The Retail Grocery Market Structure in Australia

Life of Francis Crick, Co-Discoverer of DNAs Structure

Life of Francis Crick, Co-Discoverer of DNA's Structure Francis Crick (June 8, 1916–July 28, 2004) was the co-discoverer of the structure of the DNA molecule. With James Watson, he discovered the double helical structure of DNA. Along with Sydney Brenner and others, he demonstrated that the genetic code is composed of three base codons for reading the genetic material. Fast Facts: Francis Crick Full Name: Francis Harry Compton CrickKnown for: Co-discovered the double helical structure of DNABorn: June 8, 1916 in Northampton, EnglandDied: July 28, 2004 in La Jolla, California, United StatesEducation: University of Cambridge, Ph.D.Key Accomplishments: Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine (1962)Spouses Names: Ruth Doreen Dodd (1940–1947) and Odile Speed (1949–2004)Childrens Names: Michael Francis Compton, Gabrielle Anne, Jacqueline Marie-Therese Early Years Francis Harry Compton Crick was born on June 8, 1916 in the English town of Northampton. He was the eldest of two children. Crick began his formal education at the Northampton Grammar School, then attended Mill Hill School in London. He had a natural inquisitiveness for the sciences and enjoyed conducting chemical experiments under the tutelage of one of his uncles. Crick earned his Bachelor of Science degree in physics from the University College London (UCL). He then started his Ph.D. work in physics at UCL, but was unable to finish due to the start of World War II. During the war, Crick worked for the Admiralty Research Laboratory, conducting research on the design of acoustic and magnetic mines. After the war, Crick moved from studying physics to studying biology. He very much enjoyed pondering the new discoveries that were being made in the life sciences at the time. In 1950, he was accepted as a student at Caius College, Cambridge. He was awarded his Ph.D. in 1954 for his study of the X-ray crystallography of proteins. Research Career Cricks transition from physics to biology was critical to his work in biology. It has been said that his approach to biology was refined by the simplicity of physics, as well as his belief that there were still big discoveries to be made in biology. Crick met James Watson in 1951. They had a common interest in discerning how the genetic information for an organism could be stored in the organisms DNA. Their work together built upon the work of other scientists such as Rosalind Franklin, Maurice Wilkins, Raymond Gosling, and Erwin Chargaff. The partnership proved fortuitous to their discovery of DNAs double helix structure. For the majority of his career, Crick worked for the Medical Research Council at Cambridge in England. Later in life, he worked for the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California, in the United States. The Structure of DNA Crick and Watson proposed a number of significant features in their model of the structure of DNA, including: DNA is a double-stranded helix.The DNA helix is typically right-handed.The helix is anti-parallel.The outside edges of the DNA bases are available for hydrogen bonding. The model consisted of a sugar-phosphate backbone on the outside and pairs of nitrogenous bases, held together by hydrogen bonds, on the inside. Crick and Watson published their paper detailing the structure of DNA in the science journal Nature in 1953. The illustration in the article was drawn by Cricks wife Odile, who was an artist. Crick, Watson, and Maurice Wilkins (one of the researchers whose work Crick and Watson had built upon) were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology for Medicine in 1962. Their discoveries furthered the understanding of how the genetic information from one organism is passed down to its progeny from generation to generation. Later Life and Legacy Crick continued to study other aspects of DNA and protein synthesis after the discovery of the double helical nature of DNA. He collaborated with Sydney Brenner and others to demonstrate that the genetic code is made up of three base codons for amino acids. The research demonstrated that, since there are four bases, there are 64 possible codons, and the same amino acid can have multiple codons. In 1977, Crick left England and relocated to the United States, where he served as the J.W. Kieckhefer Distinguished Research Professor at the Salk Institute. He continued to research in biology, focusing on neurobiology and human consciousness. Francis Crick died in 2004 at the age of 88. He is remembered for the significance of his role in the discovery of DNAs structure. The discovery was pivotal to many later advances in science and technology, including screening for genetic diseases, DNA fingerprinting, and genetic engineering. Sources The Francis Crick Papers: Biographical Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, profiles.nlm.nih.gov/ps/retrieve/Narrative/SC/p-nid/141.  Francis Crick - Biographical. Nobelprize.org, www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1962/crick/biographical/.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"About Dr Francis Crick.† Crick, www.crick.ac.uk/about-us/our-history/about-dr-francis-crick.  Watson, James D. The Double Helix: a Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA. New American Library, 1968.

There Are Taxes to Be Paid Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

There Are Taxes to Be Paid - Research Paper Example uired that the direct taxes that are collected by the federal government should be apportioned to the States, in accordance with their population numbers (Buenker, 1981). Further, the Sixteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted the federal government the powers to collect the taxes without regard to the provisions of Clause 4 of Section 9 in the Article I of the USA constitution, which required that the collection of direct taxes should be done with regard to a census or enumeration (Jensen, 2001).Therefore, the basic t salient points of the Sixteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution are: The Sixteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution gave the congress, and consequently the federal government the right to collect taxes from whichever sources that an income was being generated by the American public (Buenker, 1981). Thus, it was now within the discretion of the federal government to apply tax towards the incomes that individuals were earning from their payroll incomes, where the federal government set the minimum taxable labor income at $3000. In addition, the federal government gained the right to impose tax on gains derived from capital (Jensen, 2001). In this respect, the earnings in relation to properties owned by individuals or corporations would now pass for taxation, including the profits obtainable when such capital properties are sold or when they change hands. The other basic tenet of the Sixteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is that; the federal government gained the right to use the direct taxes obtained from the various sources in whichever way it deemed necessary (Buenker, 1981). This provision was a desertion from the provisions of the article I of the U.S. Constitution, which provided that the federal government should apportion all the direct taxes it collected to different States, based on the population numbers of each state, such that the States with a high population would be apportioned a higher amount of the direct taxes

Xenophobia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Xenophobia - Essay Example However, unlike the Holocaust which built up gradually from Fascist ideas developed by Hitler and his followers in the years after the First World War, and what was seen as the humiliation of the German people, ( The Israeli- American Co-operative 2011) it could be argued that one incident sparked the Rwandan atrocities. The Hutu uprising against their countrymen was triggered when Juvenal Habyarimana, a Hutu, and at that time the Rwandan president, was killed when he was in a plane which was shot down during a rocket attack near Kigali airport on 6th April 1994. The blame was placed firmly on the shoulders of Tutsi leader Paul Kagame, who is now the current Rwandan President, but then leader of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), (BBC News and Le Monde 2004). This was denied by Kagame who blamed the attack on Hutu extremists. Nevertheless, within a few hours of the attack, violence broke out all over the country; and such violence would not wane until three months after the assassination of Habyarimana. By then nearly a million Rwandans would lose their lives. The persecution of the Jews began in the early 1930’s. when Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany in 1933. The persecution he engendered continued and built up into and through World War II., finally ceasing in 1945 when war in Europe finally ended. .It is believed that some 6 million Jews died , as well as members of other minorities such as Gypsies. Others were tortured or suffered in other ways and some 5000 Jewish communities were totally destroyed. ( Nazi Germany 1933-1941) The deaths did not begin as soon as the Fascists came to power. Time was spent first in spreading propaganda across Germany against those seen by the government as the enemies of the Aryan race, a the same time making life very difficult for the minority group. The aim was to encourage Jews to leave the country and to some extent this succeeded, but Hitler could not wait and in 1938 came Kristallnacht - state

Henry inquiry into taxation and the report recommendation Essay

Henry inquiry into taxation and the report recommendation - Essay Example w, the ‘root and branch’ review into taxation, conducted by the government by its Treasury secretary, Ken Henry whose recommendations to the government would be decisive. The essay will inquire into the causes of Henry review into taxation, the major recommendation of the Henry report and government response to the super profits tax (RSPT). The purpose of the government for reviewing taxation on the financial organisations was to help in making Australia a regional financial centre by taxing managed funds and related services to ensure that conduit income will be tax free in Australia (Thompson, 2010). The major recommendation of the Henry report is to reduce the aggregate number of taxes collected by the government. Out of the 125 taxes 90% collection is realised from only 10 taxes, which has prompted to simplify and introduce the most effective form of taxation reform by raising those 10 taxes to nearly 10% each and erase rest of the 115 taxes (Thompson, 2010). The government response to the recommendation has been straight forward by releasing on May 2, 2010 ‘Stronger, Fairer Simpler’ tax plan. Regarding financial institutions among a number of other recommendations, the government response has been to be selective by not implementing all the recommendations. The Prime-Minister has stated in the press release that ‘some potential misinterpretations of the recommendations...it will not implement at any stage’ (Thompson, 2010). The government response on the super profit tax (RSPT) has been to introduce 40% rate from 1 July 2012 with the RSPT to be derived from company taking the tax rate effectively to 56.8%. It is still not the final outcome as the government has granted one more year to reconsider and hold discussions before implementing the taxes so that there remains no doubt over some crucial details and content of the RSPT (Thompson, 2010). Papandrea has discussed just one aspect of the issue between financial advisors and their clients,

Triple Bottom Lines And Sustainable Development Construction Essay

Triple Bottom Lines And Sustainable Development Construction Essay In this assignment, the notion of Triple Bottom Line (TBL) reporting is being analysed critically. The term created by John Elkington is being defined with its concept and general principles (social, environment, and economic lines) discussed in this report. Representations of TBL in the Business and Government Organisations sectors is further explored with its five different interpretations Wait and see, Packaging information for community right to know, stakeholder alignment, endorsing core principles, and holistic cultural perspective. The relationship between sustainable development and TBL is discussed in the report by considering the environmental sustainability, economic sustainability and social sustainability, with a backing example of the TBL Toolkit and the The Capital Works Sustainability Statement practiced in the city of Melbourne. Lastly, the application of TBL in sustainable construction and its indicators of social and environmental, and economic performance used in the construction sector are discussed in the report. Lastly, a case study has been done on Enviro-Cottage constructed in Spring Hill, Brishbane. The project has addressed TBL reporting considering the sustainable development and construction. INTRODUCTION Triple bottom line (TBL) reporting is becoming more common across many sectors of society. Although the concept was born out of the corporate and business world to report corporate social responsibility conveniently, it has been embraced by many organisations to give social and environmental agendas more prominence in the face of corporatist globalisation (Price, R n.d.). The term Triple Bottom Line was formed by John Elkington in 1997. Based in UK as a consultant to companies like BO, DuPont and the World Bank, John Elkington has been described by Business Week as a dean of the corporate responsibility movement for three decades (John Elkington 2010). Instead of the usual financial bottom line, Elkington define and the expanded baseline for measuring performance using social, environmental and economic bottom lines (Centre for ISA Information Sheet 7 n.d.). Elkington stated on his book, Cannibals with Forks that: The triple bottom line focuses corporations not just on the economic value they add, but also on the environmental and social value they add and destroy. At its narrowest, the term triple bottom line is used as a framework for measuring and reporting corporate performance against economic, social and environmental parameters (Elkington,, J 1998). Generally, Triple bottom line is an integrated management approach that consists of managing, measuring and publicly reporting performance in business and government sectors (Potts, T 2004). TBL also acts as a medium to discuss issues regarding the organisation and the community. According to A tool for measuring, communicating, and facilitating change in local governments by Tavis Potts, TBL is a correspondence and process for reporting on sustainability and using the results to engage communities in an ongoing discussion. For sustainable organisations this means balancing the needs of the organisation against the environmental, economic and social factors as depicted in Figure 1 to enhance the quality of life. Figure . Triple Bottom Line Model (Source: Triple bottom line: a ticket to the game or the emperors new clothes? 2005). Representations of tbl Business Sector In the business sector, the growing tension between increasing social values and conventional forms of value creation has forced consideration of sustainability (including TBL reporting). Pressure has been applied on organisations to be more socially and environmentally responsible in their pursuit of profit (Beilin, R Paine, M, Pryor R 2007). As an example, BP Australia reported that a TBL approach to business provides them with a sustainable competitive advantage and it is also a good business sense. It demonstrates to stakeholders the integrity of a business or industry, thus improving its reputation, increases investor confidence and enhances marketing and profit opportunities. Governments Sector Similar to businesses, local governments have adopted the TBL in response to community concern about issues of environmental sustainability. In the Governments sector, the field of organisational accountability has broadened. Government organisations must now consider the wider impacts of their practices on other local, regional, national and even global stakeholders (Beilin, R Paine, M, Pryor R 2007). Growing government interest in corporate social and environmental responsibility is expressed in policy at local, State and federal levels. TBL reporting has changed the appearance of the role of government in regulating private businesses and industries. TBL has come to demonstrate good public relations in government organisations with its integrated focus on social, environmental and economic outcomes of practice. Principles of Triple Bottom Line The three vital aspects of corporate and government performance are based on Triple Bottom Line are the economic, social and environmental line. TBL is also interpreted in 5 ways in business and governments sectors. The Economic Bottom Line The economic bottom line is the organisations record of economic performance (revenue and profit) and integrity. Even though the companies are still making profits in the business, profit is viewed as the economic benefit enjoyed by the employees and community as a whole within a sustainability framework. The Social or People Bottom Line The social bottom line is the organisations record of social or people performance as it affects employees, consumers, and communities. This also refers to fair, ethical, and beneficial business practices toward employees, community, and country in which a corporation conducts its business. The Environmental Bottom Line This is the organisations record of performance as it considers all the issues related with environmental concerns. The goal of 21stà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ century companies is to not only help protect the environment by producing Green or environmentally responsible products but also to have their own sustainable, environmentally sound business operating practices. This means organisations are to function in an environmentally responsible approach, such as taking steps to reduce their own environmental footprint, consuming less energy and little or no non-renewable resources, and producing less waste. Five interpretation of TBL Five broad categories capture the current diverse state of TBL performance measurement and reporting in Australia according to Triple Bottom Line Measurement and Reporting In Australia. The five categories are more to show the diverse business rationales and analysis of community expectations for triple bottom line measuring and reporting (Suggett, D, Goodsir, B 2002). Wait and see Wait and see is the category where organisations are satisfied with their present approaches to communication and accountability. Examples of such companies are Fosters and Woolworths. This may due to the reason that a change is not necessary in their business priority, and there is a sense of potential benefit as it is still early in their business to use the TBL approach without understanding the directions of the business. Packaging information for community right to know By observing the community right to know attitude and supporting the notion of greater responsibility to the community for their business performance, other organisation make an obligation to their stakeholders to be open and transparent. To meet this commitment, they collect and package internal information or report for external audience. This report shows the values they seek to meet, their performance against those standards and a description of their activities. Examples of companies practising this approach of TBL in environmental reporting are Wesfarmers and Orica. As they keep on collecting data, reporting and verifying approaches, those organisations do not see that a change in approach is required to embrace social or economic scopes. Stakeholder Alignment This approach analytically seeks the relationship between stakeholders expectations and corporate strategy. In order for TBL reporting to drive maximum value, it is necessary that the information reported aligns with business strategy and objectives and accurately reflects the focus of the company activity. This serves to strengthen the significance of companies developing indicators in a structured way that reflects their objectives and the requirements of key stakeholder groups. As the stakeholders could be the shareholders, investors, employees, customers, suppliers, the community and government, organisations practicing this approach will be required to set up new management systems and in a long run is intensive on the business resource. One example is the WMC. WMC continues to expand in this direction and a number of other companies have embarked on the first steps, such as Westpac and ANZ. Endorsing Core Principles A few organisations outline their response to stakeholder expectations into values that guide their business activity: sustainability principles. Examples of organisations are Rio Tinto and Shell. This approach is directed at integrating these core principles into management practices. Holistic Cultural Perspective Organisations in private ownership define their business purpose and their commitment to sustainability values and accountability as a whole. Their business success depends on this cultural perspective. The Body Shop is the often-quoted example and the Co-operative Bank in the United Kingdom. Sustainable development Sustainability is a pattern of resource use that aims to meet human needs while at the same time preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only for the present generations, but also for future generations. Sustainable development ties together the concern for the carrying capacity of natural systems with the social challenges (Sustainable construction gives a competitive edge n.d). Conceptually, sustainable development can be broken down into three constituent parts: Environmental sustainability Economic sustainability Social sustainability Sustainable development is often portrayed as the act of balancing economic, ecological and social concerns, and the triple bottom line is commonly used internationally to prove corporate performance on sustainability and its approach to sustainable development in the corporate world. However, in sustainable development, triple bottom line also concentrates on the external structure of development and excludes the internal structure of development. In other words, TBL also focuses on technological, economic and institutional development while excluding cultural and personal development (Riedy, C 2003). As an example, the City of Melbourne is using TBL approach to accomplish the goal of sustainable development. The city has developed a TBL Toolkit which includes checklists, guidelines, templates and case studies for the application of TBL decision-making and reporting (Triple-Bottom-Line Evaluation Approach Shows Promise for Local Government 2004). Part of this tool is the The Capital Works Sustainability Statement and it is a rating system that recognizes the degree to which a project contributes to the Councils sustainability objectives. The Capital Works tool is being applied to different ways, such as the bidding of capital works, budget approval process, and evaluating criteria against of capital works. Through this TBL approach, councils are able to demonstrate responsibility and transparency in decision making and administration. Moreover, TBL approach in the public sector including local government has helped to develop global standards and procedures in reporting decisions at all levels (Triple-Bottom-Line Evaluation Approach Shows Promise for Local Government 2004). Application of tbl in sustainable construction Construction activities worldwide consume 40 per cent of all raw material exploited globally (Sustainable construction gives a competitive edge n.d.). For this reason, the use of sustainable building materials can help improve the global environment significantly. The public demand for sustainable solutions is growing, and in the years to come contractors who are able to document that they build sustainably will have a strong presence in the market. In order to make construction sustainable, one has to practise TBL in order to consider the environmental impacts of extraction, transportation, processing, fabrication, installation, reuse, recycling, and disposal of these materials. It is easy to understand why TBL has received acceptance in sustainable construction. Indicators of social and environmental performance are used to diversify work and practices of construction sector. TBL allows organisations to assess quantitatively and qualitatively how they are achieving their key performance indicators (Triple bottom line: a ticket to the game or the emperors new clothes? 2005). TBL has been applied to the construction sector in the UK where the phrase Sustainable Construction has been coined. The UK Government is seeking to apply sustainable development practices to the construction industry. Leading construction companies in the UK, USA and Europe now report annually on social and environmental performance as well as financial performance. Jim Lammie, director of Parsons Brinckerhoff in a speech on sustainability of 8 September 2004 said that over 77% of construction companies in the UK had a sustainable development policy to deal with regulation, competitive edge, client policy, enhanced reputation, legal risks and future investments as well as addressing ethical obligations. Lessons from the construction industry overseas have a place for Australian construction companies who want to outperform their counter-parts in an increasingly aware society. Implementing daily practices to elicit performance under TBL can be as simple as adopting recycling programs , giving to the workforce through university sponsorship programs and adopting best practice voluntary standards. When a full assessment of practices are made construction players may find that they are already carrying out sustainable practices but are not reaping the reward through reporting their practices to stakeholders. Truly sustainable construction practices may mean assessing projects and work practices with TBL in mind (Triple bottom line: a ticket to the game or the emperors new clothes? 2005). The triple bottom line concept of sustainable construction could be achieved through the application of sustainable design principles at early stages of planning and construction. By making these decisions beforehand, it creates a home that is safer, more secure, flexible, comfortable, environmentally-friendly and cost-efficient in a long-run. A sustainable construction project is designed and constructed to include the principles of sustainable design which attempts to balance soc ial, environmental and economic considerations (Sustainable Homes Triple bottom line 2008). The triple bottom line approach to sustainable construction is a balanced integration of social, environmental and economic design factors. Social Sustainable buildings are designed for the people considering access, safety, security and design that consider the clients future needs throughout the different stages of lives young families, older users or users with varying abilities. Sustainable constructed building is safe, easily adaptable to suit a diverse range of needs and comfortable for people with varying abilities and at different stages of their lives, especially the elderly with our ageing population (Sustainable Homes Triple bottom line 2008). Socially sustainable construction can also strengthen social networks and allow people of every age and ability to participate in their community throughout their life. An aesthetically pleasing and stimulating built environment will reinforce the sense of well being of residents and people in the local community of the building. The local community and streetscape should also be considered, ensuring sympathetic development, enhancing the streetscape and community function (Tr iple bottom line in housing n.d.). Environmental Sustainable construction are resource efficient by incorporating sustainable management of water, energy and waste efficiencies, as well as other features such as passive solar design by considering the orientation, ventilation, insulation, shading and building materials (Sustainable Homes Triple bottom line 2008). Resource efficiency is also related to water efficiency in the building, waste efficiency of materials used during construction, and energy efficiency through good passive design and high star-rated green technology appliances and lights. It is also associated to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from energy consumption. Local market for materials should be considered as well (Triple bottom line in housing n.d.). Besides that, resource efficiency equates to lifestyle benefits for residents of the buildings in terms of improved thermal comfort (social sustainability) and reduced running costs for the home (economic sustainability). Economic Economic sustainability means designing and construction to make a house more cost-efficient in a long-run, considering the selection of low maintenance materials. Extra expense during construction should be provided for longer term operating cost savings as it is important to obtain the choices of design and material right the first time and removes the need to make additional costly changes later. Installation of solar panels or water tanks will also add instant value to a property (Triple bottom line in housing n.d.). The consideration of the local market in the selection of building material suppliers can optimise costs through reduced transportation expenses to the site. Other economic savings can also be done with the amplified focus on the embodied energy that building materials may represent in their journey from the source, through refinement, product manufacture and transport to eventual use on-site in the construction of the home (Sustainable Homes Triple bottom line 2008) . Sustainable construction could cost efficiently over time by improving the design and construction features and the use of low-maintenance materials Usage of appliances with high energy-star ratings that reduce the ongoing costs of running your home should be encouraged. By practicing sustainable construction, energy and water bills are lower and potential future modification costs are greatly reduced, thus making the home more adaptable over its life cycle. Case study: Enviro-Cottage Enviro-Cottage is constructed in Spring Hill, Brisbane. It was built as a workers cottage in the late 1800s. During 2008, the houses were transformed from a traditional Brisbane cottage into a sustainable development for inner-city living. Figure . Conceptual drawing of Enviro-Cottage. (Source: http://www.envirocottage.com.au) Enviro-Cottage as shown in Figure 2 isnt a new, purpose-built house unlike other display homes. It is a renovation project that highlights the simple, technological and the necessary construction methods to help make a home more efficient by using less electricity, water and other resources, while improving how people live in the available space. Some of the ideas are very simple and easy to apply in any home renovation or construction projects to reduce its environmental footprint. Examples of sustainable construction methods used are passive design, thermal mass and solar orientation (Enviro-Cottage n.d.). Other revolutionary sustainable ideas are the installation of solar cell technology, water tank and grey water systems, glass technology, kitchen and laundry appliances, taps and showers, insulation, flooring, paints and other finishes, heating and cooling systems, and energy efficient lighting. The Spring Hill Enviro-Cottage Project has addressed the TBL reporting (Triple bottom line in housing n.d). Examples of the Enviro-Cottage TBL report considerations included in the sustainable development and construction according to Our Brisbane are: Social sustainability Enviro-Cottage is constructed to be multi-purpose. Its multi-use design is suitable for people from different background, such as families, professional couples, or people with disabilities, young couples to families with older/independent children The cottage is constructed using the local Tuff stone to tie to Spring Hills heritage and preservation of the heritage streetscape Open front aspect to connect with local street life Open design to aid easy internal and external surveillance High security features to all doors and windows with simple and consistent locking systems The set back garage is designed and constructed to de-emphasise the role of the car Addition of two off-street parking options takes two cars off the crowded local street Preservation of the heritage streetscape Environmental sustainability Maximum use of passive solar design aspects, taking advantage of natural energy flows, and minimising the scale of overlaid systems lighting, cooling etc No air conditioning required or other mechanical heating or cooling systems Capture, use, recycle and re-use of as much rainwater as possible, inclusion of grey water processing system Generation of required energy needs through onsite photovoltaic system and where possible provision of clean renewable energy back to the community Use of environmentally preferred materials eg. no use of rainforest or old growth forest products Re-use of the existing 1800s building to reduce consumption of new materials Use of materials with a lifespan equivalent to the projected life of the building Source local products and materials where possible, minimising energy used to transport materials Economic sustainability Use of passive solar design and selected enviro-products will drive future operating costs down to a minimum Modular design, flexible usage model, and choice of long lifespan materials, minimising any requirements for future renovations, minimising ongoing construction costs The Enviro-Cottage project has demonstrate sustainable development through TBL reporting and the project signified sustainable living ideas, solution and options which can be in most construction even when it is challenged with the many constraints facing such renovations such as council building codes, existing dwelling condition and design, and smaller block sizes. Conclusion In conclusion, the TBL concept demonstrates responsibility to stakeholders in terms of economic, social and environmental impact. The idea behind TBL reporting is sustainable success which will benefit the organisations. Benefits include better reputation and increased confidence, benchmarked performance, increased operational efficiency, stakeholder satisfaction, and improved risk management of the business. TBL reports may have different representations in the business and government sectors, and each of the sectors has different interpretation of TBL. TBL reporting is one way organisations can add value to their daily practices of their business. In terms of sustainable development and construction, TBL is the union of the three constituent parts social, environment, and economic. TBL is commonly used to prove corporate performance on sustainability as it covers accountability in an economic, social and environmental sense.

networking :: essays research papers

Computer Network Modifications. Regional Offices. Existing Bus Topology (hubs) should be replaced with star topology using switches. In star topology, all devices are connected to a common central location, typically a hub or a switch, in this case we will be using switches. (See diagram 1) when a node sends data to the central location, the central device retransmits the information and sends it to the destination. Because all cabling is connected to the central device , if one link fails, only that portion of the network will fail. The rest of the network will not be affected. However, if the central devise fails the entire network will fail. A star topology can have a maximum of 1024 nodes on a LAN and is commonly used for 10BaseT. (IEEE 802.3) and 100BaseTX (IEEE 802.3u) Ethernet. The advantages of using a Star Topology include reliability and ease of maintenance and installation. Monitoring and troubleshooting can be maintained at the central device, providing easier maintenance. A Star topology allows for greater reliability because each node is connected to the central devise by a segment. If one segment breaks, only that node loses access to the network so the rest of the network is not affected. Because each node is connected to the central device, star topologies also allow for an easy network layout, providing the network administrator easier installation over the other topologies. The disadvantage of this topology is cost. With each devise being connected to the central location, more cabling is required than with other topologies. In addition there is a cost of the central device. This is a LAN topology in which endpoints on a network are connected to a common central switch by point to point links. A ring topology that is organised as a star implements a unidirectional closed loop star, instead of point to point links. (Diagram 1: Star Toplogy) Star topology is the most widely used models in networking and are extremely stable By using Assymetric switches (10/100) over the existing CAT 5 UTP cabling. CAT 5 UTP can accommodate up to 100MB/S Switches have many benefits. A LAN switch allows many users to communicate in parallel through the use of virtual circuits and dedicated network segments in a collision free environment. This maximises the bandwidth availability on the shared medium. Also, moving to a switched LAN environment is very cost effective because you can reuse the existing hardware and cabling. The power of the switch combined with the software to configure LAN’s gives network administrators’ greater flexibility in managing the network.

PEST Analysis of Proton Essay

1.0 Introduction: PEST is a study which is apprehensive by describing the exterior of ecological manipulates on a company. The abbreviation locates for the Political, Economic, Social and Technological matters with the intention of may perhaps influence the tactical growth of a company (ESCAP 2009). Here I choose a business organization which is PROTON to classify PEST which manipulates a helpful technique of abbreviation the exterior surroundings in which this business functions. Nevertheless, it has to exist trailed up through thoughtfulness of how this company ought to react towards these pressures. The purpose of this document is towards the center of attention on the matter of proton within conditions of confronting dissimilar quandaries within the Malaysia as well as worldwide automotive business (ESCAP 2009). 2.0 BACKGROUND OF THE COMPANY: 2.1 Introduction The automotive business in local is regard as solitary of the majority essential as well as important tactical businesses within the developed region. Malaysia is mainly a traveler concern market and the trade is well thought-out as a national market-directed. The most important cause why traveler concern market is well-known within the nation is for the reason that of the financial position of the nation (www.proton.com). 2.2 Company History It all started in 1979. Malaysia’s Minister of Modernization, Tun Mahathir Mohamad, debated the thought of launching an automotive gathering as well as developed business in our nation. On May 7, 1983, the vision was rewarded after PROTON was formally integrated (www.proton.com). Furthermore, on July 9, 1985, their initial replica, the Proton Saga was commercially begun. In the beginning, every one of the mechanisms of the vehicle was totally man-made through Mitsubishi, but the local element has been able to be used, as technologies were transported as well as capacities were enlarged (Frost  & Sullivan 2002). The symbol of the vehicle was distorted as of the Malaysia’s coat of arms as well as a fourteen-pointed star to a stylized tiger head. It represents PROTON’s administration method as well as industry term, even as its potency is replicated in each and every PROTON products (Histomobile. n.d). 2.3 Products and Services They created their 1 millionth car in the year 1996. This accomplishment was marketed through more than a few important novel replica begins consist of the Proton Tiara, Proton Wira 2.0 Diesel as well as the two-door Proton Putra, additionally to their obtaining arrangement of the Proton Wira, Proton Satria as well as Proton Perdana. In the next ten years, they continue to plan and produce an innovative variety of replicas consist of the Proton Waja, Proton Juara, Proton Arena, Proton Gen 2, Proton Savvy, Proton Persona, Proton Innova as well as Proton Preve (www.proton.com). Furthermore, we produced new invention replicas consist of the novel Saga, Waja CPS, Gen 2 CPS as well as the Persona Special Edition. Nowadays they are persistently looking for improvement that makes PROTON as a product that includes not just manufacturing the best vehicles, but accepting the principles that arrives with it (www.proton.com). 3.0 Introduction of PEST Analysis: 3.1 Political Governmental agencies are essentially to what rank the authority interfere in the austerity. These issues explain about official and non official regulation which their aggregation must be attached to. Accurately, constitutional causes accommodate field such as taxation administration, employment constitution, ecology classification, export sanctions, expense, and domestic assurance (Businessballs.com). General agency may also accommodate effects and applicability which the general wants to arrange or be arranged and those that authority does not want to be arranged. Additionally, authorities accept excessive agency on the fitness, edification and root of a democracy (pestleanalysis.com). 3.2 Economy Effectual agency accommodate effectual advance, annual percentage rate, currency exchange rates, commission levels, lasting advance anticipation of a provincial, bankruptcy, career chain, GNP trend-sand, extension amount and health possibility and cost. These factors have major impacts on how business operate and make decision. For excuse bank rate alter a compact’s amount of dominant and consequently to what area business grows and aggrandize. Currency exchange rates change the amount of shipping stuff and the accumulation and cost of intention stuff in an austerity (pestleanalysis.com). 3.3 Social Social issues include beliefs, attitudes, language, gender roles as well as religion. Not just that, it also consist of the cultural features as well as including of health awareness, residents demographics, age distribution, profession manners, profits distribution, consumerism, stage of education as well as importance on protection. Tendency in societal issues influence the demand for a business’s goods along with how that business operates. For instance, businesses might alter a variety of administration tactics to adapt to these social tendencies (Businessballs.com). 3.4 Technological Technological issues regard as the progression in technology as well as the latent in the market. Technological issues consist of technological features for instance R&D action, mechanization, technology inducements as well as the rate of technological alters. They could establish obstacles to entry, minimum well-organized invention rank as well as manipulates outsourcing conclusion. Moreover, technological shifts could influence prices, values as well as guide to novelty (pestleanalysis.com). 4.0 Relate Framework to Organization: 4.1 Political Component The existence of AFTA otherwise ASEAN Free Trade Area is one of the vital issues to think about. Presently, the majority of ASEAN district are gratis  deal otherwise 96% of the whole ASEAN deal. AFTA was well-known in January of 1992 in categorize to eradicate tax barriers amongst the Southeast Asian states. It intended to decrease taxes in 15 years amongst the six states during an ordinary effectual special tax since Malaysia has two nationwide vehicle creators which are Proton as well as Perodua plus the government requests to defend their benefits. Sadly, the supposed growth might verify to be a provisional key. There is a large opportunity to facilitate the local market will be ruled through importation vehicles if we are about to ensure on the elevated advertising costs of the nationwide vehicles of Malaysia for the reason that of high invention prices as well as be short of merchant effectiveness. Thus, there will be raise in the quantity of the cars on the road as well as there will be accumulation of used vehicles in the market, for the reason that citizens will be likely to deal their vehicles for lower prices as well as importation products. Furthermore, the factor concerning the surroundings is very important since it is regard as one of the majority converse in relation to subject in the earth. Besides, the ecological instruction in Malaysia is able to be copied back through the colonialism of British which begun the ecological principles regarding the mineral as well as agricultural possessions to Europe. 4.2 Economy Component The automobile sales in the country is expected to fall by 12.4% due to dissimilar financial feature, the issue of global financial crisis which exaggerated the local economic position of the state in 2009. The administration of the state is looking for a slower financial enlargement for the state which can influence the buying attitude of the clients. Moreover, AFTA had enlarged the competition which will affect the presentation of Proton. Nevertheless, the presentation of the automobile business will be preserved as well as managed due to the large sum labor force. In addition, the unemployment rate was only 3.5%, which illustrates an approximately full employment in spite of the slower financial growth in 2003. 4.3 Social Component The rising inhabitants in the state can influence the automobile business. The state has a sum of 27.5 million people in the year 2008 which has the ability to give a larger amount of markets. Furthermore, the fraction of vehicle possession in the state is fairly high which indicates that citizens are taking into consideration vehicles are as main stuffs in their lives. Customers are anticipated to defer buying diverse motor vehicle for the reason that of the employment market hesitatingly for the reason that of the worldwide and local economic disaster. The rising facts as well as performance of the citizens concerning diverse ecological factors is an extra issue to think about. The collision of the illustration to the faithfulness of the client is another factor. 4.4 Technology Component The vital issue in the automotive business is technology. The growth in technology is rising as well as impacting the presentation as well as arrangement of all the business in the automobile business because of the rising competition. Moreover, it is also vital to reflect on the development of technology, mutually among the development and ability of developing. This is for the reason that it could influence the novelty procedure of any business. Intellectual property is well thought-out as a precursor of legitimacy as well as exclusiveness is an additional vital issue. By reason of the dissimilar technologies, mainly the assist of PC as well as the internet, the possible for novelty and improvement is rising. 5.0 Conclusion: 5.1 Summary of Analysis Proton was regard as the nationwide vehicle producer of Malaysia as well as regard as the most important competitor within the business. Nevertheless because of the dissimilar issues, mainly the accomplishment of AFTA, the auctions as well as market share of the business refuse (Ghani & Zainuddin 2008). However, because of the constant backup of the administration, plus the constant arrangement of the business in the market, it could be alleged so as to the business botched to focal point on the vital feature of a business consecutively to preserve competitor advantage as well as that is novelty (BuildBoard n.d). Consecutively to resolve the recent circumstances  of the business, it will be vital to focal point on novelty or R&D procedure. This may perhaps be completed by centering on relating latest IT or IS in the direction of accelerating the procedure of scheming (BuildBoard n.d). References: 1. www.proton.com 2. Ghani, K.,Zainuddin, Y.,Fereidouni, H. G. & Ziaee, A. (2008). ‘AFTA: Effect on Malaysian Economy’. Journal of Management and Social Sciences. Vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 134 – 141. 3. Hax, A & Wilde II, D. (2003). ‘The Delta Model – A New Framework of Strategy’. Journal of Strategic Management Education, vol. 1, no. 1. 4. www.slideshare.net/mandalina/marketing-plan-proton 5. PEST analysis method and examples, Businessballs.com. 6. Howard Thomas, (2007) â€Å"An analysis of the environment and competitive dynamics of management education†, Journal of Management Development, Vol. 26 Iss: 1, pp.9 – 21. 7. Atul Gupta, Jason C. McDaniel, S. Kanthi Herath, (2005) â€Å"Quality management in service firms: sustaining structures of total quality service†, Managing Service Quality, Vol. 15 Iss: 4, pp.389 – 402. 8. www.proton-edar.com.my/ Home / About-Us aspx 9. George O. K’Aol, Francis Wambalaba, â€Å"Homegrown Kenya: the horticultural industry under fire on CSR†, Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies Collection, (2011). 10. 12Manage. Porter’s Five Forces Analysis. Available from: http://www.12manage.com/. [25th March 2009] 11. Frost & Sullivan (2002). The impact of AFTA on the ASEAN Automotive Industry. 12. Nijssen, E. J. & Frambach, R. (2000). Creating Customer Value Through Strategic Marketing Planning: A Management Approach. Springer. 13. ESCAP (2009). V. Malaysia. Available from: http://www.unescap.org/tid/publication/part_two2223_mal.pdf. [Accessed 24th 2009].

Was Vancouver Riots Behavior Normal

Was Vancouver Riots Behavior Normal Background information Vancouver riot was experienced during a match between the Canucks, Boston and Bruins in competition for the Stanley Cup. It was during the finals when Boston Bruins won 4-0 over the Canucks that the youths became violent, burning down buildings and vehicles and even injuring fellow human beings (CBC News).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Was Vancouver Riots Behavior Normal? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It is not a surprise to see youngsters rioting after a match, and in the process, engaging in acts that eventually lead to regrets, History, overtime, has  confirmed this to be a normal occurrence after such an incidence is experienced in various places of the globe (Stepney). This has resulted into research carried out with the sole purpose of identifying whether there could be some kind of abnormality associated with the form of behaviors that are part of the rioting that usually lead to massive losses for both property and human life. Results conclude that this is normal as it has so many factors contributing to it such as alcohol and mob reasoning that tends to interfere with an individual’s normal reasoning. According to CBC News many people are always left wondering how young and sound youth should engage in such actions that result into a lot of harm that costs their outstanding reputation to the public and, even in extreme cases, leading to loss of job and rejection (Smith 1). However, considering all the possibilities that are responsible for such moves, it becomes sensible to conclude that they are quite normal occurrences that are to be expected especially in crowded areas. It is this very same reason that qualifies the Vancouver riots normal incident. Reasons behind considering Vancouver riots normal Just like Smith (2) argues, it becomes difficult for people to reason out well once they are in a group, in such cases the limbic system is le ft to operate instead of the frontal lobe that is responsible for proper reasoning. At this point, the involved crowds usually act out of emotions, which can be either negative or positive. The ultimate results for the actions involved entirely depend on the kind of emotions that drive the crowd. More often, emotional activities such as sports that entail screams, shouts and other sorts of noise, which can serve as stimuli, lead to the former part of the brain functional, thus leading into some kind of reaction such as riots. Individuals stop thinking as they should and act as groups; this is dangerous as people involve themselves into intolerable acts unlike if they are on their own.Advertising Looking for research paper on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Group brain is risky at a time because people make subliminal moves without reflecting on the consequences.  As illustrated during the Vancouver riots, Nathan, young man from a well- off background, is captured by the media in the very act of burning a police vehicle and later apologizes for his own conduct (Smith1). Such cases are often, which can lead people  in  committing unethical activities. The effect of group brain is that it transforms an individual. For instance, when such rioting groups are separated, they tend to reason in the appropriate manner, meaning that their frontal lobe is at work. This gives an answer as to why the members involved during the Vancouver riots came out apologizing for their behavior as an individual (Smith 1). Smith continues to talk of dispersing people before they form groups also attempting to cause distraction that help them not to stray from their normal reasoning as measures to ensure peace during an event such as sports (Smith). According to Davis (348), usually a crowd is a group or gathering, with no organized structure, it comprises of assembly of people in real -time with e ach member having an individualistic benefit. Crowds become socially united by virtue of being physically together, and as such, any happening within the vicinity can influence them to act in a very crude manner. Crowds do not have any set goals and even have no future expectations of coming back together; this gives an explanation as to why they will always act without reason, leading to massive destructions. Usually, no distinction can be made between individuals because they all tend to have a similar reasoning, this makes what happened at Vancouver a normal phenomenon. Influence is also another factor that can lead to violent behavior. Influence is so powerful that no one wants to be rejected by friends or feel out of place. For this reason, people comply with any type of behavior, however, unethical it is (Pendry). According to Stepney alcohol is the leading source of behavioral variation in human beings; this is because it affects the body chemistry leading to a change for adr enaline produced. This has an impact on how the brain works. Alcohol and nutrition also have some impact on the way the prefrontal cortexes works.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Was Vancouver Riots Behavior Normal? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This part of the brain develops much later in life. Thus, owing to the fact that people actively involved in the riot were teenagers, it gives a guarantee of their limbic system at work thus leading them to make decisions and act out of emotions. The point that these youngsters were drunk and had a poor diet gives an additional confirmation that the riot was just a normal occurrence. Efforts by the police to close bars and other liquor source did not bear fruits as they had already taken it. Apart from alcohol, passion is also a significant stakeholder in riots. This is in the sense that all individuals in the group have a team to support. The success or failure of the group support will undoubtedly lead to some kind of reaction being negative or positive. It is this combination of reactions, which can lead to brutality. In an event, of trying to support a team; one has a passion for and has invested time, money and energy. After loss by the home team during the Vancouver event, fans were subjected into stress, which is a further trigger for emotions. True to Smith’s argument, on the maturity of the brain, the young children and grownups left the scene after they sensed some kind of threat that could result from their home team defeat thus leaving the youths behind who eventually succumbed to their emotions thus causing chaos. In other cases, spectators trigger, or attempt to provoke fans making them crazy eventually resulting into violence (Smith 5). According to Smith, this event was quite normal. Because, the reactions that  led  into such actions were distinct. To them, emotions have a big role in controlling ones actions bec ause they affect brains normal functioning thus influencing the manner in which one reasons. Smith (4) gives fire as an important impulse that arouses emotions. This supports Vancouver riot as normal because it is just immediately after a fire outbreak that the crowds turned violent leading to more and more fire set ups, destruction of property such as breaking of buildings glass windows and a lot of looting. Fire flames are believed to cause some kind of fear and as such some kind of reactions are expected. Vancouver riot was not the first one to be seen or heard of, there are such more incidences reported all over the globe whereby a lot of damage for both property and human life is encountered. Such riots include those encountered during the European Cup Final in 1985, 2000 South Africa- Zimbabwe match, 2000 American championship and many more. In all these riots, fans acted without reasoning just like after the Vancouver finals (Stepney). Contrary to the above-discussed reasons is the idea that some percentage of men went to the field with the intention of causing chaos, and they were there just to start something like setting a vehicle on fire so that they induce others (Smith 4). Their aim was to create havoc in order to get a chance for looting and engage in other animalistic actions.Advertising Looking for research paper on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Conclusion It is in order to conclude that when a group of people comes together without a common goal to achieve; social crimes such as riots are likely to occur. Many factors come into play such as the above-mentioned including group brain, passion, alcohol and many more. Brains at work during such moments are not the right ones due to some kind of stimulation. Individuals do not reason out on their own while in a crowd as such, their reasoning is usually impaired resulting into unexpected actions that cause regrets at the end of the day. It is in order to claim the riots at Vancouver a normal happening because all the possible factors leading to such behavior were in place. CBC News. Riots Erupt in Vancouver after Canucks Loss. 2011. Web. Davis, Kingsley. Human Society. New York, the Macmillan Company, 1933. Pendry,Louise. Carrick, Rachael. Doing What The Mob Do: Priming Effects on Conformity. European journal of social psychology, (31), pp. 83-92 Smith, Charlie. Evolutionary Bi ology, the Prefrontal Cortex, and the Stanley Cup Riot in Vancouver, 2011, Web. Stepney, Chloe. Christian Science Monitor: Vancouver Riot and 5 Other Infamous Melees in Sports History, 2011, Web.

How Organizations Monetize Their Presence On Social Networking Platforms The WritePass Journal

How Organizations Monetize Their Presence On Social Networking Platforms Introduction How Organizations Monetize Their Presence On Social Networking Platforms ). With advances in technology, businesses have learnt to use them to their benefit.   Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and eBay are Prime examples of technology driven companies. Given the proliferation of social networking sites, such as Myspace, Linked In, Facebook and twitter, it has become almost impossible to design marketing strategies without taking into consideration these media platforms. Social media has gained prominence and is considered vital for todays marketing mix. Both the small and big businesses have flocked to these media platforms. Whilst Major brands, such as Virgin and Starbucks, appear to have established their presences in these media platforms, social media adoption seems to be increasing amongst small businesses as well. According to study conducted by the University of Maryland, the rate of adoption among the small enterprises doubled from 12% in 2009 to 24% in 2010 (Rao 2010). The use of social media as a business tool is particularly evident in emerging markets of China, India and Brazil. According to a KPMG report, these countries are 20% more likely to expand their business frontiers into social media than their counterparts in UK, Germany, Australia and Canada (KPMG 2011). This can be attributed to their lower dependence on legal systems compared to the developed economies which bind their organizations to their long-established channel strategies. How organizations can monetize their presence in social networking platforms Businesses are targeting social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, as key market surveillance areas given their large user base. This becomes the key source for the businesses to innovate in congruence with the demands for their mutual benefit (Trottier, 2013). Given the popularity of these social networking platforms in various parts of the world, companies seeking to engage the vast and increasingly affluent online audience can use it as a marketing tool. Marketers can use these social networks for customer acquisition, retention and even generating their revenue. Business units such as marketing, sales, and HR can use these powerful tools to stimulate innovation and monetize their presence. Starbucks is a good example of a company which has successfully established its online presence in social media platforms. Having amassed over 35 million Facebook likes, Starbucks is without doubt one of the largest company that has successfully established presence in social media platforms (Smith 2013). One strategy which Starbucks used to attract Facebook users was through deals. This retailer company offered to give free coffee to the first 30,000 Facebook users that checked in at UK Starbucks stores using their phones (Smith 2013). This went a long way towards increasing the number of followers and ultimately translated to greater returns. Further, Starbucks used these media platforms to communicate with its ever increasing customer base abou t their favourite products (Smith 2013). Besides just informing their customers about their products via Facebook, Starbucks has also done well by integrating social issues that people care about into their brand. Given Starbucks success in establishing presence in social media platforms, other retailers across all sectors have similarly followed suit, from clothing sellers such as GAP who have amassed 4.6 million likes to general good retailers such as Target, and even to telecom providers and video games stores such as Verizon wireless and GameStop respectively (Smith 2013). Another company that has monetized its presence in Facebook is The New York Jets. In September 2010, the NFL team launched their ultimate Fan social game, the first application to generate revenue through Facebook (Carolyn 2011).   This application allowed Facebook users to predict game scores, root for their teams and to hold a virtual party with fans from different parts of the world. Further, the Jets engage with their fans on a regular basis via twitter. For example, towards the 2011 AFC playoff championship, the Jets advertised a contest for winning tickets to the tournament. The contest was twitter-based and winners were guaranteed free tickets to the 2011 AFC championship game against Pittsburgh Steelers (Carolyn 2011). It is clear that these companies are leveraging social media platforms to generate sales and increase their revenues. Many more businesses have also begun to exploit social networking sites as business tools, offering various deals and discounts through the sites. Whereas the opportunities created by social networking sites are many, success depends on how best to deploy creative skills to achieve the business goals. Creating traffic and brand awareness As a first step to monetizing social media presence, marketers must build their brand awareness and create traffic. Unless the brand is widely recognized such as Apple, it is necessary to develop social media magnetism (Conroy Narula 2010). Social media campaign can be done by word of mouth or advertising through TV commercials. Audience engagement  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The second step is building audience engagement. Unless marketers successfully engage with the audiences, they will not be able to reap great returns. For the social media campaign to be a success, marketers must effectively engage with the audience through meaningful conversation and by creating great content that raises awareness and increase sales (Carolyn 2011). Online Advertising Once a consistent traffic has been built and the audience have been engaged, then it becomes easy to monetize. The most basic form of monetizing is putting ads on social media sites and adding affiliate advertising links. Marketers can also choose to offer special promotions such as offering discounts exclusively to followers. Dell computers is a good example of a company that offers discounts to its followers. Dell tweets 15% off for any of their computers with special coupon code entered at checkout (Carolyn 2011). Social media has enabled Dell to amaze over 1.6 million followers and generate more than 2 million incremental revenues. Use of applications Companies may also use apps to monetize social media. They can charge a certain fee for the apps or give it freely in order to strengthen customer relationship. Gucci Connect is a quintessential example of a mobile marketing app (McKinsey 2007). The app enables users to watch live runway and to chat live with Facebook and twitter guests via their mobile devises. Setting up an online store on social media Finally, marketers need to set up a shop on Facebook. Companies can list their products and put updates on social media sites. Whereas these strategies should enable the company to monetize themselves on media platforms, most of the benefit has been branding and not actual purchases. However, for products which are inherently social in nature such as DVDs, books, and event tickets, these have translated to greater returns on investments. Challenges with the use of social media as a business tool Social media has certainly impacted on business. While many companies have found significant benefits with these social platforms, some have encountered unexpected risks and challenges along the way. There have been some challenges such as loss of sensitive information, reputational, legal and operational risks, and reduced productivity as a result of time wastage. Whereas there are many remarkable upside to using social media as a business tool, the vast reach of these media platforms also offer a vast uncharted sinkhole of risk (Merril et al 2011). The benefits may be outweighed by reputational risks. For example, in 2009 an employee from a national pizza delivery chain was recorded in a video camera tainting a sandwich which was to be delivered to a customer (Merril et al 2011). When the video was posted on YouTube where it drew heavy reaction from millions of viewers across the world. Viewers tweeted the news and in a span of 48 hours, the chain had experienced a change in consumers’ perception from positive to negative. Such embarrassing moments can tarnish the image of the company. Other risks of particular concern include risks pertaining to intellectual property and media risks, security risk and risk pertaining to employment privacy (Stelzner 2013). Companys security may be breached by malwares downloaded onto their website. Intellectual property risks may arise if employees post others information without their permission. Claims can be made against the company under such situations and contractual breach claims may result where the intellectual property belongs to an existing client (Merril et al 2011). Beyond these risks, some companies may face the challenge of integrating social media into their strategies. According to a Harvard Business review survey, 79% of the 2,100 organizations surveyed used social media platform as a business tool (Gullin 2010). The remaining 21% were in the process of launching social media initiatives. However, majority of these organizations pointed out to the challenge of integrating social media into their strategies. A vast majority of them seem to have no formalized social media strategy whereas others appear to struggle with how best to use the different channels. Methods and approaches to building relationships with customers that could potentially increase revenues in organizations A key important aspect that marketers should take into consideration is knowing how to communicate the right message with customers over media (Smith 2013). Most companies often post their updates through social media platforms which enables existing customers to interact with their favourite brand and get updates of their products. Whereas this approach enhances brand visibility and sometimes lead to new-customer acquisition, it often does not convert social media follows to direct sales and hence ends up hurting the bottom line (Smith 2013). A vast majority of online audience are eager to interact with their brands through these media platforms, but for them to engage in a financially meaningful way, marketers must know how best to reach them. Increasing traffic in the corporate page may seem somewhat beneficial, but it does not result in significant return on investment. As opposed to just focusing on increasing traffic, companies should focus on engaging more with the customers, both at the local and personal level. This would enable them to identify customer needs and tailor services and products to meeting those needs. Not only would this increase sales revenue, but it will also build and enhance customer relationship. Conclusion Business today has transformed from the previous pure brick business models to new approaches that utilize social media as business tools. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Myspace and YouTube among many others have become an important gradient in todays marketing mix. Customers’ buying experience has gone beyond the traditional transactional base to a contemporary conversational tone by connecting with the clients through the various socializing networks like Twitter or Facebook. In response to the changing consumer behaviors, it has become a business imperative to integrate with the social networking sites. These tools offer business with many benefits including customer acquisition, retention and generation of sales revenue. Further, business units such as marketing, sales, and HR can use these powerful tools to stimulate innovation and monetize their presence. Whereas there are many remarkable upside to using social media as a business tool, there are some unexpected risks and challenges as well. These include the loss of sensitive information, reputational, legal and operational risks, and reduced productivity as a result of time wasted. Beyond these risks, some companies may face the challenge of integrating social media into their strategies. In spite of these risks, social media platforms appear to have had tremendous impacts on the business world, given its ubiquity and remarkable ability to attract and retain new customers which ultimately translates to more returns on investment. There is however need for companies to establish a strategy and associated policies that seek to address the pertinent issues. Although these risks and challenges may seem significant, they can be easily managed with forethought and planning. References Agarwal, S., and Mital, M. (2009) â€Å"Focus on Business Practices: An Exploratory Study of Indian University Students Use of Social Networking Web Sites: Implications for the Workplace†, Business Communication Quarterly. ATT, (2008). The business impact of social networking. AT T Bashar, A., Ahmad, I. and Wasiq, M., (2012). Effectiveness of social media as a marketing tool: an empirical study. International Journal of Marketing, Financial Services Management Research, vol. 1 (11) Boyd, D. M., Ellison, N. B. (2007). Social Network Sites: Definition, History and Scholarship. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13(1), 210  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  230. Carolyn, B., (2013). How to monetize social media. Inc. Conroy, P., Narula, A. (2010). A new breed of brand advocates Social networking redefines consumer engagement. Delloite. Curtis, A. (2011). The brief history of social media. Retrieved fromuncp.edu/home/acurtis/NewMedia/SocialMedia/SocialMediaHistory.html Gillin, P., (2010). The new conversation: taking social media from talk to action. Harvard Business Review. Harvard Business publishing Hutley, R., (2009). Social networking as a business tool. Cisco IBSG Inc. ISACA, (2010). Social media: business benefits and security, governance and assurance perspectives. ISACA KPMG, (2011). Going social: how businesses are making the most of social media. KPMG International Li, C. Bernoff, J. (2008) Groundswell: Winning in a world transformed by social technologies. Boston: Harvard Business Press. McKinsey. (2007). How companies are marketing Online: A McKinsey Global Survey. McKinsey Merrill, T., Latham, K., Santalesa, R. and Navetta, D., (2011). Social media: the business benefits may be enormous, but can the risks-reputational, legal, operational-be mitigated? Information Law Group. ACE publishers Oracle, (2012). Is social media transforming your business? Oracle Corporation. Smith, B., (2013). Shortsighted social media strategy misses huge revenue opportunity. [Viewed on 27th November 2013] available from http://chainstoreage.com/article/shortsighted-social-media-strategy-misses-huge-revenue-opportunity Stelzner, M.A., (2013). Social media marketing industry report: how marketers are using social media to grow their businesses. Social Media Examiner Trottier, D. (2013) â€Å"The business of Conversations: Market Social Media and Surveillance and Visibility†, First Monday. Vol. 18, pp. 2-4.

THE LEGAL ENVIRONMENT OF BUSINESS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

THE LEGAL ENVIRONMENT OF BUSINESS - Essay Example Monopoly started a long time ago in the United States and it has since been a core tool to amass wealth in some firms in the world. Many people have constantly accused Google to be using such a monopolistic ideology of exploitation in the market. A monopoly exists when only one firm or person carries out supply of certain goods and services in the market. When such a phenomenon exists in the market, there is no competition in the production of goods and services hence it is very likely that the supplier does not bother about the quality of the products. According to Friedman (208), when the firm is the sole supplier in the market, it has significant powers to add prices of its products since there are no alternative goods or services in the market. Either the size of the business in the market does not matter in monopoly since a small or a big enterprise can possess powers to add prices on their products. Monopolistic firms practically produce small quantities of goods and services i n the markets to create artificial shortage in order to get a chance to hike their prices to realize maximum profits. Monopoly occurs in many forms such as government-established monopoly, natural monopoly and integration monopoly among others and each occurs depending on the prevailing market conditions. Although monopoly is legal and acceptable in the business domain, many governments in the world try to limit the level of monopoly in order to avoid exploitation and enhance competition which result in healthy development of the states. Monopoly law in the United States gained its roots over a century ago because it came with the colonial government. Many historical business experts link the establishment of monopoly in America with King Charles I of England in 1635. Yet this monopoly law has been applicable even in the recent years until the government passed another law to limit monopoly. Monopoly came into existence when the large-scale firms needed to provide labor to the large numbers of immigrants in America in order to promote hospitality in this state. According to Investopedia (Para. 2), the colonial government granted the huge firm contracts for the public works and after colonialism in America, the companies continued with the same policy due to the lands they possessed. One characteristic of monopoly is lack of completion but this system has proved to be very beneficial in the American economy. Therefore, immigration in America and existence of the few large companies led to the existence of monopoly and hospitality was the cause of monopoly. Some people’s minds take Google Company to be monopolistic in nature and some have gone into an extent of analyzing its business structure. Google is one of the best-known dot.com companies in the world because of its large variety of goods and services in the market. Google has provided a good platform for communication, search engines for academic and research purposes and the business solutions that promote better functioning of various businesses across the world. This firm has attracted so many users across all the disciplines such as scholars, office workers, businesspersons among others. Since its establishment, Google has earned large profits between 2001 and 2008 and this has steered the firm’

Valuation of property Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Valuation of property - Article Example A real estate appraisal is performed by a licensed or certified appraiser (in many countries known as a property valuer or land valuer and in British English as a surveyor). If the appraiser's opinion is based on Market Value, then it must also be based on the Highest and Best Use of the real property. For mortgage valuations of improved residential property in the US, the appraisal is most often reported on a standardized form, such as the Uniform Residential Appraisal Report. Appraisals of more complex property (e.g. -- income producing, raw land) are usually reported in a narrative appraisal report. agents and supplied as part of the negotiations relating to the sale of the site was seen to contain a series of calculative errors on checking the calculations. The site value provided by the landowners is found to be 'excessive'. Thus, we see that the corrected valuation of the site is closer to 7.5 million pounds and not 8.5 million pounds as suggested by the landowners' agents in their appraisal. So their appraisal is found to be faulty and the inherent errors and series of calculative errors are identified and corrected. The significance of a sale of a similar nearby property for 5,000,000 pounds is relatively significant in the appraisal and ca... The rate of interest for a short term housing loan is closer to 13%. Calculative errors: This is the appraisal as submitted by the landowners' agents which was found to contain a series of calculative errors and inherent flaws. Detailed Residual Valuation Development Income Shops 800m2 *95% 760 * 250m2 '190,000 Offices 6,750m2 *90% 6,075 * 200m2 '1,215,000 Total Income '1,405,000 YP in 2 years 7% 14.28 Gross Development Value '20,063,400 Development Costs Building Cost Shops 800m2 * '500m2 '284,000 Offices 5,400m2 * '850m2 '4,590,000 Subtotal '4,990,000 Ancillary Costs ' 150,000 Subtotal '5,140,000 Professional Fees 12.50% '642,500 Subtotal '5,782,500 Short Term Finance say 12% on ' total costs for 24 months '2,891,250 *(1.12)^2 - '2,891,250 '735,533 Subtotal '6,518,033 Letting Fees 15% of Income '210,750 Subtotal '6,518,033 Developers Profit, 20% of '5,782,500 '1,156,500 Total Development Costs '7,674,533 Residual Value '12,388,867 Site Value on completion: Site Value Calculation 1.03x (1.12)^3 = 1.45 12,388,867 / 1.45 '8,544,046 Corrected Calculations: This is the alternative 'more accurate' valuation of the site. Detailed Residual Valuation Development Income Shops 800m2 *95% 760 * 250/m2 '190,000 Offices 6,750m2 *90% 6,075 * 200/m2 '1,215,000 Total Income '1,405,000 YP in 2 years 7% 14.28 Gross Development Value '20,063,400 Development Costs Building Cost Shops 800m2 * '550m2 '440,000 Offices 5,400m2 * '900m2