Examining the need for more fully accredited Schools of Architecture Essay - 1

Examining the need for more fully accredited Schools of Architecture in historically Black Colleges & Universities - Essay Example wer, and with the empowerment that these high learning institutions would give to the blacks, there were high chances that the blacks would no longer hear a thing that the white man said and thus cease to be their slaves (Gasman, and Tudico, 2008). The history of the start of historically black colleges and universities dates back in the mid and early 19th century. The first ever black colleges and universities were started secretly and they used to be located in hidden places such as basements of churches and box cars. This was a strategic move by the pioneers of these black colleges and universities so as to avoid the discovery of the white population of the existence of these colleges. Naturally, these colleges and universities started to grow and with the urge of more blacks seeking a higher education berth, more and more historically black universities started cropping up. Some of the pioneers of these universities, referring to the starters, include Mary M. Bethune, a desire of education that was inspired to open up a college with limited funds of less than $2 and less than 10 students back in the early 1900s. Currently, historically black colleges can boast of having brought up some of the black scholars that exist. The se include; W.E.D Du Bois, who went through Fisk University, Toni Morrison, who went through Howard University and the great revolutionist, Martin Luther King, Jr. who went through Morehouse College. To date, there are more than 106 colleges that can be accredited as historically black colleges and universities spread through the entire United States of America. As a result of the history behind the start of these historically black colleges and universities, most of them don’t boast of fully accredited high end courses that are being offered in them. In this case, high end courses refer to the courses that are considered in high esteem among the professional or career circles. These include courses such as medicine, architecture, courses

The Role of Geology in Influencing Water Chemistry Essay Example for Free

The Role of Geology in Influencing Water Chemistry Essay Water is and remains one of the important wants of the people, animals and the nature at large. Without water, they would be no life. Water is an unusual compound which has unique physical properties, and this makes it the compound of life, yet it’s the most abundant compound in the earth’s biosphere. The chemistry of  water  deals with the fundamental chemical property and information about water. Water chemistry can elaborate in terms of the following subtitles: composition of water, Structure, and bonding, Molecular Vibration, as well as geological composition and properties of water among many other aspects of water chemistry (Krauskopf and Bird, 1994). Geology  is often responsible for how much water  filters below the zone of saturation, making the water table easy to measure. Light,  porous  rocks can hold more water than heavy,  dense  rocks. An area underlain with  pumice, a very light and porous rock, is more likely to hold a fuller aquifer and provide a clearer measurement for a water table. The water table of an area underlain with hard  granite  or  marble may be much more difficult to  assess (Krauskopf and Bird, 1994). Hypothesis: surficial geology controls the chemistry of surface waters Introduction Water quality has become one of the essential aspects in life, and it’s defined in terms of the chemical, biological and physical composition of the geological factor. The water quality of rivers, lakes and many other water source changes from one geographical location to another. This is due to difference in the geological composition of the places, i.e., the rocks beneath the earths surface are different and in turn different quality in water quality. However, various factors influence water chemistry in the world (Drever, 1982). One of such vital elements is ‘geology’. This is the science deals with the dynamics and physical history of the earths’, the rock that makes the earths crust, and the physical, chemical, and biological changes that the earth undergoes or has undergone. In other words, geology is the science entails the study of rock-solid Earth, the  rocks  of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change. This branch of scien ce is one of vital and major contributing factor in the water chemistry. In order to understand the impact of geology on the water chemistry, this paper will look into the ground water (Drever, 1982). Clear understanding of the nature of the bedrock layers of the region is essential as geology is in determining the quality and quantity of ground water that can be obtained from the underground at any given location. For example, in some parts of the earth, the bedrock consists of sedimentary layers of rocks that have profuse pore spaces between mineral grains. The rock layers can form creatively wide aquifers, or conduits for groundwater movement, that are of predictable depths, and from which apparently indefinite quantities of high-quality groundwater can be obtained. In such areas, groundwater is the clear way out for public water needs (Frape et al, 1984). Bedrock geology helps in determining the distribution and density of underground water-bearing fissures, as well as the nature  of the soils that are obtained from the rock weathering. Different types of rocks contain more or less fractures that may or may not be interconnected with each other. The degree of interconnection among fractures, and their overall ability to move water, has a great deal to do with how productive a water well will be that intersects the fractures. Different rocks also make different soils when they weather, and the type of soil influences its ability to absorb rainwater that falls on the surface, and transmit the water to bedrock fractures beneath (Cooke et al, 2012). The composition of the underground water as well as the surface water is dependent on natural factors, (geological, topographical, meteorological, hydrological, and biological) in the drainage basin and varies with seasonal differences in runoff volumes, weather conditions, and water levels. The quality is, however, affected by both natural and human influences. The most vital or importance of the natural influences is geological, hydrological and climatic, since this affects both quality and quantity of the water available. Underground water is held in the pore space of sediments such as sands or gravels or in the fissures of fractured rock such as crystalline rock and limestone. The rocky body containing the water is termed an aquifer and the upper water level in the saturated body is termed the water table. Typically, groundwater’s have a steady flow pattern. Velocity is governed mainly by the porosity and permeability of the material through which the water flows, and is often up to several orders of magnitude less than that of surface water, as a result mixing is poor (Cooke et al, 2012). The rock or sediment in an aquifer is denoted by the permeability and porosity, whereby permeability is the measure of the ease with which fluids passes through the rocks. On the other hand, porosity is the ratio of pores and fissure volume to the total volume of the rock. The chemical composition of the rocks greatly influences the chemical composition of water. The different types of aquifers explain this difference in water chemistry all over the places (John, 1990). Underground formations are three types, hard crystalline rocks, and consolidated sedimentary and unconsolidated sediments. The example of hard crystalline rocks includes granites, gneisses, quartzite’s, schist’s, and a few rocks from volcanic rocks. These rocks have little or no porosity but it is further enhanced by weathering. For example, ground water in volcanic formations in regions of recent volcanic activity is mostly inhibited with fluoride, and boron elements, which makes it unsuitable uses. Chemical properties of the bedrock greatly influence the chemical properties and water chemistry. For example, water acidity is highly determined by the drift of the bedrock geology. The following example examines the influence of bedrock and soils on water acidity. When the bedrock constitutes of carbonates, the solution of the minerals assimilates H+ ions and hence acidifying water as water percolates through the rocks. CaCO3 + H+ = Ca2+ +HCO3 this results to acidified wa ter (John, 1990). Effect of Total Dissolved Solids in Groundwater A body of saturated rocks through where water can easily move is known as an aquifer. Aquifers contain rocks such as sandstone, conglomerate, fractured limestone and unconsolidated sand and gravel which are both permeable and porous. In addition, fractured volcanic rocks, i.e. columnar basalts also make good aquifers (John, 1990). Underground water tastes dissimilar from one place to the other or else at different times of the year for several reasons. In exploring those reasons, the paper looks first consider why water from one well might be different from another well, even one that is close by. What dictates groundwater taste is the quantity and type of dissolved minerals in it. In other words, this isn’t pure water as pure water has no dissolved minerals and hence does not occur naturally. The amount and type of minerals that are dissolved in water is what gives waters their initial taste. There are different factors that control the dissolved minerals in the ground water. (I) The type of minerals, making up the aquifer, (II) the chemical state of the ground water, (III), the duration or length of time which water makes contact with the minerals and the rocks (Frape et al, 1984). As the rain water passes through different types aquifers, it results in a different chemical composition of water. Almost all groundwater comes from precipitation that soaks into the soil and passes down to the aquifers. Within the aquifer, the groundwater moves not as an underground stream, but rather seeping between and around individual soil and rock particles. Rainwater has a slightly acidic pH; therefore it tends to dissolve solid minerals in the soil and in the aquifers. Sandstone, limestone and basalt all have different minerals. Therefore it is rational to expect groundwater in contact with these different geologic materials to have different chemical compositions {factor (1) above} and therefore different tastes. In addition, the length the groundwater is in contact with the minerals, the greater the extent of its reaction with those minerals and the higher will be the content of dissolved minerals (John, 1990). The table below can be used to illustrate the effect of mineral in water hence determining water chemistry. The table illustrates typical natural water compositions, from rainwater to seawater, groundwater in different aquifers, to groundwater that has been in contact with the aquifer for different periods of time. Table 1.0 A B C D E F G H Ca 0.7 0.65 240 399 145 6.6 3.10 4530 Mg 1.1 0.14 7200 1340 54 1.1 0.7 162 Na 9.5 0.56 83500 10400 ~27 ~37 3.02 2730 K 0.11 4060 370 ~2 ~3 1.08 32.0 Bicarbonate 4 250 27 620 75 20 56 Sulfate 7.5 2.2 16400 186 60 15 1.0 1.0 Chloride 17 0.57 140000 19020 52 17 0.5 12600 Silica 0.3 48 3 21 103 16.4 8.5 TDS 38 4.7 254000 35000 665 221 35 20330 PH 5.4 7.5 6.6 6.2 6.5 Table 1; key Examples of the composition of natural water from a variety of locations and environments (all concentrations given in milligrams/liter). TDS = total dissolved solids. A dash (-) indicates that the component was not detected or the water was not analyzed for this constituent. A tilde (~) indicates that the analysis is approximate only (John, 1990). Key to the Analyses: (A) Rainwater from Menlo Park, California; (B) Average rainwater from sites in North Carolina and Virginia; (C) Great Salt Lake, Utah; (D) Average seawater; (E) Groundwater from limestone of the Supai Formation, Grand Canyon; (F) Groundwater from volcanic rocks, New Mexico; (G) Groundwater from a spring, Sierra Nevada Mountains: short residence time; (H) Groundwater from metamorphic rocks in Canada: long-residence time. Chemical State of Ground Water A large amount of the seasonal and natural water quality disparities we observe are the result of small but considerable alterations in the chemical state of groundwater. The chemical state of groundwater is generally defined in terms of parameters such as, the temperature, oxidation-reduction potential, and PH. These three factors are greatly influenced by chemical reactions between the aquifer materials and the ground water, hence changing the water chemistry in the common water bodies such as lakes, rivers, oceans, etc. the chemical composition of the aquifer greatly controls the physical properties of water such as color, hardness, taste, odor and appearance (John, 1990). Table 1.1 Water Characteristics and Its Causes (John, 1990) Characteristics or Symptoms Cause(s) Hardness: Low suds production with soap, mineral scale developed in water heater and plumbing High concentrations of calcium and magnesium Color: Water has a color other than clear Red/Brown: iron Black: manganese or organic matter Yellow: dissolved organic matter such as tannins Taste: Metallic or mineral taste Metallic: dissolved metals such as iron and manganese Mineral taste: high concentration of common minerals such as sodium, Chloride, sulfate, calcium, etc. Odor: Musty or rotten egg smell Musty: algae or bacterial growth pipes or well Rotten egg: hydrogen sulfide Appearance: cloudy with or without color Suspended mineral matter or microorganisms Control the chemical composition of groundwater. For example, the total dissolved solids (TDS) in groundwater, largely derived from aquifer minerals that dissolve in groundwater, will change significantly as a function of temperature and PH. Temperature. At any given temperature, there is a specific concentration of a dissolved mineral constituent in the groundwater that is in contact with that mineral. The actual concentration is temperature dependent, e.g., at higher temperatures, groundwater can dissolve more of the mineral. Even changes in groundwater temperature of only 5 to 10 C can cause detectable changes in TDS (John, 1990). The Natural pH of Groundwater, The pH is a determination of the acidity of groundwater: the lower the pH value, the more acidic the water is and vice versa (a measure of the hydrogen ion (H+) availability). At a pH of 7, water is said to be neutral. Natural rainwater is slightly acidic because it combines with carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, forming carbonic acid (H2CO3) according to the reaction (1) H2O + CO2 = H2CO3. Some of the carbonic acid in the rainwater disassociates or breaks down according to the reaction (2), H2CO3 = HCO- + H+ producing bicarbonate (HCO-) and H+. This in turn reduces the PH of the rain water. In addition, the acidic water that is formed is able to dissolve more of the minerals in the aquifers hence greatly contributing to the change of water chemistry. The more amount of CO2 in the atmosphere the more acidic the water becomes (Verdonschot, 2013). Composition of the Earth’s Crust, The relative abundance of elements in the crustal material of the Earth has been a subject of much interest to chemists for many years. Although the subject of natural-water chemistry is only indirectly concerned with these averages, a knowledge of rock composition is essential to understanding the chemical composition of natural water, and it is therefore desirable to discuss the subject briefly. The Earth is generally considered to be made up of an iron-rich core surrounded by a thick mantle made up of magnesium- and iron-rich silicates and a thin outer crust made up of rather extensively reworked silicates and other minerals. Reversible and Irreversible Reactions in Water Chemistry, Many kinds of chemical reactions can be important in establishing and maintaining the composition of natural water. Concepts that are appropriate for evaluating these processes differ somewhat depending on the nature of the reactions involved. Therefore, some at tention needs to be given to reaction types here, although this cannot be a rigorous classification scheme (Verdonschot, 2013). Different types of rocks and the impact to the water chemistry There are three major types or classes of rocks, namely, sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic. The three are different from each other as they also have varying differences in terms of impact to the water chemistry. To start with, sedimentary rocks are rocks formed from particles of pebbles, shells, sand and other fragments. The different particles are brought together and hence called sediment, whereby they accumulate for a long time and in layers over a long time forming a rock (Verdonschot, 2013). Generally, sedimentary rocks are fairly soft and may in turn break or crumble easily. You can often see sand, pebbles, or stones in the rock and it are usually the only type that contains fossils. Examples of this rock type include conglomerate and limestone among many other rocks. These rocks contain a lot of minerals much of which are soluble in water. As the rain water passes through the rocks, the minerals are absorbed and in turn contributing to the changing or different water chemi stry from one region to the other. For example, carbonate-cemented sandstone that is composed largely of silica in the form of quartz might yield water containing mostly calcium and bicarbonate ions (Geology.com, 2014). One type of rocks under the class sedimentary is the chemical sedimentary rocks. This is formed when minerals dissolved in the water starts to precipitate forming a rock of minerals. However, not all minerals do precipitate and in turn become part of the water in the lakes and rivers. Many resistant sedimentary rocks are permeable and may, therefore, easily receive and transmit solutes acquired by water from some other type of rock. In the course of moving through the sedimentary formations, several kinds of alteration processes may occur that may influence the composition of the transmitted water (Verdonschot, 2013). Fig 1.0 sedimentary rock image (Geology.com, 2014) The 2nd type of rocks is the Metamorphic, these are rocks formed under the surface of the earth from the changes which are caused by intense heat and pressure. Rocks formed through this process are mostly denoted by ribbon like layers and may also have shiny crystals that grow slowly over time. A good example of this rock type includes gneiss and marble. Fig 1.1 an image of a metamorphic rock (Geology.com, 2014) Lastly, there is the ‘Igneous’. These are rocks formed when molten rock deep within the earth (magma) cools and hardens. This cooling and hardening may occur either inside the earth’s crust or else it blows up onto the earth’s surface from volcanoes (in this case, it is called lava). When the lava cools very quickly, there are no crystals form and the rock looks shiny and glasslike. Occasionally gas bubbles are ensnared in the rock all through the cooling process, leaving tiny holes and spaces in the rock (Buynevich, 2011). Examples of these rocks include basalt and obsidian. Igneous rocks consist predominantly of silicate minerals. As the solutions move through the soil and the underlying rock, the composition of the water should be expected to change. Rocks of igneous origin may be classified as extrusive or intrusive. Both the extrusive and intrusive rocks are further classified by geologists on the basis of chemical and mineral composition, texture, and other characteristics. Rocks of the same chemical and mineral composition have different names, but tend to yield similar weathering products to the water. Fig 1.2 images of an igneous rock (granite) (Geology.com, 2014) Many of the rocks in the three classes contain numerous chemicals which contribute to the defining of water chemistry in one way or another. In ground water composition, seven solutes are the most commonly found salts in metals. These seven solutes make up nearly 95 percent of all water solutes (Buynevich, 2011). These salts include calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), potassium (K), chloride (Cl), sulfate (SO4), and bicarbonate (HCO3). Sodium is derived from the dissolution of silicate minerals, such as plagioclase feldspars, which make up some of the sand and gravel that fill the water basin. Potassium is derived from the dissolution of some silicate minerals in granitic rocks and from reactions with some clay minerals. Few reactions remove these seven solutes from ground water. However, some minerals, such as calcite CaCO3, can precipitate from solution to form a solid phase (Buynevich, 2011). Conclusion The interpretation of the water chemistry data has become vital and most reliably made within the conceptual framework on the ground water system that has been derived from several additional types of hydrologic and geologic data, such as water levels, that indicate general directions of ground-water flow. One of the major aspects of the geology of the human is the fact that it helps in maintaining the quality of water supplies. This helps understand the sources of water and in turn protect them from pollution. In addition, it helps in determining the suitability for various uses such as drinking, farming among many other uses (Dissanayake Chandrajith, 2009). The chemistry of lakes, rivers, oceans, and stream water in many regions is strongly associated with the character and circulation of geologic materials in the watershed. For example, the dominance of glacial till and granitic gneiss rock in the North and East of Big Moose Lake region results in a geologically sensitive terrain distinguished by low alkalinity and chemical compositions of the surface water with only slightly modified from ambient precipitation. On the contrary, widespread deposits of substantial glacial till in the lower part of the system (e.g. Moss-Cascade Valley) allow for much infiltration of precipitation into the groundwater system where weathering reactions increase alkalinity and extensively alters water chemistry. In references to the hypothesis, ‘surficial geology controls the chemistry of surface waters’ holds true as seen in the water composition of different regions as the water chemistry and watershed being determined by the geological facto rs (Dissanayake Chandrajith, 2009). References Drever, J.I., 2000. The Geochemistry of Natural Waters. Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 388p. Frape, S.K., Fritz, P., and McNutt, R.H., 1984. Water-rock interaction and chemistry of Groundwater from the Canadian Shield. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, v. 48, pp. 1617-1627. Heath, R.C., 1990. Basic Ground-Water Hydrology. U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 2220, 84p. Hem, J.D., 1992. Study and Interpretation of the Chemical Characteristics of Natural Water. U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 2254. Krauskopf, K.B., with Bird, D.K., 1994. Introduction to Geochemistry, 3 ed. McGraw-Hill, rd New York, 640p. Dissanayake, C. B., Chandrajith, R. (2009).  Introduction to medical geology: Focus on tropical environment. Berlin: Springer. Buynevich, I. V. (2011).  Geology and geoarchaeology of the Black Sea Region: Beyond the flood hypothesis. Boulder, Colo: Geological Society of America. Allanson, B. R. (1990).  Inland waters of southern Africa: An ecological perspective. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers. Gunn, A. M., Babbitt, B. (2001).  The impact of geology on the United States: A reference guide to benefits and hazards. Westport, Conn. [u.a.: Greenwood Press. Rost, A. L., Fritsen, C. H., Davis, C. J. (2011). Distribution of freshwater diatom Didymosphenia geminata in streams in the Sierra Nevada, USA, in relation to water chemistry and bedrock geology.  Hydrobiologia,  665(1), 157-167. Verdonschot, P. P., Spears, B. B., Feld, C. C., Brucet, S. S., Keizer-Vlek, H. H., Borja, A. A., Johnson, R. R. (2013). A comparative review of recovery processes in rivers, lakes, estuarine and coastal waters.  Hydrobiology,  704(1), 453-474. Cooke, G. M., Chao, N. L., Beheregaray, L. B. (2012). Natural selection in the water: freshwater invasion and adaptation by water colour in the Amazonian pufferfish.  Journal Of Evolutionary Biology,  25(7), 1305-1320. Dittman, J., Driscoll, C. (2009). Factors influencing changes in mercury concentrations in lake water and yellow perch ( Perca flavescens) in Adirondack lakes.  Biogeochemistry,  93(3), 179-196. Geology.com. News and Information about Geology and Earth Science. Retrieved from: http://geology.com/ John D. Hem. (1990) Study and Interpretation of the Chemical Characteristics of Natural Water. Third Edition. Department Of The Interior William P. Clark, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey Dallas L. Peck, Director Source document

Use of Multiple Production Locations by MNEs in Asia

Use of Multiple Production Locations by MNEs in Asia Briefly explain the reasons why many multinational enterprises in Asia utilise multiple production locations located in a number of countries for production of parts and components and assembly of final goods. Globalisation facilitates dramatically in the past and progressed by modern transportation, communication and improved legal rules and regulations to open markets to international trade and finance. The companies also contributed by internationalise their products all over the world. Without the facilitating character of globalisation, it is impossible for multinational which own or control production or service facilities outside the country in which they are based; exhibit a degree of trans-nationality. Most companies become multinationals because of some form of foreign direct investment (FDI) that spreads their geographic activities. The multinational firm is one of the most pervasive types of firms in the global economy. Multinational firms exist because certain economic conditions make it possible for a firm to profitably undertake production of a good or service in a foreign location. The 500 largest multinationals account for about 25 per cent of world product, and nearly half of total world trade. (https://www.google.com/url?sa=trct=jq=esrc=ssource=webcd=1ved=0CB8QFjAAurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business.illinois.edu%2Faguilera%2FTeaching%2FMNEConcept%2520calculation%2520guillen.docei=Iro2VMKyMMuGuASt3oCYBQusg=AFQjCNGECOek5OVjlpTQFYr6QF-u9qBLug). Multinationals are becoming more important relevant to the size of the global economy which is about three times as prominent today as twenty years ago. Trade in intermediate inputs associated with the fragmentation of production across national borders is an increasingly important feature of global economic integration. Production has become a multinational process in wh ich different stages are carried out in specialized plants around the globe for some goods. Materials and components produced in one country may pass through a numbers of other countries that each adds value through fabrication, assembly or other processing before final goods is delivered to customers. This paper is to outline the reasons why many multinational enterprises in Asia utilise multiple production locations located in a number of countries for production of parts and components and assembly of final goods. International production networks play an important role in East Asian economies. Most industrial production in East Asia where production is divided into several stages and then conducted in various countries is according to their comparative advantages. One of the reasons is result from market-driven forces such as vertical specialization and higher production costs in the home countries and institutional-led reasons such as free trade agreements. International fragmentation of production, the splitting of production process into discrete activities which are then allocated across countries, has been an increasingly important facet of economic globalization over the past three decades. Whenever a firm undertakes a transaction with a customer or supplier, it incurs transaction costs in addition to the price paid for goods or services. http://www.ekf.tuke.sk/files/TUKE%20Lectures%202011-12.pdf The transaction costs included the legal costs of drafting a contract, the costs of going out to tender, searching for information on potential suppliers and the cost of currency exchange or hedging. The transaction costs included exporting cost would be able to avoid if multinational enterprise has their full ownership of production industry in that countries. The company could produce the products into the final goods and sell it to the country where it produced instead of exporting from the home country. It is often for multinational firms find it cheaper to produce goods in foreign countries. Employees in foreign countries are willing to accept lower salary than domestic employees. This help to minimise the labour cost of production of the multinational companies. In addition, foreign countries have different rules and regulations for labour, business and the environment, which can potentially reduce expenses. http://yourbusiness.azcentral.com/multinational-company-benefits-drawbacks-21554.html Companies can become more competitive and increase their profits with lower production costs. In conclusion, there are several benefits for multinational enterprise in Asia utilise multiple production locations located in a number of countries for production of parts and components and assembly of final goods. The multinational companies can enjoy the benefits of inflow of income from overseas profits by lower the wages, jobs and career opportunities at home and abroad in connection with overseas opportunities and greater availability of products for local consumers and consumers in overseas which at the same time can increase their visibility of the brand to all over the world. Using two case studies of firms headquartered in two different countries,  show how the growth of trade and investment links among several Asian  economies is related to the strategic production and location decisions of firms. Describe and explain the main considerations of these two firms in determining  where to locate specific activities. To be able to show that intra-Asian trade and investment links arise from operations by firms you need to choose firms so that there are inter-Asian investment links due to firm operations and also intra-Asian investment links due to firm operations. This can happen if thetwo firms are headquartered outside Asia but have production bases in severalAsian countries, with linkages through intra-firm trade in parts and components etc. OR they areheadquartered in two Asian countries with production bases in one or more other Asian countries with there being trade in parts and components etc among the various Asian production bases. So choose firms to ensure you can illustrate how intra-Asiantrade and investment links arise from such multinational firms. Market seeking is one of the reasons that multinational companies invests overseas. The companies may enter foreign markets to find new buyers for their goods and services. The owners of a company may find out that their product is unique or superior to the competition in foreign markets and want to take advantage of this opportunity. The company may also believe investment overseas will bring higher returns of profits when producers have saturated sales in their home markets. Apple Incorporation is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Cupertino, California, that designs, develops, and sells consumer electronics, computer software, online services, and personal computers. Apple skyrocketed to the top of our annual Asia 200 survey this year, and was ranked by readers as the regions most admired multinational company. Apple opened its first company-owned Apple retail store in Asia last year. (http://online.wsj.com/articles/SB125259938989400063) China’s economy is having some of its best years ever due to the rising world demand for consumer electronics, much of which is manufactured in China’s monstrous city-factories. The average Chinese citizen is more flush with cash than ever before and ready to spend it on what would previously be deemed as unaffordable luxury. (http://thenextweb.com/apple/2011/09/05/how-apple-has-found-success-in-china-and-why-its-just-the-beginning/) One of the reasons that Apple would success trading i n Asia is because of the cultural such as modern Chinese culture of wealth and status. According to the news, Apple holds a unique position among foreign brands in China as its products are highly polished, appealing to the young and wealthy elite and valuable as gifts given to those with whom a Chinese consumer might seek a better relationship. (http://thenextweb.com/apple/2011/09/05/how-apple-has-found-success-in-china-and-why-its-just-the-beginning/) Lam Nguyen, Ho Chi Minh City-based country director at International Data Corp predicts that iPhone sales in Vietnam will increase 56 percent to about 12 million units in 2014 as consumers seems iPhone as a relatively affordable status symbol. (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-07-15/apple-looks-to-status-hungry-vietnam-for-growth-southeast-asia.html) Most of the components of iPhones are now manufactured in China is because China’s factories are bigger than those in United States and there are tens thousands of workers practically overnight and able to press them into service at a moment’s notice. Workers can change production practices and speeds extremely rapidly. China currently has bigger supply of appropriately-qualified engineers than the U.S. does. Lastly, Chinas workforce is much hungrier and more frugal than many of their counterparts in the United States. (http://www.businessinsider.com/you-simply-must-read-this-article-that-explains-why-apple-makes-iphones-in-china-and-why-the-us-is-screwed-2012-1?IR=T) Another case study is about Nike Incorporations which headquarter located in Beaverton, Oregon, NW USA. Nike is an American multinational corporation that is engaged in the design, development, manufacturing and worldwide marketing and selling of footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories and services. China boasts the largest number of Nike contract factories which are124 in total. About 620,000 people currently work in contract factories around the world producing Nike branded footwear, apparel and clothing, the majority of which are women under the age of 25. More than 75% of these work in Asia, predominantly in China, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Korea and Malaysia. The managers of Nike justify their expansion on why they globalise their products. Nike aims to buy their raw material at a lower price as more profits would be made. Nike would be able to access new markets by selling their shoes in other countries. This allows them to increase their global sales and hence the profits increase. One of the crucial inputs used in the production of Nike shoes is rubber which is not produced in the United States. Nike would need to access the resources by finding in other countries. Lastly, Nike would like to minimise their transport costs and expand customer base at the same time. In order to achieve both motive, the production has been centralise in certain countries and able to achieve economies of large scale production. However, produce at a lower cost is not the only reason should be considered to boost the profits. Multinational companies also invest in source technologies, high-quality people, and ideas. For example, Nissan invested in lower cost England and Spain but also in expensive Germany. Although labour costs in Germany were very high, the high productivity of the labours made setting up shop there efficient. Thus, Japanese firms are able to learn new ideas and technologies from some of the most sophisticated companies in the world. In conclusion, the multinational company will choose to allocate their production based and also invest in the Asia countries due to the cultural of the Asia that are different with Western countries. Invest in Asia countries would be able to bring a large amount of revenues to multinational countries based on the chosen firms of the case studies above. http://www.adbi.org/files/2013.02.21.wp409.impact.asean.production.networks.pdf http://www1.doshisha.ac.jp/~ccas/japanese/seminars/2007-11b.pdf http://www.bea.gov/papers/pdf/intrafirmtradejanuary04.pdf http://www.globalization101.org/why-do-companies-invest-overseas/

Essay --

Theodore Roosevelt National Park INTRODUCTION Do you want to hear about the first national park that is the first and only dedicated to a president? Theodore Roosevelt National Park was established in 1947. The Mountains are over 55 million years old. The badlands of Theodore Roosevelt national park is dry with occasional monsoon showers. The park is located in Medora, North Dakota, and is home to some amazing animals including wild horses, reptiles and mammals. GEOLOGY The Little Missouri River eroding the mountain range is the reason that the park is as it looks today. The park is believed to be

Dangerous Sports Essay

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Wal-Mart Opportunities Essay Sample

Wal-Mart Opportunities Essay Sample Wal Wal The retail industries are the largest industries in the world. In the US there is one million stores with large revenues; in 2011 the total retail sales equaled around 4 trillion dollars. According to the US bureau of labor statistics, in 2010 the retail industry had the largest employee number in the US, which equaled around 14.4 million people employed in this sector. There are many types of retail industries such as types by products. Retail is usually classified by such products as food, hard goods such as electronics, furniture and sporting goods, soft goods or consumables such as clothing, apparel, and other fabrics. They can be defined by the market strategy as department stores are large stores that offer a variety of soft and hard commodities. They can also be defined by demographic retailers that aim at one particular segment. Description of Retail Industry The Wal-Mart company became the world’s largest profitable public corporation with annual revenues exceeding 100 billion USD. Wal-Mart is an American multinational company that is operating in 27 countries with 11,000 stores around the world, selling its goods under 55 different brands and names such as in Mexico as Wal-Mart de Mà ©xico Centro America, and in Japan as Seiyu. Wal-Mart is highly successful in its operations and profits in the following markets: the United Kingdom, South America, and China; however, in Germany and South Korea it has no significant success. Wal-Mart has more than 2 million employees in all retail outlets which make it the largest retailer in the world. Wal-Mart is using the mechanisms of mass distribution to reduce their prices and provide competitive ones. Wal-Mart is selling a variety of mostly grocery and non-grocery products that make it the most popular and largest retail stores in the US. There have been employed 14.4 million people in the US retail industry in 2010. The retail industry is expected to grow in the future by an annually compounded rate of 5% from 2010 to 2015. The most significant retail format commonplaces in the US are Wal-Mart Markets, Supercenters, Discount Stores and walmart.com, which operates online. Wal-Mart offers many groups of products like furniture, food and beverages, household products, electronics, pharmacy items, books, toys and video games, movies, sport and fitness items, clothes and automotive repair parts. Wal-Mart is a family-owned business controlled by the Walton family, who own 50% of its shares. Wal-Mart is one of the most unique companies having the greatest market capitalization with market value of 244,079.4 million USD in 2013. In 2006, Wal-Mart announced the pilot program to reduce the generic drugs prices at just 4$ per prescription. Most of the low cost items included in the pilot program are imported from India. The program, however, caused a big difference in prices with name-brand drugs. In 2007, Wal-Mart launched the â€Å"beta† program of electronic movie downloading service that received high demand in the beginning and discontinued by the end of the same year due to low sales. Wal-Mart faced a huge competition; one of its competitors is WinCo Foods and in other operated countries, these are Kmart, Publix, Target, ShopKo and Meijer, the Giant Tiger and Real Canadian Superstore in Canada, Commercial Mexicana, and Soriano in Mexico. Wal-Mart, however, could not operate successfully in Germany and South Korea because of the competition. In 2006, Wal-Mart announced its withdrawal from there and was sold to Metro Company; it later did the same in South Korea by selling 16 outlets to Shinsegae. Wal-Mart continues its operation in the UK market that became their second largest retailer with â€Å"Asda.† Wal-Mart struggled to export its brand due to several issues such as culture, market competitions, consumer preferences and political boundaries. The aim of the following research is emphasizing the facts of Wal-Mart opportunity to increase their connection with their international customers, which will enhance the relationship between them. The higher growth in the retail industry (international growth) helps Wal-Mart reach a wider range of customers and, as a result, this increases their sales and profits; it gained $446,950 million in 2010. And that is also because Wal-Mart offers all types of products, therefore, they deal with a great number of suppliers who provide a huge opportunity to expand. In addition, in this way they can offer high quality and affordable prices to customers. International growth helps Wal-Mart to understand customer needs and withhold the competition with other retailer by offering a variety of purchasing opportunities like buying through online shop, mobile and in store. Research Questions I will try to find out the Wal-Mart’s values, objectives and strategic plans for the customers, and define whether Wal-Mart’s customers are aware of them. The main point I will try to look for is the increase sales and opportunities in Wal-Mart. Does it have any effect on employees and customers? I can find this information by doing secondary research like looking through business articles that interviewed Wal-Mart’s employees and customers. Also, I will study the question of whether Wal-Mart revenues are increasing or not. There are different ways I can find that information like comparing the financial results for Wal-Mart over different years. Moreover, I will conduct a research on what media Wal-Mart uses to contact the customers. Also, I will answer the question of whether employees are trained professionally to deal with all types of customers and what the different ways of accomplishing it are. I can find this information by referring to primary research, making a phone interview or sending an email. In addition, I will look for the tools, systems and technologies Wal-Mart uses to meet the customers’ needs. Furthermore, I will research on how many times Wal-Mart does the customer satisfaction surveys yearly. What surveys do they conduct (telephone, front office, email, website)? Research Plan I will depend on two types of research, primary and secondary, to find out accurate information. Primary Research In primary research, I will use many ways to find the correct information such as questionnaires, interviews, direct comments and telephone interviews. I will use questionnaires for different groups of customers to find out their opinion regarding the Wal-Mart opportunity. Secondary Research In the secondary research, I will refer to different sources such as journals, online articles, newspapers and trade magazine articles. Also, I will find the similar useful articles regarding this issue in manufactory sector magazine. These will be Business 2.0, Business Week, and Business Review USA. The main point I will try to find out in the secondary research is how international growth helps Wal-Mart to understand customer needs along with Wall- Mart values, objectives and strategic plans. I will also find out if customers are aware of such. Answers to the Research Questions Wal-Mart values, objectives and strategic plans for the customers. One of the key values or beliefs at Wal-Mart is that every consumer should have a chance to enjoy branded products at a cheap price. To the company, enjoying branded products should not be something experienced by the rich in the society. Such value has helped the company attract more and more customers over the years. This value has ensured that the company continues to have a competitive edge compared to other world stores. The main objective of Wal-Mart Company is to ensure people live a good life and save money at the same time. To successfully survive with its values and objectives, Wal-Mart thus adopts different strategic plans ensuring low price. The company has produced strategies such as 40-60 % discounted prices for consumers on good quality brand name products. The company has maintained low cost of operation; it has minimized travelling expenses, importing manufactured products from cheap sources such as C hina, Bangladesh and India. Other strategies that the company has adopted are low spending on the health care of employees, reduced wages and salaries and denying employees to form or join any labor union. Although some of these strategies have turned out to be double-edged and hurting the organizational name, the companys profits have always been consistent and it has continued to expand internationally. When a customer visits a shopping store, the customer should find what he or she is looking for and customers usually search for products sold at affordable prices. Many of Wal-Mart customers are aware of the values and objectives. Customers are aware that the company aims at giving them an experience of branded products at discounted or low price. Regarding the strategies used, many customers are not aware of the strategies adopted by the company. What is of importance to many customers is that the store offers the best and most competitive prices in the market. Does the Increase in Sales and Opportunities in Wal-Mart Affect Employees and Customers? The increase in sales and opportunities for Wal-Mart Company has been a very controversial issue in America. Despite the increasing sales and opportunities for the company, it has been criticized because of its policies that negatively affect its employees. The company receives critics from many ethicists, groups and labor unions. Many of the critics have reported that despite the fact that the company was named by Fortune the best company in 2003, it continued to adopt policies that appeared to oppress the customers. In 2011, total sales amounted to approximately 4 trillion dollars. Despite such huge sales, the company still offers very low health care services to its employees. The company has also been cited to be among the companies that do not offer a good remuneration to their customers. In fact, approximately 70% of its employees have been said to quit their jobs within the first year of employment. Despite the fact that the company continues to get more opportunities in incre asing its store number all over the world, employees seem to be at a disadvantage. The company’s values and objectives of offering low prices on branded products have heightened negative impacts on employees. The company prevails internationally, and the projections are that Wal-Mart will carry on its founding philosophy of saving money and living a better life. It means that employees working at the company will continue to experience poor working conditions and payments. The increase in sales and opportunities for the Wal-Mart Company has meant something different to the customers. The company appears to work on the utilitarian theory of doing what is right to the majority. Customers visiting the store have continued to experience good quality branded products offered at very low prices. Therefore, it can be said that to Wal-Mart customers, increase in sales and opportunities has resulted to low prices and many discounted products. However, from the side of employees, increase in sales and opportunities for the company has translated to low wages and salaries, poor health care and inadequate time for resting and offs. In fact, the company has been sued severely by its employees for failing to pay overtime, offering inadequate lunch breaks and failing to pay employees for working off the clock. Do Wal-Mart Revenues Increase or Not? Wal-Mart continues to experience new opportunities and experiment on new horizons. It enabled the company to serve more than 200 million every week at it has more than 11, 000 retail stores located in 27 different countries. Wal-Mart is one of the largest companies and employers in Canada and America today. Wal-Mart net sale increased by 5 % to reach 466 billion dollars for the fiscal year 2013. The company also returned 13 billion dollars to its shareholders through dividends and share repurchases. Revenue increase for the company is an art that the management of the chain store seems to have mastered. Over the years, the company’s revenue appears to have increased tremendously. In 2010, the net revenue was $ 408.21 billion dollars. In 2011, the net revenue for the company was $ 421.85 and this was a $ 13.64 increase. In the year ending in January 2012, the company’s net revenue was $ 446.95 billion. Again this was a $ 25.1 billion increase in revenue. For the year ending in January 2013, the total revenue for the company was $ 469.16 billion and again this was an increase of $ 22.21 billion. Finally, having a look at the total revenue for the fiscal year ending in January 2014, it indicates that the total revenue for Wal-Mart was $ 476.29 billion and this was also an increase compared to that of the previous year by $ 7.13 billion. Looking at these five year trends for the company, it is apparent that the company’s revenue continues to increase every year. Although many people criticize the strategies used by the company to make a profit, the difference between a performing and under-performing CEO is the ability to make the company profitable. Therefore, the management at Wal-Mart can only be described as performing. Despite the harsh economic turmoil the world is going through, th e company has proved very profitable for the last five years. Media Used by Wal-Mart to Contact Customers. Did Employees Get Trained Professionally to Deal with all Types of Customers with the Different Ways? Wal-Mart believes in maintaining a close contact with its customers. Social media has thus turned out to be the most effective and efficient media to contact customers. Social media has offered a special opportunity for the company to interact with and contact the customers. Recently, the Wal-Mart Company was ranked as the largest public corporation in the world by the Fortune Magazine. The company has adopted digital communication as the main media of maintaining a close contact with the customers. The Wal-Mart’s digital communication personnel have two major responsibilities. First, the digital communication team responsible for contacting customer is tasked with the role of ensuring that customers and potential customers are made aware that the store has the lowest prices in the industry. The team also plays the role of communicating the message that the company has a mission of helping various people in saving money so as to live better lives. The second role assigned to t he digital communication team is to protect, enhance and defend Wal-Mart’s reputation. The major media sources used by the company in its digital communication are Facebook, Twitter, Google +, and Pinterest. In ensuring close contact with the customers through Facebook, Wal-Mart has put up a huge effort in developing its Facebook presence. The company has embraced the Facebook timeline to depict how the brand has grown over the years. The company has populated its Facebook timeline with images for almost every year since it started operations in 1962. Through this media, Wal-Mart has been able to contact its customers worldwide. On their Twitter handle, Wal-Mart uses this media as a platform to pose or ask questions to customers as a means of ensuring close contact. Questions include topics on sports, requests for re-tweets and caption contests if followers agree with the posts. Wal-Mart values the significance of using Twitter to contact its customers rather than just using it as a means of marketing. The company has managed to clock up a lot of followers. The company has two Pinterest accounts. One of the accounts aims at product ideas and the second aims to promote green living. Taking into consideration the challenges that come along with social media as means of contact, the company has established engagement guidelines within all these means of media. These guidelines form a part of what can be observed to be a training of how the digital team employees should deal with customers. For example, some of the guidelines beg the staff to be polite and courteous when contacting customers through these media. The guideline on being polite and courteous requires that employees to restrain from excessive name use, avoid discriminatory epithets, bullying, and sexual harassment. These aspects of the guidelines form a part of the training the employees receive when dealing with different customers. Type of Tools, Systems and Technologies Used by Wal-Mart to Meet the Customer Needs Wal-Mart mainly focuses on mobile tools in meeting customer needs. When Sam Walton established the chain in 1962, he believed in an empire that could provide value for customers and empower employees. He established a culture of obtaining the most important information about clients’ wants. The result has been that Wal-Mart operation turned to be speedy and convenient. It has been contributed greatly by the mobile tools, systems and technologies adopted by the company to meet the needs of the customers. The use of IT/Information Technology has been a building block for Wal-Mart’s growth. Some years ago, Wal-Mart trailed K-Mart, which could negotiate lower wholesale prices as a result of its size. As part of the company’s strategy to catch up, the company came up with a point-of-sale system. Point-of-sale system was a computerized system that identified each item sold. The technology could then find the item’s price in a computerized database and create an accurate sales receipt for the client. The technology was also capable of storing this item by item sales info for use in analyzing sales and reordering inventory. Additionally, this technology system helps the company avoid issues of overstocking. The system enables the reordering of products that are selling fast and this creates convenience for customers. Wal-Mart distribution and inventory system is among the best worldwide, and this creates great convenience to the customers. Wal-Mart makes use of telecommunications to connect directly from its central computer system to all its stores and to its suppliers’ computers through that system. The system allows automatic reordering and coordination. The system can exactly know what is being sold and what is out of stock. The company has computerized its warehouse and a lot of products never sit on the shelf. Only 10 % of the floor at Wal-Mart stores acts as an inventory area in comparison to 25 % for the industry. Another technology used by Wal-Mart is the barcode scanner. The barcode scanner makes the sales information available to the main computer system for reordering and analysis. How Many Times Does Wal-Mart Do the Consumer Satisfaction Survey Yearly? Every company today has a customer satisfaction survey and Wal-Mart has not been left behind in this new area. For Wal-Mart, any customer can take a customer satisfaction survey at any time on their website www.survey.walmart.com. On this website customers can give their feedback on their recent shopping experience. Since they conduct a survey online, customers can take it voluntarily any time they want. To entice or make the customers take the online survey, customers enter a sweepstake and one can win a $ 1, 000 Wal-Mart gift cards. Customers enter valuable feedback that helps the company improve the customer service and products. For the customer to take up the survey, one must be a legal resident of United States of America and have attained 18 years or older. Devices must be internet-enabled for customers to access the services and complete the survey. They also provide further instructions on how to participate in the survey. Analysis of the Questionnaire Results From the results gathered from the questionnaires, 7 customers reported that they visit Wal-Mart on a weekly basis, 8 of them do so on a daily basis and 5 of them visit it on a monthly basis. Regarding the design of the store, 14 customers reported positively on the design of the store and only 6 customers said that they did not like the designing of Wal-Mart stores. Pie chart showing customer attitude towards the design of the store Reporting on the atmosphere of the stores, 13 customers said that it was convenient and this was mainly because of the tools, systems and technologies used by the company to meet the customer’s needs. 5 customers reported that the atmosphere at Wal-Mart stores was acceptable and 2 customers reported that they thought the stores were overcrowded. Reporting on the feelings about the display of items, 15 customers said that they felt that the display of items had a high quality. Only 5 customers thought that the display of items did not have a quality. Rating the customer service at the store, 15 customers rated the service as excellent, 4 as good and only 1 rated the customer service as bad. On whether Wal-Mart provides products that suit customers’ lifestyles, 18 customers said yes and only 2 said some products did not fit their lifestyle. On whether the customer has visited the Wal-Mart’s website, 17 customers said yes and only 3 had not visited the website. Those who visited the website reported that they also took the customer satisfaction survey. On whether the website displayed all the products from the store, 15 said yes and 5 said no. In addition to this, 15 of the customers who visited the company’s website said that the display of the products was attractive. Five did not visit the website and thus they did not comment on the display of the products on the website. 14 customers reported that they could locate Wal-Mart’s shops with ease. However, 6 customers said they could not find Wal-Mart shops easily. Reporting on the refund policy, 9 customers said that the policy was clear and 11 customers that that they were not fully aware of the refund policy of the Wal-Mart stores. 19 customers reported that the labels and prices on the items sold at Wal-Mart helped them make a decision. Only 1 customer felt that the item description labels and prices helped him make a decision. Additional Questionnaire The following is an additional questionnaire in which 20 more different customers have been surveyed. The questionnaire aimed at collecting both the quantitative and qualitative data. The questionnaire had a total of three questions. Do you think Wal-Mart Company has what it takes to be a leading retail outlet? Out of the 20 customers surveyed with this question, 16 customers said that Wal-Mart had all the components or the characteristics of the world retail outlet. These customers went ahead to give some of the reasons that made them believe that Wal-Mart was a unique retail outlet. Something that stands out for Wal-Mart is that customers know that the company has been ranked as the best company by the Fortune Magazine. It is one element that has made several customers believe that indeed the company has the qualities of a world class retail outlet. 3 out of the 20 customers who responded to this question agreed that Wal-Mart is a world class retail outlet. They said that the company sells branded products at very competitive prices compared to those of the major competitors. The customer believes that a world class retail outlet should be in a position to offer such prices to the customers. One of the customers who responded to this question said that he was not sure of where to place Wa l-Mart. From the response of the customers, it is clear that Wal-Mart is a unique company that has the potential of growing every dawn. The confidence that customers have about the company indicates that Wal-Mart has the potential to thrive in every corner of the world. Do you think the strategies used by Wal-Mart to achieve its objectives of offering competitive prices in comparison to its competitors in the market are appropriate? Out of 20 respondents, 9 of them were aware of the strategies used by Wal-Mart. They were able to highlight cheap sourcing of cheap products from countries like China, India and Bangladesh. 9 respondents seemed to approve these strategies. They reported that, Wal-Mart brands most of the products and its products are of good quality. However, 6 respondents seemed to be not very sure of whether the strategies adopted by Wal-Mart were appropriate. They cited some complaints stated by labor unions and ethicists that Wal-Mart exploits its employees in the name of offering low prices to customers. It made the customers not very sure of whether Wal-Mart strategies were appropriate. 5 of the respondents were not aware of the strategies used by the company to offer low prices. However, they said that Wal-Mart was the best retail outlet of all times. From the response of the customers, it can be seen that if customers are getting satisfied with the commodities that the company offers, then the strategies used by the company are not very important. Customers will always be cautious about the value of their money and the products that they are getting in return. Customers will not care where the products come from as all the products are genuine, of good quality, and following the international standards. Have you ever bought a defective product or produce and claimed a refund? What was the company’s reaction? Out of 20 respondents, only 2 customers reported having bought defective products from the company. One of the customers had bought a washing machine which broke down within the first week of use. The customer reported that the company was very apologetic of the incident and that it replaced the washing machine with a new one. The second customer said that he bought a Sony Home Theatre, but reached home only to note that one of its speakers was not functioning. Just like in the first customer’s case, the company’s department responsible for the customer complaints was very apologetic and a new fully functioning Home Theatre was given to the customer. 18 customers reported that they had never encountered a case of a defective product. From this response from the customers, it can be identified that Wal-Mart is a retail store that is concerned with the happiness of its customers. The company will go to a great extent to ensure that customers live a happy life just like th e company’s slogan attests.