Economics-Sectors of the Indian Economy

CH-2-ECONOMICS-SECTORS OF THE INDIAN ECONOMY Chapter –2—Economics SECTORS OF THE INDIAN ECONOMY In order to understand the functioning of any economy, we need to study various sectors that it comprise. All around us we find people engaged in different types of activites. CLASSIFICATION OF THE ECONOMIC SECTORS: The classifications are based on 1. Nature of activity being performed. —Primary, Secondary & Tertiary 2. Working conditions of the workers—Organised & unorganized. 3. Who own the assets/ on the ownership basis. —Public & Private PRIMARY SECTOR:  1. Activites undertaken by directly using natural resources. . Example—Agriculture, Mining, Fishing, Forestry, Dairy etc. 3. It is called primary sector because it forms the base for all other products that we subsequently make. 4. Since most of the natural products we get are from agriculture, dairy, forestry, fishing it is also called Agriculture and related sector. SECONDARY SECTOR: It cov ers activities in which natural products are changed into other forms through ways of manufacturing that we associate with industrial activity. 2. it is a next step after primary, where the product is not produced by nature but has to be made.Some process of manufacturing is essential, it could be in a factory, a workshop or at home. 3. Example: Using cotton fibre from plant, we spin yarn and weave cloth; using sugarcane as a raw material we make sugar or gur; we convert earth into bricks. Since this sector is associated with different kinds of industries, it is also called industrial sector. TERTIARY SECTOR: 1. These are the activities that help in the development of the primary & secondary sector. 2. These activities by themselves do not produce good but they are an aid and support to the production process. . Example: a)Transportation–Goods that are produced in the primary sector need to be transported by trucks or trains and than sold in the wholesale and retail shops; b) Storage–at times it is necessary to store these products in godowns,which is also a service made available. c)Communication –talking to others on telephone); d) Banking–borrowing money from the banks. 4. Since these activities are generate services rather than goods it is also called Service sector. Q. How do we count the various goods and services and know the total production in each sector?As thousands of goods and services are produced, it is an enormous task to add up all these. To get to this problem economists suggested that the value of goods and services should be used rather than adding the actual numbers. But only one precaution is to be undertaken ie. , only final value of the goods and services should be counted as it already includes the value of all intermediate goods. GDP—  The value of final goods and services produced in each sector during a particular year provides the total production of the sector for that year.And sum of productio n in three sectors give Gross Domestic Production—GDP of the country. –It is the value of all final goods and services produced within the country during a particular year. –GDP shows how big the economy is. Q. Who measures the GDP in India? This mammoth(huge) task in India is carried on by the Central government ministry , with the help of various govt. Departments of Indian states and union territories. The information relating to total volume of goods and services and their prices is collected and then estimates the GDP. Historical change in the sectors: three stages. INITIAL STAGE:After observing the changes that have come in the development patterns of the sectors, it has been found that – in the Initial stages of the development the Primary Sector was the most important sector of economic activity. -As the methods of farming changed and agricultural sector began to prosper, it produced much more food than before and many people could takeup many oth er activities which led to the increase in number of activities. -However at this stage most of the goods produced were natural products from the primary sector, hence most people were employed in this sector. SECOND STAGE: Over a long time(more than hundred years or so) because new methods of manufacturing were introduced, factories came up and started expanding. -People began to work in factories in large numbers, and also people started using factory goods in large numbers as they were cheap. -Secondary sector gradually became the most important in total production and employment. There was a shift and the importance of the sectors also changed. THIRD STAGE: In past hundred, there has been a further shift from Secondary to Tertiary sector in the developed countries. -The service sector has become the most important in terms of total production.Most of working people are also employed in the service sector. Q. What does the history of developed countries indicate about the shifts that have taken place between sectors? (book question) It indicates that both secondary and tertiary sectors are developing and are becoming major contributors of the GDP. -This shift has come up with the improvement in the agricultural sector, people now had more time for other activities and the number of craft persons, traders (SECONDARY) increased and also buying and selling activities also increased . Now there were many transporters, administrators, army etc. TERTIARY) Rising importance of tertiary sector in production: Over thiry years between 1973 and 2003, production in the tertiary sector has increased the most, and it has emerged as the largest producing sector in India replacing the primary sector. Q. Why the Tertiary sector is becoming so important in India? There are several reasons to it: 1. In any country several services such as hospitals , educational institutions, post and telegragh services, police stations, courts, village administrative offices, municipal corpo rations, defence, transport, banks, insurance companies etc. are required.These services are called the’ Basic services. ’ In the developing countries the government has to take the responsibility for provision of these services. 2. The development of the agriculture and industrial leads to the development of services such as transport, trade, storage and the like. Greater the development of primary and secondary sectors more will be demand of such services. 3. As the income level rise, certain sections of people start demanding many more services like eating out, tourism, shopping , private hospitals, professional training etc. This is found especially in the big cities. 4.Over the past decade or so certain new services such as those based on the information and communication technology have become important & essential. INDIAN SECTORIAL GROWTH: It is a remarkable fact that while there has been a change in the share of three sectors in GDP, a similar shift has not tak en place in employment. –Service sector in India employs many different kinds of people—at one end there are a limited number of services that employ highly skilled workers and on the other end there are a very large number of workers engaged in services such as small shopkeepers, repair persons, transporters etc.Hence only a part of sector is growing in importance. — More than half of the workers in the country are working in primary sector, mainly in the agricultural, producing only a quarter of GDP. In contrast to this secondary and tertiary sector are producing three-fourth of the produce whereas they employ less than half the people. Q. WHERE ARE MOST OF THE PEOPLE EMPLOYED? WHY? The primary sector employs the largest number of people in India. –It is because not enough jobs were created in the secondary and tertiary sectors. Q.Even though primary sector employs largest number of people yet its share in GDP is less. Why? –More than half of the workers in the country are working in primary sector, mainly in the agricultural, producing only a quarter of GDP. In contrast to this secondary and tertiary sector are producing three-fourth of the produce whereas they employ less than half the people. –This also means that there are in agriculture more people than necessary and even if we move a few people out, production will not be effected. In other words, workers in the agricultural sector are under-employed.UNDER-EMPLOYMENT: It is a situation, where people are apparently working but all of them are made to work less than their potential. –if few people move out , it will not effect the production. –it is hidden in contrast to the open unemployment where a person is clearly or visibly without job. –it is also called disused unemployment. –this underemployment also happens in the other sectors for example there are thousands of casual workers in service sector in the urban areas as painters, plumbers, repair persons etc. HOW CAN WE CREATE EMPLOYMENT? There are various ways in which govt. an create employment opportunities as†¦ 1. The govt. can spend some money or banks can provide loans to construct well ect. Which will reduce the dependency of farmers on rains, and they will be able to grow two crops a year. 2. Construction of Dams and Canals can lead to lot of generation of employment in agricultural sector itself. 3. If govt. invests some money on transportation and storage of crops or makes better rural roads, it can provide productive employment not just to farmers but alsoto other who are in services like transport or trade. 4.If local banks give credits at reasonable rates to the small and marginal farmers ,they will be able to buy necessary inputs for their crops in time. 5. Another way to solve this problem is to identify , promote and locate industries and services in the semi-rural areas where a large number of people maybe employed. Example:many farmers grow arhar &chickpea for them a dall-mill to procure and process these & sell in the cities;opening a cold storage will give an opportunity to thefarmers to store their produce like potato &onion and sell them price is good; villagers near forests can start with honey collectionect. . To improve health situation we need health centres, hospitals & for that doctors, nurses, workers. 6. Similarly to provide education to all children we would need lot of schools which can also generate employment. 7. Tourism:every state or region has the potential for increasing the income and employment for people in that area. This can also be done by promoting tourism or regional craft industry. 8. News services like IT are also creating jobs.All these are the long term projects but govt also has certain short term projects for people as:NREGA-2005. NREGA—2005 –National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005. –started by the Central govt. — made a law implementing Right to work in 200 districts of India. –all those who are in need of work will get guaranteed 100 days work and if the govt. fails to do so, it will give unemployment allowances to them –the work will of the type which will in future help to increase the production from land.

Assignment Template

A new manager is starting in the organisation shortly. You have been asked to provide an outline to this new-starter, so that they can gain some understanding of the organisation in preparation for their start. The information you provide should include: ? A list of the main products and services of the organisation ? An identification of the main customers ? The purpose and goals of the organisation An analysis of a minimum of 4 external factors and their impact on the business activities of an organisation ? The structure and at least 4 functions of the organisation ? An explanation of how these different functions work together within the organisation to optimise performance ? An identification of the culture of the organisation and at least 2 ways this affects operations.  In order to understand the organizational business or operation environment and cope with specific organizational culture, it seems important to get the comprehensive information regarding the products and se rvices, customer base, organizational goals or objectives of the company and its internal or external influencing factors. Considering the same, brief insight about Apple Inc. can be of great help for new managers to understand and cope with new organizations culture. Apple Inc. is known in the global market place for its innovative new dimensions of digital technology, which acts as the core competitive advantages of its business.Company has well known brand repute in the local and global market places, which entails it to expand its business of producing personal computers, computer software, servers, consumer electronics and digital media for distribution etc beyond the domestic boundaries. Apple has developed innovation and new digital technology utilization as the strategy for growth of organization and expansion of business in global territories. Most popular products of company are the iPhone, iPad, iPod, and the Mac computers and laptops, which have helped in establishment o f its own niche market by the Apple.Certain products like iPods and iTunes etc have generated high volume sales in its specific industry segment of consumer electronics and media sales. With grand success of iPhone series mobile equipments Apple is still reaping the market through its innovative product iPad. One of the founding member Steve Jobs has formulated and developed the culture of innovation and new dimensions of digital technology as the key competitive factors. Apple has aligned its strategic thoughts with that of the approach of creation and delivery of new product segments and improvements in the existing products in the market.Through such approach of innovation and advanced technology product development, Apple has build up its specific organizational culture and with passage of time extensive research and development programs and quick upgrade of upcoming and existing products have become the integral part of its overall organizational development strategy. In its cu stomer base main constituents are the young age individuals and institutional organizations, who utilises specific products like iPods, iPhones, iPads etc for their personal use and Mac computers and laptops for their professional or operational uses.Improvements and upgrades in existing products and launch of new innovative products have helped in development of organizational value and sustain growth prospects. Basic approach of Apple towards operational imperatives seems to follow the integration framework, where different operational functions like designing, engineering, retail and research and development are integrated to develop high quality and advanced technology products. Such approach of integration of different operational functions helps it in gaining flexibility and quick responses in situation of change in environment.Most of the operational efforts remain allocated to bring innovation and efficiency in core functions of Apple, like designing, engineering, retail and research and development, which bring uniqueness and sustainable quality in the offerings. As basic strategy of Apple Inc. is considered to be inclined towards development of specific products targeted to certain specific markets, thus even though it has earned impressive growth in past, a prospective threat of influence of external environmental factors also exists, which may potentially affect the business and growth prospects of the Apple Inc.Certain external factors which may affect the Apple’s business can be mentioned as change in interest or preferences of the customers, dynamic changes in the technology, entry of other strong competitors in its niche market segment and change in rules and regulations of global market economies. Due to technological advancements most of the technical specifications of iPods became available in iPhones and other similar products of other competitors thus it poses enhanced internal and external competition for its products like iPods et c.Similarly with spread of technology in global sphere several other competitors have also started optimizing their potentials to compete directly in the niche market of Apple, just like the case of Samsung which has posed significant competition to the Apple’s iPhone. Apple’s organizational culture is considered to be based on the integration of different operational functions and utilization of innovation and digital technology dimension in product development.As Apple operates in global scenario and utilizes the organizational communication, open-mindedness, inter-disciplinary design reviews and collaborative operations of technical teams as its organizational culture components, thus certain issues like cross culture conflicts and respective barriers of communications can affect the productivity and sustainability of growth prospects. Cross cultural conflicts can hamper the competitive advantages developed by the Apple in several years of effort.

What Makes Supply and Demand?

The relationship between supply and demand is considered to be the most essential idea and practice as well as the fundamental foundation in the field of economy. According to a Forbes Digital Company, demand is the measurement or extent of a particular merchandise or service which, in turn, is the one preferred by buyers or specific market. The amount required refers to the monetary worth of a product which the public is prepared to but at a specified cost. Hence, the link between the value and magnitude demanded is what is called the demand relationship (â€Å"Economics Basics: Demand and Supply,† 2008). Meanwhile, supply refers to how much the marketplace can propose. The capacity supplied also corresponds to the quantity of precise superior manufacturers which are ready to supply when getting a particular amount. The relationship between the worth and how much of a specific merchandise of service is provided to the public recognized as the supply relationship and that price, consequently, is a healthy indication of supply and demand (â€Å"Economics Basics: Demand and Supply,† 2008). It is also significant to know that the law of supply exists when all other elements stay to be uniform hence the higher the amount of product and service, the less the public will require for that good. Also, the price that people pay at a higher cost is less due to the link that as the amount of product or service escalates; it goes the same way with the prospect value of purchasing the said god. In effect, humans by nature will be prevented from patronizing a good which compel them to give up the chance of buying a product or service which they definitely treasure more (â€Å"Economics Basics: Demand and Supply,† 2008). Similarly, the law of supply exhibits the measurements which will be retailed at a particular cost. In contrast to the law of demand, however, the supply relationship demonstrates a rising slope when illustrated. Hence, this simply means that the more elevated the cost, the quantity supplied also soars (â€Å"Economics Basics: Demand and Supply,† 2008).

Write a 2-3 page paper about outsourcing from the perspective of a Essay

Write a 2-3 page paper about outsourcing from the perspective of a multinational firm (Yes, this may be a hypothetical firm), - Essay Example t saving has been passed on to the customer who has benefited by the fact that even though the costs of raw materials is on the rise, the price of our goods haven’t gone north and the quality of the goods we provide has remained the same over the years and even improved in many cases. Something that the customers have really appreciated and have been complimenting us on time and again. Also with outsourcing we have been able to reduce the time it takes to bring out new products into the market. With people working in different time zones, it is now possible to bring out new products at a faster rate than before. Now our designers can create a design which is sent to the manufacturers who can produce the goods and it can be ready and shipped back to all our stores within weeks. This has meant that whenever a customer purchases a T&T product they are always buying the latest in fashion. Most of our back office operations have been outsourced freeing up valuable resources which would otherwise have been bogged down due such tasks. This has brought in a huge cost saving to the company as well allowing us on to divert our resources and concentrate on many other avenues which would have otherwise would have suffered. But even though outsourcing is seen by many as the fix it all solution for many problems, it comes with its own set of woes, the biggest and by far the toughest to deal with is the people issue. A company’s most precious asset are the people that work there and they are the hardest hit when outsourcing is considered. Since many processes have been outsourced, many workers have been let go which was done with a heavy heart but it was a must. The customer wanted high quality apparel at reasonable costs and the only way to provide it to them without sacrificing on the product was to downsize. Also with our high dependence on the Internet and other such information delivery systems, when a crash occurs things can spiral into chaos as was the recent case

New Technology of Crime Law and Social Control Essay

New Technology of Crime Law and Social Control - Essay Example Byrne and Rebovich (2007) classify technology into two broad categories: hard and soft technologies. They give examples of hard technologies used by the police in crime prevention to include: closed circuit television cameras (CCTV), street lighting, citizen protection devices, metal detectors, and ignition interlock systems. They also give examples of soft technology which include: threat assessment instruments, risk assessment instruments, bullying ID protocol, sex offender registration, risk assessment prior to involuntary civil commitment, profiling potential offenders, and facial recognition software used in conjunction with CCTV. Byrne and Rebovich argue that hard technology has led to improved police protection devices, improved new weapons, less lethal force, computers in squad cars, mobile data centers and video in patrol cars. They outline advantages of soft technology to include: crime mapping, crime analysis, criminal history data systems enhancement, information sharing within criminal justice systems and private sector, new technologies to monitor communication to and from targeted individuals, amber alerts, the creation of watch list of potentially violent offenders and gunshot location devices. CCTV and street lighting are the most commonly used hard technologies in crime prevention. CCTV is more significant in reducing property crime than street lighting (Welsh and Farrington, 2007). Great investments go into implementing CCTV but its rewards are tremendous. Cameras enable surveillance, making police work much easier. In conjunction with street lighting, cameras intensify security in the streets. During public events, cameras enable the police to monitor security details and ensure people’s safety. When criminals know that they are being watched, they shy away from committing a crime.  

Profile of al-Qa'ida and Analysis of U.S. Homeland Security Domestic Term Paper

Profile of al-Qa'ida and Analysis of U.S. Homeland Security Domestic Policy - Term Paper Example However, by the end of this war in 1988, bin Laden, his instructor Dr. Abdullah al-Azzam (who also participated in the war) and their companions started contemplating about the Islamic militancy association that had formed during the war. This is where Al-Qa’ida originated, which became explicit in its anti-US approach when the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia wanted to give space to US troops to monitor the Iraq-Kuwait war (Kenneth Katzman, 2005). Another view is a slightly different version of the above, where Al-Qa’ida is said to have originated by Azzam as â€Å"al-qaeda al-sulbah (a vanguard of the strong)†. It was much later in 1998 when bin Laden and his associated were linked to US bombings that they formed Al-Qa’ida (Burke, 2004). This paper will focus on the events that followed the formulation of al-Qa’ida and the enmity between the West and this Islamic organization, which caused the great security syndrome. The latter part of this paper focuses on the security measures inside US homeland and an assessment that whether the policies are capable of shedding off the security threats posed to the nation, or not. Whatever the real story behind the emergence of al-Qa’ida may be, there is no doubt that it is an Islamic organization (not necessarily a terrorists’ network) that is at a strong oppositional position against the United States, and has been considered a major threat to US homeland for a long time, most explicitly since the World Trade Center attacks of September 11, 2001. Al-Qa’ida does not work as an open militant force nor does any publicity that could contain its ideology or manifesto. However, its ideology and objectives are evident from most of the statements released by the group members, top leaders or Osama bin Laden himself. Since the beginning, it has been clear that al-Qa’ida is an anti-US group with explicit statements of opposition.

Political socialisation (models and theories) Essay

Political socialisation (models and theories) - Essay Example The hypotheses include moral development, life course, and gender and moral development (Glasberg, & Shannon, 2011). The theory of moral development that was developed by Kohlberg argues that individuals acquire various political ideologies based on three stages of reasoning (Glasberg, & Shannon, 2011). The theory argues that the first stage of reasoning is the pre-conventional phase. In this stage, children appreciate the things that give them pleasure while they dislike those that give rise to pain. This means that at this stage, individuals acquire the behaviours and beliefs that give rise to happiness. For example, children support the ideas of leaders who provide them with resources such as books in school. The next stage is the conventional phase that takes place during teenage years (Glasberg, & Shannon, 2011). According to the theory, children appreciate the beliefs and ideas that are in accordance with the beliefs of their culture. In the last stage, which is the post-conventional stage, individuals begin to embrace the attitudes and behaviors that are ethically upright. The life course theory that was developed by Erikson argues that individuals experience various challenges in eight phases during their life time. The eight stages of life course include infancy, adolescence, pre-school, old age, pre-adolescence, toddlerhood, middle, and young adulthood (Glasberg, & Shannon, 2011). Erikson argues that in the first stage of infancy, children learn to differentiate trust from mistrust; while in the last stage of old age individuals face the challenges of hopelessness and honesty. Therefore, Erikson postulates that individuals acquire the ideologies and beliefs that are shaped by the challenges that they face. For example, during infancy when the main challenges are trust and mistrust, children may hold onto the beliefs of their parents because they trust them. Children trust their parents more than other people at this

Is apple iPhone really worth buying Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Is apple iPhone really worth buying - Essay Example 2. Procedure In order to gather information for this report the method used was the review of books from academic libraries, online journals, newspaper articles and reviews given on IPhone and competing mobile devices. This is the most appropriate method bearing in mind the smart phone industry is very dynamic and the internet is the only reliable source of up to date information. Moreover, there being little time to carry out a primary research and the high expenses associated with it, literature review was the most appropriate secondary research method. 3. Introduction on IPhone Inc In 2007, Apple, under the leadership of Steve jobs introduced the IPhone which turned out to be one of the most revolutionary mobile gadgets of the century, over the course of the next two years; the IPhone 3G was also launched into the smartphone market (Richie, 2013). The devices offered better technology at significantly reduced prices and effectively took command of the huge portion of the smart pho ne market beginning the smart phone revolution that persist to-date. The smart phone evolution was taken up a level higher by the subsequent introduction of the IPhone 4 and 5 and Apple currently ranks as the second biggest producer and market of smartphones globally. The initial smart phone cost $499 and although the debut price was considerably high, it was not the priciest phone on the market and it cost substantially less than some of the older but less developed mobile device on the market. However, this price proved too high to penetrate the mainstream market and as a result, the phones were mostly limited to an upper and middle class corporate and personal clientele. The second IPhone flagship model was the IPhone 4 series that offered significant improvements from the earlier 3G, and through it Apple introduced optical lamination, an interplane switching effectively scaled over the matching display sizes offered by the completion (Richie, 2013). Despite the challenges the de vice faced in the marketing as well as some technical difficulties, it was stated as the best smart phone ever by many. The latest model of IPhone, IPhone 5 was introduced in 2012 September (William 2013), and it was bigger smarter, lighter faster and the firm had used the experience from the glitches in previous IPhones to make the new one as flawless as possible. Customers received it enthusiastically and although its sales did not match rival Samsung galaxy III, they still performed considerably well on selling their phone (Gruman 2012). 4. Challenges facing the IPhone 4.1 Radical and Regular Upgrades Apple releases a new IPhone every year but despite that, many customers do not upgrade, but a significant number of customers have retained their IPhone 4 models owing to economic or speculative reasons (Swift 2010). Therefore, this problem is likely to keep affecting many of the firm’s clients and when they decide to make a shift, they may opt to buy a phone from a different firm such as Samsung or Microsoft. Apple customers often have to struggle to catch up with the firm’s rapid and on occasion drastic hardware upgrades (Associated Press 2013). Apples upgrades vary form one model to the other; however sometimes, the changes can be very subtle such that the newer is only slightly different or

Analyze and discuss its content with reference to Modernism Essay

Analyze and discuss its content with reference to Modernism - Essay Example Even though the ‘rejection of the past’ and ‘belief in the process of change’ do remain the key driving forces of modernism, the question remains whether individuality, originality and self-expression do remain the copyrighted material of the modernist movement. In doing so, however, do they really have been able to tear away from the past as is suggested by Cruickshank’s definition? In the early twentieth century, America and American literature underwent a sea-change in terms of social, cultural, and political ideology. As science took quantum leaps with the Theory of Relativity, and technology broke new barriers with the advent of the ‘talkies’; literature, by default became the interpreter of the lexicology of a social class experiencing a metamorphosis. The term Modernism became a defense mechanism to ward off the illustrious pains of realism and the ostentatious extravagance of the Victorians. Literature was now meant to bridge the intellectual gap between art and society; both being mirror images of each other; while still maintaining a sense of individualism. The Earthquake of 1906 or ‘The Great Shake’ as it was known then, stripped the collective conscience of the frills and frivolity of living. People were led to turn to basic living and the stark reality of the calamity left everyone bare of any artificiality, which reflected in their thought-process, behavior, and language. The pain of existence usurped the need for affectations. The after-effects of Industrialization and the repercussions of the Great Depression led to a greater divide among the social classes with all the known and expected consequences of an economic downturn. Even though the story Odour of the Chrysanthemums was written much before the ‘Black Tuesday’ dawned, however, it closely etches out the imminent picture of the lull before the proverbial storm. According to H.G

Operations management of the Virgin Atlantic airways Essay

Operations management of the Virgin Atlantic airways - Essay Example The intention of this study is an operations management as a concept that emphasises on the management of the process concerned with production and distribution channels of organisations. Operations management often deal with the internal environment of the organisation. The process of the operations management is totally dependent upon the nature of the manufactured goods along with the organisational processes such as retail, manufacturing and wholesale. Operations management, if implied with efficiency, can reward the organisation with enhanced competency and profitability on the whole. Operations management is implemented in every industry to maintain proper co-ordination in the organisational system. Hence, it can be said that implication of operations management can be highly beneficial. Operations management has a wide concept and therefore is quite complex to be implemented. This requires an effective and comprehensive planning. Virgin Atlantic is an airway services provider. Richard Branson had established this company in the year 1984 with a single aircraft. Presently, Virgin Atlantic is one of the leading airlines service providers. Virgin Atlantic also serves with global satellite stores, telecom services and air buses. The mission statement of virgin Atlantic is â€Å"To grow a profitable airline, that people love to fly and where people love to work†. Their services are far better as compared to the other airline services. They offered highly trained staff. Hence, the aim of this paper is to analyze the operations management of the Virgin airline services. ... Literature Review It is important to understand the concept of operations management. It is generally the business purpose which sets, coordinates, organises and manages the required resources that is needed by a company to produce services or goods. Operations management engages the management of all the factors such as personnel, technology, equipment, information along with the other existing resources. Thus, it is said to be the central function for every individual company (Scribd, n.d.). The practice of operations management is different depending on the category of the organisation. Organisations can be classified into two extensive categories and they are the service organisations and the manufacturing organisations. The nature and application of the operations management would differ according to the nature of the organisations. It needs to be noted that these two categories of organisations have two basic differences. The first one is that the manufacturing organisations ar e involved in producing goods that are physical and also tangible in nature and has storing facility whereas service organisations are involved in the creation of products that are intangible in nature and does not have the facility of storage which means that production cannot be initiated before time. The second point of distinction is that in case of manufacturing organisations there is hardly any direct contact between the operations and the customers. The only way of developing contact with customer is through retailers and also through distributors. However, in service oriented organisations, it is the customer around whom the service is centred and thus direct interaction between the customer and the operation is immensely important (Scribd, n.d.). According to Johnston

Illegal Immigration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Illegal Immigration - Essay Example The federal government, to no one’s surprise, has been no help. The fundamental reason for the flood of immigration from Latin America, specifically Mexico, is the disintegration of the Mexican economy predominantly resulting from free-trade strategies employed by the North American Free Trade Agreement and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The rampant corruption within the Mexican government has also contributed significantly to the collapse of the Mexican economy. â€Å"Due to IMF policies regarding Mexico, its economic output dropped 33 percent in the past two decades† (Small, 2005). During this period, its foreign debt rose 359 percent because of widespread looting of the national coffers. These factors caused the â€Å"collapse of all areas of productive economic activity and employment, is the primary driver of the flood of emigrants desperate to leave Mexico, to find some livelihood for themselves and their families in the United States† (Small, 2005). Stopping immigration into the U.S. from Mexico would further cripple the Mexican economy as evidenced by data collected from the Gallup World Poll. â€Å"Thirty-two percent of Mexican respondents in the Dec., 2005 poll claim to have relatives living abroad, and 15percent of those say their households receive a monthly cash aid from such relatives.† (Rios, Crabtree, 2006) According to the poll, approximately five percent of Mexican households, about 20 million people, obtain financial aid from relatives who immigrated to the U.S. Ending this flow of this greatly needed money southward would be harmful for poor Mexican citizens living in depressed city and rural regions. Obviously Mexicans take immigration laws and American attitudes towards immigration personally, how could they not? They do not understand what harm illegal immigration causes for Americans. â€Å"Mexicans believe that migration benefits not only the home countries and the families of

Business Law Essay Example for Free

Business Law Essay Introduction At the course of Business Law, we got the knowledge about the contract. In addition we have an assignment that provides a contract analysis. This evaluation of the contract will be reviewed in accordance with the following requirements: 1. What specifically makes this contract enforceable? 2. What are the responsibilities of both parties? 3. What are the possible damages and liabilities? 4. What impact does a potential breach of contract have on the business? 5. Summarize, by reflecting in general on the impact legal issues can have in both small and large businesses. So, a contract is any voluntary legally binding agreement between two or more people or businesses. In our case the two parties will be represented by The State of Oregon, and by Pro DX, who will provide services and goods to the first one. 1. What specifically makes this contract enforceable? Based on the English Statute of Frauds, not every contract has to be in writing to be valid and enforceable, but some contracts should be. This agreement between State of Oregon and Pro DX, should be in writing because this contract involving the providing of services (repairs, replacements, maintenances, and others) exceeding a big amount of money. To avoid misunderstandings and disagreements and to reduce the possibility of perjury by one party or the other, this contract should be in writing. Furthermore, because it can be performed in less than one year, this kind of contract can be in oral form, and it requires involving the third party (a witness) who in case of the trial will bring a reasonable and effective evidences, otherwise one of the party might deny that the contract ever existed or might disagree on the terms of the contract. Besides that this contract is a service contract, it is also a good contract because it requires implementation of goods components in modernizat ion of the software. (Article 2 of the UCC) This contract, like all contracts become enforceable if all the elements of the contract have been fulfilled without fail. First that prove that the contract is enforceable is the offer. * The offer is a proposal made by one person to another person for the sale and purchase of goods, to engage in a job, action participation, and provision of services. So this contract offers software system design and programming services, in the future is valued at $ 52,800.00 for the state of Oregon. * Another element mentioned in the contract is acceptance. In general acceptance of an offer is a manifestation of assent to the terms thereof made by the offeree in a manner invited or required by the offer. Acceptance in this case is described that contractor, herein Pro DX, agrees to perform the work in accordance with the terms and conditions of this contract. * Another important element found in this agreement is the legal consideration; this means that each party must provide something of value. In our contract this means that one party (Pro DX) will provide a service (such as maintenance, programming services, software), or a product, in exchange for money (from the State of Oregon, therein represented by the DHS). * If talking about a Professional Data Exchange Company and State of Oregon, we automatically can say that another element of contract is automatically respected. This is capacity to create a contract such means that each party must have the legal capacity to enter a contract. In most jurisdictions that means that they must be at least a certain age and of sound mind. For this mentioned companies it may mean that the individual is given express authority to enter a contract in the company’s bylaws or other formal documents, such is State of Oregon that is acting by and trough its Department of Human Services, Office of Information Services, hereinafter referred to as DHS. * An element with the biggest importance is that this contract has a legal purpose. And it is, because this agreement refers just to providing of services and not illegal things. * The last element that should make enforceable this contract is that both parties should be mentally competent. In special this contract, has all this requirements but it is still unenforceable because it doesn’t have so little elements that also make a contract enforceable. These are: the commencement date of the contract, party’s rights written in and not only the responsibilities, and party’s signatures and stamps. 2. What are the responsibilities of both parties? The important responsibilities of the contractor (therein as Pro DX) are: * To provide system design and programming services, including COBOL II, Easytrieve Plus, CICS, CA Intertest and VSAM and DB2 file structures, and make corrections approved by DHS Project Manager. * To construct or modify and implement programs/ files that will control the processing of rates on the JD/CBC system, based on DHS supplied Project Design document and criteria. * To perform design changes, programming, acceptance testing or implementation to address unforeseen error(s), newly discovered bugs and/or interfacing issues. * To demonstrate successful implementation of the production system content with the requirements of Statement of Work to DHS Project Manager. * All these services should be provided in specific limit of time and cost. While the DHS Project Manager responsibilities are: * To provide the necessary methodologies and standards that conforms to documentation standards. * To promote the rules for completing each task within time frame and approval of every task. * To define and document what testing data is needed for the CBC/512 rate structure project. * To pay for services provided by contractor herein as Professional Data Exchange (ProDX). 3. What are the possible damages and liabilities? If Pro DX breaches the contract, the possible damages can be: * The DHS might sue the party for a remedies under the law; * The Pro DX will be enforced to pay the caused damages, that can be compensatory, liquidated, nominal, and/or punitive damages. * The Pro DX can be enforced to a specific performance. Basically a decree requiring the breaching party to perform their part of the bargain in the contract. * Pro DX might meet with the terms such -Cancellation and Restitution. A non-breaching party may cancel the contract and sue for restitution if the non-breaching party has given a benefit to the breaching party. The former contract which is the subject of dispute is â€Å"rescinded† (cancelled), and a new one may be formed to meet the parties’ needs. * Pro DX will have to pay the attorney’s fees and cost. (in case of litigation). If we will look from the DHS’s side, the possible damages that can appear are: * To waste time waiting for the performance; * To lose the work that should be provided after the implementation; * Damage also includes the costs of hiring another company to finish the job. The liabilities that can be provided by Pro DX are: * To provide the programs and software that will satisfy the State of Oregon; * To complete all maintenance work within time frame; * To not to exceed the cost and work hours. The liabilities that should be provided by DHS are: * To establish the criteria and methodologies necessaries to accept the new right implemented programs and software; * To make corrections (if needed) in the supplied services; * To pay money for successful implemented system. 4. What impact does a potential breach of contract have on the business? So in the case of non-fulfillment of a contract by one party (for example by Pro DX), as a result the other party (DHS) suffers losses. Breach of a contract has negative effects, and has wide ranging consequences both legal and practical to the parties to the contract: * Loss of money – (if, for example, Pro DX refuses to form his side of the bargain on the due date or performs incompletely, in result the second party, DHS, will lose their money for this implementation and also will lose their time spend on waiting for, and somehow will lose the profit that can be made further). * Loss of time (if, for example, Pro DX’s programs and software will not be accepted by the DHS’s side, the first will result that lost their time, and some files or programs, for doing this job). * Loss of a financial partner- it can be lose a potential investor or/and the business with who you are dealing. * Loss of trust- it is bad for any business, because no one will have pleasure to make business with an entity that lost trust in the market. * Loss of markets- insufficiently active or successful business means a loss of competitiveness and loss of market. * Injury to reputation It is not good for a business reputation if word gets out that they have not honored their part of the contract. Other companies will be reluctant to do business with an entity which has previously defaulted on other contracts. 5. Summarize, by reflecting in general on the impact legal issues can have in both small and large businesses. Although some recent studies have looked at the impact of regulations on the relationship between government and private business in general, the attention has been directed toward understanding precisely how government regulations have affected small businesses. There is good reason to believe that size matters. Precisely because of their smaller size, small businesses are likely to be less diversified and less able to leverage economies of scale or to access capital markets. As a result, small businesses might be more risk-averse and less able to react to unexpected events compared to larger businesses. Large firms with deep pockets might be more frequent targets of employee discrimination, wrongful discharge and other suits. Large firms might also have a stronger incentive to spend substantial resources aggressively defending any one suit so as to deter future suits. On the other hand, small firms may be more vulnerable to breach of a non-compete agreement or violation of trade secrets rules as the entire business may depend on that trade secret. As a result, they may be more likely to prosecute, in spite of the costs and the risks of bankruptcy. (http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/smallbus.html, Source: U.S. Census Bureau.) Also as an owner of a small business or a large business, the common danger of crippling litigation should also be at the top of your priorities. Disgruntled Employees, Discrimination/Harassment Cases, Immigration Audits – any business should make sure that all its company’s employees can legally work in the United States. Unsatisfied Customers Customers who are unsatisfied can file class action lawsuits against the company, in which they gather in large consumer groups and attack the company over faulty products, services or promises. With enough unsatisfied customers, class action lawsuits can do more damage than any individual or corporation and irreparably tarnish your brand’s image. Other Legal Issues These are only some of the most common legal issues facing small and large businesses today. Good communication in the workplace and a hands-on approach to management is the best deterrent to legal issues. Of course the big companies that are facing with these issues, the damage (financial risks, or company image) are higher and have a more sever reflection, than a small company could have. 6. What are the implications this project has for your chosen career? At the end of this evaluation of the contract, as a future accountant, I understood that the contract is the safer way to make an exchange of goods and/or services. I got the knowledge what is a valid contract, what it makes enforceable, what are the elements of the contract, what are the risks and liabilities. This big source of information will help me to be more capable and to feel free while signing a contract. Those skills will help me to manage my business or my job as accountant without breaking the law. Everyone in his life has deals with the contracts, even if this is unwritten or is written one. Even in the supermarket, or when we are buying clothes, we are doing the exchange of money and a product. So the rules of the contract is that one party is offering something, when another party is considering your offer and decides to have a relationship with you or not. Also, as an accountant or a business woman, an important thing is to know how, to behave in unexpected situation. In activity of businesses can appear the situations called Force Majeure- this is an emergency, do not depend on the participation of the parties. (For example: fire, earthquakes, hurricanes, and others.). In this case, none of the parties is legally responsible for its obligations. Further, to that contract, is made an additional agreement, which specifies other conditions. So knowing what is legal and what are the criteria that make a contract valid and enforceable will help me to succeed in my accountant ca reer. Conclusion Business law courses were often overlooked in high school, or college. It’s not an education required strictly for attorneys that represent and defend businesses, in fact it’s pretty much for almost anyone. Contracts are written or oral agreement between two or more parties. The parties can be individuals, companies, non-profits or government agencies. With a contract, two or more parties agree to exchange services or promises. Many parts of our daily lives involve contracts. When we buy an insurance policy for the home or the car, for example, we are entering into an agreement. Many people have employment contracts. Even when we go to a doctor these days we have to sign a contract agreeing to receive medical treatment. If speaking in special about this analysis of a contract, about knowing how and when we enter into a contract to be safer, more convenient and profitable. So business law through information and specific examples will help us to get more information sought. In analysis of such a contract, we are able to focus on the elements and requirements so, that we do not overlook anything. This practice will develop in the future to have a professional behavior in the process of concluding a contract.

The video game console market

The video game console market Executive Summary The video game console market is a fast growing market. Sonys PlayStation 3 competes together with Nintendos Wii and Microsofts Xbox 360 for the market leader position. Compared with these competitors, Sonys PS3 includes the newest technologies and provides the highest variety of functionalities. Therefore, Sonys strategy is to target customers who focus on high technologies and multimedia-entertainment. However, this involves that the PS3 competes not only with console manufacturers, but also with other multimedia producers such as PC manufacturers. Due to the fact, that the Sonys PS3 will be quite expensive, the console will be available in a premium edition and in a cheaper basic edition. Considering the distribution of its PS3 games, Sony tries to change its traditional supply chain by providing an Internet platform, where users can download games. This results in saving costs and a faster distribution. Furthermore, the most important marketing tool is the Internet for promoting the PlayStation 3. Blogs, MySpace, YouTube and other kind of websites enable an area-wide promotion of the game console and especially, it is done by consumers. Another important tool is the official website, which offers among others information about the console and about available games. Additionally, Sony promotes its PlayStation 3 together with a meaningful slogan, which differs between Europe (This is living) and U.S. (Play Beyond). Finally, Sonys financing objectives are to sell 15 million exemplars in the first-year and to achieve total sales revenue of $8.25 billion. Its marketing goals are to sell more than 100 million exemplars in the long-run and to become the market leader. 1 Situation Analysis 1.1 Current marketing environment The video game console market is highly influenced from its demographic and technological environment. The worldwide population is growing and more and more people have a strong need for entertainment. Many people require something against boredom in their free time. Furthermore, the technology environment creates a variety of new functionalities which are almost unlimited. According to Moores Law, processor speed and memory capability reduplicate almost every 18 months by constant prices. Additionally, technologies such as High Definition TV provide a new way of entertainment consumption. Finally, another important influence in peoples behavior is enabled by the Internet. Its introduction was a milestone of the new economy. It allows finding almost any required information and enables worldwide communication as well as interaction and it simplifies doing business. 1.2 Current Product Line Before we describe the features and functionalities of Sonys new video game console, the PlayStation 3, we would like to give a short overview of the companys current home video game line: PlayStation (PS1) The Sony PlayStation is the companys first video game console and was produced in the mid-1990s. It belongs to the fifth generation of video game consoles and provides a 32-bit processor. Furthermore, the PlayStation was the first game console that reached the 100 million mark. PlayStation 2 (PS2) Sonys PlayStation 2 is part of the sixth generation era and was released in 2000. Besides its 128-bit processor, it was the fist video game console that provides DVD playback functionality. It placed first in number of units sold in its sixth generation of video game consoles and it became the fastest selling and most popular game console in history, with over 110 million units shipped worldwide by November 2006.[1] PlayStation Portable (PSP) Sonys PlayStation Portable was the companys first handheld game console released in 2004. Besides playing games, it also provides different functionalities such as playing music, watching videos, viewing pictures and using Internet applications. Nowadays, the PSP is the main competitor of Nintendos Game Boy and Nintendo DS. 1.3 Product Analysis The Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3) is the seventh generation video game console and the third in Sonys PlayStation series. The console was launched in North America and Japan in November 2006 and is yet expected to be launched in Europe by March 2007. The reason for its delay in Europe is a shortness of supplies with parts of the Blu-ray drive. The console offers high-end technology and it has been described as an engineering masterpiece because of its promising specification and use of new technology.[2] Furthermore, the PS3 will be available in two different editions on the one hand, a basic edition with a 20 GB hard disk drive (HDD), and on the other hand a premium edition with 60 GB HDD. Nevertheless, both editions will have key elements such the Blu-Ray Disc for High Definition movies, the Cell chip, Giga-bit Ethernet for high speed Internet-connection, and an HDMI connection for optimum output on HDTV. Compared with the basic edition, the premium edition will provide some extra features like support for multiple external memory storage devices (Memory stick, SD) and Wireless connectivity. More information about the specification can you find in the Appendix. Furthermore, Sonys newest game console provides a Linux operating system and some Internet applications such as an Opera Web browser and multiplaying functionality. Finally, another feature of the PlayStation 3 is the backward compatibility to Sonys previous video games for PS1 and PS2. 1.4 Target Markets The following section should provide an overview of Sonys target market and of its targeted customers. 1.4.1 Target market approach In our opinion, Sony should use a segmentation approach as their general strategy to reach targeted customers. Although mass-marketing would create the largest potential market, which leads to the lowest costs and results in lower prices or higher margins, we propose segment marketing because it can create a more fine-tuned product offering and price for the target segment. Moreover, this approach enables to select more easily the best distribution and communication channels, and to have a clearer picture of the main competitors.[3] 1.4.2 Segmenting consumer markets Cultural distinctions, different needs and demands of individuals, and diversities in customers buying behaviours require market segmentation of companies to satisfy their customers effectively. Thereby, the market can be divided in geographic, demographic, psychographic and behavioural segmentation variables and the company can focus on target segments which it wants to attract.[4] According to Sony, the main geographic segments of the PlayStation 3 consist of the Northern America market, the Japanese market and the European market. When Sony released his first video game console PlayStation in 1994, the companys main focus was on the marketplace from 12- to 17-year-old boys. But nowadays, Sonys demographic segmentation divides the market of the PS3 in male and female, old and young players and expands its business vastly to a mainstream entertainment.[5] The PS3 offers a multifaceted repertoire of video games which includes something for everybody. Theres not merely one game to ultimately define the PS3 platform, but rather different must-have games for different segments of consumers. Additionally, an important and profitable demographic segment could be the college market because according to a study by Anderson Analytics GenX2Z only 26 percent of students report not playing video games.[6] Furthermore, Sony concentrates on a strong customer loyalty status in the behavioural segment. Besides its popular brand and the high reputation of its products, the company tries to win over its former consumers by the implementation of a backward compatibility which enables to play video games from its previous video game consoles (PlayStation 1, PlayStation 2). Finally, one of the important target segments of the PS3 involves consumers who require high technology. The company is convinced that its consumers desire and want to get the best out of the best. 1.4.3 Characteristics of the targeted customers / product uses As already mentioned, Sonys targeted customers want to have the newest technologies and functionalities. Moreover, they need an entertainment system which provides functionalities such as viewing pictures, movies or listening music. The Playstation 3 can fulfil all this particular requirements and reach therewith a lot of different customers. First of all, video game players can use the console, because it provides high technology and a lot of different available games. Furthermore, movie lovers can use the PS3 because it involves a DVD drive and also allows watching movies in High Definition with its Blu-Ray drive. Moreover, customers can use the game console to see pictures from their last holidays easily by inserting their memory card in the included card-reader. Finally, customer can use the console to surf in the Internet or to use it instead of a computer, because its Linux operation system provides similar functionalities. Summarized, all members of a family can use the PlayStation 3 for different needs. For instance, children play video games during the day and when the father arrives, he uses the PlayStation to read his emails. Thereafter, the mother inserts the SD card in the PS3 and shows him the pictures from her trip to Stockholm last weekend. And at the evening, the whole family watch a movie together. This multimedia functionality provides the biggest benefit for the PS3s consumers. 1.4.4 Purchasing process Some customers make their decision which game console they want to buy dependent from the number of available games. Not only the functionality and technology, but also the variety of games can be important for the decision-making process of customers. Therefore, the company has to offer information about the games which will be available for its game console. The primary channel for providing such information would be the official webpage. Furthermore, the final end-user of the game console is not always responsible for the purchasing process. For instance, sometimes parents purchase the game console for their children, and therewith another party is involved in the purchasing process. 1.4.5 Market size estimations The number of consumers in the video game console industry increased continuously during the last years. Due to the fact, that game consoles of the newest generation are comparable with an entertainment system, we estimate a market size of 400 million potential users in Europe if everybody would buy the product. Considering that one product would be enough for a family, our final estimation of potential consumers will be 100 million in Europe. Furthermore, a forecast report of PricewaterhouseCoopers has shown that by 2010, the worldwide video game market will grow to $46.5 billion, at an average 11.4% compound annual rate.[7] 1.5 Competitive Analysis Nintendo and Microsoft are the main competitors of Sony in the video game console industry. Considering the seventh generation, Sonys PlayStation 3 compete with Nintendos Wii and Microsofts Xbox 360. These two consoles were released world-wide in November 2006 and November 2005 respectively.[8] According to a study of the NPD Group about the best-selling video game consoles for December 2006, the Xbox 360 sold 1.1 million units, the Wii 604.2 thousand units and the PS3 490.7 thousand units. However, the PS3 sales figures include only the U.S. and Japan market, where it is released already. More details about the competition situation will be discussed in chapter 3 Competition. 1.6 Product/Market Analysis Tools 1.6.1 Product Life Cycle According to Sonys previous game consoles, the PlayStation 3 should have a 10-year product life-cycle. Its state-of-the-art technology involves that the usage of the PS3 resources and technology are just at the beginning and can fulfil all game requirements in the next years.[9] The product life-cycle consists of four different stages: Introduction: At this stage, the sales growth increase slowly when the product is introduced to the market. In Europe, the PS 3 is already located in the middle of this stage, because many game-console lovers and fans have ordered the PS 3 in advance to become one of the first consumers after its release in March 2007. For instance, a new PS 3 is pre-ordered almost each 20 seconds in Great Britain.[10] Growth: At this period, a market acceptance of the product is recognizable and the number of sales units increases. First-users report about the product positively and other consumers are becoming curious. Maturity: A slowdown in sales growth will be at this stage because the product has achieved acceptance by most of the buyers. Decline: Most of the potential buyers have already the product and therewith the number of sales declines. Different marketing strategies are necessary for each stage of the product life-cycle. We will discuss our recommended strategies in6 Marketing Strategy. Due to the fact, that the PlayStation 3 was already released in Japan and U.S., Figure 2 shows that the PlayStation 3 is located in a higher position compared with Europe. After shortness of supplies and an enormous rush demand in Japan and in the United States after the release in November 2006, a kind of stagnation is visible in these both markets today. Vendors report that a large contingent of the PlayStation 3 is still available in their shops.[11] Although Sony sees the reason for that in its optimized supply chain, the company has to consider new marketing strategies to increase its sales. 1.6.2 The Boston Consulting Groups Growth-Share Matrix In the following section, we would like to analyse and classify Sonys game console product portfolio by profit potentials. Therefore, we used the Boston Consulting Group approach presented by Kotler.[12] Due to the fact, that the PlayStation 1 is not be sold anymore, we didnt regard it in our analysis. First, we placed the PlayStation Portable in the Question marks sector, because the market of game handhelds is still growing and as the strongest competitor of the market leader Nintendo DS, the relative market share of the PSP increases. Therefore, Sony has to spend a lot of money in the development and advertising of the PSP to keep up with the fast-growing market, and to overtake the market leader. Additionally, we also placed the PlayStation 3 in the Question marks sector, because the market of the seventh generation video game consoles is still increasing and it is not visible already if the PS 3 will take the position of the market leader. Finally, we located the PlayStation 2 in the Cash cow sector. The PS2 has a falling market growth rate after the release of the next generation game console. Nevertheless, it is still the market leader in its generation and it achieved higher sales units (1.4 million) as the Xbox360 (1.1 million), Nintendo Wii (604.2 thousand), and the PlayStation 3 (490.7 thousand) in December 2006.[13] According to the 10-year product life-cycle, the PS2 is in the decline stage and will stay in the market for the next 3 years yet. 1.7 SWOT Analysis The SWOT analysis is the overall evaluation of a companys strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.[14] It is used as a framework to help an organization develop its marketing strategy. Thereby, strengths and weaknesses are internal factors which can be controlled by an organization, whereas opportunities and threats consist of external factors which are uncontrollable by an organization. 2 Objectives Sonys financial objectives are to: Achieve first-year total sales revenue of $8.25 billion, based on an average price of $550 per unit. Sonys PlayStation 3 marketing objectives are to: Achieve a first-year unit sales volume of 15 million, which represent a projected market share of 25 percent. Increase second-year share to 40 percent and become the market leader. Sell more than 100 million units in the long-term. Arrange for distribution through the leading electric, video games and computer retailer in the top 100 and establish an Internet platform. 3 Competition 3.1 Game console industry According to the industry concept of competition presented by Kotler[15], an industry is a group of firms that offer a product or class of products that are close substitutes for another product. The structure type of the video game console industry is an oligopoly, because the Japanese Nintendo and Sony, and the U.S. Microsoft dominate the market. Particularly, the structure is a differentiated oligopoly, because only few companies producing products partially differentiated along lines of price and features. Furthermore, the console industry is characterized by large cost of barriers to entry according to Porters model of five competitive forces. It may cost up to $2 billion to develop a competitive console platform and returns on investment may take several years.[16] Furthermore, these three console manufacturers have a similar business model consisting of the following three income flows: Hardware sales Sales of own software/games Licences fees from other software/game developers that use the console platform Finally, Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony compete on a global basis with core markets in Japan, Europe and in the United States. 3.2 Direct competitors The following section compares the direct competitors Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony with regard to their products, prices, sales units and game range. 3.2.1 Product differentiation Furthermore, both competitors of Sonys PS3 provide an internet platform: Microsoft: Xbox Live Arcade Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) is an online service that is used to distribute video games to Xbox 360 owners. Thereby, Microsoft offers an Xbox Live Marketplace, a virtual market place, where consumers can download movie and game trailers, game demos, Xbox Live Arcade games, gamer tag images, and Xbox 360 Dashboard themes.[17] The consumers can pay with Microsoft Points, which can be purchased by credit cards. Nintendo: WiiConnect24 It allows distributing content such as software patches and updated game contents while the Wii is on stand-bye.[18] 3.2.2 Price strategy Nintendo offers the cheapest price in the game console market. Therefore, the company dispense with some extra features such as DVD drives or HDTV quality. Contrary, Sonys PlayStation 3 offers the newest technology with a plenty of accessories, but also the highest price. The following list shows the current prices in January 2007:[19] 3.2.3 Market share in Japan and U.S. The following figures show how many game consoles each of the manufacturers has sold in Japan and U.S. during the last months:[20] [21] Whereas Nintendos Wii was the market leader during the Christmas time in Japan, Microsofts Xbox 360 could sell the most units in the United States. 3.2.4 Games An important criterion for buyers is the volume of games which are available for each game console. At the moment, Microsofts Xbox 360 consists of 82 exclusive games and 132 cross-platform games. In contrary, Nintendo offers 55 exclusive and 96 cross-platform games for its Wii. For Sonys PlayStation 3, 43 exclusive and 77 cross-platform games are planned. 3.3 Market concept of competition Due to the fact, that the PlayStation 3 is more a multimedia centre than only a game console, we have to consider more competitors as only game console manufacturers. Therefore, we used the approach of Rayport and Jaworski to identify direct and indirect competitors by mapping the buyers steps in using the product.[23] The following figure shows the PS3s direct and indirect competitors: Summarized, Sonys PlayStation 3 competes not only with other video game console companies, but also with PC manufactures and other high technology producers. Sonys PS3 offers besides a Linux operating system a plenty of functionalities such as Internet to attract previous PC users and to expand its market. This approach is comparable with Coca-Cola which identifies milk, coffee, tea, and water products as its main competitors.[24] Finally, Figure 7 shows Sonys market position with regard to technology and price compared with its video game console competitors: 4 Product Unique selling proposition The unique selling proposition is a marketing approach to promote a products benefit and to convince customers that the company can deliver it. For Sonys PlayStation 3, the main benefit, especially compared with its competitors, is its functionality as a multimedia centre and its state-of-the-art technology. Nevertheless, Sony has to consider that its targeted consumers are located in different market segments with different demands and wishes. Therefore, the company has to develop different unique selling propositions. First considering the video game hardcore fans segment, these costumers want to have the best and newest technology. Due to the fact, that the PS3 fulfil these requirements at best compared with its competitors, Sony should promote this in its advertisements, especially in game magazines. Furthermore, Sony wants to attract also middle-age consumers and families. The most benefit for these customers is to use the PlayStation 3 as a multimedia system which offers a variety of functionalities. Therefore, the company should focus on its multimedia range. Summarized, the companys unique selling proposition should consist of newest technology and multimedia-functionality. To emphasize this, Sony uses a short slogan after every mention of its products. In the United States, Sony evokes the following slogan: Play Beyond. People should associate therewith that the PS3 is not only a game console which enables playing video games, but also a system which allows playing in High Digital quality and getting a feeling of reality. Furthermore, the PS3 offers more than playing video games, it is a multimedia system that can be used for different pleasures such as Internet surfing or watching movies that can also be interpreted as a kind of playing. However, Sony uses a different slogan for the European market. The reason is that people with few English skills will not understand the impact of Play Beyond or will be interpreted wrongly. Therefore, Sony uses the following slogan in Europe: This is living. The slogan is really simple and uses words which can be understood by not English-speakers. Consumers can associate that the PS3 delivers a kind of living standard and ensures to enjoy living. Furthermore, its a relation to PS3s multimedia functionalities which are desired for every household these days. It emphasizes that the game console is the core of living room entertainment. 5 Distribution 5.1 Supply chain With the video game industry being the fastest growing sector of the growing entertainment industry, the industrys revenue has now reached $26 billion in annual revenue and there is currently no indication of decline in the industry. So, in order to identify how the revenue is distributed, its essential to look at the supply chain of the entire PS3 business. As seen in the supply chain, there are opportunities in many aspects of the console business, coming from the actual console sales as well as extras such as games. The customers, as identified by our segmentation analysis table, are at the end of the supply chain, and their consuming of video games are distributes across several actors. Additionally, the most known among the actors are of course the hardware manufacturers, which include Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft. Except for the revenue coming from the console sales, they also get about 20% of the market price for the games, which are mostly sold in the growth level of the product life-cycle. The additional revenue in the supply chain is split among the other actors. Looking more closely at the publishers and developers, we realize that the publishers are likely to take a large portion of the revenue. Those are the large international companies that have sufficient funds to build a distribution network and employ developers to pull off new best-selling games for the consoles. Hardware manufacturers usually try to pull off deals with these companies when they identify potential best-selling games because the top 3.3% of the games bring in 55% of the sales revenue. For this reason, some hardware manufacturers, most notable Microsoft, tend to buy top-creative publishers to secure exclusive rights of new games for their console. Because of the complexity with world-wide game launches, there are almost always distribution partners in the chain, those accounts for an estimate of 10% of the shelf price. Next are the retail channels, which include online stores as well as retail stores. However, they are becoming increasingly bypassed in the supply chain, as discussed in the next generation supply chain (described in detail below). When they do exist in the supply chain though, they take an estimate of 30% of the shelf price. Developers are a mix of artists and engineers that create the actual games played on the console. Typically, they are funded by the publishers and together they take between 40 to 60% of the shelf price. Notably, in recent years another actor have also entered the supply chain as the industry have grown. Those are the middleware actors. Those create reusable software that is used by developers to increase their productivity in creating games. The reason for the shift towards middleware providers has to do with shifting the focus away from technology, and re-using the technology that is already out there. 5.2 Next generation supply chain As discussed previously, there is a change in the supply chain taking place due to the connectivity and Internet capabilities that are becoming an increasingly integrated part of the console business. As illustrated in Figure 3, we can see how several actors in the supply chain are suddenly not present. Because of using Internet as an enabler of distributing and selling games, the need for distribution and retail is almost gone, whereas a larger piece of the revenue pie can be shared between the manufacturer (e.g. Sony) and the publishers of the games. At the same time, the manufacturer can act as a distributor because its the technology and technique they provide that will actually distribute the game over the Internet to the customer. At the present moment, it remains unclear how much Sony will charge for their part in this supply chain, but its possible that it may be around 47%. 5.3 Business Models There are several business models contributing to the revenue income for the PS3. Obviously, sales of the actual console initially generate the biggest revenue. But, as reported by several news agencies, Sony actually makes a loss on each console bought by a consumer. [26] As reported by several sources, a PS3 costs between $725 and $905 to manufacture, but is sold for $599 in the US market. The reason for the high manufacturing price is the high cost of components such as the Blu-Ray DVD, XDR memory etc. (More on that chapter 8). To support several streams of revenue there are three business models for distribution supported by the PS3. Since the console is making a loss per sold unit, there are other ways for Sony to catch up on the income and make a profit in the console business through other business models. The business models are: However, comparing the business models for the PS3 tells us that there are several possible models for generating revenue and profit for the console. Most notably, the Internet Gaming via the PlayStation network and the developer licenses are possible sources of potential profit. 6 Marketing Strategy The Playstation 3 has a broad marketing strategy set by Sony. Launched with slogans such as This is living and Play beyond, Playstation 3 is aiming for a large audience. Thereby, Sony will have to apply a different marketing strategy depending on which level of the product-life-cycle the product currently placed in. For example, at this initial state of introduction the most evident need is to market the console itself, to make sure that it reaches as many customers as possible. A suitable strategy for the first year is to get the message out about the capabilities with the console, and a suitable channel for this message is the kind of Internet forums and channels that teenagers and game-players regularly visit, including MySpace, YouTube and Gaming magazine websites. The greatest benefit from using MySpace as a communication channel is that they reach potentially millions of interested customers and can thus get the message out about the console and its possibilities in gaming and entertainment. The idea with this way of communicating through marketing is to inform, entertain and encourage interaction and debate about all the different things the PS3 can do according to a marketing director at Sony. With this particular way of communicating a marketing message, Sony hopes that the PS3 will be the natural choice not only for hardcore games enthusiasts but also anyone interested in the broad capabilities covered by the digital media and content creation that the PS3 offers. So far, the blog approach seems to be successful because an estimate of 86,000 users interacts on the official PS3 blog. For the second year, there is big need to start marketing the games more actively, to make sure the console owners buy as many games as possible. This stage is characterized by growth and Sony needs to put a lot of effort into taking advantage of the growth in the PS3 business. As seen in the financial projections, there is a big need to get the largest parts of the revenue from the game sales. Throughout both years of the product life-cycle, there is a potential growth level, which can be boosted by getting the message out about the games and the game console. In both case the official webpage for the PS3 also works as an important channel for communication to the customers. By customizing the website to the customers depending on their country origin, Sony makes sure they have a clear message customized for each potential customer by letting the customer specify their region and as well as country to get the information in their local language etc. The website provides information about the PS3 specification, advertisement spots and a list of all available games. Furthermore, users can sign in to get the newest information about the PS3 via newsletter and they can also find answers for Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). 6.1 AIDA By looking at the AIDA model that is suitable for the PS3, wed expect it to look like this: A

Comparison of Nigeria and Irans Politics

Comparison of Nigeria and Irans Politics INTRODUCTION: Nigeria: Nigeria is authoritatively known as the Federal Republic of Nigeria. it is an elected sacred republic embodying 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The nation is found in West Africa and shares land outskirts with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in the north. Its drift in the south lies on the Gulf of Guinea on the Atlantic Ocean. Nigeria is regularly alluded to as the Giant of Africa, because of its extensive populace and economy. With around 174 million occupants, Nigeria is the most crowded nation in Africa and the seventh most crowded nation on the planet. The nation is possessed by in excess of 500 ethnic gatherings, of which the three biggest are the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba. Nigeria is Africas heading oil maker; more than a large portion of its kin live in neediness. Nigeria assumes a noticeable part in African affairs; has withdrawn troops from oil-rich Bakassi promontory to settle outskirt debate with Cameroon Iran: Islamic Republic of Iran since 1980, is a nation in Western Asia. It is verged on the north by Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, with Kazakhstan and Russia over the Caspian Sea; on the east by Afghanistan and Pakistan; on the south by the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman; on the west by Iraq; and on the northwest by Turkey. Iran is home to one of the worlds most seasoned civilizations, starting with the shaping of the Proto-Elamite and Elamite kingdom in 3200 – 2800 BCE. Iran holds 9% of world oil saves; a discriminating shortage in jobs has hit the youthful, and international authorizations have severely influenced the economy in general. Irans nuclear system incited the international group to force progressively intense authorizes in an offer to induce Tehran to halt uranium enhancement. An arrangement to limit uranium improvement was struck in November 2013. EXECUTIVE SYSTEM: The executive is the piece of government that has sole power and obligation regarding the every day organization of the state. The executive limb executes or implements the law. The division of power into discrete limbs of government is integral to the thought of the partition of powers Nigeria: The executive extension is partitioned into Federal Ministries, each one headed by a clergyman selected by the president. The president must incorporate no less than one part from each of the 36 states in his cabinet. The Presidents arrangements are affirmed by the Senate of Nigeria. In a few cases, an elected pastor is in charge of more than one service (for instance, Environment and Housing may be joined), or a priest may be supported by one or more clergymen of State.[1] Each service likewise has a Permanent Secretary, who is a senior civil servant. In Nigeria, the executives are made up of the president and his bad habit. In democratic administration, the executives signs charge that have been agreed by the Nigerian national gatherings into law. They likewise name key people into the government. In the military period, the executive who essential are the head of state and his delegate authorizes laws by pronouncement. Iran: the Executive limb of government are three oversight bodies: 1) Assembly of Experts (Majles-e Khoebregan), a prevalently chose body accused of deciding the progression of the Supreme Leader, looking into his execution, and dismissing him if regarded vital; 2) Expediency Council or the Council for the Discernment of Expediency (Majma-ye- Tashkhis-e -Maslahat-e- Nezam) pushes supervisory power over the executive, judicial, and legislative extensions and determines legislative issues when the Majles and the Council of Guardians differ and since 1989 has been utilized to instruct national religious pioneers on matters with respect to national strategy; in 2005 the Councils powers were extended to go about as a supervisory body for the government; 3) Council of Guardians of the Constitution or Council of Guardians or Guardians Council (Shora-ye Negban-e Qanon-e Asasi) figures out if proposed enactment is both sacred and reliable to Islamic law, vets competitors in prominent elections for suitability, and directs national election FUNCTIONS OF EXECUTIVE SYSTEM: Nigeria: The executive limb serves as the head of state, summoning the military and making political errands. Under the balanced governance system, the executive extension has the power of veto over the legislative limb, and the Vice President is the President of the Senate. Parts of the legal are designated by the executive limb, which can likewise issue pardons. Thusly, Congress can confirm that a President is unfit for office and evacuate him or her, and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court gets to be leader of the Senate throughout denunciation processes. Then again, we might quickly layout the particular functions of the executive arm of government in this way: Budget Preparation Initiation of advancement tasks Execution and upkeep of the Constitution and laws made by the National Assembly Preserving, securing and protecting the regional trustworthiness of the country, and guaranteeing strength and security, and Carrying on the business of administration in all implications including directing international relations Iran: The faqih, who practices numerous accepted executive functions, is chosen by a larger part vote of the Assembly of Experts, a 86-part assemblage of senior pastors who are chosen by well known vote at regular intervals. The Assembly assesses the work of the faqih in yearly gatherings; it can release the faqih on the off chance that he is considered no more qualified. The faqih is in charge of picking the leaders of the military services and the leader of the legal, setting general state approach, proclaiming war and peace, directing the military (counting control of insights and security offices), launching and managing corrections to the constitution, and administering a mixture of powerful parastatal establishments and associations. The executive extension is headed by the president, who in practice is the second-most elevated government official. He is chosen in national elections at regular intervals and is restricted to two sequential terms. The constitution determines that the p resident must be a Shia Muslim. The current president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was chosen in 2005. The president chooses a few vice presidents and 21 pastors who constitute his cabinet. Serves yet not vice presidents are liable to regard by parliament. The faqih can reject a president if two-thirds of parliament votes to arraign him. SIMILARITIES AND DISSIMILARRITIES BETWEEN BOTH EXECUTIVE SYSTEMS: As indicated by the Constitution of Iran, the President is the Head of the Government who hold the powers of the Executive after the Supreme Leader. The President is chosen for a term of 4 years by widespread suffrage. The obligations of the President incorporates Implementation of the Constitution and for the activity of executive powers, aside from matter identifying with Supreme Leader The President names and regulates the Council of Ministers Coordinates government choices, and chooses government arrangements to be set before the lawmaking body The executive limb likewise incorporates a cabinet containing a board of pastors chose by the President with the endorsement of the Legislature. The Executive limb of the Government of Iran likewise contains three oversight bodies specifically Assembly of Experts Expediency Council or the Council for the Discernment of Expediency Council of Guardians The executives of Nigeria in any administration are generally saddled with the obligations of completing different government strategies. The executives protect and execute the constitutions that represent the elected republic of Nigeria. Under the executives (the presidency) there are typically 3 principle arms in particular: Head of service of the organization Secretary to the government STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES: Both countries executive system has their own importance. The strengths of each executive system is that it manages all the administration work of the government bodies of both countries. The weaknesses of both countries are their strict rules regarding work which is mostly not followed and parties do not perform their duties honestly.

Alice Munros Boys and Girls Essay examples -- Boys and Girls, Alice Mu

â€Å"Boys and Girls† is a short story, by Alice Munro, which illustrates a tremendous growing period into womanhood, for a young girl living on a fox farm in Canada, post World War II. The young girl slowly comes to discover her ability to control her destiny and her influences on the world. The events that took place over the course of the story helped in many ways to shape her future. From these events one can map the Protagonist’s future. The events that were drawn within the story provided the Protagonist with a foundation to become an admirable woman.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout the story there are several aspects of the Protagonist’s character that play a major role in the shaping of her future. During her childhood she often demonstrates a sense of fear when she is sent to her bedroom. â€Å"We were afraid of the inside, the room were we slept (pg. 549).† She is intimidated by her personal space because she does not have control over it. Later, she gains control by adding lace to her side of the room; symbolically adding personality to herself and slipping into womanhood. When she felt uncomfortable she exercised her imagination, to psychologically regain control over the confusion in her life. Her subconscious effort to control confusing times were carried on to her later years as she was constantly put in difficult situations, which helped her to adjust quickly to change during adulthood. The dreams she created changed when she began to place emphasis on her appearance-that which she could control, other than past dreams of heroism that seemed so distant from reality. The Protagonist filled her childhood with much pride and maintained a consistent focused upon the activities that filled her childhood. She relished working at the side of her father, taking immense pride in every aspect of her assigned duties. She proclaimed, â€Å"I worked willingly under his eyes, and with a feeling of pride (pg. 551)† Once after her father introduced her to a feed sales man as â€Å"my new hired man (pg. 551),† the Protagonist was flooded with pride as she â€Å"turned away and raked furiously, red in the face with pleasure (pg. 551).† In her later years her pride helped her to assemble strong self-confidence she used in her years of growing. Passion and depth were characteristics that impacted her future as a woman. Her passion and depth was revealed early on in the story ... ...uide boys and girls through a difficult transition period. During her childhood she loved to have influence upon her younger brother. Her need to influence carried on to her adulthood. Story telling was an essential part of her class. It was her conscious way of helping her students to deal with the confusing and threatening world around them. As a child her imagination was a comfort zone for her. She provided her students with that atmosphere. As a child she dreamed of a different world, on she described as â€Å"On that presented opportunities for courage, boldness and self sacrifice (pg 550).† Teaching was an ideal job for the protagonist to attain as it allowed her to remain influential and child like.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Boys and Girls† describes a major turning point in a girl’s life, turning down a path towards womanhood. Her childhood fears of the dark and fears of being less than a perfect worker to her father and her control of her brother slowly dissolve. Her decision to free the terrified horse highlights her pivotal journey into adulthood. And her ability to cry with sensitivity over her decision of freedom, demonstrates the acute sensitivity of a woman.

Coral Reefs And Bleaching Phenomenon Essay -- essays research papers

Imagine yourself observing one of the most diverse ecosystems on earth. Thousands of species of plants and animals provide a dizzying array of color and motion. Massive structures provide a canopy that shelters hundreds of exotic species in a myriad of microclimates. As land-based observers, we almost automatically assume that this is a description of the rich ecosystem of a tropical rainforest. However, if we take ourselves off the safety of dry land and immerse ourselves in the ocean, we will find an equally dynamic environment in the depths of our world’s coral reefs. As a Zoology major, I quickly decided to explore this biological component of the ocean environment. In the following paper, I will provide a general overview of coral reefs and examine the alarming depletion of coral and their ecological symbionts in a process known as coral bleaching.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As mentioned earlier, coral reefs are among the most diverse and productive of all communities on Earth. They are also the largest biological structures on the planet. The Great Barrier Reef, along the eastern coast of Australia, covers over 2000 kilometers and is said to be visible from the moon (Goreau, 1987). While the size of coral reefs can be enormous, their real impact is on a much smaller scale. Reefs function as food and shelter for fish and marine invertebrates. While the coral itself is an animal, through a symbiotic relationship with the unicellular algae, coral becomes the primary producer in its ocean ecosystem (Richmond 1993). The reefs are formed by calcium carbonate deposits produced by the coral polyps. According to the legendary Cousteau, in his book The Ocean World, tube worms and mollusks also donate their hard skeletons to the architecture of the growing reef (174). Biologically active compounds are also produced by reef dwelling organisms an d posses antimicrobial and antiviral properties (Van Alstyne 1988). In fact, coral produces a natural sunscreen that is currently marketed and also holds promise in generating chemicals for AIDS and cancer research. In 1995, researchers mimicked the structural components of coral and now use the patented super hard compound to repair shattered human bones (Alderage 1995). Further more, coral reefs are naturally extremely productive fishing grounds. In fact, healthy reefs produce up to 10-100 times more yield per unit a... ...pear, the fate of one of the world’s most diverse ecosystem remains to be seen. Bibliography Alderage, Susan. April 1995. â€Å"Coral :Replacement for Human Bones.† Focus Magazine. P45(46) Brown, B.E., Odgen, J.C. 1993. â€Å"Coral Bleaching.† Scientific American, 269:64-70 Cohen, Anne L.; Lobel, Phillip S. Oct. 1997. â€Å"Coral Bleaching on the Johnston Atoll.† The Biological Bulletin. V193: n2. P276(4). â€Å"Coral Color.† November 1997. Discover Magazine-Current Clips. P10 Cousteau, J. Y. 1985. The Ocean World. Harry N. Abrams, Inc., New York, NY, pp. 174-175. Goreau, Thomas. August 1987. â€Å"Coral and Coral Parks.† Scientific American. V113:34-36 Luoma, Jon R. Nov. 1996. â€Å"Reef Madness† Audubon. V98: n6. P24(3). Richmond, R. H. 1993. â€Å"Coral Reefs: Present problems and Future Concerns Resulting form Athropogenic Disturbence.† American Zoologist. V33: P524-536. Van Alstyne, K. L. and V. J. Paul. 1988. â€Å"The Role of Secondary Metabolites in Marine Ecological Interactions.† Proceedings of the 6th International Coral Reef Symposium, Australia, Vol. 1. Wilkinson, C. R. 1987. â€Å"Interocean Differences in Size and Nutrition of Coral Reef Sponge Populations.† Science, Vol. 236: P1654-1657.

Examination of Clinical Psychology Essay

Clinical psychology has a full history that dates back to the early days of Greek philosophy. The combination of philosophy, current psychology and science has created a specific discipline in clinical psychology. Research continues to improve and evolve this branch of psychology. There are certain distinctions that set clinical psychology apart from other areas of this discipline and this paper will explore not only those distinctions but also the history of clinical psychology. The History of Clinical Psychology The beginnings of psychology in general can be found in the era of Greek philosophy. Early philosophical thinkers saw the connection between the mind and body including the influence that relationship had concerning emotional sickness. Hippocrates, Plato, and Aristotle were a few of those that recognized the soul or spirit as being the primary force of the body. They also recognized that problems within the soul could manifest in physical illness (Plante, 2011, p. 34). In the middle ages, any kind of mental, emotional or physical sickness was thought to be characteristic of sin or evil and treatments of such issues were dealt with on a spiritual level. The following Renaissance era was all about scientific research and discovery taking the previous beliefs on spiritual origins and disproving them. Illness was established as something more explainable by scientific research rather than spiritual and metaphysical beliefs (Plante, 2011). As the nineteenth century rolled in, members of psychological study started to have a more accurate understanding of the connection between the body and mind. Sigmund Freud was one such forward thinker and he promoted theories that unconscious thoughts of the mind can hold a strong influence on one’s health drawing on the original beliefs of the Greeks (Parsons, 1958). The actual emergence of psychology began with the development of the first laboratory and book of psychology by Wilhelm Wundt. Development was quick after this first large step even though the new concepts and principles of psychology were being applied to peoples’ issues. Also the wars of our history provided a platform for the world of clinical psychology. Service members emerged in war required specialized treatments which led to the development of psychometric assessments. Later developments led to the creation of evolved models of guidelines and training for the education of clinical psychologists (Plante, 2011). Clinical Psychology’s Evolving Nature Clinical psychology has a fundamental instrument that develops its evolving nature which is described by its relationship with modern medicine and used of scientific methods (Kazdin, 2008). Clinical psychology continues to develop applications as new scientific evidence mounts. Contemporary clinical psychology embodies the scientific advances of science mixing in a deep understanding of the mind. The relationship of practice and research continue to come together to facilitate continual improvements in treatments and this relationship is a necessary element to the evolving nature (Kazdin, 2008). The only possible challenge for clinical psychology and research is the challenge of trying to customize treatment to meet the patient’s individual needs when there really is no defined outline of every individualistic need for each individual patient (Kazdin, 2008 p. 17). The Role of Research and Statistics in Clinical Psychology Research is a vital aspect of any psychology and clinical psychology is no different. Research provides the empirical foundation to answer questions with validity. Statistics is a vital part of this research since this area of the research facilitates researchers being able to conclude if the information is substantial and relevant. Research is also vital because to clinical psychology because it boosts therapy methods which leads to the improvement of one’s life and it also helps discover effective methods to diagnose and treat human behavioral issues (Plante, 2011). The scientific method of empirical study also benefits the researchers themselves enabling them to gain critical thinking skills. Research is one of the most fundamental practices that allows for the betterment of clinical psychology (Plante, 2011). Clinical Psychology as it Differs from Other Disciplines The primary differences between other disciplines and clinical psychology involve the targeted training, area of focus and possibly even the educational requirements. Some psychologists participating in the area of clinical diagnosis, such as a school psychologist or social worker, generally must earn a master’s degree but other specialized areas of clinical psychology might require a doctorate (Plante, 2011). School psychologists also specialize primarily in working with children and society’s youth whereas social workers can serve a more broad population and work in hospitals, schools or even county programs. Areas of counseling psychology are very similar to clinical psychology and there is the belief that the two separate groups do not even need to exist separately (Kazdin, 2008). There are also psychiatrists who have the added, extensive education and training in the medical arena and for all intended purposes they are physicians. They not only counsel as psychologists but are allowed to issue psychiatric medicine. Then there are other various mental health care professionals such as psychiatric nurses, specialized counselors, and industry and organization counselors who all provide clinical services. Even though clinical psychology differs in some aspects from other counseling professions, all of them have the purpose of using psychological principles to understand human behavior, helping individuals to live healthier and happier lives (Plante, 2011). Conclusion As this paper has laid out, there are many various contributions to the formation of clinical psychology becoming its own discipline. The evolution has traveled a long road but it has been steady and continuous with new information being discovered through scientific methods. Philosophy kicked off the curiosity that lead to future contributions by pioneers such as Freud and his psychoanalytic methods. Clinical psychology does hold its differences amongst other disciplines of psychology but the overall goal of all disciplines still remains to serve the general human population, attempting to give everyone a chance at a better quality of life. References Kazdin, A. E. (2008). Evidence based treatment and practice: new opportunities to bridge clinical research and practice. American Psychologist, 63(3), 146-159. Parsons, T. (1958). Social Structure and the Development of Personality: Freud’s Contribution to the Integration of Psychology and Sociology. Psychiatry: Journal for the Study of Interpersonal Processes, 21(10), 321-340. Plante, T. (2011). Contemporary clinical psychology (3rd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.