Nevada School Law Flashcard

Nevada School Law

Flashbulb Memories essays

Flashbulb Memories essays About one year ago I remember hearing about some very awful news. My grandmother had died suddenly. In my mind it was impossible that this could happen. No one who was close to me had ever died before. It was even harder to believe because my grandmother had been much more healthy than her husband. She still worked as a babysitter during the days, and that is where she died. She was taking care of a four year old child and had a stroke while sitting in a chair. The little boy just thought she fell asleep. He tried very hard to wake her up, but obviously couldnt. When the paramedics finally came they said she had died the minute it happened. To me the strangest part of my memories of that day is the fact that I dont really remember being told. I think this may be because I didnt believe it. My grandmother had taken care of me many times in my childhood. She lived in the next town over with my grandfather for my whole life. Every holiday she would cook so much food for my entire family, that there would be leftovers (and my family is huge seeing as my last name is ) How could this woman not be ten minutes away anymore? I just couldnt believe my parents and maybe that is why I dont remember being told. The memory that stays with me is the memory of kneeling in front of her open coffin at the wake. I had been to one funeral a long time ago when I was very young and it had been of a relative I did not know very well, so this was my first actual experience in these things. That and the fact that I finally realized everyone was telling me the truth are what I think made this memory so vivid. I can picture her laying there right now. I can even feel the same feelings as I did then. All my denial and confusion were lost, and at that moment there was a huge sense of inevitability and sadness in my mind. Just thinking about looking at her face makes tears spring to my eyes. I reme...

Man of Marble Film Review Movie Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Man of Marble Film - Movie Review Example ick layer whoselected by a filmmaker, Jerzy Burski (Tadeusz Lomnicki) to star in an advertising film in which he with four others laid 28,000 bricks in 8 hours. This represents "collective working" which symbolized the nature of Communist strength. In this film, the character of Birkut demonstrates the face of the common men, symbol of all common workers in communist Poland. There are three distinct kinds of scenes in this movie - the black and white documentary materials of 1950s, basic accomplishments of Socialism and the idols of the working class. There are also numbers of sections from the 50s shot in color, displaying the exact situation of that time. The third types of scenes are about the actual trouble face by Agnieszka and her team in 1970 while doing this documentary. From a broader perspective, Man of Marble  is a remarkable sample for the blend of diverse messages and subjects in a single film. Both the characters Agnieszka and Birkut are full of optimism and modest in their rigid approach towards the scope of the politics. The significance of this movie lies in the demonstration of the difference among the black and white publicity footage and the colour realism shots which help to expose the temporary nature of political reality. There are two scenes worth mentioning regarding the role played by the movie to demonstrate the political nature of the country. One is about showing Birkut coming out of jail and casting his vote in the elections and encouraging others to do the same. In that part of the movie, there is a clear description about the development of the country under communist rule. . The second scene is about the demonstration of the economic achievement of socialist Poland shoot in colour with the presence of background disco musi c. That disco music is the clear indication of the growth and development of the country under communist rule. From the point of view of above two scenes if we analyze the two main characters of this movie, it is

International Legal and Ethical Issues in Business IP Week 3 Essay

International Legal and Ethical Issues in Business IP Week 3 - Essay Example This rule also applies to someone who is inebriated or otherwise under the influence of intoxicating drugs. For the purpose of this element, likewise minors do not have the capacity to enter into a contract, so a parent or guardian must act on their behalf. A minor’s age of consent varies from state to state and different countries but is generally eighteen. 2. Legal Purpose. In order for a contract to be valid, it must also be legal in the domicile which it is drawn. For example, loan contracts with usury above the legal limit are invalid, as are agreements for such things as prostitution, arson, murder and gambling. 3. Offer and Acceptance. This aspect is common in the real estate business, where two parties have something to offer each other. The seller has a house or land and the buyer has the cash to purchase the property. They bargain for a bit and finally acceptance is made from both sides. At this time they have a contract, which once signed can be legal and binding. 4. Consideration. The seller surrenders his property and the buyer hands over his money. As such they have consideration. Of course with real estate, there are often two more parties to the contract, for any number of entities can be party to the contract. The real estate agent does the footwork for both buyer and seller and expects to receive a commission for the efforts. Also, normally the Mortgage Company or bank provides the cash for the transaction and the buyer promises to repay the mortgager. The objective theory of contracts basically means that the person entering into the contract would consider it valid if he or she thought the other party had the intent of carrying through with his offer and the other party’s conduct would justify such intent (Thompson, 2005). A good example of this would be the Washington’s Birthday celebration some car dealers had many years ago. Washington was born on

Are patents good or bad for Economics Term Paper

Are patents good or bad for Economics - Term Paper Example ‘Patent’ is the rights approved by the government that is bestowed to the inventor or patentee for special use of the invention for a restricted time period in the country or region, subjected to the prevailing law of that country or region. The duration for protection is generally 14 to 20 years including possible extension of 7 years (Bardowell, â€Å"Patent System†). The policy of patenting is an important part of the economy as it helps in the process of innovation and invention to the country. The paper aims to substantiate the importance of patents for an economy. For the society, the benefits are achieved when the invention moves into the public realm after a certain period of time after the invention. Also the invention is revealed to the society with the expectation that there will be improvement in the invention. The patentee holds no such intention of keeping it as a trade secret. The granting of patent may sometimes become risky for the government. The term for which duration of patents are restricted (20 years) is very elongated. For such approach, innovation or improvement on the invention might get hold for a long period of time. But granting patents always keep the government on the safe side with because they can control the innovation and invention, be it good or bad. The historical data shows that patents have always produced good results for the economy. In this section of the paper, an article from the magazine â€Å"The Economist† has been cited and analyzed. The article named ‘The good, the bad and the ugly’ has explained the traits of urge towards innovation in Britain. The objective of the article was to rate Britain as a knowledge based powerhouse among the world countries. The article establishes that for upgrading the economic growth, governments provide good reason to promote innovation. As patent is the heart of invention through innovation in the field of R&D, governments take initiatives in

Reforma Integral De La Educacion Basica

Reforma Integral De La Educacion Basica La Educacià ³n Bà ¡sica de Mà ©xico se encuentra en un proceso de reforma que inicià ³ en 2004 con preescolar y continuo en 2006 con secundaria. En el 2009, la Reforma se generaliza en primaria en los grados de primero   y sexto. Durante los siguientes dos aà ±os, la reforma abarcarà ¡ los grados de segundo y quinto, asà ­ como tercero y cuarto de primaria, respectivamente, para que en el 2012 la Reforma Integral de la Educacià ³n Bà ¡sica haya cubierto su ciclo de articulacià ³n. El nuevo plan, programas y materiales educativos de primero y sexto tuvieron una etapa de prueba durante el ciclo 2008-2009 en 5,000 escuelas piloto. Sus resultados fueron analizados e incorporados previos al proceso de generalizacià ³n en todo el paà ­s. Las razones de una Reforma Educativa son connaturales al avance de la investigacià ³n educativa y la evolucià ³n de las diversas disciplinas cientà ­ficas, pero tambià ©n, buscar hacer de esta reforma una gran oportunidad para mejorar la calidad de nuestro sistema educativo nacional. La Educacià ³n Bà ¡sica debe formar en los alumnos las competencias que requieren para incorporarse con à ©xito en la sociedad del conocimiento, lo que significa mejorar sus capacidades lectoras, matemà ¡ticas, cientà ­ficas y tecnolà ³gicas hacia niveles de alta complejidad, al mismo tiempo que se les brinda una formacià ³n integral para la vida y el desarrollo humano. Ello implica formar en los nià ±os las competencias para saber conocer, saber hacer y aplicar el conocimiento; saber convivir en una sociedad democrà ¡tica y saber ser hacia la autorrealizacià ³n personal. Como en toda reforma educativa, el docente es central para lograr resultados exitosos.   Es por eso que se realizan capacitaciones para profesores de primero a sexto grado, directores, supervisores y jefes de sector de nivel primario, y se actualicen en base a la nueva reforma. La Reforma Integral de la Educacià ³n Primaria, es parte de la polà ­tica educativa nacional con la que se culmina el proyecto de articulacià ³n curricular, impulsado desde la reforma en preescolar y secundaria, orientada a elevar la calidad de la educacià ³n y que los estudiantes mejoren su nivel de logro educativo, cuenten con medios para tener acceso a un mayor bienestar y contribuyan al desarrollo nacional. Esta reforma es parte de la estructuracià ³n global del proyecto cuya base es la coherencia de los fundamentos pedagà ³gicos que promueve y posibilita al docente el acercamiento a los propà ³sitos y al enfoque del nuevo plan de estudio, los programas y los materiales educativos para que se apropie de ellos y encuentre diversas formas de trabajo en el aula acordes con la diversidad y entorno sociocultural. Uno de los ejes fundamentales para el à ©xito de esta reforma, es la participacià ³n de todos los actores en el proceso educativo: alumnos, padres, maestros y autoridades educativas comprometidas con el cambio. Una estrategia inicial es la formacià ³n acadà ©mica a docentes, directivos y asesores tà ©cnicos pedagà ³gicos. Para que la reforma pueda lograr sus objetivos, es indispensable reconocer que a cada maestro le corresponde la tarea de traducir los principios que orientan la reforma a propuestas concretas en el salà ³n de clase, esto es: Realizar una planeacià ³n de sus actividades didà ¡cticas en concordancia con los enfoques de cada asignatura. Reconocer la manera como pueden instrumentarse en una escuela, en un contexto especifico, con un grupo de alumnos con caracterà ­sticas particulares y desde la reflexià ³n de su propia experiencia como docente. Establecer las actividades de aprendizaje y las formas de evaluacià ³n que articulen este nuevo enfoque en la tarea docente, desde los planes y programas de estudio apoyadas en los materiales educativos. La planeacià ³n dentro del proceso enseà ±anza- aprendizaje es fundamental para el à ©xito del trabajo en el aula; en ella intervienen el contexto de la escuela, su organizacià ³n, su infraestructura, matricula y el conocimiento general del grupo, aspectos que el docente considera en su planeacià ³n ademà ¡s del plan de estudios, los programas y otros materiales de apoyo. Cabe mencionar que la planeacià ³n es el espacio donde la creatividad del docente y su conocimiento del contexto de la prà ¡ctica y de sus alumnos se ponen en juego; por esta razà ³n, la planeacià ³n es à ºnica e irrepetible. Considero que las reformas educativas son necesarias porque el conocimiento siempre està ¡ cambiando. Para que una reforma tenga à ©xito tiene que poner al dà ­a las enseà ±anzas y hacer uso de los adelantos, los maestros necesitan estar al dà ­a, aprender lo que no saben, haciendo uso de las tecnologà ­as de informacià ³n, el uso de las computadoras y otros medios auxiliares en cuanto a educacià ³n. La reforma requiere establecer un sistema de evaluacià ³n acorde con los postulados de las competencias y abandonar los enfoques centrados en la memorizacià ³n y en ejercicios mecà ¡nicos alejados de la vida del alumno. Los planes de estudio del 2009 tienen como finalidad elevar la calidad de la educacià ³n para que los estudiantes mejoren su nivel de logro educativo, cuenten con medios para tener acceso a un mayor bienestar y contribuyan al desarrollo nacional. La principal estrategia es la adopcià ³n de un modelo educativo basado en competencias y la articulacià ³n entre los niveles preescolar, primaria y secundaria. El plan de estudios se clasifica en campos formativos: 1. Lenguaje y Comunicacià ³n 2. Pensamiento Matemà ¡tico 3. Exploracià ³n y Comprensià ³n del Mundo Natural y Social 4. Desarrollo Personal y para la Convivencia. Un elemento pedagà ³gico que articula la reforma es la nocià ³n de establecer competencias en los estudiantes. Se busca que el estudiante, en su formacià ³n para ser ciudadano y miembro de una sociedad, desarrolle de manera conjunta conocimientos, actitudes y habilidades para enfrentar situaciones inà ©ditas que le corresponderà ¡ vivir en el mundo de maà ±ana. Perrenaud[1]   indica que el elemento fundamental que orienta la discusià ³n de competencias remite a la lucha por lograr que la educacià ³n supere la visià ³n enciclopà ©dica que lleva a que los estudiantes memoricen y apliquen conocimientos sin entender su relacià ³n con las situaciones cotidianas. Es la lucha del sistema escolar por lograr un aprendizaje significativo. En la vida cotidiana ese aprendizaje no tiene mucho sentido, no es empleado para nada y se olvida una vez que el estudiante esta fuera de la escuela. Por su parte John Dewey[2] nos dice La educacià ³n debe fundamentarse en una teorà ­a de la experiencia†¦ por ello se requiere de una interaccià ³n entre el individuo, los objetos y otras personas. Entendemos por competencia a la capacidad de hacer que demanda tener informacià ³n, mediante la informacià ³n podemos desarrollar una competencia, esto no significa que se deba enseà ±ar en la forma en que habitualmente se hace ya que se pretende acabar con el aprendizaje memorà ­stico. Enseà ±ar por competencias es el resultado de una lucha por superar la visià ³n enciclopà ©dica de la enseà ±anza en el terreno de la educacià ³n. La finalidad es formar al alumno en el uso de la informacià ³n y el desarrollo de habilidades para resolver situaciones cotidianas. Lo importante es lograr que el estudiante construya el sentido prà ¡ctico de lo que aprende en la escuela. [1] 1999. Libro Formar competencias en la escuela [2] 1937. Teà ³rico de la educacià ³n de cara al proceso de industrializacià ³n.

MBA Admissions Essays :: MBA College Admissions Essays

MBA Admissions Essays    Think about the decisions you have made in your life. Describe the following: PAST: What choices have you made that led you to your current position? PRESENT: Why is a Wharton MBA necessary at this point in your life? FUTURE: What is your desired position upon graduation from the Wharton School?    I like options, I like security, and I like power. With these wants, I knew at a very early age that I would enter business and thus I attended a college that specializes in the subject. In my first position out of school, I was hired by Dunhill Equities as a cold-caller. After several weeks of being hung up on by angry prospects, I decided that this career path would not lead me to success. I then moved within the firm to a position as sales assistant. While this was by no means my dream job, I learned a tremendous amount about business, and I gained useful exposure to the world of finance. Unfortunately, the company hit a period of instability, and after ten months I transferred with my boss to Coleman & Company. Thirteen months later, that company also began to fail, and I began to search for another path to advancement. With two strikes against me, I hit a home run and was hired by Sanford Bernstein into a challenging job with limitless opportunity for growth.    After almost three years at Bernstein, I am once again seeking career advancement. My education and work experience have provided me with an excellent introduction to business, and they have sparked my interest in finance. Taking into consideration my foundation and my interests, graduate business school is the next logical step. At this point in my life, I consider a Wharton MBA to be necessary since I need to gain a broader understanding of finance and to sharpen my analytical skills in order to be successful in corporate finance. Wharton's MBA program will allow me to concentrate in finance, strengthen my global business perspective, and provide me with the opportunity to study with and learn from people with varied backgrounds. The school's location in the financial capital of the world and in one of the most diverse cities in the world also suits me perfectly.    Aside from advancing my career, I would also like to develop personally. In college I did not join many clubs or organizations, and I did not participate in sports.

Children and Young People Development

1. 1 Describe the expected pattern of children and young people’s development from birth to 19 years, to include: * Physical development, communication development, intellectual development social, emotional and behavioural development. 0-3 months from birth a baby’s physical and progress development will improve than any other age. They will have many different movements but this will be very limited, these include grasping (wrapping fingers around things they touch) rooting (will help them find milk threw the nipple by moving head and using touch and if held with their feet firmly to the floor they will copy stepping movements.As they age they will become more confident with this movement and look more relaxed and even move their head more when they see movement and light. * 6-9 months usually play with feet (put them in mouth etc), and cruise around furniture 1. 2 describe with examples how different aspects od development can affect one another. The parts of develop ment do not work individually-they are linked this is why we talk about general development. Even when aiming on one aspect of development, it is very crucial not to forget we are viewing at a person or child and young people.They need to develop many different abilities and these interest more than one spot of development. For example, from every early age parental or carer communication and encouragement is very important for a child. It can help the child grow and develop in all aspects: physical, emotional, behaviour, social, communication and intellect. A child, who has little communication, is UN cared for or has negative social experiences. In these early development years may become a lonely individual have difficulty communicating with others and lack in self-esteem.They may have low expectations of themselves concerning school and learning, which could string to poor results in school which in turn could affect their confidence even further. Children from a poverty stricke n area or deprive background could be affected in many way, environmental, financial Situation an health issues, can all be related. For example their home may be overcrowded and they could be neglected as an individual, the family could be struggling financially a problem which puts pressure on the parents making tension within the family.Absence of money may mean lack of food for the family, going on to poor nutrition. Some children might feel under pressure from peers to have certain brands of clothing. Shoes etc. , they might not be able to keep up with the latest technology and this could lead bullying, shortage of self-esteem. 2. 1 describe with examples the kinds of influences that effect children and young people’s development including: * Background * Health * Environment There are many issues that affect the healthy growth and development of children.These issues Work in mixture and so it is OFTEN difficult to approximate the impact of any single issues on general c hild development Background: pupils may come from a large variety of different family environment, culture, and conditions for example their parents may come from a foreign country and have different religious beliefs. This may affect the child as will be taught something different as home and school may be teaching something else and this may confuse the child. There may also be a language issue as the child may speak the parent’s language at home and may have problems speaking English at school.Health: poor health or physical disability can affect the children development. There are many genetic disorders which instance development. Examples: children with Down’s syndrome often have learning difficulties which can affect their understanding and their ability to communicate with others. * Poor nutrition and lack of sleep will cause a lack of energy and may results in aggressive behaviour and an inability to form relationships. Environment: poverty and poor housing con ditions may affect children’s feelings or self-esteem.Examples, children who live in overcrowded homes or in temporary bed and breakfast accommodation may have fewer opportunities to play with other children and may feel cut off because they see themselves as â€Å"different†. Children’s whose family are travellers might not stay in one area long enough to form friendships. Also children’s education is badly disrupted when families are moved from one place to another. Pollution of the environment could have a evident change on the health and development of children and young people. the three main principals threats to health are water pollution, air pollution and noise pollution.Children are specifically exposed to air pollution. This is partly because they have a huge lung surface area in comparison to their small body size; this means that they soak up toxic substances faster than adults do and are slower to get them out of their body. The effects of a ir pollution from factory chimneys, the use of chemical insecticides and car exhausts include: * Lead poisoning- this is caused by various things such as by vehicle exhaust fumes. Children’s ability to learn can easily be effected by just even the lowest levels of lead in the blood. Children especially vulnerable to lead poisoning. Asthma – an acting trigger for asthma can be air pollution which can make an existing condition even worse. Traffic polluted areas can raise the level of incidence of asthma. 2. 2 describe with examples the importance of recognising and responding to concerns about children and young people’s development. A practitioner should recognise when a child or young person’s development is not succeeding the foreseeable standards. Regularly the parents will tell their own concern and it is important to reply to these. If you are not responding to these, the problem could get worse.Some children and young people may need additional help for any reason, at any time, and for any timespan. Some development involvement is temporary such as hearing problems that is corrected by an operation, and there for only require temporary help. Concerns about development The following issues can all influence the way in which a child or young person develops holistically: * Family situation: family failure – e. g. division of parents or arrival of a new partner; a child or young person being a career of another family member; being looked after by the local authority or recently having left care. Social or emotional problems: grief; behavioural difficulties; being involved in a bullying situation or subject to some kind of discrimination. * Disability or health needs: hearing or visual damage; language and communication difficulties; autistic spectrum disorder; chronic illness leading to regular hospitalisation, and conditions requiring a surgical operation. A child or young person’s development is giving ‘cau se’ for concern will need to be ‘supported’.Practitioners should try to identify the child or young person’s particular developmental needs and reply quickly; he sooner the difficulty is recognised the more likely that the support offered will be affective. The parents or cares should be consulted and the support needed can be bespoke to the individual child or young person. Having observed or compared the child or young person, you need to decide how best their needs can be met. You will need to refer to the related part of normative development to work out which area of development needs to be supported and then decide how this can be done.This involves: * Finding out about their interests and opinions: Children and young people need to know that their interests and opinions are valued. This means showing respect for their interests and showing that you value their contributions. You can find out from parents and cares about activates most enjoyed by you ng children. Older people and young children should be referred about their favourites Providing difficult activates: children and young people need to feel engaged= in activities. – They may find activities to easy for them boring and unexciting.By planning activities that test them, you will be helping them to feel felling of triumph and supporting their progress. * Being prepared to be adaptable when setting up activities: setting up activities should be an adaptable process. You need to be prepared to alter your plans to take into account the individual favourites of children and young people. In this way you, will promote an =atmosphere= of trust and respect. Also, when you consult a young person about what they want to do at a particular time you can often support him or her to take proprietorship of the activity

World Trade Organization, Chinas economy will deeply and broadly get involved in international division of labor. The WritePass Journal

World Trade Organization, Chinas economy will deeply and broadly get involved in international division of labor. Introduction World Trade Organization, Chinas economy will deeply and broadly get involved in international division of labor. Introduction1. The background of Lenovo Group2. The internal and external environment of LenovoStrengthsStrong market shareBrand advantageWeaknessLack of scaleOpportunitiesGrowing PC demandOlympic strategyThreatsPEST analysis3. International Expansion Rational4. Country SelectionCountry AttractivenessStrategic Consideration5. International Market Entry Mode Selection(1)  Ã‚   Sales expansion(2)  Ã‚   Resource acquisition:(3)   Risk minimization:6. Challenges and StrategiesDifferentiation StrategyCoordination7. Conclusion and RecommendationReferenceRelated Introduction After entering into the World Trade Organization, Chinas economy will deeply and broadly get involved in international division of labor. To develop and establish a stable foothold in the competition, Chinese enterprises should learn and grow in the face of competition and challenges. Chinese enterprises have also realized it and explored reasonable international strategy for their development and management. Some outstanding Chinese enterprises have used mergers, acquisitions or strategic alliance with foreign companies to achieve the dream of being multinational corporations. The most representative enterprise is the Lenovo Group. Based on analysis of the international road of the Lenovo Group, the report is aimed at discuss Chinese enterprises choice of internationalization. The structure of the report is described as follow: Firstly, it introduces the background of global PC industry and the Lenovo Group. Secondly, SWOT and PEST model are used to analyze internal and external env ironment of the Lenovo Group. Motives of Lenovo to go international are listed in third part. Fourthly, chooses Japan to expand its international markets and analyzes the Lenovo Groups entry model. Then the report will give advice of Lenovo’s international competitive strategy. Recommendations and conclusion will be given in the last part. 1. The background of Lenovo Group Lenovo group was established in 1984, it was originally invested by Chinese Academy of Sciences and it was called ‘Legend’. It is a highly innovative, international technology company formed by Lenovo and the former IBM Personal Computing Division. Lenovo Company mainly produces desktop computers, printers, projectors, laptops, mobile phones, servers, and other goods. In a very first stage, Lenovo have to occupy the most domestic market share in China, changes from single product to wide range products. In the one hand, Lenovo made its business to meet specified customer needs, changes from product model to solution model. In the other hand, Lenovo increased its service range, changes from value added service to a full standard service. Moreover, the three stages of transformation enhanced its business integration and improved their competitiveness. In 1996, Lenovo ranked No.1 in Chinas domestic market, along with its rapid development in recent years. Then in December 2 004, Lenovo purchased IBM’s personal PC business in a total price of $1.25billion dollars. The IBM personal PC business integration helps Lenovo to gain experience, especially in new product development, talent reserves, management and sales. Moreover, these insist the transformation of Lenovo from a local enterprise to become multinational corporations. 2. The internal and external environment of Lenovo Business environment consists of the internal and external forces under which the organization operates (.Stephen, 1997). It shapes the abilities of enterprises in order to keep successful relationships with their customers. Successful enterprises pay more attention to constantly watching and adapting to the changes of the business environment (Richard, 2003). Generally speaking, most enterprises can control their internal environment such as customers and suppliers, but external environment is uncontrollable, such as political factors, economic factors etc. In order to gain the unbeatable position in the market, enterprises must strive hard continuously to adapt to the changes in the external environment (Zhao, 2004). SWOT and PEST analysis are effective tools to monitor and evaluate the internal and external environment of companies. Strengths Strong market share Lenovo has a prominent advantage on market share in Asia- Pacific PC market (not including Japan). Figure 1 shows the data about market share in the PC market of Asia in 2007. In the one hand, Lenovo’s market share is dominant compared to other competitors like Dell and HP in Chinese PC market. The Lenovo Group reached a new height of 34.5 percent in the fiscal year 2007, and achieved 24 percent year on year growth in PC shipments (Lenovo Group, 2008). In the other hand, Lenovo is one of the leading brands in China and has maintained this leading place for over 10 years. Lenovo can fully understand the local consumers’ needs as a localized enterprise and adapt to the market changes successfully. Figure 1 Source: Internet Data Center Brand advantage The strong market share enhances the brand image of the Lenovo Group. In the PC market, the leadership of Lenovo has exceeded many other competitors in China, and is in an industry leader position. Since Lenovo has acquired the IBM’s PC operations, the advantage of Lenovo’s Dual-brand strategy appeared increasingly. The company could use the ThinkPad brand on existing Lenovo products. Therefore, a strong brand portfolio of Lenovo laptop was established in the domestic PC market, and it has taken a complete coverage of business and consumer market. The brand influence is improving gradually. In addition, Lenovo plays a leading role in cost control and Channel Architecture as a domestic enterprise in China. The Group is able to adjust its strategies and directions to the market development and pass its products’ consumptive value to consumers quickly in order to have the advantage of time difference. Weakness Small market share in global PC market Although Lenovo has achieved great success in China, the market share of Lenovo in the global PC market is still very little. Market share is a comprehensive reflection of the products competitiveness. The performance of Lenovo in America and Europe is very unstable. Lenovo lags far behind Hewlett-Packard in the global PC market share. And the gap of international operational experience between Lenovo and Dell is much bigger in the US market. It will be difficult for Lenovo to catch up with Dell and HP. Lack of scale The Lenovo group is lack of scale to compete with its major competitors effectively. Table 1 shows the revenues and unit PC shipments of the major competitors in the fiscal year2009. It is easy to find that Lenovo falls behind its competitors. Table 1(million) HP Acer Dell Lenovo Revenues $114,552 $17,397.4 $52,902 $16,604.8 Unit PC shipments 59 40 37 25 Source: Lenovo Group, Ltd.2010 Laptops and desktops are the main products of Lenovo, but its competitors have a wider range of product portfolio. For example, Acer offers the products including notebook computers, PCs, liquid crystal display (LCD) monitors, and high-definition televisions etc. HP has various kinds of products and service, such as PCs, imaging and printing-related products and services, and technology services (Lenovo Group, 2010). Although it has expanded the product portfolio with Lenovo mobile, Lenovo needs to expand its products and service continually. Because the weak scale of the group will limit and affect its operating performance. Opportunities Growing PC demand The global PC market is expected to grow rapidly in the future. With the rise of the notebook market and the popularity of PC, the consumer market will show annual growth in geometric progression. And small-medium business segments of the PC markets are also expected to drive the growth. Table 2 shows the data about the demand of PC markets from 2007 to 2010. It can be seen that the demand of PC growth rapidly from the year 2007. Table 2 2007 2010 Global PC shipments 250 million 350 million Consumer segment 120 million 170million Small-medium business 55 million 80 million Source: Lenovo Group, Ltd.2010 Lenovo plays a leading role in global PC market, and the brands of PC products include IdeaCentre, IdeaPad, Essential, ThinkPad and ThinkCentre. Positive outlook for PC market will contribute to steady revenue flows for the Lenovo group in near term. This is no doubt that providing a good opportunity for the development of Lenovo in consumer market. Lenovo can be in a good position to benefit from the growing PC demand. Olympic strategy It is the best opportunity for Lenovo to break into the global market. Lenovo has many sports marketing cases in past few years, including signing a contract with the World Player, and cooperating with NBA. It also sponsors F1 Williams. Lenovo’s Olympic marketing is the most impressive and prospective strategy. Relying on the various advantages of Olympic sponsor, Lenovo can appeal to the public’s attention from the Olympic to the Lenovo’s products. It will help Lenovo enhance the brand image and awareness. Threats As China had joined the WTO, the market is gradually opening up. It is easier for foreign companies to access to the Chinese market. More and more famous computer manufacturers have established in China, the competition will become fiercer.And the mid-range market and the low-end market will be the target markets for international brands, so Lenovo will face the threat from gradually reduced price. Lenovo needs to know how to develop the advantages in scale, cost, channels and service when faces intense competition. In the consumer market, Lenovo faces stiff competition from Dell, HP, Acer, Apple and Sony For example, HP became the world’s first position by the success in the consumer PC market. And Dell also broke the years of single direct sales into retail stores. Lenovo will face a big challenge of Hewlett-Packard, Dell and other manufacturers in the world. PEST analysis Analysis the external environment is very helpful for a company to achieve long-term improvement and strategic planning. Following part will focus on analyzing the Lenovo’s external environment by using PEST tool including political, economic, social and technological factors. Political With the development of IT industry, some problems have emerged, such as environmental pollution and energy consumption. Therefore, the Green IT has been encouraged by Chinese government. Green IT refers to low energy consumption and low noise pollution. As a leader in Chinese PC market, Lenovo has achieved the task of Green IT in noise pollution. The noise index of a Lenovo brand-‘Kai Tian S’ was lower than 30 dB (Lenovo, 2005). In addition, the IT industry’s export tariff has decreased to 9.1 percent in 2005 since China joined the WTO (Global MA Reachch Center, 2006). So these policies are tends to encourage Lenovo to expand its global market. Economic The world economic has a tendency to decline because of the economic crisis in 2008. However, new economic policies were announced by Chinese government at that time. The policies were loose monetary policy and positive financial policy. And Chinese government offered 400 million RMB to motivate economic growth (The Marketing Surveillance Center of China, 2008). It is a great opportunity to develop IT industry. The demand of IT products in China has also increased by the growth of GDP. What’s more, the economies of some developing countries grow rapidly so that provides more opportunities for IT industry, while the IT industry in developed countries has become saturated. Social factors It contains education, population, income levels, lifestyles and other cultural factors. Brand awareness of the computer manufacturers will be affected by the income and education level of consumers. Firstly, education level and the demand of IT products are increasing in China with the development of society. Secondly, Chinese people become more international because of the globalization. The lifestyles of Chinese people changed a lot with the influence of developed countries. So it provides a better external environment for Lenovo’s development. Technology Lenovo Group was established by the Chinese Academy of Science. There are more than 1,800 computer professionals in this governmental organization which owns the highest level of computer technology in China. After the acquisition of IBM’s PC operations in 2005, Lenovo took full use of the IBM’s advanced technologies to produce high quality products and make the RD activities (Lenovo, 2005). And remote work of Internet offers a good opportunity for enterprises to share their advanced technologies. Therefore, Lenovo Group can enhance its competitive ability in order to expand the scale of global market based on the analysis of internal and external environment. 3. International Expansion Rational Kotter (1980) pointed that two important factors decide the reason why enterprises choose to go international. First is the force of circumstances, due to market price in easy or government control, there are fewer opportunities for enterprises in home market. Second is attractive factor, the demands for enterprises products are getting greater and greater overseas. Luftman and his colleagues (1992) described the distinction between primary motives and secondary motives. Primary motives include market-oriented investments, cost cutting investments and overseas investments for the purpose of reducing raw material costs or other reasons. Secondary motives include internal investment environment, the ability to respond to the external environment, or factors relate to the country to invest. By 1999, the company held 21.5 percent share was the best known brand in China and had some brand presence in Asia. Having keeping the domestic PC market leadership for five following years, the company faced new challenges when China entered the World Trade Organization. The company owned 30 percent share in domestic PC market far outdistanced other competitors 10 percent share, but it could no longer depend on local player advantages such as tariffs on imports or foreign companies distribution channels. For example, Dell used a direct sales model to enter China. Also by 2003, the company faced an increasing domestic competition of rising Chinese PC giants, for example Haier, the appliance maker, introduced their own-brand PCs. Besides, seeking and capturing broad overseas markets have been the basic motive. When the company has grown to sizable scale, it will face pressure of growing markets. While domestic market cannot offer opportunities, the company has to extend to external markets. The company can expand scale and scope of product operation to enhance its competitive advantage due to external markets. On the whole, as the limitation of internal market capacity and gradually while-hot competition, also Lenovos growth rate has been declining, internationalization has became the inevitable choice for Lenovo. In addition, Lenovo aimed to develop its core competence by going international. In international market, Europe and other developed countries pioneer in the fields of global information technology and network technology. Lenovo has set up the research laboratory in Silicon Valley, and through IBM Deal built strategic business partner relationship with IBM, the company pursued high-tech to ceaselessly strengthen its core competence and occupy a position in the fierce competition of high-tech area. 4. Country Selection Lenovo’s next move for expansion is Japan and to focus on personal PCs. In 27th January 2010, the announcement was given by Masato Yamamoto (NEC President) and Yang Yuanqin (Lenovo CEO): A new company called B.V. established which registered in Netherland. Lenovo owns 51% shares and paying $175million US dollars for the initial IPOs. And rest of the combination activities will be completed in June 2011. Country Attractiveness Japan is a small island located at the Pacific Ocean near China, the Japanese own a tradition of strong electronic industries, and some major world-class brands are came from there such like: Toshiba, NEC, Fujishu, Panasonic and SONY. In the Asia-pacific region of personal PC business, when competing with MNES such as: HP, dell, Acer and Asus, Lenovo is clear that it leads 20 percent of market share, however, in order to keep their position and secure their business in Asia, the opportunities for Lenovo to entry Japanese market beyond its cooperation. As a part of Lenovo’s global strategy, the market share combination will benefit NEC from the Chinese market and Lenovo from the Japanese Market, especially both brands will have a strong partnership facing the competition in a global stage. As the pie chart showed below: Strategic Consideration Meanwhile, Japan is a country with complexity, even in the business relates areas: Japan has cumbersome regulations, a deep cultural background and special business practices. The consumer market is very competitive, and consumers prefer domestic goods. In Japan, the majority of sales channels controlled by large corporations in Japan, this increase distribution cost and impact foreign products to be less competitive in the Japanese market. Japanese consumers have the taste of high-quality products and product design. Figure 3. Japanese market characteristics: A positive spiral of Japanese market Source: In the electronic industries, Yasushi (2006) mentioned the ideal cycle mode for growth as an electronics manufacturer in Japan, for several years, the negative cycle relied on saturated market limits and share competition in Japan market, and the solution for Japanese companies is to go overseas to gain more cost competitiveness. The positive cycle shows more about the relationship between market expansion and capture global market share. For Lenovo, facing these challenges, the product line could be localized in Japan or even in China, and sell computers in the Japanese market. Figure 4: Target country’s attractiveness and risk involvement Target country’s attractiveness Lenovo Strength (Benefit) Weakness (Harmful) Potential Market Growth and high end users Good quality control and research design can fulfill Japanese customer needs, especially with IBM as one of the core brand The gap to specifically define the locations of different sales network ‘Home bias’ ecosystem Partnership with NEC will increase their brand name as PC product line were built in Japan Lenovo still a new brand that need certain time of acceptation by JP customers Government policies and the hardware bias over software Hardware sales might booming according to industry gap Software might stands alone as Lenovo want to create more added value The absence of alternative forms of financing: banking loans and venture capital More direct investment will have more direct control and free hand from banking operations Foreign business have less banking backup and the bottleneck may harm the business long-term Japanese companies preferred to develop long-term relationships with their hardware suppliers and to depend on those suppliers Chinese business people could more familiar with the high context culture in Japan Relationship building with different destitution dealers may lower the efficiency on new product promotion Different concept on fitness or adaptation between computer software and operations Lenovo’s own research center in Japan used as technical support, and further cooperation with NEC could easily modify software to fit operations Lenovo cannot adapt their operations in order to take advantage of the software, this might increase its spending on research 5. International Market Entry Mode Selection There are many critical issues of a multinational company to be successful in internationalisation process. The entry mode selection is one of the most important issues which many scholars have been investigated in factors of the entry mode decision (Osland et al 2001). Transaction and the cost of uncertainty will be increased if the entry mode decision is inappropriate.   (Meyer et al, 2009). Therefore both country level factors, (i.e. institution, exchange rate and cultural distance), and industry level factors, (i.e. market size and structure, product maturity, type and sales service) need to be considered (Meyer et al, 2009). In addition, objectives of the market entry will frame level of involvement, level of control, time spending and ownership arrangement, which lead a company to make a proper entry mode decision (Figure.1). Since PC is a manufactured product, the foreign operating mode could be classified into wholly owned subsidiaries, export and joint venture. Figure 6.1 Level of involvement and time in order to choosing the entry mode Source: Adapted from Zhu (2010) The first entry mode, wholly owned subsidiary is a foreign business that fully operates under the parent company’s control. The parent company performs self-handling operation, owns resources and its particular assets with anticipation to take high risk and generate high profits (Zhu, 2010). Level of equity arrangement to host country is 100 percent ownership. Thus, an interest of the parent company is a major. The second entry mode, exporting, is a low level of internationalisation. Products and services made by a company in one country and sent to another country (Rugman and Collinson, 2009). There is none-equity arrangement to the host country. The third entry mode, â€Å"joint venture is a special type of strategic alliance inwhich the partners share in the ownershipof an operation on an equity basis† (Griffin, 2008, p.122). Moreover, to select the best entry mode for Lenovo expansion in Japan, advantages and disadvantages of the three kinds of entry modes is consid ered and displayed in the table below. Table 6.1 Comparisons of Advantages and Disadvantages of three entry modes Advantage Disadvantage Wholly owned subsidiaries -high power of management -not share profit -chance of high political risk -high capital investment and resources obligation -need operational facilities in host country Exporting -no need operational facilities in host country, -gain economy of scale -limit opportunities to gain knowledge of local market and competitor -slow response to customer demand -high transportation cost -face trade barrier Joint Venture -share investment risk, i.e. profit and loss with local partner. -combine data, information, complementary resources and know-how -possibility of reducing political or governmental condition risk -lack of fully control -possibility to face inappropriate contractual term, also argument and conflict -loss of competitive advantage through imitation. -managing the relationship with foreign partner Source: Adapted from Johnson, G et al (2005) and Zhu (2010) Japan is a country with both low physical and psychic distance from China, Lenovo’s home country, so, the wholly owned subsidiaries seems not to be very risky, furthermore the country ranks 17th freest economy out of 179 countries, the economy scores above the world average and it is found none of trade barriers (Datamonitor, 2010a). However, Japan has ‘Home bias’ ecosystem, the absence of alternative form of finance, government policies, particular way of develop long-term relationship with suppliers and different concept adaptation between computer software and operation, which the authors have stated in Chapter.5 before, that is, become an obstacle in the nature of competition in Japanese local market. In joint venture, the company will combine the market know-how within partners to understand market needs. Moreover the partners will bring in additional resources to assist each other in operating at the particular marketplace to overcome the new entry dilemma ( Yui and Makino, 2002). With regard to objectives in internationalisation of Lenovo in Chapter.3, the country analysis in Chapter.5 and review of market entry mode conditions, joint venture can be identified to be the most suitable entry mode of Lenovo in Japan. On 27th January 2011, Lenovo, (the fastest growing top-five global PC maker, who is a manufacturing and technology expertise), has announced $175million in joint venture with NEC (new company formation structure is illustrated in Appendix.1). NEC is number 1 Japan PC market share, who has superior brand name in Japan with strong market position. Evidences: benefits of the joint venture entry mode regard to objectives of international business expansion is illustrated below: (1)  Ã‚   Sales expansion NEC is the strongest PC brand in Japan. Lenovo could benefit from extensive distribution channels in order to expand customer based (Lenovo, 2011). Lenovo could focus on twenty two thousand local subsidiaries of NEC around the world to expand its overseas sales as it’s showed in figure 6.4 (NEC, 2011). NEC Lenovo Japan Group become number one PC Company in Japan with approximately 25% market share as it’s showed in figure 6.2 (Lenovo, 2011). NEC Lenovo Japan Group in worldwide position at the third quarter of 2009 and 2010 is compared in table 6.3. The company increased 1.9% of its market share, from 9.3% to 11.2% after the integration (Lenovo, 2011). Figure 6.2:   Market share of PC in Japan on 2010 Source: Lenovo (2011) Table 6.3:   Market share of PC in worldwide on 2010 PC Manufacturer 3rd Quarter 2009 3rd Quarter 2010 +/- HP 19.6% 17..8% -1.7% Acer 13.5% 13.1% -0.3% DELL 12.6% 12.6% 0.0% NEC Lenovo 9.3% 11.2% +1.9% Source: IDC Japan, Japan Personal Computing Quarterly Model Analysis Q3 2010 (Cited in NEC, 2011) Figure 6.4:   NEC’s sale network Source : NEC (2011) (2)  Ã‚   Resource acquisition: It is known that PC companies have razor-thin margins which could be improved by economies of scale and cost savings. Profit margin of Lenovo is about 1.8 percent in the last reporting quarter, meanwhile their competitor, Acer, generate its profit margin at 2.9 percent. (Soh, 2011) Joint venture with NEC will perform resource acquisition and formulate economies of scale. Refers to figure 6.4, Lenovo not only has determined to improve its supply chain, RD and sales marketing by increasing scale, but also plan of decreasing in service, product and information system cost (Lenovo, 2011) NEC also agreed that PC product strength through the joint development. Leveraging the scale of both company will enhance PC price competitiveness (NEC, 2011). Vincent Chen, an analyst with Yuanta Securities in Taipei also claimed that ‘most of NEC’s PC production is out sourced’. This means that NEC have a good relationship with suppliers, cause, Lenovo would gain more bargaining po wer with the contract manufacturers. (Soh, 2011) Figure 6.4: Benefits of joint venture in terms of resource acquisition. Source: Lenovo (2011) (3)   Risk minimization: At industry level in current period, there is a global expansion of commercial PCs manufacturers (NEC,2011) However, PC sales dropped due to increasing of global popularity of tablet PCs such as Apple’s iPad (Soh, 2011). Also, touchscreen tablets from Research in Motion(Blackberry maker) and Dell, will be launch soon in this year. This will cause a PC market size reduction. (Soh, 2011) Similarly, Acer(Taiwan-Based) and Asustek hit PC market with low-cost netbook PC and plan to produce touchscreen tablet(Soh, 2011). This could reflex that, PCusers’ need are varies and unstable. PC makers need to develop new innovative products continuously to maintain its position in order not to drop out of the market. At country level, there was a research of Gartner that many multinational companies, such as HP, was struggled to break in to Japan. They could not compete with a local company, such as Toshiba (Soh, 2011). Distribution channel This joint venture could help Lenovo to break in to Japan with lower risk than wholly own subsidiary or exporting entry mode. There are many successful joint ventures in Japan. Japan’s regulation attracted investor to invest in the country for example reducing trade barrier, such as lowest import tax. In contrast Meschi (2004) claims that failure rate of the joint venture is high. However, the successful of the cooperation depends on following agreement of the partners and the ability of partners to perform their values. 6. Challenges and Strategies Differentiation Strategy If there is no financial crisis in 2008, apparently NEC would not face such as loss in 2009 and 2010. Lenovo’s huge opportunity appears from its product diversifications, so after the joint venture NEC could give strong support to Lenovo on its new product innovations, in order to prevent customer impression of low cost Chinese production, and making their products with more added values to attract more customers. Because the natural of personal PC industry relies on new cutting edge design, highly practicable functions and digitalized lifestyle integrations. Compare to other traditional industries, this trend would lead to Lenovo apply the differentiation strategy, but before ensuring the validity of this strategy, it is very necessary to look at what is the actual strength of NEC. Coordination According the announcement given by Lenovo and NEC, they are willing to share key research centers in Japan, so, if NEC give more emphasis on personal PC division, both engineers could work together in the new joint venture company, in order to increase the speed of new product development process, especially for Lenovo, except their mainstream product ThinkPad, other product series also could get effective technical support, and boost sales. Furthermore, it is expected that both of Lenovo and NEC’s brand and products could be more competitive in the marketplace, such as good research, development and innovation. As a result, Lenovo is very likely to adapt a differentiation strategy that brings the new product design back to China or other overseas market: by using the manufacturing bases in developing countries, and then integrates them with advanced technology, and Lenovo’s future shows a clear path than ever before. 7. Conclusion and Recommendation In summary, Lenovo is one of most outstanding Chinese enterprises who have adopted mergers and acquisitions or strategic alliance with foreign companies to achieve the dream of being multinational corporations. Lenovo has a dominant market share in China and prominent advantage on market share in Asia- Pacific, unfortunately not in Japan. An attractive strategy to internationally expand the firm to Japanese PC market is joint venture. Even Japan has ‘home bias system’, lack of financial support for JV. It is obviously a high technology development country. Lenovo could gain sale expansion, resource acquisition, especially complementary knowledge from this market entry. It is enhancing Lenovo’s mission to be the global innovation leadership, refer to their mission statement. Stepping forward into Japan is a challenging move for Lenovo. However, it is not a finish line of its internationalisation. The company needs to decide the next move strategically and appropriate entry mode. Moreover, how the company operates successfully in different market and different cultures is more important. Adjusting to a new market should be less ethnocentric. Although, joint venture is an appropriate entry mode to Japan, market research is still essential. Sustainable growth is an approach to dominate global PC market. Appendix 1: PC Business Alliance Scheme Source : NEC Japan web site (2011) Reference Datamonitor (2010) Japan–In-depth PESTLE Insights. Country Analysis Report. [Online] Available from: http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer? sid=b17c0647-420c-40ae-a954-24184c2a33ae%40sessionmgr112vid=16hid=107 [Accessed 8th March 2011]. Global MA Research Center, (2006), China Mergers and Acquisitions Yearbook, 2006 annual report, Beijing, Posts Telecom Press Griffin, R.W. (2008), Management 9 ed. Texas, Houghton Mifflin Company Jian Mei, Liu. (2008), Lenovo Groups strategic evaluation: Based on the analysis of the Balanced Scorecard. [Online]. Available from: http://jingpin.szu.edu.cn/strategy/strategy2009/upfiles/edit/200906/20090622160000.doc [Accessed 28th March 211] Johnson, G., Scholes, K. and Whittington, R. (2005) Exploring Corporate Strategy. (7th ed). Essex: Prentice Hall. John Quelch, (2006), Lenovo: Building a Global Brand. Harvard business school. [Online]. Available from: www.ecch.com. [Accessed 28th March 211] Lenovo Group, Ltd. (2008). SWOT Analysis, p4, 1p. Available at: lenovo.com/social_responsibility/us/en/sustainability/Lenovo_2006.2007_Sustainability_Report.pdf. (Accessed: 25th March, 2011) Lenovo Group, Ltd.(2010). SWOT Analysis, p1-9, 9p, 2 Charts Lenovo, (2005), Introduction of Organization. Available at: lenovo.com.cn/about/lenovo/company1959.shtml (Accessed: 24th March, 2011) Meschi, P. -X. (2004) Valuation Effect of International Joint Ventures: Does Experience Matter? International Business Review, 13 (5), 595-612. Meyer. K. E., Estrin. S., Bhaumik. S. K, Peng. M. W (2009), Institutions, Resources, and Entry Strategies in Emerging Economics, Strategies Management Journal, 30, 61-80. NEC. (2011) NEC.co.jp [Online] Available from: nec.co.jp/press/en/1101/images/2702-01-01.pdf [Accessed 8th March 2011]. Osland, G. E., Taylor, C. R. Ming, Z. S. (2001) Selecting International Modes of Entry and Expansion. Marketing intelligence and planning, 19 (3), 153 161. Richard ,L. (2003). Daft Management [M]. Machinery Industry Press.p23 Rugman, A.M. and Collinson, S. (2009). International Business. (5th ed). London: Prentice Hall. Robert Dujarric , Andrei Hagiu (2009) Capitalizing On Innovation: The Case of Japan. (Online) Available from: hbs.edu/research/pdf/09-114.pdf [Accessed date: 18th March, 2011] Soh, K., (2011) Reuters. Lenovo, NEC in PC Joint Venture in Japan . [Online] Available from: channelinsider.com [Accessed 8th March 2011] Stephen ,P , Robbins. (1997). Management [M] China Peoples University Press, p64. The Marketing Surveillance Center of China, (2008), principal economic policies. Available at: chinammn.com.cn/zh/2/2008-11-19/47987.htm (Accessed: 25th March) Wong, W.M., (2011) Lenovo.com. [Online] Available from: http://news.lenovo.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=1413 [Accessed 8th March 2011]. Yasushi Uchida (2006) Japanese Makers Struggle for Foothold in Emerging Markets Available from: http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/article/HONSHI/20061026/122746/ [Accessed date: 18th March, 2011] Yiu, D. Makino, S. (2002), The Choice between Joint Venture and Wholly Owned Subsidiary: An Institutional Perspective, Organization Science, 13 (6), 667-683 Yu Qing, (2011) the new pattern of Personal PC industry: NEC and Lenovo’s joint venture. Available from: http://tech.qq.com/a/20110124/000295.htm [Accessed date: 18th March, 2011 Zhao Xibin.(2004) ‘Several basic theoretical issues on enterprise environment’ [J]. Journal of Wuhan University: Philosophy and Social Sciences, 57 (1):12-17. CnBeta.com, (2011) Lenovo and NEC’s new joint venture market share (Online) Available from: cnbeta.com/articles/133482.htm [Accessed date: 18th March, 2011] Zhu, Y. (2010) International Business Management. Lecture Slides: MGT 4139, London, Middlesex University.

Benito Mussolini Essays - Politics, Political Philosophy

Benito Mussolini Essays - Politics, Political Philosophy Benito Mussolini Benito Mussolini In my perspective, my biography is based on one of the most interesting men of the 20th Century. My biography would not have been done without the knowledge of Edwin Hoyt. He was the author of the biography based on Benito Mussolini called Mussolinis Empire. This 298-page book describes Mussolinis rise and fall of the Fascist Empire. Benito Mussolini also known as il duce, was born in Predappio, Romagna on July 29, 1883. His father Alessandro was a blacksmith, and his mother Rosa was a Schoolteacher. Mussolini followed in his fathers footsteps and became a devoted socialist. In 1901 he qualified as an elementary schoolmaster. In 1902 he went to Switzerland to find a job. They arrested him and kicked him out of the country because he was vagabonding. They took him back to Italy where he joined a staff of a newspaper in the Austrian town of Trento in 1908. Mussolinis contributions to society werent really contributions; they were more like threats to society. One of the biggest threats that he introduced was in March 1919 when he founded the Fasci de Combattimento. This brought him up for elections in 1919, where he failed to enter the parliament. In 1921, Mussolini was introduced to the parliament as a right-wing member. Italy was growing in revolutionary confusion, and it was up for the liberal governments to prevent the spread of anarchy because Mussolini gave his approval in strikebreaking, so that meant that the Fascisti also known as armed squads would be stagnant and not try to prevent any revolutionary agitation. The liberal governments failed to stop the spread of anarchy. Due to their failure the king had no choice but to ask Mussolini to form his own government. In 1925-1926 he was able to assume dictatorial parties and dissolve all other political parties. Now you might ask yourself How is this a threat to society? Well, this was not only a threat to society but also a threat to his society. This man had power to control the whole country. He was able to choose and make any rules that he w anted. Now if you ask me, this man was incredible. Started out as an editor of a socialist newspaper and ended up as a dictator controlling Italy. This man controlled the armed Fascist militia, this power gave him the ability to declare war and use them in any way he wanted. Now that their was dictatorship there was no need for the parliamentary system, so it was practically abolished, law codes were rewritten, teachers in schools and universities had to swear an oath to defend the Fascist regime. Newspaper editors were chosen by Mussolini himself. If you didnt have a certificate approved by the Fascist party you could forget about having a journalism career. All industries went from public to private ownership. Everything was under governmental control. As you can see Italys society was hit hard. I mean their whole history was wiped out like it was never there, and all of a sudden Italy was introduced to a beginning of a new era. Dictatorship also affected society itself outside Italy. In Mussolinis footsteps followed Adolf Hitler dictator of Germany. Mussolini had an imperial dream, and Hitler had no dream he just wanted to wipe out Jews and take over as many lands as possible. Everything was going well for Mussolini until 1943 when the Italians got defeated by Anglo-Americans landing in Sicily. After this happened Mussolinis colleagues turned against him at a meeting of the Fascist Grand Council on July 25, 1943. This enabled the king to dismiss and arrest him. Hitler being the subordinate partner of Mussolini ordered his troops to rescue him. Mussolini infuriated that his Fascist leaders let him down, he got some to get executed including his son in law, Galeazzo Ciano. Another conflict that he was faced with was trying to make it to Switzerland without getting caught by any Italians. In April 1945 just before the allied armies reached Milan, Mussolini along with his mistress Clara Petacci, were caught by Italian partisans as he tried to take refuge in Switzerland. Unfortunately they were both executed by getting Shot. Even after Mussolini got shot he got beat up.

Socrates - The Greatest Philosopher Of All Time Research Paper

Socrates - The Greatest Philosopher Of All Time - Research Paper Example Such was his influence on the philosophical world that the era before him has been named the pre Socrates era. Socrates set the standard for all the western philosophers to come. His methods were employed by all the great philosophers later including Plato and Aristotle to name a few which makes a case in itself for him being the greatest. A thorough analysis of his life, teachings and philosophical viewpoints will further establish my claim for him being the greatest philosopher of all time. Life Born to Sophroniscus a sculptor by profession in 469 BC, Socrates was both short and unattractive (socrates a closer look at the greatest thinker). Though little is known about his early life it is reported that he was educated in literature, music, gymnastic and sculpture which were the integral constituents of elementary education at that time in Athens. Socrates had many teachers. Socrates mentioned that he was taught â€Å"love† by diotima of mintineia. Socrates also mentioned th at he learned rhetoric from Aspasia and music from Connus. However, others argue that his principal teacher was Anaxagorean Archelaus. Despite having so many teachers his undying lust of knowledge lead him to develop his own method of inquiry known as the Socrates method of questioning. Despite being short and unattractive, Socrates was married to Xanthippe, a much younger woman than himself. Several sources claim that he had a second wife as well whose name was Myrto. It is known that his wife was an ill tempered and rude woman. According to various theories Socrates inherited stone masonry as a profession from his father and used it for a living. In his dialogues Plato has also discussed the military life of Socrates. He reported that Socrates when he was young was a brave soldier of the Athenian army and fought valiantly in the battles of Potidaea, Amphipolis and  Delium (socrates a closer look at the greatest thinker). His valour in the battle of delium was even acknowledged b y the general of that time. Later on however, he completely devoted himself to philosophy by refraining from the pursuits of the physical world. He spent most of his life in Athens roaming around and questioning the moral and ethical beliefs of the young men of the city. He used to teach people without demanding any financial gain which was perhaps the reason why he had an ardent sense of loyalty among his students. Aristophanes a contemporary playwright wrote a comic play in 423 BC called clouds (socrates a closer look at the greatest thinker). The play portrayed him as a clown. In the play Socrates used to worship scientific wonders and clouds instead of the gods worshipped in Greece. The play spread a very austere view of Socrates among the Athenians. In the following years, a wave of hatred and disapproval against Socrates ran around the city. Athenian began to dislike Socrates because of his criticism of popular beliefs and the ways of the current government. He used to approac h the wise men of Athens at that time and questioned them in ways which made them look foolish. His influence on the youth began to grow which along with all the other reasons became the main subject of his trials. Hence in 399 BC Socrates was held on trial and was charged for being responsible for disobeying the gods of the state and corrupting the minds of the youth (Kemerling, 2006).

The Great Sphinx of Egypt Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The Great Sphinx of Egypt - Research Paper Example Others believe that the nose was removed by Sufi who considered it was blasphemous. According to Robert (48), arguments have been raised that the sculpture was built by Pharaoh Khafre at around 2575-2465 BC. This was during the old kingdom which was characterized by the building of pyramids. However, there are various arguments surrounding the construction of the Sphinx. History There are various mysteries surrounding the great Sphinx. The great sphinx is located close to the pharaoh’s Valley Temple and along the covered causeway that led to Mortuary Temple beside the pyramid. The great sphinx is made of limestone with lion’s body and a human head. It is situated at the Giza plateau on the west bank of the Nile in Egypt. It is one of the world’s largest monoliths. It is 73.5 meters (241 ft) long, 19.3 meters (63 ft) wide, and 20.22 meters (66.34 ft) deep and weighs around 200 tons (Robert, and McNally). It is among the oldest monuments in the world and it’ s thought to have been built by ancient Egyptians during the reign of Pharaoh Khafra around (2558-2532 BC). However, there have been controversies regarding who built the statue and when it was built. The Egyptians used the statue as a sign of divinity, and there is a belief that king Harmais was buried in it. The statue faces East which signifies security. The direction the statue is facing means that it guards the temple and the other pyramids that surround it. Egyptians use different names to refer to the Sphinx (Robert, 51). These include Hor-em-Takht (Horus in the horizon), Bw-How (Olacr of Horus) and Ra (Ra of two Horizons). The building of the Sphinx could have taken place during the fourth dynasty of Egypt in the 3rd millennium BC. Also, the statue could have been built by Pharaoh Khafre and the carved image of the face looks just like his face. Others suggest that the Sphinx was built by Pharaoh Khufu the father of Pharaoh Khafre, who also built the great pyramid of Giza. H owever, there is no conclusive evidence regarding who exactly built the great sphinx. Robert (49) states that Pharaoh Khafre ruled the fourth dynasty (2558-2532 BC) after having succeeded his brother King Djedefre. Khafre was the son of King Khufu and Queen Henutsen. He reigned for around 24-26 years and he is also appreciated for having built the second pyramid at Giza. He is also thought to have built the great Egyptian sphinx. During his reign, the Egyptian kingdom obtained great prosperity. Dimensions and Proportionality The head of the sphinx is smaller than the rest of the body which makes it disproportionate. However, this contradicts the facts that it was made by Egyptians since they were good at making proportionate items. The Sphinx was carved from limestone and the stones that were removed were used in the construction of pyramids and temple. The limestone that was removed around the head was stronger and was used in building pyramids while the weaker ones were used in bu ilding the temple (Graham, and Bauval, 17). There was also another suggestion that Sphinx would have been formed through water erosion. According to Manager (1993), the history of the great sphinx had long been forgotten and the monument suffered neglect. The story of the Sphinx began around 1400 BC when pharaoh Thutmose IV was told in a dream to unearth the Sphinx body. In his dream, he was promised to become the king if he carried out the errand.