Analysis Into the Vertical Integration Across the Value Chain of Sony Essay Example

Analysis Into the Vertical Integration Across the Value Chain of Sony Paper â€Å"The greater a firm? s ownership extends over successive stages of the value chain for its product, the greater the degree of vertical integration† (Grant, 2010, pp354). The consumer electronics industry value chain is depicted below: Thus a firm can be said to be vertically integrated if it owns and operates each of these stages of the value chain. The consumer electronics industry has many players who produce goods for purposes such as entertainment, communication and work. There are many determinants of success, including technical innovation, price competitiveness and brand awareness. The degree of integration in the value chain can influence success within the industry. Examples of firms who manage the value chain differently include Apple, who integrates their product design and retailing, but outsources the manufacturing assembly of their products, whereas Dell keeps its product design and assembly in-house, whilst using market contracts for component manufacturing and retailing. This report focuses on the consumer electronics division of Sony, a well-known brand in the industry, whose five different stages of the value chain (same as above chart) is analysed in more depth below. 1. Product Design The first stage of the value chain is Product Design, which Sony keeps in-house. The company emphasises on â€Å"building high-performance, easy-to-use and beautiful products with a distinctive Sony flair† (Sony, 20111). Within the consumer electronics value chain, there are numerous benefits of the vertical integration of product design. Evidence suggests there is strong correlation between the launch of new products and market performance (Souder and Sherman, 2004). Consequently, new designs and products can capture and retain market shares and increase profitability (Tidd et al. , 2001). Thus by having ownership over the product design and innovation stage, Sony can maintain complete control in creating its own competitive advantages to have an edge in the market. We will write a custom essay sample on Analysis Into the Vertical Integration Across the Value Chain of Sony specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Analysis Into the Vertical Integration Across the Value Chain of Sony specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Analysis Into the Vertical Integration Across the Value Chain of Sony specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Due to the nature of product design, outsourcing would be unrealistic; Sony is likely to have Proprietary product technology unique to the firm e. g. their 3D technology. Consequently, there is incentive for the contracted company to behave opportunistically (Williamson, 1973), such as expropriating the technology and maybe even leaking it to rivals (Rao Novelli, 2010; Business Week, 2009), and so contracts of vast complexity would need to be written and agreed to prevent such opportunism, which is expensive (Williamson, 1973). Also, for the contractors to be incentivised to come up with the best technology or design, the contracts will have to be designed in such a way that the agency fees that the contractors will receive will be correlated to the market performance of the designed product, and this is extremely hard to measure or enforce in contract. Thus, the potential transaction costs (Coase, 1991), risks and complexity associated with Product Design far outweigh than the administrative and labour costs of vertical integration which makes outsourcing an unfavourable option. However, there are risks associated with keeping the product design process in-house. Most significantly, there is the risk of not having the flexibility, skills and capability to come up with groundbreaking technology and therefore fall behind your competitors. For instance, Sony failed to anticipate the trend towards mp3 technology which led to loss of market share in the portable music devices market in the early 21st century (Uggla and Verick, 2008). Further, the administrative costs of product design in-house are high, with Sonys investment in R activities amounting to JPY432 billion ($4. billion) in FY2010 (Datamonitor, 20111). On balance, vertical integration with respect to Product Design is the best strategy for Sony to adopt. Innovation within the technology industry is the key to success, and so Sony need to keep complete control over this process. 2. Manufacturing Assembly Sony uses both in-house production and outsourcing for the manufacturing and assembly stage of thei r value chain (see Appendix A). In 2009, 50% of their total annual production was in their in-house factories in Japan, with 60% of this production destined for export to other regions (Datamonitor, 20111). There are some benefits of maintaining vertical integration in manufacturing. First and foremost, vertical integration will help with control and coordination throughout Sony? s value chain. By owning production factories and operating its own logistics, it is readily able to respond to changes in consumer demand or market trends, with no reliance on external suppliers. That is, it has full control over its operations. Further, Sony has „trade secrets? which it wishes to protect from its rivals. In an industry which is shaped by technological advancement, keeping such trade ecrets is therefore of great importance. Not adopting an inhouse manufacturing strategy will always bear the risk of these secrets being expropriated by others. Also, if Sony were to outsource, it may require its manufacturers to make transaction-specific investments (Grant, 2010). There is a need for trust and a strong relationship, as well as rigid contractual agreements, thus making the transaction costs potentially high. Therefore it can be seen that manufacturing in house could avoid a lot of complexity. However, keeping manufacturing vertically integrated poses several issues especially with a big part of their operations being based in Japan. Firstly, the average hourly wage rate in Japan is ? 5. 86 (Ministry of Health, Labour Welfare, 2011), compared to countries like China which the rate is only ? 1. 28 (BBC, 2011). This has significant implications on operation overheads, and so the administrative costs associated with vertical integration. Secondly, the appreciating Yen has further raised overhead costs and has driven up the price of exports in recent years and therefore has made Sony? products less price competitive (Euromonitor, 2010). Finally, Japan is prone to natural disasters, with the Tsunami in March 2011 causing a significant disruption in component production, resulting in reduced device volume sales of its smartphones by 1. 5m in the three months to June 30 (Financial Times, 2011). Thus, â€Å"vertical integration represents a compounding of risk insofar, as proble ms at any one stage of production threaten production and profitability at all the other stages† (Grant, 2010 pp358). A further disadvantage that Sony has through integrating manufacturing in their value chain is that it tends to lead to higher overall costs because you need extra layers of management to coordinate all the activities (Kennedy cited in Business Week, 2009). This money could be invested instead in product design which is the fundamental key to success for companies like Sony. Also, there are limited incentives for in house manufacturing to minimise costs or to respond promptly to internal requests or queries (Grant, 2010 pp357), which will affect efficiency in production. The current manufacturing strategy might have to be reviewed as the risks seem to far outweigh the advantages. 3. Distribution Distribution is another aspect of Sony? s value chain, which involves taking the finished product from its manufacturing bases to retailing outlets worldwide. With regard to its current distribution policy, Sony can be seen as being vertically integrated, with logistics principally handled by Sony Supply Chain Solutions, Inc, a subsidiary founded and owned by the Sony Group. (SCSS) (Sony, 20112) There are a number of benefits of remaining vertically integrated in the operation of this part of the business. Firstly, it enables Sony to have control over the process. They are able to avoid time delays which potentially could arise if they were to contract with an external company. Related to this is flexibility, whereby they can ensure they have a full lorry before sending out the shipment, which will allow for efficiency. For example, SCSS in Shanghai is utilising a combination of milk round routes and round trip trucks run to increase transportation efficiency, which is also contributing to reduced CO2 emissions (Sony, 20112). As they produce such a large volume of products every year, it is better to avoid the transaction costs associated with contracting out to another logistics company as the minimum optimal scale is reached (Grant, 2010). As the frequency of transactions are high i. e. there will be a large number of shipments per week, the variable transaction costs will be high, and this could be avoided by keeping it vertically integrated. However, there are disadvantages associated with vertical integration in distribution. Essentially, it is another part of the business to manage, and so can give rise to increased administrative costs through extra managerial levels, increased co-ordination across the business†¦ etc. If they were to outsource, such costs could be avoided. An external contractor is likely to offer a significant discount as they ship large volumes of goods, thereby reducing the transaction costs. As for Sony, it is important to ensure the timely and accurate delivery of their products in order to maintain a good relationship with retailers. Moreover, the scale of their distribution is large enough to make vertically integration a cost-effective option. In fact, they are profiting from their distribution subsidiary as they utilise their remaining capability to serve other companies. Thus vertical integration is the preferential strategy for Sony. 4. Marketing Sony? s marketing department prepares the marketing strategies in-house and then employs a number of advertising agencies to develop communication plans for each product genre. For example, the 2011 global TV ad campaign for Bravia, by Grey London, aims to drive awareness of Sony? s 3D TV and the Qriocity streaming service for musics, TV and films (Owen and Brownsell, 2011). However, the company does not just rely on the advertising campaign to build up its brand value, it also resort to public relations by appointing leading PR agencies to create and implement PR strategies to promote the Sony products and the brand, and handle the social media, press office and experiential PR (Sony Electronics, 2011). By employing the professional agencies and not creating/executing the campaigns themselves, Sony can utilise the marketing and PR expertise of the agencies that would be too expensive for Sony to develop themselves and too small part of the business for Sony to reach the optimal scale of efficiency (Grant, 2010, pp356). The transaction costs associated with outsourcing would be worthwhile. 5. Retailing Sony runs its retail operation with three types of vertical relationships: franchise agreements, direct-channel retail stores and partnership with other retailers. Sony provides extensive support to the franchisee on the store concept and operational issues such as staff training and marketing (FranchisePlus, 2007). The benefit of adopting a franchising model for Sony is cost savings as the franchisees bears the investment and fixed costs for their franchises (Carney and Gedajlovi, 1991). Also, as the franchisees ultimately own the businesses, they will be naturally motivated to manage their business well (Rao Novelli, 2010, pp238). However, a disadvantage of franchising is that Sony does not have control over the quality of the operation of the retail stores, which could potentially lead to a negative impact on the brand image if the franchisee although motivated, „gets it wrong?. Indeed, Sonex Communications, a company who operates Sony franchises across UK, recently went into administration (Donnelly, 2011). Also, with a franchising strategy, Sony could obtain little feedback on how their products are perceived by their customers, and this would hinder their research and development and product design processes. Lastly, there would be a loss of managerial expertise if most of Sony? s retail outlets are franchised and therefore managed by non-employees (Carney and Gedajlovi, 1991). Sony also directly owns and manages their online shop and some of its retail stores. Williamson (1979) pointed out the major benefit for companies to own its own retail outlets is that â€Å"adaptations can be made in a sequential way without the need to consult, complete, or revise inter-firm agreements†. For example, Sony has closed nefifth of its direct retail stores (TGDaily, 2011) and replaced them with its new flagship Sony Stores in March 2010 to improve customer experience. This level of flexibility could only be achieved if Sony owns their retail outlets. Also, through interacting with the customers in stores, Sony can receive customers? feedback on its product features and shopping experience directly, which would be useful to future product designs and developments. However, owning their retail st ores can incur high administrative costs which include management costs, overheads and wages. Additionally, Sony distributes its products through other retailers such as Currys, Argos, Wal-mart†¦etc. Sony could benefit from a wider distribution by selling their products through other retailers. The obvious setback of such a strategy is that with retailers also wanting to make a profit, Sony? s profit levels would be further decreased. However, the transaction costs associated with this are completely acceptable as Sony will be losing out a huge market if they give up on partnering with other retailers to sell their products. Appendix B shows that only 18% of people buy their computer straight from manufacturers. Therefore, providing that Sony continue to use reputable firms such as Currys to do so, there is no need to make changes to this aspect of their retailing strategy. It is difficult to judge which the best strategy out of these three is. However, market research has shown that recent trends suggest that less people are going to other retailers to buy their computers (Mintel, 2011). Taking this into account, and also the setbacks of the franchising strategy, the future for Sony on their retailing operations probably lies into owning more of their own retail outlets. Suggestions Analysis of Sony? current value-chain indicates that changes can be made to their manufacturing and retailing. Manufacturing Assembly Firstly, Sony should move most of their manufacturing away from Japan to other countries. Since it is expensive and extremely complex to set up their own factories in other countries, the best option for Sony will be to vertically de-integrate and outsource its manufacturing to c ompanies in lower cost manufacturing countries such as China. By doing so they will avoid the high employee wages in Japan and thus have a positive impact on their cost structure and allow them to be more price competitive in the market. Further, â€Å"dispersing production activities to various locations around the globe where each activity can be performed most efficiently can lower costs† (Rao Novelli, 2010, pp281). If they were to base their production sites in a variety of geographic locations, they minimise the risk of production hold-ups through factors such as natural disasters, diversify the risks of currency fluctuations as well as being closer to their customers and so reducing transportation and distribution costs. Further, there is an extensive global demand for their products, which lowers the minimum efficient scale of production, and so it would be economical to manufacture their goods in several locations. An ideal decision will be to reduce the manufacturing in Japan to the level just satisfying domestic demand (currently 60% of the production in Japan are exported), and to also keep the manufacturing of the innovative products in-house in Japan to minimise the risk of intellectual rights infringements. Also, by de-integrating manufacturing from their value chain, they will be able to focus on their core competence of Product Design. Extensive outsourcing has been a key feature of fast-cycle product development throughout the electronics sector (Grant, 2010, pp358). Costs savings will arise through a reduction in the co-ordination and control of sub units within the business, and so fewer management levels, as well as the fixed costs of manufacture. Sony will be able to invest money saved into Product Design whilst simultaneously being price competitive against other companies such as Apple. In fact, it is consensus that the blame for Sony? s poor performance in recent years is largely down to them not being able to keep up with their competitors in terms of product design and innovation. However, there are risks and disadvantages with adopting this strategy. By outsourcing the manufacturing process, Sony will be outsourcing the „know-how? of its products; its proprietary product technology which is unique to Sony. There is risk that the supplier will expropriate the technology for their own use or that they will sell it on to Sony? s competitors (Rao Novelli, 2010, pp294), which would lead to a loss of competitive advantage in the product design stage of the value chain. However, Sony can apply for Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) to minimise this risk. By being legally protected, Sony can ensure their property is protected, with the existence of an IPR acting as a deterrent to the outsourcing company of opportunistic behaviour. However, there will be legal costs incurred throughout this process, which is a form of transaction cost. Further, there could be the problem of asset specificity which makes it unfavourable to outsource. If Sony develops some groundbreaking technology whereby in the manufacturing process an investment in specialised equipment is required, the supplier that they outsource the manufacturing to may have to invest in specialised assets to produce their goods, which increases transaction-specific spending. Mutual dependency between the supplier and Sony is created, where each party might fear that the other will abuse the relationship by seeking more favourable terms. It may be difficult to find a supplier who is willing to invest in the technology to manufacture products which are specific to Sony, as they may feel they are becoming reliant on Sony as a source of income, which could act as an inhibitor of trust between the two parties. Further, the supplier will know that Sony is dependent on them and so there is an incentive to charge a higher price and act opportunistically. Thus Sony will need to ensure that they have contractual agreements in place to inhibit opportunistic behaviour, which increases transaction costs. However, where closer supplier-customer ties are needed – particularly when one or both parties need to make transaction-specific investments – then a longer term contract can help avoid opportunism and provide the security needed to make the necessary investment (Grant, 2010, pp363). Thus Sony should establish long term contracts with the outsourced companies. However, the setting up of long term contracts will be a form of transaction cost incurred. A final problem of outsourcing is hold ups. This could be eliminated by contracts that fully specify prices, quality, quantities, and other terms of supply under all possible circumstances (Grant, 2010, pp356), but yet this also contributes to transaction costs. It can be seen that transaction costs are always worrying yet inevitable for companies looking to de-integrate. However, to look at it from a positive perspective, the transaction costs of outsourcing in this industry is relatively ow. This is because that most products in this industry is standardised (Financial Times 2005), and many other players in the electronics market outsource their manufacturing, such as Apple, suggests that there are many potential companies who have the capabilities to manufacture Sony? s products. Setting aside the potential possibility of the asset specificity problem, the existence of many buyers and selle rs in the market, with a number of alternatives, reduces the transaction costs and switching costs (Grant 2010). Retailing In the short term, Sony should continue with the structure that it adopts i. e. a mixture of franchises, ownmanaged retail stores and other retailers. However, once their brand recognition and reputation improves after a few years, they should reduce the number of franchises, and instead increase the number of retail outlets they own (especially in developing countries). The reason that immediate change in the retail ownership is not needed is because brand reputation and recognition is extremely important in determining if retail outlets will succeed. Brands like Apple with outstanding brand recognition could afford to own and open their own retail outlets, while as for example for less well-known brands like Alba, it will be really risky to operate their own retail stores. Therefore, it is recommended that Sony spend a few years on improving its product design and innovation and therefore improving its brand recognition before owning more retail outlets. As stated previously, the existence of a feedback loop is the main incentive for Sony to own their retail stores as opposed to franchises. To compete at the very top level, Sony ought to be cutting the edge in product design and innovation, and the feedback loop could really be of great help. Also, Sony needs to be opening more retail outlets in the developing countries to strengthen their established presence in the market, as Sony has a better brand recognition in those countries. For instance, in 2010, Sony? s sales in India grew faster than the market (Sony, 20113). Also, by having control over the continual investment in opening retail outlets, it will contribute towards increasing Sony? market share and ensure that the direction the brand is going is defined according to their plans rather than the franchisees?. They will be able to monitor the quality of the stores and react quicker to changes in consumer tastes, something which they have less control over if they were to continue store expansion through franchise agreements. Further, Grant (2010) said â€Å"not only do manufacturing and retailing require very d ifferent organisational capabilities; they also require different strategic planning systems, different approaches to control and human resource management, and different top management styles and skills. Therefore, if Sony were to de-integrate the manufacturing process in the value chain, they can focus on Product design and Retailing, adopting a suitable organisational structure like Apple, who display a robust financial position the companys total revenue increased to $65,225 million in FY2010 from $19,315 million in 2006, representing a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 36% (Datamonitor, 20112). Their growth in the market is attributable to a strong brand image of technical innovation, which Sony is capable of too. The risks of reducing and eventually phasing out the franchise agreements are that there will be increased administrative costs of integration. There will be a need for more managers to control the process. However, the greater the operation i. e. the number of retail stores they manage themselves, the lower the minimum efficiency scale. Thus as they expand the number of stores they operate themselves, they will become more efficient, and so reduce the fixed costs of vertical integration. Also, it is worth mentioning that the main focus for Sony? future development is product design and innovation, so as long as owning more retail stores could help in this aspect, the transaction costs could be negligible. Conclusion Suggestions made to the current value chain of Sony are to serve for one sole purpose, which is to increase the profitability and market share of Sony. This is going to be achieved with a focus on improving product design and innovation, something which Sony has been fal ling behind their competitors in recent years. Therefore, by outsourcing more manufacturing and owning more retail shops, Sony? investment capital, managerial expertise and strategy focus could be reshuffled and used on product design and innovation, which hopefully will see Sony catch up with its competitors and reach the heights they previously were in the late 20th century. References BBC, 2011. China minimum wage up by 21. 7% despite economic cooling [online]. Available from: http://www. bbc. co. uk/news/business-15456509. [Accessed: 29 November 2011]. Business Week 2009. Can Outsourcing Save Sony? [online]. Available from: http://www. businessweek. om/globalbiz/content/jan2009/gb20090130_697510. htm. [Accessed 28 November 2011] Carney and Gedajlovi, 1991. Vertical Integration in Franchise Systems: Agency Theory and Resource. Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 12, No. 8 (Nov. , 1991), pp. 607-629 Datamonitor 20111. Sony Corporation [online]. Available from: http://360. datamonit or. com. ezp1. bath. ac. uk/Product? pid=881B16EF-3BEC-4BDD-B10A-26FAB18DEC3B [Accessed 26 November 2011]. Datamonitor 20112. Apple Inc [online]. Available from: http://360. datamonitor. com. zp1. bath. ac. uk/Product? pid=5B0A0C20-9BB6-4284-A575AC0F2261F45Cview=SWOTAnalysis. [Accessed 30 November 2011] Donnelly, C. , 2011. Sony Centre owner calls in administrators [online]. Available from: http://www. channelweb. co. uk/crn-uk/news/2112104/sony-centre-owner-calls-administrators. [Accessed 30 November 2011] Euromonitor International 2010. Sony Corporation [online]. Available from: http://www. portal. euromonitor. com. ezp2. bath. ac. uk/Portal/Pages/Analysis/AnalysisPage. aspx. [Accessed 26 November 2011]. Financial Times 2005. Severe pressure on prices, missed opportunities, the need to buy big components and the threat of new format wars are making life difficult for a consumer products group that has lost some of its proprietary grip, writes Michiyo Nakamoto Financial Times:London Financial Times 2011. Sony Ericsson blames loss on Japanese earthquake; Mobile Telecoms. Financial Times: London. FranchisePlus, 2007. [online]. Success Story-The Dividend From Dedication, Jan Feb Issue, 2007 (Vol 3. Issue 6. ) Available from: http://www. ranchise-plus. com/success230107. asp[Accessed 29 November 2011]. Grant, R. , 2010. Contemporary Strategy Analysis: Text and Cases. 7th ed. Wiley Htlounge, 2010. Sony fighting against Apple by opening its own retail stores [Online]. Available from http://www. htlounge. net/art/11050/sony-fighting-against-apple-by-opening-its-own-retail-stores. html. [Accessed 28 November 2011] Hobbs, J. , 1996. A Transaction Cost Approach to Supply Chain Management. Sup ply Chain Management: An International Journal, Vol. 1 Issue: 2, pp. 5 – 27. IPR, 2011. What is Intellectual Property? [online]. Available from: http://www. ipr. co. uk/intellectual_property_guide/what_is_intellectual_property. html. [Accessed: 29 November 2011] Kay, J. , 1993. Foundations of Corporate Success: How business strategies add value. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Ministry of Health, Labour Welfare, 2011. Minimum wage [online]. Available from:http://statsjapan. com/t/kiji/11521. [Accessed: 29 November 2011]. Mintel, 2011. Desktop, Laptop and Tablet Computers UK August

Large Crane Flies, Family Tipulidae

Large Crane Flies, Family Tipulidae Large crane flies (Family Tipulidae) are indeed large, so much so that most people think theyre giant mosquitoes. Theres no need to worry, because crane flies dont bite (or sting, for that matter). Please note that members of several other fly families are also referred to as crane flies, but this article focuses only on the large crane flies classified in the Tipulidae. Description: The family name Tipulidae derives from the Latin tipula, meaning water spider. Crane flies are not spiders, of course, but do appear somewhat spider-like with their extraordinarily long, slender legs. They range in size from tiny to large. The biggest North American species, Holorusia hespera, has a wingspan of 70mm. The largest known tipulids   inhabit southeastern Asia, where two species of Holorusia measure a whopping 10 cm or more in wingspan. You can identify crane flies by two key features (see this interactive labelled image of each ID feature) First, crane flies have a V-shaped suture running across the upper side of the thorax. And second, they have a pair of conspicuous halteres just behind the wings (they look similar to antennae, but extend from the sides of the body). Halteres work like gyroscopes during flight, helping the crane fly stay on course. Adult crane flies have slender bodies and a single pair of membranous wings (all true flies have one pair of wings). Theyre typically unremarkable in color, though some bear spots or bands of brown or gray. Crane fly larvae can withdraw their heads into their thoracic segments. Theyre cylindrical in shape, and slightly tapered at the ends. They generally inhabit moist terrestrial environments or aquatic habitats, depending on the type. Classification: Kingdom - AnimaliaPhylum - ArthropodaClass – InsectaOrder – DipteraFamily - Tipulidae Diet: Most crane fly larvae feed on decomposing plant matter, including mosses, liverworts, fungi, and rotting wood. Some terrestrial larvae feed on the roots of grasses and crop seedlings, and are considered pests of economic concern. Though most aquatic crane fly larvae are also detritivores, some species prey on other aquatic organisms. As adults, crane flies are not known to feed. Life Cycle: Like all true flies, crane flies undergo complete metamorphosis with four life stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Adults are short-lived, surviving just long enough to mate and reproduce (usually less than a week). Mated females oviposit either in or near water, in most species. Larvae may live and feed in the water, underground, or in leaf litter, again, depending on the species. Aquatic crane flies usually pupate underwater, but emerge from the water to shed their pupal skins well before sunrise. By the time the sun rises, the new adults are ready to fly and begin searching for mates. Special Behaviors and Defenses: Crane flies will shed a leg if needed to escape the grasp of a predator. This ability is known as autotomy, and is common in long-legged arthropods like stick insects and harvestmen. They do so by means of a special fracture line between the femur and trochanter, so the leg separates cleanly. Range and Distribution: Large crane flies live throughout the world, with over 1,400 species described globally. Just over 750 species are known to inhabit the Nearctic region, which includes the U.S. and Canada. Sources: Borror and DeLongs Introduction to the Study of Insects, 7th Edition, by Charles A. Triplehorn and Norman F. Johnson.Encyclopedia of Entomology, 2nd Edition, edited by John L. Capinera.Catalogue of the Craneflies of the World, Pjotr Oosterbroek. Accessed online October 17, 2015.Tipulidae – Crane Flies, Dr. John Meyer, Department of Entomology, North Carolina State University. Accessed online October 17, 2015.Family Tipulidae – Large Crane Flies, Bugguide.net. Accessed online October 17, 2015.Crane Flies, Missouri Department of Conservation website. Accessed online October 17, 2015.Insect Defenses, Dr. John Meyer, Department of Entomology, North Carolina State University. Accessed online October 17, 2015.

Annie Dillards from An American Childhood Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Annie Dillards from An American Childhood - Essay Example The statement â€Å"[s]ome boys taught me to play football† reveals that the child is at a stage of her development when she listens to advice of her peers and not just her mother (Dillard 16). Also, there is an interesting departure from her prescribed gender role since the paragraph ends up with the comment â€Å"nothing girls did could compare with it† (Dillard 17). The author mentions also that her parents approved of some of the local boys but not all of them. Annie reports this in a matter of fact way, without further comment, but the reader can discern an element of social class behind this situation. Putting together the strict gender roles expected of Annie and the implied disapproval of ‘rough’ boys, the reader can deduce that Annie’s mother is rather old-fashioned and perhaps somewhat prim and protective of her daughter. She does not want Annie to mix with certain boys. Annie, on the other hand, finds the boys exciting and knowingly disregards her mother’s advice. As for the technique used, the author preferred to present the narrative through Annie’s eyes but to include in it some of her mother’s prejudices and insights so that the reader sees more of the child’s world than the child herself could understand at that moment. This is a subtle feature of autobiography, which allows the child’s view to come through an adult narrator’s voice which adds a dual insight into the events that are related in the story. Dillard, Annie. â€Å"An American Childhood† (extract). A Guide To Reading Autobiography: 16-26. Web. 11 Oct. 2012.

Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 8

Globalization - Essay Example This essay is a critique of the major driver towards globalization. It offers an explanation of how information and communication technology has contributed greatly to globalization above all the other factors, and how the contemporary society is so much focused towards moving beyond personal and national boundaries to create a link between them and other communities internationally. It mainly focuses on the technological, economic and political drivers towards globalization. The major economic factor that has contributed to globalization is technological advancement. Development in information and communication technology has to a great extent contributed to the integration of communities sharing of information as well as business world wide. For example, the use of internet enables people from all over the world to conduct business and share ideas without meeting. Social interactions through the internet have further contributed to globalization since people can share information cheaply and debate over issues regarding trade (Nye 2002). Dealing through information technology systems is one of the economic segments that have responded positively to advancement in trade. Innovation in communication technology has facilitated economic advancement especially due to the enhancement of the capability of companies to employ labor force from beyond political boundaries. It has led to division of labor globally through the establishment of multinational compan ies (Giddens 2006). They can advertise employment opportunities through the internet, and they can be able to reach people all over the world. Business is also leading people to move global in order to utilize the opportunities in the global market to sell their products. Many of the less developed nations have realized that technological advancement can not be separated from

EU Initiatives for Contribution to Health and Safety of Workers Coursework

EU Initiatives for Contribution to Health and Safety of Workers - Coursework Example Contributions were made from the member states of the European Union. There was a focus on indicators of health and safety strategies including the extent and costs of occupational injuries and ill health, legislative arrangements, inspection, preventive services, and arrangements for participative management of health and safety and insurance systems. EU HSE directives and specific applications have been reviewed. Hazard has been defined as something such as an object, property of a substance, or a phenomenon or an activity that can cause adverse effects. For example, the breathing of asbestos can cause lung cancer. Risk has been defined as the likelihood that a hazard will actually cause adverse effects, and the effects can be measured. The interpretation is in two parts. Likelihoods are expressed as probabilities, frequencies or in a qualitative way. Effects are described in some measurable way (HSE, 2010). SFAIRP is defined as â€Å"so far as is reasonably practicable† or â€Å"reasonably practicable.† The HSE Act has led to legislation for duty holders to ensure so far as is reasonably practicable. It is a statutory obligation that has to be carried out in the light of current knowledge if it is feasible, irrespective of cost or difficulty. The term requires a cost-benefit analysis to be used while determining actions that have to be taken in response to identified risks or comparison is to be carried out in similar circumstances. The preventive measures should be commensurate with the magnitude of risk (Institute of Engineering and Technology, 2009). SFAIRP is also defined as â€Å"it can be done, it must be done â€Å"or â€Å"practicable.† It is a statutory liability in health and safety legislation. The legislation may be absolute or qualified by expressions for ensuring â€Å"practicability.† The courts make a determination as to whether duty holders have complied with their obligations.

Ideologies of the ANC and DA

Ideologies of the ANC and DA Ideologies of the ANC and DA that serves as intellectual foundation Introduction Ideologies can be defined as a system of ideas and ideals, especially one which forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy. Political Ideologies are the pillars and the foundation of any political party. It is important to have noble political ideologies in order to recruit members with the same beliefs in the party’s ideologies. In this essay, I will identify a few of the ideologies of the ANC and the DA by looking into their manifestos and also give a history of relationship ideologies has with election and a democratic country and also give my opinion on the best ideology as intellectual foundation that will make a change in the country. Ideologies In the book, Politics by Andrew Heywood, we see an Ideology can be defined as Heywood (2013:27) â€Å"A social-scientific viewpoint.† It is a â€Å"coherent set of ideas that provides a basis for organized political action.† When looking at this definition one could deduce various information on the political ideologies of the African National Congress and the Democratic Alliance. It is a group a people that forms a political party having a goal to make a difference in the lives of all citizens within the political arena. They also follows certain procedures to govern a country. We need to take into consideration that political ideologies has many facets such as Liberalism, conservatism, socialism, fascism and feminism as a few. Liberalism is the ideology of the Heywood (2013:31) â€Å"’industrialized West’ and portrayed as a meta-ideology. It is capable of embracing a broad range of rival value and beliefs.† In my opinion it would be a broad range of diversity that we find political ideologies. It is giving everyone an equal chance .It is a sense of equality. For example, Education for all. Heywood (2013:34) Conservatism has its key ideas based on â€Å"tradition-accumulated wisdom from the past† Conservative people are people who are prone to change. They expect society to stay the same, not taking into consideration that people change and make mistakes. Conservative people struggle to accept that â€Å"nothing stays the same.† Conservatism is found a lot in political structure. It poses many challenges and being conservative as an individual in a group setting in politics can sometimes be difficult. Heywood (2013:38) Socialism is to† abolish a capitalist economy based on a market exchange.†[1] Its key ideas are: â€Å"Community, Fraternity, Social Equality, Need, social class, common ownership.† Socialism relates to a society or an organisation. Socialism within politics strive to economic and political equality within the country and that all citizens are equal which is difficult because we all our diverse and celebrate diversity within our country. We all have our different religions and cultures and we are a different. A socialist is someone who wants to cultivate equality and wants to include every â€Å"creed and colour†. Other ideologies include Heywood (2013:47) â€Å"fascism: ‘new man’ a hero motivated by duty and honour and self-sacrifice prepared to dedicate his/her life to the glory of their nation or race and to give unquestioning obedience to a supreme leader.† Fascists are needed for people to believe that there is a leader that can lead the party in the right direction. Heywood (2013:49)Feminism-â€Å"it is more concerned with the reform of the public sphere that is with enhancing the legal and political status of women and improving their educational and career prospects than reordering private or domestic life.†[2]The political sector is dominated by men. In today’s society we see many females who are leaders. The rise of women played an important role in the upliftment of women. They play a very significant role in the country. We need feminist to bring equality of genders. We have a Minister for Women and children. Political ideologies-an introduction Eccleshall (1984:79) The ideology of conservatism: â€Å"If a society is to prosper, it’s political. Social and economic arrangements must be such as to stimulate and satisfy those with most to contribute to the common good.† [3]Politicians are needed to keep balance between all the facets of a country (the citizens, the environment, infrastructure etc.) the so-called business-man, the farmer and the man on the street is at a centre of equality. Geoghegan (1984:115) The ideology of socialism â€Å"is that all forms of socialism comprise three basic components: a critique, an alternative and a theory of transition.†[4] Socialists have a social responsibility to the country. Everyone to have basic rights and access their basic rights. It is that the political party can see the need and then assess the need and find possible solutions. For example: Taking the man from the street and giving him shelter. Jay (1984:153) The ideology of Democracy â€Å"is in agreement with ideology that states democracy denotes a rather different kind of entity, Democracy simply mean rule byof the people. Within this we have aristocracy, monarchy and oligarchy. Democracies shared many political practices in common.† A democracy simply means everybody. A democracy is a government that is governed â€Å"for the people, by the people†. Democracy can be seen as freedom to a certain extent. Democracy is what our leaders fought for, so that we can have equality. Democracy is a form of Ideology where people choose a political party to look after their interest in all aspects of life. Jay (1984:185) The ideology of Nationalism. â€Å"Nationalism is described as a doctrine invented in Europe which holds that humanity is naturally divided into nations, that nations are known by certain characteristics which can be ascertained, and that the only legitimate type of government is national self-government. Nationalism is a political doctrine and not a state of mind.†[5] Nationalists are South African citizens who have strong and firm beliefs in their country. Nationalism is a set of values and beliefs pertaining to the country. Nationalists can also oppress people as they only think of what is nationally possible for its citizens. They are loyal and firm believers in the country. Political ideologies of the 20th century Kohn (1966:133) Racialism: â€Å"the word ‘race’ is primarily a biological term and denotes groups of men differentiated by anatomical characteristics.† Many barriers exist because of racism. Racism exists everywhere, locally and even globally. In my opinion, racism can be oppression through colour, gender and religion. People are seen as â€Å"different† just because they do not have the same skin colour or do not believe in the same religious ideologies. Racism in politics is still very rife since Apartheid and beyond. Racism is the cause of inequality between citizens within a specific country. The biggest example of racism in our country is between the leading party (ANC) and the opposition party (DA).The ANC being â€Å"black† dominated party and the DA being diverse but mostly white. The DA maintains a good BEE balance. BEE is a racist attack in order to â€Å"rectify† the inequalities of the past Apartheid era. Kohn(1966:146) Fascism: †is one of the two great authoritarian mass movements which started in the 20th century in conscious opposition to the middle-class capitalistic civilization of the 19th century. The origins of the fascist movement in Italy are to be found in both the wave of disillusionment and the exacerbated nationalism that swept Italy after 1918.† [6]Fascism is when one leader can not fight socio-economic issues on his/her own and where inequality still exists. Fascism is seen as a mass movement. Political Science in Africa Science vs. philosophy: The Need for a relevant political science. Barongo (1983:17) When we define political science â€Å"the different branches of inquiry may divide into two group the empirical and non-empirical .Empirical seek to explore, to describe to explain to predict occurrences in the world we live in. Non-empirical had disciplines of logic and pure mathematics whose propositions are proved without necessary reference to empirical findings.†[7] In my opinion, political science is a study. And like any study, thorough research has to be done to obtain more information about the specific topic/idea. Every continent/country has their own political ideologies and beliefs because each country is different. Africa being the poorest continent has a tremendous job in order to compete/compare with first world countries. Although our continent is â€Å"poor†, we are rich in resources, especially in research. SA Politics: An Introduction The function of political parties in a democracy De Jager (2015:150-151) We see political parties for â€Å"representing the interest† of their members. In SA â€Å"there is a broad diversity of ideologies, cultures and history and thus interest.† The role of the parties is to ensure that all the interest of their members are taken into consideration. If members put a political party into governance (by voting), the members of that political party expect the party to look after their interests with in the party. The political party must look after the cultural, religious and social beliefs of the members. For example: upliftment within communities and extra-mural activities in wards where the political is in power â€Å"Socialisation and mobilisation: Parties can ensure increased participation of the public by integrating voters into a system and teaching them how and why to play the political game. Doing this they also inadvertently stimulate a sense of political legitimacy for democracy.† Mobilisation is getting a community to be self-sufficient. When political parties creates projects for the community to be self-sufficient. For example: Starting vegetable gardens, informing them about their rights. â€Å"Formation and Recruitment of political leaders: recruit and training political leaders. Not just the ANC has to recruit leaders but the opposition parties.† This consist of encouraging the youth to get involved in politics. It starts at school (debates, trips to Parliament) to inform the youth and make them politically aware of possibilities of a career in politics. In order for them to be successful, they need to have a passion for doing the right thing politics for people. Formation is important to form a youth league to train the youth from an early age. â€Å"Winning Elections and governing: key role of political parties in a democracy is to put forward their philosophies goals and election manifestos to compete for votes. The ANC has won all of the national elections since 1994 because it is very skilled at electioneering and has the largest base of social support.† Canvassing in the area for elections is a form of competition. Politicians say the right things to prospective members even if it is not true just to win votes. If enough people vote, the political party might be successful and win the elections. Many people believe that the ANC brought freedom, but ironically many politicians within the party have been found guilty by the public protector. The ruling party will be in control and hold most seats in government which works to their advantage. â€Å"Maintaining government accountability and influencing decision-making: there are two types of accountability: 1-vertical: emanates through the electorate sine the electorate knows which party is responsible for controlling the government. 2-Horizrontal: channelled through opposition parties which are responsible for systems (e.g.: winning the right to govern).† Jacob Zuma is our president and the leader of the ANC. We need to hold the correct person accountable for his actions. We need to know who will be responsible for the actions of government. Government acts on behalf of the country. The opposition plays an important role to keep the leading party on their toes as competition. The leading party has a lot of influence of decisions with government. They influence decision making as a party. The Ruling Party ANC. De Jager (2015:154) â€Å"The liberation movement celebrated it centenary in 2012. It is a movement that is born out of Christian values of equality and mutual respect led by an African middle class of lawyers, teachers, church ministers and doctors. The early ANC’s call for inclusion in the South African body of politic was as citizens of a common, non-racial society, informed by Christian and liberal conceptions of justice and humanity. The ANC has also been influenced by the ideologies of communism and Africanism, the different approaches of those who were in exile; trade union movements; and those incarcerated during Apartheid. The influence of these different ideologies and traditions continues to have considerable significance for the organisation, leading it to be called a ‘broad church ‘It also helps to explain why the policies and practices emanating from the ANC cover the spectrum from moderate to radical and from liberal to socialist. The ANC still does not recognise itself as a political party; it insists on being a liberation movement. Currently the party is torn between the values of its founders and those who seek political power for personal interest.† Nelson Mandela played an extremely important role in the ANC and the country. He was the forefather of the â€Å"liberation movement.† The ANC strives to keep his legacy alive. Although there was many controversy within the party, they still have some form of success. Julius Malema leaving the ANC led to a decrease in the party, although he left, the ANC is still the most popular political party. They member’s believe that the ANC can not do anything wrong in the political spectrum. The official opposition The DA De Jager (2015:155) The DA is the â€Å"culmination of a long time of political parties splitting and coalescing but its origins go back to the breakaway by a number of liberals form the United Party in 1959 and the formation of the Progressive Party. Helen Suzman played a major role in the history of the DA. The DA supports a ‘programme of non-racial democracy, a limited state, constitutional supremacy and market economy.’ The party is labelled as the ‘white party’. The primary challenge for the party is its growth as non-white members could not become public representatives pre 1994. The key resource for the DA has been access to government and the use of coalitions†[8]. The DA can be seen as the biggest threat to the leading party. The official opposition party. It is a strong opposition. They are the biggest threat to the ANC. The coalition between the DA and the so called â€Å"coloured party† the Independent Democrats lead by Patricia de Lille was one of the biggest political developments we have ever seen post 1994. The history of the party still classifies them as a â€Å"white party†. The DA is quite diverse. The Western Cape is governed by the DA and they are doing quite well here. Although they provide competition for the ANC, they do a lot for the province. The Ideologies of the Democratic Alliance â€Å"What type of society does the DA want to build? 1) The core concept of Zille’s DA is one of an ‘open opportunity society for all,’ which it counter poses to the ANC’s ‘closed crony society for some’ where a clique rules to accumulate wealth. For the DA, a competitive job-creating economy, supported by an efficient education system, are the main drivers of this society. 2) The DA’s education policy subscribes to human capital theory, which considers the purpose of education to be the production of skills for the market, and the raising of productivity and hence economic growth. 3) The DA aims to provide what it refers to as a framework for choice of goods and services, such as schools. The party bases their conception of choice on trickle-down economics; so, as global competitiveness drives economic growth and society becomes richer, its members will be able to exercise the rights and choices for services.† [9] The Ideologies of the African National Congress. â€Å"For more than a century, has led our people in their aspiration for a united, non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous society as the strategic goal of the National democratic revolution. To ensure all South Africans have access to adequate human settlements and quality living conditions through programmes that provide one million housing opportunities for qualifying households over the next five years, and providing basic services and infrastructure in all existing informal settlements. Improve and expand education and training by making grade R compulsory, eradicating adult illiteracy, and further improving the quality of basic education up to senior grade. The FET college sector will be expanded, with greater support for the needs of students, and compulsory community service for all graduates will be introduced.†[10] Conclusion As we can see from the above information, political ideologies are very important when researching political parties it is also important that the ideologies are in line with the needs of the country (that of the leading party and the opposition party) I agree with the ideologies of the DA as intellectual foundation because their ideologies are more universal and more realistic. All over the world and in all of history, political ideologies were used and accepted by potential members and loyal support of the political party. Various political ideologies should be used as far as possible within the party. Bibliography/Referencing list Heywood, A. 2013. Politics. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. Eccleshal, R., Geoghegan, V., Jay, R. Wilford, R. 1984. Political Ideologies:An introduction. Essex: Anchor Brendon Ltd. Kohn, H. 1966. Political Ideologies of the Twentieth Century. New York: The Macmillan Company. Baronga, Y. 1983. Political Science in Africa. London: Zed Press Plc. De Jager, N., Graham, V., Gumede, V., Mangcu, X., Neethling, T., Kotze, J., Welsh, D. 2015. South African Politics: An Itroduction. South Africa: Oxford University Press Southern Africa (Pty) Limited. http://africasacountry.com/the-politics-and-ideology-of-helen-zille/ (9 April 2015) http://www.anc.org.za/docs/manifesto/2014/anc-manifesto.pd (9 April 2015) [1] A. Heywood Politics (2013) 27,31,34,38. [2] A. Heywood Politics (2013) 47,49. [3] R. Eccleshall Political Ideologies:an introduction (1984) 79. [4] V. Geoghegan Political Ideologies:an introduction (1984) 115. [5] R. Jay Political Ideologies:an introduction (1984)159,185. [6] H. Kohn Political Ideologies of the Twentieth Century (1966) 133,146. [7] Y. Barongo Political Science in Africa (1983) 17. [8] N. De Jager South African Politics:An Introduction (2015) 150,151,154,155. [9] http://africasacountry.com/the-politics-and-ideology-of-helen-zille/ [10] http://www.anc.org.za/docs/manifesto/2014/anc-manifesto.pd

Solar Physics Essay -- solar physics

The star we call the Sun has a number of small objects circling around it. Many other stars in our Galaxy have objects orbiting them too and astronomers have recently discovered a few of these other systems already. The largest members of the Sun's family are called planets, and one of these we call home. That planet, Earth, has many unique characteristics that enable life to exist on it. What are the other planets like? We have learned more about our solar system in the past few decades than probably any other field of astronomy. The planets are no longer just objects up in our sky, but places we have been and explored---worlds in their own right. To give an adequate coverage of each of the planets would fill up a whole book (or more)! Since this web site is an introduction to all of astronomy, I will not explore each planet individually. Instead, I will focus on the common characteristics of the planets such as their Distance relative to us, mass, size and etc. Distances Several hundred years ago Copernicus was able to determine approximate distances between the planets through trigonometry. The distances were all found relative to the distance between the Earth and the Sun, the astronomical unit. Kepler refined these measurements to take into account the elliptical orbits. However, they did not know how large an astronomical unit was. To establish an absolute distance scale, the actual distance to one of the planets had to be measured. Distances to Venus and Mars were measured from the parallax effect by observers at different parts of the Earth when the planets were closest to the Earth. Knowing how far apart the observers were from each other and coordinating the observation times, astronomers could determine the ... ... ? Angular velocity = 36 degrees / 4 hours = 9 degree/hour Full time rotation = 360 degrees / 9 degree/hour = 40 hours With the invention of radar, the distance to Venus could be determined very precisely. By timing how long it takes the radar beam travelling at the speed of light to travel the distance to an object and back, the distance to the object can be found from distance = (speed of light) Ãâ€" (total time)/2. The total time is halved to get just the distance from the Earth to the object. Using trigonometry, astronomers now know that the astronomical unit =149,597,892 kilometers. This incredible degree of accuracy is possible because the speed of light is known very precisely and very accurate clocks are used. You cannot use radar to determine the distance to the Sun directly because the Sun has no solid surface to reflect the radar efficiently.