5 Facts About Police Killings and Race

5 Facts About Police Killings and Race The absence of any kind of systematic tracking of police killings in the U.S. makes it difficult to see and understand any patterns that might exist among  them,  but fortunately, some researchers  have undertaken efforts to do so. While the data they have collected is limited, it is national in scope and  consistent from place to place, and  thus very  useful for illuminating trends. Lets take a look at what the data collected by Fatal Encounters and by the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement show us about police killings and race. Deaths by the Numbers Fatal Encounters is an ever-growing crowd-sourced database of police killings in the US compiled by D. Brian Burghart. To date, Burghart has  amassed a database of 2,808 incidents from across the nation. Though the race of those killed is currently unknown in nearly a third of the incidents, of those in which race is known, nearly a quarter are black, nearly a third are white, about 11 percent are Hispanic or Latino and just 1.45 percent are Asian or Pacific Islander. While there are more white than black people in this data, the percentage of those who are black far out-paces the percentage of those who are black in the general population- 24 percent versus 13 percent. Meanwhile, white people comprise about 78 percent of our national population, but just under 32 percent of those killed. This means that black people are more likely to be killed by police, while white, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, and Native American are less likely. This trend is corroborated by other research. A  study conducted by  Colorlines  and  The Chicago Reporter  in 2007 found that black people were over-represented among those killed by police in every city investigated, but especially in  New York, Las Vegas, and San Diego, where the rate was  at least double their share of the local population. This report also found that the number of Latinos killed by police is rising. Another report by the NAACP focused on Oakland, California found that 82 percent of people shot by police between 2004 and 2008 were black, and none were white. New York Citys 2011 Annual Firearms Discharge Report shows that police shot more black people than white or Hispanic people between 2000 and 2011. All of this amounts to a black person being killed by police, security guards or armed civilians in an extra-judicial manner every 28 hours, based on data for 2012 compiled by the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement  (MXGM). The largest proportion  of those people are young black men between the ages of 22 and 31 years old. Most People Killed Are Unarmed Per the MXGM report, the vast majority of those killed during 2012 were unarmed at the time. Forty-four percent had no weapon on them, while 27 percent were allegedly  armed,  but there was no documentation in the police report that  supported the presence of a weapon. Just 27 percent of those killed possessed a weapon or a toy weapon mistaken for a real one, and only 13 percent had been identified as an active or suspected shooter prior to their death. The NAACP report from Oakland similarly found that no weapons were present in 40 percent of cases in which people were shot by police. Suspicious Behavior and Perceived Threats The MXGM study of 313 black people killed by police, security guards and vigilantes in 2012 found that  43 percent of killings  were prompted by vaguely defined suspicious behavior. Equally troubling, about 20 percent of these incidents were precipitated by a family member calling 911 to seek emergency psychiatric care for the deceased. Just a quarter were facilitated by verifiable criminal activity. Per the MXGM report, I felt threatened is the most common reason given for one of these killings, cited in nearly half of all cases. Nearly a quarter were attributed to other allegations, including that the suspect lunged, reached toward waistband, pointed a gun, or drove toward an officer. In just 13 percent of the cases did the person killed actually fire a weapon. Criminal Charges Are Rare Despite the facts stated above, the study by MXGM found that only 3 percent of the 250 officers who killed a black person in 2012 were charged with a crime. Of the 23 people charged with a crime after one of these killings, most of them were vigilantes and security guards.  In most cases, District Attorneys and Grand Juries rule these killings justified.

Massacre at the Festival of Toxcatl

Massacre at the Festival of Toxcatl On May 20, 1520, Spanish conquistadors led by Pedro de Alvarado attacked unarmed Aztec nobles congregated at the Festival of Toxcatl, one of the most important festivals on the native religious calendar. Alvarado believed he had evidence of an Aztec plot to attack and murder the Spanish, who had recently occupied the city and taken Emperor Montezuma captive. Thousands were slaughtered by the ruthless Spaniards, including much of the leadership of the Mexica city of Tenochtitlan. After the massacre, the city of Tenochtitlan rose up against the invaders, and on June 30, 1520, they would successfully (if temporarily) drive them out. Hernan Cortes and the Conquest of the Aztecs In April of 1519, Hernan Cortes had landed near present-day Veracruz with some 600 conquistadors. The ruthless Cortes had slowly made his way inland, encountering several tribes along the way. Many of these tribes were unhappy vassals of the warlike Aztecs, who ruled their empire from the marvelous city of Tenochtitlan. In Tlaxcala, the Spanish had fought the warlike Tlaxcalans before agreeing to an alliance with them. The conquistadors had continued on to Tenochtitlan by way of Cholula, where Cortes orchestrated a massive massacre of local leaders he claimed were complicit in a plot to murder them. In November of 1519, Cortes and his men reached the glorious city of Tenochtitlan. They were initially welcomed by Emperor Montezuma, but the greedy Spaniards soon wore out their welcome. Cortes imprisoned Montezuma and held him hostage against the good behavior of his people. By now the Spanish had seen the vast golden treasures of the Aztecs and were hungry for more. An uneasy truce between the conquistadors and an increasingly resentful Aztec population lasted into the early months of 1520. Cortes, Velazquez, and Narvaez Back in Spanish-controlled Cuba, governor Diego Velazquez had learned of Cortes exploits. Velazquez had initially sponsored Cortes but had tried to remove him from command of the expedition. Hearing of the great wealth coming out of Mexico, Velazquez sent veteran conquistador Panfilo de Narvaez to rein in the insubordinate Cortes and regain control of the campaign. Narvaez landed in April of 1520 with a massive force of over 1000 well-armed conquistadors.   Cortes mustered as many men as he could and returned to the coast to battle Narvaez. He left about 120 men behind in Tenochtitlan and left his trusted lieutenant Pedro de Alvarado in charge. Cortes met meet Narvaez in battle and defeated him on the night of May 28-29, 1520. With Narvaez in chains, most of his men joined Cortes. Alvarado and the Festival of Toxcatl In the first three weeks of May, the Mexica (Aztecs) traditionally celebrated the Festival of Toxcatl.   This long festival was dedicated to the most important of the Aztec gods, Huitzilopochtli. The purpose of the festival was to ask for the rains which would water the Aztec crops for another year, and it involved dancing, prayers, and human sacrifice. Before he left for the coast, Cortes had conferred with Montezuma and had decided that the festival could go on as planned. Once Alvarado was in charge, he also agreed to allow it, on the (unrealistic) condition that there be no human sacrifices. A Plot Against the Spanish? Before long, Alvarado began to believe that there was a plot to kill him and the other conquistadors remaining in Tenochtitlan. His Tlaxcalan allies told him that they had heard rumors that at the conclusion of the festival, the people of Tenochtitlan were to rise against the Spanish, capture them and sacrifice them. Alvarado saw stakes being fixed into the ground, of the sort used to hold captives while they awaited being sacrificed. A new, gruesome statue of Huitzilopochtli was being raised onto the top of the great temple. Alvarado spoke to Montezuma and demanded he put an end to any plots against the Spanish, but the emperor answered that he knew of no such plot and could not do anything about it anyway, as he was a prisoner. Alvarado was further enraged by the obvious presence of sacrificial victims in the city. The Temple Massacre Both the Spanish and the Aztecs became increasingly uneasy, but the Festival of Toxcatl began as planned. Alvarado, by now convinced of the evidence of a plot, decided to take the offensive. On the fourth day of the festival, Alvarado placed half of his men on guard duty around Montezuma and some of the highest-ranking Aztec lords and placed the rest in strategic positions around the Patio of the Dances near the Great Temple, where the Serpent Dance was to take place. The Serpent Dance was one of the most important moments of the Festival, and the Aztec nobility was in attendance, in beautiful cloaks of brightly colored feathers and animal skins. Religious and military leaders were present as well. Before long, the courtyard was full of brightly colored dancers and attendees. Alvarado gave the order to attack. Spanish soldiers closed off the exits to the courtyard and the massacre began. Crossbowmen and harquebusiers rained down death from the rooftops, while heavily armed and armored foot soldiers and about a thousand Tlaxcalan allies waded into the crowd, cutting down the dancers and revelers. The Spanish spared no one, chasing down those who begged for mercy or fled. Some of the revelers fought back and even managed to kill a few of the Spanish, but the unarmed nobles were no match for steel armor and weapons. Meanwhile, the men guarding Montezuma and the other Aztec lords murdered several of them but spared the emperor himself and a few others, including Cuitlhuac, who would later become Tlatoani (Emperor) of the Aztecs after Montezuma. Thousands were killed, and in the aftermath, the greedy Spanish soldiers picked the corpses clean of golden ornaments. Spanish Under Siege Steel weapons and cannons or not, Alvarados 100 conquistadors were seriously outnumbered. The city rose in outrage and attacked the Spanish, who had barricaded themselves in the palace which had been their quarters. With their harquebuses, cannons, and crossbows, the Spanish were able to mostly hold off the assault, but the rage of the people showed no signs of subsiding. Alvarado ordered Emperor Montezuma to go out and calm the people. Montezuma complied, and the people temporarily ceased their assault on the Spanish, but the city was still full of rage. Alvarado and his men were in a most precarious situation. Aftermath of the Temple Massacre Cortes heard of his mens dilemma and rushed back to Tenochtitlan after defeating Panfilo de Narvaez. He found the city in a state of uproar and was barely able to re-establish order. After the Spanish forced him to go out and plead for his people to stay calm, Montezuma was attacked with stones and arrows by his own people. He died slowly of his wounds, passing away on or about June 29, 1520. The death of Montezuma only made the situation worse for Cortes and his men, and Cortes decided that he simply did not have enough resources to hold the enraged city. On the night of June 30, the Spanish tried to sneak out of the city, but they were spotted and the Mexica (Aztecs) attacked. This became known as the Noche Triste, or Night of Sorrows, because hundreds of Spaniards were killed as they fled the city. Cortes escaped with most of his men and over the next few months would begin a campaign to re-take Tenochtitlan. The Temple Massacre is one of the more infamous episodes in the history of the Conquest of the Aztecs, which had no shortage of barbarous events. Whether or not the Aztecs did, in fact, intend to rise up against Alvarado and his men is unknown. Historically speaking, there is little hard evidence for such a plot, but it is undeniable that Alvarado was in an extremely dangerous situation which got worse daily. Alvarado had seen how the Cholula Massacre had stunned the population into docility, and perhaps he was taking a page from Cortes book when he ordered the Temple Massacre.   Sources: Diaz del Castillo, Bernal. . Trans., ed. J.M. Cohen. 1576. London, Penguin Books, 1963. Print.Levy, Buddy. Conquistador: Hernan Cortes, King Montezuma and the Last Stand of the Aztecs. New York: Bantam, 2008.Thomas, Hugh. Conquest: Montezuma, Cortes and the Fall of Old Mexico. New York: Touchstone, 1993.

Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 6

Management - Essay Example The Multinational companies are those which have more than one branch in different foreign countries. A global company is a kind of company which has no boundary, for a global company there is more than one head office in different foreign countries and there is no boundary in appointing the board of directions also (Lou, 1999). The difference between the global company and the multinational company is that the global companies don’t differentiate between the home country and host country employees. It is evident that though many international companies claim themselves as multinational companies but from their R & D, know-how, and technicalities they keep the host country aside. Here, it is important to note that, host country is the country in which the organization wants to do business and the home country is said to be the country in which the organization has its base that is the origin. A company is said to be a global company when the country would have similar amount o f representatives present in their board of directors from the home country as well as from the host country Recommendation: The recommendations depend on the nature of the company. If a company has sufficient amount of production so that it can export it in the international market then off course it is recommended for going outside of the country. For example, a dairy company can easily sell the oversupply of cheese and milk to the outside country. If a country has key competence in any of the field then the company can move to the international market to capture the international market. When the firm sufficiently produces surplus products it can go for international market. There are many other reasons for going international of firms. Justification: The move of a company for going international depends on the company’s strength on some parameters. There are mainly three reasons present for the justification of a company’s move towards international market. One is the increased of market share, possibility of increasing economies of scale and scope or learning, gaining competitive advantage, branding of the company (Lou, 1999). Increasing the market share is very important reason to go in the international market. Creating brand awareness among the customers is required to enhance the brand position. Global brand itself is a positioning of any company. If a company is positioned itself as a global brand then it can automatically create popularity and loyalty among the customers. Implementation: The organization should execute both primary and secondary market research for new foreign market to determine the market demand. Recommendation: Establishing franchisee is also a kind of international business strategy. For example, KFC has established its franchise system in different countries even in the third world nations by adopting the culture of the developing countries. Justification: Franchisee would be effective global expansion strategy. T he organization can capitalize on the international business opportunities through the seer knowledge of the franchisee owners about the market demand and several key cultural factors. Implementation: The organization should consider favorable location and footfall regarding the establishment of franchisee. A transparent agreement with the owners will help the organization to perform effective business performances. Recommendation:

Unit 2 disucssion board Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Unit 2 disucssion board - Essay Example ive of a healthcare provider, the rights of a healthcare seeker are those rights, which enable the individual to ensure receipt of service of the individual’s choice without the interference of others in keeping with the dignity of the individual, as a human being. The reason for this is that only then can the healthcare provider ensure fulfilling all the obligations that are part of the provision of healthcare services to the satisfaction of the patient. An example here brings clarity to the definition. There is growing popularity for complementary or alternative medicine (CAM), as cultural intermingling takes place, owing to the increase in migration in modern times. At the time of seeking healthcare service, the service provider needs to provide all necessary information on CAM as part of the correlative obligation of disclosure, when seeking informed consent, which is part of the autonomy right of the individual. (Kerridge, H.I. & McPhee, R.J., 2004). The consequences of this definition imply changes in the existing understanding of providing healthcare services. The healthcare provider needs to take into consideration the rights of the healthcare seeker. No longer does the old patronizing view of ‘I know what’s best in your interest’ holds good. The healthcare seeker has a right to understand the various options available, and choose the option that the individual believes is the right mode of medical intervention. The patient-provider shared decision making model best accommodates the definition of right. The patient-provider shared decision-making model involves the use of discussions between the patient and the physician in coming to a decision on the suitable medical intervention. In this way the rights of the patient are covered, and the knowledge and skills of the physician are also brought into play. (Nguyent, T. T. & McPhee, J.S., 2003). The shared decision making model demonstrates how rights and obligations co-exist in the issue of the

Role of Risk in Financial Decision Making Dissertation

Role of Risk in Financial Decision Making - Dissertation Example Risk is going to be the core factor of analysis in this study which will provide an idea of how risk assessment is important for an overall financial decision making process and its impact in the Small and Medium businesses. The literature will cover the post empirical studies to get to the subject adequately and effectively. This will provide the understanding of the subject in regards of risk management, risk analysis and its role in financial and business decision making process (Smit & Watkins, 2012). The process of risk management can be defined as follows. â€Å"Risk management is concerned with the outcome of future events whose exact outcome is unknown and with how to deal with these uncertainties†¦ In general, outcomes are categorized as favorable or unfavorable, and risk management is the art and science of planning, assessing (Identifying and analyzing), handling, and monitoring future events to ensure favorable outcomes† (Conrow, 2003, p. 2). In recent times S MEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) pay much attention to the risk management subject. Such organizations always emphasize on major risks involved in their businesses, this is to reduce overall risk of liability, risk of investment or risk of assets which are involved with their respective small partnered business ownerships. All of these are constraints of finance, if one views them in an investment or capital perspective. All of the above reasons validate that risk assessment is necessary for companies especially which are present with small scale and are on the initial settings to expand their business (Smit & Watkins, 2012). Organizations like retailer stores, utility shops, restaurants or hotels which are a central part of any developing economy apply risk components to analyze risk factors. This is to manage financial methods and business decision making process. In recent times this had been found in hotel management section which is one form of small enterprise business (SME) assess their risks to manage key financial elements like credentials, account receivables, account payables and financial assets like covenants or insurance (Luper, 2012). In SMEs especially present in a competitive market arrangement, the magnitude of financial management is bigger and so as its margin of retrieving risk at the time of business decision making. This is why such organizations utilize key risk applications to derive their financial objectives and make them achieve at right time of a business operation. An idea floats among all the business professionals mindset that better risk assessment leads to better financial management, which is true because risk evolves challenges and a good strategist include those challenges in assessment, before they become problems at a later point of time. Uncertainty takes the origin especially when risk is not overcome at the right time of an SME business and when it is assessed to a level which is adequate to meet financial goals or b usiness objectives of the Enterprise (Luper, 2012). In today’s modern business system, risk assessment has found its place in financial business organizations like Variable Annuity Industries (Melnick & Everitt, 2008). Based on long term planning, VA providers consider risk as a significant factor for designing and improvising annuities. To manage risk on the financial decisions, VA SMEs deploy risk management strategies to

A critical review of Porters competitive strategy

A critical review of Porters competitive strategy Title: A critical review of Porter's competitive strategy in relation to his five forces model in comparison to other perspectives. â€Å"All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved.† Sun Tzu, Chinese General Introduction Strategy originates from military and warfare and according to Stephen Cummings; the word itself has its origins from the Greek word ‘stratos’ which meant ‘army’ (Cummings, 1993, pp 133 – 135). A number of ancient generals and scholars have defined the character of strategy. Some famous ones are Sun Tzu, the Chinese general in the 2nd century BC and Sextus Frontinus, the Roman general in the first century AD. Frontinus has defined strategy as â€Å"everything achieved by a commander, be it characterised by foresight, advantage, enterprise or resolution† (Cummings, 1993, pp 133 – 135). Another Greek military commander Xenophon very aptly defined strategy as â€Å"knowing the business which you propose to carry out† (Cummings, 1993, pp 133 – 135). The importance of clear intent, seeking advantage over adversaries, objectives of survival and expansion, and utilisation of given resources with inherent strengths and weaknesses in a manner that successfully leverages the advantage, are as relevant to a business organisation as to military. Aligning resources to objectives to gain advantage to maximum limits requires strategic thinking. This process can be either logical or creative. Strategy formation itself can be deliberate or emergent. Strategy operates at various levels and contexts. It can operate in a combination of business level, corporate level or network level in industry context, organisational context or international context (Wit and Meyer, 2004, p.14). There are diverse models on strategy and strategic management. However all models focus on the importance of aligning the dynamics of a business system to the dynamics of its environment for meeting its long-term objectives. The goal of strategic management is to gain competitive advantage. According to Wit and Meyer, a business system is the configuration of resources (inputs), activities (throughput) and product/service offering (output) and this configuration is the cornerstone of gaining competitive advantage (Wit and Meyer, 2004 p. 231). There are two broad models on business level strategy. One involves market orientation and the other is focussed on resources. One revolves around the outside-in perspective, while the other is inside-out perspective. Both deal with the ability of a form to acquire competitive advantage (See Appendix I and II). One such prominent strategy model is Michael Porter’s Five Forces model. This assignment critically evaluates Porter’s Five Forces model and compares it with alternative models. Sustainable Competitive Advantage It is important for competitive advantage to be sustainable. But what exactly is competitive advantage and what makes it sustainable? According to Wits and Meyer, â€Å"a firm’s has a competitive advantage when it has the means to edge out rivals when vying for the favour of customers† (Wit and Meyer, 2004 p. 244). Michael Porter argues that competitive advantage is sustainable â€Å"if it cannot be copied, substituted or eroded by the actions of rivals, and is not made redundant by developments in the environment† (Porter, 1980). Wits and Meyer interpret that sustainability is determined by competitive defendability and environmental consonance. Porter’s Five Forces Model The five forces model involves market orientation and is an outside-in perspective. The model proposes that the starting point in determining an appropriate competitive strategy is to understand two dynamic factors, (1) the long-term profitability that determines the attractiveness of the industry in which the firm operates; and (2) the position that a firm occupies within an industry vis-à  -vis its competitors. Porter concludes that neither all industries are equal in attractiveness, nor are all firms equal in achieving levels of profitability with in their respective industry. But these positions change and therefore cannot fully determine competitive strategy. On the other hand, a firm can actually shape both (1) the industry attractiveness as well as (2) its competitive position. By understanding of what he calls as the â€Å"rules of competition† a firm can create an effective competitive strategy that can alter the balance in its favour. According to Porter, five competitive forces determine the rules of competition. These are: The barriers to entry for new competitors The threat of substitutes The bargaining power of suppliers The bargaining power of buyers The magnitude of existing competition As can be understood that all the above forces have a direct or an indirect impact upon how the prices and the cost that make up business operations within the industry. What’s more, the level of investment required by a new comer to get into the industry is also portrayed by these forces. The intensity as well as the importance of these forces varies from industry to industry. But irrespective of the nature of industry the collective strength of these forces â€Å"determines the ability of firms in an industry to earn, on average, rates of return on investment in excess of cost of capital† (Porter, 1985). For example, for an industry with low entry barriers, the magnitude of competition will be higher. Similarly, availability of substitutes deflates the price within the industry. Bargaining power of buyers brings down prices and as a consequence the margins for firms within the industry. Bargaining power of the suppliers has a direct impact on cost and availability of raw materials. For an industry, which is intensely competitive, the margins once again come under pressure. The UK supermarkets are clearly operating in an intensely competitive industry albeit with a certain degree of control over their suppliers. However, this is not entirely true for the airlines industry, which is not only highly competitive, but also has a low control over its suppliers, especially for its most important raw material – the petrol prices. Therefore the pressure is on both ends – the cost as well as the price. Each industry has certain economic and technical features that make up its structure. Industry structure is susceptible to change over a period of time. It is important for a firm to understand the factors that could change the industry structure. It is this understanding that can enable a firm to build an effective competitive strategy that can alter the structure of an industry. Porter argues that a successful strategy is the one that can alter the rules of competition to create a position of advantage for the firm. He states that the merit of the five-forces framework lies in the fact that it â€Å"allows a firm to see through the complexity and pinpoint those factors that are critical to competition in its industry, as well as to identify those strategic innovations that would improve the industry’s – and its own – profitability† (Porter, 1985). A strategy has a potential of altering the industry structure in a negative manner as well. It can bring about price sensitivity, competitive backlash or lowering of barriers that protect the industry and ensure its profitability. A good example of this is the low-cost airlines where pricing is treated as the strategy. ‘Smart’ companies take a long-term perspective while making strategic choices, so as not to destroy the industry structure. Industry leaders whose strategic choices can easily alter the industry structure, due to their size and bargaining power, are sensitive to the fact that an altered structure can have a negative impact on the firm’s own growth therefore a leader needs to show an approach that protects the industry structure, rather than destroy it. The importance of industry structure Two key areas are touched by industry structure. These are: Buyer needs, and Supply/demand balance Buyer needs: Serious firms treat the task of satisfying buyer needs as their core objective. The effort is always to create value for their customers. However, industry structure determines how profitable this effort turns out to be. For instance, two industries that create an equally high value for their customers may have different returns. Entry barriers, threat of substitutes, bargaining power of buyers and suppliers as well as intensity of competition, all these forces influence industry profitability vis-à  -vis customer value creation. Supply/demand balance: This also has an impact on the industry profitability and at the same time is influenced by industry structure in the long term. Entry and exit barriers exert influence as also capacities. For example, in some industries, even a little excess capacity can lead to price wars and therefore lower the profitability. This is being witnessed in the airlines industry. Competitive strategies The objective of understanding industry structure lies in the need to build a sustainable competitive strategy which results in a position of advantage relative to its competitors. The starting point is in value chain analysis that helps a firm to determine the activities which contribute to creating superior value. The goal is to achieve profitability higher than the industry average. Porter argues that based on this analysis, a firm can have one of the three competitive strategies: Cost leadership – by which a firm leverages its scale to bring down the cost of doing business and then passes the benefit to its customers. This is achievable only for firms that display one or more of such features – (1) they operate on a large scale, serving multiple segments and perhaps even operating in complementary industries; (2) have proprietary technology; (3) have â€Å"preferential access to raw materials† (Porter, 1985). What’s more, cost leadership advantage is not at the expense of differentiation and is pursued by seeking cost advantage from multiple operational areas such as marketing, finance, human resources, in addition to production and supply-chain. Porter states that â€Å"a cost leader must achieve parity or proximity in the basis of differentiation relative to its competitors o be an above-average performer, even though it relies on cost-leadership for its competitive advantage† (Porter, 1985). An example is Tesco. Differentiation: This strategy is aimed at achieving uniqueness on attributes that determine consumer preference. According to Porter, this strategy can emerge from product differentiation, distribution system, and/or marketing approach. This allows a firm to charge premium price and can result in a loyal customer base. However care must be taken that the premium price is more than the cost of differentiation as well as is sustainable in long run. Once again, pursuing this strategy does not mean that a firm can ignore the cost element, which is a vital contributor to its bottom-line. An example of this could be Waitrose. Focus strategies – cost focus / differentiation focus: These strategic choices are for firms with narrow target segment. These are achievable only if the â€Å"target segments â€Å"either have buyers with unusual needs or else the production and delivery system that best serves the target segment must differ from that of other industry segments† (Porter, 1985). These are generic strategies across industries and the manner in which these are executed also varies for different industries. Internet and the Industry Structure In recent times, Michael Porter’s five forces model has expanded in scope to include internet and its influence industries. In his article â€Å"Strategy and the Internet† published in Harvard Business Review in 2001, Porter argues that Internet â€Å"tends to influence and alter industry structures in ways to dampen overall profitability, and it has a levelling effect on business practices, reducing the ability of any company to establish an operational advantage that can be sustained.† He states that the seemingly low cost of doing online business is actually artificially depressed as it does not account for many key activities such as inventory and warehousing which are needed to deliver value to the customer. But he also determines that internet has increased the possibilities for firms â€Å"to establish distinctive strategic positionings† that traditional information technology tools could not offer. He concludes that including internet offers a new dimension to a firm’s operations and is unavoidable as a tool in carrying out business. But if real economic value is to be created then internet initiatives must be integrated with the traditional competitive strategy as â€Å"internet per se will rarely be a competitive advantage† (Porter, 2001). Alternative model: Strategy from inside-out This perspective is exactly opposite to Michael Porter’s Five Forces model. Models based on this perspective are focussed on internal strengths and capabilities for devising a competitive strategy rather than scouring external opportunities. The starting point is an assessment of firm’s resources or competences that have been acquired over a period of time. What’s more, if one such resource is not existing within, then how to acquire it? Market positioning is sought in alignment with a firm’s resource based strategy. â€Å"Selected market positions must leverage the existing resource base, not ignore it†¦.for success resources should be leading and markets following† (Wit and Meyer, 2004, p. 252). Two main models have been proposed by leading practitioners of management: Competence based view; and Capabilities based view This viewpoint does not consider just physical resources, but also intangible resources or competences that get uniquely composed within an organisation during its operational span. These could vary from competence in Internet-driven supply-chain management to offline quality process. Firms seeking leadership position make sure that its core competences or capabilities are upgraded on a periodic basis so that competitive advantage is maintained. This is termed as the dynamic capabilities view (Teece, Pisano and Shuen, 1997). It is emphasised that a firm needs to take a long-term view of its competences and take all actions to strengthen these competences. This perspective does not advocate an ad-hoc approach that results in building up of unrelated competences. On the flip side, the challenge is in dismantling of existing competences and building of new competences as market demand changes. One good example of this is the mass-production mastered by American automobile companies could not be transformed swiftly into lean production practiced by Japanese firms such as Toyota, leading to erosion of market share and competitive advantage for giants such as General Motors and Ford. â€Å"†¦companies experience that that their core competences can be their core rigidities, locking them out of new opportunities† (Leonard-Barton, 1995). The perspective is further refined by Miller, Eisenstat and Foote (2002) as they propose the terms â€Å"asymmetries† and â€Å"capability configurations.† According to them, a firm’s asymmetries are it’s â€Å"skills, knowledge, processes relationships, proper ties, or outputs an organisation possesses or produces that its motivated competitors are unlikely to acquire or copy in a cost or time-effective way† (Miller et al 2002). However these can be of disadvantage to a firm unless â€Å"carefully fostered and directed†¦.by leveraging them via an appropriate market focus, companies may be able to aspire realistically to attain competitive advantage† (Miller et al 2002). This is the essence of â€Å"capability configuration† which is a system of reinforcing elements incorporating core capabilities and the organisational design infrastructures†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Miller et al 2002). They argue that the development process of inside-out strategy is emergent and iterative in nature and is characterised by trial and error. Three imperatives suggested by them for deriving sustainable competitive advantage out of an capabilities model are that firms need to: (1) â€Å"discover asymmetries and their potential†; (2) â€Å"create capability configurations – by design†; and (3) â€Å"pursue market opportunities that build on and leverage capabilities† (Miller et al 2002). Conclusion Both perspectives have their supporters. It is for a firm to decide the perspective that it wants to take for building its competitive strategy. It is suggested that the inside-out perspective has more depth. The argument is that although market-orientation and ability to capitalise on external opportunities are critical factors in a firm’s success, both (1) market-sensing and (2) customer-linking are distinctive capabilities that get cultivated within a firm over a period of time (Day, 1994). At the same time, Barney (1991) argues that resources become the foundation of competitive advantage only once they meet four conditions. They should be â€Å"(1) valuable, (2) rare, (3) difficult to imitate, and (4) difficult to substitute† (Barney, 1991). Appendix I: Outside-in versus inside-out perspective Source: Wit and Meyer, 2004, p.255 Appendix II References: Barney, J.B. (1991); Firm Resources and Sustained Competitive Advantage; Journal of Management, Vol. 17, No. 1, 1991, pp.99-120 Cummings, S. (1993); Brief Case: The First Strategists; Long Range Planning, Vol. 26, No. 3, June pp. 133 – 135 Day, George S. (1994); The Capabilities of Market-Driven Organisations; Journal of Marketing, October 1994, Vol. 58, No. 4, pp. 37-52 Leonard-Barton, D. (1995); Wellsprings of Knowledge; Harvard Business School Press, Boston, MA Miller, Danny; Eisenstat, Russel and Foote, Nathaniel (2002); Strategy from the inside out: building capability-creating organisations; California Management Review, Vol. 33, No. 3 Porter, M.E. (1980); Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analysing Industries and Competitors; New York: The Free Press Porter, M.E. (1985); Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance; New York: The Free Press Porter, M.E. (1996); What is Strategy’; Harvard Business Review, Vol. 74, No. 6, November-December, pp. 61-78 Porter, M.E. (2001); Internet and Strategy’; Harvard Business Review, March; accessed from Harvard Business Publishing online http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu/hbsp/index.jsp Prahalad, C.K. and Hamel, G. (1990); The Core Competence of the Corporation; Harvard Business Review, Vol. 68, No. 3, May-June, pp. 79-91 Teece, D.J., Pisano, G. and Shuen, A. (1997); Dynamic Capabilities and Strategic Management; Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 18, No. 7, August, pp. 509-533 Wit, Bob De and Meyer, Ron (2008); Strategy: Process, Content, Context – An International Perspective; Thomson, 4th Edition Brief 211514Page 1 of 8

The Life and Works of Walt Whitman :: Biography

Poets write various styles of poetry. They use their own personal experiences, ideas, and creativity. Walt Whitman used all of these styles in his writings. He had experienced trials and tribulations throughout his whole life. Whitman did a lot of moving during his childhood, and that probably caused his personality to be neurotic. There are a lot of things that he has done to change the writings of future poets’. Walt Whitman was born on May 31, 1819 in Long Island, New York. He was the second son of Walter Whitman and Louisa Van Velsor. His father was a house builder. The family consisted of nine children (Whitman 1). The Whitman’s moved to Brooklyn when Walt was only four years old (334). When he was only twelve years old, he began to learn the printer’s trade and he fell in love with the written word, and became accustomed to reading the bible (para. 2).He did not have a formal education, and he read the works if Sir Walter Scott, Shakespeare, Homer, and Dante (Feldman 438). Whitman had worked as a printer in New York City until a fire annihilated the printing district where he was working at. When he turned 17 years old, he became a teacher in the one-room school houses of Long Island. Whitman continued to teach until 1841, he turned to journalism and this became his full-time career (Whitman para. 3). Whitman founded a newspaper called, The Long Islander, and later on he edited numerous of Brooklyn and New York newspapers. He left Brooklyn’s, The Daily Eagle, to become the editor of the New Orleans Crescent. He experienced first hand the cruelness of slavery in the slave markets of New Orleans. When he returned to Brooklyn, he found the Brooklyn Freeman and he started to develop a unique style of poetry (Whitman para. 4). Whitman had a unique sense of writing styles. People say that he had an â€Å"organic† style of writing of Hebrew poetry and is based on the device of parallelism. Whitman’s poetry contained elements of repetition (Unger 332). His characteristics also had a lot to do with his writings. People say that in his own way that he was an intellectual, and was a highly unorthodox poet. He had a neurotic side. They described him as a convert bisexual, quirky, elusive, and power-seeking (332). Whitman’s sexuality had some influence on his writings. He had some difficulty with his sexuality.