To be the person that I am now, I had to reflect a Essays

To be the person that I am now, I had to reflect and accept accountability of my past actions. My past is one that many would love to erase from their memory, a past that involves a divorce, counselling, court ordered restraining order, supervised visits, 2 mental health diagnosis in high school, and much more. I try not to let the negative events and situations in my life define who I am today but it would be naive of me to say that they didn't impact my life and push me to become who I am here today. My life seemed completely normal until the divorce, I don't remember the fighting or the court proceedings but I do remember missing my dad like a part of me was missing. I was four years old when my parents first separated, and I don't remember very much from that time but the memories I do have aren't the happy family memories that we all read about and see on television. My parents did their best to keep the divorce proceedings as civil as possible to keep me as oblivious as possible, and with a four-year-old it was pretty easy. I may not remember my parents going through the actually divorce but I do remember the questions, supervised visits and blaming myself for almost 10 years for my parents failed marriage. I remember at the age of three I was sitting on the kitchen floor looking down the hallway listening to my parents scream at each other, then my mom walked out of her room picked me up and took me to the living room to play as my dad snuck out the back door to go for a dri ve. While my parents were in the process of separating, my father made some very serious threats against my mother which resulted in a court ordered restraining order against my dad for myself and my mom. The restraining order against my dad put the supervised visits into play. What is now called Firefly, was then called The Patricia Centre for Children and Youth (PCCY), and that is where I could see my dad. Now at the age of four I didn't understand why I could only see my dad in an office building but I didn't care, all I cared about was the few hours a week that I could spend with him. The supervised visits were arranged by the court and the PCCY, and the way it worked was I would be able to see my dad once a week for a few hours one day in a room where there were 2 social workers in the corner of the room watching us and taking notes, I was only allowed to see my dad under these conditions. The supervised visits were going very well and I raised no questions regarding the reason why I could only see my dad under those conditions, this was all until one day in Walmart. My mother and I were shopping and as I turned around a corner and walked down the aisle I looked up and to my surprise I found my dad at the other end of the aisle, and just like any other child I ran up to my dad giving him a huge bear hug and with tears in his eyes he had to push me of him and walk away. That is a memory that has stuck with me for the past 17 years, a memory that I will never forget. As it was, my life was being turned upside down and I couldn't even have imagined how it was going to affect me and my life years down the line. I am not sure exactly when I moved out of my now broken home but I do remember the strange feeling of packing my life away into boxes and moving into my aunt's house down the street. I wasn't aware until later that my mom didn't have enough money to support herself and I living in that big house on a single income and it wasn't until recently in my lif e that I have been able to understand the true burden of lacking

Elections essays

Elections essays There are actually many definitions of civil society. But with all its working definitions, I understand civil society as a certain domain that is independent of the state. According to Sidney Silliman, civil society seeks benefits, political reform and accountability from the state but it does not aim to gain formal power nor is it there to overthrow the government. As the country develops to keep up with the modern world, the political system also becomes more complex and in addition, the people become more difficult to control. This is why there has been an ongoing rise for civil society groups, many of which assume the functions and processes normally associated with governments to try and compensate with the current situation. Citizen activism in the Philippines has been generally caused by our deteriorating socioeconomic conditions, the corruption which goes on in different parts of the political system and the failure of the government to address and mend them. Citizens have then come together and organized different civil society groups in response to these circumstances to either compensate for the states failures or to pressure the state to correct its policies. Election, both local and national, especially in the Philippine context, has been a very controversial issue for the longest time. We have heard of different cases such as vote buying, presence of deceased/flying voters, and taking of ballot boxes among others. This only decreases the credibility of the choices of people we can put into power. The most likely outcome would be the discouragement of the public to vote for the different candidates since the winner would most likely be a product of injustice. The Philippines, being a democratic country, needs citizen organizations to participate in the election process to help educate the masses about the importance of elections and the urgency of voting and also to be there to monitor every aspect of the ...

New Christian Right in US Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

New Christian Right in US Politics - Essay Example 29, 2011). Despite the fact that these campaigners looked like their republican as well as autonomous corresponding persons in quite a lot of respects, the representatives with Christian Right ties were not mainly successful and were unsuccessful to form an operational coalition with the majority republicans on the mission. The centre of the crisis was the continuance by the communal traditionalists of a ‘foreigner’ point of view that toughened their pedant point of reference to civic dealings (Culver & Dorhauer, p. 43, 2007). The Christian Right has attained considerable representation within American communal life. Even though this sort of demonstration may have presented significant representative advantages, the force to protect public agency was acceptable as the way towards putting a stop. The objective of the Christian Right, stating generally, has been to alter American public strategy in the way of what are known as family or conventional standards. Despite the fact that researchers have collected many statistics on the communal as well as electoral foundation of the faction, they have given very small amount of facts with reference to its impact on civic strategy (Ishay, p. 59, 2008). The fundamental issue is whether Christian Right leaders have made an unbeaten shift from ‘foreigner’ to ‘insider politics’, or if they stay traditionalists who have yet to change completely to the traditions of politics. The coalition between right-wing religious conviction and traditionalist politics had an extensive derivation in American political life, and the alliance would grow so long as it carried on to provide the concerns of both accomplices. Subsequent to a series of strategy failures throughout the presidency of its former enthusiast, the movement appeared to fall apart during the 1988 drive for the Republican presidential selection (Meyers, p. 193, 2006). As a number of the original tycoons who had driven the movement stepped out of political activities, quite a lot of researchers were fast to mark obituaries with reference to this latest fatality of America's determinedly incremental political structure. At base, the conversion of the Christian Right portrayed by supporters of the next generation concerned the progress grip on pluralism. In the pluralist assumption of American politics, the utter variety of clusters functional within the political structure mainly prevents fundamental alteration. In the pluralist point of view, the structure progresses by small strides, motivated mainly by stress from groups that can create a centre of attention for adequate supporters by logrolling as well as vote trading to make short-lived common coalitions. Faced with this cruel truth, movements that come into politics, in search for radical change have to reconcile instead for additional modification by implementing the standards of alliance formation as well as conciliation (Butler, p. 193, 2006). For that to take place, non-transferable requirements have to be substituted by negotiating as well as by taking trade-offs into consideration. The substitute is marginalization along with the political wilderness. NEW CHRISTIAN RIGHT At its core, the Christian Right was the interest group of ethical re-establishment that recognized settled as a ‘give in’

The Tadic Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Tadic Case - Essay Example Nonetheless, ICTY has brought about various issues regarding the legality of institution of the international tribunal and its authority. ICTY statutes give concurrent jurisdiction to the national courts as well as the international tribunals1. ICTY, Trial Chamber, Decision on the Defense Motion on Jurisdiction In the case of Prosecutor v. Dusko Tadic, the defense challenged the primacy of the ICTY because there was no basis in international law to give primacy to the ICTY and it generated an infringement upon state sovereignty. The appellant used three reasons to attack the tribunal: unlawful establishment of Tribunal, its illegal dominance over state courts and its lack of jurisdiction2. Tadic argued that the Tribunal was not lawfully established; those who drafted the UN Charter did not envision such a tribunal, the General Assembly did not take part in its creation, the Council did not act in relation to individuals, and there was no threat to peace. According to Tadic, the Tribu nal would not promote peace and a political body could not create a judicial organ. Tadic argued that in establishing such a Tribunal in accordance with the rule of law, the council should have the appropriate worldwide standards; it has to offer the assurances of justice, fairness, as well as evenhandedness in total compliance with international renowned human rights implements3. This led judges to dissent arguing that the ICTY did not have any competence to decide on the issue. ICTY, Appeals Chamber, Decision on the Defense Motion for Interlocutory Appeal After an appeal on the sentencing, the appeal chamber decided that the Tribunal had the authority to articulate the statement that challenged the legitimacy of institution of the Tribunal; it had jurisdiction to determine whether the ICTY was lawfully established (la competence de la competence). The judges also dismissed the challenge to International Tribunal dominance over state-run courts and decided that the Tribunal had jur isdiction of subject matter in the state. In defense to the legality of institution of the Tribunal, the trial chambers decided that there were evidently adequate jurisdiction issues that were open for the Tribunal to determine the issues of place, nature of the offence and the time committed. The chambers decided that the legitimacy of establishing the Tribunal was not a matter of jurisdiction; it was a matter of the lawfulness of its creation. The defense did not have any right to raise the matter of Internal Tribunal primacy over national courts since only a sovereign state that should raise issues related to sovereignty and a person should not put itself in the position of a state in order to challenge the jurisdiction of an international tribunal4. The state is the only one that has the exclusive right to plead violation of the state sovereignty5. Only a self-governing state can raise the appeal or not claim it; the accused did not have any rights to take over the state’ s rights in this case6.The most affected states in this case were the Germany where the accused lived and Bosnia-Herzegovina where the crimes were committed; the two states accepted the International Tri

Standard costing and the relationship it may have with other Essay

Standard costing and the relationship it may have with other management accounting development - Essay Example Standard costs are pre-determined or forecast estimates of cost to manufacture a single unit, or a number of units of a product, during a specific immediate future period. They are usually the planned costs of the products under current and anticipated conditions, but sometimes they are the costs under normal or ideal conditions of efficiency, based on an assumed given output, and having regard to current conditions. They are revised to conform to super-normal or sub-normal conditions, but ore practically to allow for persisting alterations in the prices of material and labour. Therefore, a standard cost can be defined as â€Å"A pre-determined cost calculated with respect to a prescribed set of working conditions, correlating technical specifications and scientific measurements of materials and labour to the price and wage rates expected to apply during the period to which the standard cost is expected to relate, with an addition of an appropriate share of budgeted overhead. Its main objective is to provide bases of control through variance accounting for the valuation of stocks and work-in-progress and in exceptional cases for fixing selling prices.† The use of standards facilitates many business functions. Standards are very useful in the monitoring and controlling of business activities in general. The need for standard costs arises as a result of the benefits it provides for a business, such as Cost control does not merely refer to minimization of costs. Cost control means identifying costs with their benefits and ensuring that the costs are justified, given the benefits that are derived. Standard costs provide a very useful framework for cost control. The great value of standards in cost control is that they provide the ability to compare actual costs with desired costs on a timely basis. Timely reporting of difference i.e. monthly, weekly, daily or for each work shift etc, between actual and standard costs allows managers to take

UK Fashion Industry: Strategic Analysis

UK Fashion Industry: Strategic Analysis Introduction Fashion industry is one of the most thriving and profitable industries of the world. The advent of globalization has led to greater penetration of fashion into the mind of individuals. Mega fashion shows are being held in many nations across the world which has generated considerable interest among the individuals. The present study deals with the fashion industry of UK. The choice of the nation assumes significance as it is one of the largest fashion hubs of the world. The nation also houses some of the most popular brands in the fashion industry. A study conducted by research firm Grail puts UK as among the top hubs in the global fashion industry along with USA, France, Italy and Japan. London Fashion Week which happens to be the largest fashion related event in the nation is the only fashion event that promotes works done by students thus highlighting its commitment and presence in the global fashion industry. Prestigious awards like River Island Gold Award have their origins in U K (Grail Research, 2009, p.6, 8). The present study would focus on the industry analysis of the fashion industry particularly that of the UK market. The report would include an industry analysis along with the analysis of the competitive framework prevailing in the UK market. Subsequently the key success factors and strategic groups would be analyzed in the report. The report would also feature examples of the strategies that have been adopted by the market leaders to continue their sustainability in the industry. Industry Analysis Global Fashion Industry- An Overview Fashion industry includes fashion designer houses, retail chains and the firms engaged in the manufacture of apparels. A report published by Levis Strauss Co has pegged the value of the global fashion industry at US $ 1334.1 billion as on 2008. The report also predicts a northward trend for this figure in the subsequent years. Apart from being a style statement, fashion also generates creativity, well being and identity. The report also states certain shortcomings of this industry which primarily includes aspects like poor working condition of workers in the industry, wastage of resources and also encouragement of unrealistic consumption. Certain other shortcomings include unavailability and high prices of raw materials which also emerge as a major challenge for the firms engaged in manufacture of fashion apparels across the world. Numerous opportunities also exist for the industry from the emerging markets like India, China, Brazil and Russia which have started emerging as fashion hotspots of the world (Levis Strauss Co, 2010, p.5). Overview of the UK Fashion Industry UK has been among the pioneers in the global fashion industry whose association with the world of fashion dates back to the 1960s popularly known as the swinging sixties, the punk and romantic 1970s and Cool Britannia Image of 1990s. Present age fashion designer label brands like Vivienne Westwood, Burberry and Mulbery, to name a few, are some of the numerous brand names housed in the nation (British Council Fashion Oxford Economics, 2008, p.9). A recent trend observed in the industry is that the nation is shifting from home based manufacturing units to sourcing products from foreign retailers. This has been attributed to the aspects of high labour costs coupled with the rise in prices of raw materials which has forced manufacturers to outsource their production units to nations like China which offer a significant pool of talented resources and raw materials at cheaper rates (British Council Fashion Oxford Economics, 2008, p.16). UK is one of the pioneers in the fashion industry, and the nation is accredited with numerous innovations in the industry segment. A research study conducted on the fashion industry in UK states that consumer spending on fashion apparels in UK saw a growth rate of 6.5 percent in 2009 with sales figures reaching 2.5 billion Pound. One of the major market players in the UK market Newberry reported 19.1 percent growth on an annual basis. The growth of fashion industry has been fuelled by large levels of spending by the local people. Over the last ten years spending levels of individuals have grown by approximately six percent on a real term basis. The fashion industry also has made significant contributions to the economy of the nation. In the year 2009, the industry is said to have contributed approximately 20.9 billion pounds towards the economy of UK which forms about 1.7 percent of the total GDP figure of the nation. Retailer GVA alone has contributed approximately 6.5 billion pound s towards the economy of UK. Indirect contributions to the economy include providing employment options to about 816,000 individuals in a direct or an indirect manner. This figure represents about 2.7 percent of the total workforce in the nation which highlights the growth and importance of this sector towards the economy of the nation. On a standalone basis i.e., excluding the employees at the retail stores, the sector employed about 155,000 individuals or about 0.5 percent of the total workforce based in the nation. The fashion industry is also one of the major contributors to the nations exchequer with contribution figures ranging about 13.2 billion pounds which stands at 2.6 percent on absolute percentage terms. These contributions have mainly come from VAT and through the income tax paid by the employees engaged in this industry (British Council Fashion Oxford Economics, 2008, p.14). The magnanimity of the fashion industry can be adjudged from the fact that the contribution of fashion industry towards the GDP of the nation is significantly higher than chemical and publishing industry. Fashion industry is the fourth largest employment provider in UK and comes only next to travel and tourism, telecommunications and real estate (British Council Fashion Oxford Economics, 2008, p.20). This implies the huge potential of the fashion industry in UK. The following chapter would provide an analysis of the competitive framework prevalent in the UK market. Porters Five Forces Model Competitive framework for any industry can be analysed by using Michael Porters five forces framework. The analysis of a market using the framework proposed by Porter helps an organization to analyse the market potential of other players in the market. This helps in generating sustainable competitive advantage for the firms. According to this framework, the competitive framework can be analysed by using five factors namely, Bargaining Power of Suppliers Bargaining power of Consumers Competition from existing players Threat of new entrants Threat of substitutes (Haag, 2007, p.72) Bargaining Power of Suppliers Suppliers have a high barraging power when the raw materials are available in scarce quantities. It also rises when the number of suppliers for a particular product or raw material is quite limited. In case of fashion industry, suppliers constitute of vendors who provide raw material like cotton and other textiles which serve as raw material for apparels. The UK fashion market is characterised by the presence of a few suppliers which is generally due to high costs of raw materials. The suppliers also use traditional practices which again increases the cost of goods sold (Karra, 2008, p.27). High cost of real estate also serves as a major source of concern to the fashion retailers. This analysis implies that suppliers have a fairly high bargaining power. Market leaders in UK have started outsourcing their manufacturing departments to vendors based in nations like China and India where cheap raw material is present at affordable cost of labour (PricewaterhouseCoopers, 2004, p.2). Bargaining Power of Consumers Bargaining power of consumers arise when the market is characterised by the presence of numerous players who have a large product line. Presence of large number of competitors puts consumers in the drivers seat as they have numerous options. The present status of the consumer market in UK reveals the presence of large number players. Most of these players have high brand values products to suit every type of customers. This provides ample choices for the consumers. Hence it can be concluded that consumers have a high bargaining power in the UK market. Major players in the market like Marks and Spencer, Austin Reed have started providing value added services to consumers to woo them to their stores. Celebrity promotions have also been used to target consumers like Lane Crawford roping in supermodel Maggie Cheung for its promotions. Competition from Existing Players UK is characterised by the presence of large number of global players like Marks and Spencers, Next, Arcadia, Matalan and Bhs all of which have formidable brand image and an impressive product line to target consumers. Competition exists in almost every segment of the target market. This implies that competition from existing players has a significantly high impact on the fashion industry in UK. Market leaders have formulated policies that tend to win the consumers in favour of their brands. Fierce competition has prompted leading market players to vouch for newer locations like for example Marks and Spencers eyeing the Indian market. Threat of New Entrants New entrants do not pose sufficient threats to the existing players. This is mainly due to the fact that the present market in UK is completely saturated with big brands like Marks and Spencers, Next etc. Moreover, high cost of establishing a business deters new players from entering the UK market. This implies that new players do not have significant power to challenge the existing players. Threat of Substitutes Substitutes are those products which have attributes that are highly similar to the original products. The customer segments of firms like Marks and Spencers are highly niche in nature and are unlikely to switch to substitutes which basically constitute low priced products. Hence it can be concluded that substitutes do not present significant threats to the existing players present in the market. Key Success Factors The key success factors for the fashion industry are stated below: Government support Customer Awareness Ability to bring in continuous innovations Government Support Government support is a key element in the success of the fashion industry. Pro active policies by the government favour the emergence of new players as well as boost up the existing players by creating market conditions that tend to provide greater value to the customers. Creation of competition would automatically generate innovations which is the backbone of the fashion industry. Customer Awareness The success of fashion industry depends on high levels of consumer awareness. Consumer awareness implies that consumers get regular updates about the new products that are being innovated by the fashion industry. Events like London Fashion week, Paris fashion week and other such festivals have emerged as a platform for fashion designers and retailers to showcase their products and creativity. These festivals are characterised by presence of high profile celebrities who endorse products of different designers and fashion labels. In these events, awards and accreditations are given to talented individuals who generate creativity in their designs (London Fashion Week, n.d.). This also serves to motivate individuals to produce greater creativity. Ability to bring in Continuous Innovations Innovations are the key to success in the fashion industry. The basic tenets of this industry are based in continuous innovations. Firms like Hilfiger have created competitive advantage by introducing continuous innovations in their product line (Manlow, 2009, p.242). Innovations in fashion include amalgamations of modern and traditional fashion. Mega events like Paris fashion week and London fashion week serve as major forums where market players can showcase their products to the target audience. Firms are also roping in celebrities and supermodels to promote their designs. These innovations and subsequent endorsements by popular celebrities generate substantial interest among the target audience with regards to the diffusion of innovation among the general masses. Broad appeal and glamour of these events generate enthusiasm among the target markets with regards to adopting new products. The analysis of key success factors reveals the importance of factors like government, awareness among the target market audience. The aspect of innovation also generates sufficient interest among the firms to innovate their products. The UK market represents numerous potential for the market players as all the three key success factors can be achieved by organizations. A suitable mix of the three key success factors would help in generating sustainable competitive advantage for the firms in the highly competitive market. Strategic Groups Strategic groups are defined as a group of firms and organizations which operate within a specific industry who have similar strategies. It has been observed that in most of the cases the difference among the different market players is generally captured by the presence of strategic groups within the industry (Kim Mauborgne, 1999, p.86). The fashion industry in UK is characterised by market players like Marks and Spencers, Next, Arcadia, Matalan and Bhs who are global market players having operation in all major markets across the world. All these firms have the same target market and have a similar marketing mix for their products. The basis of forming a strategic group is based on the fact that all the above stated market players operate in a similar macroeconomic set up and have a similar target market. These firms intend to have similar positioning strategies. The presence of a strategic group also creates entry barriers for new entrants as well as generates sustainable competi tive advantage for these firms in the market. Presence of strategic groups tends to stabilise consumer preferences, it also generates greater competition and rivalries among the market players, as all the players in the strategic group are known to target the same customer segment. This leads to aggressive marketing by the firms to beat their rivals in the business markets. The scenario in UK market resembles a similar situation with firms trying to use every possible strategy to beat their rivals and capture the market (Hoskinsson, Hitt Ireland, 2008, p.87-88). Conclusion The concept of fashion has been prevalent in UK since time immemorial and the nation has been among the pioneers with regards to creativity in this sector. The study reveals that fashion industry is one of the most happening industries in UK. This can be gauged from its contributions towards the economy of the nation both in direct as well as in indirect terms. The UK market also represents tremendous opportunities for market players as it has a large customer base with high levels of disposable income which makes it an attractive destination for fashion brands across the world. The study also shows certain challenges which mainly arise due high cost of raw materials and labour. Presence of strategic group also tends to increase the competitive rivalry among the market players. In spite of this, the huge potential of the target market serves as an incentive for most of the market players to eye the lucrative market of UK. Hence, it can be concluded that success of an organisation pre cisely that of fashion, lies in its ability to generate continuous innovation and to mould the advantages of the market to generate sustainable competitive advantage.

Agriculture Industry Essay -- essays papers

Agriculture Industry There are various factors affecting the demand for John Deere's products. These factors can be categorized as Financial, Crops, Crop Prices, Line Stock Prices, Farm Equipment and the competition. Financial factors include interest rates, credit availability, currency exchange rates, monetary and fiscal policies set by the government, net farm income and government regulated price floors on the agriculture segment. Crops/Crop Prices include planed acreage, grain export and crop prices of wheat, corn, soybeans and cotton. Live Stock prices that affect the demand for the company's output are primarily the prices of Dairy, Beef and Hogs. Animal diseases like "mad cow", "foot and mouth" and crop pests and harvest yields play an important role in the live stock prices and in turn affect the demand. Farm equipment category consists of resale demand for used farm equipment, farmer's attitude towards farm equipment and new equipment prices which play an important role in the demand of the new equipment. John Deere faces a strong competition around the world, more in Europe than in US. The company realizes that demand for farm equipment is same in Europe as in the United States, but the current market share captured by John Deere in Europe is much less and hence there is a lot more room to grow there. Of these factors, the most important factor seems to be the ability of the farmer to buy the new equipment. This in turn... Agriculture Industry Essay -- essays papers Agriculture Industry There are various factors affecting the demand for John Deere's products. These factors can be categorized as Financial, Crops, Crop Prices, Line Stock Prices, Farm Equipment and the competition. Financial factors include interest rates, credit availability, currency exchange rates, monetary and fiscal policies set by the government, net farm income and government regulated price floors on the agriculture segment. Crops/Crop Prices include planed acreage, grain export and crop prices of wheat, corn, soybeans and cotton. Live Stock prices that affect the demand for the company's output are primarily the prices of Dairy, Beef and Hogs. Animal diseases like "mad cow", "foot and mouth" and crop pests and harvest yields play an important role in the live stock prices and in turn affect the demand. Farm equipment category consists of resale demand for used farm equipment, farmer's attitude towards farm equipment and new equipment prices which play an important role in the demand of the new equipment. John Deere faces a strong competition around the world, more in Europe than in US. The company realizes that demand for farm equipment is same in Europe as in the United States, but the current market share captured by John Deere in Europe is much less and hence there is a lot more room to grow there. Of these factors, the most important factor seems to be the ability of the farmer to buy the new equipment. This in turn...