Culture in a Global Economy

Culture in a global economy is a critical factor in international business. While many business transactions make economic sense, the ability to successfully fulfill profitable relationships often depends on being able to reconcile international differences arising from separate cultures. Understanding cultural differences is an initial step, but managers also need to engage in learning processes to develop international cultural competence. Cross-cultural training enables managers to acquire both knowledge and skills to fulfill the role of cultural agents. Advancing cultural intelligence and international cultural competence is critical to the future success of managers and leaders working in a global context. Culture, as defined in Kroeber and Kluckhohn's classic, Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions, is the â€Å"patterned ways of thinking, feeling, and reacting, acquired and transmitted mainly by symbols, constituting the distinctive achievements of human groups, including their embodiments in artifacts; the essential core of culture consists of traditional (i. e. , historically derived and selected) ideas and especially their attached values† (1952). In international management research, Hofstede defined culture as â€Å"†¦the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from those of another† (1991). Many other definitions of culture are available. Common elements in the definitions are the shared and dynamic nature revolving around norms, values, and beliefs that are expressed in different behaviors, artifacts, and interactions. Within the context of international business, culture involves multiple levels that span from broad to narrow and different dimensions. On a broad level, supranational culture differences span multiple countries and include regional, ethnic, religious, and linguistic dimensions. On a national level, governments create sovereign boundaries to distinguish different nations with political and legal regulatory systems. In the business literature, most research on culture uses the nation-state as a proxy for culture. Other levels of analysis for culture include subcultures, as well as professional and organizational groups. In addition to various levels, culture also involves different dimensions. Four major classifications schemes provide frame-works for identifying international differences in culture. First, anthropologist Edward T. Hall (b. 1914) classified cultural differences along five different dimensions: time, space, things, friendships, and agreements. Second, Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck developed a cultural orientations framework that identified six issues, with variations in each one: relation to nature, relationships among people, mode of human activity, belief about basic human nature, orientation to time, and use of space. Third, Hofstede's framework is one of the most prominent one in international management. He identified four major dimensions of cultural values—individualism-collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and masculinity-femininity—along with a fifth dimension subsequently identified as Confucian Dynamism, or long-term orientation. Finally, Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner extended Hofstede's classification with seven dimensions that include universalism versus particularism, collectivism versus individualism, affective versus neutral relationships, specificity versus diffuseness, achievement versus ascription, orientation toward time, and internal versus external control. The four different classifications provide different and overlapping approaches to organize the many complex dimensions that make up culture. A major premise underlying the need for organizing different cultural dimensions is a means to avoid costly mistakes in conducting international business. The different classifications provide a map to make sense of the complex nature of culture. Important caveats to keep in mind are that each classification is not exhaustive and each one originates from a particular cultural perspective. Managers have to engage in learning processes with cross-cultural training to develop both cultural intelligence and international cultural competence. Cross-cultural training for international assignments encompasses a broad range of methods that may include area briefings, readings, lecture/discussions, language lessons, films, self-assessment exercises, role plays, field trips, sensitivity training, and cross-cultural simulations. Cross-cultural training also needs to be coordinated in multiple phases to maximize the learning effectiveness for individual managers and organizational performance. The three phases are predeparture orientation, in-country socialization, and country exit debriefing. The exit debriefing is important for organizational learning, and a knowledge management system can support the capture of the cultural lessons that are learned. Kim and Ofori-Dankwa described four major delivery methods for cross-cultural training: the intellectual model, the area simulation model, the self-awareness model, and the cultural awareness model. The intellectual model involves the traditional classroom approach of general readings and lecture. The area simulation model incorporates culture-specific activities (e. . , working in Japan or Mexico) with games and exercises. The self-awareness training method focuses on having participants identify their strengths and weaknesses in dealing with different cultures, especially taken-for-granted assumptions about intercultural situations. The cultural awareness model focuses on the theoretical foundation for behavioral differenc es across cultures. The key to effective cross-cultural training is the integration of multiple methods that allow a participant to move from simple to complex levels of learning with increasing levels of training rigor. The purpose of using multiple methods in cross-cultural training is to advance the learning process through the learning stages to develop cultural intelligence and international cultural competence. Cultural intelligence integrates the three interrelated elements of knowledge, mindfulness, and behavioral skills. International cultural competence goes a step further with a more complex skill set that integrates cognitive, affective, and behavioral learning to effectively engage in successful cross-cultural relationships. International cultural competence is very similar to intercultural communication competence, which integrates three components: culture-specific understanding of the other, culture-general understanding, and positive regard of the other. Increasing one's ability to work effectively across cultures also provides positive support to address a range of adjustment issues for expatriates who often face culture shock in the acculturation process. Overall, the most important key of cultural intelligence and intercultural competence is the integration of multiple spheres of cross-cultural learning to effectively engage in international business situations. Effectiveness in reconciling cross-cultural differences often leads to creativity, innovation, and synergy for productive workplace performances. Although cross-cultural training supports global managers' ability to be effective, the learning process often moves through different stages of development. The different development stages of cultural intelligence are: (1) reactivity to external stimuli, (2) recognition of other cultural norms and motivation to learn more about them, (3) accommodation of other cultural norms and rules, (4) assimilation of diverse cultural norms into alternative behaviors, and (5) proactiveness in cultural behavior based on recognition of change cues that others do not perceive. Global managers with high levels of cultural intelligence and competence play important strategic roles as cultural agents (c-agents), helping their organizations to span international boundaries. C-agents require both the ability to navigate different cultures and the legitimacy from different cultural perspectives, including organizational and within the local community. Organizations have increasing needs for global managers to fill the role of c-agents because demands of globalization increasingly depend on successful relationships with strategic alliance partners, international vendors, and global customers. Within the global arena, national borders often form the defining entity for a culture. However, analysis of cultural differences needs to account for a range of diversity within a national culture. On a continuum of cultural diversity that ranges from homogenous to heterogeneous, Japan, Norway, and Poland are relatively more homogeneous when compared to India, Papua New Guinea, Australia, Britain, and Canada. The more heterogeneous societies encompass more distinctions between subcultures within the national borders. However, it is important to account for the fact that â€Å"almost no country is entirely homogeneous. The world's nearly 200 countries contain some 5000 ethnic groups. Two-thirds have at least one substantial minority—an ethnic or religious group that makes up at least 10 percent of the population. † In many ways, how a society addresses issues of multiculturalism creates an orientation that enables its citizens to live and work together in a global community. Cultural norms shaped by national government policies will need to avoid and dismantle policies for separation (keeping different cultural identities but not integrated) or assimilation (forced rejection of traditional cultural identity to integrate into dominant identity) in order to adopt new approaches of multiculturalism. Important principles for multicultural policies center on promoting tolerance and cultural understanding to respect diversity, recognize multiple identities, and build common bonds of membership to the local community. In the future globalization will continue to increase the flow and interactions of people across cultures, which surfaces even more international differences. Understanding the different dimensions of culture provides an initial knowledge base to develop cultural intelligence and competence for effective international business relationships. However, global managers require cross-cultural training to advance their learning and growth in cultural intelligence and competence as they take on international assignments. More importantly, organizations will have an increasing need for global managers to become c-agents to develop effective international relationships. In addition, government leaders have opportunities to shape their national culture and support international competitiveness with new multiculturalism policies that promote both the inclusion of multiple cultural identities and the development of local communities in an era of globalization.

Ethical Egoism and Capitalism Essay

Ethical egoism, in general, is suggestive that every individual would act according to his or her own interests. According to the proponents of ethical egoism, every individual or any group will always be pushed to promote one’s own personal interests regardless of how others would view their decisions. However, a personal interest is viewed as a long-term commitment based on the ideas presented by the proponents of ethical egoism. Here, personal interest does not only cover the basic wants of an individual, but rather the needs of an individual which will benefit the individual or the groups for a longer period (â€Å"Ethical Egoism,† 2007). On the other hand, capitalism is an economic worldview that promotes the accumulation of capital for a long-term period. Capitalism as an economic thought is largely individualistic, and is most of the time focused on the individual who plays as the main player in all capitalist endeavors. As such, the proponents of capitalism greatly believe that every individual or group of individuals is always in pursuit of attaining their goals and interests (Hooker, 1996). Ethical egoism and capitalism, though are two different world perspectives have a distinct connection. In some ways, ethical egoism has widely influenced the growth and the process at which capitalism works. Both ideas are centered on pursuing and fulfilling the individual’s personal interests. And as such, the tenets of ethical egoism have become one of the most motivating factors in the capitalist world. Epicurus had his own idea involving ethical egoism. Epicurus defined self interest based on the pleasure that fulfillment of such self-interest can give. According to Epicurus, pleasure is only attained whenever the idea of pain is quickly vanquished. Hence, one must be ultimately with his or herself in order to become happy and fulfilled. And as such, he added that to live in a pleasant way, individuals must adjust to life in a prudent and honest way (Epicurus, 2002, 278). In accordance to this, Epicurus also added that individuals, while fulfilling their needs and self-interests must also learn to become self sufficient, stable and not reliant on chances, and must be complete (â€Å"Ethical Egoism,† 2007). These characteristics suggest that an individual, while being self sufficient, must only focus on the immediate and basic needs rather than giving up to the pleasures and unnecessary wants. As such, if people have become lured to unneeded pleasure, their desires will not be fulfilled and satiated, and will only cause pain and discontent amongst the people. While Epicurus suggested that the ultimate test for pleasure is the elimination of all causes of pain, he also concluded that reason and virtue are two of the most important factors in attaining happiness. As such, rational choices must be made in order to be fulfilled. Any wrong and irrational choice committed will cause discontent and unrest to the people, thus should be avoided (Younkins, â€Å"Epicurus on Freedom and Happiness,† 2007) Capitalism, on the other hand, is also founded on almost the same tenets. Capitalism is also geared towards achieving fulfillment which can be attained through the accumulation of capital goods, which capitalist entrepreneurs desire. Like how each tenet of ethical egoism is defined, the proponents of capitalism also strongly believe that a capitalist is always in search of satisfaction and fulfillment, which can only be achieved if his or her self-interests are being quenched. Like ethical egoists, capitalists are also focused on the attainment of individual satisfaction. And as such, every single capitalist puts a lot of effort into giving an assurance that each of his own capitalist endeavors is being realized and put into effect. Profit, as the main goal of the capitalists, is the counterpart of â€Å"pleasure† for an ethical egoist. While in ethical egoism, pleasure is only attained by eliminating sources of pain and discontent, profit is being considered as the main source of motivation and happiness for capitalists. In this light, profit is obtained by capitalists through the sheer use of intellect, competitive skills, and thorough reasoning in order to equip themselves in a tough competition among other and fellow capitalists. In addition to this, another character that links capitalism with ethical egoism, is the distinctive pursuit of morality behind the two ideologies. While ethical egoism greatly regards moral and righteousness for the attainment of their goals, in the capitalist perspective, capitalism is an avenue wherein moral is an imperative towards the creation of social system that will help realize the goals of a capitalist. Capitalism, hence is a system that encourages the practice of enhancing self-determination and giving priority to moral agencies for the system to function well (Younkins, 2007). Capitalism is also based establishing a rigid set of moral values. Capitalism is a system that operates on a strictly governed set of institutions that ensures that each move and actions are always watched. And in order to maintain the balance amongst the players in the system, every action made can be open to reward or sanctions. In addition to this, self-interests within a capitalist system are attained by valuing the balance between the needs and material gains. And as such, every value system and social norms are always honored in within the capitalist arena (Cilliers, 2008, pp. 30-31). In a way, the quench for self-interest and pursuit for material wealth are always related within the economic system. Pursuing any kind of self-interest and wishing to attain material wealth are always tied to the economic order, and such, the goal and the means must be properly coordinated. The capitalist system works in hand with the ideals of the ethical egoism in such a way that, both ideologies will suggest that in any kind of self-interest, one must always be able to determine the more prioritized aspect of the individual’s well-being. In both the underlying tenets in capitalism and ethical egoism, self-interest plays a huge role. Both of the ideologies suggest that, self-interest is one thing that should always be satiated by any individual. Failure to attain this will make human beings discontented for their lives, and such will always push to gain more. While in ethical egoism, the individual’s pursuit is directed towards eliminating his or her source of pain in order to attain pleasure; in capitalism, the individual’s self-interest is directed in gaining profit which he or she can attain by eliminating competition or by triumphantly overcoming any kind of competition that comes in his or her way. However, there are certain limitations that must be taken consideration in this pursuit of either self-interest or profit. As stated in ethical egoism, an individual must know how to control his or her pleasures. The excess of wanting too much material wealth will eventually establish discontent, unhappiness and pain on the individual. This goes the same in capitalism – every individual must learn how to control his or pursuit of gaining more profit that how it is supposed to work. If an individual or the whole society believes that they deserve more than what is rightful for them, the society will be in chaos. And as such, the people will become rather more dissatisfied, and order will be more oblivious to the minds of the people. The parallelism of the tenets between ethical egoism and capitalism shows the distinct comparison and similarity of the ideas contributing to both ideologies, with self-interest at the core of ethical egoism and capitalism. In essence, self-interest is what drives both ethical egoism and capitalist to achieve its purpose. Ethical egoism shares its influence with capitalism in such a way that ethical egoism shows that there is something that an individual wishes to attain. Alongside these wants and needs, an individual is ought to follow certain measures in order to fulfill his or purpose. And most importantly, there should always be limits to what an individual should wish to have. Excessively wanting something, in within either the tenets of ethical egoism and capitalism, will always be detrimental to the status of every individual or in any society. References Cilliers, J. (2008). Global Capitalism – Local Values. St. Gallen Symposium. Switzerland: University of St. Gallen. Epicurus. â€Å"Principle Doctrines. † Classics of Political and Moral Philosophy. Ed. Steven M. Cahn. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. â€Å"Ethical Egoism. † (2007). Center for Ethical Deliberation. Retrieved October 2, 2008, from http://www. mcb. unco. edu/ced/perspectives/egoism. cfm Hooker, R. (1996). Capitalism. The European Enlightenment. Retrieved October 2, 2008, from http://www. wsu. edu/~dee/GLOSSARY/CAPITAL. HTM Younkins, E. W. (2007). Epicurus on Freedom and Happiness. La Quebecois Libre. Retrieved October 2, 2008, from http://www. quebecoislibre. org/07/071111-4. htm Younkins, E. W. (2007). Capitalism: The Only Moral Social System. La Quebecois Libre. Retrieved October 3, 2008, from http://www. quebecoislibre. org/07/071111-4. htm

Biography

â€Å"I make mistakes, but I don’t have any regrets† (Kimbio). Kim Kardashian grew up the same way any other kid would although some major events played a role in making her into the person she is today. Some of the many accomplishments she has are her own perfume, a reality TV show with her family, clothing store, and etc. She’s not only known for her accomplishments though she also makes generous donations to charity. Kim is a role model to many different people due to the achievements and events she’s been through; she is one very strong supportive individual. In the beginning, no one really knew who the Kardashians were besides Kim’s dad Robert Kardashian, who was a prominent attorney. Robert Defended O.J Simpson in his murder trial of Nicole Brown Simpson and this is where the start of â€Å"The Kardashians† began (Top25). He also owned a marketing company in where Kim first worked. Kim’s parents always told her â€Å"I will buy you nice things, but once you turn 18 you are cut off† (KimKardashian). At one point Kim asked him for some money to buy shoes off the internet in which she sold to people she knew making profit. This is how her name got around and people started to ask her to redesign their closets. Robert Kardashian pushed Kim to exceed in life and that’s exactly what she did, he started her off on the right foot and she made him proud. Most importantly, Kim has accomplished so much in her life and still has big plans. Singer Brandy appeared on a â€Å"worst dressed† list which made her realize she needed change in her style so she went straight to Kim to be her personal stylist. After stars saw Brandy’s new style they asked Kim to redesign their closets too. With Kim’s great style she and her two sisters Kourtney and Kloe decide to open a cloths store called D-A-S-H. The store has been so successful they ope ned another one and are planning on a third location. Also, the Kardashian family has their own hit reality show called â€Å"Keeping up with the Kardashians† (KimKardashian). Having this show only opened more opportunities for the family. For instance, Kim was offered to pose in Playboy, she opened her own perfume line, competed on dancing with the stars, and now has her own workout DVD. People working out always think that if you’re curvey it automatically categorizes you as fat but Kim is a perfect role model because she reassures them by saying â€Å"You always see the typical skinny models and I’m not that, I’m proud not to be that† (Kimbio). This encourages girls positively that they don’t have to be stick skinny to be pretty. Everything that Kim has done has made her a very successful role model. She was born into a rich family but everything she has or has done was all on her own. Kim wasn’t handed everything from mommy and da ddy, she did it on her own which makes it inspiring because it shows people that you can have nothing to start with and work your way up to success. In Addition, Kim has never thought only about herself, she has helped many people out and inspired even more. In 2010 Kim’s earnings were the highest of any other reality star at $6 billion dollars, but instead of keeping it all to herself she donated 10% to charity (Kimbio). She has donated to many different foundations, trying to help as many individuals as possible. People these days are greedy and only care about themselves so to see her help the less fortunate says a lot about her. Also, to see her model as a woman with curves lets every girl know that you do not need to starve yourself to be gorgeous your curves are what make you gorgeous (Top25). Not only does she do for herself but for others around her, many people only do one or the other so to see her do both gives people hope that there are still caring individuals i n today’s society. In the end, seeing other people succeed like Kim has inspires people that anything is possible, you can be whoever you want and do anything you set your mind to. Everything Kim has, she has from her own success. She doesn’t sit around waiting for people to do something for her she does it on her own. A lot of girls think they need someone to support them but Kim is a perfect example on if you push yourself hard enough you can do anything you want. Work Cited â€Å"Kim Kardashian Biography.† Biography True Story. 2011. AE Television Networks. 31 Aug. 2011 http://www.biography.com/articles/kim-kardashian-450760 â€Å"Kim Kardashian Biography.† Sweet Lyrics. 2011. Go Daddy. 31 Aug. 2011 http://sweetlyrics.com/bio-Kim%20Kardashian.html â€Å"Top 25 Celebrities.† Celebrity central. 2011. CNN. 31 Aug. 2011 http://www.people.com/people/kim-kardashian/biography/0,,20185121,00.html

The Fall of Jerusalem ( the battle of Hattin) 1187 Essay

The Fall of Jerusalem ( the battle of Hattin) 1187 - Essay Example Despite Saladins superiority and power in numbers, capturing of Jerusalem was not a foregone conclusion. This can be viewed when Saladin’s army was defeated by king Baldwin iv, despite the fact that Saladin had many distractions like Mosul (Frank 1). The capturing of Jerusalem was not something which was not there the armies had an extremely good plan. During the battle of Montgisard in the year 1177, Saladins army was frightened and was defeated by King Baldwin IV. On the sea of Galillee in 1187, Saladin’s army overwhelmed Tiberias. Raymond of Tripoli thought that, the Crusader army should be careful despite the fact that his wife was at Tiberias. The pressure that was there would force him to withdraw (Frank 1). Some people still forced the king of Lusignan to attack with no fear of anything because they were to give him support. On July, the army from Crusader arrived at Sephoria they knew everything they wanted was available there, and they will not face many difficulties. Sephoria had a strong position, and there was plenty of water. For another time, Raymond tried to keep away with disaster. The march was slowed down by constant attack from Saladins horse archers. After some time, the wells, which were the source of water dried. Later in the day, the Crusader army had reached Hattin, the army was fully armed and ready for total war. The Templars Constant attack from Saladins horse archers slowed the march. The Temlars begged for an end of the days march (Frank 1). When Guy agreed, Raymond was not happy because he knew exactly that the kingdom was lost. The army camped for years at Hattin this led to two low hills being named the Horns Of Hattin. They thought that they were going to find water, but all the wells were dry, the next day in the morning they were surrounded by enemies. In their desperation, they found the christian army (Frank 1). Due to lack of water this led to christians moving from their location to the road that

Identify and discuss all of the relevant employment law issues raised Research Paper

Identify and discuss all of the relevant employment law issues raised in the above scenario. What advice would you give to Chris Be sure to substantiate your answer by reference to decided cases - Research Paper Example However both the employer and employee are governed by and have different rights, duties and responsibilities under various laws concerning health and safety, discrimination etc. Benefits such as salary, overtime and other compensation must also be worked out and paid. The case at hand will focus on the rights and duties of Chris and Bill under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 & 2005 and the Equality Act 2010, also referring to decisions in related cases as to the remedies available for both employer and employee. A contract of employment is a written document given by the employer to the employee governing the terms of employment. The general terms often relate to nature of work, duties and responsibilities, place of work and compensation and benefits etc. If there is no written contract of employment, the terms of employment are then governed by the law of the land and the general conditions of employment as applicable in that specific sector of industry that the employee is working under. It is important that the employee know his rights and duties and wherever possible insist that the terms of employment be in writing. This helps in the quick resolution of disputes should any occur later on. The employee can demand that the terms of employment be put in the form of a written agreement after two weeks of commencing employment at a new workplace (www.direct.gov.uk). Previously there was hardly any written law governing the terms of employment in the UK. Cases used to be decided by precedent or in the light of the particular individual circumstances applicable to the case as deemed by the Judge presiding over it. However certain extenuating circumstances demanded that the law be codified. For example, the right to serve notice or terminate an employee, the right to claim rights and damages for unfair dismissal, keeping trade secrets, not joining certain competitors and so forth all called for the laws

Midterm Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Midterm Questions - Essay Example The potential improvement of the US-China relations in the future would be achieved using the neoliberal approach of international relations theory. The specific approach is based on the idea that international relations can be promoted through international institutions (Van de Haar 2009). These institutions would set as a priority the achievement of peace between the states involved in the relevant plan (Van de Haar 2009). Still, allowing these institutions to develop critical initiatives is not always easy. In the case of US-China relations the above view would be explained as follows: China is a country based on a centralized political system, meaning that the government has a non-controllable power to define the terms related to the country’s social, political and economic life. In this context, it would be rather difficult for the country’s government to agree to the use of an international institution for improving its relations with US. For the Chinese governmen t providing its consent to such plan could be possibly interpreted as a partial resignation from its rights. This perspective could prevent the Chinese government to agree to the use of the neoliberalism approach for resolving its relations with US. ... for improving states’ relations in the context of the international community: the WTO (World Trade Organization) is an example. The above organization is quite expanded globally and has critical experience in managing such issues. WTO could suggest schemes of cooperation between the two countries, in addition to existing ones, so that the US-China relations are improved. For example, a scheme of lower taxation in imported goods or a scheme for the exchange of knowledge on new products. US and China are already members of this organization for promoting their trade interests. This means that the two countries would not have to set their powers as critical players of global politics and economy. It should be noted that the use of such plan by US for improving its relation with China would be aligned with another approach, the commercial liberalism, a view that it is presented below. (b) The measure suggested above, i.e. the use of an international institution, for preventing co nflict can be characterized as quite effective. This view is verified using another approach, the commercial liberalism. In fact, this approach could be combined with the one mentioned above, i.e. the neoliberalism, for securing that the conflict between US and China will be prevented. The commercial liberalism is based on the idea that freedom in commerce can secure peace (Ralston 2013). This means that the delete of any trade restrictions between US and China could lead to long-term peace between the two countries. In practice, this approach could be considered as non-applicable, taking into consideration the strong competition that already characterizes

Elements of Design in Hectors Final Battle Research Paper - 3

Elements of Design in Hectors Final Battle - Research Paper Example The production designer is the one in charge of the overall look of the film. Production designers have to closely coordinate with the director and the producer (in terms of budget constraints) in order to select the most appropriate settings and style that would enable the film to tell the story (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2011). Especially during pre-production, the production designer works closely with the film director to establish the particular aesthetic needs and the intended visual feel of the film. The production designer likewise works closely with the costume designer, the hair and make-up stylists, the special effects director, and the location manager to ensure the unified visual appearance of the movie. The role of the art director tends to blur with the responsibilities of the production designer. However, the art director’s main goal is to unify the overall visual appearance of the scenes in the film, making sure that these scenes are able to stimulate moods, contrast features, and appeal to the target audience psychologically (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2011). In the particular movie clip chose, the scene took place on an arid desert, presumably under the burning heat of the sun and the lighting used in this scene made the audience feel the â€Å"heat of the battle† even more. Thus, the sharp light of the sun conveyed feelings of passion and sheer hatred, which were the very feelings that Achilles felt at that moment, owing to the untimely death of his cousin. This particular setting likewise conveys the burning emotions in the hearts of the characters, from the anger in Achilles, to Hector’s desire to defend his honor, and even the pain felt by Hector’s family as they watch Hector walk into his death. All these aspects convey the message of the movie in terms of passion and honor. As the scene takes place in Ancient Greece, the costume designers no doubt took extra care and effort to make the characters’ costume as authentic as possible. Hector’s armor clad body signifies that he is a methodical fighter who takes great efforts to ensure that he is well protected in battle.

Assertive Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Assertive Communication - Essay Example Assertive communication entails expressing one’s point of view in a manner that is direct and clear while exuding respect. The communication is diplomatic and effective style because it is founded on mutual respect (Blokdijk, 2015). For freshman students at Bellevue College, assertive communication with their instructors is important because their needs will better cater for, and it will help of constructive relationships, minimization of conflicts. Students are always taught to concede to their instructors, but through assertive communication, they can avoid resentment, frustration, avoidance, and anxiety. There are three important elements of assertive communication. The first element is validation or empathy. It means that one is trying to say something that reflects an understanding of the other person’s feelings. The second element is a statement of the problem. This describes a person’s dissatisfaction with the current situation and it reveals why something needs to change. Lastly, it contains a statement of what a person wants. Assertive communication is a specific request for a change in the other person’s attitude, approach, or behavior (Blokdijk, 2015).

Evans, Wittkower, Norman Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Evans, Wittkower, Norman - Essay Example When you think about it, it is clear in one sense that we have emotional relationships with the things that we use on a regular basis, and which allow us to do our work and to connect with the people we love, or else allow us to do the things that we love doing. For instance, people have emotional connections with their cars and their bicycles, and this is something that advertisers understand so well. When companies market cars, for instance, there is the explicit connection that advertisers try to establish between the car as the product itself, and the way the car represents a range of emotions and relationships with people dear to car buyers. A family sedan advertised, for instance, would highlight the fun and happy things that families can do with the family sedan. The better the emotional connection made between the potential buyer and the car, the higher the prospects of buyers becoming interested enough to give the car a try. In this case, emotions pique interest and elicit r esponse. Where there is ownership of a vehicle for instance, even a bicycle, then the emotional connection is sometimes intense. People sometimes get buried with their most favorite things, with their bicycles, with their Swiss knives, and with their cell phones. Whether the emotional connection is because of the great utility of the thing, or because of something that is designed into the thing in order to elicit hopefully positive emotional connections, it is clear that the things that people own are not just things that are devoid of emotional context. People buy and keep things on the basis of how they feel about using the things that they buy, is something that is so obvious in the way products and services are marketed, that it is absurd to overlook just how important it is to listen to Don Norman talk about imputing emotional characteristics in to the very design of products. It is clear too, from the work ethic and philosophy of the man, that the ability to elicit an emotion al response is a core tenet of his design philosophy (Norman, 2012; Norman, 2012b): My field is Human-Centered Design: making products that people can use, that fit their needs, that excite them and are enjoyable. The United States leads the world in human-centered design. This is true in all domains: computer and cellphone applications, industrial equipment, work tools for professionals, and of course home and consumer electronics. It is not an accident that the entire world relies on our operating systems: Apple, Google, and Microsoft for phones; Apple and Microsoft for computers (Norman, 2012) To put it another way, it makes perfect sense that Norman asserts that it is good design to impute emotional considerations when undertaking the design of products, while also making sure that the most important product attributes as perceived by the consumer are met. For instance, imputing emotional inputs into smart phone design does not mean always that the designs include smileys at the back plates of the phones. It does mean that where the functionalities, the necessary technologies, and such product attributes as sturdiness and reliability are met, then other aspects of design, such as colors and aesthetics, can then impute more ineffable emotional characteristics. Looking at cell phones and computers, for instance, the very robustness of the technology and the excellence of certain products in terms of reliability and build quality are themselves wellsprings of positive emotions for the buyer. Those are positive emotions brought about by the excellence of the engineering. On the other hand, where the design also imputes thoughtful ergonomics and tasteful, positive colors explicitly, to induce certain positive emotions, then those are the design elements that help establish the added pull for a positive relationship between the cell phone

Business leadership plays a vital role Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Business leadership plays a vital role - Essay Example Business leaders create vision and describe dreams in a way that people would want to follow them. Leaders especially in the commercial business world, have a great amount of emotional intelligence. The intelligent quotient and technical aspects are critical for leaders but they also need to have additional traits that will make them stand out from the rest and be successful. In the above paragraph, I was concerned with what leaders do to achieve what we see them achieve. However, it's evident that what they ought to do is quite different. Many people will agree that the single task of leaders is to see results delivered. This is partly true. Many people have made millions of money training business executives on leadership. All this is in pursuit of leadership that is to achieve bold objectives. The major concern is the finance, strategy and organization of the business (Goleman 2001). Leadership experts offer advice based on: the results of their research, what they believe and their professional experience. I have learnt that good leaders should be able to adopt different managing styles. Researchers suggest that there are essentially six leadership styles in the business industry. Each of the styles emanates from different components but the basis being emotional intelligence. ... Personally, I am multitalented and have attained good academic credentials that have shaped my reasoning and thinking. After pursuing an MBA program, I have been equipped with the necessary general management and strategy skills to both expand the scope of business and increase the profitability of the company or organization that I may end up in. The modern corporate world of businesses is overriding barriers like geographical boundaries in pursuit of business excellence. The economy is embracing changes at international levels and adopting world class standards such as globalization in an effort to increase opportunities everywhere in the world. For this reason, I intend to utilize my vocational management skills in MBA curriculum so as to be better placed to manage global businesses and also work in other countries with different cultures altogether (Goleman 2001). The six styles of management that have been identified are coercive, authoritative, democratic, pacesetting, coaching and affiliative. I have assessed the six leadership styles and discovered that only four of them are efficient. These four are the ones which I will adopt in my leadership and in future endeavors. Coercive and pacesetting styles are very tough. Coercive for instance is described as the use of force or threats to get employees do what is required of them. This holds back organizational flexibility and undermines the motivation in the working environment. Many employees may grow to be rebellious (Goleman 2001). Pacesetting style involves setting very high performance standards for the workers and exempting oneself. This can cause motivation to some employees and great results could be observed;

Summary of the Civil War Essay Example for Free

Summary of the Civil War Essay Fought 1861-1865, the American Civil War was the result of decades of sectional tensions between the North and South. Focused on slavery and states rights, these issues came to a head following the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860. Over the next several months eleven southern states seceded and formed the Confederate States of America. During the first two years of the war, Southern troops won numerous victories but saw their fortunes turn after losses at Gettysburg and Vicksburg in 1863. From then on, Northern forces worked to conqueror the South, forcing them to surrender in April 1865. Causes Secession: The roots of the Civil War can be traced to increasing differences between North and South and their growing divergence as the 19th century progressed. Chief among the issues were expansion of slavery into the territories, the Souths declining political power, states rights, and the retention of slavery. Though these issues had existed for decades, they exploded in 1860 following the election of Abraham Lincoln who was against the spread of slavery. As the result of his election, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas seceded from the Union. Fort Sumter First Bull Run: On April 12, 1861, the war began hen the South opened fire on Fort forcing its surrender. In response to the attack, President Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers to suppress the rebellion. While Northern states responded quickly, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas refused, opting to join the Confederacy instead. Union forces commanded began marching south to take the rebel capital of Richmond. On the 21st, they met a Confederate army near Manassas and were defeated. War in the East, 1862-1863: Following the defeat at Bull Run, Gen. In early 1862, they shifted the army south to attack Richmond. He was defeated and forced to retreat after the Seven Days Battles. The rise of Robert E. Lee to the command of Confederate forces in the East. Shortly thereafter, a second Union army was defeated by Lee at the Second Battle of Bull Run. Lee began to move north into Maryland. McClellan was sent to intercept and met Lee at Antietam. Despite having a larger force and knowledge of Lees positions, McClellan was overcautious and failed to achieve a decisive victory. The win at Antietam permitted Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed slaves in the South and altered the Unions war aims. Union engaged Lee near Chancellorsville. Though outnumbered 2-to-1, Lee outmaneuvered them and forced them to retreat. War in the West, 1861-1863: In February 1862, forces under Gen. Grant captured Forts Henry Donelson. Two months later he defeated a Confederate army at Shiloh. Union naval forces captured New Orleans. To the east, Confederate attempted to invade Kentucky, but was repelled at Perryville. He was beaten again at Stones River. Grant now focused his attention on capturing Vicksburg and opening the Mississippi River. After a false start, his troops swept through Mississippi and laid siege to the town in1863. Turning Points Gettysburg Vicksburg: 1863, Lee began to move north towards Pennsylvania with Union troops in pursuit. Following the defeat at Chancellorsville, Lincoln turned to Gen. George Meade to take over the Army of the Potomac. Elements of the two armies clashed at Gettysburg. After three days of heavy fighting, Lee was defeated and forced to retreat. Grant successfully concluded the siege of Vicksburg, opening the Mississippi to shipping and cutting the South in two. Combined these victories were the beginning of the end for the Confederacy. War in the West, 1863-1865: In summer 1863, Union troops advanced into Georgia and were defeated at Chickamauga. Fleeing north, they were besieged at Chattanooga. Grant was ordered to save the situation and did so winning victories at Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge. War in the East, 1863-1865: 1864, Grant came east to deal with Lee. Despite heavy casualties, Grant pressed south, fighting at Spotsylvania and Cold Harbor. Unable to get through Lees army to Richmond, Grant attempted to cut the city off by taking Petersburg. Lee arrived first and a siege began. Lee was forced to evacuate the city and retreat west, allowing Grant to take Richmond. On April 9, Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Court House. Aftermath Casualties: On April 14, five days after Lees surrender, President Lincoln was assassinated. The assassin, John Wilkes Booth, was killed by Union troops. Lincolns death cast a pall across the nation and elevated Vice President Andrew Johnson to the presidency. With the end of fighting a period known as Reconstruction began, with Union troops occupying Southern states and overseeing their gradual reintegration into the Union. Following the war, three amendments were added to the Constitution: * 13th: Abolished slavery * 14th: Extension of legal protection regardless of race * 15th: Abolished all racial restrictions on voting

The Impact of Firs Reforms on Tax Collection Essay Example for Free

The Impact of Firs Reforms on Tax Collection Essay Thus, it has been stated that the importance of taxation lies primarily in its ability to raise capital for the development and growth of the economy and also in assisting the regulation of the consumption pattern, resulting in economic stabilization and effective redistribution of income (ICAN, 2009). The Nigerian tax system takes after the political structure of the country. As we have three (3) tiers of government (Federal, State and Local Government), we also have a distinct tax administration at each tier of government with the joint tax board playing an overarching supervisory role. The Joint Tax Board (JTB) is an off shoot of the Income Tax Management Act (ITMA) 1961 with the main objective of bringing uniformity in the administration of the various regional tax administrations. The Joint Tax Board was established under section 86 of the personal Income Tax Act Cap p. 8 LFN 2004. The section provides that the chairman of the JTB shall be the chairman of the Federal Board of Inland Revenue (Amawhe A. S, 2010). The administration of taxation on the profits of incorporate companies is vested in the Federal Inland Revenue service (FIRS) whose management board is known as the Federal Board of Inland Revenue (FBIR) (Section 1-3 FIRS establishment Act). The various taxes collected by the FIRS are; (1) Companies Income Tax (2) Withholding Tax on companies, resident of Federal capital territory, Abuja and non-resident individuals (3) Petroleum Profit Tax (4) Value Added Tax (5) Education Tax 6) Capital Gains Tax on residents of the Federal capital territory, Abuja, bodies corporate and non-resident individuals (7) Stamp Duties on bodies corporate and residents of the Federal capital territory, Abuja (8) Personal Income Tax in respect of:- * Members of the Armed Forces of the Federation * Members of the Nigerian Police Force * Residents of the Federal capital Territory, Abuja and * Staff of the ministry of foreign affairs and non-resident individuals. (9) National Information Technology Development Levy Value added tax as one of the taxes collected by the FIRS is an area of taxation that has high prospects of improving the internally generated revenue of the Nigerian government. The VAT system in Nigeria started with acceptance of the recommendation of a study group on indirect taxation in November 1991. The decision to accept the recommendation was made public in the 1992 budget speech of the Head of State. This resulted in setting up the modified value-added tax (MVAT) committee on 1st June, 1992 as recommended by the study group. The introduction of VAT in Nigeria through Decree 102 of 1993 marks the phasing out for the Sales Tax Decree No. 7 of 1986. The Decree took effect on 1st December, 1993 but administrative arrangement, involving for tax purpose commenced January, 1994. Value Added Tax is a tax on the supply of goods and services which is eventually born by the final consumers but collected at each stage of production and distribution chain. The introduction of VAT made government reasoned that, it will be virtually impossible to evade tax (Olatunji, O. C. , 2009). The reforms of the various taxes collectible at the Federal level in Nigeria have been a key component of the economic reforms implemented from the second half of 2986. The reforms that characterized the taxes have been undertaken as part of the overall programme of making the public sector and its activities more efficient and growth-promoting across sectors of the economy (Olopoenia et al). As nearly all the taxes at the federal level have undergone one reform r the other especially in the area of structure, there is a need to ask whether the reforms have increase the tax revenue collected by the Federal Inland Revenue Service.

Economic Environmental And Culture Impacts Of Tourism

Economic Environmental And Culture Impacts Of Tourism In light of the increasingly competitive day visit market and concern about the keeping of wild animals in captivity for human amusement, the national Zoo of Bangladesh must balance carefully the demands of the paying visitor with those of maintaining credibility as conservation and education-oriented organisations. Utilising the model of the product life cycle this paper analyses the current position of national Zoo of Bangladesh in the visitor attraction market. The major tourism issues are discussed in this paper and it also emphasises the integration of the social economic and environmental for effective tourism and development. Introduction Tourism has become the greatest tool of this present century to achieve international mutual understanding. It is a travel particularly for leisure or recreational purposes. It is now a global industry that involves millions of domestic and international tourists travel every year. Tourism works as a bridge among the people through out the world who are from different languages, cultures, race and so on. Tourism is basically based on tourists not the economy and the developing countries can be greatly benefited by this industry. It not only brings the nations closer together but also keeps great international relationship. Tourism is both entertaining and educative. People can get enormous information and can see the unseen through it. However it can have major impacts and these impacts can be both positive and negative. These impacts can be presented under the headings of economy, socio-cultural and environmental impacts. Dhaka zoo is largest zoo in Bangladesh situated in Mirpur,Dhaka.It is the national zoo under the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock. The total number of vertebrate fauna in the zoo is about 2,150 in 191 species. Included in these animals, are about 551 mammals under 64 species, 1,543 birds under 90 species, 73 reptiles under 15 species, and about 104 aquarium fishes under 23 species. To attract visitors besides many fascinating animals, there are 15 tigers, 21 lions, 9 hippopotamus, about 200 monkeys, and 33 pythons. Moreover, some rare and interesting animals such as the rhea, peacock, zebra, elephant, African grey parrot, water buck, impala, emus, baboon, chimpanzee, gayal, black bear, tapir, mandrill, and estuarine crocodile provide additional entertainment to the visitors. The zoo has a captive breeding programme and successfully bred the Royal Bengal Tiger, lion, leopard, primates, deer, and many birds. It has animal exchange programmes with many zoos of the world. As gifts Bangladesh government presented about 300 zoo animals to different organisations and personalities of different countries including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Iraq. The zoo regularly organizes various education programmes for students. The various ornamental features of the garden provides an aesthetic background to the animal houses, enclosures and aviaries, scattered all over the area, exhibiting indigenous fauna of Bangladesh as well as exotic specimens collected from different countries of the world. Methodology, findings and analysis Economic Impacts Economic impacts are the most significant field for tourism. The impacts can be positive and negative. It can be especially marked on developing countries. People of this country can easily make foreign exchange like dollars, francs, pound and so on through tourism. The economic impacts of tourism represent the most important facets of tourism from a development viewpoint. It can bring a great economic benefit for a country. Tourism can also contribute greatly to gross national product because the success of countries and governments are frequently explained through the percentage of annual growths in GNP. Moreover it can play a significant part for extra expenditure in the economy on goods and services. The economic impact of the Zoo has grown significantly beyond the growth of the national and regional economies. This implies that the national Zoo of Bangladesh is a growth industry for the local economy. Visitor spending by Zoo patrons contributes significantly to the economic impa ct of the Zoo. The Zoo has an economic development impact that was not quantified in this analysis. The presence of the Zoo has a positive impact on the attendance levels of other Greater Bangladeshi amusement parks and events, and vice-versa. The presence of the Zoo enhances the overall attraction of Bangladesh. Economic Impact Results We have determined that since 1992, construction by the Zoo has led to One-time economic impacts ranging from $1.6 million to $12.8 million in the Greater Cincinnati economy. The largest construction impact occurred from 1992 construction expenditures, which totaled $5.7 million. In 1996, the construction impact of the Zoo was $2.7 million, of which $836,362 went to area households in the form of wages. Zoo construction led to the creation and retention of a total of 35 Bangladeshi jobs in 1996. The on-going economic impacts associated with the Zoos operation expenditures have been steadily increasing since 1992. The total economic impact of operations increased 52 percent over this period, to reach $29.2 million in 1996. The economic impact on household earnings increased 33 percent from 1992 to 1996, reaching $10.7 million in 1996. The employment impact increased from 491 jobs in 1992 to 580 in 1996 an 18 percent increase. (http://www.grips.ac.jp/alumni/UzbekistanTourism(2).pdf) Again tourism expenditure into an economy is not completely based on direct expenditure rather it is based on multiply of income. For instance, The money that is given by tourists can have multi uses. Employee will receive wages and they will also spend in local market for their daily necessities. Some of the money can pass through banking institution. Perhaps this money can be paid for repaying their banking debts and sometimes they can save the money and invest as well in the local market. The government will also be benefited through taxation. Therefore, the money runs into the local market through investment, savings and taxation. ( peter M. Burns and Andrew Holden) Significant numbers of jobs can be created through tourism. The employers can engage themselves as hotel workers, bar staff and can also engage themselves in other areas such as boat hire, cycle hire and repair, car and motorcycle hire, food and drink selling and so on. Furthermore the local people who are involved in craft activities of painting, wood carving and boutique making can get great economic profit (Mason,1995). In addition, government can earn a huge amount of revenues from tourist. Government expenditure can be collected from the increased tourism expenditure at both central and local levels. The revenues can be taken through employee taxation and in some cases direct taxation placed on the tourist. For example, Government can earn from the arrival taxes and from the departure taxes. Additionally tourism is very helpful for infrastructure development of the host country. By getting revenues from tourists the government can use it for the developments of countrys airport, roads, electricity, and water and for sewerage disposal. As the government can use the revenues for the development of the country thus they need not to take loan from other sources. The socio-cultural impacts of the zoo Culture is about how people observe social interactions. Actually cultures consist with behavioural patterns that have been acquired through generations. Culture also includes belief, art, moral low, knowledge and so on. Culture attraction in relation to tourism includes; leisure activities, educational system, dress, languages, art and music, handicrafts, religion, tradition, food, architecture and so on. Visitors and host population both are very important in relation to socio-cultural impacts of tourism. The impacts will be greatest when the contrast will be shown between receiving society and origin culture. Tourism can encourage social mobility in the developing country like Bangladesh through changes in employment from traditional agriculture and may result in higher wages and better job prospects. There are some more benefits of socio-cultural tourism impacts. These are creation of job employment, the rebirth of local arts and revival of social cultural life of the local people. However tourism can cause over crowding at the zoo of Bangladesh. The overcrowding can cause stress for both tourists and the local people of Bangladesh. Although the remarkable impacts are over dependency on tourism and consequently the traditional activities of the local farmers like firming has reduced. Another socio-cultural impact of tourism is demonstration effect. The demonstration effect depends on tourist and on hosts. Some local people changes themselves behaviorically particularly the young generation are greatly affected by demonstration effect. It is very obvious that the host countries people are very much interested towards the life style of tourists. The demonstration effect also has economic implication. The local people of Bangladesh are interested towards western products. For instance, it is very common picture of the local people at the zoo area that they wear jeans, t-shirt instead of traditional dress, in the same time they become interested to imported drinks like coke rather than lemonade. In addition, in many developing areas tourism has contributed to an incensement of prostitution. Although it is very difficult to determine exactly how much probably the most famous and documented sex tourism destinations are Thailand and Philippines. Sex tourism often involves both sexes, male or female tourists looking for female or male prostitutes. Bangladesh is a Muslim religious based country where most of the people are religious minded. Although sex tourism is not a common picture in Bangladesh. However, many tourists go into holidays with the inner hope of finding a partner for sexual relationship. The partner may or may not be the resident of the host country; it is often a fellow tourist. Many evidence show how many women are involved in open ended prostitution may able to establish longer term relationships with several foreigners through facking romantic involvement. The scare of AIDS had a dramatic effect on prostitution. Although Bangladesh is not completely out threat en of sex tourism. Furthermore, tourism can have tremendous effect on culture and these are both positive and negative. A changing culture means a changing composition with respect to income earners in family. This modification has a tremendous impact on family structure and the society as a whole. Bangladesh is basically a male dominated country and when women get financial independence; their whole perspective of life and marriage is prone to change. Most of the local people at the zoo who are involved in tourism related business are questioned and the replied who have got from them suggest that most of the families are related to tourism business. The main results of the questionnaire from the local people at the zoo are as follows: most of the local people at the zoo understand that tourists are different from them. According to local people of the zoo the benefits that can be got tourists are vandalism, sexual harassment, drag addiction and prostitution and crime in general. Again, most of the loc al young are in favour in tourism. They prefer to accept the culture of the tourists which is considered as a great threat of host culture. Therefore, there is both positive and negative socio- cultural impacts of tourism. The negative impacts includes: demonstration effect, cultural damage and specific issues for example incensement in drag taking, prostitution, crime and so on. Actually the negative consequences are mostly seen where there is a cultural difference between tourists and hosts. Environmental Impacts of tourism at the Zoo Developed on behalf of the national zoo of Bangladesh-based environmental consultancy, Carbon Plan, the system was designed for the Zoo to measure and report its environmental impact. The Zoo has now been short listed for an environmental excellence are awarded, for developing this project. The awards were established last year to recognize the good work done by environmental consultancies as part of the wider efforts to reduce our global impact. SALOME is one of the first environmental accounting strategy tools specifically designed for business. As a result of its implementation, Bangladesh Zoo has reduced its carbon footprint by 39.6 per cent since 2006, a reduction of 370 tonnes of carbon per year. The Director of Bangladeshi Zoo Gardens, Dr M mofizar Rahman, said: This nomination is fantastic news for Bangladesh Zoo and for Carbon Plan, and demonstrates the Zoos commitment to environmental sustainability.CarbonPlan has also worked with Bangladeshi Zoo Gardens to develop a set of Sustainable Development Guidelines for its National Wildlife Conservation Park .The nomination comes as the national Zoo of Bangladesh became the first zoo in the country to achieve the ISO14001 certification the international standard for environmental management systems. The environment is a key resource for tourism. Generally visitors are attracted by the natural beauty of the country. On the other hand, damage of environment can reduce a great number of visitors. Sometimes tourism has a indirect impact on physical environment. The natural environment includes the landscape, rivers, rock outcrops, beaches, plants and animals. There are five aspects of environment. The natural environment includes: mountainous areas, seas, rivers and lakes, caves, beaches, natural woodland and so on. Again the wild life includes: Land based animals and reptiles, flora, birds, insects and so on. The framed environment includes: man made forests, fish firms. The built environment includes: individual building and structures, villages and townscapes, transport and infrastructure. Where is very important factor for tourism environment impact because an urban areas are used more by the tourists than the rural areas. This is because of roads, structure and proper planning process. Therefore the national zoo of Bangladesh are potentially far greater than small number of walkers in the beach of Bangladesh. Tourism is a seasonal activity in Bangladesh. Thus the environment of the can be affected by the tourism only a part of year and the rest of the year the nature is recovering itself. Although it not always possible for the nature to recover itself for instance, in winter season a large number domestic tourists visit the zoo which is out of control for the environment to recover. Ecology is very significant for tourism. Ecology refers human, animal and plants and each of the elements are related to each other if there any ecological imbalance happens the whole environment will be heavily affected. The national Zoo of Bangladesh is actually a seasonal tourist attraction. The peak season is December to May and time 10amto 4pm is busiest time of the day. The domestic people are the main visitors furthermore, visitor also come from India, Pakistan, Burma, especially from the south Asian countries. A large number of visitors visit the zoo everyday. There is no accurate measurement of the visitor number at the Zoo however evidence suggests that mire than 200 visitors visit at the Zoo for per hour. Although the zoo is unaffected by the visitors yet the great number flashing photography may change the behavior of the wild animal. Tourism planning and management There are number of aims and objectives for tourism planning. Tourism planning is particularly based on ideas on future tourism and the intention of tourism planning is derive maximum benefits and derives minimum negative effects. There are also some key players of tourism planning and management. Tourism management requires consideration of a number of factors including Who is managing? What is being managed? How is it being managed? Where is it happening? and when is it happening? These question are clearly integral and it very difficult to separate. The major players are tourists themselves, members of the host communities, government agencies and representative of travel agency. In relation to tourism planning and management NGOs and media can play a significant role. Although tourists are undeniably very important part yet they are often blamed for rights responsibilities. The right and responsibilities of tourists are as follows: Tourists need to obey the local law and in the time they cannot take part in any illegal activities. They need to respect the religion and the cultures of host countries. They should not make any harm for natural environment. Again protecting wild animals and contributing in local economy is also their responsibility. Education can be used as an important technique in tourism management within the content of interpretation. It is educational process that involves the transfer of knowledge and the development of values to environment and culture. Tour guides act as site interpreter a zoo keepers are specific form of interpreter used by the zoo to help manage, the educational experience for visitors. In addition codes an conduct and guide lines are very significant to regulate tourism codes of conduct have a range of authors including government, NGOs And other representatives. Moreover, it has a great importance in tourism planning and management. GIS is a computer based system that can handle and process geographical data. In the widest sense of the activity is sustainable. The activity has been concerned with socio-cultural and economic factors. According to the sustainable sense the activity shows that tourism should be recognized as positive factor with the potential to the benefit of the community and place as well as the visitors. The relationship between tourism environments must be managed so that environment is sustainable in the long term. Conclusion This paper shows variety of tourism effects under the heading of socio-cultural, economic and environmental impacts. The paper also represents a number of different organizations, groups and individuals which have a significant role to play in tourism management and planning. The role both tourists and hosts are very remarkable for tourism management and planning. The paper shows that the national zoo of Bangladesh has the potential to create successful tourism industry. It also indicates that there is likelihood of well-planned and management tourism in which environmetal factors and socio cultural aspects are well integrated.

The Maturation Of Huckleberry Finn Essay -- essays research papers

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn begins with Huck introducing himself. He is wild and carefree, playing jokes on people and believing them all to be hilarious. When his adventures grow to involve new moral questions never before raised, there is a drastic change in his opinions, thoughts, and his views of "right and wrong", and Huck's "rejection of the values of society has tried to instill in him" (Wright 154). By the time the book is over, it is apparent that he has matured greatly since the beginning of the novel. Certainly the people and events Huck comes in contact with through his adventures causes this change, which include: Jim, the Duke and the King with the Wilks' family, Pap and the Widow Douglas, and the time spent with the Grangerfords. The person who affected Huck the most was Jim. Jim was Huck's companion throughout the entire journey. At first Huck considers Jim only as a "nigger" because of the way he was brought up, yet Jim is much more than a stereotypical slave and Huck develops a deep feeling of loyalty toward him. During their adventure together, Huck always feels a duty to reveal Jim's identity as a runaway slave, but is held back when he remembers Jim's kindness and integrity "Jim would always call me honey†¦ and do everything he could think of for me, and how good he always was" (Twain 95). An example when Huck questions his morals and helps Jim is when they are traveling down the river when they come across m... The Maturation Of Huckleberry Finn Essay -- essays research papers The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn begins with Huck introducing himself. He is wild and carefree, playing jokes on people and believing them all to be hilarious. When his adventures grow to involve new moral questions never before raised, there is a drastic change in his opinions, thoughts, and his views of "right and wrong", and Huck's "rejection of the values of society has tried to instill in him" (Wright 154). By the time the book is over, it is apparent that he has matured greatly since the beginning of the novel. Certainly the people and events Huck comes in contact with through his adventures causes this change, which include: Jim, the Duke and the King with the Wilks' family, Pap and the Widow Douglas, and the time spent with the Grangerfords. The person who affected Huck the most was Jim. Jim was Huck's companion throughout the entire journey. At first Huck considers Jim only as a "nigger" because of the way he was brought up, yet Jim is much more than a stereotypical slave and Huck develops a deep feeling of loyalty toward him. During their adventure together, Huck always feels a duty to reveal Jim's identity as a runaway slave, but is held back when he remembers Jim's kindness and integrity "Jim would always call me honey†¦ and do everything he could think of for me, and how good he always was" (Twain 95). An example when Huck questions his morals and helps Jim is when they are traveling down the river when they come across m...

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Essay -- essays research papers fc

Women, Courtly Love and the Creation Myth in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a great epic written in fourteenth century Europe by the Pearl poet, emphasizes the opposition of Christian love to Courtly love in the 13th century through the dilemma of Sir Gawain, one of the great knights of the Arthurian round table. By examining the women in the poem, Gawain's dilemma becomes a metaphor for the contrast of these two distinct types of love. The poem looks upon the Virgin Mary as the representative of spiritual love, obedience, chastity, and life (Warner 9). In contrast, Morgan le Fay and Bertilak's wife appear to be representing courtly love, disobedience, lust and death. This conflict between courtly love and spiritual love demonstrates the drastically weakened religious values behind chivalry. An interesting parallel to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is the story of original sin in the Garden of Eden. Gawain's temptation correlates to the temptation of Adam, which is rooted in the sins of the flesh. The women in the story seem to accentuate the downfall of Gawain, which mirrors the downfall of Arthur's court, as well as man's fall from grace in the garden. Originally, the first duty of a knight was to be at the service of his church. However, with the rise of courtly love, knights began to give their devotion to their mistress rather than God. This elevated the church's mistrust of women and the flesh. The characterization of Bertilak's wife is not unlike that of Eve, a temptress who would bring both happiness and despair to her man. One interesting twist to this story is that, like courtly love, possession of power seems to be shifted into the hands of the women. The wife of Bertilak operates unassisted against Gawain in the bedroom as the hunter and the aggressor. The great feminine power in the story, however, comes from Morgan le Fay, the evil stepsister of Arthur. She is strong enough to move into Bertilak's castle, turn him green and order him to walk and talk with a severed head. The Virgin Mary also plays a prominent role in the tale. It seems as if Mary and Gawain have a relationship based on a special untainted Christian love. That Gawain is Mary's knight is made clear in the scene where he is robed for battle. 'That all h... ...t. The women in this tale serve as a medium for comparing the spiritual journey of Sir Gawain to the creation myth. With Mary as a symbol of perfection and Lady Bertilak as an Eve-like symbol of temptation, the fact that he is torn between them displays his humanness just as Adam was torn between the word of God and the love of Eve. In this case, Morgan le Fay would probably be considered the serpent in the garden, the instigator of the conflict in the story. Because of the story of Eve, women were frequently looked upon in medieval times as cunning, untrustworthy and generally evil. Women in the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight are looked upon with the male concept that flesh is evil and will lead to man's downfall, which is highlighted by the contrast of Courtly love to Christian love. Works Cited Abrams, M.H. 'The Norton Anthology of English Literature.'; New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1993. De Roo, Harvey. "Undressing Lady Bertilak: Guilt and Denial in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight." The Chaucer Review 27 (1993): 305-24. Warner, Marina. 'Alone of all Her Sex: The Myth and the Cult of the Virgin Mary';. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1976.

Free College Essays - Plot Sequence of Melville’s Moby Dick :: Moby Dick Essays

Moby-Dick, like any other novel, is complete with a plot sequence which essentially â€Å"maps† the layout of the story line.   In the plot sequence, there are five major groups.   Those five groups are the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and finally the resolution.   Melville does an outstanding job of describing and conveying these in a flowing matter that is intense at some points, but surpassingly boring at others. The plot sequence of Moby-Dick can be summarized easily when it is broken up and analyzed.   While the exposition and rising action may be a little lengthy and at some times rather monotonous, the climax is very intense.   But the reader will probably gain the most insight into what the novel means overall from the falling action and resolution.    During the exposition, Ishmael describes himself and why he plans on joining a whaling voyage at sea so as to sort of introduce us to him and to set the stage for other characters to be introduced such as Queequeg at the Spouter Inn.    As for the rising action, this takes up most of the novel, at least three fourths of it anyway.   Many adventures are described to us from Ishmael as the story progresses.   Some of the more notable events that take place include when Ishmael and Ahab first meet and the almost frightened feeling that takes over Ishmael, when Ahab describes the purpose of his voyage, when various ships are encountered such as the Enderby and the Rachel, and when the Pequod is overtaken by a typhoon.   All these events and a few others not mentioned help to build the rising action and gain more and more interest from the reader.      The climax is definitely one of the most intense sections of the book, however not one of the longer. It lasts for a good three chapters, and keeps the reader focussed in on every detail, unlike other parts of the book that can get so repetitive and boring it’s unbelievable.   The climax consists of the main chase and battle with Moby-Dick himself.   In this part of the novel, each of three days are discussed.   On the first day of the chase, the men spear the whale with their harpoons, but without success.   Also, Ahab’s boat is crushed by the white whale.   The second day proves to be a bit more successful.

Marketing Plan Nike

INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY COLLEGE Sofia MARKETING PLAN Market entry/grow opportunity for Nike in Bulgaria INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT Coursework in MARKETING Student registration No: 20019402 Program: MBA Lecturer:Dr. V. Blagoev Executive Summary Our approach to developing a market-entry strategy follows a structured process, based on in-depth understanding of all aspects that feed into a commercial launch. A comprehensive analysis, using market data and market research, allows us to assess all areas affecting Nike’s strategic direction: Current market situation: detailed consumer and business market segmentation and analysis of market drivers will be undertaken to identify the most valuable target segments and underlying reasons for market entry/opportunity. Specific target areas are evaluated to provide key inputs: product, pricing, retail structures, sales and distribution planning – A review of competition: extensive competitive profiling in areas such as positioning, bran d, target segments, value proposition, market offer, pricing, customer care, sales & distribution, enable assessment of competitors’ strengths and weaknesses Threats and opportunity analysis: analysis of relevant threats and opportunities that the product might face. An internal SWOT highlight areas of valid advantages and disadvantages, providing input to market entry positioning and value proposition – Objectives and issues: description of limitations or possibilities within the current plan that affect objectives to attain or issues that might affect market and segment growth – Identification of marketing strategy: outline of how Nike is to create customer value and the specific of target markets. It is also referred to specific strategies of the marketing mix (4Ps) and how they relate to threats and opportunities. – Action programs: how marketing strategies will be turned into actions – Budgets: shows expected revenue, expected marketing cost and ROI Conclusions from the market analysis together with internal SWOT and identified strategic risk areas form the basis for describing the market entry/opportunity. Contents 1. Executive Summary 2. Current marketing situation 3. Threats and opportunities analysis 4. Objectives and issues 5. Marketing strategy 6. Conclusion REFERENCE I. Current Market Situation 1 Market description Bulgaria isn't renowned for specialist sports stores. The news for sports goods businesses is generally positive, given Bulgaria's negative expectations for rapid economic development being one of the poorest members of the EU. Meanwhile, some analysts expect sports clothing and shoes to climb in demand. â€Å"The global economic crisis has not yet significantly affected the sport goods market because when people cannot afford to buy apartments they prefer buying goods such as trainers,† said Kr Tsonov, (Director of Sport Depot). Tsonov said annual turnover of branded sport goods in Bulgaria last year was approximately Euros63 million, relatively small for a population of 7. 5 million people. The figure doesn't include significant equipment imports from China and Thailand. Germany's Adidas has some 40% of the market share, with revenues of about Euros 39 million annually. The US Nike and German Puma brands each earn Euros 19 and 13 million over the same period. The Bulgarian sport goods market is still developing. Branded sport clothes and shoes are generally favored sales compared to specialized sport equipment, including that for extreme sports. But the current small volume of sales is the main reason why large international sports chains have yet to enter the market. Currently, specialized sport goods are offered by a large number of retailers, but most dealers have just one store. In Sofia, there are about 20 such stores and countrywide there are around 70. But mass distribution has yet to gain a stronghold. When it does, as large brands seek to leverage growth in untapped territory with franchising deals, the Bulgarian sports market will streak away. The main consumers of Nike products can be divided into the following major segments: proffessional athletes (approximately 65  000); †¢ active amateurs (between 20-55 years of age, 368 728), †¢ students (fashion or trend fostered, approx. 896 734); †¢ young active people (between 15-19 years of age, who practice sport for good body shape or just for health, approx. 220 937) and †¢ people from upscale market (usually earn above the average for the country, who would like to feel comfortable and look good when training, approx. 00  000). (Ministry of physical education and sport, 2011, National Statistical Institute 2011) Professional athletes seek better performance and to reach the best of their potential. Product characteristics include light weight, high innovation and cushion technology. For instance Carl Lewi’s custom-designed pair of golden-colored Nike racing spikes made with Zytel, sources state that each shoe weighed about 94 grams. Active amat eurs and people from upscale market are concerned with low risk of injuries and better performance. Product can be viewed with light weight and cushioning technology. Air Max a renowned running shoe by Nike, specially designed to provide the ultimate in impact protection — reducing shock and distributing pressure, best characterizes the product. (www. footlocker. com/searchresults/keyword:nike+air+max/) Students and young active people have similar traits – comfort and trend. Design and cushioning technology is what the product is aimed for. Good example is the online Nike shop, where you can custom your gear – shoes. http://nikeid. nike. com/nikeid/index. jsp#home In general, Nike’s products are considered to be upscale and versus the competitors the pricing is relative higher. Given that the product prices are realistic Nike is offering to its customers, it is doubtful whether all customers think alike. This may represent a weakness, having in mind the lower output of the economy in Bulgaria. To overcome any future problems, especially in high price line, Nike is open for emerging technologies and heavily invests in innovation towards the development of new products, specifically the Nike Alpha Project, a revolutionary new line of athletic shoes. Nike was negligent in the past towards the mid-to lower-price-point products, which offers another gap for improvement. To better develop competitive position at all price points more resources and time should be dedicated. There is a great potential in the lower price point and these are needs that can meet the specific characteristics of the Bulgarian market. A. J. Almaney, Ph. D. (2000) 1 Product review According to Nike, the following shoe styles will be available online in January 2012 refering to the launch date. Regular follow up or update can be found @NikeStore on Twitter. These styles may also be available  at  authorized Nike retailers or authorized Jordan retailers. |JORDAN | |DATE |STYLE NAME |COLOR |PRICE |STYLE # | |01/07/12 |Air Jordan 8. 0 |Black/Dark Concord-Anthracite-Orion Blue |$150 |467807-009 | |01/11/12 |CP3. V |Black/White-Stealth |$120 |487428-003 | |01/19/12 |Fly Wade II |White/Varsity Red-Black |$145 |479976-101 | | | | | | | |BASKETBALL | |DATE |STYLE NAME |COLOR |PRICE |STYLE # | |01/06/12 |Zoom Kobe VII |White/Black-Concord-Neutral Grey |$180 |488244-100 | | | | | | | |AIR FORCE 1's & NIKE SPORTSWEAR | |DATE |STYLE NAME |COLOR |PRICE |STYLE # | |01/14/12 |Air Force 1 |Black/Black |$90 |488298-007 | |01/14/12 |Air Force 1 |Cargo Khaki/Cargo Khaki |$90 |488298-300 | |01/15/12 |Air Max '95 |Obsidian/Obsidian-White-Action Red |$150 |609048-400 | |01/21/12 |Air Force 1 |White/Obsidian |$90 |488298-105 | http://help-us. nike. com/app/answers/detail/a_id/20727 2 Marketing Mix adapted by Nike for Bulgarian Market Nike has been developing its Marketing Mix based on product, price, place and promotion. Thus, seeking the right marketing mix to best contribute to its goal of maximum profitability. Product: Nike understands the importance to satisfy every aspect of the consumer market in Bulgaria. To penetrate the competition and gain market share Nike should have an extensive range of products. Key point is to provide features, designs, various brands, packaging and benefits like extra warranties and after sale service. There is need to cater different market segments and every segment has specific requirements as well as individuals. Customized solutions of the product can be offered and shaped as per the requirements of the customer. Warranties of one year can be offered for the products and in case of defects or problems occur after purchase a replacement can be offered. This can be referred as after sale service and will help in keeping loyal customers. The competitor Addidas is offering only 6 month warranties for the Bulgarian market. There is an increasing interest in the consumer for high end brands and collaboration with other companies could trigger more sales and recognition. E. g. selling i-pods with their jogging shoes range. Price: Internationally Nike is positioned at high-end consumer market with high disposable income looking for better service and top of the line product. Basically the strategy is to provide high cost with maximum profitability, hence high profit margins. That can be justified by higher cost for innovations and advertisement collaboration with top sport athletes. A possible solution specifically for Bulgaria to overcome the high cost is to introduce special promotions during the festive season or low sales periods or by selling out old models. Place: Nike has developed wide range of distribution channels worldwide. Appropriate for the local market are retail channels: retails stores, brand stores and exclusive show rooms. Online shopping is another means of distributing its various products and its less costly compared to the rest methods. Distributers are commonly engaged to support its retail outlets. Factory outlets can have a major role in the down market, where discounted products can be disposed. Promotion: Nike has one of the most comprehensive promotion and advertising. To build awareness, brand image and loyalty Nike can use for the local market advertising, sales promotions, advertisement campaigns, public relations, publicity and sales promotions. Nike often relates to top athletes from various sports – football, tennis, golf and etc. Nike also endorses various teams and clubs, such as Levski Football team. It can use shows for product placement or it can sponsor various events – Sofia marathon, Football Cup, Golf tournaments, like Black Sea Rama or even new stadium as it did with â€Å"Alliance Arena† Nike also can use local celebrities in their advertisements to increase brand loyalty by utilizing the brand image of such celebrities. http://www. slideshare. net/hemanthcrpatna/a-report-on-consumer-behaviour-in-nike 3 A review of competition The rivalry among competitors is quite high for the industry. Nike, Adidas and Puma have grown at a remarkable rate, each offering more choices, more innovations and new trends. Marketing has performed very aggressively by sponsoring different teams and social responsibilities. Main competitors of Nike are Adidas with income for 2008 39  890 bnl and Puma with income for the same period 13  883 bnl. Nike currently is standing in second place with just over 19  248 bnl. Trade register 2007) Market positions and strategies for product quality, pricing, distribution and promotion Adidas Adidas manufactures running shoes, football boots, most famous for the Predator range, basketball Pro Model shoes. In addition Adidas makes sport apparel for tennis, rugby, football, lacrosse and separate line for gymnastics. Adidas has followed the steps of Puma and has entered the lifestyle market by offering deodorants, aftershaves, perfumes and watches. Adidas is a well known brand. Main customers are similar to Nike are athletes and sport enthusiasts. The brand appeals to both men and women and even children. Age group is between 15-35 years. Strength of Adidas include: competitive pricing, effective marketing strategy (sponsorship), market leadership (rivals Nike and Puma for local market), strong online presence (internet site facebook page and linkedin), strong distribution chain (outlets and malls – Sofia, Serdica, Tsarigradsko shousse, City, main distributer – Elmec Bulgaria), partner with leading teams – Ludogorec and Litex Weaknesses of Adidas: high cost structure, over pricing, warranty of products (only 6 months vs. Nike 1 year), no prominent local sport star advertising for brand http://bg-bg. facebook. com/pages/Adidas-Bulgaria/179106108842362 http://bg. linkedin. com/pub/dir/Atanas/Temelkov Puma Currently Puma runs in third on the local market versus Adidas and Nike. It has a different approach towards the market. Long term mission is to be the most desirable sports lifestyle brand. Thus, offering different segmentation ranging from sports (soccer, running, golf, sailing, motorsport), sport fashion (alliance with: the black label, Alexander McQueen, Yasuhiro Mhara, Rudolf Dassler) and sport lifestyle (watches, fragrances, eye-ware). Strength of Puma: fashionable brand, credible reputation, diversification, sponsoring FT Slavia, Chernomorets and Lokomotiv Sofia. Weaknesses of Puma: innovation follower, lack of market share http://www. slideshare. net/rwbcapel/pumafinal II. INDUSTRY ANALYSIS Microeconomic situation is steadily favorable. Nike continues to increase the number of representative stores in key places in the major cities. Puma and Addidas, the major competitors are fighting intensively for the piece of the pie. Entering of substitute goods on the current market is a treat for the increase of sales. Factors, which determine the demand for the Nike products are their price, revenue of the consumer, substitute goods, taste of the consumer and advertising. Increasing of raw materials might decrease sales for the products. Same goes if there is presence of substitute goods or similar products. Sports Equipment retail sales in Bulgaria increased at a compound annual growth rate of 8. 7% between 2003 and 2008. Ball sports equipment sales led the sports equipment market with a share of 38. 3% in 2008. Other specialists were the leading retail format for ball sports equipment in 2008 Datamonitor (2010). Opportunities †¢ Athletic shoes and apparel have become a must for all consumers worldwide. This is due to both the increasing numbers of people exercising and the trend towards casual apparel. †¢ Competition is fierce at all levels in within the industry, especially among the leaders. This creates a sense of security for the companies that have been able to create a niche. †¢ Cost cutting due to restructuring of operations will give many companies the chance to price products more competitively. †¢ One area in the industry that is ever changing is research and development. The strong departments will surely capitalize on the trends of tomorrow if their efforts are successful. †¢ E-tailing, or customer-designed internet stores, is threatening the traditional distribution channels, thus excluding intermediates and allowing for increasing profitability. Threats †¢ The industry has reached a level of maturity. While style and technology in athletic apparel and footwear has reached a leveling-off point, the important aspect now is for companies to differentiate their lines. †¢ Inflation is reaching higher levels over the Bulgarian economy, which may decrease in consumer spending. †¢ Consumers are becoming savvier and may lean towards discounted items or look for substitutes. In terms of market saturation, many of the key manufacturers in this industry have been around for many years. Consumers may be scanning the market for new and different footwear and apparel products. III. Marketing Objectives and Issues Providing best quality and ba lanced priced shoes range and apparel to the customer with a special focus on the big cities like Sofia, Varna, Bourgas. Another objective is to make available the product to as many marketable stations as possible. In addition to focus on all types of customers including old aged, young men and women and children as well. †¢ Have strong representation at local and international major sporting events. Advertising at Local Football Cup in addition Champions and Europe League, Tennis tournament Zagorka Master, Volleyball Champions League and local Playoffs, local Golf tournaments – Black Sea Rama, . †¢ Maintain Brand associations with major sport stars – Grigor Dimitrov, Tzvetana Pironkova and Dimitar Berbatov †¢ Effective use of Corporate Event Sponsorships. ie. , Nike Tour Golf †¢ Develop a website solely dedicated to the Nike brand. Nike has multiple websites all integrated by Nike. com †¢ Use Nike brand loyalty to increase sales. †¢ Create a product image that differentiates from the competition. Swoosh become way of life. †¢ Increase product awareness through using an ntegrated marketing approach – 30 second TV spots, Full page magazine advertising, Varying sized billboards Competition is stiff and already has good background on the local market. Key issues that might affect the attainment of the marketing objectives is for com petitors to foresee and adapt to current environment prior to Nike and approach key sport stars and use corporate event sponsorships for their brand awareness. Competitors will definitely follow Nike in its conquest for taking market share and probably use similar methods for generating more customers. Depend in large part on first mover and economy of scale. IV. Marketing Strategy Nike hopes to create customer value and relationships by identifying three key to success strategies that they believe will be instrumental in reaching sustainable profitability. The first  is the necessity to meet the customer's needs by offering the most comprehensive selection and knowledgeable staff. The second key to success strategy is  the need to monitor the competitive environment in an effort to ensure differentiation. And the third need is to create venues and environments for open dialogue and multitude of perspectives. This can be accomplished through proper product, pricing and promotion decisions. Product strategy: several lines of athletic shoes and apparel, diverse product mix consisting of athletic shoes apparel and equipment. Pricing strategy: product skimming strategy and product line pricing. Promotion strategy: advertising (repeat messages at low cost), direct marketing (through e-shop) and public relations (sponsorship of FT Levski). http://www. bplans. com/sports_clothing_retail_shop_business_plan/executive_summary_fc. php#ixzz1ioAOO2X2 V. Conclusion In this industry there is an intense competition, fashion trends and price sensitive consumers that have slowed the growth of this industry. Financially speaking the companies must be aware the economy is slowing and it should keep its revenues high and costs low. Internet is a huge perspective for Nike in Bulgaria, as the service is gaining more popularity than ever and it must keep user friendly apps to generate more customers than the competition. The well know formula to do this is to keep site simple and user friendly. By offering great deal and various promotions through online channels there is a potential to bring more customers and consequently more revenue and improve relationship with its clients. On the other hand involving in different events, sponsorship and tournaments could shine the brand picture and gain positive trend toward the competition. Brand awareness will be retaliated and will give competitive advantage, thus gaining more market share in the long run. REFERENCE 1. (www. footlocker. com/searchresults/keyword:nike+air+max/) 2. 2010 Form 10-K, Nike, Inc.. // United States Securities and Exchange Commission. 3. http://bg. linkedin. com/pub/dir/Atanas/Temelkov 4. http://bg-bg. facebook. com/pages/Adidas-Bulgaria/179106108842362 5. ttp://condor. depaul. edu/aalmaney/StrategicAnalysisofNike. htm 6. http://help-us. nike. com/app/answers/detail/a_id/20727 7. http://nikeid. nike. com/nikeid/index. jsp#home 8. http://www. hktdc. com/info/mi/a/imn/en/1X06BN12/1/International-Market-News/B ulgarian-Sports-Market-Limbers-Up. htm 9. http://www. marktforschung. de/studien-shop/marktdaten/sports-equipment-sales-via-key-retail-formats-in-bulgaria-to-2013-33721/? xtypocommerce%5Bcat%5D= 10. http://www. nikebiz. com/crreport/content/strategy/2-1-5-on-the-horizon. php? cat=cr-strategy 11. http://www. slideshare. net/hemanthcrpatna/a-report-on-consumer-behaviour-in-nike 12. http://www. slideshare. et/rwbcapel/pumafinal 13. Kotler, P. , Wong, P. , Sounders, J. & Armstrong, G. (2005). Principles of Marketing (4th European ed. ). 14. Latest materials improve sportswear performance†. ICIS Chemical Business. http://www. icis. com/Articles/2008/08/04/9144388/latest-materials-improve-sportswear-performance. html. Retrieved 2008-10-14. 15. Ministry of Physical Education And Sport (2011). National plan for development of physical education and sport 2011-2020. Retrieved on November 24,2011, from http://mpes. government. bg/Documents/Documents/Strategii/Strategia_2011-2020. pdf 16 . National Statistical Institute (2011), Population census in the Republic of Bulgaria, Retrieved on November 26, 2011, from National Statistical Institute website: http://www. nsi. bg/census2011/pageen2. php? p2=179 17. Nike 2010 Annual Report  : 18. Nikebiz  : Company Overview  : History  : 1960s, 19. Peters, Jeremy W. (August 19, 2009). â€Å"The Birth of ‘Just Do It' and Other Magic Words†. The New York Times. http://www. nytimes. com/2009/08/20/business/media/20adco. html? _r=3&ref=business. Retrieved 2009-09-30. 20. Principles of Marketing, Kotler and Armstrong, 14th edition (2011) 21. Registry agency (2007), Commercial register, Retrieved on December 23, 2011, from https://public. brra. bg/CheckUps/Verifications/VerificationPersonOrg. ra 22. www. nike. com