International Monetary Fund ( Imf ) And The International...

In the early 1980s, an economic crisis swept across Sub-Saharan Africa. In an effort to revitalize the region, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), more commonly known as the World Bank, adopted resolutions that worked to ensure almost all countries of the subregion instituted programmes of economic reconstruction, described as â€Å"structural adjustment programmes† (SAP). This paper analyzes the most recent outbreak of Ebola in West Africa and how, along with a multitude of other factors, the SAPs served to create a perfect storm, ultimately resulting in the spread of Ebola throughout Western Africa. This topic, structural adjustment, relates to readings and lectures by both Professor Michael Smith of the University of Virginia Politics Department and Assistant Professor China Scherz of the University of Virginia Anthropology Department. Previously limited to East and Central Africa, the 2014 West Africa Ebola outbreak was the first time such a disease impacted the region. Global health agencies were predicting 10,000 cases a week by the end of 2014 and, as of October 29, 2014, there were 13,567 confirmed, probably, and suspected cases of Ebola Virus Disease in eight countries - Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, Spain, Nigeria, Senegal, and the United States with 4,951 deaths. The failings of the public health systems across Western Africa are glaringly obvious, but this is not solely their fault. InShow MoreRelatedThe International Monetary Fund And World Bank Group1644 Words   |  7 PagesThe International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank have had enormous impact upon the world’s economies since their inception, after World War II. Although each of these organizations has a similar history, their role, objectives and funding are unique. These Washington DC-based organizations have drawn more than their share fair share of criticism as well as praise. Modern nations require thoroughly understand of these organizations. TheRead MoreInternational Monetary Fund : The Imf And The World Bank1252 Words   |  6 PagesThe International Monetary Fund, otherwise known as the IMF and the World Bank are two of the most economic organizations. While they are both economic organizations, they have different objectives. In order to understand these objectives, one must know why these organizations were formed and what if anything they have accomplished. Based on said accomplishments and also based on their initial goals, one can infer which of the two has been a succe ss. Therefore, it can be said that when it comes toRead MoreThe Stystem Developed in the The Bretton Woods Conference862 Words   |  3 Pagesrepresentatives of two nations influenced the planning of the world monetary system (Scammell, 1982). The Article of Agreement was a negotiation between Britain and The United States, which was accepted and signed by 44 other nations (Ikenberry, 1933). The conference saw the establishment of the two most significant financial institutions, The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development [World Bank] and The International Monetary Fund (Stwenron, 1944). The conference set the standard of gold toRead MoreInternational Economic Organizations Are The Interest Of Rich And Poor Countries As A Case Study708 Words   |  3 PagesINTRODUCTION International economic organizations such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World World Bank have been challenged on whether they represent the interest of rich and poor countries equally. These institutions, created by the world powerful states, are thought to be more incline with the interests of major western powers such as the United states and Great Britain. As the world was still engaged in the Second World War, forty-four nations met at Bretton wood, New HampshireRead MoreRoles of International Financial Institutions1173 Words   |  5 PagesRoles of International Financial Institutions Marcus Jenkins MGT448 January 10, 2011 Paul Bogert Introduction When listening to the latest television report concerning global business news or world economics, names of financial institutions such as World Bank, International Monetary Funds, and Asian Development Bank may be the center of some discussion. A major player on the global forefront, international financial institutions function much differently from local neighborhoodRead MoreInternational Monetary Fund And The World Bank1679 Words   |  7 PagesTHE WORLD BANK AND IMF - HIPC International Monetary Fund and The World Bank, though has a good purpose of their existence, they have come under lots of criticisms as to how they use the leverage of being in a position of helping poor countries to either recover from economic collapse or give them debt relief and economic boost from loans they give out to them to impose policies and condition that those poor countries has to implement. These loan conditions and policies structured by these internationalRead MoreThe World Trade Organization Essay1690 Words   |  7 Pagesand social development to occur in developing countries. The three main institutions i will be talking about include the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organisation. These organisations provide loans, grants and practical assistance to governments, in addition to loaning money to assist private businesses within developing countries. They also play a significant role in the privatisation and overseeing of public utili ties and natural resources. The World Bank (WB) and theRead MoreInternational Monetary Fund And The World Bank1561 Words   |  7 PagesTHE WORLD BANK AND IMF - HIPC International Monetary Fund and The World Bank, though has a good purpose of their existence, they have come under lots of criticisms as to how they use the leverage of being in a position of helping poor countries to either recover from economic collapse or give them debt relief and economic boost from loans they give out to them to impose policies and condition that those poor countries has to implement. These loan conditions and policies structured by these internationalRead MoreMonetary Fund And The World Bank1554 Words   |  7 Pagesnternational Monetary Fund and The World Bank, though has a good purpose of their existence, they have come under lots of criticisms as to how they use the leverage of being in a position of helping poor countries to either recover from economic collapse or give them debt relief and economic boost from loans they give out to them to impose policies and condition that those poor countries has to implement. These loan conditions and policies structur ed by these international financial power institutionsRead MoreThe Imf, Wto, And World Bank1053 Words   |  5 PagesCompare and contrast the IMF, WTO, and World Bank The World Bank was founded at the Bretton Woods Conference in 1944. The bank was first known as the International Bank of Reconstruction and Development. Their founding mission was to help countries during a post-war World War II era rebuild and reconstruct. They did this by providing loans to countries who had been destroyed during wars. Their first loan was made in 1947 to France to rebuild following World War II (World Bank Group). The World

Offshore Wind Power Essay - 562 Words

Title: Offshore Wind Power Offshore wind power has become a need of the hour in renewable energy production due to the rising prices of oil and continually increasing demand for a separate energy sector. Offshore wind has the prospective to deliver at least four times the current U.S. demand of energy, as per mentioned by the Global Wind Energy Council. However, there are many challenges and advantages that are significant for us to comprehend. Most of the offshore wind turbines are constructed in waters about 100 feet deep having a monopole that has been implanted straight into the seabed. More multifaceted and costly tripod structures are required for the projects that are constructed further offshore so that a stable footing is†¦show more content†¦This is compounded by the usage of bigger turbines; which is possible due to the relative ease of transferring bigger components via water. This cuts out the requirement to construct more transmission lines through the country, thus eradicating demand for great quantities of fossil fuels. Along with these benefits come many practical difficulties associated with offshore wind projects. Offshore projects are expensive, particularly when paralleled with those projects which are land-based. The surface of ocean is a harsh place to maintain and build these structures. Due to this reason, high winds that carry larger amounts of energy threaten the steadiness of wind turbines which causes installation to become much more rigorous and costly. Furthermore, it also fetches the need for monitoring which is an expensive and automated system for maintenance. Underwater topography presently describes the viability of installation as most current models use foundations rooted directly into sea beds that are shallow. Industry Status Europe has been the vanguard of innovation and novelty in offshore wind. In Denmark, the very first project of offshore wind was established in 1991. Despite its present non-existence of noteworthy offshore capacity, the U.S. also has plans for the improvement of offshore wind power of the Atlantic coast. Energy consultants at Douglas and Westwood reportedShow MoreRelatedIs Offshore Wind Power : Alternative Or Harmful Fossil Fuels? Essay1608 Words   |  7 PagesOffshore Wind Power: Alternative to Harmful Fossil Fuels We have the ability to reduce our dependency on burning fossil fuels that damage the environment and the solution is Offshore Wind Power. The difference in solar heating between the earth s equator and the poles, together with the earth s rotation, creates flows of air called wind. We can capture this form of solar energy with wind turbines that convert it into electrical energy. Creating this type of energy has little harmful impact toRead MoreAlternative Sources Of Energy For Fossil Fuel1432 Words   |  6 Pagescoal and oil, faster than they can be made naturally.This means that there will be a time when all of the fossil fuels will have been used to power . To prevent a world without energy, many alternative sources have been harnessed. Six different pathways for energies were found: solar power, biomass, geothermal power, hydropower, wind power, and nuclear power. All of these are much better alternatives to fossil fuels, as they reduce carbon emissions. Carbon dioxide is one of the greenhouse gasses inRead MoreAdvantages of Wind Power1724 Words   |  7 Pages   |    | ADVANTAGES OF WIND POWER: |    |    | 1. The wind is free and with modern technology it can be captured efficiently. 2. Once the wind turbine is built the energy it produces does not cause green house gases or other pollutants. 3. Although wind turbines can be very tall each takes up only a small plot of land. This means that the land below can still be used. This is especially the case in agricultural areas as farming can still continue. 4. Many people find wind farms an interesting featureRead MoreThe Effect Of Wind Energy On Renewable Energy820 Words   |  4 Pagesenvironmental and sustainability demand. Wind energy is one of the cleanest energies that received the attention of researchers and investors because of its availability with low running cost. According to the World Wind Energy Association (WWEA, 2015), wind energy is currently the fastest-growing source of electricity in the world, and wind power investment worldwide is expected to expand three-fold, from about $18 billion in 2006 to $60 billion in 2016. Although the use of wind energy backs to more than hundredsRead MoreAn Investigation Into The Social And Economic Drawbacks Of A International Super Grid1589 Words   |  7 Pagesvariety of power generators such as offshore wind farms. Ideas range from a more integrated offshore grid in the North and Irish Seas to a network of â€Å"superhighways† across Europe and into Africa and Asia. It would be one big super network of for the generation and transmission within the EU. A supergrid was defined by the Friends of the Supergrid as an â€Å"electricity transmission system, mainly based on high voltage direct current (HVDC), designed to facilitate large scale sustainable power generationRead MoreThe Wind Turbines Are A Dominant Method Of Harnessing Wind Power891 Words   |  4 Pageshelp bring wind power into urban areas with limited space such as London, and make wind energy a sustainable energy resource. Three-blade wind turbines are a dominant method of harnessing wind power, but this technology has drawbacks which make it unsuitable for placement in London. Small Wind Turbines, owned by individuals and/or communities have attempted to fill the gap, but are only capable of supplying lower levels of power than a city demands. This paper assumes that wind power will continueRead MoreThe Benefits Of Wind Power1633 Words   |  7 Pagesconsumers and power producers talk about the benefits of wind power. While there are a few positive things about wind energy, their negative aspects outweigh the good qualities. Negative aspects such as inefficiency, poor location, size, and demanding upkeep hinder wind power from expanding. With all of the undesirable traits of wind power there is no reason for researchers, and engineers to continue investing time, money, and energy into harvesting wind power. Wind power has been harnessedRead MoreRenewable And Other Low Carbon Technologies957 Words   |  4 Pages50gCO2/MWh target but these could come from either solar, wind, fuel cells or nuclear power. The proposed optimization mix is also highly reliant on the further development of renewable technologies, such as; on-shore and off-shore wind and solar PV technologies. It proposes an increase from the current 13.5GW to the region of 50GW by 2030. The possibilities for off-shore wind is vast utilizing the higher wind speeds available offshore compared with its on-shore equivalent. The UK electricityRead MoreAlternative Energy: Solar Energy1323 Words   |  5 Pagestechnologies, but incentives exist to utilize renewable energy. These include solar energy, wind energy, and biomass energy sources. Solar energy using energy emitted from the sun which then transformed into electric energy by using solar panels or photocatalytic cell . Some of the countries such as Japan and Malaysia is a blessed land which including all-year-long tropical climate that guarantee substantial solar power convert into energy. Solar energy become the suitable choice to overcome the increasingRead MoreImpact Of Wind Energy On China1585 Words   |  7 Pages11/Hour 4 10 December 2014 The Impact of Wind Energy on China In recent years, China has surpassed the United States for wind energy production. Due to this, many believe that at this rate, it seems that they will dominate and revolutionize the future of the wind energy industry. In the past couple of years, the United States has been the leader in wind energy production. However, in 2011, China surpassed the United States, and is expected to dominate wind energy in the future due to its many positive

The Bad Influences of Television Free Essays

Let’s admit it. We love watching television. In fact, we love it so much that we can spend hours just sitting in front of our small boxes just to get our dose of must-see TV. We will write a custom essay sample on The Bad Influences of Television or any similar topic only for you Order Now Television offers us all kinds of things to keep our eyes glued to the small screen such as late night talk shows, hit comedy sitcoms, and games shows that keep you guessing which briefcase contains a million dollars. With all the hours we spend on watching television, there is no doubt that somehow it has influenced us somehow. Although that it can influence attitudes of adults, older audiences can discard certain themes since we already have our own preferences. However, television can be a very dangerous influence to young children who are still developing their brains. This paper shall discuss the negative influences of television on children and how these problems can be solved. Sex is a common problem that parents encounter with television. Some shows usually have sexual themes that are not suitable for young audiences. These images may stay with the child as they grow up and lead them to become sexually active in a very early age. Since they do not have adequate information about sex in early ages, this can cause a child to become pregnant or get infected with STDs. Aside from seeing these images, television shows may also have scenes wherein the characters are discussing sex. This is just as dangerous as seeing these images for they can also affect the child by making them more curious about what the characters are talking about. To give you an idea how violence can be a great influence on children, American viewers see an average of â€Å"200,000 acts of violence before they reach the age of 18† (How TV affects your Child) and this can be a very serious problem in the future if it is not addressed properly. Violence on television causes some problems such as emulating the images they see, traumatic stress on the child, and loss of sympathy to those who are suffering. Protagonists in TV shows have great influence on children. Whenever children see their favorite superhero kicking or punching the â€Å"bad guy† and save eventually â€Å"saving the day† they will think that these actions are correct as long as the superhero does it. Aside from suggesting violent actions to children, children may imitate these actions for fun because they would imagine themselves as these superheroes. Aside from causing children to imitate violent actions, these images may also cause trauma to a child. Frightening images of monsters may have some traumatic side effects on children since they still cannot distinguish the difference between the real world and a fictional one. Finally, watching too much violence on television can lead to a loss of sympathy towards people who are suffering. Just like an antagonist who fails in the end of the show, children would think that those who are suffering deserve it since they have done something bad before. Finally obesity is another problem that parents may face with television. TV can cause children to reduce their time to play and exercise since they will be sitting down for hours. Aside from becoming very passive, children usually tend to have snacks while watching due to the commercial of the famous brand potato chips they just saw. So not only will they lack exercise, children will also begin to eat kinds of food that do not have any nutritional value, which is a very important factor in growing up. Aside from obesity, television can also cause a child to become anti-social since they would usually spend more hours watching rather than interacting or playing with others. As we have seen in this paper, television can be a very dangerous influence on children. However, there are things that we can do solve this dilemma. First of all, parents need to always monitor what their children are watching. This will allow the parent to keep their child from watching shows that are inappropriate for their age. Parents should also be familiar with the shows that their children are watching so they could see immediately whether or not their child can watch the show. Parents should also reason out to the child whenever they are watching television. They need to explain to their child the images they see on television to prevent them from imitating these images or seeing them in the wrong light. Works Cited â€Å"How TV affects your child. † KidsHealth. org. 20 Sept. 2007 http://www. kidshealth. org/parent/positive/family/tv_affects_child. html â€Å"Facts and Statistics. † Parentstv. org. 20 Sept. 2007 http://www. parentstv. org/PTC/facts/mediafacts. asp How to cite The Bad Influences of Television, Papers

Elvis The King Essay Research Paper Elvis free essay sample

Elvis, The King Essay, Research Paper Elvis Aaron Presley, in the humblest of fortunes, was born to Vernon and Gladys Presley in a two-room house in Tupelo, Mississippi on January 8, 1935. His twin brother, Jessie Garon, was stillborn, go forthing Elvis to turn up as an lone kid. He and his parents moved to Memphis, Tennessee in 1948, and Elvis graduated from Humes High School at that place in 1953. Elvis musical influences were the dad and state music of the clip, the Gospel music he heard in church and at the nightlong Gospel sings he often attended, and the black R A ; B he absorbed on historic Beale Street as a Memphis adolescent. In 1954, he began his singing calling with the legendary Sun Records label in Memphis. In late 1955, his entering contract was sold to RCA Victor. By 1956, he was an international esthesis. With a sound and manner that unambiguously combined his diverse musical influences and blurred and challenged the societal and racial barriers of the clip, he ushered in a whole new epoch of American music and popular civilization. We will write a custom essay sample on Elvis The King Essay Research Paper Elvis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He starred in 33 successful movies, made history with his telecasting appearan Ces and specials, and knew great acclamation through his many, frequently record-breaking, unrecorded concert public presentations on circuit and in Las Vegas. Globally, he has sold over one billion records, more than any other creative person. His American gross revenues have earned him gold, Pt or multi-platinum awards for 131 different albums and singles, far more than any other creative person. Among his many awards and awards were 14 Grammy nominations ( 3 wins ) from the National Academy of Recording Arts Sciences, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, which he received at age 36, and his being named One of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the State for 1970 by the United States Jaycees. Without any of the particular privileges his famous person position might hold afforded him, he uprightly served his state in the U.S. Army. His endowment, good expressions, sensualness, personal appeal, and good wit endeared him to 1000000s, as did the humbleness and human kindness he demonstrated throughout his life. Known the universe over by his first name, he is regarded as one of the most of import figures of 20th century popular civilization. Elvis died at his Memphis place, Graceland, on August 16, 1977.

Religion and Isolation in the Stranger and Chronicle of a Death Foretold Essay Sample free essay sample

Religion is a major foundation for many civilizations. It is present wholly over the universe in many different forms and signifiers. But all faiths have one thing in common. communality. Naturally. with rites such as fold people of faith are brought together. This community worships together. but this relationship extends further than the confines of a church. Members of the same church. or faith. have the same nucleus values. and these commonalties result in a community that would non hold otherwise existed. When there is a neglect for faith. there is a loss of community and therefore a measure towards isolation. This is best seen through the comparing of The Stranger. by Albert Camus. and Chronicle of a Death Foretold. We will write a custom essay sample on Religion and Isolation in the Stranger and Chronicle of a Death Foretold Essay Sample or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. In The Stranger. the chief character exhibits an huge neglect for faith ; coincidently this individual is really much alone in the novel. In Chronicle of a Death Foretold. the chief character is an devouring follower of his faith ; and such. he is a member of the community and has many relationships with other members of the community. In The Stranger. the chief character Meursault is really distanced from faith. It is revealed that Meursault has ever been without religion when the reader learns that Meursault’s female parent â€Å"Maman had neer in her life given a idea to religion† ( Camus 6 ) . With a female parent whom didn’t attention for faith. it would hold been impossible for Meursault to pattern. allow alone accept. any faith. His distance from faith is seen throughout the novel. At the really beginning of the novel. during his mother’s funeral. Meursault’s distance from faith is seen by the existent order of the funeral emanation. Meursault describes the order of the emanation as follows. â€Å"First came the priest. so the hearse. Flanking it. the four work forces. Behind it. the manager and myself† ( 15 ) . The simple imagination of this event showcases Meursault’s withdrawal from faith. In the funeral emanation. he is as far off as possible from the prie st. The priest is taking the emanation. and Meursault is at the very terminal of the emanation. This image of separation between Meursault and the priest shows Meursault’s distance and indifference to faith. This distancing from faith can besides be seen at the very terminal of the novel. When Meursault is entirely in his prison cell expecting his executing. the chaplain comes to see him. â€Å"he sat down on my bunk and invited me to sit following to him. I refused† ( 116 ) . Here once more Meursault is dividing himself from faith. He is given the opportunity to confide and atone with this priest. but alternatively he impolitely refuses. The tone here shows Meursault’s neglect for faith. Although the priest was at that place for a â€Å"friendly visit† . Meursault is cold and indurate towards him ( 116 ) . Meursault doesn’t reject the priest’s friendly moves because he is sick tempered. he does so because he â€Å"had merely a small clip left and [ he ] didn’t privation to blow it on God† ( 120 ) . Seen here. Meursault’s temper is cranky as he believes the priest is blowing his cherished clip. Last. Meursault’s distance from faith is best seen through the moniker the magistrate gives to Meursault. â€Å"Monsieur Antichrist† ( 71 ) . Giving Meursault a name that is the antonym of anything holy farther demonstrates his separation from God and faith. All of these inside informations come together to demo that Meursault has a blazing neglect for faith. Meursault’s neglect for faith can besides be seen through his actions. For illustration. Meursault has plentifulness of prenuptial sex with his girlfriend Marie. In Catholicism for case. prenuptial sex is frowned upon. Meursault’s actions clearly devalue these facets of faith. Minute inside informations throughout the book besides offer insight into Meursault’s ideas on faith. One twenty-four hours. after passing the dark with Marie. Meursault â€Å"remembered that it was Sunday. and that bothered [ him ] : [ he doesn’t ] like Sundays† ( 21 ) . Sunday is the lord’s twenty-four hours and Meursault’s disfavor of this twenty-four hours is due to Meursault’s disfavor of faith. Very different from Meursault. Santiago Nasar. the chief character in Chronicle of a Death Foretold. is really much a adult male of faith. Santiago’s regard for faith is seen in the first sentence of the novel. â€Å"Santiago Nasar got up at five-thirt y in the forenoon to wait for the boat the bishop was coming on† ( Marquez 3 ) . Santiago’s dedication is seen through the fact that he is lifting at such an early hr to see a Catholic authorization figure. Besides. he â€Å"put on a shirt and bloomerss of white linen†¦ It was his garb for particular occasions† ( 5 ) . The act of have oning apparels specific for this juncture shows Santiago’s regard for faith. The importance of faith in Chronicle of a Death Foretold is non merely in relation to Santiago. His whole community values faith. For illustration. when Angela Vicario and Bayardo San Roman wed. they wed in a church with â€Å"floral ornaments equal in cost to those for 14 first category funerals† ( 42 ) . The flowers entirely show the importance of matrimony. which in itself is a spiritual establishment. Even more of import is the pureness of the bride. After being returned to her female parent by Bayardo San Roman. Angela says her female parent â€Å"was keeping [ her ] by the hair with one manus and whipping [ her ] with the other with such fury that [ she ] thought [ her female parent ] was traveling to kill [ her ] † ( 46 ) . The image of a female parent crushing her grownup girl is reasonably powerful. One must hold done something really incorrect to have this penal ty. In Santiago’s society. prenuptial sex elicits such a response. All in all. it is clear that faith is an of import portion of this society. Furthermore. Santiago’s slaying is postponed for an hr because of his relationship with God. At first the Vicario twins planned to kill Santiago as he came out of his house to go to the bishop’s reaching. But. Clotilde Armenta stalls them by stating. â€Å"‘For the love of God. †¦ Leave him for subsequently. if merely out of regard for his grace the bishop’† ( 16 ) . Here. Santiago’s regard for God is reciprocated as this regard gives him another hr to populate. Without his religion. there would hold been no ground to prorogue his slaying. When comparing the lives of Meursault and Santiago. a certain truth becomes apparent. Meursault is really stray in his life. His relationship with his female parent was distant. and his lone friends are his neighbours. Meursault’s isolation can be seen through his actions. Even in the beginning of the fresh Meursault is seen as a alone individual. When Meursault is on a coach to travel to his mot her’s funeral. a soldier asks him if he had been â€Å"traveling long† . Meursault responds â€Å" ‘yes. ’ merely so [ he ] wouldn’t hold to state anything else† ( Camus 4 ) . Meursault has no involvement in other people and he tries to detach himself from them. Even with his lover. Marie. Meursault is immune to a deeper relationship. â€Å"she asked me if I loved her. [ Meursault ] told her it didn’t average anything but that [ he ] didn’t think so† ( 35 ) . Even in Meursault’s description he is described as â€Å"taciturn and withdrawn† ( 66 ) . These illustrations illustrate Meursault’s disjunction and isolation from everyone else in the novel. Santiago on the other manus is a valued member of his household. and he has many friends whom tried to salvage him from his destiny. Santiago’s sister describes him as â€Å" ‘handsome. a adult male of his word. and with a luck of his ain at the age of twenty-one’† ( Marquez 18 ) . Here. Santiago’s sister gives grounds as to why he is successful with adult females. This description proves that Santiago has the ability to set up relationships good. Besides. within his household. Santiago is really cared for. When word of the slaying reaches his household. the youngest brother. â€Å"touched by the breath of calamity. began to weep† ( 23 ) . Last. after hearing of the twins’ program. Santiago’s female parent attempts to salvage him. â€Å"she quickened her measure. with the finding she was capable of when there was a life a t stake† ( 23-24 ) . Unfortunately. Santiago had already been murdered at this point. Meursault is detached from faith and therefore dies entirely. Although Santiago. besides dies. he died as a loved member of his household and as a friend to many. Religion has the ability to convey people together. Without it. Meursault dies as a really stray individual. Contrastingly. Santiago dies as a loved member of the community and household. Though faith can non be the exclusive ground for Meursault’s isolation. or Santiago’s lack thereof. it is of import for these connexions to be drawn. The effects of faith do so widen beyond religion and spiritualty. Religion brings people together. and without it. it is possible to distance oneself from others. Plants Cited Camus. Albert. The Stranger. 1942. Trans. Matthew Ward. New York: Vintage-Random. 1989. Print. Garcia Marquez. Gabriel. Chronicle of A Death Foretold. 1981. Trans. Gregory Rebassa. New York: Vintage-Random. 2003. Print.

History of the Iran-Contra Scandal

History of the Iran-Contra Scandal The Iran-Contra affair was a political scandal that exploded in 1986, during President Ronald Reagans second term, when it came to light that senior administration officials had secretly- and in violation of existing laws- arranged for the sale of arms to Iran in return for Iran’s promise to help secure the release of a group of Americans being held hostage in Lebanon. Proceeds from the arms sales were then secretly, and again illegally, funneled to the Contras, a group of rebels fighting the Marxist Sandinista government of Nicaragua. Iran-Contra Affair Key Takeaways The Iran-Contra affair was a political scandal that played out between 1985 and 1987, during the second term of President Ronald Reagan.The scandal revolved around a plan by Regan administration officials to secretly and illegally sell arms to Iran, with funds from the sales funneled to the Contra rebels fighting to overthrow Nicaragua’s Cuban-controlled, Marxist Sandinista government.In return for the arms sold to them, the Iranian government had vowed to help secure the release of a group of Americans being held hostage in Lebanon by the terrorist group Hezbollah.While several top White House officials, including National Security Council member Colonel Oliver North were convicted due to their participation in the Iran-Contra affair, no evidence that President Reagan had planned or authorized the arms sales was ever revealed. Background The Iran-Contra scandal grew out of President Reagan’s determination to eradicate Communism worldwide. So supportive of the Contra rebels’ struggle to overthrow Nicaragua’s Cuban-backed Sandinista government, Reagan had called them, â€Å"the moral equivalent of our Founding Fathers.† Operating under the so-called â€Å"Reagan Doctrine† of 1985, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency was already training and assisting the Contras and similar anti-Communist insurgencies in several countries. However, between 1982 and 1984, the U.S. Congress had twice specifically prohibited providing further funding to the Contras. The convoluted path of the Iran-Contra scandal began as a covert operation to free seven American hostages who had been held in Lebanon since the state-sponsored Iranian terrorist group Hezbollah had kidnapped them in 1982. The initial plan was to have America’s ally Israel ship weapons to Iran, thus bypassing an existing U.S. arms embargo against Iran. The United States would then resupply Israel with arms and receive payment from the Israeli government. In return for the weapons, the Iranian government promised to help free the Hezbollah-held American hostages. However, in late 1985, U.S. National Security Council member Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North secretly devised and implemented a revision to the plan whereby a part of the proceeds from the weapons sales to Israel would secretly- and in violation of the congressional ban- be diverted to Nicaragua to help the insurgent Contras. What Was the Reagan Doctrine? The term â€Å"Reagan Doctrine† arose from President Reagan’s 1985 State of the Union address, in which he called on Congress and all Americans to stand up to the Communist-ruled Soviet Union, or as he called it the â€Å"Evil Empire.† He told Congress: â€Å"We must stand by all our democratic allies, and we must not break faith with those who are risking their lives- on every continent, from Afghanistan to Nicaragua- to defy Soviet-supported aggression and secure rights which have been ours from birth.† Scandal Discovered The public first learned of the Iran-Contra arms deal shortly after a transport aircraft carrying 50,000 AK-47 assault rifles and other military weapons was shot down over Nicaragua on November 3, 1986. The aircraft had been operated by Corporate Air Services, a front for Miami, Florida-based Southern Air Transport. One of the plane’s three surviving crew members, Eugene Hasenfus, stated in a press conference held in Nicaragua that he and his two crewmates had been hired by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency to deliver the arms to the Contras. After the Iranian government confirmed agreeing to the arms deal, President Reagan appeared on national television from the Oval Office on November 13, 1986, stating of the deal: â€Å"My purpose was to send a signal that the United States was prepared to replace the animosity between [the U.S. and Iran] with a new relationship †¦ At the same time we undertook this initiative, we made clear that Iran must oppose all forms of international terrorism as a condition of progress in our relationship. The most significant step which Iran could take, we indicated, would be to use its influence in Lebanon to secure the release of all hostages held there.† Oliver North   The scandal grew worse for the Reagan administration after it became clear that National Security Council member Oliver North had ordered the destruction and concealment of documents related to the Iran and Contra arms sale. In July 1987, North testified before a televised hearing of a special joint congressional committee created to investigate the Iran-Contra scandal. North admitted that he had lied when describing the deal to Congress in 1985, stating that he had viewed the Nicaraguan Contras as â€Å"freedom fighters† engaged in a war against the Communist Sandinista government. Based on his testimony, North was indicted on a series of federal felony charges and ordered to stand trial. Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North Testifies to Senate on Iran-Contra Scandal.   Getty Images Archive During the 1989 trial, North’s secretary Fawn Hall testified that she had helped her boss shred, alter, and remove official United States National Security Council documents from his White House office. North testified that he had ordered the shredding of â€Å"some† documents in order to protect the lives of certain individuals involved in the arms deal. On May 4, 1989, North was convicted of bribery and obstruction of justice and was sentenced to a three-year suspended prison term, two years on probation, $150,000 in fines, and 1,200 hours of community service. However, on July 20, 1990, his conviction was vacated when a federal court of appeals ruled that North’s televised 1987 testimony to Congress may have improperly influenced the testimony of some witnesses at his trial. After taking office in 1989, President George H.W. Bush issued presidential pardons to six other individuals who had been convicted for their involvement in the scandal.   Had Reagan Ordered the Deal? Reagan made no secret of his ideological support of the Contra’s cause. However, the question of whether he ever approved Oliver North’s plan to provide weapons to the rebels remains largely unanswered. The investigation into the exact nature of Reagan’s involvement was hindered by the destruction of related White House correspondence as ordered by Oliver North. In early 1986, the Reagan-appointed Tower Commission, chaired by Republican Texas Senator John Tower, found no evidence that Reagan himself was aware of the details or extent of the operation, and that the initial sale of arms to Iran had not been a criminal act. In a televised address on March 4, 1987, Reagan, however, took responsibility for the scandal, stating that â€Å"what began as a strategic opening to Iran deteriorated, in its implementation, into trading arms for hostages.† President Reagan's television address on the Iran-Contra Affair, 1987. National Archives While his image suffered as a result of the Iran-Contra scandal, Reagan’s popularity recovered, allowing him to complete his second term in 1989 with the highest public approval rating of any president since Franklin D. Roosevelt. Sources and Suggested References Report of the Congressional Committees Investigating the Iran-Contra Affair, United States. Congress. House Select Committee to Investigate Covert Arms Transactions with Iran.Reagan, Ronald. August 12, 1987. Address to the Nation on the Iran Arms and Contra Aid Controversy, The American Presidency ProjectNever Had an Inkling’: Reagan Testifies He Doubts Contragate Ever Happened. Videotape Transcript Released. Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. February 22, 1990.  The Iran-Contra Affair 20 Years On, The National Security Archive (George Washington University), 2006  Tower commission report excerpts, The Tower Commission Report (1986)

Evolution of modern dance Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Evolution of modern dance - Personal Statement Example The movements are put into â€Å"bits† just the same way we communicate through language. The whole dance art is a creative process in which life experience plays a critical role. The feelings of the audience and the aesthetic responses are what choreographers tend to be so sensitive. The process of creativity within the context of dancing is a showcase of a sense of personal growth and discovery, that is, the discovery because of sub-conscious. America grew up with dance. The American dance continues to be a barometer of life among the Americans. However, it from the streets to the stage, dance in America was capturing everyday gestures, cultural retentions, social dances, spiritual principles, and socio-political issues. These sources incorporation with the spirit of risk-taking, persistence, exploration, and independence have been the benchmark through the formation of what we today known as the American modern dance. The American modern dance has emerged into diverse movement vocabularies, social and cultural concerns, and individual choreographic impulses- the American modern dance is an irreplaceable national treasure and touchstone. Since the inception of the American modern dance, it has been a cultural mainstay at home and a crucial ambassador of American culture abroad. The development of the genre of dance has been through a chain of succession as different generations build on the work of, or rather rebel against, their mentors, creating a lineage marked with innovation and also radicalism. The definition of modern dance cannot be neatly reached to, but as the history tells, it is not a style parse but a continually evolving pursuit to share and discover the expressive potential of human movement. For the choreographers who practice this contemporary dance genre use unique movements, innovate, techniques, shapes, and gestures to suit the dynamics in the intentions of modern dance. Modern at times incorporates the theatrical texts and

Public Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7000 words

Public Relations - Essay Example This study examines the public relations campaign used by Cafe Royal with a view to identifying how public relations is conducted in practice and how theory is adopted to this practice. This research can therefore explain and expound on theory and theory development in public relations and its coordination with marketing communications. The results of the study are discussed with reference to previous studies and public relations theory. Recommendations are made. Table of Contents Abstract 2 Introduction 4 Research Questions 5 Significance of the Study 6 Aim and Objectives 6 A Review of Literature 7 Public Relations Theory 7 Previous Studies: Coordinating Public Relations and Marketing Strategies 12 Methodology 15 Case Study 15 Data Collection 17 Results 18 Background and History 18 Public Relations 18 Analysis/Discussion 22 Recommendations 27 Conclusion 28 Bibliography 30 Introduction Public relations refers to communication techniques used by an organization to manage its image and relationship with the public. In this regard, the public includes government, the community and the external environment generally (Hendrix & Hayes, 2010). Thus, public relations can be distinguished from marketing where the focus is narrowed to selling the organization and its products and services to consumers. Public relations is broader and contemplates the organization’s image and relationships with a number of different factions of the public. However, public relations can be incidental to or part of a marketing function, particularly in the hotel industry (Kandampully & Suhartanto, 2003). The hotel and hospitality industry in general encompasses â€Å"diverse† public factions that they need to communicate with in any public relations programme (Deuschl, 2006, p. 24). The public factions important to hotels are employees, the community in which they operate, the international community and guests (Deuschl, 2006). According to Hutton (1999), the dimensions, natur e and definition of public relations is not clearly defined in the literature as there is no real consensus of what it is and how it works in practice. Regardless, there are a number of important themes emerging in the literature that provide a clearer focus of what public relations involve. The common themes are: trust building, generating interests and attention, building relationships, â€Å"creating mutual understanding†, expressing and modifying interests, â€Å"influencing public opinion†, tempering tensions, and â€Å"creating consensus† (Nessmann, 1995, p. 154). The definition and dimensions of public relations are particularly important to the hotel sector as research typically explores the link between hotel image and customer loyalty/customer satisfaction (Line & Runyan, 2012; Kandampully & Suhartanto, 2003). In this regard, public relations theory which focuses on the link between relationship management and the achievement of organizational goals pr ovides a conceptual framework for understanding and identifying how public relations can be used to retain and recruit customers in any sector (Ledingham, 2006). Current examples of public relations in practice provides the best evidence of what public relations are and how they are conducted in practice (Hendrix & Hayes, 2010). Therefore, in order to identify and provide an understanding of the link between public

Buyer Behaviour Academic Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Buyer Behaviour Academic Paper - Essay Example Manual efforts have been considerably reduced in mathematical calculations, analysis and interpretations of data because of computer and internet. Most of the companies have redefined their organizational strategies in order to accommodate and make use of the internet technologies. Organizational principles need to be restructured in order to exploit the possibilities of computers and internet. For example, the core function like marketing needs to be revised in order to target the online consumers. Consumer trends also have undergone rapid changes because of internet. Internet and its influence on consumers irrespective of children or elder people forced organizations to formulate custom made strategies for the internet users. The main advantage of internet is that the marketers can prepare custom made marketing strategies for internet users by sending customised e-mails. This paper analyses the importance of online technologies and online environment for influencing buyer behaviours based on some preliminary and secondary data collected through interviews and other sources of references. Apart from real life on real world, most of the people have a secondary life on a virtual world mainly around the computers and internet. Majority of the human population may not be satisfied with their real world experiences. The life which they dreamed of may not be possible for them because of so many constraints in the family and the society. Such people can fulfil their dream up to certain extent using the online environment. Online environment and the anonymity offered by it provide the people to release their hidden stresses and desires to other communities. A real friend in real life is a dream for most of the people because of the changing moral and ethical concepts of life. Even husband and wife may not share all of their suppressed desires between them because of the lack of trust between them. Recently I have watched an Indian movie

Analysis of Ethiopia for Business Opportunities

Analysis of Ethiopia for Business Opportunities 1. Introduction 1.1 The Country Ethiopia is almost five times bigger in the size of the United Kingdom and 27 times in the size of the Netherlands, is geographically located in the east of Africa with border line Somalia(1626 km) from east , Eritrea(912km) on north ,Sudan(1606 km) from the west and Kenya (830 km from the south. Ethiopia has geographically importance due to easy access to reach the Middle East and Europe, increase its importance in international trade. Geographically having an area of approximately 1.12 million square kilometers (444,000 square miles) out of which land is on 1,119 million square kilometers and water is on 7444 square meters. Ethiopia is high plateau with central mountain ranges almost over the country is divided by Great Rift Valley. The major rivers in Ethiopia are Blue Nile, Awash, Baro, Omo, Tekezie and Wabe Shebele. Ethiopia has also small amount of natural resources with small reserves of platinum, gold, potash, copper, hydropower and natural gas. 1.2 The People Ethiopia is country with around 80 million people, and in comparison to other country it comes on 14th rank in world. Almost more than 80 percent of the population still lives in the rural areas. The age structure in Ethiopia is 0-14 years are (46.1%),15-64 years are (51.2%) and 65 years and over are (2.7%).Ethiopia has average birth rate of 2.7%. In Ethiopia is total freedom of religious practice, and the Christianity and Islam are the two main religions in Ethiopia with other religions which are in very number most of them are located in south side. Almost two-third of the population used the three main languages Amharic, Oromiffa and Tigrigna the official language of the Ethiopian government is Amharic. In schools, colleges and university teaching and medium of instruction are in English, also used mostly in the banking, insurance and business transactions, Arabic and Italian languages are also widely used in Ethiopia. Almost the 42.7 % of over 15 years old people can read and write mean having basic literacy rate. The Ethiopian government is spending almost 5.5 percent of their GDP in education programs. 1.3 The Government Ethiopia is conventional short form of name, and conventional long form of name is Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. The first time election was held in 1995 and country adopted a new constitution and the government there is known as the federal republic government. The government involves in the foreign policy and relations, defense system and common interest benefits. The Federal State divisions are in nine ethnically based states vested with powers for self administration. The FDRE represent the common peoples interest and peoples of the states, the federal government is structured as a lines of bicameral parliament, with the Council of Peoples representatives being the highest authority of the Federal Government the representative of Councils Members are elected democratically for six year term. 1.4 Cities and Towns Addis Ababa, the largest city and capital of the Ethiopia, also is the seat of the Federal Government of Ethiopia. The capital city was founded in 1887 and population of around about 3 million. Addis Ababa is the host city for Organization for African Unity and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa; also there is more international organization with their headquarters and branch offices. Addis Ababa I also centre point for business, commerce and industries. In Addis can find different manufacturing plants located in and around the city. There are lots of entertainment and sport facilities in the city, with national parks. The main centre of point are resort centers with hot springs and lake, all of them are easily accessible through road. The other important and big cities in term of trade and industries having potential of expansion are Awassa, Dire Dawa, Gondar, Dessie, Nazareth, Jimma, Harar, Bahir Dar, Mekele, Debre Markos and Nekemte. All of them are interconnected with Addis through road,most of them have their historical importance with good infrastructure facilities. 1.5 THE ECONOMY The Ethiopian economy is totally dependable on agriculture which has 45% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 65 % of total exports and 85% of employment. Coffee is the main export product and its alone having a share of over 85 % of total agricultural exports. In Ethiopia different crops in different area of the country cultivated but the main crops are cereals, pulses, coffee, cotton, tobacco, fruits, sugarcane and oil seeds. The industrial sector plays also big role in economy and having almost 11% of share in total GDP, which provides their product to local and global markets. The most important products in term of local market and export are textiles, foodstuffs, tiles, paper, beverages, cement, semi- processed leather, finished leather products and non-metallic products. In Ethiopia even it is small reserve amount of natural resources and it contribute only 1% to the total GDP, but still there are lots of opportunities in mining to explore and contribute in Ethiopian economy. Communications There is total monopoly of Ethiopian Telecommunications corporations over the telephonic services open-wire, microwave radio relay; radio communication in the HF, VHF, and UHF frequencies; 2 domestic satellites provide the national trunk service. Ethiopia has only 1 public TV broadcast station which broadcasting it nationally and only 1 public radio broadcaster with stations in each state, there are some commercial and dozens of community radio stations. Transportation Till 2010 in Ethiopia there 61 airports, out of which 17 airports are with paved runways and 44 airports are unpaved. The railway is under joint control of Ethiopia and Djibouti, but most of it is inoperable and need lots of improvement and expansion to improve the transportation. The conditions of Ethiopian roads are also not in very good conditions out of 36469 km long road only 6980 k are in better conditions other are unpaved around about 29849 km. Ethiopia has 9 merchant marine 8 cargo and 1 roll on/ roll off, they are landlocked and uses the ports Djibouti in Djibouti and Berbera in Somalia. In Ethiopia transportation is a big problem and effects also in the business. Ethiopian government takes this problem very seriously and many projects are on progress for improvement and modernization of Ethiopian transportation system. 1 .6 Banking Systems 1.6.1 Introduction In Ethiopia banking system was introduced in 1905 with the coordination of Bank of Egypt and the first name of bank was Bank of Abyssinia which is controlled by private company in Ethiopia. Later in 1931 it was replaced by the Bank of Ethiopia. During the Italian invasion period and subsequent British occupation Ethiopia become one of the important places for East Africa Currency Board. Later again it is renamed as State bank of Ethiopia having two active departments involves in the process of separate function of issuing banks and commercial bank. In 1963 the bank is divided into two parts two new bank national Bank of Ethiopia involves in the process of centralizing and issuing bank and the second one the commercial bank of Ethiopia. In 1974 there was merging of maximum of financial institutes available tat time including state owned also some of them are The Agricultural and Industrial Development Bank The Savings and Mortgage Corporation of Ethiopia The Imperial Savings and Home Ownership Public Association The Addis Ababa Bank The Banco di Napoli The Banco di Roma In 1975 change in government policy and change into Marxist government bring again lots of changes in banking system like nationalization of private financial institutes and insurance companies. The big and important commercial bank of Ethiopia is now known as Addis Ababa bank and the total control of all banks and financial institutes are under supervision of National Bank of Ethiopia. The Ethiopian Insurances corporation take all power and control for the all insurance companies and for the home loan and renovation loan is provide by the new Housing and savings bank. 1.6.2 Current Conditions The whole banking system condition is still undeveloped and need lots of improvement and development. In Ethiopia there is also no stock exchange and foreign bank as the banking system is still not globalized, while higher government authorities are afraid of losing control over the economy because of globalizing the banking system. Thats why they have full control over the banking system even they decide the interest rate as per the high inflation rate. Below provided table to have a look on the condition of ease of doing business in Ethiopia. Table 1 Business Climate of Ethiopia As National Bank of Ethiopia is Ethiopian central bank and the state owned Commercial Bank is one of the biggest and largest bank in Ethiopia having approx. control of more than 75% of total banking assets in Ethiopia, tables 2 tried to explain the banking system in Ethiopia. Table 2 Value of Ethiopian Bank Assets Insurance companies and other financial institutions In Ethiopia the Ethiopia Insurance Corporation controls 10 insurance companies performing business in more than 200 branches all over the country Below in the table the number of branches and their capital are explained figures available are from 2007 and till then only nine insurance companies are in business the 10th company (Lion Insurance Company) comes in business after 2007 thats why it is not mention in table. Table 3: Branches and Capital of Insurance Companies in Ethiopia (Capital in Millions of Birr) Stock Market No stock exchange exists Other Types of Finance/Financial Market Micro finance After the establishment of the government in 1994/1995. It started also and supporting for the development of microfinance industry, the purpose of Ethiopian government to developed the microfinance industry to help poor people in both rural and urban area. According to the 2005 microfinance industry report in Ethiopia that there are 23 microfinance industries and around about more than 1 million peoples are connected directly to the industry. As from above it is cleared that government had totally prohibited any kind of foreign company involved in the process of financial or banking services in country. In Ethiopia microfinance industry can be opened by people having Ethiopian nationality and having full 100% share in company or by those organization which are totally settled and have their registration under the law and having their head office in Ethiopia. As in country most of the microfinance initial capital comes from the foreign investors and which leads to the not clear transparency of microfinance industry, normally person investing in the microfinance industry local or foreigner must enlist as a shareholder. As government authorized high authorities decided interest rate according to the high inflation rate, and in microfinance industry there is no fixed interest rate on credit according to law minimum interest on credit is 3%, which is a loss for those people wants to open microfinance industry in rural areas because of added administrative cost in capital of investment. Top ten reasons to do business in Ethiopia Political and social stability; Macro-economic stability and growing economy; Adequate guarantees and protections; Transparent laws and streamlined procedures; Ample investment opportunities; Abundant and trainable labor force; Wide domestic, regional and international market opportunity; Competitive investment incentive packages ; Welcoming attitude of the people to FDI; and Pleasant climate and fertile soils. 2. Foreign Market Entry Strategy 2.1 Introduction 2.1.1 Strategy Strategy is the direction and scope of an organization over the long term, which achieves advantage in a changing environment through its configuration of resources and competences with the aim of fulfilling stakeholder expectations. 2.1.2 Strategic Decisions Strategic decisions are likely to be complex in nature. This complexity is a defining feature of strategy and strategic decisions and is especially so in organizations with wide geographical scope, such as multinational firms, or wide ranges of products or services. Strategic decisions may also have to be made in situations of uncertainty about the future. Strategic decisions are likely to affect operational decisions: for example, an increased emphasis on consumer electronics would trigger off a whole series of new operational activities, such as finding new suppliers and building strong new brands. This link between overall strategy and operational aspects of the organization is important for two other reasons. First, if the operational aspects of the organization are not in line with the strategy, then, no matter how well considered the strategy is, it will not succeed. Second, it is at the operational level that real strategic advantage can be achieved. Indeed, competence in particular operational activities might determine which strategic developments might make most sense. Strategic decisions are also likely to demand an integrated approach to managing the organization. Managers have to cross functional and operational boundaries to deal with strategic problems and come to agreements with other managers who, inevitably, have different interests and perhaps different priorities. Managers may also have to sustain relationships and networks outside the organization, for example with suppliers, distributors and customers. Strategic decisions usually involve change in organizations which may prove difficult because of the heritage of resources and because of culture. These cultural issues are heightened following mergers as two very different cultures need to be brought closer together or at least learn how to tolerate each other. Indeed, this often proves difficult to achieve a large percentage of mergers fail to deliver their ‘promise for these reasons. 2.1.3 Levels of Strategy Corporate-level strategy: Itis concerned with the overall purpose and scope of an organization and how value will be added to the different parts (business units) of the organization. Business-level strategy: It is about how to compete successfully in particular markets. Operational strategies: These are concerned with how the component parts of an organization deliver effectively the corporate and business-level strategies in terms of resources, processes and people. 2.1.4 Strategic Management Strategic management includes understanding the strategic position of an organization, strategic choices for the future and turning strategy into action. The strategic position is concerned with the impact on strategy of the external environment, an organizations strategic capability (resources and competences) and the expectations and influence of stakeholders. Strategic choices involve understanding the underlying bases for future strategy at both the business unit and corporate levels and the options for developing strategy in terms of both the directions and methods of development. Strategy into action is concerned with ensuring that strategies are working in practice. Strategy development processes are the ways in which strategy develops in organizations. 2.2 Environment The most general ‘layer of the environment is often referred to as the macro environment. This consists of broad environmental factors that impact to a greater or lesser extent on almost all organizations. It is important to build up an understanding of how changes in the macro-environment are likely to impact on individual organizations. A starting point can be provided by the PESTEL framework which can be used to identify how future trends in the political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal environments might impinge on organizations. This provides the broad ‘data from which the key drivers of change can be identified. These will differ from sector to sector and from country to country. Therefore they will have a different impact on one organization from another. If the future environment is likely to be very different from the past it is helpful to construct scenarios of possible futures. This helps managers consider how strategies might need to change depending on the different ways in which the business environment might change. Within this broad general environment the next ‘layer is called an industry or a sector. This is a group of organizations producing the same products or services. The five forces framework and the concept of cycles of competition can be useful in understanding how the competitive dynamics within and around an industry are changing. The most immediate layer of the environment consists of competitors and markets. Within most industries or sectors there will be many different organizations with different characteristics and competing on different bases. The concept of strategic groups can help with the identification of both direct and indirect competitors. Similarly customers expectations are not all the same. They have a range of different requirements the importance of which can be understood through the concepts of market segments and critical success factors. 2.2.1 Key driver of change Key drivers of change are forces likely to affect the structure of an industry, sector or market. There is an increasing trend to market globalization for a variety of reasons. In some markets, customer needs and preferences are becoming more similar. For example, there is increasing homogeneity of consumer tastes in goods such as soft drinks, jeans, electrical items (e.g. audio equipment) and personal computers. The opening of McDonalds outlets in most countries of the world signaled similar tendencies in fast food. As some markets globalize, those operating in such markets become global customers and may search for suppliers who can operate on a global basis. For example, the global clients of the major accountancy firms may expect the accountancy firms to provide global services. The development of global communication and distribution channels may drive globalization the obvious example being the impact of the internet. In turn, this may provide opportunities for transference of marketing (e.g. global brands) across countries. Marketing policies, brand names and identities, and advertising may all be developed globally. This further generates global demand and expectations from customers, and may also provide marketing cost advantages for global operators. Nor is the public sector immune from such forces. Universities are subject to similar trends influenced by changing delivery technologies through the internet. This means, for example, that there is developing a genuinely global market for MBA students particularly where the majority of ‘tuition is done online. Cost globalization may give potential for competitive advantage since some organizations will have greater access to and/or be more aware of these advantages than others. This is especially the case in industries in which large volume; standardized production is required for optimum economies of scale, as in many components for the electronics industry. There might also be cost advantages from the experience built through wider-scale operations. Other cost advantages might be achieved by central sourcing efficiencies from lowest-cost suppliers across the world. Country-specific costs, such as labor or exchange rates, encourage businesses to search globally for low cost in these respects as ways of matching the costs of competitors that have such advantages because of their location. For example, given increased reliability of communication and cost differentials of labor, software companies and call centers are being located in India, where there is highly skilled but low-cost staff. Other businesses face high costs of product development and may see advantages in operating globally with fewer products rather than incurring the costs of wide ranges of products on a more limited geographical scale. The activities and policies of governments have also tended to drive the globalization of industry. Political changes in the 1990s meant that almost all trading nations function with market-based economies and their trade policies have tended to encourage free markets between nations. Globalization has been further encouraged by technical standardization between countries of many products, such as in the automobile, aerospace and computing industries. It may also be that particular host governments actively seek to encourage global operators to base themselves in their countries. However, it is worth noting that in many industries country-specific regulations still persists and reduces the extent to which global strategies are possible. Also, the early 2000s have seen a rise in citizen activism about the impact of globalization on developing countries most notably at meetings of the World Trade Organization Changes in the macro-environment are increasing global competition which, in turn, encourages further globalization. If the levels of exports and imports between countries are high, it increases interaction between competitors on a more global scale. If a business is competing globally, it also tends to place globalization pressures on competitors, especially if customers are also operating on a global basis. It may also be that the interdependence of a companys operations across the world encourages the globalization of its competitors. For example, if a company has sought out low-cost production sites in different countries, these low costs may be used to subsidize competitive activity in high-cost areas against local competitors, thus encouraging them to follow similar strategies. 2.2.2 Industries and sectors The macro-environment might influence the success or failure of an organizations strategies. But the impact of these general factors tends to surface in the more immediate environment through changes in the competitive forces on organizations. An important aspect of this for most organizations will be competition within their industry or sector. Economic theory defines an industry as ‘a group of firms producing the same principal product or, more broadly, ‘a group of firms producing products that are close substitutes for each other. This concept of an industry can be extended into the public services through the idea of a sector. Social services, health care or educations also have many producers of the same kinds of services. From a strategic management perspective it is useful for managers in any organization to understand the competitive forces acting on and between organizations in the same industry or sector since this will determine the attractiveness of that industry and the way in which individual organizations might choose to compete. It may inform important decisions about product/market strategy and whether to leave or enter industries or sectors. It is important to remember that the boundaries of an industry may be changing for example, by convergence of previously separate ‘industries such as between computing, telecommunications and entertainment. Convergence is where previously separate industries begin to overlap in terms of activities, technologies, products and customers. There are two sets of ‘forces that might drive convergence. First, convergence might be supply-led where organizations start to behave as though there are linkages between the separate industries or sectors. This is very common in the public services where sectors seem to be constantly bundled and un-bundled into ministries with ever-changing names (‘Education, ‘Education and Science, ‘Education and Employment, ‘Education and Skills etc.). This type of convergence may be driven by external factors in the business environment. For example, governments can help or hinder convergence through regulation or deregulation a major factor in the financial services sector in many countries. The boundaries of an industry might also be destroyed by other forces in the macro-environment. For example, e-commerce is destroying the boundary of traditional retailing by offering manufacturers new or complementary ways to trade what are now being called new ‘business models12 such as websites or e-auctions. But the real test of these types of changes is the extent to which consumers see benefit to them in any of this supply-side convergence. So, secondly, convergence may also occur through demand-side (market) forces where consumers start to behave as though industries have converged. For example, they start to substitute one product with another (e.g. TVs and PCs). Or they start to see links between complementary products that they want to have ‘bundled. The package holiday is an example of bundling air travel, hotels and entertainment to form a new market segment in the travel industry. 2.2.3 Competitors and market An industry or sector may be a too-general level to provide for a detailed understanding  of competition. For example, Ford and Morgan Cars are in the same industry (automobiles) but are they competitors? The former is a publicly quoted multinational business; the latter is owned by a British family, produces about 500 cars a year and concentrates on a specialist market niche where customers want hand-built cars and are prepared to wait up to four years for one. In a given industry there may be many companies each of which has different capabilities and which compete on different bases. This is the concept of strategic groups. But  competition occurs in markets which are not confined to the boundaries of an industry and there will almost certainly be important differences in the expectations of different customer groups. This is the concept of market segments. What links these two issues is an understanding of what customers value. Strategic groups are organizations within an industry or sector with similar strategic  characteristics, following similar strategies or competing on similar bases. These characteristics are different from those in other strategic groups in the same industry or sector. For example, in grocery retailing, supermarkets, convenience stores and corner shops are three of the strategic groups. There may be many different characteristics that distinguish between strategic groups but these can be grouped into two major categories .First, the scope of an organizations activities (such as product range, geographical coverage and range  of distribution channels used). Second, the resource commitment (such as brands, marketing spend and extent of vertical integration). Which of these characteristics are especially relevant in terms of a given industry needs to be understood in terms of the history and development of that industry and the forces at work in the environment. 2. Market segments The concept of strategic groups discussed above helps with understanding the similarities and differences in the characteristics of ‘producers those organizations that are actual or potential competitors. However, the success or failure of organizations is also concerned with how well they understand customer needs and are able to meet those needs. So an understanding of markets is crucial. In most markets there is a wide diversity of customers needs, so the concept of market segments can be useful in identifying similarities and differences between groups of customers or users. A market segment is a group of customers who have similar needs that are different from customer needs in other parts of the Market 2.2.4 Opportunities and threat The critical issue is the implications that are drawn from this understanding in guiding strategic decisions and choices. There is usually a need to understand in a more detailed way how this collection of environmental factors might influence strategic success or failure. This can be done in more than one way. This identification of opportunities and threats can be extremely valuable when thinking about strategic choices for the future. A strategic gap is an opportunity in the competitive environment that is not being fully exploited by competitors. By using some of the frameworks described in this chapter, managers can begin to identify opportunities to gain competitive advantage in this way: Opportunities in substitute industries Organizations face competition from industries that are producing substitutes. But substitution also provides opportunities. In order to identify gaps a realistic assessment has to be made of the relative merits of the products/technologies (incumbent and potential substitutes) in the eyes of the customer. An example would be software companies substituting electronic versions of reference books and atlases for the traditional paper versions. The paper versions have more advantages than meet the eye: no hardware requirement (hence greater portability) and the ability to browse are two important benefits. This means that software producers need to design features to counter the strengths of the paper versions; for example, the search features in the software. Of course, as computer hardware develops into a new generation of portable handheld devices, this particular shortcoming of electronic versions might be rectified. Opportunities in other strategic groups or strategic spaces It is also possible to identify opportunities by looking across strategic groups particularly if changes in the macro-environment make new market spaces economically viable. For example, deregulation of markets (say in electricity generation and distribution) and advances in IT (say with educational study programs) could both create new market gaps. In the first case, the locally based smaller-scale generation of electricity becomes viable possibly linked to waste incineration plants. In the latter case, geography can be ‘shrunk and educational programs delivered across continents through the internet and teleconferencing (together with local tutorial support). New strategic groups emerge in these industries/sectors. Opportunities in the chain of buyers It was noted that this can be confusing, as there may be several people involved in the overall purchase decision. The user is one party but they may not buy the product themselves. There may be other influencers on the purchase decision too. Importantly, each of these parties may  value different aspects of the product or service. These distinctions are often quite marked in business-to-business transactions, say with the purchase of capital equipment. The purchasing department may be looking for low prices and financial stability of suppliers. The user department (production) may place emphasis on special product features. Others such as the marketing department may be concerned with whether the equipment will speed throughput and reduce delivery times. By considering who is the ‘most profitable buyer an organization  may shift its view of the market and aim its promotion and selling at those ‘buyers with the intention of creating new strategic customers. Opportunities for complementary products and services This involves a consideration of the potential value of complementary products and services. For example, in book retailing the overall ‘ Analysis of Ethiopia for Business Opportunities Analysis of Ethiopia for Business Opportunities 1. Introduction 1.1 The Country Ethiopia is almost five times bigger in the size of the United Kingdom and 27 times in the size of the Netherlands, is geographically located in the east of Africa with border line Somalia(1626 km) from east , Eritrea(912km) on north ,Sudan(1606 km) from the west and Kenya (830 km from the south. Ethiopia has geographically importance due to easy access to reach the Middle East and Europe, increase its importance in international trade. Geographically having an area of approximately 1.12 million square kilometers (444,000 square miles) out of which land is on 1,119 million square kilometers and water is on 7444 square meters. Ethiopia is high plateau with central mountain ranges almost over the country is divided by Great Rift Valley. The major rivers in Ethiopia are Blue Nile, Awash, Baro, Omo, Tekezie and Wabe Shebele. Ethiopia has also small amount of natural resources with small reserves of platinum, gold, potash, copper, hydropower and natural gas. 1.2 The People Ethiopia is country with around 80 million people, and in comparison to other country it comes on 14th rank in world. Almost more than 80 percent of the population still lives in the rural areas. The age structure in Ethiopia is 0-14 years are (46.1%),15-64 years are (51.2%) and 65 years and over are (2.7%).Ethiopia has average birth rate of 2.7%. In Ethiopia is total freedom of religious practice, and the Christianity and Islam are the two main religions in Ethiopia with other religions which are in very number most of them are located in south side. Almost two-third of the population used the three main languages Amharic, Oromiffa and Tigrigna the official language of the Ethiopian government is Amharic. In schools, colleges and university teaching and medium of instruction are in English, also used mostly in the banking, insurance and business transactions, Arabic and Italian languages are also widely used in Ethiopia. Almost the 42.7 % of over 15 years old people can read and write mean having basic literacy rate. The Ethiopian government is spending almost 5.5 percent of their GDP in education programs. 1.3 The Government Ethiopia is conventional short form of name, and conventional long form of name is Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. The first time election was held in 1995 and country adopted a new constitution and the government there is known as the federal republic government. The government involves in the foreign policy and relations, defense system and common interest benefits. The Federal State divisions are in nine ethnically based states vested with powers for self administration. The FDRE represent the common peoples interest and peoples of the states, the federal government is structured as a lines of bicameral parliament, with the Council of Peoples representatives being the highest authority of the Federal Government the representative of Councils Members are elected democratically for six year term. 1.4 Cities and Towns Addis Ababa, the largest city and capital of the Ethiopia, also is the seat of the Federal Government of Ethiopia. The capital city was founded in 1887 and population of around about 3 million. Addis Ababa is the host city for Organization for African Unity and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa; also there is more international organization with their headquarters and branch offices. Addis Ababa I also centre point for business, commerce and industries. In Addis can find different manufacturing plants located in and around the city. There are lots of entertainment and sport facilities in the city, with national parks. The main centre of point are resort centers with hot springs and lake, all of them are easily accessible through road. The other important and big cities in term of trade and industries having potential of expansion are Awassa, Dire Dawa, Gondar, Dessie, Nazareth, Jimma, Harar, Bahir Dar, Mekele, Debre Markos and Nekemte. All of them are interconnected with Addis through road,most of them have their historical importance with good infrastructure facilities. 1.5 THE ECONOMY The Ethiopian economy is totally dependable on agriculture which has 45% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 65 % of total exports and 85% of employment. Coffee is the main export product and its alone having a share of over 85 % of total agricultural exports. In Ethiopia different crops in different area of the country cultivated but the main crops are cereals, pulses, coffee, cotton, tobacco, fruits, sugarcane and oil seeds. The industrial sector plays also big role in economy and having almost 11% of share in total GDP, which provides their product to local and global markets. The most important products in term of local market and export are textiles, foodstuffs, tiles, paper, beverages, cement, semi- processed leather, finished leather products and non-metallic products. In Ethiopia even it is small reserve amount of natural resources and it contribute only 1% to the total GDP, but still there are lots of opportunities in mining to explore and contribute in Ethiopian economy. Communications There is total monopoly of Ethiopian Telecommunications corporations over the telephonic services open-wire, microwave radio relay; radio communication in the HF, VHF, and UHF frequencies; 2 domestic satellites provide the national trunk service. Ethiopia has only 1 public TV broadcast station which broadcasting it nationally and only 1 public radio broadcaster with stations in each state, there are some commercial and dozens of community radio stations. Transportation Till 2010 in Ethiopia there 61 airports, out of which 17 airports are with paved runways and 44 airports are unpaved. The railway is under joint control of Ethiopia and Djibouti, but most of it is inoperable and need lots of improvement and expansion to improve the transportation. The conditions of Ethiopian roads are also not in very good conditions out of 36469 km long road only 6980 k are in better conditions other are unpaved around about 29849 km. Ethiopia has 9 merchant marine 8 cargo and 1 roll on/ roll off, they are landlocked and uses the ports Djibouti in Djibouti and Berbera in Somalia. In Ethiopia transportation is a big problem and effects also in the business. Ethiopian government takes this problem very seriously and many projects are on progress for improvement and modernization of Ethiopian transportation system. 1 .6 Banking Systems 1.6.1 Introduction In Ethiopia banking system was introduced in 1905 with the coordination of Bank of Egypt and the first name of bank was Bank of Abyssinia which is controlled by private company in Ethiopia. Later in 1931 it was replaced by the Bank of Ethiopia. During the Italian invasion period and subsequent British occupation Ethiopia become one of the important places for East Africa Currency Board. Later again it is renamed as State bank of Ethiopia having two active departments involves in the process of separate function of issuing banks and commercial bank. In 1963 the bank is divided into two parts two new bank national Bank of Ethiopia involves in the process of centralizing and issuing bank and the second one the commercial bank of Ethiopia. In 1974 there was merging of maximum of financial institutes available tat time including state owned also some of them are The Agricultural and Industrial Development Bank The Savings and Mortgage Corporation of Ethiopia The Imperial Savings and Home Ownership Public Association The Addis Ababa Bank The Banco di Napoli The Banco di Roma In 1975 change in government policy and change into Marxist government bring again lots of changes in banking system like nationalization of private financial institutes and insurance companies. The big and important commercial bank of Ethiopia is now known as Addis Ababa bank and the total control of all banks and financial institutes are under supervision of National Bank of Ethiopia. The Ethiopian Insurances corporation take all power and control for the all insurance companies and for the home loan and renovation loan is provide by the new Housing and savings bank. 1.6.2 Current Conditions The whole banking system condition is still undeveloped and need lots of improvement and development. In Ethiopia there is also no stock exchange and foreign bank as the banking system is still not globalized, while higher government authorities are afraid of losing control over the economy because of globalizing the banking system. Thats why they have full control over the banking system even they decide the interest rate as per the high inflation rate. Below provided table to have a look on the condition of ease of doing business in Ethiopia. Table 1 Business Climate of Ethiopia As National Bank of Ethiopia is Ethiopian central bank and the state owned Commercial Bank is one of the biggest and largest bank in Ethiopia having approx. control of more than 75% of total banking assets in Ethiopia, tables 2 tried to explain the banking system in Ethiopia. Table 2 Value of Ethiopian Bank Assets Insurance companies and other financial institutions In Ethiopia the Ethiopia Insurance Corporation controls 10 insurance companies performing business in more than 200 branches all over the country Below in the table the number of branches and their capital are explained figures available are from 2007 and till then only nine insurance companies are in business the 10th company (Lion Insurance Company) comes in business after 2007 thats why it is not mention in table. Table 3: Branches and Capital of Insurance Companies in Ethiopia (Capital in Millions of Birr) Stock Market No stock exchange exists Other Types of Finance/Financial Market Micro finance After the establishment of the government in 1994/1995. It started also and supporting for the development of microfinance industry, the purpose of Ethiopian government to developed the microfinance industry to help poor people in both rural and urban area. According to the 2005 microfinance industry report in Ethiopia that there are 23 microfinance industries and around about more than 1 million peoples are connected directly to the industry. As from above it is cleared that government had totally prohibited any kind of foreign company involved in the process of financial or banking services in country. In Ethiopia microfinance industry can be opened by people having Ethiopian nationality and having full 100% share in company or by those organization which are totally settled and have their registration under the law and having their head office in Ethiopia. As in country most of the microfinance initial capital comes from the foreign investors and which leads to the not clear transparency of microfinance industry, normally person investing in the microfinance industry local or foreigner must enlist as a shareholder. As government authorized high authorities decided interest rate according to the high inflation rate, and in microfinance industry there is no fixed interest rate on credit according to law minimum interest on credit is 3%, which is a loss for those people wants to open microfinance industry in rural areas because of added administrative cost in capital of investment. Top ten reasons to do business in Ethiopia Political and social stability; Macro-economic stability and growing economy; Adequate guarantees and protections; Transparent laws and streamlined procedures; Ample investment opportunities; Abundant and trainable labor force; Wide domestic, regional and international market opportunity; Competitive investment incentive packages ; Welcoming attitude of the people to FDI; and Pleasant climate and fertile soils. 2. Foreign Market Entry Strategy 2.1 Introduction 2.1.1 Strategy Strategy is the direction and scope of an organization over the long term, which achieves advantage in a changing environment through its configuration of resources and competences with the aim of fulfilling stakeholder expectations. 2.1.2 Strategic Decisions Strategic decisions are likely to be complex in nature. This complexity is a defining feature of strategy and strategic decisions and is especially so in organizations with wide geographical scope, such as multinational firms, or wide ranges of products or services. Strategic decisions may also have to be made in situations of uncertainty about the future. Strategic decisions are likely to affect operational decisions: for example, an increased emphasis on consumer electronics would trigger off a whole series of new operational activities, such as finding new suppliers and building strong new brands. This link between overall strategy and operational aspects of the organization is important for two other reasons. First, if the operational aspects of the organization are not in line with the strategy, then, no matter how well considered the strategy is, it will not succeed. Second, it is at the operational level that real strategic advantage can be achieved. Indeed, competence in particular operational activities might determine which strategic developments might make most sense. Strategic decisions are also likely to demand an integrated approach to managing the organization. Managers have to cross functional and operational boundaries to deal with strategic problems and come to agreements with other managers who, inevitably, have different interests and perhaps different priorities. Managers may also have to sustain relationships and networks outside the organization, for example with suppliers, distributors and customers. Strategic decisions usually involve change in organizations which may prove difficult because of the heritage of resources and because of culture. These cultural issues are heightened following mergers as two very different cultures need to be brought closer together or at least learn how to tolerate each other. Indeed, this often proves difficult to achieve a large percentage of mergers fail to deliver their ‘promise for these reasons. 2.1.3 Levels of Strategy Corporate-level strategy: Itis concerned with the overall purpose and scope of an organization and how value will be added to the different parts (business units) of the organization. Business-level strategy: It is about how to compete successfully in particular markets. Operational strategies: These are concerned with how the component parts of an organization deliver effectively the corporate and business-level strategies in terms of resources, processes and people. 2.1.4 Strategic Management Strategic management includes understanding the strategic position of an organization, strategic choices for the future and turning strategy into action. The strategic position is concerned with the impact on strategy of the external environment, an organizations strategic capability (resources and competences) and the expectations and influence of stakeholders. Strategic choices involve understanding the underlying bases for future strategy at both the business unit and corporate levels and the options for developing strategy in terms of both the directions and methods of development. Strategy into action is concerned with ensuring that strategies are working in practice. Strategy development processes are the ways in which strategy develops in organizations. 2.2 Environment The most general ‘layer of the environment is often referred to as the macro environment. This consists of broad environmental factors that impact to a greater or lesser extent on almost all organizations. It is important to build up an understanding of how changes in the macro-environment are likely to impact on individual organizations. A starting point can be provided by the PESTEL framework which can be used to identify how future trends in the political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal environments might impinge on organizations. This provides the broad ‘data from which the key drivers of change can be identified. These will differ from sector to sector and from country to country. Therefore they will have a different impact on one organization from another. If the future environment is likely to be very different from the past it is helpful to construct scenarios of possible futures. This helps managers consider how strategies might need to change depending on the different ways in which the business environment might change. Within this broad general environment the next ‘layer is called an industry or a sector. This is a group of organizations producing the same products or services. The five forces framework and the concept of cycles of competition can be useful in understanding how the competitive dynamics within and around an industry are changing. The most immediate layer of the environment consists of competitors and markets. Within most industries or sectors there will be many different organizations with different characteristics and competing on different bases. The concept of strategic groups can help with the identification of both direct and indirect competitors. Similarly customers expectations are not all the same. They have a range of different requirements the importance of which can be understood through the concepts of market segments and critical success factors. 2.2.1 Key driver of change Key drivers of change are forces likely to affect the structure of an industry, sector or market. There is an increasing trend to market globalization for a variety of reasons. In some markets, customer needs and preferences are becoming more similar. For example, there is increasing homogeneity of consumer tastes in goods such as soft drinks, jeans, electrical items (e.g. audio equipment) and personal computers. The opening of McDonalds outlets in most countries of the world signaled similar tendencies in fast food. As some markets globalize, those operating in such markets become global customers and may search for suppliers who can operate on a global basis. For example, the global clients of the major accountancy firms may expect the accountancy firms to provide global services. The development of global communication and distribution channels may drive globalization the obvious example being the impact of the internet. In turn, this may provide opportunities for transference of marketing (e.g. global brands) across countries. Marketing policies, brand names and identities, and advertising may all be developed globally. This further generates global demand and expectations from customers, and may also provide marketing cost advantages for global operators. Nor is the public sector immune from such forces. Universities are subject to similar trends influenced by changing delivery technologies through the internet. This means, for example, that there is developing a genuinely global market for MBA students particularly where the majority of ‘tuition is done online. Cost globalization may give potential for competitive advantage since some organizations will have greater access to and/or be more aware of these advantages than others. This is especially the case in industries in which large volume; standardized production is required for optimum economies of scale, as in many components for the electronics industry. There might also be cost advantages from the experience built through wider-scale operations. Other cost advantages might be achieved by central sourcing efficiencies from lowest-cost suppliers across the world. Country-specific costs, such as labor or exchange rates, encourage businesses to search globally for low cost in these respects as ways of matching the costs of competitors that have such advantages because of their location. For example, given increased reliability of communication and cost differentials of labor, software companies and call centers are being located in India, where there is highly skilled but low-cost staff. Other businesses face high costs of product development and may see advantages in operating globally with fewer products rather than incurring the costs of wide ranges of products on a more limited geographical scale. The activities and policies of governments have also tended to drive the globalization of industry. Political changes in the 1990s meant that almost all trading nations function with market-based economies and their trade policies have tended to encourage free markets between nations. Globalization has been further encouraged by technical standardization between countries of many products, such as in the automobile, aerospace and computing industries. It may also be that particular host governments actively seek to encourage global operators to base themselves in their countries. However, it is worth noting that in many industries country-specific regulations still persists and reduces the extent to which global strategies are possible. Also, the early 2000s have seen a rise in citizen activism about the impact of globalization on developing countries most notably at meetings of the World Trade Organization Changes in the macro-environment are increasing global competition which, in turn, encourages further globalization. If the levels of exports and imports between countries are high, it increases interaction between competitors on a more global scale. If a business is competing globally, it also tends to place globalization pressures on competitors, especially if customers are also operating on a global basis. It may also be that the interdependence of a companys operations across the world encourages the globalization of its competitors. For example, if a company has sought out low-cost production sites in different countries, these low costs may be used to subsidize competitive activity in high-cost areas against local competitors, thus encouraging them to follow similar strategies. 2.2.2 Industries and sectors The macro-environment might influence the success or failure of an organizations strategies. But the impact of these general factors tends to surface in the more immediate environment through changes in the competitive forces on organizations. An important aspect of this for most organizations will be competition within their industry or sector. Economic theory defines an industry as ‘a group of firms producing the same principal product or, more broadly, ‘a group of firms producing products that are close substitutes for each other. This concept of an industry can be extended into the public services through the idea of a sector. Social services, health care or educations also have many producers of the same kinds of services. From a strategic management perspective it is useful for managers in any organization to understand the competitive forces acting on and between organizations in the same industry or sector since this will determine the attractiveness of that industry and the way in which individual organizations might choose to compete. It may inform important decisions about product/market strategy and whether to leave or enter industries or sectors. It is important to remember that the boundaries of an industry may be changing for example, by convergence of previously separate ‘industries such as between computing, telecommunications and entertainment. Convergence is where previously separate industries begin to overlap in terms of activities, technologies, products and customers. There are two sets of ‘forces that might drive convergence. First, convergence might be supply-led where organizations start to behave as though there are linkages between the separate industries or sectors. This is very common in the public services where sectors seem to be constantly bundled and un-bundled into ministries with ever-changing names (‘Education, ‘Education and Science, ‘Education and Employment, ‘Education and Skills etc.). This type of convergence may be driven by external factors in the business environment. For example, governments can help or hinder convergence through regulation or deregulation a major factor in the financial services sector in many countries. The boundaries of an industry might also be destroyed by other forces in the macro-environment. For example, e-commerce is destroying the boundary of traditional retailing by offering manufacturers new or complementary ways to trade what are now being called new ‘business models12 such as websites or e-auctions. But the real test of these types of changes is the extent to which consumers see benefit to them in any of this supply-side convergence. So, secondly, convergence may also occur through demand-side (market) forces where consumers start to behave as though industries have converged. For example, they start to substitute one product with another (e.g. TVs and PCs). Or they start to see links between complementary products that they want to have ‘bundled. The package holiday is an example of bundling air travel, hotels and entertainment to form a new market segment in the travel industry. 2.2.3 Competitors and market An industry or sector may be a too-general level to provide for a detailed understanding  of competition. For example, Ford and Morgan Cars are in the same industry (automobiles) but are they competitors? The former is a publicly quoted multinational business; the latter is owned by a British family, produces about 500 cars a year and concentrates on a specialist market niche where customers want hand-built cars and are prepared to wait up to four years for one. In a given industry there may be many companies each of which has different capabilities and which compete on different bases. This is the concept of strategic groups. But  competition occurs in markets which are not confined to the boundaries of an industry and there will almost certainly be important differences in the expectations of different customer groups. This is the concept of market segments. What links these two issues is an understanding of what customers value. Strategic groups are organizations within an industry or sector with similar strategic  characteristics, following similar strategies or competing on similar bases. These characteristics are different from those in other strategic groups in the same industry or sector. For example, in grocery retailing, supermarkets, convenience stores and corner shops are three of the strategic groups. There may be many different characteristics that distinguish between strategic groups but these can be grouped into two major categories .First, the scope of an organizations activities (such as product range, geographical coverage and range  of distribution channels used). Second, the resource commitment (such as brands, marketing spend and extent of vertical integration). Which of these characteristics are especially relevant in terms of a given industry needs to be understood in terms of the history and development of that industry and the forces at work in the environment. 2. Market segments The concept of strategic groups discussed above helps with understanding the similarities and differences in the characteristics of ‘producers those organizations that are actual or potential competitors. However, the success or failure of organizations is also concerned with how well they understand customer needs and are able to meet those needs. So an understanding of markets is crucial. In most markets there is a wide diversity of customers needs, so the concept of market segments can be useful in identifying similarities and differences between groups of customers or users. A market segment is a group of customers who have similar needs that are different from customer needs in other parts of the Market 2.2.4 Opportunities and threat The critical issue is the implications that are drawn from this understanding in guiding strategic decisions and choices. There is usually a need to understand in a more detailed way how this collection of environmental factors might influence strategic success or failure. This can be done in more than one way. This identification of opportunities and threats can be extremely valuable when thinking about strategic choices for the future. A strategic gap is an opportunity in the competitive environment that is not being fully exploited by competitors. By using some of the frameworks described in this chapter, managers can begin to identify opportunities to gain competitive advantage in this way: Opportunities in substitute industries Organizations face competition from industries that are producing substitutes. But substitution also provides opportunities. In order to identify gaps a realistic assessment has to be made of the relative merits of the products/technologies (incumbent and potential substitutes) in the eyes of the customer. An example would be software companies substituting electronic versions of reference books and atlases for the traditional paper versions. The paper versions have more advantages than meet the eye: no hardware requirement (hence greater portability) and the ability to browse are two important benefits. This means that software producers need to design features to counter the strengths of the paper versions; for example, the search features in the software. Of course, as computer hardware develops into a new generation of portable handheld devices, this particular shortcoming of electronic versions might be rectified. Opportunities in other strategic groups or strategic spaces It is also possible to identify opportunities by looking across strategic groups particularly if changes in the macro-environment make new market spaces economically viable. For example, deregulation of markets (say in electricity generation and distribution) and advances in IT (say with educational study programs) could both create new market gaps. In the first case, the locally based smaller-scale generation of electricity becomes viable possibly linked to waste incineration plants. In the latter case, geography can be ‘shrunk and educational programs delivered across continents through the internet and teleconferencing (together with local tutorial support). New strategic groups emerge in these industries/sectors. Opportunities in the chain of buyers It was noted that this can be confusing, as there may be several people involved in the overall purchase decision. The user is one party but they may not buy the product themselves. There may be other influencers on the purchase decision too. Importantly, each of these parties may  value different aspects of the product or service. These distinctions are often quite marked in business-to-business transactions, say with the purchase of capital equipment. The purchasing department may be looking for low prices and financial stability of suppliers. The user department (production) may place emphasis on special product features. Others such as the marketing department may be concerned with whether the equipment will speed throughput and reduce delivery times. By considering who is the ‘most profitable buyer an organization  may shift its view of the market and aim its promotion and selling at those ‘buyers with the intention of creating new strategic customers. Opportunities for complementary products and services This involves a consideration of the potential value of complementary products and services. For example, in book retailing the overall ‘