Moral Challenges Essay Example for Free

Moral Challenges Essay Morality is a highly contested topic in every day life. It can be defined as a thought process of making decisions based on one’s beliefs or desires shaped by one’s culture. A right or wrong moral decision can therefore be said to be a product of culture and law stipulated in a constitution and applied in a certain jurisdiction. In everyday life, we are faced with challenges and situations that require our judgment and actions (Kermerling, 2002). In this paper, I will explore two moral situations in which I believe I made the right and wrong decisions respectively, the parties that were involved, the reasons behind my actions and the consequences that followed my decisions and actions. Lastly, I will identify what actions I will take if faced with the same situation the next time to avoid making wrong decisions. Moral Challenges A Right Moral Decision The decision I made to take responsible leadership role and mitigate the planned students’ strike was one of the most acceptable action I ever made in my life. I was actively involved in a peace mission to contain the strike that was organized by drunken and unruly students in the university. The judgment process was affected after the students took alcohol and caused disorder in the institution (Cima, Tonnaer Hauser, 2009). The peace mission involved the director of the faculty, a lecturer, the student leaders and a few students. The students had issues with a lecturer who had failed to show up in three lectures. While it was right for the students to complain over the absence of the lecturer, it was expected for them to follow the right procedure in addressing the problem. The organizers of the strike came while drunk and tried to convince and force the rest of the students to join them in a demonstration to the administration offices. Some students got tempted and joined the unruly students claiming that the administration has failed to act appropriately to their claims. As the chair person of the students union, I took an initiative and addressed the students and informed them that contrary to the claims of some of them, the issue was being addressed and that the lecturer in question had been summoned and appropriate solution would be arrived at soon. I spoke with wisdom, â€Å"Comrades, we are gathered here to inquire about our rights to have normal and uninterrupted studies. Besides, any missed lecture means waste of time and resources. However, the lecturer in question has been summoned and the decision will be communicated to us in appropriate time. Furthermore, I have called the director of the faculty and informed me that he will be here with us in the next one hour. Therefore, I request all of us to have patience since the issue is being handled wisely by the administration. Thank you! † My speech caused a mixed reaction with minority of them accusing me and the rest of the leaders of being sympathizers and colluding with the administration and not giving students’ interests any priority. They begun singing and chanting and demanded at the top of their voices that, â€Å"we demand that you and all our leaders join us in the fight for our rights†¦ we want to show the lecturer a lesson. † Majority of the students were convinced in my speech and they helped in calming the situation. Later, the faculty director arrived and he addressed us all giving the way forward to the satisfaction of the majority. The main architects of the strike were identified and suspended and others expelled and the university once again realized the tranquility which was important in the learning process. This benefited the administration as it served as a wake up call and they moved with speed to address majority of issues by factoring in student needs. The rest of the students benefitted by continuing with normal learning and all the issues raised were addressed with the lecturer getting a warning A Wrong Moral Situation An incident I remember to have taken a wrong decision involved taking side with my brother to indict our house help. Due to my brother’s recklessness, he had left the car keys in his girlfriend’s house. The girlfriend quietly sneaked in our compound and took off with the car whose keys were forgotten in her house. Unfortunately, the girlfriend was a drug dealer and so used the car to transport hard drugs to her customers. She got spotted by the police although she managed to escape abandoning the car and drugs. After learning that the car was in police station, my father rushed home to interrogate us all before proceeding to the police station to record a statement. On sharing with my brother we called his girlfriend and struck a deal to be silent on the whole issue and put the whole blame on the house help. Although I knew the whole truth that my brother had forgotten the keys at his girlfriend’s house, I argued in defense of my brother. I maintained that it was the house help’s responsibility to take care of everything. My brother after gaining confidence and my support, he made his remark in a family meeting, â€Å"I fail to understand how the car came to be used in drug trafficking. It is evident that the house help has been colluding with drug traffickers. The house help should get sacked with immediate effect. † He talked harshly as he left the sitting room, â€Å"He should provide a succinct explanation in this meeting or else he will do it better at the police. † I felt a push inside my heart that what I was doing was wrong but I convinced myself that I had the obligation of defending my brother no matter what and so I cared less of the consequences to the other party. This is the case that happens with psychopaths (Cima, Tonnaer Hauser, 2009). The houses help felt much threatened and could not raise point to defend himself even when it meant he was not guilty. This led to his sacking letting my brother to go scot-free. My brother’s girlfriend and her gang made their best not to be caught in the scandal as they feared the consequences like imprisonment and fines. But the house help suffered unfairly as he lost his job failing to get paid and getting disturbed with even not knowing what could follow. I regretted of making such decision and I made a promise to myself that in case I got faced with the same problem, I would first remind my brother that it should be his responsibility to be accountable for every action he takes and that the house help has aright to expression and fair treatment. This will serve as an example and a wake up call for him to act appropriately in future. The issue of defending my brother and his girlfriend was not moral as it led to the firing of the house help. I will in future keep morals and make sensible decisions which respect all people regardless to class (Kermerling, 2002). In general, it is important that we make decisions based on our beliefs and moral codes on what is right and wrong. This will help shape our society and make everyone act to appropriately. Right moral decisions have significant benefit in the society. With right moral judgments, justice will be maintained and the offenders will be punished. Wrong moral decisions deprive the society of peace and justice. The poor and the minor groups in our society will always be intimidated as they are powerless. Reference: Cima, M. , Tonnaer, F. , Hauser, M. D (2009). Psychopaths know right from wrong but don’t care. Human Molecular Genetics’ Special Review Issue: Molecular Genetics Advances in Neurological Disease. 3(1): 329-45. Kemerling, G (2002). Kant: The moral order. Retrieved June 06 2010 from: http://www. philosophypages. com/hy/5i. htm

Can We Say NO To Recycling Essay -- science

Can We Say "NO" To Recycling Lately the earth’s capacity to tolerate exploitation and absorb solid wastes disposal has diminished, due to excess trashing. People dispose lots of stuff, and simply do not care. Therefore scientists found out a way to reuse things and that process was called "recycling". This new approach seemed quite successful at the beginning, until its true identity appeared. Recycling first started as man’s best friend, people were intrigued by this new phenomena. What could be better than using things that were already used. Recycling has been very useful especially that man is constantly consuming, burning up, wearing out, replacing and disposing at an alarming rate.(Durning 1992). However, unfortunately recycling has proven that it is quite costly. Although recycling of wastes material solves the problem of garbage disposal at landfills, and saves resources, it does nevertheless entail large hidden costs in collecting, sorting and manufacturing; therefore, it is necessary for the go vernment to overcome such problems of recycling to be worth while and for manufacturers and consumers to consume less. Recycling has proven its efficiency in solving the problem of garbage disposal at landfills1. By the accumulation of garbage throughout the years, space available for garbage has largely diminished. In the states for example almost 67% of their waste stream ends up in landfills.(Scott 25). This has in fact increased the price of disposal. As Kimball stated "tipping fees" at landfills, is so often prohibitive(3), and some cannot find landfills to dump their garbage. It can cost up to $158 to pick a ton of garbage and dispose it.(Consumer Reports 1994). Beside, these landfills pollute their surroundings area with lots of hazardous materials and contaminate underground water. To discover the contamination of the underground water it would be 12 yeas after the poisons-benzene; formaldehyde; mercury; and BCEE- have actually contaminated the land, and had sunk 24 feet into the ground contaminating about 50 million gallons of underground water.(Dahir 94). Besides these lands could be used i n more useful ways such as building schools, hospitals, or simply turning them into large green areas to purify the air. This problem is practically acute in Egypt, since we do find even in central areas of the city, piles of garbage disposal very near to... ... washed and used several times." (Scott 25). As we can see the benefits are over-estimated, and the costs are under-estimated. What we should do is not only look for an alternative but also look for other ways to improve recycling. The natural resources will not last for ever, eventually everything comes to an end and the end is very near to our natural resources. What is of greater importance is to find alternatives to such resources if they actually become extinct. Recycling is backed by most of the general public, for its ideas of saving the environment, energy, and virgin material. But it is not that good or that efficient it still costs money and is not that safe. "Recycling does not necessarily provide for safer or more environmentally sound disposal than landfilling or incinerators. The recycling process itself generates enormous amounts of hazardous wastes."(Schaumburg 32). In addition it will decrease and maybe solve the problem of the ever increasing pollution. Imagine that every time som! eone throws a piece of paper in the garbage is similar to a person cutting a leaf off a tree. This is what happens when one does so, so recycling was the way to solve such a problem.

The Fourth Law Of Robotics :: essays research papers

<a href="http://www.geocities.com/vaksam/">Sam Vaknin's Psychology, Philosophy, Economics and Foreign Affairs Web Sites Sigmund Freud said that we have an uncanny reaction to the inanimate. This is probably because we know that - despite pretensions and layers of philosophizing - we are nothing but recursive, self aware, introspective, conscious machines. Special machines, no doubt, but machines althesame. The series of James bond movies constitutes a decades-spanning gallery of human paranoia. Villains change: communists, neo-nazis, media moguls. But one kind of villain is a fixture in this psychodrama, in this parade of human phobias: the machine. James Bond always finds himself confronted with hideous, vicious, malicious machines and automata. It was precisely to counter this wave of unease, even terror, irrational but all-pervasive, that Isaac Asimov, the late Sci-fi writer (and scientist) invented the Three Laws of Robotics: A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws Many have noticed the lack of consistency and the virtual inapplicability of these laws put together. First, they are not the derivative of any coherent worldview and background. To be properly implemented and to avoid a potentially dangerous interpretation of them - the robots in which they are embedded must be also equipped with a reasonably full model of the physical and of the human spheres of existence. Devoid of such a context, these laws soon lead to intractable paradoxes (experiences as a nervous breakdown by one of Asimov's robots). Conflicts are ruinous in automata based on recursive functions (Turing machines) as all robots must be. Godel pointed at one such self destructive paradox in the "Principia Mathematica" ostensibly comprehensive and self consistent logical system. It was enough to discredit the whole magnificent edifice constructed by Russel and Whitehead over a decade. Some will argue against this and say that robots need not be automata in the classical, Church-Turing, sense. That they could act according to heuristic, probabilistic rules of decision making. There are many other types of functions (non-recursive) that can be incorporated in a robot. True, but then, how can one guarantee full predictability of behaviour? How can one be certain that the robots will fully and always implement the three laws?

Prison Crowding Essay

Prison overcrowding is referred to as one of the major social problems in the United States. The problem of prison crowding has also touched Great Britain, some European countries, and finally, the developing world. During the 14 years between 1980 and 1994, the U. S. prison population has grown 172 percent (Bleich, 1999); more than 30,000 state prisoners spend their days and nights in country jails, waiting for new cells. The consequences of prison overcrowding are reflected in the whole set of broad social phenomena, from prison violence to higher rates of recidivism. The late 1970s and the beginning of the 1980s have been characterized by the growing number of prisoners in the U. S. â€Å"The United States produced a rate of growth in the nation’s prison population that scholars and legal commentators have repeatedly characterized as ‘unprecedented’† (Gaes & McGuire, 1995). The number of prisoners was growing so fast that prison officials failed to develop effective systems and supervising networks that would maintain social and criminal stability across all correctional facilities at the federal level. The reasons and causes of prison overcrowding are numerous and require different approaches; but with financial and social resources being limited, federal authorities are unprepared to meeting the social challenges of prison overcrowding in the U. S. Organizational instability in prison system produces numerous adverse effects, including the development of dysfunctional psychological responses among younger prisoners and the system’s inability to satisfy the basic needs of prisoners. The causes of prison overcrowding are different and numerous: mandatory minimum sentencing, denial of parole, a variety of â€Å"zero tolerance† criminal policies, drug wars, and even trivial acts’ criminalization lead to the prisoners’ population increase (Bleich, 1999). Poverty and homelessness are the two indirect causes of prison overcrowding. The absence of effective anti-recidivism programs results in the growing number of prisoners in all types of correctional facilities. However, the discussion of prison overcrowding issues should start with the evaluation of psychological problems inmates face in crowded cells: â€Å"there is growing evidence that the Post Incarceration Syndrome is a contributing factor to high rates of recidivism. The cruelty of guards and staff remains a primary problem; those in prison are subjected to verbal violence and ridicule for anything from sexual preference to gender identity† (Gaes & McGuire, 1995). These violent attitudes significantly contribute into the growing levels of recidivism; many of those who have been imprisoned for the first time are sentenced for the second and the third time before their first imprisonment term comes to an end. Objectively, prison overcrowding forms a kind of a vicious circle, with violence, assaults, disciplinary penalties and recidivism in its center. The problem would not be so complex, if not for the growing social tensions between the inmates, the prison staff, and the rest of the American citizens. Prison overcrowding leads to the development of dysfunctional behaviors among prisoners, to the growing amount of unsatisfied needs, and to excessive application of force and violence needed to maintain social order in prisons. These threatening tendencies lead to the disruption of the traditional social structures, where the â€Å"imprisoned† gradually replace â€Å"socially free† population, further increasing the level of society’s criminalization in the country. Dysfunctional behaviors are particularly problematic among younger prison population; young prisoners are more susceptible and vulnerable to the changes which occur in prison; recent researches have proved young prisoners’ vulnerability to â€Å"restricted conditions, since there is neither the space, the facilities, nor the resources to provide inmates with a full range of training, work, and educational opportunities, when there are too many prisoners to cope with† (Ekland-Olson & Barrick, 1983). Young prisoners are more sensitive and volatile in their aggressive reactions to the new type of prison environment; as a result, they are more likely to be punished by prison officials through segregation units, isolated housing unites, or similar administrative measures. In these violent contexts, young prisoners risk committing another crime, thus contributing into the growth of recidivism in the American prisons. Dysfunctional psychological responses and the growth of â€Å"young recidivism† are not the only consequences of prison overcrowding; by filling prisons and jails above their capacity, prison officials fail to satisfy even the basic needs of prisoners. Health, nutrition, and social needs of prisoners are simply neglected, raising their sensitivity to various types of social threats, including health epidemics, aggression, and violence. Beyond normal sleeping and eating conditions, prisoners need vocational training, education, and meaningful jobs. Prisoners require extensive work experiences that will further help them adapt to real-life conditions beyond the prison walls. Prison overcrowding deprives prison officials of effective and reliable needs assessment and screening instruments and strategies, which could be universally applied to improve the prisoners’ well-being. The current prison system in the U. S. does not guarantee that prisoners’ basic civil rights will be followed while they are being imprisoned. Unfortunately, thousands and thousands of prisoners are still in need of treatment and counseling for different types of mental and physical health disorders (Bleich, 1999). As a result, by the time these prisoners are released on probation they are likely to face social rejection and negligence, leading recidivism and violence. Intimidation and force remain the two most effective instruments used to maintain order in prisons. A crowded prison can be compared to a â€Å"boiling cauldron of inmate hostility, ready to erupt instantaneously into a riot† (Cavadino & Dignan, 2002). In the absence of other relevant governing mechanisms, violence seems the easiest universal method of keeping prisoners’ behaviors under control. â€Å"For example, in maximum security prisons in California, guards armed with rifles are strategically positioned inside mainline housing units and authorized to respond to inmate disturbances with lethal force† (Gaes & McGuire, 1995). Violence and intimidation are further aggravated by the lack of appropriate staff resources that could potentially maintain stability and organizational order in prisons and jails. Violence and the lack of professional staff negatively impact the quality of relationships between prison officials and inmates, making the crisis of control and legitimacy the central social element of prison overcrowding in the U. S. (Cavadino & Dignan, 2002). In the light of the abovementioned issues, the natural question is whether overcrowding can be minimized and avoided, and what should be done to improve the quality of life in prisons. Researchers and professionals suggest that probation reform may change the situation in the American prison system. â€Å"Forty percent of prison intakes are from probation violations, and half of those violators are put into the prison system because of technical violations† (Hicks, 2006). By reducing probation sentencing terms and simplifying supervision rules, prison officials are likely to resolve the majority of issues related to prison overcrowding and its social consequences. Federal authorities and criminal justice professionals are to reconsider the criteria applied to zero tolerance policies and juvenile delinquency, to minimize the portion of young population in prisons. Ultimately, the basic needs of current prisoners should be assessed and addressed, to ensure that ex-prisoners are able to adapt to the changing real-life conditions and to return to regular work and life performance after being released from prison (jail). Conclusion Prison overcrowding leads to the development of distorted and dysfunctional social visions in the American society. Violence and intimidation remain the two widely accepted instruments of maintaining order in prisons. Young prisoners are particularly vulnerable to aggression and violence in jails. The reduction of probation sentencing terms and supervision rules simplification may resolve the majority of social issues related to prison overcrowding in the U. S. , but federal authorities still lack appropriate resources that could be used to simplify the organizational structure of prison system in the country.

Greatest Quotes From Sex and the City

Greatest Quotes From 'Sex and the City' The hit TV show Sex and the City has beautifully captured the turmoil of modern women stuck in a fast paced city. When you read Sex and the City quotes, your first thought may be: Is this how life in NYC is like? Read and decide for yourself. Carrie: Everywhere I looked, people were standing in twos it was like Noahs Upper West Side rent-controlled Ark.Samantha: Oh sweetie, forget about him. You are gonna be on the side of a bus. 10 million men are gonna be drooling over you every morning on their way to work. Its the best personal ad Ive ever seen in my life.Carrie: Samantha has a particular knack for turning a desperate situation into a hopeless one.Carrie: Lets be honest. Sometimes there is nothing harder in life than being happy for somebody else. Like lottery winners. Or extremely successful people who are 27. And then theres that hell on earth that only your closest friends can inflict on you the baby shower.Carrie: When Charlotte really liked a guy, she said his whole name it helped her to imagine their future monogrammed towels.Miranda: Maybe its time I stopped being so angry.Carrie: Yah, but what would you do with all your free time?Samantha: Until he says I love you, youre a free agent.Carrie: What is this? The Rules According to Samantha?Samantha: See? Im more old-fashioned than you think.Samantha: Look at his robe. So Robin and his Merry Men.Carrie: Here. Swear. Swear on Chanel.: Oh my God were gonna have to ice skate home. Hell just froze over.Carrie: I thought I had come to terms with my looks the year I turned thirty, when I realized I no longer had the energy to be completely superficial.Samantha: Normal is the halfway point between what you want and what you can get.Samantha: Heres what I think. Round up all the divorced men and keep them in a pound. That way, you get their whole history before you take one home.Miranda: I love how they say until recently, the bride worked.Carrie: Yeah, meaning she quit her job as soon as she found her soul-mate-slash-investment-banker.Charlotte: Listen to this: sometime in the ten years before menopause, you may experience symptoms including all-month long PMS, fluid retention, insomnia, depression, hot flashes or irregular periods.Carrie: On t he plus side, people start to give up their seats for you on the bus. Carrie: Our affair, like our hotels, had gone from elegant with crystal to seedy with plastic cups.Miranda, : Why would that cheer her up? Does she look like a 22-year-old frat boy? Sex and the City Quotes Miranda: Men- wait, let me rephrase that- some men... Jerry Jerrod Sex and the City Quotes Sex and the City Quotes

Primarks Entry into the Brazilian Market

Primarks Entry into the Brazilian Market Brief Synopsis of the Issue This proposal is informed by the expressed need for Primark, a British-owned, Irish clothing retailer, to enter into the Brazilian market as part of the firm’s internalisation orientation.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Primark’s Entry into the Brazilian Market specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The strategic proactive decision to compete in the Brazilian market arises out of the firm’s deliberate policy to exploit foreign market potential and growth, diversify markets through opportunistic global market development, and follow customers abroad to entrench customer satisfaction (Agergaard 2010). Primark stands to gain competitively and strategically through the application of this market entry proposal to market its products in Brazil. Recommendations Primark should develop and implement a strong brand image to successfully compete with other established apparel s tores operating in Brazil, such as Zara and Mango; Primark should use the vast knowledge and experience gained in expanding its operations into markets considered as physically close (European markets) to successfully internationalise its operations in Brazil; Primark should consider establishing an apparel factory in Brazil to cut down on logistics costs involved in transporting products from far-away Asian countries into the Brazilian market; and Primark should enter into the Brazilian market by establishing a wholly owned subsidiary through the acquisition of already existing firms. Background Although Primark’s main headquarters are in Dublin, Ireland, it is evident that the firm’s entry into other European markets (e.g., Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Netherlands and the United Kingdom) has successfully positioned it as a reputable seller of fashionable clothes at the low cost end of the market. In all these markets, the entry mode has always been through acquisitions or direct foreign investments. However, the Brazilian market presents new challenges that warrant comprehensive analysis, particularly in light of the market’s geographic proximity, cultural and social issues in Brazil, as well as political and regulatory frameworks. Extant literature demonstrates that although Brazil has one of the largest commodity stocks and a high population with a quickly mounting purchasing power for consumer products and services, it nevertheless has a high tax regime and a bureaucracy that necessitates much patience on the part of firms wishing to enter the country’s markets (Agergaard 2010). It is important to note that this is Primark’s second attempt to enter international markets outside of the confines of the European Union after successfully entering the United States market, hence the need for careful analysis and evaluation.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The remainder of this market entry proposal is organised as follows: first, a concise analysis of market opportunities (country-level analysis) is provided. An analysis of Brazil’s attractiveness (risks, costs, benefits) is then provided, followed by a concise situation analysis of Primark using the SWOT analysis framework. In the following section, an analysis of the firm’s readiness to enter the Brazilian market is undertaken. Afterwards, issues of global sourcing, production and logistics are assessed, followed by a critical analysis of the firm’s market entry strategy, along with a discussion on the strengths and weaknesses of the proposed entry mode. In the final section, a step-by-step approach to the implementation of the proposed strategy is discussed, followed by an analysis of the benefits and potential barriers to successful implementation and evaluation of the market entry strategy. Analysis of Market Opportunities in Brazil (Country-Level Analysis) The choice of which country to enter is of immense importance to the internalising firm, and requires considerable deliberation and analysis on the market opportunities existing in the country and if such opportunities will lead to a firm’s competitive advantage (Douglas Craig 2011). A framework comprising four main areas, namely competitive intensity, customer dynamics, technological vulnerability and microeconomics (Cunill, Forteza, Gil-Lafuente 2013), is used to determine the type and magnitude of country-level market opportunities. The results of the analysis are as follows: Competitive intensity This dimension deals with the number of competitors in the country as well as their strengths and weaknesses (Cunill et al 2013).With a GDP of USD 1.574 trillion in 2009 (International Monetary Fund 2010), Brazil is one of the fastest growing economies in the world; however, the country is yet to attr act many global retailers in the apparel industry, hence the competitive intensity is low. Zara, Mango and the British street starwart CA are the early entrants into the Brazilian apparel industry, hence their brands may be popular in the country (Thomson, 2012). However, these retailers deal with the high-end consumer market, implying that Primark still has the capacity to successfully position itself as a reputable seller of fashionable clothes at the low cost end of the market.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Primark’s Entry into the Brazilian Market specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Customer dynamics This dimension deals with unconstrained opportunity for customers, segment interaction, and rate of customer growth (Cunill et al 2013). The economic outlook of Brazil can be described as healthy, thus customers are likely to feel more confident in shopping for clothes beyond their basic necessities due t o their strong purchasing power. With the mounting economic fortunes, Brazil is expected to maintain a strong rate of customer growth and customers are likely to spend more money to satisfy particular lifestyles, needs and personalities (Lee 2014). Technical vulnerability This dimension deals with technology adoption as well as the impact of new technologies (Cunill et al 2013). Brazil is a leader in technology adoption and use in South America (Agergaard 2010), hence it is expected that the costs for technology adoption and use will be low. Macroeconomics This dimension deals with the market size and profitability of the market in a particular market (Cunill et al 2013). In light of the fact that Brazil is by far the most populous country in South America and the tenth largest economy in the world by GDP analysis (Agergaard 2010), it is estimated that there is a huge market for the apparel industry and an equally profitable market due to high consumer purchasing power and low entry of foreign apparel retailers into the Brazilian market. Country Attractiveness (Risks, Costs, Benefits) Brazil is a politically stable and democratic country with a diverse climatic environment that is favourable for the sale of a multiplicity of clothing designs, ranging from bikinis to cold wear. Brazil is not in danger of any political or military upheaval which may shift the country’s economic rules and regulations overnight, implying that political and economic risks in the country are low and favourable for investing. However, the cost of doing business in Brazil is high due to a burdensome tax regime and bureaucratic red tape (Agergaard 2010).Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The benefits of internalising into the Brazilian market include (1) a huge market size for clothes, (2) a customer base with high purchasing power due to the favourable economic outlook, (4) well established infrastructural and technological expertise, and (5) minimal entry of foreign-based apparel retailers into the Brazilian market (International Monetary Fund 2010; Thomson, 2012). Company Situation Analysis (Firm-Level Analysis) Primark’s situation analysis demonstrates that its present business strategy of offering value and low prices is working to provide the firm with a strong financial position due to the attainment of high sales volumes coupled with lower retail margins (Primark n.d.). A strong financial position is critical in the internalisation process (Ekeledo Sivakumar 2004; Chiao et al 2010). The firm’s prices and costs remain competitive in line with its business model; however, it needs to develop and implement strategies aimed at not only maintaining a strong competitive position but also addressing several strategic issues facing the company, such as the maintenance of low cost, supply chain challenges in product sourcing, and high competition from quality competitors like Peacock and Matalan (Ross Harradine 2010). The SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) framework is used to undertake Primark’s situation analysis, with results indicated as follows: Strengths Primark’s strengths include a strong market presence (almost 200 stores across Ireland, the United Kingdom, Spain, Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and Portugal), strong financial base witnessed by its high annual turnover, customer loyalty due to unique product offerings, employee participation, innovative clothing lines, and strong commitment to ethical operations and effective governance (Ross Harradine 2010). The firm’s strong financial base, innovative clothing lines and customer loyalty are critical to the successful entry into th e Brazilian market. Weaknesses The weaknesses of Primark include brand imitation by companies offering similar products, lack of a strong brand image and recognition, and lack of advertising due to the low-cost business model (Rowley 2009). The competitive intensity and customer dynamics in Brazil demands that Primark develops a strong brand image to successfully compete with other established apparel stores such as Zara and Mango. Opportunities The firm’s opportunities lie in diversifying its products, increasing its market size, and increasing the use of technology to reach more customers in diversified geographic markets (Rowley 2009). Increasing market share is one of the driving forces of a firm’s internalisation strategy (Ahsan Musteen 2011), hence Primark is bound to gain from its entry into the Brazilian market as customers in the country have a high purchasing power and are likely to spend more to satisfy particular lifestyles (Agergaard 2010). Threats Primar k’s threats include strong competition, presence of cheaper apparel stores, rapid and constant shifts in fashion, as well as lack of consumer spending power in some of its European markets (Ross Harradine 2010). While Primark may have to develop strategies aimed at effectively competing with other international and local apparel stores in Brazil, it will nevertheless benefit immensely from the high spending power of Brazilian customers. Readiness to go Overseas From the analysis, it is evident that Primark is ready to enter into the Brazilian market, particularly in light of its strong financial base, customer loyalty, unique product offerings in diversified markets, and propensity to increase market size. The firm has a strong presence in several countries across Europe, implying that it has the necessary experiential knowledge needed in internalising its operations in distant countries such as Brazil. This is in line with the Upsalla Model of Internationalisation, which po stulates that â€Å"firms develop their activities abroad over time and in an incremental fashion, based on their knowledge development† (Whitelock 2002, p. 342). Primark has already expanded its operations to markets considered as physically close to its headquarters in Dublin, implying that it can use the knowledge developed to expand into markets considered as distant. Global Sourcing, Production Logistics The firm will continue to source clothes from low-cost countries such as India, China, Bangladesh and Turkey, while aligning its sourcing strategy with its business strategy of providing customers with ethically sourced garments (Primark n.d.). Owing to the vast natural resources found in Brazil, including cotton and silk, Primark should also consider establishing a comprehensive supply chain with local suppliers for cheap raw materials. Such an arrangement would require the firm to construct its own factory in Brazil, an endeavour that may be costly in the short-term d ue to the high tax regime and bureaucratic red tape (Agergaard 2010). However, Primark stands to benefit in the long-term due to reduced costs of transporting products by air and sea from far-away source countries in Asia into the Brazilian market. The company should continue to employ lean production and efficient operational practices with the view to realising its objective of satisfying the low end market spectrum with high quality fashion products (Ross Harradine 2010). Market Entry Strategy International market entry scholarship demonstrates the existence of several entry modes which are basically divided into two categorisations, namely equity and nonequity entry modes. Equity entry modes include joint ventures and wholly owned subsidiaries (e.g., Greenfield investments, whereas nonequity entry modes are basically exports and contractual agreements that include licensing, franchising, turnkey projects, as well as RD contracts (Ekeledo Sivakumar 2004; Murray, Ju, Gao 2012). The recommended entry mode choice for Primark into the Brazilian market is by establishing a wholly owned subsidiary through the acquisition of already existing firms. Primark is presently in a strong financial position due to the attainment of high sales volumes in its foreign operations mostly in Europe (Ross Harradine 2010). The firm should use this strength to commit adequate resources to undertake a direct establishment in the Brazilian market. Another justification is based on the fact that the firm has developed adequate knowledge in conducting acquisitions in European markets and should therefore use this knowledge to establish a wholly owned subsidiary in Brazil. The strengths of the proposed entry mode include (1) capacity to enable the parent company take control of the supply chain of established subsidiaries through vertical integration, (2) capacity to diversify and manage risk, and (3) opportunity for Primark to negotiate better tax terms with the Brazilian governme nt (Chiao et al 2010). However, wholly owned subsidiaries may actually result in more taxes due to the employment of separate business entities, not mentioning that diversification can cause the parent company to lose focus on what it does best (Chiao et al 2010). Implementation of Market Entry Strategy, Benefits Barriers The steps to be used in implementing the proposed market entry strategy include: developing and implementing an acquisition strategy in line with the firm’s low cost business strategy, identify suitable targets in Brazil based on the firm’s strategy, begin discussions with potential targets, arrange for a business valuation of the preferred target, secure the needed financing to acquire the target, conduct due diligence, negotiate, structure, and close the deal, plan and implement a post-acquisition strategy (Whitelock Rees 2003). Lastly, the benefits to successful implementation of the proposed market entry strategy for Primark include increase i n sales revenues, increase in customer base due to the firm’s low price strategy, high returns to the firm’s shareholders, and ability to communicate and fully control the enterprise (Ahsan Musteen 2011; Cunill et al 2013). However, barriers may present in terms of experiencing challenges in repatriating earnings, exposure to high risks due to great commitment in capital and managerial effort, as well as cultural challenges in the host country. Reference List Agergaard, MB 2010, How to ensure a successful entrance to the Brazilian market: With a focus on Danish production companies, http://projekter.aau.dk/projekter/files/32310771/HowtoensureasuccessfulentrancetotheBrazilianmarket.pdf. Ahsan, M Musteen, M 2011, ‘Multinational enterprises’ entry mode strategies and uncertainty: A review and extension’, International Journal of Management Reviews, vol. 13 no. 4, pp. 376-392. Chiao, YC, Lo, FY Yu, CM 2010, ‘Choosing between wholly-owned subsid iaries and joint ventures of MNCs from an emerging market’, International Marketing Review, vol. 27 no. 3, pp. 338-365. Cunill, OM, Forteza, CM Gil-Lafuente, AM 2013, ‘Choice of entry mode into a foreign market: The case of Balearic hotel chains in the Caribbean region’, Kybernetes, vol. 42 no. 5, pp. 800-814. Douglas, SP Craig, S 2011, ‘The role of context in assessing international marketing opportunities’, International Marketing Review, vol. 28 no. 2, pp. 150-162. Ekeledo, I Sivakumar, K 2004, ‘International market entry mode strategies of manufacturing firms and service firms: A resource-based perspective’, International Marketing Review, vol. 21 no. 1, pp. 68-101. International Monetary Fund 2010, World economic outlook database, imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2010/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2007ey=2010scsm=1ssd=1sort=countryds=.br=1c=223s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC%2CLPgrp=0a=pr.x=83pr.y=18. Lee, K 2014, What customer dynam ics affect clothing companies, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/customer-dynamics-affect-clothing-companies-34339.html . Murray, JY, Ju, M Gao, Y 2012, ‘Foreign market entry timing revisited: Trade-off between market share performance and firm survival’, Journal of International Marketing, vol. 20 no. 3, pp. 50-64. Primark n.d., http://download.businesscasestudies.co.uk/retrieve_primark_15_cHJpbWFyay9jYXNlLXN0dWRpZXMvMTUvZnVsbC5wZGZ8fEFmZkFuZHk=. Ross, J Harradine, R 2010, ‘Value brands: Cheap or trendy?: An investigation into young consumers and supermarket clothing’, Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, vol. 14 no. 3, pp. 350-366. Rowley, J 2009, ‘Online branding strategies for UK fashion retailers’, Internet Research, vol. 19 no. 3, pp. 348-369. Thomson, R 2012, Analysis: Why have so few retailers entered Brazil, retail-week.com/analysis-why-have-so-few-retailers-entered-brazil/5040089.article. Whitelock, J 2002, ‘Theories of i nternalisation and their impact on market entry’, International Marketing Review, vol. 19 no. 4, pp. 342-347. Whitelock, J Rees, M 2003, ‘Trends in margins, acquisitions, and joint ventures in the single European market’, European Business Review, vol. 93 no. 4, pp. 118-129.

Not All Memes are Bad

Not All Memes are Bad Not All Memes are Bad Not All Memes are Bad By Maeve Maddox I’ve recently become interested in the concept of the meme (rhymes with seem). The word was coined by British biological theorist Richard Dawkins in his 1976 book The Selfish Gene. Dawkins is an evolutionist. He argues that the human mind evolves in a manner similar to biological natural selection. He wanted a word similar to gene to describe the way ideas and beliefs spread and mutate. He bases the word meme on a Greek word meaning â€Å"something imitated.† We need a name for the new replicator, a noun that conveys the idea of a unit of cultural transmission, or a unit of imitation. He gives examples: Examples of memes are tunes, ideas, catch-phrases, clothes fashions, ways of making pots or of building arches. Just as genes propagate themselves in the gene pool by leaping from body to body via sperms or eggs, so memes propagate themselves in the meme pool by leaping from brain to brain via a process which, in the broad sense, can be called imitation. Here’s the definition given in the OED: meme:  A cultural element or behavioural trait whose transmission and consequent persistence in a population, although occurring by non-genetic means (esp. imitation), is considered as analogous to the inheritance of a gene. The word meme and the idea behind it is itself a meme and has propagated a new branch of science called memetics. The new memeticists have expanded Dawkins’ original definition and are not presently in total agreement as to what exactly meme means. Outside the scientific realm, the word meme is used to describe the replication of words, phrases, and ideas on the internet. In this context it refers to the item that â€Å"goes viral.† Scientists are also quick to compare the meme to a virus or a parasite. I question the wisdom of this method of explaining the action of the meme in a scientific context. It fosters a negative attitude towards the word that does not apply to its sister word gene. virus: fig. and in figurative contexts: a harmful or corrupting influence; (a form of) moral or intellectual perniciousness. Also in weakened use: a phenomenon liable to spread rapidly and pervasively. OED Memes, like genes, should be studied as objectively as possible. Not all genes are â€Å"good.† Not all memes are â€Å"bad.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Format a UK Business LetterWriting the CenturyEnglish Grammar 101: Sentences, Clauses and Phrases