Walt Disney Essays - Business, Economy, Anti-corporate Activism

Walt Disney Consumers can play an important role in closing sweatshops, and they have a right to know what companies are using sweatshops to produce their product there are simple steps consumers can take to help fight against the use of sweatshops. Right now many famous companies are using sweatshops readily to save money. However, ironically, the companies that use them are the companies that can afford to spend the extra money for regular labor. Some of these name brand companies include; Nike, Disney, Kathie- Lee Gifford, Gap, Liz Claiborne, Ralph Lauren, and Wal-Mart. Many people have no idea that these companies are using sweatshops. Disney for example is a very well known company. No one would ever expect that their favorite childhood Disney memory could have been created through sweatshops and child labor. Disney is just one of the many well respected, loved companies with dark secrets. It is hard to believe as a consumer that a company that consumers have grown to trust and love uses such forced labor, with underaged sweatshop employees making consumers favorite characters come to life. Well, Peter and Rochelle Schweizer makes it clear that it could be a possibility: " The face of Disney the manufacturer is not a pretty one. All too often Disney clothes, toys, and trinkets are made by child laborers. Disney licensees have been caught using child labor on three continents" (245). Many other companies are practicing the same type of labor policies without consumers's knowledge. If companies feel that sweatshops are a decent and fair way of doing business and have no problems with continuing to use them, they should at least make these reasons public and confront their consumers's concerns. They should let their consumers know why they choose to conduct their business in this manner. Consumers would then have the real information on the product that they choose, and not only what the company wants them to Mueckler 2 know. Consumers would then be able to base their product choice on work place conditions as well as the over all product information. Some companies's use of sweatshops have been made public. Kathie-Lee Gifford's designer clothes company for example was widely evident in the news in 1996. Gifford was shocked when she heard of the sweatshop conditions her company was using. Since this Gifford has been involved in organizing the Apparel Industry Partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor. This organization tries to crack down on the use of child labor. This is one example of where the public influenced a company to change its policies. This gives hope that with consumer support other companies can be influenced in similar ways. Disney, however, has not been so noteworthy in their efforts. Disney licensees go out of their way to bring their company to countries such as Burma, where the practice of child labor is a normal everyday event, and they exploit this to create their product as cheaply as possible. Schweizer explains how remote the locations that Disney licensees use, " For years Disney licensees were manufacturing in a country few Americans could locate on a map. Burma- also known as Myanmar, the name given it by the ruling military junta- is a poverty - stricken nation wedged between India, China, and the lush mountains of Thailand." (251). This is an ideal location because so few people are aware of it. This makes it easy for the Disney licensees to continue their business without being detected. Another insight to Burma is that drug lords hold great power and are protected by the government. Disney licensees had to get the permission to have sweatshops in Burma from these drug lords. This shows how the drug lords are the ones with the power in Burma. First companies must win the respect of these drug lords before they are able to work there. " Burma's attraction as a manufacturing site is obvious: ultracheap labor." (252). Mueckler 3 When consumers and human rights groups along with labor organizations took action in 1996, they did get a response from Disney. The National Labor Committee and other organizations together made Disney's involvement in Burma public with the Free Burma Campaign. Disney denied these claims. They pretended they had no involvement in Burma. They knew how the negative public announcement would hurt the company, which is the major reason why companies hide the facts from the consumers. Schweizer explains that many other respectable companies have volunteered to monitor their working conditions, however, Disney is not one of them. This shows that Disney is aware that

How to Start a Book Report

How to Start a Book Report No matter what youre writing, be it the next great novel, an essay for school, or a book report, you have to capture your audiences attention with a great introduction. Most students will introduce the title of the book and its author, but theres so much more you can do. A strong introduction will help you engage your readers, hold their attention and explain what is coming up in the rest of your report. Giving your audience something to look forward to, and perhaps even creating a little mystery and excitement, can be great ways to make sure your readers stay engaged with your report. How do you do this? Check out these three simple steps: 1. Hook the Audience's Attention Think about what you experience in your daily life that captures your attention. The news and radio shows promo upcoming stories with a little teaser, often called a hook (because it hooks your attention). Corporations use snappy subject lines in emails and enticing headlines in social media to get you to open their messages; these are often called clickbait as they get the reader to click on the content. So how can you grab your readers attention? Start by writing a great  introductory sentence. You may choose to begin by asking your reader a question to hook his or her interest. Or you may opt for a title that hints at the topic of your report with a dash of drama. Regardless of the way you choose to start a book report, the four strategies outlined here can help you write an engaging essay. Starting your book report with a question is a good way to grab your readers interest because youre addressing them directly. Consider the following sentences: Do you believe in happy endings?Have you ever felt like a total outsider?Do you love a good mystery?What would you do if you discovered a secret that changed everything? Most people have a ready answer for questions like these because they speak to common experiences we share. Its a means of creating empathy between the person reading your book report and the book itself. For example, consider this opening to a book report about The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton: Have you ever been judged by your appearance? In The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton gives readers a glimpse inside the tough exterior of a social outcast. Not everyones teenage years are as dramatic as those in Hintons coming-of-age novel. But everyone was once an adolescent, and odds are everyone had moments when they felt misunderstood or alone. Another idea to hook someones attention is, if youre discussing a book by a well-known or popular author, you might start with an interesting fact about the era when the author was alive and how it influenced his or her writing. For example: As a young child, Charles Dickens was forced to work in a shoe polish factory. In his novel, Hard Times, Dickens taps into his childhood experience to explore the evils of social injustice and hypocrisy. Not everyone has read Dickens, but many people have heard his name. By starting your book report with a fact, youre appealing to your readers curiosity. Similarly, you may choose an experience from the author’s life that had an impact on his or her work.   2. Summarize the Content and Provide Details A book report is meant to discuss the contents of the book at hand, and your introductory paragraph should give a little overview. This isnt the place to delve into details, but draw off your hook to share a little more information that is crucial to the storyline.   For example, sometimes, a novels setting is what makes it so powerful. To Kill a Mockingbird, the award-winning book by Harper Lee, takes place in a small town in Alabama during the Great Depression. The author draws on her own experiences in recalling a time when a small Southern towns sleepy exterior hid a vague sense of impending change. In this example, the reviewer might include a reference to the books setting and plot in that first paragraph: Set in the sleepy town of Maycomb, Alabama during the Depression, we learn about Scout Finch and her father, a prominent lawyer, as he desperately works to prove the innocence of a black man wrongly accused of rape. The controversial trial leads to some unexpected interactions and some  terrifying situations for the Finch Family. Authors make a deliberate choice when selecting the setting of a book. After all, the location and setting can set a very distinct mood.   3. Make a Thesis Statement (if applicable) When writing a book report, you might also include your own interpretations of the subject matter. Ask your teacher how much personal interpretation he or she wants first, but assuming that some personal opinion is warranted, your introduction should include a thesis statement. This is where you present the reader with your own argument  about the work. To write a strong thesis statement, which should be about one sentence, you might reflect on what the author was trying to achieve. Consider the theme and see if the book was written in such a way where you were able to determine it easily and if it made sense. As yourself a few questions: Was the book meant to be entertaining or informative? Did it accomplish that goal?Did the moral at the end make sense? Did you learn something?Did the book make you think about the topic at hand and assess your beliefs?   Once youve asked yourself these questions, and any other questions you may think of, see if these responses lead you to a thesis statement in which you assess the success of the novel. Sometimes, a thesis statement is widely shared, while others may be more controversial. In the example below, the thesis statement is one that few would dispute, ​and uses dialogue from the text to help illustrate the point.  Authors choose dialogue carefully, and a single phrase from a character can often represent both a major theme and your thesis. A well-chosen quote included in your book reports introduction can help you create a thesis statement that has a powerful impact on your readers, as in this example: At its heart, the novel To Kill A Mockingbird is a plea for tolerance in an atmosphere of intolerance, and is a statement on social justice. As the  character  Atticus Finch tells his daughter, You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...until you climb into his skin and walk around in it. Quoting Finch is effective because his words sum up the novels theme concisely and also appeal to the readers own sense of tolerance. Conclusion Dont worry if your first attempt at writing an introductory paragraph is less than perfect. Writing is an act of fine-tuning, and you may need several revisions. The idea is to start your book report by identifying your general theme so that you can move on to the body of your essay. After youve written the entire book report, you can (and should) return to the introduction to refine it. Creating an outline can help you best identify what you need in your introduction. Article edited  by  Stacy Jagodowski

Weekly Reflection - Economic Forecasting Paper Essay

Weekly Reflection - Economic Forecasting Paper - Essay Example Here we were holding set to operate on the actual plantations (large parts of land possessed by Europeans wherever crops were being grown). The ships’ boat captains would purchase goods to look at back to be able to Europe. These could be goods made by slave labour on the plantations. We were holding tobacco, sweets, indigo (a plant for dye), rice, rum and also cotton (Phillips, 1985). Slaves provided labour to huge American plantation at low or no cost. These farms produced raw materials that were required for the ever-growing American industrial sector. The beads would have to be bought abroad for sale to The African continent. The main suppliers were the town of Venice in Italy and also Bohemia (in whats today Czechoslovakia). Much on the brassware produced in Bristol were sold to slave traders for African market place. Guns were being mostly bought on the makers in Birmingham, but gunpowder was made in Bristol. The particular African dealers, with who the Bristol dealers were doing work, wanted goods that had been not obtainable in Africa. Copper had been highly revered by West Africans: it is called the actual ‘red platinum of Africa’. Africa traders as a result happily accepted brass products, brass being an alloy or mix of copper and also zinc. They can buy that from Eu traders in blocks that may be melted because of make ornamental items. Euro peans created brass ‘manilas’, which has been brass moulded right bracelet shape. These became a variety of money in West African continent. African dealers would additionally buy items produced from brass pertaining to everyday utilize, such for the reason that one pictured right here. Main qualitative and subsequent quantitative forecasting factors included the relevant estimations, possibly be taken by using an individual schedule in evaluation of the feasibility and

Financial Innovation & Risk Management of Goldman Sachs Essay

Financial Innovation & Risk Management of Goldman Sachs - Essay Example The paper tells that over the recent years, commercial banks in the banking industry have recorded dramatic losses because of risks it faces due to global crisis. This is because, in the financial perspective, risk is assessed as the tendency whereby the actual return does not match with the expected return. As a commercial bank, Goldman Sachs faces market risk, financial risk and operation risk that arise from either external or internal activities. With banks facing a crisis as a result, of risks that arise from credit exposure and interest rate position among other risks they have resolved to upgrade the risk management strategies and theories they use. Goldman Sachs is one of the banks using risk management strategies that either eliminates or mitigates some risks. In other instances, Goldman Sachs management decides to shift the risks to other parties. The risk management strategies comprise of liquidity risk management, operations risk management, credit risk management and mar ket risk management that has over the years, seen the bank remain stable during both the financial and economic crisis. More significantly, banks carry out risky business, as it provides financial services to its clients. In the banking industry, Goldman Sachs is well known as the leading securities and global investment-banking firm. It has three main business lines that it operates comprising of investment banking, asset management and securities services and trading and principal investments. Goldman Sachs is an international corporation that provides services to a substantial and diversified client base that is widely distributed worldwide. With banking institutions in over twenty-three countries, it has diversified its operations outside the United States and grown globally (Goldman Sachs, 2012). Its wide base of clients includes other financial institutions, governments, corporations, and high net worth individuals. As a result, the management of Goldman Sachs focuses on being the leading member in worldwide financial markets besides being a leading advisor of choice to its wider clients’ base. Goldman Sachs just like other financial institutions faces business and operational risks that originates from its internal activities apart from financial risk that arise from outside activities (Goldman Sachs, 2012). As a result, liquidity, market and credit risks fall under liquidity risk because it relates to the outside clients of the bank. On the other hand, legal, people, system, equity investment and external risks relate to day-to-day operational risks of the bank. At Goldman Sachs, the management and strategic risks are more likely associated with business risks within the banking institution. More than often, institutions face a financial crisis, and economic crisis that have affected Goldman Sachs bank operations just like any other banks in the industry. Nonetheless, the impact of the crisis depends on the level of risk management an organizati on has been implemented (Goldman Sachs, 2012). With the high level of competition that exists in the banking industry today, besides the existence of an open economic system that is followed by sensitive market players and other strong external influences it is more challenging for institutions to carry out efficient liquidity management plans. Goldman Sachs, as one of the strong banking institution with branches in different countries faces competition from non-banking financial institutions that has recently seen banks declining reliance on the levels of deposits because of the immense competition. In addition, the competition in the banking industry has become immense thus, affecting the global position of Goldman Sachs in the financial market. With pressure mounting up for accountability to the shareholders based on risk management, Goldman Sachs just as, many banks have resorted to ensure that it mitigates risks while efficiently managing its liquidity levels

Defense in a Criminal Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Defense in a Criminal Case - Essay Example Despite the many perceptions to uphold the insanity mechanisms as a form of defense, defendants hardly enter pleas of being not guilty. After examining the defendant, the psychiatrist produces the testimony to the judge or magistrate who determines the verdict (Mariorty, 2001). However, freedom is not ultimately earned when the judge determine that the accused is not guilty rather a further consideration on the favor of the defendant usually affect the sentence if administered. The defendant is directed to a mental hospital until the allegation of insanity is medically proved, which requires time and may give the convict a chance to escape from the law. Defendant in some instances pretends to be hostile. The main purpose of pretense is to prove to the judge that the defendant is not guilty. In some instances, the defense works when proven by a psychiatrist appointed by the court. As a result, the defendant must ensure that the psychiatrist report is positive about his or her insanity contrary to which the offender faces the full

EasyGroup Business Model Analysis

EasyGroup Business Model Analysis The easyGroup is the owner of the easy brand and licenses it to all of the easy branded businesses, including easyJet plc, the airline Stelios started in 1995 and in which he remains the largest single shareholder. Easy Group brands include easy Car, easy Cinema, easy Hotel, easy Internet cafà ©, easy Pizza, and easy Value. Airline easyJet is now publicly traded, but easyGroup holds a stake in the company. The easy formula requires consumer-oriented businesses that display significant price elasticity, require a high fixed-cost base and low marginal-cost to service additional customers. Industries with strong but complacent incumbents are particularly well-suited for the easyGroup approach. Easy Group is contemplating its entry into the cinema exhibition business in the UK through the launch of a no-frills cinema. The company believes that it can redeploy the capabilities, such as yield management, that led to the success of easyJet, its low cost airline business, into this new venture. The case examines the market for cinema in the UK, as well as the evolution of Easy Groups portfolio of companies, with a view to assessing the attractiveness of the companys planned launch of easy Cinema. How would you characterise the easyGroup business model? A  business model  describes the  rationale  of how an  organization  creates, delivers, and captures value  and it captures economic and social factors. The process of business model design is part of business strategy. In theory and practice the term business model is used for a broad range of informal and formal descriptions to represent core aspects of a  business, including purpose, offerings, strategies, infrastructure, organizational structures, trading practices, and operational processes and policies. (A. Osterwalder, Yves Pigneur, Alan Smith, 2010) The  easy business model  has a  key feature: clear value proposition the easy concept is to  bring cheap and efficient services to most customers. As a solution a Web-based booking and administration system was built on Microsoft Windows Server 2003 that can be quickly adapted for numerous online ventures. This benefited the company with fast time to market of new business ventures, low-cost of ownership, easily replicated for many new ventures and highly secure and reliable. Easy Group has become an important incubator for new businesses which, while sharing the easy brand, will each be stand-alone companies. Rather than building a conglomerate, Stelios is turning easyGroup into a network of organisations linked by brand and image rather than strategic intent or purpose. The creation of easyGroup in 1998 was a signal that Stelios intended to try out this concept. The name easy itself explains much of easyGroups approach to new ventures, which one executive describes as taking a complicated business and making it simple. Technology solutions play a major role in this, but central to the easy philosophy is yield management. The group looks for businesses where there is high price elasticity, high fixed cost bases and low marginal costs and, especially, where incumbent firms have grown complacent and are not prepared for the arrival of dynamic new entrants. By launching and growing new businesses quickly, easyGroup aims to win market share from these incumbents through a combination of low cost and easy-to-access services. The Easy model provides to the customer functional services at the lowest possible price, on the basis of the real value of the basics of the provided service, avoiding any superfluous frills. The Easy group breaks up a standard service, only keeps items that are absolutely required by the consumer and provide it to him at the lowest price taking into account the time they buy it. The time is one of the most present valuable item in nowadays services. As Stelios Hajiloannou, Easy group CEO, said Easy is a functional brand. In any industry where consumers are being ripped off, if Stelios can find a way to give them real value, he states he will do it. On Easy group side, the model creates a huge turnover as it seduces a lot of consumers, due to the specificity of the model and the advertising of the brand. Direct margin are low as the model provides low prices but this is compensated by the optimization of the running fixed costs thank to the Yield management lever. The model is comprised of variations of turnover by proposing attractive prices on openings where competitors use to be underperforming. As Stelios H. focuses on highly leveraged industries, the additional turnover generated on those unusual slots is almost a net benefit that compensates the lower margins on other sales. Our business model, based on low-cost and convenience, has shown its flexibility. EasyGroups brand means low-cost products, no frills services, cost- and time-sensitive structures that offer value in exchange for some inconvenience. Thats the irony. The easyGroup brand is not necessarily an easy one to deal with. In short, the brand simply offers to make everyday things less expensive by varying the business models-not glamorous or innovative, but honest. Easy Group model obviously reduces the operational complexity and maintenance cost, which allows them to undercut their competition. All of the easy group companies offer the same class of services using standardized components, whether it is one type of plane or one type of car model. Due to the advanced technology used that helped the easyGroup to lead to innovation, it helped advance the business models and the practices which had a real impact on the peoples life. In my opinion without the web solution, the easy model wouldnt be as successful as it is, and would completely lose its essential basis of functioning. Internet makes this business model a dynamic one, with a young and accessible image. The easy model is a based on a self-serving system, which is almost entirely provided by the web solution. The web system allows fix costs to be avoided by managing the scheduling, pricing, booking, payment and various other aspects of the business and outsourcing to the customer. It is the only way the company is able to apply its concept for more people. Internet makes the offer available to almost everyone everywhere, in any moment. True to its low-cost, no-frills business model, easyCinema does not sell popcorn and drinks to movie-goers. For those who wish to treat themselves in such pleasures, they have to bring their own food along. Trailers and ads are cut back to lower the costs of operating the cinema. How would you characterise easyGroups growth strategies in terms of the Ansoff matrix? According to the Ansoffs Matrix there are four growth strategies that a company could expand. These growth strategies are Market penetration, Product development, market development and Diversification. Looking at easyGroup case it shows that the company was following a diversification strategy but that it uses the other growth strategies as well and this will be discussed further below. ANSOFF MATRIX Existing Products New Products Existing Markets Market penetration Product Development New Markets Market Development Diversification (Johnson et al page 258) The Ansoff Matrix is used to focus on the easyGroup present status, products and markets (customers). Market Penetration:  Easy group continues to achieve growth with its existing products i.e providing services at rock bottom prices. By following this business strategy the market share continues to grow. Market Development:  Easy group is seeking growth by targeting its existing products to new market segments. (Mintzberg H, Quinn J.B, Ghoshal S, 1998) For example Easyjet is targeting business travellers with its low cost airfares and frequent flights to popular destinations. The best way to achieve this is by gaining competitors customers. Other ways include attracting non-users of your product or convincing current clients to use more of your product/service, with advertising or other promotions. Market penetration is the least risky way for a company to grow. Product Development:  Easy group, particularly Easyjet has grown by introducing new flight routes thereby further developing its product range. Diversification:  Easy group is bringing forward new business ideas for its existing market segment such as easy Internetcafe, and the latest venture easy money. The Ansoff  Product-Market Growth Matrix  is a marketing tool created by  Igor Ansoff  and first published in his article Strategies for Diversification in the Harvard Business Review (1957). The matrix allows marketers to consider ways to grow the business via existing and/or new products, in existing and/or new markets there are four possible product/market combinations. This matrix helps companies decide what course of action should be taken given current performance. The matrix illustrates, in particular, that the element of risk increases the further the strategy moves away from known quantities the existing product and the existing market. The Easy Group started off with the core activity of providing low-cost flights to Europe. This is therefore its core business, and with over 18 million passengers a year flying easyJet, the Easy Group needed to establish ways for the business to grow and expand. The Easy Group had continued to penetrate the existing air transport market at low-costs flights; it also developed the market potential to include a greater accessibility of easyJet flights by increasing the number of airports handling the passengers. While the flights are the core business in Easy Group, a complementary diversification programme was entered in order for a travel solution package is made available to meet the whole range of customers needs and expectations of both frequent and holiday travellers. This is aimed at both the corporate and the customer sectors in the business. By taking the key strengths and opportunities available to the Easy Group has established a further growth strategy which includes market penetration, market development and diversification into new compatible areas of business. Market penetration their strategy of offering lower costs to the customers enable them to get access to most of the market share. Market development included the growth strategy to increase the number of handing airports by branching out into new markets and a wider customer base. Lastly with diversification Easy Groups strategy of hiring cars, the internet cafe and hotels is a way for the Easy Group to find ways and different markets that can be developed to provide the best prices for the customers. (Karen Beamish, Ruth Ashford, 2008) Therefore product development and market extension typically involve a greater risk than market penetration (existing product and existing market); and diversification (new product and new market). Ansoff stressed that the diversification strategy stood apart from the other three. While the latter are usually followed with the same technical, financial, and merchandising resources which are used for the original product line, diversification usually requires new skills, new techniques, and new facilities. As a result it almost invariably leads to physical and organizational changes in the structure of the business which represent a distinct break with past business experience. (Karen Beamish et al 2008) Most of the Easy Groups growth strategies involve three of the Ansoff matrix namely market penetration, diversification and market development. Ansoff pointed out that a diversification strategy stands apart from the other three strategies. The first three strategies are usually pursued with the same technical, financial, and merchandising resources used for the original product line, therefore diversification usually requires a company to acquire new skills, new techniques and new facilities, just like Easy Group did. The notion of diversification depends on the subjective interpretation of new market and new product, which should reflect the perceptions of customers rather than managers. To what extent is easyGroup a conglomerate? A  conglomerate  is a combination of two or more  corporations  engaged in entirely different businesses together into one corporate structure, usually involving a  parent company  and several (or many)  subsidiaries. (Dearbail Jordan and Robin Pagnamenta, September 25, 2007) Often, a conglomerate is a  multi-industry company. Conglomerates are often large and  multinational. (Dearbail Jordan et al, 2007) In the case of the easyGroup they are conglomerate and the extent of it will be discussed below. Fortune has an article on  Stelios  Haji-Ioannou and his various Easy companies that form the  EasyGroup  conglomerate. Stelio has started a number of companies that range from rental cars, airlines, to internet cafes, based on the idea of eliminating middlemen using technology. Apparently, his companies are all doing very well, including EasyJet which is a public company that generated $765M in revenue last year. (Wendy Walker, 2003) I noticed that EasyGroup has a similar business model to companies like Fresh Direct and Dell. All of these companies are using technology to eliminate the middleman to deliver lower cost and higher value to customers. These companies are not internet companies as such, but they are examples of how internet technology and general information technology can become a competitive advantage, if applied correctly to support a rational business model. All of these companies offer the same class of service, but with self-motivated pricing, using standardized components, whether its one type of plane or one type of car model. This model obviously reduces operational complexity and maintenance costs, which allows them to undercut their competition. It also reminded me of Dell in some ways because Dell is obsessed with maximizing their margins by minimizing their cost of inventory with  just-in-time assembly  of PCs. These are all sensible business principles and practices that more companies should really adopt to stay competitive. The interesting thought for me is that companies such as EasyGroup, FreshDirect, Dell, and even EBay could not exist and thrive to the same extent if there was no such thing as the Internet. However, the real focus shouldnt be on the innovation in technology that enables such companies to exist and thrive. It really should be on how advances in technology lead to innovation in business models and practices that have real impact in peoples lives. The company stands tall when it comes to achieving higher standards of excellence. (Wendy Walker, 2003) Over the years brands have been synonymous with quality innovation in their respective domains. Easy Groups passion to excel has made us grow faster than most of our competitors. Easy Group strongly believes that success is a continuous phenomenon by benchmarking ourselves with the best Business practice followed globally; we look forward to a bright future, brought to life by growing possibilities. The easyGroup is rated as one of the fastest growing business conglomerates of India. The easy group has been a front-runner in delivering innovative and customized solutions. By offering contemporary products, superior quality and assured availability. The group has gained an exceptional stronghold with an array of winning brands to its credit. Easy Solar Industries is constantly innovating to give you more value for the money. His high quality products are backed by excellent nationwide sales and service support. Easy Group continues grow in terms of products benefits, market share and customer retention. Today Easy Group is Conglomerate consisting of diverse products such as Solar Thermal, Solar Photovoltaic Power Products. Our products attained market reputation in very short span of time. Most of Easy Groups customers are mainly government and semi government organizations continuously supported us in span of last six years only because of our regular efforts in maintaining quality and adopting latest research and development. Many of the companies follow the easy format of taking away the frills in something to make it cheaper overall, plus using the  yield management system of supply and demand. In the last few years the company has started to franchise the businesses to expand, and cut down costs. Some EasyGroup subsidiaries have been more successful than others, the most successful division being  EasyJet. The extent of Easy group been conglomerate is large as they are operating with a number of different large businesses that fall under the main Easy Group corporation. There are up to fourteen businesses namely EasyJet, Easy Internet cafà ©,   EasyCar.com,   Easy Money,   Easy Cinema,   Easy Cinema DVD Rental,   Easy Bus,   Easy4Men, Easy Pizza, Easy Music,   Easy Cruise, Easy Mobile/Shimmer Bright,   Easy Hotel, Other businesses. (Wendy Walker, 2003) Should easyGroup entre the cinema industry? According to the Case, three factors made easyCinema an attractive expansion area. First, the yield management capabilities that were used for the airline business and did well running could be applied to easyCinema. For example, easyJet prices are linked to demand and advance purchase. Likewise, they would charge more for peak-time movie tickets. Stelios always wondered why cinemas charged so much money when they are so empty. He then realised that by maximizing both capacity and the extent to which it was utilized, easyGroup could grow the cinema admissions well above current rates. Second, easyGroup can use the technology to automate the process of serving customers, thereby reducing labour costs. All bookings would be made through the Internet or kiosks in the foyer of the cinema. (Jackson Mahr, 2003) Third, the no-frills concept will be applied and this could be an advantage. The cinema would now show any advertising or support promotional campaigns associated with films (activities that require significant time and organization). (Jackson Mahr, 2003)They would allow the audience to bring in their own food and drink, eliminating the traditional allowance stand. Therefore the customers will be interested in going to watch a movie knowing they do not have to spend more money on the food and drink than the actual movie they want to see. EasyCinema is just one of many new ideas in the easyGroup pipeline. (Jackson Mahr, 2003)The criteria for a new business can be summed up in one word, simple. The easy formula requires consumer-oriented businesses that display significant price elasticity, require a high fixed-cost base and low marginal-cost to service additional customers. Also, industries with strong but complacent incumbents are particularly well-suited for the easyGroup approach. Although the above mentioned aspects are positive I would recommend that it should not enter the UK cinema business, the reasons are discussed below. The main question is how well do cinemas fit in with the easy formula? I would think that Cinemas do not fit well with their formula. Firstly the success of the actual cinema will depend on success of the movie which is considered to be very low. Therefore by going through with the cinema idea it is considered to be high risk business and there is a lot of instability in the cinema industry. Secondly this product is considered to be giving entertainment to the consumer. Therefore having a low frill may not be enough to ensure the cinemas success. Moreover the Cinema industry is not that attractive according to the case. The business environment is extremely competitive. Other factors to consider are the bargaining power of buyers. Here the consumers have the choice of movie but the success of the operator depends on the success of the movie. Therefore the bargaining power of consumer is very high. With the Bargaining power of suppliers distribution of the movie is controlled by the big movie houses of Hollywood. Therefore they do have certain influence over the UK industry. They may not accept the yield management model of the Easy group. With regards to the entry barriers, it requires high capital investment. Another problem that might affect the success of the cinema is substitutes. (Jackson Mahr, 2003)There are substitutes in form of video rentals, video sales and DVD rentals which is increasing everyday and could affect the success of easyCinema. This case study gives a fair idea about the industry in which a company operates in and the various external forces that influence it. However, it any industry is not static in nature. Going forward, we foresee increasing competition in the industry and these competitors will large players and it may be possible that some kind of oligopoly come into play. If oligopoly had to be the result it would result in the industry moving towards consolidation. The barriers to entry will increase going forward; therefore according to my opinion the industry is unattractive. As discussed above the entry barriers are high capital investment, high brand loyalty, high competition, risky nature of business. They can enter by acquiring an existing cinema operator. This will help in gaining markets share in timely manner. Moreover here the strategy can be concentrating on online DVD sales and broadcasting instead of Cinema. CONCLUSION: The easyGroup profits by either selling shares in the businesses or by licensing or franchising the brand to reputable partners. The easy brand currently operates in more than a dozen industries mainly in travel, leisure, serviced office accommodation and other consumer facing sectors. Currently, only EasyJet plc, out of the easy group of companies is listed in the Stock exchange. EasyJet has shown substantial organic growth since the day it came into being in 1995. Although easy groups businesses are based on the low price model, they still face competition from established players, who emphasis on quality. Throughout the years, the  easy  Group  strategy  kept a clear readability built around some corner-stones principles: a low-cost approach, an identifiable and recognizable simple communication  strategy  mainly focused on price and entertainment, constant expansion, development of new strategic business units in close to the customers market, with a core focus on travellers. In terms of management, the  easy  Group also adopted a consistent and durable stance in minimizing its operating administrative fees and in applying for the newly created Strategic Business Units the management framework that brought success to the previously settled business. All in all, the strategic consistency is to be found in a clear managerial desire to expand as far as possible the no-frills concept to every profitable market. Harvard Referencing: A. Osterwalder, Yves Pigneur, Alan Smith, Business Model Generation,, self published, 2010 Alan Clarke, Wei Chen, International hospitality management: concepts and cases, 2003, page 232 Jackson Mahr, easyGroup June 13, 2005 Jardine, Cassandra (2006-11-29).  Theyd laugh if I called myself Sirà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.  The Telegraph  (London). Retrieved 2007-09-07. Karen Beamish, Ruth Ashford, Marketing Planning 2007-2008, page 44-45 Mike W. Peng, Global Strategy 2009, page 279 Mintzberg H, Quinn J.B, Ghoshal S, (1998) The strategy Process. Revised European  edition.PrenticeHall Yves Doz and Mikko Kosonen,  Harvard Business Review, Vol. 85, Issue 6, pp 98-104, June 2007. Wendy Walker, Easy Jet Press Pack, February 21, 2003

Loneliness and Friendship in Steinbecks Of Mice and Men :: essays research papers

The novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck describes the life of a man and his best friend who has the mentality of a child. Their friendship is very strong and this is unusual due to the other characters in the book being very lonely. Every time George and Lennie manage to stick a job out, Lennie makes a mistake and they are forced to leave. But they hope after all of their intense work that they can finally have their dream and get a place they can call their own. Through many difficulties and hardships they manage to deal with the arguments and lack of companionship at their workplace. Between the two key themes of friendship and loneliness Steinbeck makes the novel Of Mice and Men a real success. One of the ways Steinbeck establishes the theme of loneliness is through setting itself. Section one of the book is set at a pleasant and peaceful river a few miles south of Soledad. The first four letters sole meaning only. Also Soledad means lonely place in Spanish. The river seems very secluded and isolated. There’s nothing but nature. It’s a very harmonious and tranquil place. A clearing so quiet you could hear a pin drop. It’s also the place George tells Lennie to meet him if he gets into any sort of trouble. This is a complete contrast to where the rest of the book is mainly set. A ranch where George and Lennie the two main characters manage to find work. The ranch displays isolation mainly through the actions characters take and the events that happen. Characters in the novel also contribute to the understanding of the theme of loneliness. George Milton and Lennie Small are the two main characters in the novel. They are like two halves. â€Å"The first man was small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp strong features.† George is the smaller of the two men but has taken care of Lennie for a while, since Lennie’s Aunt Clara died and this highlights the theme of friendship. He is the more knowledgeable one of the two. â€Å"You crazy son-of-a-bitch. You keep me in hot water all the time.† George gets a little irritated with Lennie at times but looks after him no matter what. Their friendship is solid has to watch over him at all times, as Lennie is incapable of looking after himself and is one of the many characters who doesn’t change at all through the novel.

Innovation and Entrepreneurship Essay

Can you map the different kinds of innovation in the case study? Which were incremental and which radical/discontinuous? Why? Give examples to support your answer. One kind of innovation is providing new ‘e-tailing’ channels through which you can obtain the latest CD of your preference. These innovations increase the choice and tailoring of the music purchasing service and demonstrate some of the ‘richness/reach’ economic shifts of the new Internet game. Also At the heart of the change is the potential for creating, storing and distributing music in digital format – a problem which many researchers have worked on for some time. One solution, developed by one of the Fraunhofer Institutes in Germany, is a standard based on the Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG) level 3 protocol – MP3. MP3 offers a powerful algorithm for managing one of the big problems in transmitting music files – that of compression. (Tidd 46-47) This is achieved by cutting out those frequencies which the human ear cannot detect. There is also scope for innovation around the periphery –now music reviews and other forms of commentary become possible via specialist user groups and channels on the Web whereas before they were the province of a few magazine titles (Tidd 47) Person-to-person or P2P networking, Sean Fanning, an 18-year-old student with the nickname ‘the Napster’, was intrigued by the challenge of being able to enable his friends to ‘see’ and share between their own personal record collections. Napster.com did not actually hold any music on its files – but every day millions of swaps were made by people around the world exchanging their music collections. Napster opened a door for many others to reinvent similar software’s or technologies successful iPod personal MP3 player they opened a site called iTunes which offered users a choice of thousands of tracks for download at 99c each. This allowed over 1 billion songs to legally be purchased and downloaded around the globe. (Tidd 48) We can see the changes of improvements over time. From having choices to purchase CD of your preference, to MP3 to transmit music files, to commentary channels from the web and then Sean Fanning invented the radical innovation of seeing and sharing music between person to person was a discontinuous yet radical change. Even though, it took incremental change to do so and to get to that point. Another example is e-commerce, many years  ago we had to go to the store to do our shopping, but now, just a click of the mouse and you can shop online. From shoes, clothing, furniture, cars, household supplies to even groceries. How about if you want to write a letter, then just send an email they will receive it in seconds rather than days or weeks in some countries. The telephone, use to be land lines, and even before then, an operator was needed to connect you to your party or to another operator in another country. OMG†¦ I can go on and on. Reference/Cited Work Tidd, J., Bessant, J. (04/2011), Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 2nd Edition. John Wile & Sons, (UK),VitalBook file. Pgs. 46-48

Chinese Face Reading Essay

Picking up personality can be a very fun and adventurous process. Many cultural societies have many ways to do it and so many people to test; you’re never going to get the same results. One very interesting way of determining someone’s personality is Face Reading. This is a type of physiognomy that can show you your hidden personality, history, current situation, your future, even how well your health is. Face reading was developed from Ancient China by a man known as Mr. Guiguzi (481-221 B. C. ). Although it is one of many ways of measuring personalities, face reading has twelve ways of being used. The first method is called Fortune House, or also known as â€Å"Fude Gong†. This method shows whether your life is going smoothly or not. When reading someone’s face with Fortune House, the face should be round and smooth with no markings or scars that are out of the ordinary. If there happens to be any marks or scars, they will show any issues you have, such as illness, bad relationships, financial troubles, etc. The second method of face reading is Parents House, or â€Å"Fumu Gong†. It tells you whether you had a good or not so good childhood with your parents. This procedure reads the face by its forehead. If it is big, round and/or shinning, means the individual had an excellent relationship with his parents and had an enjoyable life as a child. However, if the forehead was ugly and/or damaged, then the person had a painful and difficult life when he/she was young. The next way is called Career House, or also known as â€Å"Guanlu Gong†. This method is somewhat similar to the Fortune House because it is searching for round and smooth features on a face as well. If your cheek bones stick out and have eyebrows that project, you will most likely have a better chance of having a successful career. House of Travel, or â€Å"Qianyi Gong†, would be another style of face reading someone. It is designed to examine how your travels from one place to another would be positive or negative. When you have a feature of scars or lines on your face, means you shouldn’t go anywhere at all. So whenever you would like to go out to eat at a restaurant and need to drive or take a bus, it might be safer to have a pizza delivered to where ever you are staying. Another method is Assets House (Tianzai Gong), which emphasizes the eyes as an indicator of your intelligence, temperament, and financial assets. If your eyes are set deep into your head, or if you are constantly looking high, you are considered an idiot. Narrow eye lids would represent impatience in an individual. Large pupils, clean and clear whites, and large eyes are favorable characteristics of a person’s Assets House. Health House (Jie Going) governs whether your body has excellent health or is ill. Wrinkles, stains, or other marks anywhere that is found shows that you need to go to the clinic for a checkup. However, having none of the disliked features on the face means you have nothing to worry about when it comes to your health. Any characteristic from the eyebrows and above will symbolize House of Siblings (Xiongdi Gong). This particular type of face reading decides your friendship with other people in your life. It also shows how well your genetic make-up is when the person was conceived. Thick, dark, long, and smooth eyebrows that are high above eyes tell the face reader that the subject is a brave, affectionate, and relaxed person. However, if your face shows the opposite of these facial features including scars and lines, you basically have completely different qualities. Life House (Ming Gong) will tell the person how easy or challenging your life would be. The level of difficulty in your life is determined by how close the eyebrows are to each other, and any dimples and/or marks. If smooth and shinny like the other face reading styles, shows a comfortable an easy journey in his/her life. Like the other face reading methods, House of Children (Ernu Gong) looks for smooth and round features for positive outlook in the individual. If the face seems to be gentle and round, shows that you have a successful love and sex life. Although, if you show moles or other disfeatures, you may have issues when it comes to sex and you may have a difficult time parenting your children in regards to their development and well-being. House of Marriage (Qigie Gong) shows the reader whether or not the man/woman’s marriage is going well. So fundamentally, when somebody has a gentle, smooth, and clean face, it indicates a happy marriage. A receding and/or scarred face with moles means you have a wife that you might wish to divorce. Wealth house (Caibo Gong), is quite different from most of the other Houses. This style of face reading is determined by the nose. If a nose that is large and round with nostrils that does not show and a straight bridge, then the person has excellent health, a positive attitude, and has a sufficient and satisfying amount of wealth. When the nose has certain deficiencies, the person will meet these three possible situations. If the subject is to have a crooked nose with unhidden nostrils, shows that they have a problem with their money, career, and personality. If it shows any blood vassals, indicates that he/she is on the verge of becoming bankrupt. And if the nose turns into a bloody red, it signals that tragedy and an unpleasant life will be stepping up to his/her door soon. Finally, the Popularity House (Nupu Going) is the house that governs your relationship with your friends and acquaintances, and what will come to be when you grow much older. When the face is round and smooth, then the individual is graced with popularity, and when the old age comes, you will have much support from others. But, if it is not round or smooth, you need to prepare yourself for supporting yourself instead of others helping. An excellent example of some of these face reading methods is a well known person, Quasimodo, also named as â€Å"The Hunchback of Notre-Dame†. He is a man with a face that most people would not be attracted, and is definitely unable to straighten his back. His facial features show how much his life is painful. They also show how he has had a rough and emotional time growing up when he was an infant. A disfigured face brings you nothing but negativity and misery in that person’s life. But having attractive facial features will always give you the upper-hand when reading an individual’s face. All the styles of face reading are determined by how smooth the face is, the amount of scars, lines, moles, shape of the nose, and wrinkles the face has. Each feature of the face tells about your past, what is happening now, and what is yet to come.

Addressing the Impacts of Undergraduates Engagement in Community Service on Stakeholders

Addressing the Impacts of Undergraduates Engagement in Community Service on Stakeholders Introduction Background Information Community service as a concept has gained popularity throughout the world for various reasons. Perold Rahmat (1997:14) are of the view that this concept is gaining popularity in discourses taking place throughout the world. This is especially the case in community development discussions.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Addressing the Impacts of Undergraduates’ Engagement in Community Service on Stakeholders specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Bryant West (2011) views community service as service or activity that â€Å"..is donated or performed by an individual or a group of individuals to benefit the community† (p. 82). The aim of community service is to benefit members of the public or the various institutions that are found in a contemporary society. It is noted that not every individual who provides community service can be referred to as a volunteer. This is a common misconception among members of the public. It is not everyone who is contributing to the wellbeing of the community is doing so at their own free will. This is given the fact that the individual may be compelled to provide community service by various factors. Such an individual cannot be conceptualised as a volunteer. However, those who provide community service on their own volition with the sole aim of benefiting members of the society and the various social institutions can be regarded as volunteers (Hustinx, 2005: 530). So what are some of the reasons that compel someone to provide community service? According to Jones Hill (2003: 539), there are various reasons why one may feel compelled to provide community service against their will. For example, the government may require some people to provide community service as a policy. This is for example when military officers are required to provide humanitarian assistance to members of the public during war. Another r eason may be an order from the court especially for those criminals who are serving their sentence on probation. A school may also require the students to provide community service before they graduate. These are just some of the various reasons that may compel someone to provide community service against their will.Advertising Looking for research paper on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Jehan (2004: 297) opines that recent developments in the world today have greatly affected community service. For example, globalisation has made the community so complex such that several communities around the world are dependent on each other. This being the case, community service in one community may have impacts on another society in a different part of the world. The issue of interdependence among communities is especially significant given the fact that globalisation has created a situation whereby limited r esources have to be shared by the various communities around the world (Jehan, 2004: 297). As a result of globalisation, it is noted that community service requires the engagement of various stakeholders in the society. This is given the fact that a single sector or a single segment of the society cannot effectively meet the requirements of community service in a given society (Hustinx, 2005: 526). Collaboration between various stakeholders such as businesses, schools and such others is needed to improve the welfare of the community. So what are some of the benefits of community service? According to Vermeulen, Nawir Mayers (2003: 12), both the community and the person providing the service stand to benefit from community service. For example as far as the individual is concerned, community service leads to a sense of pride and satisfaction after helping the needy (Dwayne Palmer, 2006: 399). The individual feels needed and feels that they have contributed to the wellbeing of the s ociety. Community service also fosters a sense of responsibility on the part of the volunteer or the person providing the service (Bednarz et al., 2008: 92). The person feels indebted to the community and feels that they have a duty to perform. It is noted that community service strengthens the community benefiting from the service. For example, a business enterprise providing free medical services to the members of the community improves the overall health of the whole community (Altman, 1995: 529). As the volunteer gets to interact with other members of the community, a sense of tolerance develops between the members of the community and the volunteer. This is especially so in regions such as Africa where ethnic and tribal animosity is rife. A volunteer should ideally provide services to all members of the society without discriminating on the basis of ethnicity or other differences.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Addressing the Impacts of Under graduates’ Engagement in Community Service on Stakeholders specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It is important to note that as much as the community and the individual stands to benefit from community service, there are various challenges facing the provision of this service in a given community (Bebbington Farrington, 1993: 202). The challenges vary through time and space. This means that they vary from one community to the other and from one time or period to the other. Such challenges may include the resistance on the part of the members of the community. The members of the community may resist help from outsiders even when it is obvious that such help is to their own benefit. For example, a country in Africa may decline humanitarian help from a Western nation claiming that such assistance may threaten the sovereignty of the country. Another challenge may be resistance and lack of cooperation on the part of the community service prov iders. A case in point is when students resist providing community service when it is made mandatory by the school management. It is also noted that community service may be threatened by lack of funds which will hamper the ability of the organisation or the individual to provide such services. A case in point is when there is lack of donor funding to support famine relief programs in Africa. Problem Statement As already noted in this paper, community service can be provided by different individuals and organisations from within and without the target community. This may include businesses providing community service as part of their corporate social responsibility program, faith based organisations as part of their outreach program or individuals interested in giving back to the community (Booth, 2006: 13). A university is such an organisation that may find it necessary to provide community service as part of its academic and professional program. The university may require the stu dents to participate in community service before they graduate. This is for example when the department of dentistry requires the trainee dentists to participate in dental camps organised in the community to provide members of the community with free dental services. Other activities in which the students may participate include planting trees, cleaning, caring for the needy among others.Advertising Looking for research paper on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Perold Rahmat (1997) are of the view that universities in Africa have embraced community service as a program and strategy aimed at addressing various problems facing such an institution. For example, the universities may require the students to engage in community service in order to gain practical experience as far as working within the community is concerned (Cooke Kothari, 2001: 13). The universities may also participate in community service as part of the institution’s efforts to give back to the community. According to Perold Rahmat (1997: 15), advocates of community service are of the view that such a program can be used by the university to address various issues facing higher learning. To this end, advocates of such a program are of the view that community service benefits not only the community but also the student and the institution as a whole. The community benefits by having its welfare and wellbeing of its members improved while the student benefits by gaini ng working experience among other benefits. The university on its side is able to establish and sustain working relationship with the members of such a community as a result of the community service (Wilson, 2011: 19). One is able to identify the various stakeholders involved in community service in Africa by analyzing the benefits that community service provided by a university has. The stakeholders in such a case may include the students, the university, the government and the community as alluded to above (Mobley, 2007: 129). Out of all these stakeholders, it is noted that the university students who are participating in community service are perhaps the main beneficiaries of such a program. As already indicated in this paper, the students acquire professional skills as a result of their participation and they may also be earning in the process (Perold Rahmat, 1997: 15). This is for example when the students are financed by various donor agencies to participate in community serv ice. It is noted that youths actively advocate for community service programs in African universities. This is perhaps given the fact that they have come to realise that they are the main beneficiaries of such programs. Authors cite the example of the annual South African Students’ Congress (also referred to as Sasco) held in 1996 which passed a resolution supporting compulsory community work for all students in institutions of higher learning (Perold Rahmat, 1997: 16). According to the resolution passed by the students, community work should be in line with what the student is studying in the university. For example, a Social Work student may be involved in the provision of free social services to street children in the cities. The South African National Youth Commission also advocates for a program targeting university students in the country. The commission is of the view that such a program can be used as a creative strategy to finance higher education in South Africa (H ellebrandt, 2008: 222). The commission proposes that students who cannot meet their higher education expenses can collect credits by providing their services to the community. The discourse above illustrates a university-community development partnership in Africa. This is where the university and the community come together to improve the welfare of the members of the society. This paper is going to address the university-community partnership in Africa. The author is going to specifically address the impacts of undergraduates’ engagement in community service on stakeholders as far as Africa is concerned. The researcher will adopt a literature review methodology which will involve a critical review of literature that found in this field. The aim of such a critical literature review is to organise the knowledge base that is found in this field by identifying the various agreements and disagreements among authors and scholars. The literature review will also identify knowledge gaps in the field and propose areas for future studies. Research Objectives This study will have one main research objective and several specific objectives. The main objective is the overall aim and goal of the study. The main objective will be attained by addressing the various specific objectives. The main and specific objectives are as listed below: Main Objective To address the impacts of undergraduate engagement in community service on stakeholders as far as university-community partnership in Africa is concerned. Specific Objectives Analyse the various stakeholders in university-community partnership in Africa Analyse the various impacts of undergraduates’ engagement in community service on the various stakeholders in Africa Analyse the various strategies adopted by universities in providing community service in Africa Analyse the various benefits of community service provided by universities in Africa Analyse the various challenges affecting the impacts of undergrad uates’ engagement in community service in Africa Analyse the various strategies that can be used to improve the quality of community service provided by universities in Africa Provide recommendations for universities in Africa regarding university-community development partnerships in the continent Research Questions Like research objectives, this study will have a major research question and various specific research questions. It is important to note that the research questions are related to the research objectives. This is given the fact that by answering the research questions, the researcher will have addressed the objectives of the research. Major Research Question What are the various impacts of undergraduates’ engagement in community service on the stakeholders as far as university-community partnership in Africa is concerned? Specific Research Questions Who are the various stakeholders in university-community partnership in Africa? What are the impacts of u ndergraduates’ engagement in community service in Africa? What strategies are used by African universities to provide community service? What are the benefits of community service provided by universities in Africa? What are some of the challenges facing community service provided by universities in Africa? How can universities in Africa improve the quality of community service provided? Which areas of university-community partnerships in Africa can benefit from future research? Thesis Statement Undergraduates’ engagement in community service has various impacts on stakeholders as far as university-community partnership in Africa is concerned Methodology As already indicated in this paper, the author is going to use critical literature review as a research methodology. To this end, the researcher is going to identify the findings of various studies in this field and try to identify the various agreements and disagreements between the various authors. One major advanta ge of critical literature review as a methodology is the fact that the study benefits from the various perspectives of different authors in the field. A major weakness of the methodology is the fact that it generates no new knowledge in the field. All the researcher does in critical literature review is reorganise the knowledge that already exists in a given field. The researcher will identify articles from journals, books and such other academic sources that address the issue of university-community development partnership. Several criteria will be used to select articles that will be included as sources in this study. For example, all the articles must come from academic or professional journals that are peer reviewed or from books. This criterion is aimed at providing credible sources for the study. Another criterion has to do with the fact that all the articles must address the issue of community service in the society. This criterion is aimed at providing this author with artic les that are relevant to the topic of the research. All the articles should also be written in English. However, this criterion does not exclude those articles that were originally written in another language but translated later to English. Scope and Limitations of the Study Overview It is noted that it is not possible to carry out a single study that is capable of addressing all the aspects of a given research topic. This being the case, it is important for the researcher to identify the boundaries within which the study will be conducted. Delineation of such a boundary helps the researcher in focusing the study. The issues that will be covered by the study are separated from those that will not be addressed. This reduces ambiguity and lack of clarity in a given study. This study is not different. It is noted that the study has various limitations that may affect the quality of the findings if not addressed. The limitations can emanate from within and from outside the study. Follo wing is a list of the scope and limitations of the study. The researcher will provide strategies to address the limitations where necessary. Scope and Limitations of the Study The study will be limited to community service provided by universities in Africa. Community service from other agencies such as businesses will not be considered The study will be limited to university-community partnerships in Africa. Such partnerships in other countries outside Africa will not be considered for the study It is also noted that the study will be limited to the participation of undergraduate students in community service. Participation from other stakeholders in the university such as lecturers and the university administration will not be the main focus of this paper The study will use information from other studies conducted in the field before. This means that the study will not generate primary data. To uphold the integrity and quality of the study, the researcher will use stringent measu res in selecting the literature that will be used for the study Significance of the Study At any given time, there are a number of studies which are being conducted in a given field. This being the case, any new research or study that is being conducted in the field has to be justified. The study can be justified on the basis of the value that it is going to add to the field. Following is an outline of the significance of this study in this field: The findings of this study will help African universities in identifying the benefits of community service and the challenges facing such programs. This will help them improve such programs in the future The findings of this study will also help universities in other parts of the world to improve their partnership with the communities by learning from the African experience The findings of the study will help policy makers such as government agencies, community based organisations and such other agencies interested in community developme nt identify the importance of university-community partnerships in Africa. This will help the policy makers come up with policies that will support such partnerships in the future Summary In this section, the author introduced the reader to the various aspects of the study that will be conducted later in the paper. Major aspects of the study were highlighted. The researcher started by providing background information on the topic. This was followed by problem statement, research questions and research objectives, methodology of the study, scope and limitations of the study and finally the significance of the study. The following section will provide information on the theoretical framework that will be used. Theoretical Framework Introduction In this section, the writer will provide information on the theoretical framework that will be used for this study. The researcher will use the participatory theory to critically analyse undergraduates’ engagement in community service i n Africa. It is noted that there are various models or theories of participation that are to be found in this field. Most of these theories are borrowed from political participation literature and adapted for participation in the context of community development. The researcher will highlight some of these theories and provide the main assumptions and arguments of the theories. Theoretical framework is an important aspect in any given research. This is given the fact that the assumptions of the theory guide the researcher in conducting the study. By analyzing the various provisions and assumptions of a theoretical framework in the field, the researcher is able to explain and analyse what they observe when conducting the study. Theories are also important since they are used in organising knowledge in a given field in a coherent manner. This makes it easier to retrieve and access the knowledge stored in such a field. Participation in Community Development: Theoretical Models Overview According to Andrea (2000: 28), participation is a very important aspect of community development. Given the fact that university-community participations are aimed at developing the community, it is noted that community development theories are applicable in such a case. Such a community development theory is the one addressing participation in development activities in such a community. According to Chambers (2007: 23), there are various factors that affect participation of various stakeholders in community development activities. These may include the form of motivation that such individuals are receiving, the socio-psychological orientation of the participants among others (Hartslief, 2005: 12). Community Development Participatory Models As already indicated earlier in this paper, there are several participatory models explaining the level and intensity of participation among stakeholders. These models can be borrowed and adapted from political participatory models found in pol itical science literature. Following are the major participatory models that can be applied in the field of community development specifically university-community partnerships in Africa: The Mobilisation Model of Community Development Participation According to this participation model, it is assumed that stakeholders in community development participate in the activities as a result of the availability of opportunities in their surroundings (D’Exelle Riedl, 2008: 12). As far as political participation is concerned, individuals can only participate in political activities such as elections if they are presented with opportunities to do so. In the context of community development, mobilisation participation model holds that an individual will participate in community development if such an opportunity is made available to that individual (Edmunds Wollenberg, 2002: 244). For example, a student will only participate in community service activities if they are provided with th e opportunity to do so. To this end, universities should ensure that they provide the student with the chance and opportunity to participate in community development through community service. This is perhaps the motivation behind the Congress for South African Students cited earlier when members proposed that community service programs should be mandatory in all institutions of higher learning. By making community service mandatory, the university will effectively provide the student with an opportunity to participate in community development (Perold Rahmat, 1997: 100). Mobilisation model theory also stipulates that individuals participate as a result of stimuli from other persons around them (Colby et al., 2011: 55). As far as political participation is concerned, it is noted that people will participate in politics as a result of persuasion and influence from other people around them. The same can apply to community development participation. Individuals may participate in commu nity service as a result of influence from other people. In other words, students in African universities can participate in community service if they are motivated by other people around them. The university can provide such motivators to the students. Community Development and the Social Psychological Model of Participation According to Hellison (2009: 28), stakeholders such as the youth can resist community service for various reasons. It is also noted that there are various strategies that can be used to resist community service or participation in community development activities. This is for example individual rebellion, collective action such as demonstrations among others. Social psychological model of participation can be used to explain such extreme behaviours. In politics, the model can be used to explain political uprising and mass actions such as the ones experienced in Egypt, Libya and other African countries. This theory provides that individuals are utilitarian actor s who are able to analyse the costs and benefits of various actions (Ugochi, 2007: 27). They can analyse the benefits and costs that are associated with their participation in community service activities and they will act based on this analysis. If the student feels that they will not benefit from community service, they are bound to resist and rebel against efforts made to compel them to participate in such activities (Horm Warford, 2003: 144). It is also noted that the individual is an actor who subscribes to a network of social norms and beliefs (Ferraiolo, 2011: 100). It is this network which provides the individual with internal and external motivations to act in a given manner. It is the reason why a student will support calls to make community service mandatory to all students in higher learning institutions in South Africa given the fact that they are tied to such students’ bodies. Participation in Community Service and The General Incentives Model of Participation According to Gillette (1985: 373), there are people who participate in community development with a lot of intensity than others. This is for example those students who will organise community service activities and lobby their teachers and students to join them. The general incentive model can be used to explain such observations. In the context of politics, the theory can be used to shed light on high- intensity forms of participation in political activities. This is for example running for office, campaigning, canvassing and such other activities. In the context of participation in community development and specifically through community service, it is noted that stakeholders need incentives to participate in such activities (Vermeulen, 2005: 34). However, it is noted that we should consider a wider array of such incentives as opposed to limiting ourselves to individual incentives that motivate the stakeholder (Vermeulen et al., 2003: 12). This model is somehow similar to the mot ivation model given the fact that the stakeholder needs a push to participate in community service. There are various forms of incentives that will motivate a stakeholder to participate in community service (Goulding, 2009: 38). A university should be aware of such incentives to ensure that they are put in place where necessary to encourage students’ participation in community development. Such incentives may include the satisfaction that the stakeholder derives from such participation, the recognition that they get among others (Osvaldo Gustavo, 2011: 29). Addressing Impacts of Undergraduates’ Engagement in Community Service in Africa Overview In this section, the researcher will critically analyse issues surrounding the impacts of undergraduates’ participation or engagement in community service in Africa. Among the issues that will be covered include the impacts of such an engagement on stakeholders, the challenges facing such an engagement and strategies use d by universities in community development among others. Stakeholders in University-Community Partnerships in Africa Before looking at the various benefits of community service by university students, it is important to first identify the various stakeholders that are involved in university-community partnerships in Africa. It is after identifying such stakeholders that we can then look at what each of them stands to gain from undergraduates’ engagement in community service. The following are some of the stakeholders: The Student This is perhaps the most important stakeholder in university-community development partnerships (Timms et al., 2005: 9). It is the students enrolled in various departments in the university who are involved in community service most of the time. For example, Perold Rahmat (1997: 102) cites the case of the South African Students’ Congress which was advocating for mandatory community service for all students in institutions of higher learning i n South Africa. From this analysis, we can conclude that the student has a very important role to play in university-community partnership. The student is the link between the university and the community in this partnership. The University As much as one would like to argue that the undergraduate is the most important stakeholder in university-community partnerships in Africa, it is important to note that the student cannot exist or carry out their duties without the support of the university. It is the university which gives such a student the mandate and the authority to provide community service in the society (Hewson et al., 2010: 12). When the members of the community interact with the student during community service sessions, they see the student as a representative of the particular university that they are coming from. This being the case, it can be argued that the university is an equally important stakeholder in the university-community partnership in Africa. It is the u niversity administration which provides the students with transport, finance and other facilities that are needed in carrying out community service. It is also the university which is tasked with the duty of equipping the student with the skills that are necessary in carrying out community service (Long, 1999: 23). The Community It is noted that the community is the major beneficiary of community service provided by the university through the students (Platteau Gaspart, 2008: 34). The participation of the community is very important in community service. It is important to ensure that the members of the community are involved in the process of identifying their needs and coming up with possible solutions to their problems (Shortall, 2004: 120). According to Chambers (2007: 41), it is important to ensure that community service activities are not imposed on the community by the university and the students or any other agency involved in community service. This is given the fact that when that happens, the community is likely to resist such efforts in effect neutralising the intended benefits. This is despite the fact that the community service endeavours may have been tailored to benefit the community and not the student or the university. Impacts of Students’ Participation in Community Service in Africa on Various Stakeholders As already indicated earlier in this paper, there are several impacts of students’ participation in community service in Africa and elsewhere in the world. It is noted that the impacts may vary from one stakeholder to the other depending on the form of community service that is being offered. One thing that has not being noted is the fact that the participation of students in community service can have both negative and positive impacts on the various stakeholders (Madzivhandila, 2005: 3). The impacts on the various stakeholders will be analysed in detail here: Impacts on Students One of the positive impacts of community s ervice on students is the fact that they gain professional experience from their participation (Ribot, 1999: 34). Take the case of a medical student who is about to graduate. Going to the village and providing medical services gives them an idea of what it is like to work in a real life situation It is also noted that participation in such endeavours leads to a sense of satisfaction on the part of the student. The student feels that they have done something useful for the community and this increases their sense of responsibility (Ribot, 2005: 89) It is noted that participation in community service may have financial benefits for the student. This is for example when the student gets paid to perform extra community service or when they perform community service in exchange for credits to finance their higher education However, it is also important to note that participation in community service may have various negative impacts on the student in Africa. For example, participation ma y take a lot of the student’s time. This is time that could have been used in other activities such as reading for an exam (Arnstein, 1969: 222) At times community service may be irrelevant to the student. This is especially so if the student is involved in community service in an area that is not related to what they are studying in school. This may also happen when the student is compelled to perform community service in order to graduate (Sithole, 2005: 177) Impacts on the University Participation in community service has several impacts on the university as an institution of higher learning in Africa. One of the major positive impacts is the establishment of links between the university and the community within which it is located (Andrea, 2000: 18) However, the participation of undergraduates in community service may be expensive on the part of the university. This is especially so if the type of community service the university is involved in is capital intensive (Tim ms et al., 2005: 2). This is significant given that most of the universities in Africa are underfunded Student participation in community service may also enhance the quality of education that is offered by the university. This is given the fact that the education is not only theoretical but also practical. This being the case, the status of the university as far as potential employers are concerned is enhanced Impacts on the Community The welfare of the community is enhanced when the university engages such a community in a university-community partnership initiative. For example, the health of the members of the community improves when the university provides free or affordable medical services to them (Durham, 2004: 600) Participation of undergraduates in community service may lead to what Platteau Gaspart (2008: 1) refer to as ‘elite capture’. This happens when a few members of the community hijack the services provided by the university and excludes other member s of the society. This will in effect lead to community development that is skewed in favour of a few members of the society or the elite Improving University-Community Partnerships in Africa Having looked at some of the benefits and costs of community service as far as university-community partnership in Africa is concerned, it is now important to look at various strategies that may be used by the various stakeholders to improve the partnership in Africa. We can analyse this by looking at some of the key features of a successful university-community partnership in Africa and elsewhere in the world. The following are some of the features: Using Faculty Work to Improve the Welfare of the Community According to Wilson (2011: 21), higher learning institutions using university-community partnerships to engage the community must start by analyzing the importance of such a partnership in achieving the mission and objective of the university. To this end, it does not benefit the universit y or the community for that matter to engage in community service activities that are seen as ‘dumbing down’ the agenda of the institution (Wilson, 2011: 21). As one step towards improving the quality of community service offered by their faculty members and students in general, the university should review the intended community service activities and how they are related to the objectives and mission of the university. Understanding and Respecting the Community A unique feature of students’ participation in community service is the fact that the activities bring together students and members of the community drawn from different racial and ethnic backgrounds (Vermeulen, 2005: 65). This being the case, there is need for the university and the students to respect and appreciate the unique culture of the community within which they are providing community services. A successful community service program is marked by this respect and understanding. It is noted that more often than not, universities make their way into the community and start imposing programs on that society. This is especially the case when universities from the western nations are involved in a university-community partnership with communities from the African continent. Such a university may enter such an African community with what Wilson (2011: 23) refers to as a â€Å"know-it-all† attitude. Such a university will practically force the community to adopt the policies that are proposed by the so called ‘know- it- all’ partner. Wilson (2011: 22) provides the university wishing to improve the quality of community service with a strategy calculated to gain acceptance from the target community. The author is of the view that the university should first immerse itself fully into the target community before initiating engagement. This will make the community accept the university and thus support the activities of such an institution. Africa may be regarded as a backward and primitive continent by many students who are not aware of the diversity of communities in this continent. Such students may be stereotypical when engaged in community service in African communities. This will compromise the community service activities initiated by universities in this continent. Establish Long-Term and Sustainable Partnerships with the Community Wilson (2011: 24) notes that a successful university-community partnership is not an â€Å"episodic phenomenon†. It is not something that develops overnight. On the contrary, such an engagement is â€Å".programmatic, research-based and more often than not long term† (Wilson, 2011: 24). Most communities in Africa are plagued by challenges and problems that have accumulated over the years as a result of negligence from the rest of the world. This is for example problems brought about by colonisation and exploitation of resources by the western nations (Colby et al., 2011: 56). These are some o f the challenges that are addressed by university-community partnership initiatives in Africa. For example, such an initiative may be addressing rampant poverty in Africa which has been brought about by interplay of factors such as bad governance, exploitation, illiteracy among others. To better address such challenges in Africa, the universities should adopt a long term strategy as opposed to a short term form of intervention (Bednarz et al., 2008: 88). As already noted, the problems did not develop overnight. This being the case, a strategy aimed at addressing these challenges should also be long term just like the challenges themselves (Dwayne Palmer, 2006: 400). As a step towards building long term engagements with the community, it is noted that the university should seek the collaboration of other agencies in community development. These are agencies such as the government, faith based organisations and other non-governmental organisations (Osvaldo Gustavo, 2011: 25). It was mentioned earlier in this paper that recent developments in the word such as globalisation and the rise of technology has changed the community completely. This is especially so for African communities which were under the rule of colonialists for a very long time. This being the case, the challenges that are facing these communities cannot be effectively tackled by one agency alone. This is the reason why the university requires other strategic stakeholders to ensure that the university-community development partnership is sustainable (Booth, 2006: 13). Types of Community Service Programs Initiated by University-Community Partnerships in Africa Community service programs take various forms in Africa. The following are just some of these forms of community service programs: Volunteer Service Programs According to Perold Rahmat (1997), a volunteer is a person who takes community service as a form of extra-curricular activity. The volunteer is involved in community service during ho lidays or when they are not having classes in the case of a university student. In volunteer programs, the student is expected to perform general tasks and not necessarily tasks that are related to their academic field. This means that volunteer programs are not taken as part of class work by the university. The student engaged in volunteer community service is not paid. However, it is noted that the university may fund the activities of the volunteer but this should not be taken as payment on the part of the volunteer student (Bryant West, 2011: 85). Work-Study Programs According to Hustinx (2005: 530), this is a form of program that combines studies and working at the same time. For example, the student may be involved in assisting their lecturers in conducting research, teaching other students among other things. A major aim of work-study program in African universities and other universities around the world is to support the student financially. This is especially so if the ad ministration feels that the student is bright but is needy and cannot afford the tuition fees. This is one way of giving back to the community on the part of the university. Placements A well known form of placement program is internship. Internship has become part of the curriculum in many universities in Africa and in the world in general. However, it is important to note that placement is not strictly structured to give back to the community on the part of the university (Perold Rahmat, 1997: 100). On the contrary, the major aim of placement is to provide the student with a link between theory and practice in learning. However, a critical analysis of the program will reveal that it has some aspects of community service in it. This is especially so when the student is attached to community based organisations such as NGOs which are providing free social services to the public. Conclusion This study critically looked at the impacts of undergraduate students’ engagement in c ommunity service in Africa. The researcher started by defining what community service is and what it entails. Some of the benefits and costs of community service to various stakeholders were analysed. The various forms of community service were also analysed as well as the various strategies that can be used by the universities in Africa to improve their community service programs. Recommendations for Future Research Future studies should make an effort to analyse how universities can improve their development partnerships with the communities. This is given the fact that there is very little data in this field touching on this topic Future studies should also try to analyse the impacts of other students apart from undergraduates as far as their engagement in community service in Africa is concerned. This is as a result of the realisation that other groups of students such as post-graduates are also involved in community service References Altman, D. G. (1995). Sustaining interventi ons in community systems: On the relationship between researchers and communities. Health Psychology, 14(6): 526-536. Andrea, C. (2000). Making a difference: Gender and participatory development. IDS, 2000: 5-30. Arnstein, S. R. (1969). A ladder of citizen participation. Journal of American Institute of Planners, 23: 216-224. Bebbington, A., Farrington, J. (1993). 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