Teaching Business Graduates in Brazil

Around fourteen years ago, after spending 10 years in Brazil, I came back to Panama with my wife to settle down, start a family and build a career. A few months later I was feeling I wasn’t quite happy with what Panama had to offer compared to living in Brazil, but I wasn’t satisfied with living in Brazil either.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Teaching Business Graduates in Brazil specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More I remember taking a walk with my father when I realized he should have gone through the same dilemma. As many other Panamanians, my father studied in a foreign country. He and my mother went to Madrid and lived there for 8 years. Two of my sisters and myself were born there while he was studying architecture. In 1976 we came back from Spain to live in Panama and he has been here ever since. So I told my father that I could not continue to stay in Panama because of its chaotic nature and wa s longing for the wonderful relationships I had enjoyed during my stay in Brazil. I made up my mind to go back to Brazil few days later after coming to the realization that there is no perfect country in the entire world. My next trip to Brazil would be more purposeful because I was determined to make a difference in the lives of those around me. I needed to do something instead of waiting for something to be done.  It might seem like a herculean task, but I’ll be satisfied if I could only change people around me. I’m sure you are already doing this too. Actually, I think you have been doing this before I took that walk with my father. You did it with your kids and I’m sure you feel satisfied about it. Now, your task there is done and you have much more to do here in Latin America. Teaching is about sharing knowledge. A good teacher also lets her students find their own answers. This approach gives the students a sense of responsibility. Cooperative learning h elps in motivating students and gives relevance to instructions. The students can work individually or in groups towards realizing the objective of the course. By letting students find their own answers, the teacher sparks some intrinsic motivation in the students that makes them to be more creative and competent. The self- esteem of students is developed through inclusive learning and at the same time enhances team work.   Since graduate students are being prepared to go to the field, teamwork and creativity are essential skills needed and cooperative learning promotes that.  Yes, a lot can be done for Brazilian graduate students and that is a good reason to consider teaching there.Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Brazil is a great place to live, to teach, and learn. Mostly to learn, it is such a rich and diverse culture. You can have anything between raw indigenous Amazonian vil lages in the North to a European colonial town in Porto Alegre, South of Brazil. There have been more than 10 years since I left Brazil. By that time, Brazil had already dealt with the inflation frenzy, their market was starting to open, and there was an optimistic feeling in the air. Brazilian people have grown one of the most powerful emerging countries in the world and are now part of the group that is shifting the world economies. If I needed to choose between helping Brazil business graduates how to take advantage of this position, or helping Panamanian graduates to help Panama reach a better position, I would prefer the later. There is a lot more that can be accomplished here or in another not so developed Latin American country. This essay on Teaching Business Graduates in Brazil was written and submitted by user Marisol U. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

How to Approach Identifying Sentence Errors SAT Writing Strategies

How to Approach Identifying Sentence Errors SAT Writing Strategies SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Note:The current version of the SAT no longerincludes this type of question. For up-to-date SAT writing tips, check out our top guide here. Identifying Sentence Errors (ISE) questions, which ask you to pick the error in a sentence out of four underlined sections, seem like they should be the easiest part of the SAT Writing section. After all, you only have to find the error, you don't have to fix it. The test writers, however, are extremely adept at camouflagingthe mistake in each sentence- if you don't know what to look for, you can easily find yourselfassuming there's no error in as many ashalf of the sentences. As such, it's vital that you take a systematic approach to the Identifying Sentence Errors questions. If you count on spotting the error by simply glancingover the sentenceor by lookingfor sections that "sound" weird, you'll miss a lot of questions. In this post, I'm going to detail themost effectiveapproach to these questions and the common errorsyou need to look for: Step-by-step Identifying Sentence Errors strategy Full breakdown of errors to check for Walkthrough of real ACT questions Summary of key Identifying Sentence Errors tips General Strategy for ISE Questions As I mentioned above, you absolutely must have a standardized approach to these questions. Following the three steps below will help you efficiently and reliably determine the answer to ISE questions. #1: Read the Sentence All the Way Through The first step to answering an ISE question is always to read the entire sentence- even if you think the error is choice A make sure to read all the way to the end. This approach will help prevent you from falling into traps. Once you've read through the whole sentence, the error may jump out at you, especially on the earlier, easier questions.Before marking anything down, however, make sure you can articulate why the underlined word or phrase is wrong. Many answers may sound odd without being incorrect. It can also help to double check the other choices to ensure that they're all correct. If you don't find the error, then move onto step 2! #2: Check Each Underlined Portion If you don't find a verifiable error the first time through, then you need to check each underlined section individually. Look at each answer and consider what the possible errors are. For example, if you're looking at underlined verb, you'll want to check if there's an issue with tense or agreement. As you may havesurmised, this step requires a solid knowledge of what concepts these questions actually test. I've created a checklistof errors tolook for below, and you can take look at a full breakdown ofwhat the SAT Writing actually tests. Make sure to eliminate the answer that don't have an error. #3: Confirm Why the WordYou Picked is Wrong It's not enough to pick an answer because it sounds weird or because it's not the word you would use. In order to be the answer, it has to be wrong according to the rules of SAT Writing. (The one semi-exception to this rule isidiom questions,which revolve around common usage rules.) As such, you need to be able to explain what error the answer you picked contains. If you can't do so, it's probably not the right choice. What Errors to Look for in EachSection of the Sentence As I noted in step 2 of the general strategy, it's vital that you know what errors to check for. To help you think through the best way to look for these errors, I've created a full breakdown of the questions you'll want to ask yourself bywhat type of wordis underlined. This list is very long and probably seems overwhelming, but don't panic! You don't need to memorize the whole thing- instead it's meant as study aid. First, make sure you're familiar with all the concepts on the list: if anything looks unfamiliar, just click the link. Then, use this printable version to work through a few ISEsections, to help you get the hang of what errors to look for. When you first try this, it will probably take a really long time. With practice, you'll get much faster though. Finally, keep the list handy for when you review your answers- use the list to go back through the questions and find the error you missed. If nothing else, keep in mind these twokey points: Check each underlined section independently Start with verbs and pronouns Full Error Checklist This checklist outlines the questions you need to ask about each part of speechor common category of word. I've also marked when a specific issue is especially rare (though these topics do still appear). The word types are arranged in the order you should check them, though not every question will be relevant in a given sentence. Keep in mind that some underlined sections may contain more than one type of word: the most common such pairs are pronoun/verb, adverb/adjective, and verb/pronoun combos. When you see these, just check each part. #1: Verbs Is the verb in the correct form and tense? Does itagree with the subject? #2: Pronouns Does the pronounagree with the noun it's replacing? Is it in the correct case? #3: Gerunds (-ing verbs) Is the gerund replacing a main verb and creating a sentence fragment? Is it part of a list that isn't parallel? Has it been incorrectly switched with an infintive? #4: Prepositions Is the preposition idiomatically correct? Does it incorrectly complete a word pair? #5:Adjectives and Adverbs Is themodifier of the correct type? Are -er and -est used appropriately? (Rare) #6: Conjunctions Is the conjunction creating a sentence fragment? Does it logicallyconnectideas? #7:Nouns Is the noun part of a faulty comparison? Is the sentence consistent in its use of plural andsingular nouns? (Rare) #8:Relative pronouns (who, which, that, etc.) Is the correct pronoun used for the context? Does the pronoun have a clear noun antecedent? Other issues to watch out for "Any" underlined often indicates an illogical comparison The presence of comparison words like "than," "like," and "as" also tends to indicate illogical comparisons A sentence with a list often hasa parallelism issue Make sure to watch for redundancy: the use of different two words Concepts thatWon'tBe Tested on the Identifying Sentence Errors There are a number of grammar concepts that students are often concerned or uncertain about that aren't actually tested by the ISE questions. Let's go over these, so that you can have fewerthings to worry about as you prepare! Writing style One of the most challenging aspects of the ISE questions is that the sentences are often phrased in unusual ways that sounds like they could be wrong but usually aren't. Once again, remember that an choice is only correct if you can articulate the error it includes. I've collected some of the common words and phrases that often trip students up but are perfectly acceptable below: a means of long since alike that, whether, and what + a noun (e.g. "That book was boring" or "Whether he likes it or not isn't the question." Who vs. whom Although many students are concerned about the difference between "who" and "whom," the SAT doesn't test that concept: you will never see "who" where you need "whom" or vice versa.Instead of worrying about swapping one for the other, focus on whether the pronoun is correctly referring to a person. Pronoun order Because of the way pronouns are taught in school, it's very common for students to be concerned about the order of pronouns connected by "and" or "or" (e.g. "me and him" vs. "him and me"), but the SAT doesn't test this concept. As long as thepronouns are in the correct case and agree with the words they're replacing, it doesn't matter what order they're in. Reflexive Pronouns Reflexive pronouns, the weird words like "herself" and "myself," tend toseem wrong, since many students don't know much about them. However, on SAT Writing, these words are usually used correctly. If you see one that's underlined, just make sure that the pronoun agrees with the noun it's replacing (e.g. the sentence doesn't use "himself" when talking about a woman). Practice is the key to success on SAT Writing. SAT Examples: Putting the Strategies into Practice I've collected some Identifying Sentence Errors questions from real SATs. For each, I'll walk through the process one step at a time so you can get a sense of how best to approach these questions. Because there are so many different concepts involved in answering these questions, I don't go into very much depth with any of them. If you're uncertain about the details of a specific topic, check out the links above. Example 1 Step 1: Read the whole sentence When going through this sentence, you mightnotice that it'sactually a fragment.If so, the next step would beto determine which underlined part could be changed to fix that issue- that's the correct choice. (Hint: the sentence is currently missing a verb.) However, let's assume you're not sure what the problem is and move onto step two. Step 2: Check each answer choice As I noted above, it's quickest to go through the answers by starting with the types of words most likely to have an error. There aren't any verbs or nouns underlined, so we'll look at B, "containing," which is a gerund, first. The three main gerund issues are parallelism, idiomatic usage, and fragments. Let's go through them one at a time. Is the gerundpart of a list or comparison? No. Therefore, it can't have a parallelismerror. Would the sentence be clearer if you switched the gerund (-ing verb) for an infinitive(to + verb)? Let's check: Formed by volcanic eruptions over the last five million years, the Hawaiian Islandsto containan incredibly wide variety of species- many found nowhere else on Earth. That version doesn't seem obviously clearer, so it's probably not an idiom error. Does the gerund create a fragment?Let's look at just the main clauseof the sentence: the Hawaiian Islandscontainingan incredibly wide variety of species This is clearly a fragment. The gerund "containing" should be replaced with the conjugated verb "contain." As such, B is the correct answer choice. Step 3: Confirm what the error in your answer is Choice B is the answer because it creates a fragment rather than a complete sentence. Moreover, a quick look over the other answer choices confirms that none of them contain an error: A and D are idiomatically correct prepositions andC is an appropriately used adjective/adverb combo. Example 2 Step 1: Read the whole sentence Reading this sentence, I don't notice anything jump out, although D sounds kind of weird. Even if that answer seems tempting we can't pick it until we determine what the error is. Step 2: Check each answer choice First let's check B for errors, since it includes both a pronoun and verb. In general, if you see a pronoun/verb combo underlined, any errors will be with the pronoun (since the verb's conjugation is dependent on the subject pronoun), but make sure to confirm that the verb works. Let's go through the possible errorsfor choice B one at a time. Is the pronoun in the correct case? Yes. "It" is acting as subject for the verb "makes," which is perfectly acceptable. Does the pronoun agree with its antecedent? Yes. "It" is standing in for "the common cold," which is a singular non-gendered noun. Is the verb correctly conjugated?Yes. "It" is a singular pronoun and "makes" is a singular verb. Is the verb in the correct tense? Yes. It's in the present tense, which is consistent with the rest of the sentence and the fact that it is making a general true statement about the common cold. We can now officially declare choice B error free and rule it out. Written out in detail, that process was a complicated, time-consuming one, but with practice you'll be able to do it much more quickly. Let's move on to choice D, "you and me," which also includes pronouns. This section sounds a little weird, but remember that pronoun order doesn't matter- we only need to check agreement and case, like we did above. Do the pronouns agree with theirantecedents?There's no agreement issue, since the pronouns are referring to the person who is saying the sentence and the person he or she is peaking to (even though both of them are abstract). Are the pronouns in the correct case?This question is a bit trickier. It would sound just fine to replace "me" with "I"- "it makes no distinction between you and I"- but "between" is a preposition, so the object case "me" is correct. Although D sounds odd, it doesn't contain an error. We can eliminate it and move onto C, which includes a noun and preposition. We'll check the preposition first since it's more likely to include an error. Is the preposition idiomatically correct?Yes. "Distinction between" is a common expression. Does it incorrectly complete a word pair?No. "Between" is correctly followed by two prepositions connected by "and." Is the noun part of a faulty comparison? No. "Distinction" isn't being compared to anything. Is the sentence consistent in its use of plural andsingular nouns?Yes. There's no issue with agreement. Since we didn't find any issues with C, we'll move onto checking the last answer, A, "one of our most." Given the many different types of words in this phrase, it doesn't make sense to check them all individually (the pronoun, for example, is clearly correct), so we'll just consider some of the bigger potential issues. Is the phraseidiomatically correct?Yes. "One of our most indiscriminate diseases" is a clear and acceptable phrase. Is the superlative/comparative correct? Yes. The common cold is being compared toall of the other diseases, so "most" is the correct word choice. We can conclude that there is no error in A, so we've ruled out all the choices, leaving only E, "no error." Step 3: Confirm what the error in your answer is This sentence doesn't have an error, so the correct answer is E. Image: Allan Foster/Flickr Example 3 Step 1: Read the whole sentence The first time through, this sentence probably seems fine. Ideally, you wouldnoticethe "any" in choice D, since that word is often a clue for an illogical comparison, but it's perfectly fine if you don't. Step 2: Check each answer choice We'll start with A, which is a verb. Is the verb correctly conjugated?Yes. The subject "builders" is pluraland "construct" is a pluralverb. Is the verb in the correct tense?Yes. The present tense is consistent throughout the sentence. Next let's move on to the preposition/noun combo in choice B. Is the preposition idiomatically correct?Yes. "Houses of stone" is a completely acceptable construction. Does it incorrectly complete a word pair?"Of"isn't part of a pair here, so we can just skip this one and go straight to the noun. Is the noun part of a faulty comparison? No. "Stone" isn't being compared to anything. Is the sentence consistent in its use of plural andsingular nouns? No other noun in the sentence refers to the same thing, so there's no issue with agreement. There's no error in choice B, so we can rule it out and move onto choice C, which is the adverb "still." Is themodifier of the correct type? "Still" is describing when the builders use the hammer, so it's correct as an adverb. Are -er and -est used appropriately? There's no superlative or comparison used, so we can skip this question. Finally, let's check choice D. "Tool" is a noun and "any" often indicates a comparison error so let's start by checking for that. Is the noun part of a faulty comparison? The underlined phrase comes immediately after "than," which indicates a comparison. We need to determine what "any tool" is being compared to: it's "the hammer." That comparison seem fine, but it actually includes an error. A hammer is a tool, so it must be compared with anyother tool, rather than just "any tool." D is the answer. Step 3: Confirm what the error in your answer is Choice D is the answer because it creates an illogical comparison. We've also definitely ruled out the otherchoices (except no error). Example 4 Step 1: Read the whole sentence It's possible to spot the error in this sentence right away, but most students don't. Let's go straight to step 2. Step 2: Check each answer choice Once again we start with the verbs, which are in choices A and C. When there are two portions that seem equally likely to contain an error, I generallycheck them in order. Let's look at A, "are truly," first. Is the verb in the correct tense?Yes. The present tense is used consistently throughout the passage. Is the verb conjugated correctly?To determine whether the subject and verb agree, we need to figure out what the subject is. It's tempting to assume that it's "goby fish and striped shrimp" but the compound noun is actually part of the prepositional phrase "betweengoby fish and striped shrimp."(Besides, fishcan't be symbiotic.) Instead, the correct subject is "the relationship." This noun is singular, so the plural verb "are" doesn't agree. A has an error. Step 3: Confirm what the error in your answer is Choice A is the answer because the verb doesn't agree with its subject. A quick review of the other three choices shows that there are no errors in the other options: they sound slightly odd, but the verb is conjugated correctly and the prepositions make sense. Image: Anne Worner/Flickr Round-Up of Strategies and Tips for ISE Questions Now that we've gone through the best ISE approach in detail and put it into practice on some examples, let's review some of the mainpoints that you'll want to keep in mind for your SAT study. As complicated as the process may seem, it will get much easier with practice. But if you're really struggling, even just keeping a few of the simple rules in mind will boost your score. KeyIdentifying Sentence Errors Strategies Always read the entire sentence When looking for the error, examine each choice individually Check verbs and pronouns first, since they're the most likely to include errors When an answer choice contains more than one type of word, check both Don't be afraid to pick E, "no error," if you've ruled out all the other choices Always make sure you can explain what errorthe answer contains Even if you think you know the answer, quickly check the other choicesto confirm HelpfulIdentifying Sentence Errors Tips Watch for comparisons and lists as you readthe sentence; both oftencreate errors when they appear "Any" often indicates a faulty comparison Longer phrases are less likely to contain an error What's Next? Make sure you know how to approach the other types of SAT Writing questions- Improving Sentences and Improving Paragraphs- as well. Don't forget the essay!Here are some tips for boosting your score, a step-by-step guide, and strategies for getting a perfect 12. Finally, check out some key big-picture strategies, like these4secrets to acing SAT Writing and these tipsfrom a perfect scorer. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep classes. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our classes are entirely online, and they're taught by SAT experts. If you liked this article, you'll love our classes. Along with expert-led classes, you'll get personalized homework with thousands of practice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step, custom program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Try it risk-free today:

Idea of rebellion against the Martin Luther King Essay

Idea of rebellion against the Martin Luther King - Essay Example Getting to understand the issues that the clergymen were raising, one is left with more questions than answers. From my point of view, I saw these as more of political fanatics. The point that Luther was raising was clear and straightforward, while the counteraccusations holding no firm ground. I realized that in life, even the very people that one is fighting for could fight you back. The eight Clergymen based in Alabama did not quite understand the motivation behind Luther or they were ignorant, because racial discrimination affected them too. I learnt a lot about the historical perspective of democracy and the hard path of attaining a racially equal society. Such knowledge is very important for the future generations to understand where our country has come from. Question 2 The world is a dangerous place characterized by disasters and destructive activities. Disasters have denied generations’ access to vital information that could have otherwise helped build on the existing knowledge. Humans are both destructive and constructive; humans through wars, and fires and other human activities have done a majority of the destruction of knowledge resources. These activities are either accidental or sometimes intentional while others are part of the global destruction of a given area. In addition, natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, and floods among others have contributed to knowledge loss. Knowledge is lost when libraries are destroyed, important information bearing sites are destroyed or an ongoing research is terminated without trace. Historical information suggests destruction of very many resources as a result of human made activities. Wars are the major contributor of all the destruction of knowledge resources; they sometimes result to other destructors such as fires and looting. The history of library destruction dates back at around 206 AD as a result of a war in China. The result was the destruction of the Epang Palace and S tate Archives, leading to destruction of volumes of resources as well as death of many scholars. Other landmark destructions include the destruction of the Library of the Alexandria, one of the respected and highly used libraries by the early scholars especially because of the many volumes of books and scrolls available. The library was strategic, being one of the early centres of civilization and having a close proximity with Greece, Rome and the Mesopotamia provided an ideal ground for study and knowledge development. The destruction of the library was consecutive leading to the shift of the knowledge base in Egypt to be at the Library of Serapeum that was also later destroyed. These incidences resulted into loss of much knowledge that had been stored therein. Books, periodicals, publications, journals, on going research proposals, tablets, and artistic knowledge bearing pieces of work among others have been destroyed. Destruction of the Nalanda centre in India saw the decline of Buddhism because all the important knowledge was lost. In England, the Glassney College Library was destroyed resulting to loss of some good amount of books. After America gained independence, its Congress Library was destroyed in 1812 after the invasion by the British Army troops who captured the city of Washington and burnt it, in the process many books were destroyed and other materials that were being used by the Congress for their study and research. The Civil War had a great impact on the institutional libraries in the city of Washington where books were burnt, looted and physically destroyed. In addition, the war destroyed the University of Alabama Library. Outside United States, the Public Records Office in Ireland was put into flames, the Japanese troops destroyed various libraries in China, and

Project ManagementTo Build a Log Cabin as a Case Essay

Project ManagementTo Build a Log Cabin as a Case - Essay Example The goal of this project is to ensure that it remains within budget and that is completed within the stipulated time; most importantly, the project aims at ensuring that the customer is satisfied with the final product; beautifully built log cabin, just as the customer wants and expects it to be. This project report is made up of the following critical components and aspects. This project first analyses the projected project schedule and items, as well as the corresponding cost of each project activity; this I done by using two important project management tools, a network diagram, and a Gantt chart. Secondly, this report endeavours to analyse the main factors that may affect the progress and completion of the project. For instance, risk analysis is carried out, with the focus being on the main risk that might affect or impede on the success of this project; for this purpose, a project risk assessment form is used. The third part of this report looks at the project’s emergency plan; these entails the prediction of would be risks and proposing corresponding changes aimed at mitigating the identified risks. Additionally, this report discusses the quality aspect of the project; deals solely with the question of quality control. This entails factors such as project cost control and customer satisfaction, particularly, customer communication. Scheduling and time related issues are also addressed in this section with aim of ensuring that the timely completion of project activities as well as the entire project is guaranteed. Finally, this report reflects on the entire project and offers some conclusion regarding the project; this is with regards to the risk level and the overall quality of the project. This project enables us develop the ability to analyse and solve problems, and enables us to become more objective and rational thinkers. Project

Performance management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Performance management - Assignment Example However it is also found that most of the performance management system and the performance management processes and the performance management systems are tiring in their processes. Performance management system requires managers to go with the employees to a room in a yearly performance management review. The worst problem with performance management system is that the problem lies with one’s performance being reviewed by another person. Pulakos and OLeary (2011) claim the formula for effective performance management remains elusive. Performance management system is not universal and actually every company and organization should have a performance management system that is unique to the organization characteristics and applies to the unique problem that the organization faces. However the problem with most models of performance management is that they are defined on a universal basis. The paper below analyzes the statement given by Pulakos and OLeary in context of the perfo rmance management and tries to address the challenges in an effective manner. Performance management is the process that is designed so as to improve organizational, team and individual performance that is in turn owned and driven by the line managers. According to Lawler there is a large no. of design features which can potentially influence the effectiveness of a performance management system. Many of the different performance management system are studied empirically so as to study the impact of the performance management systems. The research in this field shows that the effectiveness of the performance management increases; when there is consistent and ongoing feedback. The behaviour based measures are normally used so that preset goals are employed. It is reasonable to argue that when the outcomes of performance appraisal are tied to the rewards the performance management system will

Television Violence Negatively Impacts Children Essay -- Critical Thin

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Littleton, Colorado; Springfield, Oregon; Jonesboro, Arkansas; Pearl, Mississippi. These previously unknown suburban cities will forever be branded into our minds. These cities are linked by one devastating factor: young students firing upon fellow students and educators. What causes these young people to "snap" causing the violent shooting sprees? Although the events are too recent to fully understand their causes, we can try to understand what led to the disastrous situations. The impact of television violence on youth behavior has been an issue for many years. Television stations and their executives tend to deny television's contribution to youth violence. In the following paragraphs, I will use various examples to demonstrate the impact television has had on youth violence. This will be accomplished by: discussing the problems associated with television viewing, identifying violence on television, portraying the effects of television violence on younger people, and revealing ways to reduce violence on television. This paper explores these topics by using multiple statistics, by incorporating the views of several public officials and authors, and through my own views as well. In 1939, at the World's Fair, television first came into our lives. In 1938, author E. B. White told Harpers Magazine: "I believe that television is going to be the test of the modern world, and in this new opportunity to see beyond the range of our own vision, we shall discover either a new and unbearable disturbance of the general peace or a saving radiance in the sky. We shall stand or fall by television, of that I am sure." ( Murray, 1) E. B. White foresaw the problems associated with television when TV first arrived, but I do not ... ...ww.aacap.org/publications/factsfam/violence.htm DeMoss, Jr. Robert G. Learn to Discern. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992. Goodwin, William. Teen Violence San Diego, CA: Lucent Books, 1998. Gore, Tipper. Raising PG Kids in an X-Rated Society: What Parents can do to Protect Their Children From Sex and Violence in the Media. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1987. Landau, Elaine. Teenage Violence. Englewood Cliffs, CO: Julian Messner, 1990. Margolis, Jeffrey A. Teen Crime Wave: A Growing Problem. Issues In Focus Series. Springfield, NJ: Enslow Publishers, Inc., 1997 Miller, Maryann. Coping With Weapons and Violence in Your Schools and on Your Streets. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, 1993. Murray, John P. Children and Television Violence. Kansas Journal of Law & Public Policy, 1993. Volume 4, Number 3, pp 7-14   

Qantas

INTRODUCTION: In the competitive market industries of category of domestic, international or global have very competitive rivalry. Cost leadership and differentiation strategies are commonly used strategic management dimensions in the literature (Dess and Davis, 1984; Nayyar, 1993). But to achieve market superiority over competitors and profitability it has to make clear choice over the strategy used in order to avoid ‘the inherent contradiction of different strategies’ (Porter, 1996, p. 67) In today’s market for a company to survive, it has to create two corporate strategies 1.Lowest price without jeopardizing the quality. 2. Better quality, simple way of operation and better look that means ability to be creative and innovative. According to Porter (1985) all generic competitive strategies have different way of cresting sustainable competitive advantage. And a company must always choose a strategy or else it will be stuck in the middle without coherent strategy (Acquaah & Yasai – Ardekani, 2006). Many companies for example Wal – Mart and AirAsia have been implementing a single strategy very successfully.Examples of companies which has used differentiation strategy as single strategy successfully: * Differentiation by Brand: Harley Davidson and Mercedes Benz * Differentiation by Design: Titan watches – with gold studded gems, diamonds, precious metals. * Differentiation by Positioning: Domino Pizza ‘ 30 minutes delivery’ * Differentiation by Technology: Apple Computers * Differentiation by Innovation: 3M. Furthermore there are successful companies which apply hybrid – strategy which implies both cost leadership & differentiation strategy at the same time.Eg: German’s Automotive, Tesco supermarket, IKEA. Competitive Strategy: It is the way by which firms choose to accomplish and hold their competitive advantage. Regarding competitive strategy Porter stated that â€Å"taking offence or defensiv e actions to create a defendable position in an industry, to cope with †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦competitive forces and thereby yield a superior return for the firm†. Companies have established different approaches to competitive strategy, as per the crisis companies should apply respective strategy. The basic of generic strategy:Porter stated that company’s strength is divided into two attributes: cost advantage and differentiation. By applying these attributes in a broad and narrow focus, three generic strategies result: cost leadership, differentiation and focus. They do not represent any industry nor they are specific to any company. PORTER’S GENERIC STRATEGIES: Diagram 1: (Porter, 1980) Normally means â€Å"pursue a quality approach†. Enables a price premium to be charged for the quality difference. Normally means â€Å"pursue a quality approach†. Enables a price premium to be charged for the quality difference.Aim to have lowest cost-base in dustry. Will facilitate favourable / cheaper pricing and thus grow market share in elastic industries particularly. Aim to have lowest cost-base industry. Will facilitate favourable / cheaper pricing and thus grow market share in elastic industries particularly. Competitive Advantage Competitive Advantage Differentiation Differentiation Lower Cost Lower Cost Broad Target Broad Target 1. Cost Leadership| Competitive Score Competitive Score 2. Differentiation| Narrow Target Narrow Target 3 A. Cost Focus| 3 B. Differentiation Focus|Concentrate on one or a small number of market segments. Can be differentiation or cost leadership. Concentrate on one or a small number of market segments. Can be differentiation or cost leadership. Porter initially advised Firms to avoid attempting both Strategies – Stuck in the Middle – as out and out differentiators and cost leaders will tend to be more competitive. The success of Japanese (and other) firms with JIT, Kaizen and TQM techniqu es appears to provide evidence contrary to this view. Requirements for generic competitive strategies:Generic Strategy| Commodity Required Skills and Resources| Common Organizational Requirements| Overall cost leadership| Sustained capital investment access to capital| Tight cost control| | Process engineering skills| Frequent, detailed control reports| | Intense supervision of labour| Structured organization and responsibilities| | Products designed for ease | Incentives based on meeting strict quantitative| | Low-cost distribution system| targets in manufacture| Differentiation| Strong marketing abilities| Strong coordination among functions in R&D, product development, and marketing| | Product ngineering| | | Creative flare | | | Strong capability in basic research| Subjective measurement andincentives instead of quantitative measures| | Corporate reputation for quality or technological leadership| Amenities to attract highly skilled labour, scientists, or creative people| | Long tradition in the industryor unique combination of skills drawn from other businesses| | | Strong cooperation fromchannels| | Focus| Combination of the above policies directed at the particular strategic target| Combination of the above policies directed at the regular strategic target|Four strategic types and their approaches to strategy (Miles and Snow)? : 1. Defender: * protect market share * hold current position 2. Analyser: * seek market opportunities but protect existing areas * hold market share but with some innovation 3. Prospector: * find new opportunities * exploit and take risks 4. Reactor: * respond only to other * often late and inadequate COST AND DIFFERENTIATION STRATEGY: Cost Leadership Strategy – The cost leadership strategy represents cost control and efficiency in all areas of operation (Porter, 1980).A company that decides to follow cost leadership actually achieves it by performing important value chain activities with lower cost (Porter, 1985). Cost â €“ Leadership strategy strives to supply a standard, no frills, high volume product with a competitive price to customers (Bingxin Li & Juan Li, 2008) which is preferred in developing countries India, China, Indonesia & Malaysia. This make product more competitive than others with brand image and good service (Hutchinson et al. 2007; Frambach et al. 2003; Porter, 1980).Cost Leadership aim requires strong focus on supply side as oppose to demand side of market – with high level competitor orientation (Day & Wendley, 1988). Cost Leadership strategy used by companies must benchmark them in a profitable position in the market place. As per Porter (1980), efficient cost leadership strategy minimizes cost in areas like R&D, Services, Sales and Advertising. In Japan, Toyota Company has successfully implemented cost leadership strategy with increased efficiency (Schonberger, 1994) which is a different factor make up in this strategy when compared to the western countries. Allen & Helms, 2001) Differentiation Strategy – The generic of differentiation strategy can be based upon design and brand image, distribution & so forth (Frambach. Et al. 2003). It involves by creating a place in the market that is realized as being different in the industry and has the capability to endure for a long run (Porter, 1980). The effectiveness of strategy depends on competitive offering to customers (Slater & Olson, 2001) with unique product for varied customer groups. This is with the aim to create minimum price of product in order to develop satisfaction and loyalty.A firm with differentiation strategy creates superior characteristics in terms of image, reputation, reliability and equality (Dean & Evans, 1994; Sashi and Stern, 1995). This creates qualitative difference in products & service, engaged in advertising programs, marketing techniques with premium prices (Miller, 1986). According to Acquaah and Yasai – Ardekani (2006). Firms with competitive strategie s has advantage over their rivals as they realized how unique their products and services are.The differentiation strategy has been successfully implemented in France, Sweden, Canada with companies having advantage of Financial and technology resources, human capital and modern management (Aulakh et al, 2000) Focus Porter defined focus as one of the generis strategies but later on mentioned it as moderator of cost leadership and differentiation strategy, Companies which apply this strategy normally focus on the market where there are less competition. (Pearson, 1999). Firms uses this strategy to stress on a specific positioning in the market and so it offers quality and specialized products for that position.Therefore sometimes focus strategy is referred as niche strategy (Lynch, 2003). This strategy allows the firm the possibility to charge a premium price for its specialized products. Ferrari and Rolls – Royce are examples of company using such strategy. The only problem wi th the strategy is that niche characteristic is not sufficient to justify company’s attention. Stuck in the middle – When a company fails to make a choice between the strategies then it is implied that the company is stuck in the middle. Thus affecting its profitability and resulting poor financial performance. (Peter, 1980)THE COMBINATION (HYBRID) STRATEGY: The Porter Generic competitive Strategies (1980, 1985) can’t be given excessive prominence. Competitive forces ( Allen and Helms, 2006; Miller, 1992; Spanos, et al. , 2004) has been termed â€Å" hybrid, mixed, integrated or combination strategies. (Kim. Et al. , 2004; Spanos, et al. , 2004). They combine both low cost and differentiation elements (Gopalakrishna and Subramanian, 2001; Proff, 2000). A combination of cost leadership and differentiation strategies should be distinguish from ‘stuck in the middle’ where firm fails to successfully pursue both. (Acquaah & Yasai – Ardekani, 2006 ).A combination or hybrid strategy has been proved to be viable and profitable (Kim et al. , 2004; Miller & Dess, 1993; Wright et al. , 1991). Firms pursuing combined strategy achieved higher performance than the other firms which apply single strategy. Combined strategy also helps the firm to minimize their vulnerability due to reliance on cost – based advantages only (Yasai – Ardekani & Nystrom, 1996). This hybrid strategy success depends on ability to deliver enhanced benefit to customers with low price and sufficient margins to reinvestment. Tesco Supermarket is following same the same strategy (Strategy Explorer, 2010)THE APPLICATION OF SINGLE STARTEGY: Cost Leadership Strategy: The cost leadership strategy is the basis for long – run compare to price competition. Price competition is easily duplicated (Porter, 1980; Ellis & Kelly, 1992). In retail business cost reduction must be exploited which minimizes cost throughout value chain activities. Important is sues in retail business are related with cost of goods sold. (COGS). Large retail business achieve more easily cost leadership due to more power supplier to secure low procurement prices for purchased goods (Ellis & Kelley, 1992; Anderer, 1997).Datuk Tony Fernandez as CEO of AirAsia Berhad said â€Å"Before business can grow it needs to have its cost under control, efficient and profitable and also it must create value†. AirAsia leader of LCC in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia will face competition from existing and new players and it need to make consideration & more stressed for the point of becoming the low cost carrier in the airline industries. Differentiation Strategy: It emphasis several dimensions such as image, gain customer loyalty, innovation and level of service (Kim et al. , 2004) by generating differences n product through intensive marketing & image management (Miller 1988) and creating products which are innovative, dependable, durable, and serviceable (Beal & Yasai – Ardekani, 2000) In retail business company, as for manufacturing companies two main arguments against Porter framework have emerged (Mintzberg, 1996; Worztel, 1987; Zentes and Anderer, 1994) – * Strategies that combine several competitive advantages are not considered by Porter. * The reduction of possible competitive advantage to two basic types is simplistic & especially differentiation advantages can be reached in different ways.The implementation of combination of Cost Leadership and Differentiation Strategy (Hybrid Strategy): This new hybrid strategy may become even more important and more popular as Global competition increase. With generic strategy company improve their ability to adapt quick environment changes and learn new skills and technologies involving customer’s value with products at low cost compare to competitor’s products. Cost leadership enables the company to charge the lowest competitive price and achieving competitive adva ntage by delivering value to customers based on both product features and low price.Competitive strategy is not only feasible but generates superior incremental performance result in multiple sources of competitive advantage. This will generate superior performance over the inability to success. The success of Japanese companies such as Toyota, Canon and Honda are best examples of cost leadership and differentiation strategies. (Ishikura, 1983). Porter’s Generic Strategies in Hospitality Industry: 1. Cost Leadership Strategy: Hotelier such as Fairfield Inns, Etap offer services which are basics. Thus by doing so, they keep the cost at minimum and attract lot of market segment. . Differentiation Strategy: Chain of hotels such as Marriott and Hilton apply this strategy by providing guests with high quality and special service and experience. 3. Focus Strategy: Four Seasons only stress on elite guests and Burj Al Arab hotel only target guests such as royal families, celebrities, and rich industrialists. Five Forces Analysis: Porter developed this model as a framework to understand the profitability about the industry. Mentioned below are the five forces: * Supplier’s power * Buyer’s power * The threat of substitutes * The ease of entry to the market The intensity of rivalry in the market Porter Five Forces that shape industry competition: Example of a pharmaceutical company in US: †¢ Potential New Entrants: There are high barriers for entry especially in the US market due to the regulatory compliance, patent laws and the risk associated with the industry this remains a weak competitive force. The cost related to the R&D also limits the Potentials New Entrants. †¢ Suppliers: Supplier power in low as the majority of the pharmaceutical sale is among the ten large pharmaceutical companies also they remain the major costumer for the chemical industry. Buyers: The power of the buyers is a moderate competitive force. Increasing pressure is being applied on the manufacturers to reduce the prices. In the pharmaceutical industry the end-user of the product has very low power as they buy the drugs that the decision maker or the doctor prescribes. †¢ Substitutes: This competitive power is weak when the products have the patent production but gets medium when they are off patent. CONCLUSION: Successful organization adopts a combination of competitive aspect to build a hybrid strategy. i. e. Design and low cost, quality and price .Only competing on price is not good enough (Daan Assens’s Learning , 2010). Cost leadership and differentiation strategies are very successful in much different kind of industries, for developing, transition and developed economics. Cost leadership, Differentiation and hybrid strategies have been successfully applied for very broad range of products and services from retail products to luxury products. TABLE 1: STRATEGIES USED BY THE COMPANIES No. | Strategy| Where has the strategy bee n applied | Products/Services that the strategy has been applied | 1. 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