communities of shared interest both internally and externally. (Birchall, 2007) In 2009, another restructure aligned the brand by six new geographies hich allowed Nike to get closer to the customer, reduce management layers and increase the speed of decision making. (â€Å"Nike, Inc. Announces,† 2009) This structure allows Nike to more efficiently focus on the unique cultures of these sports, share knowledge, and inform the creative process. C. Breaking into New Sports with Independent Teams Breaking into new sports markets is a strategic endeavor for Nike. The company sets up independent entities and forms teams with external talent to allow it to be as agile as needed for success.To break into the skate market, the company brought former head of Nike’s upstart soccer division out of retirement. The division was set up as an independent unit with 11 employees who were all skaters from other parts of the industry. The skate team spoke to consumers for two years before it offered its first products exclusively to skate stores on short-runs and has since captured market share. (Stone, 2004) Golf is another market which required a different approach to break into it. The golf unit was formally separated from the rest of the company on its balance sheet.A 12-handicap golfer and long-time employee, Bob Wood, was asked to head the division, and other executives were brought on board from the industry. Since s electing Tiger Woods to represent their line of products, Nike has captured market share in golf. (Stone, 2004) ————————————————- VIII. Innovation Process A. Innovation Kitchen and Sources for Innovation Inspiration The Innovation Kitchen is a think tank within Nike’s headquarters where innovative technology and other special projects are invented by its 125-person research team.Tinker Hatfield, VP Innovation and Special Projects, leads the team. He is a famed designer of Nike’s most popular and innovative designs, including the Air Jordan, and is regarded as the keeper of the founder’s legacy of innovation. As Hatfield explains, the Kitchen is separated from the rest of the organization: â€Å"We're not so much tied into the sales of shoes. We're here to improve athletic performance. † (Rapaport, 2002, para 25) While casual visits by the CEO ar e common, direction for their work does not come from above.It is guided by a philosophy established by Knight: â€Å"It’s really risky not to take risk. † (Brettman, 2011b, para 7) The research team is free to explore as many ideas as they can. Behind Nike’s core competency in innovation is a finely-tuned integration of learning with creativity. (Stonehouse & Minocha, 2008) Hatfield believes what designers draw or design is a culmination of everything he or she has seen or done in life at that point. (Longeville, 2006) To Hatfield, internal ideas generated from sources such as focus groups are generated in false environments, thus not the preferred source for ideas. Eckoff, 2007) Instead, creativity and inspiration is regularly sought out from a wide variety of external influences. The insights provoke new ways of thinking and innovating. i. Athletes: For Nike, design is rooted in the belief that form follows function. Top athletes have been – and wi ll continue to be – the primary source of design inspiration. According to Parker, â€Å"what we learn from them is who we are. † (McGirt, 2010, para 8) Nike employs pro athletes, either with the company or via sports marketing contracts, to evaluate and weigh in on shoe design and development from a performance perspective. Datamonitor, 2012) They are frequent visitors to the Nike Sports Research Lab, where biomechanics experts study how to enhance their performance using cutting-edge sports technology and equipment. (McGirt, 2010) How the R&D team of scientists analyzes the results sets Nike apart. According to Mario Lafortune, Director of Nike’s R&D Lab: We have developed an expertise in interpreting the data for designing footwear. How you interpret data to derive footwear criteria is really a level of expertise that very few people have. Holloway, 2004, para 7) Inspired design originates not just from input on functionality, but as Hatfield explains : You have to spend time getting to know an athlete, his motivations and his life. Understand his needs and his wants. The real fun comes in the end when you make observations that have real meaning. (â€Å"Interview: Tinker Hatfield ,† n. d. , para 14) ii. Customers: Lifestyle Trends: Nike understands that to grow, recognizing new customer needs and offering solutions is critical. (Patnaik, 2005) Nike’s ability to apply outside the box thinking to existing solutions has proven successful.For example, by looking at the lifestyle of the runner, Nike teamed with Apple to create Nike+, a digital sports kit comprising a sensor that attaches to a running shoe with a wireless receiver which connects to the iPod. The information tracked by the sensor sends information to the iPod for uploading and tracking progress on www. nikeplus. com, then shared on Facebook and Twitter to connect with other runner communities. For the Nike+ customer, the exercise experience has extended b eyond a pair of running shoes. As of 2010, 2. million kits were sold and due to that success, the kit has been expanded into other athletic activities, such as gym workouts. (Ofek & Wathieu, 2010) iii. Deep Dives: To stay ahead of consumer trends, Nike designers regularly seek inspiration through intense immersion into subcultural experiences, or Deep Dives. According to John Hoke III, Nike’s global creative director of footwear design, the purpose of Deep Dives is â€Å"to interpret, translate and try to make new connections†. Deep Dive cultural explorations have included American car culture, Palm Springs mid-20th-century design, inner-city hip-hop music and origami.Other lighter immersions such as trips to the zoo to sketch animal feet are part of this process as well. The idea is to infuse thinking with new design and aesthetic possibilities and inform new ways of connecting with their target customer. (Rapaport, 2002) iv. Art, Artists and Buildings: The work o f street artists have served as sources of inspiration, both in adding aesthetic appeal to shoes and in helping Nike establish credibility with hard-to-reach audiences. Parker has developed a network of artists as a long time art collector.He tapped his graffiti artist network to help establish authenticity in the hard-to-break-into skate market. Mr. Cartoon, a Los Angeles graffiti-and-tattoo-design star, was asked to design limited-edition versions of classic Nike shoes and was given a platform to hold special events advocating design self-discovery to Latino youth. This demonstrated Nike’s ability to understand and connect with this unique culture. The shoes are now collector’s items. Parker continues to stay connected with his artist network as he considers them as influencers of influencers in pop culture. Birchall, 2007) After travelling to Paris to see Pompidou Centre, a building characterized by exposed mechanical systems and bright colors, Hatfield suggested th e air bag of the shoe be exposed and visible through the sole. His idea was initially met with resistance from many. The Head of Marketing for Running couldn’t figure out how this shoe could be sold. (Longeville, 2006) Now, the Air Max line of shoes has been wildly successful. B. Experts, Incubation, and Collaborations Other external resources are tapped as part of Nike’s innovation process.Research committees and advisory boards with experts such as athletes, coaches, trainers, equipment managers, orthopedists, and podiatrists are frequently consulted with. (Datamonitor, 2012) Nike also sets up venture capital offshoots to explore new ideas. In 2011, the company set up the Sustainable Business & Innovation Lab to back other start-up ventures focused on alternative energies, efficient manufacturing practices, and companies that promote healthy lifestyles. (Kharif & Townsend, 2011) Other groups are tasked with collaborations.Parker was concerned about Nike innov ation being too insolated and set up Explore to pursue long-range innovation possibilities with academics, inventors and other companies. (Exon, 2002) One of Explore’s successes was the collaboration with Apple to produce Nike+. (Birchall, 2007) Analysts believe that a 55% growth in membership for Nike+ was responsible for an increase in sales in the running division up 30%, to $2. 8 billion. (Cendrowski, 2012) ————————————————- IX. From Idea to Commercial Product Innovation at Nike is clearly a bottom-up process.After ideas are generated, the labs have what is generally referred to as a peer review. At this time, research ideas are shared internally with lab peers and the lab director only. If the lab director believes the idea is worth pursuing, resources are allocated by the lab to investigate it further. (Rodrigues, R. , personal communication, June 10, 2012) At the investigation stage, external knowledge is gathered. Patents are researched to ensure no patent infringement. If the idea seems feasible based on information gathered in the steps in this process, the idea is developed further into a prototype and patents are filed. (Rodrigues, R. personal communication, June 10, 2012) The lab funds development of a prototype in what is generally known in engineering as the laboratory phase. About once a month, senior executives are invited to review prototypes and vet them against Nike’s mission statement and corporate goals. If a prototype is accepted, the idea could potentially be pitched to the board of directors. (Rodrigues, R. , personal communication, June 10, 2012) As an example, in the mid-80s, Parker, product designer at the time, was working on a side project visible air in which the sole cushioning technology would be exposed so the customer could see it.He was invited by Phil Knight to present his prototype to the board. (Mc Girt, 2010) At this stage, the lab might also produce a white paper with â€Å"ideas on feasibility† which is usually written for manufacturing and division heads of product lines. It may be unclear at this point which product line this technology might be used in, and there is most likely internal competition as to which division might get it. (Rodrigues, R. , personal communication, June 10, 2012) The visible air technology spurred the Air Max shoe line for running, basketball and cross-training.In Nike’s bi-annual Concept Debut, the review committee (CEO and heads of global footwear design) reviews all designs for products due to hit the market in the next18 months. Details of each prototype are discussed and sketches critiqued. If a product passes review, the company intends to commercialize and produce it and will fund it. All the regions are brought on board to determine the go-to-market strategy. Marketing is involved at this stage. (â€Å"Online extra: Chaos,à ¢â‚¬  2007) From there, the product is transferred to manufacturing for production.No doubt, Nike’s lab has a close relationship manufacturing suppliers and they are involved much earlier in product development than this stage. For example, the Flyknit due to hit stores July 2012 is made from a knitting process which weaves an entire shoe upper in one piece. With 35 fewer pieces to assemble, this is a revolutionary approach to shoe production as it eliminates the cutting and stitching process, translating to less labor and higher profit margins for Nike. (Townsend, 2012) Manufacturing most certainly played a role in the product development process. ———————————————— X. Product Introduction to the Market A. Marketing Strategy As one of Nike’s core competencies, marketing plays a pivotal role in the company’s success. Historically, Nike has utilized an a lmost formulaic, two-prong approach to marketing – elite athlete endorsements and establishment of an emotional connection with their customer. Some of the greatest elite athletes have been paid by Nike to help design, develop, and sell merchandise through endorsements.Tiger Woods was signed in 1996 and by 2001, Nike’s market share in golf jumped from one to six percent, or $50 million. (Cummings, 2001) Instead of focusing on the product, Nike’s advertising strategy seeks to establish an emotional connection with the customer by setting a mood. Just after Nike’s revenues fell 22% in 1986, Nike launched its first national ad campaign which featured the song Revolution and intertwined clips of elite Nike athletes with clips of everyday people. The underlying message was athletes prefer Nike, buy Nike and you can play as good as them. Lane, 1996) By 1988, revenues rebounded to $1. 2B and by 1989; the company regained its leadership position, earning $1. 7B i n revenue. (Jorgensen, 1994) However, as Nike’s total marketing budget has climbed, it’s spending in U. S. TV and print advertising has dropped by 40% in the past three years signaling a marketing strategy shift. In 2010, Nike launched Nike Digital Sport, a new division aimed at developing devices and technologies for users to track personal sports statistics. Now, customer data can be mined and online communities established, placing Nike where the customer is. Cendrowski, 2012) While initial attempts have not been so successful, true to Nike’s innovation process, the company integrates its knowledge into new tactics and continues try new approaches. B. Event Pacing and Limited-Edition Products Nike has been known to utilize two strategies to stimulate demand: event-timed product releases and limited-edition product. Nike both releases new products to coincide with big sports events – and also delays them. Earlier in 2012, the Foamposite One Galaxy glow- in-the-dark shoes were released to coincide with the NBA All-Star game in Orlando.This year, new home and away soccer apparel in the team colors for FC Internazionale were released in time for the 2012-2013 Milan soccer seasons. (Nike, Inc. , 2012b) In 2007, Nike delayed the release of the new Michael Vick shoe when Michael Vick was caught in a dog fighting scandal. (Briggs, 2007) When coupled with limited-run production, marketing hype has led to success, if not violence. Nike makes it known that the Jordan XIs — Jordan's most sought-after shoe – are released once a year as a limited edition.The December 2009 holiday season release of Air Jordan XI Concords caused violence and a stabbing. (Hill, 2011) But at more than $1 billion in sales, the Jordan brand now makes up roughly 5 percent of Nike’s overall revenues. (Rovell, 2009) ————————————————- XI. I ntegrated Strategy: Sustainability and Innovation The integration of sustainability and innovation as a value-creator forms the core of Nike’s new strategy. (Brettman, 2011a) Nike believes corporate social responsibility extends beyond the walls of their headquarters to the industry and society.The goal is to innovate systematically throughout all businesses processes and to affect change industry-wide for the good of society. Nike’s troubles in China led to heightened awareness about corporate responsibility and the company’s impact on society. A. Nike and China Nike and several other name brand organizations have had trouble with child labor issues. There have been allegations of child labor and horrid working conditions. According to Irene Alfred from Nike slave labor† Nike is having difficulties with the publicity it is receiving about its labor practices in China, South Korea, Indonesia, and Vietnam.In China, employees for Nike work twelve hour shifts for several days a week. Their wages are as low as sixteen cents an hour there is no union†. Nike is working on improving conditions for its international employee’s in1998 Mr. Knight stated,† Public speeches regarding his plan for the labor conditions to be brought up to standards. I feel that this is a great step to take in showing that Nike does actually care about its employees and the conditions they work in. Finding contractors that follow the health and safety codes and staying away from the corrupt government involved contractors.Incorporating interest in the educational systems where they are involved and showing the communities you operate in that you do care about their welfare status. Phil Knight did the right thing by addressing the media about theses speculations and taking action and getting involved with the citizens is a great first step. In addition, by going into these very poor countries that are plagued with hunger, poverty and illiteracy, Ni ke is giving these people a second chance at life by providing them with jobs to provide their families with meals and a chance to get an education and break the cycle of illiteracy and poverty in these communities.B. Green Xchange, Considered Design and Considered Design Index Now, Nike is driven to affect systemic change through open collaboration and designing products with sustainable design choices. In 2010, Nike launched the GreenXchange, a web-based collaborative network promoting the creation and adoption of technologies for new sustainability models and innovation. (Albanese, 2012) Nike’s new design philosophy, Considered Design, utilizes sustainable design choices at the start of the creative process to innovatively eliminate design and development waste.Sustainability is measured using metrics in their Considered Design Index. Nike intends to share this Index to create an industry-wide scale. (Nike, Inc. , 2012a) C. Impact on Corporate Goals/Strategy As Nike contin ues to integrate sustainability goals into their innovation processes, the company continues to raise their performance expectations. In May 2012, Nike announced new sustainability performance targets, both short and long term, and a company-wide commitment to further integrate sustainability principles into its innovation processes, governance and portfolios. â€Å"Nike, Inc. Introduces,† 2012) ————————————————- XII. Conclusion Nike’s intense passion for and focus on improving athletic performance has been the driver behind the company’s ability to establish a leadership position in the market. The competitive culture is sharply focused on winning in whatever endeavor the company endures, and their innovation processes support this Just Do It mentality. Their ability to finely integrate creativity and learning forms the core of their innovation proces s.Their curious culture uses external knowledge gained to innovate for the athlete and make an emotional connection with their customer through marketing. The company continuously refines their approach, as evidenced in their new marketing strategy, and as they continue set new challenges, Nike positions itself to defend their leadership position. ————————————————- References Albanese, M. (2012, Feb 06). How she leads: Hannah jones of nike. 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