Tuesday, May 26, 2020

Oedipus The King, By Sophocles - 1354 Words

The main character, Oedipus, in Sophocles’ play Oedipus The King is heroic in his search for the truth, just as scholar Bernard Knox states. Oedipus is faced with a decision: he can either seek out a potentially terrible truth, or ignore it and let the city of Thebes succumb to the plague that has befallen them. Oedipus chooses to search for the truth and does so heroically because he is doing it for his people rather than personal gain, he is transparent about new findings, and he will stop at nothing to find the truth. Oedipus cares for the people of Thebes so much that he is compelled to find the truth to save them and not just for personal gain. Oedipus and the people of Thebes have a familial bond. His love for Thebes compels him to seek out the truth. Oedipus’ familial bond with Thebes is shown in the beginning of the play when Oedipus addresses the priests who are at his altar, â€Å"Oh my children† (1). This sentiment allows readers to understand the sense of attachment Oedipus has with the people of Thebes. He cares for them enough to call them his children. The Priests address Oedipus back as, â€Å"King of the land, our greatest power† (16). It is evident that the people of Thebes look to Oedipus as their hero, especially after he had already saved them once from the Sphinx. They also view Oedipus in the same light as he views them. Their caring relationship is shown again in the beginning of the play when the Priests tell Oedipus of the plague and beg him to do someth ing.Show MoreRelatedOedipus The King By Sophocles848 Words   |  4 PagesOedipus the King, written by Sophocles, follows the tragic story of a king named Oedipus who goes from an all-powerful ruler to a hopeless blind peasant. Oedipus the King was written as a play and performed in front of an audience. Sophocles shows in Oedipus the King that one cannot escape the fate of the gods. Throughout the play Oedipus struggles to find a solution and change all the troubles in his life. The play observes the story of Oedipus who defies the gods and through the journey experiencesRead MoreSophocles Oedipus The King884 Words   |  4 PagesKing of Thebes, owner of a family tree that identically resembles Medusa on a bad hair day, and the inspiration for a psychologically-riveting complex, Oedipus, tragic hero of Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, exposes troubling truths about the human condition and, acting as an exemplary precaution for the entirety of humanity, demonstrates how a self -destructive struggle between love, anger, and fate, conveyed through an unorthodox love affair between mother and son (Who gets custody in a divorce?),Read MoreSophocles Oedipus The King1714 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"ideal tragedy† is the play â€Å"Oedipus the King† written by Sophocles. In this play, Sophocles utilizes the concept of tragedy as well the theory of the importance of scenes of recognition and reversal to create a setting, tone, and mood throughout the play. Oedipus, the mythical king of Thebes, goes through a horrendous tragedy which includes moments of recognition and reversal. These moments are key to the fame and appreciation for the play, â€Å"Oedipus the King†. Sophocles’ use of Aristotle’s conceptsRead MoreOedipus The King By Sophocles950 Words   |  4 PagesThe people throughout Oedipus’ life trues very hard to allow him to escape his fate of killing his father and then marrying his mother. In the epic poem Oedi pus the King, Sophocles tells the story of the tragic downfall of Oedipus. Although many people see the role of free will that brought upon Oedipus’ doom, no matter what choices were made throughout his life, his ultimate fate would always return. The choices made at the beginning of Oedipus’ life set him up to fulfill his prophecy. His parentsRead MoreSophocles Oedipus The King992 Words   |  4 PagesThroughout tragedies in Greek literature, the hero always has one tragic flaw. In Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, Oedipus’ main flaw is his overactive hubris, which in turn clouds his overall judgment. This is evident in the Chorus’ first ode to the city of Thebes as they try to ask the Gods for the banishment of the plague. Their answer does not come from a deity, but from Oedipus himself as he enters the palace and says, â€Å"You have prayed; and you prayers shall be answered with help and release ifRead MoreOedipus the King by Sophocles1393 Words   |  6 Pages Sophocles’ play, Oedipus the King, has risen many questions concerning the main character and whether or not he acts on free will or if his future is predestined by the gods. I am going to test the theory that although Oedipus believes he is acting on his own free will, he is in fact a victim of the gods. I will analyze several different sources that discuss fate and human agency in Oedipus the King and then proceed to build my original argument on the archaic debate. There has been a great dealRead MoreOedipus The King By Sophocles904 Words   |  4 Pages In Sophocles play â€Å"Oedipus the King† a deadly plague has descended upon the kingdom of Thebes, and because of this plague a dark and iniquitous secret begins to unravel itself only to reveal a web of events connecting Oedipus and others as the culprits behind all the havoc ensued. No one is the sole source responsible for the unfortunate events that befall Thebes, as well as the royal family; In fact, those who unknowingly paved the path of destruction were themselves trying to prevent it fromRead MoreSophocles Oedipus The King Essay1960 Words   |  8 Pages This would have been excellent advice for the main character in Sophocles drama, Oedipus the King. However, the drama was written as a result of Sophocles life and the influence of the humanistic culture in which he lived. Throughout Sophocles life, he gained military knowledge as the son of a wealthy armor manufacturer and received an excellent Greek education with emphasis on Homeric poetry (textbook). Furthe rmore, Sophocles was very involved in politics and served as a treasurer, a generalRead MoreSophocles Oedipus The King871 Words   |  4 PagesThe plays written by Sophocles, â€Å"Oedipus the King â€Å"and â€Å"Antigone† are bodies of work displayed the meaning of what Aristotle defined as a tragedy. â€Å"Oedipus the King† is a story of a king trying to avoid the fate of his life that has been prophesized before his birth. In â€Å"Antigone† is story of a girl who devoted to her family, and regardless of the orders made the king Creon. In these stories the archetypes and hamartia of Antigone and Oedipus play a major role in the story. In â€Å"Antigone† the characterRead MoreOedipus The King, By Sophocles1407 Words   |  6 PagesWhen we think about a tragic play or protagonist, most people would think Shakespeare for his common theme of his plays to end with a tragedy. In Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles, tells the tale of the protagonist Oedipus. Throughout the play, Oedipus searched for his past to discover the reason why his kingdom is plagued with wilting crops and illnesses. In the end, he becomes a tragic protagonist after discovering his past was related to the previous king’s death. While the search progressed

Tuesday, May 19, 2020

What Are Feedlot Beef, Organic Beef and Grass-Fed Beef

Opponents of factory farming are increasingly turning to grass-fed beef and organic beef. But what do these terms mean, and how are they different from feedlot beef? What Is Feedlot Beef? Cattle in the U.S. start life on a pasture, nursing from their mothers and eating grass. When the calves are about 12 to 18 months old, they are transferred to a feedlot where they eat mostly grain. Grain is an unnatural diet for cows, but raising cows in feedlots is cheaper than raising them on large pastures, where they can roam and graze on grass. Because the cows in feedlots are crowded, they are more likely to become sick and are more likely to be given routine antibiotics as a preventive measure. Cows raised in this way are also typically given growth hormones so that they can reach slaughter weight faster. Because grain-fed cows grow faster, farmers can produce more meat in a shorter amount of time. After approximately six months in a feedlot, the cattle are sent to slaughter. Raising cows in feedlots is environmentally harmful because of the concentration of wastes and because of the inefficiency of feeding grain to cattle. Estimates of the number of pounds of grain required to produce a pound of beef range from 10 to 16 pounds. Many people also have health concerns regarding hormones and antibiotics. According to Dr. Dale Woerner, assistant professor with the Center for Meat Safety Quality at Colorado State University, 97% of the beef produced in the U.S. is grain-fed feedlot beef, while the other 3% is grass-fed. What Is Grass-Fed Beef? Grass-fed cattle start out the same way as feedlot cattle – raised on a pasture, nursing from their mothers and eating grass. When 97% of the cows go to feedlots, the other 3 percent remain on pastures and continue to eat grass, a more natural diet than the grain that is fed to cattle in feedlots. However, grass-fed beef is also environmentally destructive, because more land and other resources are required to raise the animals. Cattle raised to be turned into grass-fed beef are usually a smaller breed. They grow slower and have a lower slaughter weight. Organic Versus Grass-Fed Some people confuse organic beef with grass-fed beef. The two categories are not the same but are not mutually exclusive. Organic beef comes from cattle who are raised without antibiotics or growth hormones and are fed an organically-grown, vegetarian diet. This diet may or may not include grains. Grass-fed beef comes from cattle raised solely on grass, hay, and forage. Grains cannot be included in the diets of grass-fed cattle, but the grass and hay may or may not be organically grown. If the hay and grass in a grass-fed cow’s diet are organic, then the beef is both organic and grass-fed. Although producers of organic beef and grass-fed beef both claim that their products are more eco-friendly and more humane than feedlot beef, all three types of beef are environmentally destructive and result in the slaughter of the cattle.

Friday, May 15, 2020

Plagiarism in the 21st Century Essay - 1632 Words

Plagiarism in the 21st Century The problem of plagiarism has haunted the academic world for centuries. Plagiarism is defined as â€Å"taking ideas, passages, etc from an author and presenting them, unacknowledged, as one’s own†.[1] This problem was limited in the past by the lack of materials available to plagiarize, either in libraries, newspapers, magazines, or in academic files of campus organizations. With the birth of the Internet however, the ability to commit fraud through plagiarism has greatly increased. In this electronic age, there are many materials available that promote plagiarism, and many measures being applied to detect it. Along with the plagiarism materials of the past, there are many new materials arising†¦show more content†¦Once a student downloads a paper from the Web, all he/she has to do is use a word processor to edit and format it, to make it difficult to compare to the original paper on the Internet. There are various services on the Web that assist in plagiarism. One of these is known as â€Å"editing services†.[4] This service accepts a paper, analyses it, and ‘suggests’ ways of improving it by writing a new paper and sending both the original and revised copies – in the correct format - back for the student to review. These types of services basically write the paper for the student, allowing him/her to hand in a paper that he/she did not write. Some services only ask for a format and an outline of what the paper should be about, and builds the assignment from scratch. These are two examples of services that help students commit piracy. This type of piracy – where information is obtained from the Internet and claimed as one’s own, is called â€Å"cyber-plagiarism†.[5] It ranges from downloading term papers off of the Internet, to copying research papers out of electronic encyclopedias, to simply copying images from Web pages without citing them. With the help of word processors, one can ‘cut and paste’ information from various sites and produce a paper effortlessly. Plagiarism today, involves three basic steps to produce a polished paper: 1. download theShow MoreRelated21st Century Cavemen : Technology1275 Words   |  6 Pages21st Century Cavemen: Technology’s addition to plagiarism University is all about being studious and working through many late nights with the latest technology, in order to get the best grade. Unfortunately, the pressure to succeed can cause students to plagiarize. Which, can then lead to a zero on a term paper or a degree revocation. The consequences are harsh, but the crime fits the punishment and plagiarism is a serious academic offense. By taking a closer look at what plagiarism is andRead MoreWhy Plagiarism Is Important For Academic Integrity?1731 Words   |  7 PagesWhat is the Role of Plagiarism in regards to Academic Integrity? Plagiarism, â€Å"the act of using another person s words or ideas without giving credit to that person: the act of plagiarizing something† (Merriam-Webster, 2017), is said to be reaching epidemic proportions (Park,2003). Throughout history, plagiarism has been an issue, however, the severity and the implications where not fully understood until the development of the printing press in the 17th century. Now in the age of information sharingRead MorePlagiarism : The Wild Blue, The Men And Boys Who Flew The B.  ­ 24828 Words   |  4 PagesWhat is plagiarism? Well Webster dictionary 2015 says, â€Å"the practice of taking someone s else’s work or ideas and passing them off as one’s own.† That’s self explanatory on its own but to go more in depth with what plagiarism we should look at the history of what plagiarism is. The word derives from a couple of Latin rootsÍ ¾ plagiarius and plagiare. According to my sources plagiarism is a very ancient art and it is not a recent thing in our recent centuries. â€Å"Shakespeare even stole most of hisRead MorePlagiarism And Plagiarism1326 Words   |  6 PagesPlagiarism is when one use another person’s work or ideas without getting his permission. Oxford dictionary (2015) defines plagiarism as â€Å"The practice of taking someone else’s work or ideas and passing them off as one’s own†. The word origins, based on Oxford dictionary (2015), is coming from â€Å"the early 17th century, from the Latin word ‘plagiarius’ that means ‘kidnapper’†. Although the definition can help us understand better what plagiarism is, it is sometimes hard to know where the line crossRead MoreThe Digital Age And The Age Of Information Technology1615 Words   |  7 Pages The twenty-first century is known as the digital age and the age of information technology. In today’s digital world, students need to be fluent in the use of technology in order to be successful global citizens and educators need to facilitate this need. The use of technology in classrooms will allow for the integration of the four C’s, four critical skills necessary for the modern day student. The Partnership for 21st Century Learning lists these skills as communication, collaboration, criticalRead More The World Wide Web and Plagiarism Essay1287 Words   |  6 PagesThe World Wide Web and Plagiarism In the recent past when computers were available to the public, users could easily type a document without having to retype a whole page to correct or add a part to a document. Shortly after that came the Internet where countless pages of documents and information became accessible to nearly everybody. The problem with plagiarism was much smaller and easier to detect before the Internet. Preceding the Internet, plagiarized materials usedRead MoreCase Studies: Ethics in Journalism and Other Media1504 Words   |  6 Pagesresponsibility to the public, and they cannot use digital media to forge the truth out of whole cloth. Whats to be done in this case? There are other cases of plagiarism in American newspapers that can be used as examples in terms of what steps should be taken by publishers and editors of these publications. The most infamous case of plagiarism in recent years happened in the newsroom of the highly esteemed New York Times, in 2003, when the Tim es was embarrassed and greatly chagrined to learn thatRead MoreModern Parenting Styles Are Essential For The Development Of Children Essay1337 Words   |  6 Pagestrust that their parenting styles are effective enough to prepare their children for 21st century challenges. Although some parents follow modern parenting strategies and may produce productive children, other parents do not acknowledge that their parenting strategies create negative effects in the development of their children s early ages, preventing them from developing into adults ready to take on the 21st century challenges. Throughout the world parents inculcate children with certain ideas andRead MoreAnalysis Of Broken Images By Karnad943 Words   |  4 Pagesfolk, myth and historical heritage. Unlike Flowers and other plays by the playwright, in Broken Images no myth or folklore or historical legend is used to venture into contemporary problems and issues. The play has a techno-savvy setting of the 21st Century, presenting not the typical Karnadian heroines like Vishakha, Nittilai, Padmini or Rani but a modern, educated, economically and intellectually stable woman—a Lecturer of English, Manjula Nayak. This shift in focus, from the traditionalRead MoreJet Blue Ipo Advanced Corporate Finance1654 Words   |  7 Pages2013 June 27, 2013 Author Note Certificate of Authorship: This paper was prepared by me for this specific course and is not a result of plagiarism or self-plagiarism. I have cited all sources from which I used data, ideas, or words either quoted or paraphrased. Date : __________________________ Signature:

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The Counseling Process Is A Dynamic And Progressive Style

Counseling clients with disabilities offers unique challenges due to the complexity of resolution and maintenance in the counseling process. There must be working knowledge of the counseling process in order to transform theory into good sound practice. There are 4 distinct areas that affect the client’s ability to succeed: social, physical health, motivation, and financial. Success is only determine by the ability of the counselor and client to define the goals of counseling and work towards those goals collaboratively. My research will focus on gaining insight on how and why these areas make counseling individuals with disabilities rewarding yet challenging. PROBLEM AREAS The counseling process is a dynamic and progressive style or approach to helping the client to succeed with the purpose of providing a blueprint for success. The counseling process is a complex and yet systematic process which follows a series of events. It involves steps, levels, techniques, skills, time and changes for each process and usually happens through certain processes. (Rahman, 2012) The process in itself is a continual working model that is a necessary tool to organize and provide a service to clients. There are many different theoretical models to use but all must use a delivery system for application which is the counseling process. Counseling clients who are coherent in their thought process enables the counselor to focus on moving the client to a successful end. However, whenShow MoreRelatedBass Transformational Leadership Theory4108 Words   |  17 Pagesapproach relative to the roles, relationships, and resource capacities that drive their professional positio ns and sustain the respective institutions. In fact, there is quite a bit of scholarly research extolling the benefits of such a leadership style. Interestingly, leadership theories much like any other epistemological debate have evolved over time in alignment with the variant demographic, economic, technological, political-legal, and social-cultural environments that dictate trends and alterationsRead MoreThe Role of Career Development in Improving Organizational Effectiveness and Employee Development6526 Words   |  27 Pagesexamine the role and importance of Career Development Programs in developing and retaining employees. A Career Development Program seeks to match to needs of the employee with those of the organization with the major components being counseling and training. Counseling provides employees with the opportunity to define career goals and to create plans within the context of organizational realities. Training allows the employee to develop and acquire knowledge , skills and abilities required to enhanceRead MoreWorking Environment Gatherings Are Turning Out2180 Words   |  9 PagesMore successful utilization of little gatherings or groups in an association has been recommended as a method for expanding inspiration at work, through promising more prominent association and self-rule in choice making, and for adapting to the dynamic complexities of hierarchical life. Hierarchical and mechanical clinicians have been keen on the comprehension and use of little gathering procedures in associations from Hawthorne researches and Lewin s effort on team choice making. I feel groupRead MoreA Model Citizen2204 Words   |  9 Pagesthis quote says there is huge potential for millennials to contribute to our nation â€Å"some of them faculty fellows at the Tisch College—are applying methods from the social and physical sciences to real-world social issues† p.23 this method are progressive and useful for real life application. Chapter 3 Chapter 3 talks about social entrepreneurship. It talks about getting involved in the community. The anecdote used is one about Eric Schwarz who decided to volunteer at a local school and help outRead MoreRole of Teacher on Society3497 Words   |  14 Pagescharacteristics and teaching skills are the job restoring factors. While using these factors along with the third factor i.e ‘Class room Climate’, the teacher achieves pupil progress but keeping in view the ‘Demand of the Society’ The process of education is triangular process in which there are three points. For this relation   to be meaningful, it is essential that the educator himself should be conversant both with the subject, he is teaching and the psychology of the educand. Today, the Effective teacherRead MoreThe Relationship Between Personality Types, Test Anxiety and Self-Esteem with Regards to Academic Achievement2988 Words   |  12 PagesTypes, Test Anxiety and Self-Esteem with Regards to GPA. Cognitive styles have been used to explain individuals’ behavior most notable using Carl Jung’s psychological types, as operationalized by Myers (1965) with the Myers – Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Using personality theory, individuals’ dispositions for certain behaviors and actions can be understood. Recent research application of the MBTI include such areas as counseling, communications, learning education, empathetic response, decisionRead MoreLatino History and Culture6732 Words   |  27 Pagesthat commemorates the Mexican army s unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. Mexican Independence Day had its bicentennial on September 16, 2010. Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a Catholic priest, known for his progressive ideas, declared Mexican independence in the town of Dolores on September 16, 1810. History and Immigration Waves of migrants came into the Americas starting around 50,000 B.C. during the Pleistoncene Ice Age, and the migration ended whenRead MoreReport on Employee Absenteeism10010 Words   |  41 Pages1300 member milk cooperative societies(2008-09), 800 Milk centers for distribution and sales of Milk, 500 Retailers for sales of milk products and 1300 dedicated employees. The mission is to help farmers of the district to grow amp; improve life style of rural people. Introduction: Baroda District lies in the centre of Gujarat, a state of Western India, well-known for co-operative dairying. Baroda District co-operative Milk Producers’ union Ltd. Is the full name of Baroda dairy. As the name suggestsRead MoreSupervision: Performance Management4960 Words   |  20 Pages1. The purpose of supervision Supervision is: â€Å"a process in which one worker is given the responsibility by the organisation to work with another worker(s) in order to meet certain organisational, professional and personal objectives† (Morrison, 2001). Professional supervision is a positive and enabling process that offers the opportunity to bring employee and supervisor together to reflect on work practice. It is the process by which a worker can review and evaluate their work through discussionRead MoreIf You Were Malik, What Strategies Would You Adopt to Solve the Problem? Ans: Xyz Moon Life Insurance Faced Major Problem of High Employee Turnover. as Malik, I Would Have Adopted Following Strategies * Better Incentive,6453 Words   |  26 PagesAutonomy D. Lifestyle 8. HR manager Pavithra arranges training programs and coordinates with different departments to conduct the same. She plays the role of a ______ in this case A. Specialist B. Facilitator C. Change agent D. Controller 9. The process of developing and understanding of the self and ones relationships with other group members through unstructured group interaction is termed as A. Role playing B. Simulation exercise C. Sensitivity training D. Transactional analysis 10. _______________

Religion s Influence On Culture - 1459 Words

The extreme was found to be Christians, who were willing to forgive everything and almost required to from their religion’s rules. However, Judaism only forgives to a limit. Jews consider violent actions like murder unforgivable and therefore stand apart from Christians on this very issue. This then creates a different sort of belief system and culture within the two denominations. In his analysis, Adam Cohen subtly shows the effects religion has on culture and how it subdivides people into communities of beliefs and values. Because states like beliefs and values make up part of what culture is in society you can therefore safely assume that religion plays a role in the different perceptions that take place within cultures. Hence, then†¦show more content†¦The part of society they looked at was facial attractiveness, specifically symmetry. The researchers found that as young as age two, children preferred faces of more attractive adults and this inclines that perception could be more natural than cultural, contradicting the past two research journals previously summarized. The experimenters, Rhodes, Proffitt, Grady, and Sumich studied this idea by creating multiple experiments by showing participants three different symmetrically blended mirror neutral black and white face images. The first being a high-symmetry image, the second was the original face image with a normal symmetry, and the third was a low-symmetry image. The participants were told to rate all images on attractiveness. They were also directed to rate the order of attractiveness on the opposite-sex faces on appeal as a potential life partner. The participants in this study were sixty-four university students, 32 males and 32 females. The results to this study showed that equal symmetry or as called in the experiment perfect images were chosen as the most attractive and most chosen for mate selection. These results indicate that what we perceive of others and for mate selection is a very public and a natural perception among humans. The effect of facial symmetry as well did not correlate with the initial attractiveness of the image. Ratings for male and female images

Sustainable Policy Superior Customer Service

Question: Discuss about the Sustainable Policy for Superior Customer Service. Answer: Introduction: MacVille has always been committed to provide superior customer service. In order to conduct the business in a more sustainable way a new sustainable policy has been developed. The sustainability at MacVille will involve social, economic and environmental implications. The policy will ensure economic sustainability by creating value for all stakeholders. The purchasing practices of the company will support its mission and vision. The coffee selection would be organic providing maximum benefit to the farmer. The policy will lead to social sustainability, as the rising income will help in individual growth and self-fulfilment. The policy involves customer education on living a sustainable lifestyle and its benefits. This component involves labelling of the organic and local food items for creating awareness among consumers. The policy targets environmental sustainability through recyclable packaging and low impact growing practices. It targets waste reduction through composting and rec ycling. Thus, this policy is in alignment with the companys goal of serving high quality coffee in a comfortable cafe-style environment. Consultation plan In order to develop and implement the sustainable policy the staff, local community, customers, suppliers, local community and other stakeholders of the company will be consulted. The key stakeholders includes the board of directors of Macville, the project manager for the takeover of the existing Hurleys caf Mr. Peter Smith, the existing staff, customers and the landlord of Hurleys caf. The customers will be consulted through surveys to receive their valuable feedback on ways to reduce environmental impact. The other stakeholders will be consulted through meetings and sessions to identify the changes required regarding sourcing of beans, and improvement in infrastructure to make a sustainable business. To reduce energy consumption the company will focus on employee awareness, waste reduction, and sustainable land management and reduce energy consumption. Some of the environmental strategies that will be implemented are- The company will promote sustainable farming to provide farmers with better conditions to live and develop healthier environment. The coffee farming will remain organic, shade grown and Fair trade certified as it is already collaborating with Rainforest Alliance. The coffee beans will be purchased from certified farms. Beans will be purchased from the suppliers who take care both of the labours and the environment. Beans will be sourced from different farms that are of higher yield and better quality such that it tastes better than the commodity coffee. The farmers will be trained to replace the natural nutrients of the land using organic matter and the fertilisers and use composted coffee pulp under and between the coffee trees. Coffee pulp can reduce upto 20% of the cattle feed containing commercial concentrates. This will increase the yield over time, enhance the quality of coffee and minimise the pollution Only when the growers produce coffee in a right way that the industry can be changed positively (Kolk 2013). The company will use the philosophy of reduce, re-use and recycle (Lebel et al. 2014). The drinks will be served in the ceramic mugs. It will help reduce the amount of cutlery, cups and paper waste generated. This will reduce the carbon footprints of the cup of coffee. The company will introduce the system of offering ten cent discount to the customers for bringing their own refillable mugs and allow them to use china mugs and plates while dining. This will create environmental stewardship. Only cups manufactured from polystyrene would be used as it is recyclable (Levy et al. 2015). The backyard of the coffee house will be designed for source separation, recycling and composting. It will remove toxic materials and hazardous substances from the environment. Further, a water tank will be installed in the courtyard to prevent the breach of water and avoid the fines imposed by the government for excess loss of water. The kitchen will contain spray for low water consumption. The pre jet wash will reduce water consumption by 30%. The kitchen will be installed with latest glass washer, dishwasher, and washing machine that consume low water and energy. The kitchen will be fitted with induction hob that works with an electromagnetic field. It saves energy as the temperature changes are instantaneous. Therefore, it will eliminate the need of maintaing the oven at 2000C at all times and hence improve the resource efficiency (Joyce and Paquin 2016). The coffee store will be modified incorporating the ecofriendly principle. Unnecessary lightening will be avoided in the shop and switch the lights to LED bulbs. The refrigerated storage rooms will be covered with strip curtains. Internet facility will be provided in the stores to educate consumers about reducing paper usage. Staff training and development will be initiated to encourage them to give new ideas and take more initiatives. To increase consumption and market development actions will be taken such as opening of more stores in the surrounding shopping centres. Further, implement the current by-law that is to expand the stores footpath dining and put more tables and chairs outside the premises (Matzler et al. 2013). Implementation plan The organisation will implement the sustainable policy that includes various steps. Firstly, it will create framework that involves the series of steps and later each of the steps will be executed. The board of directors will develop a framework containing annual programme of activities. The contents of the strategic action plan will be used to draft policies and make recommendations about the activities. It includes prioritisation of sustainability practices and development of written policies and procedures manual for the staff mandating its strict implementation. The manual will contain information on correct storage techniques and correct handling and disposal techniques and correct storage techniques. The first step for, Mr Smith is to initiate the rebranding of Hurleys cafe where as an assistant manager my job is to get the coffee shop renovated in six months times. The second step is to get branded suppliers as quickly as CBD Brisbane could and invest one month for it. Thirdly, it is essential to know the root cause of arising problems during the execution of the plan such as excess water usage, neglecting the watering of non-native flowering plants and high electricity consumption while baking items which will be monitored by the project manager and may take 3 months of time. The project manager Mr. Smith will address as to how to bring other resources into the equation or what is the extent of change since the execution. Fourthly, the project manager will conduct assessment of individual compliance with the plan is essential. It helps to identify if the staff is following the instructions given regarding the ecofreindly practices such as dumping of kitchen waste, offering of ten cents to customers using refill mugs and similar others. This may consume one month to collect feedback from the staff and address their concerns while looking at other firms for suggestions (Matzler et al. 2013). Fifthly, additional two months will be invested in instructing, educating and coaching the staff throughout the plan. Lastly, a system of monitoring and evaluation will be established to assess the progress of the implemented plan and will continue for three months (Agnew et al. 2014). Performance indicators The five performance indicators for the sustainable policy are meetings of the stakeholders and other bodies for the strategic goal of policies and solutions to strengthen the organisation followed by missions and briefing on the annual activities of the company Dissemination of the policy documents for implementation of plan Number of meetings, sessions and round table organised to encourage the development and dissemination of knowledge on the business economy. Increased awareness of the sustainability issues to promote sustainability and implementation of coffee quality standards to promote a sustainable coffee business Environmental impact indicator and water productivity to capture resource efficiency for a second critical environmental resource (Hirschnitz-Garbers 2017) Resource efficiency procedure The resource efficiency targets include 20% increase in energy efficiency. The target is to reduce the use of resources while supporting the economic performance. The target is to reduce the water consumption by 20%. The other target is to install the energy management system to optimise the heating and cooling in the kitchen. Further drive energy saving in the stores through optimisation of lighting and equipment of specification. Another target is to reduce energy use by focusing on the advancing renewable energy sources through our purchasing practices. The target is set by implementing policy that if the set standards are found with noncompliance then penalty will be imposed on the person responsible. It will ensure achievement of set targets (Hirschnitz-Garbers 2017). The strategies to improve the resource efficiency include capturing the environmental impacts with the help of environmental impact indicator. The water productivity by sector would be the other indicator to capture resource efficiency. Assessment of the staff responsibilities and system management are other strategies for improving resource efficiency. Particular staff responsibilities involve the staff to consider that it is an integral part of the business responsibility to manage the environment. There is a need to produce cleaner team and nominate team leader. The environmental responsibilities for example energy efficiency will be integrated into position descriptions (Carroll and Buchholtz 2014). Regular feedback and audits will help in monitoring and evaluating the success of the strategies. It is the responsibility of the assistant manager to use trained staff for monitoring of environmental performance and to review the whole system annually (Kolk 2013). Recording systems The project manager will be responsible for storing and maintaining records related to the policy. The record includes the measure and track of the resource usage such as ingredients, water and energy. The record also includes regular assessment of environmental performance. It further includes data of maintenance and material safety and other related data sheet manuals in an easily accessible place. It is the responsibility of the project manager to keep the records up-to-date. It is essential to keep the current records up to date while managing the historical records effectively. It will help in determining the cost attribution of each waste product (Von Geibler et al. 2016). These records will be used to devise reports to in terms of products to be sold. It is useful to track usage rates of raw materials for example the waste output rates, number of spills, product yields provided the records must be consistent. These records keeping is essential for establishing regular reports for major resource consumables including energy and water. The consumptions will be recorded on the basis of per unit production instead of time. According to Dahmus (2014), the records of measurement of resources consumed and the amount of waste produced will better help in managing the business improvement specifically in terms of increasing efficiency and waste reduction. Implementation This section deals with evaluation and review of sustainable policy developed for MacVille caf. Evaluation and review are essential for ensuring improvement in performance. It helps to determine if the goals are reached and take informed decision. Sustainable policies require integrated approach to plan and implement (Winn et al. 2012). The rationale for evaluation is to demonstrate the results and identify the challenges in implementation and to set standards The evaluation of sustainable policy thus requires a blueprint with the in-house evaluation team that comprises of project manager, directors and the assistant manager at MacVille. It will be followed by anticipating the data collection needs and laying strong foundation. This step provides an opportunity to reflect on the cost-effectiveness of the program, stakeholder support, staffing structures, participant outcomes, and others. After getting a clear sense of the information needs a comprehensive data collection system will be designed to gain information on processes and on system (). For data collection there is a requirement of subsequent engagement in conducting audits, survey, and direct interview. It involves the investigation of what happened, and its immediate consequences and what are the alternate solution. This step will be followed by creating a baseline data. This data will be related to say staff morale for example number of staff taking advantage of flex-time arrang ements in the store. The staff survey is used to measure the morale before and after the policy implementation. Prior to program implementation, base line data is essential to avoid any biasness (Ingenbleek and Reinders 2013). Finally, the program can be implemented with added changes. For effective evaluation, any deviation from the program design will be avoided and any changes required will be documented and incorporated in the final assessment program. At this stage, a complete evaluation design will be produced. It is usually comprised of important research questions, methodological strategies to get the answers, comprehensive data collection plan and its analysis and description of its final evaluation. The obtained results can be used repeatedly as identifying the short-term milestones can signal for achieving long-term goals (Hutchinson et al. 2012). The review of the workplace sustainable policy implementation will firstly involve the monitoring of records maintained. It helps to identify the trends that need an action for immediate remedy. The remedial action will then promote continuous performance improvement. Hence, in this case the data collection and reporting will follow the TRACE reporting method (Iasevoli and Massi 2012). The principle of TRACE reporting (Winn et al. 2012) are- Transparency- facilitates data interpretation based on organised documents Relevance- serve organisational needs which in turn helps in making informed choices or decision making Accuracy Consistency- measures and procedures for sustainability should be implemented consistently such that it can easily be compared over time Entirety- it refers to having clearly defined boundaries with relevant sources To keep the sustainable policy focused and directed monitoring and revising the policy is essential in terms of expected goals. Evaluating particular process say implementation of refill mugs in the caf will help in identifying if the companys needs are served. Hence, it would be feasible to take new initiatives and highly motivate the staff to gain continued excellence in work while keeping high communication. However, to implement best possible sustainable policy it may have to undergo several iterative changes of removing bugs and developing cures for them. It is this iterative process of assessment and adjustment which links the evaluation to sustainability. The sustainability procedure may have to be revised if it is found that a particular staff member is dedicated towards improvement while others are acting merely for the sake of job. If a particular policy in place sacrifices workers efficiency it is likely to fail. Secondly, the review provides insight into required modifica tion of sustainable policy if any for desired improvements (Murthy and Naidu 2012). Change can always be initiated if there are better ideas in the market or in response to government regulations after consulting with the key stakeholders (community members, staff, board members, program staff, and clients) of MacVille. References Agnew, L., Toskin, S., Miller, A., Bloss, C. and Goldberg, K., 2014. Planning for a Sustainable Riverside Caf at Ohio State. Carroll, A. and Buchholtz, A., 2014.Business and society: Ethics, sustainability, and stakeholder management. Nelson Education. Dahmus, J.B., 2014. Can efficiency improvements reduce resource consumption?.Journal of Industrial Ecology,18(6), pp.883-897. Hirschnitz-Garbers, Martin. "Resource Efficiency Targets And Indicators". www.ecologic.eu. N.p., 2017. Web. 24 Jan. 2017. Joyce, A. and Paquin, R.L., 2016. The triple layered business model canvas: a tool to design more sustainable business models.Journal of Cleaner Production,135, pp.1474-1486. Kolk, A., 2013. Mainstreaming sustainable coffee.Sustainable Development,21(5), pp.324-337. Lebel, L., Lorek, S. and Daniel, R., 2014.Sustainable Production Consumption Systems. Springer. Levy, D., Reinecke, J. and Manning, S., 2015. The political dynamics of sustainable coffee: Contested value regimes and the transformation of sustainability.Journal of Management Studies. Matzler, K., Bailom, F., Friedrich von den Eichen, S. and Kohler, T., 2013. Business model innovation: coffee triumphs for Nespresso.Journal of Business Strategy,34(2), pp.30-37. Von Geibler, J., Cordaro, F., Kennedy, K., Lettenmeier, M. and Roche, B., 2016. Integrating resource efficiency in business strategies: a mixed-method approach for environmental life cycle assessment in the single-serve coffee value chain.Journal of cleaner production,115, pp.62-74. Hutchinson, D., Singh, J. and Walker, K., 2012. An assessment of the early stages of a sustainable business model in the Canadian fast food industry.European Business Review,24(6), pp.519-531. Iasevoli, G. and Massi, M., 2012. The relationship between sustainable business management and competitiveness: research trends and challenge.International Journal of Technology Management,58(1/2), pp.32-48. Ingenbleek, P.T. and Reinders, M.J., 2013. The development of a market for sustainable coffee in the Netherlands: Rethinking the contribution of fair trade.Journal of Business Ethics,113(3), pp.461-474. Murthy, P.S. and Naidu, M.M., 2012. Sustainable management of coffee industry by-products and value additionA review.Resources, Conservation and recycling,66, pp.45-58. Winn, M., Pinkse, J. and Illge, L., 2012. Case Studies on Trade?Offs in Corporate Sustainability.Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management,19(2), pp.63-68.

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

EBay’s strategic decision on the acquisition of PayPal free essay sample

Aim of this report is to critically analyse EBay’s strategic decision on the acquisition of PayPal before it occurred. The report will analyse the company and its operating environment, this analysis will discuss the external and internal factors, of EBay and the implications of their environment in relation to the factors analysed. This in-depth analysis will be aided with analytical tools such as PESTLE, SWOT, and the use of rich picture. Subsequently with the analytical findings, suggested strategic options will be discussed which EBay may have opted to choose. EBay’s History: EBay was established in September 1995 by Pierre Omidyar as an online auction website in the United States; by 1997 the site posted two million auctions creating the name EBay rather than AuctionWeb and branched out from collectibles into different goods within the market. EBay is now becoming the biggest online marketplace providing a facility for buyers and sellers to communicate, consequently generating millions of customers in foreign markets as well as the United States (eBay Inc). EBay’s Internal and external environment When a company is faced with its external environment changing within its industry it provides the company with opportunities to reconsider its strategies to help maintain its competitiveness (Giesen et al 2010). Therefore analysing EBay’s environment before the acquisition of PayPal will help aid the understanding of this decision implemented, exploring and discussing both internal and external factors which may have had an influence upon EBay’s strategic decision. The analytical tools of PESTLE and SWOT are going to be used as these methods helps decision making, planning, evaluating and the development of products or services due to the exploration of a company’s environment (Gorgenlander 2001). PESTLE analysis examines a company’s environment and helps identify possible market growth, potential strategic positioning and the possible direction of the organisation. SWOT is used after to measure and identify a company’s internal and external, strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (Henry, A 2008). Each analytical tool is being used due their validity on providing an assessment of a company’s environment. Below are the factors most relevant to EBay when the company had to consider on its strategic route of direction. Looking at PESTLE appendix 1. 1 its states that one of EBay’s political factors were its operating and is expansion towards foreign markets. The expansion for EBay was to enter and penetrate merging markets in order to generate greater customer base and usage of the EBay service (eBay inc). The implication of EBay trying to enter and expand into other markets, have some restrictions due to EBay being an online business, countries that EBay wants to enter into may have polices affecting the company, such as data protection. Data protection varies upon countries or political nations such E. U regulations on data protection and privacy; therefore EBay needs to consider the implications of government policies in support of or against online websites (Singh, 2010). At the start of the dotcom era national governments had not intervened with the e-commerce industry, however the implications that EBay face are regulatory bodies and processes to ensure security, data protection and privacy are passed on web sites ensuring the development of customer security in countries are placed also enabling more cost for EBay (standard- smith, B. Kidd, P. T. , 2000). The Economy in early 2000’s for emerging markets were developing again such as Asia, this meant that foreign markets had sustainable growth creating a demand of more people and businesses from different countries wanting to trade and spend. This consequence allows EBay to enter these emerging markets and growing globally which they were reaching, within this period. The implication meant more consumers wanted easier means to communicate via EBay, which at the time seemed difficult due to EBay’s website providing the basic medium in promoting goods rather than establishing other facilities to interconnect when trading (EBay Inc). Analysing further in relation to social influence is that EBay was established and operating within the dotcom era, this period created the generation of digital users who had more access to technology and internet. The influence of this meant that the generation had greater access to the world-wide-web. This implication affected the demand to become more connected world-wide, causing globalisation through these social influences. EBay fundamentally became successful through the shift in social stimulus on the usage of technology. Consumer spending habits also changed, where e-commerce started to become popular, this effect caused more demand for online spending, which EBay wanted to exploit (Li, F. , 2007). Consequence for this meant a merging demand for a link between networking with sellers and buyers globally in addition to online spending securely. Connecting to social influence, technology aided the growth of internet usage. In 2002 an estimate of 587 million people had internet access which was growing faster indicating more people were having access to more technology, creating further demand upon the subject previously stated (Internet Growth Statistics). Legal influence for EBay is that it was rapidly growing parallel with the internet. EBay as an online website face issues of data protection globally ensuring personal information of customers are not breached or given. This means EBay’s website needs to be secure via payments, accessing and hackers. Another legal subject is fraud and theft; due to e-commerce being popular and the nature of EBay’s business it faces consumer fraud and online money theft globally (Cyber Crime, 2013). The implication of this is as EBay is developing globally they need to consider further more consumer protection through e-commerce, due to these risks and factors, if achieved poorly, consumer confidence, brand image and usage are affected greatly. (Stanford-smith, B. , Kidd, P. T, 2000) EBay’s SWOT PESTLE analysis, enabled a SWOT analysis appendix 1. 2 Summarising, EBay’s successful brand image through its online auctioning and e-commerce sector, EBay has become financially successful. With these strengths EBay can do market leadership, helping EBay to maintain greater brand awareness and influence on the marketplace. For instance a firm would be in a superior position to defend itself from new entrants if they do market leadership furthermore with strong finances EBay has the freedom to acquire and merge with companies as well as invest in research and development. Analysing the PESTLE previously EBay’s major weakness is fraudulent activities happening within the website. They were yet to provide more provisions of safer methods or alternative payment methods, creating lack of trust upon the website services and usage, developing a barrier. Opportunities through the PESTLE is global expansion for EBay to reach, this can be done through the increase use of internet usage globally providing EBay with the opportunity to enter foreign markets. However in order to utilise globalisation another opportunity EBay can do is develop more services and accessibility where the demand to networking can be established, this could mean trying to make their website easier to use from money transfers, payments and communication with EBay users. The major threats are competition with other organisations such as Amazon and Yahoo, these companies can affect EBay’s sales and market share. However the ultimate impact of threat is online security and consumer confidence. Maintaining online security is vital to conserving consumer confidence. EBay expanding causes increasing threats of security in relation to online shopping and fraudulent activities this subsequently affects brand image, sales and profits. This also collerates to its weaknesses on safer payment methods, causing barriers for EBay’s mission statement of†to provide a global online marketplace where practically anyone can trade practically anything, enabling economic opportunity around the world† with these weaknesses and threats EBay is unable to provide a safe or easier option to trade for both buyers and sellers effecting expansion (Corporate Mission Statement of eBay). Defining the problem The key elements on system thinking is to define a problem and to see the system as a process of injury, Rich pictures are used to analyse a view of a problem situation, this is a soft system methodology which characterise a situation of distress for a company. A rich picture includes the influences that cause the problem that a formal method of analysis is unable to see. (Darzentas, Darzentas Spyrou (1994). Rich pictures illustrate structure, process and the issue a firm faces that is related to the problem definition. Appendix 1. 3 illustrates the rich picture drawn for EBay with the aid of PESTLE, SWOT and research on EBay. Within the rich picture it demonstrates that EBay has a lack of safe provisions for seller and buyers, exampling the lead to criminal activity and unsafe boundaries for buyers and seller to communicate which is EBay’s fundamental service. The rich picture analysis identifies further EBay’s consumers requirements are not being fulfilled in regards to safer trade and transactions. The key defining problem illustrated is the overall security of EBay in result of growth globally and the complete band image of EBay being affected, due to these problems. Summaries findings from all the analysis, it is clear that EBay needed to tackle issues of security and the increase demand for easier and safer trade between consumers, which effects EBay’s global growth and company mission statement. This meant that EBay needed to look at strategic strategies in order to overcome these implications. Below are few that EBay could have considered. Strategic options: EBay can invest in further research and development to create a facility to help the company’s security in terms of consumer transaction, safe and easier trading. EBay can merge with an established company, which specialises in web security or money security to provide a service for consumers. Can acquire a company that can help with overcoming these barriers. EBay can outsource a company in order to deal with these problems, whilst the company focuses on other company goals.