Is The American Dream True - 1690 Words

â€Å"Is the American Dream true?†, is what I say asked my freshmen year of high school. I obviously said yes being the naà ¯ve, inexperienced human being. I am a Hispanic, middle class, nineteen-year-old woman in college. This wouldn’t have been possible years ago because of society! Even today, I am beating the odds. Most Americans didn’t have the chances I did because of the unfair role the society takes on class, race, and gender. Just from taking this class, Sociological Imagination, for a few weeks now has opened my mind up to a bunch of questions but mainly, why? Why society have to be the way it is? We are all humans and nothing is different other than race, gender, and social status. Sociological Imagination is the quality of mind, the†¦show more content†¦Forty-five percent of Americans are middle class. Thirty percent of Americans are working class. Fifth-teen percent of Americans are poor† (Butler-Sweet, September 7). With that being s aid how many Americans can say that they can live comfortably? Roughly around 50 to 55 percent can! Class can also tell a lot about what kind of community you grew up on. Take Fairfield, Connecticut for instants; around sixty-two percent are middle class to upper middle class. They have safe neighborhoods, public safety, access to healthy food and top-notch education. Then not too far from Sacred Heart University, there is Bridgeport. In a WTNH News 8 video, High Poverty Rate in Bridgeport, they stated that twenty-eight thousand citizens the percentage of children living in poverty is forty-eight percent as in the year 2012. One in three kids living in the city is below the poverty line, thirty-nine percent of kids! A few weeks ago, I took part in Community Connections, one of the pre-fall programs that Sacred Heart offers to all incoming freshmen by application. During this five-day week, we did twenty hours of community service around Bridgeport, where we helped out in food pantri es, daycares, habitat for humanity, gardens, disability rehab and gave school supplies to children who can’t afford it. One moment stuck out to me the most and still makes me tear up, is when a little girl I got to talk to from a soup kitchen asked me why she wasn’t born white andShow MoreRelatedKool Aid : An Example Of The American Dream Coming True1193 Words   |  5 Pagesmarketing strategies from Kool-Aid. The report wants to prove that Kool-Aid is a competitor with many marketing strategies to catch different types of public and social behaviors. Introduction Kool Aid history is an example of the American dream coming true. Kool Aid was developed by Edwin Perkins, a chemist who was the head of the Perkins company in 1927, in Hastings, Nebraska. Edwin Perkins was born in Iowa on January 8 in 1889, he also was the oldest son. When Perkins family moved toRead MoreI Have A Dream By Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.1102 Words   |  5 Pagesof America yet as African Americans we have been unable to embrace this concept without severe punishment. From being sprayed with high powered water hoses to being brutally beaten by those that are supposed to protect and serve. In the speech, I Have A Dream by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., he elaborates on the fight African Americans have endured and sets the path for freedom and equality while We Shall Overcome by L.B Johnson speaks on providing equality for all Americans. According to Dr. MartinRead MoreThe Failure Of The American Dream1092 Words   |  5 Pages The Unavoidable Failure of the American Dream When times are hard many resort to dreaming about their perfect image of what life can be. Their dream will be unattainable because life is never perfect. The American Dream is an idea many thought about during the Great Depression because times were harder for the average working American. The Great Depression occurred during the 1930s when the economy collapsed and eventually one out of four people became unemployed. The Dust Bowl added to the stressRead MoreThe Great Gatsby Essay—Failure of the American Dream1269 Words   |  6 PagesThe novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is about the American Dream, an idealistic and illusionary goal to achieve wealth and status. The ruthless pursuit of wealth leads to the corruption of human nature and moral values. Fitzgerald uses characters in the novel to show the corruptions and the illusionary nature of the American Dream. The superficial achievement of the American Dreams give no fulfillment, no real joy and pea ce; but instead, creates lots of problems for the charactersRead MoreThe Great Gatsby American Dream Essay1030 Words   |  5 PagesThe American Dream and â€Å"The Great Gatsby† The American Dream can be described as someone starting at the bottom of the social or economic ladder and working hard towards prosperity, wealth and fame. By having money, a car, a big house, nice clothes and a happy family symbolizes the true American dream. This dream also represents that people, no matter who he or she is, can become successful in life by his or her own work. The majority of people pursue the American Dream for themselves, their familiesRead MoreEssay On The American Dream In The Great Gatsby954 Words   |  4 PagesGatsby changed Nick’s mind on the American dream and what it really is.Nick’s original thoughts on the American dream â€Å"...become again that most limited of all specialists, the ‘well-rounded man.’†(Fitzgerald 6),were much like his families in the beginning.Later after the events in his time with Gatsby Nick sees the error of his ways and returns to the Midwest giving up on his bond market dream.†Ga tsby was never in it for the money and this revelation eventually caused Nick to give up his questRead MoreThe Dream Of The American Dream1023 Words   |  5 PagesThe American Dream can be described as someone starting at the bottom of the social or economic ladder and working hard towards prosperity, wealth and fame. By having money, a car, a big house, nice clothes and a happy family symbolizes the true American dream. This dream also represents that people, no matter who he or she is, can become successful in life by his or her own work. The majority of people pursue the American Dream for themselves, their families and their legacy. Several years ago theRead MoreFalse Deception In The Great Gatsby1739 Words   |  7 Pagesthat they are convinced into a state of false consciousness of reaching the American dream, ultimately, this facade leads them to their downfall, exposing repressed reality from idealistic lies. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald utilizes symbols to de scribe the hollow nature of each character’s deceitful persona, which comes to show the ultimate theme of downfall through the individual’s perception of the American dream. The use of gold as a mask for the colour yellow represents authentic wealthRead MoreJohn Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men962 Words   |  4 PagesThe definition of the American dream is the ideal that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity and the freedom to achieve the ideals of opportunity for prosperity and success, and an upward social mobility for the family and children, achieved through hard work in a society with few barriers. Some believe the American dream is possible, others believe it is not, but John Ernst Steinbeck, Jr saw that during the great depression that the American people had placed their trust into their governmentRead MoreThe Great Gatsby EssayÂâ€"Failure of the American Dream1258 Words   |  6 PagesThe novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is about the American Dream, an idealistic and illusionary goal to achieve wealth and status. The ruthless pursuit of wealth leads to the corruption of human nature and moral values. Fitzgerald uses characters in the novel to show the corruptions and the illusionary nature of the American Dream. The superficial achievement of the American Dreams give no fulfillment, no real joy and peace; but instead, creates lots of problems for the characters

The Truth about Video Games and Violent Children - 1222 Words

Violent video games are not training kids to be murderers. The video game industries have been called against and blamed for making kids more aggressive and violent for years. Although recent studies show that violent video games have been useful for kids to get their anger out. Only some kids were found to be aggressive after violent video game play, but they had three specific traits that lead to this aggressive behavior (â€Å"Violent...). Not all kids are affected by violent video games, but people do not know this so they continue to blame video games for their kids bad behaviors. Aggressive behaviors do not come from video games, they come from the environment that the kids grew up around (â€Å"Do†¦). Ever since video games were†¦show more content†¦The kids that played the violent video games showed more aggression, but that does not mean they are violent (Etchells). The kids are given more freedom and control in the games, so when they are not playing they just have extra energy that can be seen in their emotions commonly (â€Å"Do†¦). Video games help kids regulate their emotions, serving as an emotional outlet that children could plug into and release their emotions easily (â€Å"Do†¦). Children with mental health issues are also not affected by violent video games as proven in a study by Dr. Ferguson (Patterson). Dr. Ferguson states â€Å" We found no evidence that violent video games increase bulying or delequent behavior among vulnerable youth with clinically elevated mental health symptoms.† (Patterson). Doctor Ferguson went on to describe it as a â€Å"cathartic effect† because the children that showed aggression became calmer after the trials (Patterson). In a survey of it was discovered that 97% of all teens play or have played video games only 66% of the action games they play contain violence (â€Å"Violent). Parents were asked if they saw a difference in their childs behavior and 62% exclaimed they saw no change (â€Å"Violent). Video game players understand they are playing in a game and haveShow MoreRelatedViolent Video Games in the Twenty-First Century: The Truth Essay1649 Words   |  7 Pageshalf-truth. The nation would come to see a cause for teen violence where there was none. Fear, in this case, would result in one of the many half-truths that are still heavily debated to this day. Although this half-truth regards video games resulting in teenage violence, the effects of video games on children and teenagers do not generally result in future adolescent violence problems. The relation between teenage violence and violent video games covers an immense area for argument. A video game’sRead MoreMass Media And Its Effect On Children1668 Words   |  7 Pages One of the biggest change in social environments today is the advance and increase usage of mass media. The mass media parent the children of today. Consequently, radio, video games, television, movies, videos, phones, and social networks play a significant role in their upbringing. For, they assist in influencing a child’s values, beliefs, and behaviors. Children rather unconsciously heed and imitate the images exhibited, for example, in television, they learn the appropriate way to comport andRead MoreVideo Games: A Scapegoat for Youth Violence Essay examples1265 Words   |  6 Pagesbeen blaming violent forms of entertainment since colonial times. From dime novels to music, to movies to television shows. The most recent medium are video games. Aided by crime-saturated news reports, a lot of people are convinced that video game violence transfers to real-life youth crimes like the school massacres. They think that violent video games make people violent, but that is not the case. Violent people play violent video games. Not everyone who plays video games are violent, but thoseRead MoreEssay Do Violent Video Games Cause Bad Behavior?1373 Words   |  6 PagesEver since the video game was invented many years ago, violent, bloody games have existed also. Some include killing zombies, shooting people, and fighting that ends in either someone dying or being hurt. The outcome remains the same, and a select few continue to live out these games throughout their daily life. These games can sometimes cause people to become angry. Although, some video games may have a negative effect on some people’s lives, other reasons such as their home life can be a factorRead MoreVideo Game Violence Essay1280 Words   |  6 PagesVideo Game Violence Concerns about the effect of media violence on children extends back at least to the beginning of the mass media, with the issue raised with reference to films, radio, television, comic books, and so on. As technology brings new types of media to the fore, the issue shifts to depictions of violence in these new media. Both popular sources and scholarly address this issue, asking in effect how violent video games change children’s behavior and make them more violent, assumingRead MoreThe Negative Effects Of Violence In Video Games1145 Words   |  5 PagesSince the beginning of the video game industry, violence has been a huge factor in the entertainment aspect. Even the more subtle, friendly games like Super Mario Bros. are full of underlying violence such as having to kill small and sometimes large creatures to advance the game. The most popular games among children and teens today happen to be the more gory, dark, and killing heavy games. These games almost always have ve ry toxic communities full of people who love to scream at other players forRead MoreDo Video Games Cause Bad Behavior Essay1395 Words   |  6 Pageswhether violent video games cause bad behavior. This topic has been researched for almost 30 years and there are still major opinion differences. Many psychologists say violent video games do cause bad behavior, and claim that games such as Manhunt, Grand Theft Auto, and Modern Warfare, desensitize people to violence, making it a norm in society. Others disagree, claiming that these games, although they can be very violent, can help people develop critical thinking skills. (Nonviolent video games areRead MoreIncreased Violence of Video Games Players Essay932 Words   |  4 Pagesmassacred hordes of zombies. Then, the video game is switched off and life resumes as normal. I have never felt compelled to re-enact any of these situations in real life after playing. This is also common place for millions of other video game players all ar ound the world. Yet, still the media continue to demonise video games and use it as an excuse for the man made tragedies that happen. People have to start realising the hysteria the media generates by using video games as a scapegoat is a ploy to sellRead MoreEssay on Video Game Violence1599 Words   |  7 Pagesimmoral for children to take part in. However, a child making a character in a video game ruthlessly rape, beat, and kill another character has been deemed acceptable as long as said child is of a certain age. Video games are prominent in everyday life. Children as young as two are starting off playing basic video games to learn their ABC’s and 123’s. The problem is as children get older they are influenced by the video games they play and most of the video games in today’s society are violent and goryRead MoreViolent Video Games Cause Aggression in Violent Video Games Cause Aggression in Children and Should Be Regulated1316 Words   |  6 PagesVideo games have become such a huge popular form of media as they are enjoyed by every people from all age. They can be seen as indispensable sources of entertainment for kids and teenagers, serve as the relaxing and joyful time after working hard. However, why does video game become such a controversial thing and why have many scholars begun to study both the negative and positive side of video games, especially violent video games? After a long time of studying overall the controversy, many scholars

No Country Should Intervene in the Affairs of Another Free Essays

‘The perils of indifference’ was what famous Hebrew Journalist, Idle Wiser, said to describe the blatant lack of regard states had for the ways Jews were treated all across the world. Discrimination, ethnic cleansing and purges were Just a few of the atrocities that they were subject to and yet little was done to assist them. This reaffirms the need for countries to intervene in the affairs of another, in terms of economic, political or social instability, because states are not always capable of making the right decisions to maximize the welfare of the society. We will write a custom essay sample on No Country Should Intervene in the Affairs of Another or any similar topic only for you Order Now Indeed there are asses where external intervention is unjustified, especially when global or regional powers try to exert their influence over another country. However, it is not right to assert that ‘No country should intervene in the affairs of another’ as it gives too much power to individual governments. Instead, mediated intervention should be used to ensure that countries are kept in check. The common argument to Justify the stand for ‘No external intervention’ is that of sovereignty, where the basic integrity of the state should be respected. This has been encoded in the United Nations charter, as well as that of the SEAN as a basic deadline to govern state relationships with one another. It has been frequently invoked by countries, such as the Soviet Union and China in the Korean War and even Indian, in the on-going dispute with Pakistan over Kashmir. While it is important to acknowledge the view that as the government, they need to exercise their political will and have the right to exert their influence without any interference, we need to realize that this monopoly of power might not be healthy for countries, Case in point, India, who has utilized brutal methods in dumping down on the Kashmir insurgents ND have committed an overwhelming number of human rights violations since the outbreak in 1989, over a territory that has not officially been recognized as theirs. In this case it is not right to allow India to invoke the rule of sovereignty as a meaner to justify their actions for it would allow the continuation of such actions towards the Kashmir, to render conflict even more intractable, rendering the argument for sovereignty limited as it should not absolve them of such actions. ‘The Great Satan’, as the Islamic fundamentalists often describe the Americans would be another case to support this rule of non-intervention. This occurs when regional powers or international superpowers attempt to exert their influence on another country through state intervention. There were many blatant incidents of this, especially during the Cold War era. The USA ; in trying to counter the Soviet communist influence, funded Islamic extremist rebels and provided then with huge amounts of arms and today, these fundamentalists constitute the Unexamined, a transnational terrorist organization. Egypt, in trying to assert its regional leadership as the forefront of Pan-Rabbis, encouraged the Yon-Kipper war on Israel that instead had devastating impacts on the Arabs and the worldwide economies through oil crisis of 1973 that saw oil prices spike from $2. 50 per barrel to $12 per barrel. The list goes on and on with conflicts from Somalia, to Vietnam and even Shove. On of malfeasances and committing of arms should under no circumstances, be allowed. Indeed the pursuit of interests might not always harm countries, as in the case of Japan and Western Europe, whose economies were rejuvenated by western intervention, but these are the anomalies. Too often we see that states descend into rather chaos due to the polarities nature of intervention to pursue one’s interests, which then highlight the dangerous potential that intervention in another’s country has on society. However, these cases in which authoritarian regimes attempt to consolidate control, or governments that resort to committing atrocities to pursue their interests within the country. For example, the conflict in Syria has blown up in present day, where hundreds are killed every day by Sad, who is trying to re-assert his control in a climate of growing dissent. Human atrocities are also not limited to the ways in which countries try to assert control, but in the practices carried out as well. For example, in Afghanistan, woman are often abused ad have strict laws imposed on them, such that if they are seen in public without the permission of their husband, they could be subject to ‘acid attacks’, or have their body part mutilated. Under such circumstances, it would be undesirable to continue to persuade the power of such merciless regimes Just because ‘one should respect the territorial borders of another country. This is evident in the amount if progress that has been made around the world with regard to the atrocities being committed. In the Middle East, the interference of human rights groups have helped woman earn greater rights and in 201 5, some states have allowed women to take part in local elections. External intervention has also helped in the acquisition of independence from regimes that attempt to clamp down on the dissidents without giving them equal rights. In East Timer, the Indonesian government had tried to gain control over the territory and utilized force to dent the locals any chance of freedom. However, through UN intervention through the MUTANT and economic sanctions, East Timer was able to reek free from Indonesia and gain independence in 2002. These happenings definitely provide impetus for us to accept external intervention when we know that governments are carrying out blatant human rights violations and should be limited so as to prevent the perpetuation of such atrocities. International intervention could also be important in providing the necessary humanitarian and economic aid to countries that require help, Many countries, especially the third world, are recipients if aid from international organizations, such as the I-IN, or the Red Cross. These occur when countries are plagued by unfavorable conditions for economic growth, such as natural disasters that wreck crops and homes. Here, governments are incapable of promoting the appropriate conditions to secure the welfare of their states and in recognizing such dismal conditions, international organizations and countries extend their capacity it assist these states to promote development. This was seen clearly in the tsunamis that wrecked Thailand coastal areas in the 2004 and also in the Hurricane Strain that killed many and destroyed infrastructure in New Orleans, which sea the timely espouse if the World Red Cross in providing humanitarian aid for reconstruction. Then again, detractors argue that doing so would not benefit the economy because it aid. However, I contend that such a counter is limited by the fact that these are wrecked economies that need recovery before they can go on such pursuit for growth. Moreover, there are programmer that help to ensure self-sustenance in countries through aid. In example, the UN Work for food’ programmer in Ethiopia, is a programmer that encourages the villagers to work build infrastructure beneficial to their society like houses in exchange for food to feed their families. Theses have the two-pronged effect of providing aid and infrastructure, while ensuring that an over- reliance is not developed. There are also critics that argue that such intervention could compel state sot impose stricter measure and refuse the aid. However, I think that the focus should be on making such states accept the aid, as opposed to chiding external intervention. Thus was evident in the Congo crisis, in which the Strangest secessionists under Toothsome refused UN aid, but after talks with the Secretary General, aid was quickly secured and eventually, the situation stabilized. Thus this enforced the idea that external intervention can also make up for what the government in not able to provide for its people. Lastly, external intervention could also be useful in states marred with civil disorder, such that control is no longer within the hands of the government. In such cases, external intervention could be useful in helping to reach a compromise between the rivaling factions so that stability can be re-established into the state. The necessity for such intervention was highlighted in Somalia, in which rivaling factions caused the country to descend into a period and chaos and disorder. In Somalia, the government was incapable and asserting its influence and when they were overthrown, civil in fighting rendered help necessary. This once again highlights that in cases that are beyond government control, external intervention should be a tool to engender a climate of stability so that peace and progress can be pursued. Some may argue that civilians are not always receptive to external intervention ad hence, external intervention and hence, external intervention could be redundant and instead, detrimental to those countries kind enough to extend aid and troops. However, I blame this reluctance on the fact that the notion of ‘non-intervention’ is constantly emphasized, denying any legitimacy to bodies that attempt to help countered in need. Psychologically, the idea of non-intervention leads the majority of them believe that no mandate, regardless of who issued it, is capable of preventing them from pursuing matters that pertain into one that has impartial, peace-bringing peace-bringing connotations, I trust a much greater degree of confidence, I trust that a much greater degree of confidence will allow constructive aid to be delivered to countries that require it. Frequent and informal diplomacy’ as advocated by proponents of SEAN in building trust and confidence between stated to help dissolve the myriad of interstate tensions. That should be the key adopted to allow us to break away from the notion that one’s integrity is violated through external intervention. By establishing and ensuring the impartiality of intervention and governing the usage of aid extended, I am confident that the negative effects of external intervention can be mitigated. By establishing and enforcing norms that are able to ensure monitored not tolerated, intervention will become a helpful vehicle to drive towards the plopped global society that many are after. Therefore, I conclude that the notion that ‘No country should intervene in the affair of another’ should be an invalid one and I strongly disagree with such an absolute. External intervention can be a very useful tool to help society attain its political, social and economic goals of stability. Even when considering the negative effects of intervention, it would be more accurate to modify the hypothesis to assert that ‘No state that pursues its vested interests in a destructive, blatant manner should be allowed to intervene in the affairs of another’. Hence, I disagree with the statement. How to cite No Country Should Intervene in the Affairs of Another, Papers

Business Strategy of Skoda-Free-Samples-Myassignmenthelp.com

Questions: 1.What was the key weakness that koda was able to Identify? 2.What strength did koda use to turn its brand weakness into an Opportunity? 3.How has koda strategically addressed external threats? 4.Produce a SWOT analysis for koda. 5.What in your view are the important benefits of using a SWOT analysis? Answers: 1.Weakness of Skoda First of all, it is observed that Skoda has very low market share i.e. 1.7% market share. Because of small market share, the company was the small player in the car industry. Along with this, the weakness of the Skoda was that the company had out-dated perception of brand. In the past, the company had bad perception in terms of poor vehicle quality, designs, materials and assembly. There was high maintenance cost in the company. The company had poor brand image among the customers and that was affecting the growth and success of the company in the market. With this, the poor perception of the company also affected the owners of Skoda. Apart from this, in the company there was the work inefficiency and that was the main weakness of Skoda. Weak supply chain of Skoda was also the weakness which was affecting the brand image of the company in the market (Parkin et al, 2015). 2.Opportunity of Skoda From the weaknesses and the perceptions of the customers towards the car products, Skoda has analyzed that there is the need to improve the brand image in the market. For this manner, it was important for the company to understand the requirements and expectations of the customers for the products. The company realized that by understanding the expectations of the customers, their negative perception can be changed. So, the company used its strengths to turn the weaknesses into opportunities. The company used its strength of gathering valuable customers feedback to understand their thinking. After that, Skoda focused on this strength and put the cars in the market according to the customers demands. Basically, Skoda noticed the marketing approaches of the competitors which are focused on the product itself. So, the company focused on providing the driving experience to the customers. Along with this, the company discovered that the customers loved their cares as compared to the compe titors in the car industry. So, company differentiated its product range and developed the strategy to improve the brand and take benefit of the opportunities in the market. Company focused on the Happy Skoda Customers as an opportunity to strengthen the brand for the competition. That was the unique selling proposition of the Skoda in the car industry to acquire the customers. This practice enhanced the experience of the customers in terms of the products in the market and turned the weakness of the company into opportunities (Jobber, 2006). 3.Strategy to address the threats There were many threats for the Skoda in the car industry i.e. there are around 50 different car markers in the UK car makers which are selling more than 200 models. So, it is the threat for Skoda to maintain its strong position in the market. So, there is the need to provide strong and powerful message by the company for the customers to deal with the competitive environment. Along with this, there was the need of strong product range in Skoda to compete in the international market. So, Skoda adopted some innovative strategies to address the external threats in the market. The company adopted recycling process in its business operations. It is clear that the customers had negative perception towards the cars of the company due to the low quality material. So, the company used recycling process as much as it can to make the products better for the customers. Further, the company focused on the corporate social responsibility. For this manner, Skoda is using environmental friendly machinery for the production purpose because the customers are now more concerned about the environment and the community in which they are living (Generals, Partner and Nairn, 2011). Further, the strategy of the company is to design such cares which can cut down on fuel consumption. This will provide good experience of driving to the customers. At last, the company has strategy to design the cars having low noise and better sound to give better experience to the customers. This strategy would be helpful for the company to enhance the customer base in the market. 4.SWOT analysis for Skoda After the above discussion, it is clear that Skoda is trying to improve its brand image among the customers by providing quality products. Further, The SWOT analysis for the Skoda is as follows: Strength- 100-year history as the vehicle manufacturer, Availability of Highly skilled workforce, Availability of largest employees, Synergy with other products, Focused on the research and development of new products, and Having strong reputation. Weakness Perception of past i.e. Skoda produces low quality products, Low wages rates for workers and it is growing unrest among them, and Outdated infrastructure Opportunities Growing the market of Automobile in the China, Africa, India and Eastern Europe, Probability of moving manufacturing and new plants into low cost countries, and Beneficial for those companies using alternative fuels Threats Competitive environment in the international market, Declining sales in the Eastern Europe countries, High wages rates in the other countries which is the threat for remaining competitive, and Increased availability of used vehicles in the Eastern Europe countries (Holweg, 2009). 5.benefits of using SWOT analysis There are most of the benefits of using SWOT analysis in a company. The SWOT analysis is useful in identifying the weakness and threats of the company along with its opportunities and strengths. The information gathered from the SWOT analysis can be utilized by the organizations for identifying their positions in the market. By the SWOT analysis, the companies are able to plan the course of actions effectively to meet the goals and objectives of the business. In case of Skoda, by the SWOT analysis, the company was able to identify its weaknesses in the business operations and it developed effective strategies to utilize the opportunities in the market (Kotler, 2012). Basically, SWOT analysis is the best way to organization the information of the company in the operating market. It shows the external and internal position of the company i.e. what the company is doing correct what is doing incorrect. After that, the company can act accordingly in the market. SWOT analysis provides a look to the managers for the future opportunities and potential threats (Valkanos and Anastasiou, 2009). References Generals, Lucky. Partner, Founding and Nairn, Andy. Effective marketing strategies for automotive campaigns. 2011. Web. 18 June 2017 Holweg, Matthias. The Competitive Status of theUK Automotive Industry. (2009). Web. 18 June 2017 Jobber. Principles and Practice of Marketing. (5th). 389. 2006 Kotler, Philip. Principles of Marketing. (11th). Prentice Hall. 2012 Parkin, Rich et al. The future of the U.K. used car market: Trends and opportunities. 2015. Web. 18 June 2017 Valkanos, Efthymios and Anastasiou, Adamos. The importance of SWOT Analysis for educational units that belong to the field of Vocational Education and Training. September 2009

Allomorph Word Forms and Sounds

Allomorph Word Forms and Sounds In phonology, an allomorph is a variant form of a morpheme. (A morpheme is the smallest unit of a language.) For example, the plural in English has three different morphs, making plural an allomorph, because there are alternatives. Not all plurals are formed in the same way; theyre made in English with three different morphs: /s/, /z/, and  [É™z], as in kicks, cats, and sizes, respectively.   For example, when we find a group of different  morphs, all versions of one morpheme, we can use the prefix  allo-  ( one of a closely related set) and describe them as allomorphs of that morpheme. Take the morpheme plural. Note that it can be attached to a number of lexical morphemes to produce structures like cat   plural, bus   plural, sheep   plural, and man   plural. In each of these examples, the actual forms of the morphs that result from the morpheme plural are different. Yet they are all allomorphs of the one morpheme. So, in addition to /s/ and /É™z/, another allomorph of plural in English seems to be a zero-morph because the plural form of  sheep  is actually sheep   ∅. When we look at man   plural, we have a vowel change in the word...as the morph that produces the irregular plural form  men. (George Yule, The Study of Language, 4th ed. Cambridge University Press, 2010) Past Tense Allomorphs Past tense is another morpheme that has multiple morphs and is thus an allomorph. When you form the past tense, you add the sounds /t/, /d/, and /É™d/ to words to put them in past tense, such as in talked, grabbed, and wanted, respectively. Completely arbitrary allomorphs, such as English  went  (go  Ã‚  past tense), are relatively rare in the  lexicon, and occur almost exclusively with a few very frequent words. This unpredictable kind of allomorphy is called  suppletion. (Paul Georg Meyer, Synchronic English Linguistics: An Introduction, 3rd ed. Gunter Narr Verlag, 2005) Pronunciation Can Change Depending on the context, allomorphs can vary in shape and pronunciation without changing meaning, and the formal relation between phonological allomorphs is called an  alternation.  [A]n underlying morpheme can have multiple surface level allomorphs (recall that the prefix allo means other). That is, what we think of as a single unit (a single morpheme) can actually have more than one  pronunciation  (multiple allomorphs)...We can use the following analogy:  phoneme:  allophone   morpheme: allomorph. (Paul W. Justice, Relevant Linguistics: An Introduction to the Structure and Use of English for Teachers, 2nd ed. CSLI, 2004) For example, [t]he  indefinite article  is a good example of a morpheme with more than one allomorph. It is  realized  by the two forms  a  and  an. The sound at the beginning of the following word determines the allomorph that is selected. If the word following the indefinite article begins with a  consonant, the allomorph  a  is selected, but if it begins with a  vowel  the allomorph  an  is used instead... [A]llomorphs of a morpheme are in  complementary distribution. This means that they cannot substitute for each other. Hence, we cannot replace one allomorph of a morpheme by another allomorph of that morpheme and change meaning. (Francis Katamba, English Words: Structure, History, Usage, 2nd ed. Routledge, 2004) More on the Term Itself   The terms adjectival use is  allomorphic. Its etymology derives from the Greek,  Ã‚  other form.

The Old Man and the Sea1 essays

The Old Man and the Sea1 essays In The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway there are two characters who have a great friendship, the old man and the young boy. The old man has been fishing for many years and for the last eighty-four days has not caught a fish. Now the boy who looks up to him is not allowed to fish with him anymore. This boy looks up to the old man as a hero because the old man shows courage, perseverance, and respect. The old man shows courage just by going out all alone everyday and still fishing at his age. Although he showed the most courage when he had to fight the big fish. He could have let the fish go, by cutting the line, but instead the old man was willing to die trying to catch it. He had seen many that weighed more than a thousand pounds... Now alone, and out of sight, he was fast to the biggest fish that he had ever seen and bigger than he had heard of (pg 63) Yet he didnt fear the fish because he knew that if he fought the fish wisely he could beat it. However, if he lost his courage, then he would be done for and would never see the fish again. Not only does the old man show courage but he also shows perseverance. This man went eighty-four days without catching a fish. Yet he woke up every morning, way before dawn and get ready for a day of fishing. He knew that if he stuck with it, then his perseverance would pay off in the long run. Ever as hes fighting the fish he shows perseverance. Fish he said softly, aloud Ill stay with you until I die(52) This shows that he was in for the fight of his life and that he was willing for his life to end before giving up. And in the end his perseverance pays off and he finally gets the fish to the boat. The boy also looks up to the old man because of the old mans respect. He has respect for everything and everyone. He respects the boy by treating him like a son, the fish by realizing the beauty of it, and him self by no...

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Discussion Board 4-1 - Assignment Example Working with a client suffering from learned helplessness can prove to be very challenging and unworkable (Ungar, 2011). Special techniques and approaches have to the present and innovated to help tackle the complex counseling environment usually presented by learned helplessness. One of challenges working with a client suffering from learned helplessness is that they are also reluctant to take advice and counseling. This makes it difficult for counselors to succeed in engaging the clients in negotiation and navigation. Dully, a counselor fails to understand or know about the problems of clients. Another common challenge encountered when working with clients suffering from learned helpless relates to the difficulty to accept changes (Ungar, 2011). Victims of learned helplessness tend to be contented with the little they usually have as well as their contemporary conditions that, however, suffocates them. Counselors may struggle and apply many strategies, but fail to persuade individuals with the condition to adopt normal lifestyle. At sometimes, a counselor may consider transferring a client from one region where abuse erupts to a calm place designated for recovery alone (Ungar, 2011). The clients set to gain such favors may resist and insist on staying in th e same condition for a longer time. Some battered women have refused attempts by law enforcing officers and counselors intending provide them with alternative shelter, or arrest batterers after long time of enduring

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Oil Exploration And Production Companies Management Essay

Oil Exploration And Production Companies Management Essay The oilfield service industry is a sector which mainly provides services to the oil exploration and production companies. Schlumberger is the leading name in the oilfield servicing market which has lots of stake in the highly competitive market environment of the Middle East. This report is basically an in depth understanding about the behavior and performance of Schlumberger in the highly competitive environment. The initial analysis of the report would focus on the qualitative aspects of the oil field service industry. It would provide an overview of about the current trends prevailing in the industry which would help in getting a better understanding about the issues and the current matters taking place. It would provide an in-depth analysis of how the oil and gas prices are affected by the demand in industry. In order to run a successful business, every company should have a competitive advantage in the market. This aspect would be analyzed through Porters five force model, which will identify the sources of competitive forces Schlumberger would face in the market in the future. The later part of the analysis would focus on the strategic approach of Schlumberger and the positioning of the company in the market with regards to its competitors which are Halliburton, Baker Hughes and Weatherford. The strategic approach identification of each company and the market position would be done by utilizing Porters framework of competitive analysis and will help in analyzing the position of the companies through its competitors array. This report will provide insights into the speed with which the competitors in Middle East are able to acquire the market share and also analyze Schlumbergers value-creating strategy which would determine how long this competitive advantage will last. List of figures: Figure 1: Revenue of the Oilfield Service Industry in Billion $ Figure 2: Upstream Capital Expenditure from 2001 2013 Figure 3: Average rig Count according to Baker Hughes International Figure 4: Porters five force model Figure 5: Production of crude oil in the Middle East Figure 6: Production of natural gas in the Middle East Figure 7: Revenue of Schlumbergers competitors region-wise Figure 8: Estimated percentage of merger and acquisitions in next 2 years. List of Tables: Table 1: Baker Hughes International Rig Count displaying the active rigs. Table 2: Relation between WTI crude oil price, upstream CAPEX and avg Rig Count Table 3: Impact of each force on the oilfield service industry Table 4: Key success factors of the oilfield service industry Table 5: Global and Middle East revenues of Schlumbergers competitors in Middle East Table 6: Comparative analysis of Schlumberger and its competitors Table 7: Competitors array of Schlumberger Table 8: YTD revenue of Schlumbergers competitors Contents Introduction: The oil and gas industry seems to have recovered from the slump in 2008-09 due to the economic crisis as we can see that the oil and gas prices are rising for the past three years. The oilfield service industry which is an integral part of the petroleum industry was no exception to this phenomenon. The oilfield service industry which provides services to the exploration industries has witnessed increase in the profitable quarters over the past three years and it continues to grow despite the current Eurozone crisis and all the challenges faced by the service industry due to economic situations such as the BP Deepwater Horizon incident. Schlumberger, which is the leading oilfield service company all across the globe, enjoys a major market share over other companies and has been one of the most profitable companies amidst all these hardships. As of December 31, 2011, the company had more than 113,000 people of over 140 nationalities working in approximately 85 countries. The companys revenue touched $39.54 billion in 2011 crossing the highest revenue by any company in this sector. Schlumberger is located in various geographic areas such North America, Latin America, Middle East/Asia, Europe and Africa. In the Middle East/Asia region, Schlumberger does have a competitive advantage over others but no competitive advantage is permanent. Thus the company has to keep a constant check on its existing competitors and the new players to the oil field services industry. Given the industry context mentioned above, the main aim of this business report is to analyze the current trend in this industry and also to analyze Schlumbergers competitors in the Middle East to sustain its competitive advantage. The primary objective of this report is to ensure that Schlumberger is aware of the changes going on in the Middle East that is affecting its ongoing strategies and business plans and also to keep a close eye on its competitors new strategies and the advancements they are making. It is also to ensure that their current strategies are in line with the business environment and if not, what changes can be brought about in order to keep it at par with the other competitors within the industry. The main findings of the project will assist Schlumberger not only in maintaining their strong position within the industry, but will also help them in evaluating and forecasting about the changes in advance and develop their business plans accordingly. Chapter 1: Literature Review: Porter five forces Model: There are a number of management tools which analyze the industrys profitability despite the existing competitions and changes in the economy. This section will help us in getting an understanding about the appropriate strategies to gauge industry analysis. For getting an understanding about the proper strategic analysis of an industry, there are a few management tools and theories such as SCP Paradigm, Porter five forces model and Value Net model. The Structure Control Performance framework is derived from the Industrial Organization (IO) economics and it studies the market based on the three elements and also tries to draw a connection between them, (Fu, 2003). Mason (1939, 1949) and Bain (1951, 1956, 1959) as cited in (Goddard, Wilson and Lipcztynski, 2005, p6) had developed the SCP paradigm. It correlates the relationship between the market structure, company conduct and company performance (Ajlouni, 2010). According to this approach, the structure of a market influences the conduct of the firms operating in the market, which in turn influences the performance of those firms. (Goddard, Wilson and Lipczynski, 2005, p6). Thus the SCP paradigm analyses the industry in three steps. First, the structure analyses the basic framework of the market which is required by the company for conducting business. It involves the buyers and sellers, barriers to entry, product differentiations, vertical integration and diversifications. Second, the model analyses the behavior of the firms to get an in depth analysis about the business objectives, pricing policies, research and development, acquisitions and mergers. The third, performance describes the parameters required to measure the performance of the industry through profitability, growth and increase efficiency. The SCP Paradigm is based mainly on empirical research than on theoretical aspects and it was one of the dominant models till the early 1980s (Slade, 2003). Thus there were many criticisms about the model because of its dependence on the empirical researches and one of the main problems of the paradigm was to analyze many of the variables in each factor of the paradigm. The further growth on the Industrial Organization witnessed the introduction of Porters five forces model. One of the well-known and an important framework is Porter Five Forces Model. Porters five forces is heavily influenced by the SCP Paradigm as one the Structure of the paradigm is basically the Porter Five Forces model and the other Performance is outcome of Porters model which is the profitability (Goddard, Wilson and Lipcztynski, 2005, p16-18). Micheal E.Porter (1979) developed this model which attempts to handle the main forces which affect the industry structure. Porter five forces model tries to explain the industry structure and the competitive conditions by evaluating the following forces: the risk of new entry in the industry, the degree of rivalry among established competitors, the bargaining power of buyers and suppliers and the threat of substitute products. According to Porter, the presence of stronger forces of the model, make the business environment of the industry to be more challenging and is less attractive to the investors. On the contrary, if the forces are weak, then the companies seem to be in a more profitable condition as there would be less competition in the market. According to Kevin Coyne and Somu Subramanian (1996) as cited in The McKinsey Quarterly(2001), this model is built under three essential assumptions: Firstly, the buyers, suppliers, substitutes and competitors are not related and do not interact with each other in the industry. Secondly, more capital will be available to the companies that have a structural advantage over their competitors and potential entrants. Thirdly, there is much lower risk involvement which let the companies in the market to plan properly and prepare a strategy accordingly. According to Mintzberg (1994), Porter assumption that future of the industry can be predicted based on the present market conditions is being discarded by Mintzberg. He explains that a company cannot forecast future market conditions precisely owing to economic changes and also technological innovations. Every model has its limitations and criticisms and Porter Five forces model is no exception to it. The limitations are: Firstly, the model was based originally on the economic situation of the eighties when there was a strong competition and relatively stable market structures. Second, it does not focus on the different challenges that a company faces as it enters international arena. The challenges faced by them in other nations are extremely different in comparison to what it faces in its own nation. Third, Porter takes into consideration only the industrial factors, whereas it overlooks the company resources available to the industry without which the profitability of the industry cannot be determined. Finally, as and when the companies expand, they diversify themselves into various other markets and other regions and thus the model does not concentrate on role of expansions and various acquisitions (Parnell, 2004, p50-51). Brandenberger and Nalebuff (1985) as cited in Unknown (n.d.) too identified an important flaw in the Porter model. In the book, Coopetition (Competition + Co-operation), has been discussed but the model ignores the strategic alliance which exists between some industries and which in turn helps each other to bring out a finalized product. These are mainly known as complementors in business terminology. Thus Brandenberger and Nalebuff in addition to suppliers, consumers and competitors introduced a new force namely the complementors. This was known as Value Net. This is basically an extension of the Porters model and is known by the name of Value Net model. Porters five forces analyze what are the challenges in the face of their growth opportunities whereas Value Net model analyses threats and opportunities available to the industry (Unknown, n.d.). Porter admits that developing a strategy in a new emerging industry or in a business undergoing revolutionary technological change is a daunting proposition (Downes and Mui, 2000, p60). According to Downes and Mui, Porter explains that the new digitalized and high tech world comes with a lot of complexities and developing a full proof strategy is a daunting task and this does not mean that the old rules are invalid. But if we look around in todays work environment, we will find that every industry is heavily dependent on the new technology. Thus Downes and Mui introduced three new forces to the Porter five force model namely Digitalization, Globalization and Deregulation (Downes and Mui, 2000, p64-67). These are the driving forces which steers the modern business houses in the right direction and amongst these the most important force is Digitalization. Thus the setback with the Porters framework is the absence of the digitalization force which has revamped the industries with the introduction of modern technology. Though from the above discussion it may appear that Porter five forces is outdated as it does not consider digitalization. But if we consider both its assumptions and limitations, it is one of the effective management tools that can be used in business and can easily be understood by the managers. Porters Competitive Framework: There are different strategic frameworks available which would be helpful for doing a competitor analysis. The most prominent among them are Porters Competitive Framework and SWOT analysis. Porters Competitive Framework is a management tool which is used to analyze the industry on four basic elements namely: future goals, current strategies, assumptions and capabilities. Future goals discuss what drives the competitor, current strategy discusses what a competitor is doing or can do, assumptions focus on the supposition made by the firm about itself and the industry and capabilities discuss about the strengths and weaknesses of the firm (Porter, 1980). This is one of the most prominent frameworks but a lot of researches are based on assumptions about competitor analysis which is discussed below. A lot of scholars have defined what a competitors analysis is but the most difficult part is the evaluation of the competitor at a firm level (Tsai, Su and Chen, 2011). A number of studies have been conducted on how a competitor could be analyzed at a firm level. Porac et al, 1995 presented a cognitive model which is developed on the basis of the observation the firm makes about its competitors actions and reactions and then decide on its strategy. Also, Baum and Lant (2003) as cited in (Tsai, Su and Chen, 2011) illustrated that resemblance in geographic location, price and size are sufficient for a firm to have an idea about their competitors. Chen in 1996 gave a different perspective of competitor by introducing the two-firm concept explaining that a competitor analysis is mainly based on market commonality and resource similarity. But many researchers found the two-firm concept to be difficult to relate with the competitor analysis. Competitors analysis is necessary for every enterprise as because there may be certain gaps which the company might not foresee while making competitive decisions. Zajac and Bazerman(1991) discussed the relation between the strategic decision making process and competitive analysis and named the gap between them as competitive blind spots. They discussed how a wrong assumption by a firm about its competitor may result in blind spots. Rothschild (1979) too discussed on where the companies many miss the link and what are the questions to be posed for a proper competitor analysis. Tsai, Su and Chen, 2011 gave a different perspective with regard to the competitor analysis by introducing the concept of competitor acumen. It illustrated about the relationship between the different firms in the same industry and also the extent to which a firm can understand its competitors. Every researcher mentioned above has challenged the Porters framework but none of these have the same prominence as Porters framework. However, there exists a challenge which in the Porters framework that cannot be ignored. Porter does discuss about the fact that when a competitor analysis is done, a firm should know both its direct (current) and indirect (emerging) competitors. However, it does not discuss whether a firm should consider all its competitors or only the top three or four or just a bunch of them. Thus the firm has to analyze the industry first, identify its competitors and then go for competitor analysis (Rao, 2011). The SWOT analysis focuses on the Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threats which a firm faces and its advantages in comparison to other competitors in the marketplace. SWOT analysis has a lot of advantages, for example its framework is extremely simple which helps a firm to identify its focus and can be applied to many intelligence reports like market intelligence. The analysis has a drawback as well. It can be too private and disconnected from the realities that are impacting the company (Evans, n.d, p7). Since Strength and Weakness part is been covered in the Capabilities part of the Porters framework and Opportunities and Threats are also discussed, it is an important competitor analysis tool despites its limitation. Chapter 2: Oilfield Service (OFS) Industry and its trends: 2.1 Background of the Oil Field Service Industry The energy sector comprises of the petroleum (oil and gas industry), electric power, coal, nuclear power and the renewable energy industries. The petroleum industry plays an important role in this sector as crude oil and unconventional natural gas account for a large percentage in worlds energy consumption which is around 56% (BP, 2012). Thus, the work of the petroleum industry is primarily classified into two main activities namely- upstream and downstream activities. The upstream activities in this industry are the exploration and production activities. The exploration activities include locating of the hydrocarbon reserves, such as oil and gas reserves, which can be done through desk study, aerial survey and seismic survey. After locating the reserves, the next step is to drill the surface and pump the hydrocarbon out of the reserves. This can be done both on the onshore (water) and offshore (land) through drilling rigs. After the drilling and getting an idea about the size of the oil field, the next step would be production and development activity where the oil and gas is produced through various techniques and services. After the oil and gas has been extracted from the reservoir and brought to the surface, it is then taken to the refineries where the downstream activities begin. The downstream activities in the industry include refining and processing of the oil and gas products and then further distribution of these products through various distribution channels like the retailers, distribution companies, chemical plants etc. The important industry which supports the upstream activities is the oilfield service industry. The oilfield service industry provides equipment and services which are utilized in the exploration and extraction of the hydrocarbons mainly oil and gas. This industry is thus the backbone of the oil and natural gas industry providing various services and equipments for the proper running of the industry. (Etechinternational, n.d.) 2.2 Demand for the oilfield service industry: The demand for the oil field services industry in the market can be measured in terms of the revenue generated by the industry over the years. Given below is the revenue generated by the industry in USD billion over the years from 2007-2011 and it also states about the forecast of the industry for the next five years till 2016. (Source: MarketLine, 2012) Figure 1: Revenue of the Oilfield Service Industry in Billion $ The global revenue of the industry increased till the 2008 where it reached the highest point of USD 361.9 billion. Then there was a decrease in the revenue in 2009 to USD 256.9 billion where the revenue declined by 29.1% mainly due to the global economic and financial crisis resulting in the drop of the oil price. The WTI Crude Oil Price for past few years (refer Appendix 1) indicates that the oil price was once at its peak in 2008 at $145.16/barrel (Yahoo Charts, 2012) and then there was a sudden drop in the oil price and this price drop did sustain in the industry for quite sometime. This drop in the price of the oil led to loss of billions of dollars due to various macro and micro-economic factors in the market (Hamilton, 2009). But later on after the financial crisis, the industry started to improve its business and now since the market has been stabilized and it seems to be rising and expected to reach global revenue of $638.4 billion by 2016 (MarketLine 2012). Knowing the basics of the oilfield service industry, gives us a brief idea about the indicators which is extremely useful for understanding the growth of the industry and the factors influencing its growth. 2.2 a Upstream Capital Expenditure: The growth of the oilfield service industry also depends upon the capital expenditure of the companies in the upstream industry. The companies in the upstream industry is basically segregated into large integrated super-major oil and natural gas companies, international independent oil and natural gas companies which are also known as the International Oil Companies(IOCs), and the national or state-owned oil companies known as the National Oil companies(NOCs). Thus the upstream expenditure will result as a combination of all these three types of companies. The upstream capital expenditure appears to be rising over the past few years and is expected to be profitable over the next few years as well. The total capital expenditure was estimated to be USD 450 billion in 2011(Brown, n.d), which was at an all time high over the years and the oil field service industry seemed profitable at this juncture. The oil and gas exploration and production capital expenditure (CAPEX) for the past decade and for the next few years is shown below. (Source: Combination of WoodMackenzie Corporate Analysis Tool and Upstream Service cited in Brown,n.d and Energy Equipment and Support Services Oilfield Services Sector Report, 2010, please refer Appendix 2 and 3) Figure 2: Upstream Capital Expenditure from 2001 2013 In the above figure we see that the upstream capital expenditure does not include the exploration and appraisal spend. In this graph, we see that the expenditure was increasing until 2008, after which there was a dip in 2009 due to the global economic and financial crisis. 2.2b Rig Count: There are many indicators where the investors of oilfield service industry can gauge the growth or the demand of the industry. The upstream capital expenditure is one of the principal indicators which provide insights on how the industry is generating the revenue but the major concern with the upstream capital expenditure is that the figures are not released on a timely basis as it is shown in the quarterly or the annual report. So it is difficult to have updated information for a particular period of time like weekly or monthly about the industry. Thus, to have timely updates about the industry, another important indicator which helps the investors to know about the global demands of the industry is known as the rig count. The rig count indicates the number of rigs which are currently active in the industry and this shows the number of active rigs, and the specific areas has more demand indicating the demand for more labor. It is very easy and the quickest way for accessing the growth in the oil field service industry. It is used by many companies, analysts like for example Wall Street analysts use the rig count for profit projections from the oil field service companies (Sprehe, 2004). There are a number of rig counts available to serve the industry like the Baker Hughes, Smith Tools but the most commonly used rig count is the Baker Hughes (BHI) rig count as it is one of the oldest rig counts in the industry. Baker Hughes Rig count gives a weekly update on the North America rigs and a monthly update on the International rigs. Area Last Count Count Change from Prior Count Date of Prior Count Change from Last Year Date of Last Years Count US 17-Aug-12 1914 -17 10-Aug-12 -60 19-Aug-11 Canada 17-Aug-12 326 +27 10-Aug-12 -160 19-Aug-11 International Jul-12 1264 -21 Jun-12 +114 Jul-12 (Source: BHI Rig Count as on 20-Aug-12, Baker Hughes Investor Relations, Rig Count) Table 1: Baker Hughes International Rig Count displaying the active rigs As we see in the above table, it shows the update on the active rigs in America, Canada and in the International arena as well where we can see that the last count for the America rigs is on the 17-August 2012(weekly) whereas for International it is July 2012(monthly). This table also analyses the changes in the active rig count from the date of prior count. This table also presents before us a clear picture on how the industry has grown comparing from previous years figures (Baker Hughes Investor Relations, Rig Count, 2012). The Baker Hughes rig count measures the number of rigs which are actually being drilled at a give point of time on a weekly (North America) and monthly (rest of world) basis. This indicator also provides additional information like rig count in different states, or whether the rigs were used for drilling the oil or the natural gas from the surface. A lot of products and services are required for an active rig and thus the use of these products and services show the demand for the services provided by the oilfield service industry (Brener, 2008). An increase or decrease in the rig count also shows the fluctuations in the job market of the oilfield service industry. Increase in rig count increases the job opportunities in the oilfield. The BHI count considers the count of active rigs which means the rigs which are actually drilling holes on the land or the sea to extract the oil or the gas. Therefore, if a rig is being transferred from one location to another, or is being involved in non-drilling activities like casing or completion and production activities, then Baker Hughes does not count the rig as active, even if the activity is still being performed at the field by a number of suppliers and outworkers. Though the rig count provides us with a brief idea about the drilling activity, it does not show many other important factors. The factors which the rig count does not focus on are production activities, depth, cost and location (Brener, 2008). The chart shows the average rig count worldwide from 2000 to June 2012 and we can observe that number of rigs have been on the increasing trend apart from when there was a dip during the financial crisis which hit the industry adversely. (Source: Baker Hughes Investor relations, Rig Count 2012). Figure 3: Global average Rig Count (Oil + Gas + Misc) according to Baker Hughes International The average rig counts for 2011-present from various geographical locations is shown in Appendix 4 where we observe that North America has been leading all the way and that is where the companies generate the maximum amount of revenue. 2.2c Current Industry Trend: The trends of an industry help us to understand what are the current issues and their effect which help us to speculate the likelihood of its impact in the future. There have been many other micro and macro factors which affect the industry trends like government rules and regulations, the oil and gas demand and supply etc which ultimately are the main reasons for the fluctuations in oil and gas price. Thus the trend of the industry can be known from the fluctuations in the oil and gas prices. High prices are beneficial for the industry and vice-versa. The following table shows the relation between the WTI oil price, upstream capital spending and the rig count. Avg. oil rig count Int. N.A. Canada Avg. WTI Oil Price 2007 768 297 127 76 2008 814 379 161 87 2009 764 278 103 55 2010 825 591 199 80.5 2011 897 984 278 95.5 2012(August) 946 1344 260 93.5 (Source: Avg.WTI Crude Oil Price Average WTI crude oil price Yahoo Charts. Upstream CAPEX Combination of WoodMackenzie Corporate Analysis Tool and Upstream Service cited in Brown, n.d and Energy Equipment and Support Services Oilfield Services Sector Report, 2010, please refer Appendix 2 and 3. Average oil Rig Count Baker Hughes Investor Relations) Table 2: Relation between WTI crude oil price, upstream CAPEX and oil Rig Count The above table shows the main trends in the industry indicating that the its demand is dependent on the Upstream CAPEX and Rig count which depend on the WTI crude oil price. This shows that when crude oil price increase, there is a tendency for the investors to invest more in this industry. We see a dip in 2008 due to the economic crisis but in this year we saw that the highest price was $145.16 per barrel in July and the lowest was $30.28 per barrel in December. The average rig counts has also seen a dip during the year 2009 from 2008 indicating that there was less demand of labor during that year. Thus we can suggest that the Rig Count depends on the Investment in the Upstream Industry which in turn is dependent on various factors such as crude oil and gas price fluctuations. Having known the trend in the industry we need to analyze how a company will maintain its profitability in different economic situation which holds good for the future as well. This can be analyzed in the next chapter using the Porter Five Forces Model. Chapter 3: Porter five forces analysis: In order to know the profitability of an industry, the corporate strategists suggest using the Porter five forces model as it is the best way for anticipating the competitive environment. Porter (2008) said Understanding the competitive forces, and their underlying causes, reveals the roots of an industrys current profitability while providing a framework for anticipating and influencing competition (and profitability) over time. The Porter 5 forces are: Rivalry among existing customers, Threats of substitutes, Power of suppliers, Power of buyers and Threats of new entrants. The impact of the forces on this industry is shown in the following table: Forces Impact Rivalry among the existing competitors HIGH Power of Suppliers MODERATE Threat of Substitutes LOW Power of Buyers HIGH Threat of New Entrants LOW Table 3: Impact of each force on the oilfield service industry (Source: 12manage, n.d.) Figure 4: Porters five force model 3. a Threat of new entrants: If we consider this particular industry, then one thing that is pretty clear is that the competitors have been operating in this sector for many years and giving them a tough challenge is not an easy task. An ideal new entrant tries to enter and capture the market share and put pressure on the competitors directly by applying new technology and new ideas. The impact of the new entrants in the oilfield service industry is low. The presence of

The Right Stuff :: Essays Papers

The Right Stuff In the past couple of semesters the topic of expatriates has come up a lot. I’m beginning to see that’s it’s an important issues since we now live in a global market. I do believe that if your successful in your career the likely hood of receiving an expatriate assignment is high. The Houston Business Journal conducted a survey of one hundred companies and sixty percent predict that the expatriate population will increase, while twenty-five percent said it will stay the same (HBJ, June 98). Since the probability is high that I will be asked to go to another country, I’ve had to do some serious reflecting. Would I be a good expatriate employee? There are qualities one must have in order to become a successful expatriate. According to Jeff Freeburg a consultant for H.R. International certain qualities one should have are motivation, receptiveness, Patience, sense of humor, initiative, confidence, dependable, savvy, persistent and decisive (Freeburg 99 ). I feel that I do have most of these qualities but is that enough? I am fortunate that I’m able to speak Spanish fluently, I can also read and write it. It was easy for me to pick up different languages since I’m a first generation U.S. citizen; I grew up with my family members speaking both languages to me. Because of that exposure I have the desire to learn other languages, I can read French and hope to learn Italian and Japanese if time allows me to. Even though I speak a different language I have never left the states to visit other countries either for personal or business reasons. Shannon Roxborough author of The Guide to International Work Success lists other important things one must do before venturing abroad. An expatriate should learn some history in order to deal better with the cultural differences. Learn the business culture, as we have read in the case study of Buckeye Glass Company in China, we have learned the importance other cultures place on building a personal relationship that goes beyond the normal business relations in this county. Learn how to negotiate, American business professional must learn how to conduct proper negotiations in other countries, not every one rushes to the table to hammer out an agreement. Also as we’ve read other countries use tactics such as long pauses or touching during negotiations that seem strange to us but are perfectly normal for them.