Feminist critique on a street car named desire Essay

Although the play itself would have made huge strides in the feminist movement at the time the message behind the play brings out a crucial and relevant message to the audience today, and asks bigger questions to young people in a generation that questionably has made very few steps forward in the past few decades. It questions how gendered stereotyping controls our society and how little both sexes care to amend it in an apathetic civilisation. Blanche as a character although resembling, at times, the potential to be of more substantial character and command the recognition she deserves, is trapped into a bubble of what can be considered feminine and is convinced by her own sub conscience and those around her that the only way to get what she wants is to act within certain stereotypes to find herself any man to provide the stability she craves, Stella alike takes the role in a less exaggerated manner but this in some ways is more powerful as she has the power over Stanley to conduct him as she wishes but herself deems it only acceptable to run back to him every time he calls. Self-destruction in its simplest form because society has condemned her to our four walls of femininity. A Streetcar Named Desire presents a sharp observational critique of the way the institutions and attitudes of postwar America placed restrictions on women’s actions and lives. Williams uses Blanche’s and Stella’s dependence on men to expose and evaluate the treatment of women during the transition from the old to the new South. Both Blanche and Stella see male companions as their only means to achieve happiness, Blanche and Stella throughout the play remain in the mindset that to acquire a male companion is their only true and justified path to happiness, consequently they form a dependency to men for both their sustenance and their self-image. Blanche criticizes Stella for staying in a physically abusive relationship with her brooding husband Stanley, thus in turn criticizing Stella for depending on Stanley for emotional support and sexual relief, Stella declares she is ‘not in anything she wants to get out of’ this moment in the play shocks Blanche as she realises that someone she loves and respects so completely could choose this life for herself . However the way Blanche leads her life—contacting Shep Huntleigh for financial support—still demonstrates a complete uncompromising dependency on men. At the end of the play, when Stella makes the conscious decision to remain with her husband, Stanley, she has chosen to rely on love, and put her faith and reliance in a man instead of her sister. Williams chooses not to present this decision as a mistake or a female falling as it is clear that Blanche’s behavior does not offer nor demonstrate a secure future for Stella or for her newly born child. One of the most prominent communications within the play is that posed by Blanche, as a character we find it incredibly hard to sympathize with her, she appears on the surface manipulative and unhinged masked clumsily by nauseating girlishness . She comes across in so many ways barely a woman at all with her shrill demands and constant awkward giggling, however her past reveals she is far more of a woman than Stella or Blanche would ever like to believe, her shaded life in Bellereeve leaves trails of fragmented womanhood behind her which later manifests itself in the form of vicious gossip that consequently sparks Blanches downfall. Within herself, Blanche views a quick marriage to Mitch as a manner of absconding destitution. Blanche’s sexual exuberance is criticized by Stanley and exploited by all the other men in her life excluding Mitch, tarnishing her name, and providing her with a promiscuous reputation. This reputation, by nature of society, brands Blanche an unfit and unattractive marriage prospect, however, as she is destitute, Blanche perceives marriage as her only probability for survival in a bible belt that condemns women be pure in order to be a possibility for wedlock. When Mitch discards Blanche based on the slander painted by Stanley about her licentious past, Blanche instantaneously turns to another man—the millionaire Shep Huntleigh—in hope of another miraculous rescuing. Because Blanche is blinded by her dependence on men, she loses sight of a realistic concept of saving herself from being pushed down, this view has been embedded in her by humanity condemning her to believe her only discharge will be if a good honest man will wed her, thus somehow erasing the shadows of her past in Bellereeve. Blanche fails to come to terms with the fact that by putting so much emphasis and reliance in men she no longer controls the outcomes of her future as she puts her fate in the hands of a man, thus ultimately leading to her descent into insanity. One of the most important aspects of feminism is that gender is a social construct and if womanhood is defined purely through the chains of society rather than through natural causes, few societies have enforced it more forcefully and with such vigour as the American South. The saga that is the southern woman began in the mid 1800’s which saw a white woman of a certain standing put on a pedestal. The southern gentleman and society enforced that a woman be a non-sexual creature, helpless and fragile, this is concentrated and highlighted in Blanche’s behaviour as she believes the only way for her to appear attractive to the opposite sex is to manifest herself as pathetic and incapable. As a Southern lady, Blanche’s narrowly defined social role has kept her from admitting her natural appetites and pursuing them forthrightly. She has felt obliged to lie to herself and to others. However throughout the play these hidden desires have revealed themselves in private company, for instance her heavy drinking would be seen as impure by southern society and this is evident by both Mitch’s and Stanley’s reaction to this trait. Blanches greatest scandal from belle reeve is that she let her sexual nature control her actions thus ‘spoiling’ her and rendering her a ruined woman. To express one’s sexuality or desires instantaneously reduces a woman to tainted and impure. Williams has said that he considers Blanche’s character liberated, she has lived such an autonomous life in such a repressive time she could almost be considered heroic were she not so ashamed of her fierce former independence. In the play she seeks stability after the tragedy of her life in Belle reeve – ergo her attraction to Mitch – his incessant and ceaseless tedium results in Blanche being capable of fulfilling her central hunger in this time of her life, to find a good husband. She regularly discourages masculine behaviour in Mitch, rendering him the submissive co-part of the relationship, Blanche subconsciously maculates herself by doing this. Both sisters have felt the full force of marrying for love (Stella through the physical abuse omitted by Stanley and Blanche through the affair of her bi-sexual late husband) it could be argued that Allan’s sexual ambiguity led Stella to choose an overtly heterosexual working class man. Some criticise Williams writing of Stella as she fails to release herself from the grasp of her abusive husband, expressing that Williams presents Stella (and blanche) as weak and incompetent however this criticism is unjust as Williams would have been writing before any form of feminist movement arose, meaning that Williams himself was writing purely from observation of his Southern America. Williams himself as a homosexual male experienced the same struggles as these women being considered a second class citizen or an ‘other’ The ending of the play, finishes controversially for feminists addressing the issue of rape, however Williams does not present Blanche as victim, although the tone of sympathy primarily lies with the women of the play Blanche manifests herself as a worthy opponent, she has allured Stanley with provocative comments and engaged in verbal battles with him throughout the play. She has not proved a weak adversary at any moment and at the climax of the play smashes a bottle and threatens to ‘’twist it into his face’’. Stanley does not rape Blanche in order to re-instate his power in the house rather than as a battle for position of alpha-male, as from the beginning of the play Blanche has threatened this position, she has drunk his alcohol, manipulated his wife and this pinnacle marks the end battle of this ongoing power-struggle. Stanley is not belittling Blanche or women in general by raping her rather he feels it is his last resort in order to have victory thus proving he sees her as a genuine intimidation. Stanley says ‘we’ve had this date with each other from the beginning’ showing that she was a direct threat from the beginning and the fact that it could imply that the act was pre-meditated is the only indication of deliberate cold- blooded cruelty on Stanley’s behalf. Williams challenges the traditional view of marriage as posed by cultural standing, assuming that marriage is the end of the story, and that marriage is synonymous with a lifetime of joy, erasing all pain from behind that moment. Williams sees marriage as the start of a life for a man, far from the bliss that is advertised. Mitch and Stanley represent realistic portraits of men who will constantly cram their women into gendered stereotypes and Stella and Blanche will always oblige to protect their own stature and (in the case of Stella) to shelter their children.

The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act

Section 1 of the 14th Amendment of the U. S. Constitution affords due process to every individual within its jurisdiction. This goes to show that whoever is in the U. S. territory, whether they are here legally or illegally, are afforded due process of law.The Illegal Immigration reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRIR) made way for transformations in the system of the US Immigration laws generally pertaining to the improvements and control of entry into the US, intensified enforcement and penalties of laws with regards to aliens in the region, restrictions against their employment and benefits, and other miscellaneous provisions. The immigration laws of today can be enforced by the local and state police. They have the general power to investigate and arrest violators of federal immigration statutes.In this manner, the people can directly contact the police in case they suspect any illegal alien in their vicinity and the local police can check into it. In fact, after the September 11 bombings, there was a speedy detention of aliens suspected of terrorist activities or ties. (Malkin, 2002) One agency that enforces immigration laws is the Department of Homeland Security. Among the major policy changes since 9/11 is that local and state law enforcement agencies, along with their federal counterparts, are being required to use strict criteria in seeking out and detaining illegal immigrants (Pluvoise-Fenton, 2003).Alien Absconder Apprehension Initiative involved entering the names of fugitive alien absconders into the FBI’s National Crime Information Center database. It focused on absconders from a list of countries designated as terrorist supporting states. These individuals became the subject of a nationwide effort to apprehend them. The aim was for the immigration laws in the country to be better enforced as it were before. (Ziglar, 2004) It is therefore a program designed to bag those people that were released from custody and were initial ly apprehended for illegally entry.However, instead of being sent back to their home country, they were released with a date to show up in court. Having no legal status whatsoever, these people simply did not show up, leaving the government to put up efforts on finding them. The S visa is given to aliens who aid the US law enforcement in the investigation, arrest, and prosecution of criminals involved in illegal or terrorist activities. This was pursuant to The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 which paved way for the creation of the â€Å"S† category in visas.If the immigrant gives certain information that is material to the success of the investigation, they then become qualified to adjust the status of their immigration. Reference Malkin, Michelle, (September 2002). The Deportation Abyss â€Å"It Ain't Over ‘Til the Alien Wins†. Center for Immigration Studies. Statement of James W. Ziglar to the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon The United States (January 26, 2004).

Erp System Implication

Analyzing Enterprise Resource Planning system implementation success factors in the Engineering-Procurement Construction & Commissioning Industry Introduction Back Ground Enterprise Systems (ES), also called Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, are among the most important business information technologies to emerge in the last decade. While no two industries Enterprise Systems are the same, the basic concept of Enterprise Systems is focused mainly on standardization, synchronization and improved efficiency. ERP is basically the successor to material resource planning (MRP) and integrated accounting systems such as payroll, general ledger, and billing. The benefits of Enterprise Systems are very significant: coordinating processes and information, reducing carrying costs, decreasing cycle time and improving responsiveness to customer needs [ (Davenport, 2000) ]. MRP is limited to controlling the flow of components and materials, and does not lend itself to more complete production control and coordination. The next generation of manufacturing software, known as MRP II, was developed to address this shortcoming and to further integrate business activities into a common framework. MRP II divides the production control problem into a hierarchy based on time scale and product aggregation. It coordinates the manufacturing process, allowing a variety of tasks such as capacity planning, demand management, production scheduling and distribution to be linked together. [ (Mendelson, 2000) ] Conventionally, the EPC firms have been faced with the predicament of handling the mega projects. The issue always is to keep these multimillion dollar projects on schedule, under budget, and safe with the quality specified by the end user. Although the EPC firms are one of the leading contributors to the development of region, yet it faces the challenges of most highly fragmented, inefficient, and geographically dispersed industries in the world. In recent times the emergence of ERP Software has helped such firms to overcome the issues. EPC Companies in the present world are expanding day by day, moving across the globe to open new avenues of business and expand. These companies also seek diversification in their business and continuously changing and adopting technology to keep pace and maintain their competitive advantage in their prior and newly adopted business sectors. Managing these huge companies need special support of Information Technology to keep a track of activities and handle them accordingly. Companies like BHP Billiton, Nestle etc. have implemented ERP systems around the globe wherever they operate. In our part of the world i. e. Pakistan companies such as Packages, FFC, Raftan Maize and Descon etc. have all implemented ERP systems to handle their business in a more efficient manner with their growth locally and globally. ERP is a software architecture that facilitates the flow of information among the different functions within an enterprise. Similarly, ERP facilitates information sharing across organizational units and geographical locations. It enables decision-makers to have an enterprise-wide view of the information they need in a timely, reliable and consistent fashion. ERP provides the backbone for an enterprise-wide information system. At the core of this enterprise software is a central database which draws data from and feeds data into modular applications that operate on a common computing platform, thus standardizing business processes and data definitions into a unified environment. With an ERP system, data needs to be entered only once. The system provides consistency and visibility-or- transparency across the entire enterprise. A primary benefit of ERP is easier access to reliable, integrated information. A related benefit is the elimination of redundant data and the rationalization of processes, which result in substantial cost savings. [ (Mendelson, 2000) ]. Problem Statement Unfortunately for Nestle USA, they did not heed the failures of others. Throughout the implementation, Nestle USA made several large mistakes that almost doomed the project. When the project began a team of 50 top executives and 10 senior IT professionals was assembled to develop a set of best practices for all Nestle USA divisions. The goal was to develop these best practices for all functions of the organization. By the time the implementation began in 1999 Nestle already had problems with its employees’ acceptance of the system. Most of the resistance met by the project team was traced back to the fact that â€Å"none of the groups that were going to be directly affected by the new processes and systems were represented on the key stakeholder’s team†. This was only the start of Nestle USA’s problems. By early 2000, the implementation had turned into a disaster. Employees did not understand how to use the new system and did not understand the new work processes they were being forced to adopt. Divisional executives were just as confused as their employees as they had been left out of the planning and development of the new system and were less than willing to assist in straightening out the mess that had developed. The result of this was that morale plummeted and turnover skyrocketed [ (Dieringer, 2004) ]. Nestle learned the hard way that an enterprise-wide rollout involves much more than simply installing software. When you move to SAP, you are changing the way people work,† Dunn says. â€Å"You are challenging their principles, their beliefs and the way they have done things for many, many years. † [ (Worthen, 2002) ] While it’s true that successful implementation of an enterprise resource planning system is a task of Herculean proportions, it’s not impossible. If your organization is to reap the benefits of ERP, it must first develop a plan for success. But prepare to see your organization reengineered, your staff disrupted, and your productivity drop before the payoff is realized. In a recent survey, information technology managers identified three primary reasons for the failure of all IT-related projects: poor planning or poor management (cited by 77 percent), change in business goals during the project (75 percent), and lack of business management support (73 percent). Since ERP is an IT-related project, the above are valid reasons for explaining ERP implementation failures. For managers who have struggled with incompatible information systems and sub-optimum operating practices, the promise of ERP to solve the problem of business integration is enticing. But the price of securing the benefits of ERP may be high. The cost of a modest ERP implementation can range from $2 million to $4 million, depending on the size of the organization and the specific products and services purchased from vendors. The cost of a full-blown implementation in a large organization can easily exceed $ 100 million. [ (Umble, 2002) ] Research Objectives The objective of this research is to identify factors that influence ERP implementation, providing factors associated with the success of ERP systems in EPC firms. The research brings to limelight the factors associated with the success or failure of ERP implementation, and scrutinize these factors according to the level of significance in affecting the success of ERP systems. The primary research objectives: 1) Identify the factors responsible for the success or failure of ERP implementation? a. Identify factors that can motivate users to adopt the ERP System and make the project successful. b. Also to discuss relationship between these factors. ) What marks the success of an ERP implementation and how to avoid the failure of implementation? Literature Review EPC Companies such as Descon, Hyundai, Bechtel, Petronas and Foster Wheeler etc. face frequent challenges of managing project schedules, budgets, safety, and quality to meet requirements provided by the end user / customers across the globe. The proper utilization of internal and external resources is essential if construction companies are to make the best business decisions, maximize bu siness goals, and survive in the competitive environment (Shi, 2003). Recently, an appreciable number of major EPC companies decided to implement enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, an integrated information technology IT solution, to better integrate various business functions and resources, particularly those related to project accounting procedures and practices (Boo Young Chung, 2008). Enterprise resource planning systems, also called enterprise systems ES are among the most important business information technologies that emerged during the last decade. While no two industries’ ERP systems are the same, the basic concept of ERP systems is focused on standardization and synchronization of information, and as a result, improved efficiency. The benefits of ERP systems include coordinating processes and information, reducing carrying costs, decreasing cycle time, and improving responsiveness to customer needs (Davenport, 2000). Major EPC firms are starting to recognize the benefit of ERP systems, however, they are often hesitant to invest and adopt these systems due to high cost and risks associated with ERP system implementation. Many factors must be considered for successful implementation, but construction firms have little to guide them in identifying key success factors (Boo Young Chung, 2008). The ERP Systems are not limited to just financial and accounting, they have the whole system embedded in them. The ERP modules such as SAP comprise of modules for Supply Chain Management, Human Capital Management, Material Management, Finance etc. The main modules of an ERP System are as follows 1. Finance & Controlling (FI & CO) 2. Quality Management (QM) 3. Material Management (MM) 4. Human Capital Management (HCM) . Project Systems (PS) 6. Production Planning (PP) 7. Sales & Distribution (SD) 8. Treasury (TR) 9. Plant Maintenance (PM) 10. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Currently, many construction firms have implemented their ERP systems adopting a best-of-breed approach in which separate software packages were selected for each process or function rather than using full packages of major ERP vendors (Ta tari, 2007). EPC Companies selected different modules like material management, quality management from major ERP vendors and clubbed together with their customized software. The customization of these ERP Systems have been a major issue as all companies try to mend these modules in to their own processes which makes the implementation very difficult. For this reason, regardless of the agreed upon implementation approach, any integrated corporate system in which all the necessary business functions are pieced together for the company is considered the ERP system in this study. The main reason of using this approach is that construction processes are less standardized than manufacturing: each project has a different owner, is managed by a different project team, requires different specifications, etc. Therefore, success or failure factors and their significance for ERP implementation in the construction industry may be different from those in the manufacturing industry. (Boo Young Chung, 2008). We can classify ERPs benefits as: (1) improvement of information flow between sub-units by standardization and integration of activities, (2) centralization of administrative activities such as accounts payable and payroll, (3) reduction of IS aintenance costs and increased ability to deploy new IS functionality, (4) transformation enablement from inefficient business processes to accepted best-of-practice processes (Ayyub Ansarinejad1, 2011) Variables in the ERP Model The main variables in ERP Success model are * Output * Job relevance * Image * Result demonstrability * Compatibility * System Reliability * Internal Support * Function * Consultant Support * Subjective Norm * Perceived Usefulness * Perceived ease of use * Intention to use * ERP Benefits * Project Success / progress * Project success / quality Bibliography Ayyub Ansarinejad1, M. -S. A. (2011). Evaluating the critical success factors in ERP Implementation using Fuzzy AHP approach. Internation Journal of Academic Reserach , 65-80. Boo Young Chung, M. J. (2008). Anaylzing Enterprise Resource Planning System Implementation Factors in the Engineering-Construction Industry. Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering , 373-382. Davenport, T. (2000). Mission Critical : Realizing the promise of Enterprise Systems. Harvard Business School Press Boston . Dieringer, D. S. (2004). ERP Implementation at Nestle. Mendelson, H. (2000). ERP Overview. Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, Stanford, CA . Shi, J. J. (2003). Enterprise Resource Planning for Construction Business Management. Journal for Construction Engineering and Management , 214-221. Tatari, O. C. -L. (2007). Current state of construction enterprise information system: Survey Research. Construction Innovation , 310-310. Umble, E. J. (2002). Avoiding ERP Implementation Failure. Industrial Management, Industrial Management Society , 25-33. Worthen, B. (2002, May 15th). Nestle's ERP Odyssey.

Ethical Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ethical - Essay Example To ensure the safety and the normal development of children by protecting them from risks, it is evident that encouraging children to manage risks would be the most beneficial method for their holistic well-being. With awareness and recognition of ethical issues prevalent in the classroom setting, teachers and school administrators conform to a set of guidelines which assist them in their decision making process. In this regard, this essay aims to differentiate between the legal and ethical issues encountered in a junior school and to discuss the need for legislation as a means of protecting students as well as teachers and school administrators. Likewise, the discourse would identify and evaluate a range of ethical theories that can be used to justify the decision making in the junior school, as the work place setting. Every field of endeavor designs a set of guidelines and standards for members to follow and conform to a prescribed moral behavior adhering to ethical principles governing their career of choice. Teachers and school administrators are governed by the code of ethics instituted by the National Education Association. The principles and commitments indicated in the code are known in the teaching profession as the Code of Ethics of the Education Profession (National Education Association (NEA), 2010, par. 2). Generally, the code envisioned two (2) distinct principles and commitments, to wit: commitment to the student and commitment to the profession. The first commitment sets guidelines for the educator to focus on the holistic development of the student by the encouragement of potentials and honing of skills. There are exactly eight (8) guidelines set by the NEA for educators to fulfill the obligations expected of them, to wit: (1) encouragement for learning; (2) encouraging diverse points of views; (3) making a balanced stance regarding student progress; (4) protecting the

Health Information Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Health Information Technology - Essay Example The health care plan was implemented at Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform at Brookings. The project increased the ability of the center with regards to taking care of patients (Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform, 2010, p.1). HIT is useful to collect health information stored in EHRs such as registries, data, and inpatient billing systems that are used in facilitating patients care at the center. The development of Electronic Health Record project was facilitated by a variety of institutions, such as the Institute of Medicine increases the learning of health care systems. Besides, the use of the project was useful to enhance a broad range of clinical and public health activities critical to improving patient care. The project enhances applications such as quality measurement and reporting and public health surveillance of patients by the use of electronic health records (Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform, 2010, p. 1). The key stakeholders in the implementation of the project include the cancer care outcomes research and surveillance consortium (CanCORS) and federal health information experts. CanCORS facilitates the use of EHRs to develop demographics, medical information and contact in five states.Moreover, CanCORS promotes study patterns of decision-making and treatment for colorectal cancers and lung patients while federal information technology experts focus primarily on the creation of incentives for health care provision by the use of EHRs (Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform, 2010, p. 2). The stakeholders assist in moving the project forward by facilitating the utilization of the electronic health record systems in various health care centers. Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform. (May 2010). Using Information Technology To Support Better Health Care: One Infrastructure With Many Uses: Brookings, Washington, DC. Retrieved June 25, 2015 from

DreamTending Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

DreamTending - Essay Example There are five ecopsychological principles that guide the practice of DreamTending: Dream images do not correspond only to the neurotic structures of the past, but they are also positioned in our personal and collective human experiences (Aizenstat, 2007). The strange, horrific and beautiful visitors at night Aizenstat (2007) calls beings of the world dreaming. Each of us gains access to the life-sustaining world rhythm through the dreaming practices, which are deeply rooted in the psyche of the nature. With DreamTending, Aizenstat (2007) attempts to re-connect people to the global pulse of life, bringing us closer to ecology and eventually restoring and healing our soul and health. This is an ecopsychological method, proposing a valuable new approach to dreaming. In this ecological perspective of psychological life, Aizenstat (2007) provides a unique technique in interpreting the dream, discovering its nature, and experiences it provokes. The world we live in is more and more individual-centered and ego-centric and we recent ecological catastrophes the well-being of the planet depends to a great extent on human ability to adequately respond to the screaming voices of the nature. Aizenstat's (2007) motto is that in tending the dream, we have to chance to tend the world, too. Hollis and Rosen (2002) in their analyses present an appreciation ... rticular argues that if human beings do not possess the ability of their mind to construct images filled with the energy of the surrounding nature, we will lose our link with the world around and will not form rational and emotional abilities. Developing on this knowledge, Hollis and Rosen (2002) demonstrate the significance of and spiritual experiences with the nature and the importance of connection with the "other" world. "The psyche is the starting point of all human experience and all the knowledge we have gained eventually leads back to it. The psyche is the beginning and end of all cognition (Hollis and Rosen, 2002, p.102)." Hollis and Rosen (2002) explain that when we try to explore ourselves we re-image this through the larger scope of the world and its multiple archetypical imaginations. Sardello's (1992) main concept is that our human bodies manifest the body of the world. In this regard our bodies are part of the universal. Therefore, everything in the world is either closely or distantly connected - from animals, vegetation, air, all is homogenous and constant. Sardello (1992) reminds us the myth of Sophia - the soul of the world and how its presence surrounds the world. He also suggests that the soul of the world consists of many parts - meditation, imagination, concentration. The soul of the world does not belong to an individual, rather it is a subjective one (Sardello, 1992). Moore, a distinguished theologian offers a new philosophy in which he suggests that people should accept their humanity and not struggle to transcend it. Moore (1993) continues that people have to nurture their soul every day with small rituals, they have to cultivate and develop their spirituality in unison with the surrounding nature. Estes (1996) tries to restore women's

Question 1&2&3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Question 1 - Essay Example This takes the form of controlling cargo storage and distribution via the most relevant ways. Product quality is fundamental to the undertaking of these activities, and therefore only the best company in terms of its logistics is chosen. c) Internal coherent and competent logistics should be accounted for in considering any given company. Such a company should be pursuing entries into newly opened market opportunities. Resource portfolio of the company is important in determining the strategy to adopt. Where resources are not adequate, internal strategies may be adopted, but this may consequently necessitate outsourcing some well-defined operations to a third party within the same level of logistics as the outsourcing company. d) A recent entrant company in the manufacturing industry makes a good choice. Such a company undertakes vigorous activities in its operations in a bid to improve the output level. The principle focus here is the product design, manufacturing process and the vo lume of product sales. Cargo handling in both storage and distribution of raw materials and final products is handled by an external party through outsourcing arrangements. Question 2 a) Quick response: This is a system in which decision pertaining to amounts of orders and times of replenishment are made by the retailer. On the other hand, POS data analysis is handled by the supply side. The importance of data analysis by suppliers is that it allows for an effective means though which future predictions can be made, consequently making it possible to make plans and schedules of production. A quick response is best suited for newly interacting retailer-supplier, where each is uncertain about the other. Inventories are controlled by the retailer, although POS data availed to suppliers can improve their operational performance. Lack of adequate resources to affirm the relationship between the retailer and the supplier necessitate quick response practices. b) Continuous replenishment: P OS data are made available to the vendors through this system. This provision is tailored towards the realization of shipment activities that are further necessary in the maintenance of a desired inventory characteristic. Shipping frequency is agreed upon at an earlier stage and all the guidelines to the system outlined in order to ensure that the inventory exhibits the required characteristics and amounts. This system strikes a balance between quick response and Vendor-Managed Inventory system. In this case lesser risks are taken relative to VMI, and at the same time, retailer-supplier relationship is well defined in this system as opposed to quick response system. c) VMI (Vendor-Managed Inventory system): Levels of inventory to maintain in the system are solely determined by the suppliers. Policies are formulated and implemented to ensure that the agreed upon inventory levels are observed. Replenishments in this system are taken care of by the vendors. This replenishment managemen t by the vendors does not take place automatically; rather, it is the retailers that charge the vendors with a full responsibility to do that. VMI system is complex, and a strong buyer-seller relationship need to be upheld. An effective VMI system realizes a general system saving, contrary to the other two types of retailer-supplier partnerships. Question 3 The manufacturing company is undergoing pressure from the retailer in regard to delivery and

Life Span Perspective Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Life Span Perspective Paper - Essay Example In a life-span perspective, ageing implies changes, which for its part, take many forms. For instance, we have the purely biological changes such as weakening of the muscle strength, shortness of breath, graying of the hair, wrinkling of the skin and so on. There is the incidence of human disease, particularly those of the elderly who at certain point may be diagnosed with more than one illness. Next we have the cognitive decline such as the benign forgetfulness or the onset of dementia. This also includes the changes in the social environment and thus the experiences arising from it. Bere Miesen and Gemma Jones (1997) write that a model of a life-span perspective may be characterized by type of change, individual characteristics, coping behavior, adjustment in adaptation and the experience of quality of life. (p. 32) Finally, the Darwinian concept is very important in this perspective. It banks on the idea that humans share important characteristics through heredity and this in turn becomes a variable in the whole life-span development process. For example, virtually all of us develop in similar ways at similar ages such as walking and talking at age 1. And so, the study of development from a life-span perspective is multidisciplinary involving both biological and social sciences. Human development falls into three broad domains, namely: physical development, cognitive development and psychological development. (Sugarman 2001, p. 14) There are some who include personal and social developments but the previous three roughly cover everything. Human development meanwhile is divided into 8 periods: infancy, early childhood, middle childhood, late childhood, adolescence, early adulthood, middle adulthood and late adulthood. (Sugarman, p. 56-60) Contemporary concerns regarding life-span development include the questions on the eight periods in

English 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

English 2 - Essay Example The essay will include a possible solution of bringing healthy restaurant that will encourage healthy eating to avoid obesity and overweight problems amongst students. In the last three decades, Sale of fast foods in University restaurants has increased dramatically. Fast foods from retailers such as McDonald and taco bell are served school restaurants in most colleges and universities. Junk food and sweetened drinks are what most students at University of Colorado depend on. Most of them do so due to lack of other options. Snacks such as fries and burgers are very popular amongst students. Lack of healthy alternatives in the school restaurants make most students turn to eating junk food without considering the side effects (â€Å"Havard University† Web). There are several risks associated with eating fast foods, which comprise of junks and snacks. The fast foods have high level of calories in addition to excess fat. The major risk is increase in cases of obesity and overweight. Overweight is associated with other problems such as low self-esteem amongst student, which can affect their academic performance. Additionally, being overweight exposes student to other disorders such as heart problems and high blood pressure. Studies have shown that food with high levels of fat slow down blood flow since they lead to accumulation of bad cholesterol in the body (â€Å"Harvard University† Web). There is need for introduction of restaurants that will offer healthier foods to curb cases of obesity and overweight amongst students at University of Colorado. Having an organic restaurant at University of Colorado would improve the food environment for the students. The best option would be opening of organic restaurant to offer foods with adequate nutritional value without risking the health of the students. Other than offering sweetened drinks, organic restaurants would

Security Management in Maritime Organisations Case Study

Security Management in Maritime Organisations - Case Study Example TT Club aims at providing practical security measures which are limited to particular countries while the objective of the ISPS code is to establish an international maritime security framework. With the mutual coordination of contracting and local governments of shipping port facilities, the ISPS Code provides a complete theoretical solution to maritime possible threats and risks. One of the main reasons for comparing the TT Club manual with the ISPS code is to determine the extent to which the implementation of International Convention for the safety of Life at Sea adopted on December 12, 2002 made possible and followed. Other reasons to follow the ISPS Code are to list out all those possible threats which have never been considered before. The Club is a maritime Insurance company which provides all kinds of transport insurance to 80 countries of the world while the ISPS code targets all the shipping ports throughout the globe. TT Club provides pro-active determination of loss at some cost to its business members, but is limited to 80 countries. Another reason for comparing both the manuals is that the ISPS code is applied to all passenger and cargo ships (3.1) and one cannot ignore the fact that TT Club as an Insurance company is limited to provide maritime Insurance. Therefore it is obvious that TT Club would not take into account the hidden real world pro blems. Let us begin with the functional requirements of both the manuals. The TT Club manual is published with a view of preventing loss at the utmost. Moreover it serves as 'loss prevention guide'. The best evidence for calling it as 'loss prevention guide' is that it avoids security threats by avoiding computerised systems at the utmost. On the other hand, the ISPS Code is all about security of ships and ports and presents all techniques of preventing threats and risks and follows the functional requirements of the port (1.3). Ship Security Plan (SSP) containing Audits According to the ISPS Code 16.58, it is the responsibility of the SSP to conduct regular or updated audit reviews with the help of Company Security Officer (CSO) and Ship Security Officers (SSO) whereas the TT Club Manual suggests that Audit surveys are not limited to the responsibility of any particular person. However the main concern for both the manuals behind conducting audits i.e., ISPS code and TT Club Manual is to assess security at all levels to determine vulnerable access points. According to Security Level 1 of Section 7 of the Ship Security which sets appropriate controlling, monitoring and supervising access to different areas of the ship including deck, cargo and ship's stores, TT Club manual takes hold and observes all access points of the ship. These include all kinds of used and unused gates, access to the port facilities, and physical and logical security threats. Security Levels of the ISPS Code The security levels are set by priorities of their associated risks. Like level 1 is the normal level which is usually followed by the ships and ports. Security level 2 is applied in a condition which in addition to the threat exposure is experiencing a critical risk. Therefore the level is applied as long as the risk is there. Similarly level 3 entail exceptional threats, which usually do not occur in

The Psychology of Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

The Psychology of Marketing - Essay Example Value possession can be judged on the ground of materialism and personal trait. Customers prefer value possessions are not always status seeker because sometimes they purchase valuable product to show self image to external world. Researchers have pointed out that customers do valued material possession to show adjusted and refined self image (perceived self image of customer which might differ from real self assessment of the person). Sometimes customer purchase valued product in order to imitate other person’s purchasing habit. Many of the time it has been observed that purchasing valued item increases confidence level among customers. Opinion leaders also plays significant role to motivate customers to purchase valuable product. General trend shows that materialists have a tendency to purchase valuable item in bulk volume by spending huge amount of money on acquiring new items. These customers are lucrative target for marketers. Marketers decide unique business strategy to cater demand of high value customers. Why Valued? Value of a product is dependent on various factors such as brand name attached with the item, usability, social image and many others. Value of product can be analyzed in the following manner. Possession might help us to reflect personality we want to show cast to external world. ... Purchasing a particular might help us to achieve highly respected social group membership. Purchasing product and then consuming it help us to evaluate our self image in a right manner. The process can be classified as symbol for us to show our connection with significant portion of society. Many customers believe purchasing a valuable item associated with strong brand image might help them to achieve ideal self image and ideal social self image. Psychographics of consumer behaviour is contributed by two variables. 1-Actulizers- customers belong to uppermost income group prefer to spend huge sum of money on in order to purchase premium priced products. They purchase high net worth products in order to show status and financial power. 2- Fulfilled- customers purchase high value product after gathering sufficient information about the product in order to show social status to other people (Young, and Pagoso, 2008, p. 116). Customers show various types of purchasing behaviour including impulsive and compulsive buying. In 1989, O’Guinn and Faber have argued that compulsive buying is a result of behavioural disorder and directly linked with attitude of consumers to purchase valuable products. In 2004, Roberts and Pirog in their research paper have suggested that compulsive buying is linked with satisfying personal goal rather than rather than fulfilling need. In compulsive buying purchase motive of customer is cantered on satisfying external need rather than satisfying internal needs. In 2002, Kacen and Lee have pointed out that in valued possession customers get enjoyment from item purchased and sometimes they become obsessed about the purchase (Fitzmaurice, 2008, pp.

The Un and Their Involvement in the Rwandan Genocide Essay Example for Free

The Un and Their Involvement in the Rwandan Genocide Essay In this paper I will give a brief history of the Genocide in Rwanda, and then I will focus on one key question: What responsibilities did UNAMIR have to help, and did they successfully accomplish those responsiblities? History of Rwanda: After the start of the First World War the Belgians moved eastward and took over Ruanda-Urundi (The colonies that were previously occupied by the Germans). In 1924, the League of Nations officially awarded that land to the Belgians. The Belgians saw the differences and problems between the Hutus (the lower class farmers) and the Tutsis (mostly upper class herdsmen), and they decided to give control of the country over to the Tutsis. From then on the Tutsis began to abuse their power and they were dominant and abusive to the Hutus. In 1933 all citizens were required to have racial identity cards, which separated the two races even more. July 1962, Ruanda-Urundi gained their independence. The Urundi and Rwanda governments split and each formed separate countries. Urundi became a monarchy and changed its name to Burundi. Rwanda continued to have ethnic struggles and there was much violence. The first president elected was of the Hutu race. His name was Gregoire Kayibanda; after the election the Tutsis were made out to be the bad guys, and they were blamed for everything. Things continued to get worse for the Tutsis, and in December 1963, after a few Tutsi militias entered into Rwanda, 14’000 Tutsis were brutally murdered. In 1973, Kayibanda was removed from the Government and Juvenal Habyarimana was put in as the new president. Habyarimana was very much anti-Tutsi and in 1986 he closed the Rwandan boarders to all Tutsis and even moderate Hutus. As opposition to the Habyarimana regime many Tutsi officers from the Ugandan army, grouped up with Rwandan Tutsis and they formed the RPF (Rwandan Patriotic Front). On October 1, 1990, the officers deserted their army with all weapons and equipment in hand and moved into Southern Rwanda. This act begun what would be 4 years of the worst genocide in history. After the invasion of Southern Rwanda, the RPF moved North-East. Habyarimana defeated them with the aid of French paratroopers, provided by President Mitterrand. In December of 1990, an extremist newspaper prints â€Å"The Hutu Ten Commandments† which show the extreme hatred that the Hutu people had for the Tutsis. From that time on, the slaughtering of Tutsis continued, but there was pressure from many different countries for Habyarimana to make peace with the RPF and the Tutsi people. In 1993, there was a meeting held in Arusha, Tanzania with the hope of bringing peace to all; this was when the â€Å"Arusha Accord† was established. The â€Å"Arusha Accord† officially states that the war is over and that the remaining Tutsi refugees may return to Rwanda. The UN is called in to make sure that everything is carried out smoothly and they appoint a chapter 6 peace keeping force, UNIMAR, to see that out. On the 6th of April, 1994, the airplane carrying President Habyarimana and the President of Burundi, Cyprien Ntaryamira, was shot down. Both Presidents were killed. This marked the end of negotiations for peace and, to put it lightly, all hell broke loose in Rwanda. Between April 6th and the beginning of July, 1994 a genocide occurred that is easily one of the biggest disasters in the history of the civilized world. UNAMIR: The United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) was deployed during the time that peace talks were taking place. It was a Chapter 6 UN mission and was sent to keep the peace between the two rivaling groups, oversee government activities, and ensure safety until elections took place. The United Nations Observer Mission Uganda-Rwanda (UNOMUR) also played a role in the mission for Rwanda and they were treated as a Sector within UNAMIR. UNOMUR was stationed in Kabale, which was on the Ugandan side of the Uganda/Rwanda border opposite the area under RPF control; they were to monitor the flow of men, arms, and supplies from Uganda to the RPF in Rwanda. Their force consisted of MILOBs. A Chapter 6 mission mandate states: â€Å"First of all, seek a resolution by negotiation, enquiry, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlement, resort to regional agencies or arrangements, or other peaceful means of their choice†. That was another major problem, because when the killing was going on the troops were not allowed to defend themselves because they were only there to enforce peace by negotiation and not by way of force, as stated by the mandate. The ROE also stated that the military personnel were to, â€Å"Only fire when fired upon. † UNAMIR was an ill-equipped, undermanned, and severely limited mission. The troops in Rwanda totaled 2’584 people; they had virtually no means of transportation, very limited supplies, and very few weapons. Most of the equipment that they had was out-dated and virtually unusable. The mission had to put in requests for everything ranging from toilet paper to ammunition; much of which was never provided. This was a large part of what made UNAMIR a complete failure. There was a complete lack of attention to the mission in Rwanda and no country wanted to provide resources to help. The reason that they could get no reinforcements or supplies was because of the unwillingness of Western countries to contribute anything. The exception to that is Belgium, who contributed most of the troops that were deployed into Rwanda. The different countries around the world saw the mission in Rwanda as a sideshow to the other things that were going on, for example, in the former Yugoslavia, in Somalia, etc. This unwillingness and unconcern was what allowed the Genocide to occur and what facilitated the deaths of 800,000 people in Rwanda. There are many reasons why UNAMIR failed, most of which I have attempted to explain, but it is impossible to point the finger at just one group. There were many different factors that contributed to the Genocide. UNAMIR itself tried as hard as it could under the limited supplies and the mandate that they had. Lieutenant General Romeo Dallaire did what he could with what he had, and he with the small contingent that he had saved the lives of many, but had he been given the things that he needed many thousands more could have been saved. This was not an organization, or a mission that failed; it was the failure of humanity.

Strengs Concepts Of Ultimate Dimension And Ultimate Reality Religion Essay

Strengs Concepts Of Ultimate Dimension And Ultimate Reality Religion Essay Q 1. Briefly define and discuss Strengs concepts of ultimate dimension and ultimate reality. Choose one of these concepts and explain how it manifests in one of the three monotheistic religions Judaism, Christianity or Islam and give an example to back up your explanation. According to Frederick Streng (1985), the ultimate dimension of religious expression is achieved when a person reaches a deep sensitivity of the ultimate reality and has an action plan to continue seeing that reality. The ultimate dimension is where a person belongs when he is working toward his ultimate transformation. The ultimate dimension can be the reality that a person sees as he develops his frame of reference to distinguish between what is right and what is significant for him. The ultimate reality is one of the common experience or expression of the ultimate dimension as it is the process for people to establish their values of life. When people decided what is right and what is significant for them, they build their identity and an understanding of the reasons behind their behaviours (Streng, p.6) . In turn, this ultimate frame of reference, which we called wisdom, allows them to further develop themselves into greater beings. The ultimate reality can be seen differently ac cording to different peoples perceptions. One of the means to reach ultimate transformation is through religion as it helps people to be aware of the cosmic order by performing scared rite or an ethical act. In Islamic traditions, Muslims need observe the Five Pillars of Islam which are to bear witness, to pray, to do almsgiving, to fast during Ramadan and to do a pilgrimage to Makkah. Those rites of worship are to train the mind into understanding Gods sacred laws through practicing the way of living like the Prophet Muhammad. The sacred laws, which were revealed by God through His chosen prophets, are to guide humanity to not fear or grieve (Ayoub, p. 69). They were first transmitted orally for centuries until they were written and organized into the Quran. Different interpretations of Quran and sunnah have encouraged the development of various religious schools such as Islamic mysticism. In extreme cases, some followers have proclaimed their direct relationship with God through r igorous asceticism and divine love. For example, in Rabiahs ultimate reality, the only way to understand Gods sacred laws is to love God so passionately that her entire focus is on Him and not in desiring for paradise or fearing hell. This method allowed her to distinguish what is real for her and what is not. This connection with the reality allows Rabiah to live beyond her limits and away from the destructive forces of everyday existence (Streng, p.3). No one has the right answer to what is the ultimate reality, but everyone builds their own definition when they reached the level of ultimate dimension. However, we know that seeing the ultimate reality can be a source of joy, goodness, balance or power (Streng, pp.7-8). Q 2. According to Streng, the cultural dimension of religion includes historical conditions. Briefly define cultural dimension and then discuss some of the historical conditions during the time of Jesus, as well as those during the rise of Islam and the life of Mohammed. All religions have been marked by their historical past The cultural dimension of religion plays an important role in influencing the development of a person and communitys expression of their ultimate values because it is the basic framework of references of a person or communitys historical, social ,economical and political systems at a given time and place. Those underlying contextual references affect how people organize the expressions of their beliefs, values and behaviours. During the time of Jesus, he was known to teach about God and heal people. He was referred to as the Messiah, which is defined as a figure, who helped the Jews overcome the national captivity and religious persecution they were suffering under the Roman Empire (Cox, 34). Romans had power over Jewish people because they were the ruling empire. Religion was absent in the society they were living in. The Romans held pagan views and did not accept a variety of religious traditions. Jesus challenged their tradition, and with that became an influential leader and an icon to humanity. He challenged the upper class people and told them that they did not have sympathy for the less fortunate of people. Therefore, the Romans eventually persecuted Jesus and his people. For instance, the Romans invaded Jerusalem and destroyed holy temples and places of worship, causing numerous Jews to flee the city, known as the Diaspora. Due to the fact that Romans held a superior militaristic force, they kille d anyone who was seen as a threat to their society. For example, Jesus crucifixion was ordered by the elites since his message of a new kingdom threatened the Roman political reign. Jesus righteousness towards women, prostitutes, and the poor were viewed as unacceptable by the Roman Empire, causing him to be condemned. To this day, Jesus struggle is admired and appreciated by many. Another example of historical events impacted on cultural dimension is the story behind the rise of Islamic faith. Islam flourished in the city of Makkah where it was a busy crossroad for trade and exchange of ideas. This cultural openness allowed the worshipping of various deities and acceptance of pre-existent Jewish and Christian cultural values or practices. The pre-Islamic Arabs viewed Allah as the supreme creator, but he was one of the many deities that Arabs worshipped. In addition, they believed that time was synonymous with death or fate; therefore, Arabs did not believe in afterdeath experiences and enjoyed life materialistic pleasures instead to live their lives to the fullest (Ayoub, p. 66). Politically, the country was divided among the leadership of numerous tribes. Therefore, a membership to a tribe is very crucial in gaining protection from persecution. It was under those circumstances that Muhammad was born and lived. Due to the initial influence from Christian and J ewish faiths, Arabs were already acquainted with the idea of monotheism and expectation of a prophets arrival to save humanity. Therefore, it was not surprising for those people to hear about his disapproval of idol worship of his people and experience of Gods revelation. However, Muhammads new ideology demanded religious, social and moral changes that challenged the tribes powers. Since his uncle passed away, Muhammad was also persecuted until he arbitrated between two feuding tribes and reunited them into one new Muslim community. Afterwards, this event marked the start of the growth of Islam and transformed many customs of the Arab community. Q 3. Define Strengs concept of the personal dimension of religion. As an example of this, discuss the Five Pillars of Islam, giving a brief description of each. Which Pillar does M. Ayoub associate with granted the status of protected peoples to non-Muslims? Explain why. According to Streng, the personal dimension of religion is defined as a persons own interpretation of a religious life. This internal process demands a person to form reactions, decisions and meanings towards the different aspects of religion from his life experiences(4). For example, Islam traditions recognize that humans can choose to totally submit to Gods will or to reject this faith. Therefore, it is a choice to recognize God and Muhammads way of life as a guide to Gods kingdom. There are Five Pillars of Islam, which are rites of worship representing the stepping stones of Muhammads transformation to a faithful servant of God. The first pillar is to declare that there is only one God and that Muhammad is the Messenger of God. The second pillar is to perform obligatory prayers five times a day. The prayers followed a prescribed structure and wording originated from the opening surah and Quran. Ritual washing is performed before each prayer to remove impurities. Almsgiving is the third pillar which consists of offering money or other gifts to the poor and needy. This rite of worship is to purifies a person from greed and attachment to material possessions (77). The zakat is an obligatory welfare tax of 2.5 per cent applied on the surplus of income earned by Muslims. The fourth pillar of Islam is fasting during Ramadan to honour the special month when the Quran was revealed to the prophet Muhammad. During this month-long fast, Muslims must not eat food, drink, smoke and have sexual relations until sunset in order to devote their mind to the worship of God. Finally, the fifth pillar is to do a pilgrimage to Makkah in remembrance of the experience of Abraham, whom the Quran recognizes as the father of all prophets and the first true Muslim (78). The pillar among the Five Pillars of Islam that is associated with granted the status of protected peoples to non-Muslims is Shahadah or bearing witness. This rite of worship consists of declaring that there is only one God and that Muhammad is the Messenger of God. Judaism, Christianity and Islam are shared the common view that there is one God who is the sovereign Lord, creator and sustainer of all things(Ayoub, p.65). Therefore, everyone who is Christian or Jew is also considered as People of the Book and is allowed to obtain the status of protected people if they make a declaration of the shahadah to become Muslim (Ayoub, p.75). Muslims believe that the only one who can judge a persons faith in God is God himself and that people will only discover the truth on the Day of Judgement. Islam is characterised by its inclusive nature as it recognizes prophets from the Old and New Testament and believes that Muhammad was another messenger of God to give the final revelation. Muslims be lieve that God uses prophets and messengers to transmit His intentions through scriptures and implement his sacred laws in the communities(Ayoub, p.69). According to the Islamic tradition, there are differences between prophets and messengers. Prophets are the ones who need to transmit a message from God to his people while messengers are prophets who need to transmit Gods message and implement a set of sacred rules to help his people to be aware of their obligations to the one and only sovereign Lord and warn them against heedlessness and disobedience (Ayoub, 69) . The five main prophets are Noah, Abraham , Moses, Jesus and Muhammad . Therefore, the second declaration of Muhammad as the Messenger of God is important to assert a persons commitment to Islam. Q 4. Judaism, Christianity and Islam are often referred to as Biblical faiths. Define the origins of and describe the sacred text of each of these religions. Refer to the shared concepts of Creation, Revelation, Redemption and Covenant to discuss the differences and similarities among the three scriptures. The three religions Christianity, Islam, and Judaism shared numerous similarities and differences in their teachings. The first similarity is that those three religions are monotheistic, which means that they believe in only One God (Epstein 24). Their holy books all somehow relate to the Christian Bible, since the Old Testament is actually the Hebrew Bible (the Torah), and Islams Quran contains many of the same holy figures, such as Abraham and his youngest son Ishmael as well as Jesus being a miracle (Ayoub 71). In my opinion, Judaism and Islam are more closely related than Christianity. For example, the rise of Judaism began with the story of Abraham and his sons, which resulted in the establishment of Israel. Also, all three faiths holy books, the Torah, Quran, and the Bible, shared the major concepts of the Old Testament and acknowledge Abraham as the founding patriarch who was the first to make a covenant with God (Epstein 12). Therefore, these religions all originated from a c ommon source and have evolved into separate faiths, although the core of ideology of their faiths is very similar. Judaism was around for a long time even before Roman religion, but the religion of Christianity was developed from Judaism by introducing Jesus as the son of God and the Messiah. Islam seems to be a combination of both religions Judaism and Christianity, except with the addition of the prophet Mohammed, who was the founder of Islam. Judaism and Islam share common practices like fasting , almsgiving and dietary laws, such as the prohibition of eating pork. Lawful food in Judaism and Islam are the same and mainly differ by name (Kosher for Judaism and Halal for Islam.). Similarly, both religions practice circumcision for men. However, all of these three religions believe in one divine God, the Father of all creations. This causes them to each celebrate various holidays such as Ramadan , Lent and Passover, in which they must complete a series of rituals and fasting to focu s in worshipping God. In addition, Christians believe that God has three personas, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but both Islam and Judaism disagree with the Christian belief in the Trinity and viewing Jesus as God because they believe that the idea of Jesus as God violates the idea of monotheism and was idolatry, which is strictly forbidden in both faiths (Ayoub, 69). Finally, all three faiths believe in the afterlife and are concerned with repenting their sins to free their souls from the Day of Judgment, when God will punish the sinners and reward those who follow his teachings(Ayoub,74) . Q 5. In Epsteins articles, he concludes that the cornerstones of Judaism are the belief in one God and Israels responsibility to God. Discuss this statement with specific reference to: The reason why Epstein states that the cornerstones of Judaism are the belief in one God and Israels responsibility to God because it was believed that God share a covenant with Abraham first who had the responsibility to influenced his people to give up in worshipping many deities and to worship in one God to have salvation. From the Book of Genesis, God promised Abraham that through his offspring, all the nations of the world would be blessed. Abraham was the one who informed Jews about the importance of circumcising their male babies in order to hold a covenant with God. Judaism along with Christianity follows the life of Abrahams oldest son Isaac. The Hebrew prophets are believed to be descendants of Abraham through his son Isaac (Ayoub 71). The Talmud contains the heart and minds of people seeking God and is founded on Scripture, which its teachings are in the direct line of development from those in the Torah, Prophets, and the Holy Writings (Espstein 24). Judaisms mission was to free individuals from their false beliefs and worship of other Gods and to focus on a monotheistic belief. Judaism accepts that God loves all races and that he chose the people of Israel to spread his word and teachings. The practice of Jewish faith was only attainable by the people of Israel since they were believed to be the direct descendants of biblical ancestors from God and were chosen by God to spread His word. It was very difficult to convert to Judaism at this time since you had to be born into a Jewish family to be considered a Jewish person. A religious practice that cherish the worship of one God is the Passover, which is a Jewish holiday commemorating the Jews escape from their enslavement in Egypt. The Bible states that God had sent out ten plagues upon the Egyptians before they released their Hebrew slaves, with the tenth plague being killing of any first-born son (book of Exodus). The Hebrews were instructed by God to mark their homes doors with the blood of a lam b, so that the plagues would literally pass over their homes, hence the holidays name Passover. The Egyptian Pharaoh finally liberated the Hebrews, but they left in a very big hurry and did not leave enough time for their bread to rise. This is why during Passover, Jews eat unleavened bread, or Matza. The Jewish holiday Passover mainly stresses the component of Redemption since it bears a reminder of the salvation of the Jews and how God helped to free them by instructing them on how to avoid the plague. It shows what kind of struggles Jewish people had to endure in order for Judaism to be accepted in ancient Egypt. Today, Passover is celebrated as a holiday or festival of freedom from enslavement as well as a festival dedicated to the one almighty God, the Lord. The book of Exodus states that all generations of Jews as an eternal decree will celebrate the holiday of Passover by eating unleavened bread for seven days.

Corporate strategies of Skanska Construction

Corporate strategies of Skanska Construction Strategic planning and strategic management have attracted continuing interest from both researchers and executives over past decades. Strategic decision making although recently taken into account in the construction industry is one of the key drivers of success. Since construction is a project-based and highly fragmented industry, corporate strategies are difficult to develop. Studies so far point out the significance of project management competencies in delivering successful projects, however the organizational performance heavily rely on the effectiveness of the strategic decisions made by the companies based on their competitive resources and the market conditions where they operate. In this work, a world-known construction company, Skanska Construction from Sweden, is taken as a case and its corporate strategies together with its competitive resources are analyzed. Future directions for the company are discussed in the light of the challenges faced by the company. Keywords: Corporate strategy, construction industry, strategic analysis. INTRODUCTION It is generally considered that modern organizations should develop long term strategies in the face of an increasingly dynamic and competitive world. Porter (1980, 1985) suggested that a company needs to develop a competitive strategy in order to achieve competitive advantage in a market economy. Strategy has grown from a practice of military commanders and corporate executives into the field of management science. It has enjoyed contributions from various disciplines such as economics, organizational sociology, political science and cognitive psychology (Rumelt et al., 1994). Differing perspectives of strategy development and implementation have evolved, centering generally on ones view of the capacity and motives of individuals and organizations (Whittington, 2001). Mainstream strategic studies, however, have not typically considered the construction industry, and conventional thought within the industry has often downplayed strategys significance. Strategy is defined as a plan, pattern, position, perspective, and ploy (Mintzberg et al., 1998). Its significant effect on performance is demonstrated empirically in the literature (Porter, 1980). Emphasizing the importance of strategic decision, Child (1972) also stated that companies can achieve higher organizational performance by adopting different competitive positioning alternatives based on strategic decisions. Lately, construction industry researchers have changed this perception to some degree as publications regarding strategic management have increased. Warszawski (1996) outlined a methodological procedure for strategic planning in construction companies. Serving as somewhat of a primer to construction professionals on the topic, he discussed the definition of companys mission, the significance of business environment, and a broad outline of the steps involved in analyzing a companys resources. His elaboration on the development of competitive strategy was based largely on Porters (1980) theory of generic strategy. Chinowsky and Meredith (2000) conducted a survey to identify areas of strategic concern that construction organizations need to emphasize. Venegas and Alarcon (1997) were the first to propose a simplified model of variables affecting strategic decisions before recommending a mathematical model to predict the impact of the decisions. In this paper, the corporate strategies of a very well known Swedish construction company, Skanska Construction, will be analyzed. In doing so, first of all the components of corporate strategy will be investigated based on a literature review. The performance models that examined the importance of strategies and competitive resources will also be included as a part of this study. The major section will deal with Skanskas success based on its corporate strategies and competitive resources. Besides, the external factors including the market conditions together will be discussed along with the future directions of the company. CORPORATE STRATEGY IN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY Corporate Strategy Cheah and Garvin (2004) developed a framework to define corporate strategy. The model divides corporate strategy into seven strategic fields as shown in Figure 1. All strategic fields rightly are separate, major components within the realm of corporate strategy. Whereas some strategic models such as Porters (1985) value chain concept treated activities like human resource (HR) management merely as supporting activities, this model casts these strategic fields as distinct areas since they have currently evolved into disciplines requiring separate planning and execution. As evidence, most business schools at present offer separate courses for each of these fields after a general treatment of the topic of strategic management. Figure 1: Framework for corporate strategy (Cheah and Garvin, 2004) The following sections summarize the dimensions of corporate strategy being HR strategy, financial strategy, business strategy, operational strategy, IT strategy, marketing strategy, and technology strategy. HR strategy In essence, HR strategy is more concerned about the aspects of managing human assets of an organization. HR strategy deals with (Cheah and Garvin, 2004): personnel management (e.g. training programs; job rotation among functions and geographical regions); industrial relations (e.g. employment law; union-management relationship; negotiation tactics and strategy); incentives and compensation policies and systems; and restructuring concerns (e.g. downsizing). The goal of HR strategy is to have an effective system for obtaining (recruiting), training, mobilizing and managing the human assets of an organization to systematically carry out business operations and new ventures. Financial strategy There are two fundamental aspects in financial strategy: investment decisions and financing decisions. During investment decisions, firms are confronted with the challenges of capital budgeting and financial resource allocation. In order to make better decisions, managers must select the appropriate tools for project analysis and evaluation, which include, but are not limited to, the net present value (NPV) method, decision tree analysis, optimization, portfolio planning and real option valuation. Behind these tools lies a common and fundamental principle of balancing risk and return (Cheah and Garvin, 2004). Financing decisions, on the other hand, are concerned with issues of capital structure. In providing the detailed mechanics, Grinblatt and Titman (1998) showed how investment and financing decisions could impact the corporate strategy as a whole. Business strategy Business strategy is defined as strategies adopted to ensure successful ventures of individual business units, whereas corporate strategy is concerned with operations of the entire organization. This distinction is obviously consistent with the model, since business strategy is one of the seven core fields of the overall structure (Cheah and Garvin, 2004). Business strategy formally deals with the development of competitive advantage and core competencies. In particular, Porters (1980, 1985) techniques such as the determination of uniqueness and cost drivers, the Five Forces model, and the market segmentation matrix are some commonly known concepts in formulating business strategy. Operational strategy Operational strategy is primarily concerned with execution and implementation how firms manage their operational processes to convert different inputs into final products and services. These activities might include inbound and outbound logistics, procurement functions, production processes for physical products such as precast components, and procedural functions for service provision. For contractors, these activities are analogous to most project management functions such as material procurement, construction of the physical structure, and management of labor and machinery. Likewise, service firms utilize their expertise and knowledge to assist clients in fulfilling their needs and goals, as in planning, design and engineering functions (Cheah and Garvin, 2004). IT strategy In this conceptual model, IT strategy is separated from technology strategy. Specifically, IT strategy focuses mainly on the use of technology to leverage information to the advantage of a firm. This contrasts with other types of technology development in general. This distinction is justified by the fact that information technology has grown into a separate market segment and research area since the mid-1990s (Cheah and Garvin, 2004). IT is often taken as the driver of corporate strategy. More appropriately, it should be treated as an enabler that connects the corporate strategy of a firm with its operational processes (Ross and Rockart, 1999). In many aspects, the current trends of IT investment and implementation within the construction industry still appear to follow very vague goals. Too often, participants from the industry investing in IT (at least during initial stages) have forgotten their original identity as firms that provide construction services, thereby putting their core competencies at stake. In many cases, these investments are lacking in terms of establishing linkages between processes and corporate strategy in the long run (Cheah and Garvin, 2004). Marketing strategy In manufacturing and other industries that sell physical products, the Four Ps (product, price, place and promotion) in conventional marketing management remains relevant at present, though changes in technology and IT have redefined the boundary and meaning of these components (Cheah and Garvin, 2004). Although construction is mainly service-oriented (except suppliers or vendors who are selling physical products), many of these concepts can be applied to selected parts of the construction value chain. For example, in terms of promotion, marketing strategy is especially important in signaling to clients the value created from the design of products and services in order to demand a price premium differentiation is meaningless unless clients are able to perceive the value added that suits their unique needs. To achieve this, firms need to identify both needs (demand) and resources (supply factors), and choose the most efficient means of service provision. Some common corporate involv ement in marketing strategy includes: umbrella branding and reputation building; logistics issues (a critical factor toward lean construction); and collection of information about clients needs (e.g. to improve facility operation and maintenance) (Cheah and Garvin, 2004). Technology strategy Tatum (1988) illustrated that the range of possible technology-based strategies for construction firms is wide. At present, choices and means for technology development still remain as the most basic questions in technology strategy. Three primary issues particularly stand out. The first issue is the notion of pioneer versus follower. Not surprisingly, whether one should be at the bleeding edge of the technology wave as a first mover is always a tough decision to make. This is especially true when technological trends are shaped by uncertain environmental factors. The second issue deals with integration. Large Japanese contractors, for example, have their own research institutes and tend to develop their technology internally. Third, firms have to assess the relative importance between basic and applied research in order to allocate resources accordingly (Cheah and Garvin, 2004). Corporate performance in construction Based on Isiks (2009) work, a construction companys performance is mainly determined by the strategic decisions made and resources and capabilities of the firm. External factors, strength of relationships, project management competencies, and project performance are the other factors of success. These variables are listed in Table 1. Since this papers major objective is to discuss the corporate strategy and competitive resources impacting on the success of a construction firm, the main emphasis is on the strategic decisions and resources and capabilities leading to success as defined by Isik (2009). Construction organizations have long been criticized for a lack of long-term strategic planning and management (Veshoskyi, 1994; Chinovsky and Meredith, 2000). The literature on strategic decision-making is spread over a wide range from an individual strategists perspective to strategic management techniques, to the implementation of these techniques in real situations (Globerson, 1985; Letza, 1996; Warszawski, 1996; Neely et al., 1997). The strategies adopted in Isiks (2009) work represent the characteristics of the construction industry as a project-based organization. These strategies are summarized in the following section. Table 1: Factors affecting the corporate performance for construction firms (Isik, 2009) Corporate strategies in construction firms: Corporate strategy can be seen as the linking process between the management of the organizations internal resources and its external relationships with its customers, suppliers, competitors and the economic and social environment in which it exists. The organisation develops these relationships from its abilities and resources. Hence, the organisation uses its history, skills, resources, knowledge and various concepts to explore its future actions (Adnan and Jusoff, 2009). The industry environment is the set of factors that directly influences a firm and its competitive actions and competitive response; the threats of new entrants, the power of suppliers, the power of buyers, the threat of product substitutes and the intensity of rivalry among competitors. An opportunity is a condition in the general environment that if, exploited helps a company achieve strategic competitiveness. A threat is a condition in the general environment that may hinder a companys efforts to achieve strate gic competitiveness. The resources of an organisation include its human resource skills, the investment and the capital in every part of the organisation. Organisations need to develop corporate strategies to optimise the use of these resources. Differentiation strategies refer to the differentiation of products or services that provides competitive advantage and allows a company to deal effectively with the threat of new entrants to the market (Porter, 1980). Many new construction companies enter the industry every year because starting a new company does not require a large investment; consequently the construction industry becomes more competitive and forces existing companies to seek advantages over competitors by means of differentiation strategies. Market, project, client and partner selection strategies are related to the characteristics of construction projects such as the location and complexity of the project, environmental conditions, availability of competent subcontractors, availability of materials, equipment and know-how locally, financial stability of the client, and potential partners that have capabilities that the company does not possess. Project management strategies can be developed by referring to the mission of the company and the companys business environment. The managerial functions of a project include activities such as planning, cost control, quality control, risk management, safety management, to name but a few. In order to achieve project goals, adequate strategies have to be set up relative to these functions. Investment strategies occur along several dimensions such as capabilities of the company (resources), pricing (financial decisions), product (construction project related factors), and finally research and development (Spence, 1979). Organizational management strategies involve decisions pertaining to the companys reporting structure, planning, controlling and coordinating systems, as well as the management of the informal relations among the different parties within the company (Barney, 1991). Resources and capabilities: The strategic management literature defines resources and capabilities as the strengths of a company. Given the competitive environment among the rivals, resources and capabilities cannot be assumed to be identical in every company (Porter, 1980; Barney, 1991). According to the resource-based perspective mentioned by Barney (1991), a companys resources and capabilities have to be valuable, rare, inimitable, and should lack substitutes to have a positive effect on performance. Only if these conditions are met can resources and capabilities be transformed into a source of competitive advantage (Barney 1991). It follows that a construction companys equipment, manpower, technical, and managerial know-how should be efficient, cost-effective, rare, and sophisticated enough to prevent imitation by competitors. Financial resources indicate a companys strength in the market in terms of its capacity to carry out projects. Adequate financial resources ensure the company can get into risky situations that have a prospect of high returns. As a companys financial strength increases, its credibility and reputation also increases among clients and suppliers (Warszawski, 1996). The majority of construction projects are funded by the owner who pays the contractor periodically, who in turn pays the subcontractors, the suppliers and other parties of the project for services rendered. The success of this routine depends on the financial strength of the owner as well as of the contractor (Gunhan and Arditi, 2005). Technical competency refer to the physical assets of a company such as machinery and equipment and the extent of technical know-how available that is necessary to undertake specific projects. According to Warszawski (1996), a companys technical competency can be assessed by analyzing the companys preferred construction methods, the experience of its technical staff, the productivity and speed of its construction activities and the quality of the companys output. Leadership involves developing and communicating mission, vision, and values to the members of an organization. A successful leadership is expected to create an environment for empowerment, innovation, learning and support (Shirazi, 1996). Researchers have examined the links between leadership styles and performance. Fiedler (1996), have emphasized the effectiveness of a leader as a major determinant in success or failure of a group, organization, or even an entire country. Experience is highly related to a companys knowledge management competency. Organizational learning can be effective only if the lessons learned from completed projects are kept in the organizational memory and used in future projects (Kululanga and McCaffer, 2001). Organizational learning is difficult for companies because of the fragmented and project-based structure of the industry. This difficulty can be altered by knowledge management activities and provision of a continuous organizational learning culture (Ozorhon et al., 2005). The image of the company compared with its competitors is important. As in all market-oriented industries, contractors also need to portray an image that fits the needs of the market and the clients targeted. It gives an impression of the products, services, strategies, and prospects compare to its competitors (Fombrun and Shanley, 1990). Contractors in construction industry have to portray an image that addresses the expectation and demand of the clients and users, like in all other market oriented industries. Moreover, image of a company may enable higher profitability by attracting better clients and investors and increasing the value of the product (Fombrun, 1986). Research and development capability is a response to increased industry requirements that occurred as a result of globalization and competition between the companies. Developments occur in all phases of the construction process and technologies emerge that are deemed to have a positive impact on competitive advantage. In contrast to the traditional conservative stance of the industry, construction companies are forced to develop and adopt new technologies in order to survive. Innovation capability is an important factor in achieving cost leadership, focus, and differentiation, hence enhancing competitiveness as stated in Porter (1980). A companys ability to innovate is related to the industry in which it operates. The traditional characteristics of the construction favor cost leadership obtained through lowest bids and focus obtained through specialization (e.g., tall buildings, sewage systems etc.) as the predominant competitive advantages. According to Arditi et al. (1997) innovations are rather incremental than radical in construction industry. The construction is a supplier dominated industry. Construction companies are dependent on other industries for innovations such as construction materials, equipment other than the technological innovations such as new construction processes and methods. Alternative corporate structures, financing methods etc. can also be added as the potential innovation areas in construction industry (Arditi et al. 1997). SKANSKA CONSTRUCTIONS CORPORATE STRATEGY Skanska AB is one of the worlds largest construction enterprises. With headquarters in Sweden, the Skanska group employs 54,000 people worldwide and provides construction-related services and project development. They create sustainable solutions and aim to be a leader in quality, green construction, work safety and business ethics. They also aim to maximize the potential of Skanska with regard to returns. They are a Fortune 500 company and a member of the UN Global Compact. Skanska is one of the worlds ten largest construction companies. Background of Skanska A brief history of Skanska is found in the website that reads (Skanska, 2010): The origin of the company dates back to 1887 when Aktiebolaget Skà ¥nska Cementgjuteriet was established and started by manufacturing concrete products. We quickly diversified into a construction company and within ten years the company received its first international orders. Through the 20th Century we played an important role in building Swedens infrastructure, including roads, power plants, offices and housing. In the mid-1950s, Skà ¥nska Cementgjuteriet made a major move into international markets. During the next decades we entered South America, Africa and Asia, and in 1971 the US market. The US is now our largest market and Skanska ranks among the largest in the construction sector. Today, Africa and Asia are not included in our home market concept. The company was listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange A-list in 1965. In 1984 Skanska became the Groups official name. During the 1990s, Skanska initiated its most expansive phase ever. Sales doubled in only a few years. While the major portion of this growth was organic, a string of successful acquisitions also paved the way for Skanskas growth into a global company. Since the beginning of the 21st Century profitability rather than growth is a strong focus. The operations are streamlined to construction and development of residential, commercial and infrastructure projects in selected home markets in Europe and America. Skanska offers construction services in all of their home markets Sweden, the US, UK, Norway, Finland and Estonia, Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia and in Latin America. Skanskas management structure is shown in Figure 2. Figure 2: Skanskas management structure (Skanska, 2009) Skanska aims to be a financial and qualitative leader. Their financial targets reflect the ambition to exceed the industry norm. In each of their geographic markets and specific segments, they have established what we call outperform targets. In addition to the financial targets and as means to reach them they have also adopted qualitative targets. The qualitative targets are expressed in Skanskas five zeros vision (Skanska, 2010): Zero loss-making projects. Loss makers destroy profitability and customer relationships Zero accidents, whereby the safety of their personnel as well as subcontractors, suppliers and general public is ensured at and around their projects Zero environmental incidents, by which their projects should be executed in a manner that minimizes environmental impact Zero ethical breaches, meaning that they take a zero tolerance approach to any form of bribery or corruption Zero defects, with the double aim of improving the bottom line and increasing customer satisfaction. The qualitative targets, as expressed in the five zeros, reflect their core values. The five zeros as well as the financial targets also provide the basis for incentive systems at various levels within Skanska. Markets of operation and market strategies of Skanska Skanska is active in selected home markets in Europe, the US and Latin America. In the US, which is their single largest market, they are a leading company within building and civil engineering projects. They are also targeting the US Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) segment. In the Nordic region, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland, their operations cover the construction and investment businesses. In Latin America, they are mainly active in the oil, gas and energy sector and in PPP. In the UK, they are a leading player in construction as well as within PPP. In 2006, there were 67 891 companies operating in the construction sector in Sweden. The biggest companies are Skanska, NCC and Peab. There has been an increase in the competition from foreign companies over the last years. It has been a rising market in 2006-2007. During the last four years the investments have increased with 5-10 %. However, due to the current market weakness, there was a decline in 2009. There is no legislation in Sweden stipulating how construction work and services should be performed. Instead, there are general conditions which have been developed by organizations and parties operating within the Swedish Construction Sector. Figure 3 shows the geographical markets of operation of Skanska including Sweeden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, UK, US, and Latin America. Figure 3: Markets of operation of Skanska (Skanska, 2010) Skanska attaches special importance to metropolitan regions, which often demonstrate higher growth than their respective country as a whole. Skanska offers many of the products and services that are needed in growing cities workplaces, schools, hospitals, sports and leisure facilities, as well as housing and infrastructure for transportation, energy and water. In individual markets, Skanska operates today only in certain segments, but by taking advantage of its collective expertise, the Group can enhance its opportunities for growth and higher earnings in these markets (Skanska, 2009). Competitive advantage of Skanska (resources and capabilities) In Isik et als (2010) work, resources and capabilities was found to be most influential on company performance. The critical importance of the resources and capabilities of a company was also emphasized in the literature. The strategic management literature defines resources and capabilities as the strengths of a company. Given the competitive environment among the rivals, resources and capabilities cannot be assumed to be identical in every company (Porter, 1980; Barney, 1991). Skanskas distinctive resources that create competitive advantage for them are as follows (Skanska, 2009): Size: Being a market leader positions Skanska well with the most demanding customers. Its stature also provides access to the best suppliers, which can live up to Skanskas promises to customers regarding timely delivery and quality as well as safety and ethics. Skanskas size gives it an advantage in the most complex assignments, where it uses its collective experience and know-how to meet the demands of customers. Only a few companies can compete for the type of projects where, aside from price, comprehensive solutions and lifecycle costs are of crucial importance. The Groups size and international profile are also attractive qualities in the recruitment of new employees. Technical competency: BIM, a computer-based method for detailed panning, coordination and more efficient execution à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ shall be used in Skanskas design-build projects, in which Skanska is responsible for both design and construction. BIM means greater standardization and also improves Skanskas ability to utilize the savings potential of its corporate-level purchasing efforts. Human resources: Skanskas skilled, dedicated employees combine expertise with the Groups overall focus on sustainable development in order to successfully deliver projects to customers. The Groups ability to transfer knowledge between different geographic markets also contributes to its strength. Image of the company: Skanskas brand has been built up during more than 120 years of working in many different countries. One element of the brand is the Groups Code of Conduct, which includes policies on employee relations, health and safety, the environment and business ethics. Financial resources: Financial strength is an important factor in maintaining the confidence of customers and capital markets in Skanska. It also enables the Group to invest in project development and assume responsibility for and invest in major privately financed infrastructure projects. Innovation capability: Business units of the Skanska Group specialize in project development or construction but often collaborate in specific projects. This strengthens the Groups customer focus and creates the prerequisites for the sharing of best practices, while ensuring efficient utilization of the Groups collective competence and financial resources. To take further advantage of synergies and bring together the Companys expertise, a number of support services are available to all units. These include the Skanska Knowledge Map, a web-based intranet tool that visualizes experts and teams of experts from Skanska on a global basis in selected strategic areas, for example Building Information Modeling (BIM), Green Business and Design/Build. By utilizing its specialized expertise in planning and executing projects, Skanska improves risk control, which in turn results in higher quality and profitability. Global collaboration thus leverages both earnings potential and the Groups abilit y to satisfy the needs of its customers. In the Skanska Group there are both operational and financial synergies that generate increased value for their shareholders. By being a global player, Skanska generates operational synergies mainly due to the potential for taking advantage of the local specialized expertise found globally in various business areas. Shared purchasing activities and product development also boost efficiency and contribute to greater synergies in the organization. The Construction business stream operates with negative working capital and generates a positive cash flow over time. This cash flow is invested in the Groups project development business streams, which have enjoyed very good return on invested capital. These investments also enable Construction to obtain new assignments that generate a profit for the business stream. Figure 4 illustrates how this system works. Figure 4: Synergies at Ska