Web Analytics

The explosive growth in the amount of smartness and tablets marked we have fully entered the RA of mobile computing. There are more and more people prefer to buy the products or services they desired online. The company who can success overnight must be the one who can better understand the demands of customers. For those who have no Idea of the power of Internet marketing, Axiom Technology can be a good example. It has been established since August 2010 and there are no any offline franchised stores ever opened. The only channel for customers to get their products is ordering from their online store.This is totally an Internet marketing model and no one knows what will happen to this company in the future. Now only four years have passed Axiom Technology has overtaken Samsung to become the biggest seller of smartness in China and the company valuations has approaching 40 billions dollars (BBC, http://www. BBC. Com/news/business-28684581). The success of Axiom is not accidental but u sing tons of techniques to analyses customers and trying to understand their needs. Behind this web analytics is the most important tool to achieve this in Internet marketing.What web analytics does Is the study of visitor, navigation, and traffic patterns to determine the success of a given web site then through the objective tracking, collection, measurement, porting, and analysis of quantitative Internet data to optimism websites and Internet marketing initiatives (Web Analytics Association, http:. ‘/ indicators could tell us the operation performance of a website. Such as the sources of the visitors (where our visitors come from), the conversion rates of the visitors (includes the registration rates, opportunities to sale and other conversion rates we setup to monitor).Knowing these indicators is the basis of Internet marketing initiatives. In short, web analytics is a tool to help us optimism our website and align our resources to fit the Internet marketing strategies. Th is could be divided into several aspects. I will explain them one by one in this article. Monitoring the Operation Status of the Website This is the most basic function of web analytics. Web analytics tool like Google Analytics can collect the data which provided by the website such as slipstream data, user experience data and operational data then generate different kinds of statements through analyses the collected data.These statements can give a overview of the website and tell us whether it is healthy or not. The variation trend of clicks, umber of visits, number of users and other data like this can help marketers maintain the website from different aspects. However, for those non-technical specialist stakeholders web analytics tool can be an important tool to translate the professional terms such as page views, average time per visit and conversion rates to readable information. Monthly summary is one of the most common reports that web analytics tool can generate for a compa ny to monitor its website.The information contained in the summary is of a relatively basic level. The monthly summary shows page views, visits ND visitors, as well as average time per visit and average page views per visit. The main purpose of the monthly summary is to inform key stakeholders about the level of activity on the website throughout each month (A. Phone, et al. , 2004). Figure 1 is a typical monthly summary. There are also other reports such as monthly dashboard which allow users to compare the activity on the website over a year, because of the limited words it is not possible to detail here.Figure 1. A Typical Monthly Summary The operators of the website will be panic without the support of different kinds of data. Because it means they have lost the perception to the status of the website. They have no idea how many visits today, thousands or none, will be a mystery. Without the direction of data, the operators will lost their target and path for Internet marketing. Evaluate the Efficiency of the Promotion Campaigns Like offline business processes, Internet marketing also needs promotion campaigns to acquire customers, improve brand image and customer perception.However, without web analytics we can not measure the help that the promotions bring to our websites Kips and we even can not know whether the growing Kips are profit from With web analytics we can track the sources of our visits then identify whether they are visiting through our promotions such as pay-per-click ads or banner ads. Moreover, we can further analyses the conversion rates relate to registration and order placing then find out the efficiency of our promotions and to what extent they can improve our Kips.Finally, according to the analysis we can adjust the Internet marketing strategies about the promotions. For example, to measure the efficiency of a banner ads we can easily calculate cost per acquisition to find out that: Cost per acquisition = Advertising and promotional cost/Number of click-troughs. Promote the Website Effectively Search Engine Optimization (SEE) and Search Engine Marketing (SEEM) SEE and SEEM are two vital parts in web analytics because they are the most important way for a website to fetch visits. Search engines are a key part of any company's acquisition portfolio.For good reason, citizens of the Internet use search to find everything they are looking for. The business impact of this customer behavior is that we all pour a lot of resources into optimizing our websites to show up optimally in search engines for relevant queries (Vanish Sushi, 2010). There are several indexes for us to analyses SEE such as related keywords ranking, the click through rate (CTR) of the search terms and the number of invalid pages of the website in the search results. The traffic level is the foundation of a website.So it is necessary for us to know how good our website performing on SEE and SEEM clearly (Eric Eng, et al. , 2012). Precision Marketing SEE and SEEM can improve the web exposure of the website so the users can find our website more easily. But sometimes it is also necessary to push our website to some specific users directly so called online promotions. Online promotion included customer segmentation, source segmentation and target market segmentation. Customer segmentation which based on customer behaviors can reveal the customer types our website attracts.The search terms based on source and affiliated websites analysis can let us know which parts on our website were cared about by our users and how our users found us. This analysis could direct us for our online promotion. We will know which groups of users we should send them e-mails. Moreover, web analytics can also help us find suitable places to do the online promotions. For example, the most related website we should put the advertisements on if we want to issue a product or organize an activity or the frequently searched keywords to do the sponsored links and SEE.So it can help us avoid the inefficiency promotions which will waste our operating costs. Through eliminating low efficiency costs and increase the ratio of high efficiency costs we could keep the budgets constant but have a better publicity. In the meantime, we can also find out which websites have more relevance with us then we can improve our how to organize the contents we want to promote. Optimizing the Customer Experience of the Website Simple and Effective Interactive Process The simple and easy-to-use interactive process will help the users achieve their targets and operations better.And the users are tend to visit the website which have more friendly interface that can let them surf on it without any troubles. Help the Users to Find What They Interested Recommend the contents which the users may interested are far more better than let themselves find what they want. Many websites like Amazon, eBay now have recommendation function based on the analysis of users behav iors, this function will elf on keep customers and let them browse more contents or use the services provided by the websites.Listen to the Users Web analytics is more than tons of daily statements of the websites. Actually, survey, lab usability testing and site visits are all belong to web analytics. Vanish Sushi were sorted them as the qualitative analysis in web analytics. These methods can let us listen to our users' heart. With the results of these surveys we can do better on our website includes the design of function, interactive and navigation. All of these are aimed at enhancing the user experience of the website.In a word, the websites are living for traffic level, all what we do above can be concluded as three stages: monitoring the traffic, attract the traffic and keep the traffic. The traffic level can be easily translated to users, and the users are the only core for the websites. Part 2: http://www. Activation. Co. UK/ is a local company. You are required to: Identif y its main line of business and its online marketing strategy, Critically evaluate its website designing and its online marketing strategy, and Make recommendations for improving the effectiveness of its website and online marketing strategy.Main Line of Business Active Alton is a local company operating a variety of sports and leisure facilities in Alton and it claimed itself as a non-profit organization. It currently operates 7 leisure and activity centers including Dell Farm, Inspire: Alton Sports Village, Lessee Sports Park, Highpoint Community Sports & Arts Centre, Lea Manor Recreation Centre, Stockroom Park Golf Centre and Stockroom Park Athletics Centre & Health Club.The main business that Active Alton run are the fitness and leisure events. Rely on the activity centers Active Alton provides its own brands covered a wide range of ports and services such as Profiles Health & Fitness, Hydra Swim, Active Golf, Kid Around, Active Education, Active Communities, Active Training & D evelopment and people will enjoy a discount price to access the facilities through Join the membership and this is also the main sources of income to the organization.Online Marketing Strategy As a local organization who have held so many sports centers and leisure facilities, Active Alton seems has no intention to invest vast amount of time and money in online marketing because people are ultimately prefer to choose a fitness centre by sitting it not by Just browsing it online. The website of Active Alton are more like a exhibition not an online franchise store. I have drawn a structure chart of the website below and will analyses the online market strategy by using it. Through the structure chart we can have a general understanding of the whole website of Active Alton.As I state before, the website is consist by the introduction of the sports centers and leisure facilities. The only entrance for customers to checkout is in the membership page and will be shown after click ‘s ign up online'. And there is o any online customer service but only two forms in the feedback and contact us pages. Because the organization possesses venues and stadiums and only provide very limited online transactions channel and customer service (the digital channels complementary is relatively low), the e-commerce business mode could be defined as between ‘Bricks and mortar' and ‘Bricks and clicks' refer to Figure 2.Figure 2. Three Business Modes in E-commerce In conclusion, the online marketing strategy should have objectives for online contribution in percent which means sales, service, profitability should drive the strategy. From the structure of the website I did not see much of elements which can bring extra incomes for the organization. Because of the products the organization provides is fitness and leisure services it is not possible to exploit new geographic markets. So the website has communicate benefits of existing products to existing penetration strat egy (H.Igor Anions, 2007). Figure 3. Nations Product-Market Growth Matrix Website Designing There are eight most important factors in successful e-commerce site design (Lauded and Travel, 2009), in this part I will use this figure to evaluate the designing of the Bessie. Figure 4. The Eight Most Important Factors in Successful E-commerce Site Design All functions of the website are working normally during my test but it has no obvious funnel which can guide visitors to the checkout system and finally become customers.In general, there must be a button or link to purchase the product when we click into the introduction page of a product but for this website there is not. What instead of is a sign up online button which is in membership page so we can not see it directly. This will largely reduce the conversion rates and lower the functionality of the website. The information provided by the website are quite rich, from the introduction of the organization to the details of every venu es and brands. And they have been placed in landing page so they are full accessible.But the customer service is a short slab of the website. There are only two forms provided in the contact us and feedback pages. According to Lauded and Tracer's research it will annoy 75. 1% visitors if a website has no contact information available. Figure 5. E-commerce Website Features that Annoy Customers For other aspects in the figure 4, the layout and design of Active Lotto's website are happily integrated style, both aesthetically and functionally. It has a dominant hue which is blue and the color is not been abused everywhere.The text are legible enough and the graphics are simple therefore the visitors will not be distracted. To sum up, the website is easy to use but lack of functionality and it need to be improved. Recommendations For the Web Designing To improve the effectiveness of the website can be translate to improve the user experience of it. First and the most important thing is t o add a purchase button with the corresponding price table in every introduction page of the stadiums, this will increase the conversion rates and lead to a higher incomes which is the fundamental goals of e-commerce.And for the customer service, add at least one contact information (landlines, e-mail or both) to contact us page that visitors can use it to contact the organization actively. If the visitors are confused about some descriptions the conversion rates indirectly because people will not purchase anything if they are confusing about it. For the Online Marketing Strategy According to the organization's conditions I did a SOOT analysis for it. Active Alton Strengths – S 1. Well-known brand 2.Abundant Resources 3. Extensive Services Weaknesses – W 1. Internet channel using 2. Web technologies 3. Online customer service Opportunities – O 1 . New customer segment 2. Co-branding promotion 3. Cross-selling SO strategies Integrate the services and trying to at tract new customers through cross-selling and co-branding promotion WOW strategies Improve the user experience of the website and introduce new services to attract new customers Threats – T 1 . Other competitors who have advanced technologies 2.Customer choice 3. New entrants SST strategies Attract competitor's customers by provide better services and hardware WET strategies Improve the user experience of the website and build a thorough customer relationship management system Figure 6. A Internet-specific SOOT Analysis for Active Alton Active Alton is an organization who has possessed a lot of resources including stadiums and parks. So the products and services it can provide can be varied if introduce cross-selling method.The growth point of the business is to attract new customers through new products and services and better user experience of the website. In this circumstance I would like to recommend WOW strategies for the organization. This kind of online marketing stra tegy is focused on improving the effectiveness of the website and develop new products that fit the e- commerce business such as special offers which people can only get from the online store.

Are Emotion and Reason Equally Necessary in Justifying Moral Decisions Essay

In analyzing human behavior and human thought processes it can be said that reason and emotions are always present in each major decision. There is no human being, even the most morally upright or the most unbiased observer can make crucial moral decisions without having to have felt the power of reason and the equally powerful emotions in his mind and body. If Emotion and Reason are taken together and if the proponent of this paper will not be given the freedom to choose one from the other then the answer to the query is no. There is no need to have the combined benefit of emotion and reason to justify a moral decision. But if allowed a free hand one should insist that Reason is necessary in justifying moral decisions. This paper will look into the implications of using Emotion and Reason in matters regarding moral decisions. This will be done by finding out what is the meaning of emotions and reason in the world of epistemology. But even before that there is a need to have a review of epistemology the theories on how human beings acquire knowledge. Background Epistemology is a branch of philosophy that deals with how man attains knowledge. For many the getting of knowledge from reading, observing the external environment and by doing experiments can be taken for granted. But for philosophers it is not simply about getting data and then having the ability to describe what was observed and inferred afterwards. Philosophers are persistent that man knows the exact process and if there is none then one should suspect if there is actual learning that occurred after all. With this in mind it is time to introduce two diverging schools of thought when it comes to epistemology and how man exactly acquires knowledge. The first group of philosophers believes that human beings can get knowledge using pure reason. It is the use of the rationale mind, to think using logic to deduce and infer from what can be observed. It is easy to say â€Å"reason† but it is difficult to explain the actual processes of how man looks at the different pieces of the puzzle and then be able to see the whole picture and finds a pattern or connection. Reason is the man’s secret weapon and allows him to reign supreme in this planet. There is no other creature that can use the harness the awesome power of reason in the same way as a human being. A good example is on how man can deduce that certain plants are edible while others are lethal. It is common knowledge that man learns to distinguish between a tasty snack and a vine of poison by observing animals around him. This is probably the same technique used to discover that the seeds hidden behind the coffee pod are not only edible but also a source of one heavenly drink. Without the ability to reason it would have been impossible for man to realize that there is something in that coffee pod after observing the goat or maybe birds taking a liking for the sweet fruit. Another example of reason is in finding a pattern and consistency in natural occurrences such as typhoons, fruiting seasons, gestation period etc. Using reason man was able to build a system where he can begin to tame nature and enjoy her benefits. He can plant and expect harvest. He can build shelter and expect to be protected by an upcoming storm. Man can also reproduce his kind and even multiply his flocks knowing pretty well that there are certain laws in nature that he can rely upon and all these are possible by unleashing the power of reason. Diverging Stream Another school of thought when it comes to the acquirement of knowledge is called empiricism. The empiricists believe that it gaining knowledge through reason alone is suspect. They argue that reason can be influenced by many factors and they conclude that biases and prejudices can interfere in the process. This is understandable because for thousands of years man has postulated about something and made predictions about the future only to be made a fool at the end. This is because reason has its limits. It is at this point that that man is advised not to jump to conclusions. Empiricists will assert that accurate knowledge is only possible if man avails of his senses. The eyes to use to see and measure; the hands used to grasp and determine shape; the ears to hear and determine sound; the nose for determining smells; and the tongue for taste. Emotions are feelings and better yet it is a reaction that a person can observe after the body and the mind – or the heart – is exposed to certain external factors. For example, a mother sees her baby crying because she had not eaten the whole day. The mother has no money to buy milk and she too begins to cry. Her emotion – can be labeled as sadness – tells her that her mind and body does not agree to the image that she saw which is her poor baby experiencing acute hunger. There is another view of emotions which can be very helpful in this study. There are those who assert that emotions are not only act as messengers that tell a person whether something good or bad has occurred but they can be feelings that propels a person to do what is right even when faced with great odds. Jaggar remarked that, â€Å"†¦it is appropriate to feel joy when we are developing or exercising our creative powers, and it is appropriate to feel anger and perhaps disgust in those situations where humans are denied their full creativity or freedom† (1996, p. 82). A good example of such an occurrence was again given by Jaggar who wrote, â€Å"Certain emotions may be both morally appropriate and epistemologically advantageous in approaching nonhuman and even the inanimate world Jane Goodall’s scientific contribution to our understanding of chimpanzee behavior seems to have been made possible only by her amazing empathy with or even love for these animals† (1996, p. 182). To those who are familiar with Goodall’s case will admire her courage and determination considering that she had to travel to Africa and be removed from the comforts and security of Western society and be immersed in a hostile environment, not with humans but with wild animals. It is a good instance of how emotions guided someone to do something heroic. It is easy to understand what emotions can do to lift ordinary humans to strive for things that exceed his grasp. Emotions can fire-up a person and allow him to go where no one has gone before. The history of the United States is replete with examples where tough moral decisions were justified with the cry for freedom and equality. But there is also a counter-argument that emotions are not needed to do justify moral decisions. Reason alone should be enough to move a person to do what is right. This is because emotions can be subjective. And there is no need to furnish volumes of scientific material to prove that point. Emotions can even be counter-productive when used to analyze tough moral decisions as evidenced from the results of a new study published in Newsweek. According to Wray Herbert – writing for Newsweek (2008): A large and growing number of psychologists now argue that a welter of prejudices are simmering just below the surface of society: prejudices against many ethnic groups, against women, gays, the elderly, and outsiders like the homeless and drug addicts. The big question is whether these unconscious animosities are potent enough to actually shape our actions, to make us do things we ourselves find shameful. A new study suggests that, unhappily, the answer is yes. Conclusion The question whether emotion and reason are equally necessary to justify moral decisions is a double-headed query that should have been simplified by separating emotion and reason; rephrasing it in two separate questions: 1) Is emotion necessary to justify moral decisions and 2) Is reason necessary to justify moral decisions. If this is possible then the proponent of this study will say no to the first and then say yes to the second question. But since the main topic used the phrase equally necessary then the answer is no meaning there is no need to bring both emotion and reason to the process of analysis of the problem and ultimately giving the justification for a moral decision. To clarify what is meant by using emotion in the decision process, one has to revisit the example of Jane Goodall and his work with endangered species, it was her strong feelings of emotions, specifically empathy that allowed her to do so much. Using this understanding of emotion the proponent still cannot endorse the use of emotion to judge a moral case because even with strong emotions one can still be mistaken. An excellent example would be the events that transpired in Germany in World War II. The residents of this nation enthusiastically embraced the idea given by Hitler that Jews deserve nothing but death and suffering. The majority agreed or at least the Nazis agreed that this is fact, even truth and they are responsible for the death of 6 million Jews. If one will go to Germany today and present the same ideas to present day Germans they will surely not react with the same fervor as they did in the time of Hitler but they will recoil in horror. This is a clear example of the subjectivity of emotions and therefore not needed to analyze tough moral issues.

Zara Case Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Zara Case Analysis - Research Paper Example This paper analyzes Zara’s current IT infrastructure with regards to its strategy and makes recommendations on the way to go forward. Description of the case The case details the dilemma that Mr. Xan Salgado Badas, the Head of IT for the clothing giant Inditex, is currently facing with regards to the IT infrastructure of Inditex’s flagship brand Zara. Mr. Salgado needs to decide whether to upgrade Zara’s IT infrastructure or retain the status quo. From the case we can tell that the Inditex’s Head of IT had been deliberating on this issue for quite some time; he and Mr. Bruno Sanchez Ocampo – the technical lead for Zara’s POS - had swopped roles as protagonist and antagonist several times before as they endeavored to evaluate the weight of each side of the argument. To enable us appreciate the dilemma that Salgado was facing the case describes Zara’s business model. The company derived its competitive edge from the speed of its product cycle in combination with decentralized decision making. Zara also employed a different marketing strategy that focused on its stores and the shopping experience rather than advertising like its main competitors. From the case we see that the firm’s IT infrastructure as is was able to make its operations the most effective in the industry. Also, given that it was largely developed in-house Zara’s IT infrastructure was largely proprietary and well-customized to meet its strategic goals. Furthermore, it was easy to install, use and stable. With all these advantages we see why the Head of IT had to take time to deeply consider the company’s next move with regards to IT infrastructure. To give us a balanced picture similar to that which Salgado had, the case also highlights the shortcomings of the current system. Analysis of the company’s goals/strategy Corporate strategy is about what a company wants and how the company should go about to satisfy this want. To achieve its main goal the company employs a grand strategy. Grand Strategies fall into three general categories which reflect what a company’s overall goal would be: growth, stability or retrenchment (Daft, 2000). From the context of the case we are informed that Inditex executives felt that ample room for growth existed within its current markets (Mcafee, Dessain, & Sjoman, 2007, p. 5). This could be construed to imply that Zara’s overall goal was that of growth. The grand strategy is like a framework of the whole business strategy. To achieve its goal Zara would have to focus its attention on business-level strategy. According to Porter (1998) business-level strategy includes numerous strategies, that can be classified into two, either competitive strategy or cooperative strategy. The objective of either strategy is to help the company to achieve competitive advantage against its rival. The difference between these two strategies is in the form of the action taken. There are three ways through which an organization can achieve competitive advantage namely: management, marketing and supply. Zara thrives on speed. It has to respond very quickly to the demands of its target customers who are young, fashion-conscious city dwellers (Mcafee et al., 2007). For Zara to be able to deliver styles while they are still hot, the organization realized that it had to take advantage of the intelligence and judgment of its employees throughout the company. For this reason store managers at Zara were given much more responsibility than those at rival clothing chains. Also Zara employed commercials who worked with designers and store managers to

Concert Attendance Reports MUSIC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Concert Attendance Reports MUSIC - Essay Example Old people flocked around the stage of the Performance Pavilion, particularly at the front seat. Old men and women appeared to enjoy the classical pieces played in Dogwood Park. To my mind, the reason why old people are the central audience for the orchestral concert is because such instrumental music is psychologically and mentally good for the old folks. Nonetheless, culture plays an important role why much of the orchestra’s listeners are old men and women rather than young people. From classical music to popular theme-songs were the kinds of orchestral pieces lively performed in Dogwood Park. Masterpieces from Baroque composers were intricately played such as George Frideric Handel’s 1749 â€Å"Music for the Royal Fireworks.† A contemporary of Handel, one of German-born Johann Sebastian Bach’s masterpieces was performed by the members of the BSO. Maestro Allcott shared a funny story about the strong rivalry between the two Baroque orchestra masters, namely, Bach and Handel. The nineteenth-century masterpiece entitled â€Å"The Bartered Bride† composed and arranged by nationalist Bedrich Smetana was also lively performed on stage. And from Germany to the United States, Charles Ives’s twentieth-century â€Å"The Circus Band† was patriotically played by the Bryan Symphony Orchestra. Quite striking in the Free Concert in Dogwood Park are the orchestral performances of the symphonic suites for the Pirates of the Caribbean and the Indiana Jones movies. The musical style for the piece entitled â€Å"Music for the Royal Fireworks† was patterned to a musical form called the French overture. The BSO under maestro Allcott performed the piece from slow rhythm to fast rhythm, and returned to slow rhythm at the end. On the other hand, the style employed for the piece of â€Å"The Bartered Bride† was somewhat child-like, if not childish. Maestro Allcott added a touch of humor apparent in the dramatic shift of rhythm and tone.

Assessment For The Financial Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

Assessment For The Financial Accounting - Essay Example Info: EasyJet Plc along with its subsidiaries ‘EasyJet Airline Company Limited' and ‘EasyJet Switzerland', is the second largest low-cost carrier within all of Europe. Formed only in 1995, that makes it much younger than most of its direct competitors; yet the company has been able to make a great name for itself in a very short duration of time (EasyJet Plc, 2010). Following are some achievements of the company (EasyJet Plc., 2011): Info: EasyJet Plc along with its subsidiaries ‘EasyJet Airline Company Limited' and ‘EasyJet Switzerland', is the second largest low-cost carrier within all of Europe. Formed only in 1995, that makes it much younger than most of its direct competitors, yet the company has been able to make a great name for itself in a very short duration of time. Following are some achievements of the company (EasyJet Plc., 2011):   48.8 million passengers flew by EasyJet in 2010 (out of 56 million flight seats).   The fleet of 196 aircraft   509 routes   Was amongst the very first companies to start e-commerce, they started selling online seats in 1997. As of today, easyjet.com remains "UK's most visited airline website".   Gargantuan revenues worth  £ 2,973.10 million. (Moneycentral; Thomson Reuters, 2011)The aforementioned figures are absolutely remarkable, especially considering the fact that this was a very bad year for airline carriers to the UK as the Eyjafjalla volcano in Iceland erupted and many flights were canceled during April-May (2010);... mpany Backgrounds EasyJet plc Company 1: EasyJet Plc Industry: Airline Info: EasyJet Plc along with its subsidiaries ‘EasyJet Airline Company Limited’ and ‘EasyJet Switzerland’, is the second largest low cost carrier within all of Europe. Formed only in 1995, that makes it much younger than most of its direct competitors; yet the company has been able to make a great name for itself in a very short duration of time (EasyJet Plc, 2010). Following are some achievements of the company (EasyJet Plc., 2011): 48.8 million passengers flew by EasyJet in 2010 (out of 56 million flight seats). Fleet of 196 aircrafts 509 routes Was amongst the very first companies to start e-commerce, they started selling online seats in 1997. As of today, easyjet.com remains â€Å"UKs most visited airline website† (EasyJet Plc., 2011, pp.6-8). Gargantuan revenues worth ? 2,973.10 million. (Moneycentral; Thomson Reuters, 2011) The aforementioned figures are absolutely remarkable , especially considering the fact that this was a very bad year for airline carriers within UK as the Eyjafjalla volcano of Iceland erupted and many flights were cancelled during April-May (2010); EasyJet executives place the estimate of damage and loss to be around ? 30 million. And then there was the air traffic control strike, which significantly affected the profits by increasing the overheads and costs. (EasyJet Plc., 2011, p.17) And even after such incidents, EasyJet managed to bring about an increase in its YoY net and gross profits, whilst increasing the revenues slightly. Tullow Oil Plc Company 2: Tullow Oil Plc Industry: Oil or Gas Exploration / Production Info: For a company with such a humble beginning, the progress that Tullow Oil has made from its inception in 1985 is nothing short of a miracle.

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

Volunteer activity review - Essay Example In addition to the six of us, the event also attracted other volunteers including nonnative volunteers. The event involved a number of environmental protection activities. All the participants were divided into two groups. One group was in charge of shoveling the dirt. I joined the second group. This paper therefore provides a comprehensive discussion of the activities we undertook in our group during the environmental volunteer activity. Before embarking on the four-hour activity session, all of us had to be in the right apparels. One of the most important apparel recommendations were closed shoes and long pants. Since the activities would involve going through small thickets, the logs pants and closed shoes would be imperative in protecting the skin against harm from the shrubs or small insects that might live in the thickets. A rain jacket was also recommended just in case it rained during the four-hour session. There was also a special provision for participants who were under the age of eighteen (Noss, Westra, & Pimentel, 2000). They were required to bring a Youth Waiver Form just to prove the consent of their parents or guardians. Participants did not have to carry with them the tools needed to execute their mandates because all the tools required for the services would be provided. The overall activities for the session were to continue with the preparation of the planting beds with assistance from the KCD Grants that was awarded to Lewis Park. This preparation needed participants to trim back and relocate plants in the areas that were selected for coming up with the new community implementation planting beds. It is worth noting that the new community implementation planting beds are found on the upper part of Lewis Park just along the Golf Dr. S and 15th Avenue. At the end of the sessions, there would be a complete amendment of the indigenous soil and restoration of the park using native plants (Hay, Stavins, & Vietor, 2004). Each group was required

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder - Essay Example No one can deny that people’s standard for being beautiful is first the value of one’s facial and body form. If one is shown a photograph of Jocelyn Wildenstein’s multi-million dollar face, he would not definitely approve of her to hit even the last number in the 50 million most beautiful women list. That may be rude but sometimes we just have to face the truth of how people evaluate beauty. Of course, one would wonder why Mr. Wildenstein’s paid enormous amounts for his wife’s surgeries. That face called by many as ugly might just be the prettiest in his eyes. In this case, the saying that goes, â€Å"beauty is in the eye of the beholder† holds true. On a general note, people value the appearance of one’s face but sometimes, the value of a person’ overall appearance can change that. The Eye of the Beholder depicts how a woman came to realize what she values more in her personal view of beautiful. The storyteller who looked at he rself as ugly sought for professional help to become beautiful. However, when the artist thought she made a very good job, the main character realized that the value of beauty to her was being herself and having an identity. Perhaps the make-up artist beamed with pride with the change that she made in the physical appearance of her customer however, she was shocked with the reaction of the customer. She said, â€Å"I look terrible† (Suh, 189). ... With this, the protagonist says she feels negated. Furthermore, she says, â€Å"I have been blotted out and another face drawn in my place† (198). For the woman, she realized that being beautiful is not being like the other women. She valued her identity and that is what is beautiful in her eyes. â€Å"Hideous† was another word the main character used to describe herself when she looked at her new appearance. â€Å"I don’t even look human†, she continued, â€Å"Look at my eyes. You can’t even see me†. Maybe the protagonist was not really being unappreciative of the work of her make-up artist. She was acting so rudely because she felt she was turned into another human being. Or perhaps she might have been talking about her inner appearance. In the first place, she was the one who went to the shop to ask for help and the help was given to her. However, she might have felt that she betrayed her self and this made her feel terrible. She did not r ecognize her self anymore. â€Å"Hideous† might have been a word she used to describe her looks but it might have also been her description of her self because of the betrayal she committed. Coming from the shop, the main character went to wash her face and when she looked once again at her reflection, she thought, â€Å"I wasn’t pretty. But I was familiar and comforting. I was myself† (190). One could understand that another thing that the character values, is being one’s self. When she was observing herself in the shop, she said, â€Å"My face had a strange plastic sheen, like a mannequin’s.† She was disgusted at her reflection and she wondered if what she did was right. She questioned her appearance and considered it being fake. She was not her self therefore

Bankruptcy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Bankruptcy - Research Paper Example However, individuals who have had their bankruptcy cases dismissed in the last 180 days do not qualify for this type of bankruptcy. People essentially file for bankruptcy in order to protect themselves in situations where they have much debt or cannot pay their creditors in a timely manner. This is done in order to safeguard their property from being seized by the creditors. This ensures that a person does not lose their means of survival despite having financial difficulties. People will thereby surrender portions of their assets in exchange for the forgiveness of some of the debt. In this case, both the debtor and creditor continue their work and generate income (Allen, 2008). Once a person files for bankruptcy, they will usually have a low credit card score on their credit report. This is because bankruptcy is much derogatory item on the report. As a result of a poor report, many lenders might not consider such a person for future credit. In the same way, bankruptcy greatly affects the interest rates on loans received from financial institutions. In fact, there is considerable differences in the interest rates changed on people who have filed for bankruptcy and those who have not. Bankruptcy greatly increases the interest rates as financial institutions seek to eliminate any risks associated with failure to

Homelessness in Need Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Homelessness in Need - Research Paper Example This research paper describes the homelessness isue that is a big social problem everywhere in the world today. The United States of America are also not an exception. The researcher focuses on analysis of what makes people homeless today. It is stated in the research paper that changing family concepts, unemployment, structural problems individual problems etc are making people homeless in modern world. It is aldo described that homelessness affects children more than anybody else today and it is important task of governmental and other social organizations to decrease the issue of homelessness arounf children and teenagers in the United States. In March 2009 CNN reported that in the United States of America one of every fifty children faces homelessness, meaning that more than 1.5 million children face this problem, "These numbers will grow as home foreclosures continue to rise†. The reasons for homelessness are different in different countries. In the United States, children who suffer from poverty or domestic violence may develop physical and emotional problems as a result of homelessness and instability. Homeless children are sick at twice the rate of other children. They suffer twice as many ear infections, have four times the rate of asthma, and have five times more diarrhea and stomach problems. To conclude, the researcher expresses his hope that government of the United States, social organizations and the individuals combine well and cooperate well can eradicate homelessness permanently from American soil.

Kant vs. Hegel Essay Example for Free

Kant vs. Hegel Essay Hegel’s concept of the â€Å"Absolute Idea† claims that there is a universal and ideal standard that is continuously being revealed throughout history, in various forms of human expression. The Absolute Idea can be interpreted as God, nature, spirit, or reality. With art, there is no such thing as â€Å"Art for Art’s sake† because art is a manifestation of the unfolding of the Absolute Idea. In Hegel’s Art History, the progression of art is always moving closer to ultimate reality, because spiritual realization is teleological. The Absolute is fully realized when form and content are harmonious and concrete in their depiction of spirit and man. Beauty is dependent upon these things. For Hegel, the classical period is characterized by the depiction of ideal beauty in the perfect human body in ancient Greek sculpture. However, the concreteness of the human body is later seen as limited for not representing spirit and imagination in a more abstract form. Therefore, Hegel’s ideal of beauty is ever changing according to Art’s development in history, and his terms. In other words, Hegel calls the shots. In contrast to Hegel, Kant’s philosophy of art was a deliberate attempt to remove personal subjectivity. Like Hegel, Kant did believe there was a universal beauty, or Absolute of something, except Kant did not have any references to measure this by. For Kant, we can only come to know what is really beautiful when one has no agenda, concept, or comparison to measure the object with. From Kant’s perspective, Hegel is attached to all of these things, and therefore he can not really know beauty outside of his own perception. It is an intuitive inner knowing, versus a cognitive knowing. This is significantly different from Hegel’s ideal of beauty, since knowing what is really beautiful can never be answered concretely, but rather intuitively.

Importance Of Stakeholders In An Event Launch Tourism Essay

Importance Of Stakeholders In An Event Launch Tourism Essay This report discusses launching of a new tablet launched by apple. This is a brand new model of a tablet that can be used by anybody and it is also suitable and adopted for every user including children with leaning disabilities due to its customizable features. As a consultant working with the companys event planning team for this product launch, this report will be focusing on the process of planning this event. The process of how to get the potential customers and key stakeholders persons informed and invited to the event. And most important is for the planning process to lead to achieving the companys goals of higher sales targets and to promote the new product to the customers. To meet this, the event needs to be planned in such away that the invited guests and all potential customers gets a positive experience that promotes the image of the company and the brand being marketed. INTRODUCTION Event planning is the procedure of handling a project of this kind through arranging such as a conference, a convention, a trade fair, a team building activity, a hospitality gathering or an exhibition. The planning process includes drawing a realistic budget, drawing a timetable of every activity, choosing and reserving the event venues, obtaining permits where necessary and needed. Planning and making arrangements for food and drinks, harmonising transportation of people and items, designing a suitable theme planning for every activity. There is also need to chose and invite keynote speakers and promoters in good time and ensuring that the venue is well facilitated and equipped with a good public address system if planning for big audiences. Risk management needs to be accounted for while having some contingency plans in cases of eventualities. Event Planning consists of coordinating every little detail of planning from the speakers and meeting location to arranging for printed mat erials and advertising the event itself through chosen media. Event planning begins with determining the objective that the sponsoring organization wants to achieve. Planners strategically choose speakers, entertainment teams and activities, content, and arrange the program to present the organizations information in the most effective way. Meeting planners are responsible for selecting meeting venues, likely guests and how to get them to the meeting. (Institute of Event management, 2012) According to Fill(2005), Marketing communications is a management process through which an organisation endeavours to share its product information with its various audiences. Through understanding the audiences communications setting, organisations seek to cultivate and present messages suitable for their identified stakeholders and interest groups before evaluating and acting upon any responses. By conveying messages that are of significant value, audiences are encouraged to offer attitudinal and behavioural positive response. This Tablet being an electronic item has a potential for a very wide market. It is likely to attract attention from various individuals and groups of people who may include students, teachers, parents of children with learning disabilities, educational institutions and just the general public. OBJECTIVES OF AN EVENT PLANNING Every event planning or product launch should have its goals and objectives to form the vision because without them, your event will not have any defined vision. However, an event can have one or many goals and multiple objectives supporting the goals which are necessary to the success of the event. There should be more than one purpose for an event planning, for example this event is about launching a new product by raising sales target and also promoting the brand. The main purpose of this product launch is to put across our communication strategies either by using the push or pull strategy. The main focus strategy which will be more vital with this product is the pull strategy, by focusing more on the direct consumers than business to business consumers which is also referred to as the push strategy. PROCESS OF PLANNING AN EVENT One very essential stage in an event planning is to have a budget to guide your expenditure and it is also your responsibility as the event organiser to stay within the limits of your budget. Similarly, your also need to develop a marketing strategy which includes advertisements either through the media, internet or digital media for example, social networks and focus groups. And to coordinate the communications and promotional activities for your event as the success of your event will ultimately depend on your ability to sell the event to those attending it. (Carter L., 2007) In order to create an event to fulfil your customers objectives and be everything that they hope it will be, it is important to begin with their event vision. This is where you will be able to determine what is most important to them. Event visualization is after event objectives have been set out, should be your first starting point for planning the event. For this product, apple needs to focus on the PULL strategy as this product is most likely to directly to individual consumers. So a good part of the advertising budget for this event should be committed to digital marketing such as internet marketing, use of social websites like face book, tweeter and the like. Internet advertising through search engine optimisations, email marketing using their existing customers database, contacts and referrals would also be suitable strategies for this product. Use of mobile marketing strategies such as text messaging, ringtones, games demonstrating the product and its new and unique features would prove a success for this kind of item. The beauty of these media is that they would even lead word of mouth since the messages are targeted at the consumers directly. Another good strategy would be to target influential stakeholders and customers invitation to a well planned corporate launch event. In order to host an event that will fulfil your companys objectives and yet have appositive impact to the guests, the planners need to have a clear vision. This is where you will be able to determine what is most important and prioritise the process. Choosing a location is also a very important stage in an event planning, and it needs to be booked at a very early stage to avoid any delays or last minute disappointments. The location needs to be convenience for the visitors and there should be enough room for product display and also for visitors to have space to work around the products and demonstrate them as well. Parking should not be a problem as most of the guest will be driving to the event. Team building is very important in an event planning process; you need good staffing and a security plan. Such a plan is the glue that holds the event together. Coordinate the efforts of your staff (paid and volunteer) and vendors with the venue contact person. Include details such as when vendors arrive, where and how they unload their equipment, where they set up, and how they manage all aspects of the event. You should also address how and when they will tear down and load up to avoid costly surprises. Effective communication on-site is critical. All staff should be fluent in how to operate your communications system (such as walkie-talkies and headsets) and how to contact those responsible for emergency support. Every event needs to address security, even if it just includes hiring an off-duty police officer, working with the hotels security team, it will be worth it. Having a list of emergency phone numbers handy is also helpful. (Jodi W., 2010) Also, another essential part of such an event is to provide the guests with food and refreshments. If possible, hire a DJ to provide the visitors with music to make the environment lively and lift the spirits of the visitors. Engage your customers with conversations by contacting them face to face specially the key visitors and stakeholders. If possible equip your team members with good knowledge of the product to engage with the customers and get them to try the Tablets for themselves and not just be told about them. You could go a further step by setting up an offer price for a promotional sale of the tablet just for this launch day. This will encourage customers and stakeholders to attend, have personal experience with the product and afterwards spread word about it. It might also get many people excited to take advantage of the promotional price and boost the sales. Such an approach is deemed likely to produce positive results. According to Duncan and Moriarty (1997), there are some communications that arise from unplanned or unintended experiences and also there are planned marketing communications. IMPORTANCE OF STAKEHOLDERS IN AN EVENT LAUNCH Stakeholders include, suppliers, customers, investors and the media, they are very important in an event planning because they can be affected by the event and the event also can be affected by the type of evaluation received by the stakeholders. In order to realise the success of an event, it is important to have open communication channels among all stake holders. Since events have broader impacts on a wider public, such open communications will bring more feedback to the company. It is also important to remember that stakeholders are people with vested interests in the company and its products. They are therefore potential attendees. Stake holders add value and reputation to the success of the whole event. Moreover getting the right stakeholders to your event can create the prospect of a great evaluation for the future event planning as well. You can find out what the views and thoughts of key people and important stakeholders by engaging in face to face charts with them throughou t the event.(Robinson P. et al 2010). EVENT EVALUATION PROCESS Finally, as soon as the event is over and the guests have all gone home, while you may be eager to put your planning documents and files away and move one, right after the event is the right time to evaluate the success of your event and discuss opportunities for a better improvement in a future event planning. However, a thorough post-event evaluation ensures you will capture the important details your companys needs to improve its fundraising. A successful evaluation is also a good start for the preparations of your next event. You can get feedbacks from your guest in different ways, either by asking them about their view about the whole event or by giving them questionnaires to fill in and hand it back before living. These feedbacks from your visitors can help you evaluate the success factor of the event. Also it is very important to meet with the event committee and all your team members who were involved in the event process. Arrange a meeting with them and make sure you give them enough time for discussion getting their view and gather all vital information from them for an evaluation for a future event plan. Make sure you cover every important aspect of the event, being careful to note which topics hit nerves in a positive or negative way so you can keep the meeting upbeat. (greater giving, 2012) Conclusions In order to attract the attention of all your potential customers, planners needs to implement the best marketing strategies at their disposal and start good planning ahead of the event for success. Whether the company will choose to use the services of a marketing consultant or manage these issues on their own, its up to them provided the aims and objectives are kept in focus. All important aspects of the planning process need to be taken care of. These should include all the fine details of the whole process such as budgeting actions and steps to be implemented by particular individuals on the planning team. Once all these are done with success, it shouldnt be a big problem for the company to succeed by getting the tartgetde ausdeince to its event nadn thefeor achieves their aims and objectives of the marketing process.

Males, Females, and Science Careers Essay -- Career Issues

Through various appropriate and contemporary literatures, this assignment will discuss a universal issue in science. It will evaluate the contributing factors and consequences of the issue and propose suitable resolutions to overcome it. This issue is the differentiation in males and females pursuing science linked careers. Attention should be drawn to the detail that the majority of existing literature on the issue originates from female sources. This is undoubtedly because it is females that are essentially affected by the issue, thus more interest being directed to addressing the issue by females. Although it cannot be proven, this leaves room for potentially bias statements and for this reason all the sources within the assignment are from published sources and organisational bodies to make attempts for a fair, critical look at the issue. Nationally and internationally, the proportion of females entering science careers, although increasing through the years, remains lesser to their male counterparts (Sikora and Proporek, 2012). It is imperative that an attempt for equilibrium in the numbers of males and females electing science as a career is reached; â€Å"men and women may bring different perspectives and interests to scientific research† (Sikora and Proporek, 2012, p. 235), resulting in a wide range of angles and dedication being placed into all areas of science. Investigations and statistics reveal that this is not currently the case and that males are predominantly interested in the Chemical and Physical elements of science compared to women who take more interest in the Biological sciences (Poulson, 2009; UCAS, 2011). Further reasons for the need to eradicate inequalities include a demand for an increase in female ro... ...e/article/gender-bias-in-teaching/ (Accessed 25: March 2012). Sevo, R. (2008) The case for Title IX compliance in science and engineering [Online]. Available at: http://momox.org/TitleIXCase.pdf (Accessed: 23 March 2012). Sikora, J. and Pokropek, A. (2012) ‘Gender Segregation of Adolescent Science Career Plans in 50 Countries’, Science Education, 96 (2), pp. 234-264. Soard, L. (2012) Textbooks vs Computer Teaching. Available at: http://home-school.lovetoknow.com/Textbooks_Versus_Computer_Teaching (Accessed: 25 April 2012). UCAS (2010) UCAS statistics [Online]. Available at: http://search1.ucas.co.uk/fandf00/index6.html. (Accessed: 20 March 2012). Zittleman, K. (2010) Gender Bias is Alive and Well and is Affecting Our Children [Online]. Available at: http://www.pta.org/Gender_Bias_Is_Alive_and_Well_and_Affecting_Our_Children.pdf (Accessed: 25 March 2012).

Desire of the Fourteenth Century Women Essay -- Feminist Feminism Angl

Desire of the Fourteenth Century Women Is not what we desire, the most hard to get? It has always been this way. Unfortunately, women’s rights and abilities have been underestimated over the centuries. In the fourteenth century, the status and condition of a European woman depended on her husband’s position. Women had to endure arranged marriages, abuse and male dominance. During that time, Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales and taught us about one extraordinary woman whose name is Dame Alisoun. Alisoun is called The Wife of Bath, and she defines what women desired most in fourteenth-century England. She believes that women wish for power over their husbands, and I personally agree with her opinion. The Wife of Bath, a cloth maker, gets rich after her husbands die and leave her their fortunes. Even though medieval women were still far from being powerful, and had to obey their husbands, Alisoun states that she has power over her men’s bodies and property all her life: â€Å" I have the power during al my life, Upon his proper body, and nat he†(line 164). Alisoun is an exception to the rule because she marries five times and is widowed five times. It is important to mention that there was no divorce for women in the fourteenth century: â€Å"She was a worthy woman al hr live. Husbondes at chirche dore she hadde five, Withouten other compaignye in youthe† (line 461). The three first husbands are old, rich and loyal to her. The fourth husband has a mistress: â€Å"My ferthe housbonde was a revelour. This is to sayn, he hadde a paramour† (line 459). The Wife of Bath learns that it is very important for a woman to satisfy her man, and she knows how to act to make him obedient and less powerful... ...nder difference will still have an impact on women’s lives six hundred years from now. What do you think? Credits: Abrams M. H, et al. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 7th ed. New York: W. Norton & Company, 2000. Fell, Christine. Women in Anglo-Saxon England and the Impact of 1066. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1984. Catholic Encyclopedia. Online. October 24, 2000. http://www.newadvent.org Harvard University. Online. October 24, 2000. http://www.icg.fas.Harvard Luminarium Organization. Online. October 22, 2000. http://www.britannia.com/history/biographies/guinever.html http://www.icg.fas.harvard.edu http://www.legends.dm.net/kingarthur http://www.georgetown.edu/labyrinth/subjects/women/women.html http://www.r3.org/life/articles/women.html http://www.luminarium.org/medlit/chaucer.htm http://www.infoplease.com

Wildes Importance of Being Earnest and Weschlers Boggs Essay

Wilde's "Importance of Being Earnest" and Weschler's "Boggs" At first glance, Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest and Lawrence Weschler’s Boggs: A Comedy of Values treat the issue of art’s function in converse ways. Wilde, the quintessential Aesthete, asserts that art should exist for the sake of beauty alone. Boggs, on the other hand, contends that art should serve a practical function: it should wake individuals from their sleepwalking by highlighting essential, overlooked aspects of society. Fascinatingly, neither Wilde nor Boggs firmly adheres to his ostensible artistic purpose. Wilde’s Importance of Being Earnest, although it showcases certain Aesthetic elements, incisively critiques Victorian society. The play is not a functionless work of pure beauty. Conversely, Boggs’ project clearly serves an instructional function while it simultaneously revels in its own beauty. Moreover, Boggs himself is often uncertain of what his art represents and does. When placed side-by-side, The Importanc e of Being Earnest and Boggs queer the division between Aestheticism and Functionalism, suggesting that both schools are unattainable ideals. In doing so, the two texts elucidate a holistic conception of art that fuses aesthetic value to social critique. Aesthetic beauty coalesces with function. Historically, Wilde was a staunch—even notorious—advocate of Aestheticism: a doctrine popular throughout Europe in the late nineteenth century which held that â€Å"art exists for the sake of its beauty alone, and that it need serve no political, didactic, or other purpose† (Britannica). Indeed, David Cooper in his Companion to Aesthetics argues that the doctrine â€Å"asserts not merely that a work of art should be judged only on ... ... [pleasure, beauty]† (GP 799) were most valued in the fourteenth century, and as we have seen, they still are today. Art must be beautiful and purposefully inspire thought. Works Cited "Aestheticism." Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica. 2005. Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica Online. 30 Nov. 2005 . Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Riverside Chaucer. Ed. Larry D. Benson. 3rd ed. Boston: Houghton, 1987. Cooper, David, ed. A Companion to Aesthetics. Oxford: Blackwell, 1995. Foster, Richard. â€Å"Wilde as Parodist: A Second Look at The Importance of Being Earnest.† College English 18.1 (1956): 18-23. â€Å"Functionalism.† American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed. 2000. Weschler, Lawrence. Boggs: A Comedy of Values. Chicago: Chicago UP, 1987. Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays. Ed. Richard Allen Cave. New York: Penguin, 2000.

Corporate Veil

Introduction The main concept in the assignment is about corporate personality. First of all, we need to clarify the meaning and characteristics of company. In short, company means a body of persons combined for a common object. A company exist there must be a group of persons that more than 1 persons. In eyes of law, a company is a separate legal personality from its members. In Section 16(5) CA1965, it stated that a body corporate obligations and liabilities are its own, and not those of its participation; it can sue and be sued in its own name; the property is not the property of its participants; and company can enter into a contract. Whilst, we need to understand the types of Joe’s company belong to. In section 16(4), it stated that company divided into 4 types that are limited by shares, limited by guarantee, limited by guarantee and shares and the last one was unlimited companies. While Joe’s company belongs to company limited by shares, it means that member’s liability is limited to unpaid amount on the shares taken up by them, it stated in section 18(3) CA 1965. From the whole assignment, we need to identify whether corporate veil can be lifted in the particular situation. So, we need to obtain an understanding what is corporate veil. Corporate veil it can define as separates company from its members, or we can say that legal person (company) separate from its members. Since company is a separate entity with its members, the company has power to hold land, enjoys perpetual succession even the death of one of its member, the company will not dissolve. Next, we going to identify in what situation corporate veil will be lifted. Lifting the corporate veil it means that separation between company and its participants does not exist anymore. The court will lift the corporate veil when controllers behave some unethical behavior, or controllers concern about their interest much more than other parties’ interest. Corporate veil may be lifted either by the courts/case law or by statutory. Under case law it can be divided into 6 different categories, it shows as below: i. Fraud It means individual used the separate legal entity to do something forbidden from doing to avoid from legal obligation. ii. Agency It means authority or capacity of one person to create legal relations between a person occupying the position of principle and third parties. ii. Group of companies Group of companies means that corporate group structure; corporate veil is lifted to treat the parent company as liable for the acts of the subsidiary. iv. Single economic entities It means each company in a group of companies is a separate legal entity possessed of separate rights and liabilities v. Tax evasion Company trying to reduce tax by inter tran sfer their assets between subsidiary vi. Tortious claims It means allows lawsuits by people who claim that they have been harmed by wrongful acts, including negligence by government agencies or their employees. Under statutory, i. Section 36 Company Act 1965 By this section where the number of members of a company falls to one and the sole remaining member knowingly carries on business for a period longer than six months, he will be personally liable for the debts incurred after the first six months. ii. Section 121(1) & (2) Company Act 1965 By this section where an officer signs on behalf of the company, a cheque, promissory note etc, and the company’s name is not properly stated therein, he will be personally liable to the holder of that bill etc, if the company does not pay. ii. Section 67 Company Act 1965 A company cannot give financial assistance directly or indirectly to any person to purchase its own shares. iv. Section 169 Company Act 1965 Directors of a holding company are required to produce group accounts in which the assets, liabilities, profit and losses of the group as a whole are reflected. v. Section 140 Income Tax Act 1967 By this section the Director General of Inla nd Revenue may ignore any transaction or disposition which has the effect of avoiding or evading tax. vi. Section 365(2) Company Act 1965 If a dividend is paid when there are no profits available, every directors and manager of the company who willfully paid or permitted the payment of dividend is guilty of an offense. vii. Section 303(3) Company Act 1965 In the course of a winding up, it appears that an officer of a company who was party to the contracting of a debt had no reasonable expectation that the company would be able to pay the debt, the court may declare that the officer be liable for the payment of the whole or part of the debt. iii. Section 304(1) Company Act 1965 If in the course of a winding up it appears that the business of a company has been carried out on with the intent to defraud creditors or for any fraudulent purpose, the court, on the application of the liquidator, may declare that any persons who were knowing parties to the fraud are liable to make such contributions (if any) to the company’s assets as the court thinks proper.

Ship Accidents

ABSTRACT Safety may be defined as an acceptable state of risk by society. In this respect, for assessing the current safety level of ships, it is necessary to quantify the risk level of the operating world fleet, thus estimate and assess the basic contributors to risk, namely the frequency of maritime accidents and the extent of their consequences. As this paper deals with a systematic analysis of ship accidents in recent years and evaluates the current level of safety for the majority of ship subtypes present in the world fleet, namely, tankers, bulk carriers, containerships passenger and cruise ships, passenger Ro-Ro cargo vessels, Ro-Ro cargo ships, general cargo vessels, reefer ships, car carriers, fishing vessels, LNG and LPG carriers. Introduction The history of maritime transport is marked by ship accidents with partly disastrous consequences on human lives and impact on society and the marine environment. In response to these disastrous accidents, more and more new requirements and amendments of existing regulations for the safe maritime transport were introduced by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), as this paper gives an overview of the global safety level of all basic merchant ship types in terms of accidents' occurrence, frequencies and consequences. For each ship type, accidents occurred within the time period 1990-2012 are presented and analyzed with respect to the degree of accident severity, accident category and accident's geographic area, number of fatalities and total losses of ships. Furthermore, the total accident frequency and frequencies per main accident categories are given as well as comparative results among the different ship types. The ultimate goal of this investigation is the assessment of the relative safety level per ship type in order to identify those ship types that are more prone to marine accidents (per ship type), possible historical trends, and geographical areas, where accidents more often happen. Frequencies and basic consequences were investigated for the entire period of interest (i.e. 2012), as well as separately for the last decade of the studied period. The source of the analyzed accidental data is the IHS Sea-web ® database and the analysis pertains to the generic ship types as defined by the particular database; namely, Bulk carriers, Passenger and Cruise ships, Passenger Ro-Ro cargo vessels, Ro-Ro cargo ships, General Cargo vessels, Reefer ships, Car carriers, Fishing vessels, LNG and LPG carriers. The analysis of accident records was performed for the time period 1990-2012; we included those accidents associated with merchant passenger and cargo ships, regardless ship size, however built after 1980. Operational fleet at risk has been calculated from the Lloyd's Register of Shipping ® database for all the afore-mentioned ship types. The output of the particular calculations was compared with corresponding data from Clarkson's SIN ® and a rather good fit of the respective results was recorded. The presented results related to Cellular Containerships and Large Crude Oil tankers (greater than 60,000 DWT) are coming from two earlier completed research projects of NTUA, namely CONTIOPT (2011-2013) and SAFEDOR (2005-2009), as well as from internal NTUA research (Eliopoulou et al. 2012, 2013).

The Concept of Administration and Organization

THE CONCEPT OF ADMINISTRATION AND ORGANIZATION A: WHAT IS ADMINISTRATION First definition: â€Å"Administration can be defined as the activities of groups cooperating to accomplish common goals†. There are particular key elements of administration. Cooperative: the word cooperative is the first key element in this definition. Human activity is cooperative if it has the effects that would be absent if the cooperation did not take place. * Group Activity: Administration includes activities of more than one individual. * The term ‘cooperative’ is defined in terms of the results of the human activity.When two men together roll a stone which neither of them could roll alone they are cooperating. * Thus the essence of administration is the utilization of cooperative action for the accomplishment of common goals. * Common goal: the second key element of the above definition is the goal or purpose. * It is the common goal which encourages members to come together. Coopera tion among members is possible when they share a common goal. The idea of goal is central to the concept of administration in the sense that if there was not a goal, the members of the group would not come together and cooperate with each other. Without the formulation of an objective or goal, no one within the group would know what to do and they would not get involved in any activity. * When someone determines the objective and the group is formed, than the group members will start to think about what they can do for the accomplishment of that objective. * Second Definition: In another definition, administration is defined as â€Å"an activity or process mainly concerned with the means for carrying out prescribed ends†. * Here, again in this definition the accomplishment of a specific goal is an important element of the administration. This definition indicates that administration is mainly concerned with the means that are necessary for the accomplishment of pre-determined goals. * It seems that a new element is introduced, that is the concept of means. Means: The means are the ways by which something is done or obtained * A division of labor is necessary among the members of the group to accomplish a common goal. * There is also a need for an authority structure to control and coordinate the activities of the individuals involved. ** Division of labor and authority structure are means (among others) for carrying out prescribed ends. Cooperation and any other method is also a means used in the administration. * Any new definition of administration may introduce some other elements or concepts but in essence they would be concerned with cooperative activity in the accomplishment of desired goals. Third definition: According to Waldo, for example, â€Å"Administration is a type of cooperative human effort that has a huge degree of rationality†. * Any new definition of administration may introduce some other elements or concepts but in essence th ey would be concerned with cooperative activity in the accomplishment of desired goals.Third definition: According to Waldo, for example, â€Å"Administration is a type of cooperative human effort that has a huge degree of rationality†. * Here, ‘rational action’ is introduced as a new element of administration but still cooperation is accepted as a necessary element of administration. * In Waldo’s definition, rational action is defined as actions correctly calculated to realize the given desired goals with minimum loss to the realization of other desired goals. B: What is Organization? ) Amitai Etzioni defines organization as â€Å"social units (or human groupings) deliberately constructed and reconstructed to seek specific goals’. This definition implies that the basic elements of organizations are individuals. Thus the first key element of organization refers to the grouping of individuals. * The second element of organization is that they are in tentionally constructed for accomplishing specific objectives. * The third element is the concept of goals. Organizations are established for the accomplishment of certain goals.

Islam Worksheet Essay

When studying Islam, it is important to understand the essential elements of the faith, how they are practiced, and the distinctions among the three branches: Shiite Islam, Sunni Islam, and Sufism. Write a 1- to 2-paragraph response for each of the following directives and note where there are differences among the three branches of Islam. 1. Explain the meaning of the name, Islam. Islam is the monotheistic religion articulated by the Quran, a text considered by its adherents to be the verbatim word of God, and by the teachings and normative example (called the Sunnah and composed of Hadith) of Muhammad, [ considered by them to be the last prophet of God. An adherent of Islam is called a Muslim. 2. Explain the basic concepts of Islam. Is an unerringly monotheistic religion. It enjoins the existence of one God, his prophet Muhammad who is the Last Prophet in a long line of prophets sent throughout time and to every civilization, and the Quran as the Word of God revealed to Muhammad through the angel Jibrael. Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable and the purpose of life is to worship him and to adhere to his word, as laid down in the Quran, and in Sunnah , as closely as possible. They believe that Islam is the final, completed and universal version of a faith revealed too many prophets before; most notably Abraham, Moses and Jesus, but whose message has now been distorted. Describe the practices of Islam. They go to church in cathedral mosques (Jami’a), in which sermons are preached and congregational prayers are offered up for the reigning Sultan every Friday. Besides these there are about one hundred and eighty Muslim oratories or chapels (Mesjà ®d), to many of which schools are attached. Prayers are also frequently said at the grated windows of the little shrines or tomb-houses of celebrated welys, or saints, which are numerous in Damascus. Men of the higher classes rarely go to the mosques except on Fridays, as they can command proper places for ceremonial ablution and prayer in their own houses; but to a Muslim of the lower ranks, a large mosque which is open every day from sunrise to sunset or later, is like a second home. 3. Describe the goals of Islam. The 4. Describe the view of authority in Islam. philosophy, and the arts in the Muslim world. Write a 1- to 2-paragraph response for each of the following questions. Provide examples to illustrate your thinking. 1. What is the legal ideal in Islamic law? How does the Qur’an inform and guide Muslims in attaining this ideal? 2. What is the relationship between philosophy and theology within Islam? Is it acceptable for Muslims to hold separate philosophical and theological beliefs? 3. What artistic themes are regularly expressed in Islamic art and architecture? How are these themes explored? How has the Qur’an influenced the development of art in the Islamic world?

Interpretations of Confucianism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Interpretations of Confucianism - Essay Example The next broad issue which was brought up in the context of a discussion of Confucianism is ecological sustainability. It was rather surprising for me to learn that this aspect of the world is engaged in the consideration of abstract ethical values. However, I agree that the current state of affairs and the way the humanity treats the nature stands for lack of correct understanding of one’s role in the world. In other words, the ongoing process of climate change, as well as negative effects that industrial production has on the environment, shows the mankind is not able to organize its activity properly. This means that the above-mentioned situations should be seen as a sign that the humanity advanced in the wrong direction.While Confucianism does not hold specific advice with regard to ecological improvement, some of its provisions may be interpreted in a way that would help to save the world. Indeed, one can hardly argue that the harmony which is brought by this teaching int o the society might also be extended towards the relationship between people and nature. As a result, the global climatic problems that are currently witness might be seen as conflicts between the two parties.Another issue that was brought up in the discussion is the economic problems that the global community is currently facing. It is quite understandable that issuing more money will not defeat global poverty. In addition to that, economic development of one part of the world will not lead to any improvements in a different one.

On the book Burr by Vidal Gore Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

On the book Burr by Vidal Gore - Essay Example mellow down in his usual satiric stance, this being a historical novel, an exposition of the political events that unfolded a few decades after the American Revolution. If the latter, consumed so much passion, turbulence, physical energy and liters of gore spilled, we expect a subsidence, a quieting down and pacification in the decades following. In †Burr†, we’re in for a big surprise for there was turbulence and passions galore beside the rampant jockeying for positions and power, intrigues, scandals and hypocrisy. Gore Vidal was still in his element here still witty, bitchy and sardonic. But what sets â€Å"Burr† apart is the rampant iconoclasm. Gore Vidal’s guns were trained not only to traditional political institutions but to American ‘greats’ such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, James Madison and Martin Van Buren, who happened to be rumored here as Burr’s bastard son. Irreverent and sas sy, practically no one was spared here as Vidal cannot be stopped from unmasking the weaknesses and follies of revered heroes. Vidal’s interpretation of early American history, was therefore on the dark side. This interpretation was best expressed when Vidal put the following words in Burr’s mouth i.e. â€Å"Between the dishonest canting of Jefferson and the egotism of Hamilton, this state had been no live in a good world† ( Vidal 156). Vidal postulated that in this era the new nation still had to grope for stability; to organize things that were still in disarray; and had to strengthen its newly acquired independence and institutions. The Constitution, the legal system and the system of a 3-powered government desperately begged for amendments and rectifications as these were far from ideal and were subject to abuse. Vidal exposed the absence of the separation of powers among the judiciary, the executive and the legislative departments. That was why, President Jefferson was able to actively pursue the

Writing about oaranormal such as ghost Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Writing about oaranormal such as ghost - Essay Example have had a paranormal experiences, 56% believe that those ghosts are the spirits of the dead, ad over 60% believe that Ouija boards are â€Å"bad news† (Live Science Staff, 2011). As a believer in ghosts I think that there are many instances and locations that have a great deal of activity that can be and has been captured by, both, freelance and professional television ghost seekers. Again, however, for example if a particular show went to a location and could not get a single interesting, suspicious, or peculiar thing to happen, then one has to ask would they fake when necessary in order to improve the show and provide some sort of evidence by the end of the episode? Granted there are many instances, especially in older homes, where the sounds that people are hearing can be debunked as the natural sounds of aging wood, a settling foundation, and air in the pipes. However, when all practical explanations have been considered and accounted for that leaves the unexplainable. Ultimately, when watching these shows one must decide for themselves which seem the most sincere and believable and which seems staged and set up for the benefit of the cameras. I have seen many shows where the evidence was astonishingly strong and others terribly planned and scripted. In others words, television is filled with all kinds, those based on the legitimate research and seekers of scientific proof of the afterlife and those that take advantage of people who are believers. Live Science Staff. (2011, October 11). americans beliefs in paranormal phenomena (infographic). Live Science, 1. Retrieved from

Restorative Justice Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Restorative Justice - Research Paper Example Restorative justice according to some scholars is the opposite of retributive justice since they differ in terms of characteristics, values, and outcomes of the legal process (Daly, 2002). Unlike retributive justice, restorative justice encourages offenders to take responsibilities for their wrongdoing and help them address the causes of their behavior and gives them an opportunity to make the rights their wrong. Miller and Iovanni (2013) supports that restorative justice is presented as a forward-looking problem solving approach to crime that involves the parties themselves and the community in active relationship with various agencies that help solve the crime. It brings victims and offenders in contact with each other thus giving victims an opportunity to get answers to questions that are direct concern to the parties in the disputes. Restorative justice process presents the offenders with the opportunity to offer an apology to their victims thus giving offenders chance to make am ends for their wrongdoing. Restorative justice applies as a single set of principles that allows victims, offenders, and communities to have participatory roles in matters that are of direct concern to them. ... According to Miers (2004), the restorative justice system places all at the mercy of the judicial process unlike retributive justice that only places the victim at the mercy of the judicial system. Stubbs (2007) also adds that the potential advantage of utilizing the restorative justice system is that it allows a victim empowerment and input as a means of addressing the harm caused to the victim. In restorative justice models, the victims have a voice and participate fully hence enable him or her to address all the issues surrounding the case (Daly, 2002). The offender may get to participate fully in the process unlike in other trials where he just sits in the dock to answer questions arising from the charges raised against him. The environment in restorative justice also differs with the environment in other forms of justice. The environment is restorative justice is more communicative and flexible than the courtroom environment making both parties feel comfortable during justice de livery system. According to Rodriges (2007), the direct engagement with the harm caused through communication with the victim has a greater potential for resolution and restoration in the dispute. He adds that through a less formal environment, the process allows for more individualized approach to the needs of the victims while offering a less threatening environment that may interfere with the justice delivery process. The restorative model of justice delivery is a very flexible model for the victims can choose to have a direct role in the restoration process. The results is that the process is less victimizing than the courtrooms and the offenders find themselves in the face with the direct

Using illustrative examples, examine why competition authorities might Essay

Using illustrative examples, examine why competition authorities might be concerned about the way large companies behave - Essay Example It has been evident that many large firms indulge in unfair competition to gain advantage over their competitors by unfair means (Hewitt, Clark and Phillips, 2009); therefore competition authorities across the world are concerned about their behaviour. Firms grow so large that unilaterally they harm competition through monopolising the market and take advantage of their size to block threats arising from potential or existing competitors (Hewitt, Clark and Phillips, 2009). For example Microsoft the world’s largest software company indulge in similar such practices that denied other software companies an opportunity to build and market products competing with Microsoft’s products by building licensing agreements that were restrictive, exclusionary and unreasonable and thus monopolizing the client operating- system market by anti- competitive strategies (Justice, 1994 and Bloomberg, 2012). Large companies often make vertical or horizontal agreements with other firms called as cartel to fix prices not considering the reaction of either of its rivals or customers. Dominant firms fix higher price knowing that their customers have few alternatives and little choice other than accepting the firm’s offered higher price (The Competition authority (a), 2013). For example Automobile giant Daimler Mercedes-Benz found guilty of fixing prices in collaboration with five of its van and truck dealers, also shared sensitive commercial information and to some extent market sharing that negatively affected the competition in UK market however they were fined by UK’s antitrust authority of about  £2.6 Million (Reed, 2012 and Binham, 2013). Apart from fixing prices they also control markets or production or make agreements to share markets or supply sources so that rivals supply sources gets restricted. When doing business with other trading parties they put different

Reflection Paper on Social Change through Immigrant Integration Essay

Reflection Paper on Social Change through Immigrant Integration - Essay Example However, in doing so, the organization walks the fine line between what Skerry has acknowledged as a propensity to "help" or "hassle" that is, the institute definitely has the means by which to assist immigrants, but must be careful not to impose the predominant culture in a condescending manner with the intent to either belittle or eradicate the immigrants' cultural heritage. If for no other reason than a closed system stagnates, the community as a whole is revitalized through embracing new perspectives. The goal of the institute should therefore be to offer a means of integration by first providing services that provide guidance to the present civic structure, second provide cultural access through which the immigrants might become familiar with more local customs, and lastly by encouraging a continuation of immigrant traditions and customs while making these as open as possible to the indigenous community. The purpose of these three approaches is to promote understanding and appre ciation between the two communities. Skerry has referenced Will Herberg's observation that " in America religion was a more acceptable basis of group identity than ethnicity or race." (p. 33) and does so to analyze the level of success achieved by the Latino based Resurrection Project. This project, affiliated with the Catholic Church, has created a feedback loop through which the community has been instructed by the church to avail itself of the organization; the organization then has assisted the community with economic incentives and guidance through certain legalities. The organization has attached conditionals to their assistance that, although these can be regarded as "hassles", ultimately tie the immigrants back into both the civic community and the Church's moral guidelines. The essential lesson of this example has been the use of cultural touchstones. The surrounding community became much more willing to accommodate the Latino community, partly because it had created a structured organization, but mostly becau se it was associated with a recognized organization: the Catholic Church. In an institutes efforts to promote immigrant integration, focus must be paid to such universal touchstones of human experience. Religion has certainly been one, but so are performances of music and art or festivals involving tradition (and more importantly food). Aside from these cultural events, people have always gathered over such shared concerns as children's welfare and education or the availability of healthcare. The extent of an institute's responsibility to promote immigrant integration hinges primarily on providing these opportunities for understanding. When different communities are allowed to gather formatters they share in common, they have taken the first step in recognizing their similarities. As this happens, immigrants become more familiar with local methods and attitudes, thereby growing more comfortable with learning about the new environment and how to unction within it. Yet the responsibility of integration must be equally shared by the immigrant as well. The indigenous

Does peanut corp. have a conscience What responsibilities does peanut Essay

Does peanut corp. have a conscience What responsibilities does peanut corp. owe society to self regulate their actions in pursuit of profits Did they follow CSR - Essay Example As the paper declares every time consumers walk into a supermarket or retail store they rarely pose to contemplate whether the products they are about to put into their shopping baskets are health hazards. There is an implicit trust that consumers have in the producers putting these products on the shelves, especially those who deal in food products. After all there are bodies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that are meant to ensure that food products are safe. A corporation is not a thinking, feeling being, hence the corporation in and of itself cannot be termed as having a conscience. However the corporation is made up of individuals who are held responsible for the actions that the corporation takes part in. these individuals are the ones who act as the corporation’s conscience because they are the decision makers. This discussion explores that building a good corporate culture entails in part ensuring that the individuals within a corporation who are responsible for the corporation’s actions are morally upright in that they can factor in the human component into the making their decisions. Though corporations are out to make profit, it should never be at the expense of their own consumers or the society within which they are based. There are repercussions that come with not observing the fundamental principles of business ethics and corporate social responsibility as will be seen with the case of Peanut Corporation of America.... sions that come with not observing the fundamental principles of business ethics and corporate social responsibility as will be seen with the case of Peanut Corporation of America. Salmonella in peanut butter; a modern day tale of greed and tragedy There have been eight deaths and now almost six hundred cases of infection related to the salmonella bacteria that has been found in peanut butter as well as other peanut products ranging from roasted peanuts, peanut granules, and dog food. It has become apparent that the contaminated peanut can be traced back to Peanut Corporation of America (PCA). These cases have been reported through forty five American states and across the border in Canada (Steenhuysen, 2009). According to a report complied by the Food and Drug Administration, there were tests run by the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) that found traces of salmonella while conducting tests in its own labs in Blakely, Georgia. This did not happen once or twice, but an incredible twelve times between 2007 and 2008. Which means that PCA was presented with multiple opportunities to take action on the tainted peanut such as avoid shipping it all together. However, PCA did not opt to take what should have been the most natural and approvable cause of action, they opted to 'lab shop', that is, look for an outside laboratory that would be willing to state that the results for salmonella had come back negative. When the second results came back negative, PCA went ahead and shipped their products, an action which goes against standard protocol that demands that the first tests saying positive are the ones upon which further action is supposed to be decided (Steenhuysen, 2009). Another action that the company should have taken upon discovery of contamination was a

Learning children to play percussion instruments Essay Example for Free

Learning children to play percussion instruments Essay The role of a teaching assistant is to maximise learning, create a safe and positive learning environment and to minimise behaviour problems. I would contribute to the lesson by trying to achieve this goal in the following way: I would ensure all the instruments are ready for the lesson, having checked they are in good repair and unlikely to cause injury. I would supervise the children using the instruments, i.e. check they hold them correctly, use them appropriately be a good role model demonstrating how instruments should be held and used. I would support children who are experiencing difficulties I would monitor childrens ability to use instruments, follow instructions, achieve outcome of lesson Safety would be about the state of the instruments, childrens use of them and ensuring mouth pieces are hygienically treated and maintained Making sure that music sheets are available if needed. I would also monitor their behaviours by supervising and to try and minimize disruptive behaviour, which will help the children keep interest in the lesson. I would also ensure that I carry out observations on the children to make sure they have the ability to use the instruments and to achieve the outcome of the lesson. As a teaching assistant I should also be prepared to offer feedback at the end of the session to either the children or the teacher.

Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Essay Example for Free

Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Essay With the exception of reflexes, the science of psychology portends that all human behavior is motivated. The subject is exhaustively dealt with by different schools of thought and each of which appears to be valid explanations of human behavior. Dr. Abraham Maslow (Halonen Santrock, 1996) made a strenuous effort to arrange human motives in a hierarchy from stronger and lower at one end to weaker and higher at the other. Maslow essentially suggested that what man really wants is more of everything. Man desires a better and better situation for himself. He wants only what he does not already have, and thus satisfied needs do not motivate behavior. Maslow said that needs or wants can be arranged in a hierarchy of importance. Thus, when needs on the lower level are fulfilled, those on a higher level emerge and demand satisfaction. The hierarchy of needs he suggested placed physiological needs as lowest or basic, then safety needs, social needs, esteem needs, and finally self-realization needs. In other words, Maslow believed that higher needs are expressed only when the prepotent physiological needs are satisfied. See more:Â  Perseverance essay This is also true of needs for safety and security. Until there is a basic amount of order and stability in meeting the lower needs, a person may have little interest in higher pursuits (Halonen Santrock, 1996). A person with an empty stomach cannot be expected to write literary work or tasked to write an essay about the effects of war on Afghanistan. The paper attempts to scrutinize the validity of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory based on several criteria which shall be discussed as follows. Discussion Maslow’s theory is classified under the humanistic perspective as it emphasizes the direction towards an individual must proceed which is self-actualization. This point in his hierarchy, Maslow tried to explain in much detail. According to him, self-actualization when attained, demonstrates what it is to be a fully developed human being. It is described as elusive due to the fact that man must have to satisfy the lower needs or those needs preceding this highest need (Halonen Santrock, 1996). To satisfy further one’s curiosity about this theory, the theory will be determined by the following: Freedom or Determinism: can a person control their own behavior or is it determined by internal or external forces? In Maslow’s viewpoint, human motives are ordered in hierarchy and thus, man responds to these as they arise (Halonen Santrock, 1996). With this premise, the theory is basically leaning toward the philosophical idea of freedom. Man is free to chart his course and how he is supposed to fulfill his various needs; i. e. his physiological dimension. In addition, the manner with which he carves himself in a particular niche that satisfies his psychological domains is also based on his own volition. There is no flavor of unconscious thoughts pervading motivation like when the idea of psychological instincts being interpreted within Maslow’s understanding; in contrast to this notion, any individual can basically control their own behavior. Maslow’s theory believes on the capacities of human nature to achieve what man wants to achieve rather than be held captive by forces within him or in his external world; it is the internal determinants such as self-determination that separates the theory from the rest especially among those with the deterministic stance (Halonen Santrock, 1996). Hereditary or Environmental: are the characteristics a person has inherited and inborn or is it developed by social influences? Since the premise of this theory hinges on freedom, a person’s characteristics therefore are developed by social influences. According to Maslow then, people vary in their manner of satisfying their needs because of various environmental influences that surround him/her. Man is free to choose from several options adequately provide for his own needs or desires. What are essentials though, are man’s tendencies or propensity to follow the order of needs. Biology or heritability is deemphasized, rather the value of experience is pre-eminent in the theory (Halonen Santrock, 1996). Uniqueness or Universality: individuals are unique or people are all pretty much the same This theory eventually emphasizes individuality or uniqueness, as it fundamentally illustrates in its assertion that every one has the capability for breakthroughs in circumstances which may be difficult. Man is also capable to understand himself and others, showing a lot of hope on the potentials that man possesses that he can exhaust in his lifetime (Halonen Santrock, 1996). Proactive or Reactive: individuals act on their own initiative or just in reaction to external stimuli? Since man is free, unique and has the possibilities to accomplish whatever he is set to do, it is also asserted that man is proactive: he can choose how to respond in any situation and may even extend himself to advance his interests, both positive and negative at whatever goal or in whatever circumstance he may be in (Halonen Santrock, 1996). Optimistic or Pessimistic: individuals can change given the right environment or they are unchangeable? The Hierarchy theory by design is hopeful and positive in every essence, if one is to follow the line of thinking which Maslow attempted to direct his audience. Individuals then have all the chances to make their lives fulfilling, impact others on virtues of honesty, charity and generosity, if and when he determines himself to be one. Likewise, he can also influence and negatively affect those that surround him when he chooses to do so. In this perspective then, an individual has high hopes of changing his attitudes and disposition, as well as his physical arrangements in life (Halonen Santrock, 1996). Part II. Evaluation of the theory If this theory is to be evaluated, the strength of Maslow’s assumptions lies in his recognition of the positives that humans possess. It reminds the audience of the person as a whole being and not just an organism subject to either what the psychoanalysts termed as instincts or behaviorists’ position as merely organismic. The emphasis on developing the potentialities mark Maslow’s crowning achievement in terms of theoretical appeal (Halonen Santrock, 1996). However, there are obvious or clear discrepancies or weaknesses in the theory. Since Psychology claims to start and end as a scientific endeavor, thus following scientific procedures to provide proofs to any of its claims, then Maslow’s theory must be ready to be tested accordingly. And this is where his theory fails in almost every measure in essence. At the outset, this viewpoint of explaining behavior is difficult to measure or put to test. Specifically, despite the details and emphasis Maslow placed on self-actualization the concept is still hard to operationally define. Scientists then and now are encountering various dilemmas in making the concept scientifically or empirically acceptable. In addition, there are illogical and inconsistent presuppositions in the constructs he postulated. He adheres to man’s capability to choose and yet how can he justify the existence of the structure of ordering needs in every individual if man is not born with it in the first place. How can he explain as well on those people who have achieved (jumped to the higher order needs) when they are barely existing or are starving at the same time; being altruistic and yet has no means to adequately meet their own needs (Halonen Santrock, 1996). Lastly, studies even show that many who adhere to this philosophical viewpoint shun the scientific procedures imposed on any scientific field or discipline, and choose to lean towards the clinical orientation for the explanation of specific behaviors or motivations. Others who examined this theory explained that the assumptions on human behavior are too high or exaggerating on positives or the freedom and the logical capabilities that humans possess. Maslow’s theory, especially his self-actualization concept, critics affirm, implies the tendency for man to reinforce his self-centeredness (Halonen Santrock, 1996). Conclusion If popularity and appeal are benchmarks for a theory to pass with flying colors, Maslow’s theory probably will go to the top. This is evidenced also as to the current prevalence of his theory in business; it is pervadingly present in almost every discussion in any business management course apparently (Halonen Santrock, 1996). For convenience, I too would readily fall for his theory and its seemingly simplistic way of explaining behaviors. But if I were to stick to following empirical underpinnings, I should say that the theory is not deep enough to satisfy more difficult human dilemmas, though in some instances, the theory seems to point to some aspects of life’s realities. It is not sufficient to compel me to believe in the theory enough. To illustrate, pursuing many of our own self-centered needs only frustrates us all the time and eventually makes many of us disordered and mentally sick along the way. Can I use it to predict human nature? In fairness, yes; but to a certain extent only, because as I mentioned, it is not sufficient enough to merit full dependence. The theory can probably modified to some degree as a picture of several aspects of being human, but to explain about the potentialities, may imply believing too much when all that is in there is just hot air, so to speak. Self-actualization may provide hope for those who are so discouraged in life, but it is still very limited in reality. Some even say that a by-product of this belief is a sense of irresponsibility (Halonen Santrock, 1996). Remarkably, Maslow suggested that various famous personalities illustrate what his theory posited including Beethoven, the brilliant composer, and Lincoln, one of the greatest leaders of all time. Each of them exemplified individuals who had characteristics of the self-actualized person (Halonen Santrock, 1996). Reference: Halonen, Jane and John Santrock (1996). Psychology: Contexts of Behavior. Brown and Benchmark Publishers, pp. 453 and 553-556.