Who Killed the Electric Car Research Paper Example

Who Killed the Electric Car Research Paper Example Who Killed the Electric Car Paper Who Killed the Electric Car Paper Who Killed the Electric Car? Video Discussion Questions Summary: It starts with a serious memorial service? for a vehicle. Before the finish of Chris Paines energetic and educational narrative, the thought doesnt appear to be so unusual. As storyteller Martin Sheen notes, They were peaceful and quick, delivered no fumes and ran without gas. Paine continues to show how this interesting vehicle appeared and why General Motors wound up recovering its once-valued creation not exactly 10 years after the fact. He starts 100 years prior with the first electric vehicle. By the 1920s, the interior burning motor had rendered it old. By the 1980s, be that as it may, vehicle organizations began investigating elective vitality sources, as sun based force. 1. Make a table that traces the places of the major â€Å"suspects† from the video 2. What was the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate? A zero-outflows vehicle, or ZEV, is a vehicle that discharges no tailpipe contaminations from the installed wellspring of intensity. [1][2] Harmful poisons to the wellbeing and the earth incorporate particulates (sediment), hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, ozone, lead, and different oxides of nitrogen. In spite of the fact that not considered outflow contaminations by the first California Air Resources Board (CARB) or U. S. Ecological Protection Agency (EPA) definitions, the latest normal utilization of the term likewise incorporates unpredictable natural intensifies, a few air toxics, and worldwide contaminations, for example, carbon dioxide and other ozone harming substances. [3] Examples of zero outflow vehicles incorporate muscle-controlled vehicles, for example, bikes; electric vehicles, which move emanations to the area where power is produced; and energy unit vehicles fueled by hydrogen that just discharge water. 3. For what reason was the ZEV Mandate executed? 4. For what reason does the video let the batteries free? 5. Why consider the power devices liable? Isnt it simply one more innovation that may assist us with cleaning the air over the long haul? 6. In what capacity can any innovation, similar to hydrogen power devices or batteries be a suspect in the video? 7. Is an electric vehicle really a zero outflow vehicle? Clarify your answer. 8. For what reason are different gas-elective fills not referenced in the video? 9. Is the electric vehicle extremely dead? Clarify your answer. 10. How does the multi-billion dollar car bailout fit into this conversation? Clarify. 11. Given the data gave in the film, do you trust you will have the option to purchase a hydrogen-controlled vehicle in the following 10 years? 20 years? Ever? Why/why not? 12. What one attestation in the film do you can't help contradicting? Why? 13. What one statement in the film inconveniences you the most? Why? 14. In your own words, clarify why the vehicle producers gathered and wrecked the electric vehicles. 15. Should the world oil flexibly be: 1) separated uniformly as indicated by populace, 2) given to those ready to follow through on the greatest expense, or 3) saved for creating countries? Clarify your reaction

The Inspiring Sherman Alexie free essay sample

Eric Moore English 102: Writing ll Mrs. Bobbi Buchanan 18 July 2011 The Inspiring Sherman Alexie In the exposition â€Å"Superman and Me† by Sherman Alexie shows the relentless aspiration and boldness of a youthful Indian kid who thoroughly demolishes an existence of destitution and abuse and helping other people do likewise. He was a clever kid who wanted to peruse. He needed to resemble his dad, who was an enthusiastic peruser. He adored his dad with a throbbing commitment, so he chose to cherish books like his dad. He was resolved to show himself how to peruse, to improve a life for himself. Alexie appeared to be an extremely determined man who knew precisely what he needed, and was eager to do whatever it took to accomplish his objectives. He would state â€Å"I am brilliant. I am self-important. I am fortunate. I need to spare my life (210). We will compose a custom exposition test on The Inspiring Sherman Alexie or then again any comparable theme explicitly for you Don't WasteYour Time Recruit WRITER Just 13.90/page † He didn’t need to maintain odd sources of income to live; he needed something better for himself. He didn’t need to resemble his folks, who scarcely landed by working odd positions around the booking. Alexie would get his father’s books before he had the option to peruse. He didn’t know the words yet that didn’t stop him. Alexie recalls when he figured out how to comprehend the clearness of a paragraph.He couldn’t state passage however he realized what a section was. He called a â€Å"fence that held words (208). † He began to relate everything to a section. I discovered this statement fascinating on the grounds that it indicated him as a straightforward man, in spite of his achievements. This made him increasingly relatable to me. As he comprehended everything in a section, he got a Superman comic book. He still couldn’t read yet he comprehended what the photos implied. He was just three years of age. This stood apart to me on the grounds that at three years of age, my brain was on playing, not reading.When he saw an image of Superman experiencing an entryway, he would state â€Å"Superman experiences the entryway (209). †He saw it as showing himself how to peruse. He inevitably showed himself how to peruse. As he read, the books he read got increasingly hard. When Alexie was in kindergarten he was perusing â€Å"Grapes of Wrath†, while different youngsters were perusing â€Å"Dick and Jane. † He was popular among his educators. He composed, â€Å"If he had been definitely not an Indian kid on a booking he would have been known as a wonder. But since he was an Indian kid on a booking he was called a peculiarity 209). † The image this makes in my mind is a kid that is an untouchable and disliked, notwithstanding his astounding insight. In any event, being disregarded by his companions didn’t prevent Alexie from accomplishing his objectives. Alexie frequently would talk in third individual to sound increasingly unassuming about his gifts. He generally felt like an untouchable, since he was so brilliant and realized how to peruse. Alexie composes â€Å"A shrewd Indian is a hazardous individual, generally engaged and scorned by Indians and non-Indians the same (209). † Alexie battled with his schoolmates on a day by day basis.Alexie composed â€Å"Indian kids would tamely dodge their heads when gone up against by a non-Indian grown-up however would slug it out with the Indian harasser who was ten years more established (209). † They didn’t like the way that he was keen and wouldn’t remain calm when the non-Indian educators would request answers when they would pose inquiries. He would likewise chip in his administrations to help the non-Indian instructors with things around the study hall. Indian youngsters should be rash. Indian youngsters should go tummy up in a non-Indian world. They were lauded by Indians while doing as such, yet Alexie didn’t need to fall into that statistic.He needed to be keen and break that generalization. With my insight into the merciless and at some point lethal treatment of African-Americans during integration of schools, I can envision the comparative impediments he confronted. Alexie would not come up short. He was pompous, brilliant, and fortunate. He would peruse books late into the night. He would peruse books at break, at lunch, and in the couple of moments left after he had completed a task in class. Sherman would peruse books as his family would make a trip to powwows and ball games. He would go to the book shop and read odds and ends of the same number of books as he could.He would peruse books his dad would bring home. It didn’t matter how little or huge the books where. He would peruse the rear of grain boxes, papers, things posted on the notice board at school or the library. By perusing continually it indicated the devotion Alexie had toward perusing. Alexie would peruse whatever had words or passages. Alexie cherished his books, however he additionally realized that adoration had just one reason. He said â€Å"I was attempting to spare my life (209). † He was resolved to be a self-trained man. He needed to be keen and prevail throughout everyday life. Notwithstanding on the perusing he had done, he was amazed that he turned into a writer.He felt that he would turn into a pediatrician. Today he composes books, short stories, and sonnets. Sherman visits schools on the booking and shows experimental writing to Indian youngsters. In his youth years he was never instructed to compose verse, short stories, or books. He didn’t think Indians composed that way. Today he visits whatever number schools as could be expected under the circumstances. By his work in schools Indian youngsters today are composing their own sonnets, short stories, and books. Alexie has been a positive good example for the kids on the reservation, by his commitment to keeping these kids from experiencing similar preliminaries he went through.The youngsters have perused his books and have been enlivened by him. There are as yet vanquished Indian kids that sit in the rear of the study hall. They are the kids who don’t accept that they can be shrewd. They overlook him when he is talking. In any case, Alexie tosses his weight against their bolted entryways and attempts to dock the entryways down. The kids continue opposing him. Sherman says â€Å"I am shrewd, I am egotistical, I am fortunate. I am attempting to spare our lives (210). † Throughout the story, Alexie shows that regardless of what sort of foundation you originate from you can be an insightful individual and prevail at life. He willingly volunteered to figure out how to read.No matter the snags, he believed constantly in himself. He had confidence in instructing himself to peruse and making a superior life for himself. With all that he has done in his life he despite everything discovers time and can offer back to the Indian youngsters on his booking. He is a positive good example and guide to the Indian children. He has additionally indicated that regardless of what hindrances or what kind of foundation you originate from; in the event that you buckle down you can make progress. Missy James, Alan P. Merickel. â€Å"Superman and Me 208-210† Reading Literature and Writing Argument Fourth Edition. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc. 2011. Print

Blog Archive Monday Morning Essay Tip Use Parallel Construction

Blog Archive Monday Morning Essay Tip Use Parallel Construction Longer and more complex sentences often require parallel construction. Simply put, parallel construction ensures that any given longer sentence has a standard rhythm or construction. With parallel construction, each pronoun corresponds with another pronoun, each verb corresponds with another verb, each adjective matches with a corresponding adjective and so on. Parallel construction can certainly be found in shorter sentences as well, and to great effect. Consider the example of Hamlet’s words “To be or not to be,” which are some of the most famous in the English language. Shakespeare wrote this short sentence in perfect parallel form; “to be” is matched perfectly with its corresponding negative “not to be” and is separated only by the necessary word “or.” Another short example of parallel construction from history is “I came, I saw, I conquered.” With these words, Julius Caesar spoke in perfect parallel constructionâ€"the grammatical form is a pronoun (the word “I”) followed by a verb in the past tense (“came,” “saw,” “conquered”). If we were to change that second famous phrase just a touch, the amazing quality it now has would be lost, and the phrase would become unremarkable. For example, if Caesar had said, “I came, I saw, and I became the conqueror,” no one would be quoting him today (because the rhythm would be destroyedâ€"it would be verb, verb, verb phrase). Keep this rule in mind for everything that you write, especially for longer sentences. Some examples: Bad:  There are three key reasons for this success: understanding our client, trying harder than our competition and teamwork. Good:  There are three key reasons for this success: understanding our client, trying harder than our competition and working as a team. (In this example, gerunds [the words ending in “ing”] parallel each other, unlike in the previous, bad example.) Bad:  We are in the forestry business. We sell wood to hardware stores and paper to stationery stores. Good:  We are in the forestry business. We sell wood and paper. Share ThisTweet Monday Morning Essay Tips Blog Archive Monday Morning Essay Tip Use Parallel Construction Longer and more complex sentences often require parallel construction. Simply put, parallel construction ensures that any given longer sentence has a standard rhythm or construction. With parallel construction, each pronoun corresponds with another pronoun, each verb corresponds with another verb, each adjective matches with a corresponding adjective, and so on. Parallel construction can certainly be found in shorter sentences as well, and to great effect. Consider the example of Hamlet’s words “To be or not to be”â€"some of the most famous in the English language. Shakespeare wrote this short sentence in perfect parallel form; “to be” is matched perfectly with its corresponding negative “not to be” and is separated only by the necessary word “or.” Another short example of parallel construction from history is “I came, I saw, I conquered.” With these words, Julius Caesar spoke in perfect parallel constructionâ€"the grammatical form is a pronoun (the word “I”) followed by a verb in the past tense (“came,” “saw,” “conquered”). If we were to change that second famous phrase just a touch, the amazing quality it now has would be lost, and the phrase would become unremarkable. For example, if Caesar had said, “I came, I saw, and I became the conqueror,” he would likely not be quoted today because the rhythm would have been destroyed. Keep this rule in mind for everything that you write, especially for longer sentences. More examples follow: Bad:  We are successful for three key reasons: understanding our client, trying harder than our competition, and teamwork. Good:  We are successful  for  three key reasons: understanding our client, trying harder than our competition, and working as a team.  (In this example, gerunds [the words ending in “ing”] parallel each other, unlike in the previous, “bad” example.) Bad:  We are in the forestry business. We sell wood to hardware stores and paper to stationery stores. Good:  We are in the forestry business. We sell wood and paper. Share ThisTweet Monday Morning Essay Tips Blog Archive Monday Morning Essay Tip Use Parallel Construction Longer and more complex sentences often require parallel construction. Simply put, parallel construction ensures that any given longer sentence has a standard rhythm or construction. With parallel construction, each pronoun corresponds with another pronoun, each verb corresponds with another verb, each adjective matches with a corresponding adjective, and so on. Parallel construction can certainly be found in shorter sentences as well, and to great effect. Consider the example of Hamlet’s words “To be or not to be”â€"some of the most famous in the English language. Shakespeare wrote this short sentence in perfect parallel form; “to be” is matched perfectly with its corresponding negative “not to be” and is separated only by the necessary word “or.” Another short example of parallel construction from history is “I came, I saw, I conquered.” With these words, Julius Caesar spoke in perfect parallel constructionâ€"the grammatical form is a pronoun (the word “I”) followed by a verb in the past tense (“came,” “saw,” “conquered”). If we were to change that second famous phrase just a touch, the amazing quality it now has would be lost, and the phrase would become unremarkable. For example, if Caesar had said, “I came, I saw, and I became the conqueror,” he would likely not be quoted today because the rhythm would be destroyed. Keep this rule in mind for everything that you write, especially for longer sentences. More examples follow: Bad:  We are successful for three key reasons: understanding our client, trying harder than our competition, and teamwork. Good:  We are successful  for  three key reasons: understanding our client, trying harder than our competition, and working as a team.  (In this example, gerunds [the words ending in “ing”] parallel each other, unlike in the previous, “bad” example.) Bad:  We are in the forestry business. We sell wood to hardware stores and paper to stationery stores. Good:  We are in the forestry business. We sell wood and paper. Share ThisTweet Monday Morning Essay Tips Blog Archive Monday Morning Essay Tip Use Parallel Construction Longer and more complex sentences often require parallel construction. Simply put, parallel construction ensures that any given longer sentence has a standard rhythm or construction. With parallel construction, each pronoun corresponds with another pronoun, each verb corresponds with another verb, each adjective matches with a corresponding adjective and so on. Parallel construction can certainly be found in shorter sentences as well, and to great effect. Consider the example of Hamlet’s words “To be or not to be,” which are some of the most famous in the English language. Shakespeare wrote this short sentence in perfect parallel form; “to be” is matched perfectly with its corresponding negative “not to be” and is separated only by the necessary word “or.” Another short example of parallel construction from history is “I came, I saw, I conquered.” With these words, Julius Caesar spoke in perfect parallel constructionâ€"the grammatical form is a pronoun (the word “I”) followed by a verb in the past tense (“came,” “saw,” “conquered”). If we were to change that second famous phrase just a touch, the amazing quality it now has would be lost, and the phrase would become unremarkable. For example, if Caesar had said, “I came, I saw, and I became the conqueror,” no one would be quoting him today (because the rhythm would be destroyedâ€"it would be verb, verb, verb phrase). Keep this rule in mind for everything that you write, especially for longer sentences. Some examples: Bad:  We are successful for three key reasons: understanding our client, trying harder than our competition and teamwork. Good:  We are successful  for  three key reasons: understanding our client, trying harder than our competition and working as a team. (In this example, gerunds [the words ending in “ing”] parallel each other, unlike in the previous, bad example.) Bad:  We are in the forestry business. We sell wood to hardware stores and paper to stationery stores. Good:  We are in the forestry business. We sell wood and paper. Share ThisTweet Monday Morning Essay Tips

An Inside Look at the Holocaust Essay - 1327 Words

Most Americans know about the Holocaust. But do they really know all of the details that go along with what occurred during the Holocaust? The responsibilities that Jews had before they were transported to concentration camps were rigorous in some ways. Also, the rights that they had were taken away by the Nazis. This topic fits into the theme Rights and Responsibilities because it has to do with the rights that Nazis and Jews had as well as the responsibilities. The Holocaust had a major impact on the world because of all the controversial things that were done during the Holocaust. It changed many things and helped in the creation of numerous laws that have been passed since, not only in the United States, but internationally as well.†¦show more content†¦In April 1943, the Warsaw ghetto was destroyed. In 1944, Hungarian Jews were deported to Auschwitz. Auschwitz was later liberated in 1945 by Soviet soldiers. The war in Europe ended on May 7, 1945, when Germany surrendere d. Adolf Hitler managed to get so many people on his side to eliminate the Jewish race. What did he do and what did he say to convince people that it was okay to do this? How did he manage to kill six million people without anyone ever questioning why and how he could do it?It appears without it ever being on his conscience. What made him think that he had the right to destroy so many lives and not even think twice about it? It baffles me that he got away with such a horrid act of mass homicide and how he convinced so many others that it was the right thing to do in order to make the world a better place to live. The holocaust basically consisted of mass genocide of people that were Jewish. In that era in time, it was considered a punishment, if you will, to be born into the Jewish religion since it was a goal to make sure that every Jew was eliminated. There was really no reason that Hitler didn’t like the Jews, it was more of an irrational hatred. He wanted them gone and nothing could stop him from completing his goal. When Hitler became chancellor of Germany it gave him the opportunity to persuade other nations and his own nation that the Jews were doing nothing but harm to the world that they lived in. The president ofShow MoreRelatedBelgian Congo vs. Holocaust1570 Words   |  7 PagesThe atrocities of the Belgian Congo and the Holocaust are two of the main events in history that have been responsible for the mass murdering of millions of people. Although these events significantly changed the course of humanity, and the story behind each one is very different, there are signific ant factors that make them alike as well as different. Many would agree that comparing two atrocities that affected the lives of so many people and gave a 180-degree turn to each of their countries wouldRead MoreAuschwitz Concentration Camp1343 Words   |  6 Pagesintricate camp of all, and the main center for the death of Jews during the Holocaust. Outline I. Largest of Nazi Death Camps A. Consisted of three camps B. Thirty-seven sub camps C. Seven gas chambers and crematories II. Most diverse and intricate camp A. Decorations made the camp look â€Å"fun† B. Many decorations that told lies C. Was like a town inside a fence III. Main center for death during the Holocaust A. Total number of people there B. Medical expirements at Auschwitz C.Read MoreHate Crimes, Racism, and Prejudice Examined in The Museum of Tolerance896 Words   |  4 Pageshistory of Holocaust, out of all hate crimes in the world. However, when digging through the museum, the Museum of Tolerance appeared to be biased in a way with their portrayal of many images. The formal title of the museum is the Museum of Tolerance. They chose this title, because they want to promote tolerance and understanding of hate crimes in our schools and communities. 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The cries of the victims in concentration camps still ring around the globe today, and they are not easily ignored. Although the HolocaustRead MoreLasting Effects of the Holocaust1195 Words   |  5 PagesThe Holocaust not only affected the areas where it took place, it affected the entire world. Even though Jewish people were the main victims in the Holocaust, it also left lasting effects on other groups of people. Both the Nazi and Jewish decedents still feel the after math of one of the most horrific counts of genocide that the world has ever encountered. The cries of the victims in concentration camps still ring around the globe today, and they are not easily ignored. Although the Holocaust tookRead MoreLife Is Beautiful Essay713 Words   |  3 Pagesconcentration camp during the Holocaust. The movie gives an inside look at the horrors the Jews were faced with during the Holocaust. Life Is Beautiful should be incorporated into a unit on the Holocaust in schools because it shows everything the Jews were faced with, it handles expressing the horrors of the Holocaust without being too graphic, and it would help students get a more personal feeling of what happened to the Jews. Life Is Beautiful gives the audience a vivid look into what happened duringRead MoreThe Holocaust : A Secret Plan1445 Words   |  6 Pagescommonly vial situation. The Holocaust, a term referred to the explanation of the alleged massacre of six million Jewish people, is often labeled as a conspiracy. Those who tag the 1900’s Holocaust as a hoax are frequently known as ‘Holocaust Deniers. Debating Holocaust denial includes arguments such as holocaust documented facts, practice of things such as gas chambers, falsely proclaimed amount of Jews essentially murdered, and illegalization of holocaust denial. The holocaust took place in Germany

Nike Swot Analysis - 1214 Words

SWOT analysis: Nike Introduction Like most companies, Nike has corporate strengths and weaknesses. However, in the 50 years that Nike has been in business, it has weathered most challenges. From its maverick days as an upstart sports shoe brand being sold out of the back of the trunk of its owners’ cars at track meets, through the 80s and 90s when it lavished multi-million dollar endorsement deals on sports icons. Following is a SWOT (strength, weakness, opportunity and threat) analysis of this great American business enterprise. Strengths: Marketing expertise Nike is a marketing trailblazer. Its commercials are so unique and iconic that every new advertising campaign is analysed by industry watchers and experts, and†¦show more content†¦New market segments Nike started with track shoes and later on running shoes. In the 90s, as the US hosted the World Cup of soccer, advisers suggested Nike tap the huge worldwide soccer shoe and equipment market (The Independent, 2004). Previously, it has successfully controlled 50% of the $35 billion basketball shoe segment, while the golf market has been penetrated with the help of Tiger Woods, a long-time endorser (Katz, 1994). Recycling program Nike supports recycling efforts with its Reuse-A-Shoe program. Started in 1993, it collects old shoes, processes them into sports surfaces, basketball courts, playgrounds and running tracks, and donates them to needy communities (Ferrell, et al,. 1998). Sponsorships Its first track endorser is iconic runner Steve Prefontaine, after whom Nike’s corporate headquarters in Oregon is named. Nike has also supported the late Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Carl Lewis, Spike Lee, Jim Courier, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Lindsay Davenport, Maria Sharapova, Serena and Venus Williams (Strasser, 1994). It has also supported the national soccer teams of Brazil, Portugal, the US, Netherlands, and professional European soccer teams, Manchester United, Juventus, FC Barcelona, Inter Milan, Porto, Shakhtar, Club America, Aston Villa, Dundee United, Celtic, Arsenal, Steaua, andShow MoreRelatedNike Swot Analysis1193 Words   |  5 PagesNike.inc SWOT analysis Strengths: y y y y y y y y y y y y y Nike is a globally recognized for being the number one sportswear brand in the World. Nike being a competitive organization has a healthy aver sion towards its competitors i.e. during Atlanta Olympics, Reebok expensed on sponsoring the games; Nike however sponsored the top athletes and due to this step, it gained valuable coverage. Nike has no factories; rather it uses contract factories to get theRead MoreNike Swot Analysis1382 Words   |  6 PagesSWOT Analysis Nike Strengths. Very good Leadership is one of Nike’s strengths. Nike is a very competitive organization. Founder and Owner, Phil Knight is often quoted as saying that â€Å"Business is war without bullets.† Nike has a healthy dislike of its competitors such as Reebok and Addidas. This competition in the market results in the company to strive to have to best products and on the market. Nike sponsors the top athletes and gains valuable coverage through the media. Nike has no factoriesRead MoreNike Swot Analysis3115 Words   |  13 Pages. Case Profile Nike started out just as plan developed in order to satisfy course work at Stanford University. Mr. Phil Knight a graduate student at Stanford University and a long-distance runner decided that he would make low cost running shoes in Japan and then sell them in the US. Knight solicited the assistance of a past coach Bill Bowerman to assist him in his business venture and in 1964 they started Blue Ribbon Sports. Knight called his first shoe Tiger and began distributionRead MoreNike Swot Analysis4730 Words   |  19 PagesNike: Sweatshops and Business Ethics History What started with a handshake between two running geeks in Oregon in January 1964 are now the world s most competitive sports and Fitness Company. Bill Bowerman the legendary University of Oregon track field coach and Phil Knights a University of Oregon runner under Bowerman coach, found the Nike Company, named by the Greek winged goddess of victory. First the company was named Blue Ribbon Sports. The Nike athletic machine began as a small distributingRead MoreSwot - so Analysis Nike1366 Words   |  6 PagesNike SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) Strengths - Nike is one of the main shoemaker in the world. It designs and sells shoes for a big variety of sports including basketball, baseball, golf, soccer, volleyball, tennis, football and running. - Nike is strong at research and development, as is evidenced by its evolving and innovative product range. Its products go through a rigorous quality control before they go to market. Despite the cost to keep a high-levelRead MoreSwot Analysis Of Nike1819 Words   |  8 PagesNike (NKE) is a well-known clothing, footwear, and sporting equipment company based in the USA. The company develops a variety of products for a wide range of sporting activities which includes soccer, football, tennis and basketball among many others. Nike’s involvement in sports is so well executed that it is difficult to turn on a sports channel and not see some type of Nike logo. Aside from its merchandise, the company also drives revenue growth through licensing agreements. 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Nike too has a set up worldwide conveyance channel (chain), solid business sector methodology, a pioneer in innovation and configuration and itRead MoreSWOT Analysis Section here about the overall SWOT analysis and the benefits of doing one for a800 Words   |  4 PagesSWOT Analysis Section here about the overall SWOT analysis and the benefits of doing one for a company. Should introduce the topic to others†¦ especially group members so they know what the analysis does for us and why it is important. Such as, Strengths Strengths are characteristics of the company that give the business a competitive advantage over others. Nike has a strong international brand in which everyone recognizes it from their logo. The logo can be presented by itself without the nameRead MoreCore Competencies And Sustainable Competitive Advantage1296 Words   |  6 PagesCore Competencies and Sustainable Competitive Advantage In terms of core competency, Nike 1) provides high quality durable items to its customers. As a leader in fitness clothing and accessories, Nike strives to be on the edge of the market by providing innovative ideas that improve customer satisfaction. Recognizing the importance of eco-friendly business 3) Nike promotes recycling to its customers and utilize recycling in its own manufacture of products. Lastly, this organization 4) completes

Essay on Analysis of St. Augustine’s Confessions - 1927 Words

St. Augustine’s Confessions St. Augustine is a man with a rational mind. As a philosopher, scholar, and teacher of rhetoric, he is trained in and practices the art of logical thought and coherent reasoning. The pursuits of his life guide him to seek concrete answers to specific questions. Religion, the practice of which relies primarily on faith—occasionally blind faith—presents itself as unable to be penetrated by any sort of scientific study or inquiry. Yet, like a true scientist and philosopher, one of the first questions St. Augustine poses in his Confessions is: â€Å"What, then, is the God I worship† (23)? For a long time, Augustine searches for knowledge about God as a physical body, a particular entity—almost as if the Lord†¦show more content†¦One of the opening lines of his Confessions may provide a clue: â€Å"Man is one of your creatures, Lord, and his instinct is to praise you† (21). This suggests that man possesses an innate instinct to seek God an d spiritual enlightenment. It implies that man, as a product of God, will inherently desire knowledge of and a relationship with his creator. Augustine continues by saying: â€Å"The thought of [God] stirs [man] so deeply that he cannot be content unless he praises you, because you made us for yourself and our hearts find no peace until they rest in you† (21). This suggests that though man may struggle on earth, should he decide to turn to God he will experience peace and rest in the Lord. Here Augustine also states that unless man has found God, â€Å"he cannot be content,† implying that those who have not found God will feel a constant inner void. Despite the fact that Augustine comes to view a relationship with God as a natural and fundamental part of life, filling an inherent void, he also makes it clear that he derives great pleasure from his newfound religious understanding. So what does Augustine gain from religion, and his relationship with God? What had been lacking in his relationships with other men prior to his Christian awakening that then received fulfillment through his relationship with God? Augustine says: â€Å"Dust and ashes though I am, let me appeal to your pity, since it isShow MoreRelated St. Augustin Essay1250 Words   |  5 Pages From the analysis of St. Augustine Confessions and Beowulf, it is clear that the two authors, St. Augustine and the poet respectively, differ on their views of death, which helps to paint a better picture of the world that each writer lived in. In Augustines writings, death plays a major role in life; it serves as the stepping stone to a greater existence in heaven. In Augustines world, Christianity and God both play an important role in how death is viewed. In the poets writings we see a differentRead MoreSaint Augustine : The Confessions Of St. Augustine704 Words   |  3 PagesSt. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, is a true defender of the Catholic faith with an inspirational conversion story which he shares in his writings titled the Confessions. Published around 400 A.D., St. Augustine Confessions had a major influence on western civilization. This beautifully written and intellectually brilliantly narrative on his conversion, St. Agustin brings to light his personal spiritual journe y during his conversion to Catholicism. Completing his book in 400, St. Augustine incorporatedRead MoreReasons For St Augustine s Conversion2016 Words   |  9 PagesSaint Augustine’s conversion. This conversion was believed to be the result of an ultimate battle of sexual desire with spirit. St Augustine Biography Info Augustine of Hippo was born on November 13, in AD 354, in Thagaste (modern day Souk Ahras, Algeria), and died on August 28, in AD 430, in modern-day Annaba, Algeria (then known as Hippo Regius). It was in the latter city where he was named Bishop 35 years prior to his death. It is a challenge to encapsulate renowned personalities, and with St. AugustineRead MoreEssay about Reflecting on St. Augustine at ACS1475 Words   |  6 Pagesand gain new insights about new experiences. In â€Å"The Confessions,† readers see St. Augustine struggle with the question of â€Å"Who am I?† while figuring out his belief in God. The mission of Villanova University is to help create â€Å"thoughtful, intellectually-curious, and spiritually-grounded† students before they graduate. Thus, ACS helps transform young children to be mature adults. Students read â€Å"The Confessions† in ACS because they see Augustine’s struggle to find his identity and religion on his ownR ead MoreAugustine s Confessions And St. Paul Essay1979 Words   |  8 PagesIn Augustine’s Confessions and St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, both authors discuss the relationship between fleshy temptation and the purity of the spirit. The Confessions is Augustine’s writes of his extensive search for truth and conversion to Christianity, as he struggles against fleshy temptations and his soul to find rest in God. Augustine’s writes of a constant struggle to reconcile between the dualistic notion of the flesh and spirit with a nuanced understanding of flesh. On theRead MoreWhat Is The Measure Of One s Faith, Or Their Non Faith?2706 Words   |  11 PagesAugustine Essay What is the measure of one’s faith, or their non-faith. What must one do to repent for sins, and can those sins ever be forgiven if they repent? These are all questions that are explored and , sometimes left unanswered in Confessions , a book by St. Augustine of Hippo. Standing at the forefront as one of the most important figures in the Ancient Western Church, Augustine was a man of impeccable religious stature, in his later years. In his youth, however, he was a vivacious sinnerRead MoreAnalysis: How the First Christian Books Were Written Collected and Preserved1321 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿An Analysis of How the First Christian Books Were Written, Collected, and Preserved It is no secret that Scripture was written by Christs disciples but tradition tells us that it is the inspired word of God. Scripture itself has been handed down to us through the centuries by the Christian Church. It was the early Church, founded by Jesus Christ (as the Bible itself illustrates), which first gathered all the books of the Bible and gave its authoritative pronouncement that these books were theRead More St. Augustine and the Problem of Evil from a Christian Basis2419 Words   |  10 PagesSt. Augustine and the Problem of Evil from a Christian Basis In his Confessions, St. Augustine writes about a large number of topics that continue to have relevance today. The text documents the development of Augustine’s faith and his Christian philosophy, and one thing of particular interest is his argument for the nature of evil. Christianity predicates several important ideas that Augustine builds upon in his philosophy, and within its context, he presents a thorough, compellingRead MoreEssay on Comparing Christianity and Buddhism1675 Words   |  7 Pagesand productive life. Many theologians consider St. Augustine’s â€Å"Confessions† to be the fundamental nature of Christianity. In â€Å"The Confessions,† St. Augustine addressed himself eloquently and passionately to the enduring spiritual questions that have stirred the minds and hearts of thoughtful men since time began. It is a history of a youth’s fierce struggle to overcome his sinful ways and achieve a life of spiritual grace. The essence to Augustine’s message is that to be a Christian means to moveRead MoreUnderstanding the Self- a Comparison of Descartes and Augustine1593 Words   |  7 Pagesa role in understanding the world. Augustine believes that knowledge does not stem directly from the senses, but rather the senses assist the mind in terms of rationalization and greater understanding. In a book entitled The Doctrine of the Self in St. Augustine and in Descartes, by Marguerite Witmer Kehr, Augustine is quoted saying, â€Å"Whatever the eyes can see, they see truly† (Pg. 588). Unlike Descartes who believes that the senses deceive the mind, Augustine believes that all experiences in some

The Judicial Department free essay sample

Judicial power rests with the Supreme Court and the lower courts, as established by law (Art. VIII, sec. 1 of the 1987 Constitution). Its duty is to settle actual controversies involving rights which are legally demandable and enforceable (Art. VIII Sec. 1 (2)). The judiciary enjoys fiscal autonomy. Its appropriation may not be reduced by the Legislature below the appropriated amount the previous year (Art. VIII, sec. 2). Rules and Procedures The Rules of Court of the Philippines, as amended and the rules and regulations issued by the Supreme Court, define the rules and procedures of the Judiciary. These rules and regulations are in the form of Administrative Matters, Administrative Orders, Circulars, Memorandum Circulars, Memorandum Orders and OCA Circulars. To inform the members of the Judiciary, legal profession and the public of these rules and regulations, the Supreme Court disseminates these rules and regulations to all courts, publishes important ones in newspapers of general circulation, prints them in book or pamphlet form and now uploads them to the Supreme Court website and the Supreme Court E-Library website. On June 21, 1988, The Supreme Court promulgated the Code of Professional Responsibility for the legal profession. The draft was prepared by the Committee on Responsibility, Discipline and Disbarment of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines. Appointments to the Judiciary Under the present Constitution, appointments to the judiciary are made by the President of the Philippines on the basis of a list submitted by the Judicial and Bar Council (by virtue of Art. VIII, Sec. 8). The JBC is under the supervision of the Supreme Court. Its principal function is to screen prospective appointees to any judicial post. The Judicial and Bar Council promulgated its Rules (JBC-009) on October 31, 2000. It is composed of the Chief Justice as ex-officio Chairman, the Secretary of Justice and representatives of Congress as ex-officio members, a representative of the Integrated Bar, a professor of law, a retired member of the Supreme Court and a representative of the private sector as members. Philippine Judicial Academy The Philippine Judicial Academy (PHILJA) is the â€Å"training school for justices, judge, court personnel, lawyers and aspirants to judicial posts. † It was originally created by the Supreme Court on March 16, 1996 by virtue of Administrative Order No. 35-96 and was institutionalized on February 26, 1998 by virtue of Republic 8557. It is an important component of the Supreme Court for its important mission on judicial education. No appointee to the Bench may commence the discharge his adjudicative function without completing the prescribed court training in the Academy. Its organizational structure and administrative setup are provided for by the Supreme Court in its En Banc resolution (Revised A. M. No. 01-1-04-sc-PHILJA). Philippine Mediation Center The Philippine Mediation Center was organized pursuant to Supreme Court en banc Resolution A. M. No. 01-10-5-SC-PHILJA, dated October 16, 2001, and in line with the objectives of the Action Program for Judicial Reforms (APJR) to decongest court dockets, among others, the Court prescribed guidelines in institutionalizing and implementing the mediation program in the Philippines. The same resolution designated the Philippine Judicial Academy as the component unit of the Supreme Court for Court-Annexed Mediation and other Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Mechanisms, and established the Philippine Mediation Center (PMC). Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Office was organized to implement the rules on Mandatory Continuing Legal Education for members of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (B. M. No. 850 – â€Å"Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE)). It holds office in the Integrated Bar of the Philippines main office. Katarungang Pambarangay Presidential Decree No. 1508, or the Katarungang Pambarangay Law, took effect on December 11, 1978, and established a system of amicably settling disputes at the barangay level. This decree and the Local Government Code provided Rules and procedures, Title I, Chapter 7, sec. 339-422). This system of amicable settlement of dispute aims to promote the speedy administration of justice by easing the congestion of court dockets. The Court does not take cognizance of cases filed if they are not filed first with the Katarungang Pambarangay. Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) System Republic Act No. 9285 institutionalized the use of an alternative dispute resolution system, which serves to promote the speedy and impartial administration of justice and unclog the court dockets. This act shall be without prejudice to the adoption of the Supreme Court of any ADR system such as mediation, conciliation, arbitration or any combination thereof. ? History of the Supreme Court The Royal Audencia was established on May 5, 1583, composed of a president, four oidores (justices) and a fiscal. The Audencia exercised both administrative and judicial functions. Its functions and structure were modified in 1815 when a chief justice replaced its president and the number of justices was increased. It came to be known as the Audencia Territorial de Manila with two branches, civil and criminal. A Royal Decree issued on July 24, 1861 converted it to a purely judicial body with its decisions appealable to the Court of Spain in Madrid. A territorial Audencia in Cebu and Audencia for criminal cases in Vigan were organized on February 26, 1898. Revolution and First Republic In the three phases of the Revolution: 1896-97; 1898; 1899-1901, the exigencies of war prevented the thorough organization of the administration of justice. Katipunan councils, then the provisional governments of Tejeros, Biak-na-Bato, and the Revolutionary Republic proclaimed in Kawit, essentially had General Emilio Aguinaldo exercising decree-making powers instituting ad hoc courts and reviewing any appeals concerning their decisions. In 1899, when the Malolos Constitution was ratified, it provided for a Supreme Court of Justice. President Aguinaldo proposed the appointment of Apolinario Mabini as Chief Justice but the appointment and the convening of the Supreme Court of Justice never materialized because of the Philippine-American War. American Military Rule During the Philippine-American War, General Wesley Merrit suspended the Audencias when a military government was established after Manila fell to American forces in August, 1898. Major General Elwell S. Otis re-established the Audencia on May 29, 1899 by virtue of General Order No. 20, which provided for six Filipino members of the Audencia. Establishment of the Supreme Court With the establishment of Civil Government, Act No. 136 of the Philippine Commission abolished the Audencia and established the present Supreme Court on June 11, 1901 with Cayetano Arellano as the first Chief Justice together with associate justices, the majority of whom were American. Commonwealth: Filipinization of the Supreme Court With the ratification of the 1935 Constitution, the membership was increased to 11 with two divisions of five members each. The Supreme Court was Filipinized upon the inauguration of the Commonwealth of the Philippines in November 15, 1935. The composition of the Court was lessened by virtue of Commonwealth Act No. 3. It provided for a Supreme Court, headed by a Chief Justice with six Associate Justices. World War II and the Third Republic During World War II, the National Assembly passed legislation granting Emergency Powers to President Manuel L. Quezon; Chief Justice Jose Abad Santos was made concurrent Secretary of Justice and Acting President of the Philippines in unoccupied areas. After his capture and execution at the hands of the Japanese, the Commonwealth government-in-exile had no system of courts. Meanwhile, the Japanese organized the Philippine Executive Commission in In occupied areas on January 8, 1942, which gave way to the Second Republic in October 14, 1943. By the end of World War II, the regular function of the courts had been restored, beginning with the appointment of a new Supreme Court on June 6, 1945. On September 17, 1945, the laws of the Second Republic were declared null and void; a Supreme Court decision on Co Kim Cham v. Eusebio Valdez Tan Keh and Arsenio P. Dizon recognized this. Martial Law The Supreme Court was retained during the martial law years under rules similar to the 1935 Constitution, but with the exception few key factors, e. g. : 1. The 1973 Constitution further increased the membership of the Supreme Court to 15, with two divisions; 2. The process by which a Chief Justice and Associate Justices are appointed was changed under to grant the President (then, President Ferdinand Marcos) the sole authority to appoint members of the Supreme Court. There were five Chief Justices that were appointed under this provision. Under the 1987 Constitution Pursuant to the provisions of the 1987 Constitution, the Supreme Court is composed of a Chief Justice and 14 Associate Justices who serve until the age of 70. The Court may sit en banc or in one of its three divisions composed of five members each. The Chief Justice and Associate Justices are appointed by the President of the Philippines, chosen from a shortlist submitted by the Judicial and Bar Council. The President must fill up a vacancy within 90 days of occurrence. Article VIII, sec. 4 (2) of the Constitution explicitly provides for the cases that must be heard en banc and sec. 4 (3) for cases that may be heard by divisions (Constitution, Art. VIII, sec. 4, par. 1). The Judiciary Reorganization Act of 1980 transferred the administrative supervision of all courts and their personnel from the Department of Justice to the Supreme Court. This was affirmed by Art. VIII, sec. 6 of the 1987 Constitution. To effectively discharge this constitutional mandate, The Office of the Court Administrator (OCA) was created under Presidential Decree No. 828, as mended by Presidential Decree No. 842 (and its functions further strengthened by a Resolution of the Supreme Court En Bans dated October 24, 1996). Its principal function is the supervision and administration of the lower courts throughout the Philippines and all their personnel. It reports and recommends to the Supreme Court all actions that affect the lower court management. The OCA is headed by the Court Administrator, three Deputy Court Administrators, and three Assistant Court Administrators. According to the 1987 Constitution, Art. VIII, sec. 5, The Supreme Court exercises the following powers: 1. Exercise jurisdiction over cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, and over petitions for certiorari, prohibition, mandamus, quo warranto, and habeas corpus. 2. Review, revise, reverse, modify, or affirm, on appeal or certiorari, as the law or the Rules of Court may provide, final judgments and orders of the lower courts in: All cases in which the constitutionality or validity of any treaty, international or executive agreement, law, presidential decree, proclamation, order, instruction, ordinance, or regulation is in question; All cases involving the legality of any tax, impost, assessment, or toll, or any penalty imposed in relation thereto; All cases in which the jurisdiction of any lower court is in issue; All criminal cases in which the penalty imposed is reclusion perpetua or higher; All cases in which only an error or question of law is involved; 3. Assign temporarily judges of lower courts to other stations as public interest may require. Such temporary assignments shall not exceed six months without the consent of the judge concerned. 4. Order a change of venue or place of trial to avoid a miscarriage of justice. 5. Promulgate rules concerning the protection and enforcement of constitutional rights, pleading, practice, and procedure in all courts; the admission to the practice of law, the Integrated Bar; and legal assistance to the underprivileged. Such rules shall provide a simplified and inexpensive procedure for the speedy disposition of cases, shall be uniform for all courts the same grade, and shall not diminish, increase or modify substantive rights. Rules of procedure of special courts and quasi-judicial bodies shall remain effective unless disapproved by the Supreme Court. 6. Appoint all officials and employees of the Judiciary in accordance with the Civil Service Law (Sec. 5 , id. ). The Supreme Court has adopted and promulgated the Rules of Court for the protection and enforcement of constitutional rights, pleadings and practice and procedure in all courts, and the admission in the practice of law. Amendments are promulgated through the Committee on Revision of Rules. The Court also issues administrative rules and regulations in the form of court issuances posted on the Supreme Court E-Library website. ? The Chief Justice The incumbent Ma. Lourdes P. A. Sereno Tenure as Chief Justice: August 24, 2012 – present Appointed by: Benigno S. Aquino III Age at Appointment: 52 Full roster of Chief Justices The position of Chief Justice was created in 1901 by virtue of the establishment of the Philippine Supreme Court. At the time, the Chief Justice was appointed by the President of the United States: the court was composed mainly of American citizens with a Filipino Chief Justice. The incumbent Chief Justice, Ma. Lourdes P. A. Sereno, appointed by President Benigno S. Aquino III, took her oath of office on August 25, 2012. She is the first woman to hold the position. There were six Chief Justices appointed by the President of the United States. In 1935, upon the inauguration of the Commonwealth of the Philippines, the power to appoint the Chief Justice was transferred to the President of the Philippines. According to the 1935 Constitution, the President of the Philippines shall make appointments with concurrence of the National Assembly. There have been six Chief Justices who were appointed under the 1935 Constitution. The only Chief Justice that was not appointed by a President was Chief Justice Jose Yulo, who was in office during the Japanese occupation, from 1942 until the liberation of the Philippines in 1945. During this time, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court was appointed by the Philippine Executive Committee headed by Jorge B. Vargas. The 1943 Constitution provided for the members of the Supreme Court and the Chief Justice to be appointed by the President with the concurrence of his Cabinet. Upon the declaration of Martial Law and the subsequent establishment of the 1973 Constitution, the process of selection of the Chief Justice of the Philippines was changed. The power of Congress to veto an appointment by the President to the office of the Chief Justice was removed. According to the 1973 Constitution, â€Å"The Members of the Supreme Court and judges of inferior courts shall be appointed by the President. † There were five Chief Justices that were appointed under this provision. After the revolution of 1986, a new constitution was enacted and a new process of selecting a Chief Magistrate was created. Former Chief Justice and 1986 Constitutional Commission delegate Roberto V. Concepcion introduced the concept of the Judicial and Bar Council. The aim of the Council is to de-politicize the Judiciary by lessening the appointing power of the President. To read more about the appointment of Chief Justices, members of the Judiciary, and the Office of the Ombudsman, please click here. To date, there have been nine Chief Justices appointed under the conditions of the 1986 Constitution. Chief Justices listed according to appointing President of the Philippines Of the fifteen Presidents of the Philippines, only eight have been able to appoint an individual to the highest judicial post in the land. The following is the list of Presidents who appointed Chief Justices and their appointees. 1. Manuel L. Quezon Jose Abad Santos 2. Sergio Osmena Manuel V. Moran 3. Elpidio Quirino Ricardo M. Paras 4. Carlos P. Garcia Cesar Bengzon 5. Ferdinand E. Marcos Roberto V. Concepcion Querube Makalintal Fred Ruiz Castro Enrique M. Fernando Felix V. Makasiar Ramon C. Aquino 6. Corazon C. Aquino Claudio Teehankee Pedro L. Yap Marcelo B. Fernan Andres R. Narvasa 7. Joseph Ejercito – Estrada Hilario G. Davide 8. Gloria Macapagal – Arroyo Artemio Panganiban Reynato Puno Renato C. Corona 9. Benigno S. Aquino III Maria Lourdes P. A. Sereno 10. 11. Notable Chief Justices 12. Of the list of Chief Justices, there are a few individuals that stand out for having gone above and beyond their duty and tenure as Chief Justice. 1. Cayetano Arellano: Cayetano Arellano was the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. He was appointed in 1901 when the Supreme Court was created through Act No. 136, along with three American Justices and one Filipino Justice. 2. Ramon Avancena: Appointed in 1925 by U. S. President Calvin Coolidge, he is known for ushering in an all-Filipino Supreme Court in 1935. Upon the establishment of the Philippine Commonwealth in 1935, American Justices were no longer allowed to sit in the Philippine Supreme Court—thus, new Justices were appointed, all of whom were of Filipino citizenship. 3. Jose Abad Santos: As a wartime Chief Justice, Abad Santos took on two different roles; he was the Chief Justice and concurrently the Secretary of Justice. When President Quezon left the Philippines to evade capture by the Japanese, Abad Santos chose to stay in the country as a caretaker of the government. On May 2, 1942, the Japanese military caught Abad Santos in Cebu and invited him to become one of the members of their puppet government. Abad Santos refused to collaborate. He died at the hands of the Japanese on May 2, 1942. His last words to his son were, â€Å"Do not cry, Pepito, show to these people that you are brave. It is an honor to die for one’s country. Not everybody has that chance. † 4. Manuel V. Moran: Appointed in 1945 by President Sergio Osmena, Manuel V. Moran would serve as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court for six years. Upon his retirement in 1951, Moran was appointed as Philippine Ambassador to Spain and concurrently to the Holy See. During President Quirino’s administration, Moran was once again offered a position in the Supreme Court in 1953, at the twilight of Quirino’s presidency. Moran, however, refused the midnight appointment. 5. Roberto V. Concepcion: He went into early retirement for refusing to grant absolute power to Ferdinand Marcos, the president who appointed him. In the resolution of Javellana v. Executive Secretary, Concepcion argued against the validity of the 1973 Constitution and its questionable aspects. Accordingly, he dissented, along with Justices Teehankee, Zaldivar, and Fernando, from implementing the 1973 Constitution. Due to the court’s decision, Concepcion would enter early retirement, 50 days before his originally scheduled retirement date. 6. Claudio Teehankee: Claudio Teehankee was known for his firm anti-martial law stance during his tenure in the Supreme Court. Teehankee resisted multiple attempts by the Marcos administration to garner absolute power by issuing questionable decrees. In 1973, he was part of the bloc that dissented from the implementation of the 1973 Constitution. In 1980, he dissented from the proposed judicial reorganization act of President Marcos. In 1986, after the EDSA Revolution, he administered the Oath of Office of President Corazon C. Aquino in Club Filipino. He was appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in 1986 by President Corazon C. Aquino 7. Hilario G. Davide: Appointed by President Joseph Ejercito Estrada in 1998, Chief Justice Hilario G. Davide was known as the presiding judge of the first impeachment proceedings in Asia. During the impeachment of President Estrada, he conducted proceedings with impartiality. Following EDSA II uprising, which deposed President Estrada, Davide swore in Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as the Fourteenth President of the Philippines. 8. Maria Lourdes P. A. Sereno: Appointed by President Benigno S. Aquino III in 2012, Chief Justice Sereno is the first woman appointed to the position. 13.

Karma And Samsara Essays (1277 words) - Shabda, Reincarnation

Karma And Samsara The belief in Karma and Samsara form the basis for the Hindu's religious worldview. It has been central to Hinduism for thousands of years, and as a result forms a major part in the philosophical thinking of many Hindu's today. The ideas of Karma and Samsara are evident in almost all of the great Hindu scriptures, being touched on in the Veda's, but first properly introduced in the Upanishads. When the idea of Samsara was first introduced it led to a quest for liberation through the practice of austerity or meditation or both. To be released form this life the Hindu's needed to wipe out the effects of their past actions or Karma. It is this set of beliefs that formed the background of many of Hindu's religious movements and beliefs. Karma is the belief according to which a person's future life is determined by past and present actions. Every action, bodily, intellectual or ethical, good or bad, big or small will have its effect. Nothing other than the effects of earlier actions has determined the present state of affairs and nothing other than the present actions will determine the future circumstances. The law of Karma allows no room for chance or divine intervention as everything is inevitably determined by it. The Brhardaranyaka Upanisad simply sates "By good actions one becomes good, by bad actions one becomes bad"(4.4.5) (Koller 1982: 59). Intertwined with belief in Karma is the idea of Samsara, which is the cycle of repeated births and deaths that subjects an individual not merely to one death but to innumerable deaths (Koller 1982:9). Hindu's believe that as a person dies the Atman (the unconscious, immaterial part of a human) carries the results of their good and bad actions (Karma) into their next existence. This previous Karma will determine what sort of position a Hindu will occupy in their new existence, for example, if a person in a low caste has been very good in their past existence they will be born into a higher caste in their next life. The ideas of Karma and Samsara have justified the unequal Caste system, which has been an integral part of Indian society for hundreds of years. At the time of the Rig Veda (the earliest Hindu scriptures around 1000 B.C.E) (Smart 1989: 60) the key concepts of Karma and Samsara had not actually been stated. However, it does mention that a person's conduct in this world determines his life after death. The brahmins (the religious leaders) stressed the importance of the sacred act of sacrificing which was supposed to have a bearing on man's fate in the next world, and consequently the Satapatha Brahmana 11.1.8,6, states that "the Sacrifice becomes the self of the sacrificer in the next world"(Stutley 1985: 23). So, even at this early stage of Hinduism, the idea of Karma played an important role in the Hindu's worldview. It was not until the Upanishads (the principal ones dating from 800-400B.C.E) (Smart 1989:49) that we first meet with the doctrines of Karma and Samsara. The Upanishads are concerned essentially with the meaning of the sacrificial rites, and come to the conclusion that knowledge in the ?true reality' is the key rather than expertise in rituals like the Rig Veda's were. In the process they introduce profound metaphysical and religious ideas, such as Karma and Samsara. The Chandogya Upanisad sums up the ideas of Karma and Samsara "those who are of pleasant conduct here the prospect is indeed that they will enter a pleasant womb, either the womb of a Kshatriya or the womb of a Vaisya (high Indian Castes). But those who are of a striking conduct here the prospect is indeed, that, they will enter the womb of a dog, or the womb of a swine, or the womb of an outcast"(Lipner 1994: 45). The central concept in the Upanishads is that of Brahman. Brahman is the highest truth, the eternal being on which all other beings depend on. Brahman is the same as the atman, in other words, that ultimate being out there, is the same as that eternal something within you. The goal for many Hindus became at this time to gain Moksha (release from Samsara) which meant a person's atman would be released from the cycle of rebirth and therefore become one with the ultimate reality, Brahman, like a drop of water into an ocean. To understand the Hindus preoccupation with breaking the cycle of Samsara and gaining Moksha one must understand the Hindu's view of time and space.

Karate Essays - Shrin-ry, Tatsuo Shimabuku, Isshin-ry, Free Essays

Karate Essays - Shrin-ry, Tatsuo Shimabuku, Isshin-ry, Free Essays Karate Outline Thesis Statement: Isshinryu may be the youngest karate to come from Okinawa, but it is as rich with spirit as the earlier forms. I. Background on Isshinryu founder. A. Birth date and location. B. Teachers and influence C. Creation II. Description of Emblem and patch. A. Origin B. Explanation and meaning C. Symbolism III. Kata A. Brief overview B. History C. Explanation D. Benefits IV. Ranking sytem A. Kyu ranks B. Dan ranks C. Promotion requirements Isshinryu Karate was developed and introduced in 1954 by Tatsuo Shimabuku on the island of Okinawa. His karate was the offspring of two different systems, Goju-Ryu and Shorin-Ryu. Goju-Ryu being the ?Hard? method, and Shorin-Ryu being the ?Soft? method. He introduced katas from other forms into his own form, and developed features unique to his newly created style. The ranking system, also unique to his style, was made up of 7 kyu ranks and 10 degrees of black belts. A vision Shimabuku had in a dream also played a major role in the development of his style. The vision that helped him ?mold? his karate into one form is represented on a patch presently worn on the gi?s of his followers and their students. Isshinryu may be the youngest karate to come from Okinawa, but it is as rich with spirit as the earlier forms. Shinkichi Shimabuku, founder of Isshinryu, was born on the island of Okinawa on September 19, 1908 (Armstrong 7). Upon reaching the age of six, Shimabuku would travel on foot, six miles down an old farm road to reach his uncle?s house. His uncle, Chioyu, a Shorin-ryu Master, was reluctant to teach young Shimibuku. Instead, Chioyu made him perform menial chores around the dojo. After two years of chores and six mile walks, Shimabuku developed the patients and physical condition to begin karate training. His uncle taught Shimabuku his system and started him off on his martial career. During his years of adolescence Shimabuku changes his name from Shinkichi to Tatsuo meaning ?Dragon Boy?. It was common during the 1920?s for a young boy to change his name during his adolescence years. With the motivation from his uncle, Shimabuku sought out the famous Chotoku Kyan, another Shorin-ryu master. After developing an excellent kicking ability, his next sensei was Chojin Miyagi! , known for his vigorous training habits. Miyagi teaches Shimabuku Naha-te, known today as the Goju-ryu style. His fourth teacher was a man by the name of Motobu, a famous brawler in Okinawa. Motobu furthers Shimabuku?s in Shorin-ryu and grants him the title of Master (8). Lastly, Yabiku Moden, helps polish Shimabuku?s training by teaching him the art of the Bo, Sai, and Tee-fa (9). With the teachings of some of Okinawa?s legendary teachers, Tatsuo Shimabuku sets of to begin a life in the martial arts. Late one evening at his home in Chun Village, Shimabuku was awakened by his dream of the ?Mizu-gami?, the sea goddess. With this symbol, Tatsuo realizes the unification of his training that the Mizu-gami represents. It was on that evening that Isshinryu was born (Armstrong 27). Later, his vision was produced on a patch worn by all students of Isshinryu Karate. The emblem of Isshinryu karate symbolizes the Mizu-gami. Its oval shape was originally designed to represent the unique vertical fist in Isshinryu karate. The symbol depicts a woman whose lower half appears to take the form of a sea dragon. Her left hand is held open in the universal sign of peace while her right hand forms an Isshinryu fist. In Oriental mythology, the dragon in the sky is a sign of good luck while the gray background and churning seas is a sign of unknown dangers. Three stars are located at the top of the emblem representing three virtues. These virtues consist of mind, body, and spirit whic! h all must be developed to reach total harmony (Tyurin). With this vision and sensei?s knowledge of the martial arts, he sets off to create the Isshinryu system. What would a martial arts system be without Kata? According to the Martial Arts Dictionary, by Louis Frederic, the word ?kata? is defined as Form?, ?Sequence, but there is much more to kata than form and sequence (104). To

Capital Structure Decision and the Cost of Capital Essay

Capital Structure Decision and the Cost of Capital - Essay Example About These Firms Headquartered in California USA, eBay Inc. is an online auction website that was started in September 2005. You can buy almost anything on eBay, but it has to be legally admissible and not dangerous or restricted items. People bidding for items on eBay can use auction price listings, fixed price format or fixed price format with best offer. Presently eBay operates in around 30 countries. When it went public in September 2008, the price went up to $53.50 from $18.00 on the opening day of the IPO offer. As of 14 February 2012, the stock price of the eBay company (EBAY) was $32.89 and its market capitalization was 42.39 billion. It has a beta of 1.29. The Clorox Company is headquartered in Oakland, California and is best known for its Clorox bleach product that is a mixture of mainly chlorine and sodium hydroxide. The company was formed in May 1913 by a group of five entrepreneurs from different professions who decided to set up a commercial scale liquid bleach factory in the USA. Originally concentrating on industrial grade bleach, the founders nevertheless decided to create a less potent form of the bleach for household use in 1917, and sales skyrocketed. The FTC prevented a takeover bid from Procter & Gamble in 1957 from being successful due to monopoly and antitrust laws and Clorox was again made independent in 1967. In its quest for expansion and diversification, the company has experimented with everything from bottled water to beauty and cosmetics, but is still best known for its cleaning products such as Glad, Liquid Plumr, Formula 409, Pinesol, SOS and Tilex. As of 14 February 2012, the stock price of the Clorox Company (CLX) was $67.96 and its market capitalization was 8.83 billion. It has a beta of 0.7. Founded in 1968 in Lakeland, Florida by William Darden, Darden Restaurants operates and owns a chain of around 1800 restaurants mainly in the USA. However the franchise has expanded to Canada as well, having about 35 outlets there. Its casual dining themed restaurants include among others the Red Lobster, Olive Garden and Long Horn Steakhouse labels. Lacking the funds for further expansion, Darden had sold the chain to General Mills in 1970, but the purchaser rewarded him by placing Darden as President of the newly acquired business when the headquarters moved to Orlando. He was subsequently promoted to VP of Operations while the first Restaurant Manager, Joseph R. Lee assumed the position of President of Red Lobster. As of 14 February 2012, the stock price of Darden Restaurants (DRI) was $48.66 and its market capitalization was 6.25 billion. It has a beta of 0.41 (Yahoo Finance Website, 2012). Ratios and Financial Data Looking at the Yahoo Finance website, it appears that eBay earned revenues of $11.65 billion in 2011. Its profit margin was 27.72 percent, while ROA was 6.01 percent and ROE was 19.43 percent. When it comes to the Clorox Company, revenue earnings were $5.31 billion in 2011. The profit margin was 10 .45 percent, while ROA was 13.47 percent and ROE figure was not available. Taking the Darden Restaurant figures, this chain earned revenues of $7.74 billion in 2011. Darden’s profit margin was 5.80 percent, while its ROA was 7.89 percent and the ROE stood at 25.08 percent. Of course, though on the face of it, a comparison would make eBay the best of the three in terms of revenues earned, with Darden second and

Eating disorders- anorexia and its relationship to female images in Term Paper

Eating disorders- anorexia and its relationship to female images in the media - Term Paper Example They also try to lose weight by exercising excessively (Griffin, 2012). Anorexia is not about food. It refers to an unhealthy way to keep up with emotional problems of an individual; people with this disorder always equate their body size with their self-worth (Saukko, 2008). It’s always a hard situation to ignore but with proper treatment, one can gain sense of who he or she is, get back to healthy eating habits and reverse some serious effects of the disorder. Most of the patients with Anorexia usually turn and feel hostile towards the media due to their images because the media helps in keeping and maintaining the disorders in one way or the other. The relationship between anorexia and female images in media can best be summarized in several sections; media’s role in the provision of social context with which eating disorders grow, media’s role in the etiology of anorexia symptoms, different ways that the media help the patients in maintaining and fighting the condition and the role that the media can play in helping in the prevention and the treatment of the condition (Robert-McComb, Norman & Zumwalt, n.d.). Earlier investigations on the role played by the media in the disorders associated with eating mostly focused on the losing of body weight over time of the models, media actresses and beauty contestants who were concerned about the ideals of beauty. Several studies have put to records the trend of adding body thinness in Miss America contestants, fashion models between 1950s and the 1990s and Playboy centerfolds. The same period was characterized by a significant weight increase by the Canadian and the American women that led to the ever-increasing discrepancy between the media ideal and the body size of the North American women. Both print and electronic media have played a big role in contributing to the satisfaction of the body and also disordered the eating

Strategies to Sustain Competitive Advantage

Strategies to Sustain Competitive Advantage Q1: Using an appropriate model, evaluate the business model of a company of your choice, describing how the company differentiates itself from its competitors and sustain competitive advantage. 1. Executive Summary Cummins started off as diesel engine manufacturing company since 1919 and now growing as â€Å"power† leader in the world. Cummins expand network through company- owned distributor, independent distributor and dealer to serve customer globally. In 2009, Cummins reported net income of $428 million in $10.8 billion of sales [1]. Cummins have been diversifying its business to broad range of products from power generation, filtration technology, turbo technology, fuel system, emission controls and air handling [2]. Due to external pressure and growing market in Asia, Cummins recently setup Centre of Excellent in Singapore focus more on Marine and Offshore market. In this post module assignment, competitive strategy will only focus on Cumminss marine and offshore business. In this PMA, the value curve is based on own industry experiences assumption. However, analysis on financial will based overall Cummins business listed in stock market which named â€Å"CMI†. 1.1. Vision Statement â€Å"Making peoples lives better by unleashing the Power of Cummins† [3]. Cummins believe in by developing new technology will lead to better living for the people. 1.2. Mission Statement Cummins mission statement as quoted below [3] â€Å"Motivating people to act like owners working together† â€Å"Exceeding customer expectations by always being first to market the best products† â€Å"Partnering with our customers to make sure that they succeed† â€Å"Demanding that everything we do leads to a cleaner, healthier, safer environment† â€Å"Creating wealth for all stakeholders.† 1.3. Cummins compare with Industrial leader Figure 1 Financial Analysis CMI Vs Industry Leader [4] Figure 1 shows overview financial analysis of Cummins (CMI) compare within industry leader [4]. Cummins rank 35 among 379 diversified machinery industries in industrial goods sector for market capitalisation. Cummins stock values increase more than triple over the past 3 years and promise future growth with its business strategy [4]. 1.4. Ocean Strategy Ocean strategy has been introduced by W.C. Kim and R Mauborge since 2004. Starting then, this strategy is adopted and implemented successfully in various organisations globally. Recently, Malaysias Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak shared his experience on Ocean Strategy when dealing with increasing crime in the country [5]. He is using Blue Ocean Strategy as management tools in order to promote thinking out of the box. Key successful activities such as leveraged untapped resources when replaced police with soldier doing patrolling around countrys border and conduct training for new police force in the underutilised army facilities. This initiative save a lot of money from government and promote cross functioning role among government agency [5]. The principle of the ocean strategy is treating market as universe. There are two oceans available in the universe named Red Ocean and Blue Ocean. Red Ocean defined as known competition. In this Ocean, product is already well defined and competitors only able to compete with price [6] .Customer expectation on the product almost generic and not much technology can be developing in this area. For diesel engine in marine and offshore market, the competitors for Cummins include Caterpillar, MTU and Mitsubishi. How Cummins can break trough become market leaders? Cummins apply Blue Ocean Strategy when dealing with its business. Blue Ocean Strategy defines as untapped market which no competition and industries that do not exist at this point of time [6]. This in return will resulting higher profit compare with conventional approach. This clearly shows in W.C. Kim and R Mauborge studys on business launches in 108 companies. They summarize revenue and profit impact of business launches shows in Figure 2. In this study, 86% business launches within own boundaries (Red Oceans) and 14% business launches looking for new opportunities (Blue Oceans) [6]. Red Oceans approach focus on existing customer by improving their product and study shows that this resulted 62% on total revenue and 39% on total profit. In contrast, 14% of the businesses launches by creating blue oceans can bring in higher return which about 61% of the total profit [6]. Cummins spend heavily on research and development for past 5 years as shown in Figure 3. In 2010 alone, Cummins invest 414million in new technology development [2]. One of recent Blue Oceans initiatives is setting Marine and Offshore Centre of Excellent in Singapore. This business focus on the â€Å"Packaging† instead of selling conventional type of â€Å"bare diesel engine† like other competitor such as CAT, MTU and Mitsubishi. Figure 4 shows pictorial view on the value added components into bare diesel engine 1.5. Strategy Canvas Figure 5 shows strategy canvas of the marine and offshore diesel engine. X-axis represents critical success factors of the markets competition and Y-axis correspond to values perceived by marine and offshore customer. Marine and offshore is a mature and establish market. Engine makers always compete with price, image, brand, delivery, product performance and service availability. Cummins performs averagely in critical successful factors. However, in order to compete in the competitive market, Cummins break through conventional way by creating new team to focus on product value added specifically for marine and offshore customer. Cummins applied Blue Ocean strategy. Figure 6 shows Red Ocean strategy from others diesel engine maker and Blue Ocean strategy from Cummins. Q2: Using either Porters generic strategies or the Strategy Clock, identify examples of organizations following strategies of differentiation, low cost or low price, and stuck-in-the middle or hybrid. How successful are these strategies. 2. Porters 5 forces generic Strategies â€Å"Using the five forces framework, creative strategists may be able to spot an industry with a good future before this good futureis reflected in the prices of acquisition candidates† Michael Porter [7]. Porters five forces: Threat of New Entrants: Analyse potential new comer to market is important to understand potential future competitors Bargaining Power of Buyers: Buyers is the party that create demand for industry, understand buyers requirement will help to maintain competitive advantages. For example, bargaining power of buyers is high if product is standard. Threat of substitute products or service: Buyers always look for alternative or cheapest way to get products or service. Substitute product can bring the overall industry price lower Bargaining Power of Supplier: Supplier supply raw material or service to manufacturer. Bargaining power of supplier is high when to many buyer and less supplier in the market Rivalry among existing competitors: Current fast moving industry, its important understand the strategy of existing competitors. Example: How competitor gain competitive advantages or product differentiation. Porters 5 Forces allowed the company undertand and analyse own industry struture and futher help the management to decide on companys strategy. According to Porter, organisation is able to gain competitive advantanges by strategies the company using one of the â€Å"Porters Generic Strategies† as shown in Figure 8; 1) Cost Leadership, 2) Differentiation, 3) Focus [8]. 2.1. Cost Leadership Strategies Cost leadership strategies emphasize on low cost in company strategies. Company will offer low per-unit cost product or service to customer that sensitive to price. In order to become low cost provider, company can practise integration strategies (backward, forward and horizontal). There are few factors that will affect the strategies include economies of scale, learning curve, productivity, company structure, relationship with supplier and quality control. Several example organizations that practice this are Wal-Mart (general merchandiser), Air Asia (budget Airline) and Macdonalds (Fast Food) [9]. In this PMA, I will use Air Asia as example to study its business model and look into company successful factor. Air Asia strategy as illustrate in Figure 9, the company mission is to continue to be the markets carrier low cost provider. In order to compete with other aircraft carrier and achieve company vision for â€Å"Lowest cost airline†, Air Asia implement a few strategy to reduce operation cost. Strategy implemented as per below: 2.1.1. Keep operation cost low- NO frills In order to compete in this competitive market, Air Asia able to keep operational cost low by implementing few â€Å"NO†s in the strategy [10]: NO meal: No food or drinks will be provided free in the in-flight service. NO frequent flyer program: NO Membership or rewarding program which commonly used for others airline like Kris flyer for Singapore Airline and Skymiles for Delta airline. NO Seat assignment Ticket: In order to keep administrative cost low NO Entertainment: NO news paper and entertainment system such as movie, games and music. No ticket : Ticketless replaced conventional type printed ticket No waiting lounge: NO lounge provide in the airport 2.1.2. Single air craft fleet In order to streamline the operation, Air Asia phasing out its 14 Boeing B737 in 2010 and replace by only operate single air craft which is A320. Few advantages of using single aircraft as stated below Keep inventory cost low Saving cost in service and maintenance such as keeping same model of spares parts. No duplicated resource due to difference Air Craft experience needed Reduce time and training cost due to only one model. This allowed the company avoid going to through the expensive â€Å"learning curve† process and also may dissatisfied demanding customer. Michael and Nikos study on the organisation learning curves for customer dissatisfaction across airlines. They plotted estimate U-Shaped learning curve as show in Figure 10 and show evident that complaint rates followed U-shaped function of experience Able to increase fuel efficiency and improve productivity 2.1.3. Simplified distribution system Air Asia design simple user friendly system for customer to book and check- in their ticket. Customers are able to check in using own mobile as shown in Figure 11. This ticketless system is able to reduce waiting time for customer queuing to check- in at the airport counter. 2.1.4. Point to point network (≠¤ 4 hrs) All Air Asia flight is running by point to point network within 4 hours radius or less as its business model. This model only carry passenger from point A to point B without any connecting flight. This in order to keep operation cost simple in order to reduce costs [10]. 2.1.5. Optimum Aircraft Utilization Another way to keep operating cost low and maximizes profit, Air Asia increase productivity by optimise flight utilisation. Air Asia is the fastest in the region by achieving 25 minute turnaround time. Air Asia is able to achieve equal or more than 75% for last 5 years on the load factor. Once, Air Asia achieve close to 100% load factor for Bali Perth route. Load factor is defined by AirAsia as â€Å"numbers of passengers as a percentage of number of seats flown† [10]. On top of that, Air Asia applies â€Å"Tier based† system for ticketing which depend on supply and demand. When demand is low, the price is low. When demand is high the ticket price will also go high. This system is efficient especially during low season allowed Air Asia maintain the reasonable high percent load factor, 2.2. Differentiate Strategies Differentiation strategies offer service or product which unique perceived by customer. Differentiation strategies do not guarantee good payback especially current standard product offered in the industry is more than enough to meet customer expectation. There will a risk on implementing this strategy and need to study carefully on customer requirement before implementing. Product value added, extra servicing, products flexibility and better compatibility are some of the features that can create differentiate in the industry. Cost is not an issue in this strategy; hence company can demand higher price if customer strongly attached to offered differentiation features. Typical move in this strategy is product development. Organisations that apply these strategies include Apple (Lifestyle product), Raul Lauren (Apparel) and Maytag (Home appliance) Apple is applying differentiate strategies compare with other competitors in the industry by selling lifestyle product instead of conventional electronic gadget. In first 6 months of 2011, Apple spends 1.2 billion in research and development. This is about 40% increase compare with 2010 [13]. One of the successful examples when Apple launches iPad during 2010 and Steve Jobs defined iPad as â€Å"entirely new category of mobile devices†. Apple sold more than 15 million units worldwide after launching [14]. 2.2.1. Innovative and creativity product Apple is a â€Å"trend leading† company in the market. The company famous in creating innovative products and able to capture a significant market share after launching new products. Apple spends heavily in research and development because the company believe RD are critical for future growth and are able to create competitive advantages 2.2.2. Wide range of software and applications Apple created another successful platform for customer to download software and application. Traditional, example like phone, other competitor just focus on few simple features which only contains game, photography function, movie and some basic feature. By introducing new approach, Apple created â€Å"The App Store†. Now â€Å"The App Store† has more than 350,000 apps available for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch globally. The apps offered wide range of application from games, entertainment, utilities, social networking, music and others. In Jan 2011, Apple announces that more than 10 billion apps have been downloaded . 2.2.3. Apple store Unlike others competitors store which only focus on products price and feature, Apple differentiate by giving customer different shopping experience in the store. Apple design Apples retail store to give the patrons good impression of stylish, clean, fashion and stream-lined. The product like i Phone, iTunes and etc will placing in a place that customer can try out the features and application. 2.2.4. Provide good service and maintenance Apple provides good service respond compare with others competitors like Samsung and Nokia. In Singapore, Apple provides one to one exchange for i Phone if there is defect and still under warranty. This is different from some of the competitors, depend on the level of repair, some will take about 2 to 3 weeks. This will create some issue for some consumer that only has one hand phone. 2.3. Focus Strategies Focus strategies offers product or service to fulfil the requirement for targeted groups of customer in the industry [9]. Focus strategies can be categorized into 2; Focus cost leadership which focus on low cost solution in narrow market and Focus differentiation provide customised product or service to niche market [16]. Market penetration and market development can be use when applying focus strategies [9]. Focus strategies beneficial when competitors are not able to support on unique requirement of certain group of customer. Organisation which pursuing this strategies include IKEA (Furniture), Ferrari (Automotive) and Federal Express (logistic) 2.3.1. Focus Cost Leadership Strategy IKEA is the Swedish global furniture company that applied focus cost leadership strategy in their business strategy. IKEA offering wide range of home furnish product with low price so that many people can afford to purchase. In order to achieve the strategy, IKEA apply below concept: 2.3.1.1. Design and develop base on price In order to keep competitive price, IKEA design and develop product base on price. The price is â€Å"fix† even before the product is launch. The designer will have to work directly with supplier to ensure meeting low cost by optimised productivity, material efficiency and process improvement [17]. 2.3.1.2. Reduce logistic, handling and operating cost In order to reduce logistic, handling and operating cost, IKEA designer always consider flat-pack transportation and self-assembly during design and development phase. Flat-pack furniture is often delivered in multiple sub assemblies together with simple instruction manual and required customer to perform self assembly. This modular concept is able to save transportation, handling and operating cost. For example, assembled furniture tends to be more bulky and is more expensive to store in warehouse and transportation. Besides, that, IKEA is able to save operating cost by reduce one â€Å"Assembly† process in production . 2.3.1.3. Self-Service in IKEA Store In order t keep the operating cost low and reduce the needs of sales assistance, IKEA design the flow of store layout and display the product effectively by using â€Å"actual room† concept. For example, sofa is placed in â€Å"living room† section and bed is placed in â€Å"Bed Room† section. All the furniture is clearly labelled and useful information like dimension is easily located in the display product [17]. 2.3.2. Focus Differentiate strategy Ferrari is applying focus differentiate strategy by develop high performance car within automotive industry. Ferrari focus on high end consumer compare with other automotive competitors like Honda, Toyota or Ford which target more broad customer. Below is the strategy for Ferrari: 2.3.2.1. New Way of Purchase Car Ferrari compete created innovative approach by introduce new way of purchase car â€Å"Premium Ownership Program† to serve its target customer. This program include insurance, maintenance, warranty , Ferrari tailored made driving course and pit stop service which provide the customer â€Å"mind free† after owning and driving Ferrari car [18]. 2.3.2.2. Innovative Technology Ferrari developed own software to meet customer service expectation such as rapid response times, up to date database and personalise customer service. One of the latest features such as, the customer can view the look of the vehicle and change the preference in â€Å"Service configurator system† even in pre-order stage [19]. 2.3.2.3. Best Dealer Ferrari believes choosing the right strategic partner or dealer is the right way to serve the customer. In order to motivate the dealer, Ferrari created prestigious award Podio Awards for supplier or business partner recognition. 2.4. Stuck in the middle or Hybrid Strategies Porter does not recommend â€Å"Stuck in the middle† or Hybrid strategies if the company want to achieve above average performance in the industry. Company must choose either one of the strategy in the Porters Generic strategy. He claimed that it is difficult for a company to strategies the business to produce low cost product but still remain unique perceived by customer [8]. However, Rodney Goon argues on Porters theory and commented some of the company such as Singapore Airline (SIA) are able to success using â€Å"Hybrid strategy†. Figure 12 shows business strategy applied by SIA which plotted by Rodney [21]. Singapore Airline have been awarded 2nd place in World Top Airline in 2010 by Skytrax in Hamburg [22]. Figure 13 shows main operating cost for SIA. Top 3 costs consist of Fuel, Aircraft and People [23]. In order to achieve competitive advantages, SIA apply below approach: 2.4.1. Become Market Leader Differentiation Strategy SIA founded in 1972 started as small airline company and now evolve become the world trend leading company for Airline industry. SIA become market leader by setting trend started since 1970s when introducing headsets, drink and choice of meals in Economy Class. Figure 14 shows overview on SIA trend setting for more than 39 years in the industry. In 1991, SIA introduce satellite- based telephone to enable passenger to call to ground during flying. In 1998, in order to improve the quality and standard of in-flight meal, SIA formed International Culinary Panel which involves renowned chef from all over the world. By doing this, the passengers are able to enjoy world class cuisine even during travelling. In order to improve customer service satisfaction, SIA introduce in-flight entertainment system named Krisworld which include Audio and Video system. Passenger can watch movie, listen to music and playing game during flying. In 2004, SIA reach another milestone by flying world longest non-stop flight from Singapore to New York (Newark). In 2007, SIA flying new Airbus design A380 which is world largest passenger Aircraft from Singapore to Sydney . 2.4.2. Brand â€Å"Singapore Girl† Differentiation Strategy SIA successfully improve its service compare with others competitors by creating unique iconic image for SIAs air stewardess as â€Å"Singapore Girl† and promote â€Å"Youre a great way to fly† started in 1972. This iconic brand is famous of caring, elegant and good looking girl whom will provide good service for the passenger during on board the plane. â€Å"Singapore Girl† has continuously won many awards in Airline and Travel Industry over the years . 2.4.3. Low Cost -Cost Leadership Strategy â€Å"Everything behind The Scenes Is subject To Rigorous Control† quoted by Rodney . SIA spend heavily on the area that customer can be seen as discussed above in order to remain premium in the industry but cutting cost for area that behind the scene in order to remain cost compatible. Total cost for Singapore airline is about 14.2% is the lowest in the market compare with other competitors like American Airline which labor cost is approximately 31% of total operating expense . Other than that, average price per aircraft purchase is less than other airline provider. This is due to SIA is the market leader in trendsetting and always working with aircraft builder like Airbus when there is new product launching. First purchase in world for A380 allowed SIA command a better purchase price. Q3: What are the major advantages and disadvantages of an integrative strategy? 3. Integrative strategy Organisation is able to gain competitive advantages by using integrative strategy. Integrative strategy can be categorized as vertical, backward, forward and horizontal integration. There are advantages and disadvantages when applying each concept and detail discuss as below: 3.1. Vertical Integration Vertical integration is business strategies which expand its business either through gaining control over company that distribute or selling its product (Forward integration) or taking control over company that provide the raw material for finish goods (Backward Integration). Figure 15 illustrate 4 typical stages for value added chain in PC industry (27). Example for Dell or Hewlett Packard, in order to produce a personal computer, assembly components such as chips, microprocessor and disk drive etc is needed from others manufacturing company (Intel/ Micron). Similarly, component parts manufacturing needs raw material like chemical, metal and ceramic to manufacture the component. Kyocera is one of the suppliers for those materials. Backward integration strategy in this case is trying to taking control over components parts manufacturing and raw material supplier. Whereas for forward integration strategy, PC maker try to gains control over the company that selling or distribute the final product such as OfficeMax and ComUSA [27] This company provide platform to reach end user. 3.2. Forward Integration Forward integration strategy involves increase ownership or control over retailers or distributor and illustrates in Figure 16. One of the effective mean of forward integration is through Franchising [9]. Approximate $2 trillion revenue created annually through franchising business every year globally. This equal to 4th largest Gross National Product in the world [28]. Advantages and disadvantages as discuss below: Advantages: Getting understanding customer better One of the companies using forward integration strategy successfully is Dell. Dell founded in 1984 by Michael Dell with one direction â€Å"selling final products to customer directly† [29]. By doing this, company able to reach end user and getting feedback instantly through companys distributor and retailer without filtering. Low development and training cost By introduce franchising; the company are able to reduce development and training cost. Franchisor will provide training, equipment and product to franchisee. This in order to skip the â€Å"trial error† phase for franchisee and able to help franchisee generate profit with less risk. Example companies like Subway, McDonalds and 7-eleven. Provide better services Company can provide better services through its own controlled network and services. Provide lower cost of sales In order to compete in this competitive world, price of the end product is always one of the critical successful factors for the company. Dell is using this strategy to reduce price bypassing third party involvement such as retailers etc. No mark up from other company in the finished goods Disadvantages: Increase bureaucratic cost Expanding business forward which also means that increase bureaucratic cost for whole value- added chain activities. Due to uncertain demand in current market, it will post some risk to the company Increase Inventory Getting control over distributors or retailer, indirectly manufacturer may have to manage whole product cycle inventory include end products. Company may incurred higher inventory cost if wrongly manage 3.3. Backward Integration Manufacturer need supplier provide raw material in order to produce its end products or service. Backward integration allowed company gain control toward supplier as shown in Figure 16. Advantages and disadvantages as discuss below: Advantages: Getting better quality control Company are able to apply standard quality plan throughout the value chain. This is especially important when dealing with sophisticated components such as crankshaft, piston and turbocharger for engine. By improving the quality of this critical component will increase competitive advantages among the rivals Reduce threat from powerful vendors By increasing control over the vendors, it will reduce threat from powerful vendors. Optimized supply chain â€Å"Keeping track of so many suppliers is onerous† says Mark Shimelonis of Xerox [9]. Nowadays, a number of companies following Japanese firms lead in managing the supply chain to ensure uninterrupted supplies and low prices. Lower structure cost Outsourcing is one of the examples of the backward strategy. Outsourcing strategy will able to reduce cost when company engaging third party specialist that performing charging lower than company own operate value-chain activity. Cummins outsource IT support to India Company and panel design to CMR or Auto Maskin to keep the company structure cost lower. Nike outsourcing its manufacturing plant in China due to lower labor cost [27]. Disadvantages: Technology change Technology change is inevitable in current competitive market. But backward vertical integration may lock a company â€Å"way of doing business† and prevent organisation changes due to technology change. One of the examples is when radio manufacturer acquired a manufacturer of vacuum tube in 1950s to reduce production cost. When, transistors replace vacuum tube in 1960s, the competitor rapidly change to latest technology. However for this radio manufacturer company, the management refuse to change and as the result, lost in the competitive advantages and cause business failure. Thus, backward integration can cause serious disadvantages when trying to match rapid technology change [27] Risk of information loss Increase control over the supplier which mean also potentially important information flow to the supplier. For example, Cummins need to provide important parameter and interfacing information in the engine control module to backward supplier like CMR and Auto Maskin in order to joints develop the engine protection panel. Technical drawing will be shared among backward supplier and manufacturer. Potential high cost Less supplier competition will lead to less efficiencies when produce a product. The backward support company will work in the â€Å"comfort zone† and less initiative. The manufacturer is â€Å"forced† to get the input from â€Å"internal supplier† even there will be some others external supplier can produce lower cost .As the result will cause potentially higher production cost . 3.4. Horizontal Integration Horizontal integration refers to company that use â€Å"single industry strategy† and seeking control over competitor in same market. A number of the company apply this concept as growth strategy. Merger and acquisition allowed the company to expand its core business and technical capabi Strategies to Sustain Competitive Advantage Strategies to Sustain Competitive Advantage Q1: Using an appropriate model, evaluate the business model of a company of your choice, describing how the company differentiates itself from its competitors and sustain competitive advantage. 1. Executive Summary Cummins started off as diesel engine manufacturing company since 1919 and now growing as â€Å"power† leader in the world. Cummins expand network through company- owned distributor, independent distributor and dealer to serve customer globally. In 2009, Cummins reported net income of $428 million in $10.8 billion of sales [1]. Cummins have been diversifying its business to broad range of products from power generation, filtration technology, turbo technology, fuel system, emission controls and air handling [2]. Due to external pressure and growing market in Asia, Cummins recently setup Centre of Excellent in Singapore focus more on Marine and Offshore market. In this post module assignment, competitive strategy will only focus on Cumminss marine and offshore business. In this PMA, the value curve is based on own industry experiences assumption. However, analysis on financial will based overall Cummins business listed in stock market which named â€Å"CMI†. 1.1. Vision Statement â€Å"Making peoples lives better by unleashing the Power of Cummins† [3]. Cummins believe in by developing new technology will lead to better living for the people. 1.2. Mission Statement Cummins mission statement as quoted below [3] â€Å"Motivating people to act like owners working together† â€Å"Exceeding customer expectations by always being first to market the best products† â€Å"Partnering with our customers to make sure that they succeed† â€Å"Demanding that everything we do leads to a cleaner, healthier, safer environment† â€Å"Creating wealth for all stakeholders.† 1.3. Cummins compare with Industrial leader Figure 1 Financial Analysis CMI Vs Industry Leader [4] Figure 1 shows overview financial analysis of Cummins (CMI) compare within industry leader [4]. Cummins rank 35 among 379 diversified machinery industries in industrial goods sector for market capitalisation. Cummins stock values increase more than triple over the past 3 years and promise future growth with its business strategy [4]. 1.4. Ocean Strategy Ocean strategy has been introduced by W.C. Kim and R Mauborge since 2004. Starting then, this strategy is adopted and implemented successfully in various organisations globally. Recently, Malaysias Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak shared his experience on Ocean Strategy when dealing with increasing crime in the country [5]. He is using Blue Ocean Strategy as management tools in order to promote thinking out of the box. Key successful activities such as leveraged untapped resources when replaced police with soldier doing patrolling around countrys border and conduct training for new police force in the underutilised army facilities. This initiative save a lot of money from government and promote cross functioning role among government agency [5]. The principle of the ocean strategy is treating market as universe. There are two oceans available in the universe named Red Ocean and Blue Ocean. Red Ocean defined as known competition. In this Ocean, product is already well defined and competitors only able to compete with price [6] .Customer expectation on the product almost generic and not much technology can be developing in this area. For diesel engine in marine and offshore market, the competitors for Cummins include Caterpillar, MTU and Mitsubishi. How Cummins can break trough become market leaders? Cummins apply Blue Ocean Strategy when dealing with its business. Blue Ocean Strategy defines as untapped market which no competition and industries that do not exist at this point of time [6]. This in return will resulting higher profit compare with conventional approach. This clearly shows in W.C. Kim and R Mauborge studys on business launches in 108 companies. They summarize revenue and profit impact of business launches shows in Figure 2. In this study, 86% business launches within own boundaries (Red Oceans) and 14% business launches looking for new opportunities (Blue Oceans) [6]. Red Oceans approach focus on existing customer by improving their product and study shows that this resulted 62% on total revenue and 39% on total profit. In contrast, 14% of the businesses launches by creating blue oceans can bring in higher return which about 61% of the total profit [6]. Cummins spend heavily on research and development for past 5 years as shown in Figure 3. In 2010 alone, Cummins invest 414million in new technology development [2]. One of recent Blue Oceans initiatives is setting Marine and Offshore Centre of Excellent in Singapore. This business focus on the â€Å"Packaging† instead of selling conventional type of â€Å"bare diesel engine† like other competitor such as CAT, MTU and Mitsubishi. Figure 4 shows pictorial view on the value added components into bare diesel engine 1.5. Strategy Canvas Figure 5 shows strategy canvas of the marine and offshore diesel engine. X-axis represents critical success factors of the markets competition and Y-axis correspond to values perceived by marine and offshore customer. Marine and offshore is a mature and establish market. Engine makers always compete with price, image, brand, delivery, product performance and service availability. Cummins performs averagely in critical successful factors. However, in order to compete in the competitive market, Cummins break through conventional way by creating new team to focus on product value added specifically for marine and offshore customer. Cummins applied Blue Ocean strategy. Figure 6 shows Red Ocean strategy from others diesel engine maker and Blue Ocean strategy from Cummins. Q2: Using either Porters generic strategies or the Strategy Clock, identify examples of organizations following strategies of differentiation, low cost or low price, and stuck-in-the middle or hybrid. How successful are these strategies. 2. Porters 5 forces generic Strategies â€Å"Using the five forces framework, creative strategists may be able to spot an industry with a good future before this good futureis reflected in the prices of acquisition candidates† Michael Porter [7]. Porters five forces: Threat of New Entrants: Analyse potential new comer to market is important to understand potential future competitors Bargaining Power of Buyers: Buyers is the party that create demand for industry, understand buyers requirement will help to maintain competitive advantages. For example, bargaining power of buyers is high if product is standard. Threat of substitute products or service: Buyers always look for alternative or cheapest way to get products or service. Substitute product can bring the overall industry price lower Bargaining Power of Supplier: Supplier supply raw material or service to manufacturer. Bargaining power of supplier is high when to many buyer and less supplier in the market Rivalry among existing competitors: Current fast moving industry, its important understand the strategy of existing competitors. Example: How competitor gain competitive advantages or product differentiation. Porters 5 Forces allowed the company undertand and analyse own industry struture and futher help the management to decide on companys strategy. According to Porter, organisation is able to gain competitive advantanges by strategies the company using one of the â€Å"Porters Generic Strategies† as shown in Figure 8; 1) Cost Leadership, 2) Differentiation, 3) Focus [8]. 2.1. Cost Leadership Strategies Cost leadership strategies emphasize on low cost in company strategies. Company will offer low per-unit cost product or service to customer that sensitive to price. In order to become low cost provider, company can practise integration strategies (backward, forward and horizontal). There are few factors that will affect the strategies include economies of scale, learning curve, productivity, company structure, relationship with supplier and quality control. Several example organizations that practice this are Wal-Mart (general merchandiser), Air Asia (budget Airline) and Macdonalds (Fast Food) [9]. In this PMA, I will use Air Asia as example to study its business model and look into company successful factor. Air Asia strategy as illustrate in Figure 9, the company mission is to continue to be the markets carrier low cost provider. In order to compete with other aircraft carrier and achieve company vision for â€Å"Lowest cost airline†, Air Asia implement a few strategy to reduce operation cost. Strategy implemented as per below: 2.1.1. Keep operation cost low- NO frills In order to compete in this competitive market, Air Asia able to keep operational cost low by implementing few â€Å"NO†s in the strategy [10]: NO meal: No food or drinks will be provided free in the in-flight service. NO frequent flyer program: NO Membership or rewarding program which commonly used for others airline like Kris flyer for Singapore Airline and Skymiles for Delta airline. NO Seat assignment Ticket: In order to keep administrative cost low NO Entertainment: NO news paper and entertainment system such as movie, games and music. No ticket : Ticketless replaced conventional type printed ticket No waiting lounge: NO lounge provide in the airport 2.1.2. Single air craft fleet In order to streamline the operation, Air Asia phasing out its 14 Boeing B737 in 2010 and replace by only operate single air craft which is A320. Few advantages of using single aircraft as stated below Keep inventory cost low Saving cost in service and maintenance such as keeping same model of spares parts. No duplicated resource due to difference Air Craft experience needed Reduce time and training cost due to only one model. This allowed the company avoid going to through the expensive â€Å"learning curve† process and also may dissatisfied demanding customer. Michael and Nikos study on the organisation learning curves for customer dissatisfaction across airlines. They plotted estimate U-Shaped learning curve as show in Figure 10 and show evident that complaint rates followed U-shaped function of experience Able to increase fuel efficiency and improve productivity 2.1.3. Simplified distribution system Air Asia design simple user friendly system for customer to book and check- in their ticket. Customers are able to check in using own mobile as shown in Figure 11. This ticketless system is able to reduce waiting time for customer queuing to check- in at the airport counter. 2.1.4. Point to point network (≠¤ 4 hrs) All Air Asia flight is running by point to point network within 4 hours radius or less as its business model. This model only carry passenger from point A to point B without any connecting flight. This in order to keep operation cost simple in order to reduce costs [10]. 2.1.5. Optimum Aircraft Utilization Another way to keep operating cost low and maximizes profit, Air Asia increase productivity by optimise flight utilisation. Air Asia is the fastest in the region by achieving 25 minute turnaround time. Air Asia is able to achieve equal or more than 75% for last 5 years on the load factor. Once, Air Asia achieve close to 100% load factor for Bali Perth route. Load factor is defined by AirAsia as â€Å"numbers of passengers as a percentage of number of seats flown† [10]. On top of that, Air Asia applies â€Å"Tier based† system for ticketing which depend on supply and demand. When demand is low, the price is low. When demand is high the ticket price will also go high. This system is efficient especially during low season allowed Air Asia maintain the reasonable high percent load factor, 2.2. Differentiate Strategies Differentiation strategies offer service or product which unique perceived by customer. Differentiation strategies do not guarantee good payback especially current standard product offered in the industry is more than enough to meet customer expectation. There will a risk on implementing this strategy and need to study carefully on customer requirement before implementing. Product value added, extra servicing, products flexibility and better compatibility are some of the features that can create differentiate in the industry. Cost is not an issue in this strategy; hence company can demand higher price if customer strongly attached to offered differentiation features. Typical move in this strategy is product development. Organisations that apply these strategies include Apple (Lifestyle product), Raul Lauren (Apparel) and Maytag (Home appliance) Apple is applying differentiate strategies compare with other competitors in the industry by selling lifestyle product instead of conventional electronic gadget. In first 6 months of 2011, Apple spends 1.2 billion in research and development. This is about 40% increase compare with 2010 [13]. One of the successful examples when Apple launches iPad during 2010 and Steve Jobs defined iPad as â€Å"entirely new category of mobile devices†. Apple sold more than 15 million units worldwide after launching [14]. 2.2.1. Innovative and creativity product Apple is a â€Å"trend leading† company in the market. The company famous in creating innovative products and able to capture a significant market share after launching new products. Apple spends heavily in research and development because the company believe RD are critical for future growth and are able to create competitive advantages 2.2.2. Wide range of software and applications Apple created another successful platform for customer to download software and application. Traditional, example like phone, other competitor just focus on few simple features which only contains game, photography function, movie and some basic feature. By introducing new approach, Apple created â€Å"The App Store†. Now â€Å"The App Store† has more than 350,000 apps available for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch globally. The apps offered wide range of application from games, entertainment, utilities, social networking, music and others. In Jan 2011, Apple announces that more than 10 billion apps have been downloaded . 2.2.3. Apple store Unlike others competitors store which only focus on products price and feature, Apple differentiate by giving customer different shopping experience in the store. Apple design Apples retail store to give the patrons good impression of stylish, clean, fashion and stream-lined. The product like i Phone, iTunes and etc will placing in a place that customer can try out the features and application. 2.2.4. Provide good service and maintenance Apple provides good service respond compare with others competitors like Samsung and Nokia. In Singapore, Apple provides one to one exchange for i Phone if there is defect and still under warranty. This is different from some of the competitors, depend on the level of repair, some will take about 2 to 3 weeks. This will create some issue for some consumer that only has one hand phone. 2.3. Focus Strategies Focus strategies offers product or service to fulfil the requirement for targeted groups of customer in the industry [9]. Focus strategies can be categorized into 2; Focus cost leadership which focus on low cost solution in narrow market and Focus differentiation provide customised product or service to niche market [16]. Market penetration and market development can be use when applying focus strategies [9]. Focus strategies beneficial when competitors are not able to support on unique requirement of certain group of customer. Organisation which pursuing this strategies include IKEA (Furniture), Ferrari (Automotive) and Federal Express (logistic) 2.3.1. Focus Cost Leadership Strategy IKEA is the Swedish global furniture company that applied focus cost leadership strategy in their business strategy. IKEA offering wide range of home furnish product with low price so that many people can afford to purchase. In order to achieve the strategy, IKEA apply below concept: 2.3.1.1. Design and develop base on price In order to keep competitive price, IKEA design and develop product base on price. The price is â€Å"fix† even before the product is launch. The designer will have to work directly with supplier to ensure meeting low cost by optimised productivity, material efficiency and process improvement [17]. 2.3.1.2. Reduce logistic, handling and operating cost In order to reduce logistic, handling and operating cost, IKEA designer always consider flat-pack transportation and self-assembly during design and development phase. Flat-pack furniture is often delivered in multiple sub assemblies together with simple instruction manual and required customer to perform self assembly. This modular concept is able to save transportation, handling and operating cost. For example, assembled furniture tends to be more bulky and is more expensive to store in warehouse and transportation. Besides, that, IKEA is able to save operating cost by reduce one â€Å"Assembly† process in production . 2.3.1.3. Self-Service in IKEA Store In order t keep the operating cost low and reduce the needs of sales assistance, IKEA design the flow of store layout and display the product effectively by using â€Å"actual room† concept. For example, sofa is placed in â€Å"living room† section and bed is placed in â€Å"Bed Room† section. All the furniture is clearly labelled and useful information like dimension is easily located in the display product [17]. 2.3.2. Focus Differentiate strategy Ferrari is applying focus differentiate strategy by develop high performance car within automotive industry. Ferrari focus on high end consumer compare with other automotive competitors like Honda, Toyota or Ford which target more broad customer. Below is the strategy for Ferrari: 2.3.2.1. New Way of Purchase Car Ferrari compete created innovative approach by introduce new way of purchase car â€Å"Premium Ownership Program† to serve its target customer. This program include insurance, maintenance, warranty , Ferrari tailored made driving course and pit stop service which provide the customer â€Å"mind free† after owning and driving Ferrari car [18]. 2.3.2.2. Innovative Technology Ferrari developed own software to meet customer service expectation such as rapid response times, up to date database and personalise customer service. One of the latest features such as, the customer can view the look of the vehicle and change the preference in â€Å"Service configurator system† even in pre-order stage [19]. 2.3.2.3. Best Dealer Ferrari believes choosing the right strategic partner or dealer is the right way to serve the customer. In order to motivate the dealer, Ferrari created prestigious award Podio Awards for supplier or business partner recognition. 2.4. Stuck in the middle or Hybrid Strategies Porter does not recommend â€Å"Stuck in the middle† or Hybrid strategies if the company want to achieve above average performance in the industry. Company must choose either one of the strategy in the Porters Generic strategy. He claimed that it is difficult for a company to strategies the business to produce low cost product but still remain unique perceived by customer [8]. However, Rodney Goon argues on Porters theory and commented some of the company such as Singapore Airline (SIA) are able to success using â€Å"Hybrid strategy†. Figure 12 shows business strategy applied by SIA which plotted by Rodney [21]. Singapore Airline have been awarded 2nd place in World Top Airline in 2010 by Skytrax in Hamburg [22]. Figure 13 shows main operating cost for SIA. Top 3 costs consist of Fuel, Aircraft and People [23]. In order to achieve competitive advantages, SIA apply below approach: 2.4.1. Become Market Leader Differentiation Strategy SIA founded in 1972 started as small airline company and now evolve become the world trend leading company for Airline industry. SIA become market leader by setting trend started since 1970s when introducing headsets, drink and choice of meals in Economy Class. Figure 14 shows overview on SIA trend setting for more than 39 years in the industry. In 1991, SIA introduce satellite- based telephone to enable passenger to call to ground during flying. In 1998, in order to improve the quality and standard of in-flight meal, SIA formed International Culinary Panel which involves renowned chef from all over the world. By doing this, the passengers are able to enjoy world class cuisine even during travelling. In order to improve customer service satisfaction, SIA introduce in-flight entertainment system named Krisworld which include Audio and Video system. Passenger can watch movie, listen to music and playing game during flying. In 2004, SIA reach another milestone by flying world longest non-stop flight from Singapore to New York (Newark). In 2007, SIA flying new Airbus design A380 which is world largest passenger Aircraft from Singapore to Sydney . 2.4.2. Brand â€Å"Singapore Girl† Differentiation Strategy SIA successfully improve its service compare with others competitors by creating unique iconic image for SIAs air stewardess as â€Å"Singapore Girl† and promote â€Å"Youre a great way to fly† started in 1972. This iconic brand is famous of caring, elegant and good looking girl whom will provide good service for the passenger during on board the plane. â€Å"Singapore Girl† has continuously won many awards in Airline and Travel Industry over the years . 2.4.3. Low Cost -Cost Leadership Strategy â€Å"Everything behind The Scenes Is subject To Rigorous Control† quoted by Rodney . SIA spend heavily on the area that customer can be seen as discussed above in order to remain premium in the industry but cutting cost for area that behind the scene in order to remain cost compatible. Total cost for Singapore airline is about 14.2% is the lowest in the market compare with other competitors like American Airline which labor cost is approximately 31% of total operating expense . Other than that, average price per aircraft purchase is less than other airline provider. This is due to SIA is the market leader in trendsetting and always working with aircraft builder like Airbus when there is new product launching. First purchase in world for A380 allowed SIA command a better purchase price. Q3: What are the major advantages and disadvantages of an integrative strategy? 3. Integrative strategy Organisation is able to gain competitive advantages by using integrative strategy. Integrative strategy can be categorized as vertical, backward, forward and horizontal integration. There are advantages and disadvantages when applying each concept and detail discuss as below: 3.1. Vertical Integration Vertical integration is business strategies which expand its business either through gaining control over company that distribute or selling its product (Forward integration) or taking control over company that provide the raw material for finish goods (Backward Integration). Figure 15 illustrate 4 typical stages for value added chain in PC industry (27). Example for Dell or Hewlett Packard, in order to produce a personal computer, assembly components such as chips, microprocessor and disk drive etc is needed from others manufacturing company (Intel/ Micron). Similarly, component parts manufacturing needs raw material like chemical, metal and ceramic to manufacture the component. Kyocera is one of the suppliers for those materials. Backward integration strategy in this case is trying to taking control over components parts manufacturing and raw material supplier. Whereas for forward integration strategy, PC maker try to gains control over the company that selling or distribute the final product such as OfficeMax and ComUSA [27] This company provide platform to reach end user. 3.2. Forward Integration Forward integration strategy involves increase ownership or control over retailers or distributor and illustrates in Figure 16. One of the effective mean of forward integration is through Franchising [9]. Approximate $2 trillion revenue created annually through franchising business every year globally. This equal to 4th largest Gross National Product in the world [28]. Advantages and disadvantages as discuss below: Advantages: Getting understanding customer better One of the companies using forward integration strategy successfully is Dell. Dell founded in 1984 by Michael Dell with one direction â€Å"selling final products to customer directly† [29]. By doing this, company able to reach end user and getting feedback instantly through companys distributor and retailer without filtering. Low development and training cost By introduce franchising; the company are able to reduce development and training cost. Franchisor will provide training, equipment and product to franchisee. This in order to skip the â€Å"trial error† phase for franchisee and able to help franchisee generate profit with less risk. Example companies like Subway, McDonalds and 7-eleven. Provide better services Company can provide better services through its own controlled network and services. Provide lower cost of sales In order to compete in this competitive world, price of the end product is always one of the critical successful factors for the company. Dell is using this strategy to reduce price bypassing third party involvement such as retailers etc. No mark up from other company in the finished goods Disadvantages: Increase bureaucratic cost Expanding business forward which also means that increase bureaucratic cost for whole value- added chain activities. Due to uncertain demand in current market, it will post some risk to the company Increase Inventory Getting control over distributors or retailer, indirectly manufacturer may have to manage whole product cycle inventory include end products. Company may incurred higher inventory cost if wrongly manage 3.3. Backward Integration Manufacturer need supplier provide raw material in order to produce its end products or service. Backward integration allowed company gain control toward supplier as shown in Figure 16. Advantages and disadvantages as discuss below: Advantages: Getting better quality control Company are able to apply standard quality plan throughout the value chain. This is especially important when dealing with sophisticated components such as crankshaft, piston and turbocharger for engine. By improving the quality of this critical component will increase competitive advantages among the rivals Reduce threat from powerful vendors By increasing control over the vendors, it will reduce threat from powerful vendors. Optimized supply chain â€Å"Keeping track of so many suppliers is onerous† says Mark Shimelonis of Xerox [9]. Nowadays, a number of companies following Japanese firms lead in managing the supply chain to ensure uninterrupted supplies and low prices. Lower structure cost Outsourcing is one of the examples of the backward strategy. Outsourcing strategy will able to reduce cost when company engaging third party specialist that performing charging lower than company own operate value-chain activity. Cummins outsource IT support to India Company and panel design to CMR or Auto Maskin to keep the company structure cost lower. Nike outsourcing its manufacturing plant in China due to lower labor cost [27]. Disadvantages: Technology change Technology change is inevitable in current competitive market. But backward vertical integration may lock a company â€Å"way of doing business† and prevent organisation changes due to technology change. One of the examples is when radio manufacturer acquired a manufacturer of vacuum tube in 1950s to reduce production cost. When, transistors replace vacuum tube in 1960s, the competitor rapidly change to latest technology. However for this radio manufacturer company, the management refuse to change and as the result, lost in the competitive advantages and cause business failure. Thus, backward integration can cause serious disadvantages when trying to match rapid technology change [27] Risk of information loss Increase control over the supplier which mean also potentially important information flow to the supplier. For example, Cummins need to provide important parameter and interfacing information in the engine control module to backward supplier like CMR and Auto Maskin in order to joints develop the engine protection panel. Technical drawing will be shared among backward supplier and manufacturer. Potential high cost Less supplier competition will lead to less efficiencies when produce a product. The backward support company will work in the â€Å"comfort zone† and less initiative. The manufacturer is â€Å"forced† to get the input from â€Å"internal supplier† even there will be some others external supplier can produce lower cost .As the result will cause potentially higher production cost . 3.4. Horizontal Integration Horizontal integration refers to company that use â€Å"single industry strategy† and seeking control over competitor in same market. A number of the company apply this concept as growth strategy. Merger and acquisition allowed the company to expand its core business and technical capabi