Advanced Corporate Reporting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Advanced Corporate Reporting - Essay Example This is in particular for the companies that issue public bonds on a regulated European market. These accounting standards have shown a significant impact on the potential influence on the behaviour of economic agents. Accounting standards caused the financial institutions to behave in a certain way that enhances the financial stability in the long run.1.2 Arguments of European Commission/ Union on IFRS: It was opined by analysts that the core of the financial mismanagement lies within the commission and due to the fact that structure is opaque. The problems of financial mismanagement are the basic enforcements weaknesses. The court of auditors of European union admitted that the 80 percent of taxpayers money was never accounted properly. The responsibility for combating fraud has been considered by European commission. It was observed that the EU's financial regulation 2342/2002, article 87(4) claims that there I no need to attempt the recovery of any sum less than million euros and this has been ruthlessly exploited. By eliminating the loop hole, the European commission resulted in shared responsibility instead of separation of the responsibilities. As the improvement is not possible if each EU institution or department works with different standards and criteria, the common standards for the accounting were considered. Due to the erroneous accounting the debtors of European commission simply disappeared in 2002-03. ... Another problem with the old system is potential mismanagement of cash due to lack of principles in cash flow analysis. The maintenance of huge cash suggests the deliberate retention of member states and companies surpluses against EU rules, the establishment of own resources by the tax payers money. These huge funds are used to maximize the public funds. This should be avoided as the cash in hand by any company should be reported and the use of it can be restricted. To avoid these issues, the credit rating of the companies should be true and fair and must be based on accounting statements. This should be regulated by EU. The implementation of IFRS auditing on EU and the companies in the EU states resulted in overcoming the problems regarding the financial mismanagement and misuse of cash. The action on fundamentals and injection of commercial reality was made possible by the introduction of IFRS. The commercial organizations will ask themselves the questions regarding their performa nce and they should be reflected in the financial statements. The IFRS made it possible and the transparency has been resulted in the use of the money of the investors. This needs a creation of financial infrastructure and that was taken by the lesson from New Zealand that will audit fully singed annual accounts within three months. The auditors were made independent in assessing and auditing the company's financial statements and strict guidelines have been imposed according to IFRS. This made possible good financial management in the company's possible and gave the required security for investor's money in the company. This gave chance to investor to estimate the

Different Ethnic Groups Essay Example for Free

Different Ethnic Groups Essay Females are now able to achieve more in the education system. This is due to the pattern of achievement. Since the early 90s females have been achieving higher and high and have clearly overtaken males. In 2003/4 the females had taken over males by 20% in achieving 5 or more A*-C GCSE grades. This astronomical gender gap is now causing some sociologists to be concerned in male underachievement in the education system. However, being publicised by the media, males are not underachieving; they are not improving as quickly as females. Sociologists such as Sue Sharpe and Weiner, Arnot and David look at the reasons for the females success. Whereas sociologists, like Paul Willis and Mitsos and Browne suggest reasons for male underachievement. Sue Sharpes study discovered that in the 1970s girls had low expectations and were more likely to become a housewife and mother. They only saw jobs as a means of getting money before they married. When she when she revisited girls in the 1990s, they had higher expectation and saw jobs as careers. Weiner, Arnot and David are cynical about the underachievement of boys. They feel that the concern about the boys underachievement is a reaction against the progress of women. They say that girls are succeeding because of the National Curriculum at GCSE level, but at A-level the subjects are still gendered. Meaning that not many females pick certain subjects therefore limiting the subjects that can do.

Progeria Report Essay -- essays research papers fc

Genetics determine the traits an individual will inherit from their parents. In society today, the role of genetics is crucial; they decide ones physical appearance as well as their personality. However, if there is a mutation located in one of the genes that a child receives it is very likely a deformity will be present. A rare yet fatal defect from a gene mutation such as this is Progeria. This disorder is an unfortunate one that may occur in two forms, either Hutchison-Gilford Progeria or Werner syndrome. Not only do they affect the bone structure and appearance of the child, but they substantially shorten their life spans. Hutchison-Gilford disorder was first discovered and described by John Hutchison in 1886. However, in 1904 Hastings Gilford named the disorder Progeria after doing some of his own research on it (Malady). Approximately a year after Gilford presented his Progeria research, Otto Werner discovered a disorder by which he called "inaugural-dissertation". It was not until about 1935 that Oppenheimer and Kugel named â€Å"innaugaral dissertation† Werner Syndrome (Werner). Progeria is a very rare disorder, affecting one out of eight million children in the Hutchison-Gilford form. Werner Syndrome is more common yet still infrequent, affecting one out of one million children. Both types of Progeria affect specific ethnicities; Hutchison-Gilford occurs most frequently in Caucasians, while Werner Syndrome affects mostly children of the Japanese and Sardinian background. This disorder is fatal in both cases, although the life span of one with Werner Syndrome, living to the age of approximately 46, is significantly longer then one with Hutchison-Gilford who will only live to the age of 13 (Werner). Progeria is commonly referred to as "early aging disease"; however, this disorder has nothing to do with a child aging rapidly. The symptoms of Progeria in both Hutchison-Gilford and Werner are very similar and they do appear to speed the aging process. A child with Hutchison-Gilford has an entirely bald head and face. Their scalp, veins and eyes are clearly more prominent then a child without this disorder. The child's jaw will appear small and many times, he will be toothless, for Progeria causes delayed tooth formation. In addition, a child will ... ... Werner is more common, but much less well known (Kugler). Progeria is a fatal, unfortunate disease. The fact that deformed children are completely mentally fit, and know they are different is terrible. It must be hard to handle stares, smirks, pointing fingers, and still have to cope with the fact that you will probably not live past fifteen years old. The public needs to be more educated on this disease, and not treat it as so much of a sick deformation. Infected children may look different, but they are the same as anyone else. There are many organizations around that are collecting money for the furthering of research, and to educate the public. I could never imagine being the parent who has to make a choice of having a possibly mutated baby. Even with the odds in your favor, imagine choosing to have a baby, than discovering he will be born infected and you will outlive your son. Making that choice must be incomprehensivly difficult for both parents involved. Progeria is a mutation that needs to be dealt with very soon. Works Cited Malady of the Month-Progeria. Kugler, Mary. Progeria Syndroms. Werner Syndrome.

Essays --

Timeline Act 1: Scene 1: In the start of the book, the people take a holiday to celebrate Caesar's victory over Pompey in a civil war. They stand in the streets and wait for his arrival, and once he gets to the city, they throw a huge party. Scene 2: On the same day, Caesar attends a party and receives a warning from a small old man saying to beware the ides of March. Later in the chapter Cassius tries to turn Brutus against Caesar. Later in the scene they agree to meet again to talk about Caesar. Scene 3: There is a huge storm in the beginning of the scene, and Cassius thinks it a sign that Caesar must be killed. The two agree that Caesar must not be allowed to continue to rule and later discuses how they will kill Caesar. Act 2: Scene 1: Cassius sends a letter to Brutus saying that he should kill Caesar for Rome, and then later in the act they meet to make their final preparations. Caesar’s wife thinks that Caesar is hiding something and wants to know what is wrong. Scene 2: Caesar was planning on going to go to the Capitol, but Calpurnia tells him to stay home because of so many death threats and warnings they have gotten. Caesar stays home with her, until Decius convinces him that he needs to be at the Capitol. Scene 3: Artemidorus finds a letter that shows proof that a lot of people are going to kill Caesar, he goes to the Capitol to go find Caesar and show him the letter. But sadly, can’t find Caesar in time. Scene 4: Portia sends her servants to go see what is happening at the Capitol to make sure everything is alright with Caesar. Then she meets someone, who tells her more about the danger that Caesar will be facing. Act 3 Scene 1: The Soothsayer and Artemidorus try to warn Caesar outside the Capitol, but he ... ...rge role in making the rise of the Roman Empire. If Caesar wouldn’t have been as big as a figure he was, he might not have had much of an effect on Rome; therefore his ideas would have never been thought of or accepted by the higher population and people in Rome. Caesar had two children with the names of Caesarion and Julia Caesaris. Caesarion was his son and Julia Caesaris was his daughter. Caesar also had a wife by the name of Calpurnia Pisonis. Caesar was killed by many people who thought that if he was to become leader of Rome that he would become a dictator and overthrow the Republic. So many senators got together in one room with him, and stabbed Caesar to death. With Caesar dead, the Roman community was mortified, they soon went against the conspirators and joined Antony’s side to track down the conspirators and bring them to justice for killing Caesar.

A Summary of Cubbin and Geroski

This article examines the nature of short-run dynamics in judging the profitability in the marketplace.   The authors state that the dynamics of profits in the inter-industry averages, even between companies in the same industry, can be extremely variable.That is, although it is assumed that there is some homogeneity that can permit comparison between company profits within and industry that can then be used to create an inter-industry average, this homogeneity does not, in fact, exist.It is apparent that this flawed assumption has its roots in the â€Å"shared asset theory of profit determination† posited by Porter (1979) as a method of determining performance in an industry (Cubbin & Geroski, 1987, p. 427).   The authors state that the flaw comes from assuming that the â€Å"intra-industry variations in profits are small and uncorrelated with market structure† (Cubbin & Geroski, 1987, p. 427), which, if this assumption is untrue, the industry-level analysis of the dynamics between companies is no longer of interest and is no longer of any value.In addition, Porter’s model seems to have failed to take into account the differences that exist between the industry leaders and the industry â€Å"followers† in terms of profitability and how that profit is made.The literature review for Cubbin and Geroski (1987) suggests that analysis of different industries show that market power gains are unevenly distributed between these leaders (the large firms) and followers (the small firms) in these industries and that the markets share that this power reflects is important in determining the relative profitability between companies (pp. 427-428).The authors indicate, however, that there are several assessment methods in terms of determining any individual organization’s profitability both on firm specific and industry-wide factors.   These factors include:Co-efficients on variables, such as market share and industry concentration.An analysis of variance (ANOVA) framework that deconstructs performance variables into effects created by industry, firm, and market share.A dynamic model, which the authors suggest that a co-variance might exist between â€Å"profit paths† across intra-industry firms (Cubbin & Geroski, 1987, p. 428).The authors’ state their intent at this juncture; indicating that they intend to examine the importance of industry effect on industry profitability in the United Kingdom (Cubbin & Geroski, 1987).   It is also at this point in the paper where the authors describe the form that the paper will take, explaining how the information will be organized and analyzed.The ModelThe model that the authors examined for the purpose of this paper is that of an individual firm (i) in a single industry (I).   The current profit rate for i is then compared for the equilibrium profit rate for I, over a long term.According to the authors, it is unlikely that the comparison of the profit rate s for   Ã‚  and I will be equal to one another over the period of analysis for one of two reasons: 1) that there is no equilibrium in the individual firm’s profit over the long term, or 2) that the equilibrium profit rate for the individual firm differs from that of the industry as a whole.   In addition, the ease or difficulty with which a firm can enter the market and other factors that affect doing business in that industry may have an effect over the rate of equilibrium profit.The authors maintain that the profit rate for the individual is determined by the equilibrium profit rate for the industry and â€Å"the dynamic forces that generate adjustment towards them within and between industries (Cubbin & Geroski, 1987, p. 429).Cubbin and Geroski (1987) go on to explain that one issue in this model is that tracking the factors that go into the dynamic may be impossible to measure, in part due to the difficulty in observing them.In addition, the actual entry of a firm in to an industry may or may not have an effect overall and may or may not lead to the existing firms in that industry–particularly, presumably, the leaders of that industry–to make strategic preemptive pricing moves that may effect the performance of the market before the new firm even has time to enter and disturb the equilibrium (Cubbin & Geroski, 1987).The authors propose a solution to control these variables.   They first define â€Å"entry† into an industry as being when 1) new firms enter the industry, 2) expansion of incumbent firms, and 3) as incumbent competitors attempt to block new firms by uniting their production and pricing efforts (Cubbin & Geroski, 1987).This definition was left broad to â€Å"include all systematic dynamic forces interacting with profits† (Cubbin & Geroski, 1987).   Entry might then have a strong impact if there are strong dynamic forces; however, weak dynamic forces result in the average industry profitability being af fected over a long period (Cubbin & Geroski, 1987).If a firm holds a strategic place in the industry and earns profits higher than those earned by others in the industry, then a response to this position might result in other firms in the industry might encourage â€Å"mobility† in the industry itself, with other new firms entering or incumbents restructuring to diversify (Cubbin & Geroski, 1987), which results in any of these actions having an effect on the individual firm.The basic model that the authors suggest using to analyze industry profits is arrived at after a series of equations that are eventually modified to take compare the vulnerability to the effects of entry on the part of the individual firm against the industry at large (Cubbin & Geroski, 1987), based on the movement created by firm and industry specifics.

Free Essays on Dido Vs. Medea

Virgil’s Dido vs. Euripides’ Medea Euripides’ Medea was much more of a vengeful person than Virgil’s Dido. Medea performed some serious acts of revenge because she was so heartbroken, while Dido just didn’t want to live anymore. To begin with Medea killed everyone who stood in the way of her happiness with Jason. She killed everyone who had a part in their separation including her children. Although Dido killed herself, leaving her people with no one to lead them, I don’t think she was revengeful towards Aeneas in any way. She was just so heartbroken that she thought she would not be able to go on living. Medea and Dido are alike in several ways. Both women fall deeply in love with men and are eventually abandoned. They both felt that they were left with nothing, and decided to take some sort of desperate action for retribution. Although the situations were completely different, both women committed some exceptionally irrational acts. Medea’s love, Jason, leaves her for another woman; so she decides to kill everyone except Jason. Dido’s love, Aeneas, leaves her because he has a predestined path set for him by the gods, and she decided to just kill herself. Both women committed dreadful acts because they felt the pain of a broken heart. Both women at first wanted to just die and no longer feel the pain. Although Medea didn’t kill herself, she spoke about it several times. For example in her first speech she mentions it several times. She says; â€Å"It has my broken heart. I am finished. I let go all my life’s joy. My friends, I only want to die†. Sh e also says; â€Å"Then life is enviable. If not, I’d rather die.† Medea speaks several times about just killing herself, but she never actually goes through with it. Although both women have thoughts of killing themselves, Medea definitely had alternate plans for dealing with her broken heart. Medea was a psychotic lover that would do just about anything to... Free Essays on Dido Vs. Medea Free Essays on Dido Vs. Medea Virgil’s Dido vs. Euripides’ Medea Euripides’ Medea was much more of a vengeful person than Virgil’s Dido. Medea performed some serious acts of revenge because she was so heartbroken, while Dido just didn’t want to live anymore. To begin with Medea killed everyone who stood in the way of her happiness with Jason. She killed everyone who had a part in their separation including her children. Although Dido killed herself, leaving her people with no one to lead them, I don’t think she was revengeful towards Aeneas in any way. She was just so heartbroken that she thought she would not be able to go on living. Medea and Dido are alike in several ways. Both women fall deeply in love with men and are eventually abandoned. They both felt that they were left with nothing, and decided to take some sort of desperate action for retribution. Although the situations were completely different, both women committed some exceptionally irrational acts. Medea’s love, Jason, leaves her for another woman; so she decides to kill everyone except Jason. Dido’s love, Aeneas, leaves her because he has a predestined path set for him by the gods, and she decided to just kill herself. Both women committed dreadful acts because they felt the pain of a broken heart. Both women at first wanted to just die and no longer feel the pain. Although Medea didn’t kill herself, she spoke about it several times. For example in her first speech she mentions it several times. She says; â€Å"It has my broken heart. I am finished. I let go all my life’s joy. My friends, I only want to die†. Sh e also says; â€Å"Then life is enviable. If not, I’d rather die.† Medea speaks several times about just killing herself, but she never actually goes through with it. Although both women have thoughts of killing themselves, Medea definitely had alternate plans for dealing with her broken heart. Medea was a psychotic lover that would do just about anything to...

Presentation

How to make Applesauce I. Introduction A. Many people like to eat different types of food for breakfast. Some like the more traditional eggs and ham, pancakes and good old oatmeal. I on the other hand, love to eat applesauce for breakfast. Not only does it taste good but it is quick to make and just as quick to clean up. Once you learn how to make applesauce, you can go to school with a good breakfast in your stomach. B. The purpose of this is to teach you how to make applesauce because it is quick, easy and extremely good for you (Has a rich source of pectin, which has cancer fighting properties as well as regulate digestion.) C. Before you begin making your apple sauce you will need the following: 5 Regular size apples (Any apple can be used, but be warned, each has its own unique taste.) ,  ¼ tbsp of cinnamon, 2 tbsp of brown sugar,  ¼ c. of apple cider. The equipment that will be needed is one masher, one knife, one saucepan w/ cover, a measuring tool to measure the cups, a tablespoon and a mixing device. II. Making the apple sauce A. Peel the apples and core the apples. Then slice into small pieces; either eights or quarters. 1. If you prefer, you don’t have to peel the apples. Leaving the skin on is actually better for you since it adds more nutrition to the end result. B. Put the apples as well as the  ¼ c. of apple cider into a saucepan. Set the stove to a low or medium temperature. Cover the saucepan. 1. If you want to add water or apple juice instead of apple cider, that is also fine. C. After 20 minutes in the saucepan, remove the cover and begin to mash the apples. 1. This shouldn’t take very long since the apples should practically fall apart into the sauce. D. For the finishing touch, add the 2 tbsp of brown sugar and the  ¼ tbsp of cinnamon. Then mix again until they have been combined with the sauce. 1. NOTE: You must mix or the applesauce will not ... Presentation Free Essays on Applesauce Speech/Presentation How to make Applesauce I. Introduction A. Many people like to eat different types of food for breakfast. Some like the more traditional eggs and ham, pancakes and good old oatmeal. I on the other hand, love to eat applesauce for breakfast. Not only does it taste good but it is quick to make and just as quick to clean up. Once you learn how to make applesauce, you can go to school with a good breakfast in your stomach. B. The purpose of this is to teach you how to make applesauce because it is quick, easy and extremely good for you (Has a rich source of pectin, which has cancer fighting properties as well as regulate digestion.) C. Before you begin making your apple sauce you will need the following: 5 Regular size apples (Any apple can be used, but be warned, each has its own unique taste.) ,  ¼ tbsp of cinnamon, 2 tbsp of brown sugar,  ¼ c. of apple cider. The equipment that will be needed is one masher, one knife, one saucepan w/ cover, a measuring tool to measure the cups, a tablespoon and a mixing device. II. Making the apple sauce A. Peel the apples and core the apples. Then slice into small pieces; either eights or quarters. 1. If you prefer, you don’t have to peel the apples. Leaving the skin on is actually better for you since it adds more nutrition to the end result. B. Put the apples as well as the  ¼ c. of apple cider into a saucepan. Set the stove to a low or medium temperature. Cover the saucepan. 1. If you want to add water or apple juice instead of apple cider, that is also fine. C. After 20 minutes in the saucepan, remove the cover and begin to mash the apples. 1. This shouldn’t take very long since the apples should practically fall apart into the sauce. D. For the finishing touch, add the 2 tbsp of brown sugar and the  ¼ tbsp of cinnamon. Then mix again until they have been combined with the sauce. 1. NOTE: You must mix or the applesauce will not ...

Everything You Need to Know about the Stone Barrington Books

Everything You Need to Know about the Stone Barrington Books The 36th Stone Barrington novel by Stuart Woods, Scandalous Behavior, debuted at #1 on the bestseller lists, as usual. Thirty-six novels featuring one character is a lot, although it’s not a record- there are examples of books series that span hundreds of books, although most of those feature a mixture of authors. Still, when a series featuring a single character gets to be that long, the author is obviously doing something right, and that kind of success naturally makes a book-hungry person wonder if it could be a rich vein for them to mine when their usual supply of novels runs dry- but on the other hand, thirty-six novels (with the thirty-seventh due out later this year) can be a bit intimidating. So here’s what you need to know about the Stone Barrington novels. Character Sketch So, is Stone Barrington a guy you want to spend a lot of time with? Here’s what you need to know: His parents were both born to wealthy families, but were both disinherited because they refused to conform to familial expectations, a strain of rebelliousness that Stone himself inherited. He grew up in New York and attended public schools and graduated with a law degree, but after a ride-along in a police car decided to join the NYPD. In New York Dead he’s at the tail-end of his career as a Lt. Detective, rehabbing an injury and at odds with his superiors; in the middle of that story he’s forced out of the force and takes the Bar Exam to become a lawyer, and is hired by a tony law firm to be â€Å"of counsel.† Basically, the firm uses Stone to handle cases they don’t want sullying their reputation, and the work slowly makes Barrington a pretty wealthy guy- which is good, because he already had some very expensive tastes. You can’t help but see Woods in Barrington; much of Barrington’s jet-setting lifestyle seems like a slightly exaggerated version of Woods’ own life, from the pilot’s license to the knowledge of wines and food (Woods once wrote a very successful guide to restaurants and hotels in England and Ireland). Barrington travels the world, can handle himself in almost any situation, has a very active love life, and is a lot of fun to spend time with. His dislike of authority and his sense of humor are ideal for a character who is always sticking his intelligent nose where it’s not wanted. By the way, if you think Stone Barrington is a pretty silly name, you’re not alone: Woods’ editors reportedly tried very hard to convince him to change it. In Order The Stone Barrington books include, in publication order: New York Dead (1991)Dirt (1996)Dead in the Water (1997)Swimming to Catalina (1998)Worst Fears Realized (1999)L.A. Dead (2000)Cold Paradise (2001)The Short Forever (2002)Dirty Work (2003)Reckless Abandon (2004)Two Dollar Bill (2005)Dark Harbor (2006)Fresh Disasters (2007)Shoot Him If He Runs (2007)Hot Mahogany (2008)Loitering With Intent (2009)Kisser (2010)Lucid Intervals (2010)Strategic Moves (2011)Bel-Air Dead (2011)Son of Stone (2011)D.C. Dead (2011)Unnatural Acts (2012)Severe Clear (2012)Collateral Damage (2013)Unintended Consequences (2013)Doing Hard Time (2013)Standup Guy (2014)Carnal Curiosity (2014)Cut and Thrust (2014)Paris Match (2014)Insatiable Appetites (2015)Hot Pursuit (2015)Naked Greed (2015)Foreign Affairs (2015)Scandalous Behavior (2016)Family Jewels (T/K 2016) A few quick take-aways here: Through 2010 Woods had written 18 Stone Barrington Novels in 13 years, which is a brisk but not unusual pace; beginning in 2011 he published 19 more in just six years, with as many as four new Barrington novels hitting the shelves in a single year. According to interviews with Woods, he’s not only writing all of these books himself (unlike certain other ‛prolific’ best-sellers), he’s writing so many Barrington novels because his publisher requested that he do so. Key Barrington The series does follow a very loose chronology in the sense that past events and characters do occasionally pop into new stories (and some of Woods’ other characters from other series show up from time to time, as well. That said, this is a series you can read in any order, really, with only the occasional mystery reference to past events. Barrington is one of those characters whose charm is their consistency. The two caveats are: One, read New York Dead first. It’s not only the first-published, it’s the book that sets up Barrington’s back-story, so it’s really the one essential starting point; Two: 2004’s Reckless Abandon is a continuation of a story begun in Woods’ Holly Barker novel Blood Orchid, so you might want to read that one first. So, whether you dig up New York Dead and start at the beginning, pick up the first Barrington book you find, or seek out Scandalous Behavior right now, you’re going to have a pretty good time getting to know one of the thriller world’s best characters.

Why is collaboration technology important Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Why is collaboration technology important - Essay Example These Web 2.0 applications are responsible for facilitating participatory sharing of information, the use of interoperability and the user-centered design regimes. This helps the organization grow as a whole and the employees reap the rich benefits that are linked with it in more ways than one. The collaboration technology settings are important as nearly all organizations are profit-driven and aim to explore what lies ahead of them through the application of resources and proper deployment of tasks and activities (Mora-Valentin, 2011). It would be tantamount to suggesting that the usage of collaboration technology would immensely increase the profits and accumulate positive vibes about the technological hold the organization finds itself plugged with. The collaboration technology therefore is a much desired regime which will assist the employees since they are proactively looking forward to bringing results at the end of the day. It would be a good fit to find more collaboration tec hnology software that shall facilitate working methodologies in the long

The Logic of Customer Satisfaction and Retention of Hilton Group Plc Research Paper

The Logic of Customer Satisfaction and Retention of Hilton Group Plc - Research Paper Example The traditional and the conventional way of doing business are becoming obsolete as newer methods are taking up the slots and it is particularly true for the service industry. In the case of the service industry, the customer is the undoubted king and every possible measure is initiated so that the esteemed customer is not just satisfied but is happy so that he is retained as the industry knows the fact very well that it is more difficult to get hold of a new customer than to retain an existing client. The logic of customer satisfaction and retention also applies to the hotel industry and renowned hotel chain - Hilton Group, Plc is no different. In the case of a hotel group, the service offered is totally dependent upon the people and the team of the group. Therefore, there is absolutely no doubt about the fact that human resource management is one of the most crucial aspects of such organisations. In fact, in the competitive industry of today, human resource policies are not just limited with that of the employee development and handling of employee grievances but also contribute towards the customer satisfaction and thereby towards the profitability of the group. In 2001, the renowned hotel group had more than 60,000 employees across 500 hotels all over the globe, in 50 countries. For the convenience of the business, the group had divided the operations of the hotel into four different global divisions namely UK and Ireland, Europe – the Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific and the Americas. Each of the divisions had dedicated a team of professionals to run their operations under the leadership of the Area Presidents. In the year 1999, the group joined hands with another hotel group of repute named Stakis, Plc and undertook a number of initiatives to upkeep the momentum of the employees going. The group came up with two prominent schemes namely the ‘equilibrium’ and the ‘esprit’.

Discussion and Participation Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Discussion and Participation Questions - Essay Example Another factor to consider is the quantity of philanthropic work companies performed. In order to foster an ethical work environment companies should have a formal code of ethics and an employee manual. Ethics can be used as a factor to gain an advantage over the competition. Social responsibility is one of the hottest trends in the business industry. 2. A company that has achieved great success and incredible levels of growth is Starbucks Cafe. This company took the concept of a coffeehouse to brand new level by offering products of greater quality, great product variety, and excellent customer service. One of the practices that make this company very socially responsible is its use of fair trade coffee. Fair trade coffee is a practice that guarantees poor farmers across the world at least $1.26 per pound of coffee which is twice the global price of that commodity. This firm has used innovation such as being one of the first coffeehouse to offer Wi-Fi broadband internet free of char ge. The firm has taken advantage of technologies to sell downloadable I-tunes. The company offers a lot of value by providing its customers with a great experience in all its stores worldwide. 3. To me it is not out of the ordinary that customization has become as valuable as standardization was at the beginning of the 20th century. Business has change and companies now have to provide a higher level of customer service and satisfaction. If a customer desires a customized product companies cannot afford to say no because that client will be lost forever and the competition will provide the potential client the customized product or service the person needs. In the service industry customization has become more important than ever. For example consultants provide a specialized customized service to each client they serve. 4. Participation professor Corporate values are very important towards the success a manager can achieve. A few years ago I worked at a company that was lacking any type of corporate ethics. The manager of the company lied to workers about compensation, incentives, and production quotas among other matters. The employees were offered incentives and the company never honored them. The lies and corruption at this company were so deep that the firm began to steal hours from the workers and the paychecks were received two to three weeks late every pay cycle. The lack of corporate ethics did not allow some of the good supervisors to do their job well since the employees lost all respect they had for the administration. 5. Participation – Matt An environmental factor of great importance that you mentioned in your response is pollution. Pollution has become one of the most dangerous environmental factors humanity faces. The rising levels of CO2 are contributing to the global warming effect. Humanity is destroying our rainforest at an alarming rate. It is estimated humanity deforestation problem is so bad that at current rate of deforestation a ll our rainforest will be gone within 100 years. Our water supply is not sufficient to provide water for the entire population of earth. In places such as the Sub-Saharan desert people do not have accessible drinkable water. Our society is so depend on crude oil that within 40 years it is possible that we may dried up all our petroleum reserves. 6. Participation - Kershena In your response you mentioned the importance of free trade agreements. Free trade agreement

How sex in advertising has negative effects on societies perception of Term Paper - 1

How sex in advertising has negative effects on societies perception of beauty - Term Paper Example This "How sex in advertising has negative effects on societies perception of beauty" essay outlines the impact of the usage of sex images in advertisement on our society and our standards of beauty. In most of the current advanced societies, children spend more times in front of televisions and computers rather than in play grounds. â€Å"Research has shown that young children—younger than 8 years—are cognitively and psychologically defenseless against advertising. They do not understand the notion of intent to sell and frequently accept advertising claims at face value†. Children during their early developmental stages may not possess the ability to segregate between good and evil. Moreover, children also possess intrinsic thirst for sexual activities even though it may not be visible or identifiable to others. When a sex provoking advertisement is displayed in front of the children, they are getting a new knowledge or a wrong message which they will keep in the ir mind forever. For example, bedroom scenes are common in the advertisements of condoms and beauty products. These advertisements often portray males as the symbol of strength or stamina and females as the symbol of beauty or figure. Children watching these advertisements may develop a feeling that only stronger men and beautiful women are capable of enjoying sexual life. In their 2002 thesis, â€Å"Effects of Sex in the Media,† scholars Richard J. Harris and Christina L. Scott address the effect of visual cultures whose morals are affected by this advertising. They say a worldview that progressively reflects the perception of the media may be refined by repeated contact to a regular set of messages. As an example, they say â€Å"watching numerous sitcoms and movies showing teenagers being sexually active may cultivate acceptance of such a position in the viewer and thus weaken family- taught values against pre-marital sex.† So, the viewing of sexual images in adverti sing also distorts the moral values of teenagers, maybe even to the point of rebellion against the values their family taught them (Robertson, p.2) â€Å"Sex is used in commercials to sell everything from beer to shampoo to cars. New research is showing that teenagers' exposure to sexual content in the media may be responsible for earlier onset of sexual intercourse or other

See Order Instructions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

See Order Instructions - Essay Example Ð…ince itÃ'• unveiling in early 2004, BaÃ'•ecamp, the hoÃ'•ted project management application from 37Ã'•ignalÃ'•, haÃ'• received a lot of kudoÃ'•. BloggerÃ'• have praiÃ'•ed itÃ'• clean interface, major newÃ'•paperÃ'• have extolled itÃ'• focuÃ'• on collaboration and product reviewerÃ'• have applauded itÃ'• low price. I, too, waÃ'• impreÃ'•Ã'•ed when I previewed BaÃ'•ecamp'Ã'• featureÃ'• in Ð…oftware Development'Ã'• People and ProjectÃ'• NewÃ'•letter in May 2004. However, aÃ'• I've grown more familiar with BaÃ'•ecamp, I've found it hard to overlook one important detail: The application haÃ'• no way to produce a Gantt chart. Gantt chartÃ'•â€”thoÃ'•e horizontal bar chartÃ'• that Ã'•how dependencieÃ'• between taÃ'•kÃ'• and the eÃ'•timated time in which they might be completed—have been the mainÃ'•tay of project managerÃ'• ever Ã'•ince mechanical engineer Henry Gantt demonÃ'•trated in the early 1900Ã'• how one can be uÃ'•ed to track taÃ'•kÃ'•, workflow and Ã'•cheduling all at once. The Ã'•yÃ'•tem became Ã'•o popular that it'Ã'• Ã'•aid that managerÃ'• working on the Hoover Dam and the U.Ð…. interÃ'•tate highway Ã'•yÃ'•tem uÃ'•ed Gantt chartÃ'• to keep track of their projectÃ'•. Unfortunately, Gantt chartÃ'• haven't retained their popularity. Ð…ome criticÃ'• now argue that they pull a project manager'Ã'• focuÃ'• away from the project and onto perfecting pretty graphÃ'• that don't match reality.

How sex in advertising has negative effects on societies perception of Term Paper - 1

How sex in advertising has negative effects on societies perception of beauty - Term Paper Example This "How sex in advertising has negative effects on societies perception of beauty" essay outlines the impact of the usage of sex images in advertisement on our society and our standards of beauty. In most of the current advanced societies, children spend more times in front of televisions and computers rather than in play grounds. â€Å"Research has shown that young children—younger than 8 years—are cognitively and psychologically defenseless against advertising. They do not understand the notion of intent to sell and frequently accept advertising claims at face value†. Children during their early developmental stages may not possess the ability to segregate between good and evil. Moreover, children also possess intrinsic thirst for sexual activities even though it may not be visible or identifiable to others. When a sex provoking advertisement is displayed in front of the children, they are getting a new knowledge or a wrong message which they will keep in the ir mind forever. For example, bedroom scenes are common in the advertisements of condoms and beauty products. These advertisements often portray males as the symbol of strength or stamina and females as the symbol of beauty or figure. Children watching these advertisements may develop a feeling that only stronger men and beautiful women are capable of enjoying sexual life. In their 2002 thesis, â€Å"Effects of Sex in the Media,† scholars Richard J. Harris and Christina L. Scott address the effect of visual cultures whose morals are affected by this advertising. They say a worldview that progressively reflects the perception of the media may be refined by repeated contact to a regular set of messages. As an example, they say â€Å"watching numerous sitcoms and movies showing teenagers being sexually active may cultivate acceptance of such a position in the viewer and thus weaken family- taught values against pre-marital sex.† So, the viewing of sexual images in adverti sing also distorts the moral values of teenagers, maybe even to the point of rebellion against the values their family taught them (Robertson, p.2) â€Å"Sex is used in commercials to sell everything from beer to shampoo to cars. New research is showing that teenagers' exposure to sexual content in the media may be responsible for earlier onset of sexual intercourse or other

Conducting a Physical Assessment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Conducting a Physical Assessment - Research Paper Example ystem consists mainly of his new-found friends at the same seniors facility, including those much older than him and who may have slightly different viewpoints on life and on other more important matters. His attitude is generally positive, looking to enjoy the rest of his life in a quiet manner. In this portion of the paper, the client is assessed based on a variety of factors which can affect his physical, emotional and mental health, either positively or negatively. Each factor is a reflection of how this factor impacts on a person throughout a certain period in his life. Two social factors – the first is making new friends at the seniors facility, which is quite a positive impact and the other factor is engagement in various leisure activities such as playing games of bowling or chess. Bowling is a relatively mild physical activity, while chess stimulates the brain and helps prevent or delay mental ailments, like Alzheimers or dementia. Any social or mild physical activity is encouraged to keep the client fit, as a potential nursing diagnosis. Two cultural factors – the client is not a native English speaker, and therefore speaks the dialect of his birth or his mother tongue. His English language proficiency skills is average, so he longs for people who can speak his own language. He also feels homesick at times, and he wants a nurse assigned who speaks the same language, as it can affect health (Andrews & Boyle. 2008, p. 265). The impact of this inability to return before he dies is negative, causing sadness or depression. In his old country, smoking is generally considered acceptable, especially among the males. It has a negative impact on his health as he had smoked for decades; he stopped smoking recently. An actual nursing diagnosis is to make smoking cessation a permanent fixture. Two economic factors – the client is well provided for, considering his children are well off and working in good paying jobs. Besides, he also has an adequate

Social Class Essay Example for Free

Social Class Essay Would it be wiser to develop a new brand, or can it successfully market the same product to the under and over 50s? 5. In view of the anticipated growth of the 50-plus market should Oil of Olay consider a new strategy for its face cream? Would it be wiser to develop a new brand, or can it successfully market the same product to the under and over 50s? 6. What kind of subcultural (ethnic, race, age and sex) segmentation would best assist the marketer with the following products and services? 1. A digital microphone 2. An MP3 player 3. Jeans 4. Snap-chill meals 5. A new alcoholic lemonade 6. A tourist package to Vietnam and Pakistan . A personal telephone number 1. Some food goods, such as cans of pork, those people who are Moslem do not have pork and sometimes they substitute beef for pork. In this scenario, it has been of importance that manufacturers cannot produce the food associated with pork if they tend to target Moslem market. Otherwise, the customer of Moslem would be excluded. Take a Nutrilite as an example, it is a kind of nutritious medicine, like Blackmores in Au, it got different kinds of medicine, one of products is called protein powder that the people always going to gym should take after they finish the training. Also, for elders linked to the age subculture, the company produces each product in terms of some illness that is potential to them when they get older. Meanwhile, the likelihood of illness will decline if these aged people insist taking it. 2. Baby boomers: Those people are reaching the retirement age and they could be the largest customers using TV because they would spend lots of time at home. The company can give customers from the age of babyboomer some discounts once they plan to sign the contrast with Foxtel company duo to these people have potential to become the lasting customers. Generation X: consist of people born from 1965 to 1979, this group of people has accepted the higher education already and some of them work in a big company, earning higher salaries. Those people are in no rush to marry. For advertising companies, they should stress the advantage (eg. Credibility and naturalness of ingredients) of Paying TV services. The advertising company should attract these people since they like music, fashions and language. Generation Y: consist of people born between 1980 and 1994. Those people are more open to change and looking for next gadgets. These people use the internet almost everyday and the advertising company can have a try that linking the tv service to the internet. Also, this group of people is characterized by the informal groups, like friends and they prefer to imitate what friends do. 3. The business can give the elders discount if they purchase the necessity, such as walking stick. Particularly, if some elders make a consumed decision, such as buy a new car, then the government should cut the tax rate that elders should pay by the mortgage or cash. The allowance given to elderly depends on what sort of decisions they make and the income earn. 4 I think the oil of ulan should develop a new product since customers between 50 and over-50s have different skin. For instance, the skin with elders has more wrinkles and the company should design specific products for the people who are more than 50. The company can not market the same product but can develop a new brand that is a branch of Oil of Ulan. As a result, the two brands can segment different groups of customers and position the products. . A digital microphone and an mp3 player) age. As young and older people have different aspects regarding the interests. The young people prefer to go to ktv and even stay here overnight and a digital microphone is useful for those people as they utilize it to practice singing. While for olders, they are less likely to use this modern devices and the one they like maybe reading newspaper, opera, or walking in the park etc. Jeans) age and sex. Some famous brands of jeans, such as levi’s and lee are welcomed by young people. Particularly, the series of CLOT of Edison chen is so fancy that a large number of young fans like it. Also, some females like jeans as it could reveal the beautiful body when they wearing it. Snap-chill meals and a alcoholic lemonade) ethnic. Some people from Mexico like chill very much and that’s why in Mexico, there is a kind of strong chill called ‘ devil chill’. However, some people from southern areas in China, those people like sweet food while people in north-west like chill and beer since the weather is very cold and they eating chill to warm themselves. For a lemonade, some people like drinking beer. A tourist package to Vietnam and Pakistan) age. Nowadays, both young and older people like travelling. However, young people have more curious about the outside world and they prefer to have a look by travelling. A personal phone number) ethnical . Some religious people do not like some numbers like 4, they think 4 sounds like ‘death’ in Chinese. Consequently, when they choose the cell number , they prefer to choose the lucky number even though they spending much more money to purchase the number.

Major Causes Of Information Systems Failure Information Technology Essay

Major Causes Of Information Systems Failure Information Technology Essay What are the major causes of information systems failures. What strategies can organisations take to face the challenges and ensure the success. An information system project according to Ewusi-Mensah (1997) is any information technology project intended to meet the information processing need of an organization. In Critical issues in abandoned information system projects, Ewusi-Mensah(1997) stated that information system projects implementation requires collaboration of Information system staff that deploys and educate on the use of the software to drive the project, end users and management. It is a group-oriented activity organized and executed in teams and therefore subject to the unpredictability of group dynamics, interactions, coordination, and communication ( Ewusi-Mensah ,1997). An information system is a set of elements (people, data, and procedures) working together to provide useful information (Senn, 1990, p8). Also, information system (IS) is any set of information technology and peoples activities using that technology to backup operations, management, and decision-making (SEI Report, Glossary ). In a wider sense, the word information system is often used to refer to the relationship between people, algorithmic processes, data and technology. Therefore, the term is used to refer not only to the information and communication technology (ICT) an organization uses, but also to the way in which people interact with this technology in support of business processes (Kroenke, D. M. 2008). An information system consists of computers, instructions, stored facts, people and procedures. A systems failure occurs when a system does not meet its requirements or when the level of discontentment with a system increases to the level that there is no enough provision to sustain it. Â  Information system project failure may be as a result of its inability to meet users requirements and/or overruns pertaining to budget or completion time (Yeo, K. T. 2002). Studies have shown that many failed projects are over budget, some by as much as 189%. May, L (1998) in Major causes of software failure stated that only one-sixth (16.67%) of projects are finished as schedule and within budget. An information system failure can cause financial loss, commercial embarrassment, loss of customers and revenue streams, sanctions and the loss of staff morale or stakeholder allegiance in an organization. Examples of system failures includes an alarm system that fails to sound when pressed, an automated door that fails to open and close on its own accord on approach, ammunition that detonates pre maturely, and other similar conditions. This article discusses the causes of information system project failures and strategies organizations can take to face the challenges and ensure success. The Standish group (1995) in (Yeo, K. T. 2002) classified project outcome as Type 1, Type 2 and Type 3. According to the group, 16.2%,52.7% and 31.1% of projects fall into Types 1,2 and 3 classes respectively. A successful project classified as the Type 1 projects are those that were successfully implemented within the stated time and budget with all required features and functionality specified. The challenged projects classified as the Type 2 projects are those that suffer budget overruns and/ or program slips thereby failing to completely achieve its goal even though they are completed and operational while Type 3 project classified as the Impaired projects are those cancelled or abandoned at some point during the development cycle The Standish group (1995) in (Yeo, K. T. 2002). Technical failure may not necessarily be the cause of project impairment, lack of adoption of a technically faultless Information system project by end users or corporate management consequently resulting in its lack of use or underutilization denotes failure (Yeo, K. T. 2002). From this view point, Information system is said to be a socio-technical system. Land and Hirschheim (1983) described an information sys tem as a social system that uses information technology. This can be explained in the sense that as a technical system, a system that fails in an organization can be successfully implemented in another organization while as a social system an Information system can be successfully implemented in an organization while the implementation of another information system can result in failure (Davies G. B. et al, 1992). Information System as a type of socio-technical system The mediating concept between actions and technology is refer to as information systems.(Beynon-Davies P. 2009). The technical system dimension consists of both operational and functional features. The operational features apply to the technology(effectiveness of the hardware or software as well as the friendliness of the technologys user interfaces) while the functional features relate to the performance relative to expected functionality . Technology as a component of the technical system refers to hardware, software and other related technology. This pertains to the functionality of the system, whether it is up or down when a person needs to use it. User interfaces refers to the link between the human user and the software/hardware technology (input screens, output screens, paper input forms and paper output reports). Error rates in the transfer of data from one medium to another and the time that users require to become familiar with the system all constitute indicators of performance of the implemented system while Information requirements as a technical system component refers to the ability of the Information system implemented to give new capabilities than the one being replaced. Careful study of the organization to know its information need is essential ( Davies G. B. et al). The social system refers to the features of organizational setting which exist in an organization even as people enter and leave the organization. The components of this system include; acceptance/rejection of the technical system, theories in use, measures of performance to expectation and the developmental process of the system. Rejection or underutilization may be based on the premise that the introduction of new technology is instrumental to deskilling or job loss (Davies G. B. et al, 1992). Characteristic features of Information system project Information system projects are capital and labour intensive usually requiring a huge sum of money to implement. Its failure can cause a huge financial loss to an organization and therefore there is need for adequate planning before its implementation to ensure that desired expectations are met. An information system is a type of socio-technical system which is critical to the survival and well-being of companies. As a result, the right technology must be deployed and the end users educated on its use and benefits. Also, Brooks in Ewusi-Mensah (1997) stated that IS projects are conceptual in nature (i.e. it is pure thought stuff which is invisible and unvisualizable). In addition, there are certain risks and uncertainties such as large project size, unfamiliarity with the new technology and unstable information requirements associated with projects that are difficult to assess prior to the start of the project. IS projects as stated earlier are group oriented requiring members from different backgrounds and therefore require a high degree of coordination and clear lines of communication to ensure success Ewusi-Mensah (1997). Reasons for Information System implementation To increase productivity in order to maintain competitive advantage To enhance business operations through the re-engineering of an organisations processes Changes in activities of an organisation or in the nature of the organisation. Technological Changes can lead to new production processes or using alternative materials in the manufacturing process Classification of system failures There are four major categories of Information system failure according to Lyytinen and Hirschheim (1987). The categories are as follows; Process failure: this occurs when an Information system project cannot be developed within an allocated budget and/or time schedule. The project development results in overspending in both cost and time. Correspondence failure: this occurs when the objectives and goals of the systems design are not met. Interaction failure: this is attributed to the level of end-user usage or adoption or acceptance of the implemented information system. User attitudes, data packets, user satisfaction and the degree of adoption are measures of usage of information system usage. Expectation failure: this is the inability of a system to meet its stakeholders requirement, expectations or values Another classification of failures according to Ben Meadowcroft in Why Systems fail is; Hard ware design/specification error Software developmental error: this is error due to imperfect software development as a result of inadequate test run of the program and poor user interface among others End user error: this arise a result of inadequate training and/or user resistance. Majors causes of information systems failure Unclear goals: lack of well defined project goals and objectives which is key to the success of any IS project development. There is also need to state clearly the information need of an organization and also the adoption process before attempting to introduce an information system(Lucas in Davies G. B. et al 1992) Improper reporting structure/Miscommunication: since the development of large IS projects is the work of a team drawn from diverse groups of people with responsibilities to ensure the projects success which includes IS staff, end users and senior management, there is need for the establishment of clear lines of communication and well defined lines of authority and responsibility among team members. Communication in project teams is essential to sort out dispute concerning requirements of design decisions among project members (Curtis et al 1988). Inept/incompetent leadership: Poor management of the project and lack of good leadership responsible for coordination and control, measurement of progress and making of vital decisions at different phases of the project. Poor technology base or infrastructure: lack of adequate technological base needed for successful implementation of the kind of systems development being considered. According to Land in G. B. Davis et al, the distance between the existing system and the replacement system is essential for the success of an information system. Poor project management: this has to do with inadequate measurement system to measure progress and equally identify potential risks in time to mitigate them. Lack of technical competence: the technological know-how of information systems staff is very vital to the success of IS projects as lack of familiarity with an information technology new to the IS staff is contributory to IS project failure. If a user is improperly trained then the likelihood of them making major errors is increased due to their lack of knowledge of the system. Failures by reason of lack of training should not be regarded as an error due to the individual operator as is likely with a poorly designed user interface, but as a mistake by the management. Scope creep: projects excessively grand in scope usually have higher risks and higher complexities and therefore more prone to failure. Scope is the initial blueprint of an implementation plan. Faulty hardware faulty hardware can bring about serious system failure. This factor is then again an essential one that should be given due consideration together with the more common software errors. Faulty hardware should be taken into thought when designing the systems in order to try and reduce the impact of the failure. Hardware failure is not as likely to occur as software faults but can be as damaging. Poor selection decision of project team members: the project team composition is also vital for the success of the information system project. Strategies organisations can take to ensure success of information system projects. Firstly, to ensure success of information system projects there is need for a clear and well defined IS goal. Every member of the IS project management team as well as stakeholders should know the specific information requirement of the organization as well as how to go about satisfying it. This is important to guide the information requirements phase of the development process. Failure in this area will lead to fragmented efforts and lack of focus in assembling facts to guide the rest of the development (Curtis et al 1988). Secondly, the selection of competent and qualified staff to serve as members of IS project team is very vital for successful project implementation (Brooks, 1981). Team members should be those with real prior experience and who are equally familiar with the technology being deployed. Improved training of the end users will significantly reduce system failures and improve the integrity of data stored on the computer systems. The project team should consist of the most successful people of the organization (Nah et al, 2001). Lockheed Martin, a leading aeronautical group, stated that one of its keys to success was assembling a team capable of making and executing changes required (Stedman, 1999) Also, the imposition of structure on the developmental effort of the project helps to guide it to successful completion. It involves the division of the project into phases which helps the project team realize what deliverables for each stage are and to know the extent to which they have been met. It is also important that clear lines of authority, communication and responsibility among team members be drawn. This is important since the team members are drawn from diverse units. Selection of competent leaders who will ensure that proper management and control practices are adhered to and enforced in the implementation process of an Information system is vital. Adequate safeguards and oversight by management is necessary to ensure technical personnels compliance with accepted industry standards for reporting and dealing with problems uncovered in any phase of system development. The leader should be one with both application-domain knowledge and software knowledge. There should also be regular periodic meetings to discuss the systems development effort. A successful implementation of a project is only attainable when high-level executives possess a strong commitment to the project (Davenport, 2000). Senior executives at Farmland Industries demonstrated its support to project team members by providing financial incentives to motivate the project team members. The technological infrastructure available in a company needs to be critically assessed to determine it is adequate to support the kind of system development that is to be implemented. Care should be taken not to embark on IS project development until management have the assurance that the companys technological base is adequate. Assurance from the Management Information System management should be taken to reduce the risk s and uncertainties associated with system development works. There is need for the maintenance of scope. The ability to maintain scope is related to planning and this is attainable for companies both small and large. Geishecker (1999) stated that Colgate-Palmolive Company itemised scope maintenance as a contributory factor to their success. The roll out approach for the implementation of the information system project is a very important consideration under scope maintenance. There are two approaches namely the big bang approach and the gradual (phased) rollout approach. Both approaches have their prons and cons. Oil giant Chevron attributes a phased roll out to the successful implementation of an information system project. Home Depot has also successfully implemented several modules of an Information system using the phased roll out approach (Mearian, 2000). Phased roll-out approach though more expensive and usually taking longer time, offer reduced business risk (Davenport, 2000). Internal readiness/training is also vital for the successful implementation of an information system project. The most common failure factor recorded was that of readiness for change. All employees must be trained on the new system in order to prevent underutilization of the system. Also managers must understand the implication of the system and the changes it will cause. If managers are not in agreement or cooperation, then there will be no eagerness or buy-in and this may result to resistance or lack of adoption of the new system (Davenport, 2000). Planning/development /budgeting are necessary for the success of an information system project. Planning should be intimately identified with maintaining scope during an implementation. Ineffective planning results in cost overruns and development delays. Home Depot, Lockerheed Martin and Mead Corporation are examples of companies attributing success to planning. As stated earlier, many projects especially failed ones are over budget, some as much as 189 percent. Adequate testing of the system is a key element for the successful implementation of the system. It is reported that Gillette Company withstood five months of severe testing procedures before their successful go-live date (CIO, 2000). Also, Eastman Kodak was able to complete what at the time was the largest implementation on record as a result of testing (PR Newswire, 2001). Whirlpool Corporation attributes inadequate testing as its single reason for unsuccessful and costly implementation. The company gambled on its testing program by cutting down the amount of time needed to test run the new system before implementing it in a bid to meet deadlines Conclusion The goal of this was to identify the major causes of information systems failures and strategies organisations can take to face the challenges and ensure the success? Towards this goal different articles and journals were examine. The project team compostion, management support , internal readiness of the employees, existence of technolgical infrastructure able to support and sustain the new system to be implemented, well defined goals which is in line with the organizations goal, adquately tested system, clear and well defined reporting structure and good leadership are all vital ingredients to ensure the successful implementation as well as utilization of a newly deployed information system. It is to be noted that even though a system technically faultless, underutilization as a result of lack of full acceptance or understanding of how to adopt the information system for day to day operation amounts to failure of the information system. For this reason, the management must enlighte n the users of the deployed information system on the need for the change as well as attached benefits. Finally, though appropraite measures should be put in place to prevent failure of the information system project, they may still occur; but when they occur, a system failure analysis which is an investigation to determine the underlying reasons for the nonconformance to the system requirement in order to identify the causes of nonconformance equally recommend appropraite correction measures. This is because failure could have benefits expecially in relation to learning,especially in understanding the developmental process of a system and steps to take to prevent failure of future Information System development projects. Word Count = 2,932 REFERNECES Mearian, L. (2000), CEO: SAP installation caused problems, ComputerWorld, Vol. 34 No. 48, p. 20. Nah, F.F., Lau, J.L. and Kuang, J. (2001), Critical factors for successful implementation of enterprise systems, Business Process Management Journal, Vol. 7 No. 3, pp. 285-96. Ben Meadowcrof, Why Systems Fail. http://www.benmeadowcroft.com/reports/systemfailure/ Beynon-Davies P. (2009). The language of informatics: the nature of information systems. International Journal of Information Management. 29(2). 92-103 CIO (2000), Does ERP build a better business?, 15 February, pp. 114-24. Davenport, T. (2000), Mission Critical Realizing the Promise of Enterprise Systems, Harvard Business School Publishing, Boston, MA. Geishecker, L. (1999), ERP vs best of breed, Strategic Management, March, pp. 63-6. Land, F. and Hirschheim, R. Participative Systems Design: Rationale, Tools and Techniques, Journal of Applied Systems Analysis, Vol. 10, 1983. Lyytinen, K. and Hirschheim, R. Information Systems Failures A Survey and Classification of the Empirical Literature, Oxford Surveys in IT, Vol. 4, 1987, pp. 257-309. May, L. (1998), Major causes of software project failure, Crosstalk, July. The Standish Group. The CHAOS Report (1995), 1995. http://www.standishgroup.com/chaos.html.

Sex Change Complicates Battle Over Child Custody :: Free Essays Online

Sex Change Complicates Battle Over Child Custody Florida state law does not recognize same sex marriage. In this case, the law had no way of proving whether or not Michael Kantaras is a man or a woman, since having a female to male sex change. Depending on this, it will decide whether or not he (pending on decision) will be able to keep custody of his adopted children. If society had not let technology surpass their conventional thinking and laws, this case would be easier to decide, or at least not pending on the sex of Mr./Mrs. Kantaras. If Florida law, and that of other places, had thought about all the consequences of technology, such a case as this never would have come to be so controversial. So, is Michael Kantaras really a man, or is she the woman she was born as? Janice G. Raymond would say that Michael Kantaras is really Margo. She believes that transsexuals can never really relate to the female persona and therefore never truly be a woman. She bases this belief on the idea of male privilege. This is the privilege that men receive just for being men; they get higher pay, more leadership opportunities, are always seen as more competent, etc. Even though men are born with this privilege and may not realize they have it, they still experience it and have that edge to allow them to advance in society. Because of this, Raymond claims that male to female sex changes cannot know how it really is to be a woman. They do not realize they have this privilege, but continue to live being dominant because it is inherently within them. Sandy Stone, a male to female transsexual, is angered by Raymond's view. She became a successful employee at Olivia Records, and obtained a head position. Olivia records emerged during the 1970s toward the end of the women's movement in an attempt to produce lesbian feminist music. It wanted for women to obtain the head positions and dominate the company, so once word got out about Sandy Stone's natural born sex, there was much controversy and debate on whether or not to keep her at the head position. Those who believed she should be fired sided with Raymond's view, that having been a male, Stone had an advantage in being brought up to be competitive. Sex Change Complicates Battle Over Child Custody :: Free Essays Online Sex Change Complicates Battle Over Child Custody Florida state law does not recognize same sex marriage. In this case, the law had no way of proving whether or not Michael Kantaras is a man or a woman, since having a female to male sex change. Depending on this, it will decide whether or not he (pending on decision) will be able to keep custody of his adopted children. If society had not let technology surpass their conventional thinking and laws, this case would be easier to decide, or at least not pending on the sex of Mr./Mrs. Kantaras. If Florida law, and that of other places, had thought about all the consequences of technology, such a case as this never would have come to be so controversial. So, is Michael Kantaras really a man, or is she the woman she was born as? Janice G. Raymond would say that Michael Kantaras is really Margo. She believes that transsexuals can never really relate to the female persona and therefore never truly be a woman. She bases this belief on the idea of male privilege. This is the privilege that men receive just for being men; they get higher pay, more leadership opportunities, are always seen as more competent, etc. Even though men are born with this privilege and may not realize they have it, they still experience it and have that edge to allow them to advance in society. Because of this, Raymond claims that male to female sex changes cannot know how it really is to be a woman. They do not realize they have this privilege, but continue to live being dominant because it is inherently within them. Sandy Stone, a male to female transsexual, is angered by Raymond's view. She became a successful employee at Olivia Records, and obtained a head position. Olivia records emerged during the 1970s toward the end of the women's movement in an attempt to produce lesbian feminist music. It wanted for women to obtain the head positions and dominate the company, so once word got out about Sandy Stone's natural born sex, there was much controversy and debate on whether or not to keep her at the head position. Those who believed she should be fired sided with Raymond's view, that having been a male, Stone had an advantage in being brought up to be competitive.

Tension and Suspense in The Red Room by H.G. Wells :: English Literature

Tension and Suspense in The Red Room by H.G. Wells In H.G Wells’ The Red Room tension and suspense are created through the characters, the plot and the setting. The setting is typical of Gothic and Victorian ghost stories. In these times there was no electricity so use of candles for light created an eerie atmosphere. They had no modern technology like televisions for entertainment so they used books and story telling. Also people in Victorians times were less educated than we were now so they relied more on religion than science which made them more gullible which adds to the suspense as they were more likely to believe this story. Short stories usually have to start well to attract a reader’s attention and keep it throughout. The best way to do this is to begin with an enticing level of tension and keep building up throughout the story. Wells uses literary techniques such as short clauses and good word choice to build up the suspense. The story is based on three old characters warning a man not to stay in the isolated red room, but him being over confident that nothing haunts the room, he goes and stays there over night. Talk about connotations of colour in the title!!!! The characters build the suspense straight away as they do not tell the man their names, which creates a lack of personalisation. It makes the reader feel as if they are hiding something, and that maybe they are subhuman. Also the description of each of the old characters is abnormal. The old man is described with a â€Å"withered arm† which is a feature of horror which can create pictures in the reader’s mind of peculiar person. â€Å"Decaying† and â€Å"yellow teeth† are both phrases which implies a huge contrast between the man and the old people. The man is young and confident about going to the red room and he is also un-believing in ghost. The old people are awkward to one anther and towards the man,†with their gaunt silences†, â€Å"evident unfriendliness†. He will fear these old people and if the narrator feels uneasy so will the reader. The repetition of warnings is another factor that creates suspense. Each of the characters warns the man repeatedly of the danger in the room. The man with the withered arm repeats several times â€Å"it’s your own choosing† The other old man shows his â€Å"small and bright and inflamed† eyes. His eyes are portrayed like fire, and fire is a symbol of danger. The young man again sees â€Å"another Glance of his red eyes†. The old woman repeats â€Å"this night of all nights†.

The concept of “morality” has traditionally informed notions of respectability within capitalist society

Particularly since the Industrial Revolution of circa 1790-1840 women have been subordinated in all walks of life by the patriarchal thinking of capitalist society. Humphries (1995) in Sociology 4th Edition looked at the traditional image of both men and women during the first half of the 20th Century and found that men were thought of as active, rational, less emotional and less sensitive whilst women were considered to be passive, irrational, emotional, weaker and more sensitive. During the first half of the 20th Century, women's social role was primarily within the home, showing a tendency towards domesticity, an instinctive predisposition towards nurturing and caring, being submissive towards and supportive of the male and having trivial interests. Women who had any role outside the home were generally in low paid, low skilled, part-time work. Men, however, traditionally held a social role outside the home and their position as father within the home was meticulously established and reinforced by women (Humphries, 1995 in Sociology 4th Edition). Therefore, patriarchy allows both sexes to defend the right to oppress and be oppressed. Feminists have embraced the term â€Å"patriarchy† to refer to male supremacy in all its forms. However, the real power of patriarchy is not in physical force but in institutional control. It must be understood that Western culture has a definite male partiality based on the fact that its methods of production and its financial strategy are intrinsically capitalist (Walby, 1990). The opinion of men is that they are more inclined towards issues which affect the efficient operation of social institutions and therefore, masculinity has for the most part governed social, economic and political concerns because of the rudimentary tenets on which traditional philosophy has been based. Ideological concepts of morality have governed social norms and values within capitalist society since its origin in the late 18th Century. The family, the Church and educational establishments are all organisations of socialisation. The media also plays an important part in socialisation but is, in fact, nothing more than an instrument of politically and financially powerful groups within society whose philosophical beliefs are considered superior to those who are exposed to it. The media can shape culture to some extent and it has been claimed that the same politically and economically dominant groups control both the media and, as a result, the culture. Therefore, it would be realistic to assume that the mass media can also control capitalist society's morality in the form of philosophical infiltration by those who would profit most from a selection of ideological perceptions. Political power is justified by social acceptance of the State's norms and values. State authority uses formal control and concepts of morality to regulate behaviour and preserve the interests of the ruling classes. State intervention in moral issues, for example, benefit payments to single mothers, validates the authority they hold and allows the State to govern those who are deemed unable to be self-disciplined and totally morally degenerate. Karl Marx states that from the moment of birth we are part of a social unit. He realised that individuals are not the creators of society but creatures of society and to this end he reasoned that the loss of individuality originates from the advancement of capitalist society. Marx claimed that what would seem to be a rational choice is, in fact, predestined by the class in which individuals find themselves. He critically analysed the ruling elite and dominant ideology that accompanied it to show how temporary, historically condition and produced features of society become everlasting facts of human nature. Marx's interest in the idea of â€Å"real† people, not the ideological notion of people, and their activities and interaction with each other, indicates his fixation with the economic structure of capitalism. The Functionalist argument for the rationalisation of social inequality is based on the belief that there is a necessity for functional roles within capitalist society. Functionalist ideology provides the justification for a proletariat and the incentive for self-improvement. Emile Durkheim and Talcott Parsons, both world-renowned Functionalists, argue that greater inequality within society encourages more competition and, as a result, greater effectiveness. The relationship between capitalist interests and dominant religious beliefs has been formed over several hundred years. The occupational authorities of any country with multi-religious philosophies are overwhelmingly Protestant Christian. Furthermore, business owners and individuals with high grades of expertise, in addition to commercially trained people, would also prove to be Protestant. However, religious association is not the cause of economic conditions but may be a result of them. Gender inequalities within capitalist society have become accepted primarily because religious teachings encourage clear-cut moral standards that women ought to aspire to. Religious bodies bestowed the responsibility of guarding husband's and children's decency upon women. Sexual inequalities are not biologically established but are the unequivocal result of culturally determined gender roles within capitalist society. Religious scriptures and Bible texts predominantly underpin society's notions of morality. Countryman (1992) in Sociology 4th Edition found that biblical teachings about sexual behaviour are principally focussed in the direction of the control of women's conduct and have their foundations based in social unease about purity and property rights over women and children. The origins of capitalist society commenced in the 14th and 15th Centuries with Puritan and Calvinistic doctrines. Puritan ideology was based on the notion of foregoing wealth on earth for future glory. The wealthy led exceptionally self-denying lifestyles, believing luxury to be a sin. They were particularly parsimonious and did not squander their accumulated wealth but merely reinvested it to further expand their economic activities. In so doing, they were unable to accomplish their substantial involvement in future financial expansion. On the other hand, Calvinists openly flouted the commonly held belief that human beings are God's instruments on earth. They believed that they were required by the Almighty to toil in a vocation that sanctioned His great glory. Perhaps more importantly, another aspect of Calvinism was the concept of predestination where only certain individuals would enter Heaven after death. The Calvinists believed that who would enter Heaven was predetermined by God and nothing could be done to change it. However, this belief caused such anxiety and consternation that â€Å"the Almighty† revised His position and deemed certain qualities worth of selection for life eternal! This is proof that dominant ideology can alter to suit humankind. Calvinist ideology therefore gave credence to Max Weber's argument that the fundamental nature of capitalism lay in this line of reasoning in that vocational devotion and material affluence became the most sought after qualities before God, which loaned substantial motivation towards economic achievement. Although Weber's theory has been criticised by many, it offers a convincing, modern, economic and social explanation which has been indirectly prejudiced by something that appears to be undeniably abstract from it; that is, a collection of spiritual principles. The English Reformation that took place particularly between 1529 and the early 1600's resulted in a new form of control for the Church, not the elimination of that control. Monasteries either vanished or were reduced to a pile of stones and the contents of parish churches were destroyed. The newly dominant monarchy forced Acts of Parliament recognising the king as supreme head of the Church. By 1603, England's aesthetically pleasant magnificence was no longer to be found in great churches but in the marvellous palaces of the monarchy and the stately homes of the nobility. Even for the working classes, the ceremonial splendour once found in Latin Mass was now only to be found in magnificent representation of Queen Elizabeth I (Lost Treasures of Britain). The English Church was severed from Rome in 1532-33 and Thomas Cromwell was, in 1535 given the role of the king's vicar-general. In 1538, Cromwell and his corrupt commissioners were told to demolish all well-known shrines. Relics were to be removed to the Tower of London and the shrine was ordered destroyed. At around the same time, Thomas Cromwell was also the key player in the dissolution of the monasteries (Lost Treasure of Britain). Western definitions of religion correspond closely with a belief in one supreme being who commands us to behave in accordance with moral conventions of Christianity found in the Bible; the same moral standards that directly insubordinate women. Cahill (1996) indicates that Christian ethics may present convincing criticism of sexual and procreative activities, gender expectations and family forms, all of which dominate the female gender. Although Cahill (1996) indicates that this does not essentially suggest that gender differences are not inbuilt and grant the male gender power over the female gender in capitalist society, she adopts a feminist point of view, which tries to gain equal personal respect and equal social authority for both men and women. Karl Marx believed that human beings endure harsh conditions, prejudices and discrimination because of religious indoctrination. The Bible gives accounts that justify inequalities of wealth and power, accounts of suffering and teach attitudes of non-resistance, for example, â€Å"It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God† and â€Å"whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also†. In conclusion, it appears that the English Reformation, the destruction of shrines and relics and the dissolution of the monasteries all participated together to suppress the religious houses and secularise their property. However, religious teaching have not been concealed by these occurrences and it would appear that the Church Universal and the ruling classes have been working in partnership to control humankind's morality since the early 16th Century.

Chateau de Vallois

Jennifer Xing 1. The disadvantages of Chateau de Vallois going into the cheap wine market 1) Launching a new product, and entering a new market will require large investment upfront, for doing research, hiring new staff, acquiring new land. 2) It is a risky investment since the new product market is very unfamiliar to the company. The market, competitors, consumer preference, even the climate is unfamiliar for the company. ) The launch of cheap wine may hurt the brand image of the luxury line. Consumers may feel less prestigious if they suspect that the grapes are not attended to as well as before, because the new winery took time away from taking care of the traditional land.Consumers may also suspect that the wine is made out of grapes that are used to make cheap wine, thus less willing to buy the expensive wine from the company. The advantages ) Chateau de Vallois can diversify away the financial risk of a bad year for grapes or economics depression, by having a operation in Calif ornia that is not as elastic as the luxury brand 2) With the new cheap brand, Chateau de Vallois will be able to capture a broader base of consumers. The family brand name will occupy a larger share of the wine industry. 3) The new cheap brand, if captures the young consumers, when the young look for good wines, they will be more likely to look into Chateau de Vallois’ high price wine. 2.Claire is forward looking, profit-driven, and expansionary, while Francois is traditional, reserved, and risk-averse. Gaspard can keep everybody happy by allowing Claire to set up a different brand in California, and leave the France winery to Francois. The different brand is essential not a part of Chateau de Vallois, thus Francois wouldn’t worry while Claire can still try out her business venture. 3. Three specific suggestions 1) Claire can start from scratch in California, acquire existing winery or start with a joint venture.I suggest an acquisition of existing winery, so Claire wi ll have the expertise of the existing staff members who are familiar with the estate 2) Claire must design a new brand and logo separate from Chateau de Vallois, and be listed as a subsidiary, so the new brand enjoys the benefit of the prestigious brand name, but do not necessarily hurt the brand by entering the cheap market 3) Claire should bring in staff and experts from France to train the California staff of quality control, procedures and company culture.It is after all a Chateau de Vallois brand, and what can distinguish this new brand from other wines is its Chateau de Vallois family name. 4. I agree with de Rothschild that the winery could and should expand. I do not see the new expansion as a threat to the image of the older brand, especially if the new brand is well managed with ensured high quality that can even add to the brand prestige.Johnny Walker didn’t even bother to change the name of the brand, but its colored labels are very successful, catering to a spect rum of consumers. There are many upsides of the expansion. The new brand can capture new consumer segment, the new consumers can transfer to higher end wines, and the higher end buyers might even want to drink the cheaper kind on a more daily basis instead of putting the most expensive into wine cellar.

The Sovereign Debt Crisis in the Euro Region Essay

The Sovereign Debt Crisis in the Euro Region - Essay Example There were many European countries that agreed to pay out to potential investors on loan so that they could build their business or create a boom in their existing businesses. They started offering higher rates and better pay out to the bonds, and people started investing into them as their yield was comparably higher and better than the US security bonds that paid out less. There were quite many high risks lending and the loans that were being given out were not secure at all, thus when they defaulted this created a whole lot of collapses. Creating a joint pool of savings and money created a domino effect, if one country defaulted all the countries in the pool would be suffering and this created the situation that if one drowned the rest would go down too as the countries were all connected. The current economic situation will ultimately cause many businesses to shut down and thus this will impact the current job situation. When the firms will start to close down there will be many people who will become unemployed, and this will increase the poverty rate in countries as well. The countries will also face the loss of confidence and will have lesser external investments which would bring an overall halt in their economic growth. There are many reasons and causes that had resulted in the European crisis. The most prominent example is that of Ireland, they paid out loans without securities the investors and encouraged them to develop real state. The government assumed that this would boost their economies and bring in newer profits, but what they failed to acknowledge was what they would do if the borrowers failed to pay back. This created a property bubble and their economy started to tumble because of non-payments of debts. In Greece they became benevolent to the workers and started paying out them in a great amount with relaxed debt conditions, and many countries even borrowed from global investors to bring progress into the country, this created external debt s. Another real significant reason for the current crisis is that the government’s bailing out of large businesses, when they were suffering the financial crisis shocks, this caused the government to empty their own treasuries and have no benefits in return, they in turn themselves started borrowing a lot, and this led to them coming nearer to bankruptcies, as the inability to pay those large loans brought them on the verge of becoming bankrupt. The increase in imports of the smaller European nations brought about an increase in the trade imbalance which again affected the economies of these countries greatly; Germany was the only country that had a positive trade balance. The best and most common method that is adopted by the countries to face the economic crisis is to print money, which causes devaluation of the currency, in case of Euro zone this is not possible as the countries have a pooled in treasury, they cannot print money and thus the inflexibility causes the countr ies to suffer together, it reduces the immediate impact but then instead of one all countries get affected (Kolb 2011). It has been seen that once again the main issues related to the economic downturn has been caused by the Developed countries. The countries that are related to the European countries will have the greatest impact on the developing countries and the countries that are directly or indirectly related to these countries. For example if we have a look at China, they are the principal

Women's struggle during the harlem renaissance to modern times Essay

Women's struggle during the harlem renaissance to modern times depicted through literature - Essay Example This identity emerged as a result of mass immigration from the Southern states to the cities of the north such as New York, Chicago and Washington D.C. â€Å"The Great Migration† (Rau, 7) was due to the fact that even after the emancipation of the African-American slaves in 1863, the blacks suffered from segregation. The prevailing of social inequality in the Southern states and the growth of industries in the north were vital in the shifting of the ex-slaves to the New York City. It became the city of dreams, a place to uplift their positions. However for the women whether black or white â€Å"were expected to stay home and care for their families† (McKissack, 5). The situation of black women were worsened as they found it harder to get admission into colleges and had to resort to chores like â€Å"doing laundry, waiting tables, or being a nanny† (McKissack, 6). In this context, the Harlem Renaissance gave women the platform to express themselves. It is said that the â€Å"writers of the Harlem Renaissance occupy a crucial place in the history of the Afro-American Literature for the high artistic qualities† (Bloom, 223) as we find in Jean Toomer’s Cane and Nella Narsen’s Quicksand. In Cane, Toomer has shown the plight of Becky, a white woman who is treated as an outcaste for having two children by a black man but Karintha, a black woman is depicted as a woman admired by all. This novel claims to establish the supremacy of the black women over white. Quicksand is an autobiographical novel. Larsen is a child to a white mother and a black father. Therefore, in this novel she is able to depict the contradictions of living as a black woman in a society dominated by white ideology. It is a discourse on the prejudice of the white sentiment and their allegation to black women who possess inherent lasciviousness. The protagonist, Helga Crane represses her sexual desire as she fears that it may confirm to the stere otype notion about blacks as savage and

Failures of Cross Border Mega Mergers Research Paper

Failures of Cross Border Mega Mergers - Research Paper Example According to Ghemawat and Ghadar (2000), global mergers are made for a completely misguided and wrong reason. I support the arguments that the two authors advanced in their article,’ dubious logic of global mega-mergers. Nothing more explains the wrong reasoning behind the mergers except the levels of their failures. There much that should, therefore, guide international businesses while considering an international merger. This paper provides illustrations to support my position on this matter. Failures in cross border mega-mergers Ghemawat and Ghadar (2000) argues that the wisdom of the ‘winner takes it all’ in globalization and mega-mergers is misplaced and has no empirical evidence to support it. The craze for globalization has had no significant impact on the financial strengths and growth of a given company. To them, there is a need for executives to stop pursuing the biases that have led them to make mega-mergers and cross border deals. Globalizations have different facets, which are more economically viable as opposed to needless expansion. Cross border mergers are viewed by investment analysts as a way of making entries into a foreign market, and several reasons explain the high number of cross border mega-mergers around the globe. However, the high number of failures and low business experienced after international mergers strengthen the stand taken by Ghemawat and Ghadar (2000). The significant number of cross border mega failure has resulted in increased studies to ascertain whether the craze for acquisition and mergers is outplaced. Ghemawat and Ghadar (2000) are of the view that the increased number of crossed border mergers and acquisitions are a waste of resources and time to the companies as they are bound to fail. The process of expansion into new borders and foreign lands has a number of economic factors that need to be put into consideration. These include the foreign currency of operation, the socio-cultural and politica l set up of the nation and the political stability; therefore, any organization must factor in all these factors before making a step towards acquisition and mergers in foreign states (Sudekum, 2009). In cross border mergers, companies that have their headquarters and operation bases in different countries and regions come together and merge their operations, this results into the merger of different political and social settings that affect the operations of a business. Political, social and economic differences between countries make globalization and cross border mergers a tough undertaking. Differences in the fiscal policies also present a number of challenges to companies operating in foreign settings. The harmonization of fiscal policies even in the European Union has not created a business environment that is economically and politically homogenous. International labor laws in organizations also differ significantly. This present challenges to companies operating in new econo mic and political setups (Hughes, 2012). In the process of finalizing cross border mergers, companies tend to overlook essential factors and this has created failures in a number of mega-mergers.