Plate Tectonics Essay Example for Free

Plate Tectonics Essay The theory of Plate Tectonics covers the extent on how the Earth moves and performs. Findings in the mid 1960s show that the theory is one of the reasons why magnetism, wide distribution of volcanoes, earthquakes, plants, and animal fossils are existing up to the present. The plates usually wriggle like a spinning wheel that they sometimes smash into each other causing a major impact on the Earth’s floor. Likewise, the Plate Tectonics is identified as one of the causes of long-term climate changes, distribution of abound organisms, mountain building, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and other major effects of the movement of the continents. As some theorists would explain, the plates composing the Lithosphere, the outer portion of the earth, move around the Earth’s crust which is embedded with continents on it. The plates beneath the continents may share out and cause a crack or a hole in the continental outer shell that fills the sea water. It was found out then that the global temperatures, after the movement, keep rising that could melt most mountain glaciers which will cause a rise in the sea level. This unusual phenomena of changing sea water, atmospheric conditions, and the Earth’s temperature bring forth the evolution of abound organisms, existence of mountain building, earthquakes, volcanic eruption and other extreme changes in the Earth’s floor. The Plate Tectonics caused major impacts on the ocean water. And because of this, the Atlantic Ocean is becoming largely extensive. But as some would see, the earth is sphere-shaped, thus, there should be a place where the entire changes of Atlantic Oceana will meet together. Scholars are afraid that this place will be in the Pacific Ocean and it will become smaller as the movement of continents goes by. Most areas that will be affected are those that are located along subduction zones bringing forth western North America and Asia to come closer together. In the long run, the Pacific Ocean will completely close while Asia and North America will meet up and form a new super continent.

Business Structure Of Burger Kings Brand Commerce Essay

Business Structure Of Burger Kings Brand Commerce Essay Burger King is one the fast food chain which is abbreviated as BK, it is operating almost all over the world with its headquarter in Florida, United States. The first store was opened over the piece of Insta Broiler. This equipment was so much popular for cooking burgers. In 1953, BK began as a franchise chain in Jacksonville, a place in Florida. In 1955, where this franchise was facing a financial problem, it was then purchased by David Edgerton and James McLamore and then it was named as Burger King. Burger King is operating in 73 countries with over 12000 outlets, of which 66% holds in US and 90%, has been runned by the private owners. It became a Corporation in 1959, and this is where when all the franchisees purchase the right to open stores and operate it. Initially, when the company started they use to sell burgers, French fries, soft drinks and ice creams. Then later in 1957, BK introduce Whopper which turns out to be the signature for them and they adopted the motto as The Home of Whopper, (Mouw, 2007). Theoretical Background The development of new ventures makes the way for most individuals to come up with an idea and develop it by generating a product or service (Gyamfi and Tontoh, 2007). According to (Morse and Mitchell, 2006), the new venture development can be competitive in the market because many activities are involved in creating a business. Barringer and Ireland (2006) said that the establishment of new ventures gives the society globalization, job creation and innovation. Different scholars and institutions have proposed many ways of developing new ventures from different angles. Moreover, many entrepreneurs have established new ventures competitively without any external influence. Wickham (2004) defined an entrepreneur as a manager which carries out a particular activity; an individual which possesses a personality, psychology and personal characteristics and an agent that adds the value to the society. Sarasvathy (2001) found the dependency of a venture issue on an individuals past knowledge, the experience of its formation, culture and his other distinctive achievements. According to Timmons (1999), the development of a new venture involves the vital factors team, opportunity and resources that are seen to be in a corresponding process. Although there are numerous ways for venture creation, there are also various failures and even it does not become successful in the long run for the few ones (Gyamfi and Tontoh, 2007). Gilkerson and Paauwe (1998) showed that most businesses fail because the choice of business opportunity was poor. Gartner (1988) suggested that entrepreneurship depends on your action and not on your identification. This has generated the interest of looking at business planning process in new venture development. It is important to know about the variables or considerations in developing the new ventures that makes the process feasible or practical and this is what has been presented in the report in accordance with the opinions of different authors (Bhave, 1994). Discussion Business planning is an important aspect that needs to be considered to fulfil the plans for a new venture or renewing an existing venture. It serves as a method to achieve the desired goals (Gyamfi and Tontoh, 2007). According to (Davidsson, 2003), a good planning process provides a good approach of having a niche in the market. It also gives you a process view of entrepreneurship. He believes that it is impossible to take a business in one decision or one act from its non-existence to existence in one step. Therefore, in creating a business, entrepreneurs have to do a number of activities sequentially. Business planning helps in finding the competitive advantage of the operation by finding, describing and refining it (Stan et al., 2003). Profit (2007) says that the planning process gives very good steps needed to reach the goals that have been set for the future. It describes the opportunities, business strengths and a road map for continuous improvement. As the growth and success of a business lies in creating a road map for it but many entrepreneurs, having the knowledge of it, do not have a good planning process (Profit, 2007). This makes it difficult to start up ventures successfully (Gyamfi and Tontoh, 2007). Harper (1991) noted that as many novices do not hesitate to position and elaborate themselves well in the market so the trial and error methods have been unfavourable for them. Profit (2007) suggested that the requirement of an entrepreneur can be accomplished by analyzing the business issues and refining the goals from a good planning process. Timmons (1999) clarifies that it is important to take a decision about the investment of time and effort because some ideas may not lead to business or success. One should also size up about the existence of potential business. Therefore, a good planning method helps one to get confidence, test ideas and see the flaws in his business to avoid the waste of resources and to take the right steps forward (Gyamfi and Tontoh, 2007). In fact, for every 100 ideas presented to investors in the form of a business or proposal of some kind, usually just I or 2 or 3 get funded. Over 80% of those rejections occur in the few hours; another 10 to 80 get rejected after the business plan has been read carefully (Timmons, 1999). Theoretical Spheres The development of a new venture has been discussed by many authors in entrepreneurship. The theories from three experts of business administration, in a sequential mode, have been chosen to make the report more exigent and practical. These are of Hult et al. (1991), Stan et al. (2003) and Profit (2007). Opportunity Analysis of Burger King SWOT Analysis After the goals have been set by managements, it is their responsibility to analyse the companys current position. And to evaluate the position of the organisation, the management use SWOT analysis. This helps the upper management to plan and compare the internal organisation strengths and weakness with the opportunities and threats which are external to the organisation. This helps the management to fulfil the objective which they have stated in the mission statement. Main core competencies of the company are the main strength of the organisation in which they are best at. It is the strength which the customers values and pays for it and which the competitors lacks of. Companys faces problem when they know their weaknesses and did not work on it, the environmental threats will probably molest the weaknesses of an organisation. And these weaknesses can be overcome if they avail the opportunities which can create value to the firm (Marke, 2006). Burger King Strengths Burger King or BK is a worldwide brand which everyone knows about. It attracts all type of customers such as sex, race, age, income etc. It is one of the largest fast food ham burger restaurants (FFHR) in the world It not only distribute in US, it has many franchises situated around the globe. Weaknesses The main weakness of the BK is that they have operated mainly in US; almost 65% of their operations are in United States. BK has not focused on their brand name very well, it relies mostly on franchisees which are carries their brand name along and any mistake by them will decrease the Goodwill of the organisation. BK has the menu which is unhealthy and it does not appeal to the consumers. They brand their products less likely than their competitors such as McDonalds etc. Opportunity BK should develop a new product which can attract customers in the breakfast as well. BK is called the House of Whopper so they should emphasise their brand focusing mainly on Whopper Virgins. They should expand their business in countries like India, Malaysia, and Kuwait etc. Where there is an emerging market. Threats The main threat of BK is that they have to face a healthy competition with McDonalds, KFCs and other restaurants. BK menu is healthy food which the consumers dont prefer much, they should change their habits to attract customers diverting to healthy food. It may affect the profit margins of BK, when the labour cost rises. Source: (Kurtz, 2008) Environmental Analysis It is critical to indentify the variables which can affect the supply and the demand of the products and services by analyzing the macro environment. Whenever there is a change in the environment or the place where the company is operation, it has an impact on the organisation as well. So there are possible criterias which the analyst has to check which can have the effect on the organisation. And these can be Political, Social, Economical and Technological factors. PEST analysis examines the impact of the factors which can affect the business. If Burger King opens its new Venture in Pakistan, they can first analyse the factors which can affect their business or they think that if it is feasible to open up a chain in Pakistan. Burger King PEST Analyses Political: This includes the regulations imposed by the government in the country where they are operating. This relates to the elections, law of employment, environment laws, war, terrorism, governing body, and its structure. These are the factors which the burger king has to analyse before opening their chain in Pakistan. The political condition of Pakistan is not stable at the moments, there are lots of suicide attacks but they can still open a franchise in the popular city such as Karachi and in those areas where the security is high. Economic: It is the level of spending the local government does, taxation, growth of the country, unemployment, rates such as interest and inflation. Country such as Pakistan is one of the developing countries. This country has seen the growth but the interest rates and the inflation rates has been double in over few years but people living there are more keen to have fast food restaurants and a places like these so that there can be an increase in the economy. Social Factors: Social relates to age, gender race etc. It is the standard of living which the people adopt. Technological Factors: These factors are the inventions, research and development and information systems. In Pakistan, investments in terms of social and technological will increase the competition and requires a lot of investment. BK can invest in salads, and low fat food but again there will be a danger for moving away from its identity. It can be good economic purposes of changing their policy to sell high calorie menus because there are few costs which are attached to it. Investments in terms of technology can give an advantage over its competitors such as McDonalds. They can open up a call centre which can be centralizing where the customers can place their orders online. This will increase speed of the customer services and will cut the staff cut. After analyzing the current situation in Pakistan with the help of macro environmental analysis, we can conclude that opening a chain of Burger King, it will not be difficult for them to make money because there are so many restaurants today who have lock their suppliers and the largest companies which are already operating in Pakistan such as McDonalds have the high bargaining power and are able to bare cost such as advertisement. BK can invest more on the products and technology, they can advertise heavily on their new products so that they can attract more customers towards themselves, (Mowen, 2001). Porter 5 Forces Model Porter 5 forces model deals with factors that is outside the industry that influence the environment of competition. A firm has to know about the industries in which it is operating and should know how to compete in the market. It the forces from the competition can be drive. Competition can be created by the interaction of 5 forces which is the threat of new entrants, the power of suppliers, the power of buyers and the threats of substitute. The threats of new entrants are very high because of the fact that it does not require high investment to open up a small restaurant. But BK can advertise heavily on the advertisement where by the customers can only buy the burgers for them. Burger King appears to be in the list of those industries that have the recognized brand with all their benefits are linked with new customers so that they can attract. Supplier power: for the burgers, the ingredients require are just meat, buns and soft drinks, which can be supplied by any of the supplier and there are other supplies which also provide the services such as restaurants premises including the equipment and staff. Golden state foods started supplying McDonalds but now they are supplying the beef and other products to KFCs and BKs as well. There should always be an upper hand on the supplier by the firm. Burger King has a large number of franchised outlets almost 89%. Since after the increase in franchise for BK, they have the limited control over the franchisees and that is the main reason why there are experiencing problems in removing their supplier again and again, Bk seems to be unhappy with the supplier every time. There is a low buying power in the burger industry. It depends on the customers and their taste to which burger to want to have. There is low switching cost and lots of substitute available so the buyer power has increase. As we all know that there are so many substitutes available, there is lots of restaurant and therefore the threat of substitute is relatively very high. And this is the reason why the fast food restaurant like McDonalds and BK do more branding in order to attract more customers. Competitive Rivalry in the burger restaurant is high because there are so many restaurant but we look for the differentiation, BK promotes its burger as the tastiest burgers because it is flame grill. Differentiation is only weapon in this industry, and those customers who have realized the taste can reduce the competitive rivalry (Kurtz, 2008). Competitors Analysis Analysis of the competitive is very important and useful in the sense that the company should know how their rivals are operating and performing. This evaluation is very critical for the use of strategy formulation. A company has to identify the factors both the external as well as the internal to the organisation which can impact the forces. These factors can affect the companys objective and the goals because on these factors they can change their strategy. When KFC came in to the market, they follow the initiates of Burger King and follow the price cut strategy; it was named as the Big King competitor to the Big Mac. When Burger King came to know about this strategy they responded by: BK lowering the prices and cutting the cost on their standardize menu based on burgers, fries and soft drinks. Revenue and growth for BK are the mixture of their strategy but in the late 1990s, the volume was falling especially in US which cause their market share to decline as well. BK boosts their volume by cutting the prices and behaves accordingly to the competitors. They then use their resources and capabilities to turn into a financially strong company. The strategy used by KFC get an aggressive response from Burger King but the burger market in the world today faces a lot of competition between Burger King, McDonalds and KFCs. Source: (Youngman, 1998) Strategic Analysis For the strategic analysis it is very important to define the industries broadly, there should detailed analysis on the competition through which they can focus on the markets that are drawn narrowly in terms of both the products and geography. In the strategic analysis, the process of industries which has many dimensions is divided into segmentations. In an industry, sub markets can be differentiating through Segmentation. A company can sometimes avoid competition if they change their strategy into the segmentation. Burger King has maintained its sales by selling more Whoppers. They analyse probability at the level of customers individuality. Through Segments, key success factors can be differing. In the restaurant industry such as Burger King and McDonalds, the success of an industry can be analyse by segmenting the customers of the fast food and the luxury restaurant, (Grant, 2005). Conclusion Recommendations When the company have enough resources to utilize to its capability, the company just focus on those products for the customers demand more. After the success in the domestic market, company tries to exploit in the international market. But first they will analyse the factors which can affect them in operating in that country. They have to understand the objective that has been set by the competitors and looking into it they should make their own international strategy. There will be an effect on the market share, if the competitor is a large company, this can be a threat to the company who is entering into the market.

Planning, Leading And Controlling in Management

Planning, Leading And Controlling in Management In the era of modernisation these days, it appears that the purpose of managers in every single organisation is becoming so essential that we are required to understand the real concept behind management as well as the actual tasks performed by a manager. An understanding of the nature of management is vital for all members of society because all of us will at home stage to be a manager, and an understanding of the concept will enable us to become more effective in that role. Throughout the development of management, there are classical theories of management and modern management theory. Henri Fayol and Henry Mintzberg are both key figures in the management theories today and they are also both internationally renowned academic and authors on business and management with many articles and many books written. Henri Fayol (1841 1925) a French management theorist and managing director of a French mining company, is frequently seen as an essential early contributor to classical school of management theoies or more particularly, administrative management. He believed that management is an acquired skill and can therefore be taught. He wanted to introduce a set of principles that all organisations can apply in order to run properly. He built his theory of the five management functions upon personal observation and experience whilst he was working with French mining organisations, to find what worked well in terms of organisation. This theory was introduced in 1916. These functions serve the purpose of predicting the future of the environment and planning a relevant business strategy, developing a social and technical structure to the organisation, managing the activities of the staff, integrating plans and activities across the organisation and ensuring conformity with the plan via authority and feedback mechanisms to correct inappropriate activity but as he wrote his works in French it was not until some time afterwards that his management functions were recognised worldwide. The five functions were planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating and controlling. Planning This is the first tool of the four functions in the management process. The difference between a successful and unsuccessful manager lies within the planning procedure. Planning is the logical thinking through goals and making the decision as to what needs to be accomplished in order to reach the organizations objectives. Managers use this process to plan for the future, like a blueprint to foresee problems, decide on the actions to evade difficult issues and to beat the competition. Planning is the first step in management and is essential as it facilitates control, valuable in decision making and in the avoidance of business ruin. Organizing In order to reach the objective outlined in the planning process, structuring the work of the organization is a vital concern. Organization is a matter of appointing individuals to assignments or responsibilities that blend together to develop one purpose, to accomplish the goals. These goals will be reached in accordance with the companys values and procedures. A manager must know their subordinates and what they are capable of in order to organize the most valuable resources a company has, its employees. (Bateman, Snell, 2007). This is achieved through management staffing the work division, setting up the training for the employees, acquiring resources, and organizing the work group into a productive team. The manager must then go over the plans with the team, break the assignments into units that one person can complete, link related jobs together in an understandable well-organized style and appoint the jobs to individuals. (Allen, G., 1998). Leading Organizational success is determined by the quality of leadership that is exhibited. A leader can be a manager, but a manager is not necessarily a leader, says Gemmy Allen (1998). Leadership is the power of persuasion of one person over others to inspire actions towards achieving the goals of the company. Those in the leadership role must be able to influence/motivate workers to an elevated goal and direct themselves to the duties or responsibilities assigned during the planning process. (Allen, G., 1998). Leadership involves the interpersonal characteristic of a managers position that includes communication and close contact with team members. (Bateman, Snell, 2007). Controlling The process that guarantees plans are being implemented properly is the controlling process. Henri Fayol stated that Controlling is the final link in the functional chain of management activities and brings the functions of management cycle full circle. This allows for the performance standard within the group to be set and communicated. Control allows for ease of delegating tasks to team members and as managers may be held accountable for the performance of subordinates, they may be wise to extend timely feedback of employee accomplishments. Henry Mintzberg was born September in Montreal, September 2, 1939. He was an internationally renowned academic and author on business and management. He is married to Sasha Sadilova and has two children from a previous marriage, Susie and Lisa. Henry Mintzberg is an internationally renowned academic and author who write prolifically on the topics of management and business strategy, with more than 150 articles and fifteen books to his name. He came up with the roles of management, which he believes cover most of the things a manager will encounter in their job. The reality of management is that the pressures of the job drive the manager to take on too much work, encourage interruption, respond to every stimulus, seek the tangible and avoid the abstract, make decisions in small increments. Mintzbergs key contribution was to highlight the importance of understanding CEOs time management and tasks in order to be able to improve their work and develop their skills appropriately. ÂÂ  these normative systems. Mintzberg does not assume ex-ante what an (in)effective or (non)successful manager entails. He also neglects the relationship between managerial behaviour and organisational effectiveness. Furthermore, he takes a neutral position on the managerial role omitting influences such as ownership and power. Identified contingency factors explain differences in the make-up of managerial work.The empirical study is based on five organisations in action. The small sample size means that the results should not be applied to all industry, organisations or management positions. In his 1973 study, Mintzberg declared that the managers position is always the starting point in organisational analysis. He also argued that managerial roles are sequential a manager first makes interpersonal contact through his formal status which in turn allows information processing and leads to decision making. Mintzberg later rejected this relationship based on new empirical data. The term management roles refers to specific categories of managerial behaviour, and Mintzberg concluded that what managers do, can be described by studying ten different and interrelated roles, grouped around interpersonal relationships, transfer of information, and last, but not least, decision making. Interpersonal Roles The ones that, like the name suggests, involve people and other ceremonial duties. Leader Responsible for staffing, training, and associated duties. Figurehead The symbolic head of the organization. Liaison Maintains the communication between all contacts and informers that compose the organizational network. Informational Roles Related to collecting, receiving, and disseminating information. Monitor Personally seek and receive information, to be able to understand the organization. Disseminator Transmits all import information received from outsiders to the members of the organization. Spokesperson On the contrary to the above role, here the manager transmits the organizations plans, policies and actions to outsiders. Decisional Roles Roles that revolve around making choices. Entrepreneur Seeks opportunities. Basically they search for change, respond to it, and exploit it. Negotiator Represents the organization at major negotiations. Resource Allocator Makes or approves all significant decisions related to the allocation of resources. Disturbance Handler Responsible for corrective action when the organization faces disturbances. Comparison Fayol identifies five elements of management- planning, organising, co-ordinating, commanding and controlling all of which he believed were necessary to facilitate the management process. In comparison Mintzberg considers management activities to fall within three broad groups- interpersonal, informational and decisional which encompass his ten management roles of figurehead, leader, liaison, spokesperson, disseminator, monitor, resource allocator, entrepreneur, disturbance handler and negotiator. Although due to their differences, these theories can be treated as competing views, both can also be perceived as reinforcing the other as many parallels and similarities intrinsically exist. Consequentially the term managerial style combines the two theories. Mintzberg obtained his theory as a result of research based on observation. Hence, his roles directly depict what managers do. He argues that Fayols functions do not describe the actual work of managers at all; they describe certain vague objectives of managerial work (Mintzberg 1971). As he observed the managers in his research, he found that all activities captured at lease one of his ten roles in practice whereas they could not be simplified to be known singularly as one of Fayols functions. For example, a manager sending a memo out to subordinates informing them of the outcome of the mornings meeting is directly taking on the informational role of disseminator- providing internal personnel with information obtained either external or internal of the organisation.

Rewriting The Yellow Wallpaper -- The Yellow Wallpaper Essays

Rewriting   "The Yellow Wallpaper"   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Charlotte Perkins Gilman rank as two of the most outstanding champions of women's rights who were active during the nineteenth century. Both professed a deep and personal faith and both were wise enough and secure enough to develop their own ideas and relationship with their creator. In 1895 Stanton published The Woman's Bible, her personal assault on organized religion's strangle-hold on the women of the world. Gilman published her short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" in 1892. She wrote the story, she said, "to save people from being driven crazy" (Golden 52). The heroine of "The Yellow Wallpaper" finds her only escape from the oppression of a condescending spouse is a headlong descent into madness. Stanton and Gilman met at least once, about 1896 according to Gilman's autobiography. "Of the many people I met during these years I was particularly impressed by Elizabeth Cady Stanton. To have been with her . . . seemed to establish connection with a splendid period of real heroism" (Gilman 216). Perhaps if the philosophies of these two great women were to come together, at the perfect moment, they would possess the potential to save the heroine of "The Yellow Wallpaper." The following scenario might prove feasible. ---------- An Obstacle Charlotte Perkins Gilman l I was climbing up a mountain-path With many things to do, Important business of my own, And other people's too, When I ran against a Prejudice That quite cut off my view. ---------- The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman amended, with apologies, by Margaret A. Stanton ---------- The heroine of "The Yellow Wallpaper"... ... Elizabeth Cady Stanton/ Susan B. Anthony: Correspondence, Writings, Speeches. Schocken Books, NY: 1981. Gilman, Charlotte Perkins, The Living of Charlotte Perkins Gilman. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison: 1990. Gilman, Charlotte Perkins, "The Yellow Wallpaper" The Heath Anthology of American Literature, Second Edition. Gen. Ed. Paul Lauter. D. C. Heath and Co., Lexington, MA: 1994. Golden, Catherine, ed. The Captive Imagination: A Casebook on The Yellow Wallpaper . The Feminist Press at The City University of NY: 1992. Stanton, Elizabeth Cady. The Woman's Bible. NY European Pub. Co.: 1895-98. Northeastern U. P., Boston: 1993. Note 1 The poem "An Obstacle" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is used as an epigraph by Catherine Golden, ed. The Captive Imagination: A Casebook on The Yellow Wallpaper (The Feminist Press: NY City UP, 1992) vii.   

The Caste System of India :: The Caste System

The caste system and the major advantages and disadvantages of it. Hindu philosophy and religion with customs and traditions are connected to the caste system as being deeply rooted in the society of India. Over 2800 documented castes break down into sub-castes with each having their own uniqueness and variety of rules. The hierarchy divides society with the highness or superiority and lowness or inferiority to set a defined rank structure. Each caste has set customs, traditional practices and rituals but also have it’s own informal procedures and rules as applicable. The dominant caste wields economic power, high status because of wealth, political power and numerical strength. The presence of higher educated persons and the higher occupation rate members play a decided role in the dominance within local caste groups. It is highly discouraged to seek any justice from local, area or government officials located outside the village. The caste system is broken down into four main groups: Brahmans as the elites and mainly priests or highly educated. The Kshatriya as the rulers, warriors and land owners. The Vaishya are the merchants. The Shudra are the artisans and agriculturalists, there many sub-groups as this is the service provider group. Many of the â€Å"birth right† service groups function similarly to unions in the US. Then actually outside of the system are the Harijan or â€Å"untouchables†or as they like to be called â€Å"Dalits† (which in India means oppressed), their occupations are labeled as the unclean, unhealthy, and all dirty work which can be anything from being a musician, making cow dung into patties to burn as fuel or heat (by all castes) A major advantage of the caste system is the ensuring of continuity of traditional social organization in India. The passing down of knowledge and skills with trades and occupations from one generation to the next is highly important. The rituals and traditions promoted cooperation and unity within the local areas between the different castes. Some subsystems promote interactions between different villages, communities and the castes independently. Major disadvantages include the promotion of untouchability and discrimination against certain members of society even though it is illegal by the India constitution.

International Businesses Essay

What are the implications of these shifts for international businesses based in Britain? North America? Hong Kong? Over the last 30 years, there has been a shift away from a world in which national economies are relatively self-contained entities, isolated by barriers to trade and investment, and differences in government regulation, culture, and business systems and toward a world where barriers to trade and investment are declining, cultures are converging, and national economies are merging into an integrated, interdependent global economic system. As companies from Japan and emerging markets like China play a more vital role in the world economy, the dominance of companies from the United States and Western Europe has diminished. Significant implications for British firms involve their need to look beyond Europe and America for investment and opportunities. Consumer spending power is growing the most quickly in developing countries. British firms also face the opportunity (and the threat) of attracting Asian firms interested in Britain as a launch pad for the European market. For North American firms, the same holds true, although the importance of the increasing prosperity in Latin America suggests a potentially huge market in â€Å"their backyard.† Hong Kong, while losing its â€Å"independence†, is perceived as the gateway to the immense market of mainland China. While the free market freedoms Hong Kong firms have enjoyed are now less taken for granted, access to China is improving along with the move towards a market economy within China. International businesses based in all three locations are facing new opportunities and threats.

Nightingale’s Spirituality in Practice

Nightingale's Spirituality in Practice Binbin Zheng Vanguard University Nightingale's Spirituality in Practice Spirituality is an abstract concept, however may be encountered on a daily basis. The first time when I came across the meaning of spirituality was in a survey to choose a most spiritual person among students at high school. As English is my second language, I did not fully understand the concept. Therefore, before integrating spiritual care to patient, what spirituality is shall be defined first. In a conference for spiritual care, spirituality is defined as â€Å"an aspect of humanity, the search for the significant or sacred, and being inclusive of philosophical, religious, spiritual, and existential issues that arise in the clinical† (Puchalski, et al., 2009, p. 886-887). Furthermore, Ruth Beckmann Murray and Judith Proctor Zenter described spirituality as â€Å"trying to be in harmony with the universe, and strives for answers about the infinite, and comes into focus when the person faces emotional stress, physical illness, or death† (1989). The definition the I concur the most is that â€Å"the core of a person's being and usually is conceptualized as a ‘higher' experience or a transcendence of oneself† (Maul & Schmidt, 2004, p. 2). Thus, how is physical health related with spirituality? According to the survey that presented by Maddox, most people believe in prayer and God would intervene the disease. However, the principles behind are not clearly revealed (2002).Mauk and Schmidt suggested that â€Å"suffering is an ongoing state that affects a person's sense of well-being† (2004). It usually causes the person to become low in spirit if they are physically ill. Just as Nightingale defined health as â€Å"not only to be well, but to be able to use well every power we have to use† CITATION Mas12 l 2052 (Masters, 2012). Nightingale stress to not limit nursing to administration of medications and other procedural care, but care for patients holistically with the spiritual care as well. Her 13 canons revolutionized nursing, and stayed applicable for current nursing. Nightingale's philosophy of nursing could be inferred from her theory that even an ill person shall not be treated as an object. Nightingale perceived the care needed to be delivered from the patients' point of view.Nightingale's theory was not invented by herself just sitting and writing about nursing, she took good care of the sick and wounded, even at late night, she made rounds to check on patients' condition. Nightingale's parents opposed her calling to care for the suffering, poor, and physically ill people. She convinced her parents in the end and became a nurse. While Nightingale was working as a nurse in the battlefield, she was distrusted by the other healthcare team. Nightingale was not discouraged; on the other hand, she strived to improve the care for the patient at that time. Nightingale went the extra mile for her regular job responsibilities. The effort, care, and love that Nightingale gave helped her to earn the other healthcare team and even soldiers' respect. Nightingale was intelligent and well-educated, moreover, her passion and her spirituality drived her to accomplish all the changes not only in nursing but in the entire healthcare system. One outstanding quality she had was the scrutiny with the patients' point view. As the little details and signs that were missed by most nurses, Nightingale discerned those clues, subsequently figured out the root cause of the phenomenon.A good patient scenario where Nightingale's theory could be applied both to the physical and spiritual will be hospice patient. Mr. M is a 52-year-old Chinese who was recently admitted for hospice due to end-stage liver cancer. His wife passed away 5 years ago due to heart attack, they did not have any child. (Mr. M lives by himself in a one-bedroom house in a safe community. He used to keep things that were even broken and expired in the living room. Newspapers and magazines are lying on the dining table chaotically, dirty laundry filed up on a broken massage chair. However, the bed is always made, and a picture of his wife is on the bed dresser. The window blinds are closed most of the time, and there is only one lamp in living room and another one in bedroom. The house is not well lit normally. There is no paintings or photos on the wall. The house in general feels gloomy.) Mr. M expressed that he misses his wife in addition to the symptoms of side effects from chemotherapy and deteriorating condition. Mr. M is a Christian, he has not been to a church since his wife's death, his niece and brother are the only people visits him weekly. Mr. M usually watches news on TV during daytime, and goes to bed early in the evening.Both nursing care and spiritual care could be applied for Mr. M's scenario using Nightingale's nursing theory. Using her 1st canon â€Å"Ventilation and warmth† CITATION Mas12 l 1033 (Masters, 2012).