Organizational Theory and Behavorial Problems/Ikea

Organizational Theory and Behavioral Problems/IKEA Ingvar Kamprad, founder of IKEA, has built a monumental business from the ground up. Through innovation and creativity, he gained valuable market share in an untapped market. By providing a great product at a great price, through exceptional customer service, IKEA has distinguished itself among some of the top international organizations. The common thread throughout the case is a patriarchal style of leadership. Although Kamprad’s style of leadership has led to the success of his business, I will assume that problems are beginning to surface and that future issues are being questioned. Through his leadership, Kamprad has taken a hands-on approach to running his organization and is involved at great lengths in the day-to-day operations of his business. Simply defined, a patriarch is â€Å"a man who rules a family, clan, or tribe†. (www. websters. com) In this case, IKEA is treated and run much like a family, clan, or tribe. Everyone is expected to have the same outlook on their position, the organization’s goals first in mind, and perform their job to benefit the organization, not the individual. The most immediate threat to IKEA is the difficulty in finding employees who will accept and adapt to IKEA’s philosophy. Job security is a tremendous issue with modern-day employees. Often, employees are more concerned with doing a mediocre job to secure their position than to take risks and be creative due to a fear of losing their job. Current economics has instilled a fear in employees that hinders creativity and the offering of suggestions and ideas. Another threat perceived by some employees as well as by some consumers is that IKEA is expanding at a rate that is difficult for them to keep up with. Stores are being established at multiple locations internationally at a rapid rate. This leads to the issue of whether or not IKEA is capable of handling this level of expansion and whether or not they have ample qualified employees to fill all vacant positions within the organization. Also, it is a growing concern that IKEA’s well-established reputation of impeccable customer service will deteriorate due to an overwhelming amount of new clients, new demand, etc. There is also the issue that employees find it difficult to follow the frugal spending procedures of IKEA when the company is making such a large profit. Kamprad personally follows the spending guidelines and expects all employees to do so as well. Employees find it difficult to â€Å"bargain shop† for supplies, travel accommodations, etc. , when the organization is making more and more money every given year. If the money is there, why not splurge a little? A final threat perceived by individuals within the IKEA organization is an inclination to believe that the organization will deteriorate when Ingvar Kamprad retires or otherwise leaves the organization. Due to the patriarchal style of leadership that Kamprad has taken, who will carry on this philosophy? Who will take over the position of motivator and promote enthusiasm and innovation once he is gone? Can anyone really take his place? Related Literature In theory, the patriarchal style of leadership that Ingvar Kamprad has taken towards running IKEA and its operations is done so in a very positive light. It is pertinent to the success of the organization to make employees aware of all the positive aspects of his leadership style. For example, Kamprad has a very humane and compassionate relationship with his employees. He views them as individuals, not as numbers, and makes every effort to personally meet each and every one of them. This type of interaction is vital if he is going to defend his leadership position. By gaining the respect, trust, and adoration of his employees, Kamprad can show those within the IKEA organization that he is truly looking out for everyone’s interests, not just his own, or just those of the IKEA organization. Finding employees who will accept and adapt to IKEA’s philosophy is probably one of the most difficult tasks faced by the organization. IKEA’s reputation and future rely on it. Considering his years in business and his standards of what a valuable employee is to Kamprad, he should target his job vacancy marketing to individuals who may fit this profile of an â€Å"ideal† employee. For example, simply placing an advertisement in the â€Å"Want Ads† of a local newspaper may draw dozens of applicants, none of which may be qualified and/or right for the job. Young, motivated, easily-trainable individuals should be targeted directly. This may be college students who are currently taking sales and marketing courses who are looking for part-time work that may eventually be promoted into leadership positions. A target may also be stay-at-home moms who are reentering the workforce, with prior sales experience. First, a target market must be determined and a more focused approach to hiring should be taken. Once employees are hired, continuous training and reinforcement of the organization’s goals and principles need to be instilled. Mandatory training is pertinent and should be in a laid-back, relaxed, and friendly atmosphere, to mimic the IKEA persona. To dispel fears of losing their jobs due to risk-taking and creative thinking, employees need to be constantly reassured and encouraged that such behaviors are not only acceptable but expected. The best way to present this point is to provide employees with examples of other employees who have taken such risks, offered their opinions, and shared their ideas. If individual employees will not consent to being â€Å"used† as an example, names can be left anonymous. However, specific details should be given. It is especially important to point out the individuals who gave their thoughts, ideas, concerns, etc. , that may have proved to be wrong or disadvantageous to the organization. The most advantageous examples would be such employees who have since been promoted, rewarded, etc. By showing current employees that ideas and suggestions that don’t succeed with flying colors are not reciprocated with negative repercussion, employees may feel more confident about speaking up. Stress should be placed on the fact that the employees who have showed the most creativity and offered the most suggestions, creative criticisms, etc. , are the ones who hold the top management positions within IKEA. Expansion is necessary for any organization to succeed. IKEA’s global market is enormous and the rapid growth may not always be easy to keep up with. However, Kamprad had the right idea when appointing the head of Canadian IKEA to oversee US operations. This strategy ensures that a successful, well-trained, experienced individual is responsible for the groundbreaking of new markets. This, of course, should only be temporary until a proper replacement is found and/or thoroughly trained as to not overwhelm the individual with too many responsibilities. This will also allow Kamprad to be confident that a proven leader is paying attention to all the crucial details of starting up the business in a new market. New products and new services is also an important part, as well as a possible detriment, to IKEA’s expansion. Different markets demand different products and services. First and foremost, IKEA needs to decide where they stand, what their core values are, and how much or how little they are willing to change to adapt to various markets. For example, one market may rely heavily on furniture delivery options. IKEA, however, is known for the no-shipping policy. Should they change this policy to meet their consumer’s needs? In my professional opinion, IKEA should stay true to their policies and procedures. I say this based on the idea that if you change the way you operate for one market, it leaves other markets to question, â€Å"you did it for them, why can’t you do it for me? †. It is important, however, to consider the negative consequences of this type of approach. Market studies should be done to determine just how dependent consumers are on this type of service. Comparisons should be made with local furniture companies that may compete with IKEA to see if they are a threat to business. Overall, the market itself should be thoroughly analyzed to weigh the risks versus the benefits. If IKEA’s whole philosophy needs to be jeopardized to adapt to the target market, perhaps it is not in the organization’s best interest to bring their business to that location. It is important to remember that every change made to one market can either positively or negatively impact the organization as a whole. As for spending procedures, IKEA may not being doing a thorough enough job of presenting employees with the benefits of their cost-saving efforts. Again, communicating this type of information to employees is crucial. It needs to be reiterated over and over again that the company is doing so well artially because of IKEA’s frugal spending policies. Although it is important to show these benefits as they relate to the organization, it still may leave many employees asking, â€Å"what’s in it for me? †. Incentives should be given to help motivate employees to continue their money-saving practices. This may include a bonus, time off with pay, a luncheon for the store that saves the most in a given period of time, etc. In concept, the money employees save the organization will far exceed any bonuses or perks that are rewarded. However, employees will feel more appreciated and more motivated to cut back where they can. It is necessary though to ensure employees are not sacrificing quality or service in order to save money. Combating the perception that IKEA will deteriorate when Ingvar Kamprad retires or otherwise leaves the organization is a rather difficult task. In order to find an individual who will carry on this philosophy, succession planning is a must. An individual hand-picked and personally trained and mentored by Kamprad would be the best choice. Also, an individual who has worked their way up through the ranks and has a thorough and genuine understanding of the organization, its goals, and its policies will best suit this position. Because Kamprad is so â€Å"hands-on† and personally meets all his staff, he should be able to make an educated and well-informed decision as to who would best suit the position and best represent the employees of IKEA. Although no one may ever take his place, Kamprad can certainly find an individual who will carry on the IKEA philosophy in their own unique, creative, and prosperous way. Overall, I see IKEA as a very strong, very well-structured organization. They have a clear set of goals and objectives and have built a framework of the path to success. Problems they face are mostly due to the changing economy, the need for expansion, and the doubts of individuals within the organization. Although they face some serious problems, they can be solved through logical and rational decision-making. Research, planning and execution of these plans can address the issues discussed before they become problems. Using the innovative and creative ideas that the organization encourages of its employees, IKEA will continue to prosper.

Dear John Mower Company Essay

1) Identify and discuss the major issue(s) in the case Supply chain management is the coordination of all supply chain activities involved in enhancing customer value and achieve sustainable competitive advantage. It represents a conscious effort by the supply chain firms to develop and run supply chains in the most effective & efficient ways possible. Supply chain activities cover everything from product development, sourcing, production, and logistics, as well as the information systems needed to coordinate these activities. In that case, the issues that John Mower Company faces with their supply management part is regarding to get internal customers, whether in design engineering, plant engineering, administration and other in order to recognize and accept the advantages of early supply chain management and supplier involvement in the development of materials, equipment and services to be provided by outside suppliers. The keys are (1) the presence of professionals in supply management who will add value through their and their suppli ers’ early involvement and (2) the use of marketing skills by these professionals to convince their customers and perhaps management of the necessity of early involvement. John Mower Company  also faces a declining in market share of 10 percent. The consequences of this attributes to John’s ability to survive as a profit declined. 2) Prepare a list of advantages of the inclusion of supply management and prequalified suppliers. Every organization is a part of one or more supply chain. Either a company provides a service, sells directly to the end customer, manufactures a product or even extracts material from earth, it is characterized within its supply chain. Earlier, organizations placed little emphasis on organizations within their supply chain network. However, supply chain management had become a forefront of management’s attention due to three major developments (Balsmeier 1996). First is the information revolution. Second is Customer demands in areas of service and product cost, delivery, quality, technology and concept of cycle time brought about by increased global competition and third is emergence of newer forms of inter-organizational relationships. These developments have nurtured the emergence and integration of supply chain approach. To remain competitive, small firms have to offer superior quality goods at the lowest prices possible. The need to minimize product costs makes effective supply chain management vital. There are costs involved in every process of the product life cycle, and it is the responsibility of management to ensure that these costs are kept low, so the company can continue to pass along these savings to the consumer. The advantage of including supply chain management and prequalified suppliers is include : 1) Reduces costs 2) Increase efficiency 3) Increased Profits 4) Reduces time to market 5) Improved quality 6) Much lower stocks and inventory 3) Prepare a list of disadvantages of excluding supply management and suppliers from the new product development process. The supply chains represents the complex relationships of an organization with its trading  partners through whom it sources materials, manufactures products and delivers products or services to the customers. The supply chain links all the activities in the procurement, transformation and storage of raw materials and intermediate products, and sale of finished goods. Supply management personnel should be able to pass on information regarding new technologies and product that are available to the product design group. Supply management can aid source selection by discussing potential suppliers quality program, production capacity, lead time, delivery reliability, financial capability and management stability and strength. If the supply management and suppliers is excluding from the new product development process, hence there is some problem that may occur in th e company such as: 1) Quality problem resulting in redesign, rework, retrofit and field failures 2) Cost overruns 3) Foregone cost saving 4) New product which are late to market 5) Failure in recognize problems in timely manner 6) Major scheduling problems 4) Assuming that the three executives agree on early involvement of supply management and suppliers, develop a plan to implement this new way of doing business. Integrating the supply chain to improve logistics efficiency is a key challenge. Rather than going from no involvement to high involvement on all projects all at once, many suppliers’ professionals would begin with a sample or showcase project. A member of the supply management staff who can add value, know his or her suppliers, and one who has exemplary people and team skills should be invited by Mr Steel and the new project manager or engineer to participate in a key project. This individual in turn should invite a carefully pre-qualified supplier to participate in the project at the appropriate time. Hence, for the supply chains to be successful, it should integrate the three individual business processes of procurement, manufacturing, and distribution by consolidating the sub components in each of every area. Procurement: This is one of the major cost drivers in the supply chan. Procurement cost is influenced by the way procurement decision is made, procedures adopted in the procurement process and relationship with suppliers. Procurement cost can be controlled through long-term relationships with suppliers by considering the supplier as an extension of the manufacturing facility. The philosophy of co-partnership is based on the sharing of resources and benefits on a long term basis. The major step in this process is reduction in supplier’s base and induction of a few reliable suppliers into the supply chain, who are ready to work for the firm and can align themselves with the policy framework and requirements of the supply chain. Manufacturing: For a lean supply chain the emphasis today is not on curtailing the processing cost through economies of scale, but by curtailing the huge inventory carrying cost resulting from mass production ahead of demand. In the past, the emphasis was on building mega capacity factories to produce standard products in millions in order to reduce manufacturing costs and flood the market with low priced products. This approach resulted in the build up of a large reservoir of finished goods, which remain unsold and dead due to its inability to respond to the changing needs of the customers. Hence, today firms instead of banking on cost reduction through economies of scale are thinking of strategies of reducing the total supply chain cost through manufacturing flexibility to rapidly respond to changing markets demands of products volumes and varieties. Distribution: Traditionally, the role of distribution in the business process is warehousing transportation. However, in the supply chain model, the major task of distribution is the management of demand. It is important to make available the right product, at the right place, at the right time, and at the least cost. Demand management covers all the activities involving anticipating the customer requirements of products and fulfill that requirements against defined customer service norms. Requirement fulfillment is done through proper distribution network. The first task in demand management is to forecast customer requirement accurately. This is done only  if the firm is able to satisfy the customer as per the service level acceptable to the customer. Logistics play a vital role in understanding the demand through improved informational flow by way of quick response to customer’s demands. 5) What other suggestion can you make for improving the situation in the company? Management of The John Mower Company must be strongly committed to early supply management and early supply management involvement in all aspects of new product development. Suppliers can provide technical support technical support in the early stages of design that can decrease materials costs and improved product quality. Furthermore, early supply management and early supply involvement can reduce starts up problems and delay. When supply management join engineering in meetings with potential suppliers, it can address a price and discount issues, quantity and quality requirement, lead time and delivery schedules and financial capabilities. The supplier’s responses to this issue will allow supply management to further qualify the supplier. Besides that, management must stress standardization and limit engineering’s role in supply management issue. The engineers should concentrate on designing a reliable and timely product; as they must work with supply management to meet that end. The engineers will be motivated to spend more time in designing and evaluation a new part. Training supply management personnel is a key to further success. The division must recognize that is needed to invest in a training program for its supply management personnel in order to receive a full benefit from its supply management system. This training such as individuals training at seminars, trade shows, or classes conducted by engineers on how to read blueprints and specification sheets. The division’s management must emphasize the important of this issue to the entire organization. With such commitment, the division will be able to develop new products in the shortest amount of time for the lowest amount of time for the lowest cost and still maintain the quality and reliability that give the company the leadership position that it once enjoye d.

How to Write the Common App Essays 2016-2017

With the Common Application for the 2016-2017 live as of August, ’s essay team is sharing  the following tips on how to write the all-important Common App essays for the upcoming application cycle. Before discussing the specific prompts for the Common Application, it’s important to note that there are some general principles for approaching the Common App essay. First and foremost, the essay is about telling colleges why you are unique and/or what matters to you. It is absolutely critical that you nail the essay because the majority of your schools will see this essay. Y ou’ll want to paint a portrait of yourself that is relatively accessible and has widespread appeal to many colleges (for example, if you are only applying to engineering programs at some of your schools, don’t focus your Common App on STEM at the expense of your other applications. Save that for your supplemental essays). You have several avenues through which you can tell colleges what matters to you, including but not limited to highlighting a central theme of your application that is tied to one or several of your extracurricular activities, focusing on a specific personality trait or strength, or highlighting a particular challenge that you had to overcome. That being said, there are distinct topics and strategies that each prompt lends itself to especially well. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it.  If this sounds like you, then please share your story. This prompt offers an excellent opportunity to engage with a particular extracurricular or academic area of passion, and it allows you to weave a narrative that displays personal growth in that subject or area. Particularly if you have an unconventional passion, such as blogging about Chinese basketball, or urban exploration, the combination of displaying your personality and the unique topic can be very eye-catching. This prompt also represents an opportunity to consider questions of personal identity, whether that takes the form of racial identity, sexual orientation, gender, or simply one’s place within a specific community (even communities as unique as, say, players of World of Warcraft). With the topic of racial identity, it’s important to keep in mind the audience (college admissions counselors tend to be progressive politically), so this might not be the best place to make sweeping claims about reverse racism against Caucasian-Americans. However, careful consideration of intrinsic cultural elements (such as the effect that Chinese American culture’s prioritization of academics had on your personal development) is certainly a strong essay topic. N ote: While claiming to have experienced discrimination based on race or claiming to have a different sexual orientation or gender than heterosexual and male/female respectively can be an effective way to talk about your ability to overcome adversity, faked or exaggerated claims about said topic are often very easy to recognize and will result in a severe penalization. The lessons we take from failure can be fundamental to later success.  Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what lessons did you learn? This prompt lends itself to consideration of what facets of your personality allow you to overcome adversity, as well as display your self-awareness. It’s okay to choose a relatively mundane â€Å"failure† such as failing to win an award at a Model United Nations conference despite putting in hours of research into the topics of your committee (and learning that you should focus on how you project yourself and interacting more cordially, even when debating and competing against your peers). However, you should be careful not to sound over-confident (as if you are incapable of any failure larger than this). You also want to avoid making the failure sound more devastating than it actually was. Another (perhaps more powerful) tactic with this essay is to write about a more foundational failure and then assess its impact on your development thereafter. This allows you to tackle more meaty questions about ethics (perhaps you cheated on a test and felt horrible about it), morality (maybe you stole something, your parents berated you for it, and now you hate theft to such a degree that if you find money on the street, you turn it in), or the human condition (perhaps you made an insensitive comment or were close-minded in a particular instance). You want to be careful to balance the severity of the failure with its recentness; in general, choose a failure from before high school so that it doesn’t color the admissions counselor’s view of your high school career. Also, be sure that any failure you choose is within reason (so in general, avoid talking about any felonies you’ve left behind you). Exercise good judgment! Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again? This prompt is a difficult one to answer because most high school students haven’t participated in the types of iconoclastic protests against societal ills that lend themselves to an excellent response. However, a more tenable alternative here is to discuss a time that you went against social convention, whether it was becoming friends with someone who seemed like a social outcast and was ignored by most people but eventually became one of your best friends, by going against the popular opinion of your peers, or proudly showing off a geeky passion of yours. And if you ever participated in a situation in concert with adults and found some success (i.e., by blogging, starting a tutoring organization, or participating in political campaigns), you could discuss your experiences as a young person without a college degree in professional and adult circles. The one thing to keep in mind when responding to this prompt is to avoid sounding morally superior (as if you are the only person who went against this social convention, or that you are better than your peers for doing so). Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma — anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution. This essay prompt is difficult for many students who grapple with the type of challenge that they should write about. The prompt itself provides three specific suggestions, but it should be clarified that the phrase â€Å"anything that is of personal importance† gives you a lot of freedom, allowing you to center your essay around essentially anything that can be loosely called a â€Å"problem.† Our advice is to pick a problem that deeply concerns you and make it clear to your reader why that topic matters to you at all, either through an origin story of how you became interested in the query or through an explanation of the potential consequences of the dilemma (depending on your topic). Upon reviewing all the Common App questions to decide which to write about, astute applicants might realize that Common App prompts #2, #3, and #4 are all quite similar in that they ask students to identify some sort of conflict and how it was resolved. But there are subtle differences. Whereas #2 specifically refers to a failure and #3 is asking for a situation where you were the odd one out amongst a larger group, #4 is best saved for essays where the focus is on your thought process in response to a problem you’ve encountered. Thus, when answering this prompt, it is crucial that you explain in great detail how you solved/would solve the problem. The showcasing of your unique thought processes is just as, if not more, critical than the actual problem itself. Accordingly, stream-of-consciousness can be used to great effect here. One final note: Even though the prompt allows you to explore more academic and intellectual topics, it is important not to get carried away with esoteric details. Save the intensely intricate discussion of particle physics for class — for your Common App essay, the reader should still recognize that your discussion of particle physics was really about yourself, your interests, and how you think about the world. Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family. This prompt is probably the most expansive in that you can choose any event that had a major impact on your life. One option is to discuss a cultural process (such as Bar Mitzvah or Upanayanam in Judaism and Hinduism, respectively) that serves as a formal waypoint on a path to adulthood, but if you do so, make sure to discuss why the ritual made you â€Å"feel† like an adult, not just why you became one in practice. In other words, make sure that the reader comes away understanding why you are actually different in a meaningful way as a result of this event. Informal events are probably easier to use because you can show more of your own personality and what makes you tick. A good way to assess whether an informal event demarcates a transition into adulthood is if 1) it gave you a new perspective or degree of self-awareness, 2) taught you that idealism can still play an important role in achieving goals, or conversely, 3) helped show you that the world doesn’t often conform today to idealistic realities (a time when you learned realism). For example, perhaps after growing up in a multi-cultural environment, you finally witness a racist encounter in a more restricted environment. This could serve as a powerful eye-opener about the state of some parts of the world, informally achieving an implicit state of adulthood. However, your topic need not be so weighty when talking about your own growth, because when discussing personal development, almost any group can be massaged to form a â€Å"community,† which means you have a wide array of options to use as a point marking a transition to adulthood. In terms of strategy, an anecdote will be particularly effective here. With these tips, you should be well on your way to writing the perfect Common App. Best of luck from the   team! With a new year comes a new admissions cycle with its own set of unique challenges. In order to write exceptional essays that can help to secure a spot at your dream school, you should be aptly prepared. Check out the blog post How to Write the Common Application Essays 2017-2018 for the latest tips and tricks that will help you stand out in the applicant pool!

Relevance of Martial Arts in Modern Society Essay

Relevance of Martial Arts in Modern Society - Essay Example The most interesting aspect of Martial Art is that it is found in wide range of styles which though based on primary philosophy of awareness and self defense, offers different people to choose a style which most appeals to their temperament. In recent years there has been increased interest in Martial Art, which is a wonderful thing. Martial Art has profound relevance in the present day modern lifestyle. Interestingly, in modern world with globalization and inter-cultural integration the term "Martial Art" has come to mean different things to different people. There are different styles depending upon different institutions and the place of origin. Martial Art, as is prevalent today covers a wide range of activities from hard core training for self defense to relaxed, esoteric and higher spiritual practices leading to meditation and relaxation aimed at sole fitness, health and relaxation. There is no universal standard which dictates the style of Martial Art. There has been linked muti-dimensional benefits from practice of martial Art, affecting different facet of modern life of humans. There is significant relevance of such training in the fast-paced terrorism dominated modern life, where safety and harmony are essential goals. Martial Art places great importance to character development... Those who take up Martial Art seriously, realize that with passage of time the practice of their chosen style of martial Art eventually became part of their life and changes them subtly as a person. The change is manifested in such a subtle manner that they are unaware of the transformation which has taken place in them internally and externally, altering their state of awareness to a higher degree of response and reflex. Universally, people lack conscious self-awareness of precisely why they do what they do and are surprised at the relevance which their training has on how they live their everyday life in the world. Martial Art is essentially taken as a technique for self defense, and that is how it evolved. Martial Art was first developed as a means to self preservation, a defense against cruel and savage world of ancient times, when survival of the fittest was the criterion for life. It was not acknowledged as a matter of recreation or sport, but an essential tool for survival, on which depended human beings life or death. With the evolution of human beings and emergence of developed societies, the role of martial Art changed to that of a means to preserve and protect the society. Eventually, they developed into warfare methods with enhanced fighting techniques using swords shields, spears, axes, lances etc. and had great practical relevance in the changing modern world to maintain order and control. The relevance of martial art changed with evolution of the society. The technique of warfare changed and so did the urban lifestyles. This presented a significant need for organized methods of tr aining for individual self defense and personal dueling

Miss Lonelyheart and the Depression Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Miss Lonelyheart and the Depression - Essay Example West illustrated such aspects of life evolved during the depression era in his novel Miss Lonelyhearts. The novel is of relevance today as the global economy showing a sign of depression, which may in turn lead to the great depression II.Even though the events and circumstances described in the novel are from a period of a century ago, the theme of the novel has relevance in this modern age. â€Å"Miss Lonelyhearts† the son of an England priest, is involved in giving advice for reader’s distressing letters.These hurting stories which he receives are depressing and eventually he also becomes depressed by reading the painful letters. He started heavy drinking and occasional bar fights.William Shrike, editor of the New York newspaper where Miss Lonelyhearts works, uses the column to boost up the circulation. The characters of this novel do not possess moral qualities, or they do not have any strong spirituality, which may be the result of depression era. They are not reall y concerned about social values (Martin, 1970). For example, Miss Lonelyhearts was not sincere as a columnist. At the beginning Miss Lonelyhearts started as a columnist in a style existing at that time with a superficial way of analysing and solving problems of individuals in society. In the society of that time where people suffered from financial and economic problems, actual religious and spiritual values did not affect them. When Miss Lonelyhearts received hundreds of letters from people of all walks of life describing their individual problems of many types he became astounded on going through the actual life problems. The letters contained plights of diverse people. For example, the novel describes a letter by a 16 year old girl who was born without a nose. Her life was pathetic because her parents felt guilty and shamed of their daughter, and this girl wanted Miss Lonelyhearts to tell her if she should commit suicide. When Miss Lonelyhearts understands the problem, he gets a sense of shock, which is a clear contrast to the attitude that the editor William Shilke shows. This contrast is very true of the media in the modern world. Over the years, media has become insensitive and focuses more on getting the sensational news out just to get more publicity and increase their profit. Just like Shilke, many media houses put immense pressure on the journalists to compromise on their ethics and values, just to get more attention from the public. This results in a breakdown at some point, just that Miss Lonelyhearts faced in the novel. Therefore, the approach of the editor to exploit the current situation is very similar to the way in which media sensationalizes the news in today’s era. In addition, in today’s society, depression is often taken out by certain methods that are not moralistic, such as getting involved in extra marital affairs or taking refuge in drugs. For Miss Lonelyhearts, he chose to overcome this depression by indulging in an extr a marital affair with one of his readers and with the wife of the editor. Only a very drastic situation, such as an encounter with the crippled husband of Mrs Doyle can bring out repentance in Miss Lonelyhearts. In real life too, only a very tragic instance gets the people to come out and remorse as most people do not understand their mistake unless the situation is very grave. Even though this work is a piece of fiction, it is very reflective of the current situa

The Acceptance of a Multinational Philosophy of Business Research Paper

The Acceptance of a Multinational Philosophy of Business - Research Paper Example Disney should use advertising research and brand equity research, demand estimation and buyer decision research. As a basis of gaining intelligence, marketing research can be wasteful as well as useful. Besides limiting risk, marketing research is itself a genuine business risk, but one that must be undertaken. To have the best chance of success, it must be conducted by people who have a solid understanding of company needs as well as the needs of customers. It requires effective communication between top management and the research staff, and a management willing to overcome biases and predispositions in order to institute programs based on research findings (Hollensen, 2007). The utilization of computer technology, coupled with better research techniques, has greatly increased the facts available. But large masses of data can also prove to be disruptive. Managers can be inundated with facts. Marketing management is thus challenged to develop an integrated marketing information syst em to provide the intelligence and knowledge required for both short-term marketing goals and longer-range company needs, in order to eliminate unnecessary data. In addition to marketing research in any company, related manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers, marketing research agencies, advertising agencies, trade associations, governmental agencies, universities, financial institutions (including banks), and chambers of commerce all provide useful research data and information for solving marketing problems. For instance, research agencies buy the data from supermarket chains and in turn sell data on the movement of food items through chain stores and their warehouses.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir - Dance at Bougival Essay

Pierre-Auguste Renoir - Dance at Bougival - Essay Example The essay "Pierre-Auguste Renoir - Dance at Bougival" analyzes Pierre-Auguste Renoir's painting called Dance at Bougival. The â€Å"Dance at Bougivel† painting has two emotions in it, perplexed by the use of different colors and the impressions on the faces of characters present on it. There is a gentleman in a classic-blue old suit and a yellow hat that is holding a lady and they seem to dancing to the tune of a classic song. The man is faces her lady in a romantic way trying to create an impression on her while she does not face him directly. It created a kind of romanticism that is not different from what we know today; the extent a person goes to create an impression to his lover, but she is reluctant to reciprocate her feelings to him until she is sure that she is â€Å"safe†. The two lovers are clad in a manner that suggests that this dance was a special moment for them, a date. One may wonder what was in the mind of Paul Durand-Ruel when he finished this piece of art. Literature reveals that Ruel paid attention to impressionism. He dedicated his art to creating paints which portrayed passion and which, has influenced the modern way of life. During the year 1883, Ruel is said that he used his work to illuminate the experiences he had encountered in romance. His passion for art began when he inherited art gallery that was founded by his parents. Paul Durand-Ruel was born 1831 and died in 1922. Paul developed an interest in painting and he invested in promoting the work of the young artists.

The Importance of Linux Creator Linus Torvalds Contribution to Term Paper

The Importance of Linux Creator Linus Torvalds Contribution to Computing - Term Paper Example He was named Linus as a result of his parents’ inspiration with the chemist Linus Pauling who had won the Nobel Prize. Linux success as a desktop operating system is not a one-time story. Several accounts of its success and fame can be found in the literature that emerged since 1991 to date. In the year 2003, when Linux was only 12 years old, an analyst said, â€Å"Twelve years on, the operating system is robust enough to run the world's most powerful supercomputers yet sleek and versatile enough to run inside consumer toys like TiVo, as well as television set-top boxes and portable devices such as cell phones and handhelds† (Rivlin, 2003). In 2008, Torvalds’s contribution to the computing world was appreciated by awarding him the CHM Fellow Award. Torvalds supervised the creation of the Linux operating system and the Linux kernel. Torvalds resolved to develop an altogether new operating system which would be based on UNIX as well as MINIX. It can not be said wit h extreme surety that Torvalds was totally aware of the effort and time that would go into the achievement of this goal or the influence this development would have both upon the word of computing and his personal life. This can be estimated from the fact that for Torvalds, developing such an operating system was nothing more than a project that he planned to do in the break he took while doing the four-year graduation course he was doing in a university in Finland. In the beginning, Linus was not more than an operating system but it became much more as Torvalds studied and meddled with MINIX, which was another operating system like UNIX. Originally, the operating system was named Linux. This name was derived from the combination of Linus and MINIX, though Torvalds planned to change the name to Freax which came from free, freak and MINIX’s combination. Nevertheless, the name Linux became popular among the users as a result of the development of a directory by Lemmke in which he had called the operating system, Linux upon the file transfer protocol (FTP) server (The Linux Information Project, 2006). In an attempt to gain reviews, Torvalds posted Linux in one of the MINIX forums, and the feedback was hilarious. Torvalds found that the users had become fanatic in their love for Linux. Despite the individualistic originality of Linux, it is, to much an extent, a product of collaboration. Within few years, Linux gained a wide fan-base many of whom were trying to play their role in the improvement of its features. Acknowledging their contribution and appreciating their efforts, Torvalds said, â€Å"They always volunteered. I wouldn't even want to work with people who don't feel passionately about what they do because searching for people to do something doesn't work†¦ It started out slow and on a very small scale. But it was a natural progression† (Tang, 2010). Internet has played a fundamental role in helping the Linux spur the movement of Open S ource. When he reflected upon the whole experience of creating the Linux, Torvalds realized that one of the most informed decisions that he made along the way was of not releasing Linux under the restrictive license that he had originally planned for, but under the GNU General Public License (GPL). GPL is the most frequently used free software license which enables people â€Å"to study, use, modify, extend and redistribute the software as long as they make the source code freely

The Reasons of United States Participation in the War of 1812 Research Paper

The Reasons of United States Participation in the War of 1812 - Research Paper Example At that time, the US was providing France with most of the goods that she needed along the way. Using the power of her navy, Great Britain blocked all ways by which the trade happened between the French coasts and the Caribbean and the US Atlantic coasts. The only vessels that were allowed to pass unimpeded to the US were those that had passed through one of the ports of Great Britain. This raises many questions like; Why did the US enter into a war with Great Britain despite conducting trade with it? What were the economic interests of the US to enter the war? And how popular was the war among the Americans? To address these questions, this paper will; first, discuss some of the consequences of the American Revolution and personal interests of the Americans, the Amerindians, and the British whose conflicts contributed to the commencement of the War of 1812; second, explain the strategies used by the Great Britain to restrict the export of the American goods to France that provided t he US with an objective reason to start the war in national defence and explains that the firm support of the native Indian uprisings in the western territories of the US as well as in the continental US for the British government in Canada was a huge concern for the Americans, and third, briefly discusses the results of the war and the advantages and disadvantages of the participation of the Americans in the war. The advantages described there also highlight some of the potential reasons for the participation of the US in the War of 1812. II. Body The Revolutionary War was brought to an end as the Treaty of Paris was signed in the year 1783. As a result of the Revolutionary War, the US was established among the world’s nations. However, the Treaty of Paris neither provided any guarantee for the survival of the new nation nor guaranteed that the European powers would always respect the rights of the new nation. In order to be in the position to freely carry out the trade with all countries across the globe, the government of the US strived hard to strike a balance between diplomacy and preparedness of the military. From the year 1793 to the year 1815, Great Britain and France saw a period of prolonged wars that instigated the French Revolution, and immensely complicated the tendency of the US to safeguard the rights of sailors and shipping. In addition to that, a significant population of the Americans along the western frontier of the nation believed that the Indian raids were encouraged by the British in Canada on their settlements. After the American Revolution, not everyone was satisfied with the way the land had been divided. The British and the Canadian merchants were both displeased over the loss of the Ohio River valley that encapsulated numerous routes through which trade could be conducted. Also, a large Amerindian population dwelled in the Ohio River valley, a major part of which had sided with the British during the American Revolution, and were by then willing to have an Indian state created toward the Lake Erie’s south and west. The idea was warmly welcomed by the British because it served numerous interests of the British. For one, this would facilitate the fur trade.  Ã‚  

Business ethics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business ethics - Research Paper Example Marketing mixes have several areas and are critical in setting up the strategies that are ideal to manage the dynamic environmental effects of the target market. In almost all circumstances, market mixes are inter-connected, interdependent, and they also bring together numerous factors. Marketing mix is often explained under the 4ps (Product, Price, Place, and Promotion) which put together, the 4ps produce a set of manageable strategic marketing gears that an organization puts together to attain the desired response in the objective market (Kotler, 2003). Product; a product is anything that can be presented to a market to meet the needs and wants of a certain market. Products generally refer to physical goods, services, persons, places, firms or even ideas. In a deeper sense, a product is not a necessarily a physical item but an awareness of the buyer or the person who uses it. Product therefore denotes the contentment of the client rather than a physical good. Goods are elements of consumer satisfaction; marketing mix is the method or tool that constitutes this customer satisfaction (Doyle, 2000). Place; place denotes the circulation avenues that an organization uses to communicate its own physical products or services to the final user of that product. The distribution of an organization products refers to the ‘When’ ‘Where’ and ‘How’ a service or availed to the user. For organizations that provide services, the ‘When’ denotes the time frame in which the service is offered. ‘Where’ denotes the location of the particular services while ‘How’ depicts the nature of supply (Doyle, 2000). Price; price is a flexible and principal element, which establishes the returns/profitability/market share for the company. From the perspective of a client, price is a determinant factor since most consumers’ first look at the price

Juan Luna and Filipinos Great Pride Essay Example for Free

Juan Luna and Filipinos Great Pride Essay The first thing youll notice about the painting is its size. Standing at 4 meters in height and 7 meters in width, the painting no doubt commands attention and gives off a majestic aura. Any viewer of the painting will feel dwarfed by the large painting and may feel overwhelmed by the magnanimity of it. The next thing youll notice about the Spoliarium is the rich colors used. Predominantly, the painter made use of warm colors for his work of art, with reds being a central color that attracts the most attention. In person, the colors are striking and quite unique. The Spoliarium depicts an even during the Roman empire, where gladiators die for entertainment. The painting shows how gladiators are being dragged mercilessly by men towards an unknown darkness, where other tragically killed gladiators are brought. To the left is a cheering crowd, screaming for blood while to the right, a woman is crouched and seemingly in sorrow. The painting shows a tragic event, definitely. But it also shows a deeper meaning, especially for the Filipinos during the time of the Spanish colonization (which lasted over 400 years! ). According to art experts, the fallen gladiators who are being dragged are the Filipino people, while the men dragging them into the darkness are representative of the Spanish rule. The woman crouched on the right side of the painting is believed to be the Mother Country or the Inang Bayan who weeps for her Philippines. The blood thirsty crowd to the left is a representation of the social cancer of that time. Truly, there is more than meets the eye when it comes to Lunas painting. The Spoliarium shows the Spanish governments mistreatment of the Philippines. The dead bodies of the gladiators represent the Spanish killings of Filipino revolutionaries. The Spoliarium is famous among the Filipino people, to say the least. The fact that Luna had gained recognition among other Spaniards in Madrid because of this painting has given the Filipinos great pride. This also shows that the Filipinos have skills that can equal, if not, surpass the Europeans of that time. This is why the painting, along with Hidalgos, are deemed National Cultural Treasures, because they were able to contribute to the development of art in the Philippines. The Spoliarium can be found in the Hall of the Masters of The National Museum of the Philippines. Whether you are a foreigner or a local, take a few hours off your schedule to visit the museum and learn more about Philippine culture and history through the eyes of its artists. It is an educational and enriching experience. The first thing youll notice about the painting is its size. Standing at 4 meters in height and 7 meters in width, the painting no doubt commands attention and gives off a majestic aura. Any viewer of the painting will feel dwarfed by the large painting and may feel overwhelmed by the magnanimity of it. The next thing youll notice about the Spoliarium is the rich colors used. Predominantly, the painter made use of warm colors for his work of art, with reds being a central color that attracts the most attention. In person, the colors are striking and quite unique. The Spoliarium depicts an even during the Roman empire, where gladiators die for entertainment. The painting shows how gladiators are being dragged mercilessly by men towards an unknown darkness, where other tragically killed gladiators are brought. To the left is a cheering crowd, screaming for blood while to the right, a woman is crouched and seemingly in sorrow. The painting shows a tragic event, definitely. But it also shows a deeper meaning, especially for the Filipinos during the time of the Spanish colonization (which lasted over 400 years! ). According to art experts, the fallen gladiators who are being dragged are the Filipino people, while the men dragging them into the darkness are representative of the Spanish rule. The woman crouched on the right side of the painting is believed to be the Mother Country or the Inang Bayan who weeps for her Philippines. The blood thirsty crowd to the left is a representation of the social cancer of that time. Truly, there is more than meets the eye when it comes to Lunas painting. The Spoliarium shows the Spanish governments mistreatment of the Philippines. The dead bodies of the gladiators represent the Spanish killings of Filipino revolutionaries. The Spoliarium is famous among the Filipino people, to say the least. The fact that Luna had gained recognition among other Spaniards in Madrid because of this painting has given the Filipinos great pride. This also shows that the Filipinos have skills that can equal, if not, surpass the Europeans of that time. This is why the painting, along with Hidalgos, are deemed National Cultural Treasures, because they were able to contribute to the development of art in the Philippines. The Spoliarium can be found in the Hall of the Masters of The National Museum of the Philippines. Whether you are a foreigner or a local, take a few hours off your schedule to visit the museum and learn more about Philippine culture and history through the eyes of its artists. It is an educational and enriching experience.

Marketing objectives and strategies for Special Shoes

Marketing objectives and strategies for Special Shoes EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Special Shoes is one of the most successful shoe shops in the country. Although it is quite popular, Special Shoes need an online based shopping site or a website to further enhance their position as one of the top shoe shops in the country. Currently, customers must travel to the actual shop to purchase their shoes. With the creation of the website, customer can easily browse through the selection of available shoes and products provided by the Special Shoes Company and even receive services and promotion in their member areas. As some people might not like an online store where shoes cannot be tried out before purchasing/ordering, Special Shoes will provide chiropody advice services to the customer to further enhance the customer satisfaction on the product and guide the customer to good foot health. To make both existing and potential customer aware of the new e-commerce site and in effort to encourage them to visit the website, comparative advertising will be used. With comparative advertising, it will be designed to highlight the advantages of the goods or services offered by Special Shoes Company compared to those of other shoe shops available in the country. For a successful comparative advertisement, the comparison between the goods or services must be shown by the objective and the message of the advertisement by describing their main characteristics. Marketing Strategy Part of Special Shoes marketing strategy will base solely on its products and services provided. Special Shoes will also use advertisement that will receive abundant attention by the existing and potential customer. The strategy of the marketing campaign is to increase the target customer awareness of Special Shoes. Mission Special Shoes mission is to provide a wide selection of shoes and outstanding customer service. It will exist to attract and maintain customers. Their services will exceed the expectation of the customers. Marketing Objectives The marketing objective of the new e-commerce site of Special Shoes is to build an effective pull campaign, bringing in new customer and keeping the loyalty of existing customers. Marketing Activities: Positioning Special Shoes will position itself as the premier outlet for online shoe shopping, providing the customer with the largest selection, rivaling some of the other shoe shops in the country. Special Shoes will leverage their competitive edge to achieve this desired positioning. To achieve a competitive edge, Special Shoes will provide as much selection of shoes as possible. Membership Membership can be introduced either to new or existing customer through online or offline means. With the registration of customers as members, they are entitled to special discount rates and privileges provided by the Special Shoes. The first 100 customers to register will get a one year membership for free with 12 monthly issues of Special Shoes magazine. Promotions and Discounts. Promotions and discounts of the products and services of the Special shoes can be made known to the customer through online or offline means. Through online means, customers can either be sent an email or text message to inform them of the ongoing promotion and discounts. Through offline means, advertisement can be used to attract new and existing customers. Media Advertisements To further attract new customers and to inform the existing customer of the new website, advertisements can be used to achieve this aim. Examples of media advertisements that can be used are television, radio and newspaper. Chiropody advice Special Shoes will also be able to provide chiropody advice services to the customer as Special Shoes recognize that their competitors did not offer this services. Addressing Existing Customer and New Customer Existing Customers To address the existing customer of the new Special Shoes website, encouragement and recommendation of online registration to the website can be made to get the transition of the existing customer from offline to online. New Customers Through advertisements, new customers can be made, therefore information of the website must be made clear and concise so that future customers can be attracted to become a member to the Special Shoes. Offline Marketing Requirements Offline marketing is also crucial in promoting the Special Shoes shop where examples of offline marketing techniques that can be use are outdoor signage such as billboards, press releases and including the website address on business cards or other printed marketable material. Target Market Special Shoes is targeting the population segments within a broad category of age, gender and needs. Since most of the customer will purchase shoes for the workplace as well as for leisure time. Special Shoes have targeted this broad selection of customer as they have the need for many different pairs of shoes for all of their different activities and needs. Strategies Special Shoes marketing strategy will seek to create customer awareness regarding the products that they offer, develop the customer base, and work toward building customer loyalty and referrals. The messages that Special Shoe will seek to communicate are that the offer the largest selection of shoes and provide chiropody advice services online. People no longer need to go to the actual shop to find what shoes are available. A method of communication is by advertisement in the local media which will be placed in newspapers, radio and televisions. Another method of communication will be through online advertisement such as emails, a system of communicating electronically where this will eliminate unneeded spending on postal fees to inform the customers of new products and services provided by Special Shoes. Another means of communication that can be used is the RSS feeds. What is the method to track visitors going to the website? Tracking visitors visiting the Special Shoes website may be beneficial where the data from the feedbacks of visitors can be extremely helpful in tweaking and fine-tuning your site. The more data that can be collected from the visitors, the more productive and effective the campaigns, contents, and services can be produced. There are many tools and application that is provided in the internet in order to track website visitors. Some examples of these tools are free website tracking software, analytic software and services that track and analyze data. In creating websites free website tracking software are available on the internet. In relation to this, website designer would probably have access to cpanel. Cpanel is an open-source GUI interface that administers to the websites and blogs. Cpanel also have the ability to view current and historical statistics regarding the domain. Most cpanel interface includes these two programs such as Webalizer and AwStats (Advanced Web Statistics). Webalizer is a tool that keeps track of specific types of data and shows it graphically on the web. Webalizer collects data such as the URL (shows the URL that was requested by the users browser), Hit (every single HTTP request that your visitors browser submits is counted as a hit), Visitor (each specific IP address or HTTP cookie), Visit (Each time a visitor accesses the website) and the User Agent (the web browser used by the visitor to access the website e.g. Firefox etc). 1172 words

The Strength Of Destination: Jamaica

The Strength Of Destination: Jamaica To effectively manage and market destination Jamaica for visitors appeal, close attention is required as it relates to the advertising and selling of the destination likewise the maintenance of the tourism product to attract visitors. Promote special events that can attract visitors throughout the year and enhance the image of the destination overseas. The Jamaica Tourist Board can promote special events like Reggae Summer Festival and Jazz and Blues Concert. These events attract thousands of international visitors from all over the world annually. However through this market our music is marketed throughout the world and has put reggae music atop the charts internationally. This special event has also attracted artist, producers, promoters and visitors which increase the number of visitors entering the country within that given period. Exploit the advantages of internet technology to market Jamaica. There are different reasons why people exploit the internet technology to advertise and market a destination or a distinctive product. One of the major advantages is that advertising on the internet is cost efficient and is more conducive to users of the World Wide Web. Millions of people are online each day and therefore they can view advertisements whenever they want. In addition, it allows for target marketing which is more effective on the internet than anywhere else. Likewise, internet marketing allows for interaction and feedback from viewers through surveys, reports, tweets etc. and therefore this also help to overcome barriers of distance. Promote a greater awareness locally of the importance of tourism in the Jamaica economy through the local communication programs. The Jamaica Tourist Board can assist local residence of the significance of becoming more aware of tourism in the Jamaica economy by launching a Jamaica tourism awareness program that will not only educate locals about tourism but also inform them about the importance of preserving the environment for sustainable development. The importance of tourism in the Jamaica economy can be brought across to locals through other forms of communication programs such as seminars, workshops and cultural trade shows. Promote Jamaica to Jamaicans The program that is used to promote Jamaica to Jamaicans is called experience Jamaica. Although we are citizens of the beautiful destination Jamaica not very often do we explore the opportunities of experiencing the different aspects of tourism offered throughout destination Jamaica due to cost constrain. However this program is designed with the aim of giving locals such privileges. All attractions and special hotels within the destination is packaged at a special reduce rate and sold to locals allowing them the opportunity to experience Jamaica affordably. Achieve a greater integration with Jamaica Vacation and Jamaica Reservation Service so that the combined efforts of these agencies will have full impact on the market place. The Jamaica Vacation is the company that is responsible for getting airlift into the country and likewise the Jamaica Reservation Service both companies combined together will ensure that visitors are secured for both airlift and hotel accommodation into the country. SWOT analysis of the techniques that were used in question 1. The SWOT analysis can simply be described as the strength, weakness, opportunities and threats which focus on the micro and macro environment. However, according to the Jamaica Tourist Board, the SWOT analysis is the fundamental strategy which is used to accentuate the positives, reduce the negatives as far as possible, exploit the opportunities, and at the same time, recognize the threats. STRENGTH OF DESTINATION JAMAICA The Flag, Jamaica flag is the most recognized throughout the world because of its unique combination of colours with each depicting a different significant meaning. Black, representing the hardship of the people of the nation. Green, the luscious mountains. And last but not least Gold, the magnificent sunshine. The Climate: unlike other countries that experience snow and weather of different kind, destination Jamaica is blessed to have tropical weather all year round which attract visitor to our island. The Language: Jamaica is the premier English speaking destination throughout the Caribbean with a blend of creole which is so unique that all visitors who are vacationing in Jamaica will want to learn the language. The Geographic Location: Jamaica on the Greater Antilles is situated 150 kilometers south of Cuba and 160 kilometers west of Haiti. Jamaica is the largest of the West Indian island. It has an area of 11,424 square kilometers, and is 243 kilometers long. Jamaica is in close proximity to the United States. Special Events: Jamaica host some of the best events throughout the year such as Jamaica jazz and blues festival in the month of January, Bob Marley Birthday Celebrations in the month of February, Soul Rebellion Spring Break Party held in March, Trelawny Yam Festival in April, 20th Annual Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX) in May, Ocho Rios Jazz Festival in June, Portland Jerk Festival in July, Mello-Go-Round, Independence and Emancipation Celebration in August, Wine and Food Festival in September, Jamaica Product Exchange 11 in October, Port Royal Music Festival and Restaurant Week in November and New Years Harbour Festival and Fireworks in December. This goes to show some of the most popularly listed events that attract visitors to destination Jamaica on numerous occasions throughout the year. Accessibility: Destination Jamaica is easily accessible by air at anyone of our three international airports. Donald Sangsters International Airport in Montego Bay. Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston and the Ian Flemings International Airport in Boscobel. It is also accessible by land and by sea at anyone of our three cruise ship pier whether it is Montego Bay, Falmouth or Ocho Rios. Easily Trained Staff: wherever we go we easily adapt to changes and do not require much training to effectively carry out a given task. Culture: The rich and diverse culture and heritage of Jamaica is renowned throughout the world. Jamaica multicultural history is best summarized in the national motto: Out of many, one people. Tourism Product: the 3 S which makes up the tourism product sun, sea and sand. Agricultural opportunities: According to the Jamaica observer published April 30, 2009 Jamaica outstanding performance at the Beijing Olympics brought new focus on Jamaican food yam and tubers in particular which in some quarter was credited for Usain Bolts meteoric and historic achievements. In addition, imploring investors to take advantage of the opportunity to invest in Jamaica. Culture and historical heritage: Jamaica culture and historical heritage aptly describes the music, cuisine, tradition, art and clothing, religion and folk lore. Bauxite and Alumina: considered the most important sector of Jamaican economy accounting for about 10% GDP, Enabling Jamaica to become the leading bauxite producer in the world. Renewable energy sources supply: The country has the advantages of utilizing renewable energy sources which comprise wind energy, solar thermal, wave energy and gas from animal waste just to name a few. Focus on prudent fiscal management: maintain fiscal records and procedures of the agency that provides protection for the resources of the agency as well as records and procedures which generate economy effectiveness and operation efficiency. Tax Administration Development Airlift, including the national airline Caribbean Airline formerly Air Jamaica WEAKNESS OF DESTINATION JAMAICA Image in the market place, unsafe destination Insufficient schedule air service from some markets for example Europe Lack of man-made attractions/development of natural attractions Lack of enough large facilities to adequately host large meetings and conventions over 300 people Crime and culture of indiscipline and lawlessness Poor human rights system Poor representation of electors Low literacy and poor school governance Poverty economic dependence Inefficient court system High cost of energy Poor organization of small businesses Unfriendly tax policies Political systems Inefficient Bureaucracy Poor infrastructure Inaccessible garrison communities OPPORTUNITIES OF DESTINATION JAMAICA Global recovery increased markets Import substitutions opportunities Renewable energy opportunities Poor structure and dependency means greater opportunities to grow Public sector rationalization Tax reform and simplification Domestic tourism Cruise passengers as potential stopovers THREATS OF DESTINATION JAMAICA Pollution of Environment Visitors Harassment Global Recovery inflation, higher interest rates Rising oil and commodity prices Focus on more investor friendly emerging economies upcoming elections fiscal appetite for revenue Inadequate Health Care The value of the Tourism Marketing Plan The Tourism Marketing Plan, establish growth based on a sustainable market position in line with market trends which helps to enhance the visitors experience through mobilizing investment by increasing the types and quality of attractions. This gives awareness in the market place. The marketing plan may be part of the business plan. A solid marketing strategy is the foundation of a well written marketing plan. Thus the value of the plan is to provide a strategic vision for the development of the industry and a framework through which that strategic vision can be realized. Three processes involved in developing the Tourism Marketing Plan Introduction: set out the main theme of the Tourism Marketing Plan. It starts with a discussion of what constitute sustainable tourism development and then outline the main strategic objectives of the marketing plan and the measure designed to achieve them. Sustainable Tourism: the aim of the marketing plan to move the industry on a path of sustainability which includes a key finding of the Diagnostic and Strategic options. Strategic Objectives: to ensure consensus of the future direction of the industry and the strategic objectives set for it. The diagnostic and strategic options report set out three strategic options for planning the future growth of the industry. The three options are: Accelerating growth so that tourism can play the lead role in economic development envisaged in the national industrial policy (NIP) with particular regard to serving as a lead sector of the economy earning foreign exchange and creating employment. Enhancing visitors experience, through developing and satisfying diversifying the product, to improve the long term competitive positioning of the industry and to achieve self-sustaining growth based on word- of mouth referrals and high repeat visitors. Achieving sustainability through improving socio-economic integration, by putting communities at the Centre of the tourism planning process and by helping to preserve Jamaicas rich heritage of the national and built environment and its unique history and culture. Five external organizations that could assist the Jamaica Tourist Board with implementation of a Destination Marketing Plan Immunology: Techniques and Functions Immunology: Techniques and Functions a) Acquired resistance The efficient and protective response against dermatophytosis is a cell-mediated response of the DTH, characterized namely by the action of macrophages as effector cells, interferon-ÃŽ ± secretion from type 1 T-helper lymphocytes and by some key cytokines like interferon-ÃŽ ³ (IFN-ÃŽ ³). Immune detection and chemotaxis occur via low-molecular weight chemotactic factors or alternative complement pathway activation. However, the immune response that is raised, and especially the degree of inflammation, varies according to the dermatophyte species, the host species and the pathophysiological status of the host.26 In general, the zoophilic species cause more inflammatory infections which may heal spontaneously and result in relative resistance to reinfection. The anthropophilic species usually cause more chronic, less circumscribed infections which result in less resistance to reinfection.26 b) Hypersensitivity (Trichophytin Reaction) The trichophytin reaction is the term used for cutaneous hypersensitivity to dermatophyte antigens injected intradermally in humans. Both immediate- and delayed-type reactions occur, but the latter is most often associated with infection.26 Trichophyton species can be isolated from patients with deep-seated trichophytosis in a liquid medium consisting of beef extract, peptone, and maltose. After 2 to 3 months at room temperature, the growth is ground and filtered.26 In patients with deep-seated trichophytosis, parenteral injection of trichophytin caused signs and symptoms analogous to those induced in tuberculous patients by injection of tuberculin: general toxic reactions including elevated temperature, perspiration, loss of appetite, headache, and pain in the joints. There was inflammation, formation of pustules, and burning at the injection site.26 Dermatophytid reactions (4–5% of patients) are inflammatory eczematous allergic skin reactions at sites distant from primary fungal infection. Being KOH and culture negative, it is associated with a DTH response to trichophytin test and may involve a local DTH response to systemically absorbedfungal antigen.26 c) Antibodies; Antibody formation does not seem to be protective. The dermatophyteantigen is thought to be processed by epidermal Langerhans cells and presented in local lymph nodes to T lymphocytes which proliferate, migrate to the infected site, and produce inflammation. The epidermal barrier becomes permeable to transferring and migrating cells leading to spontaneous resolution of lesions. Trichophytin skin test is now positive and clearing of second infection will be more rapid. Rivalier showed that a dermatophytic infection in humans results in a relative resistance to subsequent infection called‘le phenomene de la reaction acceleree’or‘le phenomene de Bruno Bloch’, mainly by the inflammatory forms (kerion), caused by zoophilic species, but not always follow the more chronic anthropophilic infections. Fungi which do not invade the hair follicle do not seem to give rise to an equivalent immunity when growing in the horny layer of the smooth skin. In contrast, a study c ould not demonstrate such acquired immunity in experimentalT. rubruminfection of smooth skin.26 d) Non-Specific Resistance Natural defenses against dermatophytes depend on immunological and nonimmunological mechanisms. Many nonspecific factors may account for natural resistance to infection. It is mainly related to the serum factor, a fungistatic substance in serum of normal individuals and animals. This factor is believed to limit the growth of the dermatophytes to the keratinized layers, i.e., prevent their invasion of living tissues.26 Host factors that help limiting the infection to keratinized tissue include their preference for cooler skin temperatures than the normal body temperature, serum inhibitory factors(beta-globulins, ferritin and other metal chelators) binding to iron essential for growth of dermatophytes. Unsaturated transferrin inhibits the growth of dermatophytes by binding to the hyphae. A growth modifying, ÃŽ ±2 macroglobulin keratin inhibitor, has also been identified in serum. The natural resistance of scalp to 1. Direct Microscopic Examination Direct microscopy provides an early and reasonably reliable method of diagnosing or excluding fungal infections. Potassium Hydroxide (KOH) preparation Direct mounts are made by mixing a small portion of the material in 2-3 drops of 10% KOH on a microscope slide. A cover slip is placed over KOH specimen and the slide is gently heated. The slide is allowed to cool and ‘ripen’ for few minutes before examination. The KOH ‘cleans’ the specimen by digesting proteinaceous debris, bleaching pigments and loosening sclerotic material without damaging fungus, making hyphal forms easier to see. The slides are examined under bright field microscope with low condenser, first under 10x and then under 40x. The hyphae stand out as highly refractile long undulating branched septate threads. At times these hyphae fragment into rounded or barrel shaped arthrospores. The arthrospores are outside the hair shaft in chains in a mosaic pattern or intrapilar depending on the species involved and whether it is endothrix or ectothrix. 20% KOH are used for nail samples. In case the nails do not soften satisfactorily, the slide may be kept in an incubator at 370C for 1 hour. Hair should be examined as soon as possible after mounting. Some modifications of KOH preparation Addition of 5% glycerin to 25% KOH or NaOH prevents desiccation. 20% KOH dissolved in 40% DMSO helps in rapid penetration and maceration of tissue without resorting to heating.36 Addition of Parker Superchrome Blue-black ink to KOH solution selectively colors the hyphae making them more prominent. Sodium sulphide may also be used as a clearing agent. Eosin 1% may be added to KOH to stain the keratin. It lends a pinkish background while fungal elements remain unstained.37 Modified Parker’s ink and 1% Eosin method: Eosin 1% is added to Parker’s ink in 2:1 proportion. The mixture is painted over the affected site and allowed to dry. Apply cellophane tape, gently press, remove it, stick over glass slide and observe under microscope. Background stains pink and fungal elements stain blue. 2. Calcofluor white stain Calcofluor white is a fluorescent brightener which selectively binds to chitin and cellulose in the fungal cell wall. It fluoresces light blue color when exposed to ultraviolet light (346-365nm). 3. Acridine Orange38 A drop of 0.01% acridine orange may be added to KOH and observed under fluorescent microscope. 4. PAS (Periodic Acid Schiff)38 Nail clipping stained with PAS is more rewarding as compared to KOH wet mount. The polysaccharides of fungi are oxidized by periodic acid to form aldehyde groups that yield magenta coloured compound with Schiff’s fuchsin sulfide. 5. Gomori Methenamine Silver Stain38 This stain works on the principle of liberation of aldehyde groups and their subsequent identification by reduced silver method. The aldehyde reduces methenamine silver nitrate complex resulting in brown black staining fungal cell wall due to deposition of reduced silver wherever aldehydes are located. Culture The most common media used for the isolation of dermatophytes is Sabourauds Dextrose agar with chloramphenicol and cycloheximide to inhibit bacterial and saprobic fungal contamination, incubated at three temperatures i.e., 250 C, 300C and 370C Dermatophyte test medium (DTM) is used for the presumptive identification of dermatophytes. On incubation at 250C, the dermatophyte test media turns red due to change in color of the indicator phenol red by increased pH through their metabolic activity while most fungi do not.38 Potato flakes agar amended with cycloheximide and chloramphenicol is available as Rapid Sporulating Medium to promote rapid conidiation and colony pigmentation.39 SDA with 1% thiamine can be used for sporulation. The media should be inoculated and kept at room temperature for minimum of weeks. Sporulation usually occurs in 7 – 10 days. Some stains like T.verrucosum may take longer and some stains of T.tonsurans grow better when incubated at 370 C. Identification Identification is based on Colony characteristics in pure culture on SDA Microscopic morphology 1. Colony characteristics39 In observing gross colony morphology, note the color of the surface and the reverse of the colony, the texture of the surface (powdery, granular, wooly, cottony, velvety or glabrous) the topography (elevation, folding, margins, etc.,) and the rate of growth. 2. Microscopic morphology The appearance and arrangement of the conidia and other structures may be determined by tease mounts or slide culture preparation mounted on lactophenol cotton blue. Sometimes special media like corn meal agar, potato glucose agar, lactrimel agar, rapid sporulation medium may be required to stimulate sporulation. a. Tease mount (Lactophenol Cotton Blue) For preparing a mount, a portion of fungal fragment is removed with a spud and is teased on a glass slide in a drop of LCB stain using 2 teasing needles. A cover slip is placed and examined under the microscope. b. Slide culture Microscopic structures are beautifully preserved for study in fine details. A microscopic slide is placed on a bent glass rod at the bottom of a petri dish along with 1-2 cover slips and a filter paper. Petri dishes are closed with their lid, wrapped with craft paper and sterilized using hot air oven. Block of 1x2cm of Sabourauds agar poured into petri dishes up to a depth of 4mm is cut using sterile scalpel blade. The block is transferred to the surface of the glass slide. The agar block is inoculated at four sides using the fungal strain to be identified. The inoculated block is covered with sterile cover slip and incubated at 250 C. A little sterile distilled water is added on the filter paper to avoid drying of agar. When growth appears, a drop of LCB is placed on a slide and cover slip from block is placed over it. Likewise drop of stain is placed on glass slide of the slide culture after removing agar block; fresh cover slip is applied over it and is examined under the microsco pe.38,40 c. Scotch Tape Technique A 4 cm strip of scotch tape No. 800 is looped back on itself with the adhesive side out and held between the thumb and index finger. The adhesive side is pressed firmly to the surface of the fungal colony. It is gently pulled and is placed in a small drop of LCB on a microscopic slide. Physiological tests 1. In vitro hair perforation test This is performed to differentiate between T.mentagrophytes and T.rubrum as well as M.canis and M.equinum. This test is taken positive when dermatophyte species show wedge shaped perforation in hair. It is positive in T.mentagrophytes and M.canis. 2. Urease Test Is done on Christensen’s medium. T.mentagrophytes hydrolyze urea thereby turns medium red while T.rubrum shows negative result. 3. Special nutritional requirements The method employs a casamino acids basal medium i.e., vitamin free [Trichophyton agar, (T1)] and to which various vitamins are added i.e., inositol (T2), thiamine + inositol (T3), thiamine (T4), and nicotinic acid (T5). In addition, the series includes an ammonium nitrate basal medium (T6) to which histidine is added (T7). After inoculation, incubated at room temperature or 370C (if T.verrucosum is suspected) and read after 7 and 14 days. The amount of growth is graded from 0-4+. 4. Growth on Polished Rice Grains This is a useful test for differentiating M.audouinii from M.canis and from other dermatophytes that typically grow and sporulate on rice grains. 5. Temperature tolerance and temperance enhancement Used for distinguishing T.mentagrophytes complex from T.terrestre, T.mentagrophytes from M.persicolor and T.verrucosum from T.schoenleinii. At 370 C, members of T.mentagrophytes complex show good result whereas T.terrestre does not grow and M.persicolor generally grows poorly or not at all; growth of T.verrucosum and T.soudanense is enhanced but that of T.schoenleinii and M.ferruginum is not. 6. Hair bait technique This technique is used for the isolation of geophilic species like M.gypseum from soil. Immunodiagnosis38 Skin tests with dermatophyte antigen trichophytin are used for the diagnosis of dermatophytosis. Trichophytin is a crude extract from dermatophytes producing positive delayed type hypersensitivity in most of the adults. The patients without delayed type reaction are more susceptible to chronic dermatophytosis. Serological tests Various serological tests like immunodiffusion are done to establish the diagnosis of dermatophytosis. Animal pathogenicity It is done on guinea pigs. M.canis, M.gypseum and T.mentagrophytes may be established more readily in laboratory animals as compared to other species. It is done for studying nature of lesions and immunity produced by the organism. Molecular Identification Techniques Methods used are largely based on arbitrarily primed PCR or restriction fragment length polymorphism generated from PCR products. An oligonucleotide probe for T.rubrum has been developed. Nested PCR targeting Chitin Synthase I (CHSI) gene in skin and hair specimen of patients clinically suspected with dermatophytosis is used.41

America Must Not Close Abortion Clinics :: Pro Choice Abortion

America Must Not Close Abortion Clinics In 1973, the Supreme Court’s decision made it possible for women to get safe, legal abortions from well-trained medical surgeons, and therefore led to dramatic decreases in pregnancy-related injury and death (â€Å"abortion†). Now there is a new proposal to close abortion clinics. This proposal takes away the privacy rights of American women that are guaranteed by our Constitution. By closing abortion clinics the government is not only taking away women’s rights, but is also punishing those whom want to exercise their right to have an abortion. Abortion clinics allow thousands of women every year to have abortions. Having the abortion should be woman’s personal choice. By closing these clinics, there will be no providers to perform the operation, so the choice has already been made for them. Closing the clinics will increase the barriers of having an abortion. When there are too many obstacles, the right to make their own choice is taken away from them. In 1973 the American Supreme Court ruled that Americans’ right to privacy included: â€Å"the right of a woman to decide whether to have children, and the right of a woman and her doctor to make that decision without state interference† (â€Å"abortion†). The Constitution says we have a right to privacy, so taking away a woman’s chance to make decisions about her own body violates that right. The American Civil Liberties Union defends the Constitution and peoples’ rights. ACLU has protected the rights of abortion for women, and in recent years has argued mayor cases opposing restrictions that deny woman access to reproductive health care (â€Å"ACLU†). Policy 263 states: â€Å"The ACLU holds that every woman, as a matter of her right to the enjoyment of life, liberty, and privacy, should be free to determine whether and when to bear children.†(The American Civil Liberties Union) The closure of abortion clinics will be done with the purpose to reduce the number of abortions. This raises the question whether this will be an effective method or not. Before 1973 abortions were illegal yet the number of women who sought abortions did not decrease (â€Å"abortion†). Before 1973 many thousands of women died or suffered serious medical problems after attempting to perform their own abortions, or going to untrained doctors who performed cheap abortions with uncivilized methods or in unsanitary conditions (The Abortion Law Homepage.). If clinics are closed, women will still continue to attempt, and succeed, in ending unwanted pregnancies just like before 1973.

Money Makes the Man in Theodore Dreisers An American Tragedy and Sister Carrie :: essays research papers

Money Makes the Man in Theodore Dreiser's An American Tragedy and Sister Carrie Through the social criticism of Theodore Dreiser, the plight of the poor is compared against the actions of the rich. In both An American Tragedy and Sister Carrie Dreiser presents characters who are driven â€Å"by ignorance and in ability to withstand the pressures of the shallow American yearning for money, success, fashion -- dreams about which Dreiser himself was indeed an authority† (W.A. Swanberg 254). Throughout his career, Dreiser wrote for a variety of periodicals in order to earn enough money to support himself. His success there lead him to write novels, which in turn guided his path to fame and fortune.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mirroring the life and ambition of Dreiser, the characters in An American Tragedy and Sister Carrie demonstrate the same goals and hopes for their lives. Like Dreiser, both Clyde and Carrie came from modest roots. In American society at the turn of the century, however, it is money that ultimately makes the man. As a result, both characters spend their lives working their way into this mold, even at the cost of compromising themselves.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Within the book An American Tragedy, a poor boy is working his way up to become known. In his society, a name is known for the amount of money its holder makes. His actions in and out of work reflect what his social life of popularity will become. He strives for richness and a life of prosperity, but it is not always what he wants. His choices with love have to be that of wealth and success or he is dishonored.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This character, Clyde, takes a series of miscellaneous jobs to help him succeed. His first high paying job was as a bell hop in a hotel frequented by the rich. From there he went on to work at the shirt factory owned by his extremely wealthy uncle, Uncle Griffiths. Beginning in the wash rooms, Clyde eventually worked his way into a managerial position keeping tab of the payroll. While at the shirt collar factory Clyde engages in a relationship with Roberta, one of the workers under his charge. Clyde then falls in love with Sondra, a woman of the upper class. Not long after, he discovers that Roberta is pregnant. Rather than jeopardize his own rise into the upper class, Clyde must find a way to get rid of Roberta. His only thoughts are that of murder, but he lacks the courage to do it himself.

Dells Successful Use of the Internet as a Selling Channel Essay

Dell's Successful Use of the Internet as a Selling Channel Dell are currently the worlds number one PC supplier, a position in the market they took from Compaq in April 2001. In short, the company’s success story is mainly down to their innovative direct business model, which pays particular attention to the selling process where Dell completely bypasses all intermediaries and/or middlemen. This is because Michael Dell believed they add little if no value to the end product, instead just gaining a considerable mark-up for selling the product. Hence, they became the first PC manufacturer to completely cut out retailers and instead sold customised computers directly to customers based on their exact specifications. This selling process began over the telephone and via catalogues but in 1996 Dell embarked on Internet based selling on their official website, Dell.com, providing customers the opportunity to buy desktops, notebooks and servers directly from them. In order to power online commerce successfully for any business, the basic technology required is the installation of servers and data-storage systems. The website Dell.com runs on industry standard Dell PowerEdge servers. These powerful servers are backed up by Dell/EMC Fibre Channel storage. Dell is therefore equipped with backup strategies in case any problems with the servers or software occur and are experienced. This is crucial, as users may begin to view this distribution channel as unreliable if breakdowns are recurrent and could detract them from not only buying from Dell.com but from anything from the company. According to company internal metrics, Dell.com is one of the most responsive web sites on the Internet, with an average download time of 1 second for a page. That briefly explains the technology used to power the website however customers can access it simply via an Internet browser, the most popular being Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Explorer. Dell’s direct business model (can be seen on the page three) may be simple in theory however it is very complicated executing it in reality. Building PC’s to order means that they must have the parts and components on hand to build a wide range of possible specifications over a short period of time (to ensure minimum time between order and manufacture). To complete these orders quickly, Dell must have first-rate manufacturing and ... ...ffective they are. As mentioned, customer service has also improved from an already high standard even further. Dell has created many services online that enables the customer to see the whole purchasing process clearly once they have made an order. It gives the customer the ability to track the progress of their order as it is produced and delivered, providing them with constant feedback of delivery dates and product information. This 24-hour customer service and fast response time helps Dell build a strong relationship with customers. References ---------- The key references handed in earlier referred to the two links below: - http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/corp/home?c= uk&l=en&s=corp - http://www1.us.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/corp/pressoffice/ en/2003/2003_10_20_rr_002?c=us&l=en&s=corp Further websites were found with useful detail on Dell’s direct selling model: - http://www.internetretailer.com/article.asp?id=6717 - http://www.microsoft.com/resources/casestudies/casestudy.asp?CaseStudy ID=14674 - http://www1.us.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/policy/en/policy? c=us&l=en&s=gen&~ck=lf&~section=006

The Treaty of Paris

Treaty of Paris Signed by the United States and Spain, December 10, 1898The United States of America and Her Majesty the Queen Regent of Spain, in the name of her august son Don Alfonso XIII, desiring to end the state of war now existing between the two countries, have for that purpose appointed as plenipotentiaries: The President of the United States, William R. Day, Cushman K. Davis, William P.Frye, George Gray, and Whitelaw Reid, citizens of the United States; And Her Majesty the Queen Regent of Spain, Don Eugenio Montero Rios, president of the senate, Don Buenaventura de Abarzuza, senator of the Kingdom and ex-minister of the Crown; Don Jose de Garnica, deputy of the Cortes and associate justice of the supreme court; Don Wenceslao Ramirez de Villa-Urrutia, envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary at Brussels, and Don Rafael Cerero, general of division; Who, having assembled in Paris, and having exchanged their full powers, which were found to be in due and proper form, ha ve, after discussion of the matters before them, agreed up on the following articles: Article I. Spain relinquishes all claim of sovereignty over and title to Cuba. And as the island is, upon its evacuation by Spain, to be occupied by the United States, the United States will, so long as such occupation shall last, assume and discharge the obligations that may under international law result from the fact of its occupation, for the protection of life and property. Article II. Spain cedes to the United States the island of Porto Rico and other islands now under Spanish sovereignty in the West Indies, and the island of Guam in the Marianas or Ladrones. Article III.Spain cedes to the United States the archipelago known as the Philippine Islands, and comprehending the islands lying within the following line: A line running from west to east along or near the twentieth parallel of north latitude, and through the middle of the navigable channel of Bachi, from the one hundred and eighteenth (118th) to the one hundred and twenty-seventh (127th) degree meridian of longitude east of Greenwich, thence along the one hundred and twenty seventh (127th) degree meridian of longitude east of Greenwich to the parallel of four degrees and forty five minutes (4 [degree symbol] 45†²]) north latitude, thence along the parallel of four degrees and forty five minutes (4 [degree symbol] 45†²) north latitude to its intersection with the meridian of longitude one hundred and nineteen degrees and thirty five minutes (119 [degree symbol] 35†²) east of Greenwich, thence along the meridian of longitude one hundred nd nineteen degrees and thirty five minutes (119 [degree symbol] 35†²) east of Greenwich to the parallel of latitude seven degrees and forty minutes (7 [degree symbol] 40†²) north, thence along the parallel of latitude of seven degrees and forty minutes (7 [degree symbol] 40†²) north to its intersection with the one hundred and sixteenth (116th) degree meridian of longitude east of Greenwich, thence by a direct line to the intersection of the tenth (10th) degree parallel of north latitude with the one hundred and eighteenth (118th) degree meridian of longitude east of Greenwich, and thence along the one hundred and eighteenth (118th) degree meridian of longitude east of Greenwich to the point of beginning. The United States will pay to Spain the sum of twenty million dollars ($20,000,000) within three months after the exchange of the ratifications of the present treaty. Article IV. The United States will, for the term of ten years from the date of the exchange of the ratifications of the present treaty, admit Spanish ships and merchandise to the ports of the Philippine Islands on the same terms as ships and merchandise of the United States.Article VThe United States will, upon the signature of the present treaty, send back to Spain, at its own cost, the Spanish soldiers taken as prisoners of war on the capture of Manila by the Am erican forces. The arms of the soldiers in question shall be restored to them. Spain will, upon the exchange of the ratifications of the present treaty, proceed to evacuate the Philippines, as well as the island of Guam, on terms similar to those agreed upon by the Commissioners appointed to arrange for the evacuation of Porto Rico and other islands in the West Indies, under the Protocol of August 12, 1898, which is to continue in force till its provisions are completely executed. The time within which the evacuation of the Philippine Islands and Guam shall be completed shall be fixed by the two Governments.Stands of colors, uncaptured war vessels, small arms, guns of all calibres, with their carriages and accessories, powder, ammunition, livestock, and materials and supplies of all kinds, belonging to the land and naval forces of Spain in the Philippines and Guam, remain the property of Spain. Pieces of heavy ordnance, exclusive of field artillery, in the fortifications and coast d efences, shall remain in their emplacements for the term of six months, to be reckoned from the exchange of ratifications of the treaty; and the United States may, in the meantime, purchase such material from Spain, if a satisfactory agreement between the two Governments on the subject shall be reached.Article VISpain will, upon the signature of the present treaty, release all prisoners of war, and all persons detained or imprisoned for political offences, in connection with the insurrections in Cuba and the Philippines and the war with the United States. Reciprocally, the United States will release all persons made prisoners of war by the American forces, and will undertake to obtain the release of all Spanish prisoners in the hands of the insurgents in Cuba and the Philippines. The Government of the United States will at its own cost return to Spain and the Government of Spain will at its own cost return to the United States, Cuba, Porto Rico, and the Philippines, according to the situation of their respective homes, prisoners released or caused to be released by them, respectively, under this article. Article VII.The United States and Spain mutually relinquish all claims for indemnity, national and individual, of every kind, of either Government, or of its citizens or subjects, against the other Government, that may have arisen since the beginning of the late insurrection in Cuba and prior to the exchange of ratifications of the present treaty, including all claims for indemnity for the cost of the war. The United States will adjudicate and settle the claims of its citizens against Spain relinquished in this article. Article VIII. In conformity with the provisions of Articles I, II, and III of this treaty, Spain relinquishes in Cuba, and cedes in Porto Rico and other islands in the West Indies, in the island of Guam, and in the Philippine Archipelago, all the buildings, wharves, barracks, forts, structures, public highways and other immovable property which , in conformity with law, belong to the public domain, and as such belong to the Crown of Spain.And it is hereby declared that the relinquishment or cession, as the case may be, to which the preceding paragraph refers, can not in any respect impair the property or rights which by law belong to the peaceful possession of property of all kinds, of provinces, municipalities, public or private establishments, ecclesiastical or civic bodies, or any other associations having legal capacity to acquire and possess property in the aforesaid territories renounced or ceded, or of private individuals, of whatsoever nationality such individuals may be. The aforesaid relinquishment or cession, as the case may be, includes all documents exclusively referring to the sovereignty relinquished or ceded that may exist in the archives of the Peninsula. Where any document in such archives only in part relates to said sovereignty, a copy of such part will be furnished whenever it shall be requested. Like rules shall be reciprocally observed in favor of Spain in respect of documents in the archives of the islands above referred to.In the aforesaid relinquishment or cession, as the case may be, are also included such rights as the Crown of Spain and its authorities possess in respect of the official archives and records, executive as well as judicial, in the islands above referred to, which relate to said islands or the rights and property of their inhabitants. Such archives and records shall be carefully preserved, and private persons shall without distinction have the right to require, in accordance with law, authenticated copies of the contracts, wills and other instruments forming part of notorial protocols or files, or which may be contained in the executive or judicial archives, be the latter in Spain or in the islands aforesaid. Article IX.Spanish subjects, natives of the Peninsula, residing in the territory over which Spain by the present treaty relinquishes or cedes her sover eignty, may remain in such territory or may remove therefrom, retaining in either event all their rights of property, including the right to sell or dispose of such property or of its proceeds; and they shall also have the right to carry on their industry, commerce and professions, being subject in respect thereof to such laws as are applicable to other foreigners. In case they remain in the territory they may preserve their allegiance to the Crown of Spain by making, before a court of record, within a year from the date of the exchange of ratifications of this treaty, a declaration of their decision to preserve such allegiance; in default of which declaration they shall be held to have renounced it and to have adopted the nationality of the territory in which they may reside.The civil rights and political status of the native inhabitants of the territories hereby ceded to the United States shall be determined by the Congress. Article X. The inhabitants of the territories over which Spain relinquishes or cedes her sovereignty shall be secured in the free exercise of their religion. Article XI. The Spaniards residing in the territories over which Spain by this treaty cedes or relinquishes her sovereignty shall be subject in matters civil as well as criminal to the jurisdiction of the courts of the country wherein they reside, pursuant to the ordinary laws governing the same; and they shall have the right to appear before such courts, and to ursue the same course as citizens of the country to which the courts belong. Article XII. Judicial proceedings pending at the time of the exchange of ratifications of this treaty in the territories over which Spain relinquishes or cedes her sovereignty shall be determined according to the following rules: 1. Judgments rendered either in civil suits between private individuals, or in criminal matters, before the date mentioned, and with respect to which there is no recourse or right of review under the Spanish law, shall be d eemed to be final, and shall be executed in due form by competent authority in the territory within which such judgments should be carried out. 2.Civil suits between private individuals which may on the date mentioned be undetermined shall be prosecuted to judgment before the court in which they may then be pending or in the court that may be substituted therefor. 3. Criminal actions pending on the date mentioned before the Supreme Court of Spain against citizens of the territory which by this treaty ceases to be Spanish shall continue under its jurisdiction until final judgment; but, such judgment having been rendered, the execution thereof shall be committed to the competent authority of the place in which the case arose. Article XIII. The rights of property secured by copyrights and patents acquired by Spaniards in the Island of Cuba and in Porto Rico, the Philippines and other ceded territories, at the time of the exchange of the ratifications of this treaty, shall continue to b e respected.Spanish scientific, literary and artistic works, not subversive of public order in the territories in question, shall continue to be admitted free of duty into such territories, for the period of ten years, to be reckoned from the date of the exchange of the ratifications of this treaty. Article XIV. Spain will have the power to establish consular officers in the ports and places of the territories, the sovereignty over which has been either relinquished or ceded by the present treaty. Article XV. The Government of each country will, for the term of ten years, accord to the merchant vessels of the other country the same treatment in respect of all port charges, including entrance and clearance dues, light dues, and tonnage duties, as it accords to its own merchant vessels, not engaged in the coastwise trade. Article XVI.It is understood that any obligations assumed in this treaty by the United States with respect to Cuba are limited to the time of its occupancy thereof; but it will upon termination of such occupancy, advise any Government established in the island to assume the same obligations. Article XVII. The present treaty shall be ratified by the President of the United States, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate thereof, and by Her Majesty the Queen Regent of Spain; and the ratifications shall be exchanged at Washington within six months from the date hereof, or earlier if possible. In faith whereof, we, the respective Plenipotentiaries, have signed this treaty and have hereunto affixed our seals.Done in duplicate at Paris, the tenth day of December, in the year of Our Lord one thousand eight hundred and ninety-eight. [Seal] William R. Day[Seal] Cushman K. Davis[Seal] William P. Frye[Seal] Geo. Gray[Seal] Whitelaw Reid[Seal] Eugenio Montero Rios[Seal] B. de Abarzuza[Seal] J. de Garnica[Seal] W. R. de Villa Urrutia[Seal] Rafael CereroDocument courtesy of The Avalon Project Source: A Treaty of Peace Between the United States and S pain, U. S. Congress, 55th Cong. , 3d sess. , Senate Doc. No. 62, Part 1 (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1899), 5-11. | Source: â€Å"Firstworldwar. com. † First World War. com. N. p. , n. d. Web. 22 Jan. 2013. http://www. pbs. org/wgbh/amex/1900/filmmore/reference/primary/treatyofparis. html