Gucci Group Essay Example

Gucci Group Essay Executive Summary Gucci Group is a luxury goods retailer focusing on improving their market share while producing high quality fashionable items. Initially, Gucci’s poor business strategy and internal family conflict directly resulted in decreased sales and net income. When Investcorp took control of the company, Gucci regained their success through quality management and acquisitions. Gucci’s product line now includes a large range of products. We would like to continue Gucci’s success and believe that the next major business decision for Gucci is how to manage the new acquisitions. We recommend that Gucci cease further acquisitions of companies to its portfolio and should not challenge the status quo by making big management changes at the group of companies that it has acquired. This will help sustain growth in different segments and maintain an existing customer base. Introduction Gucci Group’s iconic red and green stripe, as well as their G logo, has been associated with luxury, elegance and glamour since 1923. Once a family owned leather goods store, Gucci has expanded worldwide and increased its product mix to include other luxury goods such as purses and shoes. Gucci’s business operations lacked experienced leadership since family members controlled business decisions. The market for luxury goods had become fiercely competitive and Gucci’s lack of business strategy had caused them to lose market share to their close competitors, Moet Hennessy-Louis Vuitton, Hermes and Prada. Gucci financial status had fallen while their competitors had increased their sales and operating margins (Exhibit 4). In 1993, Investcorp bought the remaining shares of the Gucci family and placed the necessary management personnel to help turn around Gucci’s struggling business. We will write a custom essay sample on Gucci Group specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Gucci Group specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Gucci Group specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Through a series of acquisitions and business line decisions, Domenico De Sole, President, and Tom Ford, Creative Director, help re-invent Gucci’s brand line and established a firm financial foothold for the company. Gucci acquired three major companies: Yves Saint Laurent Couture, YSL Beaute, and Sergio Rossi to create four divisions of Gucci Group while also generating $3 billions in cash. In the early 1990’s, Gucci’s core customer was a matured, conservative, wealthy woman but the company decided to change their business line to capture the market on the younger, more ashion conscious individual. Identification and Justification of Key Strategic Issue Gucci, as previously mentioned, has evolved from a family business into a global corporation. Along this evolution, Gucci has encountered many challenges. One of the key challenges faced by Gucci is preventing a buyout from one of it’s main competitors, Moet Hennessy-Louis Vuitton, Hermes. In order to prev ent being acquired, Gucci has taken the path to acquiring other companies, and this is the key strategic issue that is challenging them moving forward. Do they continue this path of acquisitions with the capital they have on hand or not. Another key strategic issue that had adversely affected Gucci in the past was streamlining their supply chain and distribution operations. This is related to their key strategic strategy of acquisition. As they acquire companies, they will face the same challenges they have had in the past. Identification and Evaluation of Alternatives Below are the strategic recommendations regarding the future position of the Gucci Group and its new acquisitions. All of these alternatives are mutually exclusive business strategies, and we have evaluated each alternative’s pros and cons should Gucci choose to implement it. Alternative 1: Keep separate management structure and freeze new acquisitions. As of 2000, each of Gucci Group’s new divisions – Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent Couture, YSL Beaute, and Sergio Rossi – had its own management structure. A president or CEO of each of the divisions reported to Domenico De Sole. Our strategic recommendation is to continue managing the newly acquired brands independently while holding off on further acquisitions for now. Pros: Having separate management that ultimately reports to De Sole allows the new divisions to maintain the integrity of each brand and avoid brand dilution, while keeping the overall control of the company in the hands of one man who has proven to be a positive influence on the company. We can also leverage the strength and popularity of the Gucci brand to gain distribution for the smaller names, much like how LVMH leveraged Louis Vuitton’s popularity. By holding off of new acquisitions, Gucci can learn to handle the four brands they currently have before adding extra brands. Cons: Four brands with their own management structure may prove to be difficult for De Sole to wrangle, as the managers could bring their own management styles that may not mesh well with De Sole’s style. With the current hold on acquisitions, Gucci may miss out on opportunities to acquire strong brands. Alternative 2: Increase acquisitions in a number of diverse companies. Most luxury brands have been family-owned or -controlled and, consequently, were single-brand firms for the most part. However, mergers and acquisitions have been growing in the industry, with LVMH leading the way. Our strategic recommendation is to follow LVMH’s lead and acquire a multitude of diverse companies to build the Gucci portfolio. †¢Pros: Family ownership of the Gucci Group had dissolved with the drama and tragedy that plagued the Gucci family, so moving away from the ‘family-owned, single-brand’ system seems like it would strengthen and stabilize the company. Depending on the acquisitions the company makes, Gucci Group could potentially become a lifestyle brand for luxury customers to go to for a diverse set of needs. Cons: If the Gucci name becomes associated with lower quality companies through poorly chosen acquisitions, the Gucci brand could be in jeopardy. Becoming a multi-brand company may take away the focus and attention that each brand, including Gucci, needs to continue being successful. Moreover, acquiring multiple companies now before Gucci management is comfortable with the acquisitions it has already made may be too much too fast for the compan y. Alternative 3: Extend Gucci brand through diffusion lines. Extending the brand through diffusion is another strategic recommendation that would help Gucci increase sales. †¢Pros: With Gucci diffusion lines, the company could target different market segments while maintaining their core business. Extension lines have been successful for competitors such as Emporio Armani and their diffusion line of Armani Exchange. Gucci would be able to attract a new clientele while increasing their customer base. †¢Cons: Diffusion lines may weaken the Gucci brand strength overall due to different quality levels. A new line would also incur large initial capital investment and advertising.

Private Interest vs. Public Interest Groups essays

Private Interest vs. Public Interest Groups essays Interest groups abound in the United States thanks to several factors. First and foremost, our own Federalist government, with many centers of power, in combination with the freedom secured by our Constitution, encourages the forming of interest groups. As constituents see wavering political parties, with blurred political lines, interest groups are created to ensure strong stands are taken on issues. And lastly, interest groups proliferate, in part, due to "the great number of social cleavages along income, occupational, religious, racial, and cultural lines." ("Interest Groups") With all of this activity, why is the Board of the Consumers' Association having difficulty attracting new It is understandable that the Board is feeling frustration in the apathy they perceive from Americans in general. Americans are blessed to live in a country that is comfortable for the average resident. Certainly there are challenges that need to still be addressed in the Land of the Free, however, in comparison to other countries still under tyrannical oppression, Americans have it pretty good. This comfort level brings about a level of apathy. Couple this with a natural human resistance to change, and it becomes clearer why more Americans aren't active in any interest group, let alone the Board's. To counter this, the Board needs to first determine whether they are a public or private interest group. A public interest group is one that concerns itself with issues that affect the nation as a whole. With this wide demographic to solicit, they have the benefit of soliciting support from every citizen of the United States. Their weakness however is that oftentimes their stand on public issues is on one extreme end of the spectrum, which the average American, although agreeing with the stand in general, cannot support the extremity to which they've gone. An example of thi ...

The challenges nurses are facing with nursing informatics Essay

The challenges nurses are facing with nursing informatics - Essay Example According to Ball (303), Informatics thus refers to the process of modification of a discipline by combining information as well as knowledge to its discipline. In fact, it is an acknowledged specialty for nurses who are registered, but it poses several challenges to the profession of nursing. Nurses have experienced other problems as a result of the innovations in means of communication, improved transport systems as well as the created global economies. This has compelled the nurse to accept the universal perception of health policies, which has led to the changing roles of the nurses, as they have had to incorporate the global phenomena into the primary health care system.The use of technology has been the greatest challenge that the nurses have had to face. They have had to use computers in health caregiving, administration duties as well as in education and research (Ericksen, 1). Basically, informatics is incorporated in every task of a nurse. All these challenges facing the nu rsing profession are caused by advancements in technology, reforms in the healthcare sector, too much workload and little number of professional nurses as well as the increased lifespan of the patients.This is because research has shown that the number of healthcare providers has always been less than that of the health seekers. Technology, therefore, becomes the only solution to this growing burden. Nurses must be kept abreast with the all the advances in technology to enhance the quality as well as the price of care given to patients.

Toulmin Essay on how DOD buget cuts affect the basic member of the

Toulmin on how DOD buget cuts affect the basic member of the Military - Essay Example I did decide to write on the topic because as simple as it is, it can bring a justifiable case to concerned persons on the need to look at a wider perspective before deciding to do budget cuts. The military budget is part of a country’s discretionary total budget, which is mainly allocated to the department of defence. Broadly, such budgets go to any defence related budgets, which may include: paying military salaries, giving military personnel trainings, healthcare of personnel and in some cases buying equipment for the military. In measure, the DOD can cut its budget to its members, which can affect them positively or negatively. It is argued that when such budget cuts are implemented, it would result to lack of co-operation among its member states. The members of the military have become dependent on the budget. Due to this, they are able to co-operate with the DOD in any policy. But when there is a budget cut, the members will start becoming unco-operative, and at times may pull out completely from the DOD membership(Smith, page 13). Such budget cuts are useful when dealing with other priority areas that need to be funded. Budget cuts by DOD will help its members to use the money saved for other purposes like paying for healthcare insurances or providing for pensions. The money can be used to continue training and educating the military personnel. For its members, the budget cut monies can only have a positive impact if they are used directly to support the members of the military (Sullivan & Sheffrin, pages 245) . Another argument is that the military budget cuts are appropriate because in cancelling such high budget cuts on the military, there is no existing justification that they are funding a threat that may likely to occur. The argument is that it is appropriate to continue spending money for many years on what will not eventually happen, instead of using the money in diplomatic processes to

The intriguing, strong-willed female characters in traditional Chinese Term Paper

The intriguing, strong-willed female characters in traditional Chinese fiction and the prescriptive of womanly behavior - Term Paper Example In Confucianism man is the middle of the universe: man cannot stay alone, but with other humans. For humans, the greatest objective is personal pleasure. The necessary situation to accomplish pleasure is through serenity. To acquire serenity, Confucius found man made up of the five connections which are depending on really like and responsibilities. War has to be abolished; and the Great Oneness around the globe should be designed. In Han (220BCE-221CE) China, Confucianism was implemented as the official philosophy. Focusing balance achieved through controlled romantic relationships and ethical responsibilities. Confucianism prescribed a firm social structure with clearly defined tasks. Females were mostly limited to the sector of close relatives’ members. They were brought up to show difference to out-dated parents, constancy to spouses and commitment to kids. Females worked out authority and power only when they presumed the part of mothers and had produced kids. Trained in the domestic arts, women were also frustrated from public and government matters. At court women were limited to the inner legal courts as opposed to the outer legal courts where matters of the state were performed. Confucian offered medications for the way a woman ought to comport herself, emphasizing her proper behaviour in regards to her husband and her part in close relatives members. Although women were recognized as being vir tuous for their sagacity, intelligence and statecraft, it was within the inner legal courts or the inner sector of close relative’s members that ladies operated as active agents and worked out their benefits. Given that information, we can depict that Fei-yen was in violation of the Confucian code. She was completely disrespectful to her husband. In the Confucian code, the wife had to respect the marriage institution and shun away from fidelity, however Fei-yen insulted this institution by

Enjo Kosai Girls: Identity Confusion

Enjo Kosai Girls: Identity Confusion INTRODUCTION The term enjo kosai has appeared prevalently at Hong Kong in around October 2007, after a local newspaper reported that girls dating for compensation and branded product. However, the seriousness of the problem was not addressed until a 16-year-old enjo kosai girl was killed and dismembered by a 24-year-old man who was a drug abuser in July 2009. This incident aroused huge social concern towards this emerging trend which is originated from Japan. What is the situation in Hong Kong? This paper aims to review this problem by pointing out that negative family factors is an antecedents of enjo kosai girls in Hong Kong, as well as analyzing that these girls tend to be in the identity diffusion status. Roles of social workers, dilemma they face and future invention strategies are also discussed. LITERATURE REVIEW Background of Enjo Kosai Enjo Kosai, abbreviated as enko, which is translated in English as Compensated Dating or Subsidized Dating, is a term originated in Japan. Enjo means to assist and Kosai means dating. The term was first report in a Japan Newspaper in September, 1994. With the spread of internet and cultural interflow, it was soon being prevalent in South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong. At first, the definition meant teenage girls dating an older man for money or gifts, so as to assist them from loneliness. Teenage girls regarded it as a part-time job, and for some of the participants, sex became part of the process. With the addition of sex for pay, the meaning of this activity became unclear. Nowadays, enjo kosai has generally turned into teenage sex work. The major difference between with prostitution is that, prostitution is generally performed in a brothel or by arrangement of a third party, while in enjo kosai, the fact is girls can choose men. If a girl does not like a man when she first sees him, she can leave him. As they are not bounded by any contract, they can conduct enjo kosai only when they need extra money. Causes of Enjo Kosai As suggested by Matsumoto (2002), in a survey by Asahi Shimbun in 1998, people where asked what they perceived to be the main contributing factors to this obvious social problem. The most common response was that parents cannot discipline their children and society overemphasizes the desire of goods. Typically girls commit in enjo kosai spend the money on expensive brand-named goods or on activities with friends. Although monetary reward underlies each of enjo kosai girls, apparently there are several explanations for the reasons behind. According to a Japanese study as suggested by Wakabayashi (2003), Maruta (2001) analyzed that there are three reasons why girls engage in enjo kosai: 1) efficiency of making money, 2) sexual desire, and 3) psychological compensation. The ratio among these three categories was 3:1:6. For the reason of psychological compensation, Maruta analyzed that there are two subcategories: 1) Girls are grown up in defective families and struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder or PSTD, which is a multidimensional construct of stress response syndromes. These girls have experienced some sort of trauma in their lives. This trauma might be physical, e.g., being raped or being physically abused by their parents; or it might be emotional, e.g., experiencing their parents divorce. 2) Girls seek to gain sexual experience, affirm their own sexual attractiveness and are possible to set a price for their bodies. Marutas analysis found there might be certain psychological connections between enjo kosai and the compensation for the lack of love, loneliness and past trauma experiences. Not surprisingly, other recent research found the same result. McCoy (2004) suggested that many teenage girls who engage in enjo kosai experience family dysfunction and a lack of communication with their parents, or they feel overprotected or stifled. They tend to be unable to exercise self-restraint, act impulsively and feel lonely. Research on Enjo Kosai in Hong Kong As enjo kosai is an emerging issue in Hong Kong, little formal research is done as it is a new research topic. A few local social service agencies conducted exploratory research. Some significant research include 1) An Exploratory Study of Enjo Kosai Girls in Hong Kong by Yang Memorial Methodist Social Service (2008): This is one of the earliest comprehensive exploratory studies on the emergence of enjo kosai in Hong Kong. Information of enjo kosai websites and other internet sources were extensively analyzed and six enjo kosai girls were being interviewed. Causes, prevalence and impact of enjo kosai were discussed. 2) Adolescents Views on Enjo Kosai by Hong Kong Christian Service (2009) 3) Secondary Students Knowledge and Values of Enjo Kosai by Hong Kong Association of Sexuality Educators, Researchers Therapists (2009): They have done similar research on the causes of enjo kosai in Hong Kong, the value system of adolescents and their perception on this issue. Both studies suggested adolescents perceptions of the main reason that girls engage in enjo kosai is the efficiency of making money to buy branded products. These support the analysis of Kuruta (2001). 4) Uncontrollable Desire of Consumerism? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Rethinking the Problem of Enjo Kosai in Hong Kong by Office of Hon Cheung Kwok Che, Member of Legislative Council (Social Welfare Functional Constituency) Shiu, K. C. (2009): This study interviewed several enjo kosai girls and summarized different perspectives of viewing this problem in Hong Kong, including how society, police and the law treat enjo kosai. Social workers roles, positioning and intervention method were discussed. Negative Family Factors Researchers have found parental and family relationship relates to teenage girls sexual behavior, which applies to enjo kosai in this paper. Parental characteristics, family relationships, and attitudes, values and norms of family members also have been associated with adolescent sexual behaviors (Dorius et al., 1993). Adolescents from single-parent families have been shown to begin sexual intercourse at younger ages than those from two-parent families (Miller Bingham, 1989). Thornton and Camburn (1987) found that both parents and adolescents who have experienced divorce have more permissive attitudes about non-marital sexual intercourse. In addition, other than family factors that affect sexual behaviors, adolescents disclosure on their activities, i.e., communication with family also plays an important role in escalating and fostering enjo kosai activities. Dishion et al. (2004) suggested that monitoring is embedded within the parentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å"child relationship. Stoolmiller (1994) made a similar point that some teenagers actively avoid parental supervision, especially are disinclined to share information about their comings and goings and with whom they spend time. Both parents attempt and childrens willingness to disclose affect parents involvement in and influence on children (Dishion et al., 2004). Marcias Identity Statuses à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Identity Diffusion Erikson (1950, 1968) suggested the descriptions of identity formation as a particularly adolescent activity. He grounded that adolescents need to confront the crisis of identity versus role confusion. Marcia (1966) extended Eriksons theory into a structured Identity Statuses by accessing individuals crisis and commitment. This includes 1) Identity achievement crisis leading to commitment; 2) Foreclosure commitment without crisis; 3) Moratorium crisis with no commitment yet; 4) Identity Diffusion no commitment, no crisis. Marcia (1976) revealed that the Identity Diffusion individuals had in common a lack of direction and purpose in their lives and a pervasive air of unconcern about the matter. Some individuals were drifting and some were distressed. They seemed to have jobs rather than occupations. They tended to be controlled largely by immediate environmental influences. Kroger (1993) suggested that parents of identity defused adolescents are more likely laissez-faire in child-rearing attitudes. They are rejecting or not available to children. The adolescents personalities tended to be with low levels of ego development, moral reasoning, cognitive complexity and self-certainly. They tended to have poor cooperative abilities. ANALYSIS DISCUSSION Negative Family Factor as Antecedents of Enjo Kosai Activities in Hong Kong Following Dishion et al (2004) s interaction effect between adolescents developing deviant friendships and parents disengaging from family management, this paper applies the argument to enjo kosai: If a girl is involved in enjo kosai, her behavior will escalate under conditions of low parent monitoring, negative parent communication, and poor relationship quality. This interaction of family management degradation and enjo kosai involvement is also in line with Dishion et al.s premature autonomy hypothesis. Though having a small sample size in Hong Kong, Yang Memorial Methodist Social Service (2008) found that all girls who engaged in enjo kosai they interviewed have a poor relationship with their families. They lacked communication with their parents and siblings, some were being abused and some parents were divorced. It is obvious that parental and family relationship strongly relates to enjo kosai activities in Hong Kong. Some interviewees agreed that their divorced family background might also foster them to involve in enjo kosai for psychological compensation of love and care. Identity Diffusion of Enjo Kosai Girls in Hong Kong From the above literature, it is reviewed that girls who engaged in enjo kosai activities could be applied as in the Identity Diffusion status. Despite McCoy (2004) found that in Southeast Asia, some girls who engage in compensated dating were frequently from middle or upper-middle-class families and were commonly good students and school leaders, while in Hong Kong, the situation is not the same. The few local studies suggested that enjo kosai girls in Hong Kong tend to have no commitment to schooling, education and have no seriously considered options of future career. Some of them treated enjo kosai as a part-time job. Their parents do not tend to discuss the future with these girls. The characteristics of Identity Diffusion adolescents also include high degree of anxiety and fluctuation in feelings about self and their dominant characteristics. Yang Memorial Methodist Social Service (2008)s findings supported these. The girls they interviewed are distressed, anxious, uncertain about themselves when they were alone and psychologically empty. Abortion was also reported from some girls. Roles of Social Workers in Hong Kong The roles of social workers are controversial. Office of Hon. Cheung Shiu (2009) discussed extensively about the roles and ethical dilemma of social workers face when handling with enjo kosai cases. For example, 1) the dilemma between being responsible to the case owner (enjo kosai girl) versus being accountable to the school: whether social workers should confidentially help the enjo kosai girls or they should report to the school principal once they receive a case; and 2) the intervention of institutionalized life is good for all girls: whether putting enjo kosai girls into girls home is advantageous regardless of their long-term identity and personality development as well as social network. Office of Hon. Cheung Shiu (2009) also argued that the role of social worker is more like police. They claimed that nowadays more social workers tend to report and publicize the case rather than focus on confidentially due to social pressure. However, the intervention phase will be affected and might not be aiming at the biggest interest of the case owner. It is suggested a balance should be kept when facing the dilemma of confidentiality versus accountability. More agencies could conduct research on this topic so that social workers will understand more on the reasons behind enjo kosai and to help these girls. More training to social workers could be provided on this topic and outreaching teams that focus on this target group could be formed. CONCLUSION RECOMMENDATIONS This paper concluded that negative family factors are antecedents of enjo kosai girls in Hong Kong. It also discussed that these girls tend to be in the identity diffusion status. This would be useful for social workers, social service agencies, sociologists and the government to understand more about enjo kosai, the role of family factors as well as the girls psychological development. It is recommended that more comprehensive sex education shall be given in early and middle adolescence stage so as to build up and achieve youths positive identity. On the other hand, more aid shall be given to existing enjo kosai girls in Hong Kong by social workers with focused outreaching teams.

Eileen Gray Essay -- Architecture Architect Gray Essays

Eileen Gray When one talks or thinks of architecture, or the architects, there is a great gender gap, and due to these gaps, some women do not acquire the acknowledgement that is rightfully theirs. As one of the finest architects, designers, and artist of the 20th century, Eileen Gray was and still has not been given any attention as a serious designer/architect, unlike her counter parts, Le Corbusier, De Stijl, Mies van der Rohe, or Frank Lloyd Wright. Eileen Gray spent most of her designing life in France and was influenced greatly by a veriety of designers and architects. She found her self indulged in the art of Toulouse-Lautrec, Cezanne, Van Gogh, Gaughin, Seurat, and Bonnaard. Eileen Gray admired Le Corbusier’s Five Points of Architecture, and found it to be a stating point in her designing of buildings. It could be seen in her E-1207 house, Tempe A Pailla, and her Lou Perou house built near St. Tropez. Eileen Grays’ most significant piece of work is the E-1027 house built on the shores of Menton (1926-29). Eileen responds to each of Le Corbusiers’ points at E.1027. The roof garden is transformed into an accessible roof terrace without plantings. Pilotis support portions of the volume of the house. The windows of the house open with a completely different system than the one Le Corbusier proposed. Some of E.1027's windows are vertical rather than horizontal bands, but still they are continuous and add flow to the interior rooms. The interior stairways are f...

Sauses of religious crises in nigeria Essay

This essay is an attempt at identifying the remote and immediate causes of the incessant religious crises in northern towns and cities, if you’d rather the so-called middle belt political zone of the north. In expressing this view, there is no intention on my part to mock the bones of those who died so long ago and who tried, however ineffectually, to lead their people. The thrust of this piece is that the nuisance of religious crises in the North is essentially a result of the manipulation of religion to score political goals: using religion to confuse or destabilize; which set the stage for what we experienced time and again: series of violent provocations, reactions and counter reactions; all in the name of religion. This manipulation of religion is orchestrated and masterminded by selfish elements within the so-called elite class of both the Islamic and Christian religions, herein referred to simply as the manipulators. The motive for the manipulation of religion is a self centred one, a means through which selfish politicians seek to attain undue political leverage in an otherwise politically competitive level playing field. The reason for this is, in the words of the late Dr. Yusufu Bala Usman â€Å"to enable this class (the manipulators) to cover themselves with religious and ethnic disguises in order to further entrench division among our people (and) slow down their awakening at any cost.† This is because any single one of them (the manipulators) â€Å"cannot appear as what he really is in the political economy of Nigeria. He has to find a cover. He cannot claim political leadership openly on the grounds that he is, or wants to be, an exporter-importer, a contractor (etcetera)†¦ he has to take cover as a Muslim or Christian †¦ the manipulation of religion in Nigeria today is essentially a means of creating the context for this fancy-dress ball, for this charade of disguises.† (See Dr. Y. B. Usman’s The Manipulation of Religion in Nigeria 1977-1987). Ever wonder why religious crises in Nigeria are essentially a northern affair? Kafanchan, Zangon-Kataf, Tafawa-Balewa, Yelwan-Shendam, Jos, Kaduna, Bauchi etcetera; in most places it happened more than once. Between 1804 and 1812, an Islamic state, what we now referred to as the Sokoto Caliphate was established as a bye-product of the Islamic reform movement started by Shehu Usmanu Danfodio in Hausaland at about 1774. The Sokoto Caliphate comprised of a large chunk of pre-colonial Hausaland: Kano, Katsina, Gobir and Zazzau; Western flank of the pre-colonial Borno before the Shehus of Kukawa: Hadejia, Gumel, Kazaure, Katagum, Misau and Gombe; Benue valley and the Bauchi Plateau, including the present Jos Plateau; Nupe and Ilorin emirates. The Sokoto Caliphate was regarded as a bye-product of the Islamic reform movement because Shehu Danfodio did not set out to conquer lands and territories, but rather to call, as Sheikh Abdullahi Fodio wrote in Tazyin al-Waraqat â€Å"to the revival of Faith, and Islam, and good works, and to abandon customs contrary to them.† Following the establishment of the Sokoto Caliphate, the successors of the Shehu and the flag bearers failed to sustain the spirit of the Islamic reform movement; rather they were so much after the luxury of life and the delights of power. As Sheikh Abdullahi Fodio lamented in Tazyin al-Waraqat â€Å" I am left in the midst of liars and hypocrites who say one thing and do entirely another, people who do not value knowledge and its pursuit†¦ people whose preoccupation is attainment of political power for the procurement of sensual comfort through concubines, flutist, gorgeous clothing and brisk horses†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Having derailed from the path concretely mapped out by Shehu Danfodio, the successors of Shehu and the flag-bearers found it more convenient to subjugate and exploit both the non Muslim Hausas (Maguzawa) and the several hundred animist minority tribes and ethnic groups within their domain than to call them to the Islamic faith. For one hundred years, these non Muslim communities were fit only to serve the Caliphate as major suppliers of slaves, concubines, food and raw materials. In 1903 the Caliphate was overthrown by the British. When the Whiteman came with the Christian religion to this doomed people, a marriage of convenience was inevitable: he offered them hope; they accepted his religion. The rest is history. In my article titled Nigeria: Washing Our Dirty Linen in Public published by Gamji in 2007, I described the features of northern Nigerian Christianity when I wrote: The Northern Nigeria brand of Christianity is, probably, the most politicised version of Christianity on the surface of today’s earth. Christianity in the North has a distinct meaning and flavour from anywhere else. In the North, Christianity is, more or less, a political banner, movement or platform upon which all non-Muslim ethnic Northerners flock in opposition to what they perceived as Hausa and Fulani led oppression, both real and imagine. This northern Christian mindset is clear if one look at what the average northern Christian consider the political (read: Christian) Middle belt as distinct from the geographical Middle belt. The average southern Christian, until very recently, views issues with the Hausa and Fulani led north essentially in regional and tribal terms. The Northern Christian reduces all issues, social, political and even economic, within the North simply to Islam v. Christianity. Islam is viewed as the symbol of Hausa and Fulani corrupt power and materialism which must be fought at all cost. Some church leaders indicate to their followers that the secret of their wretchedness can be explained in the prosperity of the other side. This set the background for the fear of the other side. How easily fear leads to distrust, to hatred, to dehumanisation and, to death. Which way out of this quagmire? Manipulation is the root cause of all these crises. â€Å"Manipulation† wrote Dr. Y. B. Usman â€Å"means essentially controlling the action of a person or group without that person or group knowing the goals, purpose and method of that control and without even being aware that a form of control is being exercised on them at all†. From the foregoing it is clear that the manipulators succeeded in manipulating the people because the people are not aware of being manipulated. The corollary to this premise is that the people will not accept to be manipulated if they are conscious and aware enough to see through the manipulators’ lies. The one million dollars question then is: How do we equip the people with the tools necessary for them to be not only conscious and aware of the manipulators tricks, but also to be able to effectively resist them? Dear concerned Reader, let us brainstorm to come-up with an answer to this question. This I believe, will be a right step in the right direction towards finding a lasting solution to this nuisance of incessant religious crises in our dear country.

Managing communication knowledge and information Essay

London’s Heathrow is one of the world’s busiest airports. It is used by over 82 airlines flying to 180 destinations (in 85 countries) worldwide. The airport has five passenger terminals and a cargo terminal. In the 1950s, Heathrow had six runways, now it has just two parallel runways running eastwest of the airport. Heathrow has witnessed strong growth over recent decades, currently handling about 72.3 million passengers and over 477,000 flights a year compared to around 48 million passengers and 427,000 flights a year in 1996. In the absence of any increase in runway capacity, this growth has resulted in Heathrow’s runways operating at around 98% capacity compared to its main European competitors which operate at around 75% capacity, leading to increased delays, lower resilience and fewer destinations served. As the UK continues to face the challenge of airport capacity, Heathrow is considered the most deliverable solution – because it builds on one of the UK’s strongest national assets. Over the last decade since 2003,  £11bn has been spent on making Heathrow world-class, with the award-winning Terminal 5 and the new Terminal 2 (The Queen’s Terminal which opened in June 2014). There are other several reasons why Heathrow is best placed to deliver more jobs, more exports, business opportunities and air travel options for passengers. For example, the centre of economic gravity is to the west of London. There are 120 of the UK’s top 300 company HQs located within a 15 mile radius of Heathrow, compared to just 16 within 15 miles of Gatwick. Several businesses are located closer to Heathrow as they recognise the greater long-haul connections and surface access it has – making it easier for them to do business around the globe. The Thames Valley area, for example, has 60% more international businesses than the national UK average, 100% more US businesses and 260% more Japanese businesses. Heathrow will  help more UK businesses go global with a third runway as it already carries more freight exports and imports than every other UK airport combined, and cargo facilities will be doubled as a result of this plan. However, Heathrow authorities have faced a big problem, whether to build a new airport (option 1) or to increase the capacity of the existing one by building the 3rd runway and a sixth terminal (option 2). The second option needs less investment and is potentially easier to accomplish, but needs more political and social support and agreements as there are many stakeholders with different views about the proposal of a 3rd runway. On one side there are economic benefits, on the other side are considerations involving the environmental impact, increasing noise level and discontent of the people, particularly those living on the area close to the airport. The Airports Commission has been tasked with recommending the best way forward on the UK airport capacity issue. (Adapted from www.heathrowairport.com/about-us/, 2014) You have been recruited as a consultant to provide some contributions to the members of the Airports Commission, who have been tasked to produce a detailed report with recommendations that will help the Heathrow authorities in finding the best way forward on the 3rd runway plans to increase the airport capacity at Heathrow. Your communication skills, understanding of information needs and knowledge management will be crucial for you to be effective in this role. Note: This scenario is for Task 1 and Task 2 that cover Learning Outcomes LO1 and LO2. Dr Knowledge Mpofu September 2014 Semester Assignment Tasks Task 1: Assessing information and knowledge needs Based on Scenario for Task 1 and Task 2, you are expected to: AC1.1 Discuss  the range of decisions to be taken by the Heathrow Authorities and Management  Guidelines: Your answer should discuss the various possible decisions that can be taken by the Heathrow authorities in dealing with the issue highlighted in the scenario. AC1.2 Examine the information and knowledge needed to ensure effective decision taking based on the scenario Guidelines: In your answer to this question, you need to think about, and give examples of, the different types of information and knowledge needed by Heathrow authorities in order to ensure effective decision making in this case. The examples of types of information and knowledge you can give may be of different forms that include qualitative (descriptive information), quantitative (statistical data), official and unofficial information, policy and opinion, tacit and explicit knowledge. AC1.3 Assess internal and external sources of information and understanding based on the scenario Guidelines: Your answer should clearly identify the key sources of information that can help Heathrow authorities. These sources might include internal and external stakeholders of the company, formal and informal sources, team workers and customers. It will be useful to give examples in your answer. Task 2: Stakeholders, Personal networking and Decision-making process Based on Scenario for Task 1 and Task 2, you are expected to: AC2.1 Identify both internal and external key stakeholders of Heathrow airport who should be involved in the decision-making process in the issue highlighted in the scenario. AC2.2 Explain how Heathrow authorities can make contact with their internal and external stakeholders, and develop business relationships. AC2.3 Explain how Heathrow authorities can involve the identified stakeholders in the decision-making process, as appropriate. Guidelines: Your answer should explain the possible ways through which Heathrow authorities can connect, interact or share some ideas with some of the identified stakeholders of the organisation in order to develop business relationships with them. In addition, explain how these identified stakeholders can be involved in the decision-making process with a view to finding the best way forward on the 3rd runway plans to increase the airport capacity at Heathrow. AC2.4 In your role as a consultant in this case, design strategies for improving personal networking and involvement of stakeholders in the decision-making process based on the scenario and, (AC1.4) justify your recommendations for improvement. Guidelines: Your answer should suggest and describe possible ways (strategies) which you could use to improve your personal networking or connections with the identified stakeholders and involve them in discussions and decision-making processes based on the scenario. Any relevant approaches, illustrations or diagrams can be used in designing the strategies for improving networking and stakeholder participation in decision-making process (AC2.4), and your recommendations for improvement should be clearly justified to meet the assessment criteria AC1.4 as well. In this task, you will need to select and analyse the communication processes in an organisation which you are familiar with. In your selection of the organisation, make sure you will have access to both internal and external communication processes used by that organisation. Other students and lecturers will be interested to learn about the communication processes from your selected organisation. You are aware that you will need to find effective ways of communicating this to your colleagues and lecturers. In particular, you recognise that effective communication helps to improve relationships at work and other social situations by deepening your connections to stakeholders and improving teamwork, decision-making and problem solving for the success of an organisation. Based on Scenario for Task 3, you are expected to: AC3.1 Report on existing processes of communication that you have researched and observed in your selected organisation: (i) between management and employees (ii) between the organisation and its customers Guidelines: Your answer should clearly show evidence of some research carried out to identify the different information technology (IT) systems used within the organisation for communication purposes. The answer should also show how people within the organisation meet or create platforms for sharing ideas and decision-making. These opportunities for meetings could be structured and coordinated, planned, face-to-face, formal and informal. AC3.2 Design ways to improve the appropriateness of the communication processes (that you have identified in AC3.1 above). Guidelines: In designing the ways to improve the appropriateness of the communication processes, your answer may include some relevant illustrations or diagrams and specifying the IT systems involved in the process. AC3.3 Explain how the improvements to the ways and IT systems (that you have suggested above in AC3.2) can be implemented to ensure greater integration of systems of communication in the organisation. AC3.4 Based on Scenario for Task 3, create a personal plan to improve your own communication skills. A self-reflective summary is also be needed in this part of the task. Use the following guidelines to help you in preparing and creating an effective personal communication development plan: (i) Identify five communication skills relevant to your role These could be classified under verbal, non-verbal and written communication skills. (ii) Identify three strengths in your communication skills, and describe how each strength will enable you to be more effective or achieve in your role. (iii) Identify three weaknesses in your communication skills and describe how each weakness can be improved. (iv) Create your own Action Plan using a SMART Objective technique: Guidelines: Your Action plan should include the following: a. At least three SMART objectives that can be followed to improve your own personal communication skills b. Specific actions that can be taken to address each objective c. Possible barriers for each objective, and how you think the challenges can be addressed d. Resources and/or support required to achieve each objective e. Time scale: When you expect each objective to be achieved? (v) Produce a Self-Reflective Summary Guidelines: Finally, you are required to produce a Self-reflective summary on how you think the production of your Personal Communication Development Plan has helped you to understand your communication skills, and how to improve them. Your self-reflective summary may also include:   Information on how useful you found the techniques applied in this task (e.g Skills Audit table, SWOT analysis and Action plan based on SMART objectives). How helpful do you think the process of developing your Personal Communication Development Plan has been, and how this may be useful for you in the future. Task 3 covers assessment criteria AC3.1, AC3.2, AC3.3 and AC3.4 under LO3 Task 4: Improving Access to Systems of Information and Knowledge Scenario for Task 4: You are an Information Systems development specialist working for a Knowledge Management company in London. You have been hired by a University in London to produce information systems that could be used by registry and both students and lecturers in supporting their teaching and learning. In this role, you will produce technology systems which will specifically help the University to improve collection, formatting, storage and dissemination of information and knowledge, and assist in improving access to these resources for the benefit of the stakeholders of the university. Based on the Scenario for Task 4, you are expected to: AC4.1 Report on existing approaches to the collection, formatting, storage and dissemination of information and knowledge to support the teaching and learning at the University. Guidelines: Your answer should identify and explain how different information technology systems (IT) and other approaches which are used by the University particularly for collection, formatting, storage and dissemination of information and knowledge available to support their teaching and learning process. In your answer, you may also think about approaches that help to ensure the knowledge and information available within the University to their students is consistent, reliable, current, valid, legal and kept safely and confidential. AC4.2 Carry out appropriate changes to improve the collection, formatting, storage and dissemination of information and knowledge involving the teaching and learning at the University. Guidelines: Your answer should suggest possible changes that can be done to  improve the collection, formatting, storage and dissemination of information and knowledge at the University. You may think about better ways to handle knowledge and information, including how these could be displayed and disseminated to students, lecturers and other stakeholders within and outside the University while ensuring that the information is consistent, reliable, current, valid, legal and kept safely and confidential. AC4.3 Suggest one possible way (strategy) which you think can be used more effectively to improve access to information and knowledge for students, lecturers, management, employees and other stakeholders within and outside the University. Your answer should highlight some possible benefits of creating a way which can be used to increase access to information and knowledge that help in supporting the teaching and learning at the University.

Odysseus Essay

Odysseus Essay Odysseus Essay Categories Characters Setting Goal (What are they trying to achieve?) Obstacles (What prevents them from achieving Response (How do they respond to solve problems they face?) Consequence (How does this experience change them as individuals and/or a group?) Odysseus (What does Odysseus do? What do his actions reveal about the kind of Book 9 Polychemus Book 10 Circe,Eurylochus Land of the Cyclopes They goal was to escape from Polychemus’s cave and return to Ithaca Circe’s island Book 12 Sirens,Scylla,Charybdis,Euryloch us Island of the Sun Book 21 Penlope,Telemachus Book 22 Antinous,Athena Ithaca Ithaca Escape from Circe and Escape from the sea monsters and go back to Ithaca return to Ithaca Win the contest for Penelope’s hand To kill all the suitors Polychemus capture Odysseus and his men in his cave Circe Transform Odysseus men into pigs Charybdis Scylla and Zeus destroy Odysseus’s ship The suitors don’t let Odysseus to participate in the contest Antinous and the suitors want to kill Odysseus Odysseus and his men left Polychemus blind and escape by hiding in rams Odysseus tricked Circe and then kill her Odysseus tell his men to put wax Odysseus sends an in they ears so they can’t listen the arrow straight through sirens sing the ax heads Odysseus puts an arrow through his throat and then chopped all the others suitors Most of the men in the group die now they know that they have a clever leader All the men are grateful that Odysseus come back and save them risking his own life Now Odysseus is along in his long Now Odysseus is more journey close to recover his old life The whole family is united again Telemachus ,Penelope and Odysseus Odysseus

Cloning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Cloning - Essay Example On the other hand, in animals, the clone is a creation from one cell that is taken from the parent making the offspring and parent genetically identical (Tsunoda and Kato, 158-161). There are different types of cloning that can be divided into molecular and cellular cloning. The former is comprised of stem cell cloning and unicellular cloning. These serve an ideal purpose in research of different pathologies, physiological function as well as provide a platform for testing future treatment options. There are many ethical factors to consider in the cloning process and one has to weigh the benefits and potential harmful consequences of cloning. When all the factors are put into perspective, cloning is a revolutionary scientific process that should be given a greater opportunity to improve humanity and the quality of life. Cloning has different levels of significance and these depend on the field one is studying. This factor alone shows the diverse benefits of cloning. Plant cloning is essentially important to farmers, as it enables the duplication of plants with artificial selection of desired genes (Freudenrich, n.p). This has both economic benefits for the farmer as he or she can reduce the amount of expenses in protecting crops, and a social benefit as populations with food shortages are able to yield more crops. The process of plant cloning equips the farmer with the exact knowledge of the plant that he or she is growing. The procedures involved in cloning plants are more simplistic that those applied in animal cloning. An identical plant can be yielded by obtaining a piece of the root tip from a plant (Freudenrich, n.p). Following this, the cells from the root are dissociated and cultured in a nutrient medium. The root cells are allowed to form calluses and then grown in the soil medium. Animal cloning is more complicated and involves different procedures of molecular cloning. The main steps in the cloning process include

International Relations at NYU Personal Statement

International Relations at NYU - Personal Statement Example I realize that I will need to reach beyond the NYU community in order to do the type of work I want to do. In addition to my chosen course of study, I feel that I am a good fit for either NYU campus.   I have had experiences that I feel will add to the community of scholars at NYU.   Giving as well as receiving is an important value that I have.   Both are important for establishing a community of interdependence, respect and reciprocity.   These values have been instilled in me since I was young and I know that they will guide me in my studies and in my life work.   I look forward to becoming a part of the academic community at NYU.   International relations is such a broad field of study.   I am excited about working with a cosmopolitan faculty and student body as I gain the knowledge I need to have so I can discover all of the possibilities international relations at NYU has to offer.