Business Opportunities and Implications for an Organization to Enter Into South Africa

Executive Summary South Africa is the leading economy in the African continent. It gained its independence in 1994 from the Dutch who had took over power from British government in 1910. The country is the focal of Africa. It was the first African nation to host FIFA World Cup in 2010. This country has the highest number of languages considered by the government as official (eleven languages).Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Business Opportunities and Implications for an Organization to Enter Into South Africa specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It has varied cultural background because of the numerous tribes it has. Some of the cultural values are prohibitive to specific type trade, while others are supportive. The political environment of this country has been very stable. The political class has been very supportive of foreign investments in various fronts. This has seen many firms’ growth. The legal system is also very welcoming to foreign investment. There are a few formalities that any foreign firm may need to take. The process of getting the trade permit is simple and short. The economic structure of the country is another factor that makes this country attractive to foreign investment. Although there are a few individuals who are super rich, having amassed most of the country’s wealth, the other populace is still economically viable. The best approach to get into this market is to adopt target marketing technique. Each market segment should be determined based on their wealth and cultural values that affects their purchasing habits. Brief overview of country and main issues South Africa is the leading economy in the entire continent of Africa. It has a population of about 51 million people. According to a report by Tarp and Brixen (1996, p. 78), South Africa has a strong economy when compared to other countries in this region. This can partly be attributed to the fac t that this nation gained its independence from the British rule as early as 1910. Although the Dutch remained in power, they took citizenship of this country and as such, the resources of this country were not taken away to the European countries. Another factor that has ensured that this country has a strong economy is its rich natural resources. South Africa is the world’s largest gold exporter. Gold is a very precious metal and it fetches good money in the international market. Other sectors of the economy are also equally developed. The country has the best infrastructure in Africa, especially after hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The transport sector was upgraded, and so were other sectors like communication, banking and other social amenities. The country has some of the best harbors in this region (Best 2009, p. 98). Since the time the blacks took over power in 1994, the country has relatively been peaceful, save for the xenophobia that was witnessed in the late 2009 following economic downturn in the world that affected this country. Amidst all these positivity, the country experiences a great difference in the distribution of wealth. The wealth of this country is held by a few individuals, leaving the majority wallowing in poverty. This has greatly affected the purchasing power of the people of this country, as discussed below. This paper seeks to conduct a survey of this country’s business environment in order to ascertain its viability to sustain business ventures. Cultural Context South Africa is very rich in culture. Majority of this population are the blacks, making up 80 percent of the entire population. The whites make 9 percent and so are the colored. The Asians make up 2 percent of the country’s populace. Among the Africans, there are various tribes each with its own cultural practices. There are the Zulu’s who are the majority, the Xhosas, Swazis, the Ndebele, the Sotho, Venda, Tswana and the Tsonga. The country has about eleven official languages, most of them Africa languages, other than English and Afrikaans. The African cultural values are still cherished in this country. For instance, many of the African cultures values children and this would make men marry many wives. Although this is advantageous to the business world in that it increases the target population, it has an equal negative effect because the little wealth that is available has to be spread among the many, making their purchasing power very low. The current president of this country, Jacob Zuma is such typical African. A Zulu by tribe, this president has married several wives as a symbol of being true to his culture. Some of these cultural practices may be a hindrance to business while others may be beneficial.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Busin ess Opportunities and Implications for an Organization to Enter Into South Africa specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Among some societies for instance, traditional medicine is highly encouraged as opposed to the pharmaceutical ones. This has had negative impact on the sale of laboratory drugs because the population does not believe in them. Conversely, the sale of electronics has been boosted by the cultural practices of this country. Most of the African cultures have close family ties. They stay as a large society, always concerned about the others welfare. As such, such electronic products like cell phones that enable communication have been a great welcome. The social media has also received an equally high acceptance among the locals. As such, items like the iPad, iPhone, and computers in general have found good market in South Africa. Most of the country’s cultural practices have been influenced by the west because of the in creased interactivity between Africans of this country and the west. Such products as the Hollywood movies are very popular among the youths. There is a shift in the cultural practices of the country’s citizens, especially among the youths. Because of the influence from the west as fostered by various channels, the youths are abandoning some cultural practices that were highly valued by different tribes of this nation for the western culture which to them is more liberal and less restrictive. Their dressing code is changing and as such, business firms that operate in this industry have come to realize that those dresses that are in demand in the American markets would fetch good prices in this country, especially among the youths who want to imitate the west in almost everything. Political/Legal context South Africa was one of the most attractive colonies in the entire African region because of its rich resources. During the scramble and partition of Africa, the British gover nment took this country as one of its colony. In 1990, the Dutch declared self governance and took over power. They presided over a government that was highly racial. Africans, the whites, the colored and the Asians had their own facilities that were not to be shared. The whites had the best infrastructural facilities and other amenities, while the blacks, who were the majority, had the worst (Fifield 2007, p. 78). This was called the apartheid governance. This has had a great effect in the political structure of this country even today. Although the governance of the country currently is purely on a democratic front, there is still a great mistrust between the whites and the blacks. The conservative whites, who were forced out of the government because of the strong wave of change, still harbor the feeling that they deserve to be treated better than any other race in this country. On the other hand, the blacks are still suspicious of the whites following the oppressive rule that th e whites had made them undergo.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This is a source of tension, and although the country’s political environment has been very stable since the onset of democratic rule in 1994, there is fear that this tension could deteriorate to violence as was witnessed in 2009. The law of this land has liberalized trade. Investors who may wish to invest in this country have to undergo a few formalities to open up business units in the country. Economic context South Africa has a sound economic structure. According to a report by Roux (2005, p. 67), South Africa is the leading producer of gold in the world. This industry employs many of the country’s nationals as miners of the product, transporters, traders and many other positions. It is the main foreign exchange product for the country. This country has a well developed agricultural sector. Most of the food products consumed locally is found locally. It also exports some of its agricultural products to other African countries. The fishing industry is also developed , especially on the high seas. Other industries are also well developed. Despite all these economic prosperity that this country seems to enjoy, there is one major problem with the economic structure of this nation. The country’s economic system is controlled by the minority. Though rated Africa’s best economy, the wealth is in the hands of a few individuals. These individuals cannot manage to spend all the wealth they have, and at the same time fear that a moment may come where the government may put them to task to explain their source of wealth. As such, they have kept this wealth in European nations where they know that they would be safe from any investigation. This has left the larger population in object poverty. They cannot afford many luxuries in life. To others, even the basics are a problem. To an investor, the large population of the country and the huge gross domestic product may be very attractive. However, the reduced purchasing power of this high popula tion is a huge impediment to growth of business units in the country. Conclusion and recommendation South Africa is one of the most attractive destinations for investors. It is one of the fastest growing economies among the developing nations. The political structure of this nation has been its main strength. The country has experienced a stable political environment since the Africans took over power from the Dutch. This has provided business opportunities to many investors because of total absence of strife. Save for the little xenophobic behavior that was witnessed a few years ago for about a week, the country has been a safe place to invest in. The political class has avoided interrupting with the business units. The ruling party ANC (African National Congress), which has been in power since independence, has had friendly policies towards foreign investors coming to this country. The economic structure of the country is also very attractive. Although the country has its wealth w ith the minority, it is still economically viable. The remaining population is still attractive enough to make a good market. The rich minority can also make attractive market segment for goods of ostentation like top of the range cars. The social structure is another factor that can facilitate trade. The cultural practices of the majority of the residents would facilitate trade in such products as electronics and clothing. With the legal structure that is not prohibitive of foreign investment, investors have the best opportunity to invest in this country’s various sectors. Recommendations To succeed in this environment, the following factors are strongly recommended to ensure prosperity for firm. Any foreign firm should avoid any practice that would be a sign that they favor a certain section of the community as this would be a strong reminder to this society of the apartheid rule which is abhorred by many of the citizens It is advisable to have a deep knowledge of the sect or one is planning to invest in. The investment should be that which can be supported by the chosen sector. The investors should adhere to the legal structures that the country has put in place regarding the trade in the country Target marketing is highly encouraged. This is because this country has people of different cultures and with different amounts of wealth. The rich should be targeted with specific products and so are the middle class and the poor. Similarly, the cultural practice of the specific tribes of this country may dictate the type of product that would be most preferable to them. List of References Best, RJ 2009, Market-Based Management Strategies for Growing Customer value and Profitability, Pearson, New Jersey. Fifield, P 2007, Marketing Strategy: The Difference between Marketing and Markets, Elsevier Butterworth Heinemann, Oxford. Roux, A 2005, Everyone’s Guide to the South African Economy, Zebra, Cape Town. Tarp, F Brixen, P 1996, The South African Econ omy: Macroeconomic Prospects for the Medium Term, Routledge, New York. This case study on Business Opportunities and Implications for an Organization to Enter Into South Africa was written and submitted by user Trey Love to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The Mexican and Russian Revolution essays

The Mexican and Russian Revolution essays Two Revolutions shaped the history of two countries: Mexico and Russia. Both Revolutions drastically changed the life of their people. I will compare and contrast both Revolutions. The Mexican Revolution happened in the year 1910. There were many dictators in Mexico. The president of Mexico at that time was Porfirio Diaz that had been president for over 30 years, who was also a dictator with, Victoriano Huerta and Venustiano Carranza. The dictators fought for the interest of the peons. There were also people that wanted a democracy in Mexico. Francisco Madero that was educated in Europe and at the University of California led a series of strikes throughout the country for new election of president. (Mexico online.com pg.1) Madero also had follwers that were, Emiliano Zapata and Francisco Villa. They also fought for democracy. Madero overthrows Diaz and became president in 1911. Madero promised to return the land to the peons. Carranza then rose to be president and made the Constitution of 1917, which is still their today. In the Constitution they gave land back to the peons, which was the whole reason for the Revolution of Mexico in 1910. The Russian Revolution happened in the year 1917. There were many reasons for the Revolution that mad people mad. Russia was an Autocracy, which means that the Tsar had total power. People in Russia wanted to make Russia more of a democracy. The Tsar at that time was Nicholas II. Wealthy people that didnt want things to change in Russia influenced Nicholas. Rich people who werent the most of the population ran Russia. About four-fifths of the populations were peasants. Lenin led one of the terrorist groups in Russia who used violence. Some of the reasons for the Revolution were that the people couldnt trust the Tsar, but the real reason was because Russia became involved in the First World War. Nicholas II, Tsar of Russia, abdicated on March 2, 1917. (Mod...

Nagel and Russell on Absurdity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Nagel and Russell on Absurdity - Essay Example Thomas Nagel and Betrand Russell wrote about the absurdity that defines life. Many philosophers have focused on the issue of absurdity as it is one of the surging worries that human beings experience continually. This explains why different philosophers have been trying to highlight the causes of the debilitating feeling that every venture in life is absurd. Realizing the causes of the feeling of absurdity has not been enough. There is the ardent desire of understanding the different ways of dealing with absurdity. This paper will analyze the views of Nagel and BetrandRussell concerning the absurdity. Summary of the ‘Absurd’ by Nagel Nagel begins by highlighting the fact that many people often make known their feeling that life presents a lot of absurdity, sometimes in a continuous manner. However, he asserted that few of the reasons used to explain how the absurdities of life result serve as adequate defense to explain why life is that way. He provides examples of the reasons that people have put forward as potential causes of absurdity. One of these reasons is the opinion that whatever transpires in life at the moment does not present evidence that it will matter in a million years into the future. The feeling that current ventures in life do not present any feasibility of being crucial factors in a progression of a million years. Nagel refutes this claim by highlighting that such thinking invites critical thought of analyzing whether things really matter. If one can doubt whether something happening in the current life will matter in the future, then it is only rational to realize that whether that thing is b ringing happiness or misery, it may not even matter (Pojman 555). For other people, the absurdity of life emerges from the realization that human are minute forms in a vast universe. This perception of human life in terms of space and time in comparison with the entire universe does not suffice to explain the cause of absurdity in life. Nagel argues that this reason is insufficient because little would change even if humans occupied a larger proportion of the universe (556). He opined that living a longer life and occupying greater space would imply that absurdity would increase at the same proportion of space and time. Nagel also mentions that some people experience absurdity because they realize that all then justifications used to present life with meaning will eventually diminish. However, Nagel mentions that even if these justifications were reliable enough to define the entire process of life, they would diminish eventually. He further argues that even if a single justificatio n had the potential of defining an individual’s entire life, it would require an additional justification to make it worthwhile (556). According to him, all chains of justifications depend on external factors for their relevance, factor that makes them diminish at some point. With this argument, Nagel highlighted that it was pointless to blame the insufficiency of justifications for the absurdity of life. In the second part, Nagel begins by highlighting the fact that absurdity resulted from the crises and discrepancies between the pretexts and aspirations of an individual in life. However,he highlights that individual often visualize a way of adjusting aspirations. In case such an adjustment is impossibility, the individual tries to avoid the reality of the absurd situation. However, the feeling of absurdity increases when an individual does not find a valid escape from the previously defined aspirations (557). Moreover, Nagel highlighted that a person’s ambitions were possible causes of the feeling of absurdity especially if the person keeps searching changes that present the potential of altering life. This may often result is an individual takes life’s decisions activities too seriously. He highlights that although life needs constant attention, taking it too seriously can be detrimental causing absurdity. Moreover, perceiving others

The Possibility of Extra-Terrestrial Life Research Paper

The Possibility of Extra-Terrestrial Life - Research Paper Example Cox and Rees begin to contemplate the possibility, the arguments in favor of life beyond the blue planet tend to gain more credibility. However, the question is not about which side of the argument has greater credibility or even about getting the majority to agree with or refute the theory. When the issue in question has to be proved or disproved, only conclusive evidence should be included. Speculations, whether educated or misinformed, are still speculations only. In the absence of verifiable, conclusive proof, the status quo remains unchanged. Extra-terrestrial life cannot be assumed to exist till such irrefutable evidence is presented. This paper seeks to substantiate this claim by first discussing expert opinions on the issue, and how despite their scholarly backing the opinions remain speculative; then, by exploring how alleged encounters with aliens are possibly nothing more than psychological condition; and finally by looking at the implications of this kind of unrestrained speculation. Apart from the opinions of the scientists mentioned in the introduction, experiences of other experts who have dedicated their careers to researching this possibility are well-documented. Jacques F. Vallee in his paper â€Å"Five Arguments Against the Extraterrestrial Origin of Unidentified Flying Objects†, advances alternatives to the two conclusions that either Ufo does not exist or if they do, they must necessarily be from outer space. In the summarization of his arguments, Vallee declares: (1) unexplained close encounters are far more numerous than required for any physical survey of the earth; (2) the humanoid body structure of the alleged "aliens" is not likely to have originated on another planet and is not biologically adapted to space travel; (3) the reported behaviour in thousands of abduction reports contradicts the hypothesis of genetic or scientific experimentation on humans by an advanced race; (4) the extension of the phenomenon.

Supply and demand and price elasticity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Supply and demand and price elasticity - Essay Example The key words in this definition are 'ability' and 'willingness'. By ability we mean that the consumer must have enough income or resources to meet the prices, and by willingness, it simple means that the buyer should want to buy the products. Only, if these two conditions are being satisfied, then a satisfied demand is registered in the market. To be more meaningful, the quantities demanded at each price must related to a specific period- a day, a week, a month. Saying that a consumer wants to buy 10 packets of chocolate at $10/each is useless unless a specific time period is states. The above diagram and table reveals a fundamental characteristic of a demand. This characteristics states that as the prices falls, the quantity demanded rises and as price rises, the quantity demanded falls. In short, there is a negative or inverse relationship between the price and quantity demanded. In mathematical terms, there exists a negative or inverse relationship between the price and quantity demand, known as the law of demand. The basis behind this law of demand is com... In other words, price is an obstacle hat deters consumers from buying. Similarly, in any specific time period people will buy at a low price because it maximizes their diminishing marginal utility. There are two other reasons behind the law of demand. These are income effect and substitution effect. Income effect states that people enjoy high purchasing power as prices decrease and hence buy more. The substitution effect, on the other hand, states that at a lower price, buyers will substitute what is now a less expensive product for similar products that are more expensive. The relationship between price and quantity demanded for any product can be expressed as a simple graph, shown above. So, far our discussion of demand is for individual and not for a market demand. Market demand is also similar to the concept of individual demand. It involves add the quantities demanded by all consumers at each of the various possible and this will enable us to move from individual demand to market demand. PRICE FIRST BUYER 2ND BUYER 3RD BUYER TOTAL MARKET DEMAND 0 4 3 3 10 5 2 2 1 5 10 1 2 0 3 1ST BUYER 2ND BUYER 3RD BUYER MARKET p P P P + + =Q Q Q Q This was only the one side of market and tells us partly about the market condition. The other side of the market consists of people who want to sell the goods to the buyers in order to earn profits. Like demand, supply is a schedule or curve showing the amounts of a

Strategic Marketing by Nintendo Select an organisation

Strategic Marketing by Nintendo Select an organisation Introduction Starting out as a playing card company when it was first founded in 1889, later entered the video game industry in 1985; Nintendo has since become the leading manufacturer and distributor of video-game software and hardware (i.e. handheld consoles and static consoles). Such success has largely been attributed to Nintendos ability to develop and manage some of the most innovative products in the industry, where some still remained as one of the biggest seller of all time. Despite its success and the current position as the market leader in both the console and handheld market, Nintendo is facing increasing competition from its competitors; Microsoft and Sony, the challenges on its market from the recent recession as well as the saturation of demand of the current generation of consoles. This essay will analyse some of the main strategic marketing tools covered in the module, and then evaluate and make suggestions on how they can be used by Nintendo to manage its existing products and product portfolios or help to develop new ones. Defining product Due to the scope of the essay, the strategic marketing tools that will be analysed will be mainly related to product. A product is either tangible or intangible; it can be defined as a good, a service or even an idea or brand. It is an important factor in the marketing mix and can be a companys most important asset. A product can also be broken into three levels, core, actual and augmented (as shown in fig. 1). It is important to note that the core product is not the product itself and is not tangible; it is the basic benefits from gaining the actual product (Dibb, Simkin, Pride, Ferell, 2001). Figure Nintendo has a range of products within the video game industry, from well-known handheld consoles such as the Nintendo DS and the static video-game consoles such as the Wii, to a range of compatible video-game peripherals, accessories and software from its studios. If we take the Wii for example, the core benefit to the user would be the perceived enjoyment or fun from playing the console, the actual product would have the features of running the compatible games, while the augmented product would be the customer service and warranty the end-user could use when console breaks. Some of these products will be analysed in more detail later on using the strategic marketing tools in order to give more details on the current situation of the company and the market. The Tools There are many marketing tools and concepts nowadays to help companies assess their products and the market in order to make more informed decisions in planning. This section will concentrate on three of the strategic marketing tools relating to product as discussed within the module, with focus on the benefits and limitations of each tool when applied to Nintendo and its products. Product lifecycle Perhaps one of the more widely known tools in managing products (Dhalla Yuspeh, 2009), the product lifecycle breaks down the progress of a product developing over time into four main stages: introduction, growth, maturity, and decline. The stages can be seen on the graph in fig. 1. The first line represents the sales a company has made, while the line below is the actual profits gained after deducting all the cost. Time is represented on the horizontal axis. Figure Source: http://tutor2u.net/business/marketing/products_lifecycle.asp At introduction, despite the rapidly rising sales, it is likely that the profit remains in the negative due to the considerable costs incurred to develop and launch the new product. During the growth period, as more people become aware of the product and demand grows, sales and profit increase rapidly. After a period of time, growth in demand would start to slow as the maturity approaches. At the maturity stage, competition could be the strongest and it is also where the most profit can be earned. After the product reaches maturity, sales and profit will fall into decline as the market shrinks. By understanding the stage a companys product is at, strategic decisions can be made to minimise cost or to boost sales. Many of Nintendos products can be perceived as following such cycle. One example can be seen from Wii, one of Nintendos most success products and the current market leader in static consoles. When it was first released in 2006, there was much hype about the new product amongst the gaming community; the product was part of the seventh generation consoles, and features the distinctive motion-sensitive controllers. Although the new console lacks the graphics and processing power of its rivals, Microsofts Xbox 360 and Sonys PS3; the features of which the traditional video-gaming communities (dominated by young male gamers) have placed great emphasis on, Nintendo has dramatically increased sales by expanding the market into new consumer segments (i.e. older generations and other casual gamers) (Mintel Oxygen, 2008). In 2009, sales have slowed as the market for the current generation of consoles reaches maturity, prompting Nintendo to lower the retail price in order to boost sales (Mintel Oxygen, 2010). While the Wii seemed to be going through the stages of a product lifecycle, yet, the product lifecycle would have been too simple for Nintendo to base most of their strategies and planning on. One of its limitations is that it cannot help managers to effectively forecast sales; a reason for this would be that sales can be affected by a number of factors, internal and external. For instance, the product lifecycle could not have forecasted the recent recession which saw a cut back on spending from the casual gamers who view Wii as one of the luxury goods, thus affecting the sales. Another major limitation of the product lifecycle is that not all products will follow the typical lifecycle curve. An example can be seen from Nintendos Virtual Boy when it was first launched in 1995, the console uses a head-mounted display and controller, but since it had many technological limitations, the product did not get the sales needed and was discontinued after one year (Fletcher, 2010). Here, the product did not reach growth and maturity after introduction, and went into decline soon after. Due to its simplicities and many other limitations ( Day, 1981), some critics even argues that companies can make costly mistakes and miss opportunities if decisions are based on the product lifecycle concept, and would be better off using an information system for each product when deciding whether to promote or cut cost (Dhalla Yuspeh, 2009). Boston Matrix Developed by a large US consulting group, the Boston matrix is a strategic planning tool that base around a products market growth rate and market share when determining a marketing strategy (Donald , Hambrick, MacMillan, Diana, 1982). Each product is analysed in terms of relative market share and market growth and placed onto a matrix, where it can be classified into four categories: stars, cash cows, problem child/question mark and dogs. As seen in fig 3. Figure Source: http://www.learnpremium.co.uk/cima/lesson2/page3.aspx Stars are highly successful products with good prospects for growth and high share of the market, although they may use more cash than they generate in order to finance growth and increase capacity. Stars have the potential to become cash cows, where they have the dominant shares in the market but low growth, and more cash are generated than needed to maintain market share. With low market share and low potential for growth, products that are classified as dogs should be eliminated as they are likely to not generate cash for the company. Problem children, sometime called question marks, are products with low share of a high growth market. Some of the problem children can be turned into stars, which is why some companies still invests in them, although there is also a risk of them turning into dogs instead. The current generation consoles (the Wii and Nintendo DS range) from Nintendo can be generally be classified as cash cows, as they have the biggest share of their market but the markets are no longer growing as fast as it used to be. One of the dogs of the company would be the Game Boy Advance range (including Game Boy Advance SP and Game Boy Micro), the predecessor of the Nintendo DS range, sales and market share have dropped after the introduction of the newer versions of the DS range. An example of the question mark product would be Nintendo DSi XL, which is a newer version of the DS range that provides all the features of the Nintendo DSi along with bigger screens. It was released in November 2009, and its future is still unsure as consumers could prefer spending less on older versions that gives similar experience, rendering the DSi XL unnecessary (i.e. becoming a dog), or could potentially replace the older models and become a cash cow in future. The stars of Nintendo can be de monstrated by some of Nintendos video game software developed by its first-party studios, such as the Wii Fit, which was the third highest selling Wii game as of May 2010 (Nintendo Co., Ltd, 2010). Nevertheless, like the product life cycle model it was based on, Boston matrix, with only two dimensions (market share and market growth) is still too simplistic to use alone in making strategic decisions (Majluf, 1983). It also assumes that high market share is always related to higher rates of profit or the only success factor, and that the attractiveness of a market is not only indicated by its growth. For instance, although compared to the fast growing mainstream, casual gaming market with its large market size potential, the traditional hard-core gamer market with its narrower demographic could be seen as much less attractive. However, the latter group would also be willing to pay more for a higher specification console, and their purchase are less likely to be effected by the economic conditions in the same way that has impacted the decision of the casual gamers. Also, despite a general interpretation that dogs should be eliminated, some dog products could be part of a successf ul product mix, and their existence could serve as one of the motivating factors for consumers to purchase a particular product from the company. An example can be shown from Nintendos accessory sector, where market research has shown low market growth and low interest in accessories overall. However, many customers who chose to purchase Nintendo Wii could be influenced by the fact that parts can be replaced and purchased if required, i.e. extra controls are available for purchase should the customer want to play multi-player games. Despite its weaknesses, the Boston matrix can still serve as a simple and efficient tool to help Nintendo to predict where a product is at in its product lifecycle, for instance, question marks can be said to be on the launch stage, the stars are at the growth stage and cash cows are likely to be on the maturity stage. Ansoff Matrix The previous two marketing tools can help companies to identify the stages their products are at, but does little to help the managers formulating on a set of strategies to achieve growth. The Ansoff matrix is a tool that aids companies in making decisions on how to achieve growth depending on the product and the market it targets (Ansoff, 1965). It can be shown in a chart below, as seen in fig. 4. Figure Source: http://tutor2u.net/business/strategy/ansoff_matrix.htm The four strategic choices from the Ansoff matrix are: market penetration, product development, market development and diversification. Market penetration is considered when marketing existing products to existing consumers, this can be achieved through promotions or repositioning the brand. For instance, after it was clear that Nintendos static consoles could not compete in terms of specifications (i.e. powerful processing capacity) with Sony and Microsoft within the hard-core gaming sector (Mintel Oxygen, 2008), the company repositioned its brand to appeal more to the wider public and families in order to increase sales. Product development occurs when companies market new products in existing markets. Within the video game console market, newer models are introduced in order to compete better with the latest features on the market. Within the Nintendo DS range, new models are released almost every year; starting from the original Nintendo DS at release, then the handheld console became smaller with the DS Lite, later a webcam was added on to open up new possibilities with several games in the DSi model, and the current model, DSi XL features a bigger screen for players. All these models compete in the handheld video game console market along with Sonys PSP, with each model offering a slightly different experience to the consumer, but still in the same generation of the video game consoles (Mintel Oxygen, 2010). Market development happens when companies seek growth by introducing existing products in new markets. This can be demonstrated when companies export their products into another country or region, thereby entering a new market. Nintendos consoles and games are usually released in Japan first; the companys home market, before launching and promote them overseas. Lastly, diversification is when the company choose to market completely new products into new markets. This could be within the same industry as the existing products or going into an unrelated industry or sector. Nintendo first started out as a playing card company in the late 19th Century before it diversified into to the video gaming market by launching its first video game console, but still remained within the wider Toys and Games industry. As with the other tools, there are limitations and disadvantages on using the Ansoff matrix. Once again, the format of the two-by-two design similar to the Boston matrix can be too simplistic, and that the real-world markets and decisions are much more complex. Such as that diversification may contain many risks, i.e. lack of knowledge and experience of the new market, and that it may not be the best strategy for growth for some companies with limited resources. Also, although the Ansoff matrix can be used to identify the strategic path products may follow, and as with the Boston matrix can help simplify overly complex scenarios for easy and prompt analysis; it does not provide the marketing options which mangers will need to make based on a wider and extensive research of the company and the market. Combining the tools All the strategic marketing tools evaluated here have both benefits and disadvantages to Nintendo. Also, the market conditions can transform over time, such as changes in trend, technological advances and economic conditions (Pride Ferrell, 2008). Therefore, in order to help managers to effectively manage and develop individual products and product portfolios, the best approach will likely to involve using a number of tools. This section will look at how different marketing tools discussed previously along with other concepts can be used together by Nintendo in managing its products as well as developing new ones. Product management Product management can consist of planning, forecasting and marketing of a product in order to achieve the companys objectives. Nintendo may use the tools mentioned before to help it to paint an overall view of its products. By using the Boston matrix on all Nintendos products that are currently on the market, one can find that there are some in each of the four categories, and some may lie on the lines between two classifications. As mentioned in the introduction, the concept of product is not limited to just goods and service, and Nintendo has many products in its product portfolio. The Pokà ©mon game brand were often referred to as one of Nintendos biggest cash cows by the gaming community, with each release for various platforms and little changes to the content and gameplay providing huge profit for the company. Therefore, for the Pokà ©mon range, Nintendo may opt to spend relatively less investment in product development and promotion to maintain sales, and use the cash generated on investing in new innovations and other less successful products. The Boston matrix will also help Nintendo to identify what stage of the product lifecycle some of their products are currently in. When looking at the product lifecycle of the current generation of consoles, the slow sales growth indicates maturity of the market and the product. Therefore, Nintendo should consider developing the next generation consoles. However, care should be taken in using the product lifecycle as not all products share the same trend. To get an accurate view on what stage of the product lifecycle a console is in, and also when it will move to the next stage, instead of only relying on the Ansoff matrix and market data, Nintendo could also compare it to its predecessors, i.e. the Wii compared with Nintendo GameCube and the DS with Gameboy, as the product lifecycle of similar products within similar markets should be more closely related; though Nintendo should still be aware of some of the major differences in market and competition, such as changes in demographics of Nintendos customers and Sonys entrance into the handheld market with PSP, when comparing current generation of consoles with t he last ones. Product development Should Nintendo decide to go into product development; could be in an attempt to extend the product lifecycle of an existing product or to introduce a new product onto the market (based on Ansoff matrixs view of product development), there would also be number of considerations that needs to be taken. The company could choose to either make modifications to an existing line or to release a completely new product to replace the old one. For instance, if Nintendo want to extend the product lifecycle of its Pokà ©mon game brand by boosting sales, the company would make a new release of another version of the existing games. Such move would not require a huge investment in product development, as the concept already exist and proven to be hugely successful with a large base of loyal customers willing to get the latest version, so small changes such as packaging, improving the graphic to adapt to the latest console, and small modifications to the storyline, would be sufficient enough to release another best-selling game onto the market. Figure Developing a completely new product such as the next generation of consoles would require a much bigger investment and time. Firstly, the company will need to make sure it has done the market research required to understand the market, in order to take advantage of the companys strengths. So far, Nintendo has been successful in expanding the market by identify attracting more casual gamers from the older generation and families, thus focusing on improving gaming experience around a wider group in order to make up for its loss of appeal (due to lower performance power) from the traditional hard-core gamers. The Kanos Model as shown in fig. 5 on product development and customer satisfaction (Bergman, 2003) can be used to help Nintendo to assess the requirements of the new consoles or other products. For instance, some of the expected needs could be better graphics and performance than the previous consoles. The company may also need to assess the technology available on the market and the limitations of developing new ones. Nintendo has already announced its next generation handheld console, the Nintendo 3DS, which apparently is capable giving 3D visualisations on displays without glasses (Nintendo Co., Ltd, 2010). How well the company has evaluated its customer needs and expectations will be reflected on the success or failure (like the Virtual boy) after the product is available on the market. Conclusion Overall, the Ansoff matrix can be used as a framework for deciding upon strategies based on whether the market and the product is new or existing, the Boston matrix can be used to predict where a product is at its lifecycle based on relative market share and market growth rate, and the Product lifecycle can help companies to decide on a marketing strategy depending on the stage a product is in, although not all products go through each stage in the same way. All three tools are too simplistic and do not take into account of many real-world factors, thus extensive research on the wider market and the company is required before making strategic decisions. After evaluating the strategic marketing tools and applying them to Nintendo and its products, I believe that the best approach in managing and developing products or product portfolios is to not make judgements and strategic decisions based on one or two tools and concepts, but to use a combination of them. While managing existing products using the tools discussed here as well as extensive market research, Nintendo may decide to make modifications to its products or extend its line with a new product. Also, with the changing market conditions, Nintendo may find that it will need to change its strategic marketing approach overtime in order to adapt and manage risk to effectively manage and develop individual products and product portfolios.

Human Trafficking and how the Global Community can Mitigate the Practice Essay

Human trafficking is a type of illicit trade in humans which is carried out globally for the purpose of sexual slavery or exploitation and forced labor. It is one of the most booming business and fastest growing criminal enterprise around the world. The most affected population is women and children and the global community is charged with the responsibility of responding urgently to issues related to human trafficking. A number of approaches can be utilized by the international community to curb the problem of human trafficking. The most important approaches include the human rights approach, enhanced research into the problem of human trafficking, encouraging international judicial and the police cooperation as well as the community integration in the fight against human trafficking and providing support and assistance to victims of human trafficking (International Organization for Migration, 2008). One of the approaches that can help mitigate human trafficking is the human rights approach where the root causes of human trafficking such as patriarchal structures and gender based violence need to be brought into the limelight. These elements have been shown to favor several incidents of human trafficking particularly among the women. Policies and legislation on equal opportunities can help strengthen and protect the social and legal position of children and women and address gender and age discrimination. Support programs should be stepped up to strengthen efforts of fighting poverty and marginalization among vulnerable populations such as the girl child and women (Morrison, 2010). The global community should be keen not to confuse the fight against human trafficking with the fight against illicit immigration as there is need to scrutinize ways of increasing gainful, non-exploitative and legal migration of labor for the purpose of globalization. Education provision to vulnerable groups and creation of campaigns among the targeting clients can help reduce human trafficking (Morrison, 2010). The global community can combat human trafficking by encouraging research which will provide sufficient data and form a starting point of tackling the problem. Extensive research will indicate the scale of human trafficking and the mechanisms of exploitations. Information on human trafficking should be made available and this information should be shared bilaterally and multilaterally in order to facilitate good research on the problem (UNGIFT, 2009). Research on counter-trafficking responses will form a crucial component of combating human trafficking. This research will examine the reasons why clients of trafficked humans prefer the trade and check ways on solving the clients’ requirements. There should also be an extensive research that will focus on the needs of the vulnerable groups who mainly include women and children (UNGIFT, 2009). Another approach that can be used by the global community to combat human trafficking is the judicial and police cooperation which include the fight of corruption, checking on the investigative methods, exchange and specialization measures and legislative recommendations. The law should always ensure that there is protection of the witnesses and the victims, prohibit prostitute exploitation, ban illegal work and regulate national territory residence so as to combat such trafficking. There should be an introduction of adequate penalties into international and national legislation for such crimes that involve trafficking and other related offenses. Confidential and parallel investigation of the suspected traffickers’ financial affairs should be followed when identifying, sequestrating and confiscating the assets and proceeds of the human traffickers (UNGIFT, 2009). These should be legal provisions which may include the financial institution taking the legal duty to disclose any suspected transaction of money laundering to the agencies of law enforcement. However, the financial institution should not disclose any police enquires into the affairs of the suspect’s finances. The international community should ensure that states have legislations to assure the victims the right to secure and seek compensations for the harm and injuries they suffer during trafficking. Additionally, there should be direct contact between the judicial authorities and effective service of law enforcement for the purpose of speeding up information exchange in investigation process and having mutual legal support (UNGIFT, 2009). The approach of victim assistance and protection can help combat human trafficking. There should be an establishment of sufficient study and research to identify the trafficked victim and the traffickers’ profiles. This may include the design of key indicators of trafficking design matrix which can be used by the border personnel and the front-line police to assist them in distinguishing between the irregular migrant and the trafficked victims. The victims have to be provided with access to the support measures of all ranges such as shelter, sexual, psychological and physical health support and care. There should also be legal, social and independent health counseling to equip them with skills which will ensure that they avoid any future human trafficking predisposing factors (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2007). The global community can play a major role in combating incidents of human trafficking. This can be done by setting up rules and proving enabling environment that will discourage such crimes in the society. The approaches which look into the needs of both the traffickers and the trafficked individuals tend to strike a balance between caring both the offended and the offender as both are members of the community. Several organizations such as the United Nations have so far invested efforts to fight human trafficking although the cases of the illegal trade continue to be reported. This calls for more integrated approach which will involve the community, the victims and even the criminals of human trafficking.

Student Life

Your exam will be multiple choice Exam # 1 Introductory Chemistry Be sure to show your set up for all mathematical problems. Your answers must have the correct number of significant digits and the correct units. I. Chemistry is a quantitative science therefore we must make measurements. All measurements have an uncertainty that we need to be aware of in our calculations. A. We need to be able to determine the number of significant figures in a measurement. For the following measurement state the number of significant figures. (4pts) 1. 1. 000 cm 2. 2. 590 x 10-5 m 4 3. . 020 g 4. 1000 cm 2 1 B. We need to be able to add, subtract, multiply, and divide with measurements. Solve the following problems. (4 pts) 1. 3. 02 cm + 5 cm + 0. 002 cm = 8 cm 3. 2. 0 cm x 2. 00 cm x 2. 000 cm = 8. 0 cm3 2. 5. 35 g – 0. 005 g = 5. 35 g 4. 7. 89 g / 5. 2 mL = 1. 5 g/mL B. It is often necessary to convert from one unit to another. This is easily accomplished with the right unit factor. Solve th e following problems. 1. During the last six lunar landings 842 pounds of Moon samples have been collected. What is this mass expressed in kilograms? ( 2. pounds = 1 kilograms) (4 pts) 842 lbs x 1 kg / 2. 2 lbs = 382. 7272727 kg = 380 kg 2. If a 250 mL beaker weighs 95. 4 g, what is the mass in kilograms? (4 pts) 95. 4 g x 1kg / 1000g = 0. 0954 kg = 9. 54 x 10-3 kg 3. If the radius of an oxygen atom is 6. 6 x 10 (5 pts) 6. 6 x 10 –10 dm x 1 m / 10 dm x 109 nm/ 1 m = 6. 6 x 10-2 nm -10 dm, what is the radius in nm? 1 C. Chemists often deal with percent problems. As long as you remember that percent refers to per 100, these problems can be solved. 1. A penny minted after 1982 is composed of copper and zinc only. If a penny has a mass of 2. 07 g and is 2. 50 % copper. What is the mass of zinc in the coin? (5 pts) 2. 507 g x 2. 50/100 = 0. 062675 g of Cu 2. 507 g of penny – 0. 062675 g of Cu = 2. 444325 g = 2. 444 g of Zn (2. 44 g of Zn is correct also) D. Density is a ver y important concept for chemist. The density of a substance can be obtained in a chemistry laboratory. 1. A rubber stopper with a mass of 23. 75 g is dropped in a 50-mL graduated cylinder that has 20. 4 mL of water. After the stopper is dropped in the graduated cylinder, the water level rises to 24. 7 mL. What is the density of the rubber stopper? 5 pts) 2. 375 g / (24. 7 mL – 20. 4 mL) = 5. 523255814 g / mL = 5. 52 g / mL (5. 5 g /mL is accepted) We can make predictions if the density is known. 2. A glass cylinder contains four liquid layers: mercury (d = 13. 6 g/mL), chloroform (d = 1. 49 g/mL), water (d = 1. 00 g/mL), ether (d = 0. 708 g/mL). If a piece of ice (d = 0. 917 g/mL) is dropped into the cylinder, where does it come to rest? Why? (5 pts) The mercury layer will be on the bottom, then the chloroform, then the water, and finally the ether. The ice will sink in the ether layer and float on top of the water layer. If the density is know, we can we can find the mass of a given volume or the volume of a given mass. 3. The density of aluminum is 2. 70 g/mL. What volume will 250 g of Al occupy? What is the mass of a piece of aluminum with a volume of 250 mL? (6 pts) 250 g of Al x 1 mL / 2. 70 g = 92. 59259259 mL = 93 mL 250 mL of Al x 2. 70 g / 1 mL = 675 g = 680 g 2 Using the density value we can indirectly obtain distances that are too small to measure directly. 4. A sample of aluminum foil has a length of 10. 0 cm and a width of 5. 7 cm. If the aluminum foil weighs 0. 234 g, what is the thickness of the aluminum foil? Remember that the density of aluminum is 2. 70 g/mL. (6 pts) Volume of Al = length x width x thickness = mass / density 0. 234 g x 1 mL / 2. 70 g = 0. 0866666666 mL 0. 086666666 mL / 10. 0 cm x 5. 7 cm = 0. 001520467 cm = 1. 5 x 10 –3 cm E. Heat and temperature are two very important concepts. 1. In your own words, please state the difference between heat and temperature. What is a common unit of each? (5 pts) Heat measures the total energy of a sample and temperature measure the intensity of heat or the average heat of a sample. A common unit of heat is a calorie and a common unit of temperature is Kelvin. It is important to be able to convert from one temperature unit to another. 2. Aluminum melts at 1220 F. (You can see why aluminum is not a liquid at room temperature) What is the melting point of aluminum in degree Celsius ( C) and in Kelvin o C (6 pts) (K)? (oF – 32 oF) x 100 oC = 180 oF (1220 oF – 32)(100 / 180) = 660 oC 660 oC + 273 = 933 K o o 3. Give the ions present and their relative numbers in potassium sulfate. a) b) c) d) e) 1K+ and 1 SO42K+ and 1 SO321K+ and 2 SO422K+ and 1 SO423K+ and 1 SO43- 3 4. How many cm2 are in an area of 4. 21in2? a. b. c. d. e. 10. 7 cm2 114 cm2 27. cm2 1. 66 cm2 1. 14 cm2 5. In performing a multistep calculation, when should you round off the answer in the calculator display? (5 pts) In a multistep calculation you should round off the answer at the end of the calculation E. Matter and Energy. 1. We learned four terms in chapter 4, heterogeneous mixture, homogeneous mixture, compound, and element. Please an example of each. (8 pts) An example of a heterogeneous mixture is the earth’s crust. A heterogeneous mixture can be separated into pure substances by physical methods. An example of a homogeneous mixture is salt water. The properties of a homogeneous mixture constant for a given sample. An example of a compound is NaCl. A compound can be broken down into elements by ordinary chemical reactions. An example of an element is Na. An element is a substance that can not be broken down further by a chemical reaction. 2. Match Symbols and Names (10 pts) 1. sodium 2. iron 3. carbon 4. nitrogen 5. phosphorous d c e b a a. P b. N c. Fe d. Na e. C 4 1. Cl 2. Ce 3. Cu 4. Co 5. Ca e c b d a a. Calcium b. Copper c. Cesium d. Cobalt e. Chlorine 3. Give an example for each of the following terms: (8 pts) a. hysical property – Appearance, melting point, boiling point, density, heat and electrical conductivity, solubility, and physical state under normal conditions are all examples of physical properties. b. chemical property – A chemical property of a substance describes its chemical reactions with other substances. The chemical property of sodium states that sodium will react with water to form hydrog en gas. c. physical change – A physical change include changing shape, volume, or physical state. For example when water changes to ice. d. chemical change – A chemical change always involves the formation of a new substance. Gas bubbles from the reaction of calcium with water. Fill in the blanks of the following table Symbol number of protons number of neutrons number of electrons mass number 37 Cl17 20 18 48 Cr3+ 24 24 21 24 Mg 12 12 12 37 48 24 Might not be on test. Ask teacher. Chlorine has two stable isotopes with masses of 34. 97 amu and 36. 97 amu. What is the relative abundance of the two isotopes? a. b. c. d. e. 50. 00% 35Cl and 50. 00 % 37Cl 35. 45% 35Cl and 64. 55 % 37Cl 64. 55% 35Cl and 35. 45% 37Cl 24. 23% 35Cl and 75. 77 % 37Cl 75. 77 % 35Cl and 24. 23 % 37Cl 5 Student Life Your exam will be multiple choice Exam # 1 Introductory Chemistry Be sure to show your set up for all mathematical problems. Your answers must have the correct number of significant digits and the correct units. I. Chemistry is a quantitative science therefore we must make measurements. All measurements have an uncertainty that we need to be aware of in our calculations. A. We need to be able to determine the number of significant figures in a measurement. For the following measurement state the number of significant figures. (4pts) 1. 1. 000 cm 2. 2. 590 x 10-5 m 4 3. . 020 g 4. 1000 cm 2 1 B. We need to be able to add, subtract, multiply, and divide with measurements. Solve the following problems. (4 pts) 1. 3. 02 cm + 5 cm + 0. 002 cm = 8 cm 3. 2. 0 cm x 2. 00 cm x 2. 000 cm = 8. 0 cm3 2. 5. 35 g – 0. 005 g = 5. 35 g 4. 7. 89 g / 5. 2 mL = 1. 5 g/mL B. It is often necessary to convert from one unit to another. This is easily accomplished with the right unit factor. Solve th e following problems. 1. During the last six lunar landings 842 pounds of Moon samples have been collected. What is this mass expressed in kilograms? ( 2. pounds = 1 kilograms) (4 pts) 842 lbs x 1 kg / 2. 2 lbs = 382. 7272727 kg = 380 kg 2. If a 250 mL beaker weighs 95. 4 g, what is the mass in kilograms? (4 pts) 95. 4 g x 1kg / 1000g = 0. 0954 kg = 9. 54 x 10-3 kg 3. If the radius of an oxygen atom is 6. 6 x 10 (5 pts) 6. 6 x 10 –10 dm x 1 m / 10 dm x 109 nm/ 1 m = 6. 6 x 10-2 nm -10 dm, what is the radius in nm? 1 C. Chemists often deal with percent problems. As long as you remember that percent refers to per 100, these problems can be solved. 1. A penny minted after 1982 is composed of copper and zinc only. If a penny has a mass of 2. 07 g and is 2. 50 % copper. What is the mass of zinc in the coin? (5 pts) 2. 507 g x 2. 50/100 = 0. 062675 g of Cu 2. 507 g of penny – 0. 062675 g of Cu = 2. 444325 g = 2. 444 g of Zn (2. 44 g of Zn is correct also) D. Density is a ver y important concept for chemist. The density of a substance can be obtained in a chemistry laboratory. 1. A rubber stopper with a mass of 23. 75 g is dropped in a 50-mL graduated cylinder that has 20. 4 mL of water. After the stopper is dropped in the graduated cylinder, the water level rises to 24. 7 mL. What is the density of the rubber stopper? 5 pts) 2. 375 g / (24. 7 mL – 20. 4 mL) = 5. 523255814 g / mL = 5. 52 g / mL (5. 5 g /mL is accepted) We can make predictions if the density is known. 2. A glass cylinder contains four liquid layers: mercury (d = 13. 6 g/mL), chloroform (d = 1. 49 g/mL), water (d = 1. 00 g/mL), ether (d = 0. 708 g/mL). If a piece of ice (d = 0. 917 g/mL) is dropped into the cylinder, where does it come to rest? Why? (5 pts) The mercury layer will be on the bottom, then the chloroform, then the water, and finally the ether. The ice will sink in the ether layer and float on top of the water layer. If the density is know, we can we can find the mass of a given volume or the volume of a given mass. 3. The density of aluminum is 2. 70 g/mL. What volume will 250 g of Al occupy? What is the mass of a piece of aluminum with a volume of 250 mL? (6 pts) 250 g of Al x 1 mL / 2. 70 g = 92. 59259259 mL = 93 mL 250 mL of Al x 2. 70 g / 1 mL = 675 g = 680 g 2 Using the density value we can indirectly obtain distances that are too small to measure directly. 4. A sample of aluminum foil has a length of 10. 0 cm and a width of 5. 7 cm. If the aluminum foil weighs 0. 234 g, what is the thickness of the aluminum foil? Remember that the density of aluminum is 2. 70 g/mL. (6 pts) Volume of Al = length x width x thickness = mass / density 0. 234 g x 1 mL / 2. 70 g = 0. 0866666666 mL 0. 086666666 mL / 10. 0 cm x 5. 7 cm = 0. 001520467 cm = 1. 5 x 10 –3 cm E. Heat and temperature are two very important concepts. 1. In your own words, please state the difference between heat and temperature. What is a common unit of each? (5 pts) Heat measures the total energy of a sample and temperature measure the intensity of heat or the average heat of a sample. A common unit of heat is a calorie and a common unit of temperature is Kelvin. It is important to be able to convert from one temperature unit to another. 2. Aluminum melts at 1220 F. (You can see why aluminum is not a liquid at room temperature) What is the melting point of aluminum in degree Celsius ( C) and in Kelvin o C (6 pts) (K)? (oF – 32 oF) x 100 oC = 180 oF (1220 oF – 32)(100 / 180) = 660 oC 660 oC + 273 = 933 K o o 3. Give the ions present and their relative numbers in potassium sulfate. a) b) c) d) e) 1K+ and 1 SO42K+ and 1 SO321K+ and 2 SO422K+ and 1 SO423K+ and 1 SO43- 3 4. How many cm2 are in an area of 4. 21in2? a. b. c. d. e. 10. 7 cm2 114 cm2 27. cm2 1. 66 cm2 1. 14 cm2 5. In performing a multistep calculation, when should you round off the answer in the calculator display? (5 pts) In a multistep calculation you should round off the answer at the end of the calculation E. Matter and Energy. 1. We learned four terms in chapter 4, heterogeneous mixture, homogeneous mixture, compound, and element. Please an example of each. (8 pts) An example of a heterogeneous mixture is the earth’s crust. A heterogeneous mixture can be separated into pure substances by physical methods. An example of a homogeneous mixture is salt water. The properties of a homogeneous mixture constant for a given sample. An example of a compound is NaCl. A compound can be broken down into elements by ordinary chemical reactions. An example of an element is Na. An element is a substance that can not be broken down further by a chemical reaction. 2. Match Symbols and Names (10 pts) 1. sodium 2. iron 3. carbon 4. nitrogen 5. phosphorous d c e b a a. P b. N c. Fe d. Na e. C 4 1. Cl 2. Ce 3. Cu 4. Co 5. Ca e c b d a a. Calcium b. Copper c. Cesium d. Cobalt e. Chlorine 3. Give an example for each of the following terms: (8 pts) a. hysical property – Appearance, melting point, boiling point, density, heat and electrical conductivity, solubility, and physical state under normal conditions are all examples of physical properties. b. chemical property – A chemical property of a substance describes its chemical reactions with other substances. The chemical property of sodium states that sodium will react with water to form hydrog en gas. c. physical change – A physical change include changing shape, volume, or physical state. For example when water changes to ice. d. chemical change – A chemical change always involves the formation of a new substance. Gas bubbles from the reaction of calcium with water. Fill in the blanks of the following table Symbol number of protons number of neutrons number of electrons mass number 37 Cl17 20 18 48 Cr3+ 24 24 21 24 Mg 12 12 12 37 48 24 Might not be on test. Ask teacher. Chlorine has two stable isotopes with masses of 34. 97 amu and 36. 97 amu. What is the relative abundance of the two isotopes? a. b. c. d. e. 50. 00% 35Cl and 50. 00 % 37Cl 35. 45% 35Cl and 64. 55 % 37Cl 64. 55% 35Cl and 35. 45% 37Cl 24. 23% 35Cl and 75. 77 % 37Cl 75. 77 % 35Cl and 24. 23 % 37Cl 5

Empress Wu Zetian of Tang and Zhou

Empress Wu Zetian of Tang and Zhou Like so many other strong female leaders, from Catherine the Great to the Empress Dowager Cixi, Chinas only female emperor has been reviled in legend and history.  Yet Wu Zetian was a highly intelligent and motivated lady, with a strong interest in government affairs and literature.  In 7th century China, and for centuries afterward, these were considered inappropriate topics for a woman, so she has been painted as a murderer who poisoned or strangled most of her own family, a sexual deviant, and a ruthless usurper of the imperial throne.  Who was Wu Zetian, really? Early Life The future Empress Wu was born in Lizhou, now in Sichuan Province, on February 16, 624.  Her birth name probably was Wu Zhao, or possibly Wu Mei.  The babys father, Wu Shihuo, was a wealthy timber merchant who would become a provincial governor under the new Tang Dynasty.  Her mother, Lady Yang, was from a politically important noble family.   Wu Zhao was a curious, active girl.  Her father encouraged her to read widely, which was quite unusual at the time, so she studied politics, government, the Confucian classics, literature, poetry, and music.  When she was about 13, the girl was dispatched to the palace to become a fifth rank concubine of the Emperor Taizong of Tang.  It seems that she likely did have sexual relations with the Emperor at least once, but she was not a favorite and spent most of her time working as a secretary or lady in waiting.  She did not bear him any children. In 649, when Consort Wu was 25 years old, Emperor Taizong died.  His youngest son, 21-year-old Li Zhi, became the new Emperor Gaozong of Tang.  Consort Wu, since she had not borne the late emperor a child, was sent to Ganye temple to become a Buddhist nun.   Return From the Convent Its not clear how she accomplished the feat, but the former Consort Wu escaped from the convent and became a concubine of Emperor Gaozong.  Legend holds that Gaozong went to the Ganye Temple on the anniversary of his fathers death to make an offering, spotted the Consort Wu there, and wept at her beauty.  His wife, Empress Wang, encouraged him to make Wu his own concubine, to distract him from her rival, Consort Xiao. Whatever actually happened, Wu soon found herself back in the palace.  Although it was considered incest for a mans concubine to then pair up with his son, Emperor Gaozong took Wu into his harem around 651.  With the new emperor, she was a much higher rank, being the highest of the second rank concubines.   Emperor Gaozong was a weak ruler and suffered an illness that frequently left him dizzy.  He soon became disenchanted with both Empress Wang and Consort Xiao and began to favor Consort Wu.  She bore him two sons in 652 and 653, but he had already named another child as his heir apparent.  In 654, Consort Wu had a daughter, but the infant soon died of smothering, strangulation, or possibly natural causes.   Wu accused Empress Wang of the babys murder since she had been the last to hold the child, but many people believed that Wu herself killed the baby in order to frame the Empress.  At this remove, it is impossible to say what really happened.  In any case, the Emperor believed that Wang murdered the little girl, and by the following summer, he had the empress and also Consort Xiao deposed and imprisoned.  Consort Wu became the new empress consort in 655. Empress Consort Wu In November of 655, Empress Wu allegedly ordered the execution of her former rivals, Empress Wang and Consort Xiao, to prevent Emperor Gaozong from changing his mind and pardoning them.  A blood-thirsty later version of the story says that Wu ordered the womens hands and feet chopped off, and then had them thrown into a large wine barrel.  She reportedly said, Those two witches can get drunk down to their bones.  This ghoulish story seems likely to be a later fabrication. By 656, Emperor Gaozong replaced his former heir apparent with Empress Wus eldest son, Li Hong.  The Empress soon began to arrange for the exile or execution of government officials who had opposed her rise to power, according to traditional stories.  In 660, the sickly Emperor began to suffer from severe headaches and loss of vision, possibly from hypertension or a stroke.  Some historians have accused the Empress Wu of having him slowly poisoned, though he had never been particularly healthy. He began to delegate decisions on some government matters to her; officials were impressed with her political knowledge and the wisdom of her rulings.  By 665, Empress Wu was more or less running the government. The Emperor soon began to resent Wus increasing power. He had a chancellor draft an edict deposing her from power, but she heard what was happening and rushed to his chambers.  Gaozong lost his nerve and ripped up the document.  From that time forward, Empress Wu always sat in on imperial councils, although she sat behind a curtain at the back of Emperor Gaozongs throne. In 675, Empress Wus eldest son and the heir apparent died mysteriously.  He had been agitating to have his mother step back from her position of power, and also wanted his half-sisters by Consort Xiao to be allowed to marry.  Of course, traditional accounts state that the Empress poisoned her son to death, and replaced him with the next brother, Li Xian.  However, within five years, Li Xian fell under suspicion of assassinating his mothers favorite sorcerer, so he was deposed and sent into exile.  Li Zhe, her third son, became the new heir apparent. Empress Regent Wu On December 27, 683, the Emperor Gaozong died after a series of strokes.  Li Zhe ascended the throne as Emperor Zhongzhong.  The 28-year-old soon started to assert his independence from his mother, who was given regency over him in his fathers will despite the fact that he was well into adulthood.  After just six weeks in office (January 3 - February 26, 684), Emperor Zhongzhong was deposed by his own mother, and placed under house arrest. Empress Wu next had her fourth son enthroned on February 27, 684, as the Emperor Ruizong.  A puppet of his mother, the 22-year-old emperor did not exert any actual authority.  His mother no longer hid behind the curtain during official audiences; she was the ruler, in appearance as well as fact.  After a reign of six and a half years, in which he was virtually a prisoner within the inner palace, Emperor Ruizong abdicated in favor of his mother.  Empress Wu became Huangdi, which is usually translated in English as emperor, although it is gender-neutral in Mandarin. Emperor Wu In 690, Emperor Wu announced that she was establishing a new dynastic line, called the Zhou Dynasty.  She reportedly used spies and secret police to root out political opponents and have them exiled or killed.  However, she was also a very capable emperor and surrounded herself with well-chosen officials.  She was instrumental in making the civil service examination a key part of the Chinese imperial bureaucratic system, which allowed only the most learned and talented men to rise to high positions in government. Emperor Wu carefully observed the rites of Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism, and made frequent offerings to curry favor with higher powers and retain the Mandate of Heaven.  She made Buddhism the official state religion, placing it above Daoism.  She also was the first female ruler to make offerings at the sacred Buddhist mountain of Wutaishan in the year 666.   Among the ordinary people, Emperor Wu was quite popular.  Her use of the civil service examination meant that bright but poor young men had a chance to become wealthy government officials.  She also redistributed land to ensure that peasant families all had enough to feed their families, and paid high salaries to government workers in the lower ranks. In 692, Emperor Wu had her greatest military success, when her army recaptured the four garrisons of the Western Regions (Xiyu) from the Tibetan Empire.  However, a spring offensive in 696 against the Tibetans (also known as Tufan) failed miserably, and the two leading generals were demoted to commoners as a result.  A few months later, the Khitan people rose up against the Zhou, and it took nearly a year plus some hefty tribute payments as bribes to quell the unrest. The imperial succession was a constant source of unease during Emperor Wus reign.  She had appointed her son, Li Dan (the former Emperor Ruizong), as the Crown Prince.  However, some courtiers urged her to choose a nephew or cousin from the Wu clan instead, to keep the throne in her own bloodline instead of that of her late husband.  Instead, Empress Wu recalled her third son Li Zhe (the former Emperor Zhongzong) from exile, promoted him to Crown Prince, and changed his name to Wu Xian. As Emperor Wu aged, she began to rely increasingly on two handsome brothers who were allegedly also her lovers, Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong.  By the year 700, when she was 75 years old, they were handling many of the affairs of state for the Emperor.  They had also been instrumental in getting Li Zhe to return and become Crown Prince in 698. In the winter of 704, the 79-year-old Emperor fell seriously ill.  She would see nobody except for the Zhang brothers, which fueled speculation that they were planning to seize the throne when she died.  Her chancellor recommended that she allow her sons to visit, but she would not.  She pulled through the illness, but the Zhang brothers were killed in a coup on February 20, 705, and their heads were hung from a bridge along with three of their other brothers.  The same day, Emperor Wu was forced to abdicate the throne to her son. The former Emperor was given the title of Empress Regnant Zetian Dasheng.  However, her dynasty was finished; Emperor Zhongzong restored the Tang Dynasty on March 3, 705.  Empress Regnant Wu died on December 16, 705, and remains to this day the only female to rule imperial China in her own name. Sources Dash, Mike.  The Demonization of Empress Wu, Smithsonian Magazine, August 10, 2012. Empress Wu Zetian: Tang Dynasty China (625 - 705 AD), Women in World History, accessed July 2014. Woo, X.L. Empress Wu the Great: Tang Dynasty China, New York: Algora Publishing, 2008.

Democracy - Canadian essays

Democracy - Canadian essays What constitutes a democracy? Why is democracy thought of as such a great way to govern a country? In order to understand the true meaning and purpose of it, we have to look at the different factors in which democracy is run. In order to analyse the purpose of a government, I am going to first formulate my own understanding of a democracy. I think a democracy is a basic right for citizens of that particular country to express their personal opinions, vote freely on any issues, and make a decision based on the popular beliefs of the masses. Democracy is a form of organization and a way of dealing with issues that affect the citizens of the country. I believe that in order to have a country that functions and operates to the liking of the whole, a country cannot be a pure democratic society. There are contrary opinions of some key philosophers that argue against a democratic governance. Democracy has come a long way since man has existed. As you study history, you will find that many people have not been used to a society in which democracy has been the basis of ruling a country. Throughout recorded history, most people have been ruled by kings and other dictators. Democracy is not purely bad nor purely good but I think that democracy is sometimes overrated and people think of it as a saviour to the many problems that man has faced over the years. When we look at todays society, it consists of many different cultures, religion, and social class that divide us. A democracy states that all people are free to voice their opinion and that they are allowed to participate in the electing of a government. However, you have to look at the situation from all angles. First, you have the divisions in religion. A person is allowed to voice their opinion, but when you are involved in a certain religious group, you are very much constricted from making your own decision because if you do, that group will consider you as a t...

DB1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

DB1 - Essay Example Forecasting is the practice of predicting the sources of expected revenues while budgeting details the use of the expected revenues (Dlabay & Burrow, 2007). Forecasting data is mainly used in preparing the budgets. Budgeting allows the organization to control the cash flow of the organization (Shim, Siegel & Shim, 2012). In summary, budgeting entails preparing a financial plan while forecasting involves predicting the future revenues and expenditure. Budgeting is mainly done for a financial year unless forecasting that can take longer periods (Crosson & Needles, 2011). There are certain differences between operating budgets and cash budget. Operating budget is mainly prepared for each income statement components such as the production budget, sales budget (Crosson & Needles, 2011). Operating budgets mainly provide a blueprint on how the business will conduct its operations in a certain period of time like the expected production level, the sales volumes (Dlabay & Burrow, 2007). On the other hand, cash budgets are prepared after the preparation of operating budgets. The cash budget contains the receipts, disbursements, the cash deficit or surplus (Burton & Thakur, 1998). Zero based budgeting approach requires each cost element to be justified. The budget allowance is usually zero. Each budget is prepared from zero based instead of the previous year’s budget as the base (Crosson & Needles, 2011). Each manager must justify the need for spending through detailed proposals of costs, purpose, alternative courses of action and measures of budget performance. Zero based budgeting will improve efficiency through detecting inflated budgets and recognizing obsolete operations (Crosson & Needles, 2011). The budgeting approach leads to greater incentives for responsible decision making and increases communication and coordination in the organization (Burton & Thakur, 1998). Forecasting is predicting the future events,

American religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

American religion - Essay Example The use of the term softening is a strategy to balance the increasing religiosity and the decline in certain religious aspects. The softening of religion in America has become an issue of debate. There are many reasons put forth to support the softening of religion. Although some scholars do not support the softening ideology, certain factors prove the idea of softening true. This paper will focus on describing what has caused the softening of religion in America. Religion diversity is one of the reasons why some authors believe that American religion is softening. In the early 1900s, there were many people who professed to be members of different religions. Specifically, there were many Americans who proved to be staunch Protestants and Catholics. In the 1970s, the number of such people had decreased immensely. Many Americans have let go of their religious affiliations and opted to become atheists. Although such people recognize the existence of God, they prefer to stay away from any specific church. Currently, there are different types of atheism exhibited by people in America. Chaves, one of the authors who have explored the softening of religion in America believes that American atheists who have distanced themselves from religious groups are more than people who are stuck to the religion. In addition, the increasing popularity of other religions such as Hinduism and Islam has contributed to increased softening of religion. The American p opulation no longer fits a homogeneous description of religion (Chaves 18). The reasons for this are because people exhibit diverse faiths and appreciate the value of religious diversity. Notably, there was a time when America registered a remarkable increase of Protestants. The increase was after different Protestant groups received much popularity. Many people joined the Protestant groups leaving behind the traditional Christianity groups. It emerges that the current trend depict a decline of Protestants. It is no