Comparing Utilitarianism and the Judeo-Christian Ethic Essay -- John

Utilitarianism is the moral precept which basically expresses what is acceptable is what achieves the most bliss to the a great many people. John Stuart Mill accepted that the choices we make ought to consistently profit the vast majority however much as could be expected paying little heed to the results to the minority or even yourself. He would state the only thing that is important in the choice of right versus wrong is the measure of joy created by the results. In the choices we make Mill would state that we have to gauge the results and settle on our choice dependent on that result that benefits the dominant part. For Mill, joy is the main attractive result of our choices or activities. The Judeo-Christian ethic grasped by Augustine places inquiries of good and bad under the authority of an awesome maker - God. The Judeo-Christian ethic can be summarized in single word - Love. In Matthew 22:40 Jesus says: 'Love the Lord your God with everything that is in you and with everything that is in you and with all your brain. This is the first and most noteworthy rule. Also, the second resembles it: Love you neighbor as yourself.'; When Augustine stated, 'Love God and do what you will';, I accept he is attesting the way that when an individual loves God genuinely the person in question is in God's will. John 14:15 says, 'In the event that you love me, you will obey what I order.'; If an individual obeys God which is cherishing God and adoring his creation then an individual is in his will. The choices made by an individual in God's will are in this way moral choice taking into account ...

The Scarlet Letter :: essays research papers

The Scarlet Letter- In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, the letter "A" changes it's significance a wide range of times. This change is huge. It shows development in the characters, and the network wherein they live. The letter "A" starts as an image of transgression. It at that point turns into a image of her capacity to do and support things, lastly it turns into a image of her regard for herself. The letter "A," worn on Hester's bodice, is an image of her infidelity against Roger Chillingworth. This letter is intended to be worn in disgrace, and to cause Hester to feel undesirable. "Here, she said to herself, had been the location of her blame, and here ought to be the scene of her natural discipline . . ." (84) Hester is embarrassed about her sin, yet she decides not to show it. She submitted this transgression in the warmth of energy, and completely lets it out on the grounds that, however she is embarrassed, she additionally got her most noteworthy fortune, Pearl, out of it. She is a exceptionally resilient lady to have the option to hold up so well against what she should face. Many would have fled Boston, and looked for a spot where nobody knew about her extraordinary sin. Hester decided to remain however, which demonstrated a ton of solidarity and honesty. Any lady with enough nerve to hold up against a town which loathed her very presence, and to remain in a place where her little girl is alluded to as a "devil child," either has a mental issue, or is an exceptionally intense lady. The second implying that the letter "A" took was "able." The townspeople who once censured her currently trusted her red "A" to represent her capacity to make her delightful embroidery and for her unselfish help to poor people and wiped out. "The letter was the image of her calling. Such accommodation was found in her-such a great amount of capacity to do what's more, capacity to identify that numerous individuals would not decipher the red 'A' by its unique signification." (156) At this point, a great deal of the townspeople acknowledged what a top notch character Hester had. "Do you see that lady with the weaved identification? It is our Hester-the town's own Hester-who is so kind to poor people, so supportive to the wiped out, so consoling to the afflicted!" (157) The townspeople before long started to accept that the identification served to avoid

What is Magna Cum Laude

What is Magna Cum Laude Magna cum laude is one of the 3 popular Latin honors given to college students as a result of their academic achievements.The 3 honors are:Cum laudeMagna cum laudeSumma cum laudeThese honors can be loosely translated to English with cum laude meaning “with honor.” Magna cum laude means “with high honor” while summa cum laude means “with highest honor.”In some cases, maxima cum laude may be used.This honor is awarded to students who have grade point averages between magna cum laude and summa cum laude.Its usually common in schools that have only reserved the summa cum laude honor for students with perfect grades.Magna cum laude, and other Latin honors are mostly used in the United States, countries in Europe, and Southeastern Asian countries like Indonesia and the Philippines.It needs to be said that many countries in the world use different academic classifications apart from the Latin honor system.Many countries use the British Undergraduate degree classification with th eir various modifications. Some of these countries are Hong Kong, Singapore, India, Brazil, Australia, the United Kingdom, Nigeria, South Africa, etc.HOW TO ATTAIN MAGNA CUM LAUDE You may be wondering how you can qualify to graduate with magna cum laude. The simple answer is that: it depends on your school.In fact, some schools dont even use the Latin honor system.For instance, if youre a Stanford student, then you should forget about the Latin honor system.Likewise, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology doesnt provide Latin honors to its students.Even though they use similar scores to grade their students, they dont use the exact terminology. And in schools where they use Latin honor system, it depends on your school.Different schools have different grade-point averages (GPA) they use to make students qualified for an honor. In some schools, you may have to submit an honor thesis to make you qualified for a Latin honor.REQUIREMENTS FOR DIFFERENT AMERICAN COLLEGESWith the differ ence in how various schools set their qualification requirements for magna cum laude and other Latin honors, its possible to bag two different honors compared to a student in another school.Even if you have a similar academic performance to that student.For instance, a GPA of 3.8 will qualify you for magna cum laude in some American colleges. Whereas the same GPA is enough for the summa cum laude in another school.This inconsistent system of acquiring Latin honor in different schools is one of its major disadvantages.The most popular requirements for Latin honors are having a GPA of 3.50 to 3.69 for cum laude, 3.70 to 3.89 for magna cum laude, and 3.90 to 4.00 for summa cum laude. Different schools have variations of these to award Latin honors to their students.Some schools, however, dont use GPA strictly and rather consider a percentage of the top students for the honors.For instance, a school could have their top 5% of students as summa cum laude, the next 8% as magna cum laude, and the next 12% as cum laude.And in some cases, individual schools within the same university could have different requirements for the Latin honor system.Its best to check the requirement for the university youve enrolled to be sure of what you need to do.Harvard UniversityThe first university to use the honor system is Harvard University in 1869. Initially, between 1872 and 1879, the cum laude and summa cum laude were the two Latin honors awarded to graduating students.However, in 1880, magna cum laude was included among the honors.Harvard offers two types of honors which are the departmental honors, also called the English honors, and the College honors, also called the Latin honors.Latin honors are awarded based on the entire student records. The Faculty of Arts and Sciences make recommendations for Latin honors to the Governing board of the University.First of all, a student has to be awarded departmental honors before they can be recommended for the Latin honors. Harvard Univ ersity presents the following awards to students:Regular degreeCum laude in a fieldMagna cum laude in a fieldMagna cum laude with Highest Honors in a fieldSumma cum laude in a fieldFor the Latin honors to be awarded, theres no fixed GPA. From the students recommended for Latin honors, the Faculty will consider their records to determine those who should be awarded summa cum laude in their field.The summa cum laude is awarded to the top 5 percent of the graduating class. After this, students who have the highest honors in their concentration but failed to make summa cum laude will be awarded the magna cum laude with Highest Honors in a field.The remaining students who have met the minimum GPA allocated for magna cum laude for that year will be awarded the honor.The combination of the students awarded summa cum laude and magna cum laude will not be more than 20% of all the degree candidates that May.Students who achieve the minimum GPA for the cum laude are awarded the cum laude Latin honor.The combination of the students who are awarded summa cum laude, magna cum laude, and cum laude cannot exceed 50% of the total degree candidates. The GPAs set for the 3 honors are used until the next May when another set of GPAs will be set.For 2018, the cutoff for magna cum laude in field was 3.844 out of a possible 4. The cutoff for summa cum laude was 3.947 while the cutoff for cum laude was 3.620.Yale UniversityFor Yale University too, theres no specific GPA for Latin honors and GPAs are determined on a yearly basis.Yale University awards Latin honors to no more than 30 percent of the graduating class. This is lower than Harvard University at 50 percent.Yale University awards the summa cum laude honor to no more than 5 percent of the graduating students.Magna cum laude honor is awarded to no more than the next 10 percent of the class while cum laude is awarded to no more than the next 15 percent of the class.For the year 2018, the GPA set for the summa cum laude honor was 3.95. For the magna cum laude honor, a student has to achieve a GPA of 3.90 while cum laude required a GPA of 3.82.When compared to other schools, ivy league schools like Harvard and Yale University tend to have higher GPA requirements to attain the magna cum laude honor.New York UniversityThis college doesnt use fixed GPAs for its Latin honor system.The school offers the summa cum laude to the top 5% of its students, magna cum laude to the next 10% of its students, and cum laude to the next 15%.Therefore, not more than 30% of the graduating students from New York University will have a Latin honor.However, it should be noted that the GPA required for Latin honors in NYU will depend on each school in the university.For instance, between September 2018 and May 2019, the GPA required for magna cum laude in the NYU School of Nursing is 3.872.For the summa cum laude honor, a student will need a GPA of 3.97 while cum laude honor requires 3.77 GPA.In the school of Liberal studies, a GPA of 3.868 is enough for the magna cum laude. However, a graduating student will need a GPA of 3.97 for summa cum laude while 3.813 is enough for a cum laude honor.University of California BerkeleyThe University of California Berkeley doesnt have an official Latin honor system. But it awards distinctions to students which is similar to the Latin honor system.It awards distinction, high distinction, and highest distinction, which can be compared to cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude respectively. The GPAs for these awards will depend on each particular school in the university.The university awards these distinctions to no more than 20 percent of the graduating class. The top 3 percent of the graduating class in a school in terms of grade point averages are awarded the highest distinctions. The next 7% are awarded high distinctions while the next 10% are awarded distinctions.For instance, in the college of letters and science, the GPA for general distinction, high distinct ion, and highest distinction are 3.747, 3.860, and 3.953 respectively.University of PennsylvaniaFor UPenn, summa cum laude honor goes to students who get a grade point average of 3.8 or higher out of a possible 4.The magna cum laude goes for students who get a GPA of 3.6 or higher while cum laude goes to students who get a GPA of 3.4 or higher.American UniversityTheres a fixed GPA for Latin honors in the American University. For a student to be awarded the magna cum laude honor, theyll need a GPA of 3.81 to 3.90.For other honors, a student will need a GPA of 3.67 to 3.80 for cum laude while theyll need a GPA of 3.91 or higher for summa cum laude.LATIN HONOR SYSTEM IN COUNTRIESThere are different Latin honor systems depending on the country.BelgiumThis European country offers 4 honors to students graduating from its schools. These honors are:SatisfactionCum laudeMagna cum laudeSumma cum laudeBrazilIn Brazil, some schools use the Latin honor system to award their graduating students. For instance, the Instituto Tecnologico de Aeronautica (ITA Aeronautical Institute of Technology) offers its Latin honor system.Graduates are able to claim the magna cum laude honor when they have an average grade above 8.5 out of 10 and have 50% of their individual grades above 9.5. In comparison, a graduate is awarded cum laude when the student has all their individual grades higher than 8.5.For the summa cum laude honor, a student will have to graduate with an average grade of 9.5. This is so difficult to achieve that only 22 graduates of this school have achieved the summa cum laude honor as of 2009.Another school that uses the Latin honor system in Brazil is the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. This school awards the magna cum laude honor to students who have an average grade of 9.0 to 9.4 out of 10.For other honors, a student with an average grade of 8.0 to 8.9 will have the cum laude honor while a student with an average grade of 9.5 to 10 will be awarded the summa cum laude honor.Another university that uses the Latin honor system is the Federal University of Ceara which awards the magna cum laude honor to graduates who achieved an average grade of 8.5 out of 10 and never failed a course.Added to that, the graduate would have received a fellowship of both Teaching Initiation and Academic Extension.GermanyThere are 4 ranges of honors available to graduates in Germany. These are:Rite which is “duly” conferred and means the student has fulfilled all the requirements.Cum laudeMagna cum laudeSumma cum laudeAlthough it has to be noted that these honors are only given when a student has attained a doctorate degree. For lower degrees like diplomas, bachelors, or masters degrees, numerical grades between 1 (very good) and 5 (fail) are usually given.MaltaIn Malta, the Latin honor system is equivalent to the British grading system. For instance, magna cum laude refers to second class honors (upper division).For other Latin honors, cum laude refers to se cond class honors (lower division) while summa cum laude refers to first class honors.The last is the Bene Probatus which refers to third class honors. Degrees like bachelor of pharmacy which takes longer than the standard 3 years to complete also has the Egregia cum laude.PhilippinesIn the Philippines, the junior high school and senior high school students use an honor system for their new K-12 curriculums. These honors are translated to the Filipino language.Students are awarded the magna cum laude honor (May Mataas na Karangalan in Filipino) and a silver medal with the seal when they achieve an average grade of 95 to 97 out of a possible 100.In comparison, the cum laude honor (May Karangalan) is awarded when a student gets a final grade average of 90 to 94.Students who achieve a final grade average of 98 to 100 are awarded the summa cum laude honor (May Pinakamataas na Karangalan).SingaporeIn Singapore, the Singapore Management University uses the Latin honor system. For a gradua te to be awarded the magna cum laude honor, they need to attain a grade point average of 3.6 out of a possible 4.For the cum laude honor, a student will have to achieve a GPA of 3.4 while a student needs a GPA of 3.8 for the summa cum laude honor.CRITICISM OF THE LATIN HONOR SYSTEMSome people have leveled criticisms at the Latin honor system. There were criticisms of Harvard University as critics claimed the Latin honor system may do more harm than good to students’ academic performance.They claimed students would take classes as a means to bump up their grades rather than to pursue true academic excellence. The school is yet to eliminate its honor system. Another argument against the criticisms is that: how do you reward excellent students?Theres no perfect grading system. But some companies prefer to pick students at the top of their classes. In many cases, excellent students also want to work in these influential companies.Research by Pauline Khoo and Ben Ost of the University of Illinois at Chicago found that Latin honors actually provides benefits for graduates 2 years after graduation.The 2017 paper titled “The Effect of Latin Honors on Earnings” revealed that graduates have benefits for their first 2 years after graduation. It further reveals that there appears to be no benefit in the third year or beyond.But when you look at it, the benefits in the first 2 years could make all the difference. Because this is when new graduates are looking for jobs.“We find that obtaining honors provides an economic return in the labor market, but this benefit only persists for two years,” they wrote in the paper.“By the third year after college, we see no effect of having received honors on wages, suggesting that firms may use the signal for new graduates, but they do not rely on the signal for determining the pay of more experienced workers.”Their study also revealed that graduates of some schools get these benefits more than graduates of other schools.M agna cum laude may be second to summa cum laude but its an incredible achievement especially in some tough courses.CONCLUSIONReceiving the magna cum laude honor is no mean feat. Students who receive this honor are among the top students in their classes.However, the magna cum laude honor is also subjective to many factors.Whether you attain this honor could depend on the university you attend, the particular school of the university, and your graduating year.

Coordinating Words, Phrases and Clauses in English

When we coordinate things, whether were talking about our schedules or our clothing, we make connections -- or, as the dictionary says in a more fanciful way, bring things together in a common and harmonious action. The same idea applies when we talk about coordination in grammar. A common way to connect related words, phrases, and even entire clauses is to coordinate them -- that is, connect them with a coordinating conjunction such as and or but.  The following short paragraph from Ernest Hemingways Another Country contains several coordinated words, phrases, and clauses. We were all at the hospital every afternoon, and there were different ways of walking across the town through the dusk to the hospital. Two of the ways were alongside canals, but they were long. Always, though, you crossed a bridge across a canal to enter the hospital. There was a choice of three bridges. On one of them a woman sold roasted chestnuts. It was warm, standing in front of her charcoal fire, and the chestnuts were warm afterward in your pocket. The hospital was very old and very beautiful, and you entered through a gate and walked across a courtyard and out a gate on the other side. In most of his novels and short stories, Hemingway relies heavily (some readers might say too heavily) on such basic conjunctions as and and but. The other coordinating conjunctions are yet, or, nor, for, and so. Paired Conjunctions Similar to these basic conjunctions are the following paired conjunctions (sometimes called correlative conjunctions): both . . . andeither . . . orneither . . . nornot . . . butnot . . . nornot only . . . but (also)whether . . . or The paired conjunctions serve to emphasize the words being connected. Lets see how these correlative conjunctions work. First, consider the following simple sentence, which contains two nouns joined by and: Martha and Gus have gone to Buffalo. We can rewrite this sentence with paired conjunctions to emphasize the two nouns: Both Martha and Gus have gone to Buffalo. We often use the basic coordinating conjunctions and paired conjunctions in our writing to connect related ideas. Punctuation Tips: Using Commas with Conjunctions When just two words or phrases are joined by a conjunction, no comma is needed: Nurses in uniforms and in peasant costumes walked under the trees with the children. However, when two or more items are listed before a conjunction, those items should be separated by commas: Nurses in uniforms, peasant costumes, and worn frocks walked under the trees with the children.* Similarly, when two complete sentences (called main clauses) are joined by a conjunction, we should generally place a comma before the conjunction: The tides advance and retreat in their eternal rhythms, and the level of the sea itself is never at rest. Although no comma is needed before the and that joins the verbs advance and retreat, we do need to place a comma before the second and, which joins two main clauses. * Note that the comma after the second item in the series (costumes) is optional. This use of the comma is called the serial comma.

Trent s Fourth Day At The Resort - 1568 Words

The next morning would mark the beginning of Trent’s sixth day at The Resort, and something was off. Not only did Trent sleep in longer than usual, but he had very peculiar dreams the night before, and felt slightly groggy. Or was he hungover? He hadn’t had too much to drink at the bonfire the night before. After showering and getting dressed, Trent walked to the local market to get some bread and jam to bring on the hike. The market wasn’t a market in the traditional sense, because there was no money required, but there was an attendant who marked what it was that you took. That morning, there was no attendant. The market was practically abandoned. Trent thought that strange but managed to grab what he needed anyhow. Walking past†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Yah, you know. Twice a week. Don’t you go?† Michael asked. Trent remembered what the governor had told him on his first day; how he would not be required to go. Trent did not want to admit that to his friends, so he merely nodded in acknowledgment. â€Å"You know what. I wonder if people get sick and then are sent home without a word?† Alice asked. That idea did seem probable. The small group ended up going on their hike, perhaps just to take their minds off things and get some fresh air. At the peak of the mountain, the view of the Paradise Planet was stunning. The island was surrounded by water as far as the eye could see, but the colors were not as vibrant as they had been the day that Trent arrived. The rest of that day had been more low-key than Trent was used to, and almost a tad boring. The group didn’t do any more activities, and he hadn’t heard word yet about where some of the friends had gone. Feeling tense and slightly eerie, Trent stepped onto his balcony to look around. No, he wasn’t going out of his mind. There were fewer people on the beach, the birds were not singing as loudly, and The Resort was colder in temperature. He went to bed early that night. Much earlier than he had before. Trent just didn’t feel right. A pounding on Trent’s door in the middle of the night awoke him from his sleep. Groggy and disoriented, he stumbled to the doors of his room and opened them slightly to see who it might be. â€Å"Hello?† Trent said with a hoarse voice.Show MoreRelatedGe Honeywell23318 Words   |  94 Pagesregulatory processes on either side of the Atlantic. While a significant amount has already been written on the case, systematic comparisons between the approaches followed by Commission and the DoJ have so far remained difficult because much of the DoJ’ s analysis is not in the public domain. In addition, little attention has been given so far to process and procedures. 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Is China A World Power Free Essays

A world power may be defined as a country, which has great political power, great military, great economy et cetera. The People’s Republic of China may have completed some of these criteria itself but it may not be considered a world power as some of the small factors are holding them behind. China may be a big country with large population, which face inequality, corruption, social stability and the Chinese environment that is not very grand for the health and also with it limited supplies and energy. We will write a custom essay sample on Is China A World Power? or any similar topic only for you Order Now China claims that they are a communist state but they are just capitalist, under their current government. A lot of discrimination is there in the nation. Health for the Chinese isn’t very pleasant either for the country lack proper medication care and doctors. China is a capitalist state under the â€Å"SOCIALIST REPUBLIC† government. This has made many things difficult in China such as Human rights, freedom and equality. The Chinese government are very tolerate people as they closed its door towards people, yet they declare an open door policy in the late 70’s and 80’s which is not true in all cases. The new Chinese settlers have created an alternate society: a Chinese apartheid which, denying Tibetans equal social and economic status in our own land, threatens to finally overwhelm and absorb us. † was quoted by the Dalai Lama in 1991. Groups who fought for political freedom to be heard were jailed without trial and have been forgotten imprisoned. Religious freedom is another problem in China, as religions don’t get any freedom. All religions have to be within the communist party (they have to register within the government) and must be loyal to the Mainland. This have caused many affairs with some religion for example Catholicism who is led by the Pope in Rome, China doesn’t allow that and they created the Chinese Patriotic Catholic- Association to replace Roman Catholic. Another unfair factor is that religious people aren’t allowed to work with the government as they say being openly religious can affect the economy. Other rights that people should have are No child policy where people can have as many babies, so no girls are being abandoned, Labour rights, as people should not have small wages for long hour of work. China also has problems with the whole of African continent as they treated those Africans poorly during the 1990’s and in 2005 it still happen as Manfred Nowak (human rights lawyer) visited China to observe the country. He complained the officials for not letting him interview people and say what he want to say, he also said the discrimination can be seen widespread. The economy of the PRC has increased so much during the past 10 years. Their economy is fourth largest in the world. The value of their Gross National Product was 2. 3 trillion in 2006, which is extremely high, but there’s one thing we shouldn’t be forgetting; they also have the largest population, which average the GDP per capita to roughly i1,000 whilst it’s around i25,000 in countries like Ireland, Switzerland and Denmark. As economy in China is rapidly increasing, it’s also facing labour shortage, wages demand and less service. Workers are quitting agricultural jobs to get industry job. The wages of worker have been raised to an average of i 55 a month but as Industry increase, pollution increases. China emits 19% of the world CO2 emissions that is a real shame. The Kyoto Protocol does not require China to reduce its emission, as their status is â€Å"Developing Country â€Å"not† Developed. A world health organisation reported that seven out of the ten most polluted are in China. 30% of acid rain falls on the country. It is estimated that 7% of the GDP per annum must be spend to control the environmental problem so far only 1% is spent on this trouble; this show China’s lack of environmental concern. Main economic area for China is it’s eastern coast where most of their economy rely. This also create another problem, the equality of income isn’t same throughout China as it should be, City such as irimqi, Piking, Shanghai, Canton, Shenzhen et cetera receives most of the high income when city such as Lanzhou, Lhasa et cetera receives a lot lesser. Health of the Chinese can be considered as very poor at the moment that they were ranked 144 out of 191 by The World Health Report. The life expectancy for China s of 2006 is 73, this have been a huge improvement since 1950 when it was 32 but can still be considered low compared to countries like Sweden, Switzerland and Japan whose expectancy is over 80. Their infant mortality currently is 23 per thousand people, which aren’t very bad compared to others for example Singapore and Japan (2). Health Development Index of the PRC is medium as it stood at 0. 768 as of 2007. As Chinese economy has grown rapidly, health problems also have. Some of the problems they face now are Air pollution (this killed 760,000 people per annum alone), cigarette smokers is also another problem as the number increases each year and Urban youngster can also be overweight as Chinese at average take in 2,940 calories a day (25% more than what Food and Agriculture Organisation suggested). China lacks doctors, 680 people per one doctor doesn’t sound too bad but they still need more doctors so that those with sickness could be attended and cared for more. Schizophrenia are suffered 7. 8 million Chinese and only 60% is being cared for properly. Male also outnumber female in China as they have the superstition of boys are better than girls, this leaves hundred of thousands baby girls orphaned. 2. 3 million is the number of the People’s Liberation Army, the largest force in the world plus it’s 500,000-reserve force. The number have actually decreased from 4 million from 1980 compared to another emerging super power such as India who has an armed force of 1. 3 million from 500,000 in 1960s. Military personnel should not be all that counts but reserves should also be taken into account, China has a reserve force of five hundred thousand compared to Taiwan which has 1. 5 million. The result from 1980 is that their army have decreased twice the number from 1980 (from 120 divisions to 60). The spending on military have also decreased. China can defend itself from foreign occupation and remain a regional status-quo power, but it is not a rising or threatening power† James H. Nolt, 2006 Chinese military use to create it’s own weapons but this stopped in 1980’s when their weapons were made of the very worst quality and workmanship. An Incident occurred when it sold Thailand and Burma what they claimed to be â€Å"A NEWLY MADE CHINESE FRIGATES† after the delivery both discovered that the vessels were purely rubbish that can’t float properly. The Thais later demanded they give them a new one with an empty hull, as they’ll modernise it themselves. After all the Chinese military doesn’t seemed to be very strong as it’s viewed. Professor James H. Nolt even says it can’t even beat those of Vietnam, Taiwan or India. Their possession of nuclear weapons may fill them in for the nuclear criterion. They have never launched one before and stated it themselves that they will never use it, this have put them off for being a nation with nuclear power. Resources that China lacks can be a huge problem. It produces 6. tonnes of oil equivalent per capita and it consumes 7. 3, this is a huge problem they found a way to dealt with the way which is not very reliable. In 2004 Wen Jinbao the prime minister offered Russia almost i 6,000,000,000 for energy purchase. China therefore rely on Russia for energy, Russia could use this as a weapon and they did but not to China, In 2005 Vladimir Putin cut off energy supply to Ukraine as it wants higher price for energy. Russia may not be very reliable for this source either. Some of the other things they lack off may be public transportation where there s an average of 2 buses per one thousand people. Some of the children in China still lack education, as 10% of the children under age 15 are literate. With all these weaknesses revealed, does China fit in the definition of â€Å"World Power†: The answer is resounding no. Not now or anywhere in the future like others who say China will someday be a world power. Their current government won’t last longer than 30 years, when they collapse the idea of China being a world power will start to fade away and a more favourable China would be reality. How to cite Is China A World Power?, Papers

Magnesium Oxide Experiment Lab Report Essay Example

Magnesium Oxide Experiment Lab Report Paper One objective was to figure out if the burnt MGM ashes weigh more than the product which is Magnesium Metal. Another objective was determining the formula of the compound that results when Magnesium and Oxygen react. Theory: The purpose of this lab was to confirm the chemical formula of magnesium oxide by comparing the masses Of pure magnesium solid prior to any reaction and magnesium oxide solid after a reaction between all of the magnesium and oxygen from the air when heated from a Bunsen burner in a crucible. Sing molar masses of both magnesium and oxygen. An expected percent composition, by mass, was found and compared to our experimental results. Experimental: 1. Setup ring stand 2. Obtain desired amount of Magnesium which was g 3. Weigh the crucible, 13. Egg 4. Weigh the crucible with the lead, 15. Egg 5. Heat the crucible with the MGM present 6. Continue to heat until lead starts to change to an ash color, lead should start ruining very bright 7. Shut burner down and let the MGM cool 8. Add water to the MGM until the crackling and smoking stops (Among+MGM) C Ammonia 9. Now, heat crucible till the water evaporates ICC, Allow a few minutes for cooling 11 Weigh the crucible along with the MGM ashes, 16. Egg Calculations: To find the formula of magnesium oxide, you need the mass of the magnesium and the mass of the oxygen. Also the atomic masses. Magnesium is 24 and oxygen is 16. Divide mass by the atomic mass for each element. This gives the number Of moles Of each. Having done this for both elements, you should find the ratio between the two by dividing them both by the smallest number. The ratio should be close to as the formula Of magnesium oxide is MGM. OMG +02 OMG 2. Smog 3. Gomes . Monologue 02/20 . We will write a custom essay sample on Magnesium Oxide Experiment Lab Report specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Magnesium Oxide Experiment Lab Report specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Magnesium Oxide Experiment Lab Report specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer

Strategic Analysis (SWOT, Porter, PESTEL) of Barclays Group PLC The WritePass Journal

Strategic Analysis (SWOT, Porter, PESTEL) of Barclays Group PLC 1. Introduction Strategic Analysis (SWOT, Porter, PESTEL) of Barclays Group PLC 1. Introduction1.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Background1.2  Ã‚   Purpose and Objectives2.  Ã‚   Analysis of the Market Environment2.1  Ã‚   External Analysis2.1.1   Macro-environment2.1.1.1 Cultural and Social2.1.1.2   Political and Legal2.1.1.3   Economic2.1.1.4  Ã‚   Technological2.1.3   Competition Analysis  2.2   Internal Analysis2.2.1  Ã‚   Performance2.2.2  Ã‚   Management and Staff2.2.3  Ã‚   Infrastructure and Delivery3. SWOT Analysis3.1   Strengths:3.2   Weaknesses3.3  Ã‚   Opportunities3.4  Ã‚   Threats4.   Customer Analysis4.1   Markets4.2  Ã‚  Ã‚   Market Segmentation4.3   Market Targeting4.4   Market Positioning4.5   Branding5. Marketing Strategies5.1   Mission5.2   Marketing objectives5.3   Financial objectives5.2.1   Supply strategies 5.2.2   Demand Strategies5.2.3   Positioning strategies5.2.4   Competitors Strategies  5.3   Marketing Mix Strategies5.3.1   Product5.3.2   Price5.3.3   Place5.3.4   Promotion  Ã‚  Ã‚   5.3.5   Personnel and Services6. Channel analysis7. Implementation and Control8. Financial Forecast9. Contingency plans10. ConclusionReferencesRelated 1. Introduction 1.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Background Barclays group PLC is a big global financial provider operating in Europe, America, Australia, Asia, Middle East and Africa, which is engaged in retail banking, credit cards, corporate banking, investment banking, and wealth management. It made up Global Retail Banking, Corporate and Investment Banking, Wealth Management, each of which has a number of business units. And the group centre, which comprises all Barclays essential support. With 300 years of historical existence, the group operates through its subsidiary Barclays Bank PLC, in over 50 countries and has 147,500 employees and a merger with Absa group in South Africa. The group practices integrated global banking model to serve its customers and clients as well as optimising risk adjusted returns for its shareholders. Thus, it moves, lends, invest and protects money for more than 38 million customers and clients worldwide. It is the third largest bank in the world in terms of assets and the one of the largest financial services provider in the world with a core tier one ratio of 11 per cent. It is the third largest bank in the United Kingdom (UK) based on market capitalization, with headquarters at 1 Churchill Place in London, England, having moved there in May 2005 from Lombard Street in London. 1.2  Ã‚   Purpose and Objectives The group purpose is to make available products as well as services to help the customers to achieve their financial goals that would in turn lead to economic growth. To attain this, the plan focused on the following objectives: A safer and more secure financial system. A banking industry that is equipped to support the needs of the global economy. The ability of the suppliers of financial capital to earn a positive return on their capital. Demonstrating its credentials as a good citizen To achieve these objectives, the plan entails analysis of the market environments of the bank and identified strategies designed to bring success. Then follow by the implantation and control mechanisms aimed at ensuring that the desired results are achieved.   www.barclays.com 2.  Ã‚   Analysis of the Market Environment 2.1  Ã‚   External Analysis This analysis focus on the macro-environment, the market and the competitors of Barclays, to identify its opportunities and threats. According to Porter (1985), PESTLC analysis ensures that the performance of the company is aligned positively with the powerful forces of change that are affecting business macro-environment. Hence, it groups environmental influences such as political, economic, social, technological, legal and cultural forces impact on the bank. The United Kingdom (UK) population which currently stands at approximately 70million, with a slide increase in immigration, independency and dependency ratios. A shift in population always affects economic growth, thus affect the bank. Increased in UK employment rate of 70.6 per cent, about 25.3million households, and a consistent downward strength of divorce and dissolution (of about 121,700 to 113,900), influences the bank’s performance. This increase brings about economic competitiveness and high circulation of money, thus fuelling the economic growth of the country. UK is a multicultural society which entails co-existence of different communities defined by their race, ethnicity or faith. So sociocultural environment is diverse and dynamic, which implies the bank need to stay in touch with the social and cultural shifts. The science, engineering and technological, and entrepreneurial cultures made UK economically successful, thus, impacting a positive change on the bank’s performance. http//www.statistics.gov.uk, www.ons.gov.uk, www.oup.com/uk 2.1.1   Macro-environment 2.1.1.1 Cultural and Social 2.1.1.2   Political and Legal Unstable regulatory environment in UK. Regulation to give political donation as part of their democracy support to the major South African parties.   Political stability in UK, Europe, United States, Asian (India) and southern part of Africa, influences the group’s growth. The new Basel rules on bank capital which requires all banks to hold top quality core tier one capital equal to 10 per cent of their assets, adjusted for risk. (19:09/ financial times/6th June 2011). The Project Merlin Agreement which states that UK’s biggest banks are committed to lending more money in 2011, especially to small businesses, to pay less in bonuses than they did last year and to be more transparent about their pay packages. (15:42, BBC Business News, 9 February 2011). Plan to increase bank levy to 2.5billions pounds this year-raising an extra of 800million pounds, will be a threat on Barclays bank PLC.(18:04,BBC Business News,8 February 2011). Direct and indirect taxes levied.   Ã‚  Recovery of national recessionary period and increased in employment rate. bbc.co.uk/news/business/13758784. 2.1.1.3   Economic Increase in UK gross domestic product by 0.5percent. Inflation is steadily held on Consumer Prices Index at (CPI) 4.5 per cent and Retail Prices Index (RPI) at 5.2 per cent in May 2011. UK retails sales fall to 1.4 per cent in May and interest rates have been kept at the record low of 0.5 per cent again this year, by the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee. UK unemployment fell 88,000 in the three months to April this year to 2.43 million, the biggest drop since the summer of 2000. The value of the average home in UK, rose by 0.1% from April to May 2011 to  £160,519, but prices were 4.2% lower than the same period a year ago. The European Central Bank signaled rise in Eurozone interest rate in July 2011, from 1.25 per cent. Inflation in the Eurozone is 2.7% while euro falls to 1.44880 dollars against the US dollar in the first quarter 2011.   High inflation in China and India in 2011 while Japan is in recession. Increase loan rates and consumer prices in Korea. Middle East and North Africa unrest affecting the Dubai-based Dnata, emirates aviation industry. Import costs in developing countries rising by up to 30 per cent as a result of high oil prices and shortfalls in production due to bad weather which have contributed to higher food prices. Jersey tax information exchange agreements with 17 of the G20 countries. bbc.co.uk/news/business-13758784, ft.com 2.1.1.4  Ã‚   Technological New telecommunication systems, including fibre optic telecommunication and Internet to facilitate mobile banking and online banking. Global launch of the next generation financial kiosks such as NCR SelfServ 4 which is a cashless kiosk, ideal for non-cash transactions such as appointment check-in and account services and SelfServ 8 features cash-deposit capability suitable for bill payments, equipped with touchscreen technology, the machines are loaded with NCR APTRA software applications that are PCI and EMV compliant. New technology such as Mix-and-Match software for 3D digital signage and kiosks SWIFT code to facilitate the international payment system in banks. ATMs are currently in operation at all the local commercial banks. Global increase in computer literacy and easy access to computer More half of the global population is computer literate and has access to internet services. http://selfserviceworld.com/research and bnet.com/library          2.1.3   Competition Analysis The group’s major competitors are HSBC bank, Bank of America, BBVA, BNP Paribas bank, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, RBS, Lloyds TSB bank, Santander bank, NatWest bank, Socià ©tà © Gà ©nà ©rale and UniCredit. i.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   HSBC Bank Strengths: HSBC bank is the first top bank in the world with the largest profit in the first quarter of 2011(4,153 billions dollars).   High trust and credibility in emerging markets such as China, thus, enjoys large economies of scale in its fast growing economy. A good online saving account offering competitive rates with no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements, opened as little as with one dollar and money is FDIC insured to the maximum permitted by law.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Weaknesses: HSBC decision to reduce its long- term return on equity target to 12-15 per cent from 15-20 per cent leaves its investors disgruntled.   Insufficient trained staffs, thus less customer-driven. Decreased in production and loyalty from its staffs due to redundancy programme. ii.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Royal Bank of Scotland Strengths Owns leading franchises in domestic market. Highly centralised local branches in target markets as well as excellent customer services offered. Sufficient number of well placed ATMs in target markets. Weaknesses High loan losses affecting profitability and capitalization. Excess growth of loan over deposits impacting liquidity. Inefficient and ineffective operation management affecting margins. http://managementoday.co.uk/news, bbc.co.uk/news/business and http:/www.hsbc.com      2.2   Internal Analysis The internal analysis focused on the bank’s performance and its internal environmental factors such as its management, staff and infrastructures, in order to identify its strengths and weaknesses. 2.2.1  Ã‚   Performance From Barclays annual report 2011(www.barclays.co.uk), the Barclays group PLC has more solid positions on capital with 11 per cent core tier one ratio (10.8 per cent Q4 2010), and a liquidity pool of 161 billion pounds than they started last year. While group’s adjusted gross leverage is maintained at 20 times and impairment is down 39 per cent considerably, giving the group’s first quarter (Q1) 2011, a loan loss rate of 76bps (Q1 2010:112bps). See Appendix. Adjusted profit before tax of the group, excluding own credit and gains on acquisitions and disposals this year, up to 10 per cent to 2,004 millions pounds (8 per cent in 2010). Excluding own credit, return on equity increased to 10.1 per cent (9.3 per cent Q4 2010), return on tangible equity increased to 12.1 per cent (11.4 per cent Q4 2010), and return on risk weighted assets increased to 1.5 per cent from 1.4 per cent in Q4 of 2010. (See appendix). Increased in gross new lending to UK house holds and businesses amounted to 9.9 billions pounds indicates improvement on 2010 year ended amount of 43 billions pounds gross new lending plus 7.5 billions pounds of UK loans gotten from the acquisition of Standard Life Bank at the beginning of the year 2010. The Q1 2011 dividend of 1.0 pound per share, with earnings per share of 8.5 pounds. Over 2010, the group ranked in the top quartile Total Shareholder Returns (TSR) of its global competitors, this position is progressively maintained in the Q1 2011 implies good performance indicating good management by objectives this year. www.barclaysannualreport.com 2.2.2  Ã‚   Management and Staff The management is made up of thirteen highly skilled and qualified directors and has 147,500 staff and senior executives. Most of the staff are young and have the requisite capabilities, and are re-trainable for newer systems and technology. The remuneration Committee provides governance and strategic control of remuneration, human resource activities and senior management development. The Committee’s objective in relation to remuneration is to motivate its employees towards excellence in business and personal performance by offering incentives, attract and retain employees of ability and experience.   Staff is encouraged to part take in share option and share purchase schemes and have a substantial sum invested in Barclay’s shares.   Staff is kept informed of matters of concern to them in many ways, such as business unit news magazines, intranets, briefings and mobile phone SMS messaging. These communications facilitate the achievement of a common awareness among employees.   Staffs share their views and feedback on issues that matters to them. Periodic employee Opinion Surveys results reported to the Board, all employees and to its European Works Council, Africa Forum, its recognised union in the UK and other recognised unions worldwide. Road shows and employee forums also take place. In addition, regular and formal consultations with its recognised trade unions and work councils internationally. www.barclays.co.uk 2.2.3  Ã‚   Infrastructure and Delivery   The group is investing heavily in infrastructures in order to perfect its client services and better reach to its global customers and clients, explains why the group is facing high operating costs. www.barclays.co.uk 3. SWOT Analysis The SWOT Analysis identified the opportunities, threats, strengths and weaknesses of the bank, as follows:    3.1   Strengths: The world’s third largest bank in terms of assets, with a core tier one ratio of 11 per cent. Barclays Corporate has been named Lender of the Year at the 2011 Health Investor Award for the third time. The group has an effective data management and first bank to produce statements in colours. Barclays Egypt Award for business continuity despite the recent country’s civil unrest. The Awards for Excellence 2011 won by Barclays community investment programme in Katine, Uganda. The group’s brand is unique, historically built and promoted continuously through its good citizenship such as sponsorship of Premier League football. The group enjoys large economies of scales and spread of risks as a result of its global presence. Barclays Capital ranked number two overall in Risk magazine’s survey of institutional investor clients.   Double win for Barclays at UK Moneyfacts Awards Distinct technological innovations, for example, it introduced the first credit card ever used in the market in 1966, and mobile banking. Acquisition and incorporation of Egg’s credit card customers in to the Barclaycard portfolio. The group leadership team has very little customer-centric view, thus explains why they always have a lot of customer complaints especially from its UK retail banking that is poor customer services. Poor earnings performance in the first quarter fueled criticism about executive pay packages in Barclays capital, the investment banking unit where pretax profit fell 33 per cent in the first quarter 2011. Less attractive shares due to low earnings performance. The bank branches are not well centralized within the high streets of UK unlike RBS and NatWest banks which are everywhere in the streets. Online banking and telephone banking are complicated to access. High interest rates on loans and low interest rates on savings accounts.   Recent launch of the high street’s first two-year flexible bond giving savers a competitive   rate   and the flexibility to withdraw up to 30 per cent of the balance without incurring any charges. Telephone banking with Barclays Wealth international offers secure, personal and private services, being the fast and friendly way to deal with day-to-day banking request unlike other banks. Barclays Bank has a strong competitive advantage as it is among the top three banks in many African countries, including Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Zambia and Mauritius, thanks to its merger with Absa Group Ltd in South Africa. Emerging markets in Africa and Asia Pacific. Barclays Capital strengthens prime services management by recently appointing ten managing directors. Its strategy of full global diverse services provides the group a wide range of cross-selling opportunities. 3.2   Weaknesses 3.3  Ã‚   Opportunities 3.4  Ã‚   Threats The recent Merlin agreement that required the availability of appropriate capital and resources by the banks to support gross new lending of 190 billions pounds, should demand materialize. The recent strike threat at Highland airports could hit Barclays Scottish Open at Castle Stuart. Varied government legislations in its global markets. Recent consideration by the Independent Commission on Banking, to split retail and investment banking operations. High financial risk exposure due to its global operation nature.   Increasing competition and threats in the banking industry from other companies such as the new Japanese bank called Mizuho which is building in London to find new avenue for growth. www.barclays.co.uk, www.fm.co.za/articles, www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news, www.bbc.co.uk/news/business, www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/businessnews , www.e-customer-satisfaction.com/rev . 4.   Customer Analysis 4.1   Markets The bank has branches in the UK as well as operations throughout Europe, Africa, Middle East, Asia and America. The market stakeholders consist of the governments, other public Sector bodies, corporate entities, insurance companies, professionals, public servants, pensioners, teachers, students and national residents in the above market segments. www.barclays.com       4.2  Ã‚  Ã‚   Market Segmentation Market segmentation is the splitting up of a market into different groups of customers with distinctly similar needs and product/service requirements. There is now widespread agreement that market segmentation form an important foundation for successful marketing strategies and activities. (Wind, 1978; Hooley and Saunders 1993).It implies it ensures that the elements of the marketing mix namely; price, distribution, products and promotion, are designed to meet particular needs of different customers. Barclays group divides its market into different geographic units such as nations, states, regions, cities or streets. For example Barclays bank PLC Zambia. The group also uses demographic segmentation to split its market in to groups on the basis of variables such as age, family size, family life cycle, gender, income, occupation, education, generation, nationality, religion, and social class. This type of segmentation is easy to measure and enables the bank to identify the right product offer to meet the specific needs of customers and improve its customer perceived offerings. For example, improvements of student account offer such as no monthly fee, an interest-free overdraft facility up to 2,000 pounds from opening the account. www.barclays.com    4.3   Market Targeting Barclays bank PLC uses the differentiated targeting approach which recognizes that there are several market segments to target, each being attractive to the marketing organization. As such, to exploit markets, a marketing strategy is developed for each segment. For example, Barclays targeted the student market segment in UK, and its rationale for acquiring students was that there was an opportunity to establish a long-term relationship with students and, to target a new customer annually. The bank uses effective segmentation assessment criteria such as ensuring that its various market segments are measurable, substantial, accessible, differentiable and actionable, ensure a segment is useful for targeting. 4.4   Market Positioning Market positioning is the act of designing the company’s offering and image to occupy a distinctive place in the minds of the target market. (A.Ries and J.Trout, 2000). The main purpose of positioning is to build the bank’s brands in the minds of the customers in order to maximize potential benefit to the bank. Kotler (1997) argued that â€Å"Positioning is the act of designing the company’s offering and image so that they occupy a meaningful and distinct competitive position in the target customers’ minds†. Therefore, positioning is all about how customers judge a product’s attribute relative to that of its competitors, and its ability to deliver against the promises made. The bank has applied a good positioning of its brands to target markets. For example, Barclays found that an incentive offering mobile broadband would have the most appeal to students, the bank partnered with orange to offer 25 percent discount on its mobile broadband schemes to those who signed up for a Barclays student account. It also established a working group to oversee the new student proposition such as no monthly fees, an interest-free overdraft, free debit cards, mobile phone banking and a net work of local branches. This is to build its brands in the minds of its target customers by effectively and efficiently meeting their needs. Orange and Barclaycard recently launch ‘Quick Tap’ – the UK’s first contactless mobile phone payments service, allowing consumers to make purchases on the high street using their mobile phone  · Customers can make purchases  £15 and under nationwide by simply tapping their Quick Tap mobile handset against a contactless reader at over 50,000 stores. Hence, the group has good positioning strategies.    4.5   Branding Branding is a means to distinguish the products or services of one company from those of another. (K. Moore and Reid, 2006). Therefore, a brand is a logo, name, symbol, design or image, or any combination of these, which is designed to identify the product or service. Its slogan â€Å"Take one small step† garnishes its branding. Barclays group does branding of its products/services with respect to its target customers needs. The group has different brands such as Barclaycard and its contactless mobile payment brand , online banking, offshore banking and investment, UK premier and personal banking, business banking, Barclays corporate, international banking services, Barclays capital and Barclays wealth.   www.barclays.com/product and services, www.oup.com/uk/orc , 5. Marketing Strategies 5.1   Mission The mission of the Barclays group is to make available products as well as services to help the customers to achieve their financial goals that would in turn lead to economic growth as well as increased employment. 5.2   Marketing objectives Customer and client driven, that is putting their needs first so as to develop a long term sustainable business. Aims to meet clients’ needs while establishing a business with different sources of revenue, business segments, customers and clients, and geographic exposure. Aims to serve clients across all their needs through a wide range of distribution channels. To effectively managed the risks taken by its clients.   Ensures financial discipline required to deliver returns is retained. Demonstrates the group’s wider value to society both globally and in every community it serves. 5.3   Financial objectives Operating within its capital resources Generating returns in excess of its cost of equity Sustaining growth in selected market and geographies. www.barclaysannualreport.com    5.2.1   Supply strategies Barclaycard and orange newly developed â€Å"Quick Tap† contactless mobile payment service which allows consumers to make purchases on the high street using their mobile phone for the very first time. Barclaycard is providing Orange customers with  £10 cash added to their account upon activation, and 10% cash back on all Quick Tap purchases made in the first three months. Barclays Capital, the investment banking division of Barclays Bank PLC, recently announced the launch of the Algorithmic Inflation Momentum Switching (AIMS) index, designed to generate excess returns from the US inflation market. The reason being that market participants switch from nominal bonds to TIPS when concerned about inflation. Barclays Wealth international offers discounted international online payments to investment and mortgage advice from our specialist advisers. It provides you with immediate access to your money as well as control over your day-to-day spending wherever you are. www.barclays.com       5.2.2   Demand Strategies Target students and matured wealthy Nationals returning home or resident locally, including doctors, lawyers, managers, entrepreneurs and retired persons. Product differentiation so as to gain competitive advantages in the market. Frequent adjusted slogan to continuously build its brand image.       5.2.3   Positioning strategies The bank is currently perceived to have a poor customer services compared to its peer group that is their service offering and quality are not very much outstanding as portraits by its branding. So the bank’s aim is to also move to the top position for service offering and service quality through its innovative product developments and improved service quality so as to defend its strong brand image. Ensures effective data management is improved. 5.2.4   Competitors Strategies Improve the quality of customer services by training staff. Increasely promote ATMs, online banking, Barclaycards and telephone banking services that will provide greater convenience to customers. Offer unique innovative Barclays Wealth-management and Barclays Capital products/services that will attract the target markets.www.barclays.com   5.3   Marketing Mix Strategies 5.3.1   Product Barclays offers personal banking and credit card facilities through Barclaycard to customers. The products and services for personal customers include: bank accounts (from entry-level through to premier), a range of credit cards through Barclaycard, saving accounts, loans, insurance, online banking and mortgages through Woolwich. The also offers corporate and business banking, investment banking and Wealth management -which focuses on private and intermediary clients worldwide, providing international and private banking, investment management, fiduciary services, and brokerage. The group ensures these products and services are always available to satisfy customer needs. www.barclays.com    5.3.2   Price The group ensures the prices are affordable with respect to the target customers. For example, no monthly fees, interest –free overdraft and 25% discount on its mobile broadband schemes to those who signed up for a Barclays student account. Also a discounted international online payment to investment. www.barclays.com    5.3.3   Place The bank positions its product and services in such a way that they are be accessible at customers convenience such as Barclays replacement debit card delivered to customer’s home in two working days, availability of Quick Tap contactless reader at over 50,000stores. Mobile phone banking and increase in a network of local branches. ATMs at strategic locations throughout the country. Increase franchises. 5.3.4   Promotion Word-of-mouth campaign, literature in branches, TV advertisements, sponsorships, business magazines and news papers, and bill boards. Online advertising on website and direct mail to prospective students. Phone prospective customers or visit them at their residents or place of business to sell products and services to them Develop an advertising campaign programs targeting the selected groups of customers.   Ã‚  Ã‚   5.3.5   Personnel and Services Develop a performance appraisal system that will allow for feedback throughout the fiscal year which determines annual salary increments and the quarterly bonuses such as travelling allowances, reward for sales volumes in order to motivate staff. Recruit more people that possess the required skills for the tasks available and provide each of them with a job description setting out clearly the job expectations and goals, as well as the required job-related behaviors. Offer good training to both existing and current staff for the job required task. Improve on customers services by training both top management staff and subordinates to be customer-centric. www.marketingweek.co.uk/opinion/barclays , and www.barclays.com/products and services. 6. Channel analysis Barclays bank uses the following ways to reach its customers through its multichannel routes such as franchises and strategic alliances such as; Absa group.   Through telephones, ATMs, contactless payment cards and visa debit cards. The bank has about 1,900 branches in the UK as well as operations throughout Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the US. Also plans to improve on the centralization of its branches within each target market. Increase the number of its local branches within the high streets of UK, such as Universities areas.   www.barclays.com 7. Implementation and Control Barclays group supports a marketing oriented culture to provide market perceived offering that meets customer’s expectations by placing a strong emphasis on its market research (SWOT and PESTLC analysis) to discover the data of   its market context, customer requirements, competitors activities, the most appropriate way to run their channel operations (distribution and marketing communications) The group has ten existing skillful directors and two current directors, all assigned to manage each of the products and services business units efficiently and effectively with the help of 147,500 employees through management by objective.   The budget holders who are top management will be given incentives, so as to hit and improve both their sales forecast and profit targets. The group headquarters management foster and encourage creativity and innovation through out the business while ensuring effective risks management and financial discipline is in control. www.barclays.com 8. Financial Forecast  · Target return on equity of 13 per cent by 2013  · Income growth between 4.3 and 6.4 billion pounds in 2013 relative to 2010. www.barclaysannualreport.com 9. Contingency plans   Invest more in multichannel platform such as; success performance in mobile banking and online investment platform. Effectively and efficiently focus on productivity and innovations Ensures customer sovereignty is in place by staying close to them and effectively managing their risks. 10. Conclusion I have taken a critical look in to the situation faced by Barclays group PLC such as its objectives, and goal (13 percent returns on equity by 2013 and income growth of) the group expected to achieved. While taken in to consideration its strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities sorted out by the use of SWOT and PESTLC analysis, as well as competitors’ analysis, and its marketing strategies on execution. I am emphasizing on top management and staffs, to stop doing market skimming and be more customer-centric when making decisions and executing strategies as well as carrying out effective and efficient implementation and control in order to reach desired target. References

Important Tips For Personal Statements

Important Tips For Personal Statements As someone who has written many personal statements for college applications, I know firsthand how mind-numbing and frustrating the process can be. That is why I would like to take this opportunity offer some suggestions and writing tips for personal statements. Hopefully after reading the following paragraphs, the idea of writing a personal statement for your college of choice wont seem so intimidating. In my opinion, the most important tip for writing personal statements is to give yourself plenty of time. Allowing several weeks or even months in which to write your essay means that you can afford to take your time and compose an excellent composition. The worst thing you can do is wait until the last minute to write your personal statement. Doing so will almost guarantee frustration, disappointment, and a mediocre final product. Another excellent tip that I advise when writing your personal statement is to create many drafts. As each draft of your personal statement is most likely an improvement on the last, it cant hurt to write as many drafts as possible until you are absolutely satisfied with your paper. Then, after you feel you cannot make any more corrections, send your personal statement to a professional editor for final polishing. Although the above tips might seem elementary, committing to them will drastically improve the overall quality of your paper. If you would like some more tips for personal statements or if you would like additional information on college admissions essays, please dont hesitate to access the link provided. This link will direct you to an excellent online resource for admissions essays.

Women and Driving in Saudi Arabia Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Women and Driving in Saudi Arabia - Article Example Men and the Saudi government, in general, do not have any right to direct women on what they should do and what they should not engage in. Moreover, women all over the world including Saudi Arabia have proven that they are worth more than domestic objects. Accordingly, women are involved in management and leadership positions initially reserved for their male counterparts. This goes to show that the same way women are capable of managing other duties including work and family responsibilities, they are also able to manage driving and the challenges that come with this task. Thus, there is no obstacle holding back the government of Saudi Arabia to consent to lift of the driving ban. The Saudi government should let women drive because they have expressed a great willingness to drive. This reveals that the decision to deny women the right to drive is not welcomed by this population. As a result, women have come out and openly to show resistance towards the ban on driving. For example, on October 26, 2013 camping, women set behind the wheel and proved to the people that they could drive (Bynes 1). They recorded themselves driving and uploaded the videos on YouTube. Some people saw the women when they drove and gave them thumbs up which means that many people support women driving. In another protest, women came out in large numbers to test drive around the city. Ironically, as one of the participants narrates the experience, not even the police stopped her, and people around seemed not to notice (Burke 2). Notably, banning women from driving is just in perception, but in reality, it does not raise any concerns.

American Foreign Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

American Foreign Policy - Essay Example When there is an issue that needs to be discussed in regards to the foreign policy, each facet of the process serves their own agenda before looking at the overall responsibility of the decision. In this regard, it is evident that each of the working unit feels an essential player in the process and seeks to safeguard the interests of the particular arm of the state. This is both beneficial and detrimental to the presidential power and ability to make decisions. For the latter, the best decision is reached at, and a decision that favors all involved departments and thus the state. As for the former case, the solution that is realized is largely as a result of compromised standards, and conflicts amongst the involved officials. There is diversification of interests amongst the parties, some of whom may have undue influence thus negatively affecting the process and wasting more time in the same. Foreign policy bureaucracy suppresses rationalism in decision making. This is again influenced by the influence of a particular department in policy formulation. A good example to this is the reason that compelled the U.S. to attack in Iraq in 2003. Just rationalism was definitely not used in the final decision making process, given the issues that erupted thereafter. This is detrimental to the president’s personal choices but acts or the best of the nation. In foreign policy decision making, the President is the most powerful and central figure. Psychologically, the President is bound by some limitations as time and energy, ideology as well as rationality. With the presence of the foreign policy circle of advisers, the process of decision making is decentralized from the President making life and governance much easier. In this case, the bureaucracy in foreign policy safeguards the president from making decisions constrained by irrationality and psychological inabilities. Bureaucracy in foreign policy is decentralized to four components

American Coverage of Lebanon’s Civil War :: Free Essays Online

American Coverage of Lebanon’s Civil War The afflictions the Lebanese people experienced for over fifteen years caused by a civil war were not a prominent headline in American newspapers until the kidnapping of Associated Press Beirut bureau chief, Terry Anderson. America’s profound ignorance about Lebanon is directly correlated to the failure of the American media to report in depth about the Lebanese conflict. America’s particular ignorance concerning the Lebanese conflict is not acceptable because Lebanon plays a key role in the persistent problems in the Middle East, which directly affect the United States and world peace. There may be no way to objectively report the situation in Lebanon because the history of the myriad culture clashes there are so intricate but Mark Pedelty, author of War Stories: The Culture of Foreign Correspondents, acknowledges that objectivity is not necessary for good reporting, and in actuality breeds poor reporting. To try to solve the problem of America’s ignorance, Terry Anderson has taken the first step in recognizing the problem of ignorance toward the conflict and then by searching for and publishing knowledge which aids the American people in understanding the conflict, as well as the cultures and people of Lebanon. The possible bias and reasoning behind what was reported about Lebanon needs to be explored. All the newspapers reported on the lives of the hostages, their families, and the expected hopes for their release. All sources which I have researched have neglected to delve into the background of the Lebanese conflict, focus on the Lebanese civilians, or offer extensive explanation of motives or strategy behind the American hostage situation. The bias could have been intentionally what most Americans identify with as â€Å"pro-Israeli† tendencies, or could have been unknowingly biased through the method of filtering information to report. The reporting of the Lebanese conflict can be considered bias and non objective. Pedelty discusses the problematic utopian ideals of objective reporting, and the reporting of the Lebanese conflict can be paralleled with his discussion of the coverage of El Salvador on many different levels. Pedelty structures his argument against the common perceived notion that objective journalism is good journalism. First he defines the key factors of objective journalism which are: â€Å"emotion is taboo... politics are not considered objective... [and] objectivity is supposed to be value-free† (Pedelty, 171). Pedelty also acknowledges that â€Å"objectivity remains the standard by which journalists are judged† (Pedelty, 173).

Art Paper

Formal Analysis: The Metropolitan Museum of art boasts an impressive collection of art, among many other things. One piece that stood out the most was Saint John the Baptist Preaching, by Mattia Preti. Though the work has seemingly faded a bit over the last 360 years, it remains in superb condition, which leads one to believe it has been restored over time. It is this condition that caught my attention, surprisingly as dull as the piece appears; it stills pops when you make eye contact with it. Why does is pop? What about this work has my attention? My first thoughts were the artist’s ability to capture the human form with the amount of detail Mattia Preti had, was the drawing factor that brought me to choosing this as my focal point on my museum trip. The title is Saint John the Baptist Preaching, yet there are no subjects being preached to in the composition. Saint John is making direct eye contact with you as you are staring at him, which gives the sense of actually being in his presence, and listening to him preach. It seems Mattia Preti wanted the viewers to all feel like they were the ones being preached to from the arrangement of this piece of art. Saint John is situated in the middle of the canvas, slouched and leaning to his left in a sort of lazy posture, with his left hand over his heart. This to me says he is speaking of something in which he truly believes, or loves. Situated below him is a white lamb, which is apparent in many religious paintings, the relevance though escapes me. The human form is captured flawlessly, the artist’s ability to capture proper muscle tone and shape is uncanny, only if for a moment it seems this is a photograph taken in the 16th century. No small detail is over looked, looking closer you can actually see veins in the forearm and hand of the subject.

Factors in Discrimmination against Diversity - 1545 Words

As time goes by, it seems like the world is becoming smaller and smaller. We can instantly talk to someone halfway across the world and easily visit almost anywhere on the globe. Having this ability helps us to meet different types of people every single day. I think diversity is a beautiful thing, as it unites all types of people regardless of their differences. One of the areas where diversity can also be seen is in the workplace. Having a diverse culture in the workplace is wonderful, however, not everyone would agree with that statement. There are far too many cases of mistreatment and/or discrimination in the workplace that goes unnoticed, and sometimes, if identified, is mishandled or simply ignored. Whether it’s due to ethnicity, gender, age, or religion, there are those who cannot accept change in the workplace or in their personal lives, so they make it hard for those that are different from them. Discrimination is obviously wrong and is illegal. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, race, religion, nationality, or color. It’s complicated to understand why people discriminate. What gives people the mentality of feeling more superior than others? One of the biggest factors with discrimination is the concept of race. Race is one of the easiest targets because it is most easily identified as different, while paying no respect of the person’s actual ethnicity. To the ignorant, race and ethnicity areShow MoreRelatedEssay on Racism in America Today2249 Words   |  9 PagesWhether measured by income, opportunity or even the likelihood of incarceration -- Africans Americans face many challenges based primarily on the color of their skin. (Nagel, 2011) Blacks, as well as other minority racial groups, are discriminated against in society through housing; job availability, educational offerings and statuses in today ’s communities. There is often the fundamental argument of whether the root responsibility for racism lies with majority party or minority party? The white majority