To what degree should the Decalogue ( Ten Commandments ) be followed Essay

To what degree should the Decalogue ( Ten Commandments ) be followed by Amer. Christians - Essay Example ommandments impose certain spiritual and moral obligations upon the believers – as well as to arrive at the conclusion whether or not they still should guide a life of the New Testament Christians in modern America. The Exodus presents Ten Commandments as instructions by the God to His chosen people, the people of Israel, which they should follow due to the fact that God â€Å"brought [them] out of Egypt, out of land slavery† (Exodus The New International Version 20:2). These Commandments may be viewed as covering several inter-relating areas of concern: The worship of One God (Exodus The New International Version 20:3-7). The issues that are addressed here include the prohibition of veneration of images of bodies both earthly and heavenly (20:4-6), of the misuse of the Divine Name in public and private conversations (20:7), and maintenance of the Sabbath as the holy day reminding the believers of the rest taken by God on the seventh day of the Creation; The issues of public law and order (Exodus The New International Version 20:13-17). These include such Commandments as the prohibition of murder (20:13), adultery (20:14), robbery and theft (20:15), false testimony (20:16), as well as the desire towards the other’s property in general (20:17). In Deuteronomy, some further clarifications on this matter are given, with Moses emphasizing the prophetic and divine nature of his act of receiving of the tablets with Commandments (Deuteronomy 5:22 The New International Version). Moses reiterates the Commandments, while the text of Deuteronomy places still further emphasis on God delivering the Israelites from the Egyptian slavery as the reason they should be grateful to Him, and observe His Commandments (Arnold & Beyer, 2008, p.143). Having analyzed the Commandments and the act of their giving, one should now review the attitude that the New Testament Christians should exhibit towards them. The nature of the majority of the Commandments is such that they are

Critical Thinking Essay Example for Free

Critical Thinking Essay Critical thinking, according to Micheal Scriven Richard Paul are defined as the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skilfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing and evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation experience reflection, reasoning or communication as a guide to belief and action. Critical thinking is the general term given to a wide range of cognitive and intellectual skills needed to effectively identify, analyze and evaluate arguments. Among them are also in making reasonable, intelligent decision about what to believe and what to do. One of the people that I look up to which possesses these qualities of a critical thinker is Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. I have chosen to write this essay on Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad as a critical thinker because he has the important characteristics and the skills needed in a critical thinker. One of the characteristics of a critical thinker that he possesses are that he thinks independently and is not afraid to disagree with group opinion. People look at him as an intellectual and a visionary, as something more than just an ordinary politician, therefore he is always invited to give his views on things. While in the political wilderness, Mahathir wrote his first book,  The Malay Dilemma, in which he set out his vision for the Malay community. The book argued that a balance had to be achieved between enough government support for Malays so that their economic interests would not be dominated by the Chinese, and exposing Malays to sufficient competition to ensure that over time, Malays would lose what Mahathir saw as the characteristics of avoiding hard work and failing to appreciate the real value of money and property. The book continued Mahathirs criticism of Abdul Rahmans government, and it was promptly banned. The ban was only lifted after Mahathir became prime minister in 1981.

Managing Communications, Knowledge and Information

Managing Communications, Knowledge and Information TASANIA BANTON BUSINESS PROFILE Founded in (2014) and located at 123 Bridgeview avenue half way tree, Miracle Obsession Cosmetic is a company that specializes in many different types of cosmetic products. The company offers products and services ranging from concealers, foundation, finishing powder, lipbalm , lipstic, makeup removal, mascara, eye-brow-pencil, and many other products. The company was established by two individuals who thought they could be a good competition for the MAC cosmetic line. Hence they partnered together and created this growing cosmetic company and hope to achieve its goals and objectives through good management, good marketing and having a good promotion body. Miracle Obsession is a company that promotes their products and services through different medias such as (social medias) Facebook twitter and other medias such as newspaper, television, and magazines. The company chooses these methods of promotion and advertisement because it will aid and helps in attracting the interest of cosmetic lovers. Miracle Obsession biggest goal is to have as many branches as possible throughout Jamaica and the company also looks at going international within the next two to three years. Miracle Obsession hopes to achieve one of its major goal which is to higher as much unemployed Jamaican that are willing to make the company benefits which intern will be of great important for them to benefits also. The cosmetic company faces simple difficulties such as employees not being able to represent the brand company as they should. However the management body seeks to employ persons with experience within the customer service industry. To conclude miracle Obsession business profile the company works towards maintaining competitive advantage over it competitors and continues to be one of the leading cosmetic companies in Jamaica. CONSULTING PROFILE A Brighter Future and Intelligence consulting firm is located in St Andrew Jamaica. This consulting firm was established in the year (1999), by two individuals Peter Johnson and Nishi Barclay who thought that they could take people’s ideas and helped them to put them to good use. Consequently, we have managed to advise our clients about the ways in which they can be great entrepreneurs through good management. The firm seeks to locate and achieve its goals and objectives by satisfying its clients’ needs through innovative ways. The key areas that we go through daily with our clients are marketing of goods and services, pricing strategies, good management and also the ways in which they can maintain competitive advantage. There are many different small investors that rely on us so we seek to continue to provide the best quality services for our clientele body and also future clients to come, so that we will continue to be one of the leading consulting firms within the island. However with on amount of over thirty (30) experienced experts combining their strategic skills with definitive management consulting prior to the firm knowledge of Ideas can make sense Know how. Hence whenever the firm identifies unsatisfied demand and new business opportunities they worked endlessly to bring forth its creative and innovative ideas. The firm continues to work endlessly to source development and implement logistic methods about the business environment and its purpose. In concluding A Brighter Future and Intelligences business profile, the company will continue implement and research good marketing strategies that will aid continue to have positive impacts on all the small businesses that depends greatly on the firms Knowledge. RATIONAL This research is about the ways in which information, knowledge and communication can benefit organizations. The researcher seeks to attain the relevant information that will aid in a better understanding of how important knowledge, communication and information are within the organization. The research intends to evaluate and analyze how to access information and knowledge need through the different sources and methods such as internal and external, primary and secondary, formal and informal. The researcher identifies the factors that can affect communication, knowledge, and information both positively and negatively within the organization. The research will therefore supply the researcher with substantial materials that influences the organization approaches in building a good organization through being knowledgeable about products and services gathering information that will improve on business decisions through effective communication. Bad communication skills are a major setback for organization to effectively make decisions and find solutions to problem. OBJECTIVES To identify methods of improvements that will aid in the range of decision to be undertaken and knowledge needed to ensure the effectiveness of the decisions. To identify the levels of stakeholders that will develop business relation which will aid in the decision making process for improvements. To create a personal plan for the organization that will encourage effective communication. to implement strategies that will improve systems relating to information and knowledge. LITERATURE REVIEW According to Wolfganf (2008), Communication is the exchange and flow of information and ideas from one person to another; it involves a sender transmitting an idea, information, or feeling to a receiver.Effectivecommunication occurs only if the receiver understands the exact information or idea that the sender intended to transmit. According to Kennerly (2008), Information is data that is accurate and timely, specific and organized for a purpose, presented with a context that gives it meaning and relevance, and can lead to an increase in understanding and decrease in uncertainty. Information is valuable because it can affect behavior, a decision, or on outcome. According to Denning (2009), knowledge is the factor condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or association. Denning further stated that knowledge can also be defined as the ideas or understandings which an entity possesses that are used to take effective action to achieve the entity’s goals. An understanding of knowledge requires some grasp of its relationship to information. The human mind is often seen as being capable of two kinds of knowledge the Rational and the Intuitive. However Kennerly (2008),stated that organizations today have access to almost unlimited amounts of data-sales , demographics, economic trends competitive data, consumer behavior, efficiency measures, financial calculation ,etc. However, many decisions makers in organizations feel lost and perplexed. They have mountains of data and still are not capable of making the correct decisions, or understanding where they really are. METHODOLOGY Both qualitative and quantitative research approach will be utilized for this research study. The researcher intends to conduct a qualitative research in providing that information about the importance of a valid contract and the effects of the different elements of a contract. Therefore interviews will be used as the primary research approach. The researcher anticipates in conducting interviews with at least two different representatives that major in law. All interviews therefore will be taped record and are expected to endure for up to fifteen (15) minutes. A quantitative research approach will also be utilized and is expected in facilitating the researcher with information on the wider views of the public on their understanding of a legal contract and the impact of the elements of a legal contract. Surveys and questionnaires will be used as the methods of collecting and obtaining the information’s needed. Therefore the researcher plans on performing the various methods for conducting the research through one of the most popular social Medias which is known as facebook. Facebook will allow and influence the effective feedback, based on the larger amount of people. Therefore approximately fifteen (15) questionnaires questions will be post on facebook time line, in which the researcher plans to accept and analyze all the feedbacks from the respondents. The researcher will also use the secondary data collection method because it is more accessible, quicker, cheaper, saves time and provides a lot of necessary and relevant information. Secondary source of information can be of great benefit and is essential to use for this research project because it will provide the researcher with current and essential information. The secondary data will also assist in analyzing and structuring the appropriate ways in which this research project should be administered. However in utilizing all the methods and research approach to collect data and information will be of great benefit to the researcher and also others you anticipate in reviewing the research upon completion. REFERENCES John Wolgang. 2008.Communication and leadership. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leadcom.html. [Accessed 15 March 14]. Gregg Henriques. 2014.Theory of knowledge. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/theory-knowledge/201312/what-is-knowledge-brief-primer. [Accessed 15 March 14]. Kennerly. 2008.the use of information in decision making. [ONLINE] Available at:http://archive.audit-commission.gov.uk/auticommission/sitecollectiondocuments/auditcomissionReports/Nationalstudies/cranfieId_information_use_review.pdf. [Accessed 16 March 14]. Steve Denning. 2009.What is Knowledge. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.stevedenning.com/knowledge-management/what-is-knowledge.aspx. [Accessed 16 March 14].

Keeping the Family Together in A Raisin In The Sun Essay -- Lorraine H

Keeping the Family Together in A Raisin In The Sun   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What a loving mother! Lena Younger, or Mama, is nurturing and supportive when it comes to raising and maintaining a family. Personally speaking, being nurturing means to love, care for, and show concern over someone. Analyzing Mama’s relationships with family members can show us her view on parenting and ultimately show us her devotion to her family. In A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, Mama is a nurturing mother who cares for and protects her family in her struggle to keep them unified.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Not only does Lena Younger protect Travis from getting yelled at by his mother, but also she protects his feelings. At this point in the play Mama’s nurturing attitude is seen through her defending Travis from the authority of his mother. On one occasion Travis gives his grandmother a gift, a hat which he is very proud of. At the sight of her gift the rest of the family breaks out in laughter. Without skipping a beat Mama’s nurturing bursts out. She quickly snaps, â€Å"What’s the matter with you all! This here is a beautiful hat!† (Hansberry 1433). To me this can be seen as commanding respect for Travis. By automatically respecting Travis, the family could be brought closer together and could display a sense of equality. Mama is a loving, nurturing woman and her interactions with her grandson express this point.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mama’s most blatant act of unification of this family is centered around Travis. Upon coming back to t...

Middle East Meets West

The Etymology of the Middle East itself finds its roots on Western colonization as American Naval General Alfred Thayer Mahan first coined the Middle East to refer to the areas surrounding the   Persian Gulf in 1902   (Koppes, 1976). Due to the strategic location of the Persian Gulf as the gateway to India, the USA, British and Russian Empires seek the control of it and of its surrounding cities for the purpose of military strength and oil production. Since Germany has ample supply of oil, it is the American and the British colony that came head on to control the Middle East. However such term â€Å"Middle East† expanded in scope especially in the First World War as it does not only pertains to the Persian Gulf but it also includes other Arabic countries or countries that are communists (Laciner, 2006).     For the purpose of this essay we are to define the Middle East as the countries near the Indian and Atlantic Oceans and near the six seas. These now includes the region of India, Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Turkistan, North Africa, Arabia, Caucasus and Indian Peninsula. Since the Middle East is a rich basin of oil, industrialized country has aimed to colonize long before World War 1. The oppression experienced by the Middle Easterners date back to the concept of capitalism. From the 16the century to the present, the Middle East has been subjected to colonization, legal and illegal intervention from Western countries in the guise of peace troops to aide the government in combating terrorists. The first Western Colonizers and oppressors of the Middle East is the Turkish Ottoman Empire which extended through the entire Middle East and some parts of Europe and America. However the Middle East did not fall in the hands of its colonizers without a fight. The Ottoman Empire needed to defeat the powerful government of Egyptian Pasha Mohamed Ali in 1840 to control the Middle East. Due to the advancement in technology and weaponry of the Ottoman Empire, the Middle East gained its power. Nationalism, which became a popular mindset in the Second World War, weakened the hold of the Ottoman Empire to the Middle East therefore giving them freedom. However, due to colonial expansions of America and Europe, these countries organized national liberation movements which are now labeled as terrorists. In 1856 Britain went to war with Iraq since they are placed in strategic location as gateway to India and China.   To date, Iraq is in constant need to be on guard as they hold the world most valuable resource and that oil. It can never be denied that countries need to secure resources for their people to ensure safety in the country, thus, developed countries will forever see the Middle East as a rich resource that awaits their presence. Thus the need for strengthened military force in their country is needed to safe guard their people and their resource. A country such as Iraq may be small in terms of land area as compared to the United States and Europe but it is a rich country due to its immense oil depot. This alone gives them power. However the thing with the countries in the Middle East is that they themselves have their own wars. They exists side by side enjoying little land area and they accommodate wars within their borders. Given that these countries fail to Unite may have revealed their downfall. The middle east in itself is a large area with enormous capacity to supply crude oil to the world thus making their National per capita income bloated. If these countries unite their power will not be limited to their land area alone. They have the potential to be far more powerful than the united sates or other developed countries. They have with them the resource and the man power, the only thing that’s missing is unity. However I do recognize the fact that each country in the Middle East is composed of diverse individuals and ethnic groups that needs to be recognized in their own rights, but it seems that what they fail to accept is the fact that for them to resist Western colonization, oppression and intervention they have to unite and be a country of power far greater than the USA. References Koppes, C.R. (1976). â€Å"Captain Mahan, General Gordon and the origin of the term â€Å"Middle East†Ã¢â‚¬ . Middle East Studies Laciner, D. (2006). Is there a place called ‘Middle East’? Turkish Weekly.   

Machete and Tron Review Essay

In this film Robert Rodriguez decided to pay tribute to B-movies of the 70’s and 80’s (the unsteady zooms, the clumsy edits, the continuity errors between shots), this is very apparent in the genre of the movie, exploitation films include excessive violence, gore, nudity and way too many corny lines. Art Direction wise the film also follows a 70’s 80’s kind of vibe, the cast also reminds us of that era. Costume design is amazing, all characters have a distinct very cartoony costume to them, the cheesiness doesn’t end here, the amount of weapons cannot be accounted for other than all the uzi’s minigun’s etc. etc. our main character can turn any household object, gardening tool or surgical instrument into a weapon of mass destruction! Special Effects are ABSURD (in the good way) what really stuck in my head is when our main Hero guts someone takes his intestines and jumps out a window using them as a rope! The Blood spurts and body parts cut off or crushed aren’t few either. Sound Effects have their parts of cheese; the most memorable one to me was when Torrez (played by Steven Seagal) pulls out his Samurai Sword (the effect is actually from the 1974 movie Six Million Dollar Man). Machete is a film that embodies all of the facets a 1970s blaxploitation film would have, but with the Hispanic culture. This is Mexploitation, with a resonant grindhouse feeling, complete with film reel scratches and fake political ads. But the violence and action in this is so extraordinary and unapologetically gruesome, with the extremity of it all not being taken seriously at all. The things they do in this film, guaranteed you haven’t seen most of them ever done before. Corkscrews, high-heels, weed-whackers, and, of course, machetes, are only a very small listing of all the tools and weapons used to dispatch characters in Machete. It’s over the top, absolutely ridiculous scenes that pop up every five minutes and make for a joyous film experience. There are too many be-headings, blood-splattering gunshots, and limb removals to count†¦. Don’t even get me started on the stabbings. The end Battle climaxes the gore, blood, and absurdity of the film. I’m going to get more in some of the Characters; Danny Trejo, the star of Machete, has a face that’s so rough, craggy, and etched with hard living that it’s like a natural rock formation. With a tattooed torso as thick as a refrigerator, and long oily black hair that frames his simmering coal-fire eyes, Trejo, like Mickey Rourke, is a freakishly hypnotic camera subject. Depending on which angle he’s shot from, he can look like the world’s toughest biker, a Native American shaman, or a very angry carp. As Machete (pronounced †ma-chet-ay†), Trejo is so badass he’s funny. Yet the movie, codirected by Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis, never treats him like a joke. When he slashes people with his machete, which he favors because he’s a true warrior (as opposed to the wimps who hide behind their guns), he’s an unholy ethnic avenger out of a ’70s walking-tall fantasy. Robert De Niro plays the role of Senator John McLaughlin; the character is your typical jackass Texas cowboy senator. Sartana Rivera is you basic torn cop that is realizing that some laws shouldn’t be enforced because they are just laws, Jessica Alba fits well in this role. In a side note her Nude shower scene was a fake she was digitally stripped naked, it was a decision she and Robert Rodriguez made together, which would serve his vision for the film, as well as honor her personal convictions regarding nudity. Torrez played by Steven Seagal , is a drug lord portrayed as if he thinks of himself as a Samurai, he even has his own Katana (the samurai Sword) Michelle Rodriguez plays the Role of Luz, at first she looks pretty normal but in the end scene she is reincarnated as the Mythical â€Å"SHE† leather pants, small top, eye patch and one hell of a Machine gun. Lindsay Lohan shines as April Booth, daughter of Michael Booth, she has 2 costumes in the hole film first one is, well, being Naked!!!! And the second is a full dressed Nun that surely comes with a Machine gun! Cheech Marin plays as Padre Cortez, your favored pastor; he uses 2 shotguns to blow off people’s heads off. Tron: Legacy Put together the old Tron with reminiscent Skintight suits with neon like lines that glow, new tech machinery called Light Runners, and some new and improved Light cycles(new gen Bikes)created out of sticks, think about the film score and music and you realize that it should be done by Daft Punk, I guess Kosinski realized this early on because when he was asked why he ecided to have Daft Punk do the film score, he replied, â€Å"How could you not at least go to those guys? †. The score is a mix of orchestral and electronic elements, this fits right on with the artistic feel of the movie. Daft Punk have created a sonic masterpiece worthy of the legacy of Tron. Their brilliant layering of ambient electronica with orchestral symphonics is every bit as avant garde in creating atmospheric digital soundscapes as Wendy Carlos’ score was for the origin al Tron. I only wish that they had incorporated some more of Wendy’s memorable themes. You can kind of hear a few familiar notes that recalls Tron’s theme in â€Å"Adagio For Tron† but that’s pretty much the only hat tip to Wendy’s vintage score. Like the film itself, Daft Punk have taken the music of Tron to a whole new aesthetic level by incorporating their unique style of techno synthpop along with their influences of electronic film composers like Vangelis on â€Å"Arrival† to the ominous Carpenter-esque â€Å"C. L. U. † and synthesizing them with traditional orchestral composers like Bernard Hermann and Max Steiner. â€Å"The Grid† is the only track with any words put to the music. With Jeff Bridges providing a voiceover for the first half of the track, the song acts as an introduction for anyone who may have missed the first film. As â€Å"The Grid† fades out and â€Å"The Son Of Flynn† opens with an arpeggiated synthesizer, listeners get their first taste of Daft Punks blend between their own unique sound and classical music. Although the majority of the tracks on â€Å"Tron: Legacy† utilize an excellent balance between the two styles, some of the tracks sway one way or the other, drastically changing the mood of the piece. Tracks like â€Å"The Game Has Changed† offer an almost exclusively classical instrumentation while transforming the percussion section into a series of powerful electronic hits, rattling the eardrums and taking focus off of the ominous strings hidden beneath. Although the London Philharmonic Orchestra provides all of the string arrangements, their true feature comes on â€Å"Adagio for Tron. † Sounding a bit like Hans Zimmer’s â€Å"Hummel Gets the Rockets† from the soundtrack for â€Å"The Rock,† Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo of Daft Punk use his track as a means of showing off their prowess with orchestration, complete with a simple, yet beautiful cello solo. As the mood darkens, the music dives deeper into the electronic realm while still maintaining at least some aspects of a symphonic orchestra. Tracks like â€Å"End of Line† pull entirely from the electronic realm except for a sustained string part which would typica lly get lost in a Daft Punk mix, but because of their extraordinary presence on the rest of the album, they remain surprisingly noticeable.

Different Versions of the Birth of Dionysus

Different Versions of the Birth of Dionysus In Greek mythology, there are often different and conflicting versions of mythological events. The story of the birth of Dionysus is no different, and Dionysus complicates matters by having different names. Here are two versions of the birth of Dionysus and one of the related birth of Zagreus: From a union between Persephone and Zeus in serpent form sprang the horned god Zagreus. Jealous Hera persuaded the Titans to attack the infant god as he looked into a mirror. Not only did they tear him to pieces, but the Titans ate him all but his heart which Athena rescued. From this organ, the rest of the god was resurrected. Semele is impregnated by drinking a preparation made from the heart of Dionysus who had been torn to pieces by the Titans. [Pseudo-Hyginus, Fabulae 167]Most familiar is the story of Semeles impregnation by Zeus but failure to live long enough to give birth to the child. To save the fetus, Zeus sewed him inside himself and gave birth through his leg when the time came.(ll. 940-942) And Semele, daughter of Cadmus was joined with him in love and bare him a splendid son, joyous Dionysus, a mortal woman an immortal son. And now they both are gods. Hesiod, Theogony (trans. Evelyn-White) Homeric Hymn1 to Dionysus ((LACUNA))(ll. 1-9) For some say, at Dracanum; and some, on windy Icarus; and some, in Naxos, O Heaven-born, Insewn; and others by the deep-eddying river Alpheus that pregnant Semele bare you to Zeus the thunder-lover. And others yet, lord, say you were born in Thebes; but all these lie. The Father of men and gods gave you birth remote from men and secretly from white-armed Hera. There is a certain Nysa, a mountain most high and richly grown with woods, far off in Phoenice, near the streams of Aegyptus.((LACUNA))(ll. 10-12) ...and men will lay up for her many offerings in her shrines. And as these things are three, so shall mortals ever sacrifice perfect hecatombs to you at your feasts each three years.(ll. 13-16) The Son of Cronos spoke and nodded with his dark brows. And the divine locks of the king flowed forward from his immortal head, and he made great Olympus reel. So spake wise Zeus and ordained it with a nod.(ll. 17-21) Be favourable, O Insewn, Inspirer of frenzied women! we singers sing of you as we begin and as we end a strain, and none forgetting you may call holy song to mind. And so, farewell, Dionysus, Insewn, with your mother Semele whom men call Thyone.Source: The Homeric Hymns I. To Dionysus [3.4.3] But Zeus loved Semele and bedded with her unknown to Hera. Now Zeus had agreed to do for her whatever she asked, and deceived by Hera she asked that he would come to her as he came when he was wooing Hera. Unable to refuse, Zeus came to her bridal chamber in a chariot, with lightning and thunderings, and launched a thunderbolt. But Semele expired of fright, and Zeus, snatching the sixth-month abortive child from the fire, sewed it in his thigh. On the death of Semele, the other daughters of Cadmus spread a report that Semele had bedded with a mortal man, and had falsely accused Zeus and that therefore she had been blasted by thunder. But at the proper time, Zeus undid the stitches and gave birth to Dionysus, and entrusted him to Hermes. And he conveyed him to Ino and Athamas, and persuaded them to rear him as a girl.- Apollodorus 3.4.3

QACA and Qatar Charities Essays

QACA and Qatar Charities Essays QACA and Qatar Charities Essay QACA and Qatar Charities Essay 1.4 Challenges Faced by QACA between 2004 and 2009 Despite the many gains that QACA achieved between 2004 and 2009, it had to overcome many challenges. First, the authority employed a small staff (less than 60 employees). Due to the small size of its workforce, the authority outsourced auditing services to third party entities such as PriceWaterhouse Coopers. Outsourcing of services became a major bone of contention between the authority and Islamic charities in Qatar. Some of the charities claim that the contracted third party auditors were unreliable and not objective, and that they could disclose confidential information to unauthorized parties. The charitable groups also complained that the routine audits conducted by the contracted auditors at the behest of QACA lacked clear terms of reference because the charities were not getting reports after the audits. Concern were also raised that the audit cycle was taking too long, which was too costly to the charities. The charities alleged that the contracted third parties were deliber ately taking too long to complete the audit process so as to earn more money. These claims were refuted by QACA, but severely dented the organizations image in the country. Another issue of concern related to information exchange between QACA and the various charities and state agencies operating in Qatar. Immediately QACA was formed, it embarked on developing a system of communication network through which it could facilitate exchange of information with stakeholders. The authority could also use the communication system to electronically monitor each charitable groups financial processes. Such a communication system was never implemented because the charitable sector felt that the system could violate the privacy and confidentiality of charities. Some charities expressed fears that financial information passed to QACA through the system could end up in the hands of the competitors. Due to these reservations, the communication system, though well intended, was never implemented. This severed communication between QACA on one hand, and Islamic charities and other stakeholders on the other (Jonathan, 2003). Another challenge faced by QACA was the strong opposition from Qatar international charities which complained that the authority was biased because it played a dual role as a government regulator and as a charitable organization. In fact, part of QACAs mandate was to provide charitable aid and humanitarian assistance. Accordingly, the authority was always involved in several instances of aid delivery especially during catastrophic disasters and in crisis hit areas. For example, it provided aid to Indonesia after the deadly tsunami of 2004. The authority also provided aid to Pakistan and China following a series of catastrophes. Other charity groups felt that QACAs duality of roles created conflict of interest and exacerbated a state of competition between QACA (as a regulator) and the charities. This led to constrained relationships, making it difficult for QACA to execute its mandate effectively. 1.5 Dissolution of QACA Qaca was disbanded in 2009 following a decision by the government to restructure state institutions and ministries. In the restructuring process, a number of small government agencies were merged into ministries. Resultantly, the activities of QACA were taken over by the Ministry of Social Affairs. During the five year period when the Qatar Authority on Charitable Activities existed, it achieved many successes, setting precedence for future oversight and control of the charity sector. In its oversight roles, the authority found no evidence that Qatari charities or their foreign partners were involved in any illegal activities such a terror financing or money laundering. This gave the Qatari charity sector a clean bill of health, making Qatar one of the few countries in the Middle East with a well managed, transparent and efficient charity sector. Although QACA has long been disbanded, the government continues to regulate and monitor the charity sector with the aim of ensuring that ch aritable funds are used to make the greatest impact and that they are not diverted to criminal activities. As could be expected, the dissolution of QACA caused an immediate and long-lasting impact on the charity sector. Some charities felt that the dissolution was a sign of fragmentation in the government administration of public state agencies. Some feared that although the dissolution was not targeted exclusively at QACA, it could cause the charity sector to be regulated more stringently. Until the time of its dissolution, QACA had been considered the pioneer of a consultative framework for government coordination of the non-governmental sector. As such, some stakeholders felt the amalgamation of the activities of QACA with those of the ministry to be a wrong step taken by the government at a time when governments in other parts of the world were doing the opposite.

A Breakdown of the Syrian Refugee Disaster

A Breakdown of the Syrian Refugee Disaster The Syrian Refugee Crisis The Syrian refugee crisis involves Syrian people who are fleeing their country to find safe places for themselves and their family to live. Syria’s civil war is the worst humanitarian crisis of our time and this social group is caught in the middle of a war where people are killed every day by their own people. They can’t risk staying in the war zone, so they are escaping to other countries, either illegally or with the help of other countries to enter camps. This has been going on five years now and there has been barley any improvement in Syria nor any improvement in the daily lives of these refugees. Besides not having a home anymore and the friends and family they lost, the biggest struggle for this social group is getting by every day. So how did this all start? The origin of this problem started in February 2011, when revolts to overturn Tunisian and Egyptian Presidents began, which was known as the Arab Spring. In Syria, it started as a peaceful protest until â€Å"15 boys were detained and tortured for having written graffiti in support of the Arab Spring† (Jazeera), and one of the boys even died from being so brutally beaten. After that the Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, demanded that the Syrian government shut down the protests immediately, and did so by having his military kill hundreds of protestors. This sparked a group of Syrian soldiers to defect from the Syrian Army because they didn’t want to harm innocent protestors, especially when they agree with the protestors. These defected soldiers then formed the Free Syrian Army that promised to wage war until the Syrian government is overthrown, which produced a civil war. The reason the people wanted to overthrow the government was because the lack of freedom and economic security due to the Syrian government. Global warming has even played a role in this uprising because a severe drought has burdened Syria for three years which caused people to migrate into cities, which increased poverty and social unrest. The government didn’t do anything to help these cities in a desperate position. To add onto all of this, the United Stated and Russia are bombing Syria due to presence of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS). Russia even sent weapons to the rebel groups in Syria. As you can see, there is extravagant violence going on, leaving the citizens right in the middle of a war zone. These citizens have no choice but to leave before they are killed, most likely by their own government. With growing violence, tension, and damage to their country, Syrian people have no other option than to seek a better life elsewhere. It is hard for them to leave Syria because it is a war zone in pretty much all areas, â€Å"the Assad government controls the capital, Damascus, parts of southern Syria, portions of Aleppo and Deir Az Zor, much of the areas near the Syrian-Lebanese border, and the northwestern coastal region. Rebel groups, ISIS, and Kurdish forces control the rest of the country† (Jazeera). Majority of these Syrian families are separated because the men go out and fight, or are killed in the attack by both sides, obviously women and children are part of the death toll as well. â€Å"60,000 people have died only two years into this war† (Thompson), causing the United States to send food and medical supplies, but no weapons. European countries were sending weapons, but this didn’t help, the rebels army actually weakened as time went on. In August 2013, hundreds of people were killed in a chemical weapons attack against the rebels, and Turkish governments continue to bomb Syria. There is talk about peace between the governments, but no solution is made, by February 2014, â€Å"140,000 Syrians are now dead and hundreds of thousands are displaced† (Thompson). The worst part about these airstrikes is that more civilians die than actual targets, and they continue to destroy homes and communities. In 2015, ISIS members blow up and destroy ancient temples, shrines, and artifacts that are considered to be priceless. Things went from bad to worse, and the remaining people in that their country realize it is a free-for-all in Syria, and they have lost hope and wish to find safety elsewhere. Families are struggling to survive in Syria and even if they’re lucky enough to escape, they are still struggling for basic human needs like water, food, shelter, and medicine. Most refugees are in camps but some go on their own and hope to find opportunity elsewhere. There are harsh winters and extremely hot summers, making the lives of these already distraught people even more difficult. The one’s in camps live in cubicles made of tarps or fabric, therefore, in the winter it is extremely hard for these refugees. They have received a lot of support from other countries and programs that assist them with needs but it’s not even close to enough, â€Å"13.5 million Syrian refugees are still in need of humanitarian assistance† (World Vision Staff). When these people decide to leave, they bring only what they can carry on their backs. They don’t have moving trucks or even cars to bring everything they want. They leave behind their entire life and even friends and family. The walk to safety is extremely dangerous as well, especially due to malnutrition and dehydration. These people are risking their lives staying in Syria and also attempting to leave Syria. Many of these refugees are heading for and living in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Egypt, but these countries have poor infrastructure and limited resources. Some illegally cross the border in Turkey while others look for an entirely new start in Europe. Even when away from the violence, they still struggle to live a normal life. The people in the camps really struggle, but even refugees who have access to human needs and a good daily life can’t find jobs to support themselves and their family. For example, a man named â€Å"Adnan Almekdad is a former veterinarian from southern Syria, where he ran a large-animal clinic†¦spent another decade as a manager at several pharmaceutical startups. He also published two books† (Grant). This same man who has been so successful in Syria, cannot find a job in Canada and has been in Canada as a refugee for over a year, the reason for this is the gap in his resume. This gap in his resume is due to fleeing Syria to find a safe home f or his family, and all the time it took him to be able to settle in Canada, 4 years to be exact. He is a lucky man to be with his family in shelter and safety, but for others, they are not so lucky. In the refugee camps these people live in dirt and find heat through burning trash. The only source of income they have is when the children sell items they find, like cardboard or bottles. Some children sell new products like tissues, but could you imagine seeing a child on the streets all alone selling tissues, of all things? Children affected by the Syrian conflict â€Å"are at risk of becoming ill, malnourished, abused, or exploited. Millions have been forced to quit school† (World Vision Staff), this includes women as well. These people are barely getting education therefore even if they are safe, they have no way to contribute to society and support themselves. In Freire’s â€Å"Pedagogy of the Oppressed,† I learned that human development is the process by which an individual develops self-respect and builds self-esteem through working with others and acquiring new skills and knowledge to participate in the economic, social, and political development of th eir community. It also says that the people should refuse to participate in their own exploitation, but these people can’t really develop themselves because they barely have the knowledge or resources to do so therefore how can they be confident in themselves? Parts of the world realize that even if the war is stopped, they’re still going to have millions of people who can’t contribute to society, so they help educate the refugees, especially the children in any way they can. Another big problem and disagreement between the people across the world is why aren’t we helping and sending aid, like food, water, and medicine to these refugees? We are, in fact we are sending a lot, but a lot of countries don’t want to send all their aid because of the fear that something might happen in their country and they won’t have the supplies for their own people. Also, there is enough food in the world to provide to these refugees, but the in the world we live in, the food only goes to the markets that can pay for them. It is estimated that it will take â€Å"$7.7million billion to meet the urgent needs of the most vulnerable Syrians in 2016† (Mercy Corps), that’s just for the people who are the most vulnerable! That statistic shows why they aren’t receiving food, they can’t afford it. A lot of countries also refuse to let Syrian refugees into their country due to fear and/or not wanting to have to take responsibility nor pay for these people’s food, shelter and healthcare. Countries have their own internal problems, and adding anywhere close to $7.7 billion will set back any country in what programs and things they are trying to achieve. When thinking about what I’ve learned in class, I think a great way to help some people to mimic CIDICCO and create a bank that gives out loans to these people and/or they can keep their money in there and grow interest. The problem with this though, is that there are too many people to give out money to all of them. Therefore, my solution isn’t realistic. These people just need some sort of spark to get their lives going and be able to live on their own. These camps should be made into communities instead and have huge farms where the refugees can work themselves and will barley need food aid. Currently, Syrian refugees have not been able improve their situation, sadly. Children will do anything to distract themselves from hunger, which usually includes playing with other children with the ruble around them, the refugee camps do not have a safe place for children to play. A lot of these children lost their parents in Syria and are on their own. Mother’s cook in unsanitary conditions, and barley have the supplies to support their children, let alone themselves. This situation is a depressing and horrible experience that no one should have to face in their lifetime, but there are so many of these refugees that it’s making it impossible to care for all of them. There have been several meetings with Syria and other governments to make peace, but they all failed. A ceasefire was announced in February 2016 and stopped the fighting in some parts of Syria, but with other governments continuing to bomb them, I’m not sure how long that will last. Syria is mostly ruins now, and millions have fled the country due to a traumatizing war. Fleeing isn’t easy, it involves a lot of smuggling and human trafficking, it also means risking their lives traveling in unsafe trucks and boats. Once they are out, they now have to fend for themselves. Even if they’re lucky enough to be in a camp, they still face hunger, lack of education, thirst, overcrowding, traumatization, and malnutrition. All things considered and in the final analysis of Syria, even if the war ends, rebuilding this country and its people will be a lengthy, extremely difficult process.

The Emancipation proclamation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Emancipation proclamation - Essay Example The declaration settled the state’s aspect towards complete abolition of slavery. Although Lincoln, the President of the United States, gave the directives to release all the African American slaves, it was only the beginning of the end of slavery. Slavery was taking place in all states, in the United States before the declaration. America by the dates of the Emancipation Proclamation was approaching its third year in the civil war. The declaration of freedom to all African American slaves had an instant and weighty effect on the progress of the war. The proclamation by President Lincoln had been carefully anticipated because he had proposed the idea to his cabinet several months before its announcement. The emancipation of Proclamation was a declaration to free all African American slaves, but it was unsuccessful, it was only the beginning of the end of slavery. The declaration saved the Union since freeing the slaves, then became a certified war target because it gathered passionate responses from both the South and the North. The proclamation led to the ending of the civil war that was taking place. As a result of the proclamation, African Americans were allowed to join the Union’s armed forces that saw almost 200,000 African Americans joining to uprightly serve in the armed forces by the end of the civil war. As time progressed, the Whites put the African Americans through other forms of slavery. This is because the Emancipation Proclamation had been limited in several ways. The declaration only applied to the states that had withdrawn from the Union, leaving slavery intact and untouched in those states that were loyal. It also deliberately excused parts of the Union, which had come to be controlled by the North. The proclamation had been made, but it was so sad when it was realized that its validity depended on the military trium ph of the Union (NA & RA 2014). The Emancipation Proclamation might not have ended the African

1. Review of Diesel 2. Review of Hydrogen Essay

1. Review of Diesel 2. Review of Hydrogen - Essay Example The invention of Diesel was financed by M. A. N. of Augsburg (Mathur and Sharma 2000). Diesel has a boiling range of about 180Â °C to 300Â °C. It is widely used because it is cheap and has better thermal efficiency. Today Diesel is produced in three ways: Petroleum Diesel, Synthetic Diesel and BioDiesel. 1. Petroleum Diesel: Petroleum diesel is also called as Fossil Diesel. This diesel is produced from fractional distillation of crude oil. The supply of petroleum diesel is fast depleting and hence the search for other types is becoming all the more important. 2. Synthetic Diesel: Synthetic diesel is made by processing natural gas through a technology which converts the natural gas into Synthetic Diesel. Synthetic diesel is free from sulphur and provides numerous other environmental benefits over petroleum diesel. Synthetic diesel is cleaner, cleaner-burning and can be formulated for superior cold weather performance. The following diagram shows the emission reductions compared to typical California diesel: 3. Biodiesel: Biodiesel is a renewable diesel fuel substitute. It can be made from a variety of natural oils and fats. Biodiesel is made by chemically combining any natural oil or fat with an alcohol such as methanol or ethanol. Methanol has been the most commonly used alcohol in the commercial production of biodiesel (National Renewable Energy Laboratory, May 1998). The diesel cycle is the theoretical cycle for slow speed compression-ignition or diesel engines. In a diesel cycle the heat is added at constant pressure. The pressure drop at the end of expansion is still at constant volume. This cycle is shown in the following T-s diagram. The process 1-2 is reversible adiabatic (isentropic) compression of air. Heat is then added at constant pressure, represented by 2-3. In actual engine heat addition takes place in the form of injection of fuel which self-ignites due to high temperature caused by high compression

Research of GEN George Washington, specifically focusing on leadership Essay

Research of GEN George Washington, specifically focusing on leadership qualities he possessed to become an effective leader and how he influenced the developmen - Essay Example Long overseas deployments and worsening situation in Iraq may soon affect the very sustainability of AVF. (Greenewalt, 1969) Thus, new ways have to be evolved to attract sufficient and suitable youth towards the AVF. The future leaders of this country will need all lessons of history to motivate the youth towards joining the AVF. Towards this end, applicability of leadership qualities displayed by Gen George Washington and President George Washington during Revolution and initial formative years of America cannot be overemphasized. The aspect that he was trusted unanimously and the fact that he managed to successfully lead the military revolution against England using a ill-trained, war-torn, disarrayed and demotivated army gives an insight of his capabilities to turn-around an adverse situation and achieve seemingly impossible results effectively. This study aims at bringing out various leadership traits of Gen George Washington which need to be studied and emulated by present and... Aim This study aims at bringing out various leadership traits of Gen George Washington which need to be studied and emulated by present and future generations of American leaders to effectively maintain military's present all voluntary structure and yet successfully achieve desired results more effectively. Brief Biography (http://www.nps.gov/history/logcabin/html/gw6.html) Born in 1732, George Washington, in his initial years, dreamt of mastering military art and western expansion while learning high morals and also gathered knowledge required by a Virginia gentleman. After working briefly for land survey, George Washington was commissioned as a Lieutenant Colonel in Virginia Militia in 1754. He fought French and Indian wars as an aide to Gen Edward Braddock. His experiences helped develop his skills to be a great military leader later needed in the fight for independence from England. During 1759 - 1775 until outbreak of revolution, Washington managed his lands around Mount Vernon. During protests with England for excess taxes, Washington firmly expressed his objections to British policies. While serving as a Virginia delegate to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia in 1775, he was unanimously elected Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army. He took over command of his ill-trained troops and entered a war of independence lasting 8 years. Gen George Washington was a brave leader, using military tactics learned during formative years efficiently. Most importantly, he utilised the element of surprise besides maintaining morale of troops during most adverse conditions and turning them around to serve well-beyond stipulated engagement

Agustine and Aquina's justifications of the exercise of social and Essay

Agustine and Aquina's justifications of the exercise of social and political ruling - Essay Example ix). St. Thomas Aquinas was born in the early 13th century, of an affluent family, with direct blood lines to the ruling royal families of the day (Dyson, R.W., 2002, p. xvii). He began his religious training as an oblate, at the Benedictine monastery in Monte Cassino (p. xvii). Later, in 1245, became a member of the Dominican order, and furthered his education at the University of Paris where the German theologian Albertus Magnus introduced him to the study of Aristotle. In 1248 he followed Albertus to Cologne (p. xvii). It was earlier, however, while at the monastery, that Thomas studied Aristotle (p. xvii). Two great men, philosophers, separated by hundreds of years, whose interpretations and writings on political theory continue to influence the thinking of great men, women, religious, and political leaders today. This brief essay is an examination and comparison of the two schools of thought as they pertain to the governance of society socially and politically. The paper will rely on the works of St. Augustine, using his City of God as translated by Marcus D. D. Dodds (1950), and St. Thomas Aquinas’s Political Writings translated by R.W. Dyson (2002). To read either work without the benefit of a modern translation would be, at best, a slow and difficult endeavor that could perhaps, for some, take a lifetime. Under the guidance of the translators, we can gain a sense of the political ideologies of both Augustine and Aquinas. St. Augustine watched as the world around him spun out of control and into chaos, culminating with the fall of Rome, in 410 A.D (Dodds, p. ix). Rome’s fall brought crashing down the myths that Rome would last forever and rule the world (ix). It would have been a time when scholars, like Augustine, would be formulating thoughts and ideas, influenced by their philosophical teachings and interpretations, about world leadership and political and social manifestations of corruption and

Children and video games Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Children and video games - Essay Example The violent content of video games is the cause of the negative influence they have on children. This makes children to develop aggressive behavior, including vengeance. Violent games provoke social exclusion of children, as they will not spare time for homework and interaction with friends. This also affects their health negatively. Children spend more time at home. Video games do not inculcate positive social values in children Video games do not encourage negotiations and nonviolent solutions in children.Video games portray women as weaker sex and sexually provocative. Video games make children live in a fantasy world and they do not think about their future.Children might fail to do their assignments, thus become lazy, and develop issues with teachers in school.Video games result in poor academic performance, due to their addictive nature.Video games might lead to impulsive behavior and concentration challenges. Video games require skills and tactics to play, thus develops child’s brain. Mental skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, fine motor, and spatia. If a parent plays with the child, they bond more.Video games increases interactivity and creativity in children. Video games enhance self-esteem and confidence.Playing as a group boosts coordination in children.Since video games have considerable benefits, if allowed they should be controlled.Provide a variety of entertainment to children to avoid addiction to video games.Regulate the amount of time children play video games.

Research of GEN George Washington, specifically focusing on leadership Essay

Research of GEN George Washington, specifically focusing on leadership qualities he possessed to become an effective leader and how he influenced the developmen - Essay Example Long overseas deployments and worsening situation in Iraq may soon affect the very sustainability of AVF. (Greenewalt, 1969) Thus, new ways have to be evolved to attract sufficient and suitable youth towards the AVF. The future leaders of this country will need all lessons of history to motivate the youth towards joining the AVF. Towards this end, applicability of leadership qualities displayed by Gen George Washington and President George Washington during Revolution and initial formative years of America cannot be overemphasized. The aspect that he was trusted unanimously and the fact that he managed to successfully lead the military revolution against England using a ill-trained, war-torn, disarrayed and demotivated army gives an insight of his capabilities to turn-around an adverse situation and achieve seemingly impossible results effectively. This study aims at bringing out various leadership traits of Gen George Washington which need to be studied and emulated by present and... Aim This study aims at bringing out various leadership traits of Gen George Washington which need to be studied and emulated by present and future generations of American leaders to effectively maintain military's present all voluntary structure and yet successfully achieve desired results more effectively. Brief Biography (http://www.nps.gov/history/logcabin/html/gw6.html) Born in 1732, George Washington, in his initial years, dreamt of mastering military art and western expansion while learning high morals and also gathered knowledge required by a Virginia gentleman. After working briefly for land survey, George Washington was commissioned as a Lieutenant Colonel in Virginia Militia in 1754. He fought French and Indian wars as an aide to Gen Edward Braddock. His experiences helped develop his skills to be a great military leader later needed in the fight for independence from England. During 1759 - 1775 until outbreak of revolution, Washington managed his lands around Mount Vernon. During protests with England for excess taxes, Washington firmly expressed his objections to British policies. While serving as a Virginia delegate to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia in 1775, he was unanimously elected Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army. He took over command of his ill-trained troops and entered a war of independence lasting 8 years. Gen George Washington was a brave leader, using military tactics learned during formative years efficiently. Most importantly, he utilised the element of surprise besides maintaining morale of troops during most adverse conditions and turning them around to serve well-beyond stipulated engagement

Children and video games Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Children and video games - Essay Example The violent content of video games is the cause of the negative influence they have on children. This makes children to develop aggressive behavior, including vengeance. Violent games provoke social exclusion of children, as they will not spare time for homework and interaction with friends. This also affects their health negatively. Children spend more time at home. Video games do not inculcate positive social values in children Video games do not encourage negotiations and nonviolent solutions in children.Video games portray women as weaker sex and sexually provocative. Video games make children live in a fantasy world and they do not think about their future.Children might fail to do their assignments, thus become lazy, and develop issues with teachers in school.Video games result in poor academic performance, due to their addictive nature.Video games might lead to impulsive behavior and concentration challenges. Video games require skills and tactics to play, thus develops child’s brain. Mental skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, fine motor, and spatia. If a parent plays with the child, they bond more.Video games increases interactivity and creativity in children. Video games enhance self-esteem and confidence.Playing as a group boosts coordination in children.Since video games have considerable benefits, if allowed they should be controlled.Provide a variety of entertainment to children to avoid addiction to video games.Regulate the amount of time children play video games.

Political Sponsering of Ngos Essay Example for Free

Political Sponsering of Ngos Essay Greenpeace and green political parties are united in their position against nuclear energy and their support for renewable energies. Christian charity organizations and conservative political parties both stand for traditional family values and against family planning. But does this mean they should work together? Often political parties sponsor NGOs, but is this sponsoring even acceptable? There are several arguments which we would like to consider. The credibility of NGOs as independent organizations and their ability to pursue their social interests are harmed by political sponsoring. The credibility of NGOs decreases, because more often than not, the interests of political parties are more important than the original agenda of the NGOs, due to (financial) sponsoring. The reason for political parties to engage with NGOs in the form of political sponsoring is to increase attention for the statements on the political agenda. NGOs often have more resources and are less restrained to all sorts of rules and laws to protest in rigorous actions. However, this money can only be invested when the NGO compromises its own agenda with the agenda of the political party, which means that they might have to compromise on their own values, missions and visions. Hence the question rises; how can an NGO be called non-governmental when there is a political influence? A counterargument for this is that there is a difference between a political party and the government. Of course this is the case, but a political party is a part of the government. In the Netherlands it is even the case that the political parties get subsidy by the government, so these are inseparable. Thus we argue you can? t call a NGO non-governmental anymore when it is sponsored by political parties, which significantly decreases their credibility. Democratic control of political action that is ‘outsourced’ to NGOs and is therefore beyond democratic control. When a political party is chosen to participate in a country’s parliament, this is done in a democratic way. People can vote for the party that has arguments and goals closest to the person’s own vision. However, the board of an NGO is not chosen in a democratic way, they are simply hired because they are the ‘right person to do the job’. When NGOs will engage in political actions, people who are not democratically chosen will gain political power. The accountability of political parties to their stakeholders, in particular those who may not agree with the objectives of the NGOs that are sponsored, is harmed by political sponsoring. When people vote democratically for a political party, they vote for the agenda the political party has before engaging with any other organization. When political parties go and sponsor NGOs, the party most likely has to compromise on its own agenda to get to an agreement with an NGO. Citizens now are ‘voting’ for NGOs without knowing this. The voters do often not have a say in which NGOs are sponsored, so there is a great likelihood that part of the political party’s stakeholders will not approve of the chosen NGOs at all. The missions and visions of these organizations could be in contradiction with the opinions of the stakeholders and voters, and they have absolutely no control over this. Proponents of political sponsoring say that the voters don’t compromise, because they have the same goal as the political parties. We would like to stress here that even though someone has the same goal, you don’t have to agree with the actions that are taken. Especially actions of NGOs, which are most commonly known as radical, can get a lot of resistance by the voters and other stakeholders of the political parties. An important question you can ask yourself in the light of this last argument is: Does the end justify the means? Does the common goal lead to an acceptance of all (radical) actions taken by NGOs? This is an important question, especially for the stakeholders of the political party, because by political sponsoring all the stakeholders of the parties (including the voters) indirectly approve of the NGOs’ actions.

British Petroleum: PESTEL and SWOT

British Petroleum: PESTEL and SWOT This Report will assess the altering business background of a one of the largest perpendicularly incorporated oil and gas companies British Petroleum, over the last five years. The Micro and Macro business environment of the company have influenced by some main factors and the motive of this report is to focus on them to recognize, analyze and understand. In order to do this, some important tools need to be considered. PESTEL analysis is one of the tools can support the organisations to estimate macro-environmental factors which can have an impact on them. SWOT analysis is another important tool, which assists organisations in additional developing their self consciousness. Introduction Business environment can be defined as a complex of policy, legal, institutional, and regulatory circumstances that administrate industry activities. It is a sub-set of the investment policy and includes the administration and enforcement mechanisms that implement government policy, as well as the institutional activities influence the way key factors operate (e.g., government agencies, regulatory authorities, and business membership organisations including businesswomen associations, civil society organisations, trade unions, etc.). Macro-environment Macro-environment is the uppermost level of the environment, which consists of broad external factors that can influence the business. In this case, PESTEL analysis is a useful tool to identify these factors and this can be based on the analyses of future trends such as political, economic, social, environment and legal etc. Using this tool, managers can categorize the key drivers of modifications and this can be used to build the potential trend to future scenario (Johnson et al, 2009). According to Worthington and Britton (2003), some manners may influence the business; renovate the inputs (resources such as labour force, technology, finance and materials) in outputs such as goods (products that can be touched such as foods, cars, and so on) or services (products that cannot be touched such as insure services). These performances can be used and prejudiced by companies in order to create their policy. Considering that this macro environment is very complex and companies cannot control it, its analysis is very important. Companies need to identify them and understand the negative impacts they can produce, therefore they can be prepared to reduce them (Palmer and Hartley 2009). Political Factors According to Palmer and Hartley (2009), politicians are usually responsible to create and exceed legislation to companies and occasionally they may create direct influence some types of businesses, such as: client defence law, workers protection laws, regulates of effluence and so on. In addition, according to Lancaster (2008) others political decisions as the workforce education, health and environment, and even the economy infrastructure can also influence businesses operations. Economic Factors Economic factors are very significant for an organization because it is directly associated to GDP (gross domestic product), economic development, redundancy rate, inflation rate and so on. Any modification in the economy can influence businesses. One good example is the oil spill at Gulf of Mexico has made BP a huge quantity of financial loss. The increase in the crude oil price affected all the chain such as power charge, oil-based raw material, plastic, synthetic fibres and so on (Lancaster 2008). This example indicates the significance of monitoring the economy, either nationally or internationally, in order to recognize possible opportunities and threats. Social and Cultural factors The socio-cultural environment is possibly one of the most difficult factors to evaluate, considering that is based on people manners changes, such as religion, ethics, priorities, attitudes, philosophy and social changes (Lancaster, 2008). On the other hand, Palmer and Hartley (2009) state that a crucial part for businesses is to understand the cultural value of a society; companies should be monitoring this frequently to better match to customers desires and requirements. Technological Factors According to Lancaster (2008), technology is an important macro-environmental feature which is presented in many products that we use on our daily breathes, as television, calculators, video records, computers and so on. Companies play an important responsibility on generating more technologies due to this some of them has their own research and development department or work in partnership with universities or research institutes, seeking to provide new products or with better excellence to clients. Environmental Factors This factor has been constantly increasing, especially for multinationals, due to the challenging of social responsibility activities and projects with focus on the centre of population and the environment. These corporations have an important function on contributing to the social development (Worthington and Britton 2009). BP, in the last five years, has worked proactively to reduce environmental risks and, as a result, it has improved its indices across the years. In its eco efficiency activities, they have focused on: reducing water consumption, energy, generation of effluents, production of residues solids and pastes. Moreover, it is also preoccupied with the society and develops projects in partnerships with the communities to improve factors such as people education, quality of life, social projects and so on (BP plc, 2010). Legal Factors Companies should work according to the law otherwise they can have important collision on their businesses. Some laws are changing to defend clients (municipal licences, anti-monopoly laws); workers (minimum wage, workers safety) and suppliers (copyright and patent laws which favour business investments). Some of them can manipulate market constitution and performance (Worthington and Britton 2009). Microenvironment Microenvironment, on the other hand, is the internal factors which generally business decisions are made. The internal environment is composed of various components such as employees, suppliers, customers and so on. Therefore, microenvironment can be divided in various small parts inside a company and each part is extremely important for the business. Lancaster (2008) argues that one of the main objectives of marketing is to concentrate the requirements of consumers. In order to achieve this, companies can make use of their internal property and capabilities, their microenvironment, over which they have control, and use this as a foundation of information to create the better policy to please costumers requirements. In addition, the microenvironment is easier to realize than the macro environment because it refers to everything that is part of a company such as suppliers, employee and so on. Everything that is direct or indirect interrelated to the company (Palmer and Hartley, 2009). Customers They are one of the most important parts of the microenvironment. Companies need to focus on monitoring possible changes on consumers trends and on creating an efficient relationship with them. In other words, companies need to be one step ahead, trying to calculate consumers requirements and needs and developing products to concentrate these demands. Moreover, companies must not focus just on this simple replica (creating a good products to customers), but think away from it (Palmer and Hartley, 2009). Intermediaries They correspond to associations between companies and customers. Some companies, mainly large ones, have some complications to attend all final costumers therefore they choose to sell their products through mediators to be present even in small supermarkets. Some companies can fail because they do not recognize this as an important policy (Palmer and Hartley, 2009). Shareholders At the end of 2010, there were 345,581 holders of BP ordinary shares and a further 163,397 holders of American depository shares. One American depository share (ADS) represents six ordinary shares. One of the holders of ADSs represents some 824,700 underlying holders. ADSs can be bought and sold on North American stock markets. The total number of actual shareholders in the US and UK is in excess of 1 million. About 80% of the ordinary shares and American depository shares are held by institutions such as pension funds and insurance companies. For more than 20 years, BP has encouraged its employees to purchase shares in the company on favourable terms, giving them an extra stake in the companys success. Competitors Companies need to keep their eyes on their competitors, monitoring them and trying to expect their next steps. Furthermore, there are two different types of competitors: direct competitor, which sells comparable products; and indirect competitor, which is more difficult to identify, because sometimes competitors can appear in different forms. For example, who is the indirect competitor for a cinema? Is it another cinema? A home rent movie? (Palmer and Hartley 2009) The following companies are some competitors of BP Plc: Chevron Corporation Exxon Mobil Corporation TOTAL S.A. Petrobras (Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.) (Datamonitor, 2010) SWOT SWOT is a tactical development tool, used in management and strategy formulation in order to identify strength, weakness, opportunities and threats of a particular company. It mainly focuses on analysis and understanding the organisations internal and external environment. Strengths are considered internal positive factors within an organization which can add value; Weaknesses, on the other hand, are negative aspects, which can disrupt the business from achieving its goals. Opportunities are external factors which help business and can represent one possibility of acquiring competitive advantage if the company has the ability of identifying them quicker than its competitors. Threats are also external factors but which can affect businesses operations negatively (Campbell and Craig, 2005). SWOT analysis is used as an analytical tool to achieve significant information about the company in order to take suitable actions. A company can do better decision makings when it understands the quarter points of a SWOT analysis. Strength factors can be used as a foundation for constructing advantages, enchanting the opportunities; weakness can be seen as a challenge and used to correct errors (NetMBA, 2010). Applying SWOT analysis on BP, we can see their strengths, weakness, threats and opportunities: (S)trengths Dominant market position Vertically integrated operations Wide geographical presence (W)eaknesses Oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico Explosion in the Texas refinery Violation of tax laws in Turkey (O)pportunities Acquisition of Devon Energys assets in Brazil, Azerbaijan, and the US deepwater Gulf of Mexico Oil and gas exploration projects (T)hreats Saturation of resources in the North Sea Instability in some oil-producing regions Environmental regulations (Datamonitor, 2010) Company Overview BP is one of the biggest perpendicularly incorporated oil and gas companies in the world. The companys operations principally include the searching and production of gas and crude oil, as well as the marketing and trading of natural gas, power, and natural gas liquids. BP is headquartered in London, the UK and employs about 80,300 people. Case Study The Deepwater Horizon oil spill out (also referred as the BP oil spill, the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the BP oil disaster or the Macon do blowout) is an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico which flowed for three months in 2010. The impact of the spill continues since the well was capped. It is the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry. The spill stemmed from a sea-floor oil gusher that resulted from the April 20, 2010 Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion. The explosion killed 11 platform workers and injured 17Â  others. On July 15, the leak was stopped by capping the gushing wellhead, after it had released about 4.9Â  million barrels (780ÃÆ'-103Â  m3), or 185 million gallons of crude oil. It was predictable that 53,000Â  barrels per day (8,400 m3/d) were evading from the well just before it was capped. It is supposed that the daily flow rate diminished over time, starting at about 62,000Â  barrels per day (9,900 m3/d) and decreasing as the reservoir of hydrocarbons feeding the gusher was gradually exhausted. On September 19, the relief well process was successfully finished and the federal government acknowledged the well successfully departed. Impact on BP and the UK economy BP at the time the United Kingdoms largest corporation and a major business in the UK investment world came under powerful popular, media, and political pressure to terminate its 2010 dividends in their entirety. Media reports state that BP is of such a size and significance in that country, that one pound in every seven of investment and pension fund income in the UK is derived from BP. Local media offered views on what this might mean for citizens. As BP was reported to be offloading billions of dollars in assets in preparation, some estimates suggested the total legal responsibility could amount to as much as US $100 billion (UK Â £67.5 bn) by the conclusion of the tragedy. Financial analysts commented that BP was able of addressing the probable liabilities that might effect, and BP stock rose to some extent on the news that the preliminary US $20 billion compensation fund had been arranged. Political and foreign relations impact The disaster was seen by some as placing stress on US-UK relationships, insofar as BP is a British company. Both US President Barack Obama and UK Prime Minister David Cameron were under considerable pressure to comment politically on the matter. Insurance Times reported an open letter from the Chairman of RSA Insurance Group, the head of one of the countrys leading companies, to President Obama (text of letter) that expressed a concern over double standards compared to the sub-prime based banking crisis of 2007-2010 and over prejudicial and personal comments in the media. Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, was also reported to have made a similar comment, and similar concerns related to the tenor of media releases were also expressed by Labour MP and ex-Parliamentary Secretary Tom Watson, Vince Cable the Business Secretary, and the UK Foreign Office. The Department of State stated that the issue will not affect US-UK relationships, calling the UK its closest ally. Cameron stated that sensible dialog was needed and BP would require certainty over its liability for compensation. Obama was later reported to have said that his frustration over the mammoth oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is not an attack on Britain and that he had no interest in undermining BPs value, as the two leaders tried to soothe trans-Atlantic tensions over the disaster. Impact on BP due to US tourism On May 25 BP gave Florida $25Â  million to promote the beaches where the oil had not reached, and the company planned $15Â  million each for Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. The Bay Area Tourist Development Council bought digital billboards showing recent photos from the gulf coast beaches as far north as Nashville, Tennessee and Atlanta. The U.S. Travel Association estimated that the economic impact of the oil spill on tourism across the Gulf Coast over a three-year period could exceed approximately $23 billion, in a region that supports over 400,000 travel industry jobs generating $34 billion in revenue annually. On November 1 BP announced plans to spend $78 million to help Louisiana tourism and test and advertise seafood. Other economic consequences On July 5 BP reported that its own expenditures on the oil spill had reached $3.12Â  billion, including the cost of the spill response, containment, relief well drilling, grants to the Gulf states, claims paid, and federal costs. The United States Oil Pollution Act of 1990 limits BPs liability for non-cleanup costs to $75Â  million unless gross negligence is proven. BP has said it would pay for all cleanup and remediation regardless of the statutory liability cap. Nevertheless, some Democratic lawmakers are seeking to pass legislation that would increase the liability limit to $10Â  billion. Analysts for Swiss Re have estimated that the total insured losses from the accident could reach $3.5Â  billion. According to UBS, final losses could be $12Â  billion. According to Willis Group Holdings, total losses could amount to $30Â  billion, of which estimated total claims to the market from the disaster, including control of well, re-drilling, third-party liability and seepage and po llution costs, could exceed $1.2Â  billion. On June 25 BPs market value reached a 1 year low. The companys total value lost since April 20 was $105Â  billion. Investors saw their holdings in BP shrink to $27.02, a nearly 54% loss of value in 2010. A month later, the companys loss in market value totaled $60 billion, a 35% decline since the explosion. At that time, BP reported a second-quarter loss of $17 billion, its first loss in 18 years. This includes a one-time $32.2 billion charge, including $20 billion for the fund created for reparations and $2.9 billion in actual costs. On October 1, BP pledged as collateral all royalties from the Thunder Horse, Atlantis, Mad Dog, Great White, Mars, Ursa and Na Kika fields in the Gulf of Mexico. At that time, BP also said it had spent $11.2 billion, while the companys London Stock Exchange price reached 439.75 pence, the highest point since May 28. By the end of September, BP reported that it had spent $11.2 billion. Third-quarter profit of $1.79 billion (compared to $5.3 billion in 2009) showed, however, that BP continues to do well and should be able to pay total costs estimated at $40 billion. Recommendations Companies should observe regularly for new challenges, by focusing on developing strategies which can allow them to develop them better than their competitors. On this case, BP should do the same and seek for a strategy to become the first company in the world of petroleum industries, selling products with quality and diversity, achieving customers first choice. If the company wants to be competitive, companies should evaluate its products with the ones from foremost competitors. They can also achieve competitive benefit by investing on its employees; looking for joint ventures with other companies in different countries so that they can achieve information from different markets; in search of operational efficiency and cost regulation; seeking for new partnerships, assessing where there are greater opportunities for export. Conclusion The micro and macro business environment of companies are influenced by various factors. They can change them when necessary (such as production, marketing strategy, etc) by taking immediate actions with respect to internal factors. Conversely, companies cannot take action directly on external factors. But in order to minimize their impact they can identify them with appropriate time. Managers decision making capability can be based on the use of these tools and analysis the company can obtain a general overview about the company and aspects what kinds of impacts can happen such as politics, laws and regulations, economy, environment, technology and so on. Due to high competition, with demanding requirement companies should use these tools such as PESTEL or SWOT to build up a successful policy and competitive with the market. BP has developed a variety of strategies by focus on customers, by producing quality products for domestic and international market and it is always doing a great job for the benefit of the society, employees, and environment.

Shirley Temple: Origins of the Optimistic Image :: Shirley Temple Image Essays

Shirley Temple: Origins of the Optimistic Image Shirley Temple. When the name is uttered an image of the dimpled faced, curly haired, tap dancing four year old from the 1930s automatically appears in everyone's mind. She was the child actress of the depression era, winning over the hearts and pocket books of many. Films, dolls and even a drink named after her, her face and name were ones that couldn't be missed. She was Fox's gem and saviour. She was an escape from the hard life. She was a star. The image that she gave off, of love for the needy and pure optimism, must have had an origin. Did it rise from the social needs of the public to escape the depression or was it purely constructed by Twentieth Century-Fox? Her image clearly correlates with the mentality of the public at the time, but Fox must have had a hand. Undoubtedly her image was created through a mixture of both elements. To analyze the degree to which Shirley Temple's image was formed through the needs of the time or through manipulation by Fox, one must first look at stars' images in general and how they come into being. What do stars represent to the audience? What is the nature of their images? Many people might say that stars are merely a product of the Hollywood system needing to make a profit; Hollywood manufactures a product and creates the demand for it. A star's image is processed through advertisements and promotions and has little to do with what the audience wants and needs from entertainment. There is a widespread mentality that any Average Joe can become a star with enough resources backing him up. Richard Dyer points out, however, that even movies full of stars fail, and stars can and do fall out of fashion (12). A star's economic worth is not invulnerable to audiences' opinions. The audience isn't so easily controlled. As Dyer says, "Stars ... are the direct or indirect reflection of the needs, drives and dreams of American society." (6). The star's image is formed by what the audience chooses to see, and the audience will choose to see a movie that fills their societal needs, even if unconsciously. Once the audience has made its decision, it empowers that star to fulfill these needs. "Stars have a privileged position in the definition of social roles and types, and this must have real consequences in terms of how people believe they can and should behave" (Dyer 8).

Male View of Hysteria Presented in The Yellow Wallpaper -- Charlotte P

Male View of Hysteria Presented in The Yellow Wallpaper      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Charlotte Perkins Gilman's short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" has been viewed as either a work of supernatural horror or as a feminist treatise regarding the role of women in society. A close analysis of Gilman's use of symbols reveals "The Yellow Wallpaper" as her response to the male view of hysteria from ancient times through the nineteenth century. " In "The Yellow Wallpaper" Gilman questions the validity of Hippocrates's theory of the wandering uterus and Weir Mitchell's "rest cure". As she wrote in her essay "Why I Wrote the Yellow Wallpaper?", "[the story] was not intended to drive people crazy, but to save people from being driven crazy†¦" (107). By her own account, Gilman's purpose in writing "The Yellow Wallpaper" was to educate and inform the public of the misinterpretation of hysterical symptoms. The origin of the word hysteria expresses the belief in the inferiority of women. As James Palis writes in The Hippocratic Concept of Hysteria: A Translation of the Original Texts: "Etymologically, the term usteria (hysteria) derives from ustera (hystera), the Greek word for uterus, which means an inferior position. Thus, usteria denotes suffering of the uterus, the most inferior organ in the female" (226). The fact that the literal translation of hystera is "inferior position" reinforces the fact that from ancient times women were viewed as physically inferior to men. Since the one major physical difference between women and men is the presence of the uterus, psychological problems that were considered to be strictly female were attributed to some malfunction of the uterus. Hippocrates first proposed in his work "The Art of Healing"that hysteria wa... .... ---. "The Yellow Wallpaper". American Realism Reader. Ed. James Nagel and Tom Quirk. New York: Penguin Books, 1997. 254-269. Hothersall, David. History of Psychology. 3rd Ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Inc., 1995. Meyer, Cheryl L. The Wandering Uterus: Politics and the Reproductive Rights of Women. New York: New York University Press, 1997. Mitchell, S. Weir. "Fat and Blood": The Yellow Wallpaper. Women Writers: Texts and Contexts. Ed. Thomas L. Erskine and Connie L. Richards. New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1993. 105-109. ---. "Wear and Tear". The Yellow Wallpaper. Women Writers: Texts and Contexts. Ed. Thomas L Erksine and Connie L. Richards. New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1993. 109-111. Palis, James., et al. "The Hippocratic Concept of Hysteria: A Translation of the Original Texts." Integrative Psychiatry 3.3 (1985): 226-228.    Male View of Hysteria Presented in The Yellow Wallpaper -- Charlotte P Male View of Hysteria Presented in The Yellow Wallpaper      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Charlotte Perkins Gilman's short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" has been viewed as either a work of supernatural horror or as a feminist treatise regarding the role of women in society. A close analysis of Gilman's use of symbols reveals "The Yellow Wallpaper" as her response to the male view of hysteria from ancient times through the nineteenth century. " In "The Yellow Wallpaper" Gilman questions the validity of Hippocrates's theory of the wandering uterus and Weir Mitchell's "rest cure". As she wrote in her essay "Why I Wrote the Yellow Wallpaper?", "[the story] was not intended to drive people crazy, but to save people from being driven crazy†¦" (107). By her own account, Gilman's purpose in writing "The Yellow Wallpaper" was to educate and inform the public of the misinterpretation of hysterical symptoms. The origin of the word hysteria expresses the belief in the inferiority of women. As James Palis writes in The Hippocratic Concept of Hysteria: A Translation of the Original Texts: "Etymologically, the term usteria (hysteria) derives from ustera (hystera), the Greek word for uterus, which means an inferior position. Thus, usteria denotes suffering of the uterus, the most inferior organ in the female" (226). The fact that the literal translation of hystera is "inferior position" reinforces the fact that from ancient times women were viewed as physically inferior to men. Since the one major physical difference between women and men is the presence of the uterus, psychological problems that were considered to be strictly female were attributed to some malfunction of the uterus. Hippocrates first proposed in his work "The Art of Healing"that hysteria wa... .... ---. "The Yellow Wallpaper". American Realism Reader. Ed. James Nagel and Tom Quirk. New York: Penguin Books, 1997. 254-269. Hothersall, David. History of Psychology. 3rd Ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Inc., 1995. Meyer, Cheryl L. The Wandering Uterus: Politics and the Reproductive Rights of Women. New York: New York University Press, 1997. Mitchell, S. Weir. "Fat and Blood": The Yellow Wallpaper. Women Writers: Texts and Contexts. Ed. Thomas L. Erskine and Connie L. Richards. New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1993. 105-109. ---. "Wear and Tear". The Yellow Wallpaper. Women Writers: Texts and Contexts. Ed. Thomas L Erksine and Connie L. Richards. New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1993. 109-111. Palis, James., et al. "The Hippocratic Concept of Hysteria: A Translation of the Original Texts." Integrative Psychiatry 3.3 (1985): 226-228.   

Marketing Plan with SWOT Analysis

nowledge is the most significant economic and social force of the 21st century, and higher education will see its importance and influence to grow in the coming decades. At the same time, as in other industries and sectors, extraordinary, rapid change has become a constant for institutions of higher education. This dynamic environment provides challenges and opportunities as well, which Is why Trine university Marketing 303 class has spent the last eight weeks putting together a comprehensive marketing plan process to examine a variety of marketing and enrollment issues facing Trine university outreach campuses.Since its beginning in 1884 in Angola, Indiana, Trine University has experienced significant periods of growth and change while preparing students for career success. While this growth and change mainly took place at the University's mall campus, It Is now entering a new phase of growth and change. This growth and change is happening with Trine university outreach campuses. Tr ine University's mission for the outreach campuses is â€Å"to provide accessible educational opportunities that are responsive to the needs of today's diverse population and lead to meaningful careers and lifelong learning.To accomplish our session, we have set forth the following goals: Acquire our own learning facility Higher enrollment rate Promote associates, bachelors, and master degrees to spark more interest in attending the campus Add new degrees to current programs Offer tuition discounts and incentives Make scheduling classes easier and more available Reach out to Individuals and employers In the community wishing to better their education Achieve top school ranking in community To guide and later help assess the marketing plan and its effectiveness, the Marketing 303 class produced a SOOT analysis to help provide direction and serve as basis for the development of a marketing plan which promotes Trine university's outreach campuses. We hope to accomplish this by assessi ng what we perceive to be the university's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats related to achieving these strategies.A section with these results is presented later in the marketing plan in its entirety, but a few comments are listed below. Trine University views undergraduate education as central to its mission and will students to be productive, contributing members of society. To sustain Trine University reputation of overall excellence in selected areas of graduate and repressions education, resources will be focused on creating and strengthening areas of graduate study in a manner that is responsive to regional needs. To promote the recruitment, retention, and success of its students, Trine University will provide an environment rich in human diversity, with dedicated support services, in an outstanding instructional facilities.Trine University will create an empowered group of diverse, unified, committed and motivated employees who will focus their collective ski lls, talents, and knowledge toward realization of the university mission and vision. Trine University believes that continuous planning and evaluation are needed to effectively chart the future of the university outreach campuses, and therefore will increase its self-assessment. Trine University will secure, allocate or redirect human, physical and financial resources in a manner that enhances the university mission and vision. The two initial targets for Trine University will be high school students and students looking to pursue their bachelor degree that already has associates.Priority, however, will be given to high school students because we will be able to reach out to them nice they will be starting their degree from fresh. Gone are the days when marketing and communication offices can control the content produced about universities. The internet has emerged as a place where users are active, co-creators of content and social networking in mainstream. Social media has surpass ed e-mail as an online activity. More than ever, relevant, timely and engaging content is key in any marketing campaign. In the past year, Trine University Backbone, Twitter and Youth presence are on the rise and changing the way the students and the university are communicating.To effectively communicate and market to existing and prospective student, Trine University must use a variety of strategies, based on the target audience communication style, and constantly re-evaluate its marketing methods and messages to meet our diverse student population. Trine currently has a student enrollment of 1,791 students per year. They are projected to grow at approximately 8. 1% per year making their enrollment 1,935 in 2013 and 2,091 in 2014. They currently have a tuition cost of $25,400. 00 per year and $1 ,600. 00 in other expenses (such as books, lab fees & other miscellaneous costs). Trine has 52. 5 million per year in annual sales and 1. 53 million in net income.Trine's tuition is higher than Harrison College and II-JPL'S but less than Indiana Wesleyan. The organizational structure of Trine University outreach campuses will appear in its entirety in a later section; however, the following few comments will briefly summarize Marketing 303 class' ideas on a working organizational structure. We and students to feel there is a local individual they can physically call or go see in an office setting. This individual will act as a liaison between the Student Support Specialist and Trine University's main campus. This will help promote the feeling that Trine University is committed to the growth of its outreach campuses.A successful marketing plan depends upon how well a company can blend its people and get the job done. If everyone is on the same page and know what it is they are striving to accomplish, the possibilities of success, are endless. Performance of this plan must be measured, and this means standards must be developed against which performance can be evaluate d. The importance of proper and timely evaluation cannot be overlooked. Communication between the business and the customer is essential for success. Customers will often try a new product â€Å"one time†. If they are not pleased with the product they will look elsewhere. UNIVERSITY DESCRIPTION There's a time and place for thinking and doing.We make both happen at Trine University. Founded in 1884, we're known for our rigorous academic programs, exceptional faculty, and hands-on experiences that lead to real-world, skill-based knowledge. The results are phenomenal. The rate at which Trine students find work related to their majors within six months of graduation-?at 92 percent-?is among the highest in the country. Our graduates' starting salaries exceed the national average in every category. Explore – Experience – Excel We're a private, non-denominational institution that grants associates, bachelors, and master's degrees in more than 30 programs on campus, onl ine, and at four regional education centers.With only 1 ,450 students, our small class sizes ensure one-on-one attention with faculty who bring their own workplace experience into the classroom. We focus on active participation through more than 60 student organizations, competitive intercollegiate athletics, and extensive co-pop and internship opportunities. You will also find our nationally recognized education affordable. We award more than $10 million in grants and scholarships annually; more than 90 percent of our students receive some form of financial aid. STRATEGIC FOCUS AND PLAN Mission Trine University mission for the outreach campuses is â€Å"to provide accessible educational opportunities that are responsive to the needs of today's diverse population and lead to meaningful careers and lifelong learning.Goals For future years, Trine University-Columbus seeks to achieve the following goals: Reach out to individuals and employers in the community wishing to better their C ore Competency and Sustainable Competitive Advantage In terms of core competency, Trine University outreach campuses seek to achieve ability by 1) providing high-quality learning experiences not only in learning but also in hands on projects and by 2) providing outstanding graduates to be successful. To translate these core competencies into a sustainable competitive advantage, Trine University outreach campuses will work closely with their students to achieve the best satisfactory education possible.SITUATION ANALYSIS The ultimate goal of Marketing 303 class is to produce a SOOT analysis which will elf provide direction and serve as a basis for the development of a marketing plan to promote Trine University's outreach campuses. We hope to accomplish this by assessing what we perceive to be Trine University strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. SOOT Analysts Marketing 303 class produced a SOOT analysis. Strengths: Responsiveness to students and education needs Academica lly able students Effective teaching Supportive environment for teaching and learning Demonstrable results Substantial scholarship / financial aid resources and support Weaknesses: Distinguishing qualities and identity not well knownLack of strong, pervasive presence in the external community Operational structure of regional outreach campuses Too large a percentage of classes taught by part-timers Limited resources for faculty, staff, and students of regional outreach campuses Adjustment to pressures of growth Make presence known Expand recruitment starting at the high school level More conversations and partnerships with local employers Developing and even better niche within the rapidly developing market for on- demand education Expand possible technological competitive advantage – technology has made programs from around the state, nation and world accessible to anyone with an internet connection so a student can still feel like they are getting a true classroom environme nt Responsiveness to students – although responsiveness to students is a strength of Trine University, it also offers the opportunity for more rewarding efforts.Students are more than customers; they are participants in, contributors to, and products of a highly structured learning environment and developmental process Threats: Pressure to grow at expense of quality Growing competition from nearby universities – physically and virtually Recruiting and retain high quality faculty and staff given increasing competition Rapidly advancing technology poses the most far-reaching, unavoidable, and unpredictable threat to institutional stability and competitiveness Enhancing and maintaining access to the University for minority, low income, and first-generation students Possible uncertainty of off-campus operations Competitors Indiana Wesleyan University Phoenix University Harrison College PICKUP Ivy Tech Target Audience High School Students College Students Ethnic Community C ommunity Members Customer Profile Profiles help us to gain a deeper understanding of the audiences we are trying to reach by providing details into demographics, technocracies, chirography's and alee and lifestyles (VAL'S). High School Student Profile Demographics 16-18 years old County Resident Limited income Live with parents Technocracies Immersed in technology Active in social networks – text and chat are primary Chirography's Generation Me – seeks attention, feedback, lofty beliefs Value and Lifestyles (VAL'S)- Experiences High resource group motivated by self-expression Energetic, active and social College Student Profile 18-25 years old Work part-time May have children Living on their own for the first time Receive financial aid Ethnic Community Member Profile Spanish speakingBicameral Limited understanding of higher education environment Prefer traditional media Those who favor speaking English to speaking Spanish, use more technology Strong family values Chall enged by family barriers to education Impressionable and likely to emulate people they admire Motivated by achievement Community Member Profile Age 26 + County business leader – owners and managers Financially stable with expendable income Parents of high school age children Have access to technology, but not avid users Use internet to research products / services Predominantly e-mail users Use some social networks Values reputation and success Values education as a way to accomplish goals Successful people who get satisfaction from their career and family MARKETING PRODUCT FOCUS This section describes the 1 year marketing and product objectives for Trine University-outreach campus and the target markets, points of difference, and positioning.Marketing and Product Objectives Current markets. Current markets will be grown by expanding student awareness of the Columbus campus. New markets. By the end of the first year, we hope to have new students and a huge population growth t o our campus. New products. By adding associates degrees, we see more expansion of students. Target Markets Two initial targets for Trine University outreach campus will be high school students and students looking to pursue their bachelor degree that already has their associates. Priority, however will be given to high school students because will be able to reach out to them since they will be starting their degree from fresh.Points of Difference Continuous improvements in education Qualified personnel Uniqueness of its professional service More diversity in student body Positioning students or hard to identify. We are hoping to position it easier on students to identify who we are, what we stand for and why they should attend our campus. Marketing Program The four marketing mix elements of the Trine University Marketing Plan are detailed below with the purpose of increasing the overall visibility of Trine University outreach campuses. Product Strategy Product line Trine Universit y grants associate, baccalaureate, and master's degrees through exceptional programs offering career-oriented, hands-on learning and student- focused teaching via Trine's 450-acre main residential campus in Angola, but also at he eight outreach campuses listed below.Avon Columbus Fort Wayne Howe Indianapolis Alligators Chervil's South Bend Warsaw Unique Product Quality Trine University understands and appreciates that the students have many choices in achieving their educational goals. Trine is committed to providing students with an innovative learning experience that many other institutions do not offer. Trine students should expect, Quality Trine continuously evaluates and assesses each degree program, student experiences, and student employment success Nationally recognized examinations ND certifications ensure Trine students have the edge to secure employment at a rate of nearly 92 percent Affordability Various Scholarships and Financial Aid Programs are available to students w ho qualify U. S.News & World Report ranks Trine as one of the top colleges and universities whose graduates carry the least amount of debt Ninety-eight percent of No expiration date on transfer credits from any accredited College or University Convenience and Flexibility Eight week accelerated courses Face-to-Face classes at outreach campuses or online courses available anytime, anyplace, anywhere Attention Trine brings workplace and educational experience into the classroom via well respected faculty to combine theory with hands-on learning They challenge you with rigorous academics but offer support and personal attention Technologically Advanced The laptop program ensures all students have the same technology and advantages inside and outside the classroom textbooks reduce the cost of textbooks by nearly 50 percent while also providing new tools such as the electronic highlighter, electronic note taking, note sharing, and the ability to collaborate with other students Packaging P ersonal attention is Trine's hallmark. It is the packaging that makes them standout among other universities and colleges. Students are not Just a number but the future. Trine University takes this seriously and assists the students in their endeavors to Explore – Experience – Excel in all they do not Just while a Trine University student, but when they move into their chosen career. Price Strategy Students want the best value, high-quality education at a price they can afford. Trine University works hard to excel at both.Our hands-on learning and personal attention room dedicated professors provide the edge you, the student, need to launch a successful career or move up in your current organization. Trine University is an affordable private university with costs in the mid-range for private colleges in Indiana. Our graduates enter the workforce carrying the least amount of debt among graduates nationwide, according to U. S. News and World Report. Promotion Strategy Ke y promotion marketing strategies will be a combination of the following marketing channels in an effort to reach potential students. Mass marketing combined with targeted campaigns are designed to maximize communication.Traditional Media Develop new print and presentation materials to connect with potential students Use past students success stories to help motivate current and potential students TV/ Radio Print Outdoor Traditional Media Add video Develop text message options for accessing information about Trine Web advertising E-mail marketing Mobile-to-mobile Social Media Start or continue to build a Backbone community Connect with the business community via social networking Backbone Blobs and micro blobs You Tube Earned Media Create a public relations campaign to get Trine University key messages in the news Use the media to further position Trine University as the premier provider of tomorrow's workforce Print editorial coverage TV/Radio broadcast coverage Web coverage through blobs Promotions Place (Distribution) Strategy Trine University will attract other students by using a mixture of traditional and online advertising strategies listed above to create a grassroots marketing campaign. Trine will recruit current students to fill these outreach campuses marketing positions. It will further demonstrate that personal touch that Trine University is so noted for.