The Relationship Between Politics And Hip Hop Music Essay

Rap and Rebellion: The Relationship Between Politics and Hip-Hop Music The rap subculture is widely agreed to have been established in the Bronx, New York during the 1970’s. At a time when block parties became popular, especially among African-American youths, hip-hop music was a means of expressing opinions and values and as a new source of communication. At these gatherings, DJs would play percussive breaks from popular songs, often on two turntables to enable them to extend these breaks. This new culture defined itself by four key stylistic elements: MCing/rapping, scratching/DJing, graffiti writing and break dancing. As this style of music became more established, an evolution began, as sampling technology and drum machines became more affordable and widely available. Although the origins of hip-hop music seem to begin in the USA, over a century before this West African musician told stories rhythmically, accompanied only by drums. Meanwhile in the Caribbean Islands, folk musicians were telling stories in rhyme – both were laying the foundations for modern day American rap music. The vocal style of rapping developed as people and artists at these block parties experimented with freestyle rhythmic speech over the top of percussive breaks, drawing inspiration from everyday topics and wider issues alike. The first notable rap artists included Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, DJ Kool Herc, Marley Marl and Doug E. Fresh, whilst ‘Rapper’s Delight’ by The SugarhillShow MoreRelatedRap And Hip Hop Music1177 Words   |  5 PagesRap and hip hop music has evolved politically over the last decade; these genres have become major forces and influential factors for North American youth and young adults. Nas, a popular rap star, sold 1 million copies of his first album Illmatic by Dec. 2001, and by 2004 Nas released his 7th platinum album Street Disciple. The album street disciple contained a very political song titled American Way. The song showcases the negative outlook rap has against politics in its early stages as a genreRead MoreRap And Hip Hop Music1301 Words   |  6 PagesRap and hip-hop music have evolved politically over the last decade; these genres have become major forces and influential political factors for North American youth and young adults. For example, Nas, a popular rap star of politically motivated songs sold 1 million copies of his first album Illmatic by Dec. 2001, and by 2004 Nas released his 7th platinum album Street Disciple. The album Street Disciple contained a powerful political song titled â€Å"American Way†. In addition, Lakeyta M Bonnet’s bookRead MoreThe Violence And Police Brutality Essay932 Words   |  4 PagesGardner being murdered and after seeing i t I got emotional. The connection of constantly seeing police brutality and nothing being done about it made me frustrated. Another example is the power of music and sonic. Music is a shorthand of emotion Leo Tolstoy stated in â€Å"The Quotable Musician.† The Hip Hop artist Jermaine Cole know as J. Cole had a performance of David Letterman s Show. The song he performed was titled â€Å"Be Free† which expressed his thoughts on the government and race. He made very controversialRead MoreHip Hop And Hip Rap Music1144 Words   |  5 PagesHip hop music has delivered messages of freedom of expression, unity, peace, and protest against social injustices, for the past 30 years. But exactly when and where did it begin, and what impact has it had on our society? The hip hop beats created by DJs in the 70s actually sparked what is now known as hip hop culture. Hip hop culture originally included rapping, break dancing, graffiti, beat boxing, and looping and scratching, and has now includes urban clothing and cars, speech patterns and slangRead MoreWomen And Hip Hop Culture1275 Words   |  6 Pagesa major role in the hip hop culture. This can be seen when watching music videos, or listening to female rappers. Women are simply involved in everything. However, that does not necessarily mean that they have the best relationship with hip hop. The purpose of this paper is to examine women within the hip hop culture. More specifically, this paper is going to examine the unique relationship women have with hip hop. To achieve a better understanding of the unique relationship, one has to examine allRead MoreWild Style, directed by Charlie Ahearn Essays558 Words   |  3 Pagesdocumented the real world of hip hop before most people even knew what hip hop was. This movie brings about the four crucial elements of hip hop - emceeing, graffiti, break-dancing, and deejaying. These features are the backdrop to the story of a graffiti artist named Raymond who lives i n the South Bronx that goes by the name â€Å"Zoro†, who is played by well-known New York graffiti artist Lee Quinones. The movie goes through the tribulations of his life and relationship with Rose, while showing someRead MoreHip Hop Is Not Going Anywhere1545 Words   |  7 PagesSince Old School’s Hip Hop conception, the genre has gone way beyond what the genre’s originators could have imagined. Each period since the founding of Hip Hop has added to the evolution of the culture and have altered it into something that is more than just a hobby, but a mindset and a part of life that cannot be separated from many different cultures globally. In 1977, popular Hip Hop MCs and Djs lived in poverty in New York and in 2016 artist like Sean Combs, Dr. Dre, and Jay-Z are worth $2Read MoreWomen Of Hip Hop Culture Essay1723 Words   |  7 PagesWomen have decided to consume hip hop regardless of the sexism and machismo of their rap artist spouses. Historically, black women who have sex with other women haven’t been recognized in the Black community. Also, the expectations are the same in hip hop culture because men reject lesbians. An example is the murder in 2003 of Sakia Gunn after she declared her lesbian identity to a group of males. We all know that in hip hop culture men predominate and precisely masculine. Women can achieve a higherRead MoreHarlem Renaissance Essay1341 Words   |  6 PagesMadhubuti’s contention, Jeffery Stewart stated after major victories of the civil rights movement another intellectual and cultural rebellion called Black Power movement. Madhubuti’s, a black arts movement members relationship with Harlem Renaissance is one of the youngest African dont like politics and aesthetic of the previous generation of black artists. The â€Å"utmost impatience† I would about how Black Arts movement member expressed themselves to the Harlem Renaissance and its allegedly excessive whiteRead MoreBlack W omen’s Role in Popular Culture: An Analysis of The Venus Hip Hop and the Pink Ghetto1155 Words   |  5 Pagesstatus to world issues and politics. Music, movies, and literature have started cultural revolutions and challenged the straight-forward thinking many individuals have accepted in the past. But while popular culture can advance new ideas and create movements, it also has the ability to challenge advancements society has made. Imani Perry’s essay, The Venus Hip Hop and the Pink Ghetto, focuses on hip hop and its negative impact on women and body image. In The Venus Hip Hop and the Pink Ghetto, Imani

Effect Of Integrating Computer Integrated Instruction For...

The effect of incorporating computer integrated instruction for students with disabilities was analyzed through three different articles. In the first article Games for Engaged Learning of Middle School Children, the study focused on middle school students playing pre-algebra games and the outcome of their learning. There were three different games introduced to the students and the study found that the students were engaged, working together, and competitive. Part of the study tracked the students weekly progress reports of school performance and knowledge tests on the game related math content. The downfall of the study was that the students were not able to verbalize the skills they were working on or learning in the games, only the†¦show more content†¦Progress was made for the student with the number of problems wrong but it varied over the study. The second study focused on the results when teacher instructed is coupled with a tutorial- based computer integrated activity. The activity on the computer required the student to remove stimulus elements after saying saying it aloud or to himself. This also viewed and charted the results with 20 random multiplication problems. The results of the study showed that the process made from the first study with just the computer instruction, the student didn t retain the information. However, when paired with the teacher instruction the second study showed much improvement in the mistakes made when solving the 20 multiplication problems and the student still retained the information a month after the study. The third article focused on a study that evaluated students with ADHD after incorporating computer integrated instruction to help with the deficit areas. This study focused on three different students that had learning disabilities and was diagnosed with ADHD. The students were allowed to use computer games to supplement math instruction throughout the week. Two of the students used the comput er for 10-15 min three times per week while the other student only used it twice a week for 15 minutes. All of the students showed an increase in digits correct per minute from baseline to intervention. One of the

Astron 2b03 Free Essays

Astronomy / Origins 2B03 Practice Midterm Questions 1. Our solar system is located in the a) Milky Way’s galactic halo b) Milky Way’s central bulge c) Milky Way’s galactic disk d) space between the Milky Way and its neighbouring galaxies e) none of the above 2. What happens when you shine a laser beam horizontally across a room? ) the light would be deflected upwards slightly b) the presence of the gravitational field makes the light move slightly faster c) light travels a perfectly straight path d) the path of the light is curved downward very slightly e) none of the above 3. We will write a custom essay sample on Astron 2b03 or any similar topic only for you Order Now The terrestrial planets are a) Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars b) Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune c) Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto d) Venus, Earth, and Mars e) none of the above combinations 4. From lowest energy to highest energy, which of the following correctly orders the different categories of electromagnetic radiation? a) gamma rays, X rays, visible light, ultraviolet, infrared, radio b) visible light, infrared, X rays, ultraviolet, gamma rays, radio c) radio, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X rays, gamma rays d) infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X rays, gamma rays, radio e) radio, X rays, visible light, ultraviolet, infrared, gamma rays 5. Evidence of the expansion of the universe is shown by a) the Einstein Cross b) the 4. billion year age of the Earth c) the abundances of the elements in stars d) the redshifts of distant galaxies e) time dilation 6. Suppose we look at two distant galaxies: Galaxy 1 is twice as far away as Galaxy 2. In that case, a) Galaxy 1 must be twice as big as Galaxy 2 b) we are seeing Galaxy 1 as it looked at an earlier time in the history of the universe than Galaxy 2 c) we are seeing Galaxy 1 as it looked at a later time in the his tory of the universe than Galaxy 2 d) Galaxy 2 must be twice as old as Galaxy 1. ) none of the above 7. A black hole and a normal star have the same mass. They each have an Earth-sized planet orbiting them at the same distance as the Earth is from the Sun. a) the black hole pulls harder on its planet than the normal star does b) the two planets feel identical pulls c) the normal star pulls harder on its planet than the black hole does d) the planet is sucked into the black hole e) none of the above statements are correct 8. Which of the following is not part of the official International Astronomical Union definition of a planet? A planet †¦ a) is close to round in shape b) is a satellite c) is in orbit around the Sun d) has â€Å"cleared the neighbourhood† around its orbit e) none of the above 9. We can determine the distance to a galaxy that contains Cepheid variable stars by using a) the period-colour relation b) the mass-luminosity relation c) the mass-radius relation d) the period-luminosity relation e) none of the above 10. Ann sees Bob travel by her in a very fast spaceship a) Ann observes Bob’s clock to be running slowly and Bob observes Ann’s clock to be running slowly b) Ann observes Bob’s clock to be running slowly and Bob observes Ann’s clock to be running fast c) Ann observes Bob’s clock to be running fast and Bob observes Ann’s clock to be running slowly d) Ann observes Bob’s clock to be running fast and Bob observes Ann’s clock to be running fast e) something else 11. Which space time diagram(s) violate special relativity? a) ii b) ii and iv c) iv and v d) i and iii e) iii and v How to cite Astron 2b03, Papers

Social Media Strategies and Destination Management †Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Social Media Strategies and Destination Management. Answer: Introduction: Social networking sites are playing the significant role in the expansion of the businesses as the public get to know about the latest offerings of the business. This networking is serving as the strong tool of the marketing whereby the company can save its significant cost and time that is devoted to the promotional activities. The social media sites are aiding companies in contacting their clients and customers that leads increasing both profitability and productivity at the rapid speed (Leung and et. al., 2013). Furthermore, social media marketing strategies enable organisations to get the prompt reply or response from the customers or any other clients. It has a favourable impact on the profitability and productivity because it is used for several purposes; hiring the personnel, marketing of products and services and conducting the market research. This proves to be effective for the success of the business and continuous growth in the international marketplace (Davis and et. al., 2012). Despite several benefits, the limitations of social media are unforgettable so businesses should shed light on the same for constant growth in the marketplace. It is crucial for the businesses to look over these issues whereby they can apply right kind of strategies and boost its sales turnover (Zeng and Gerritsen, 2014). The present research proposal is based on the social media marketing that how it is helpful for the business and what negative aspects are associated with the same in the context of the hospitality sector. It will help the corporation to find the issues which might occur in the future time span and ruin the reputation of the business. Thus, the study under consideration provides in-depth analysis of the strong marketing tool as the social media market strategy. For this purpose, the research under investigation provides the insight of benefits and challenges associated with the social media network for the businesses. This research aims to assess the usage of social media network in the context of business. In this regard, both favourable and unfavourable aspect associated with the same has been evaluated. It is because no doubt social media assists companies in gaining the attention of public but it possesses severe harm for the company during the promotional activities. Owing to this, study shed light on future prospects of social media network tools also in the context of the corporate world (Leung and et. al., 2013). This facilitates to present the scenario of social media network effectively and enables a business to maintain the same with the use of effective strategies. Furthermore, several strategies to apply the social media network effectively are highlighted in the paper. Social media network is rapidly increasing in the several fields; education, business world and personal life but the scope of the current study are limited to the business world only. For this purpose, the findings derived from the study can be used in several sectors such as retail, fashion and food sector. This will help management to understand the pros and cons of using social network sites. It will also provide the information related to the potential strategies that ensure the best use of social networking sites and derive the overall benefits for the businesses. Furthermore, many small businesses can also get the idea related to an effective tool of social networking site to explore the business as advantages of the same will be showcased in the study. The social media is being popular for marketing of products and services of the businesses due to the addition of new policies that tend to increase sales turnover (Hays, Page and Buhalis 2013). The rationale behind using the social media to a great extent is that huge amount of cost is saved as other modes such as radio, hoardings and television etc consume a large amount of cost. Leung, and et. al., (2013) stated that social media marketing is beneficial for the business for the purpose of saving the time and cost. This facilitates companies to post their marketing campaign via suitable tool so as to gain the attraction of customers. However, the challenges associated with the social media are not negligible and that need the keen attention of organizations. There are different types of social networking sites such as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook which approach a large number of people at a time. All these mentioned tools have several users per month such as Twitter has 313 million users whereas Facebook has over 2 billion subscribers. It manifests that companies can easily approach the large population by using these different social networking sites (Ukpere, Slabbert and Ukpere 2014). This platform makes it possible for companies to get to know regarding the issues which are being faced by the customers. This helps in modifying the current strategies of business as per the feedback of consumers and retain them for longer time span (Sashi 2012). Hays, Page and Buhalis (2013) stated that some tools of social media are paid which might contain additional feature for the promotion whereas most of the tools are free of charge which provides advantages for the business. On the other hand, Young (2012) asserted that social media network help in increasing the customer loyalty by offering them timely information and addressing their issues in the right manner. Yet, it is crucial for the companies to update their sites or pages from time to time for grabbing the attention of viewers. For example, discount and the special offer on the product and services can be posted to make new customers and satisfy the existing one (Lefebvre, 2012). It indicates that social media will help businesses only when management remains active in updating the sites. For this purpose, attractive pictures and videos can also be uploaded for increasing the traffic. This ensures the profitability of the business because a large number of customers approached at a time. According to Sashi (2012) social media is an effective tool that can help in conducting the market research for different organisation. For instance, a new product can be introduced after getting the views of customers over the social media. Therefore, it serves as the imperative aspect to explore the opportunities for the growth and development of the business. Social media networking sites are not far from its disadvantages because it imposes several types of challenges for the business. Hays, Page and Buhalis (2013) stated that social media networking sites affect the reputation of the business due to negative comments posted by the users or other parties. It will have the direct impact on the new customers and overall business performance as such kind of events creates psychological impact in the mind of customers. Munar (2012) explained that it is important to make the social networking site interactive and attractive otherwise attention of customers cannot be grabbed. This procedure takes extensive time of the business where the requirement of expert personnel is also mandatory. This reflects that company has to incur cost in hiring the new employee who can maintain the promotional site. In this manner, indirect cost is incurred by the business which might have the indirect impact on the profitability. It is an obvious fact that in case appropriate social marketing strategies are not implemented then a company will have to suffer from the lower rate of return. This merely increases the cost of production and affects the performance of the business to a great extent. On the other hand, social networking sites provide full freedom for viewers to post any kind of comments. Owing to this, some organizations get affected from their rivalries because of such kind of negative comments (Lefebvre 2012). The use of social media networking not only affect the business through the negative comment and cost but unethical hacking also affects the reputation of the business. This is termed as an intentional act from the counterparty which drastically reduces the customers (Kent 2013). It shows that companies get affected from such kind unethical activities and this fear might not allow management to post the real or attractive information of the strategies implemented by the business. Moreover, in the absence of copyright, trademark, other people can easily copy the strategies which affect the rate of return of the business. Apart from this, security and privacy-related issues promote the unethical hacking (Lesidrenska and Dicke 2012). Therefore, a separate department looks after the social media market strategies ensuring the smooth operation of the business. What are the different strategies that can be used to implement social media effectively? The study under consideration will be based on both qualitative and quantitative nature. This is because of research demands for in-depth analysis on the basis of collected numerical and theoretical data (Kumar, 2014). For this purpose, it is imperative to use mixed method analysis which will help in assessing both the advantages and disadvantages of social media networking. In order to get the reliable and valid outcome, ethical practices will be adopted for completing the data collection procedure (Panneerselvam, 2014). The tools applied for the analysis of the data will also be effective through which fruitful outcome can be derived. Sampling refers to the individual unit of a population that takes part in the data collection procedure of the research. There are varied methods applied for the selection of sample; probabilistic and non-probabilistic. It consists of simple random, quota, judgment, snowball and convenient as well as cluster etc. sampling. The study under investigation is based on advantages and disadvantages of social media networking site so the information will be collected from both customers and managers (Bhattacharyya, 2006). In this regard, simple random sampling will be used for selecting 20 managers and convenient base sampling will be applied for the selection of 50 customers. The rationale behind using these specific sampling design is to save the time and cost associated with the study. Also, a procedure of data collection will be easier. The current research will be based on both primary and secondary data. The primary data will be collected by using questionnaire method that will include both closed and open-ended questions. The rationale behind not using other methods is time and cost constraint and the questionnaire method is favourable in context of both cited aspects. At this juncture, questionnaire method aids researcher is gathering the information from the large population in relatively less time whereas interviews need extensive time (Kothari, 2004). In this manner, selection of questionnaire can be justified. On the other hand, several sources such as journals, books and online articles will be used for gaining deep insight regarding the advantages and disadvantages of the social networking sites. Furthermore, journal articles will provide meaningful information regarding the negative aspect associated with the social media so that research can accordingly complete the analysis process of the current study. Variables specification The variables associated with this research are listed as follows which will be helpful in conducting the in-depth analysis out of collected data- Cost and time saving with the social networking sites Privacy issue Unethical hacking Negative impact on the brand image Negative reviews of customers or counterparty Completion of research activities is not easy as every research possess certain limitation which should be taken into account by the scholar. Since the study under consideration is based on the advantages and disadvantages of the social network sites so it was hard to find the detail information related to disadvantages because most of the sites were offering the information related to advantages only. However, primary data will be fruitful in which managers will provide the data that how the reputation of business gets hampered with the effect of negative comments of the customers or other parties. Apart from this, some responses might take extensive time because of the busy schedule of managers; however, questionnaire method will be adopted so that respondents can fill the questionnaire on the basis of their convenient time (Kumar, 2014). Time Schedule (Research plan) The time schedule or research plan of the current study will be as follows which indicates that 20 weeks will be needed to complete the entire research. Activities/weeks 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Stating the purpose of research Drafting the proposal Writing the introductory part of the research with the statement of aim and objectives Collecting secondary data or conducting the literature review Drafting the research methodology Collecting primary data Analyzing the collected information Interpretation and discussion of analysed data Drafting the report Conclusion and recommendation Addressing the feedback Conclusion The aforementioned research will bring forth the outcome that social media networking site has both positive and negative impact on the performance of the business. However, management can implement suitable strategies to update the site and keep the customers highly motivated by building the good relationship with them. It can also be said that social media networking site are profitable and beneficial for the business. Reference List Bhattacharyya, D. K., 2006. Research Methodology. Excel Books India. Davis III, C.H., Deil-Amen, R., Rios-Aguilar, C. and Gonzalez Canche, M.S., 2012. Social media in higher education: A literature review and research directions.Report printed by the University of Arizona and Claremont Graduate University,8. Hays, S., Page, S.J. and Buhalis, D., 2013. Social media as a destination marketing tool: its use by national tourism organisations.Current issues in Tourism,16(3), pp.211-239. Kothari, C. R., 2004. Research Methodology: Methods and Techniques. New Age International. Kumar, R., 2014. Research Methodology: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners. SAGE. Lefebvre, R.C., 2012. Transformative social marketing: co-creating the social marketing discipline and brand.Journal of Social Marketing,2(2), pp.118-129. Lesidrenska, S. and Dicke, P., 2012. Social-media platforms and its effect on digital marketing activities. ? , (1), pp.44-52. Leung, D., Law, R., Van Hoof, H. and Buhalis, D., 2013. Social media in tourism and hospitality: A literature review.Journal of Travel Tourism Marketing,30(1-2), pp.3-22. Munar, A.M., 2012. Social media strategies and destination management.Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism,12(2), pp.101-120. Kent, M.L., 2013. Using social media dialogically: Public relations role in reviving democracy.Public Relations Review,39(4), pp.337-345. Panneerselvam, R., 2014. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY. PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd., Sashi, C.M., 2012. Customer engagement, buyer-seller relationships, and social media.Management decision,50(2), pp.253-272. Ukpere, C.L., Slabbert, A.D. and Ukpere, W.I., 2014. Rising trend in social media usage by women entrepreneurs across the globe to unlock their potentials for business success.Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences,5(10), p.551. Young, T.E., 2012.The Everything Guide to Crowdfunding: Learn how to use social media for small-business funding. Simon and Schuster. Zeng, B. and Gerritsen, R., 2014. What do we know about social media in tourism? A review.Tourism Management Perspectives,10, pp.27-36.

Van Goghh There are several van Goghs Essay Example For Students

Van Goghh There are several van Goghs Essay Art historian Griselda Pollock, in her documentary entitled The Legend of van Gogh, stated that there are several van Goghs. To agree or disagree with this statement, one must firstly understand the point Pollock is attempting to get across. One could interpret this opinion as meaning that there are various artistic styles and several facets of van Goghs life that can be critically analysed; having this understanding of Pollocks attitude toward van Gogh, it would be difficult not to agree with her. Using phraseology similar to that of Pollock, one could say that there are four van Goghs: the failing peasant, the successful sophisticate, the eccentric meaningful lover, and the van Gogh of the present day. All who have knowledge of the artist would know how complex his life was, and so it is not incredible to believe that he was all these things during his relatively short life. (Born in 1853, he died at the age of only 37, in 1890.) An alternate definition of Pollocks statement is the following:He was prolific and protean: He was a scholar and a sufferer, an art-world pro and a destitute outsider, an evangelical bohemian, both sordid and sublime. There are as many ways to see his pictures as there are ways to read his life. Some are stolid brown and gray. Others seem to detonate in a shrapnel burst of color, as if his world had begun to fly apart. Some are piercingly original. Others closely imitate other artists art. Apparent in these paintings from Van Goghs Van Goghs: Masterp ieces From the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam are the combustible components that he mixed in his art. Firstly, van Gogh as the failing peasant. Van Gogh was not always a painter; although many claim he realised his artistic potential early in life , he did not seriously consider devoting his life to it (de Grausen , Eurie ). There is little known information about the artists first fifteen years, yet it is possible to find out the basics: after a few years of education in Holland, he left his studies at the age of 15, and never returned to them. In 1869, he joined a firm of art dealers in The Hague, called Goupil ; Cie. (The van Gogh family had been involved in the art world for many years: both Vincents uncles, Cornelius and (Vin)Cent were art dealers, as was, of course, Vincents brother Theo.) Vincent kept his job at Holland for seven years, after which he was transferred to the London office. Enamoured by the different climate of London, Vincent remained there for two years, during which time he visited various galleries, admiring British artists and writers. Having been transferred for the second time (this time in 1875 and to Paris), van Gogh began to see that his life was turning into ennui; he hence left Goupil ; Cie and revisited London. Vincent van Goghs instability in this job was the first sign pointing to failure being evident. We will write a custom essay on Van Goghh There are several van Goghs specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Realising he could no longer continue his position with Goupil ; Cie, van Gogh looked elsewhere for opportunities he could take advantage of. He found a job as a teacher in charge of about 24 young students at Reverend T. Slade Jones school in Isleworth. It was at this time that van Gogh considered that he could be destined to spread the word of God. He spent many hours reading the Gospel, attempting to ameliorate his relationship with God. Van Gogh requested to Jones that his responsibilities be broadened, asking to be transformed from a teacher to a clergyman. Jones accepted his request and van Gogh gave his first sermon in October 1876. A Biblical quote van Gogh cited in this sermon goes as follows:Much strife must be strivenMuch suffering must be sufferedMuch prayer must be prayedAnd then the end will be peace. .u59f674896bd9db950eec66c1dbdadb79 , .u59f674896bd9db950eec66c1dbdadb79 .postImageUrl , .u59f674896bd9db950eec66c1dbdadb79 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u59f674896bd9db950eec66c1dbdadb79 , .u59f674896bd9db950eec66c1dbdadb79:hover , .u59f674896bd9db950eec66c1dbdadb79:visited , .u59f674896bd9db950eec66c1dbdadb79:active { border:0!important; } .u59f674896bd9db950eec66c1dbdadb79 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u59f674896bd9db950eec66c1dbdadb79 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u59f674896bd9db950eec66c1dbdadb79:active , .u59f674896bd9db950eec66c1dbdadb79:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u59f674896bd9db950eec66c1dbdadb79 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u59f674896bd9db950eec66c1dbdadb79 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u59f674896bd9db950eec66c1dbdadb79 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u59f674896bd9db950eec66c1dbdadb79 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u59f674896bd9db950eec66c1dbdadb79:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u59f674896bd9db950eec66c1dbdadb79 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u59f674896bd9db950eec66c1dbdadb79 .u59f674896bd9db950eec66c1dbdadb79-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u59f674896bd9db950eec66c1dbdadb79:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Free Handmaid's Tales: Offred Handmaid's Tal EssayThis excerpt relates inextricably to van Goghs life, as will be discussed later on in the todays van Gogh category. Van Gogh was very fervent when it came to his studies of religion, yet when it came down to it, the reality was that his sermons lacked a vital feeling of life. Like his father Theodorus, Vincent had a passion for preaching; he lacked, however, a gripping and passionate delivery (Brooks ). After this short stint in Isleworth, van Gogh travelled to Laeken, where he failed to qualify for the mission school. Nonetheless, he persuaded prominent men at the church to allow him to have a trial period in one of the most impoverished regions in Europe, the coal-mining district of The Borinage, Belgium. Van Gogh began to work there in 1879 and became so attached to all the people there that he went to the extent of become poverty-stricken himself just to relieve them of their desires of both food and money. Although van Gogh had gracious intentions, the Church disapproved of his severe actions, requesting that he leave the area. He moved to an adjacent village, continuing to live in miserable poverty. One day, he felt duty-bound to visit the French painter whom he admired the most, Jules Breton; van Gogh, without ten francs in his pocket, walked the entire seventy kilometres to Courrires, in France, to visit him. When he arrived, van Gogh felt too timid to knock on the door, and subsequently returned to his home very much discouraged, as one can expect. Upon his return, he began to sketch his environment: the minors and their families, the harsh conditions . It was here that van Goghs gift sprung from weakness. This was the turning point of his life. Vincent discusses this time in his life in a letter to his brother Theo, whence the following citation can be drawn:When I began to draw after having been vehemently upset by my own actions in Courrires, I felt like somebody who, emerging from a dark cave underground, comes back to the friendly daylight. Although his preaching ended upon the commencement of art directly in his life, a conclusion can be drawn about God: van Gogh still believed that God was guiding him. This is evident from the way he ends that same letter:Dieu, a handshake fromYour loving brother,Vincent. The phrase Dieu can be translated from French as in the name of God, hence van Gogh still felt a connection with the divine. A second important facet of van Goghs life, alluded to the above excerpt as the friendly daylight, is the way in which he realised that he could, in fact, be successful, and how he became recognised as a sophisticate. He was very well read (he read much British literature while in London), was multilingual (he spoke and wrote fluently in English, French, German and Dutch and had studied Greek and Latin) and had ties with the art world that could not have been much stronger; as previously mentioned, his two uncles and brother were art dealers and, in fact, Vincent had started a collection of artworks (not his own creations), including a vast diversity of genres, ranging from British wood engraving to Japanese Ukiyoe prints. This may seem to utterly contradict the previous idea of van Gogh being a failing peasant and this is, of course, because the successful stage in van Goghs life came after the peasant stage. As stated earlier, van Goghs direct entry into the art world was a pivotal point of his life that changed what everyone else thought of him, and what he thought of himself (Millthorpe ). Vincent van Goghs appreciation of art (both his own and that of fellow artists) increased; this can be seen in an excerpt from a letter to Theo, in which he writes:You must not take it amiss if I write you again its only to tell you that painting is such a joy for me. Also, van Goghs skill in art improved, with continued practice and experience. (Nonetheless, as pointed out in a documentary entitled The Bedroom at Arles, van Gogh never really seemed to master perspective.) Theo points to Vincent how successful he has become in this letter:Your pictures at the exhibition are having a lot of success. The other day Diaz stopped me in the street and said, Give your brother my compliments and tell him that his pictures are highly remarkable. Monet said that your pictures were the best of all in the exhibition. Van Goghs overarching identity included many eccentricities and a great search for meaning and symbolism in art. When he moved to Paris in March, 1886, it seemed that a conflagration overwhelmed him, in the positive sense. His painting became more effulgent, and his colours more vibrant. He became a colourist and started to pay more and more attention to variations of colour in his artworks. This change in his character becomes very evident in his letters to Theo , and also in his paintings The Bedroom at Arles and The Night Caf . The colour moved Vincent, and he used it to bring meaning to his work. (This can be seen in Plate 9, where Vincent explains how colour establishes a feeling of rest in The Bedroom at Arles). .u656925aa849d0e26e336aa0ca77705c7 , .u656925aa849d0e26e336aa0ca77705c7 .postImageUrl , .u656925aa849d0e26e336aa0ca77705c7 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u656925aa849d0e26e336aa0ca77705c7 , .u656925aa849d0e26e336aa0ca77705c7:hover , .u656925aa849d0e26e336aa0ca77705c7:visited , .u656925aa849d0e26e336aa0ca77705c7:active { border:0!important; } .u656925aa849d0e26e336aa0ca77705c7 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u656925aa849d0e26e336aa0ca77705c7 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u656925aa849d0e26e336aa0ca77705c7:active , .u656925aa849d0e26e336aa0ca77705c7:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u656925aa849d0e26e336aa0ca77705c7 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u656925aa849d0e26e336aa0ca77705c7 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u656925aa849d0e26e336aa0ca77705c7 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u656925aa849d0e26e336aa0ca77705c7 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u656925aa849d0e26e336aa0ca77705c7:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u656925aa849d0e26e336aa0ca77705c7 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u656925aa849d0e26e336aa0ca77705c7 .u656925aa849d0e26e336aa0ca77705c7-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u656925aa849d0e26e336aa0ca77705c7:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Most Dangerous Game EssayAnother or Griselda Pollocks several van Goghs is the eccentric, meaningful lover. Many people are well aware of the psychological trauma Vincent van Gogh went through during his beautiful life. There is much speculation as to the causes of this, yet one fascinating account states as follows: exactly a year (to the day) before the birth of Vincent, his mother gave birth to another child, which was stillborn. His name was also Vincent. The whole notion for him to be a replacement child, even with the same name, must have brought shame onto him for the rest of his life, and hence people have reason to believe that this may have augmented his ecce ntricities and psychological problems. Also, Vincent suffered from serious physical illness. This was partially brought on by another of his peculiar quiddities: while painting, Vincent would occasionally suck on his paintbrush, consuming toxic lead-based paint, and also sip on turpentine, which he used as a paint thinner . Although highly talented, Vincent van Gogh was in essence a sick man. Don Mclean talks about the skill, yet unfortunate sad side, of van Gogh in his hit song, which he called Vincent . On line 4, the song talks about the darkness in Vincents soul and then on line 12, how he suffered how his sanity; nonetheless, Mclean reverts back to the beauty of van Gogh, saying (on line 34) how his love was true. This song captures the inner beauty of van Gogh, yet acknowledging the hard times he had to face to eventually find eternal peace (The world was never meant for one as beautiful as you, lines 39 and 40). The final van Gogh is todays van Gogh or, in fact, the way he is recognised in todays society. This is a highly subjective field of research: some see him to be the exceedingly capable painter, who created such masterpieces as The Bedroom at Arles and his numerous paintings of sunflowers; others, however, see him to be a sick, eccentric lover who failed in all he did, without fully acknowledging him as the skilful painter. Neither one of these opinions is wrong, but neither is completely right. When remembering the legend of Vincent van Gogh, one should (in order that they might be truly understanding and knowledgeable) take both of these views into account, examining all the available evidence, before making a decision. There is not just one van Gogh that should be remembered: there are several van Goghs.

Enterprise Resource Planning Essay Example

Enterprise Resource Planning Essay Example Enterprise Resource Planning Paper Enterprise Resource Planning Paper Group Project I Evaluation of an Enterprise Application : ERP Systems of Volkswagen and Nestle Executive Summary Enterprise resource planning integrates internal and external management information across an entire organization, coupling finance/accounting, manufacturing, sales and service. ERP systems automate this activity with an integrated software application, facilitating the flow of information between all business functions inside the boundaries of the organization and managing the connection to outside stakeholders. Although ERP systems offer a bird’s eye view in the working of the company and allow users to cross-reference business functions, implementing an enterprise resource system (ERP) project in the estimated time, for the estimated cost, and with satisfying results is a rare occurrence. Most organizations do not understand the costs associated with ERP implementation when they first embark on the project. While the benefits are usually well understood, the costs do not surface until well into the implementation. When everything goes smoothly with ERP resource planning projects, the ratio of savings to dollars invested typically increases over time. As the streamlining efforts start and stall and start again, however, resulting in disastrous detours and cost overruns, savings if they come at all, occur many millions of dollars and many months later than planned. Too many executives see ERP solely as a technology project, believing that if they buy a new software system, inefficiencies will magically disappear. Unfortunately, for companies such as Volkswagen and Nestle, a hiccup in ERP implementation in the pursuit to gain a competitive advantage over their rivals can be disastrous in the short and long term. 1. Case Study 1: Volkswagen The Volkswagen Group is Europe’s largest car maker and one of the world’s leading manufacturers of automobiles. In 2009, according to data published by all three companies, Volkswagen was the third biggest motor vehicle manufacturer, with 6. 29 million units delivered to customers,  after Toyota Group with 7. 23 million units and General Motors, with 6. 0 million units. Although the company offers a variety of mobility-related services in addition to being a leading carmaker, combining all of these subsidiaries and their individual portfolios, brands, missions, and visions under one umbrella is a big challenge for Volkswagen. Through ERP implementation, Volkswagen reasoned that contributions can be made by all the brands and companies of the VW Group without compromising the individual identity of these brands. This would result in added value to the common stream of interest and help the group achieve significant milestones moving forward. Volkswagen Accessories is a VW subsidiary that provides more than 8,000 accessory parts for virtually every model in its parent company’s range of automobiles. These include communication components, car maintenance and fashion products, specially styled rim-and-tire combinations, and other optical enhancements. Until recently, Volkswagen Accessories’ 200 employees analyzed data from the company’s individual SAP ERP modules  by hand before entering them into Excel files. Due to the considerable demands of the Volkswagen group’s internal reporting, this involved a tremendous amount of effort and tied up significant resources. As Project Manager Bjorn Lange states: â€Å"Besides taking far too much time, this method simply couldn’t meet our current requirements anymore. Shorter development cycles are constantly demanding new reports that employees need available on an ad hoc basis whenever possible. † For this reason, Volkswagen Accessories decided to implement a modern business intelligence solution. â€Å"Our goal was not only to establish a uniform basis of data, but especially to ensure our ability to distribute information in a flexible, largely automated way,† Lange explains. From a macroeconomic perspective, the automotive industry has had a number of challenges to overcome in recent years, from  surpluses  in production and  plunging revenues  to  protectionism. Specifically, this means that the industry needed to get a grip on excess capacity in automobile production and the associated revenue shortfalls. As far as choosing the right ERP system, all automotive companies had to deal with three key issues. First, they needed to look at containing costs through standardization. Second, organizations had to have a clear view of all their stock. And third, companies needed to strive for innovation and sustainability. SAP Business Suite 7 seemed to be able to achieve all of these demands by improving business processes internally and across company boundaries. To support this approach, upgrades can be performed during production operation in the form of  SAP enhancement packages. By implementing a  responsive production system, companies could tackle the pressure of competition from increasing globalization. Thanks to flexible and cost-effective production, lead times can be cut and stock levels reduced. As a result, companies will spend less while increasing their ability to deliver. With an ERP system in place, Volkswagen would be able to efficiently deal with business obstacles and drastically improve service-delivery to end user and business cycle performance among many other areas. SAP was designed to make sure that the critical data, analytical tools and applications are readily available and accessible by the employee while simultaneously supporting the organization’s model for different process of shared services. From a business cycle standpoint, the complete end-to-end cycle of business processes for procurement and logistics can be managed with the ERP module available for care business operations. Furthermore, in context of the VW Group, the entire life cycle processes of product manufacturing and development in real time can be effectively managed by delivering high quality products, directly increasing customer satisfaction. Unfortunately, although SAP implementation is good in theory, if implemented incorrectly, the platform can be disastrous for the company, as Volkswagen found in 2000. In 2000, Volkswagen had trouble delivering spare parts to some car dealers in Germany after turning on SAP AG’s R/3 software- enterprise resource planning software produced by SAP AG and designed to coordinate all the resources, information, and activities needed to complete business processes such as order fulfillment or billing- in its central parts warehouse. The error occurred when the ERP vendor had assigned 13 employees to help Volkswagen fix the problems, which were forcing some owners of VW and Audi automobiles to wait several weeks for needed repairs. One of the main problems in ERP implementation is customization. The R/3 applications being used at the parts warehouse were heavily customized to fit Volkswagen’s business needs. The system was so complex however that what seemed like a benign change, upset operations downstream. In this case, system problems delayed shipments to customers and caused product inventories to build up. With the proper ERP implementation, however, Volkswagen could have realized the benefits of a more integrated, single, low cost system. The Future Looking ahead, Volkswagen plans to develop a set of ERP systems by 2015 in order to improve the quality and speed of information sharing between its manufacturing and management departments. The IT processes and organization strategy aims to maximize the effectiveness of the ERP system by giving IT departments a greater say in how they are used by the business. The IT function will also have a say in how staff that operate the ERP systems should be organized. Volkswagen predicts that by 2011 the strategy will allow it to design new ERP systems and integrate them with business processes much more quickly, giving it an edge over its competitors. The pressure to reduce production costs and complexity by increasing the efficiency of our IT applications is a key driver for our IT function being able to influence business processes, said CTO Stefan Ostrowski. According to Ostrowski, the IT function would become a co-designer of the business processes. Steering committees, consisting of both business and IT representatives, would be formed to take joint responsibility for IT budgets. Although companies have seen the errors of their ways in managing ERP systems and have taken small, but important corrective actions for the future, the above examples illustrate the impact that ERP mismanagement may have on the organization in both the short and long-term. As Eric Kimberling, president of Panorama consulting, states: â€Å"The amount of ERP implementations that are meeting or exceeding corporate expectations is distressingly low. To best manage implementations, companies need to plan every detail up front, focus on business operations, secure strong project management and ensure that every key staff member is adequately trained and completely committed to the process. † 2. Case Study 2: Nestle Nestle, headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland is the largest food and beverage company in the world. With 250,000+ employees, stationed in 500 facilities in over 80 countries, its annual revenue is more than $70 billion. Despite its large operation, Nestle was faced with the task of deciding â€Å"how to operate as a single unit on a global scale. † With an ERP system in place, Nestle would be able to standardize their business processes, resulting in more efficient operations for the company and greater realized benefits for the customer. IT Situation before ERP Before its ERP Implementation, Nestle ran a very inefficient, high cost operation due to the lack of standard business processes in place. Local units throughout the world conducted business operations based on their own conditions and cultures. To support this decentralized strategy, Nestle has had 80 different information technology units that ran nearly 900 IBM AS/400 midrange computers, 15 mainframes, and 200 UNIX systems, enabling observers to describe its infrastructure as a veritable Tower of Babel. Nestles management had found that allowing these local differences created inefficiencies and extra costs that could prevent the company from competing effectively in electronic commerce. The lack of standard business processes prevented Nestle from, for example, leveraging its worldwide buying power to obtain lower prices for its raw materials. Even though each factory uses the same global suppliers, each negotiated its own deals and prices. For example, Nestle USAs brands were paying 29 different prices for â€Å"vanilla† to the same vendor due to the fact that each of Nestle’s divisions had assigned a different name to â€Å"vanilla. † In order to resolve the aforementioned inefficiencies, Nestle implemented an SAP’s R/3 ERP software which enables a company to standardize and coordinate its information system and business processes. While not fully realized company-wide, Nestle is working on extending its enterprise systems to all of its facilities to make its 500 facilities act as a single-minded e-business. Once this project is completed Nestle will able to use sales information from retailers on a global basis to measure the effectiveness of its promotional activities and reduce overstocking and spoilage caused by having products sit around too long on grocery shelves. The experience of Nestle USA illustrates some of the challenges Nestle had to face in implementing enterprise systems. In 1991, Nestle USA reorganized itself and brought together the disparate rands under one umbrella with ultimate control to the parent. However, the Nestle division headquarters were still dispersed, and each division was still free to make its own business decisions, with all reporting to Nestle headquarters in Glendale, California. The arrival of Jeri Dunn in 1997 as vice president and CIO of the American company sparked chan ge. Dunn had been familiar with Nestle due to her prior association with the company, for in 1991, as associate director for application systems at Nestle-owned Stouffers Hotels, she was sent to Switzerland to attend meetings whose intentions were to establish a common methodology. Later, in 1995, Dunn was promoted to assistant vice president of technology and standards for Nestle SA, and it is during that point in her career when she fully grasped the unequivocal value of establishing common systems for Nestle worldwide. Embarking on such a wholesale change would facilitate group buying which would reduce overall costs. In June 2000, Nestle SA contracted with SAP to purchase and roll out the new version of their software: mySAP. com. The new system standardized the companys information systems and business processes, and extended SAPs enterprise software to the Web. In addition, the new system allowed each Nestle employee to log on to a personal web computing space tailored to his job function. The employees job is structured to conform to the best practices defined by SAP for 300 work roles. Nestle has created up to five computer centers around the world to run mySAP. com enterprise financial, accounts payable, accounts receivable, planning, production management, supply chain management, and business intelligence software. The SAP contract would cost $200 million, which was the largest software purchase in ERP history at the time, plus an additional $80 million for installing the software system for the global company. The Implementation Processes: Main Difficulties The major problem that Nestle faced in the United States was that both the CEO and most of the key stakeholders failed to realize how much change they had effected with the SAP contract. Their business processes would change and problems mounted atop previous resolutions. The problem began during the early planning stage of the project when the staff that would be irectly affected by changes was not included in the key stakeholders team. By the beginning of 2000 it was obvious that no one wanted to engage the new processes, and that there was resistance to change. There was no preparation or education on the new processes, and the only hope was to call the project help desk. There was frustration at every level and ultimately no one wanted to take the necessary steps to learn. Turnover among the employees who were to use the Manugistics software to forecast product demand reached 77 percent, while those who stayed found it easier to use their familiar spreadsheets. The project was halted in June 2000 as Nestle removed the project co-leader leaving Dunn as the sole project leader. Results To resolve their problems, the team focused on the technology aspect and decided to start anew by first determining the business requirements and then a new completion date. The focus was to integrate the existing components and to complete the work on the sales and distribution modules. It was all agreed upon that all employees will be briefed as to what, why, when and how during each step of the new plan of action. The project team created a detailed design and project road map by April 2001. Nestle named Tom James director of process change, giving him complete responsibility for liaison between the divisions and the Best project. The team even took surveys of the effect of the project on employees and looked for ways to better tackle the issues raised. In addition, more meetings were held with division heads and as a result of the information gathered in this way, James and Dunn determined the manufacturing users were not suited for the forecasted changes and delayed the project an additional six months. The new project seems to be a boon as all of Nestle USA are using the same software and standardized data. The company had already saved $325 million by spring 2002 and Nestle’s global organization benefitted from standardizing its data and business processes as well. By the end of 2004, about ten percent of Nestle’s global food and beverage business was operating with standard processes, data and systems. Within the next few years most of the companys food and beverage business will undergo system implementations to bring them up to these standards. 3. The ERP Market ERP software companies are part of an extremely competitive and complex market; therefore, constant change and improvements are vital in order to remain competitive. After two decades, the raison d’etre of successful ERP software companies have been: 1) Meet and exceed consumer demands and expectations; 2) Invent and enact new technologies; 3) Customer Support; and 5) Remain competitive. The Top Five The five largest ERP software companies are, in no particular order: (1) Oracle (2) SAP (3) Microsoft (4) Infor and (5) Epicor. Oracle is considered one of the biggest and priciest ERP companies and is well-known for its database and hardware solutions. Its solutions are recognized for their great flexibility coupled with the newest technologies as they claim to have the number one share of the CRM market, while holding the number two share of the ERP market. These solutions offer a variety of tasks related to financial management, Supply Chain Management (SCM) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM). SAP currently has the number one share of the ERP market with customers worldwide in over one hundred countries. They also have CRM solutions and SCM solutions esteemed in high quality, which allows SAP to charge prices at the top end of the market. Their solutions cover a myriad of industries, which was once astutely focused on Fortune 500 companies. Recently, however, SAP has begun to design their solutions packages to fit mid-sized and smaller companies. Microsoft Corp. is better known for its Windows OS but is surprisingly a â€Å"normal† player in the ERP market. It has, however, like many of its successful counterparts, managed to acquire smaller ERP companies in order to boost its offerings to customers and has traditionally catered to mid-sized and small companies. Its prices range from the moderately to low-priced end of the ERP market. Infor is an ERP company with over 70,000 customers in 100 countries offering a bevy of ERP solutions over a broad range of industries. It is considered the third biggest player of the ERP software companies. Infor has products that encompass the public and private sector, CRM, ERP, finances and expenses, HR functions, SCM, and performance management but essentially competes with Microsoft in the moderately to low-priced product range. Epicor, with 20,000 customers in over 150 countries, has had a long and rich history of quality products. Its primary focus is ERP software and retail software as over 400 of the world’s leading retailers use Epicor’s solutions. It should be noted that Epicor has recently acquired several smaller companies, indicating that it is still in a growth stage. They are also well-known for their moderate to low-priced products as well as excellent after sales support. Market Trends to Watch Tired legacy code-bases and disastrous implementation projects have become standard in the discussion of the ERP software landscape, which suggests that these issues are here to stay. Recent growth has accelerated in the market, which has allowed for a few predictions for 2011. ERP vendors are faced with the reality that cloud-based computing solutions for CRM, HR and other functional areas are gaining market share. As a result, it is suggested that many ERP prospects will ask why they, too, are not able to employ a cloud-based platform. The current technologies for cloud-based ERP are PaaS (Platform as a Service) and BPM (Business Process Management), which are able to facilitate the extension and customization of cloud software. Maintenance of ERP systems is big business, as evidenced by SAP’s large dependency on this type of revenue. However, in light of the $1. 3 billion Oracle verdict in its corporate-theft suit against SAP, third-party maintenance will slow as the litigation process unfolds. As a result, ERP vendors should be forewarned of the impending reduction in maintenance spending. As is the case, with most new technologies, the ERP market will inevitably venture into social media. Social-themed ERP products will present a wealth of opportunities for vendors to capitalize on real-time information, group collaboration and sharing. The research firm, Gartner, released numbers suggesting that 14. 9 percent more will be spent on enterprise social software in 2010 in comparison to 2009. It is suggested that the figure will jump to 15. 7 percent in 2011 to approximately $769. 2 million. As intimated, acquisition of smaller companies has been the modus operandi of the top ERP market vendors. Infor’s current status was achieved through acquisitions and will not stop in 2011, as it is now led by Charles Phillips, who was pivotal in Oracle’s acquisitions in the last decade. It has been suggested that Lawson Software (LWSN) will be Infor’s latest acquisition target, and that SAP may delve into social media. 4. Case Study Analysis While Volkswagen and Nestle come from very different industries, the former being the automobile industry and the latter being the food and beverage industry, the challenges faced by them both with regards to business processes were very similar. Both are global conglomerates with several subsidiaries. Issues such as cost, inefficiencies and centralized management plagued both companies which ultimately lead them to both utilize ERP systems. Using Porter’s five force model, it is clear that using ERP to better their systems would assist Volkswagen and Nestle in thwarting the main five threats to their individual industries. Direct Competition Both companies have several competitors in their respective industries that were likely operating at better efficiencies. Volkswagen has to compete with the top American brands like Ford and General Motors and Japanese brands like Honda and Toyota, which are known in the industry for their efficient assembly lines and advanced business processes. Volkswagen lagged behind, to some extent when it came to end-to-end cycle of business processes. Nestle also has strong competitors in the likes of PepsiCo and Cadbury that are far reaching global companies. However, unlike the auto industry, Nestle might be in a strong position compared to its competitors or at the least in the same position regarding business process efficiencies. The food and beverage industry in general is known for its lack of sophistication in operations when compared to the auto industry. Nestle might actually be in a position to be leader in its industries if it can withstand the costs of ERP implementation and make use of this application in centralizing its operations on a global scale. New Market Entrants Volkswagen and Nestle are both top companies in their industries, especially Nestle which is the largest food and beverage company in the world. The threat of new market entrants into the industry is minimal due to the command these two companies have over their respective industries. However, a lack of ERP presence could lead both companies to fall behind their competitors. Lack of efficiencies and resource planning could cut profits and could allow other companies in both industries to assume leading positions over Nestle and Volkswagen. Substitute products and services Both companies’ main needs were centralized planning, which is a natural need since they are both globally based and operate across many continents. ERP systems would help in better managing their procurement and process planning in order to get products to the customer in an efficient manner. While there is no threat of alternative products or services that could arise due to the lack of ERP, there is a the strong possibility that certain subsidiaries that were operating efficiently already, would create their own individual processes, thus resulting in the mushrooming of several mini-business units, with no cohesiveness. This was already a problem at Nestle; where (as mentioned in the case section) Nestle USA was paying 29 different prices to the same vendor for vanilla. If ERP is not implemented, the companies risk uncontrolled growth of their subsidiaries which is detrimental from a global perspective when unified growth is imperative for success. Suppliers Suppliers stand to gain the most when ERP is absent. As in the Nestle example above, the same supplier received 29 different prices for the same product from the same customer. Such mistakes can add up to large losses for companies. In addition, bad ERP could also cause suppliers to terminate their relationship with companies as such inefficiencies on a company’s part could also cause large losses to its vendors. Customers From a customer standpoint, proper ERP implementation is extremely important. As noted in the Volkswagen case, ERP was improperly operated resulting in a back-log of customer parts orders. In all industries, servicing the customer is vital. Causing errors or bad enterprise resource planning could damage customer relations that could ultimately result in losses for the company. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) surround any important decision made in the business world. SWOT analysis on both cases reveal that ERP ultimately is a very important piece in managing operations, as both company operate on such a large global scale. Strengths Proper ERP planning has great strengths. It leads to greater efficiencies, better production, greater employee satisfaction, increased supplier and customer satisfaction, and most of all could lead to substantial firm profits. Weaknesses As seen in both case, lack of proper ERP can be a great risk to costs and customer relationships. In addition, implementing ERP alone is not enough. Managers need to have good foresight. Employees need to be trained appropriately. The ERP systems need to be built with intelligent design so that one small glitch doesn’t lead to a domino effect or magnified problems causing disruption in processes that the ERP was meant to aid in, in the first place. Opportunities ERP allows for great business opportunities. Not only can a firm create efficiencies for its own business model, it can emerge as a leader in its industry, setting benchmarks for its competitors and partners. Innovative ERP can also set benchmarks in areas outside a company’s own industry. Threats While the opportunities are encouraging, the threats are many. Improper use of ERP can cause great damage to processes and incur high costs, ultimately lowering revenue. Bad ERP can also lead to customer dissatisfaction, which is highly cherished in both the automobile as well as the food and beverage industries. As discussed before, both Nestle and Volkswagen are international companies operating on a global scale. It is very easy for such companies to fall into operational traps where different subsidiaries in different countries operate on different scales as well as different management cultures. It is not uncommon for some subsidiaries to embrace high operational standards, while other might prefer a more traditional approach. Such inconsistencies can be difficult to control, which ultimately could affect the bottom line for firms. Proper ERP can aid in creating the operational processes of a global firm to run more smoothly and efficiently so that the company can focus on its main business – innovating ideas for building its core business. References Cruz, Amy, â€Å"ERP Software Companies – Five of the Biggest Players You Should Know,† May 30, 2011, erp. com/section-layout/337-erp-software/10076-erp-software-companies-five-of-the-biggest-players-you-should-know. html May 30, 2011 Editorial Staff Report: â€Å"ERP Implementations Take Longer, Cost More and Yield Less Satisfaction than Expected. † January 2011. sdcexec. com/web/online/IntegrationERP-News/ReportERP-Implementations-Take-LongerCost-More-and-Yield-Less-Satisfaction-than-Expected/35$10956 May 30, 2011 Kamath, John-Paul, â€Å"Volkswagen gives IT staff bigger say in ERP system. June 2007. computerweekly. com/Articles/2007/06/18/224849/Volkswagen-gives-IT-staff-bigger-say-in-ERP-system. htm May 30, 2011 Kanaracas, Kris, â€Å"Top ERP Predictions for 2011. † December 21, 2010. cio. com/article/648524/Top_ERP_Predictions_for_2011? page=1taxonomyId=3000 March 30, 2011. â€Å"Nestle Struggles with Enterprise Systems. † http: //wps. prenhall. com/bp_laudon_mis_9/32/8212/2102272. cw/content/index. html May 30, 2011 Stedman, Craig, â€Å"ERP Problems Put Problems on Volkswagen Parts Shipments. † January 2000. schirtzinger. com/pdf/ERP_at_Volkswagen. pdf Volkel, Frank, â€Å"Processes Keep the Auto Industry Rolling. † December 2009. http://en. sap. info/processes-keep-the-auto-industry-rolling/18079 World Ranking of Manufacturers year 2009. OICA. 2010-07-27. http://oica. net/wp-content/uploads/ranking-2009. pdf. 2011-05-16. [ 1 ]. World Ranking of manufacturers year 2009. † OICA. 2010-07-27. http://oica. net/wp-content/uploads/ranking-2009. pdf. Retrieved 2011-05-20. [ 2 ]. Stedman, Craig, â€Å" ERP Problems Put Problems on Volkswagen Parts Shipments. † January 2000. schirtzinger. com/pdf/ERP_at_Volkswagen. pdf [ 3 ]. Kamath, John-Paul, â€Å"Volkswagen gives IT staff bigger say in ERP system. † June 2007 computerweekly. com/Articles/2007/06/18/224849/Volkswagen-gives-IT-staff-bigger-say-in-ERP-system. htm [ 4 ]. Volkel, Frank, â€Å"Processes Keep the Auto Industry Rolling. † December 2009. http://en. sap. info/processes-keep-the-auto-industry-rolling/18079 [ 5 ]. Ibid. [ 6 ]. Ibid. [ 7 ]. Ibid. [ 8 ]. Stedman, Craig, â€Å" ERP Problems Put Problems on Volkswagen Parts Shipments. † January 2000. schirtzinger. com/pdf/ERP_at_Volkswagen. pdf [ 9 ]. Ibid. [ 10 ]. Kamath, John-Paul, â€Å"Volkswagen gives IT staff bigger say in ERP system. June 2007. computerweekly. com/Articles/2007/06/18/224849/Volkswagen-gives-IT-staff-bigger-say-in-ERP-system. htm [ 11 ]. Editorial Staff Report: â€Å"ERP Implementations Take Longer, Cost More and Yield Less Satisfaction than Expected. † January 2011. sdcexec. com/web/online/IntegrationERP-News/ReportERP-Implementations-Take-Long erCost-More-and-Yield-Less-Satisfaction-than-Expected/35$10956 [ 12 ]. â€Å"Nestle Struggles with Enterprise Systems. † http://wps. prenhall. com/bp_laudon_mis_9/32/8212/2102272. cw/content/index. html May 30, 2011 [ 13 ]. Ibid. [ 14 ]. Ibid. [ 15 ]. Ibid. 16 ]. Ibid. [ 17 ]. Ibid. [ 18 ]. Ibid. [ 19 ]. Ibid. [ 20 ]. Ibid. [ 21 ]. Cruz, Amy, â€Å"ERP Software Companies – Five of the Biggest Players You Should Know,† May 30, 2011, erp. com/section-layout/337-erp-software/10076-erp-software-companies-five-of-the-biggest-players-you-should-know. html. [ 22 ]. Ibid. [ 23 ]. Ibid. [ 24 ]. Ibid. [ 25 ]. Ibid. [ 26 ]. Ibid. [ 27 ]. Kanaracas, Kris, â€Å"Top ERP Predictions for 2011. † December 21, 2010. cio. com/article/648524/Top_ERP_Predictions_for_2011? page=1taxonomyId=3000 March 30, 2011. [ 28 ]. Ibid. [ 29 ]. Ibid. [ 30 ]. Ibid. [ 31 ]. Ibid.

Film Blade Runner Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Film Blade Runner - Movie Review Example The movie that was the trend-setter was the Blade Runner. This movie ahs been a fore-runner of sorts, in many ways. For instance, it delves into science and genetics, it also gets into concepts like globalization, climate change, over-population and cyber-punk, to a name some prominent issues. While these issues are common concerns of today, the film voiced the same in 1982! This definitely makes it a futuristic approach. This write-up attempts to examine the theme of humanity in the movie. It portrays the 'replicants' who are similar to human, but are products of genetically engineered scientific processes. These replicant criminals are hunted down by the 'blade runners', who are the police. The events that occur and the twists the plot takes, are reflective of problems that menace today's world. The most striking one of these problems, is that of genetically engineered lives. Thus, the movie is explicitly built around the theme of humanity, as juxtaposed against the phenomenon of genetically engineered replicas. 'Humanity' as a theme in Blade Runner comes across in a number of contexts. Humanity is portrayed as the initial superior force in the movie, which is taken over by artificial intelligence, created by the same humans. It is due to this that a number of problems arise. Humanity and Pseudo-Humanism are portrayed with panache in a variety of venues. The following is analyses into the same. TECHNOLOGY AND HUMANITY In today's fast paced modern world, technology has redefined possibilities. Over the years, technology has revolutionized our lives to the extent that they have more often than not, substituted human action. After the building of such high tech applications and devices, man's attempt has been towards constructing technology that can replicate human beings. The artificial intelligence is one such example. In the process, we do tend to rethink and re-describe, what is distinctively 'human'. In other words, we have been seeking to replicate humans suing technology and have in turn been striving to identify what is humanly 'human'. "As we give our machines selected human characteristics to make them more efficient, they will tend to discover humanity in their own unique way, rising above their 'specifications' to actually become human..These films document how 'human' technology will always assume more human characteristics. They suggest that to be human is to reach some state of equilibrium. In other words, an entity initially bestowed with any combination of human related characteristics will spontaneously approach a more stable state through the passage of time, like a chemical system out of equilibrium. Just as we grow uniformly content through our venerable years, artificially created beings grow increasingly human with age. Roy, designed as a fierce "combat model," has ironically grown to be a poetically rich man and draws our attention to the pertinent issues of Blade Runner by the elegant efficiency of

Karate King Letter to Mr. Johnnie Petro - Case Study

Karate King Letter to Mr. Johnnie Petro - - Case Study Example Just for your information, accounting is not a static system but a dynamic process that incorporates the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) that is evolved to suit the needs of the people who read the financial statements of any business. This memo provides some basic details on the principles and concepts like business entity, monetary unit, going concern, cost principle, time period, consistency, materiality, full disclosure, objectivity, revenue recognition and matching principle, which form the basis for applying the GAAP. Under this principle, from an accounting point of view the transactions of a business entity operating in any form of organisation are considered separate and distinct from that of the personal transactions. It is necessary to maintain the personal transactions separate even if the owners work in the business entity. Monetary Unit Principle The assumption behind this principle is that the recording of the accounting transactions would be done in the primary national monetary unit. In the case of Karate King the monetary unit used is US Dollars. It is the responsibility of the accounting function to record all the inflows of sales revenue and the expense outflows in the dollar terms. Going Concern Principle In general it is assumed that a business entity will remain in operation for an indefinite period. This is the principle behind the going concern concept. The continuity of business assumes that the cost of the assets engaged in the business will be recovered over their useful life by way of profits from the business. Cost Principle This principle is closely associated with the monetary unit principle and it requires that the value of business transactions need to be recorded at the actual or equivalent cash cost. This principle is also related to stable dollar assumption. When the economy of any country suffers from continued periods of inflation or deflation comparing the revenues and earnings for different years would be meaningless if it is assumed that the dollar will have a stable value. However it would make sense to express the value of the inventories for resale as well as some items of income and some other balance sheet items in terms of current dollar value rather than on historic dollar value. Time Period Principle This principle requires that the accounting transactions be recorded and analyzed for reporting the financial status and profitability of the business operations over a specific time period of operation. Conservatism Principle This principle requires that the balance sheet items like assets should not be overstated and the value of liabilities should not be understated. Consistency Principle Under consistency principle the financial statements should be prepared applying the same accounting principles from one period to another so that the statements become comparable over different periods. Materiality Concept The materiality concept implies that all items having value which are important and material should be reported in a correct way so that the readers of the financial statements can take proper decisions. Full Disclosure Principle This principle states that any future event which is likely to have a major economic impact on the financial position of the company should be disclosed fully to the potential readers of the financial statements. Objectivity Principle This principle implies that all the accounting tr

Doing Business in Russia Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Doing Business in Russia - Research Proposal Example Soviet-era management practices, a decaying infrastructure, and inefficient supply systems hinder efficient utilization of those resources. For nearly sixty years, the Russian economy and that of the rest of the Soviet Union operated on the basis of central planning meaning state control over virtually all means of production and over investment, production, and consumption decisions throughout the economy. Economic policy was made according to directives from the Communist Party, which controlled all aspects of economic activity. The central planning system left a number of legacies with which the Russian economy must deal in its transition to a market economy. The constant changes in the business environment can make business activities hard to plan for managers. Taxes in Russia are high but some reforms are implemented in order to reduce the amount of taxes paid by companies. During recent years, the government has put emphasis on reducing regulation and lowering taxes. Depending on the company’s location, the tax can vary. The thorough tax code has recently been implemented including a new VAT law and a new profits tax law. The VAT is quite similar to the EU model; however, input VAT is only recoverable when paid whereas output VAT can be accrued on a cash or accrual basis. The government actions regarding the VAT are mixed. On one hand, the Russian government decided not to apply VAT on certain actions (i.e. inter-company loans or derivatives transactions), but on the other hand, some other fields that were not concerned by VAT are now subject to it (i.e. transfer of patents, trademarks, copyrights). The new Profits tax law is lowering the tax rate to a maximum of 24 % and reduced the number of non-deductible expenses.

Why free trade is both realistic and desirable in the real world

Why free trade is both realistic and desirable in the real world This paper is going to answer the question Why free trade is both realistic and desirable in the real world? and explain why I might be pessimistic about the prospects for global growth and development. In each issue, I support my opinions by firm arguments in real world as well as in academic The content 2.1 The concepts First of all, I would like to mentions about the main concepts that I am going to discuss about. Free trade is trade in which goods, services can move across countries without any barriers, i.e. tariffs, quotas or other restrictions. (Todaro Stephen, 2009). Or Free trade is a system in which goods, capital and labor flow freely between nations (What is free trade, WiseGeek [online], 2011). Free Trade has four main features: No taxes (tariffs) or other non-tariff barriers for producers to trade in goods and services Traders have free access to markets and market information The free movement of goods, services, labor and capital between and within countries No firms could distort the markets through relying on the monopoly power from the governments (Free trade, Wikipedia [online], 2011) Next, according to Nafziger (2006), Economic Growth refers to increases in production or incomes or income per capita in a country. And Economic development refers to economic growth accompanied by changes in output distribution and economic structure (Nafziger, 2006:15). Therefore, growth is a necessary factor but not sufficient for development 2.2 Free Trade is realistic and desirable In this section, I am going to argue for the view that free trade is both realistic and desirable in the real world. First, about the view that free trade is realistic, I have six strong arguments to support that idea. The first argument is about the lost in tariff revenues. Free trade means no revenues in tariffs; however, the governments should reform their tax systems to make them become more efficiently and effectively through putting taxes on right objects with appropriate rates. That can compensate the lost in tariff revenues and even increase the tax revenues. The transportation and the communication are very convenient; people can travel faster, and they can communicate together from a distance. Thus, the workers are no longer afraid of traveling. Additionally, the developing countries are reducing regulations in labor market to attract specialists and high skilled labor from advanced nations. Thus, the mobility of labor markets is increasing. The decentralization is a current trend in the world, and it helps countries can reach free trade by eliminating the monopoly. That will increase the transparency in economies and trade regimes in countries, so no firms can rely on monopoly from the governments to distort the markets. In reality, decentralization is almost reached in countries such as: US, Germany; and it is progressing in developing countries such as, i.e. Brazil, Mexico, Bolivia and Eastern European countries. Next, there are many organizations that support and facilitate free trade such as World Trade Organization (WTO), North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and European Union. In Vietnam in 2006, the leaders of the 21 members of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) launched a process to negotiate and establish the largest single of trade liberalization in the world which is called Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific (FTAAP). That free-trade zone will account for 44% of global trade, and more than a half of the global gross domestic product. (Bergsten, 2007) and ( Article Bliss [online], 2011) In developed countries, the protectionists assert that free trade will make the unemployment severe by moving jobs from their countries to developing nations. But the governments can solve that problem by improving the social safety and welfare to compensate displaced workers and help them have jobs in high advanced industries that the developed countries specialize in. Finally, the developing countries can produce assistance in technology, finance and information system to help them adapt free trade easier and help domestic firms compete with foreign ones more efficiently. Second, I can say that free trade is desirable because free trade produce many benefits and advantages in the real world. Thus, many countries really desire free trade. The first significant role of free trade is that it is an important stimulator of economic growth. The free trade has proved its role through the success in economic growth in East and South East Asia countries (Todaro Stephen, 2009). For instance, Taiwan, which have the export-focus strategy, has average economic growth rate about 8% over more than four decades and grew nearly 10% annually in the 1965-80 period. It also has achieved its goals in education, health care and poverty alleviation successfully (Smith, 2003). Next, the international trade has a significant role in GDP in developing countries. Figure 1: Exports of goods and services (% of GDP) Source: Derived from World Bank, World Development Indicators, http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NE.EXP.GNFS.ZS, 15 March 2011 According to the figure, the exports accounts for about near a half of GDP in developing countries from 2005 to 2009. Free trade promotes the exports from developing countries, so it has a very important role in developing countries. Free trade increases the competitions in the world, because it helps foreign companies can trade as efficiently and effectively as domestic ones. Therefore, it will make the prices for goods and services cheaper through promoting competitions. Moreover, free trade also encourages innovation, since companies need to produce innovative products and solutions to obtain market share (Toye, 2004). Next, Free trade is an important means to achieve the development. Free trade increase national incomes and force nations to adjust and improve their infrastructure, policies, laws and society system to adapt free trade. Thus, free trade is powerful instrument to achieve the goals of development such as: stability, freedom, and quality of life (i.e. education, happiness and health). For example: based on the export of garment industry, Bangladeshs poverty reduction in 1990s was quite dramatic and it promote the process of achieving development goals in Bangladesh (Goldin Reinert, 2006) Next, there is the witness of the success of export promotion strategy and the limitation or failure of import substitution strategy in reality. Meanwhile, export-oriented countries such as: Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore have got rapid rate of economic growth; Latin America promoted import substitution policies in the 1960s, but they were not successful, and such policies have been replaced by export-led strategies. Import substitution produces some disadvantages such as: inefficient domestic industries, the deficit in the balance of payment because the value of import inputs is higher than the value of export outputs. As the estimation, the import substitution waste about 10% of national income of developing countries. (Salvatore, 2011). Next, the benefits from free trade agreements such as WTO and NAFTA can explain why free trade is desirable in reality. First, WTO integrates countries in the world to the international system, and motivates them to protect and expand that system. WTO ensures that countries could not selectively open their market, and promotes economic relations between countries (Business Roundtabble [online], 2006, cited in 2011). Next, NAFTA help Mexico became attractive place for workers from Central America, where wages were only about an eighth as high as those in Mexico by 2002. That makes other Latin American countries seem eager to join in a free trade agreement as soon as possible (Smith, 2003). The classic academic theories support free trade such as absolute advantage theory, comparative advantage theory and relative factor endowments theory. These theory argue that the nations will increase welfare when they specialize in their advantages, endowment factors and conduct free trade together (Salvatore, 2011) The prospect for global growth and development is pessimistic As I mention above, free trade is realistic and desirable in the real world; however, I have seven firm arguments to support my pessimistic view about the prospects for global growth and development The first argument is that all resources in the world are fixed in quantity and they are being fully employed (Todaro Smith, 2009:606). The manufactures require a huge demand on raw material, fuels especially fossil fuels (e.g. coal, oil) which are non-renewable. When the quantity of these fuels decrease and become exhausted, their prices will increase so that the manufacture faces the stagnation. The price of oil (USD) increase constantly from 12.28 in 1998 to 100.12 in 201, and it is expected to increase more in the future (Source: Derived from OPEC, OPEC Basket Price, 2011), that will impact the global growth as well as the development. Next, the inequalities are increasing between and within countries (Todaro Smith, 2009:589). The disparity between rich countries and poor countries as well as the inequalities within countries is increasing. The inequalities will increase the conflict in economic, political and social benefits between people in different classes, religions and country. That will make the development and global growth more and more unsustainable. The environment problems become more severe; especially, the environmental degradation and global warming are increasing rapidly. It will affect all nations in the world, especially poor countries whose productions depend on climate and environment so much. However, the rich countries such us U.S, Japan, Russia and China have not acted sufficiently to prevent or reduce the global warming and environmental degradation because it will impact their productions. When the environmental life is degraded, the development as well the global growth will be hinder and maybe worse. Many countries are still in deep poverty and they are being depended on agricultural and primary-product export. There are more than 1 billion people live on less than 1$ per day and the number of people live in poverty has doubled in the last two decades in Africa. In addition, 70% people live in rural in developing countries depend on agricultural and primary product exports, whose incomes are very unstable and risky. That will make the growth and development in developing countries fluctuant (Todaro Smith, 2009) and (Salvatore, 2011) There is a trend of new protectionism in advanced nations (i.e. North America and Euro) against the exports from developing countries. They are trying to protect their domestic producers, workers and farmers from the lower cost products in developing countries. That will obstruct the free trade in the world as well as the welfare gain from exports in developing countries. For example, even though 8 liberalization round have occurred over 50 years, the trade barriers still remains in agricultural products and textile industry. Next, the population in the world is rising. That will impact and make the problems of poverty, environment and food more and more severe, especially in poor and developing countries. That is a significant factor, which will hinder and obstruct the global growth and development. Figure 2: Population Growth ( annual %) Source: Derived from World Bank, World Development Indicators, http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.GROW, 20 March 2011 Finally, due to the World Financial and Economic Crisis in 2008 and 2009, the advanced nations faced deep recession and the developing countries face low rate of growth. Many countries such as U.S, U.K, Japan and Chinaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ have to spend billions dollar to rescue their economies. The worlds GDP growth rate slows down by 2% for 2008 and 2009 (Source: Derived from World Bank, World Development Indicators, 2011). In addition, the government will tighten their financial market through regulations. It will affect the manufacture, business and investment because they need money to expand and develop. The conclusion To sum up, the economies in the world can reach free trade; and because of free trades advantages and benefits, it is desired by countries in the world. I assert that fee trade is realistic and desirable in the real world. However, there are many serious problems that are impacting and will obstruct the global growth and development in the world. Thus, I have a pessimistic view about global growth and development.

A Look at Humor, Laughter, Tickling, and the Brain Essay -- Neurology

A Look at Humor, Laughter, Tickling, and the Brain Everybody smiles and laughs at some time or another. The first laughter appears at about 3.5 to 4 months of age (8)., way before we are able to speak. The average adult laughs 17 times a day (4). Even monkeys and apes have some facial expressions that are similar to human smiles. But really, why do we laugh? Why are we not able to tickle ourselves? What part of the brain is responsible for laughter and humor? Why do we say some people have no sense of humor? We never go to the doctor because we feel good or because we think something is funny. Therefore, it is not a clinical problem; that is why there has not been much research done on the topic of laughter and the brain. Although there is considerable information on the neuronal representation of speech, little is known about brain mechanisms of laughter (2). While many researchers have tracked the brain mechanisms of depression, fear and anger, they have ignored positive emotions and have just begun to study humor. Their investigations are shedding some light on how the brain processes humor and prompts laughter. Take this joke for instance: How many Bryn Mawr college students does it take to change a lightbulb? Answer: None, they were all so busy studying that they didn't even notice the light was out. If you found this old joke funny, you will get some activity going on in the brain. Investigations into how humor and laughter influence the brain are leading to a clearer understanding of how positive emotions affect brain mechanisms. This in turn may lead to creative ideas for new therapies for emotion disorders and pain (1). The physiological study of laughter has its own name, "gelotology". Researc... ...Nature Journal http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/nature/journal/v391/n6668/full/391650a0_fs.html 3)What is so Funny and Why: Laughter and the Brain http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/laugh.html 4)How Laughter Works http://www.howstuffworks.com/laughter.htm 5)Humor on the Brain http://www.howstuffworks.com/framed.htm?parent=laughter.htm&url=http://abcnews.go.com/sections/science/DyeHard/dye990414.html 6)The Heart of Laughter http://www.howstuffworks.com/framed.htm?parent=laughter.htm&url=http://www.wm.edu/wmnews/research/laughter.htm 7)Brain may hinder sense of self-tickling http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/news/health-science/html98/tick_102098.html 8)A Big Mystery: Why do we Laugh? http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3077386/ 9)Scientists Locate Sense of Humor http://abcnews.go.com/sections/living/DailyNews/humor001128.html A Look at Humor, Laughter, Tickling, and the Brain Essay -- Neurology A Look at Humor, Laughter, Tickling, and the Brain Everybody smiles and laughs at some time or another. The first laughter appears at about 3.5 to 4 months of age (8)., way before we are able to speak. The average adult laughs 17 times a day (4). Even monkeys and apes have some facial expressions that are similar to human smiles. But really, why do we laugh? Why are we not able to tickle ourselves? What part of the brain is responsible for laughter and humor? Why do we say some people have no sense of humor? We never go to the doctor because we feel good or because we think something is funny. Therefore, it is not a clinical problem; that is why there has not been much research done on the topic of laughter and the brain. Although there is considerable information on the neuronal representation of speech, little is known about brain mechanisms of laughter (2). While many researchers have tracked the brain mechanisms of depression, fear and anger, they have ignored positive emotions and have just begun to study humor. Their investigations are shedding some light on how the brain processes humor and prompts laughter. Take this joke for instance: How many Bryn Mawr college students does it take to change a lightbulb? Answer: None, they were all so busy studying that they didn't even notice the light was out. If you found this old joke funny, you will get some activity going on in the brain. Investigations into how humor and laughter influence the brain are leading to a clearer understanding of how positive emotions affect brain mechanisms. This in turn may lead to creative ideas for new therapies for emotion disorders and pain (1). The physiological study of laughter has its own name, "gelotology". Researc... ...Nature Journal http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/nature/journal/v391/n6668/full/391650a0_fs.html 3)What is so Funny and Why: Laughter and the Brain http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/laugh.html 4)How Laughter Works http://www.howstuffworks.com/laughter.htm 5)Humor on the Brain http://www.howstuffworks.com/framed.htm?parent=laughter.htm&url=http://abcnews.go.com/sections/science/DyeHard/dye990414.html 6)The Heart of Laughter http://www.howstuffworks.com/framed.htm?parent=laughter.htm&url=http://www.wm.edu/wmnews/research/laughter.htm 7)Brain may hinder sense of self-tickling http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/news/health-science/html98/tick_102098.html 8)A Big Mystery: Why do we Laugh? http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3077386/ 9)Scientists Locate Sense of Humor http://abcnews.go.com/sections/living/DailyNews/humor001128.html