Statistics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Statistics - Research Paper Example However, in 2008-2009 during the global economic contagion, the housing sector reported a significant decline in demand and sales, a crisis that was described by economic expert as â€Å"housing bubble† (Baker, 2007). The demand for housing and residential property significantly declined and this was followed a drastic fall in the real estate investments during the same period. After the global economic recovery in late 2009 and early 2010, housing sector posted a boost in returns. This raises the question on the effects of the GDP on the real estate investments and the sales of the houses in the United States. Although empirical studies early conducted by professional indicate that these two variables are related, such findings are insufficient in addressing the effects of predictable change in the GDP on sales and demand of house, particularly in the U.S. This research paper therefore aims at establishing the relationships between the changes in the GDP and house sales. In d etermining such relationships, this research paper will focus on literature material and the statistical inferences. The link between GDP and the change in the sales of the housing and real estate units is evidenced by the data on the performance if these two variable over time. The data from the department of labor and economics show that these two variables have a strong positive relationship. This is evidenced by the great global economic and financial crisis of 2009 that negatively affected the housing and real estate sector through the housing bubbles. These changes in the GDP and the general economic performance had an adverse effect on the volume of sales in the housing sector. A research study by Baker (2007) established that a predicted decline in GDP is reflected in the housing sector by a fall in the volume of house sales. This explained by the fact a fall the GDP is characterized a significant fall the marginal propensity to invests or save out of any

The Boeing Company Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Boeing Company - Assignment Example The customers of Boeing Company are mainly the famous and established airlines and most of the country airways having their operations going globally (Yennev 2010). These airlines include United Air Lines, Caribbean Airlines, Delta Airlines, Canadian Pacific Airlines and other major airlines, other major customers include the various country Airways. Boeing Defense, Space and Security main customers are United States Air Force, Air France, and other governments’ mainly military jets and airplanes (Yennev 2010). The order qualifiers of this company is that it is a multinational company and has a consolidated financial base overcoming the capital and financial barriers having a number of manufacturing and assembly plants in the major countries globally another major qualifier is that the airplane manufacturing and aerospace aviation industry is less competitive with only a few firms (Russell 2005). The order winners of Boeing Company is a better marketing policies that has edged out its major competitors Airbus Company which involves effective market segmentation of its customers on geographical locations. It is also important to note that the company has an effective positioning and targeting strategies where the company has developed airplanes basing on the distance and capacity to suit the customer’s preference and needs (Russell 2005). Existing problem There are some problems that Boeing company faces currently which include: managerial problems where it is ridged semi-autocratic management style in which the employers and top management make decisions without involving employees which negatively impacts on the development of new operations and management designs that are important to any multinational company thus the need to adopt modern management models (Duane 2009). Secondly is the labour problem mainly affecting production characterized with delayed delivery and this has been greatly attributed by the inexperienced workforce dealing with t he aircraft designs which involves complex operations and advance technologies which is complicated further by the need to adopt new sophisticated manufacturing and production designs considered to be efficient and effective (Yennev 2010). This situation has created more operations management leading to increase in overall cost per plane moreover complains from the major customers thus special inspections are carried out by The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on all the airplanes and jetliners and that the employees motivation has not been taken care resulting into increases inefficiencies in the operations and increased challenges in project management. The airplane and jets commercial market is experiencing a slowdown due to the impacts of terrorism in which the airline industry has been hit harder especially after the 11th Sept there has been low demand and significant reduction in the order number, sales to its major customers mainly the airlines and various other country based airways has significantly reduced. The key problem faced by The Boeing Company can be summarized to be the labour workforce management, operations and the overall effective management of its projects (Duane 2009) Impacts of the problem The above problem has greatly impacted The Boeing Company negatively because of its long term persistence in the

Nike - Recent Enviromental Changes Essay Example for Free

Nike Recent Enviromental Changes Essay INTRODUCTION Founded in 1968 in Oregon, Nikes business activities involve design, development and the worldwide marketing of high quality apparel, equipment, footwear and accessory products. Nike sells to approximately 140 countries around the world and currently boasts an approximate revenue of $8,776,900,000 These revenues are based on product sales of shoes, clothing, and other sports products. Advertising expenditures currently total $223,300,000 and include the following allocations: $64,975,000 for network television, $31,447,000 for consumer magazines, $7,700,000 for spot television, $343,000 for newspapers, $134,000 for outdoor postings, and $36,000 for radio. (Reed Elsevier) Most footwear products are made outside of USA. However apparel products are produced in the USA and abroad. (www.statcan.ca) In this article we will try to explore the interaction between the company Nike and its external business environment, as well as the internal strengths and weaknesses of the company. We will attempt to discover some of the significant changes and events in the external environment that have occurred in the last 5 years and have directly impacted Nike. We will describe how the company adapted and responded to these changes and what the effects of these events were. Also we will identify and describe some of Nikes internal strengths and weaknesses. CHANGES AND EVENTS IN THE EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL CRISES One of the most recent global environmental changes are the events of September 11th 2001, when airplanes crashed into each of the World Trade Center towers in New York, the Pentagon near Washington, D.C., and near Pittsburgh, P.A. (www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/5232/) U.S. government officials reported that the crashes were a coordinated terrorist attack. Since this catastrophe was not expected, no one was ready to respond to it. Cole Haan store (owned by Nike), located in the World Trade Center plaza has been completely demolished. However, all of approximately 250-260 Nike and Cole Haan employees based in New York are safe and accounted for. In addition, no Nike employees were on board any of the planes involved in the terrorist attacks in New York, Pennsylvania and at the Pentagon. (www.centrum.sk) After closing on Tuesday, September 11th, and Wednesday, September 12th, all  other Nike and Cole Haan stores in New York and Washington D.C. are open. (www.nike.com) This disas ter affected not only the American people but also the world economy and many areas of business, including Nike Inc. The value of American dollar dropped rapidly and is recovering very slowly. Nike has a large amount of their products in inventory, which they are unable to sell and are preparing to cut down the production. This would mean a significant downsizing in number of employees. (www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/5232/) Many consumers have reduced their travel to certain retail destinations; in general consumers are purchasing few non-essential products. Nike expects lower sales and profits over the next several months as consumers closely monitor the U.S. attacks on Afghanistan. (www.nike.com) When a military campaign, like the one in Afghanistan, brings new developments or intensifies, U.S. consumers buy less, prompting retailers to become more cautious with their product orders. These events caused a 12 percent decline in shares since September 11th of Nike Inc., the industrys leader. (www.nike.com) The company said the September 11th attacks on the United States have disrupted most of its long-range strategy plans. Analysts have predicted a modest decrease in quarterly earnings estimates for Nike. They also said they expect fourth-quarter 2001 sales to be hurt by the slowdown in consumer s pending.(www.msn.com) Decline and slow recovery of Nikes stock since Sept. 11th 2001 (www.moneycentral.msn.co.uk) The company expects to scale back advertising and production next year. (www.nike.com) Nike, as a global company, is now focusing its efforts on assisting in the relief efforts and in heeding President Bushs directive to regain business as quickly as possible. (www.sme.sk) Both local and national Red Cross agencies have identified immediate financial support as their most critical need. For that reason, the Nike Foundation has been collecting contributions from individual Nike employees and factory partners across the country and throughout the world. Through matching funds, Nike is making a $1 million contribution to the American Red Cross and a variety of other local relief organizations through matching funds of employees and factory partners. In addition, Nike partner factories in Asia, Feng Tay and Pou Chen, have donated $100,000 each to the American Red Cross. (www.nike.com) Nike also is working with relief agencies in New York, Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania  to provide do nations of Nike products for victims who are affected by these tragic circumstances, as well as for those involved in the rescue and recovery efforts. These donations include more than 14,000 t-shirts, 11,400 pairs of socks, 1,200 pairs of Nike ACG work boots, 1,000 towels, plus hundreds of pairs of shoes, warm-ups, jackets, sweat shirts and gym bags for rescue workers to store their personal belongings. (www.sme.sk) (www.nike.com) Nike and Niketown New York will continue to coordinate with relief and government agencies and provide as many requested products as possible for fire and rescue personnel. Already, more than $300,000 Nike products have been delivered or are on their way to New York relief agencies. (www.nike.com) Nike US employees participated in a Red Cross blood drive on Sept. 24-25 at its Beaverton-based world headquarters and Oct. 1st and Oct. 5th in its Memphis distribution center location. Nike also has donated money to pat for airtime for two 30-second advertisements to the Red Cross during the Oct. 7 broadcast of the World Cup qualifying match between Team USA and Jamaica on ABC, as well as purchasing space the West 4th wall in Manhattan for advertisements. (www.nike.com) The previous numbers indicate Nikes response to this huge global change from social as well as from the business point of view. Nikes donations as a response to the events of Sept. 11th 2001 Organization Amount Designation American Red Cross $250,000 ($106,000 from Nike employees globally) Relief efforts in NY, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania PBA Widows and Childrens Police Relief Fund c/o Police Benevolence Association $175,000 Assistance to NY families for burial costs and family survival expenses UFA Widows Childrens Fund c/o Uniformed Fire Fighters Assn $175,000 Assistance to NY families for burial costs and family survival expenses Federal Employee Education Assistance Fund $100,000 Assistance to families for burial costs and family survival expenses International Association of Fire Fighters $50,000 Assistance to NY families for burial costs and family survival expenses New York State Fraternal Order of Police WTC Fund $50,000 Assistance to NY families for burial costs and family survival expenses Catholic Charities USA $50,000 Immediate counseling and family services for those impacted by NY disast ers United Methodist Committee on Relief $50,000 Immediate counseling and family services for  those impacted by NY disasters Mercy Corps Comfort for Kids Project $25,000 Helping children and families in NY and Washington DC Misc. contingency fund $75,000 Programs and organizations promoting racial and religious healing and community building efforts Total Reported Cash Donations $1 million (www.nike.com) E-BUSINESS As the modern world changes through advances in technology, the global market economy also changes, affecting global businesses such as Nike Inc. Technological changes in the form of machines and mechanical inventions affected the economy during the industrial revolution, but today the advances are more in computer technology. The first computer was produced in the US approximately 50 years ago and was the size of a large room needing its own electric power plant and cost a million dollars to build. This gigantic computer could only do simple calculations. Computers have since decreased greatly in size and cost and increased in productivity and capabilities. In the 1980s there were big improvements in microprocessors, which allowed for the huge technological advances of the 90s. Computers are now part of many households and almost every family in the developed world has a computer. The top personal computer now costs between $2500 and $3500 compared to the larger models earlier in th e past century. The Internet has also been expanding globally and has changed our world into and global village. The first version of the net was developed in 1969, during the Cold War by the US department of defense as a communication in case of nuclear attack. The net became available in the 1980s for email and Internet chats, but improvements in HTML in the 1990s sparked the birth of a new way of communication and business (www.freespace.virgin.net/g.hirst/). A recent survey calculated 120 million users of the net worldwide and numbers are still growing at an enormous rate. The development quick loading and the fast moving Internet attracted people to do more things on the Internet. One of the new advances of the Internet is an E-business. Many people are now ordering goods and services over the Internet. One other use of Internet is also advertisement. Recently, Nike has been trying to find new markets and consumers. One huge innovation to get closer to the customer is through the Internet. The Internet makes information available to people all around the world. Nikes web page is designed to entertain the visitor through innovative, colourful graphics; to inform the potential customer of Nikes activities; and promote  and sell their products through the E-shop. The Nike accommodates to the world trend of Internet and shopping over the Internet. They made their own web-shop where visiting customers can easily find the product, which they are looking for. This is a great way to improve future business of the company as Internet business is improving so quickly. It is also important to put a lot of effort and quality into the services offering through the Internet to make a good reputation about the services and name of the company. (www.niketown.com) GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS, LAWS AND TRADE BARRIERS In 1994, the EU commission imposed quotas on certain types of footwear manufactured in China. Special Technology Athletic Footwear, footwear designed for use in sporting activities, met certain technical criteria and footwear having a CIF (cost, in surance and freight) price above 9 EUROs was excluded from these quotas. All other footwear produced by Nike falls under the quotas. However Nike feels that the quotas have not material effect on their business. (www.nike.com) In 1995 the EU commission initiated two anti-dumping legislations covering footwear imported from China, Indonesia and Thailand. In 1997 and 1998, the commission imposed definite anti-dumping duties on certain synthetic, textile and leather upper footwear originating from China Indonesia and Thailand. These anti-dumping duties have exclusions for STAF footwear, sports footwear and footwear with the CIF above 5,6 EUROs. (www.nike.com) This means the anti-dumping duties apply only to low cost footwear, which means that Nike can distribute most products except children shoes and low cost sandals. However Nike shifted the production of these types of footwear to other countries and therefore the anti-dumping duties have not had a material affect on their business. (www.centrum.sk) If the EU measures become more restrictive Nike recommends that the European subsidiaries consider shifting the production of footwear to other countries in order to maintain competitive pricing. Nike continues to closely monitor international restrictions and maintain a multi-country sourcing strategy and contingency plans. Nike believes that their major competitors are in the similar position. (www.pravda.sk) NEW MARKETS AND CONSUMER TRENDS Revenue for the past three years of Nikes international (non-US) and US market (www.nikebiz.com) Over the past 4-5 years many new markets have opened for Nike, not only from the geographical point of view and expansions outside the US but also from the customer demand and trends perspective.  (www.centrum.sk) As the concept of the global village is becoming reality, more unexploded markets are opening up. Nike divides its global business into four regions: the United States, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Americas. (www.nike.com) While each reg ion increased revenue in the fiscal year 2001, most of its growth came from the new unexplored markets outside. In the last seven years, Nike has built many international branch offices and subsidiaries as a response to the changing market. These are located in: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Indonesia, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, The Netherlands, Norway, Peoples Republic of China, The Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom and Vietnam. (www.nike.com) Percentage of footwear production in specific countries The European market for athletic footwear and apparel continues to flourish. Every day, new shops open with a commitment to presentation and service that NIKE emphasizes. Nike feels the emotional connection growing in Europe is similar to the one NIKE created in the U.S. 20 years ago. (www.nike.com) Nikes Asian market is very profitable but als o very demanding one. This market depends on authentic sports positioning and the ability to deliver technology-based performance products. Nikes attempt to fulfill these criteria has so far been very successful. Nike is especially enthusiastic about the World Cup coming to Japan and Korea in 2002. They hope this will provide them with a great opportunity to influence their soccer success in Asia. (www.nike.com) The most competitive and developed market in the world for Nike is the USA. Revenues in this market grow at two percent per year. Although Nike has been struggling in some areas of this market, it continues to lead the athletic footwear market in share and product innovation. Apparel in the U.S. is slowly making its way back to the market after couple of tough quarters in the past 2 years. U.S. Apparel is currently up 9% in revenue for the year and is starting to stabilize in the second half of fiscal 2001. (www.nike.com) Changes that have occurred in customer demand are directly proportional to the present trends of people. According to recent researches, American kids have only 25 percent of their  daily life considered as free time, compared to about 40 percent in 1981. (www.nike.com) For a sports company this means less demand for leisure time clothes, footwear and equipment. According to statistics, athletic footwear sales have shown a decrease in the third quarter. This fact represents back-to-school sales, indicating less interest by the crucial teenage market as it moves toward different looks in the footwear area. This may be explained by an overall shift of interest and fashion in this market from sports toward entertainment, music, and celebrities. A recent trend in the athletic footwear business shows that several of the large corporations are losing market share due to the declining sales in traditional markets. As aerobics, fitness and cross training markets decline there is a shift to non-traditional sports. By 1998, the publicity for a market in brown shoes had passed. Brown shoes never impacted the athletic footwear market as predicted. Instead, hiking, off-trail and fashion footwear continue to show strong growth, with many athletic footwear companies expanding into those areas. (www.nike.com) It is predicted that the market for athletic footwear has peaked and is now declining and leveling off at a production level of about 300 million pairs. Fashion driven spikes often occur, such as in 1995 where a production level of 345 million pairs was reached. This is viewed as a bonus for the industry. (www.nike.com) Retailers will thrive at the 300 million pair a year production level by working with retailers to consolidate store locations, manage inventories and maximize sell-through. The continued trend over the last five years is the consumers willingness to pay, on average, higher prices for athletic footwear. (www.proquest.com) IMPORTANT FINANCIAL EVENTS The financial interactions between countries and governments affect the profits of the large corporations such as Nike and the retail values of their products. In North America transactions are often measured in US dollars. This common currency makes transactions easier between countries. In the European Union, 15 different countries must convert their different currencies when doing business with other countries. This often accounts for increased retail prices in international goods and services. On January 1st 1999, 11 of the 15 members countries of the European Union  established permanent conversion rates between their existing currencies and the new EURO, the new common currency of the European union. Until the end of the transition period, public and private parties may pay for goods and services using the countries original currency or the EURO. Starting January 2002, the EURO will be the official currency of the EU and the original currencies will be completely withdrawn from circulation by June 30th 2002. (www.nike.com) Since January 1998 Nike has been researching the complications and affects of the transitions to the EURO. Nikes devoted project team has made modifications to inform technology systems supporting the market, management, invoicing, pay roles and cash management functions in order to make their conversion smooth. Nike believes that the introduction of the EURO will eliminate inequalities in exchange rates between countries although differences in cost between countries and different tax rates will still affect price differences at the retail level. Over the past three years Nike has been actively working to asses and adjust a practices in pricing to operate effectively under this new currency. (www.nike.com) The cost of adapting Nikes systems and practices to the use of the EURO total approximately 8 millions US dollars and was generally related to the modification of their existing systems. Nike also believes that the change of currency will not have an impact on the financial conditions of results of operation. (www.nikebiz.com) INTERNAL STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES STRENGTHS Decision Making Nikes strongest weapon is decision-making. Their managerial team has been able to make decisions specific to their needs and although not all the time, most of the time they were right. They combined rationality, intuition and experience to come up with the best decisions ever made in this market. To prove the above, we can just look at some of their well-known choices made in the past. Nike managers decided to rely on globalization and externalization of risk through wholly or partly-owned subsidiaries. (www.nike.com) The fact that they have subsidiaries all over the world helps them to become more flexible and partially getting rid of potential risk. Their flexibility is proved by the diversity of sports areas they are involved in, which has also turned out to be a great decision since Nike is dominating most of these markets. (www.nike.com) This company is able to manufacture products for a dozen of different sports and still keep the top quality in all of them. Fr om the  start, the managers of Nike decided to count on customer satisfaction and total quality of their products, realizing the social expectations that lied upon their shoulders. They have believed that quality outweighs the extra amount of money spent on manufacturing of the best products on the market. One of the most important decisions of Nikes management was advertising. They spent large amounts of money on commercials, which have in the long term paid back in multiples. They have used famous athletes to promote their brand, which is considered a great strategic plan. Also they decided to involve in various social activities. Their extraordinary advertising has helped them to develop the well-known image they have. (www.msn.com) The owners of the company visualized, gave the company a form, set their goals and then they tried to achieve them. They hired the right personnel and they motivated them by generally higher wages than their competitors were offering. They also involved their employees in initiating and implementing change. According to these employees, Nike allowed them to gain self confidence, express their creativity, and involve in making decisions that need not only the expertise of a manager but also an experience of a worker. (www.nike.com) Looking at the present results of Nikes decisions, this kind of empowerment has shown to be a great choice. Research and Development Efforts Nike believes that the key factor of its success originates from their research and development efforts. (www.nike.com) They emphasize the technical innovation in the design of their products to achieve their manufacturing goals, which are to create products capable of reducing injury, increasing athletes performance and maximizing comfort. Of course, Nike pays a lot of attention to their products design respectively to the present trends. (www.sgma.com) Since these criteria require a specific expertise, recruitment is one of the most important managerial issues of Nike. Looking at their past, we have to admit that they have succeeded in this with excellence. Nike has own staff of specialists in the areas of biomechanics, exercise physiology, engineering, industrial design and others. They also have committees specialized on research and advisory. These committees are made of top-level athletes, coaches, trainers, equipment managers, orthopedics, podiatrists and other experts. (www.nike.com) These people use their expertise and experience to  help Nike on its way to improvement. They help them to develop new better products and improve upon present products. They also consult the company about designs, materials, and concept for product improvement. Athletes hired or sponsored by Nike test-prove the companys products during the development process. These facts are strongly held within the company and Nike is proud to include them in their reports (www.nikebiz.com). WEAKNESSES Ability To Respond And Adapt To Changes Since Nike is a consumer products company, the demand for their products highly depends on popularity of different sports and activities and the changing trends. Therefore they should be able to respond to these changes in costumer preferences and quickly adapt to them. This company must adjust their existing products, develop new ones, and create styles that are specific to the trends. (www.sgma.com) They also have to make an effort to influence sports and fitness preferences through aggressive marketing. This kind of environment is very unstable and puts one against many different sources of risk. If you fail to react quickly to such changes it will show up on your sales and profits reports. Since Nike has been occupying the top of the sports equipment manufacturers chart for a long time they are getting used to their strategies, which are now becoming habits. (www.nike.com) This may be very useful in some cases but according to analysts, ove r time, organizations develop and lock into ways of doing business, in spite of changing conditions. Nikes strategy has been to dominate only the markets that are relatively safe and tend to be very profitable since it has become the worlds leader in this market. (www.nike.com) Despite their great decision making abilities this has turned out to be a very poor choice. For example, Nike did not respond to the growing market of aerobics and fitness training because it seemed too small to be worth that much attention. (www.sgma.com) However, Reebok developed a line of aerobics and fitness equipment which has met a lot of popularity among the customers. Since then, Reebok has been leading this market, which is currently the area of their main interest. (www.sgma.com) This was an example of a slow response to environmental changes. However, there are areas where Nike responded quickly and still was not quite successful. For example, soccer is currently the number 1 sport in the world and is currently dominated by the brand Adidas.  (www.fisonline.com) Even though Nike soccer equipment qualitatively meets the Adidas products, Nike has not been able to take over this market. So what was wrong with their reaction? To dominate such a large market you have to be more aggressive and be able to gain customers attention. (www.sgma.com) Nikes failure in the soccer market is generally seen as the lack of interest, aggressivity and creativity in this area of business. (www.referaty.sk) Growth Company That Has Not Grown Fiscal year 2001 was an above average year for Nike. However, it was not great even though they finished hard in the fourth quarter. This year was fairly similar to the last four years. During that time Nike has been a growth company that has not grown. Until the end of the fiscal year 1997 everything was going great for Nike. From 1994 to 1997 this company went from being a strong company with growing market share and $3 billion in revenues to one with dominant market share and revenues over $9 billion. (www.nike.com) Everyth ing seemed to be going perfect for Nike, they were successful in everything they touched and they were growing rapidly. At the end of the fiscal year 1997 they found themselves in a position where employees were euphoric, but overworked since there was not enough of them. To keep this enthusiasm going they hired more people and continued on their path to becoming a truly global company. (www.sgma.com) Since they realized that this couldnt be accomplished over few years they were trying to be the best at everything they were doing as well as building a strong team for the future. (www.nike.com) This was exactly the point where their growth has frozen and never started again. They penetrated new markets successfully, but were not able to keep up the standards they had set before. They focused on new areas of business so much that they forgot to do the old simple things right. (www.sgma.com) Despite all these efforts the industry was standing still. There were different reasons for this such as the U.S. market hitting the recession point, Nike launching a massive 3-year supply chain overhaul and the tough period in the Asian economy. (www.nike.com) The U.S. market recession point was well expected since this market had grown so fast. Nike launching the m assive 3-year supply chain overhaul, which was well in advance of the competition, was not a productive strategy in short-term but its benefits are supposed to show up in the fiscal year 2002. (www.nike.com) Lastly the downside of the Asian economy was also predictable since this is  a market with big turnovers and risks. However, it was not expected to influence Nike as much as it did. Great companies are able to deal with such events and keep on growing. Nike managers did not pay enough attention to these facts and that was the main reason of their growth halt. (www.sgma.com) Even though Nike is currently growing in some areas of market, such as Europe, Asia, Latin America and the soccer and golf markets, overall they are standing still. (www.nike.com) Year 2001 is the proof of the above. In this year Nike forgot to compete mid- and low-priced footwear in the U.S. and they were not able to match their orders and production well, in which they were very successful in the past. Now, Nike has to face a big decision. They can accept the problems they have and let their business go slowly down, or keep excelling in some things, be average in others and stay at the point where they are now.  However, the best choice for Nike would be to find the solutions to their problems and start growing again. (www.msn.com) (www.sgma.com) CONCLUSION Nikes environment is very unstable and exposures companies to unexpected risks. Generally, Nike has been able to respond to these changes (except few exceptions) by their creativity and flexibility. This company tries to prevent a direct impact of these changes on them by externalizing risk. Despite these facts, Nikes expansion is not as significant as it is expected to be. This is caused by some of their internal weakness and external changes. However, they still remain number 1 in the world footwear market. (Company Profiles For Students) BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Company Profiles For Students vol.2 m-z 1999 1st ed. P. 944-949 2. www.proquest.com 3. www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/5232/ 4. www.sgma.com 5. www.centrum.sk 6. www.zoznam.sk 7. www.freespace.virgin.net/g.hirst 8. www.fisonline.com 9. www.statcan.ca 10. www.moneycentral.msn.co.uk 11. www.msn.com 12. www.nike.com 13. www.niketown.com 14. www.nikebiz.com 15. www.sme.sk 16. www.pravda.sk 17. www.referat.sk 18. Reed Elsevier, 2000

Pax Romana Rome

Pax Romana Rome Answers Answer 1: Pax Romana Period of Rome Pax Romana Period can be defined as the period of Roman piece. This period of peace sustained for the centuries after the domination of Augustus. The accession by the Octavian to the imperial throne contributed in bringing an end to the international and civil warfare. His reign of 40 year from 27 BC 14 AD added to the unity, peace and progress of the Mediterranean world. The Pax Romana started with Augustus and attained new heights under 5 superior Emperors. The main contributions include increase in the number of cities which were self-ruled by magistrates of upper-class, development of roads and waterways. Pax Romana was responsible for creating a universal world-state where cultures and races were united without any discrimination. Apart from this, it shows the elimination and suppression of the artificial barriers, piracy and helped in establishing consistent coinage (The Roman World 509 B.C. to A.D. 180, 2007). Pax Romana period marked the great development in the field of commerce. Industry focused on organizing on the basis of the small-shop, which helped in attaining self-sufficiency. There was improvement in the Condition of those people, who belongs to the bottom of society especially the women and slaves. Apart from this, advancement was made in the field of history, science, art, architecture and literature, which helped them in reaching the highest peak. In this period, law, engineering and entertainment was revolutionized. The gladiator games were on the top list (The Roman World 509 B.C. to A.D. 180, 2007). Pax Romania was marked by the boom in the economy, the economy remained agrarian. In terms of the law and order, there was revival of the old traditions and ideal believes. Deteriorated temples were rebuilt by Augustus. Apart from this, there was revival in the old priesthoods and religious festivals were restored. There was the establishment of permanent court. This period marked the decline in the rate of corruption and the exploitation. Answer 2: Contribution of the different emperors of ancient Rome Julius Caesar: Gaius Julius Caesar served in Roman armed services and was a successful and clever politician. Caesar started his political career, in 78 BC, in the Roman Assembly, as a counselor and was known for his orating skills. He gave Rome a feeling of national plume and growth through his wide military subjections. He was largely responsible for the enlargement of the Roman dominance in the world. He brought a large part of Britain under Roman control by defeating the most talented Barbarian rulers. He increased security and stability in Rome where people knew nothing more than civil war (Life of Julius Caesar, 2008). Octavian Caesar Augustus: Augustus was born on 23rd September, in 63 B.C., in Rome. He was the first Roman Emperor and was adopted by his uncle Julius Caesar. He worked a lot for public welfare and also amalgamated and braced the Roman Empire. He rebuilt the city of Rome. It was said by the people that he founded Rome initially as a city of bricks and later converted it into a city of marble. He also introduced several laws related to marriage and slave. Many literary achievements took place during his reign. He also improved the infrastructural facilities and exercised great control over military and society (Augustus and the empire, 2008). Justinian: Justinian was born in 567 B.C. He was the eastern Roman Emperor and was the second emperor of the Justinian dynasty. During his reign, the empire rose to the heights of success. When he became the emperor, he prepared 3 challenging projects and executed them one after the other. Those 3 projects were: his code of laws, architectural works in Constantinople and conquests. Under his reign, all the laws were put under order and simplified, some were combined if possible and the outdated ones were deleted. He did great architectural works in Constantinople. He built new roads, bridges and sea walls to guard it from navy enemies. Several other walls were also built to protect the land route in the city. He also made a university, which was a huge source of education. He restored most of the lands to the Byzantine Empire from the Barbarians and made a great name in world history (Who was Justinian, 2008). Answer 3: Principles and Beliefs of the world religions Hinduism: It is third largest religion in the world and constitutes a great diversity of beliefs and principles. All Hindus think that every step is the way to reach god. They are considered as the broad minded person in the world. Hinduism includes many social classes and every one has their own regulation and compulsion for example, Brahmans are the best class and holy one. One important concept in the Hinduism is the revitalization, which means to bring back in life or the cycle of birth and death (Understanding the basic belief of Hinduism, 2008). Buddhism: It is the Fourth largest religion in world and known for its worldwide followers. It believes in affection and peace. It is based on four main principles: avoid the alcohol, do not harm anyone, do not lie and do not take. They believe that all are equal and there is no categorization between the caste systems. In Buddhism, the main reason for all problems is self attitude (Principle and belief of Buddhism, 2008). Judaism: It is the eleventh largest religion in world and followed by 14 million people. It is divided in three categories: conventional, improvement and conformist. It is noted as an influential religion in the world and has a great cycle of festivals. Shavuot, Sukkot and the Pesach are the three main festival of Judaism. Followers of it believe only in one god and assume that he is the creator of world. Christianity: It is based on the belief that rescuer is responsible for the merger of people with spirit. It believes in the concept of rebirth and derived from Judaism. The followers of this religion have a faith that elegance come to human only through the Christ worth. They believe that god has affection for all his followers whether they engage in an offence but they should have enough reason behind the offence (David Barrett et al., 2001). Islam: it is monotheistic religion and is the developer of moralistic values in thousands of its followers. Mainly five building blocks are there in Islamic religion like hajj, fasting, zakat, prayers, and shahadat. Muslims believe in Quran and lives according to the rules and regulation of it. They have to do pray five times in a day and yearly fast in Ramjan (ethos and values, 2006). References Augustus and the empire. (2008). Retrieved on June 23, 2008, from http://www.unrv.com/early-empire/augustus-empire.php David Barrett et al. (2001). A comparative survey of churches and religions AD 30 to 2200. World Christian Encyclopedia. Oxford University Press. Islam Background and Belief. (2008). Retrieved Jun 22, 2008 from http://family.jrank.org/pages/969/Islam-Background-Beliefs-Islam.html Life of Julius Caesar. (2008). Retrieved on June 23, 2008, from http://www.spaceandmotion.com/julius-caesar-life-history-biography-pictures-quotes.htm Principle and belief of Buddhism. (2008). Retrieved Jun 22, 2008 from http://www.google.co.in/search?hl=enq=principle+and+belief+of+buddhismbtnG=Google+Searchmeta= The Roman World 509 B.C. To A.D. 180. (2007). Retrieved on June 23, 2008, from http://www.emayzine.com/lectures/noteson%20Rome.htm Understanding the basic belief of Hinduism. (2008). Retrieved Jun 22, 2008 from http://www.google.co.in/search?hl=enq=principle+and+belief+of+buddhismbtnG=Google+Searchmeta= Who was Justinian. (2008). Retrieved on June 23, 2008, from http://writer.zoho.com/public/6_change/Justinian

Protestantism vs. Catholicism in XVII Century England :: Religion Essays

Protestantism vs. Catholicism in XVII Century England â€Å"The English nation grew increasingly more Protestant during the XVII century, while the monarchy moved ever closer to Rome.† The keen train spotter—spotting trains of thought rather than locomotives—will certainly spot a good deal of redundancy in this unequivocal statement, for it is, beyond doubt, a proclamation framed by the historian rather than the philosopher. The Stuarts—certainly some more than others—were Catholics not in the manner that Henry VIII took his mid-life faith, but rather in the manner that Elizabeth was always a Protestant. Similarly, the general population of the land viewed their faith as they viewed their nation: with pride. We should perhaps initially note that religion was, to those of the 17th century, something cognate to sex to the present day paramour, charity to the philanthropist, money to the niggard: it was a serious business. In the seventeenth century, Protestantism in England was as safe as houses: secure with a firm chronological and doctrinal and popular foundation. Within the larger European context, however, the established National religion was exposed to the rigours of Catholic tempest and seemed far from fixed. It is in this respect that we might tackle the monarchical populous split. The English Restoration was no minor re-establishment of monarchy: it was rather a restatement of the national character. Regicide was abhorrent to most—we need only peruse the emotive power of Macbeth or Hamlet to gain some understanding of the general sentiment—and the execution of Charles I was an extreme act of an extreme sub-minority. The arrival of Charles II, therefore, was not only a restoration of the natural and Godly order, but, in effect, an appeasement of the national conscience; a way to bury the crisis of revolution once and for all. With so much at stake, it was no simple task to recreate the circumstances of the revolution, but this is precisely what Charles II and James II managed. It is certainly an oversimplification to suggest that this came about solely from religious discord, but similarly it is erroneous to suggest that this was not—if we might resort to religious terminology—the â€Å"prime mover.† Charles II had spent mu ch of his life upon the continent, and was, therefore, more a continental than an Englishman. In terms of religion, particularly, his views were consummately European: cosmopolitan and decidedly Catholic.

Comparing Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith to Tim Burton :: Compare Contrast Comparison

Comparing Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith to Tim Burton Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith's Baloney (HENRY P.) and Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas illustrations encourage us to see the world through a distorted lens. I would like to compare how similar but yet how different the two illustrators are in the way they show their work in a distorted view. Scieszka and Smith have made Henry P. a different kind of sci-fi adventure of a boy explaining to his teacher why he was late to school. Smith has detailed the illustrations as they follow what the text says with a distorted twist. For example, when Henry was explaining that he ended up on the planet astrosus with astro guys, Smith illustrated an astro guy with pointy eyebrows, a sharp nose, and a red spiky tongue flicking out to catch Henry in his red space suit. The astro guy is not what we expect from an alien like creature, he had an odd shaped, distinctive head that would make heads turn twice. The effect of Smith's illustrations here make us look at the world critically. Henry's red space suit makes you get a feel for his personality and makes you wonder why his story is interesting. Scieszka shows another distorted way of Henry's world of imagination, when Henry says, "I was only three seconds away from zerplatzen all over the speelplaats" (Scieszka). Smith creates this by showing the backside of Henry (focal point) falling through the red space, past the white shadowy moon. One of his silver gloves flying alone through the air by the odd, jagged, red rocks. Smith varies the in your face colors surrounding Henry to make him look like he is actually falling through space. The streaks pointing toward the center (Henry) creates a striking image by the brightness of the tones. Henry said, "I suddenly remembered...that falling bodies obey the law of gravity. And I haven't learned the law of gravity yet. So I stopped and came to szkola" (Scieszka). Smith does not let him stall in space, he has him floating in the red sky among the orange-whitish clouds with sparkles in his eyes. The green of Henry's body and clothes contrasts with the red/orange and makes him the focus of the page. The illustrations do not pay attention to gravity by being off balance. Smith has made this story colorful and exciting through his illustrations.

Cultural impact of Macdonalds Essay

McDonald is more than a restaurant; it had known to be a prominent symbol of American standard in fast food industries. And for this company to penetrate the Arab market where they’re a huge gap in cultures, it must have to do some necessary adjustments. Even though McDonald have a strong value of its name as a brand, it wont be easy to for a foreign company to gain the confidence of a country with a strong different believe and well established culture. You see not the all restaurant could sell their products in Middle East because of this situation. It is this culture of Middle East people that had set standard and limitation of what to eat and not. Arab people are very strict when it comes to this matter and everything should be according to their laws and religion. The concept of selling product exclusively for a particular region is an effective way to reach out their potential market. For example, the introduction of Mcarabia sandwich in the Middle East. There are two versions of this sandwich, the McArabia Grilled Chicken and Grilled Kofta, which is both, prepared only using ingredients that are acceptable with the Arab Religion. This is very important part of reaching out the Arab market. Just by naming it as â€Å"McArabia† makes the Arab people feel how they are being valued by McDonald restaurant. It reflects the sincere commitments of McDonalds to reach out the market of the gulf regions. Thus, it gained a warm acceptance with Arab market and it has shown with record of successful sales of the company. With the success of McDonald, it brought out a new interest to its Arab Market. It taught its customers how they could they could enjoy American products and still stick with their culture. However, this leads to into some modernization, which I believe is now acceptable with Arab leaders. For as long as there religion is always on top of consideration, changes are welcome to Arab market. Maybe this is the reason why there’s a lot establishment and products being produce in accordance with the â€Å"hajal† standard.a