Climate Change And Global Warming Essay - 1659 Words

Climate Change: A New Subject in School? Carmela Roque US Government period 3 Mr. Wootten Mercy High School Burlingame September 29, 2016 The Earth has always been undergoing climate change. Extreme weather, natural disasters, and global warming are a few examples of current climate changes. To help prevent this, the Climate Change Education act was introduced by Ed Markey, a democrat from Massachusetts. The main goal of this act was to educate the citizens about the causes of climate change, solutions to it, and small adjustments in their own lives to help prevent it. While there are people who totally support this, there are others who do not. The Climate Change Education act can be seen as helpful because it can protect the Earth and its inhabitants, yet it can be unnecessary because it will not contribute to our society. People believe that this law should be passed for a few different reasons. The first being that it will help prevent global warming. Global warming is the heating of the Earth’s atmosphere which can be very harmful to the environment and the inhabitants. One way the Earth is put at risk due to global warming is the effect of the rise in sea levels. In the last century, the sea level rose about seventeen centimeters (Shaftel, 2016). This rise of sea levels, caused by the melting of polar ice caps due to the extra heat, can cause stronger storms, additional rainfall, and flooding. As people learn more about theseShow MoreRelatedGlobal Warming And Climate Change974 Words   |  4 Pagesabout global warming, whether it is true or false. Is there evidence to prove that global warming has impacted the climate due to the rise in the earth’s temperature? Climate change is a problem that is worldwide that should be reviewed. The rise in the earth’s temperature has cau sed some impact to the weather and climate changes to many places worldwide. This rise in temperature has the potential of causing drastic changes to the earth in many ways. It is time to view the global warming concernsRead MoreClimate Change Of Global Warming924 Words   |  4 Pages Figure 0.1 shows the different effects of global warming. Global warming is the warming of our planet at an extreme rate. The Earth’s climate has warmed by 7.8OC since 1880. (Quick facts about science, 2015). What causes global warming? The cause of global warming is the carbon dioxide. This acts like a blanket. Protecting the earth, and heating the earth. Sun rays would normally bounce around the earth, but with the blanket, the sun rays heat the blanket which heats the earth. (Petersen ScienceRead MoreGlobal Warming And Climate Change1398 Words   |  6 Pages Global warming and climate change have been frequent topics of discussion over the past several years. Although people tend to focus on the politics, it is important to look past the media aspects of it into the cold hard facts of what our Earth is currently experiencing, and what has caused it in the first place. The cause of climate change includes natural causes, but human causes are what is generating such a rapid global temperature change. It’s time that the ways in which humanity affectsRead MoreClimate Change And Global Warming1060 Words   |  5 PagesClimate change (Klaus) 1000 The terms â€Å"global warming†, â€Å"climate change† or â€Å"greenhouse effect† have become more than just parts of the popular lexicon as they rather are subject of public discussions, scientific research or political debates. Despite the popularity and the ubiquity of these terms, the public’s theoretical and conceptual understanding of them and their causal relations is often based on superficial knowledge and buzzwords or caricatures outlined and depicted in several popular mediaRead MoreClimate Change : Global Warming1194 Words   |  5 PagesDonya Curtis April 19, 2017 English 1001-rough draft Global Warming Global warming is one facet of the broader term climate change. It is the increase in the average temperature of the Earth s surface air and oceans from the mid 20th century and the projected continuation. The Global warming is primarily the consequence of building up greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. Emission rates for most important anthropogenic greenhouse gas, CO2, have increased 120 fold in the past 140 years. WhileRead MoreClimate Change and Global Warming1074 Words   |  5 PagesClimate change and Global Warming are out of control. This means that, no matter what policies, processes or actions are implemented, the Earth as we know it will never be the same again. There is significant evidence to support this hypothesis. The dilemma becomes whether we can limit the damage and adapt to a new status quo or not. Rising sea levels and the damage caused by this phenomenon has irreversible impacts on coastlines worldwide. Damage to sensitive reef systems cannot be fixed. This alsoRead MoreClimate Change And Global Warming1022 Words   |  5 PagesWhat = Climate Change Who = Emma, Aoife, Julia, Rachael, Mariah and Cà ©line What is it? Climate Change is a change in the demographic distribution of weather patterns, and related change in oceans, land surfaces and ice sheets, happening over time scales of decades or longer. It’s the world’s greatest threat. Climate change is the change in temperature over a period of time. It involves the greenhouse effect and global warming. Where is it? It is an issue affecting everyone everywhere. ClimateRead MoreClimate Change And Global Warming1474 Words   |  6 Pagesphenomenon, known as â€Å"smog† became an often daily occurrence in big, urbanized cites across the globe. Also, Al Gore’s book, An Inconvenient Truth, popularized the issue of climate change and global warming as a result of the damage that the modern world has done to the atmosphere. He noted that people resist the facts about climate change due to the inconvenience of changing their lifestyles. But, uninhibited industrialization of several countries has led to intense modernization and revolution of theRead MoreClimate Change And Global Warming928 Words   |  4 PagesThis paper will discuss climate change and global warming on the economy. The paper also gives a description on climate change and global warming. As well as what it hold for future business owners. It will also discuss what the government is doing about climate change/global warming. Climate change is a long-term shift in the statistics of the weather (including its averages). For example, it could show up as a change in climate normal (expected average values for temperature and precipitation)Read MoreClimate Change And Global Warming1630 Words   |  7 PagesClimate Related Threats Global warming will lead to uncontrollable devastation such as famine, war, and economic instability. Climate change will accelerate the dislocation of hundreds of millions of people and the extinction of many species. The negative effects of climate change are obvious on every continent. Professor Le Quere, director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of East Anglia said, The human influence on climate change is clear. The atmosphere and

Do Teens Need Sleep - 1450 Words

Teens Need Sleep â€Å"For better teen health, push the snooze button on school start times† (Ornes). There are many risks connected to starting school too early that go from health risks to far more things. Even though changing school start times may be costly schools should start later because moving back start times would increase academic performance, lessen health problems , and reduce safety risks. The average start time of schools is 8:03 A.M (Wheaton, Ferro, and Croft 810). 8:03 is way too early for teens to get up and start trying to focus and learn and do it effectively. Students are recommended to receive 8.5 to 9 hours of sleep a night. With schools starting so early teens are not able to get the amount of sleep needed to take in as much knowledge as they could if schools started later. The main reason teens’ brains aren’t ready to operate at this early time is because the part of your brain called the circadian clock is disrupted by thrown off sleep schedules (Ornes). By this internal clock being thrown off students won’t operate to their full potential and this is why school start times must be pushed back. Boys and girls go to bed at 10:30 on average (Paksarian et al). With teenagers going to sleep on average at this time there is no way they are able to get the amount of sleep they need to function properly. 8:30 or after are when scho ols are recommended to start for proper teen sleep (Boergers). By schools pushing back their start times isShow MoreRelatedThe Effects Of Teens On Children s Life Essay951 Words   |  4 Pages Teens need to sleep more than bear who need to hibernate during winter for their own health. Teens need to sleep about 8 to 10 hours of sleep to function best and most teens do not get enough sleep study found that only 15 % do not sleep during school night. Teens natural sleep cycle puts them in conflict with school start times and most high school students need an alarm clock or a parent to wake them on school days. Teen are like zombies when they are getting ready for school and some teen findRead More Sleepless and Irritable956 Words   |  4 PagesMany studies have been done on how many hours of sleep teens need and how lack of sleep can affect their lives. Sleep has an impact on teens and their concentration, their mood and the way they function doing things in day to day living. Studies show that teens should sleep 8 to 10 hours a night however; many are not getting the recommended amount of sleep to help them (The Science Of Sleep. 60 Minutes. Narr. Lesley Stahl. Prod. Sha ri Finkelstein. CBS. 16 Mar 2008). A lot of teenagers stay upRead MoreSchool Should Start Later With The Lack Of Sleep1324 Words   |  6 Pagesstart later in the morning. Do teens know how many problems can come with the lack of sleep? with sleep deprivation comes many long term effects on people s mental and physical health.lacking sleep is a cause of depression, obesity ,and makes it hard to function in school. School shouldn’t start as early as it does.because, it s unhealthy and lowers academic scores. Lack of sleep puts teens at risk for mental and physical issues.Less amounts of sleep put teens at a higher risk for depressionRead MoreThe Effects Of Lack Of Sleep Deprivation On Children1315 Words   |  6 Pagesstart later in the morning. Do teens know how many problems can come with the lack of sleep? with sleep deprivation comes many long term effects on people s mental and physical health.lacking sleep is a cause of depression, obesity ,and makes it hard to function in school. School shouldn’t start as early as it does.because, it s unhealthy and lowers academic scores. Lack of sleep puts teens at risk for mental and physical issues.Less amounts of sleep put teens at a higher risk for depressionRead MoreAdolescent Sleep Deprivation: Causes, Effects, and Prevention1438 Words   |  6 PagesAdolescent Sleep Deprivation: Causes, Effects, and Prevention Adolescent sleep deprivation is a common problem in today’s society, and it is also a very dangerous one. There have been numerous studies done to determine the causes of sleep deprivation in teenagers, the most prevalent being teens not getting enough sleep due to things like jobs and early school start times. There are many perceived dangers of this, such as sleepiness while driving and a risk for hypertension. There are a few waysRead MoreShould School Day Start Later? Essay1395 Words   |  6 PagesEven though that schools are starting too early and students aren t getting enough sleep. Schools should start later because teens can get more sleep and teens can get their work on time., That schools should start later so students can learn better. because Teens are falling asleep in class because they are getting to school early. and Schools are starting too early and should start later. Students need more sleep in the morning so that when they get to school they can listen more to the teachersRead MoreTeen Texting1524 Words   |  7 PagesTexting and Teens in the Media So the news is we have indefinitely entered a new zone of communication in the twenty-first century. â€Å"They do it at night when their parents are asleep. They do it in restaurants and while crossing the streets. They do it in the classroom with their hands behind their back. They do it so much their thumbs hurt.†(Hafner) Texting and teens has become a cause for concern. The stereotype of young chatty teens spending hours on the phone has faded. The interactionsRead MoreSummary : Investigative Journalism Essay952 Words   |  4 PagesSavannah Hamman Ms. Falbo Investigative Journalism 21 October 2016 Sleep and Students She woke up and stretched the stiffness from her limbs as she glanced at the clock, squinting through the blur of her tired eyes. 6:30 am, it read back to her, she sighed as she inched her way out of bed, not wanting to reach the edge and just stay in the warmth of her cozy sheets all day. When she finally stumbled into school, the students all around her were exactly the same. They walked the halls onlyRead MoreSleep Deprivation In Adolescents. Sleep Is Very Important.1741 Words   |  7 PagesSleep Deprivation in Adolescents Sleep is very important. Many people have probably heard this many times, but often they do not realize how important it really is, especially for adolescents. A scary statistic from the National Sleep Foundation states that driving as a sleep deprived individual is equivalent to driving with a BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) of around 0.08%. Additionally, annually more than 100,000 accidents happen because of sleep deprived drivers(â€Å"Teens and Sleep†, p.1). Some peopleRead MoreSleeping Habits1419 Words   |  6 Pagesamount of sleep every night is a must if you want your body to function at its highest performance throughout the day. Over half the population in America has admitted to not getting enough sleep. Bad sleep habits can really have a negative affect on teens. There are some tips that a teen can follow to help change those habits to get a better night sleep. Hopefully after reading this paper you will be more informed on how to get a good night sleep. One of the most common tendencies that teens have is

Hammurabi Reaction Free Essays

Today’s laws are not as harsh as Hammurabi’s. They are more civilized. For example, none of today’s laws include amputating other people’s body parts. We will write a custom essay sample on Hammurabi Reaction or any similar topic only for you Order Now Hammurabi thought it was necessary to amputate arms, breasts, digits, etc. I believe our laws are better, overall because they do not incorporate corporal punishment. I think Hammurabi’s Code of Law was an excellent deterrent against crime, and very few people would try to break the law. I think this is due to how harsh the laws were. There was zero tolerance. For example, the sixth law says, â€Å"If any one steal the property of a temple or of the court, he shall be put to death, and also the one who receives the stolen thing from him shall be put to death. † Also, because of the severity of some punishments (dismemberment, whippings, drowning, etc. ), I do not think people would want to test Hammurabi. I do not think Babylon was a safer society than the society that we currently live in. There should be no need for the extreme laws I learned about if people behaved. I also think that these laws would cause many deaths. I think many members of the Babylon civilization were killed, sometimes unnecessarily. â€Å"If any one ensnare another, putting a ban upon him, but he cannot prove it, then he that ensnared him shall be put to death. † This law would put people to death if they made a false accusation—in my opinion, this is too extreme and living under the Hammurabi laws would be like living under a dictatorship. How to cite Hammurabi Reaction, Essay examples

Business Project Management SWOT Direction

Question: Describe about the Business Project Management for SWOT Direction. Answer: Business Management Plan (BMP) The major perspective of the company is mainly related to the completion of the customers expectation and to establish trust among the common people. The business management plan is mainly specified to achieve the most remarkable success in the possible way. To achieve the target, a specific strategy is also adopted in the proper direction. The business management plan will also help in framing suitable assistance in the proper direction. The short and long term corporate strategies are also planned simultaneously that will be assist in developing the most specific aspects (Entrepreneur Media, 2015). In short, it can be identified that the business management plan will be helpful in defining the sequential blueprint for the project and try to generate suitable output as well. The business management plan shown below mainly covers various sections related to the human resource, administration related to the pop up electronics, suitable role of management and the specific SWOT analysis in a correct direction (LTD, 2016). Human Resources The human resource is the most coordinated and required section identified for any organization. As this industry is an electronics industry, so a suitable processing of the human resources section needs to be identified on a wide level. The company is a pioneer in selling the electronic products in a broad manner, so it is essential to create strong hold on the HR section of the company with the help of which, generation of the suitable results can be identified. The human resource is considered as the wide area specifically for the organization. There are various tasks that are handled by the human resource department of the pop up electronics. The phase from a selection and recruitment of candidates to decide their maximum and minimum salary is decided by the human resource department of the pop up electronics. Some of the major tasks performed by the human resource department are defined below with their specific explanation: - The human resource department of pop up electronics is well organized and highly equipped with suitable team members. But, as the organization is trying to expand their outlets in the major cities of Australia, so it is essential that the most remarkable policies should be defined for the process of expansion. The recruitment is also identified as the major responsibility of the human resource department. The selection of the right candidates and recruiting them to the possible places is considered as the most important aspect. The safety at the work place and securing the rights of employees are also considered as the aspect to be considered. Different policies and agendas are identified by the HR team to fulfill the basic amenities of the employees. The relations with the employees and planning of the suitable processing on the behalf of the employee is considered as the most important aspect of the management. To maintain the relations, coordinated approach is required for them (Mayhew, 2016). The rewards and performance appreciation are also provided to the employees. This will be helpful in generating the suitable motivation of employee in the correct direction. The training and development are the aspects in which most suitable services are provided to the employees. The different types of training programs are defined for the employees of pop up electronics. The induction program is also defined for the employees too. By the help of this, management can able to play the specific role in the growth and improvement of the country. Role of Management To achieve the suitable vision and target of the company (i.e. Pop up electronics), the management will be help in providing suitable output. The management not only supports to provide the suitable results, but by this, some of the innovative techniques may also get introduced. The diagrammatic approach for the different domains of the management are defined below. With the help of these domains, the management can able to perform in right way. The interactive approaches and coordinated expansion are identified as the most promising approach of the management. For this, the management holds the collaborative approaches also. The above defined six aspects of the management will be helpful in highlighting the flow of work in different directions and also helps in fulfilling the basic requirements of the organization on priority.. Apart from this, the effective and efficient planning is also done by the management, which is helpful in further promoting the different areas related to the human resources in all respects. The management also tries to provide the suitable organization structure which is helpful in defining the suitable opportunities, trends, technological advancements and competitive criteria in the broad manner. The management also tries to fulfill the aspects related to the organizational growth and loss too. By the help of this, the suitable planning for the future perspectives can be done. The sequential steps and the allotment of the different departments can be initialized by the management only. The management is responsible for coordinating equal opportunities for the employees too. Other than this, there are various decisions and organizational supports provided by the management Administration The administration is considered as the supportive element for the Human resource aspects of an organization. The pop up electronics are observed in the developing phase, so it is essential that the administrative policies are expanded in a proper manner. The administration section is identified in the five basic forms which are defined with the help of suitable digram defined below: - By considering the diagram shown above, it is clearly assumed that the major sections of the organization (i.e. Pop up electronics) are handled by the administration. Other than this, the administration department can also able to achieve the target in a progressive manner. They provide the promotion offers and suitable deals to the clients. The preparation of the suitable marketing scenario for the launch of new products related to the pop up electronics are also prepared with the help of appropriate administration. There is a requirement of an improved and well-focused administrative system which can able to generate growth aspects of the present scenario and also defines the strategy for the future development (Mishra, 2014). The administrative department of the Pop electronics is also well equipped with the resources, but there is a requirement of smooth coordination. This can only be achieved by the proper and approachable strategy. The good qualities and equilibrium aspects of the managers are also considered vital. The managers also possess their unique approach in defining different perspectives of organization too. This will be helpful in supporting the process administration thoroughly and deeply. SWOT Analysis The SWOT analysis is considered as the most advanced and approachable method to manage the different perspectives of the company. With the help of the SWOT analysis, the basic strength, weakness, opportunities and threats are being found out on an initial level. Strength The location of the organization and the strong share value is considered as the most precise strength. Due to the individual liabilities, the marketing image of the country will become stronger and strengthened. The employees working dedication are identified as the most stable aspect for the growth of the organization (Team, 2012). Weakness The initial perspectives of the investment are not well defined. The investment is about 8% of the investors and 60% of the debtors bank. The financial aspects of the company are not well focused. The monitoring and controlling is essential for the management. The Pop up electronics seems weaker in establishing their social identity and communications. Opportunity As the company is dealing with the electronics part, so it could become possible to perform maximum expansion in different domains. The manufacturing and production units are increasing with a fast speed which are helpful in providing the suitable support to the market image of the organization. The innovative marketing techniques adopted by the Organization will be helpful in defining the trade policies on an international level. Apart from this, various changes are also observed, which are related to the contract manufacturing. Threat The most common threat is due to the competitors in the market. The major competitors are the Horvay Norman, Dick Smith and may others. The other threat is related to the formation of similar products in the market. Various organizations are trying to make the same products with less price (Mahasagar Publications, 2013). The other small threats are also observed, which are responsible for various issues in the organization. By observing the report above, it is clear that the Human resource department holds stronger and manageable identity to maintain the business while performing suitable expansion. References Entrepreneur Media, I., 2015. First Steps: Writing the Management Section of Your Business Plan, Available at: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/241072 LTD, M. P. S. P., 2016. V3M: Automatic Pop Up Power Outlet. [Online] Available at: https://modernpowersolutions.com.au/online-store/popup-powerpoint-australia-electrical-outlet-v3-motorised/ Mahasagar Publications, 2013. SWOT Analysis of Consumer Electronics Market, Available at: https://mbaprojectreportindia.blogspot.in/2013/05/swot-analysis-of-consumer-electronics.html Mayhew, R., 2016. Six Main Functions of a Human Resource Department, Available at: https://smallbusiness.chron.com/six-main-functions-human-resource-department-60693.html Mishra, P., 2014. Effective Role Of Administration In An Organization, Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140714095925-34031211-effective-role-of-administration-in-an-organization Team, P. E., 2012. SWOT analysis of Indian electronics industry, Available at: https://policy.electronicsb2b.com/industry/swot-analysis-of-indian-electronics-industry/

Website implementation in a printing company

Website development for any growing company is of benefit especially due to the rapid globalization of companies. Most companies despite their size and location are fighting hard to reach the top in terms of providing their products and services to the whole world.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Website implementation in a printing company specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Research done on most companies show that most companies have developed websites so as to be able to reach as many customers as possible. This is the case because of the high competition from companies dealing in related products or services and the need to globalise their company. Statistics show that there are an approximate 1.8 trillion internet users it the world as at December 2009. Asia was rated the highest continent in internet usage with 764 million users while china was rated the country with the largest population of interne t users. This data indicates that over fifty percent of the world’s population has access to the internet. This means that any advertisement on the internet will reach a larger population as compared to regional or location advertisement using other ways such as newspapers or sales promotions. Websites are used by many companies as a means of communication as well as for the purpose of marketing and selling of services offered. A printing company is no exception since its services are demanded in almost all parts of the world. Implementation of a website in a printing company would definitely lead to increased sales of the company at the same time satisfying the customers (â€Å"World internet users†, 2010, p. 1). This is a recent development in the printing industry since it has been before thought to be a minute industry and available in almost every location. The idea of globalising such an industry through website development is beneficial because of the many advan tages related to website marketing. Some of these benefits have been reported to be satisfaction to the customers by adding value to the products or services offered. The website gives a site where the customers can be served at any time and day even if the printing shop is closed; they also get instant feedback without having to travel hence saving much of their time. The customers are able to view free tips and guidelines concerning the services they require. Websites have also been known to market companies, potential companies despite their location will be able to view the company through internet access (Duermyer, 2010, p. 1).Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This reduces the cost of training sales personnel to advertise the company’s products or services and in turn saving the company lots of cash. The cost of printing pamphlets to be distributed to cus tomers or advertising in newspapers, billboards, magazines will also be saved since marketing will be online. The printing company will have an automated system where the customers make their orders, receive services and pay for them electronically. Websites provide a simplified chain to be followed when purchasing or requesting for a service hence creating a room to attract as many customers as possible. All these benefits channel to increased sales of the company at the same time expanding it to operate globally. Apart from increasing sales, websites would show any recent changes and developments of the company to their customers, for example in cases of change of location or development of new products or services (Berry, 2010, p. 4). Reference List Berry, T. (2010). Print shop website business plan. Web. Duermyer, R. (2010). Internet Marketing. Web. Internet usage statistics. (2010). World internet users and population stats. Web. This research paper on Website implementation in a printing company was written and submitted by user Catseye to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Garcia Lorca essays

Garcia Lorca essays Yo me cortar la mano derecha Tengo un guante de mercurio y otro de seda No solloces. Silencio, que no nos sientan. Asà ­ es como este poeta y dramaturgo se expresaba al escribir sus poesà ­as. En esta poesà ­a en particular habla de la muerte, su tema favorito. Sus principales temas para sus poemas e historias eran el amor, pasion y la muerte violenta. Lorca escribi sus obras de teatro que terminan en un dramtico final irnicamente era el mismo final que el mismo tendrà ­a. El tambin se inspiraba en su querida Granada, escribiendo con influencia gitana. Pese que Lorca no estaba interesado en la polà ­tica muchos asà ­ lo pensaban principalmente los nacionalistas. Asà ­ es como la vida de este ilustre poeta termin en una trajedia, và ­ctima de la Guerra Civil Espa Federà ­co Garcia Lorca naci un cinco de Junio del as ricas familias de su pueblo. Su infancia la vivi hasta los 10 an estudi mà ºsica y actividades para preparar su sentido rà ­tmico. En el Instituto de la ciudad, complet el Bachillerato al mismo tiempo que se dedica intensamente a sus estudios de mà ºsica. Llegando a su adolescencia empez a escribir poemas que luego los recitarà ­a en Cafs locales. Luego de estudiar en Madrid, viaja por los Estados Unidos, en donde estudia y da conferencias en al Universidad de Columbia en Nue...

Start your own small business Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Start your own small business - Assignment Example reasons due to which individuals start their own business is that they want to operate independently and want to become the boss instead of being bossed around. These individuals do not prefer taking instructions from others. They believe that they are quite creative and can perform better by starting their own business. A research was conducted by Lange in order to identify the factors due to which individuals choose to be self-employed instead of working for another organization (Lange, 2012). Lange identified that autonomy and independence were the main factors that were motivating these individuals to be self-employed. Another reason due to which individuals choose to start their own business is that the concept of job security is fading away. Brenner reports that fresh graduates have started perceiving that being an entrepreneur provides them with the feeling of job security (Brenner, 1991). This means that the previously held belief that an individual’s job is much secur e when they are employed is fading away and now individuals believe that self-employment results in job security. Brenner, O., Pringle, C., & Greenhaus, J. (1991). Perceived fulfillment of organizational employment versus entrepreneurship: Work values and career intentions of business college graduates. Journal Of Small Business Management, 29(3),

Why is bureaucracys relationship to democracy so conflicted Essay

Why is bureaucracys relationship to democracy so conflicted - Essay Example Bureaucracy and democracy are independent in their application to governance but are closely interconnected in a distinctive way. They operate alongside each other but in different directions, with democracy being associated with values such as equality, involvement and independence while bureaucracy supports hierarchy, division of labour and objectivity. This paper discusses why bureaucracy’s relationship to democracy is conflicted. Managerial excellence and participation in governance are significant backgrounds of public perception with regards to bureaucracy and democracy. The people’s view of the accomplishments of the public sector influences their democratic ideals for instance confidence in government and its agencies as well as their effective participation in public affairs. Managerial excellence is influenced by human resource characteristics and is interpreted differently by stakeholders among them the public who are the major clients of the government. Bureaucracy is focused on attaining managerial excellence in the public domain to enhance the accomplishments of democratically elected governments (DuGay, 2000). In this view, the two concepts have a strong interplay because the power to elect governments is vested in the people while on the other hand the elected government needs to establish an efficient bureaucratic system to offer services to the public. It requires effective and competent decisions and leadership qualities for the goals of a bureaucratic system to be realised. This includes maintaining high quality workforce established through meritocracy and professionalism. Managers in the bureaucratic system must promote the ideals of the elected government that represents the people. The public expects transparency and accountability in government that is reflected by its employees. Employees are also expected to maintain innovativeness and creativity to effectively solve problems affecting the

To What Extent Was the Effectiveness of Transition Strategies Essay

To What Extent Was the Effectiveness of Transition Strategies Dependent on the Initial Conditions of the Transition Economies - Essay Example The changing economic landscape in the last century has brought with it considerable political and social change. In terms of theoretical and scholarly research some of the most prominent considerations have been in terms of the shift between developing, emerging, and first worlds. Within this context of understanding one recognizes that a central area of concern has been transition economies. Transition economies are those where a nation is shifting from a centrally planned economy to a free market. Within the modern world environment this has become a highly complex notion as nations such as China have seemingly transcended traditional bounds of the centrally planned economy and combined state-sponsored industries with aspects of the free market. Still, to a large degree the traditional structural boundaries of the transition economy still hold. This essay considers the extent that the effectiveness of transition strategies is dependent on the initial conditions of the transition e conomies. Russia While the subject of transition economy strategies is complex and multi-varied, one of the central understandings is that there has been considerable difference regarding success among these transition countries. One recognizes that while there may be no objective or prescriptive approach to successful transition, one of the most thematic elements has been that the most successful transition economies have been linked to the success of the initial conditions of the transition economy. This is a complex notion that demands deconstruction. One of the major considerations in these regards has been the Russian transition approach. While theorists disagree as to the original state of the Russian centrally controlled government, to a great degree the original conditions were stark. Following the Cold War with the United States and Western powers, Russian experienced a state of considerable economic decline. To a great degree it seems that many of the earlier challenges carried over to the post transition period. As one might expect countless literature has been written on Russia’s transition, still there are a number of notable considerations. Roland (2004) links one of the primary challenges to the lack of structure in Russia’s original socialist system. While one would consider that a centrally controlled system would have stringent controls, it appears that to a degree this didn’t occur in Russia’s socialist practice. It is noted that the government had only centrally planned for approximately 100 goods, when in reality there was over 12 million that needed to be accounted for (Roland 2004). The cumulative effect particularly in Russia, but also in many other socialist economies, was that there emerged a market where quality products were not a concern, because the market consistently had shortages. This structure extended to workers as the seller’s market ensured they were always well employed. When the transition period arose t hese issues came to the forefront, as entrenched enterprises and workers viewed the changes as a threat. Crime and Corruption One of the major problems that arose in transition economies, particularly in Russia, was organized crime. While the emergence of these crime institutions surely had a complex array of reasons, it seems fairly plausible that the dissonance created in the transition between the earlier seller’s market period and the later free market may have contributed to a higher propensity of individuals willing to participate in such activity. These occurrences attest to a level of carry over from dysfunctions in the pre-free market economy that would indicate that the original state of the economy has a direct impact on transition strategies. Boerner & Hainz (2009) support the notion that inefficient pre-liberalization economic states directly contribute to later era corruption practices. Specifically, â€Å"

The Blue Ocean Strategy

The Blue Ocean Strategy Indian bus service industry was extremely unorganized till recently before redBus emerged and took the industry by its neck and brought a sort of revolution never imagined for such an unorganized industry. This was primarily because the information flow and availability in this industry was very difficult and there was a lot of mismatch. The bus ticket industry was highly fragmented with small players active regionally. All these were small small agents competing against each other. Due to lack of any major player there was not much competition for redBus and hence it was able to create a marketspace for itself through entering the bus ticket industry online. By the time redBus entered the horizon there were settled names both in airline and railway ticket booking industry who were operating online. But even for them it was a huge task to enter bus ticketing industry due to the sheer complexity present in the industry and emulating the online model for bus ticketing industry was perc eived to be almost impossible even by these major players in e-commerce. This study deals with how a disruptive model can change the scenario of the complete industry. redBus which at the time of its inception was confined in a small flat of 2 rooms is now a 400 million company with over 400 employees and offices across India. Currently it is the only major player concentrating completely on bus ticketing industry with a market share of over 70%. In this research, I have tried to analyze the bus ticketing industry and how redBus identified the opportunities present in this segment and created a value chain which not only gave them a distinct product but also at competitive cost. It is a perfect example of Blue Ocean strategy where entry of redBus changed the entire landscape of the industry. It revolutionized the way the people buy bus tickets in India. One of the unique bus ticketing system of its kind in the entire world, competitors have leaped in this market but none has receive d success like redBus. This study further covers how redBus has sustained its competitive advantages and what are the challenges and growth opportunities going forward. CHAPTER-1 INTRODUCTION: Blue Ocean Strategy As the authors of the book Blue Ocean Strategy, W. Kim Chan and Renee Mauborgne say: Although the term blue ocean is new, their existence is not. They have been a part of business transformation in past as well as in present. If we look back in the past say a century ago, How many of todays industries were then known? The answer will be majority of todays industries were unknown in their current form. Many industries such as automobiles, aviation, health care, and management consulting were unknown or were just beginning to emerge. Now lets look at the industries 3 decades back. Again, multibillion-dollar industries like mutual funds, computers, mobile phones, smart phones, gas based power plants, discount retail, biotechnology, nanotechnology, express parcel delivery, coffee bars, video games, home videos, and CD player and many other such industries were all non-existent in a practical or popular way. Similarly, lets turn the clock forward a bit and try to look into the future. Lets say after 30 years or say 50 years how many of the now unknown industries will emerge and will exist. If history is any indicator of things to come in future, the answer is there will be many such industries that we cant even think of right now which will emerge. This is the reality; industries are dynamic. They never remain the same over a long period of time. They change continuously and evolve. The participants, the process, the market and the operations everything changes. Operations improve, markets evolve and grow, and non-customers become customers. History tells us that we have huge potential to change the existing industries and recreate them and not only that it teaches us that we underestimate our capability to create new ones. To have an idea of how dynamic things can get, the 50-year old Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system, which was published by the U.S. Census, was substituted by the North America Industry Classification Standard (NAICS) system in 1997. The reason being the number of industry sectors that SIC covered were half the number of sectors that actually existed in 1997. The old SIC system covered only 10 industry sectors. The new NAICS system doubled it to twenty sectors to reflect the emergence of new-age industries. For example earlier the service sector included all that is now fragmented into different specialized industries like IT, healthcare, social assistance, etc. Given that these systems are made to ensure stability, continuity and for keeping standards, such a substitution shows the significance of growth of Blue Ocean industries. Yet the dominant emphasis of strategists has been on competitive strategies also known as red ocean strategies. Part of the explanation for this is that its roots in military strategy heavily influence corporate strategy. Strategy is about fighting different competitors over the same area of land that is constant and not unlimited. Unlike battles though, the history of industry tells us that the universe of market is unlimited and there is a place for everyone; rather, blue oceans have been always in existence. They have continuously been created. To believe and restrict oneself to red ocean is therefore to accept the constraints that are associated with war-limited piece of land and the need to fight and defeat an opponent to succeed-and to reject the unique strength of the business world: the capacity to create new market universe that is uncontested. Blue Ocean v/s Competitive Strategy (Red Ocean) Blue Ocean emphasises the importance of value innovation that can completely negate the competition replacing competitive advantage with value innovation as the firms primary goal thus highlighting the importance of creating demand and exploiting untapped maket rather than risking competition. There is a debate in the academia and research groups as to which strategy is better suited but all evidences are as case studies on different companies which is not enough to define any one of the two strategies as a clear winner. Rather the two strategies co-exist and should co-exist because a firm on the foundation of Blue Ocean strategy may ultimately have to face competition depending on the imitability of the business model and then before they have more value innovation to differentiate themselves and still remain cost competitive, they must also have a competitive strategy to ensure they do not fall behind of competition. Research results of researchers like Andrew Burke Andres van Stel and Roy Thurik suggest that the notion that blue ocean makes competition irrelevant may not be true. When combined, the two provide a more holistic and realistic depiction of economic performance. Thus, in real life the any strategy must be adopted after evaluating the business and market circumstances appropriately as these define the degree of scope for effectiveness of either Blue Ocean or competitive strategy. Furthermore, what emphasis and mix should be given to either form of strategy across short and long-term time horizons is apparent in most innovative companies competing in short term red oceans while significant time and resources are devoted to the long-term goal of developing innovation that creates consumer demand and new markets. Figure 1: Red Ocean v/s Blue Ocean Strategy Source: www.blueoceanstrategy.corporatestrategy.com Blue Ocean and White Space The term white space has been used in business parlance to mean uncharted territory or an underserved market. But as Mark W. Johnson perfectly writes in Seizing the White Space the term is the range of potential activities not defined or addressed by the companys current business model, that is, the opportunities outside its core and beyond its adjacencies that require a different business model to exploit. White space is a subjective valuation: one companys white space may be another companys core. What matters is that it describes activities that lie far outside a firms usual way of working and presents a series of unique and perplexing challenges to that organization. Its an area where, relatively speaking, assumptions are high and knowledge is low, the opposite of conditions in the companys core space. The chance to seize a piece of white space presents a tantalizing opportunity. Success here can bring the transformational growth that so many business leaders seek. Yet understandably, a play for the white space feels risky, and often the numbers dont appear to add up. The market seems too foreign, or core capabilities wont apply. Some executives, having made one unsuccessful foray, just wont risk failing again. Figure 2: White Space Source: Seizing the White Space, Mark W. Johnson Blue Ocean Strategy and Applied Concepts The Strategy Canvas The strategy canvas is the central diagnostic and action framework for building a compelling blue ocean strategy. The horizontal axis captures the range of factors that the industry competes on and invests in, while the vertical axis captures the offering level that buyers receive across these entire key competing factors. There are two purposes that are served here: It captures the current state of play in known market space, which allows users to clearly see the factors that the industry competes on and where the competition currently invests. Then, it propels users to action by reorienting focus from competitors to alternatives and from customers to non-customers of the industry. The value curve is the basic component of the strategy canvas. It is a graphic depiction of a companys relative performance across its industrys factors of competition. A strong value curve has focus, divergence as well as a compelling tagline. Figure 3: The Strategy Canvas Four Action Framework This framework can also be referred to as the Eliminate-Reduce-Raise-Create Grid. To reconstruct buyer value elements in crafting a new value curve, we use the Four Actions Framework. As shown in the diagram, to break the trade-off between differentiation and low cost and to create a new value curve, the framework poses four key questions to challenge an industrys strategic logic and business model. Which of the factors that the industry takes for granted should be eliminated? Which factors should be reduced well below the industrys standard? Which factors should be raised well above the industrys standard? Which factors should be created that the industry has never offered? Figure 4: Four Actions Framework By pursuing the first two questions managers gain insight into how to drop their cost structure vis-à  -vis competitors. Rarely do they systematically set out to eliminate and reduce their investments in factors that an industry competes on. The result is mounting cost structures and complex business models. The other questions provide insights into how to lift buyer value and create new demand. Collectively, they allow exploring how to reconstruct buyer value elements across alternative industries to offer buyers an entirely new experience, while simultaneously keeping your cost structure low. Eliminating and creating are vital as they push companies to go beyond value maximization exercises with existing factors of competition. They prompt companies to change the factors themselves, hence making the existing rules of competition irrelevant. Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) The PDCA Cycle is a checklist of the four stages, which one must go through to get from `problem-faced to `problem solved. This concept was developed by Walter Shewhart, the pioneering statistician who developed statistical process control in the Bell Laboratories in the US during the 1930s. It was taken up and promoted very effectively from the 1950s on by the famous Quality Management authority, W. Edwards Deming. Consequently, PDCA cycle is also commonly known as `the Shewhart Cycle and the Deming wheel. This cycle diagram can be applied in team meetings to take stock of what stage improvement initiatives are at, and to choose the appropriate tools to see each stage through to successful completion. Here is what we do in each stage: Plan to improve operations first by finding out what things are going wrong (that is identify the problems faced), and come up with ideas for solving these problems. Do changes designed to solve the problems on a small scale first. This minimizes disruption to routine activity while testing whether the changes will work or not. Check whether the small scale changes are achieving the desired result or not. Also, continuously Check nominated key activities (regardless of any experimentation going on) to know what the quality of the output is at all times to identify any new problems. Act to implement changes on a larger scale if its successful on small scale. Also Act to involve other persons (other departments, suppliers, or customers) affected by the changes and whose cooperation is needed to implement them on a larger scale. If the experiment was not successful, skip the Act stage and go back to the Plan stage to come up with some new ideas for solving the problem and go through the cycle again. Plan-Do-Check-Act describes the overall stages of improvement activity, but how is each stage carried out? This is where other specific quality management, or continuous improvement, tools and techniques come into play. The diagram below lists the tools and techniques that can be used to complete each stage of the PDCA Cycle. Figure 5: PDCA Cycle VRIO Framework VRIO is an acronym for Value, Rarity, Imitability and Organization. This is also a 4 questions framework where one asks about a resource or capability to ascertain its competitive potential: the question of Value, the question of Rarity, the question of Imitability (Ease/Difficulty to Imitate), and the question of Organization (ability to exploit the resource or capability). The Question of Value: Is the firm able to exploit an opportunity or neutralize an external threat with the resource/capability? The Question of Rarity: Is control of the resource/capability in the hands of a relative few? The Question of Imitability: Is it difficult to imitate, and will there be significant cost disadvantage to a firm trying to obtain, develop, or duplicate the resource/capability? The Question of Organization: Is the firm organized, ready, and able to exploit the resource/capability? The VRIO framework, in a wider scope, is part of a much larger strategic scheme of a firm. The basic strategic process that any firm goes through begins with a vision statement, and continues on through objectives, internal external analysis, strategic choices (both business-level and corporate-level), and strategic implementation. The firm will hope that this process results in a competitive advantage in the marketplace they operate in. VRIO falls into the internal analysis step of these procedures, but is used as a framework in evaluating just about all resources and capabilities of a firm, regardless of what phase of the strategic model it falls under. CHAPTER-2 LITERATURE REVIEW Paper 1: Blue Ocean Strategy versus Competitive Strategy: Theory and Evidence. Burke, Andrew, Andrà © van Stel, and Roy Thurik. ERIM Report Series Research in Management (May 2009) Theme: Empirical analysis of blue ocean strategy versus competitive strategies based on data assembled from 655 retail shops through 41 shop types in the retail industry in Holland. Summary: This paper addresses the debate surrounding Red Ocean (competitive strategy) v/s Blue Ocean (New Market) strategy. The authors note that Blue Ocean seeks to emphasise the importance of value innovation that can completely negate the competition replacing competitive advantage with value innovation as the firms primary goal thus highlighting the importance of creating demand and exploiting untapped maket rather than risking competition. This results in increased profitability in the industry. There is a debate in the academia and research groups as to which strategy is better suited but all evidences are as case studies on different companies which is not enough to define any one of the two strategies as a clear winner. Rather the two strategies co-exist and should co-exist because a firm on the foundation of Blue Ocean strategy may ultimately have to face competition depending on the imitability of the business model and then before they have more value innovation to differentiate themselves and still remain cost competitive, they must also have a competitive strategy to ensure they do not fall behind of competition. Research results in this paper suggest that the notion that blue ocean makes competition irrelevant may not be true. To test the superiority of either tools the authors looks at the two strategies from both long term and short term perspectives and outline a theoretical model which suggests that every market will experience new vendors arriving to share the profits that are there on the offering in the industry. Thus the composition of the pie chart of market share will continuously exhibit different set of players with some fading off while others entering the market but only until the saturation point is reached where everyone will break even. Looking at the industry an its players over a period of time in this manner will give us an understanding about whether the new market strategy or the competitive strategy is more viable for the industry. If companies succeed over a long period of time by creating value innovation (new market strategy) as the new companies entered, both the i ndustry profits as well as the firms profit will grow steadily and so will the number of vendors in the strategy. On the other hand, if the profitability of the blue ocean firm went down with increasing number of vendors in the industry, it would be an indication of the dominance of the firms that followed competitive strategy over the firms that followed new market (blue ocean) strategy. After studying the complete data from 1982-2000 of 655 retail shops over 41 shop types in the Dutch retail industry and after testing and analyzing the premise the authors concluded for half the shop types, the firm profits were directly proportional to the number of firms while the blue ocean strategy was dominant over a long term with number of vendors and firm profitability rising/falling together over all shop types in the whole period under consideration. The authors also concluded that in short term Red Ocean strategies were at work. The study highlights that the two strategies co-exist and cross each other throughout the industry life and there is no particular choice that any manager prefers. Paper 2: Synthesizing a Blue Ocean. Master Thesis. Vester, Daniel. Aalto University, 2012. Theme: Applicability of New Market strategy frameworks and techniques in the electronic musical instruments industry for innovating new products. Summary: In this paper, the author targets to show how value innovation could be used in case of an electronic musical instrument company to add value to their product and create new market space. To explain this, he choses to compare the traditional strategies like competitive strategy, Porters 5 forces strategy to the blue ocean strategy. Blue ocean strategy is eventually selected for the process of product development of ArturiaMiniBrute, an analogue synthesizer reason being 1) Its attention on constructing new uncontested market space and at the same time targeting lower cost and product differentiation as well; and 2) The ease with which the analytical tools and frameworks in a Blue Ocean strategy could be blended into the product development process and usability of the instrument thus developed. Blue ocean strategy tools such as the Strategy Canvas, Four Action Framework, Buyer Utility Map and Three Tiers of Noncustomers are applied after quantitative analysis of sales figures in the electronic musical instrument industry for identifying Arturias closest competitors in various synthesizer markets and to design the strategy for ArturiaMiniBrute. The authors observations and interpretations show that the Blue Ocean Strategy techniques and frameworks can aid electronic musical instrument firms add value to their instruments/products/offerings and create new market space. Subsequently, the author advocates that companies should shift focus from technical features of the musical instrument to the emotional appeal of the musical instrument, and urges that companies should get out of the traditional mindset, challenge established rules of the industry by eliminating factors that have been ignored and not given due importance but which may be of great value to the customer. Paper 3: The Impact of Blue Ocean Strategy in Low-cost Transport. Ã…Â  tverkovà ¡, Hana, Michal ÄŒervinka, and Vlasta Humlovà ¡. In 2012 International Conference on Traffic and Transportation Engineering. Belgrade, November 29-30, 2012. Theme: Applicability of blue ocean strategy theory to Ryanair (air transport industry) Summary: This paper illustrates how blue ocean strategy can be vital and have an important influence in the low cost aviation sector. The authors chose to analyze the low-cost air transport industry in the European Union. They report that the market is highly competitive and the regional players fight amongst themselves on the base of cost competitiveness. The authors show that a cordial relationship between regional airports and any carrier firm can enable budget airlines to provide distinguished value for airline passengers at a low cost to the companies. The authors also suggests using the case of Ryanair that infrastructure improvement for non-core activities at the smaller airports might be essential to facilitate such relationships between budget airlines and small regional airports. CHAPTER-3 EXAMPLES OF BLUE OCEAN STRATEGY Air Asia One of the major developments that the airline has experienced has been the evolution of the budget airlines. For instance, emergence of Air Asia in Malaysia is a classic example. Air Asia have avoided the competitive strategy or the red Ocean (competition against Malaysia Airline and other airlines like Tiger Air, Jet Air and other regional airlines) by considering factors that are important to customers but easily taken for granted by most of the other airlines. With the Four Actions Framework proposed by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne, Air Asia have ensured they make Malaysia Airline, Tiger Air, Jet air and regional players irrelevant by implementing many important strategic moves explained below. STRATEGY Eliminate: 1) OTC booking 2) Seating Class booking arrangement 3) Free breakfast/lunch/dinner on the plane Reduce: 1) Number of attendants serving on the plane 2) Luxury facilities delivered 3) Quality of the seats Raise: 1) Increased flight hours for their aircrafts: frequency of flight 2) Selected key endpoints/destinations catered frequently Create: 1) Booking system became online 2) Travel system: point-to-point Through these strategic moves, Air Asia has been able to concentrate on factors that really matter for the customers like better booking channel, point-to-point travel system, etc. that makes customers lives simpler and adds value to them. This is a perfect example of Value Innovation, as not only does this help Air Asia increase the value to the customers but at the same time reduces cost for Air Asia significantly Value Innovation. This also allows Air Asia towards customers who were not traditionally target thus creating a new market space and targeting non-customers in the traditional airline industry. Current Airline Customers: 1) Corporates and business fraternity in Malaysia or ASEAN region. 2) Those individuals who can afford to buy expensive airline tickets from airlines like Malaysia Airline and other regional players. Non-Customers: 1) Officers from the government and other government staff 2) Those individuals who cannot afford to buy expensive tickets such as students or recent graduates or lower middle class and rural people. With effective execution of Blue Ocean strategy, Air Asia has furthered expanded their gamut and has ventured into other businesses like they started Tune Hotel and Tune Money. The model is again towards creating Blue Ocean market space. Crocs Inc. Company Snapshot Crocs Inc. is one of the major players in shoe industry who have been very successful. It designs, fabricates and markets bright-colored, comfy-branded footwear and accessories for all segments men, women and children. Blue Ocean Strategic Move Crocs Inc. with its distinctive lightweight clogs created a blue ocean market space in the shoe industry. These types of shoes gave customers a perfect combination of comfort and fashion at an affordable price point. Crocs shoes have mass appeal because not only are they branded but also in a way they are refreshing, they are different from traditional sandals and casual shoes and add a fun element as well as they come in a wide array of bright colors which provide a funky look. Combined with their new crocodile logo on their shoes it also gives them a bold look. Crocs have been a run-away success also because they provide customer what they never even thought of, they satisfy their customers by adding value to their customers usage by giving features like lightweight, waterproof, ergonomic comfort and anti-microbial and anti-skid. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¨Success Founded in 2002 as a new type of boat shoemaker initially, the company has grown into a global sensation in casual footwear industry with sales across the globe in over 90 countries and reaching 1 billion US dollars in 2011. Figure 6: Crocs Four Actions to create Value Innovation Source: Frontier Strategy, LLC Nintendos Wii The video game business has a huge market and is a multi-billion dollar industry. Video consoles, which form a big portion of this market, were very recently in the past controlled by two major players: PlayStations (PS12 and soon PS3) from Sony and Xbox (Xbox and Xbox360) from Microsoft. Nintendo, however, a distant third player created ripples in the market space with its launch of the Wii. This is an especially interesting case study from a strategy perspective since its a brilliant example of the so-called blue ocean strategy. The graphic below demonstrates Nintendos Wii strategy with the help of the strategy canvas and is quite clear. Figure 7: The Strategy Canvas of Nintendo Wii On giving a closer glance to the above graphic, one will notice that Nintendo is competing on a completely different strategic landscape as the attributes are completely differently focused for Nintendo in comparison with Sony and Microsoft. The Wii is not only affordable for general public, it has no Hard Disk, no DVD, no Dolby 5.1, weak connectivity and comparatively low processor speed, but enthralls the user by its innovative motion control stick. The stick is designed such that it integrates the movements of a player directly into the console of the video game, The user gets an interface where he gets a live feel of himself playing in the screen. With this feature Nintendo not only won the existing customers in the video game world but also brought in a completely new set of customers to the business. We can again think of the Four Actions Framework in all of the above descriptions of features. I will explain here with a couple of those features: Reduction in cost through elimination of some features like Hard Drive, DVD, Dolby 5.1 and low processor speed A raise in demand by creation of motion stick: strong value innovation for new gamers/customers. These 2 features disregard the traditional belief in competitive strategy of either going for cost leadership or product differentiation and not simultaneously for both. In other words, through this example we see that while Sony and Microsoft are fighting in the same old bloody Red Ocean of existent market, Nintendo created a new market space for itself in the form of Wii and is now sailing calmly in this Blue Ocean that it created for itself. CHAPTER-4 BOS: A Case Study on redBus Story of redBus One fine evening an electrical engineer in Bangalore planned to travel to Hyderabad to celebrate Diwali with his family but the answer he got from the agents when he reached at bus stands was that all tickets were sold out and he could inquire about the availability from some other agents. Although the person got frustrated but an appalling question was making rounds in his minds; why werent there other methods to get bus tickets booked rather than moving from one agent to another? He questioned why cant bus tickets be booked online like airlines and railway tickets? The person was Phanindra Sama and his frustration lead way to a revolution in Indian bus industry and redBus was born. Phani discussed the idea with his friends (Sudhakar Pasupunuri and Charan Padmaraju) and they started working on the idea. Initially they decided to develop an IT based inventory system for bus operators but the idea was dismissed by the operators and agents as the task seemed huge to them. Meanwhile they came in contact with the Bangalore chapter of TIE (The Indus Entrepreneurs) which accepted their venture and mentored the team and guided them with various assignments pertaining to market surveys and market research. The TIE mentorship enabled redBus to get venture capitalist interested in them and a VC named Seedfund funded them with $500000. This is how redBus was born on 18th August 2006, Indias first online bus ticketing website, a concept which was in use for airline and railway booking but no one had realized that it could be feasible enough for the bus travel also. Exhibit 1 gives company details. Exhibit 1 The Team Major Milestones Exhibit 2 Company Details Bus Ticket Industry- Overview in India The Indian bus travel industry was highly fragmented with a large number of small operators and agents having very little orientation towards technology. Most of the operators were regional players having small fleets of ten buses where few were long route players having 100 or more fleets of buses. Exhibit 2 gives the details of the industry structure. Long route buses were known as contract carriages and their tickets were to be bought in advance whereas short haul buses known as stage carriers and their tickets were sold in the coach itself. The booking system was agent driven in which each agent had contract with three of four operators and tickets were allocated to them on the basis of quota system by the operators. Each agent used to sell its quota of tickets and all the unsold tickets were informed to the operator before some fixed time of bus departure. No centralized inventory was maintained by either the agents or by operators

Steroid Use By Athletes Should be Banned :: Argumentative Persuasive Steroids Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is amazing what athletes will do to achieve higher levels of performance and to sometimes get the extra edge on the competition. Most of the time people do not realize the long-term effects that result from the decisions they make early in life. This resembles the use of steroids in a person’s life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Steroids became an option to athletes in the Olympics and other major sporting events during the 1950’s. But this use of steroids among athletes only became widely apparent when Canadian sprint runner Ben Johnson tested positive for steroid use after winning the gold medal for the one hundred-meter dash during the 1988 Olympics (Francis, 45). Now a skinny fifteen-year-old can just walk down to the local gym and find people who either sell or know how to get in contact with those who sell the drug that will make him envious of his friends. Steroids are an attractive drug. While steroids seem harmless to the unaware user, they can have a risky effect. Most of the time whether the users are new or experienced, they do not know the dangerous consequences steroids can have on their bodies and their minds. Though steroids cause a relatively insignificant number of deaths in our society, the banning of steroids is justified because steroids have a lot of side effe cts not known to the uninformed user.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Even though steroids are known as a somewhat dangerous substance, they are legal to have and to consume. There has not been a study that proves such possible side effects are linked to medical problems of steroid users (Rogak, 89). There are those who have pointed out several cases where someone has died and an autopsy has shown that the person was using steroids, but they claim this does not mean that it is a deadly drug as some medical professionals have stated (97). Some advocates of steroids believe that because steroids are legal, and because it is the decision of the user to take the drug, steroids are not causing a problem in society. Alcohol and cigarettes are consumed by millions of people, causing a lot of deteriorating effects on their bodies, but there has never been a ban on these items because of the dangers that they can cause. Why should steroids be different? Some people say that the wide spread use of steroids among athletes is forcing the young athletes to use steroids, even though it is against their standards.

How to Use 2g and 3g Gprs Mobile Internet on Your Computer Essay

Imagine a situation where you have to send an important email to your friend or boss and your internet doesn’t work. Imagine the helplessness, the frustration, the anger. I am pretty sure you didn’t imagine it but recalled a moment when something of the sort actually happened to you. Internet connectivity, although becoming better with each passing day is still a luxury in many parts of the world, especially in rural areas. But the advent of smartphones is changing that. Nowadays, you can connect to the internet very easily using your mobile phone. I hope I am not the only one to feel this but using the internet on the mobile is just not as fun or convenient as using it on a computer. So today, I will teach you how to connect to the internet on your computer using the GPRS internet pack you have on your mobile phone. The recipe is simple. Here’s the ingredients: 1. A datacable OR a bluetooth enabled mobile phone(your computer should be bluetooth enabled too in this case). 2. The necessary drivers to use your mobile as a modem. Make sure the internet on your mobile phone is working before actually going through the next steps. Installing the drivers First lets install the drivers necessary to use your phone as a modem. To check if they are already installed, go to Control Panel->Phone and Modem->Modems If you can see the modem for your mobile phone, then you can skip the next few paragraphs. If not, then install the PC suite for your mobile phone on your computer and connect your phone to it and the drivers will be installed automatically. If you don’t have the PC suite, either download it from another PC with an internet connection or if you are a geek, you can download the specific drivers for only the modem from the internet. Go back to Control Panel->Phone and Modem->Modems to double check if the modem is installed. CONFIGURING YOUR PHONE’S MODEM I will first explain the connection procedure using a data cable. * Go to Control Panel->Phone and Modem->Dialing Rules. Click on New and select â€Å"India† as the country and write the ZIP code of the place where you are going to use the internet. Leave the other fields as they are and press OK. Now click on the Modems tab again. Select the modem you are going to use and click properties. Choose the â€Å"Advanced† tab in the dialog box that follows in the space for â€Å"Extra Initialization Commands† type the following codes depending on your cable operator: AIRTEL AT+CGDCONT=1,†IP†,†airtelgprs.com† AIRCEL AT+CGDCONT=1,†IP†,†aircelgprs.com† IDEA AT+CGDCONT=1,†IP†,†ideagprs.com† TATA DOCOMO AT+CGDCONT=1,†IP†,†TATA.DOCOMO.INTERNET† VODAFONE AT+CGDCONT=1,â€Å"IP†, â€Å"www† Don’t get freaked out if the only two options in the drop down list below are Japan and Afghanistan(I did), you can leave it as it is and press OK. Please doublecheck the part after â€Å"IP† from your mobile internet’s settings before you continue. It is called APN(Access Point Name) and it allows you to access the internet from your mobile phone e.g. The APN for Airtel is â€Å"airtelgprs.com†. They may differ in your state from the ones I have shown here. CONNECTING TO THE INTERNET Now go to Control Panel->Network and Sharing Center and click â€Å"Set up a new connection or network†. In the menu that follows, choose Set-up a dial-up connection. Enter the phone number as â€Å"*99#† without the quotes. Leave everything else empty. You can change the name of the connection to whatever you want. You’re done! Now go to the network icon and double click on the connection you just created. Enjoy the internet. If an error #734 occurs, it means that either the internet on your mobile is not working right now or that you have entered the wrong APN. Check your APN and reconfigure the settings. Your internet should work fine. Also, don’t forget to mark â€Å"No Proxy† in your browser’s connection settings. Now lets move on to connection using bluetooth. Activate bluetooth on both your mobile phone and your computer. Pairing your mobile phone with your computer If your mobile is already paired, move on to the next section. If not, Go to Control Panel->Devices and Printers->Bluetooth Devices and click on â€Å"Add a device†. Let the setup find your bluetooth device and click on it to pair with it. Check your mobile phone and match the passkeys. Now, all the processes are the same as the data cable with a few differences. To set up the modem you can right click on the icon for your phone in the Bluetooth Devices folder and click on â€Å"modem† or you can go to â€Å"Phone and Modem† as before and select â€Å"Standard Modem Over Bluetooth Link† and do everything exactly the same way as I explained before. Now, we need to set up a dial-up connection. Go back to â€Å"Bluetooth Devices† and double-click on the icon for your phone. Click the â€Å"Connect† button which is next to â€Å"Use your phone to connect to the internet†. If it doesn’t work the first time, select the option to enter the details manually. Now enter the phone number as *99# and enjoy. The version of windows while writing this tutorial is Windows 7 Premium. The process is similar for other versions. I’ll be write another one for connecting your mobile internet to a computer with a linux-based operating system later. If you had any problems, please comment below and I will reply with a solution.

Free Essays on Paragent Competitive Analysis

2005 Entrepreneurial Consulting Report Table of Contents I. Executive Summary 3 II. Overview 4 How Andrew, Brian, and Dustin Became Involved 4 First Meeting With Clients 4 Initial Objectives 5 Possible Timetable 5 III. Research Questions 6 IV. Methodology 7 V. Results 8 VI. Discussion and Recommendations 27 VII. Appendices 27 I. Executive Summary The goal of this consulting project was to aid Paragent with the release of their new performance monitoring software. They had done some preliminary research about the general aspects of many companies, but they had not focused in on any key competitors or taken an in-depth look at them. The consulting group from Ball State helped them by doing a competitor analysis of, what it believed to be the most prominent competitors. The first order of business was to understand Paragent ¡Ã‚ ¦s project. The group visited the company ¡Ã‚ ¦s headquarters and was given a thorough demonstration of the product. This helped the members to see where Paragent was at with the development of the software and what some of the key differentiating aspects were. Paragent has produced an agent that is implemented into every computer that allows the computer to talk  ¡Ã‚ §smartly ¡Ã‚ ¨. Say for instance, there is a problem with one computer; the others will stop  ¡Ã‚ §talking ¡Ã‚ ¨ to it so that the problem does not spread. The ability of Paragent ¡Ã‚ ¦s software to run without servers was another differentiating point. The consulting group members then decide what companies they would research and how. It was decided that Andy and Dustin would conduct research on the company and product of 5 companies; Andy researched 3 and Dustin 2. Brian researched 1 company and took different look at the comparison between Paragent and its competitors. He looked at the company as a whole, and more specifically their website design and utilization. This allowed the group to view Paragent... Free Essays on Paragent Competitive Analysis Free Essays on Paragent Competitive Analysis 2005 Entrepreneurial Consulting Report Table of Contents I. Executive Summary 3 II. Overview 4 How Andrew, Brian, and Dustin Became Involved 4 First Meeting With Clients 4 Initial Objectives 5 Possible Timetable 5 III. Research Questions 6 IV. Methodology 7 V. Results 8 VI. Discussion and Recommendations 27 VII. Appendices 27 I. Executive Summary The goal of this consulting project was to aid Paragent with the release of their new performance monitoring software. They had done some preliminary research about the general aspects of many companies, but they had not focused in on any key competitors or taken an in-depth look at them. The consulting group from Ball State helped them by doing a competitor analysis of, what it believed to be the most prominent competitors. The first order of business was to understand Paragent ¡Ã‚ ¦s project. The group visited the company ¡Ã‚ ¦s headquarters and was given a thorough demonstration of the product. This helped the members to see where Paragent was at with the development of the software and what some of the key differentiating aspects were. Paragent has produced an agent that is implemented into every computer that allows the computer to talk  ¡Ã‚ §smartly ¡Ã‚ ¨. Say for instance, there is a problem with one computer; the others will stop  ¡Ã‚ §talking ¡Ã‚ ¨ to it so that the problem does not spread. The ability of Paragent ¡Ã‚ ¦s software to run without servers was another differentiating point. The consulting group members then decide what companies they would research and how. It was decided that Andy and Dustin would conduct research on the company and product of 5 companies; Andy researched 3 and Dustin 2. Brian researched 1 company and took different look at the comparison between Paragent and its competitors. He looked at the company as a whole, and more specifically their website design and utilization. This allowed the group to view Paragent...

Effects of Videos on Youth essays

Effects of Videos on Youth essays Our youth has grown up with MTV, BET and because of the entertainment value of these entities our youth have been led astray. Some of our youth cant distinguish between reality and the entertainment that the aforementioned media giants are feeding us. The trend toward baggy pants and hair that is uncombed has come from this culture that has prevailed the last ten years. Our youth have adopted every trend that has been shown through these mediums. The reality is that this has led to some behavior and dress that is not appropriate for all venues. The fascination with entertainers and athletes is not strictly a hip-hop generation thing but in this country Hollywood stars are treated like royalty. We need to do more to make Mac-Arthur genius award recipients, for example, as celebrated as Allen Iverson and Jay-Z, but we're up against resilient forces. One thing that obsessive video viewing has done is to create for our youth a false sense of reality. For example our youth think that the lifestyles that are portrayed in the videos are real and not just for entertainment value. Kids imitate the behavior that they see on the screen and sometimes this leads to disrespect and other issues especially at schools. If you ask a youth what they think about the videos you will get the sense they think that they are real life situations that people are living and never consider that these are staged scenes similar to going to a club where your environment is controlled for a specific mood. The image bite has replaced the sound bite. This is one of the complexities about hip-hop. Hip-Hop gains access to public space in the context of popular culture. In that space various sub cultures converge such as elements of prison culture and street culture, for example. The older generation has a responsibility to become savvier in deciphering these cultural convergences. A good place to start is to make a distinction between hip-hop culture and Bla...

The Nervous Tissue Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Nervous Tissue - Coursework Example The connective tissue generally serves to support and connect the body tissues. It also functions in protecting organs and storage of nutrients. The elements of this tissue are fibres, ground substance, and cells. The loose connective tissues (areolar, adipose and reticular) and dense connective tissue (dense regular and dense irregular) are the two kinds of the mentioned tissue. The bone, cartilage, and blood are specialized connective tissues. Categorized into compact and spongy is the bone tissue. The types of cartilage are hyaline cartilage, fibrocartilage, and elastic cartilage and the blood tissue consists of erythrocytes, thrombocytes, and leucocytes. There are three types of muscle tissues, namely the smooth, skeletal and cardiac muscles. The cells that constitute the smooth muscle are spindle-shaped, lying on the walls of organs and blood vessels. The smooth is an involuntary muscle. Striated and packed in bundles, the skeletal muscle aids in movement because it attaches to bones while the cardiac muscle tissue is located in the heart. It is vital for effective blood-flow, which accounts for the heartbeat. The muscular tissue allows for movement of structures and that of the entire body. It also moves food, waste, and blood through organs and accounts for mechanical digestion.The epithelial tissue is classified into tow, namely the cell shape and layer arrangement. Squamous (flat), cuboidal, columnar and transitional are shapes of the tissue in discussion. Based on cell arrangement, the tissue consists of simple, stratified and pseudostratified columnar epithelium. Simple epithelium consists of a single layer of cells for filtration and absorption while stratified aids in protection from abrasion on the skin. Tissues of the endocrine and exocrine glands form the glandular epithelial tissue. The epithelium functions to cover the surface of the body and lining body cavities. It plays roles in filtering and secretion as well.

Harrods Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Harrods - Research Paper Example Graphs illustrated and explained in the report gives a clear idea about the position of Harrods in the market as compared to its competitors. Secondary research is conducted using credible industry sources such as Market Researech.com, Hoover’s, Harrods website, and other online database. Company Overview Harrods is a luxurious, high-end retailer, founded in London in 1834 and possess a rich heritage and history that makes them the world’s most famous department store (Harrods). The department store is situated on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, London, England, being the one of the largest department stores in the world (store occupying 4.5acre and selling space over one million square feet across over 330 departments). As Mahoney points out, Harrods is the second-biggest store and offering an extensive section of products, a world-class shopping experience and greater customer service. The Harrods brand also stands for other business undertaken by the company which in cludes Harrods Bank, Harrods Aviation, Air Harrods and Harrods Estates. The Harrods group of companies holds its motto â€Å"Omnia Omnibus Ubique – All things for All People Everywhere† (Harrods). Though operating only in London, it has become an international retail icon with superior brand responsiveness among global consumers. History shows that the firm has gone beyond being a high-quality branded store and product designer to a fashionable society, a status icon for celebrities and commoners equally. The store faces about 300,000 customers visiting during peak days, and has a workforce of 5000 employees from more than fifty different countries. The Harrods Ltd. was sold to Qatar Holding LLC for $ 2.2 billion in 2010. The products sold through the firm’s brand ranges across women’s and men’s wear, children’s products and toys, wine and spirits, kitchen products and appliances, beauty products, bags, and accessories. Company process Reven ue: - The lion’s part of Harrods’ revenues comes from its luxury retail division operating at Knightsbridge location. The rest come from the divisions at Heathrow and Gatwick airports and from its four subsidiaries, namely, Harrods Bank, Harrods Aviation, Air Harrods and Harrods Estates. Cost: - The Costs of the company include (i) Costs of Goods Sold, (ii) Marketing and Advertising, and (iii) Other Operating Costs. The costs of goods sold include purchase of inventory, storing costs, store construction and maintenance, transportation and shipment, and other administrative expenses. The marketing and advertising costs include all the expenses incurred by the company with regard to the promotional purpose through print or audiovisual media. And other operating costs include all other expenses borne by the business while functioning. Financial Analysis Nicolini, Papaioannou, Rasheed & Subject report that on peak days Harrods receives over 300,000 customers and during sal e events, the firm takes in about $1.813 million every hour. Since the firm possesses strong brand awareness in the UK market, it does not give importance to funding on traditional methods of brand advertising or using print or news media as their public association can take the role of buzzing about the firm. Though not affected by the recent meltdown in financial markets, financial analysts forecast its future impacts on the consumer behavior and ultimately on the market. As Graham reports, the Managing director

Teenagers should not be allowed to drive until age eighteen Essay

Teenagers should not be allowed to drive until age eighteen - Essay Example Thesis Statement Children should not be allowed to drive until they turn eighteen, the obligation of this rule has its significance since young drivers prove to be reckless and thrill seeking as compared to elders. Children Should Not Be Allowed to Drive Until Age Eighteen The legal age at which individuals can drive varies in different countries; in some places teenagers are not allowed to drive until they are 18 while at some countries such as America, 15 or younger is a legal age to drive. It is usually in relevance to the age at which teenagers are allowed to vote or drink alcohol. Previous researches and records have proved that young drivers are reckless and their driving results in majority of road accidents; it is due to this fact that different countries have emphasized on raising the age at which driving should be made legal, the appeal was given regard in some places and in other cases, it was not taken into account. There are various pros and cons which will contribute to better understanding of this argument; they are as discussed below. (Margaret, 250) Benefits of Raising the Legal Age at Which Teenagers Would be Allowed to Drive The life of humans is very precious and to safeguard them and ensure their security is one of the basic responsibilities of any government therefore it should be entailed that all the possible steps be taken to guarantee this. Raising the age of driving will reduce the number of road accidents since teenagers below eighteen are more likely to cause accidents than older drivers. A research report revealed 30,000 deaths in USA in 1995-2004 caused by young drivers; this further emphasizes how dangerous it can be to allow young drivers on the road. 18 years is considered to be the perfect age to grant permission since at this age further freedom such as the right to vote and drink alcohol is permitted. The attitude that is most commonly observed in 16-17 year old teenagers is that they are fearless and do not generally regard the traffic rules that have been put up for their and other individuals’ safety, they are more inclined towards taking risks and seek thrill in driving. They observe good driving as the ability to maneuver the car at high speeds, are more likely to take influence of the peer pressure and join in the competition of rash driving. This behavior makes them risky and unreliable drivers who would add to the number of car crashes and road accidents. Hence granting them license at an older age might prove to solve this problem to some extent thus ensuring road safety. Taking fruitful steps towards this cause can also benefit the society in the longer run; when younger teenagers would not be allowed to drive until they reach the standard age, there would be lesser cars on the road hence less traffic which will ease the traffic flow, preventing congestion ultimately reducing both noise and air pollution. This is also a very challenging issue these days and any step that can be taken t owards its resolution should be encouraged and supported. Teenagers generally lack experience and to top it they do not consider it as a big deal which results in non serious behavior. They do not understand rather do not value the consequences that might result from their recklessness. Secondly the driving classes do not benefit them much; either the driving schools are not fully equipped or the classes are not beneficial enough to tech the teenagers about how

The Nature vs. Nurture Debate Essay Example for Free

The Nature vs. Nurture Debate Essay The nature versus nurture debate is of constant discussion amongst psychologists today. In the 17th century the French philosopher Rene Descartes set out views which held that people possess certain inborn ideas that enduringly underpin peoples approach to the world (Bee, p.3). On the other hand, the British philosopher John Locke took a more empirical approach emphasizing the role of experience as fully contributing to behavioral development (Bee, p.3). Since the days of Descartes and Locke, the empirical nurture approach has possibly tended to have the best of the argument but the debate is far from being settled. Nature is our genetic gift; it determines our basic physical layout, hair and eye color. It determines the types of emotions and motivations we can experience like happiness, sadness, and fear. A person maintains his mental ability only based on what he is born with genetically on the nature side of the debate; therefore stating the environment plays no role in determining his mental aptitude. Nurture is the experience during our lifetime; the assumption that what makes children turn out the way they do, aside from their genes, the environmental part of child development, is the experiences they have at home in particular the experiences they have with their parents and society. This side argues that the environment and surroundings of a person affect their mental ability and are influential in the development of that person. A nature-nurture debate is concerned with what causes something to develop. The debates of nature vs. nurture tend to be historical rather than current. Today, most psychologists see development differently: they believe biological predispositions guide development in certain directions, but experience as influencing how that development manifests itself. The two sources are seen as interconnected, not as opposing alternatives, and it is the way that they interact which is the focus of interest.

Study On A Paperless System Information Technology Essay

Study On A Paperless System Information Technology Essay Many organizations, in an effort to increase their effectiveness and efficiency in order to develop competitive advantages in their marketplace, are eager to develop information technology on their business systems. The age of information technology provides possibilities for an effective coordination of business process. Different partners and parties transact electronically in the modern commerce environment and this creates a push factor for accounting and auditing systems to convert into paperless forms as well. Over the last decade, climate change became one of the top key concerns for all countries. More and more nations are concerned with the sustainability of the worlds environment and are trying to contribute by various policies such as reducing their carbon footprints, conserving on resources, building greener environments and preserving wildlife habitats. The challenge is to maintain economic growth without threatening the long term survival prospects of mankind. One of the key issues with regards to the environment is deforestation. Food and Agricultural Senior Forestry Officer, Dieter Schoene, said, at a United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change workshop in 2006, that We are working to solve two of the key environmental issues deforestation and global warming at the same time The removal of trees causes many problems including destruction of natural habitat and damage to our atmosphere. One reason for deforestation is the production of paper. Paper pulp is made of wood. Paper production accounts for about a large percentage of felled trees, and thus paper conservation has been a key concern for the world with plenty of researchers, conservation groups, campaigns and initiatives with the aim of reducing paper usage. A typical sale transaction will consist of but not limited to: the quote, the purchase order, the proforma invoice, the delivery note, the sales invoice. This means that one transaction will use at least five pieces of paper and this does not include other documents like the bank payment advice, beneficiary advice and other functions that lead to the sale. In 2007, Singapore had at least 160,000 small medium enterprises. If each business had a conservative average of 20 sale transactions per month, 16 million sheets of paper would have been used which is the equivalent of 32,000 reams of paper. That would mean to the world a lost of at least 1,800 trees every month just because of Singapores SMEs alone. Paperless system is used for automating the accounting information processes. Automation in accounting system means reducing the paper dependency, and it will provide effectiveness. An effective paperless business system will make paper an option rather than a necessity and thus reducing the usage of paper in the corporate world. It is for this reason that paperless systems have also become a need for business processes with many professionals believing that going paperless is no longer an option but a must. Another reason is that paperless systems involve technology which could make the business much more effective. The rapid rise of paperless business solutions and providers around the world goes to show that more and more businesses have identified pursuing a paperless office as a strategy that can help them gain a competitive advantage in their marketplace. It has been observed that internationally (Hannon, Neal 2004) many regions are adopting and shifting towards electronic transactions, electronic business systems and even the development of Extensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL), a standardized digital language for business financial reporting. The EU for example already has a large and extensive list of directives covering the usage of electronic transmission of financial transactions, customs and trade documents, taxation issues, online privacy and security. Almost all countries in Asia have electronic transaction laws, with the exception of Sri Lanka and Nepal which have pending legislation. In Singapore there are many statutes that govern the administration of documents within organizations. A recent addition is the Electronic Transactions Act 2010 where it is specifically stated that where a rule of law requires any document, record or information to be retained, or provides for certain consequences if it is not, that requirement is satisfied by retaining the document, record or information in the form of an electronic record if conditions are satisfied (Singapore Statutes). The Singapore Standard for Auditing, namely SSA 500, also deals with electronic documentation. It has specified that electronic evidences are accepted as long as they fulfill the requirements. However it has also stated that electronic evidences are not as reliable as original documents. This contradicts the Electronic Transactions Act 2010 where the original documents may actually be in electronic forms. It is in the above context that this study attempts to investigate the awareness of the implementation of the Electronics Transactions Act 2010 in Singapore. It further attempts to examine whether such awareness translates into an intention to adopt paperless accounting systems and if there is no intention to adopt paperless accounting systems then the reasons for companies resisting the intention to pursue a paperless office. For the above purpose, the study will conduct a survey on the awareness of paperless accounting and the Electronic Transactions Act 2010 in Singapore and whether it has impacted the way businesses operate in various industries. It will also survey on the reasons that hamper businesses from adopting electronic transactions as part of their operation models. The study will also attempt to find out what can be possible push factors to help businesses adopt paperless accounting. LITERATURE REVIEW The case for paperless accounting and chasing paperless offices have been researched and discussed by many practitioners and researchers, yielding a lot of literature on this topic both in popular and academic sources 2.1 The Case for Paperless Accounting Paperless accounting is based on electronic transactions where all business transactions are recorded electronically. The literature available on this topic is generally from popular sources with very little scholarly research attempted. The literature on paperless accounting from both popular and academic sources is primarily targeted on the benefits of going paperless, ways to implement a paperless office. They are focused on building the case for businesses to adopt a paperless strategy. Many researchers and practitioners believed that businesses must adopt paperless processes as part of their strategies. As a company grows and the transactions increase it will require a paperless system for its business processes (Webster 2004). James Blaylock (2005) believed that Going paperless is no longer an option, but must for a CPA (Certified Public Accountant). Businesses have to go paperless in order to keep up with their competition. The mentality has changed. For example in 2005, a survey by PCPS/Texas Society of CPAs National Management of Accounting Practice (MAP) showed that 41% of CPA respondents indicated that they would consider going paperless, and 20% already have done it. 25% of the firms are planning to go paperless, but 13% will not consider it. Later in 2008, CCH Incorporated surveyed accountancy practitioners who have implemented paperless system. Of those of were surveyed, 95% would recommend the idea of setting up paperless offices to other users. However some researchers have also challenged the notion that paperless is the way to go. Paper is still the most widely used form of document medium due to its many benefits that is not easy to replace and will still co-exist with electronic documents in the long term (Liu and Stork, 2000) Paper usage cannot be reduced significantly unless work practices are re-organized and the digital alternative to paper has to be improved. Until that happens, offices will still most likely have paper around (Sellen 2003). This view is further re-emphasized by Gragg (2004) where he pointed out that it is difficult to depend solely on electronic documentation due to swift developments in software technology and hard copies will unlikely go away permanently. It is also wrong to assume that there will be no printing costs in a paperless office since a lot of people will carry on to print out the documents that are sent to them electronically, even if huge investments have been made to obtain technol ogy that help to store documents digitally. What Sellen and Gragg observed in 2003 and 2004 respectively still hold true today. The world usage of paper is still increasing. Some businesses still stick to paper. Even those which have invested in technology to automate their business processes still rely heavily on paper documents. For example, it is not uncommon to see executives printing out hard copies of their email correspondences. Logistics and shipping companies still require hardcopies of the bills of lading and certificates on goods. Banks and tax authorities still require hardcopies of hand-signed institutional documents. In such cases, businesses should look at usage of recycled paper which is more environmentally friendly although the ultimate aim should still be at reduction eventually. Therefore the case for paperless offices is very obvious with many benefits that all businesses should strive to achieve. Paperless accounting can bring about increased efficiency while at the same time lowering the costs of accounting (Gullkvist 2002). Brian Steinert, director of specialty software product management at CCH, in a supplement to Accounting Today, said that Because of the amazing efficiencies that result from streamlined, integrated workflows; because of the greater productivity brought about when professionals have anytime/anywhere access to what they need and anywhere/anytime ability to collaborate with their peers; because young professionals expect and embrace paperless processes; because all professionals will spend more time on high-level, high-value work; because money will be saved in the long run simply by buying and storing much less paper. Cost reduction will be the primary objective for many vendors who are considering implement paperless business processes (Davis 2005). Reduction in paper usage will also reduce the damage to the environment. The amount of literature available on paperless accounting suggests that it is a widely known concept around the world. However the lack of literature on the adoption rate of paperless accounting systems even in the United States and Europe, which are considered to be more developed in terms of technology, suggests that the actual awareness of the public is much lesser. A survey on the awareness of paperless accounting in Singapore should yield negative results. 2.2 Electronic Transactions Act in Singapore Many regions around the world are experiencing pressures for legal and regulatory changes due to the growth of paperless offices. The paperless office demands that transactions are documented electronically. Therefore the laws related, for example taxation and contract laws, need to be updated to recognize digital records of transactions as legal documents. As the information technology environment develops over time, nations will also move to improve their laws governing electronic commerce. This can be observed from the United Nations Convention on the Use of Electronic Communications in International Contracts (UN Convention), adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 23rd November 2005 which was based upon the UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Commerce issued in 1998. The main driver for the new Convention was the fact that the electronic commerce environment in 2005 was very different from 1998 due to the evolution of the Internet. Singapore, being the first country in 1998 to follow the UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Commerce, on 7 July 2010 was the first Asian country to confirm its alignment to the new Convention, which is aimed at minimizing differences between laws in different countries. Therefore Singapore needs to update its Electronic Transactions Act (ETA) 1998 to complement the UN Convention and this resulted in ETA 2010. The ETA 2010, although based on the one in 1998, has introduced many key changes, one of it being Clause 9 which provides that Where a rule of law requires certain documents, records or information to be retained, the requirement is satisfied by retaining them in the form of electronic records subject to certain safeguards. If the rule of law already expressly provides for such retention in electronic records, the clause will not apply. A public agency may impose additional requirements for the retention of electronic records under its jurisdiction. This is the critical change that allows for the feasibility of a paperless office as businesses are no longer required to keep paper records of their business transactions by law. Besides financial reporting purposes, the other reason that companies archive their financial transactions is for audit purposes. In the Singapore Standard on Auditing under SSA 500, A31 states that Audit evidence in documentary form, whether paper, electronic, or other medium, is more reliable than evidence obtained orally (for example, a contemporaneously written record of a meeting is more reliable than a subsequent oral representation of the matters discussed) This is consistent with the ETA 2010 and further enhances the notion that companies no longer have to generate invoices in paper forms. Businesses can choose to issue their invoices in digital formats to their clients. The digital invoice will be recognized in the eyes of the law as a legal document. As the ETA 2010 was passed only in July this year, it is expected that most executives will be unaware of this change in the Act and subsequently, most will not have plans to adopt paperless accounting systems yet. The survey will attempt to determine if this is indeed the case. METHODOLOGY The primary research instrument used in this paper is a questionnaire which is piloted among members of the public working in finance related positions across a wide range of industries. The diversity of the members surveyed was as wide as possible in order to obtain a good mix of responses from members in both IT-savvy industries and non IT-savvy industries. The survey was administered and collected between October-November 2010. In keeping with the topic that is being discussed the questionnaires were sent out either via e-mail as attachments or through transfers via thumb drives and respondents were encouraged to complete and return in the same manner. The questions were structured in order to get feedback of respondents awareness of the Electronic Transactions Act 2010, whether it has impacted the way their businesses operate. If it has no impact yet, the survey will aim to find out why the business has not adopted a paperless transactions as part of its operations and what factors will push the business to adopt paperless systems. Surveys were distributed to 200 possible respondents from through digital survey forms. Although the target members were requested to reply in digital formats with respect to the topic in questions, some respondents replied through their own paper formats of the survey. Instructions and explanations are clearly stated should the respondents face any difficulties in understanding the questions. RESULTS 4.1 Question one After 2 reminders, the surveys were returned by 124 (62 percent respond rate) respondents. The breakdown of the respondents according to their industries is shown in the chart below. Chart 4.1 Breakdown by Industries Although an attempt to survey a wide diversity of respondents was made, 47% of the respondents came from the Banking and Finance and the IT industry. This is highly due to the fact that almost half of the 200 surveys were distributed at 2 commercial buildings physically where the tenants at both buildings consisted mainly of companies providing financial services or IT-related services. In order to obtain a more accurate response rate for different industries, the survey should have been distributed in a fixed number per industry. It must also be mentioned that a larger sample of respondents is needed in order to obtain more accurate results that can be indicative of the total population. 4.2 Question 2 The second question of the survey was to find out whether the respondents were aware of paperless accounting. The results of the survey are shown below. Q1 Q2 Yes No Banking and Finance 32 19 13 Fashion 5 1 4 Food Beverage 13 1 12 IT 26 9 17 Logistics 4 0 4 Manufacturing 11 2 9 Pharmaceutical 1 0 1 Property 1 1 0 Retail 20 1 19 Trade 10 4 6 Government 1 0 1 Total 124 38 86 Table 4.1 Question 2 results Out of the 124 respondents, 69% of the respondents were unaware of what is paperless accounting. This is consistent with what was concluded in the literature review. Although paperless accounting is widely discussed in both popular and academic articles, the adoption and awareness rates are much lower. This is especially the case as shown by the results above, where almost 74% of the respondents who are aware of paperless accounting come from IT-savvy industries. And even within the IT-savvy industries, only 28 out of the 58 respondents (48%) are aware of what is paperless accounting. Clearly, more has to be done in order to increase the awareness. 4.3 Question 3 The third question of the survey asked if respondents are aware of the Electronic Transactions Act 2010. As discussed in the literature review, the awareness level should be low since this Act was only in effect since Jul 2010. The results of the survey are listed below. Q1 Q3 Yes No Banking and Finance 32 6 26 Fashion 5 1 4 Food Beverage 13 0 13 IT 26 6 20 Logistics 4 0 4 Manufacturing 11 0 11 Pharmaceutical 1 0 1 Property 1 0 1 Retail 20 0 20 Trade 10 1 9 Government 1 0 0 Total 124 14 110 Table 4.2 Question 3 Results The results are almost one-sided with 88% of the respondents stating that they are unaware of the Electronic Transactions Act 2010. Most are unaware that invoices no longer need to be in paper form and can be sent via electronic means. This can be considered as a failure on the part of the government when the residents of a country are unaware that the country is the first Asian country to ratify the UN Convention. The government will need to raise awareness through more media coverage, campaigns and gazettes. 4.4 Question 4 The fourth question of the survey tries to find the adoption rate of paperless accounting by businesses in Singapore. The results are tabulated below. Q1 Q4 Yes No Banking and Finance 19 0 19 Fashion 1 0 1 Food Beverage 1 0 1 IT 9 6 3 Logistics 0 0 0 Manufacturing 2 0 2 Pharmaceutical 0 0 0 Property 1 0 1 Retail 1 0 1 Trade 4 1 3 Government 0 0 0 Total 38 7 31 Table 4.3 Question 4 Results Since the results of the previous 2 questions have indicated that there is a lack of awareness of paperless accounting and the Electronic Transactions Act 2010, only 38 respondents answered this question. The rate of adoption of paperless accounting systems cannot be high. Based on these 38 respondents, only 18% of the companies implemented paperless systems. Based on the results of this survey, Singapore is on a long road to becoming a paperless society. It is worthy to note that among the 19 respondents in the Banking and Finance industry who are aware of what paperless systems are; none of them were in companies that implemented such systems. This is highly likely due to the nature of their industry where paper documents are required. 4.5 Question 5 Question 5 asked respondents, whose companies have not implemented paperless systems, the reasons behind their companies decisions. A list of 5 options was offered to the respondents and they were allowed to choose more than one. The following chart shows their responses. Chart 4.2 Reasons for not adopting Paperless Systems Out of the 38 respondents, only 3 felt that paperless systems were costly. A majority of 30 felt that their suppliers and clients required paper documents and thus there was no need for them to adopt paperless systems. This clearly shows that the respondents and their clients/supplier as well are unaware of the new Electronics Transaction Act 2010. Half of the respondents felt that paperless systems are not adopted as it was not a standard procedure in their industry. Thus if their competitors started adopting paperless systems, they will highly likely follow suit as well. 13 respondents felt that there was no need to implement paperless systems since it is not mandatory by law and 7 felt that there were not many incentives to adopt such systems. 4.6 Question 6 Question 6 surveyed all the respondents on the factors that will push their companies to adopt paperless accounting. Again, a list of 5 options was offered and respondents were allowed to choose more than one option. The chart below shows their response. Chart 4.3 Push Factors for Paperless Accounting The biggest push factor for companies to adopt paperless accounting systems is for the government to make is a legal requirement. This is indicated by the response of 66% of those surveyed. 76 of the respondents indicated that they will consider adopting paperless systems if it is one of their industry standards. Half of the respondents felt that there is a need to create more awareness of paperless accounting. It is also worthwhile to note that less than 30% of respondents are looking at incentives and costs of adopting paperless accounting. CONCLUSION This survey, carried out in late 2010, found a low level of awareness and adoption rate of paperless accounting. The results of this study must be interpreted in the light of the response rate of 62%, which were obtained after 2 reminders. The final sample size of 124 respondents is definitely not a good indicator of the total population. The fact that 47% of respondents came from 2 out of at least 8 different industries shows that the distribution of the survey was not conducted wide enough although the time given for the survey to be conducted has to be taken into consideration. Basically this means that more time and resources need to be allowed in order for a similar survey to be conducted on a wider scale. A survey that yields at least 1000 respondents that are equally distributed across different industries will be a better indicator of the total population. The results of the survey indicate low awareness of both paperless accounting and the new Electronic Transactions Act 2010. Survey respondents have indicated that there should be more awareness made about paperless accounting. This indicates that there is a lot of potential in the Singapore market for companies that provide digital document management services. The government can increase the awareness of paperless accounting by setting up a national framework for a paperless society as well. This framework should be aimed at resolving the issues that are creating resistance to paperless accounting and helping Singapore businesses to switch to paperless accounting systems progressively. When businesses adopt paperless accounting systems, there are a few authorities that will have to be involved as well. For example, the Monetary Authority of Singapore will have to look into solutions that can enable banking and financial institutions to adopt paperless business processes without compromising on risks and securities. The Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority will have to look into the acceptance of electronic financial statements. The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore will have to come up with solutions that enable business to file their taxes electronically. By creating such frameworks and support, businesses can be assured of a smoother and easier transition as they adopt paperless accounting systems. This will greatly reduce the resistance to the adoption of paperless business processes that currently exists. The survey results should be interpreted with caution as they indicate only respondents awareness of paperless accounting and the Electronic Transactions Act 2010. However it does indicate that there is a need for more research to be done regarding actual business adoption rates of paperless systems and the benefits that both companies and the environment enjoy with the reduced usage of paper.