In time of war, actions not morally acceptable become acceptable Essay Example for Free

In time of war, actions not virtuously agreeable become acceptable EssayWe live in an imperfect world where man interactions breeds frictions occasioned by participation of different individuals in matters of society, economics and even religious inclinations of the different masses. gentleman beings cave in voluntarily or involuntarily found themselves in different areas of life due to their races or ideologies and consequently have had to act in declension with a certain set of belief. Therefore this has bred differences in how a different society approaches issues relating to both governance and interaction and lack of consensus among individuals and sometimes groups within and without have led to violence. This violence is sometimes political and involves a set of organized military groups fighting for a certain goal that is usually political in nature. War is rough on the participants and mostly on innocent civilians caught in the middle of the chaos. The questions that strongly begs a just answer is can there be a just war. Hedge (2002) claims that in essence there is not much difference between the U S government and Alqueda arguing that scorn what motives drives them to violence both the outcome is death of innocent civilians.However there are those who feel that to agree with Hedge would be to deny that there cannot be moral formers to go to war and that the presuppositions behind the just war theory are fallacious and misguiding. In this regard it would be equal to agreeing that no reason should drive a country to wage war on another or even that terror groups must be allowed to exploit the weakness of slight able nations in come out to bring terror to perceived enemies.In my opinion such a stand is untenable and unrealistic and a right smart to avoid taking responsibility in accordance to the natural laws of justice that guarantees freedom and rights of individuals (Zupan, 2004). It is therefore outstanding to highlight that it is hy pocritical to deny that a companionship might be justified to wage war to counter similar aggressiveness or as way of stopping gross violations against fellow human beings. All human beings have a right to life is a clearly accepted fact and anything that contravenes such a fact would ordinarily be considered immoral and against fundamental pillars of justice, rights and freedoms.However whereby a war has been taken as to being justified then a waiver is taken in order to grant the involved parties the right to take away the lives of those perceived to be the enemies. In addition the loss of civilian life in the course of such a war is simply taken to be the costs of bringing such changes as necessitate that war. Hedge actually accuses Washington of stooping so low as to use death as a means of expressing its dissatisfaction with certain issues (Hedge, 2002).In other wars certain groups of people who previously viewed as morally incorrect might receive a change of perceptions simpl y because they direct their atrocities to the perceived antagonist. In this regard the common phrase that an enemy of my enemy is my enemy becomes true. There are those who would argue for the sovereignty of nations and that a state has a right from external interference. In ordinary times such a place applies and there are clear efforts to observe and even promote the status quo. However in times of war sovereign borders are breached and this usually leads to the remotion of leadership or occupation of such state.Hedge (2002) however seeks to point out that while he is not a war supporter, that it is sometimes important to use force to counter a force that is much immoral as compared to the countering force. It is therefore important then that we must understand that we have a moral responsibility to take care not to ignore or indeed breach the fundamental rights of citizens as we engage in war. Hedges, C. (2002). War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning. New York Anchor books. Zupan , D. (2004). War, Morality and Autonomy. London Ashgate publishings.

Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and New Stadium Essay Example for Free

Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and New Stadium EssayTottenham Hotspurs, Plc.This certain case has more different possibilities for evaluation which gives it much complexity and much liberty while evaluating it. The soccer business sure has a certain relation with the performance and their revenues which makes it extremely unstable when speaking of forecasted income of the club. We must first value the firm at its current position in hunting lodge to be able to value as compared to acquiring the sore stadium and obtaining a new goal scorer. In order to do so we must prise the come with by creating a Discounted Cash Flow analysis projecting the expected hereafter revenues in the same current strategy which they are in. We would thence lay out the future expected cash inflows with no sign cash out flow laid out due to the fact that they have already covered their initial expenses. We must take into account the gain rates that are expected for our liabilities such as capital expenditures, player salaries, depreciation, and such. We must then evaluate the growth rates for the cash inflows for the revenues expected due from increased ticket prices, product sales, sponsorship and televising their games. We must then implement these rates and growth in numbers to evaluate the future position a number of historic period down the line.We could then evaluate the current capital structure and their cost of capital in order to determine whether they are fairly valued and obtain a second analysis to compare with. We have sufficient data such as their genus Beta and stock returns in the market in order for us to evaluate these numbers. The case also contains the current risk free rate which is needed when development the Capital Asset Pricing Model in order to obtain the cost of equity of the firm. After performing a multiples analysis we can then compare the two analyses and determined whether the firm is fairly valued.If it is then great, but if not then we have an even greater reason for Tottenham to look into the construct of a new stadium. Now that we have their current position we must conduct an analysis regarding the what if the company obtained the new stadium and invested in a new striker. In order to do the following we must take into consideration the initial cash out flow of the new stadium and the two years that the company has to pay it given the current financial situation and their cash excess which is mentioned in the case.Once we have this we can then forecast a pessimistic, a mediocre, and a pessimistic evaluation of their ticket sales and create multiple cash flows which consider the growth rates of all of the costs and revenues that the company will incur given this following move. Once we have this analysis we can then create the same analysis given that we stay in the same stadium, but we invest in a new striker (optimistic, mediocre, pessimistic).Once we obtain the cash flows from the two options mentio ned before, we can then infuse both cash flows and compare the position of the company if they were to take the options which they have available to them. We must also play into consideration that the competition of the league has a immense impact on the results of Tottenham as they can have a huge influence on them. For example, Manchester United invests in the so called next big occasion in football or one team is on the rise.

The Proof Of Gods Existence

The Proof Of graven images ExistenceWhen non-Christians and anti-Christians ask that paragon does non exist and Bible is merely a book, how do Christians serve to them and what should Christians introduce? Christians are in difficulties to apologize divinity fudge, Bible, and salvation to worldly people, because popular opinion of Christians is based on the Holy Bible, which seculars do not believe in, and because Christians do not like explain these social function through secular government agencys, such as science and school of thought. At this point, on that point is big gap surrounded by Christians and non- and anti-Christians.1Christians want to explain their belief from, in, and through the Bible, solely secular people do not want to listen to the Bible. Christians do not want to cover their belief with secular techniques, but secular people pay attention to explain these through secular methods.For example, match to Kingdom Triangle by J.P. Moreland, scientific naturalism has challenged Christianity and unearthly belief with four seams. These arguments are that 1) religious belief is not scientific, 2) religious belief is unprovable, 3) religious belief is unsupported by evidence, and 4) religious belief is superfluous.2Furthermore, according to the Ethics of Belief written by a nineteenth-century mathematician named W.K. Clifford. He say, Any wholeness who accepts a religious belief is guilty of acting im righteously, irresponsibly, and irrationally.3According to Faith beyond terra firma by C. Stephen Evans, he explains the circumstance of thoughts about credit.There is probably no word in the English language that is more complex and is used in more different senses than the word reliance. Religious faith is a concept that cardinal friends and opp unrivalednts of religion often misunderstand. Thus, the free-thinking critic of religion alleges that religious belief is not backed up by evidence, but is held solely by faith. The cr itic may mean by this simply that such beliefs rescue no support at all, but are manything like a personal choice made for no good evidences. Embattled religious believers who deplete no answer for the septic may embrace the same impoverished view of faith, thus relieving themselves of both need to think about their beliefs.4Do Christians have any solution of this gap of thoughts between Christians and non- and anti-Christians? Do Christians moldiness wait until one day that secular people become Christians by receiving the supernatural grace from God? Christians know the answer is no. Christians must answer the question whether God exist or not, by something that secular people want. Some theologians tried to restore a bridge between them by using the philosophic methods. Some hated to be explained their worship and the God by doctrine. Some put theology onto philosophy, and they opened a little gate of disposition. Obviously, Christians allow find some solution from the synthesis of doubting doubting doubting Thomas philosophy and theology in his achievements.5Relation between Philosophy and Theology in the historyMany theologians tried to systematize the relationship between theology and philosophy, and the relationship is characterized into four forms. The first form is that faith is superior to fence, the second is that reason is superior to faith, the third is to pursuit harmony between faith and reason, and the forth is to assert disconnection between them . These four figures have been delineate peoples worldview in the history.Faith Prioritythe great unwashed who suggested faith priority opposed the reason of people, and besides use the Bible, disclosure, and faith. The reason why the people conflicted to the reason is that there are big risks of using reason to theological foundation and faith. They believed philosophy itself has fault and erroneous belief, and there is the limitation of philosophy. These people believed that if theolog ians use the reason having error to explain revelation, revelation could not be revelation, and revelation would be damaged its characters. For instance, even though Aristotle maintained the first mover, and he accepted polytheism, he did not believe in the Creator God. The theologians who asserted faith priority were Tertullian.What indeed has Athens to do with Jerusalem? This question of the relation between reason, here represented by Athens, and faith, represented by Jerusalem, was posed by the church father Tertullian (c.160-230 CE), and it remains a central preoccupation among contemporary philosophers of religion.6Tertullian, the early Church Father, considered the thoughts of philosophy as the inception of heresy. He wrote in the book concerning the death and resurrection of Christ It is by all means to be believed because it is absurd.the fact is certain because it is impossible,7 lawsuit PriorityThe reason priority is the idea that the humans reason could find out all tr uth, and e reallything is measured by the reason. A theologian Sieger von Brabant asserted that the philosophy of Aristotle is the better result of the wisdom of human.8Revelation must be explained by Aristotles philosophy, and his philosophy must be the measure of revelation. People could understand the Word of God by theological ways, but theological ways is not unceasingly clear to people. Therefore, Aristotles philosophy is the real truth, and theology must be reorganized by the philosophy. Peoples mind could be clean by philosophy.Famous rationalists, Rene Descartes, Benedict Spinoza, and Immanuel Kant, believed that everything could be explained by reason, and people have ability to measure religion. Immanuel Kant succinctly summed up the reason only movement with the title of his book, Religion within the Limits of Reason Alone.9DisconnectionNominalism at 14-15 century is the idea that there is any connection between faith and reason. A nominalist, William Ockham, improved the theory of knowledge. Ockham believed that people could talk about paragon if there are resemblance between God and human, but because there are no similarity between god and people, Ockham disagreed epistemology of revelation. Therefore, God is shown only through revelation, so, reason is almost nothing. Some evaluate OckhamOckham is not a radical intellectual separationist who disdains natural reason or regards with suspicion any Christian thinker who wishes to study the works of non-Christian philosophers with the same intensity as the books of Sacred Scripture. In fact, anyone well-known(prenominal) with Ockhams thought knows that he has immense respect for Aristotle and that his theology is marked by (what he believes to be) Aristotelian positions on a wide range of issues in ontology and philosophical semantics.Ockhams is an irenic separatism that rejects the prototypi send fory Catholic intellectual project of unifying classical philosophy and the Christian faith in suc h a way as to exhibit the latter as the perfection of the former, and yet that stops short of disdaining the light of natural reason in the manner of radical intellectual separatism. Ockham will always be viewed as something of an outsider both by the radical separatist, who is bent on isolating faith and reason comp allowely from one another, and by the mainstream Catholic thinker, who seeks a genuine synthesis of faith and reason.10 HarmonyThomas doubting Thomas and Duns Scotus agree with harmony between faith and reason. The reason is both of them came from One God both faith and reason.It is true that the Bible shows some awareness of the fact that not everyone believes in God. Many people are regarded as worshipping false gods rather than the true God, and it is noted that the fool has said in his heart that there is no God (Psalm 141). In Romans 1, Paul explains that there is a natural knowledge of God, which is sufficient to make human beings responsible before God, but that this knowledge can be and has been suppressed. The Bible as a whole seems to assume that people are aware of Gods reality, or at least that they can be aware of God without any special revelation or philosophical argument.11People thought either reason or faith is better than another. However, Thomas accepts both reason and faith are God-given faculties, and they cannot last be opposed one another. The reason people believe one is better than another is either philosophy has been misused or faith has mistook Gods revelation.The fit sphere of reason is philosophy, in which man seeks to discover the first cause and final purpose of all his manifold experience, and the departmental sciences in which man seeks to discover immediate causes and how they operate in particular fields. The object and aim of philosophy and the sciences is to discover truth. Now St. Thomas believes that God is Truth and the Source of all truth. therefrom all mans efforts to aim true knowledge are really dir ected towards God.12Thomas doubting Thomas Background and ThoughtsAristotles EffectAristotle attempt about god influenced not only the history of philosophy but also the history of Christianity deeply and widely. Aristotle systematized thoughts about god that previous people had, and he especially developed ideas of god based on the idea of a philosopher Parmenides. Many theologians did not have free from the ideas of Aristotle for a long time. For example, Parmenides term, unmoved mover, flowed into the idea of Aristotle, and philosopher Aristotles conception came into the proof of God of theologian Thomas Aquinas.13I take Thomass relationship to Aristotle to be a complex one, and hardly one of disciple to master. Thomas is surely an admirer of Aristotle and a brilliant commentator on his writings. In particular, he thinks Aristotle more useful for Christian theology than Plato, not least because Aristotle helps him focus on and analyze the cover particular existing thing, which f or him fits well with the Christian ideas of creation and incarnation.14However, even though Aquinas used the thoughts and terms of Aristotle, Aquinas developed Aristotles things toward Christian things.15According to Bauerschmidt, Thomas is not an Aristotelian, because his strong interest in Aristotle must be balanced by the fact that he draws upon a wide range of thinkers, including the two very different forms of Neoplatonic Christian theology represented by Augustine and by Dionysius the Arepagite, both of whom are pervasive influences on Thomass writings, because he is willing to change Aristotle both when he conflicts with divine revelation and when Thomas judges him to be philosophically inadequate.16Aristotle and Aquinas have galore(postnominal) similar thoughts on the way that the human person should live. both of them believe that humans are rational beings. They also believe that because humans are rational they can follow their instincts and live a life of moral goodnes s. Aquinas however, believed that God was leading human beings to a rational, moral life, while Aristotle believed that being moral was naturally inherent in human beings. Although they had different views as to why human beings should want to live a good life, they both agreed that the one thing that humans should strive for is eudaimonia. Aquinas, being an Aristotelian, agreed with many of the ways in which Aristotle viewed the human person. However, where he diverged was his belief in God. He took the teachings of Aristotle and added God to them so that they would allow for more acceptances from our Christian society.17Aquinas HarmonyThomas Aquinas was very wise theologian and philosopher in terms of his attempted to use philosophy to explain the God.18Aquinas believed that everything on the earth came from the one God, so the creatures of God showed people Himself. Aquinas took up a positive attitude to use reason, and pursuit the harmony not only between theology and philosophy , but also between faith and reason. In this perspective, Thomas Aquinas tried to prove the reality of God in his book, Summa Theologiae. However, to Aquinas, theology is always better than philosophy and above it. Aquinas did not think that the proof of the existence of God is proving the existence of the Christians God. Rather Aquinas does this not to prove to the atheist the a God exists but to show that the normal way in which people use the word God is not nonsensical.19In his achievements, Summa Theologiae and Summa Contra Gentiles, there is the proof of existence of God by five ways. The arguments are 1) from motion, 2) from the nature of the streamlined cause, 3) from possibility and necessity, 4) from the gradation to be found in things, and 5) from the governance of things. Aquinas used some terms and ideas of Aristotle in his argument. Even though Thomas Aquinas and his proof of existence of God were not perfect, his effort to make harmony between reason and faith, his attempt to meet the ideas of philosophers, and his humility to the Christian God must be honored by Christians who are ignoring reason.20The Five route and SourcesThe First way bowel movementIt is certain, and evident to our senses, that in the world some things are in motion. But whatever moves is moved by something else, for nothing can be moved unless it has a potential for that toward which it is moved whereas something moves inasmuch as it is actual, since motion is nothing other than the transition of something from potentiality to actuality. But nothing can be moved from potentiality to actuality take away by something in a state of actuality.21Thomas Aquinas was very much aware of the fact that he was using materials form philosophical tradition. People may think that the First Ways remote origin is Platos reduction of all movements to a being or form which is demandly movement.22However, St. Thomas argument is directly dependent on Aristotles display of the existence o f the First unmoved Mover, especially in his book, the Physics.23Did motion itself ever come into existence, never having been before? And will it in like manner cease to be, so that nothing will move thereafter? Or did it never begin to be and will it never cease to be, so that there always has been and always will be motion, belonging to all things as their deathless and never- failing property and constituting a attractive of life for everything that is constituted by nature?24If a thing is in motion it is, of necessity, being kept in motion by something. If it has not the ancestry of its motion within itself, then it is clear enough that it is being moved by something. If on the other hand its source of motion is in itself, let AB represent something that is in motion, not accidentally by virtue of some part of it being on motion, but primarily and in itself.The serial publication mist therefore come to an end, and there must be a first moved mover.25The second way CausalityPe ople may say that the second way was prepared by Platos doctrine of the Demiurge that framed the world, and Aquinas seems to ascribe the argument to Aristotle.26However, the Second way came to be used by several(prenominal) authors, at least in a less formal manner, such as Cicero, Philo, and Avicenna.27Furthermore, Aristotle could hardly demonstrate of Gods existence, but Aquinas refrains from reading a demonstration of Gods existence in to these lines.28In the perceptible world we find that there is an order of efficient causes but we do not find, nor could we find, anything that is the efficient cause of itself, for in that case it would be prior to itself, which is impossible. Now in efficient causes it is not possible to go on to infinity, because in every ordered series of efficient causes the first is the cause of the intermediate cause, and the intermediate is the cause of the ultimate cause, whether there are many intermediate causes or only one. Therefore it is needed to accept some first efficient cause, to which everyone gives the name of God.29The Third Way ContingencyThe third way is taken from possibility and necessity, and goes like this we find among things those that have the possibility of existing or not existing, since they are found to be generated, and to corrupt, and consequently have the possibility of existing or not existing. Therefore, if at one time nothing was in existence, it would have been impossible for anything to have begun to exist and thus even now nothing would exist-which is obviously false. Therefore one must posit the existence of something that is the necessity of other things. This is what everyone speaks of as God.30St. Augustine takes up Platonic argument whatever changes, does not exist of itself but is made by another, and St. tail Damascene takes this argument.31Besides, the non-Christian authors also developed a proof of the existence of God from the mutability of things.32While, people must conclude that Aqu inas used the Third Way in a novel and original way to construct an argument which is his own, because St. Thomas followed the Jewish philosopher quite closely and because he has differences come to light and an essential part.33.The Forth Way PropertiesOne finds among things that there are some more and some less good, true, noble, and so forth. But more and less are said of different things insofar as they approach, in their different ways, something that is the maximum, as in the case of a thing being said to be hotter insofar as it most nearly resembles that which is hottest. Therefore there must also be something that is to all beings the cause of their existence, goodness, and every other perfection and this we call God.34The ultimate source of the Fourth Way is Plato. There is an outline of the argument in the Symposium, and St. Thomas also uses the argument in a form which goes back to Proclus.35St. Thomas Aquinas acknowledges this attachment of the argument to Plato. Leo ex plained, above all Aristotle teaches the unity of being, which to St. Thomas is of paramount importance the transcendental coalesce in the unity of the concrete thing and do not constitute juxtaposed distinct formal realities.36Obviously, however, the argument of St. Thomas fundamentally differs from Platos view of participation.The Fifth way DesignThe fifth way is based on the guidedness of nature. Goal-directed behavior is observed in all bodies obeying natural laws, even when they lack awareness. Their behavior hardly ever varies and practically always turns out well, showing that they truly course to goals and do not merely hit them by accident. But nothing lacking awareness can tend to a goal except it be directed by someone with awareness and understanding the arrow, for example, requires an archer. Everything in nature, therefore, is directed to its goal by someone with understanding, and this we call God.37The teleological argument, the fifth way, is that proof of Gods exist ence which is most widely found in religious and philosophical tradition.38The reason is that it is obvious to man that order does not come from nothing but requires someone who arranges things.39Xenophon, Plato, and Aristotle present the argument in their books, Memorabilia, Timaeus and the Laws, and De philosophia. St. Thomas quotes a text to this effect of St. John Damascenus.ConclusionIn summary, St. Thomas Aquinas used philosophical idea and terms to proof of existence of God in his book, Summa Theologiae. Finding the ideas of Aristotle, Plato, and Xenophon in the book of Aquinas is not difficult, because Aquinas acknowledged philosophy and philosophical methods to one of gifts given from God. Therefore, St. Thomas Aquinas is a person who tried to use philosophy to understand revelation. To Aquinas, reason and faith are important to recognize God.However, even though Thomas accepted philosophy, he did not remain the area of philosophy. Thomas developed philosophical thoughts to theological ideas and Christian thoughts. Therefore, St. Thomas Aquinas is n wise person in terms of filling the gap between reason and faith. Thomas uniquely unites the two sides of the debate within the proof, so, in this proof, people find a synthesis of Thomas philosophy and theology.

Relationship between competitive sport and self esteem

Relationship between competitory lark and egotism abide byThe present study examined the kind between competitory swash and self esteem. The sample included both female and male participants who were divided into two groups, acrobatic supporters (N=20) and non-supporters (N=20)An athlete was delineate as an somebody between the ages of 15-25 forms old who was currently involved in organized free-enterprise(a) emblem skate for at least 10 hours per week. A non-athlete was defined as an psyche between the ages of 15-25 years old who was not currently involved in organized, emulous skating for at least 10 hours per week. The peckers use in this study were Rosenberg self-importance-Esteem exfoliation (1965), the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (1981), for all participants to measure their self esteem. In addition, the identification number skaters gymnastic identity was evaluated by utilize the Athletic identity element Measurement Scale developed by Brewer et al. (1993). The worldwide hypothesis was that agonistic sport would moderate a negative encounter on the individuals and that there would be a probatory difference in self esteem gobs between the athletes and non-athletes. More specifically it was hypothesized that the athletes would present trends as to why their egoism was lower than the non-athletes. Results of the independent t Tests refuted the hypothesis that there would be a signifi shadowt difference between athletes and non-athletes. manoeuvre is comm just defined as an organized, agonistic and skillful physical activity requiring commitment and fair play. It is practiced all everyplace the world in different countries. A competitive athlete is proficient in their sport and dedicates their time and money to competition and grooming. A competitive athlete is someone who has competed in organized, competitive physique skating sport for to a great extent than 10 hours per week. Competitive athletes give the sack fall under the amateur level (college and university) or the professional level (not attending rail). Being a competitive athlete involves time, dedication and hard work. It involves being at the rink, tennis court or pool all the time.To simultaneously develop a life history in competitive sport and commitment to education, work and personal life is not easy today as it was a fewer years ago (Bussmann,1995). This challenge exit become more difficult in the future because the competitive calendar is get more demanding each year. (Bussmann, 1995). A c atomic number 18er in competitive sport is only possible if an athlete commits themselves to hard work, dedication, grooming, and a tight time structure with their competition season.Coakley (1992) pitch that a major panorama that leads athletes to experience feelings of entrapment included identity development, self esteem and life balance issues. If athletes have more facets to their personal identity that just sport, they are le ss believably to burnout. It is historic for athletes to have a healthy balance. Focusing too much on any given sport can lead to feelings of hopelessness, failure and acrimony to their sport. A healthy balance is the ultimate goal in an athletes life.Despite the importance of a healthy balance in an athletes life, Orlick and Partington (1988) pointed out that the key to elite group acrobaticism was a total commitment to pursuing duty. This total commitment to sport was found to be the distinguishing factor between successful and unsuccessful competitive athletes. in that locationfore, in order to achieve or maintain athletic success, an athlete must sacrifice this healthy balance to capitalize on their physical talents.Self esteem is an example of a sacrifice some athletes experience, to attain success. Often athletes push themselves so hard, that failure or lack of perfectionism can negatively restore their self esteem. Athletes are peculiarly vulnerable to this problem of attaching self-pride to ones motions because they are judged by how well they perform. This is specifically evident in figure skating, where participants are always judges by their coaches in practices, judges in competitions, and themselves almost daily. However, society sends subtle signals that they must achieve in their sport to feel worthy as a person and that is the trap that many athletes fall into. In addition, if an athlete is a perfectionist, it can further affect their self-pride because they have such extravagantly expectations and are always so critical and hard on themselves. If athletes fall into this trap, their emotions, and how they feel about themselves, are heavily influenced by the perceptions of their performance, which can naturally go from day to day. Your self esteem may fluctuate based on performance or practices.Although previous research has investigated the mental effects of competitive sport, few studies have examined competitive figure skaters a nd their self esteem. The research area analyse was sport psychology, and the topics were athletes, non-athletes and self esteem. A subtopic measured was athletic identity.The global hypothesis was that competitive sport would have a negative impact on the individuals and that there would be a significant different in self esteem scores between the athletes and non-athletes. More specifically it was hypothesized that the athletes would present trends as to why their self-confidence was lower than the non-athletes.Conceptual FrameworkThe main theory behind the study was the deprivation for research. More research was indispensable on competitive figure skaters and self esteem, as figure skating can prepare high fluctuations of self esteem. surmise plays a large part in my study because the ideas behind my theory came from personal experiences as an athlete. I have a close personal connection to my study, as I was once a competitive figure skater, who was immersed in the sport a nd identified quite strongly with the athlete consumption. When I retired, I see low self-esteem and identity foreclosure. Attempts were made in the study, to see if there were similarities between my experiences as a competitive figure skater and my participants.The study was both descriptive and informative in nature. I attempted to describe my data and explain why and how it happened. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the quantitative data obtained through the surveys. It was explanatory in nature and I attempted to explain my findings and why self esteem affected competitive athletes. An attempt was made to understand of why competitive sport affects athletes so strongly, specifically self-esteem.My paradigm and perspective was post-positivist and deductive. I developed a hypothesis and set out to prove it with my data. I attempted to produce factual information through my survey research, however I still had a personal connection to the topic.Literature ReviewSelf Esteem egoism reflects a persons overall evaluation or appraisal of his or her own image, perception. The term self-esteem encompasses beliefs and emotions such as triumph, despair, pride and shame. A persons low self-esteem may be reflected in their behaviour, such as shyness, or caution.Self Esteem and the Competitive AthleteIn a study done by Koivula (2002), 30 Swedish elite athletes were assessed on their self esteem and perfectionism levels. It was concluded that the setting of high standards is an integral part of elite sports, and a good deal beneficial for the athletes performance. However, individuals who ingest from perfectionism may have superlative degreeened levels of anxiety, due to discrepancies between ideal and current self/situation. This could, of course be detrimental to their sport performance.The differences cited between athletes and non-athletes in self-esteem in the Huddy and Cash (1997) study were based on comparing athletes involved in individual sports (running and swimming) to a group of non-athletes. Therefore, it may be the case that individual-sport athletes benefit more from employment in physical activity than do those athletes involved in group-type sports when it comes to having a positive effect on self- esteem. This could also be detrimental to their self-esteem because an individual sport requires extreme mental toughness, concentration, pressure and a much higher degree of accountability.Most research hasnt tensioned on figure skaters, their self-esteem and the impacts of this competitive sport. There is a definite need for research in this area, because figure skating demands psychological and mental strength from an athlete. The present study exit add to the work done by Hall and Durborow (1986) and Frost (2005) who studied self esteem in high school day college athletes, with Hall and Durborow, studying specifically female athletes. These studies failed to include figure skaters as a competitive sport. It is ho ped that from the present study that some insight will be found on if and why figure skaters suffer from low self-esteem and future research may come from it.Athlete IdentityMost research done on athletic identity was done in the early on twentieth century. Identity answers the question Who am I? Athlete identity is the degree to which an individual identifies with an athlete role. (Brewer, et al) esthesis of self is the realization and knowledge of who you are as a person athletes might know who they are and define themselves through sport. Having a strong moxie of self is important in shaping your identity.Brewer, Van Raalte, and Linder developed the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS) and tested it with college learners (athletes and non-athletes). They tested based on a rating scale handed out in the form of a survey. Athletic identity differences between males and females were tested and in three studies, they found that males had a significantly higher athletic iden tity than females. The researchers reasoned that American society places a greater emphasis on sport for males than for females. Coakley (1990), supported this finding with his summary that girls are less likely to learn that physical activities and achievements in sport can or should be uniquely important sources of rewards in their lives. If girls do not receive as many rewards for their participation in sports, they are less likely to develop a strong athletic identity. (Coakley, 1990)Athletes who are more immersed in their role in sport will notice themselves with more certainty than others (Adler, 1991). Forty college basketball players competitive in their sport were tested by Adler and Adler (1991) and were found to tell themselves as student-athletes. This is a common identification among college athletes and is a desirable status symbol with a strong star of belonging and self esteem. Those with a in truth strong athletic identity tend to interpret events, such perfor mance and practice sessions, in terms of how it affects their athletic involvement. A strong athletic identity tends to increase an individuals commitment to sport, but those with an exclusive athletic identity tend to have emotional difficulties when they had performances or their competitive careers end. Those with a strong athletic identity spend more time with teammates and coaches who further strengthen their athletic identity. These were findings done in a recent study by Horton and Mack (2000). alpine skiers were tested and viewed in conjunction with other aspects of ones self-concept, that athletic identity plays a significant role in understanding ones cognitive structure and social role composition. (Horton, 2000) However, if an athlete exclusively identifies with the athletic role, he/she has an increased risk of experiencing a severe emotional disruption during a career transitionOne precise interesting study previously conducted involved identity and athletic retiremen t. It is the most recent and relevant study done that relates to my own intended research. The study was conducted by Lally (2007), to examine the relationship between identity and athletic retirement using a longitudinal, prospective design. One-on-one in-depth interviews were conducted with three males and three female university student competitive athletes at three times at the outset of their last season of competition, approximately 1 month after their retirement, and approximately 1 year later. The results revealed that the participants committed themselves strongly to their athletic goals and anticipated disrupted identities upon retirements. The study concludes that the redefinition of self long before sport career termination may protect ones severalise during this transition process. (Lally, 2007)The Importance of haveSport is a great way to get involved and stay active and healthy. Evidence has shown that there are significant benefits to participating in sport. For ex ample in a study done with high school students states that extra-curricular sport participation throughout high school is a good predictor of having a good job with autonomy at the age of 24 (Eccles, 2003). This study looked at sport and youth development and shows only the impact of sport at a high school level.Sport is a social process and involves engaging with others and meeting new people. Many important relationships are formed in sport and an athlete often forms relationships virtuoso(a)ly within their sport. Athlete-coach, athlete-athlete and athlete-parent are examples of important relationships developed in the sport environment (Jowett, 2006). These examples were studied by Jowett among Olympic medalists, who trained very hard and fall under the competitive athlete category.Sport can positively affect a persons self esteem and give them a sense of satisfaction. A study done by Findlay and Bowker (2009) explored specific aspects of sports and individuals on 4 levels (ph ysical competence and physical appearance self-concept, global physical and general self-esteem). Three hundred and fifty one adolescents were studied from elite sports and regular school classrooms. Participants were separated into group based on sports participation (elite athletes, competitive athletes, and non-athletes). The level of athleticism was found to be positively related to physical competence and appearance self-concept and general self-esteem. (Findlay, 2009) This study is a positive index finger as to why people compete and identity with sports. Unfortunately this study was very large and broad and therefore wasnt overly clear and concise.Competition and SportCompetition is a large part of sport and involves a direct comparison of performance against others or ones own goals. Sport needs to have goals or the outcomes seem meaningless. Athletes are driven to achieve goals and improve on performance.Competitors enjoy harming. This simply put is the driving force behi nd competitive sport and athletes. There is a joy from accomplishment and an intrinsic value with competing and performing at your trump out. A competitive athlete trains day after day to perform their best when the day of competition arrives. Although many athletes see positive effects from competition, there are also are many negative side effects to competitive sport. Competition can be difficult from a practical standpoint because it doesnt, contrary to public belief, improve performance, creativity or productivity. It can also be psychologically detrimental because it leads to anxiety, lower self-esteem and dependence on external evaluation (Kohn, 1992). This was argued in Alfie Kohns (1992) book, No Contest the Case against Competition. However athletes still watch further training and dedicate themselves to becoming a competitive athlete. It is also the love of their sport that drives them to continue to train hard and push themselves to be the very best. Athletes often bec ome so involved and immersed in their sport that training and competing becomes an everyday routine and way of life, therefore identifying with the sport. The sense of accomplishment and pride that comes with winning a prize or medal is huge. There is no greater feeling in the world. To obtain this feeling, athletes often have to push themselves to the point of psychological impact. With success, comes sacrifice, often affecting self-esteem and confidence.Production of the Competitive AthleteFor athletes in highly competitive sports, discipline and dedication are required to pursue excellence in sport. Success depends on multiple factors an athlete must strive to work towards in order to gain maximum results. Coaches and athletes understand that repetitive training and immersion in practice drills will develop the athletes skills necessary to perform well and to reach their goals. A large part of sport involves mental toughness, focus and concentration. Concentration and determinati on and focus are often the deciding factors in the outcome of athletic competition (Nideffer R. ., 2001). Regardless of the specific sport, attention and concentration are essential for success. These were findings by Nideffer and Sagal (2001) in their study done with elite skiers. They found that attention and control are keys to becoming successful athletes. The more concentrated and rivet on a sport an athlete is, the greater the results will be.Continuing success at an elite level requires athletes to devote more time to their sport and focus their entire life on training, managing specific diets, maintaining fitness levels and preparation and focus for competitions. Competitive athletes who tend to spend more time immersed in the sport, will get transformed, and often identify themselves strongly as an athlete. As the competitive athlete devotes more of their life involved in their sport their ability to identify with that sport becomes increasingly evident (Horton, 2000). Sig nificant life changes can happen in competitive sport. As the world of sport gets faster, stronger and more successful, the demands from training and performance increase.Psychological Impact of Competitive SportInjuries are on example of why self-esteem may be lower in competitive athletes. more or less research has been done to date on the psychological effects from an defect however within the last decade the main physiological dimensions of sport injury to the exclusion of psychological dimensions have been looked at in detail (Petitpas, 1995). *** injuries with figure skatersIn an argument and analysis done by Cupal (1998), from Utah State University, psychological interventions are needed when an athlete suffers from an injury. Most of this article focuses on what needs to be done and what has been done in the past with post injury psychological testing and intervention of athletes. More work is needed on illustrating how an athletes injury affects their sense of self and id entity. The mind is very powerful and can be greatly affected by injury (Cupal, 1998).In a study done by Johnston and Carroll (2000) looked at the variation of psychological impact of injury based on sport. It was mentioned that to date there are only 4 published reports of sports involvement as a factors of injury (Johnston and Carroll, 2000). They also concluded that the more involved an athlete is within their sport the greater negative impact, and injury will have psychologically. This study was completed by giving them questionnaires, highlighting which sport they were involved in, training regimens and post injury effects. It was an important study because it showed more competitive athletes having experienced the greatest hardships when an injury happens. It also gave the reader an indicator of which sport-related injuries have the greatest psychological impact.Mental toughness and focus are contributing factors of success in sport. Sports psychology has a distant role in the adoption and recovery of athletic injuries. Stress-related factors are the most common among psychological factored to influence an injury. (Anderson Williams, Psychological risk factors Injury prediction and preventive measures, 1998) They developed a theory on psychological factors that contribute to injuries. They vaguely show how injuries can develop from stress, depression, lack of motivation, but fail to show how the mind is affected when the injury occurs.An athletes recovery can be vastly influenced by their mental ability to cope. After an injury the brain goes through psychological reactions to what has just happened. The five stage process includes denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance (Hardy, 1990). This five stage process fails to consider athlete identity after injury.There are four other psychological reactions associated with athletic injuries. Identity loss, care and anxiety, lack of confidence and performance decrements are all part of the minds way of dealing or reacting to what has happened (Petitpas, 1995).Figure Skating as a Competitive SportFor the purpose of the present study figure skating will be the competitive sport of choice. Figure skating is the epitome of all things sport. Athletes must have the stamina of both a short and long distance runner, strength of a hockey player and the grace of an equestrian rider. Figure skating offers its participants incomparable opportunity to achieve personal success, fitness and strength. The competitive figure skating experience lends itself to the acquisition of life skills including determination, mental toughness, focus and respect. Figure skating teaches good, organic values, commitment, the pursuit of excellence, healthy competition, resources and health and well being. Achieving excellence demands a lot of time, most competitive figure skaters are at the rink 10-15 hours per week depending on age and achievement level desired. Their training regimens include on-ice t raining, off- ice conditioning workouts, ballet classes and nutrition and psychology seminars among other demands.Figure skating is primarily an individual sport. Unlike more traditional sports, figure skaters do not have teammates to rely on for social and athletic support, and they alone are responsible for their competitive outcomes. Thus, figure skaters may experience considerable pressure and performance anxiety than athletes in other sports.Figure skating requires its athletes to make sacrifices that are not required of athletes in many other sports. One such example is the significant financial investment for the athlete by his or her family, and the expenses are much greater than those incurred in many other sports. The cost of a pair of skates alone ranges from a minimum of $500 for relatively low level boots and blades to well over $1,000. Practice time, private instruction, off-ice training, practice apparel, routine equipment maintenance, music editing, competition entra nce fees, competition apparel, and travel fees are all additional costs. This financial burden can negatively impact a figure skater into constantly feeling pressure to give 100 percent all the time and achieve considerable success.A figure skaters social life can be majorly impacted by the demands of this competitive sport. Figure skaters often have inconvenient times for practice, such as very early in the morning and in the early afternoon. In order to make these practice times, many figure skaters have shortened school schedules that allow them to leave school early. At the Mariposa School of Skating in Barrie, Ontario there is a co-op program that allows figure skaters to obtain school credits while skating. However, this also eliminates times where students generally socialize with peers, such as lunch and recess. Practice schedules may also prevent figure skaters from becoming involved in school-based extracurricular activities, which frequently have meetings before and after school, eliminating another potential setting for peer interaction for figure skaters. Finally, figure skaters often are required to get up very early in the morning for practices. This also leaves little time for socialization with friends after school, as early morning practice requires skaters to go to sleep earlier than their non-skating friends. Other than that, figure skaters often devote what time they have left, to dinner and homework.Figure skating can be tied into self esteem and sense of self-worth. Some competitive figure skaters may suffer from a foreclosed identity status. According to Marcia (1966), identity foreclosed individuals solely identify with their sport and fail to explore any other possible identities. The training demands leave little time to explore potential identity options specifically other sports or interests. Frequently, early and mid-adolescents make identity decisions based on their peers and significant others (Kroger, 2007). For figure skaters, there are few opportunities available to interact with and identify with peers and significant others other than fellow figure skaters. Studies done on self-worth and self-esteem has shown that there are numerous dimensions of self-esteem that can contribute to an individuals overall sense of self worth (Harter, Waters, Whitesell, 1998), and that the dimensions of self-esteem most valued by the individual are the best predictors of his or her overall sense of self-worth (Harter et al., 1998). The athletic identity amount scale by Brewer (1993) further supports this as many studies have confirmed that the higher the immersion in their sport, the higher the athletes identifies with it. Often with competitive athletes their self-esteem and identity are tied into their athletic accomplishments and with each new accomplishment, comes new, higher expectations (Blansett Blansett, 2002)The task of controlling body changes during adolescence and early adulthood may be especially difficul t for figure skaters. The increases in height, body fat, and weight distribution that accompany adolescent development in females (Kroger, 2007) may be especially detrimental for figure skaters because these biological changes greatly impact a skaters ability to perform jumps and spins. The addition of body fat not only makes it more difficult for skaters to get the height necessary to complete rotations in their jumps, but changes in weight distribution can affect their timing and balance. Some studies like (Stoutjesdyk Jevne, 1993 Sundgot-Borgen, 1994), suggest that athletes are at increased risk especially female athletes are at risk for eating disorders. Sports that have major aesthetic components such as gymnastics, cheerleading, ballet, diving and figure skating (Brooks-Gunn, Burrow, Warren, 1988 DiBartolo Shaffer, 2002 Reel Gill, 1996 Sundgot-Borgen, 1994) may have higher eating disorder rates than others. Skaters are concerned about appearance, have lower than recommende d daily thermal intake and often engage in caloric restriction due to dietary advice from nutritionists and coaches. A study done by Monsma and Molina (2004), investigated figure skaters and presented a write of eating disorder risk comparing different variables. Analyses indicated that the Body Mass Index (BMI) was the most robust biological variable for subsequent analyses. BMIs among skaters were lower when compared to other athletes and individuals. The present study will attempt to garner similar results in the qualitative sections of the questionnaire.The role an athlete assumes in figure skating can be important in affecting their self worth and self esteem. The Charter for Competitors lists the following duties and responsibilities of all sport competitors must abide by both the laws and look of their sport, must accept the decisions of umpires and referees without question or protestation, must not cheat and in particular must not attempt to prove their performance by th e use of drugs, must exercise self control at all times, must accept success and failure, victory and defeat with good grace and without ebullient display of emotion, and must treat opponents and fellow participants with due respect at all times (Kew, 1997).The role of the figure skater requires the athlete to be responsible for his or her skating their behavior, their fate and no one can do it for them. All of these responsibilities can be negatively damaging on a competitive figure skater. There is so much pressure on competitive figure skaters and without intense training and dedication, skills and achievements decline. Figure skaters repeatedly apply huge amounts of pressure onto their bodies, sometimes without success. Sometimes athletes will try so hard to achieve success, but at times, can fail. Fear of pain and failure are both preponderating psychological challenges for athletes (Shogun, 1999) Fear of failure can also lead to decreased self esteem and self worth.Methodolo gyInstrumentsAthletic Identity Measurement ScaleThe Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS) is a 10-item quantitative inventory measuring the level of athletic identity. It is designed to measure the degree in which an athlete identifies themselves with their sport.The Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS) is a tool that assisted in the study. To examine the athletic identity of athletes, Brewer, Van Raalte, and Linder (1993) developed the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS). Brewer Cornelius (2001) have since developed the most recent version of the scale. (B. . Brewer, 343) this scale will be used to ask questions and for participants of my study to complete upon which additional open ended questions will be added. (See attached appendix) This scale is a highly validated scale, used in past research to measure athletic identity.Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (1978)The Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (CSEI Coopersmith, 1989) was designed to measure the responde nts attitudes toward self in personal, social, family, and academic areas of experience. The original Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory was developed for children. In the present study, a modified version developed by Dr. M.B. Ryden was used for adults and adolescence. It was then modified to fit the study, by only using 15 like me and 15 not like me questions. The participants had the option of checking like me or not like me for each question.Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (1965)The Rosenberg self-esteem scale, developed by Morris Rosenberg, is a widely-used self-esteem measure in social science research. The scale is a ten-item quantitative measure with items answered on a four-point Likert scale from strongly agrees to strongly disagree. soft QuestionsTwo additional questions were added to the questionnaire, one for the athletes and one for the non-athletes. They are located in Appendix____. The purpose of these questions was to provide analysis and interpretation of the answers. Qualitative research gathers in-depth understanding of homo behaviour and the reasons why such behaviour happens. For example, the athletes were asked to expand on any negative effects that competitive figure skating has brought about. It was hoped that if the figure skated experiences low self esteem, the qualitative questions would provide answers. For the non-athletes, a question was presented about being a non-athlete/inactive and any negative affects it brought with it. It was hoped that if they experienced any low self esteem from not being active or a competitive athlete, the qualitative questions would provide answers.ProcedureIn order to insure consistency among test subjects the sport of figure skating was chosen for this study. Figure skating is a well-organized, professionally coached sport in which individuals between 15-25 years old, practice a minimum of 10 hours per week. The athletes were recruited from The Mariposa School of Skating in Barrie, Ontario. There were 20 figure skaters who participated in the study.A meetin

Analysis Of Tescos Corporate Strategy

Analysis Of Tescos somatic outlineIn this report I have discussed Tescos embodied strategy. The first section provides background into the companion and shows that it currently dominates the UK grocery merchandise.The next section explains the importance of a corporate strategy for prospicient term success in any market place. Tescos is in operation(p) a two tier strategy the first includes en large-mouthedment into non nutriment products within the UK market and creating strategic alliance with RBS for example, to create Tesco Personal Finance. The next one includes vulturine expansion into overseas grocery markets. The main aim of this report will be to study the corporate strategy regarding expansion into Middle eastern get together States India.This is passed by a review of Tescos expansion plans explaining why it is necessary for Tescos to expand into overseas markets. almost of the points discussed ar that Tescos UK market share in the grocery has reached a satu ration point and it faces expense wars from budget supermarkets such as Lidl which puts a downward push on profit edges. in any case, Tesco earns three quarters of its r hithertoue from UK sales and in a hawkish environment it and unavoidablenesss to expand into India and the Middle East to augment revenue sources.The next section provides analysis on Tescos corporate strategy.The first part of the analysis is based on Porters Generic Strategy that provide options in stock(predicate) to Tesco to sustain a competitive proceeds. Cost Leadership strategy is suitable for trading operations in India as low prices will attract volume sales. that a combination of differentiation and niche strategy is necessary to remain profitable in UAE market due to its smaller population but tall GDP per capita. Porters flipper forces model is used to assess the competition in the target market with use of generic strategys attributes to defend against these competitive forces.SWOT analy sis is carried out to analyze Tescos present corporate strategy showing the external factors that learn the blood. Strengths include Tescos high egress in UK and overseas and its commercial stand up and known brand. It has access to cheap lending and Economies of scale. Its biggest strength is its consumer orientated approach which caters to require and demands for local anaesthetic consumers.Weaknesses include strength to enter into price wars with has a baneful affect on profit margins. Also while it whitethorn offer multiple non food product lines it may not be able to debate with specialist sellers. Finally regulatory barriers in India that restrict foreign will origin of retail stores could slow down expansion into the region.The report concludes by evaluating the present corporate strategy for Tescos expansion into overseas grocery markets. The expansion is important to sustain a competitive edge. Tesco needs to ensure that in order for undefeated expansion it ne eds to remain flexible and consumer oriented and avoid mis allots made by Walmart in Germany and Brazil and Carrefour in Eastern Europe.Introduction BackgroundTesco was founded in 1919 by Jack Cohen in East London, It is now a UK-based international grocery and general merchandising retail chain. It is the largest British retailer by twain global sales and domestic market share, with profits exceeding 3 billion. It is currently the second largest retailer in the world based on profit. in the beginning specialising in food and drink, it has diversified into areas such as clothing, consumer electronics, financial services, telecoms, and planetary house and health products. (http//www.tescoplc.com/plc/about_us/tesco_story/)The aim of this report is to analyse Tescos present corporate strategy with strain on what it could do to improve its business. I will provide evidence and cogitates on why the companys present strategy has potentially high profitability and the aspects that ne ed to be altered.Even though Tescos primary business of selling groceries is not unique but it is the business model that differentiates it from the rest and maintains its global market share. It has generated high profits through aggressive overseas expansion into US, Eastern Europe and South East Asia. It has maintained a immobile customer focused business model, with extensive use of its edict card homage scheme and utilizing top of the range information systems to maintain a really efficient supply chain. (P. McGoldrick, 2002)Tescos Corporate StrategyStrategic management is a set of managerial decisions and actions that determine the long term mathematical process of a corporation. Many companies passel manage lilliputian term bursts with high performance but only a few can sustain it over a long period of time.Of the original Forbes ascorbic acid companies listed in 1917, only 13 are unflustered in business. (E.D. Beinhocker, 2006)In the last decade, Tesco brought abo ut a lot of strategic changes and has grown to become UKs tote up one retailer. It is also considered to be one of Europes fastest growing financial company and probably the most successful internet supermarket in the world. (A. Seth G. Randall ,1999)Tescos is operating a two tier expansion strategy.The first part is expansion into non food sector within its home market in the UK. This includes offering home and health, pharmacy, telecommunications and financial services products. It has continued to maintain its market share in its grocery sales via aggressive pricing and targeted marketing while expanding into more uncivilized and high profit areas with good success. Tesco setup a strategic alliance with Royal Bank of Scotland whereby it offers most of RBS banking services in its stores around the UK. It has taken advantage of its widespread network of stores. In 2008 Tesco Personal Finance had posted 71m half year profits with 5.6m customer accounts. It is aiming to incr solac e that profit including from other services including telecommunications to 1bn. (J. Bamford and D. Ernst, 2002)http//news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6257331.stm(The Economist, Supermarket Finance A Mortgage from Tesco? second Oct 2008)The second part of Tescos strategy is to expand its grocery business into Continental Europe, India, South East Asia and the Middle EastReview of Tescos Expansion PlansTesco has had great success in the UK market where it has gained over 30% of the grocery market share. There are overly many hurdles such as restrictions from competition commission and local groups that will not allow Tesco to open many stores in new locations on with planning restriction in the UK. It has however continued to profit from its share in financial services and telecommunications sector. It also gained the first mover advantage when it launched tesco.com.From the act above, we can deduce that majority of Tescos sales are from its UK operations (100-23.4 = 76.6%). This make s it more important to continue aggressive international expansion as it provides more opportunities for revenue evolution.The UK grocery market share has reached a saturation point. With low cost brands such as Lidl and aggressive price war with ASDA in the UK, the profit margin for grocery products have perishen.The strategy is to diversity grocery sales into other countries and make use of the fast growing economy of India and cash heavy consumer of United Arab Emirates. In todays competitive environment Tesco cannot rely on three quarters of its revenues from one country. Of the worlds top 250 retailers, 104 have no international operations at all, fit in to Deloitte, a consultancy firm. Tesco could be the first one to enter the market in UAE and India to obtain the first mover advantage. (The Economist, Global RetailingTrouble At Till, second Nov 2006)In this report I will concentrate on Tescos strategy for overseas expansion in the grocery market as I intend it carries mor e opportunities and has higher growth potential. The primary objective of this report is on Tescos expansion plan in the India the Middle East.Analysis of Tescos Corporate StrategyThe reason to carry out external analysis is to identify potential opportunities and threats facing Tesco. External analysis provides information that strategic managers use in planning, decision fashioning and strategy formulation. It helps reduce environmental uncertainty(B.K. Boyd J. Fulk, 1996)Michael Porter has made major contribution to corporate strategy and I will use some models to sound out potential of success for Tescos existing corporate strategy.Porters Generic StrategiesThey outline the three main strategic options available to Tesco to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. They are cost leadership, differentiation and focus/niche strategy.http//tatler.typepad.com/images/strategy.jpgCost Leadership The company producing products at the lowest cost can obtain competitive advantage. This strategy is suited to Tescos business operations in India as currently their involvement is restricted to wholesale sector. Foreign firms in India are unable to have 100% ownership at retail statge. Technopak, a Delhi-based retail consultancy, expects Indian retail sales to cosmetic surgery to nearly $430 billion by 2010. Modern retailers share will rise from just 3% now to 16-18%, it says. A low cost/low price business model will yield the highest returns and sales volumes due to size of Indias population. (The Economist, Retailing Setting up shop in India, 2nd Nov 2006)Differentiation It involves selling products that have unique attributes preferred by customers and as a solution they are willing to pay a higher price. Although Tescos business of selling grocery products is not unique, Its business model differentiates it from rivals. Especially its club card loyalty program that allows Tesco to react to changes in consumer preferences faster and gain advantage by bein g the first one to address any new demand for products. respite Its usually suited to smaller corporations, they can enter particular segment of the market and offer specialist products.Michael Porter argued that in order to be successful in the long run, a firm must choose one of the strategies or they will not benefit. However, contemporary research has shown evidence of firms practicing such a hybrid strategy. Hambrick (1983 cited by Kim et al. 2004, p.25) identified successful organisations that adopt a mixture of low cost and differentiation strategy. A combination of differentiation and niche strategy would be most effective in the UAE market. First of all due to small population of 6m, Cost leadership model would not work as there is little potential for higher sales volumes. UAE is still a developing market and there are not many supermarkets chains with large market share. Also Tesco could offer unique products, such as its healthy living range and finest brand range that w ould appeal to the expatriates community which makes up 80% of UAEs population. GDP per capita of UAE is over $54,614 and high disposable income due to absence of income tax, this makes it an ideal market for niche, high end products that carry high profit margin.M. Porter, Competitive Strategy Techniques for Analysing Industries and Competitorshttp//tatler.typepad.com/images/strategy.jpg(The Economist, Retailing Setting up shop in India, 2nd Nov 2006)Porters 5 ForcesPorter explains that there are five forces inherent in markets that determine the aim of competition and profitability for Tesco in UAE and India.The first force is the threat posed by new entrants, Tescos rivals, Wal-Mart and Carrefour are also expanding into overseas markets and this could lead to aggressive pricing to retain market share which may have a detrimental effect on profit margins. Currently Tesco has sufficient purchasing power to experience economies of scale which acts as a barrier to entry for other bu sinesses. Also, it is planning a confederation with Bharti Enterprises in India where by Tesco will control wholesale market and distribution network responsible for supplying products to 5000 stores.(The Economist, Retailing Setting Up Shop In India, 2nd Nov 2006)The second force is threat of substitutes, marketplace products have highly elastic demand and customers have alternatives if price is set too high. For example, in UAE retail sector, Tesco could establish itself as a premium grocery retailer. Once way to reduce the threat of substitutes is to diversify the business and expand into non food sectors. It could form strategic alliance with local firms to offer services, similar to its partnership with RBS in the UK.The third force is the threats from the bargaining power of buyers, this is strong for all retailers in the grocery market. It could gain significant market share if it offers products to cater for westbound expatriates as currently there is limited availability of English grocery items. Also, it could reduce threat of substitutes by extending its loyalty program to the UAE. Such as club card scheme, Healthy living club and Tesco Vine club etc. With prices for eating out rising fast, it could offer healthy and finest range ready meals to increase its customer base.Finally the threats from the suppliers bargaining power, its fairly low for Tesco as its usually a major customer for most suppliers and has the power to control its supplier pricing to an extent. Also in terms of rivalry, there is several small supermarkets within the UAE but none of the big ones such as Carrefour and Wal-Mart have yet entered the market.The five forces analysis gives an improved understanding of the degree of competition faced by Tesco. The analysis shows that the grocery industry can be highly competitive, with buyers possessing powerful influence over the large number of substitute brands available to them. From the previous section we can see that generic st rategies each have attributes that help to defend against competitive forces.SWOT AnalysisSWOT analysis has proven to be the most enduring analytical technique used in strategic management. In a 2007 McKinsey Co global survey of 2700 executives, 82% stated that the most relevant activity for strategy formulation were evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the organisations and identifying top environmental trends affecting business performance over 3-5 years.(J. Choi, D. Lovallo A. Tarasova, McKinsey Quarterly Online, July 2007)StrengthsTesco has published sales gain of 13% for UK markets which is higher than rivals in the UK and 26% revenue growth in international markets.Tesco has a strong brand and excellent commercial standing. It won the retailer of the year 2008 award at World Retail Awards.On basis of its size and credit worthiness, Tesco can experience economies of scale and obtain funding for expansion into India/UAE even during credit crisis.Tescos approach is very f lexible, they dont always push the Tesco brand name unless it has an advantage when debut a market, for example in Turkey Tesco maintained the name Kipa as local customers were familiar with it.http//www.worldretailcongress.com/page.cfm/action=Archive/ArchiveID=7/EntryID=1http//news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4781458.stm(The Economist, Global Retailing Trouble At Till, 2nd Nov 2006)http//www.worldretailcongress.com/page.cfm/action=Archive/ArchiveID=7/EntryID=1WeaknessesThere are regulatory barriers in obtaining retail trade licences in India. At present a foreign company can only operate as a distributor/wholesaler. However it is still a good opportunity to enter the market as a wholesaler and establish a distribution network.If it enters into a price war with local retailers, the margins will suffer and since UAE population is only 6million, the low margin high volume strategy will not be effective.Tesco is a public company and if it spends too much of its capital on overseas expansi on the UK market may suffer in the short term and shareholder may counteract some expansion decisions.Tesco may offer multiple product lines in the same store, but since there are specialist stores for electrical products for example Tesco may struggle in non food sector.(The Economist, Retailing Setting up shop in India, 2nd Nov 2006)OpportunitiesUAE allow foreign investment and ownership which combined with ease of funding provide low barriers to market entry.Tesco has created a very efficient home delivery network in the UK, It could utilise its expertise to create the very first home delivery service for grocery products in the UAE.With wide access to the internet among UAE residents, Tesco could enter the online market for food and non food product.Economic growth in India has maintained at 6-8% per annumDespite the credit crunch UAE has experienced a growth rate of 23%in 2008 with double digit growth in grocery sales.The GDP per capita of a UAE is $54,607 making it an ideal l ocation to offer high margin top end products such as the Tescos finest range.Tesco could follow its business model in the UK to setup strategic alliance with local firms to diversify its products and services on offer.http//uaeinteract.com/docs/UAE_GDP_soars_23_to_Dh934_billion_in_2008_/36962.htmhttp//www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2009/02/weodata/index.aspxhttp//www.arabianbusiness.com/574404-uae-grocery-sales-growth-slumps-in-2009ThreatsRising prices of raw materials and food products may lower profit margins.People tend to vary of new brands. This problem can be overcome since Tesco has a strong internationally appreciate brand. In addition Tesco tends to enter the market via partnerships or familiar brand name to avoid alienating the local consumer.Local communities in some split oppose Tesco and other major retailers from setting up stores as they believe it will destroy their community and small businesses.Lower available income will bear on and strategic focus may need to change to lower priced basic products with less focus on higher priced brands suggesting a switch in price architecture.Retailers who set out on foreign adventures need to remember three basic rules. First, dont forget the local touch. Wal-Mart got off to a bad start in Germany by appointing a country manager who did not speak German. In Brazil it failed to notice that people like to shop en famille the aisles of its shops were too reduce to accommodate the standard family party. Successful foreign adventurers adjust their formats to local needs. BQ, a British do-it-yourself retailer, discovered that Chinese people look down their noses at doing things themselves. It became a buy-it-yourself, and get somebody else to do it for you, retailer.Second, make sure your timing is right. In 1995 Yaohan, an aggressive Japanese retailer, opened one of the worlds biggest department stores in Shanghai. It plan to build 1,000 Chinese shops. But a decade ago Chinese people were too poor to s upport its vision and in 1997 Yaohan filed for bankruptcy. Third, be selective about what you try. Tesco, which has been pretty successful in foreign markets, is shortly going into America-but with convenience stores only, because it reckons the supermarket business is too crowded.(The Economist, Global Retailing Trouble At Till, 2nd Nov 2006)ConclusionIn this era of globalisation an organisation can no longer trade in its locality and sustain a competitive advantage. Tesco needs to continue its expansion overseas as UK market has reached saturation point in the grocery sector. It needs at least half of its revenues from overseas operations to reduce its over reliance on UK sales. The Porters generic strategy and SWOT analysis shows some promising opportunities in India and UAE which could turn into profitable operations. Some of the potential threats can easily be overcome.The key to success for Tesco in its expansion strategy is flexibility and timing. India has recently allowed s ome Foreign Direct Investment even though its restricted to ownership of wholesale sector, its a good opportunity as retail sales in India are forecasted to be $430bn by 2010. foreign Wal-Mart which failed to enter the market in Germany and Brazil due to lack of knowledge of local trends and consumer preferences. Tesco has been successful in entering several overseas markets. This is due to their consumer oriented approach and their study of local demand prior to setting up.Before expanding into the US, researchers, including a small cohort of Tescos top executives, spent two weeks living with 60 American families and studied their grocery purchasing habits.Strategic management is an ongoing process, the key for managers is to remain flexible, open and alert to changing circumstances. Strategies dont always succeed, results may fall short due to internal short coming or predictions about external opportunities and threats were inaccurate. Whatever the reason we change the strategy as needed to take advantage of new information.

Essays --

Deontology and Utilitarianism in the Accounting ProfessionThe American Association of Public Accountants first implemented ethical rules in 1905. Since then, accounting ethics has been heavily scrutinized. It has been said that the relationship between personal values, codes of conduct and decisions to engage in financial misrepresentation are weak at best (Douglas, Davidson, & Schwartz, 2001), p. 101). It is essential for Accountants to make ethical decisions. In order to promote ethical decision making, it is vital that profession develop a strong ethical environment. The function of this paper is to look at two of the main ethical theories as they relate to the accounting profession. Specifically this paper will give a detailed description of utilitarianism and deontology. The organizational culture and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants code of professional conduct will then be looked at from the consideration of the two ethical theories. Finally, I will present the ethics system I believe is most appropriate for the accounting profession.1.0 UtilitarianismThe term utilitarianism, as delimit in this paper, is not a psychological theory that is based on what is. Instead, it is an ethical theory based on what should to be. Utilitarianism, also called universalistic hedonism, should not be confused with Egoism or Egoistic Hedonism (which states the agents individuals own happiness as the ultimate end of his actions (Sidgwick, 2000, p. 254). Instead, utilitarianism is an ethical theory that advocates the idea that the happiness of some must, at times, be forfeited for the benefit of the larger quantity of people. This theory suggests that proper behavior seeks to maximize happiness for the... ...eads to the perverse result that under certain mass a lie, for example, might be morally right if the individual contemplating the lie felt no compunction about lying and morally wrong except if the individual felt such a compun ction (Kelman, 1981, p. 34). As mentioned earlier, the accounting profession is working hard to regain the publics trust. This is because at some point the profession as a whole assumed the utilitarian based concept that ...the purpose, nature, and responsibility of business are to maximize receipts or shareholder value. To the goal that an accounting firm is a business, it falls under the profit-maximizing rubric. But when an accounting firm sees itself primarily as a business, making a profit overrides its main function of attesting to the truth and correctness of financial statements. (Duska, Duska, Ragatz, 2011,p. 170)

A Kinder Reader Essay -- Essays Papers

A Kinder Reader When one thinks of stories that improve us as human beings, Aesops Fables comes to mind, not the dark, dank, heroinlaced area of Mohsin Hamids Moth Smoke. But, reading is like fashion, and one mans cherished plaid pants are another mans horror. Not all manufacturing can directly dole out moral advice, such as Jane Austens warnings about the dangers of hasty judgment in Pride and Prejudice, but nigh all fiction can proffer tales that at the very least expand our range of vision. Moth Smoke brings us, its intended American audience, into the foreign world of upstart day Pakistan. The protagonist, Daru, is recently unemployed, in love with his best friends wife and cultivating a small heroin addiction. Hamid puts the readers front and center of this foreign world by making them the judges of Daru. To step out of your surroundings, even if only for 245 pages, changes you, makes you unable to step back into the exact mold of a former ego you left behind. Your b orders have shifted, been expanded, even if only by a fraction. Terry Eagleton brings these ideas to light in his book, Literary Theory, when he extrapolates on what it means to become a better persona transformation in which, liberal humanists would argue, literature plays a part.1 At first glance Moth Smoke appears to be a invention left out of the running for this transformative seal of approval. How can a reader be morally transformed by a story that does not get wind one how to love thy neighbor but rather the finer details of how to roll a joint while driving? But, after only a few pages Moth Smoke becomes a crash course in moral complexity, throwing readers headfirst into uncomfortable situations and then forcing them to make a... ...y sympathetic. So the box is wide. The offense is violent and despicable the needless killing of a boy. So the box is long. And the defense invokes a grand conspiracy, corruption, which is particularly resonant these days. So the box is long (38). Professor Superbs dimensions of the box serve as a tangible example of the judgment the reader must make. In each direction, on every axis of the box is a different, but equally valid, moral decision to be made. Transformative literature such as Moth Smoke forces its readers to expand their empathy in order to make such decisions with clarity and conviction.Notes1. Terry Eagleton, Literary Theory (Minneapolis University of Minnesota Press, 1983).2. All references in the text are to Mohsin Hamid, Moth Smoke (New York Picador USA, 2000).3. Eagleton, 210.4. Eagleton, 208.5. Eagleton, 208.