Mercedes Benz All Activity Vehicle Essay

The target costing case literature contains numerous examples of Japanese cost management practices; however, few cases describe the use of target costing by large companies outside Japan. The purpose of the Mercedes-Benz AAV case is to consider the competitive environment of a leading German automotive manufacturer and the company’s response to changing competitive conditions. The teaching plan generally follows the suggested student assignment questions. In places, I recommend considering additional material during the case discussion. These questions are identified by a check mark. Student Assignment Questions 1. What is the competitive environment faced by MB? Students will identify a number of changes, including significant market share lost to Japanese companies such as Lexus. Stress the importance of a cultural change taking place within top management at Mercedes. Reinforce that Mercedes is a company that had never lost money. They simply built the best car their engineers could design and priced it above cost. Demand often exceeded supply. As a result, cost had never been a primary consideration. Changes include: cost competition; product innovation. 2. How has MB reacted to the changing world market for luxury automobiles? Students should identify the following changes implemented by management at Mercedes; try to get them to explain how different these approaches were from traditional strategies at Mercedes: many new product introductions; partnering with suppliers; reduced system complexity; new emphasis on cost control; layers of management reduced; lead time from concept to introduction reduced. 3. Using Cooper’s cost, quality, functionality chart, discuss the factors on which MB competes with other automobile producers such as Jeep, Ford, and GM. If the instructor wishes to give a brief mini-lecture on Robin Cooper’s  survival triplet and confrontation strategy, this is a good point in the case discussion to do so. (Robin Cooper, When Lean Enterprises Collide, Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1995.) The factors are: price-at mid to upper range of zone; quality-at upper range of zone; functionality-at upper range of zone. An interesting point to discuss is that Mercedes does not produce the most expensive sports utility vehicle. This distinction is reserved for the Land Rover; however, they strategically placed themselves toward the luxury end of the spectrum. Also, unlike many Japanese examples, Mercedes does not use target costing as a strict cost control mechanism to produce the lowest priced product in its class. 4. How does the AAV project link with MB strategy in terms of market coverage? The new introductions expand the product line of the traditionally luxury-oriented manufacturer. Recent product introductions include the following: A class; C class; SLK; E class; M class. These new introductions include new sports cars and off-road vehicles. The C-class is a mid-sized vehicle sometimes referred to as the baby-Benz. Let’s discuss the elements of the target costing model and how these elements are developed. At this point in the discussion I usually write the target costing formula on the board and ask students to consider sources of various inputs: selling price; margin; target cost. What are the sources of input for the projected selling price? Students will most likely identify the following sources of information: customer focus groups comparable products: – existing; – potential. Stress the broad, cross-functional aspects of acquiring consumer information. To compare products, the company had to evaluate existing competitive vehicles as well as vehicles under development. What factors are considered when developing the required margin? This question provides a link to finance classes. Most students have studied the concepts of weighted-average cost of capital. I recommend spending a few minutes reviewing these concepts and linking cost of capital to net present value (NPV) analysis. Because of the capital-intensive structure of automobile manufacturing, production volume is a critical factor in determining each model’s NPV. Students may identify the following points for determining a required margin. long-run profitability; cost of capital; profitability across the entire product mix (classes of vehicles); sales volume by class. The MB case suggests the target cost is â€Å"alive.† Is this consistent with the ideals of target costing? I generally emphasize that Mercedes did not consider the target cost to be locked in. It was a moving target. As engineering changes became necessary, the target cost was allowed to move. However, before making a change, market forces were considered. For example, changes included the addition of side airbags. In addition, the European press was critical of a simulated wood-grain part. Management decided the part would remain plastic because costs could not be passed on to the consumer. The main point to emphasize is the design of the vehicle is dynamic; thus costs must evolve to reflect the changing design characteristics. 5. Explain the process of developing a component importance index. How can such an index guide managers in making cost reduction decisions? The index development process has five steps, as follows: consumer importance category rankings; target cost percentage by function group; category: function group matrix; importance index; target cost index; I recommend making slides of Tables 1-5 to facilitate discussion. Index development is an important element in the early conceptualization phase of the AAV. The indexes help to quantify some very abstract concepts. Table 1. From conversations with potential consumer groups, a list of key categories was developed. Next, potential customers were asked to rate the importance of each category. Their responses were computed as a percentage. Thus, safety and comfort of the AAV were viewed as significantly more important than economy and styling. Table 2 represents a rough estimate of the cost by function group and the relative percentage. The information is used later to create a target cost index. Table 3 is best understood by reading each category as a column. The rows explain the relative importance of each function group to satisfying each category defined by customers. An interesting aspect of this table is that the link between consumer preferences and engineering components is made explicit. Table 4 builds on Table 3 by weighting the percentages computed in Table 3 by the importance percentage calculated in Table 1. The key point is to understand which function groups contribute the most (least) to important (less important) consumer categories. Table 5 results in a target cost index that attempts to capture cost and benefit trade-offs. As discussed in the case, this index may indicate a cost in excess of the perceived value of a function group. Thus, opportunities for cost reduction (aligned with customer requirements) may be identified. 6. How does MB approach cost reduction to achieve target costs? At this point, ask students to identify various value-engineering strategies. At Mercedes, reducing the cost of each function group was accomplished by reducing costs of various components that make up the function group. Stress the importance of this approach over an â€Å"across-the-board† cut. 7. How do suppliers factor into the target costing process? Why are they so critically important to the success of the MB AAV? From the conceptual phase through the production phase, the suppliers of systems for the AAV truly were partners. Suppliers attended regular meetings with the cost planners throughout the entire process. Thus, suppliers were design and development partners from very early stages of development, responsible for meeting cost targets. Why is the relationship with suppliers a crucial element in the success of the AAV? Suppliers provide entire systems for the AAV. The facility uses a JIT production system. In fact, many suppliers deliver directly to the assembly line, rather than to a small warehouse. The Black Warrior River separated Mercedes and a major system supplier. This supplier built a new production facility on the same side of the river as the Mercedes Benz plant to avoid possible delays associated with accidents on a major bridge. 8. What role does the accounting department play in the target costing process? Stress the fact that accountants were watchdogs in the target costing process. Their primary responsibility was to ensure costs did not exceed targets during the production phase. Thus, the accountants’ role was as follows: cost control; actual vs. target: development stage; production stage. What are some of the organizational barriers that may challenge managers attempting to introduce TC systems? Try to get students to identify various impediments to target costing systems in the United States. Examples may include: willingness to share cost data with suppliers; suppliers treated as adversaries; government regulations affecting exchange of information.

Developmental Stages Matrix Essay

Due to the fact that the nervous system is not yet fully developed at this stage, a lot of the actions performed during this stage can be involuntary or just abrupt and spontaneous. Vision is undeveloped at ages 1 month to 5 months. Typically they are able to see just roughly 10 inches out. Once they reach 6 months old, their vision should be at full capacity, Initially, all actions are involuntary. Their arm may go up, but they are unsure as to how it got there, or why did it just hit them in their face. Suckling is another involuntary movement that is simply in their nature to do. Slowly they begin understanding that they control these movements. They are then able to figure out what they want and how to get what they want. Learning to trust the primary caregiver. Believing they will continue to feed them, change them, play with them, comfort them etc. Their primary form of communication is crying or cooing. When they need something they will cry to indicate a current need is not b eing met. Typically a coo would indicate all is well and they are content. Early Childhood During infancy, the body is very disproportionate. During the transition into early childhood, the body starts to transform in to what seems to appear as a mini adult form. The baby fat begins to go away, they gain a longer neck, and the round belly shrinks. During this stage they grow approx.. 2-3 inches per year. Brain development continues during early childhood. Children learn rapidly and brain changes enable more reflective coordinated thought and memory (Stassen Berger, 2010). Children learn when and how to express emotion. Emotional regulation influenced by brain maturation. Social guidance gradually increases from age 2-6. Children teach one another to be kind and loyal and how to control aggressive impulses (Stassen Berger, 2010) Middle and Late Childhood Growth slows down and muscle develops and health is usually good. Many children age 7 to 11 eat too much and exercise too little and become obese and overweight as a result (Stassen Berger, 2010). School age children have active minds and can learn almost anything. Reaction time increase. The brain becomes more selective in attention. Children are more efficient in memory (Stassen Berger, 2010). There are important transitions that happen during middle and late childhood that grow during adolescence. At the stage of middle and late childhood, children still relate to their families. Their parents have a strong influence regarding their decisions and actions. However, friendships are starting to grow and become more and more important. Friendships are developed based on â€Å"convenience†. However, similar interests are starting to become an important factor in making friends. Friends have not yet become an influence in behavior. The urge to be independent hasn’t taken p lace yet. Adolescence Puberty takes places during adolescence. Each step involved with puberty happens at different ages. A non-physical change associated with puberty is the release of hormones. One of the hormones is the sex hormone. This causes a heighten desire for sexual activity. Physically, females go through changes such as the growth of their breast, the beginning of their menstrual cycle, and a growth spurt. Males go through a growth spurt, enlargement of the testicles and penis, and their first ejaculation. The adolescent brain develops at different times. The portion of the brain associated with emotions develops first. This explains why teenagers show a range of emotions are easily made upset. During the later adolescent years the brain develops the prefrontal cortex, which is associated with making healthier decisions and planning ahead (Berger 2010). Because of the delay of in brain development, teenagers do not think of the consequences of their actions. It is also during this stage that teenagers develop a sense of self, identity. During adolescence teenagers search for independence. Although they are not old enough to support themselves and make their own decisions, they try to find small ways to experience independence. Teenagers will try to make decisions on what they wear and what they do with friends. These kinds of decisions can create tension between teenagers and their parents. Parents are losing control of their teenager. They also do  not share the beliefs of their teenager because they belong to a different cohort. While teenagers are trying to establish their own beliefs and morals, they can clash with their parents. During this stage in life teenagers will conflict the most with their parents. Friends become the main influence in an adolescent’s decisions. It is during this stage that a teenager cares the most about what their friends think. Early Adulthood In early adulthood, between adolescence and middle age, the body begins to change. This is sometimes the point where the body is at its healthiest. Changes in diet affect how weight is gained or lost. How proper health habits will change the way the body reacts and grows. Life experiences begin to lend a hand to problem solving. More experiences lead to better decision making when it comes to relationships, career choice, or what events to attend. More of a realistic look on life versus a daydream or an idea. Goals are achieved by becoming more focused on the tasks in front of them, The ability to process problems for the best solution. Desire for intimacy. Having personal relationships become more fulfilling. A sense of self-sacrifice when it comes to others. A sense of belonging when in large groups. Fears isolation, ridicule, and loneliness. Change of behavior occurs dependent on the individual’s marital status, and continues until status is changed. Establishment of career goal and status. Middle Adulthood Aging has become a factor. Hair begins to turn grey or become lost, skin begins to wrinkle, and the body slows when it comes to metabolism which decreases weight loss. Women may start going through menopause while testosterone levels will decrease in men. The brain in middle adulthood goes through some changes and begins to slow down. People start to become forgetful and cannot remember things, which can be very frustrating and people start going into a midlife crisis. This is all caused by the brain shrinking as we get older. A person’s personality and temperament also changes as they begin to age. Middle aged is important time to have and keep good friends who are also in their middle age. The reason is that they are also going through all the different changes and all the anxiety as you are. Having friends that are going through the same things as you is very beneficial and supporting especially when you are having a hard time dealing  with the changes in life. Intimacy i s also something that is always needed throughout all stages of life. Late Adulthood In late adulthood, it is very common to lose vision to where it is harder to see things and it is common to develop cataracts, glaucoma, or macular degeneration. More common physical changes are sensory loss and more health problems such as cardiovascular disease which is common in late adulthood. It is very important for the elderly to get some exercise just like they use to do when they were younger, whether it is just walking, climbing stairs, or something that keeps you moving and not staying still all the time are all ways to stay healthier The adult brain in late adulthood changes just like it does all throughout life. In late adulthood, the brain does not function as well as it use to during the younger days. There is a lot more confusion and it is harder for a lot of elderly to understand things. As people get into their late adulthood they start gather some things that mean a lot to them and hoard them for safe keeping. Also people like to keep traditions going in order to stay in touch with family and friends as they age. Some people also still continue to work as long as they do not have any disabilities restricting them from doing so, while others are retired and rely on their retirement funds, AARP, disability payments or Medicaid to survive. Then as we get older, we start having to deal with the sad part of life called death that happens to everyone at some point in life.

History of African American Music

The history of African American music has been characterized by a mixture among various forms of music. Country blues, urban blues, New Orleans Jazz, Bebop, big-band jazz, and rhythm and blues, have all influenced each other profoundly. These influences flowed back and forth among the various forms. But, black gospel music had only a very limited effect on popular styles, until a few church-trained artists, such as Sam Cooke and Ray Charles, began to incorporate gospel styling into their popular work.The result is usually described as â€Å"soul music,† a mix of blues, rhythm and blues, and gospel voices. But, if Ray Charles was one of the â€Å"originators† of soul music, â€Å"Aretha Franklin reshaped it,† by bringing even more of her gospel background to bear on secular love songs (Wade and Picardie 27). By combining popular elements with her stunning voice, her great musicianship, and the feeling for a song that she learned in church, Aretha became one of the greatest soul singers to ever live. Aretha Franklin is a well-known pop, R&B, and gospel singer.She has been nicknamed â€Å"The Queen of Soul† and is an internationally known artist and a symbol of pride in the African American community. Her popularity soared in 1967 when she released an album containing songs â€Å"I Never Loved a Man†, â€Å"Respect†, and â€Å"Baby I Love You. † Throughout her career she has achieved fifteen Grammy Awards, Lifetime Achievement Award, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Legend Awards, and many Grammy Hall of Fame Awards. In 1987 she became the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.Time magazine chose her as one of the most influential artists and entertainers of the 20th century. She sang at Dr. Martin Luther King’s funeral and at former President Bill Clinton’s inaugural party. Although she has all these accomplishments and awards there are other reasons that have driven Fr anklin to fame and landed her on the front cover of Time magazine on June 28, 1968. The reasons I believe allowed Aretha Franklin to become so successful are the following: Her family’s involvement with religion, the inspiring people that surrounded her, and the pain she suffered.It is clear that because her family’s involvement with religion would be one reason why Aretha Franklin became as famous as a Gospel singer. Some people would say that her love for religion is unbelievable, but after researching her childhood it is very believable. Her father, Reverend Clarence LaVaugh Franklin lived in Shelby Mississippi and preached while living the life of a sharecropper. As soon as he had enough money, he would move to Memphis, Tennessee to become a pastor of two churches. After a couple of years he attended LeMoyne College, and he studied Education and English Literature.With his education he was able to bring a more liberal view to his preaching’s. Then he moved t he family to Buffalo, New York. When he had the resources, he moved the family again to Detroit, Michigan were he settled and became a pastor of a churched called New Bethel Baptist Church. He quickly became one of the most famous pastors in the city of Detroit. Aretha was two years old when they made their final move, she would grow up here and grab the emotion of Church and incorporate it into her music. Aretha Franklin’s mom, Barbara V. Skaggers, served as choir director and pianist.Aretha describes her mom as â€Å"a Superb singer, her voice was clear and distinctive†. (Franklin and Ritz, 6) Her parents taught her how to sing with great pride. This was a big issue because the late ‘50s, early ‘60s was a time of turmoil for African Americans. Her father especially tried to instill pride into her. He was a Civil Rights activist and he was a close colleague with Dr. Martin Luther King. With her parents keeping her involved in Church she was bound to become one of the world’s greatest singers. At around age 12, the father recognized Aretha’s talent as a singer.So he took her on the road with his traveling gospel show. This was important because it shows the kind of support Aretha received from her family. It was said, â€Å"She was a spellbinding performer at the age of fourteen. † (Franklin, 3) So her family really supported and inspired her to become a gospel singer. What also made her a great artist was that she had inspiring people all around her. Aretha grew up in Detroit which at the time was a rousing city or a city of hope for the African Americans running away from the brutality of the South.Though Detroit still had its problems such as race riots, many famous musicians grew up there. Also since New Bethel Baptist Church was so prominent, many musicians and political leaders used Reverend Franklin’s pulpit as a platform to sing or speak to the Black’s of Detroit. Aretha was introduced to cla ssical music by Smokey Robinson’s sister Sylvia Burston. She listened to well known local DJ’s like Ruth Brown and Senator Brystal Brown. When Aretha was younger, she would ride her bike to the local park, and on her way home she would stop by a night club where you could here B.B. King perform. She says, â€Å"You could hear the soft sound of his guitar all the way to the sidewalk (Franklin and Ritz, 22). National and local political leaders would give there speeches. Speakers such as Dr. Adam Clayton Powell, Sr. , Dr. Martin Luther King, and Reverend Jesse Jackson would speak powerfully to the church. Aretha was directly influenced by Miriam Anderson, Sammy Davis, and Roy Wilkins. Detroit was overflowing with talent and speakers which I believe also contributed to Aretha’s success.Pain was probably what really drove Aretha Franklin’s success. As stated before, Franklin’s family was highly religious and was continually involved in the Church. But that doesn’t mean that she hadn’t been through a tremendous amount of pain. Early in life her mother and father got a divorce. The father was better suitable to raise Aretha and her four Siblings. The mother moved to Buffalo, New York and tried to make regular visits to see her children. She was supported her children in the best way she could, but when Aretha needed her, she still was not reachable.Matters became worst a few years later when Aretha’s mom dies of a stroke. Aretha described her mom by saying â€Å"she was the absolute lady† (Smith, 3). At age 15 she had her first child and two years later another would come. But Aretha still wanted to go out and be with friends, so her grandmother usually babysat for her periodically. In a time when Black Activism, Feminism, and Sexual Liberation were high, she needed to provide for herself. So when Aretha was old enough and was ready to start performing, she hired a man named Ted White to be her manager. He later became her husband. In the future she would divorce him for a famous actor which would end in divorce, too. Even though in 1968 to 1969, Franklin’s career was rising rapidly. She was still described by her Producer Jerry Wexler as â€Å"a person whose depressions runs deeper than the sea† (Ritchie Unterberger, 3). Then one of Franklin’s highest admirers, gospel giant Mahalia Jackson died. Right after her death a extremely emotional gospel album was released my Aretha â€Å"Amazing Grace† This record was considered to be one of the most emotional records of its time.Much of the pain that Aretha suffered was not really publicized, but still it had to be one of the reasons for her to have such a powerful voice. Aretha Franklin was a successful artist and still inspires musicians today. Her voice is still described as incredible. She has all the awards that she needs to show her talent. Works cited Franklin, Aretha, and David Ritz. Aretha: From These Roots. New York: Villard, 1999. Print. Carroll, Jillian. Aretha Franklin. Chicago: Raintree, 2004. Print

Consumer society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Consumer society - Essay Example Moreover, it is a society that is consecrated with consumption of goods regardless of the costs and categories. Goods preferred by this society range from goods that are essential for proper health to those that bring about environmental sustainability (Baudrillad, 2). However, this society is the most vulnerable to the changing renewal of technology. Due to the dynamic nature of the market conditions, wants and preferences oblige the society members to dump their old equipment and embrace new developments. This move is aimed at attainment of a desired measure of comfort recognized by the world today. The business world is composed of two groups of people. Firstly, the group of buyers that constitutes the consumers. Consumers are the ones who formulate a consumer society that is mandated to protect them from exploitation by sellers. The second group is that of sellers. This group is constituted by a large variety of individuals ranging from companies that produce the goods to the wholesalers who act as intermediates then to the retailers – responsible for the final deliver of goods to the consumers (Baudrillad, 5). In the business world the two groups involved are susceptible to exploitation. Consumers can be exploited by sellers in various ways which include: unfair pricing of goods and services, hooding of goods and services, provision of poor quality goods at exaggerated prices and unrealistic weights and measures. On the other hand, sellers are also susceptible to exploitation by the buyer through oppression of their rights by consumer societies. Therefore, for harmony in business, the societies which are meant to protect the two groups and working contradictorily should be established. Consumer society encourages consumption of goods and services and the economic health of the society which is dependent on the population’s spending habits. In contrast to other societies such as the feudal or peasant-based societies, consumer

It has been claimed that Jackson Pollock was an artist of the Research Paper

It has been claimed that Jackson Pollock was an artist of the mid-twentieth century who inspired a revival of interest in Impressionism - Research Paper Example Dying at the age of 44, his work has become even more influential after his death, and many people can define and recognize a ‘Pollock’ for its unique and interesting style (Emmerling, 2003). Having had posthumous exhibitions at galleries such as the Tate Modern in London and MoMA in New York, Pollock can rightly be said to be one of the most influential modern artists, and as such his work will have inspired and influenced many others. Having this much power and influence, any art that his work references will be of interest to many, and as such Pollock can be said to have caused a revival of interest in Impressionism. Jackson Pollock, Lavender Mist: Number 1, 1950 The end of World War II created a feeling of alienation and disillusionment in the broader society (Shapiro, 2000). Vanguard artists, believing they are ‘one of the most moral and idealistic of beings’ turned to their art instead for ‘self-discovery, freedom of belief and action, and autono mous, honest creation’ (Sandler, 1978). The canvas became ‘an arena in which to act’ and to express emotions (Rosenberg, 1959). Moreover, ‘The gesture on the canvas was a gesture of liberation from value – political, aesthetic, moral’ (Rosenberg, 1959). ... ‘part of it during creation’ (West, 1996) and that ‘No artist among the Abstract Expressionists is more open about revealing the stages that led up to the surface we see’ (Varnedoe and Karmel, 2002). Pollock’s beliefs shaped his art and his biggest contribution to the revival of Impressionism and subsequent art movements in the 60s (De Zegher, 2005) and even the Feminist Movement (Nochlin, 2006) was ‘Pollock’s radical approach to painting’ for it revolutionized the potential for all contemporary art that followed him’ (Varnedoe and Karmel, 2002). To understand how Pollock is related to Impressionism, both its contribution to his work and vice versa, it is necessary to understand the movement itself. Impressionism is a late 19th century art movement based mainly in Paris (in contrast to Pollock’s 20th century New York). The main defining factor of Impressionist art work is that the paint is applied quickly and in thick strokes (Clancy, 2003) which means that the focus is on the emotions and atmosphere of the subject rather than the technical details of the piece (Herbert, 1991). The original Impressionism focused mainly on ordinary subject matter, and this is recognizable within the painting (Herbert, 1991). Another factor involved in the definition of Impressionism is that the paint colors are applied to the canvas without mixing where possible, relying on biological and psychological processes within the eye to bring them together (Clancy, 2003). Jackson Pollock, Blue Poles Number II, 1952 Bearing these details in mind, it becomes easier to see how Pollock can be seen as an extension of Impressionism and invoking a revival of it; ‘turning from the formal means of Impressionism to its expressive character, and its social and cultural

The International Dispute in the Spratly Islands Essay

The International Dispute in the Spratly Islands - Essay Example The dispute seems to have no signs of abating. In fact, each of the country involved is trying to increase the capabilities of its armed forces. The states involved in the dispute are the People’s Republic of China, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Taiwan. Brunei is also laying claim to some islands in the area but unlike the rest, it has occupied those that it considered as part of its territory. Resolving the issue has become very difficult due to the insistence of the states in different bases of ownership. China, Vietnam and Taiwan are asserting their respective claims on the bases of historical rights. The Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei, on the other hand, claim that they have rights over the territory because of the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS, especially that which refer to the continental shelves as bases for ownership. A legalistic approach would naturally grant favors to the claims of the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei. However, in reality, international law simply cannot be made the basis for the claims while ignoring the historical reasons presented by the other claimants. For China, Vietnam, and Taiwan, â€Å"the notion of historical entitlement sits at the foundation of their claims to the Spratly archipelago and is unlikely to dissipate simply because analysts choose to ignore them† (Furtado 386). With different frameworks for asserting claims, resolution of the Spratly Islands dispute has become more difficult. At a glance, it would indeed be surprising why these states risk warm diplomatic relations with each other over tiny islands, some of them uninhabitable, when these are not fit for human activity. The strategic importance of the area, however, does not lie on the islands or the waters but what lies beneath these. While the area may serve as a rich fishing ground and a commercial shipping route, its most vital assets are the rich reserve supply of oil and natural gas . As China sheds most of its socialist economic principles in favor of capitalism, it naturally feels the need to boost its energy capabilities. It sees the Spratly Islands as the solution. Its ambition to be the world’s foremost economic power has prompted it to be the most assertive among the claimants. Vietnam’s market-oriented reforms have also compelled the nation to seek energy resources that it can control. In fact, the only oil well in the area that it owns had started production in 1991. This encouraged it to further hasten oil exploration in the area. The Philippines, which is heavily dependent on oil imports, have also stakes in the Spratly Islands for the same oil and gas interest. According the Oil and Gas Journal article Territorial Disputes Simmer in Areas of South China Sea, â€Å"joint exploration with Royal Dutch/Shell Group and Alcorn International near Palawan Island will raise the Philippines annual oil production from the 3,000 b/d produced in 19 91 from 7 wells in the South China Sea† (1992). The country is claiming a total of 60 islands in the South China Sea. Both Brunei and Malaysia, although these are oil-producing countries, are also interested in the islands for the same reason. Taiwan, on the other hand, has not stated explicitly any interest in gas or oil, but it considers the area as a strategic

Human Resource Training Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Human Resource Training - Essay Example One aspect of this knowledge bank is recognition of legal concerns, particularly with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which set out to define the protected classes in terms of employment standards. Although the protected classes have been changed and updated since the middle of last century, it remains a landmark piece of federal legislation that could mean the difference between legal safety and legal action. CRA of 1964: A Lesson in History Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects individuals from discrimination in the workplace based on their race, color, religion, sex, or national origin (LII, p. 1964). That is, when hiring an employee, the hiring manager is prohibited from letting his or her decision be influenced by one of these classes to which the applicant belongs. This protection also extends to employees who may be discriminated against by some indirect form of prejudice, such as an association with another individual of a particular race, color, relig ion, sex, or national origin; for example, Title VII protects in this case from discrimination because of interracial marriage. ... That is, if a hiring manager is blind to the differences between a grossly unqualified candidate and a very qualified candidate, this ultimately will weaken the business and potentially open the business to the possibility of a lawsuit based on negligent hiring. However, the hiring manager should be blind to the nonessential differences, defined by the protected classes. Case Study: Sexual Harassment Of course, Title VII legal protection does not only extend to applicants for jobs; current employees are protected as well. In 1986, the Supreme Court ruled that sexual harassment, which is intimidation or coercion that leverages sex for favors, is an example of discrimination and prohibited by Title VII of the CRA (U.S. Supreme Court, 1986). In cases where members of an organization are accused of sexual harassment, there could be very serious legal consequences for the entire company, not just the individual who committed the act of harassment. Of course, preventing sexual harassment t heoretically begins at the initial hiring stages of employees, when the hiring manager should recognize potential conflicts between the individual’s personality and the company culture. However, human resources managers must always reinforce a positive culture that embraces differences rather than fosters an environment of discrimination against other employees. Because sexual harassment is a violation of federal law (as given in the Civil Rights Act and reinforced by the United States Supreme Court), the HR policy on the crime must be one of zero tolerance. Case Study: The BFOQ Companies are allowed to discriminate between the protected classes of job applicants in a few select situations that are highly tied to the business concept of

Issue 13 yes 2510 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Issue 13 yes 2510 - Essay Example According to her findings, FGC was performed for more than one reason. However, feminists and other ideologists have made us to believe that the act was meant to subordinate women in a men dominated society. The author argues that neither of these reasons was meant to subordinate women since women undertook the cut willingly. Moreover, the author rubbishes claims that the cut was meant to make women sexually passive. This argument is supported by biological results, stating that the clitoris is not the only critical point for women’s sexual satisfaction. Besides this argument, all the women interviewed for the survey confirmed their support for FGC (Ahmadu, 2000). Indeed, even well educated women supported FGC as part of African culture and traditions. I consider the author’s argument acceptable to the best of my knowledge. This is neither because FGC is meant to subordinate women nor supposed to make them sexually passive. Indeed, the cut was performed with purposes that were best known to individual societies. Furthermore, neither of the societies practiced forceful FGC. Thus, people should be left alone to decide what is good for them without brainwashing them into believing feminist ideologist. Currently, even the most educated African women support FGC. Ahmadu, F. (2000). â€Å"Rites and Wrongs: Excision and Power among Kono Women of Sierra Leone†. In Bettina Shell-Duncan and Ylva Hernlund, (Eds.) Female â€Å"Circumcision† in Africa: Culture, Change, and Controversy. Boulder, CO: Lynne

Abortion Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 3

Abortion - Research Paper Example Though these â€Å"sides† may be difficult to come to terms with, they offer essential insights, even though other relevant sides of the stories may outweigh these insights. The rhetoric, then concerning abortion discussions revolves around labels such as the pro-life and pro-choice (Alcorn, 2009). Nonetheless, what these discussions technically advance it that either side of the former is against life, while the other side is against choice. Ultimately, these discussions ignore the nuances in a victim’s (person’s) position. Well, with regard to these, various moral principles try to demystify the moral groundings of abortion. The first moral consideration is that which considers the status of the unborn child, while the second one is that which considers the rights of the expectant women or rather pregnant women (Alcorn, 2009). A great deal of the debate regarding abortion has revolved around the knowledge, namely, whether an unborn child or the fetus is a person or not. Consequently, if an unborn child is a person, then it has the rights that belong to persons, and not thereof limited to the right to life. Thus, the personification of the unborn child or the fetus is the link between the former and the right to life (Alcorn, 2009). Therefore, from a philosophical point of view, it is clear that an unborn child in itself is a person. That is, an individual with his or her own right regardless of its status or position. Nonetheless, it is difficult to determine the exact stage at which a fetus develops into or becomes a person (Alcorn, 2009). Could it be at conception, the first trimester, or even at birth? This therefore is the technicality. Nonetheless, taking the life of a person is in itself an illegal act, and the moral grounding of the act may be unjustifiable. The interesting thing about pregnant women is that they are bestowed with the

Short reflective summary for Managing Diversity in Business Essay

Short reflective summary for Managing Diversity in Business - Essay Example While choosing the course, I wanted to get more knowledge in the areas I stated above. However, as I covered the course I came to know about certain perspectives, theories and information which raised some questions and issues in my mind. My initial observations had already revealed that the course highlighted some practical aspects of the corporate world. I often recall the story of one of my friends, who had found a respectable job in a reputed corporation. She was skilled and sincere; and she belonged from an ethnic minority community. At work, her ethnic and sexual identity gradually emerged as her drawback. Her superior, who was also a member of the board of directors, often harassed her sexually during the duty hours. At first, she complained to the Human Resource (HR) Manager, but her application was not processed. The HR Manager took it as a trivial issue and her superior continued to harass her even before her colleagues. In the department, her colleagues were all males and those who belonged from her community were on work visa. Therefore, nobody protested e ither due to racial contempt or because of fear. Finally, when she warned her superior and the HR Manager that she would seek police intervention and write to the human rights groups, she was sacked on the plea of theft and a false complaint was lodged against her. Consequently she lost her job and could not proceed to court lest she was blacklisted in the industry. The lesson learned from such stories as that of my unfortunate friend is that ethnic minority women have almost no voice in the HR management system. Through the lecture on ethnic minority women and the suggested readings, my thoughts and indirect experiences regarding discrimination against ethnic minority women were reinforced. When it comes to racial segregation and sexual abuse, HR managers

IPE (International political economies) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

IPE (International political economies) - Essay Example Frieden and David (31) argue that IPE is a maturing interdiscipline because of the great attempts towards solving the political and economic issues across the globe. The IPE field has undergone a significant transformation over the past thirty years. Hence, the IPE has become a popular area of study of relations of politics and economics in the global arena. Even though there are considerable variations between disciplines, the political and economic analysts are uninformed of corresponding advancement in the other arenas, but IPE is swiftly evolving as a true interdisciplinary. International Political Economy is a maturing Interdiscipline because the international trade now counts for about 38 percent of GDP (Gross Domestic Product). Imports and exports comprise 49 percent of the total national output in developing nations. The flow of FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) has doubled relative to GDP for the past two decades. According to Frieden and David (96), globalization now permits corporation, entrepreneurs and states to trade effective across the globe in a clear way, more than ever. The IPE arena is considerably maturing because of increased globalization. The political scientists have now started identifying themselves as the International political economists, but OEP( Open Economy Politics) bridges the political and economic disciplines; thus providing a vehicle for synthesizing the work performed in both arenas. Evolution of IPE, Interdisciplinary Origins and its relationship with IR, Comparative Politics and Economics IPE emerged as the international economy in the earlier 1960s and sparkle interests, in the field of political international economy. It emerged in the political fields and drew varied sources such as economics, history and the international relation (IR); thus manifesting itself as a disciplinary that remains up to date (Cohen 24). However, after the Post War, the IPE emerged and since then, varied changes have taken place. The end of th e Cold War contributed to the economic liberation and the emergence of IPE as a discipline that focuses on political, as well as economic issues across the globe. This was the period when many states signed allies that provided a framework through which the world economy could function. Although, the main allies contributed to economic conflicts, earlier political leaders and the federal government introduced polices that aimed to maintain security of industries. The government laid emphasis on security and agreement made in the international trade offered the state political glue that joined the global economy together. Moreover, during the year 1970s, the IPE emerged as deviating international study approach in the political and economic arena. However, it started emerging as an interdisciplinary approach during the year 1973 after the emergence of the world oil crisis (Hall 272). Thus, it alerted may scholars especially in the United States on the significant changes to economic foundation of the global order. Therefore, earlier scholar started laying more emphasis on the IR and the related disciplines in politics, diplomatic history, economic, law and order. The IPE proposed a union in the political and economic field by drawing their views more on sociology and economic history. Some scholar such as Karl Marxist protest against the historical sociology and emphasized on the significant

Stargirl loves Leo Essay Example for Free

Stargirl loves Leo Essay The Stargirl fad is now dying at Mica Area High. Leo Borlock, though always find much excitement and purpose in the company of Stargirl Caraway, was beginning to feel the sharp rub from the spillover of Stargirl’s shunning. After Leo received a good douse of love from Stargirl’s huge sign painted with â€Å"STARGIRL LOVES LEO† and, afterwards, abject rejection by his school, he begged Stargirl to change and be â€Å"normal†. This conformity gave birth to â€Å"Susan†, a girl who is everything but â€Å"Stargirl†. However, it was not enough. May brought the final days of Stargirl at Mica High until she disappeared the day after her most glorious night at the Ocotillo Ball. Her disappearance eventually forced Leo to reflect upon his life and found peace and contentment knowing that at least, someone was bold enough to love and care for him for who he was and will continue to do so even after it all. A celebration of the pure essence of nonconformity, the book draws readers to reflect on their own circumstances and find out which character are they unconsciously playing in reality—the individualistic and exotic â€Å"Stargirl†, the indecisive Leo, or one with the Mica Area High crowd who finds comfort in being just like everyone else. In the form of normal teen-age circumstances and decisions, the book effectively conveys its stand on the serious social issue of conformity. The mesh of light humor, drama and love that was meant for both the young and old, in the end, brings a resounding resolution to that certain point in our lives where we find ourselves pondering on how to discover our own purposes—do we seek it in our own terms or must we still care for another’s opinion? Certain instances during my reading process brought me to reflect deeply on some issues I have found that piqued my interest and some that left me with so many questions. This in turn made me realize that it would greatly help if I could have someone with me to whom I could disclose my insights and whose insights, in turn, would help compensate for the issues I failed to understand. This experience will help me learn from and acknowledge the opinions of my students as well when discussing lessons that warrant such rapport. Though, as a teacher, I would be personally responsible for the learning process of my students, I know that there would be instances where I would fail to maximize that responsibility if I do not recognize their ideas and insights as well. Bibliography Spinelli, J. (2000). Stargirl. New York: Dell Laurel-Leaf.

Hrm approaches in different work systems

Hrm approaches in different work systems HRM Approaches in different Work systems: A comparison between manufacturing plant and call centre of high street bank Ting Wang As Peter Boxall and John Purcell (2008) mentioned in literature, work system refers to â€Å"choices about what work needs to be done, about who will do it, and about where and how they will do it†. Each work system contains its features to interact with operation choices as well as HR management. This paper mainly focus on the relationship between work systems and strategies of HR, especially in comparing 2 different types of work systems and their corresponding approaches to HR. I will explain this in the main 2 parts follow a 3-step-way: environment analysis, work system and HR approaches. Approaches to in manufacturing plant Assume there is a new, high technology and capital intensive manufacturing plant in York. Since the plant is a new entrant in the industry, its aim is basically cost control and expending market share. The capital intensive, high technology feature and cost control demand determine the plant has to limit the number of employees and enhance their abilities and efficiency in work. As we can see, the plant is a typical model of manufacturing firms. Manufacturing industry initially employed low paid labors to accomplish simply, repeated work and without a basic knowledge requirement. It was argued by Watson (1986) that workers were machines using motor not mental skills. As the technology developed rapidly these years in manufacturing industry, machines can mostly take over the jobs done by labors and push the employees to another level called â€Å"high involvement† (Lawler, 1986), and other similar approaches as â€Å"high commitment† (Arthur, 1992), â€Å"high performance† (Huselid, 1995) or â€Å"sophisticated† (Koch and McGrath, 1996). James, Chester and Robert (2002) concluded former literatures and described high involvement work systems (HIWSs) being utilized by provide employees skills, information, motivation, and latitude to gain the work forces competitiveness. The high involvement approaches was discussed by Vandenberg, Richardson and Eastman (1999) based on Lawler (1986) high-involvement work processes, which contains 4 factors as â€Å"PIRK† model. In â€Å"PIRK† model â€Å"P† stands for power, â€Å"I† means information, â€Å"R† refers to reward and â€Å"K† is defined as knowledge. By this means, a set of HR approaches can be generated through enhance each variable of â€Å"PIRK† to achieve final outcomes. For instance, training opportunities can be used as a HR approach to enhance employees knowledge and directly improve their abilities to solve problems. This is a direct way of using the model as Batt (2002) mentioned in his work, and the indirect way influence employees motivation and satisfaction to make them feel comfort and safe at work. In general, the HR approaches can be used in a manufacturing plant includes the following key practices: 1. Teamworking. As we mentioned before, the plant is highly concentrated on making use of technology and capital resources, teamworking is a chance for employees to get involved in important events in the plant. It can affect workers in organizational commitment, work satisfaction as well as knowledge improvement. 2. Advanced training. The plant has needs on innovation and product design to compete in the market as a new comer, therefore the training has to be of some technical level which is firm-related and more difficult than general training. Advanced training can better helps employees to gain information and knowledge, and reduce the chance of turnover. 3. Incentive practices. In a newly plant, if there is extra budget can be used on rewards, there should have some incentive practices. Not only this method can motivate employees to devote more, but also it can enhance their responsibilities to the plant, if the rewards are actually shares of the plant. There are much more approaches can be used in this plant to improve performance, however, the effectiveness still becomes an uncertain question, since there is no measurements to evaluate the whole process. Approaches to call centre for a high street bank In comparison, we imagine there is a call centre to be established for a high street bank. Bank industry is more of service-oriented, call centre in a high street bank is not expected to bring about profit directly. The employees responsibilities are to solve problems that already happened in the past or expected to be happened in the future. They give the answers from a wide-ranging question bank which contains the frequent asked questions and edgy questions. All of them attached answers below so that the operators on the phone can answer different questions with in a short time. Besides the answers, operators from the call centre also needs to be use properly words, expressions, tunes, and strictly follow a standardized formula to do the whole telephone communications. The features of call centre determined the employees they wanted are more general background, better in communication just like a good listener with excellent understanding and ability of oral expression. Service market is more labor intensive compared to manufacturing industry, and call centre can be categorized into the â€Å"Tightly Constrained† work systems, according to Herzenberg (1998)s typology of work systems. Herzenberg describe this type of service as â€Å"high volume, low cost, standardised quality, tight task supervision, low to moderate formal education of workers, and limited training†. Boxall (2003) followed Herzenbergs work and defined 3 types of competition and work organization in private sector services. Based on his definition, call centre belongs to â€Å"Massive service firms† which related to a mix of mass markets and higher value-added segments. There are significant differences in HR strategies between a high-tech manufacturing plant and a high street call centre. Though Boxall (2003) pointed out that firms aim for high-valued segments in services are more likely to use HIWSs approach in HRM, a call centre still can not fit the HIWSs very well. One of the reasons as I mentioned before is that call centre â€Å"is not expected to bring about profit directly†. In this case, even if using HIWSs to improve service quality and enhance employees happiness index can be worked out, that wont generate extra profit for the bank. Customers may choose another bank since they discover their current bank really disappointed because of a poor quality telephone service, but they are less likely to choose a bank just based on its perfectly high level of telephone service. After examined the features and work system of call centre, a figure (Figure 1) will be given out to illustrate the properly approach of HRM which is suggested to be adopted by a call centre manager. The figure contains both the approaches and requirements. Left side stands out the key approaches of HR which match the middle and right features of employees. Key HR approaches Employee competency Employee commitment General training; Communications; Performance appraisal; Standardized behavior; Communication skills Stress level; Work balance; Figure 1: Approaches used in call centre The HR approaches are used to enhance either employee competency or commitment to achieve further outcomes. They looks much simpler compared with manufacturing plant, that is because the two firms have different features and outcomes. Conclusion It is obviously that a manufacturing plant adopts different HR approaches compared with a call centre. The reasons are various and hard to distinguished, since there are so many factors inside or outside the firms and interact with each other all the time. However, there are three main reasons affect the HR management within different work systems. First one is production factor. Whether the firm is capital intensive or labor intensive determines the scale and cost of employees as the former tends to hire fewer employees with high requirement and the latter tends to keep adequate employees with general knowledge backgrounds. The second factor is product differentiation. An industry which requires highly differentiation product the information and knowledge is needed all the time therefore the HR approach in training is intensive and specialized so that the worker can apply it to work and enhance performance. By contrast, a call centre offers almost the same service to different custo mers; therefore the training approach is more basic and contains rules, regulations to achieve consistency and homogeneity. The third factor is profitability. Profitability differs in specific types of positions; a research department manager in manufacturing plant usually generates more profits than a telephone operator in call centre. In that case the manager will gain job satisfaction through rewards and involvement in business decision making, whereas the telephone operator may feels less satisfied in work and has turnover intention. The reason is simply because firms need to keep profitable employees stable and ignore or pay less attention on the common employees without competitive advantage. The 3 factors reflects how the work system and HR aims combined together to affect HR approaches. These approaches, however, meet a major challenge of measures. Previous literatures like Arthur (1992, 1994), Huselid (1995), James, Chester and Robert (2002) did empirical work on measures to evaluate effectiveness of HR approaches. James, Chester and Robert (2002) state the relationship between a differentiation-oriented competitive strategy and its performance is positive. Whether all these approaches and measurements can be trusted in the bounds of good sense or practicality is a big issue we should focus on the future.

NIC: The Unsung Hero :: essays research papers fc

NIC: The Unsung Hero The Network Interface Card, or NIC for short, is the most important peripheral when it comes to operating on a network. Many people think the most important item in a network is the cabling, or maybe the network software, or even the computer or server being used. While each of these items is important they are worthless without a Network Interface Card, for successful network operation. The NIC has taken most of the legwork out of the way we do business. No more does Bob, in the Production Department, have to save a file on a floppy disk just to hand carry it two floors up to Sue, in the Accounting Department. The NIC makes it possible to send the file across the network, saving precious production time, so Bob can work on other matters. The importance of the NIC can be described in terms of what it is, what types there are, and system compatibility. So, what is a NIC? Simply put it is the physical interface between the computer and the network cable. The NIC performs many vital functions that are transparent to the user, in order to send and receive data. 1) It prepares data to be sent over the network by converting the computer, parallel data into serial data. 2) It advertises its address to the rest of the network, to distinguish itself from other cards on the network. 3) It carries on an electronic dialog with the receiving NIC about such things as the maximum size of the data to be sent, the time intervals between data chunks, and how much data each card can hold before it overflows, to name a few (Microsoft 76). All NICs operate pretty much the same way, but it is important to know about the different types of NICs. NICs come in two basic varieties: those designated for servers and those designated for desktops (Harvey 104). The application of the network being used will dictate what type of NIC to use. Server NICs generally come with onboard processors and memory. For a heavily trafficked server, multiple port cards allow for additional connections to a server, saving expansion slot space (Harvey 105). The desktop NIC is more of a bare bones type of card. It does not require an onboard processor and memory, unless it is for a user that moves a lot of data (i.

Review of film Amadeus Essay -- Movie Film Composer Mozart Music Essay

Review of film 'Amadeus' Amadeus is a movie based on the career and the death of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Viennese during the 18th century. Throughout the film Antonio Salieri tells his story of his growing hatred for Mozart that eventually led to his ?murder?. Through out the rest of the movie you can see where Salieri is getting even more jealous of Mozart. Although Salieri was inspired to become Gods instrument the music of that time ?classical era? did not revolve around the church or God unlike the Medieval and Baroque periods. But a good thing for Salieri was that most operas still did involve God. Through out Salieri's childhood his father had forbid him to become a composer because in so many words it was a waste of time for him. Normally a father dying would be something bad but being the man Salieri would turn out to be it is understandable that he would take it as gaining his freedom. He would become Gods instrument because he vowed to heath the word of God in his music. He eventually worked his way to be the court composer for Emperor Joseph II. The real jealousy came to him when his dreams were put on hold because Emperor Joseph II asked specifically for Mozart to compose a national opera for Viennese. Salieri found that young Mozart was in fact a prodigy at a concert thrown by Mozart?s patron, the Archbishop of Salzburg. To find that Mozart was in fact a prodigy disappointed Salieri quit obviously. It was in his mind that God had chosen Mozart to ...

Shakespeares Macbeth - Macbeths Guilt :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

Macbeth's Guilt      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Characters in the Shakespearean tragedy Macbeth scarcely feel guilt - with two exceptions: Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. In this essay let's consider their guilt-problem.    In his book, On the Design of Shakespearean Tragedy, H. S. Wilson comments regarding the guilt of the protagonist:    It is a subtler thing which constitutes the chief fascination that the play exercises upon us - this fear Macbeth feels, a fear not fully defined, for him or for us, a terrible anxiety that is a sense of guilt without becoming (recognizably, at least) a sense of sin. It is not a sense of sin because he refuses to recognize such a category; and, in his stubbornness, his savage defiance, it drives him on to more and more terrible acts. (74)    Blanche Coles states in Shakespeare's Four Giants that, regarding guilt in the play:    Briefly stated, and with elaborations to follow, Macbeth is the story of a kindly, upright man who was incited and goaded, by the woman he deeply loved, into committing a murder and then, because of his sensitive nature, was unable to bear the heavy burden of guilt that descended upon him as a result of that murder. (37)    In "Memoranda: Remarks on the Character of Lady Macbeth," Sarah Siddons mentions the guilt and ambition of Lady Macbeth and their effect:    [Re "I have given suck" (1.7.54ff.)] Even here, horrific as she is, she shews herself made by ambition, but not by nature, a perfectly savage creature. The very use of such a tender allusion in the midst of her dreadful language, persuades one unequivocally that she has really felt the maternal yearnings of a mother towards her babe, and that she considered this action the most enormous that ever required the strength of human nerves for its perpetration. Her language to Macbeth is the most potently eloquent that guilt could use.   (56)    Clark and Wright in their Introduction to The Complete Works of William Shakespeare explain how guilt impacts Lady Macbeth:    Lady Macbeth is of a finer and more delicate nature. Having fixed her eye upon the end - the attainment for her husband of Duncan's crown - she accepts the inevitable means; she nerves herself for the terrible night's work by artificial stimulants; yet she cannot strike the sleeping king who resembles her father. Having sustained her weaker husband, her own strength gives way; and in sleep, when her will cannot control her thoughts, she is piteously afflicted by the memory of one stain of blood upon her little hand.

Health Care Challenges Memo Essay

There are many challenges that happen within the health care field. The most important is protecting the patient’s personal information and who is able to access this information. The National Health Information Network (NHIN) was formed to help improve upon the sharing of health care data. This was to help link data together for all involved to keep data secure when transferring over the internet. Within a health care organization a Hierarchy information system is used. This offers ease of network expansion and alteration for desktops used to be able to access necessary data. Both local area network (LAN) and wide area network (WAN) are used in within the organization. Two or more LANs are connected by a hub. The LAN is connected from different areas to form an internetwork. Within the health care field it is important that protected health information (PHI) is kept protected. There are measures that need to be taken to ensure that there are no unauthorized usages of this typ e of information. The HIPAA standards must be followed at all times whether it is administrative or patient care departments. Physical safeguards are in place to protect the hardware and facilities that store PHI. The facility that houses the health IT is housed has limited physical access to authorized personal only. There are restrictions on workstations to have access with PHI. The health IT system has safeguards built in to protect health information and to be able to control of access to it. Measures are set to limit access of information. Steps are taken to encrypt, and decrypt information being transmitted electronically to guard against unauthorized access of the information. In order for the organization to have control over who access the information steps need to be taken to protect patient data from being stolen. To do this users have a unique user identification protocols, automatic logoff, emergency access steps, and encryption and decryption mechanisms. Audit  controls need to be used to check activity of the IT system. Authentication of the entity or person that is attempting to access the information is a must to do. Transmission security of PHI that is being transmitted through the network needs to be protected. References Health Information: Management of a Strategic Resource (4th Ed.) (Abdelhak, Grostick, & Hanken) How Do I Ensure Security in Our System? (n.d). Retrieved from www.hrsa.gov/healthit/toolbox/HIVAIDSCAREtoolbox/SecurityAnd†¦

Boy in the Striped Pyjamas Movie Review Essay

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, written by John Boyle is a fictional novel of the unlikeiest of friendships, the son of a Nazi commandant and a Jew suffering in the largest concentration camp. I believe innocence that is created by a sheltered and caring family is an important theme of the novel. Bruno was unaware that his father was a Nazi commander or that he is living right next door to Auschwitz concentration camp. His parents were trying to protect him from hearing the truth or understanding the reality of what was happening outside his window. Bruno’s innocence and vulnerability caused him to misunderstand the situation around him. He hears â€Å"Auschwitz† as â€Å"Out-with† and also incorrectly hears â€Å"the Fuhrer† as â€Å"the Fury. † Athough he was best friends with Shmuel, he was completely oblivious to the situation Shmuel was in. â€Å"No one’s ever given me an arm band,’ said Bruno. ‘But I never asked to wear one,’ said Shmuel. ‘All the same,’ said Bruno, ‘I think I’d quite like one. I don’t know which one I’d prefer though, your one or Father’s. † This shows that the innocence of a protected childhood results in a misunderstood reality. When looking back at my childhood, I can see how my parents protected me from some harsh realities that other children face. I had no idea what a broken family was since I had a stable and caring family. I would hear stories on the news of child abuse and violence but never really understood how that would feel. It was not until I was older and I realised issues like this are actually out there and it is the enviroment many children grow up in. I believe another important theme in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, is bullying. Throughout the novel the Nazis demonstrated their hatred for the Jews. The Nazis believed they were much more important than the Jews and they deserved to die. Lieutenant Kurt Kotler was one example of a bully in the novel. He abused and hated the family’s Jewish servant, Pavel. â€Å"Pavel held his cap before him in his hands and nodded, which made his head bow even lower than it already was. ‘Yes, sir,’ he said in a quiet voice, so quiet that he may not even have said it at all. ‘And afterwards, when you return to the kitchen, make sure you wash your hands before touching any of the food, you filthy-‘ Lieutenant Kotler repeated the word he had used twice already and he spat a little as he spoke. This was how he spoke to Pavel. Lieutenant Kurt’s rank put him in a position of power over the Jews. I see a similarity of this in high school. Some older students believe they are much more important than the younger students just because they have been there longer. Some act like they are better than everyone else. Younger people then go through the younger high school years feeling terrible and miserable about themselves.

Network Security Plan Essay

INTRODUCTION (Purpose and Intent) The Corporation Tech IT Network Security Plan establishes guidelines for IT practices used on a day to day basis to provide a secure and robust computing environment. These practices are used in order to protect the mission, operation, and reputation of Corporation Tech System and its information systems. These system security policies, standards, and procedures that have been established for the Corporation Tech System, are intended to comply with the regulations and policies set down by the State of Florida, Corporation Tech, and the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA). SCOPE These standards and procedures apply to all information systems and resources under the control of Corporation Tech, including all computers connecting to the Corporation Tech network and all Corporation Tech System employees, contractors, and any other individuals who use and/or administer those systems and computers, particularly those involved with information system management. STANDARD PROVISIONS Corporation Tech IT will manage risk by identifying, evaluating, controlling, and mitigating vulnerabilities that are a potential threat to the data and information systems under its control. User accounts and passwords are implemented to maintain individual accountability for network resource usage. Any user who obtains an account and password for accessing a Corporation Tech provided resource, is required to keep these credentials confidential. Users of these systems may only use the accounts and passwords for which they have been assigned and authorized to use, and are prohibited  from using the network to access these systems through any other means. This plan also prohibits the sharing of personal user accounts or passwords for accessing Corporation Tech or Internet computing resources. In the interest of maintaining account security, passwords will be changed on a regular schedule or anytime the integrity of the account is in question. Corporation Tech IT network or computing resources may not be used for personal commercial purposes, for personal profit or to violate the laws and regulations of the United States or any other nation, or the laws and regulations of any state, city, province or other local jurisdiction in any material way. Use of Corporation Tech resources for any illegal activity may result in loss of network access privileges, official reprimand, suspension or dismissal. Corporation Tech will cooperate with any legitimate law enforcement agency or inquiry in the investigation and prosecution of any alleged wrongful activity. Corporation Tech’s network or Internet facilities may not be used to disable or overload any computer system or network, or to circumvent any system intended to protect the privacy or security of another user. Corporation Tech owned networking and communications equipment, may only be moved by Network and Computing Support staff, or authorized agents. Reconfiguration of network hardware or software, except by designated individuals within IT, is strictly prohibited. Prior to connecting any server, network communication or monitoring device to the Corporation Tech Network, approval must be obtained from Data Center Communications. Attachment of any the following devices to the Corporation Tech network, other than those provided or approved by Network and Computing Support, is strictly prohibited: a. DHCP servers. b. DNS servers. c. NAT routers. d. Network Gateways. e. Packet capturing or network monitoring devices. f. Any device that disrupts or negatively impacts network operations. STATEMENT OF PROCEDURES The procedures for conducting a risk assessment and for the control and mitigation of risks to the Corporation Tech Information Systems include: NETWORK CONTROL Corporation Tech IT has software and systems in place that have the ability to monitor and record network, Internet and computer system usage. This includes monitoring and security systems that are capable of recording network traffic, including traffic to World Wide Web sites, chat rooms, newsgroups and e-mail messages, file servers, telnet sessions and file transfers into and out of our internal networks. This capability is necessary in order to maintain the health of Corporation Tech network operations and diagnose network related problems. Corporation Tech IT reserves the right to perform network monitoring at any time. The information collected may be used by technicians and management to assess network utilization and trends, and may also be provided to upper management or other authorities as evidence as part of any investigation of alleged policy violations. Corporation Tech IT reserves the right to perform periodic port scans, segment sweeps, and vulnerability scans on all network segments. Network operations, functions, and resources, which are not required as part of the normal and approved job duties or projects at Corporation Tech, may be bandwidth limited or blocked by network control devices in order to protect the integrity and availability of the overall system. Corporation Tech IT may suspend network access to any location or system that disrupts normal network operations or systems that violate Corporation Tech policy. In this event, an attempt will be made to contact the responsible individual to resolve the problem. DHCP SERVICES Corporation Tech IT provides centralized and redundant DHCP and DNS services for Corporation Tech. Due to the nature of these services, and because of the potential disruption of service and possible security breaches resulting from incorrect setup of additional systems, attachment of unauthorized DHCP or DNS servers is prohibited. The following guidelines must be followed when requesting or using any DHCP or DNS services: †¢ Systems requiring an IP address must support DHCP and be capable of obtaining DHCP address information from one of the centrally administered University DHCP servers. †¢ Using DHCP, devices requesting an IP address will be assigned a dynamic pool address from the subnet to which the device is attached. Devices with dynamically assigned IP addresses may have their address change. †¢ Static IP addresses needed for server class machines or specialized clients must be  requested from the Data Center Communications Team via a Help Desk ticket. DNS SERVICES User workstations, which have been assigned a dynamic pool IP address, will have an associated DNS name assigned by the network. Any DNS name or domain name that is to be associated with Corporation Tech network, must be requested from and/or registered through Web Services. DNS names ending in corptech.com are made available upon request for Corporation Tech approved services. Requests for assignment of DNS names must be for valid Corporation Tech related purposes. DNS names for domains other than corptech.com, and which are to be hosted by Corporation Tech systems, must be requested from Web Services. Any charges for initial or ongoing registration of the requested name are the responsibility of the requestor. DNS names, not in the corptech.com domain, will be handled on a case by case basis. Corporation Tech IT will work with any user requesting a domain name to identify an appropriate and available name, however Corporation Tech IT has final approval for all DNS name assignments. WIRELESS NETWORK SERVICES Because wireless networks can be used to provide access to the same resources and services as wired network systems, the same basic procedures that are used in a wired network environment can also be applied in a wireless network environment. However, due to the nature of wireless networks, additional security and control mechanisms are needed in order to maintain the security, operation and inter-operability of both traditional and wireless systems. Wireless routers are not allowed on the Corporation Tech network unless they have been approved by Corporation Tech IT. Access to the Corporation Tech Wireless network is limited to individuals who have a Corporation Tech account except in locations where the guest network is available. The Corporation Tech Guest Network is segregated from the internal servers and resources used by authenticated users to keep the network secure. The Corporation Tech Guest Network is only available in approved areas, and require a request to be expanded into any other areas. Users of the Corporation Tech Guest Network are required to provide a valid cell phone number in order to authenticate. Destruction and Disposal of Information and Devices Restricted information must be disposed of in such manner as to ensure it cannot be retrieved and recovered by unauthorized persons. When donating, selling, transferring, surplusing or disposing of computers or removable media (such as DVDs), the proper procedures to make data unreadable on those media will be taken. Acceptable procedures are listed on ISSP-009, â€Å"Medial Disposal.† NETWORK ACCESS Anyone who uses the Corporation Tech computing environment must have appropriate status (e.g. management, employee, staff, or authorized third party) and must be properly authenticated when required. Access will be provided to vendors and or other Corporation Tech partners through the sponsored VIP account process, as described on http://www.corptech.com/it/services/vip.aspx. VIP accounts are reviewed and renewed on six month intervals to see if access is still needed. When an employee leaves the organization accounts will be disabled once TERM status is updated, and individual departments must approve re-activation of account access. USER COMPUTING DEVICES Users are responsible for the security and integrity of Corporation Tech information stored on their workstation, which includes controlling physical and network access to the equipment. Users may not run or otherwise configure software or hardware that may allow access by unauthorized users. Anti-virus software must be installed on all workstations that connect to the Corporation Tech Network. Corporation Tech Computers may not be used to copy, distribute, share, download, or upload any copyrighted material without the permission of the copyright owner. PHYSICAL ACCESS Access to Corporation Tech IT Data Center should be restricted to those responsible for operation and maintenance. Access by non-IT personnel is not permitted unless they are escorted by an authorized IT staff member. Computer installations should provide reasonable security measures to protect the computer system against natural disasters, accidents, loss or fluctuation of electrical power, and sabotage. Networking and computing hardware are placed in secure and appropriately cooled areas for data  integrity and security NETWORK HARDWARE Network hardware are housed behind a locked door to protect physical access to switches and other network hardware. Access is only allowed though card access or with a checked out key. All switches and network hardware are password protected at a minimum via a local account setup on the device itself, these passwords are changed periodically as administrators leave the organization. Subnets allowed to authenticate with switch management will be restricted, to create tighter control of backend administration. Exec level access Timeouts implemented on Console and VTY lines, so that any idle sessions are terminated automatically. All switches are time synced using NTP, so that incidents can be tracked and correlated to the proper timeframe. SERVER ENVIRONMENTS All servers are subject to a security audit and evaluation before they are placed into production. Administrative access to servers must be password protected and use two-factor authentication whenever possible. Servers should be physically located in an access-controlled environment. All internal servers deployed at Corporation Tech must be owned by an operational group that is responsible for system administration. Servers must be registered with the IT department. At a minimum, the following information is required to positively identify the point of contact: a. Server owner contact(s) and location. b. Hardware and Operating System/Version c. Main functions and applications d. MAC address (If not a virtual server) Services and applications that will not be used must be disabled where practical. Access to services should be logged and/or protected through access-control methods to the extent possible. The most recent security patches must be installed on the system as soon as practical. Do not use administrator or root access when a non-privileged account can be used. Privileged access must be performed over secure channels, (e.g., encrypted network connections using SSH or IPSec). EXCEPTIONS All requests for exceptions to these standards and procedures will be handled by request, and will follow these guidelines: †¢ Must be submitted in writing to and approved by the CIO or with the proper authority. †¢ Will be reviewed on a case by case basis. NETWORK SECURITY Corporation Tech network design is built around three principles, Defense-in-Depth, Compartmentalization of Information and Principle of Least Privilege. Our first step was to look at what we are protecting, which is ultimately our business and clients data and information. To ensure a sound architecture we started the design of our network with scalability in mind. It is important that our design is flexible enough to meet future needs. The threats we know about and face today may not be the ones we face tomorrow. While developing security requirements for our IT system resources, we will determine if they are mission-critical or data-sensitive resources. This will allow us to determine where data confidentiality and integrity are the most important requirements, or where the priority is continuity of operation (availability). DEFENSE-IN-DEPTH Network safeguards offer the first protection barrier of IT system resources against threats originating outside the network. These threats can be in the form of intruders or malicious code. Our network design offers layered protections. What this means is the security layers complement each other; what one misses the other catches. This will be accomplished by locating security defenses in different places throughout our IT system, as well as not using two of the same types of safeguards. Although this may increase the complexity of our security system and can potentially make management and maintenance more difficult and costly, we believe the safety of the IT system resources should be based on the protection. With defense-in-depth in mind, the first layer of our network security plan starts with our network perimeter security. The principle network security defenses are firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention systems (IPS/IDS), VPN protections and content inspection systems like anti-virus, anti-malware, anti-spam and URL filtering. The traditional first line of defense against attacks is typically the firewall, which is configured to allow/deny traffic by  source/destination IP, port or protocol. It’s very straight forward, either traffic is allowed or it’s blocked. With the advent of Next Generation firewalls, which can include application control, identity awareness and other capabilities such as IPS, web filtering, and advanced malware detection, all of these features can be controlled by one device. COMPARTMENTALIZATION OF INFORMATION Corporation Tech will have IT system resources with different sensitivity levels or different risk tolerance levels and threat susceptibilities. These resources should be located in different security zones. The idea is to hide the data or information and make it available only to those systems where it is necessary for conducting system tasks. Examples of this are: †¢ E-mail, Web and DNS servers are located in the DMZ behind the perimeter firewall. †¢ Databases servers such as SQL servers are located in the Database Zone, within the internal firewall/IPS. †¢ Intranet servers, file servers and user workstations are in the LAN zone within the internal firewall. †¢ The Internet is located in the Internet zone behind the perimeter firewall. Principle of Least Privilege Corporation Tech administrators and users will have minimal privileges necessary for proper functioning within the organization. This rule applies also to data and services made available for external users. An extension to this rule is the â€Å"Need-To-Know† principle which says that users and administrators of Corporation Tech IT system have access to only the information relevant to their role and duties performed. Other points of security that we will address in our network services availability is the single point of failure principle, the separation of duty and job rotation rules. The network paths between users and mission-critical IT system resources, all the links, devices (networking and security) as well as the servers will be deployed in redundant configurations. The goal of the separation of duty and job rotation rule is to limit an employee’s ability to neglect and break the IT system’s security policy. Separation of duty dictates that important tasks/functions should be performed by two or more employees. Job rotation states that there should be rotation of employees in important positions. NETWORK HARDENING For each layer of security, we will ensure they are running the most up-to-date software and operating systems, and that the devices are configured properly. SECURITY ZONES Intrusion Prevention (IPS) devices are responsible for detecting and blocking penetrations and attacks conducted by intruders and malicious malware applications. We recommend an IPS be installed in the network path between potential threat sources and sensitive IT system resources. Attacks through encrypted SSL sessions are a potential vulnerability so we recommend decrypting the sessions prior to it reaching the IPS device in order to inspect unencrypted packets. The IPS will be properly optimized and monitored to catch attackers that have slipped past the first defense (firewall/router). Internal networks will not have direct access to the Internet so a Trojan sent to a user’s workstation through a phishing attack would not allow the intruder to connect to the external network. Internet services are available for internal users only through company email and HTTP Proxy servers. ENABLE SECURE NETWORK ACCESS We will install a VPN that is configured to allow encrypted communication to our network from the outside. Utilizing two-factor authentication, ensuring the integrity of the users making the request. This is external-facing to our network and allows users to tunnel into our LAN from the outside once the appropriate measures are taken to secure access. SEGMENTED DMZ There will be a front-end firewall for the external traffic and a back-end firewall for the internal traffic. Firewall rules will be optimized and tightened on all publicly available systems to allow traffic to only the necessary ports and services living within the DMZ. Firewall rules have been created to only allow the source IP addresses and port to the specific servers and proxies have been added in the network from which administrators are allowed access to the systems. Systems within different VLANs (with a layer 3 switches) have been configured to help isolate and respond to incidents if a server in the DMZ is compromised. Authentication on the LAN is required before access to the DMZ is even attempted. This prevents allowing complete control over these systems at any given time. DEVICE  INTEGRITY All hardware and software will be purchased only from the manufacturer or from resellers who are authorized and certified by the equipment manufacturer. Unused physical interfaces on network devices will be shut down. Access lists that allow only those protocols, ports and IP addresses that are required by network users and services are implemented. Everything else is denied. Network device configuration file are protected from unauthorized disclosure. Steps have been taken to avoid plaintext passwords in the configuration files. This has been accomplished by using encryption and/or a salted hash with iteration to protect the confidentiality of passwords in configuration files. Change passwords/keys immediately if the network device configuration file is transmitted in the clear (or is otherwise exposed) while containing non-encrypted passwords/keys. Secure protocols will be used when transmitting network device configuration files. All unneeded services on network devices must be sh ut down. Log files will be reviewed regularly to gain an in depth understanding of normal network behavior. Any irregularity will be reported and investigated. SECURE MANAGEMENT Only secure protocol standards (SSHv2; IKEv2/IPsec; TLS v1.0+) will be used when performing remote management of network devices. Default usernames and/or passwords will not be used. The network infrastructure security policy should define password length and complexity requirements. Review the network infrastructure security policy. This policy identifies who is allowed to log in to network infrastructure devices and who is allowed to configure network devices, and defines a plan for updating network device firmware at scheduled intervals. PORT VULNERABILITES Port 25 – Is used for SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol). It uses both tcp and udp protocols. This port used for e-mail routing between mail servers and is susceptible to many known Trojan’s. We are keeping this port in a closed state. Port 80 – Is used for web traffic Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP). It uses both tcp and udp protocols. Port 80 udp is also used by some  games, like Alien vs Predator. Code Red and Nimda worms also propagate via TCP port 80 (HTTP). Also, a number of trojans/backdoors use these ports. We are keeping this port in a closed state. Port 139 – Is used for NetBIOS. NetBIOS is a protocol used for File and Print Sharing under all current versions of Windows. By default, when File and Print Sharing is enabled it binds to everything, including TCP/IP (The Internet Protocol), rather than just the local network, meaning your shared resources are available over the entire Internet for reading and deletion, unless configured proper ly. Any machine with NetBIOS enabled and not configured properly should be considered at risk. The best protection is to turn off File and Print Sharing, or block ports 135-139 completely. We will leave this port in an open state but will turn off file and print sharing capabilities. Port 1900 – Is used for SSDP, UPnP. UPnP discovery/SSDP, is a service that runs by default on WinXP, and creates an immediately exploitable security vulnerability for any network-connected system. It is vulnerable to denial of service and buffer overflow attacks. Microsoft SSDP Enables discovery of UPnP devices. We are keeping this port in a closed state. Port 2869 – Is IANA registered for: ICSLAP. It uses both tcp and udp protocols and is used for Microsoft Internet Connection Firewall (ICF), Internet Connection Sharing (ICS), SSDP Discover Service, Microsoft Universal Plug and Play (UPnP), and Microsoft Event Notification. We will leave this port in an open state. Port 5357 – Is used by Microsoft Network Discovery, and should be filtered for public networks. It uses both tcp and udp protocols. It is also IANA registered for: Web Services for Devices (WSD) – a network plug-and-play experience that is similar to installing a USB device. WSD allows network-connected IP-based devices to advertise their functionality and offer these services to clients by using the Web Services protocol. WSD communicates over HTTP (TCP port 5357), HTTPS (TCP port 5358), and multicast to UDP port 3702. We will close this port and redirect traffic to HTTPS (TCP port 5358). Port 6839 – This port is not associated with any particular services and should be closed unless it is associated and used. Port 7435 – This port is not associated with any particular services and should be closed unless it is associated and used. Ports 9100, 9101 and 9102 – These TCP ports are is used for printing. Port numbers 9101 and 9102 are for parallel port s 2 and 3 on the three-port HP Jetdirect external print  servers. It is used for network-connected print devices. These ports should remain open to allow print services. There are no listed vulnerabilities associated with these ports. Port 9220 – This port is for raw scanning to peripherals with IEEE 1284.4 specifications. On three port HP Jetdirects, the scan ports are 9290, 9291, and 9292. It is used for network-connected print devices. This port should remain open to allow print services. There are no listed vulnerabilities associated with this port. Port 9500 – TCP Port 9500 may use a defined protocol to communicate depending on the application. In our case we are using port 9500 to access the ISM Server. The ISM Server is used for exchanging backup and recovery information between storage devices. This port should remain open while services are in use. There are no listed vulnerabilities associated with this port. Port 62078 – This port is used by iPhone while syncing. The Port used by UPnP for multimedia files sharing, also used for synchronizing iTunes files between devices. Port 62078 has a known vulnerability in that a service named lockdownd sits and listens on the iPhone on port 62078. By connecting to this port and speaking the correct protocol, it’s possible to spawn a number of different services on an iPhone or iPad. This port should be blocked or closed when service is not required on the device. References BEST: Network Security Policy and Procedures. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ct.gov/best/cwp/view.asp?a=1245&q=253996 Example Security Plan. (2014, November 17). Retrieved from http://www.binomial.com/security_plan/example_security_plan_template.php Hardening Network Infrastructure Security Recommendations for System Accreditors. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.nsa.gov/ia/_files/factsheets/Hardening_Network_Infrastructure_FS.pdf Network Security Policy: Best Practices White Paper – Cisco. (2005, October 4). Retrieved from http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/availability/high-availability/13601-secpol.html Paquet, C. (2013, February 5). Security Policies > Network Security Concepts and Policies. Retrieved from http://www.ciscopress.com/articles/article.asp?p=1998559&seqNum=3 SANS – Information Security Resources | Information Security Policy Templates |.

2013 to 2017 †China Market Soft Drink Manufacturing Research Report Essay

In China, soft drinks refer to those natural or artificial beverages with the alcohol content less than 0. 5% in the total volume. Small amount of alcohol may be contained in a soft drink, but such alcohol is the ethyl alcohol which is used in dissolving essences, flavorings and pigments, or the by-products of lactic acid beverages. With the rapid increase in Chinese people’s living standard and consumption capability, soft drink industry has entered the rapid growth era. Since soft drink products enjoy great popularity in China, the market demand is huge. Currently, there are various types of soft drinks sold in the market with many strong competitors. In 2012, the total output volume of China soft drinks is 130. 2401 million tons, increasing by 10. 73% YOY. From 2000 to 2012, the output volume of China soft drink industry increased by 7 times, with a CAGR of 20. 7%, which is far higher than the growth rate of GDP, presenting a well development competence. When the output volume increases, the varieties of China soft drinks also increase to provide more options for consumers. Among all varieties of soft drinks, carbonated beverages take up the largest proportion of China soft drink industry, while the proportion of natural mineral water in soft drink industry increases continuously. At present, carbonated beverages, bottled drinking water, fruit and vegetable drinks and tea drinks have become the four major categories of soft drinks in China. In 2012, the output volume of carbonated beverages was 13. 1129 million tons, decreasing by 18. 38% YOY. The output volume of fruit juices and vegetable juices was 22. 2917 million tons, increasing by 16. 09%. See more:Â  Social Satire in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay The output volume of bottled drinking water amounted to 55. 6278 million tons, up by 16. 16% YOY. And the output volume of other drinks reached 39. 2077 million tons, increasing by 13. 76% YOY. China soft drink market can be divided into several major market segments, including carbonated beverages, fruit and vegetable beverages, bottled drinking water, tea drinks, protein beverages and other drinks. For a long period, bottled drinking water and carbonated beverages have accounted for the largest proportion of the market, followed by protein beverages and fruit and vegetable beverages. Tea drinks have also increased their market share and created a huge consumption market. However, with the development of social economy, the improvement of people’s living standard and the formulation of healthy consumption concept, the competition structure of soft drink market will encounter a great change. Influenced by the emerging healthy consumption concept, it can be predicted that the proportion of carbonated beverages in the market will decline, while healthy beverages, such as tea drinks, protein beverages and fruit and vegetable juices, will become the mainstream of the market in the near future. However, consumers of carbonated beverages are mainly between 16 and 25 years old, mainly teenagers. They worship fashion instead of nutrition. Since such young consumer group is unlikely to diminish, there is a huge market demand for carbonated beverages. Therefore, it will take a long-term process to lower the carbonated beverage market. In recent years, functional drinks have become the highlight in China soft drink market. It indicates that China functional drink market has been established after a period of market development. At present, China functional drinks mainly include sport drinks (with Mizone and Gatorade as representatives), energy drinks (with Red Bull and Lipovitan as representatives), and vegetable protein drinks (with Jiaduobao and Wong Lo Kat as representatives). There is a huge market potential for China functional drinks. As a sun-rising industry in China, soft drink industry enjoys consumption per capita much lower than that of developed countries. Rural residents spend much less on soft drinks. Based on the huge domestic market, there is an enormous development space for China soft drink industry. With high degree of marketization, China soft drink industry has attracted many international drink magnates to establish their businesses in China, which will result in fierce market competition. Besides, confronted with the new situation, the competition of China soft drink industry has been transferred from product competition to industry chain competition. In this sense, the marketing model of soft drink enterprises has also been transferred from brand operation into channel model and structure and channel management. Channel resources, especially terminal resources have become the focus of competition. It is estimated by CRI that the output volume of China soft drinks will maintain a growth rate of over 8%, which will be higher than that of GDP. Through this report, the readers can acquire the following information: Supply and Demand Status of China Soft Drink Industry Operation Status of Sub-industries of China Soft Drink Industry Competition Status of China Soft Drink Industry Major Soft Drink Manufacturing Enterprises in China Influencing Factors and Development Trend of Soft Drink Industry Investment and Development Recommendations for Soft Drink Industry The Following Enterprises and People are proposed to purchase this report: Soft Drink Manufacturing Enterprises Upstream Soft Drink Enterprises, Such as Essence Manufacturing Enterprises, Pigment Manufacturing Enterprises, and Enterprises in Charge of Packing Soft Drink Distributing Enterprises Investors and Research Institutes Concerned About Soft Drink Industry Complete Report @ http://www. chinamarketresearchreports. com/102526. html Buy Report @ http://www. chinamarketresearchreports. com/contacts/purchase.php? name=102526 Table Of Content 1 Overview on China Soft Drink Manufacturing Industry, 2012 1. 1 Definition and Category 1. 1. 1 Definition 1. 1. 2 Industry Chain of Soft Drink Manufacturing Industry 1. 2 Major Products 1. 3 Role of Soft Drink Manufacturing Industry in China Economy 2 Development Environment of China Soft Drink Manufacturing Industry, 2012-2013 2. 1 Economic Environment 2. 1. 1 China Economy 2. 1. 2 Global Economy 2. 2 Policy Environment 2. 1. 1 Analysis on Policies 2. 1. 2 Policy Trend 3 Operation Status of China Soft Drink Manufacturing Industry, 2008-2012 3. 1 Current Status 3. 1. 1 Total Output Value 3. 1. 2 Output Volume 3. 1. 3 Fixed Asset Investment 3. 1. 4 Industry Scale 3. 1. 5 Operation Status 3. 1. 6 Financial Index 3. 2 Regional Distribution 3. 2. 1 Scale Distribution 3. 2. 2 Profit Distribution 3. 2. 3 Guangdong 3. 2. 4 Henan 3. 2. 5 Jiangsu 3. 2. 6 Zhejiang 3. 2. 7 Shandong 4 Competition Status of China Soft Drink Manufacturing Industry, 2012 4. 1 Barriers to Entry and Exit 4. 2 Competition Structure 4. 2. 1 Bargain Ability of Upstream Suppliers 4. 2. 2 Competition Among Existing Enterprises 4. 2. 3 Bargain Ability of Downstream Clients 4. 2. 4 Threats of New Entrants 4. 2. 5 Threats of Substitutes 4. 3 Development Features 4. 3. 1 Mergers and Acquisitions by Foreign Capital 4. 3. 2 Preference for Brand Consumption 4. 3. 3 Product Competition Transferring to Industrial Chain Competition 4. 3. 4 Rich Product Varieties 4. 5 Operation Models 4. 5. 1 Business Model 4. 5. 2 Profit Mode 5 Industry Chain of China Soft Drink Manufacturing Industry, 2012-2013 5. 1 Upstream Industries 5. 1. 1 Fruit Industry 5. 1. 2 Vegetable Industry 5. 1. 3 Sugar Industry 5. 1. 4 Package Industry 5. 1. 5 Influences of Upstream Industries on Soft Drink Manufacturing Industry 5. 2 Downstream 5. 2. 1 Resident Incomes 5. 2. 2 Resident Consumption Expenditures 5. 2. 3 Influences of Downstream Industries on Soft Drink Manufacturing Industry 6 Sub-industries of China Soft Drink Manufacturing Industry, 2008-2017 6. 1 Carbonated Beverage Industry 6. 1. 1 Operation Status 6. 1. 2 Regional Distribution 6. 1. 3 Development Trend 6. 2 Bottled Drinking Water Industry 6. 2. 1 Operation Status 6. 2. 2 Regional Distribution 6. 2. 3 Development Trend 6. 3 Fruit & Vegetable Juice Industry and Fruit & Vegetable Drink Industry 6. 3. 1 Industry Overview 6. 3. 2 Regional Distribution 6. 3. 3 Development Trend 6. 4 Milk Beverage Industry and Vegetable Protein Drink Industry 6. 5 Solid Drink Industry 6. 6 Tea Drink Industry and Other Soft Drink Industry 7 Major Soft Drink Manufacturing Enterprises in China, 2012 7. 1 Hangzhou Wahaha Group Co. , Ltd. 7. 2 Master Kong Drink Holdings Co. , Ltd. 7. 3 VV Group Co. , Ltd. 7. 4 Uni-president (China) Investment Co. , Ltd. 7. 5 Coca-Cola Bottle Manufacturing (Dongguan) Co. , Ltd. 7. 6 Xiamen Yinlu Foods Co. , Ltd. 7. 7 Red Bull Vitamin Drink Co. , Ltd. 7. 8 Jiangxi Runtian Beverage Co. , Ltd. 7. 9 Nongfu Spring Co. , Ltd. 7. 10 Beijing Huiyuan Food and Beverage Group Co. , Ltd. 7. 11 Coconut Palm Group Co. , Ltd. 7. 12 Jiaduobao Group 8 Forecasts on Investment and Development of China Soft Drink Manufacturing Industry, 2013-2017 8. 1 Influencing Factors on Development 8. 1. 1 China economy 8. 1. 2 Governmental Policy 8. 2 Forecast on Market Supply and Demand 8. 2. 1 Forecast on Supply 8. 2. 2 Forecast on Demand 8. 3 Forecast on Product Development Trend 8. 3. 1 Market Trend of Healthy Drinks 8. 3. 2 Compound Drinks 8. 3. 3 Functional Drinks 8. 4 Recommendations on Investment and Development 8. 4. 1 Investment Opportunities in Sub-industries 8. 4. 2 Regional Investment Opportunities List Of Charts Chart Category of Sub-industries of China Soft Drink Manufacturing Industry Chart Analysis on Major Products of China Soft Drink Manufacturing Industry Chart Related Policies of China Soft Drink Manufacturing Industry, 2012 Chart Total Output Value of China Soft Drink Manufacturing Industry, 2008-2012 Chart Total Output Volume of China Soft Drinks, 2008-2012. Chart Number of China Soft Drink Manufacturing Enterprises, 2008-2012 Chart Total Assets of China Soft Drink Manufacturing Industry, 2008-2012 Chart Scale of China Soft Drink Manufacturing Industry by Region Chart Analysis on Profits of China Soft Drink Manufacturing Industry by Region Chart Total Output Value of China Carbonated Beverage Industry, 2008-2012 Chart Output Volume of China Carbonated Beverages, 2008-2012 Chart Sales Revenue of China Tea Drinks and Other Soft Drink Manufacturing Industries, 2008-2012 Chart Forecast on China Soft Drink Output Volume, 2013-2017 Chart Forecast on China Soft Drink Sales Revenue, 2013-2017. Complete Report @ http://www. chinamarketresearchreports. com/102526. html Buy Report @ http://www. chinamarketresearchreports. com/contacts/purchase. php? name=102526. 2013 to 2017 – China Market Soft Drink Manufacturing Research Report Essay In China, soft drinks refer to those natural or artificial beverages with the alcohol content less than 0. 5% in the total volume. Small amount of alcohol may be contained in a soft drink, but such alcohol is the ethyl alcohol which is used in dissolving essences, flavorings and pigments, or the by-products of lactic acid beverages. With the rapid increase in Chinese people’s living standard and consumption capability, soft drink industry has entered the rapid growth era. Since soft drink products enjoy great popularity in China, the market demand is huge. Currently, there are various types of soft drinks sold in the market with many strong competitors. In 2012, the total output volume of China soft drinks is 130. 2401 million tons, increasing by 10. 73% YOY. From 2000 to 2012, the output volume of China soft drink industry increased by 7 times, with a CAGR of 20. 7%, which is far higher than the growth rate of GDP, presenting a well development competence. When the output volume increases, the varieties of China soft drinks also increase to provide more options for consumers. See more:Â  Masters of Satire: John Dryden and Jonathan Swift Essay Among all varieties of soft drinks, carbonated beverages take up the largest proportion of China soft drink industry, while the proportion of natural mineral water in soft drink industry increases continuously. At present, carbonated beverages, bottled drinking water, fruit and vegetable drinks and tea drinks have become the four major categories of soft drinks in China. In 2012, the output volume of carbonated beverages was 13. 1129 million tons, decreasing by 18. 38% YOY. The output volume of fruit juices and vegetable juices was 22. 2917 million tons, increasing by 16. 09%. The output volume of bottled drinking water amounted to 55. 6278 million tons, up by 16. 16% YOY. And the output volume of other drinks reached 39. 2077 million tons, increasing by 13. 76% YOY. China soft drink market can be divided into several major market segments, including carbonated beverages, fruit and vegetable beverages, bottled drinking water, tea drinks, protein beverages and other drinks. For a long period, bottled drinking water and carbonated beverages have accounted for the largest proportion of the market, followed by protein beverages and fruit and vegetable beverages. Tea drinks have also increased their market share and created a huge consumption market. However, with the development of social economy, the improvement of people’s living standard and the formulation of healthy consumption concept, the competition structure of soft drink market will encounter a great change. Influenced by the emerging healthy consumption concept, it can be predicted that the proportion of carbonated beverages in the market will decline, while healthy beverages, such as tea drinks, protein beverages and fruit and vegetable juices, will become the mainstream of the market in the near future. However, consumers of carbonated beverages are mainly between 16 and 25 years old, mainly teenagers. They worship fashion instead of nutrition. Since such young consumer group is unlikely to diminish, there is a huge market demand for carbonated beverages. Therefore, it will take a long-term process to lower the carbonated beverage market. In recent years, functional drinks have become the highlight in China soft drink market. It indicates that China functional drink market has been established after a period of market development. At present, China functional drinks mainly include sport drinks (with Mizone and Gatorade as representatives), energy drinks (with Red Bull and Lipovitan as representatives), and vegetable protein drinks (with Jiaduobao and Wong Lo Kat as representatives). There is a huge market potential for China functional drinks. As a sun-rising industry in China, soft drink industry enjoys consumption per capita much lower than that of developed countries. Rural residents spend much less on soft drinks. Based on the huge domestic market, there is an enormous development space for China soft drink industry. With high degree of marketization, China soft drink industry has attracted many international drink magnates to establish their businesses in China, which will result in fierce market competition. Besides, confronted with the new situation, the competition of China soft drink industry has been transferred from product competition to industry chain competition. In this sense, the marketing model of soft drink enterprises has also been transferred from brand operation into channel model and structure and channel management. Channel resources, especially terminal resources have become the focus of competition. It is estimated by CRI that the output volume of China soft drinks will maintain a growth rate of over 8%, which will be higher than that of GDP. Through this report, the readers can acquire the following information: Supply and Demand Status of China Soft Drink Industry Operation Status of Sub-industries of China Soft Drink Industry Competition Status of China Soft Drink Industry Major Soft Drink Manufacturing Enterprises in China Influencing Factors and Development Trend of Soft Drink Industry Investment and Development Recommendations for Soft Drink Industry The Following Enterprises and People are proposed to purchase this report: Soft Drink Manufacturing Enterprises Upstream Soft Drink Enterprises, Such as Essence Manufacturing Enterprises, Pigment Manufacturing Enterprises, and Enterprises in Charge of Packing Soft Drink Distributing Enterprises Investors and Research Institutes Concerned About Soft Drink Industry Complete Report @ http://www. chinamarketresearchreports. com/102526. html Buy Report @ http://www. chinamarketresearchreports. com/contacts/purchase. php? name=102526 Table Of Content 1 Overview on China Soft Drink Manufacturing Industry, 2012 1. 1 Definition and Category 1. 1. 1 Definition 1. 1. 2 Industry Chain of Soft Drink Manufacturing Industry 1. 2 Major Products 1. 3 Role of Soft Drink Manufacturing Industry in China Economy 2 Development Environment of China Soft Drink Manufacturing Industry, 2012-2013 2. 1 Economic Environment 2. 1. 1 China Economy 2. 1. 2 Global Economy 2. 2 Policy Environment 2. 1. 1 Analysis on Policies 2. 1. 2 Policy Trend 3 Operation Status of China Soft Drink Manufacturing Industry, 2008-2012 3. 1 Current Status 3. 1. 1 Total Output Value 3. 1. 2 Output Volume 3. 1. 3 Fixed Asset Investment 3. 1. 4 Industry Scale 3. 1. 5 Operation Status 3. 1. 6 Financial Index 3. 2 Regional Distribution 3. 2. 1 Scale Distribution 3. 2. 2 Profit Distribution 3. 2. 3 Guangdong 3. 2. 4 Henan 3. 2. 5 Jiangsu 3. 2. 6 Zhejiang 3. 2. 7 Shandong 4 Competition Status of China Soft Drink Manufacturing Industry, 2012 4. 1 Barriers to Entry and Exit 4. 2 Competition Structure 4. 2. 1 Bargain Ability of Upstream Suppliers 4. 2. 2 Competition Among Existing Enterprises 4. 2. 3 Bargain Ability of Downstream Clients 4. 2. 4 Threats of New Entrants 4. 2. 5 Threats of Substitutes 4. 3 Development Features 4. 3. 1 Mergers and Acquisitions by Foreign Capital 4. 3. 2 Preference for Brand Consumption 4. 3. 3 Product Competition Transferring to Industrial Chain Competition 4. 3. 4 Rich Product Varieties 4. 5 Operation Models 4. 5. 1 Business Model 4. 5. 2 Profit Mode 5 Industry Chain of China Soft Drink Manufacturing Industry, 2012-2013 5. 1 Upstream Industries 5. 1. 1 Fruit Industry 5. 1. 2 Vegetable Industry 5. 1. 3 Sugar Industry 5. 1. 4 Package Industry 5. 1. 5 Influences of Upstream Industries on Soft Drink Manufacturing Industry 5. 2 Downstream 5. 2. 1 Resident Incomes 5. 2. 2 Resident Consumption Expenditures 5. 2. 3 Influences of Downstream Industries on Soft Drink Manufacturing Industry 6 Sub-industries of China Soft Drink Manufacturing Industry, 2008-2017 6. 1 Carbonated Beverage Industry 6. 1. 1 Operation Status 6. 1. 2 Regional Distribution 6. 1. 3 Development Trend 6. 2 Bottled Drinking Water Industry 6. 2. 1 Operation Status 6. 2. 2 Regional Distribution 6. 2. 3 Development Trend 6. 3 Fruit & Vegetable Juice Industry and Fruit & Vegetable Drink Industry 6. 3. 1 Industry Overview 6. 3. 2 Regional Distribution 6. 3. 3 Development Trend 6. 4 Milk Beverage Industry and Vegetable Protein Drink Industry 6. 5 Solid Drink Industry 6. 6 Tea Drink Industry and Other Soft Drink Industry 7 Major Soft Drink Manufacturing Enterprises in China, 2012 7. 1 Hangzhou Wahaha Group Co. , Ltd. 7. 2 Master Kong Drink Holdings Co. , Ltd. 7. 3 VV Group Co. , Ltd. 7. 4 Uni-president (China) Investment Co. , Ltd. 7. 5 Coca-Cola Bottle Manufacturing (Dongguan) Co. , Ltd. 7. 6 Xiamen Yinlu Foods Co. , Ltd. 7. 7 Red Bull Vitamin Drink Co. , Ltd. 7. 8 Jiangxi Runtian Beverage Co. , Ltd. 7. 9 Nongfu Spring Co. , Ltd. 7. 10 Beijing Huiyuan Food and Beverage Group Co. , Ltd. 7. 11 Coconut Palm Group Co. , Ltd. 7. 12 Jiaduobao Group 8 Forecasts on Investment and Development of China Soft Drink Manufacturing Industry, 2013-2017 8. 1 Influencing Factors on Development 8. 1. 1 China economy 8. 1. 2 Governmental Policy 8. 2 Forecast on Market Supply and Demand 8. 2. 1 Forecast on Supply 8. 2. 2 Forecast on Demand 8. 3 Forecast on Product Development Trend 8. 3. 1 Market Trend of Healthy Drinks 8. 3. 2 Compound Drinks 8. 3. 3 Functional Drinks 8. 4 Recommendations on Investment and Development 8. 4. 1 Investment Opportunities in Sub-industries 8. 4. 2 Regional Investment Opportunities List Of Charts Chart Category of Sub-industries of China Soft Drink Manufacturing Industry Chart Analysis on Major Products of China Soft Drink Manufacturing Industry Chart Related Policies of China Soft Drink Manufacturing Industry, 2012 Chart Total Output Value of China Soft Drink Manufacturing Industry, 2008-2012 Chart Total Output Volume of China Soft Drinks, 2008-2012. Chart Number of China Soft Drink Manufacturing Enterprises, 2008-2012 Chart Total Assets of China Soft Drink Manufacturing Industry, 2008-2012 Chart Scale of China Soft Drink Manufacturing Industry by Region Chart Analysis on Profits of China Soft Drink Manufacturing Industry by Region Chart Total Output Value of China Carbonated Beverage Industry, 2008-2012 Chart Output Volume of China Carbonated Beverages, 2008-2012 Chart Sales Revenue of China Tea Drinks and Other Soft Drink Manufacturing Industries, 2008-2012 Chart Forecast on China Soft Drink Output Volume, 2013-2017 Chart Forecast on China Soft Drink Sales Revenue, 2013-2017. Complete Report @ http://www. chinamarketresearchreports. com/102526. html Buy Report @ http://www. chinamarketresearchreports. com/contacts/purchase. php? name=102526