Odysseus: Selfish Hero.

Morgan Kraft Period 2 October 11, 2011 1st Quarter Essay Jack Sparrow is a selfish hero. He thinks of himself most, but he truely cares for his men. He relates to Odysseus in that manner. Odysseus is also a selfish hero, but a hero all the same. This is proven by his courage, his cleverness, and his caring nature. Odysseus is a hero because of his courage. This is shown on many occasions including in the episode with the Cyclops. Homer, in his epic poem The Odyssey describes how Odysseus â€Å"rammed it [the spike] deep in his crater eye† (Homer 692).This is courageous because the Cyclops could have killed him pretty easily and there are many ways it could have gone wrong, yet he did it anyway. Another example is when he enters the Land of the Dead. His courage is expresses through the following: â€Å"and I grew sick with fear. But presently I gave command to my officers to flay those sheep the bronze cut down, and make burnt offerings of flesh to the gods below† (Home r 701). Odysseus had no clue what could have happened to him there, but he knew to make it home he had to, even though he was scared.Listening to the Sirens song was a noble act as well, for the reason that he could have found a way to untie himself, but he knew he had to listen because of Circe’s warning of â€Å"the dangers he will face: the Sirens, who lure sailors to their destruction† (Homer 705). In the cases of the Cyclops, underworld, and Sirens Odysseus showed great bravery therefore he is a hero. Another of Odysseus’s heroic traits is his cleverness. Proof of his wit is seen when he tells the Polythemus â€Å"My name is Nohbdy: mother, father, and friends, everyone calls me Nohbdy. (Homer 692). This shows that he has the ability to think ahead in difficult situations and not let his head get clouded. Yet another example is when he â€Å"slung a man under the middle one [sheep] to ride there safely† (Homer 694). This demonstrates his knowledge o f whom he is around. Odysseus knew that the Cyclops was a shepherd and he had to let his sheep out everyday. One final example of Odysseus’s cleverness is shown when he â€Å"laid it [beeswax] thick on their [shipmates] ears† (Homer 706).This is clever because his men can't hear the melodious voices of the Sirens. This indicates that his wit makes him a hero. A final, but not only other, heroic trait Odysseus wields is his care. Proof of this is shown while on the island of the Lotus-Eaters when he fought to bring his men back to the ship. In this episode Homer writes as Odysseus, â€Å"I drove them, all three wailing, to the ships, tied them down under their rowing benches† (Homer 685).This is caring because some captains would just say, â€Å"forget it†, and leave them. More proof is shown when he has his men tie him to the mast of the ship and listen to the sirens. â€Å"yet she urged that I alone should listen to their [the Sirens] song† (Homer 705). The care in this is the fact that he sacrificed part of his sanity so that his men would be able to get past the Sirens. One more act of his care is shown when he grieves for the loss of his men, time and time again.An example of this is when he sees Elpenor in the Hades realm, â€Å"Now when I saw him there I wept for pity† (Homer 701). This shows he is not completely selfish and that he actually feels bad every time a man dies on his watch. Henceforth, Odysseus's care proves he is a hero. To end, the heroic traits Odysseus has are courage, wit, and care. And these traits prove what a true hero Odysseus truely is. Yes, he may be selfish like Jack Sparrow, but he is still a hero. So, with this how many of today's so called â€Å"heros† actually are?

Air Bnb Stakeholder Analysis Essay

Stakeholder description Airbnb is a peer-to-peer platform that provides accommodation for lodgers, and the possibility for people with unused living space to rent it out. The website offers anything from budget rooms, to luxury villas, which makes it a serious alternative to the hospitality industry. Prior to a business conference held in San Francisco, the two founders Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia decided to offer additional accommodation for the participants. Moreover, they offered them homemade breakfast, and a unique chance for them to do networking. Quickly, this became a success, and they even decided to accommodate three guests, in their own flat in SF. The two founders teamed up with the Harvard graduate Nathan Blecharczyk, and now they had ambitions. They mainly focussed on high-profile events, where there was a shortage of beds for the participants. They spotted the potential of their idea, and took advantage of the internet. A platform was created, that connected individuals that offered accommodation, as well as people that were looking for it. On the 11th of August, 2008 the website airbedandbreakfast.com (now airbnb.com) was launched. Other people realized the potential as well, and the three owners raised considerable amounts of money, to keep expanding and developing the business, in the US as well as abroad. Today, more than 9 million guests, in 34,000 cities, spanning across 192 countries have used the service. Airbnb has released some interesting growth figures, proving that 2012 was the year that Airbnb stopped being something people were talking about and started to be something (a lot of) people used. The company announced that 4 million total guests have now used Airbnb to book a night’s stay on the peer-to-peer lodging marketplace. A whopping 3 million of those guests used the service in 2012 alone. The company launched all the way back in 2007, so that should give you a clear picture of just how much growth Airbnb has seen in the past year. Airbnb has proven that its San Francisco user base is a financially powerful market for the company, but we shouldn’t forget that  Airbnb is a truly global marketplace, as people from over 150 different countries traveled on the service in 2012.

Criminal Justice Research Methodology Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Criminal Justice Methodology - Research Paper Example The academic literature in the field of criminology is devoting increasing attention to the factors that cause women to engage in criminal behavior. Some researchers have discovered that the behavioral patterns appear to differ between female and male offenders (Block et al, 2010). Others have observed that alternative research and assessment strategies need to be applied to female offenders to gain a better understanding of deviant behavior in women and to obtain more reliable data on crimes committed by women (Traqina and Sorensen, 2009). In order to assess the proportion of non-violent crimes reported in Minneapolis, Minnesota the following hypotheses will be tested: This study will utilize both quantitative and qualitative methodologies in an effort to gain a better understanding of the relationship between age and gender and the reporting of non-violent crimes. The case study approach is a useful qualitative tool and helps to limit the scope of the project to a size that is manageable. A content analysis of the local news section of Minneapolis Star-Tribune newspaper for the years 2005-2009 will assist in identifying non-violent crimes reported by the major print media. This will help determine if there appears to be a bias related to gender or age in the crimes that actually make it into print. Quantitative data from the University of Minnesota for 2005-2009 will show all reported incidences of non-violent crime in Minneapolis categorized by gender and age. The mean and standard deviation for the number of non-violent crimes by gender and age will be calculated and compared. A cross tabulation will be constructed and the Pearson Chi Square will be used to determine statistical significance. The findings from the Minneapolis case study will be compared to other studies reported in the academic literature. This is useful in helping to

The closing of the Muslim mind Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The closing of the Muslim mind - Essay Example Basically, the Muslims closed the doors to explore the world a millennium ago hence lagged behind Christian based countries in terms of scientific inquiries, technology advancement and economic development. The closing of the mind began to occur between the 9th and 10th centuries. This was a crucial era in the Islam world because the West countries introduced their cultures. The Muslim did not embrace this cultures hence the closure. The closure of the Muslim mind occurred in two ways. The first was to deny the people the capability of knowing anything new while the second was dismissing reality and unrecognizing it. For example, in the Sunni Islam, both concepts were employed in one Ash’arite theological school. Consequently, the gap between men’s reasoning capacity and reality widened which was the source of Sunni Islam’s woes. Reilly states the history of Islam can be understood in four main phases: the Islamic (7th -13th centuries), the Ottoman (1453-1918), t he nationalist (1918-1991) and post-nationalist (1991- to date as it is the current Islam flourishing (Reilly, 2010). The Ottoman and nationalist saw great success in expanding the Muslim world while Islamic and post-nationalist eras saw great conflict and decline. However, the Islamic era did achieve narrow success through schools such as Mu’tazilite who encouraged free will in the Muslim world. Those responsible Earlier in the year 750, the Mu’tazilite school established by advocators of free will, established solid grounds to reason and philosophy. There were interactions between the Muslim who attended Mu’tazilite and Christian theologians showing interest to join the two faiths. The Mu’tazilite had established successfully the developed school of Islamic theology. They insisted that the human mind was free to interpret revelation and choose which relevant religion to follow. This entailed the views of God, the universe and humanity’s place wit hin the world. They hugely concentrated on the human mind to use the voice of reason in developing an understanding between the universe and God. Their concepts were based on eliminating the processes of dehellenisation and intellectual ossification. Dehellenisation process involved the refusal to reason and ignoring facts while intellectual ossification involved traditional beliefs and behavior as opposed to modernity and technology use. However, the success was short lived when Ash’arite challenged the Mu’tazilite doctrine in court which led to their expulsion from court. Those found to be holding the Mu’tazilite doctrine were found to have committed a crime punishable by death. Through this, the Ash’arites had achieved their revenge on the Mu’tazilites for their previous poor treatment. The Mu’tazilites were removed from all government positions. The Ash’arites opposed views of God, the universe and humanity. By the end of the 10th century, booksellers and copyrights were prohibited from trading in literally works of theology, disputation and philosophy which were associated with the Mu’tazilites. As such, the processes of dehellenisation and intellectual ossification were restarted once more. Reilly states that in the 12th century, the anti-rationalist and conservative institutions were close to destroying the Mu’tazilite influence thus ending the most serious attempts of combining reason with Islam as a religion. As a result, the works of Mu’tazilite were destroyed by Ash’arites eventually leading to the closure of the Muslim mind.

Capstone Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Capstone - Essay Example The company operations are segmented in to three; US domestic package, International package and supply chain and freight (UPS, 2013). The supply chain and freight operations offers freight forwarding and logistics services, customs brokerage, supply chain design and management and consulting services to more than 195 countries across the world. Accordingly, UPS has diversified its services to billing technologies, payment solutions and risk mitigation services. The company operates more than 100,000 fleets of package delivery cars, tractors and more than 30,000 containers in airfreight transport. The competitors are United States Postal service, DHL international and FedEx (Magretta 2012). UPS mission, vision, and primary stakeholders UPS mission statement seeks to grow business through meeting the logistic needs of the clients and offering excellent services in all business operations. The company aims at maintaining strong financial position thus offering long-term impressive retu rns to the shareowners (Henry, 2008). Accordingly, the company is geared at inspiring its people and business partners through offering opportunities for personal growth and development. In addition, it is the aspiration of the company to lead by example in being responsible and sustainable company in making the difference in communities through social responsibility initiatives. Some of the UPS’s shared beliefs include integrity in its operations, innovation and creativity and teamwork. Accordingly, UPS is committed to quality and efficiency in the pursuit of excellence and safety of its people and business partners (Magretta 2012). The company is committed to continued environmental stewardship and social responsibility initiatives. UPS has a slogan that asserts; â€Å"what can Brown do for you† thus emphasizing that the company is capable of providing services to everyone across the world and to any address. UPS five forces of competition analysis Michael Porterâ₠¬â„¢s five forces of competition can be used to analyze the competitive strength and position of UPS in the market (Faarup, 2010). The first force is the threat of new entrants in to the market. In this case, the threat of new entrants in the global package delivery business is low due to the large economies of scale of the existing players such as DHL international, UPS and United States Postal service. In addition, large capital outlay is needed to establish operations through purchase of aircrafts, lorries, cars and hiring of personnel. Trade tariffs and international regulations have also made it difficult for other companies to enter in to the market. The second force of competition is the bargaining power of suppliers such as providers of fuel, business partners and trade unions. In this case, the bargaining power of suppliers is high due to demand for better salaries, rising fuel costs and providers of envelops and boxes who demand better prices for their services (Magretta 2 012). The third force of competition is the bargaining power of buyers. In this case, the buyers have moderate bargaining power due to high brand recognition, high brand loyalty and high switching costs (Henry, 2008). The fourth competitive force is the threat of substitutes in the global market. The threat of substitutes in the market is low since no real substitutes of airfreight and the company has diversified its services to offer integrated global shipping network (Faarup, 2010). In addition, UPS has controlled the threat of sub

Controversial topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Controversial topic - Essay Example Regarding effects due to gene-flow, the EPA showed in 2010 that 83% of wild or weedy canola contains genetically-modified herbicide-resistant genes that were linked to GMO canola crops [2]; if the canola plant were a â€Å"pest plant†, this could hurt the environment Insect-resistance strains significantly decrease pest populations while increasing non-pest insect populations; insect-resistant strains also decreased the amount of pesticides used – and their negative effect on the environment – by 15%, in 2006 [3] Also, not as much resistance as might believed: a series of studies from the Pew Institute showed that most Americans do not support the banning of GMO foods, but instead want the safety of the foods highly regulated [6] End with quote from economist Paul Collier, of Oxford University: â€Å"Genetic modification is analogous to nuclear power: nobody loves it, but climate change has made its adoption imperative.† [7] In this case, increasing world population, combined with decreasing farmable land, may make the adoption of GMOs inevitable. So, let’s fund more research and oversight of GMO

Literature review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Literature review - Essay Example Impediments such as the lack of child-care facilities and stores remaining open only during the usual working hours also exist. Child care can be very expensive, and even for those who can afford it, it is hard to find it. Consequently, it is hard for many mothers to return to work after bearing a child as also for working women to shop. To compound matters, part-time jobs are almost non-existent. Gender and work in Germany: Pre and Post Unification The division of Germany had major repercussions in gender equality, specifically in the matter of division of labor in both paid and unpaid work. In the case of East Germany, it needed and expected men as well as women to be paid workers, while in West Germany, the conservative welfare state typically consigned women to unpaid housewifery and men to breadwinning. Consequently, women of East Germany gained better equality in the labor market than women in West Germany. However, in spite of the East German government’s professed comm itment to eliminate gender inequality altogether, employed women failed to attain full gender equality, particularly with regard to occupational integration, earnings, as well as division of labor at home (Rosenfeld et al, 2001). Institutional change and family formation Institutional control over the course of life and the formation of the family remained high under the highly regulative, pro-natalist and communist government in East Germany. The strong regulative nation was abruptly replaced by the establishment of the democratic West German model after a separation that lasted 28 years. After the downfall of the communist regime in East Germany, there was an intensification of economic pressures all over Germany, and more so in the tumult of changeover in East Germany, rather than in the pre-FRG. East German women reacted to the economic confusion as well as insecurities of the process of transition with de-standardized family formation as also a high incidence of alternative fam ily modes, which was in fact according to their secular familial values. A significant part of the East German story is the strong pattern under the extreme institutional control wielded by the communist system, compared to which the de-standardization after reunification remains in stark contrast (Fasang, 2011). On the contrary West Germany underwent a process of re-standardization of family formation. This comprises of either traditional marriage as also motherhood pattern or an interruption of family formation. This schism is motivated by structural difficulties to merge a career as well as a family, tax concessions for the breadwinner of the family and the never-changing conventional family values in West Germany. In the later stages of re-standardization there is a high incidence of cohabitation, the resultant motherhood out of wedlock, as also divorce. Women’s fertility and employment decisions In either part of Germany, the probability of women bearing a first child is correlated negatively, with employment as well as educational achievement. However, with second and third birth risks, the negative correlation flags. In East Germany, virtually every mother goes back to work 18 months after a birth. However, in West Germany, this ratio is a lot smaller and when the child begins nursery school/school, women enter the labour market yet again in higher ratios. These factors indicate a powerful and strong influence of

Literature Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Literature Review - Essay Example Kundera shows himself both as a talented historian and psychologist. In well-structured, enchanting manner Kundera entraps his readers in the worlds of his novels. His creative works is a sign of ideological struggle of Czech intellectuals in the age of Stalinism. Kundera was a Communist himself when this ideology was born, but very soon he was expulsed from the Party and his career was threatened because of his innocent joke. From that moment Kundera in his novels used jokes, irony and sarcasm in order to show how innocent trifle can ruin lives. This research paper is focused on his two novels â€Å"The Joke† and â€Å"The Book of Laughter and Forgetting†. On the examples of these two works a transformation of Kundera from a scrutinizer of the past to a sarcastic mocker of the past is shown. Dualistic manner of Kundera’s writing is shown as a basis for his novels. Thus the writer talks about the past and the present; he shows realistic and nonrealistic main characters; depicts the gap between heroes’ beliefs and realities etc. His manner of writing is bipolar; in such a way Kundera supposedly wants to show the ambiguity of human lives. This ambiguity was well-discerned on the example of the age of Stalinism. People had to think and act in one way in their daily life, but in their conscious, hearts and souls they lived other lives. Destructive force of Stalinism is shown on the examples of Kundera’s main characters of these two main novels. Ludvik, Helena, Mirek, Tamina and others were destructed by the huge ‘Communist slaughter’. In order to assess their essence, analyze their past, these characters wander between self-analysis and revenge, between accusing them and the history of their lost lives. In these tragic turbulences echoes a destiny of Kundera. Therefore while reading these two novels it is possible to reveal the curtain of mysterious genius of

Coffee Manufacturing Company Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Coffee Manufacturing Company - Case Study Example From this paper it is clear that   to illustrate our finding, the result of the calculation illustrates that the cash flow for the beginning of the first four years of the sales of the New Home Machine projection are correlatively negative ranging from -146.35 to -273.0. In this sense, company may tend to make a loss for the earlier stage of this new projection and spend more money on the promotion of this new project and test marketing cost and so on due to the new project having low reputation, credibility and lack of competition as it is a new entrant within the industry. As the discussion highlights capital budgeting expenditure is usually of very high value; therefore, the management must undertake a careful analysis before resolving to put money in such projects. This is because, if decisions are made without careful analysis, heavy losses can be incurred or else the management can abandon a very profitable project. As such, this project will involve extensive analysis using techniques such as IRR, NPV and PBP. The objective of this capital analysis is to find out whether the management of Coffee Manufacturing Company (CMC) should adopt Home Grinder Cappuccino Machine or abandon it altogether. The decision as to whether to adopt the machine or abandon it will depend on the outcome of different capital budgeting methods including payback method, Net Present Values, and Internal Rate of Return. The analysis will ensure that the management adopts the projects only when there is an assurance that it will be of substantial economic benefit and abandon i t if investing in it will not have any economic relevance. The analysis will involve a variety of capital budgeting techniques such as Net Present values (NPV), Internal Rate of Return (IRR) and Pay back method. To establish the present values, a discount rate, which in this case is the opportunity cost of capital, is used.  

Environment- Topics in Asian Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Environment- Topics in Asian Studies - Essay Example The discussion of the articles will provide a picture of how Asia has emerged as a strong player on the international market, as well as its role in the mitigation of pollution in each country. Outlook on Asian Environmental Status: An Anthropological View The current global trend is leaning towards the reduction of greenhouse gases and the alleviation of global warming. Several countries have already invested millions of dollars to develop technologies that will address these issues, mostly first world countries that have highly advanced industries, such as the US, Japan, and some European countries. However, several developing countries and third-world countries are still at risk of experiencing the adverse effects of pollution; either from land, air, water pollution, or from all of those. To further understand the environmental status of Asian countries, an in-depth look at each country will be discussed, as well as the legislations and government efforts that take place in these countries. One of the many Asian countries that experiences great environmental risks is South Korea. According to Kim Jung-Wk (2004), the stature of the country during the 1960s was focused on a proactive approach of improving the economy by increasing the density of industries, which undermines its traditional strict ethics of preserving the environment. South Korea was once a country that had high regard for nature. In the past generations, environmental crimes were mostly avoided by people due to the severe punishments that went along with it. Locals were keen on reducing wastes and pollution, certain practices were strictly observed on every possible aspect to minimize the use of natural resources, especially wood. Common practices include the design of houses and its strategic positioning making use of exhaust gas from cooking furnaces to provide heat for rooms, utilizing vegetable gardens and animals to recycle waste foods, and using ash and animal wastes as soil compost. In addition, government efforts in protecting the environment were strong during the time, considering the management of the mountains and forests as their number one priority (Jung-Wk, 2004). The Japanese invasion has resulted in turmoil in South Korea being the main reason for the destruction of the environment and destabilizing the strong environmental ethics of this once nature-loving nation. In 1910, reports indicate that a huge portion of the forest have already been reduced due to massive logging (Jung-Wk, 2004). Large shipments of timber were sent to Japan on a regular basis in order to fuel Japan’s war pursuits. Deforestation worsened during the period of the Pacific War which led to the inability of the soil to control flood and drought. This, in turn, resulted in the construction of several large-scale dams all over the country. The effects of deforestation also damaged the river systems and coastal areas. Large deposits of soil in the rivers made it shallow and coast s have been filled with clay deposits, this allowed land reclamation possible that even magnified the negative environment effects. In addition, the abrupt change in cultivated crops from mixed-culture and crop rotation to rice as well as the excessive addition of fertilizers and pesticides caused the fast degradation of the

Pizza Hut Essay Example for Free

Pizza Hut Essay Chiken wings, Spicy wedges, BBQ chiken spin Rolls, Cheese Stuffer, Flaming Wings, Garlic Bread, Garlic Bread Supreme, Garlic Mushrooms, Potato Skins, Behari Chiken Spin Rolls, Pizza Hut platter1, Pizza Hut platter2 . | 2. | Soup Salads:| Sweet Corn and Chicken Soup, Mexican Tomato Bean Soup, Salad Bar. | 3. | Pastas:| Lasagna Florentine, Fettuccine Alfredo, Spaghetti Bolognaise, Creamy Tomato Penne. | 4. | Sandwiches:| Philly Steak Sandwich, Tuna Melt Sandwich , Mexican Chicken Sandwich. | 5. | Pizzas:| Base(PAN pizza, thin’ncrispy Pizza, Stuffed Crust Pizza, Seekh Kebab stuffed Crust Pizza). Supreme(Chicken Supreme, Super Supreme). Chicken Feast(Chicken Tikka, Chicken Fajita, The Euro, Fajita Sicilian, Afghani Tikka). Local Delight(Behari Chicken Pizza, Shawarma Pizza). Beely Treats(Meat Lovers, Hot and Spicy). Classic Pizza(Cheese Lovers, Veggie Lovers). D. L. Y Pizza(Margherita With Toppings(Veggies, Meats, Extra Cheese)). Splitzza(Split the topping and double the taste). | 6. | Desserts:| Starwberry Cheesecake, Ice Cream, Triple Treat, Lemon Cheesecake, Brownie a la Mode, Chocolate Cheesecake, Chocolicious Brownie, Size Does Matter. | 7. | Beverages:| Soft Drink, Fresh Lime, Mineral Water, Orange Juice, Cappuccino, Hot Tea, Coffee. | | | | DEALS | | Serves1| 1 Personal Pan Pizza and a serving of Pepsi. | | Serves2| 1 Regular Pizza, 2 pcs. Garlic Bread Supreme, 1 Salad and 2 servings of Pepsi. | | Serves3| 2 Regular Pizzas, 4 pcs. Garlic Bread Supreme, 1 Salad and 1. 5 ltr. Pepsi. | | Serves4| 1 Large Pizza, 1 Regular Pizza and 1. 5 ltr. Pepsi. | | Serves5| 2 Large Pizzas, 6 pcs. Garlic Bread Supreme, 1 Salad and 1. 5 ltr. Pepsi| | Serves6| 2 Large Panormous Pizzas and 1. 5 ltr. Pepsi. | | Serves1| 1 Personal Pan Pizza and a serving of Pepsi. | | Serves2| 1 Regular Pizza and 2 servings of Pepsi. | | Serves3| 1 Large Pizza and a Pitcher of Pepsi. | | Serves4| 1 Panormous Pizza and a Pitcher of Pepsi. | | | *MIDNIGHT FIESTA: Valid from 12:00 am onwards. Valid for Dine In , Delivery and Take Away. | | Serves1| 1 Personal Pan Pizza, 1 serving of Pepsi and 1 Surprise Gift. | | Serves2| Potato Wedges, 1 serving of Pepsi, 1 Surprise Gift and 1 serving of Ice Cream. |

Research methodology in tourism report

Research methodology in tourism report This chapter outlines the rationale for the research approach and methodology methods chosen and also explains the various processes involved in the research process itself. The methodology is a descriptive part of the research project which provides an evaluation of the methods, techniques and procedures used throughout the investigation. It is used to describe the scope and aims of the various research processes in detail. The subdivision will also briefly outline the meaning and differences between research methods and research methodology. The chapter will also momentarily framework adopting qualitative and quantitative processes. Finally, the research process itself will then be explained and justified and the process of raw data collection will be commented on. 3.2 Meaning of Research It is known that ‘research in common parlance refers to a search for knowledge.’ [Kothari, 2004: 25]. There are various definitions of research, one of which suggests that ‘research comprises defining and redefining problems, formulating hypothesis or suggested solutions; collecting, organising and evaluating data: making deductions and reaching conclusions: and at last carefully testing the conclusion to determine whether they fit the formulating hypothesis.’ [Kothari, 2004: 25]. However, Kumar [2010: 11] argues that research is the ‘pursuit of truth with the help of study, observation, comparison and experiment.’ Therefore, the purpose of research aims to determine answer or questions through the application of scientific procedures. Kothari [2004: 25] further illustrates that ‘the main aim of research is to find out the truth which is hidden and which has not been discovered yet.’ 3.3 Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Methods A mixed method research can be defined in several definitions which have emerged over time incorporating various elements of methods, research processes, and philosophy and research design. Croswell and Clark [2008: 2] outline mixed methods as the combination of ‘qualitative and quantitative approach in the methodology of study.’ It is the type of research in which the researcher combines elements of qualitative and quantitative research approaches. Croswell and Clark [2008: 4] illustrate that mixed method approach is used ‘for the purpose if breadth and depth of understanding and corroboration.’ Therefore a mixed method research approach combining both qualitative and quantitative research methods will be used throughout the research as it accounts for ‘the primary purpose of a study conducted with a mixed methods way of thinking it to better understand the complexity of the social phenomena being studied.’ [Greene, 2007: 20]. 3.4 Qualitative Research A Qualitative approach to the research is to be taken as it will provide an insight into the setting of the problem to generate ideas and/or hypotheses for later quantitative research. Qualitative research allows an individual to obtain information that is not necessarily all statistical if any at all by conducting interviews, producing questionnaires for numerous amounts of people or providing personal information. Qualitative research can also be best identified as a ‘natural setting where the researcher is an instrument of data collection, who gathers words or pictures, analyses them inductively, focuses on the meaning of participants, and describes a process that is expressive and persuasive language.’ [Creswell, 2008: 14]. Patton (2002) also suggests that the ‘thought of research design substitutes and method adoptions can identify directly to the relative strengths and weaknesses of qualitative and quantitative data, therefore the answer to particular questions is primarily a pragmatic one’. Other definition of qualitative can be seen as:- Qualitative research†¦. is based more on information expressed in words†¦This approach is common whenever people are the focus of the study. (Walliman, 2006: 187) Patton [2002: 14] identifies that qualitative method ‘require the use of standardised measure so that the varying perspectives and experiences of people can fit into a limited number of predetermined response categories to which are assigned.’ Furthering to this Patton [2002: 15] argues that qualitative methods characteristically produce a wealth of detailed information from a much smaller sample population that increases the ‘depth of understanding of the cases and studies but reduces generalizability’ [Merriam, 2014: 100], thus, the overall purposes of qualitative research is to achieve ‘understanding of how people make sense out of their lives, delineate the process of meaning-making, and describe how people interpret what they experience.’ [Merriam, 2014: 100]. Hennink, Hutter and Bailey (2011: 97) state that ‘qualitative research is a broad umbrella term that covers a wide range of techniques and philosophies.’ Subsequently, it is not to define as in broad terms qualitative research is an approach that allows a person to examine people’s experiences in details, by using a specific set of research methods. 3.4.1 Strengths of Qualitative Research There are much strength in terms of qualitative research, in forms of personal experiences and a way to gather suitable data which might not have been investigated before. Tracey [2013: 97] states that ‘qualitative research is excellent for studying contexts you are personally curious about but have never had a ‘valid’ reason for entering’. In addition to personal interest or disciplined voyeurism, qualitative data provide insight into cultural activities that might not otherwise be missed in structured surveys or experiments.’ (Tracey, 2013: 97). As a result of these strengths the qualitative research method will be a good research approach as it will identify personal and emotional experiences data and not just statistical this will entail the researcher a better understanding of what emotional motivations people have when travelling, thus reflecting back to the aim is commonly known as quantitative research which compact data that is numerical form which is later evaluated using statistical methods to aid with finding of the outcome of the research obtained. 3.5 Quantitative Research The second research approach will be quantitative research. Quantitative research is scientific investigation that includes both experiments and other systematic methods that emphasize control and quantified measures of performance (Proctor Capaldi, 2006 cited in Hoy, 2009: 1]. Quantitative research is essentially about collecting numerical data to explain a particular phenomenon, particularly questions seem immediately suited to being answered using qualitative methods.’ [Muijs, 2011: 1] ‘Quantitative analysis deals with numbers and uses mathematical operations to investigate the properties of data.’ [Walliman, 2012: 179]. The main characteristic of quantitative data is that it consists of information that is, in some way or other, quantifiably [Rasinger, 2012: 10]. Therefore quantitative data can be implemented into numbers, figures and graphs, and processes it using statistical procedures. 3.6 Research Methods After identifying the types of research approaches that will be used, the next fragment looks at what methods will be most appropriate to this research project. Identifying appropriate research methods are important as Rugg, Gordon, Pete and Marian [2007:2] identifies ‘research determines the overall structure of your research’. 3.6.1 Qualitative Research Methods 3.6.2 Interviews Interviews will be the only qualitative research method used within the research. The purpose of in depth interviewing is not to test hypotheses, and not to ‘evaluate’ as the term that is normally used.’ [Seidman 2013: 9]. Interviews are inherently more flexible, whatever the level of structure, ranging as they do from ‘listening in’ and asking questions in a real-life setting to the standardized recording schedules used by market researchers.’ [Gilham, 2005: 3]. Dougherty [2014: 94] state that ‘different types of interviews produce different types of responses from different people.’ The researcher will identify the most appropriate form of interview to be implemented during qualitative research. There are three common types of interviews; unstructured, structured and open-ended, and structure and fixed response. 3.6.3 Unstructured interviews, Structured and Open-ended, Structured Fix Response Interview Unstructured interviews are characterised by a minimal direction of their content by the interviewer and allow for adapting the questions depending on the respondent [Dougherty, 2014: 94], whereas, structured and open-ended interviews consist of a set of preselected questions that the consultant asks the interviewee. Dougherty [2014: 94] illustrates that ‘this type of interview is considered more flexible than procedures such as surveys and checklists.’ The final type of interview is structured and fixed response. Structured and fix response interviews provide both predetermined questions and responses from which to choose. They allow for standardization and tend to have a high level of reliability. [Beaver and Busse, 2000] 3.6.4 Semi-structured interviews The researcher will therefore use the Semi-structured interview technique used during qualitative research as stated previously ‘unstructured interviews are characterised by a minimal direction of their content by the interviewer [Dougherty, 2014: 94]. By using semi-structured interviews the researcher can seek both clarification and elaboration on the answer given and record qualitative information regarding the topic [Fisher, 2007]. Schensul [1999: 149] best defines semi-structured interviews as a:- ‘predetermined questions related to domains of interest, administrated to a representative sample of respondents to confirms study domains, and identify factors, variables, and items or attributes of variables for analysis or use in a survey’. Semi-structured interviews combine the flexibility of the unstructured, open-ended interview with the directionality and agenda of the survey instrument to produce focused, qualitative, textual data at the factor level’ [Schensul,1999:149]. Semi- structured interviews will therefore accomplish the following objectives, firstly to further clarify the central domains and factors in the study, secondly to operationalize factors variables, thirdly to develop preliminary hypotheses and finally, develop a qualitative base for the construction of an ethnographic survey if required one [Schensul, 1999: 150]. The characteristics of semi-structured interviews are that although there is a question framework to ensure consistency, answers are open-ended and will allow the respondents to communicate their ideas freely. Similar the structured interview, the semi-structured interviews are constructed around a core of standard questions as illustrated in appendix one which identifies the check list the researcher will use to ensure all appropriate questions are asked. The researcher may probe the participant and obtain further classification or detail on a certain topic. As Oppenheim [1998: 81] states ‘the respondent are allowed to say what they think and to do so with greater richness and spontaneity’. 3.6.5 Letter’s to organisations The semi-structured interviews were agreed by the referral of letter as seen in appendix two. The researcher obtained conformation by requesting the arrangement to interview the individual by letter. The letter provided all relevant information regarding the main objectives of the letter and areas of interest, necessary information regarding what the research was about and the need for investigation for the research. The researcher will also request each individual to fill in a consent form, as seen in appendix three. 3.6.5 Who will the interviews by with? The researchers chose three tourism related individuals who all had some kind of relation to the tourism industry within New Quay to conduct interviews with. These particular individuals were chosen as they would be the most appropriate candidate to provide relevant information in regards to the research project. The first interviewee was the General Manager of Quay West. The researcher chose to undertake one of three semi-structured interviews with as Quay West was one of Haven’s Britain’s favourite seaside holiday resort which labelled themselves as ‘Britain’s largest provider of domestic holidays.’ [Haven, 2014]. The researcher could then ask significant tourism related questions that provide interesting findings. The second interviewee was a customer service advisor within the tourist information centre in New Quay. The researcher decided to arrange a semi-structure interview with the tourism information centre as the interviwer can question and obtain an inside knowledge of what types of tourist visit, what motivates tourism to New Quay and their opinion in terms of the reliance of tourism within New Quay. Finally, the researcher requested an interview with a member of the New Quay council. The research choose a member of the New Quay Council with the hope that they can obtain relevant information, first hand experiences with tourism within the town and finally a personal opinion on their thoughts and feeling in terms of tourism within New Quay. 3.7 Strategy of Researcher In Doing Mixed Method Approach The strategy of the researcher in doing the mixed method approach of both qualitative and quantitative research methods was to undertake semi-structured interviews to provide relevant questions reflecting back on the answers that were given to create pilot questionnaires and questionnaires to gather quantitative research. 3.8 Quantitative Research Methods 3.8.1 Pilot Questionnaires and Questionnaires Cargan [2007: 116] defines that ‘a pretest or pilot study is a means of checking whether the survey can be administered and provide accurate data.’ The advantages of questionnaires over interview, for instance, are; it tends to be more reliable, it encourages age’s greater honesty because it is anonymous, its more economical then the interview in terms of time and money and there is the possibility that it may be mailed [Cohen, Manion, Morriosn, 2011: 209]. The researcher will aim to efficiently organize questionnaires as Gillham [2000:6] notes that ‘response to even large-scale questionnaires can be pulled within a matter of weeks’, ensuring questionnaires are returned as prompt as possible. This is why the combined mix methods approach of qualitative and quantitative was used to accomplish more of an accurate research within this dissertation. Consequently, a research instrument like a questionnaire to collect data will be used as the quantitative r esearch methods for its known validity and reliability this can be seen in appendix four. Baring in mind the researcher will also take into consideration the disadvantages of a questionnaire. Which are; there is often too low a percentage of return, if only closed items are used, the questionnaire may lack coverage or authenticity and as Gillham [2000: 2] states ‘they seek to get answers just by asking questions.’ ‘Therefore, Cohen et al [2011: 209] state that ‘there is a need, therefore, to pilot questionnaires and refine their contents, wording and length, etc. as appropriate for the sample is being targeted.’ 3.7 Role of the researchers The first element of the researcher’s role was to contact and arrange interviews via email, the second was to create and distribute questionnaires from answers implemented from the previous interviews. Contacting the interviewee’s was done via sending consent letters to conduct an interview via email as seen in appendix one. Many of the interviews were held during mid-week, Wednesday and Thursday. This was because this was the most convenient time for all interviewee’s and the researcher. The questionnaires were the second element of the researcher’s role. The researcher firstly created a pilot questionnaire as identified in appendix five. This was to ensure all questions asked were appropriate to the research and to ensure the format was correct. Once done the researcher then finalized and distributed the questionnaires on Saturday afternoon during half term in New Quay town. The distribution of questionnaires was 10am to 4pm, providing with enough time t o collect effective data from passing tourists. After the distribution of questionnaires the researcher then collected and analysed. 3.8 Validity, Reliability and Research Ethics The techniques of research selected within the methodology were for the reason that they were convenient, relevant and effective. Alternative motives were that the researcher was able to travel to interviews arranged and collect questionnaires that were distributed. The researcher already had an idea of the area and therefore could co-ordinate her time efficiently during the distribution of questionnaires to the busy areas of the town. To ensure the research was reliable the researcher firstly conducted interviews, from the interviewee’s responses the researcher was than able to create a pilot questionnaire and requested one participant to fill it in as seen in appendix five. Ensuring the pilot questionnaire with all the relevant questions asked was important, once this was clarified the researcher was then able to finalize and distribute the questionnaires, this can also been seen in appendix four. The researcher furthermore had to require ethical approval before data collection commences as ethics is a primary responsibility of conduct of the ethical research which lies with the researcher. This ensured that the data collected during the research process was ethical and did not contravene any of Cardiff Metropolitan University’s ethical regulations. Ethical approval can also be known as a safeguard to the researcher when conducting the research. the research the researcher also considered that occasionally there can be Ethical issues in Research, this includes researchers can be exposed to moral and ethical dilemmas and issues such as two dominant ethical principles in research with human subjects; informed consent and the protection of subject harm.

Competitive advantage and the Dangote Group and MTN Nigeria

Competitive advantage and the Dangote Group and MTN Nigeria The efficiency and effectiveness of any firm is dependent on the activities of other companies, be it a competitor, a supplier of raw materials to the firm or the distributor of its finished goods. In an attempt for a firm to expand its growth and further improve on its performance, it seeks a means of gaining a competitive advantage in the market. As such the firm may want to gain more control of activities that leads to the creation and distribution of its product, delivery of services or the chose to merger with or acquire similar companies so as to curb the threat to which competing firms pose. For the purpose of this research, the study would shed light on the activities of two firms based in Nigeria Dangote Group MTN Nigeria Both companies have impacted greatly on the economy of Nigeria and are leading figures in their respective sectors. These companies have had to employ business Integration methods to further boost the products or services they provide. The primary aim of a firm that chooses to employing vertical, horizontal or conglomerate integration is for the company to grow and gain market power thereby increasing its market share and/or product and service range. The research will explore Integration, the types of integration. It will also provide insight into how the firms were able to exploit the various integration methods furthermore the benefits of integration to the firms and the disadvantages of employing these forms of organising production. Before analysing the various forms of integration adopted by both companies, the work will offer a proper understanding of the following What is Vertical Integration? What is Horizontal Integration? What is Conglomerate Integration? Vertical Integration Vertical integration can be referred to as the process by which a company or firm takes control of the activities that influence the production and/or distribution of its goods and services. This to gain more control of the activities related to production and distribution of company goods, for strategic reasons and also to cut cost by owning the sources to which it relies on for raw materials, intermediate or complimentary goods. At the completion of a product, the distribution of these finished goods to the final consumer in the most efficient and efficient manner is crucial to the company, the company can either delivers the goods to middlemen or retail outlet, it can also rely on the distribution companies such as Inter-Distribution Company in Nigeria. The control of activities for which a company relies on for the completion of its product or service is referred to as backward (upstream) integration, this means that the company tries to gain control of the services provided by its suppliers; these could be raw materials, intermediate goods and complimentary goods. An example of backward integration is when a company that manufactures Chocolate decides to start growing Cocoa. When a company takes control of close to sale post-production activities such as distribution, it is referred to as forward (downstream) integration. An example of this is how the Coca Cola Company distributes its products to numerous outlets. The firm can also opt to engage both backward and forward integration, this is referred to as balanced integration. Horizontal integration Horizontal integration can be referred to as an expansion of a firm either by the act merging or acquiring a business or businesses in the same industry that produce similar products and/or provide similar services. It is a course of action that allows companies that are competitors of the same products or services to come together as one, thereby broadening its activities, scope and market size. An example is the recent consolidation exercise that took place in the Nigerian Banking Industry, which saw Banks being acquired or merging with another Bank in trying to meet up with the N25 billion Naira minimum capital base set by the Central bank of Nigeria. Horizontal Integration can result in a company producing different varieties of the same product or different products that meet the same demand. Horizontal Integration is not without its setbacks, this will be analysed proper with particular reference to MTN Nigeria. Conglomerate Integration Conglomerate Integration can be referred as the coming together of diverse businesses to form as one, providing a wide range of services to different market segments. The businesses that come together are not rivals, as they do not produce the same goods or render similar services. This is in an attempt to create a solid corporate body that is able to reach out into different markets. DANGOTE GROUP The company started as a small cement trading business in 1981 and later diversified into a conglomerate with businesses located in Nigeria, Benin, Ghana and Togo. It is currently engaged in the activities listed below Sugar Manufacturing Refining, Packaging and Distribution Salt Refining, Packaging and Distribution Cement Manufacturing/ Importing, Packing and Distribution Noodles Manufacturing and Distribution Flour Milling, Packaging and Distribution Poly Products Manufacturing Pasta Manufacturing and Distribution Real Estate Logistics Port Management Logistics Haulage Dangote Group in itself is a conglomerate and it has employed the various forms of integration, a relationship exists between these businesses. It should be noted that figures quoted about Dangote Group are related only to their activities within Nigeria and were sourced from the information the firm made available to the public. DANGOTE CEMENT PLC Dangote Cement Plc (DCP) is made up of a combination of six cement terminals and three plants, including the widely publicized Obajana Cement plant, which is the largest cement plant is the sub-Saharan Africa. The company recently merged with Benue Cement Company (BCC), in previous years, the Dangote Cement Plc (DCP) owned shares in Benue Cement Company (BCC). The coming together of these two companies is a horizontal Integration. Cement is produced and imported in trying to meet demand, the transportation of these materials from the sea port to factories and distribution of finished goods is carried out by a company called Dangote Transport (DanTrans). The haulage business is run by Dangote Group and it provides freight services with a fleet of over 5,000 trucks. By controlling the movement of materials and finished goods, the firm has employed vertical integration. It has expanded in a way that it now controls downstream activities. This is also referred to as forward integration. The merger of Dangote Cement Plc and Benue Cement Company has presented enormous benefits. The merger has streamlined the management of both companies, giving the newly merged companies positional advantage which will in turn give the company the power to act effectively, thereby leading to a positive operational and administrative economies of scale. The merger will increase the production capacity, as the company will see its production capacity increase to 20 million metric tonnes annually. Obajana plant alone currently has an annual production capacity of 5.2 million metric tonnes which will increase product capacity by 5 million metric tonnes at the end of the first half of 2011. Benue Cement Company currently produces 3 million metric tonnes and is also expected to increase to four million metric tonnes by the end of 2011. The increase in capacity is made possible because the coming together of the two companies has led to better access to financing. Nigeria cement production is below demand, that is why Dangote Cement Company imports cement, so as to meet demand. A rise in production will see the companys dependence on import reduce which will in turn lead to an increase in turnover, this means that shareholders will reap greater dividend and also gain in share value. The merger will lead to greater operational integration between the two companies, because they will be able to share facilities, inventory and other resources. This is referred to as Synergies. Benue Cement Company will be able to benefit from the superior production technology of DCP and this will significantly reduce the cost of operation. As the company production increases, more profit is made. In line with the companys ambition to expand it will create more jobs, as there will be an increase in the demand for manpower. Dangote Cement Company is the highest producer in the country, it is not without competition. One of its core competitors is the Ashaka Cement Company located mainly in the northern region of the country. With regards to the threat posed by rival companies, the merger will further strengthen the company giving it a wider geographical advantage by the size of its market share. DANGOTE SUGAR REFINERY PLC Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc manufactures Sugar and has its refinery located in lagos, Nigeria. It started production in 2000 and currently has an annual production capacity of 1.4 million metric tonnes. Its production capacity is currently being increased to 2.5 metric tonnes a year which will make it the largest sugar refinery in the world. Dangote Group operates a Sugarcane farming, processing and refining plant called Savannah Sugar Company Limited (SSCL) located in Adamawa, Nigeria. This company was established by the Federal Government of Nigeria in 1997 and was acquired by Dangote Group in 2003. Savannah Sugar Company Limited has a current production capacity of 50,000 metric tonnes per annum as such Dangote Sugar Refinery partly relies on the importation of raw sugar from Brazil, it intends to further reduce that dependency with its recent projection of cultivating 18,000 hectares a year, with approximately of 50,000 employees on board at the end of 2010 which will see raw material production increase to 200,000 metric tonnes annually The sugar cane farm is a backward integration supplying raw material to the sugar refinery, and the sugar refinery in itself is also a backward integration. This is because it supplies Dangote beverages (Dansa Food Ltd) with sugar. The company has two categories of customers Super industrial users who are largely blue chip Nigerian companies which account for about 18 per cent of its sales revenue. These include Nestle Nigeria Plc, Cadbury Nigeria Plc, Seven-Up Bottling Company Plc and Nigerian Bottling Company Plc (NBC). The other group is the distributors who service the retail end of the market (i.e. household and micro industrial users). This group trades in wholesale white sugar and are responsible for near 82 per cent of Dangote Sugars sales revenue. Dangote Sugar Plc also enjoys the services of Dangote Transport (DanTrans) for movement of its raw materials and finished goods, this phase of vertical integration touches both forward and backward integration. Some of the benefit s of integration enjoyed by the Dangote Sugar Plc are listed below Growing Sugar has substantially given Dangote Sugar Plc more control over the source of its raw materials, thereby reducing its reliance on importation. Sugar farming has also reduced the general cost of production, this is because internally sourcing for raw materials does not match the cost of purchasing them from suppliers whose choice of profit can affect the company negatively and it does not attract extra charges that come with importation of raw materials. By adopting the services provided by DanTrans, there is better coordination of company activities and also a reduction in the cost of transportation. Dangote Flour Mills Plc Dangote Flour Mills Plc comprises of 3 factories located in Lagos, Kano and Kwara State with a combined production output of 2.7 million metric tonnes a year. The company imports wheat from the US and some of its products are semolina and flour. Dangote Group has two companies that are heavily dependent on the flour mills company, they are the Dangote Pasta Limited and Dangote Noodles Limited. These two companies rely on the flour mills for raw materials; the form of production adopted here is vertical integration which sees the both companies source for its raw materials from within. Dangote Pasta Limited and Dangote Noodles Limited also share various benefits mentioned earlier about other companies which are Lower cost of acquiring raw materials Better coordination of company activities Dangote Agro Sacks Limited A variety of Dangote Products like cement, salt, flour and sugar needs to be packaged before they are distributed, because of the large volume of sacks that will be needed for this purpose, Dangote Group introduced Dangote Agro Sacks Limited. The company produces polypropylene bags primarily for internal use, and is able to produce 500 million 50kg sacks a year. Agro sacks are able to meet the total packaging demand of Dangote Group. By vertically integrating the activities of Dangote Group, it saves the company millions of naira. Dangote Transportation Limited (DanTrans) With a total of 5,000 trucks, DanTrans is able to meet the transportation needs of Dangote group. These activities range from the transportation of bulk cement from terminals, distribution of finished goods like noodle, cement, beverages, sugar, salt and many others; and also the movement of raw materials to factories for processing. Movement of raw materials to factories are not a close to sale activity, therefore it is regarded as backward integration The distributions of finished goods are downstream activities referred to as forward integration, both are forms of vertical integration. Disadvantages The application of the various integration methods in company activities are not without their shortcomings. Trust Issues: The merger was put on hold for several years as properties of Benue Cement Company were vandalized and set ablaze by protesting workers who saw the merger from a religious and regional perspective. Judging that the Chief Executive of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote is a muslim from the northern part of Nigeria and Benue Cement Company is located in Benue State, with a predominantly Christian population in the Central part of Nigeria. A repeat of such an act will have a negative effect on the companys profit and growth forecast. Emergence of monopoly: The merger of Dangote Cement which is an already sound company with Benue Cement Company will put rival companies at risk of losing their share of the market. This is because competing companies will be restricted by their size, technology and borrowing power, this can lead to the emergence of a monopoly. Vertical Integration is Limited: Though Dangote Group has gained so much control of related inter-company activities, it is still dependant on other companies for materials, an example is Doy Packs Limited which packages Dansa Products. Sustenance: The introduction of new activities poses the question as to whether these companies can be sustained. The larger a company is, the more complex it is to manage. With particular reference to Dangote Flour Mills which also sells flour to consumers through middlemen. In trying to compete with other flour products which have established themselves in the market, Dangote Flour Mills give out goods on credit to middlemen with the hope that when the goods are sold, the middlemen will hold on to their profits and pay for the purchase. This is not the case because many middlemen refuse to pay up even after the goods have been sold, a recent attempt to involve the police in debt recovery has seen middlemen threaten to shift to rival products. Little or no competition: Some companies like Dangote Agro Sacks, which manufactures company sacks and DanTrans, which transports finished goods and raw materials primarily exist to satisfy company needs, as such these companies are less efficient in the areas of innovation and management as a result of the lack of competition. This can be seen in the behaviour of DanTrans truck driver who have continued to give Dangote Group a bad image in the eyes of the public by the manner in which the drive. They have been said to be responsible for accidents that have caused the loss of lives, this has resulted in the burning down of 3 DanTrans Trucks by angry sympathisers along lokoja road, Nigeria this year. Additional Expenses: The merger of the two cement companies will see the companies incur higher expense at Annual General Meetings, Board of Directors and Communication with Shareholders MTN NIGERIA MTN Nigeria is a Telecommunication company which got its license in 2001, it is a part of MTN Group. The company has a heavily rooted presence in Nigeria with an estimated 35 million subscribers and offers a wide range of products and services which include voice communication services, video calling, internet services, street cam service and tracking services. MTN Nigeria has made tremendous investments in Nigeria by rooting telecommunication infrastructure in all 36 states of Nigeria, the transmission has reached over 10,000 villages and over 223 cities. Any company which wishes to succeed aspires to grow, the telecommunication industry has been subject to stiff competition as there are other major players like Glo Nigeria, Etisalat, and Zain Nigeria. In trying to gain competitive advantage in the market, MTN Nigeria horizontally integrated by acquiring VGC Communications for 70 million US Dollars. VGC Communications also provided Telecom services such as fixed line and internet services but it was a relatively smaller company which had a little over 20,000 customers. It is a company that was unheard of in many parts of the country and had only established itself solidly in Lagos state. What used to be known as VGC communications is now known as MTN Hyconnect. MTN Hyconnect now provides broadband internet services and landline services, this is with the aim of tackling the poor internet speed that has plagued the country and also to provide voice services. This act of horizontal integration is targeted at homes, offices, small and me dium enterprises; this acquisition has provided MTN Nigeria with some benefits Cost Savings: Though MTN Nigeria paid $70 million to acquire VGC communications, it has benefited by the already existing structures, the goodwill the company had and also the existing customers. It has been able to save the time and money that would have been needed to start a company from scratch. Economies of Scale: MTN Nigeria has been able to provide similar services to a new range of customers by acquiring VGC Communications. By this geographical expansion it has grown in the number of its customers and the type of services it provides. Competitive Advantage: Once again MTN Nigeria has proven to be a pioneer in the Telecommunication industry as rival companies have continued their competitive onslaught by brings out competing tariff packages and lowering call cost. This brilliant move has seen MTN Nigeria venture into a terrain with lots of opportunities to be exploited. Diversification: By the acquisition MTN Nigeria has ventured into another aspect of telecommunication which is fixed network, this has seen the emergence of a new market with the telecommunication industry. Better access to financing: MTN Hyconnect has grown signifacantly in recent years, tthis is because the company now has access to more funds and has been able to grow ever since, MTN Hyconnect now exists in 3 other places which are Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Ibadan. It has not been a situation of smooth sailing all through, as the following disadvantages have emerged from the acquisition Restricted Growth: MTN Hyconnect is still trying to establish a strong footing, this is because companies like Starcomms provide similar services at relatively lower rates. The continues decline in the general standard of living has also seen homes embrace these services at a slower rate as some will see it as a luxury. Takeover of smaller companies: Acquisition of smaller companies has seen these companies vanish, thereby limiting the choices consumers have and also reduces competition in the industry. Another disadvantage faced by MTN Hyconnect is that, it was a small company at the point of acquisition and has left MTN Nigeria with the giant task of reaching out to the whole country, so far, it exist in 3 states and the federal capital, Abuja. For Hyconnect to succeed, it will require large sums and also a lengthy period of time. Summary Vertical, Horizontal and Conglomerate Integration are different forms of organising production which involves a company gain control of the activities of suppliers and distributors, acquiring or merging with companies that offer similar goods and services, and companies that offer totally different goods and services respectively. Dangote Group is made up of different companies that manufacture cement, salt, sugar, sacks, noodles, flour, beverages and over transport services for company use. It has adopted horizontal integration by merging with Benue Cement Company and has employed vertical integration by producing company sacks, transporting the firms raw materials and finished goods, growing sugar cane for the sugar factory, and sourcing flour for the production of noodles and pasta. With integration, Dangote Group has benefited from economies of scale, saved cost, gain more control of related company activities and has as gained a competitive edge. The application of vertical and horizontal integration has brought forward issues of coordinating larger company activities, incurring additional expense, trust issues, reduced competition in the industry and the fear of an emergence of a monopoly. MTN Nigeria provides telecommunication services ranging from voice communication services, internet services to tracking services. The bid to gain competitive edge has seen the company acquire VGC Communication, a fixed network provider which is now called Hyconnect. The acquisition which has seen MTN Nigeria diversify within the same industry has reaped competitive advantage, growth, cost savings, and the economies of scale that comes with a merger or acquisition. Hyconnect has not fully gain footing because of the activities competing companies and the general standard of living, acquisition has seen smaller companies fade away giving consumers lesser choices. Conclusion Adopting the various forms of organising production has seen the companies grow tremendous, it should also be noted that this has positively affects on the GDP of Nigeria. The fear of the emergence of a monopoly is evident, yet this has further strengthened the positioning of Dangote Group and MTN Nigeria in a very unstable economy.

The First Woman President Of The United States Essay -- essays researc

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton vs. Condoleeza Rice   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I believe that Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton has the better chance of becoming the first woman president of the United States. She is a former First Lady and has had input in the decisions of the Clinton Administration. She worked hand in hand with former President Bill Clinton. She is very smart, a firm believer in her causes such as, helping everyday people, the underprivileged and minorities, etc. Hillary is very outspoken and her voice is heard. She has always believed in advancing the cause civil rights. (Listening to the Media) Hillary Clinton became a resident of New York and ran for and won a seat in the Senate in November 2000. She is the first First Lady elected to the United States Senate and the first woman elected statewide in New York. Her strong negatives were up to 46 percent during her race for senator and she won. Now because of her performance in office, her negatives are down in the mid-30’s. Another supporting factor is that she has run for public office and the people elected her. (Article in, The Washington Times) She is very popular and liked. For the first six years of former President Bill Clinton’s eight years in office she was first on the top ten’s list of most admired women. Her active role began in 1993 when the President asked her to chair the Task Force on National Health Care Reform. She continued to be lead and be the supporter for expandi...

charles schulz :: essays research papers

Perseverance and failure cannot coexist. Failure happens when you quit. When all is said and done, perseverance, commonly referred to as "stick-to-itiveness," is the ultimate success insurance. Nothing can take its place. -Charles Schulz Charles Schulz has persevered through most of his life to ensure that Americans can laugh when they receive the news paper every morning. He worked every day through cancer and wars and even the death of his parents. In a career that spanned nearly 50 years, Schulz drew more than 18,250 "Peanuts" comic strips, which expressed a droll philosophy through his trademark characters, including the hapless, angst-ridden Charlie Brown; Snoopy, a romantic, self-deluded beagle; piano-playing Schroeder; security-blanket toting Linus; and self-centered Lucy. No adult was ever pictured, though the garbled voice of a teacher or parent occasionally resonated in the background. In the beginning "Peanuts" debuted in 1950 and went on to be the most widely read comic strip in the world, with an audience of 355 million in 75 countries. It ran in 2,600 newspapers and was published in 21 languages, including Serbo-Croatian, Chinese, and Tlingit. In a tribute to Schulz, President Clinton said, "For 50 years his keen eye, his good and generous heart, and his active brush and pen have given life to the most memorable cast of characters to ever enliven our daily papers." Schulz died the night before his last strip ran in Sunday papers. In his swan song, he included a signed farewell: "I have been grateful over the years for the loyalty of our editors and the wonderful support and love expressed to me by fans of the comic strip." Born to draw Schulz was born on Nov. 26, 1922, in Minneapolis. He knew from an early age that he was destined to draw comics. As a child, he always had pen in hand. Schulz used the pen for illustrating, not homework, as he flunked several courses in high school. At age 15, Ripley's Believe It or Not accepted a drawing of his dog, Spike, "a hunting dog that eats pins, tacks, and razor blades." He served in World War II in France and Germany. After the war, he dabbled in comics, freelancing for several newspapers and magazines. He drew "Li'l Folks," the predecessor to "Peanuts," for the St. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer Press. In 1950 the United Feature Syndicate began running the strip as "Peanuts," a name Schulz despised. It took several years for the strip to catch on, but when it did, the fire rapidly spread.

The Scottsboro Trials Essay -- essays research papers

Imagine being a black teenager in the south amid the great depression. It was hard enough for whites to find jobs during this time; I can’t even begin to fathom what it would be like being black seeking a job. Many blacks sought hoboing as a common pastime seeing it as an adventure to get them from one small job to another. And this is where the story of the Scottsboro Boys begins.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aboard a southern railroad car was a young black youth named Haywood Patterson. He clutched to the side of the car as it careened back and forth over the rusty tracks. Across the top of the car walked a young white man. Every time this man would walk past Patterson he would step on his fingers. Patterson finally said to the man, â€Å"whenever you need to get through, tell me and I will move my hand†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The young man believed that he did not have to ask someone to move their hands, especially a nigger. This outraged him and he began to shout obscenities and racial slurs at Patterson. Soon after, a stone throwing fight erupted between the white hobos and the black hobos that were riding on the train. All but one white youth was forced of the train by the rocks. This white youth named Orville Gilley was pulled back on. The train itself was picking up speed and Gilley could have gotten killed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A local stationmaster was told the â€Å"attack† by the white hobos that had been thrown off of the train. This stationmaster wired ahead to the next stationmaster to let him know of the situation. As the train slowed down and came to a stop in Paint Rock, Alabama, those that were accused of the future crime had no telling what they were going to be up against. Once in Paint Rock, 9 black youths were rounded up, tied together and taken to prison in Scottsboro Al. Here the boys were placed in a jail cell awaiting their charges. Little did they know an additional charge was going to be added that never even crossed their minds.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While in Paint Rock 2 young women greeted the Posse that came to round up the men from the train. One of these women (Victoria Price) told the posse that she had been raped by a gang of 12 blacks with pistols and knives (Linder, n.d.).They were escorted into the jail so that Victoria could point out her attackers. Here she claimed 6 of the 9 men had raped her. T... ...oys found their way out of Alabama (Linder, n.d.).Andy Wright was the last to leave Alabama in 1950. Some of the boys wrote books on their experiences. The case showed just how indifferent jurors were in the south during the 1930’s, how two women could ruin the lives of 9 men and how politically minded everyone was involved in the trial. The Scottsboro Trials was the only case in history of the US that produced the most trials, convictions, reversals and retrials. In the end this case allowed juries to be open to blacks and helped to ease racial tensions in both the south and north. Reference List Goodman, J. (1994). Stories of Scottsboro; The rape case that shocked 1930’s America and revived the struggle for equality. New York, NY: Pantheon Books. Norris, C., & Washington, C. D. (1979). The Last of the Scottsboro Boys an Autobiography. Toronto, Canada: Putnam Books. Linder, D.O. (n.d). The Trials of the Scottsboro Boys. Retrieved March 14, 2005, from http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/FTrials/scottsboro/SB_acct.html PBS. (1999-2000). Scottsboro Timeline. Retrieved March 27, 2005, from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/scottsboro/timeline/index.html The Scottsboro Trials Essay -- essays research papers Imagine being a black teenager in the south amid the great depression. It was hard enough for whites to find jobs during this time; I can’t even begin to fathom what it would be like being black seeking a job. Many blacks sought hoboing as a common pastime seeing it as an adventure to get them from one small job to another. And this is where the story of the Scottsboro Boys begins.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aboard a southern railroad car was a young black youth named Haywood Patterson. He clutched to the side of the car as it careened back and forth over the rusty tracks. Across the top of the car walked a young white man. Every time this man would walk past Patterson he would step on his fingers. Patterson finally said to the man, â€Å"whenever you need to get through, tell me and I will move my hand†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The young man believed that he did not have to ask someone to move their hands, especially a nigger. This outraged him and he began to shout obscenities and racial slurs at Patterson. Soon after, a stone throwing fight erupted between the white hobos and the black hobos that were riding on the train. All but one white youth was forced of the train by the rocks. This white youth named Orville Gilley was pulled back on. The train itself was picking up speed and Gilley could have gotten killed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A local stationmaster was told the â€Å"attack† by the white hobos that had been thrown off of the train. This stationmaster wired ahead to the next stationmaster to let him know of the situation. As the train slowed down and came to a stop in Paint Rock, Alabama, those that were accused of the future crime had no telling what they were going to be up against. Once in Paint Rock, 9 black youths were rounded up, tied together and taken to prison in Scottsboro Al. Here the boys were placed in a jail cell awaiting their charges. Little did they know an additional charge was going to be added that never even crossed their minds.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While in Paint Rock 2 young women greeted the Posse that came to round up the men from the train. One of these women (Victoria Price) told the posse that she had been raped by a gang of 12 blacks with pistols and knives (Linder, n.d.).They were escorted into the jail so that Victoria could point out her attackers. Here she claimed 6 of the 9 men had raped her. T... ...oys found their way out of Alabama (Linder, n.d.).Andy Wright was the last to leave Alabama in 1950. Some of the boys wrote books on their experiences. The case showed just how indifferent jurors were in the south during the 1930’s, how two women could ruin the lives of 9 men and how politically minded everyone was involved in the trial. The Scottsboro Trials was the only case in history of the US that produced the most trials, convictions, reversals and retrials. In the end this case allowed juries to be open to blacks and helped to ease racial tensions in both the south and north. Reference List Goodman, J. (1994). Stories of Scottsboro; The rape case that shocked 1930’s America and revived the struggle for equality. New York, NY: Pantheon Books. Norris, C., & Washington, C. D. (1979). The Last of the Scottsboro Boys an Autobiography. Toronto, Canada: Putnam Books. Linder, D.O. (n.d). The Trials of the Scottsboro Boys. Retrieved March 14, 2005, from http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/FTrials/scottsboro/SB_acct.html PBS. (1999-2000). Scottsboro Timeline. Retrieved March 27, 2005, from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/scottsboro/timeline/index.html

New Global Strategies for Competitive Advantage

1. High intensity domestic competition breeds international success. 2. In the diamond-shaped chart, there are key elements of it success is to be sustained: Company strategy (structure and rivalry), factor conditions, demand conditions, related and supporting industries. 3. The home base shapes a company’s capacity to innovate rapidly in technology and methods and to do so in the proper directions. 4. A global strategy supplements and solidifies the competitive advantage created at home base. 5. The most important sources of national advantage must be actively sought and exploited. 6. Caught up in a never-ending process of seeking out new advantages and struggling with rivals to protect them. 7. Stability is valued in most companies, not change. Protecting old ideas and techniques becomes the preoccupation, not creating new ones. The long-term challenge for any firm is to put itself in a position where it is most likely to perceive, and best able to address the imperatives of competitive advantage. Expose a company to new market and technological opportunities that may be hard to perceive.Preparing for change by upgrading and expanding the skills of employees and improving the firm’s scientific and knowledge base. Overcoming complacency and inertia to act on the new opportunities and circumstances. Much attention has rightly been places on the importance of visionary leaders in achieving unusual organizational success. Great leaders are influenced by the environment in which they work. Innovation takes place because the home environment stimulates it. Innovation succeeds because the home environment supports and even forces it.The right environment not only shapes a leader’s own perceptions and priorities but provides the catalyst that allows the leader to overcome inertia and produce organizational change. Great leaders emerge in different industries in different nations, in part because national circumstances attract and encourage them In many industries, the national environment provides one or two nations with a distinct advantage over their foreign competitors. Leadership often determines which particular firm or firms exploit this advantage.The ability of any firm to innovate has much to do with the environment to which it is exposed. Seeking safe havens and comfortable customer relationship only reinforces past behavior. Innovation grows out of pressure and challenge. It also comes from finding the right challenges to meet. The main role of the firm’s leader is to create the environment that meets these conditions.8. The new rules for innovation, a company should actively seek out pressure and challenge not try to avoid t hem. Part of the task is to take advantage of the home nation in order to create the impetus for innovation.Some of the ways of doing so are: seel to the most sophisticated and demanding buyers and channels seek out the buyers with the most difficult needs, establish norms of exceeding the toughest regulatory hurdles of product standards, treat employees as permanent, and establish outstanding competitors as motivators.9. The true costs of stability. Such a search for a quiet life, and understandable instinct, has led many companies to buy direct competitors or from alliances with them, in a closed, static world, monopoly would indeed be the most comfortable and profitable solution.In reality competition is dynamic. Good managers always run a little scared, they respect and study competitors. Seeking out and meeting challenges is part of their organizational norm. A firm need not exclusively serve demanding buyers nor should it compete head on with any rival. The aim in seeking pres sure and challenge is to create the conditions in which competitive advantage can be preserved. In global competition, the pressures of demanding local buyers, capable suppliers, and aggressive domestic rivalry are even more valuable and necessary for long-term profitability.These drive the firm to a faster rate of progress and upgrading than international rivals, and lead to sustained competitive advantage and superior long-term profitability. A tough domestic industry structure creates advantage in the international industry. A comfortable, easy home base, in contrast, leaves a firm vulnerable to rivals who enjoy greater dynamism at home. If a firm lacks the pressures for improvement and innovation, it must create them10. Perceiving industry change. One of the most important advantages an industry can have is early insight into important needs, environmental forces and trends that others have not noticed.Firms gain competitive position before rivals perceive an opportunity and are able to respond. Identify and serve buyers with the most anticipatory needs. Some buyers will confront new problems or have new needs before others, because of their demographics, location, industry, or strategy. Buyer with anticipatory needs should be identified, designated as priorities and cultivated. Discover and highlight trends in factor costs. Increases in the costs of particular factor or other inputs may signal future opportunities to leapfrog competitors by innovating to deploy inputs more effectively or to avoid the need for them altogether.Maintain ongoing relationship with centers of research and sources of the most talented people. Identify the places in the nation where the best new knowledge is being created that is now or might become relevant to its industry. Identify school, companies, institutions where the best specialized human resources needed in the industry are being trained. Invest time and money. Study all competitors, especially the new and unconventiona l ones. A firm should designate the most forward-looking or unconventional competitors for particular study, including foreign competitors who may enjoy the benefits of a very different home base.Learn from competitors as to develop strategies to counter them. Bring some outsiders into the management team. Managers from other companies or industries or from the company’s foreign subsidiaries. Benefit the innovation process.11. International within the national cluster. Firm gains competitive advantage from the presence in its home nation of world-class buyers, suppliers and related industries. Have a strong cluster at home unblocks the flows of information and allows deeper and more open contract than in possible when dealing with foreign firms. Buyers, channels and suppliers.Recognizing that home-based buyers and suppliers are allies in international competition, a firm must persuade: regular senior management contact, formal and ongoing interchange between research organiza tions, reciprocity in serving as test sites for new products or services and cooperation in penetrating and serving international markets. Related industries. Industries those are related or potentially related in terms of technology, channels, buyers, or the way buyers obtain or use products, are potentially important to creating and staining competitive advantage.Locating within the nation. A firm should locate activities and its headquarters at those locations in the nation where there are concentrations of sophisticated buyers, important suppliers, groups of competitors, or especially significant factor-creating mechanisms for its industry. Geographic proximity makes the relationship within a cluster closer and more fluid.12. Serving home base buyers who are international and multinational. Identify and serve buyers at home that it can also serve abroad.13. Improving the national competitive environment.14. Diversification.Part of company strategy in virtually every nation. Acqu isitions were involved in international success stories, the acquisitions were often modest or focused ones that served as an initial entry point or reinforced an internal entry. Theory for diversification strategy are as follow:New industries for diversification should be selected where a favorable national â€Å"diamond† is present or can be created. Diversification proposals should be screened for the attractiveness of the home base.Diversification is most likely to succeed when it follows or extends clusters in which the firm already competes.Internal development of new businesses, supplemented by small acquisitions, is more likely to create and sustain competitive advantage than the acquisition of large, established companies.Diversification into businesses, lacking common buyers, channels, suppliers or close technological connections is not only likely to fail but will also undermine the prospects for sustaining advantage in the core businesses.15. To sustain competitiv e advantage in global industries, a firm must sell to all significant country markets. Identifying such buyers in other nations will help a firm understand the most stimulate rapid progress in products and services.16. A firm must be willing to source products or equipment from foreign firms if they are superior. Also work to upgrade local suppliers. Loyalty to domestic suppliers, for its own sake, is ultimately self-defeating. The best form for this is to confront them in no uncertain terms with the need to match their foreign competitors in quality and productivity in order to retain the business.A firm aspiring to competitive advantage must be aware of, and ideally have some access to, all the important scientific work going on in the world that is related to its industry.17. A firm must be the best rivals in the marketplace in order to sustain and upgrade its advantage. Must find a way to gain advantage over the best rivals in order to assure its market position. Meet rivals in all the important markets is to deny them profits in safe markets that can be used to cross-subsidize low profits in contested markets.18. Choose a location that will expose the firm to significant needs and pressures lacking at home. The purpose is to learn as well as raise the odds that information passes credibly back to the home base.19. Foreign acquisitions can serve for: gain access to a foreign market or to selective skills and to gain a highly favorable national diamond.20. Alliances or coalitions are final mechanism by which firm can seek to tap national advantages in other nations. Alliances take form as joint ventures, licenses, sales agreements and supply agreements. Alliances are a tempting solution to the dilemma of a firm seeking the home-base advantages of another nation without giving up its own (are rarely a solution).21. Real leaders believe in change. Energize their organizations to meet competitive challenges. Find ways of overcoming the filters that limit infor mation and prevent innovation. Have a broad view of competition in which their national environment is integral to competitive success. Work hard to improve that environment and to encourage appropriate government policies.

Hospitality Industry Knowledge

Hospitality Industry Knowledge 1. List six sources of current industry information: – Media: Such as newspapers, television, magazines and radio. The media publicises current information, trends developing and any government initiatives. – Customers: By doing customer questionnaires this can inform enterprises as to what they need to improve, as well as which staff are working well. – Information services: For example the Australian Bureau of Statistics and Tourism NSW (all these services are provided by the government) and provide a whole range of issues within the industry. Internet: Sites such as The World Tourism Organisation (WTO) provide information on environmental issues and trends frequently. Anyone can publish anything on the internet, so it is important to check that the information sourced is credible and correct. – Industry Journals: (Also known as trade magazines) are not available from local industries and usually require a subscription, as they are extremely valuable sources of current information. Within the either national / international journals hospitality positions are advertised, trends are addressed and practices of various enterprises are shown. Training courses: May either be on-site or off-site, and provide the opportunity for staff to experience specific training in a chosen area. 2. Differentiate between primary and secondary sources of information: A primary source is when information is gathered first hand, whereas secondary source is when the information is gathered from a source that has already conducted the research. 3. Indentify the basic research skills that are required when researching: It is important to recognise that the source is credible and that it is of relevance. . List three channels that may be used to disseminate information once collected: Media, Internet and customers. 5. Explain the importance of updating hospitality industry knowledge: Updating hospitality industry knowledge ensur es quality service is maintained and the customer’s needs are constantly being met. 6. Analyse recent government initiatives affecting the hospitality industry: Government initiatives are acts by the government that result in a number of impacts on the industry. Promoting Australia’s image overseas: In campaigns such as â€Å"where the bloody hell are you? † and ‘Australia week’ in the USA; and enhances Australians quality of life as well as boosting tourism in regional areas. – Australian tourism industry: Over $600 million was allocated to the Australian tourism industry in the 2004/05 federal budget. The government set up a new body in 2004, ‘Tourism Australia’, having $120 million allocated to the body in 2004 in order to market Australia internationally as a holiday destination over the following years. To market tourism within regional areas of Australia, an extra $45 million was allocated. – The federal government is now taking on apprentices (New Apprenticeship’s Scheme). This will help with the costs accompanying training new apprentices and offers and encourages employers to take on new enterprises. By introducing these further funds for enterprises, it has also allowed students to take on a part-time apprenticeship whilst attending school, as well as enabling more flexibility for those wishing to pursue a career in commercial cooking. Obesity: This issue has been constantly reported via the media, statistics stating that now over 50% of the Australian population are overweight. This is a result of certain lifestyle changes: individuals are now less active, have increased their consumption of fatty/high energy foods, and often resort to fast food because they believe they do not have enough time to cook themselves. The health problems connected to being overweight have placed a lot of pressure on the health system. This has resulted in the government introducing healthy eating campaigns and new school canteen food requirements. Farmer kits: Was launched by the Federal Minister for Tourism in 2003: ‘Farm and Country Tourism on your Property: Assessment Tool’ These kits were for families looking to enter the agricultural tourism industry and enables them to see whether or not their farm is suitable. 7. Explain recent trends in emerging markets and the importance of internet presence for business: The Internet has enabled the hospitality industry to access a wider market, allowing budding customers to view the available products and services of different enterprises, and to make a booking online. Internet booking have increased dramatically over the past few years (due to the ‘technically savvy’ Y-Generation) and has resulted in an increase in competitiveness between hospitality enterprises. 8. Analyse the impact of social issues on the hospitality industry: Some enterprises choose to become involved with the community by doing things such as participating in community fundraising (e. g. providing a complimentary meal) or by contributing left-over food to charities. The obesity epidemic has also caused the hospitality industry to provide healthier menus, so that consumers now have the option of having either fatty or healthier food. Doing so has caused the face of the hospitality industry to change, as they are no longer regarded as selling only fatty foods. Racial tensions were a result of the Cronulla Riots in Sydney. A number of businesses were closed down, and when re-opened were not able to operate due to a lack of customers. Due to an increase in intoxication and binge drinking licensed premises must ensure they do not serve intoxicated people, as intoxicated people are more likely to commit crimes. The government has responded to this by introducing curfews and lockouts within problem areas. They have also raised the price on Alco-pops to discourage young people from drinking excessively. 9. Outline factors that have caused expansion within the industry: Factors that have caused expansion within the industry include: – International sporting events: attracts a large number of short-term visitors – Cultural events: attract people to specific regions – Seasonal influences: increased travel during holidays, in particular the Christmas and summer holiday period – New liquor licensing laws: may encourage more small bars to open – Medical tourism: hospitality provides forming partnership with hospitals 10. Outline factors that have caused retraction within the industry: – An oversupply of facilities after the 2000 Sydney Olympics – Incidents (such as war on Iraq, tsunami, SARS) resulted in less abroad people travelling to Australia, although inbound tourism did increase – Competition among enterprises caused them to slash their prices (reduced profit) – World oil prices increased which resulted in airline tickets increasing and households to restrict their extra spending money (due to increased cost in petrol) – Rising food prices caused higher menu prices, which may deter customers from dining out – Credit crisis 1. Describe current labour issues and their impacts on enterprises: – Labour turnover: Employee’s left with few hours during the quieter months may choose to leave and find alternative employment. The cost of losing / replacing staff members is quite substantial and costs thousands per employee. – Shortage of qual ified chefs: result of more students staying to year 12 rather than leaving in year 10 – Hiring staff with illegal visa statuses – Paid unjustly: a number of employee’s in the industry are unaware of their rights and may be paid lower wages 2. Explain technological issues affecting the hospitality industry: – Has improved the delivery of customer service and impacted on the delivery of training – Systems and procedures are now more efficient and has reduced many errors and has enabled service to be provided more timely. – Addressed skills shortages by allowing individuals to complete training courses in a more flexible environment through registered training organisations on-line.