Physics Cantilever Lab

Independent Assessment Physics Lab (SL): Cantilever Flexion Cherno Okafor Mr. Ebrahimi SPH4U7 October 21st, 2012 Introduction Purpose: The purpose of this Physics Lab is to investigate what factors determine the amount of flexion of the cantilever. Hence, the objective is to establish a relationship between the length of a cantilever, which may give some insight into the physics of cantilevers. Hypothesis: If one increases the length of a cantilever, one would expect there to be an increase in deflection/flexion of the cantilever.Similarly, if one increases the mass of the load, one would expect there to be an increase in the deflexion/flexion of the cantilever. In addition, I predict that proportionality will also occur between the independent and dependent variables. If the length of the cantilever doubles, it is expected that the flexion/deflexion would also double. Similarly, if the mass of the load doubles, the deflexion/flexion would also double. Variables: In this investigatio n, I chose two variables: the length of the cantilever and the mass of the load.First, I chose to measure the effect of the length of the cantilever on its deflection when loaded with a constant mass because I knew from prior experience that there was some relationship between the two variables. * Independent Variable: The length of the cantilever in metres, which will be varied by changing the length of the yardstick functioning as a cantilever that extends over the edge of a table. This will be measured indirectly by measuring the length of the portion of the yardstick not in use and subtracting that from the entire length of the yardstick.The other independent variable is the mass loaded onto the cantilever, which will be controlled by initially using the same mass for each trial, then for the second part, changing the mass of the load by increasing and decreasing the mass, and subsequently investigating what the relationship is between load mass and cantilever length. The initia l location of the mass in relation to the entire yardstick will be controlled by placing the mass at the same end of the yardstick for each trial and marking the flexion/deflexion. Dependent Variable: The deflection/flexion of the cantilever in metres. This will be measured indirectly by measuring the initial height of the bottom of the cantilever with no mass added (which is equal to the height of the table) and the new height of the bottom of the cantilever after each trial, which will be measured with mass added. Hence, the difference between these heights is equal to the deflection/flexion of the cantilever. The material and other physical properties of the cantilever will be controlled by using the same yardstick as a cantilever for each trial.Data Collection and Processing My experiment is divided into two parts; experiment A (involving the relationship between flexion and the mass of the load) and experiment B (involving the relationship between the flexion and the length of the cantilever). Below are two tables in which I have recorded the data which I obtained during the experiment. The first table reflects the Relationship between the deflection/flexion of the cantilever and the mass of the load and the second table reflects the relationship between the flexion of the cantilever and the length of the cantilever. i) Relationship between the deflection/flexion of the cantilever and the load mass (5 trials) Table #1-Experiment A Factor/Variable| Trial 1| Trial 2| Trial 3| Trial 4| Trial 5| Trial 6| Trial 7| Trial 8| Trial 9| Trial 10| Trial 11| Load (g)| 0| 100| 200| 300| 400| 500| 600| 700| 800| 900| 1000| Without Load (cm)| 96| 96| 96| 96| 96| 96| 96| 96| 96| 96| 96| With Load (cm)| 96| 92. 7| 90| 87. 6| 85| 82. 2| 79. 5| 77| 74. 6| 71. 5| 69. 5| Flexion (cm)| 0| 3. 3| 6| 8. 4| 11| 13. 8| 16. 5| 19| 21. 4| 24. 5| 26. 5| Now, I will graph this relation:We can see that there is a linear relationship between flexion and the load mass. (ii) Relationship b etween the deflection/flexion and the length of the cantilever (5 trials) Table #2- Experiment B Factor/Variable| Trial 1| Trial 2| Trial 3| Trial 4| Trial 5| Trial 6| Trial 7| Trial 8| Trial 9| Trial 10| Length of cantilever (cm)| 90| 80| 70| 60| 50| 40| 30| 20| 10| 0| Height without Load (cm)| 95. 5| 95. 5| 95. 5| 95. 5| 95. 5| 95. 5| 95. 5| 95. 5| 95. 5| 95. 5| Height with Load (cm)| 69. 5| 76. 5| 82. 5| 87. 4| 90. 9| 93. 2| 94. 5| 95. 5| 95. | 95. 5| Flexion (cm)| 26| 19| 13| 8. 1| 4. 6| 2. 3| 1| 0| 0| 0| Now I will graph this relation: We can see that there is an exponential/power relationship (curved) between the flexion and the cantilever length. Analyzing Evidence Patterns: 1) In experiment A, the relationship between the flexion and the load is proportional as predicted. As the load increases, the flexion increases as well. As the load doubles from 200g to 400g, the deflection almost doubles too. 2) In experiment B, the deflection increases as the length of the cantilever i ncreases.But this time, it reaches a point (20cm, 10cm, 0cm) where the deflection stays the same even if the cantilever length changes. Conclusion and Evaluation Conclusion: The experimental results agree with my prediction/hypothesis because I predicted that in experiment A, the deflection is proportional to the mass of the load. In experiment B, I predicted that flexion/deflexion would increase as the length of the cantilever increases. As the load and the length of the cantilever increases, then the deflection/flexion increases.This happens because of forces acting on the particles in the cantilever. At the top of the cantilever, particles are pulled apart proportionately to the load because they are in tension. The forces between particles increase. However, the attractive force is bigger than the repelling force in the particles so therefore, the particles are held together. The particles at the bottom will be pushed together proportionately to the load because they are in comp ression. The forces get larger and the repelling force which is bigger pushes the particles away from each other.So they are not disordered. We can also say that they obey Hooke’s law. Evaluation: From the results that I got after performing the experiment, I can say that the experiment worked quite well. In the analyzing evidence section, I can draw the conclusion that the first table reflects a linear straight line graph and the second table reflects a curved graph. On this basis, I can say that the experiment worked out pretty well. I think the data I obtained was accurate since I did indeed try to graph these relationships.A possible improvement to this experiment should be repeating the experiment twice or more if possible. Then I would get the average results in a table and in this way, my results would be even more accurate. General Conclusion: The general conclusion we can draw from this experiment is that as the mass that we put on the cantilever increases, the defle ction increases too until the elastic point is reached where the cantilever cannot hold any more masses so it breaks. Also, we can see from the second graph that the larger the length of the cantilever, the large the flexion is.

Political Philosophy Essay

Introduction: Abu Nasr Muhammad bin Muhammad bin Tarkhan al-Farabi was born at Wasij, a village near Farab, a district of Transoxania. He was one of the greatest philosophers that the Muslim world had ever produced. He mainly studied in Baghdad and after gaining considerable proficiency in the Arabic language, he became an ardent pupil of the Christian savant Abu Bishr Matta bin Younus, quite prominent as translator of a number of works by Aristotle and other Greek versatile writers. Being a first Turkish philosopher, he left behind lasting and profound influence upon the life of succeeding Muslim Philosophers. Being a great expositor of Aristotle’s logic, he was aptly called al-mu’alim al thani (the second teacher). According to Ibn-e-Khaldoon, no Muslim thinker ever reached the same position as al-Farabi in Philosophical knowledge. Al-Farabi is the first Muslim philosopher to have left political writings, either in the form of commentaries or in treaties of his own based upon Plato. Al-Farabi’s works was preserved from ravages of time contain five on politics as under: 1. A Summary of Plato’s Laws 2. Siyasatu’l-Madaniyah 3. Ara’u ahli’l-Madinatu’l-Fadilah. 4. Jawami’u’s-Siyasat 5. Ijtima’atu’l-Madaniyah Contribution of Al-Farabi to Islamic Political Thought â€Å"In pure philosophy, Farabi became as famous as any philosopher of Islam, and it is said that a savant of caliber of Avicenna found himself entirely incapable of understanding the true bearing of Aristotle’s Metaphysics until one day he casually purchased one of Farabi’s works and by its help he was able to grasp their purport. †Ã‚  (Sherwani) Al-Farabi was a renowned philosopher of his age and deeply reverenced in all ages. Al-Farabi’s insatiated enthusiasm led him to study Philosophy, Logic, Politics, Mathematics and Physics. He left his indelible impact upon the succeeding generations through his works, which are still read, learnt and discussed with great passion and literal zest. His sincerity, profound moral convictions and his genuine belief in liberty and in the dignity of human being united with his moderation and humanitarianism made him the ideal spokesman of his age, which was full of rivalries, corrosions and false vanities. Sherwani was of the view,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"A man with such learning had no place in the ninth-century Baghdad and as we have pointed out, we find him regularly attached to Saif-ud-Dowlah’s court. In 946 Saif took Damascus and Al-Farabi became permanent resident of that delightful place, spending his time in the gardens of the erstwhile Umayyad capital discussing philosophical questions with his friends and writing down his opinions and compositions sometimes in a regular form, sometimes in an irregular form, sometimes, on merely loose leaves. †Ã‚  Al-Farabi renunciated from the worldly matters and he never pursued the pleasures and luxuries like other middle class Abbasids. He led exemplary simple life with full contentment with what he got to eat and to wear. It can be very well asserted that al-Farabi was in the truest sense â€Å"the parent of all subsequent Arabic Philosophers†. The great Christian scholars namely Albert the Great and St. Thomas Aquines acknowledged their indebtedness to al-Farabi in the development of their own political theories. Al-Farabi laid down several rules for teachers honestly striving to train the young students in philosophy. No scholar should start the study of philosophy until he gets very well acquainted with natural sciences. Human nature rises only gradually from the sensuous to the abstract, from the imperfect to the perfect. Mathematics in particular is very important in training the mind of a young philosopher, it helps him pass from the sensuous to the intelligible and further it informs his mind with exact demonstrations. Similarly, the study of logic as an instrument to distinguish the true from the false should precede the study of philosophy proper. Al-Farabi voluminously wrote mainly on pure philosophy and there is no doubt that he had to draw on neo-Platonic ideas current in the Arab world of those days in his commentaries on Aristotle, Porphyry and Ptolemy. Sherwani says that  we might accept the proposition that he was inspired by Plato, in this setting up of the Ideal City, but as there is a mass of new material in his political writings not found in Plato and taken from local sources, it is a matter of importance that such material should be analyzed and Farabi be given his rightful place on the scene of political philosophy. Al-Farabi died at the ripe age of nearly eighty years in 950. His name and works are everlasting and echoed in the corridors of time. Al-Farabi’s Ideal Head of State Every Islamic state is ruled by the ruler, or as later European Political scientists would call him the Sovereign. Plato after developing the matter of the government of his ideal city in his Republic had made the omnipotent and omniscient philosopher sovereign who should have no other interest but that of the affairs of state. Al-Farabi starts from the nature of the workers of leadership and impresses his readers that what is wanted for the office is the power of making proper deductions. According to Al-Farabi, his Rais should be such superior man, who, by his very nature and upbringing, does not submit before any power or instructions of others. He must have the potentialities to convey his sense to others for complete submission. Rosenthal was of the view, â€Å"He is the Imam, the first ruler over the ideal city-state, over the ideal nation and over the whole inhabited earth. The philosopher-prophet, in the opinion of Al-Farabi, is alone qualified to help man, a citizen to reach his true human destiny, where his moral and intellectual perfection permit him to perceive God, under the guidance of the divinely revealed Shariat. Those ruled by the first ruler are the excellent, best and happy citizens. † Al-Farabi contemplatively points out the virtuous qualities of his ideal Head of State, who should be competent to control the actions of all in the State and must be in possession of latest intellect as well as the gained intellect. All such refined and high qualities including his political and literal caliber make him an Ideal Sovereign for the overall interest of the society and the nation. He enumerated tweleve attributes of an ideal Sovereign: 1. He must possess persuasion and imagination to attain perfection as well as a philosopher skilled in the speculative science. 2. He must be physically sound with meticulous understanding. 3. He must have visualization of all that is said. 4. He must have a retentive and sharp memory. 5. He should discuss the matters with least possible arguments and must have authority to get the work done. 6. He must have power to convey to others exactly according to his wish and he has profound love of learning and knowledge. 7. He must have perfect capacity for a comprehensive knowledge and prescription of the theoretical and practical sciences and art, as well as for the virtues leading to good deeds. 8. He must shun off playfulness and control over anger and passions. 9. Al-Farabi’s ideal Rais must have love of truth, persuasion of justice and hatred of hypocrisy, knavery and duplicity. 10. He must vie for utmost happiness to his subjects and he should do away with all forces of tyranny and oppressions. 11. He must have power to distribute justice without any effort, fearless in doing things as he thinks best to be done. 12. He must serve the people of his state from all internal and external dangers. He must be in possession of considerable wealth, so that he should not prone to greed and lust. Al-Farabi fully realizes that these fine qualities cannot be found in one single human being, so he says that one without just five or six of these qualities would make a fairly good leader. If however, even five or six of them are not found in a person, he would have one who has been brought up under a leader with these qualities, and would thus seen to prefer some kind of hereditary leadership, with the important condition that the heir should follow the footsteps of his worthy predecessor. In case even such a person is not available, it is preferable to have a council of two or even five members possessing an aggregate of these qualities provided at least one of them is a Hakim, i-e one who is able to know the wants of the people and visualize the needs of the state as a whole. This Hakim is to Farabi a desideratum of every kind of government, and if such a one is not procurable then the State is bound to be shattered to atoms. Kinds of State Al-Farabi describes the varieties of the states other than the Ideal States and the remarkable contribution of this philosopher are very much alive and given serious considerations even today. Al-Farabi divides states into following categories: 1. State of Necessity (Daruriya): Its inhabitants aim, at the necessities of the life, like food, drink, clothing, a place to live and carnal gratification and they generally help each other in securing these necessities of life. 2. Vile State (Nadhala): Its citizens strive for wealth and riches for their own sake. The account in the Siyasa includes a description of its ruler. Ibn-e-Rushd also succinctly touches upon this state. 3. Base and Despicable State: Its inhabitants concentrate on the pleasures of the senses, games and other pastimes. This state is the one in which men help one another to enjoy sensual pleasure such as games, jokes and pleasantries and this is the enjoyment of the pleasures of eating and merry-making. This state is the happy and fortunate state with the people of ignorance, for this state only aims at attaining pleasure after obtaining first the necessities of life and then abundant wealth to spend. 4. Timocracy (Madina Karama): It contains a variety of honours. Since the Arabic source of Al-farabi is lost in the wealth of legend, we are unable to determine whether this lengthy and diffuse description goes back to it or represents Al-Farabi’s own amplification. The latter seems to be more correct. The citizens of these honor-loving states assist each other in gaining glory, fame and honor. The honors fall into two groups. The first is a personal relationship between one who is worthy to be honored because of some virtue in him, and the others who accord him honor and respect because they recognize him as their superior. The second kind of honor is accorded to men because of their wealth, or because of they have been victorious, exercise authority or enjoy other distinctions. This state in the opinion of Al-Farabi is the best of all the states. 5. Tyranny (Taghallub): It receives from the aim of its citizens; they co-operate to give victory over others, but refuse to be vanquished by them. Al-Farabi sets out to distinguish between despotic states and define tyranny or despotism according to aim, mastery over others and over their possessions for power’s sake, within or externally, by force and conquest or by persuasion and achieving enslavement. His despotic rule is a mixed one and thus often resembles timocracy or plutocracy. Ibn-e-Rushd avoids this by following Plato’s description of tyranny and the tyrannical man, and the transition from democracy to tyranny and of the democratic to the tyrannical man but done to their common source both Al-Farabi and Ibn-e-Rushd similarly define tyranny as absolute power. Rosenthal  was of the view,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Tyranny has even more variations for Al-Farabi than timocracy; as many as the tyrant has desires, for this despotism expresses itself in imposing his will on his subjects and making them work for his personal ends. Al-Farabi knows of two kinds of tyranny within which these variations occur, internal and external tyranny. The first consists in the absolute mastery of the tyrant and his helpers over the citizens of the state, and the second is the enslavement of another state or people. † 6. Democracy (Madina Jama’iya): It is marked by the freedom of its inhabitants to do as they wish. They are all equal and no body has master over another. Their governors only govern with the explicit consent of the governed. Democracy contains good and bad features and it is therefore not impossible that at some time the most excellent men grow up there, so that philosophers, orators and poets come into being. It is thus possible to choose from its elements of the ideal state. Apart from the afore-mentioned classification of the states, which seems to be idealistic, Al-Farabi has a definite place for the trait of political character over other nations. He initiates reasons for this mastery and says that it is sought by a people owing to its desire for protection, ease ort luxury and all that leads to the satisfactions of these necessities. In this powerful state, they might be able to get all the desire. There is nothing against human nature for the strong to over power the weak, so nations which try to get other nations under their control consider it quite proper to do so, and it is justice both to control the weak and for the weak to be so controlled, and the subdued nation should do it for the good of its masters. There is no doubt that all the lapse of centuries and the international ideology which is the current coin in politics, the psychology of the nations today is much the same as described by the Master centuries ago. Al-Farabi  said,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"But the more chivalrous among them are such that even when they have to shed human blood they do so only face to face, not while their opponent is asleep or showing his back, nor do they take away his property except after giving him proper warning of their intentions. Such a community does not rest till it thinks it has become supreme forever, nor does it give any other nation an opportunity of over powering it, always regarding all other peoples their opponents and enemies and keeping itself on Guard. † Colonies: Al-Farabi is comprehensively clear about the principles of colonization. He opines that the inhabitants of a State must scatter hither and thither in different parts of a State because they have been overpowered by an enemy or by an epidemic or through economic necessity. There are only alternatives to the colonists, either to migrate I such a way as to form one single commonwealth or divide themselves in different political societies. It may come to compass that a large body of these people are of opinion that it is not necessary to change the laws which they have brought from their mother country; they would then simply codify existing laws and begin to live under them. It will thus be clear to understand that A-Farabi not only contemplates colonization but also self-Government of a republican kind which is closer to the modern conceptions.

Accelerating Growth Between Marketing and Sales With Steli Efti

Accelerating Growth Between Marketing and Sales With Steli Efti Do you enjoy your morning commute? Do you use that time to figure out what you want to accomplish? Goals you want to crush? It can be a peaceful time to think about various projects and who to work with to make things happen. Today, we’re talking to Steli Efti, co-founder and CEO of Close.io, about the intersection of inbound marketing and outbound sales. We discuss where to start, how to work collaboratively, how to grow and scale practices, and HUCA. Some of the highlights of the show include: Starts with customers if you’ve had success with inbound marketing and data to identify ideal/non-ideal customers, that’s the foundation of outbound sales Outbound Strategy: Ask customers for advice on how to sell to them Be vulnerable when doing sales, ask for help, and create an MVP for insights Decision-maker milestones to reach through outbound efforts that can be improved, replicated, and scaled Not all sales reps are created equal; requires consistency and persistence Would I want to buy from this person? Would I want to buy something from this person that I don’t really want to buy? Salesperson Characteristics: Knowledgeable, influencing, trustful, confident, authentic, honest, competitive, and adaptive Depending on your buyers, send emails or make calls to reach them Hang Up and Call Again (HUCA): Philosophy that applies to trying again to get everything you want in life Get outbound sales and inside marketing to work together to understand what they’re trying to accomplish and what insights they’re gathering Links: Close.io Steli Efti’s Blog Steli Efti Keynote Steli Efti’s Email (subject: bundle, and refer to AMP) Send suggested AMP topics If you liked today’s show, please subscribe on iTunes to The Actionable Marketing Podcast! The podcast is also available on SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Quotes by Steli Efti: â€Å"My entrepreneurial superpower has always been sales and marketing. I’ve always been communicating to drive things forward and to make my businesses succeed.† â€Å"Most of the advice that I give is super obvious stuff, but it’s stuff that people don’t want to do.† â€Å"Just ask a bunch of your customers to give you advice on how to sell to them from an outbound perspective.† â€Å"What separates a great from the good is real consistency and persistency.† If you sound confident and comfortable, it’s going to make me feel like I should stay on the phone and keep listening.

McDonalds Company Management and Strategy Project

McDonalds Company Management and Strategy Project Introduction to the Study McDonald’s Company is one of the largest businesses in the world, with branches in 119 countries. The company serves over 60 million people daily in over 24,000 operational business zones worldwide. The following report focuses on one of the branches and/or subsidiaries operating in the UAE.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on McDonald’s Company: Management and Strategy Project specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It gives a brief history and background followed by a strategic analysis of the company. The company’s chain of restaurants in the UAE will be discussed, including an assessment of their operations, investigation of the industry in which the business operates, and the market as a whole. The report also states the mission, vision, values, and goals of the organisation in terms of its delivery of services to customers in the region and beyond. The Porter’s five f orces model that is applicable in the analysis of performance and competition will also be applied in the company’s analysis. This will be followed by the competition analysis from new entrants in the market as well as the existing competitors. An analysis of the company in terms of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats will be done in the section on SWOT analysis. The entry strategies that were used in the creation of the international brand of McDonald’s will also be analysed, with the provision of appropriate recommendations to the same. A conclusion is also provided encompassing all the suggested recommendations. Background and History of the Company McDonald’s Company began as a small restaurant in California under the steer of two brothers, Maurice and Richard McDonald in 1949. One of the other individuals responsible for the international expansion of the company is Ray Croc who is the American businessperson with roots from the Czech Republic . Croc bought the two brother’s equity in the company, thus transforming it into a nationally and internationally renowned brand. McDonald’s business was listed as a public company in 1965 where it continued with its international expansion to markets away from America including Asia. The UAE subsidiary of McDonald’s Company was established in 1994. It has since been involved in the delivery of services in the area and in the region as part of McDonald’s Arabia Company. The company currently has over 100 restaurants that are spread all over the Arabian region. Industry Analysis The restaurant industry in the United Arab Emirates is one of the fastest growing industries in the world, with this growth being related to the relatively good performance of the economy. Several restaurants are spread out across the region and in the ever-growing cities. These restaurants provide services related to those that McDonald’s offers.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The industry is also well performing. In 2008, it recorded a growth of about 12% from the previous year in the purchase of food and beverages from the restaurants (Williams, 2008). The value was expected to increase from that of $841 in 2008 to over $1.2 billion in 2012 (Williams, 2008). In 2008 alone, there were over 11000 restaurants in the UAE, with McDonald’s business being among these establishments (Williams, 2008). Market Analysis The restaurant market in the UAE is relatively developed, with people here having a culture that is related to that in the Western nations. McDonald’s commands a respectable market share. It currently lies third in the market share in the region that it operates in the UAE. Most of the cities are places of work and residence in the UAE. McDonald’s business has capitalised on this to ensure that it is loca ted in regions where the best market is located. Mission of the Company The mission of any company provides the strategic objectives for its existence in the region and industry. The brief statement of an organisation’s mission provides a means of guaranteeing the best services to customers of the organisation, thus ensuring that the company lives to the fullest of its customers’ expectations. Mission Statement McDonald’s Company mission is to be the, ‘customers’ preferred base and the way to eat’. Vision of the Company The company’s vision is to be the desired food outlet restaurant in the UAE, providing services to customer satisfaction. Values of the Company Company values are important to the organisation, employees, and customers. In the UAE, the company aims to be the favourite dining place for the population. The company also aims to provide unmatched quality services. It also hopes to maintain the highest level of cleanliness i n its operations to facilitate in its vision of providing the safest food in the region. The company also values time. Besides, it has the value of providing timely services to its customers. Goals of the Company The goals of McDonald’s include being the market leader in the restaurant industry in the UAE and the region (Walker, 2007). It also has the goal of being the preferred eating-place for the population by providing the best ethically approved services. The company also aims to give back to the community and/or to grow its business positively in profitability.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on McDonald’s Company: Management and Strategy Project specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More McDonald’s UAE, which is a part of the McDonald’s Arabia, is a well-established company, with the brand name being strong in the region and internationally. The company has used this characteristic to ensure t hat it grows on the international front, with operations in the UAE being based on the desire to establish a restaurant chain as successful as in the mother country. The vision, mission, and goals of the company are related to those of the mother company. They are necessary in facilitating the success of the company and quality service delivery. Some of the recommendations include that the company should invest more in other aspects of the economy and/or diversify its services in the region by providing foods that are culturally general in the area. External Analysis of the Company A competitive analysis of McDonald’s Company in the UAE is possible although with reference to the mother company and the regional branches from which the company operates. Porter’s Five Forces Model An analysis of McDonald’s using Porter’s five forces model is necessary to show the competitiveness of the company both in the region and in the UAE specifically. Porter’s c ompetitiveness model shows the attractiveness of a market based on the outcome of the negative and positive influences that this aspect has on the profitability of the organisation on focus. Risk of entry by Potential Competitors The entry of potential competitors into a market is an important factor in the model. It is assumed that markets with a high performance index and with high returns will lead to attraction of new member of the market. There are a number of determinants to the entry of new members in a specific market. They include the barriers that exist, as imposed by the existing market participants, or the nature of the industry in which they operate. For McDonald’s, the brand name is a very important factor in the prevention of entry of other competitors, as these are deemed to be afraid of competing with the well-established brand that the company has created. Rivalry among established Companies In any industry, competition is driven by the rivalry between the m ajor industry players who determine the course of the competition. Several factors influence the competition, with different forms of competition being driven by the rivalry between the companies. The main determinant of the intensity of competition in the market that McDonald’s operates in the UAE is the use of advertising and majoring on innovation to attain competitive advantage.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The company has a number of recognised advertising campaigns that it has run in the region. These campaigns have ensured that it is ahead of the pack in competition. The rivalry in the industry is between the company and the major players who originally dominated the market before McDonald’s entry. The Bargaining Power of Buyers The bargaining power of buyers, also known as the market of outputs, is also a pillar in the Porter’s five forces model. Consumers have the power to determine the performance of any organisation. One of the major ways that firms reduce customers’ bargaining power is using loyalty programs that ensure that customers are faithful to the organisation. Another component of this pillar is the number of customers in relation to the number of outlets that the organisation runs. McDonald’s in the UAE has a significantly better ratio, having a number of branches distributed throughout the UAE. The Bargaining Power of Suppliers Suppliers ar e also a significant factor in determining the performance of any organisation. McDonald’s is not an exception of this fact. As opposed to the bargaining power of customers, bargaining power of supplier, also known as market of inputs, affects the availability of raw materials for use on the organisation. If an organisation secures a good supply chain with trusted suppliers, the output also improves. There is the availability of goods and services to the convenience of its customers. McDonald’s UAE has ensured that suppliers are available for the main utilities in the organisation. These utilities are sourced locally and internationally as per the requirements. Suppliers have also contributed to the quality services that the organisation provides. Substitute Products There are several restaurants in the UAE that offer competition to McDonald’s. While these restaurants offer direct competition, the hotel and catering industries around offer an indirect competitio n through the provision of related products. McDonald’s ensures that the competition that is provided by these substitute products is reduced through the pricing of its own products. When the prices of a product are lower than that of another related product, the customer often makes the choice of buying the cheaper product. External Threats to the Company Despite the company performing well both internationally and on the local front, there are a number of threats that it faces. These are likely to affect the future operations and profitability of the business. The main threat is the heath campaign against the company that is evident in many avenues. There has been concern about the prevalence of obesity in other areas of the world where the company operates. This situation is likely to emerge in the UAE. The negative publicity that the campaign creates for the company is likely to affect its performance. External Opportunities for the Company Despite the threat above, the c ompany has a potential opportunity on the international front. With the improved performance of most of the economies in the region and the development of major infrastructure projects, the population will increase in the region (Robison, Goodman, 1996). This provides an opportunity to the company to use its well-established brand name to improve its presence and performance in the region. Internal Analysis of the Company Resources and Capabilities of the Company The company has a number of resources that it can attribute to its success in the country and the region in general. One of the major resources is the strong brand name that it has created over the years. The company also has a large number of experienced personnel to ensure that the services provided are adequate. The company prides itself in having an experienced human resource. Some of the future resources that the company may invest in are cleaner and efficient way of producing the goods that it sells. This will be a l ikely source of future better performance. Competencies of the Company The company has a number of competencies that it is known for in the industry. As a restaurant with a powerful brand name, McDonald’s provides some of the tastiest fast foods available, with the best known of these foods being the burgers and chips. The organisation has used them as the marketing strategy to ensure that customers can relate the company with the sweetest foods. The company also offers delivery services for some of the foods that it produces. It often has promotions where these foods are provided at a reduced cost. The main competence of the company is the efficiency with which it is able to provide quality foods. Some of these foods also include sandwiches and coffee, fruits and vegetables, and beef products. Competitive Advantages of the Company The company has a competitive advantage in a number of ways that it has managed to add value to its customers. One of the ways that the company ad ds value to customers is saving them time and money. Through the availability of cheap foods, customers can work comfortably in any city where there is a McDonald’s business. The organisation also ensures that families can save time and money through providing them with cheaper food options as opposed to travelling to their home places to look for food. Strengths of the Company The company has a number of strengths that are a source of its dominance in the region and on the international arena. One of the major strengths that have been mentioned is the strong brand name that it has created internationally. This continues to influence its performance even in the UAE. Another source of strength is the location of the branches at the most convenient places where customers can access them. A large market and consumer base is another of the strengths that the company has. Many people in the UAE have at least dined, or wanted to dine, in the restaurant. The ownership of the restaur ant is also by the locals. This makes them tailor their services according to market needs. Weaknesses of the Company Despite the strengths discussed above, the company also had its share of flaws. The major weakness of the company is the absence of varieties in the provision of services. The company has embarked on the preservation of its brand name. This has involved the restriction of services to the food and restaurant industry. The company is also located in the large urban areas, thus locking other markets that have a potential to develop. SWOT Analysis Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats Strong brand name Located in urban areas only Growing economy of the UAE New restaurants Quality services Absence of diversity Increased dominance Negative health campaigns International presence Strong customer base Large market share Poor market performance Strong organisational culture Developing regional economies and a chance of expansion Local ownership of branches Global Strategy The company has adopted an efficient global strategy that is run by the mother company. This involves spreading to all corners of the world. Now, the company has subsidiaries and branches in over 110 countries. The ownership of these branches is purely by the local investors in each of the countries. The company controls the activities of these subsidiaries. The main achievement that the company has had is the establishment of branches in all the major continents and the provision of services related to the mother company. Entry Strategy The company used a number of strategies in its entry into the global markets. One of the strategies that it used was the acquisition of other international companies and organisations offering the same services elsewhere where they wanted to enter the markets. The company bought the smaller chain of restaurants where its operations were to run in the countries. Another strategy that the company used was to contact investors in the different parts of the world. These investors were contracted to provide services on behalf of the organisation using its strong brand name to provide these services. The company used this entry strategy in most of the restaurants that are run in the UAE. Entry Strategy Recommendation The Arabian region is one of the regions that McDonald’s may expand into with a large presence. A number of branches are already available in one of the UAE neighbours. In order to expand to countries such as Iran and Iraq, the company needs to invest through the local investors. It should build its own restaurants and contract locals to run the outlets. This method will be an effective strategy to ensure a widespread acceptance in the new places in terms of determining the entry strategy that should be used when the company enters a market in the future. Conclusions Based on the expositions made in the paper, McDonald’s qualifies to be one of the largest restaurants chain in the wor ld. One of the international branches is the McDonald’s UAE. The company, as discussed, is locally owned by different investors, with the brand name being the most significant of its strengths in the operations. Some of the characteristics of the organisation have been discussed in brief. Some suggestions are possible for this international organisation. One of the recommendations is that it should consider diversification of its services to other industries apart from the restaurant chain. This move would be important in guaranteeing performance even with the threats in the restaurant industry. Reference List Robison, R., Goodman, S. (1996). The New rich in Asia: mobile phones, McDonald’s and middle-class revolution. London: Routledge. Walker, J. (2007). Oman, UAE Arabian Peninsula. Footscray, Vic.: Lonely Planet. Williams, D. (2008). United Arab Emirates FAIRS Subject Report- UAE Establishes Arabic Labeling Requirements for Food Products 2008. USDA Foreign Agricult ure Service. Retrieved from https://www.fas.usda.gov/

Culture-History, Social Evolution, and Archaeology

Culture-History, Social Evolution, and Archaeology The culture-historical method (sometimes called the  cultural-historical method or culture-historical approach or theory) was a way of conducting anthropological and archaeological research that was prevalent among western scholars between about 1910 and 1960. The underlying premise of the culture-historical approach was that the main reason to do archaeology or anthropology at all was to build timelines of major occurrences and cultural changes in the past for groups that did not have written records. The culture-historical method was developed out of the theories of historians and anthropologists, to some degree to help archaeologists organize and comprehend the vast amount of archaeological data that had been and was still being collected in the 19th and early 20th centuries by antiquarians. As an aside, that hasnt changed, in fact, with the availability of power computing and scientific advances such as archaeo-chemistry (DNA, stable isotopes, plant residues), the amount of archaeological data has mushroomed. Its hugeness and complexity today still drives the development of archaeological theory to grapple with it. Among their writings redefining archaeology in the 1950s, American archaeologists Phillip Phillips and Gordon R. Willey (1953) provided a good metaphor for us to understand the faulty mindset of archaeology in the first half of the 20th century. They said that the culture-historical archaeologists were of the opinion that the past was rather like an enormous jigsaw puzzle, that there was a pre-existing but unknown universe which could be discerned if you collected enough pieces and fitted them together. Unfortunately, the intervening decades have resoundingly shown us that the archaeological universe is in no way that tidy. Kulturkreis and Social Evolution The culture-historical approach is based on the Kulturkreis movement, an idea developed in Germany and Austria in the late 1800s. Kulturkreis is sometimes spelled Kulturkreise and transliterated as culture circle, but means in English something along the lines of cultural complex. That school of thought was generated primarily by German historians and ethnographers  Fritz Graebner and Bernhard Ankermann. In particular, Graebner had been a medieval historian as a student, and as an ethnographer, he thought it should be possible to build historical sequences like those available for medievalists for regions that did not have written sources. To be able to build cultural histories of regions for people with little or no written records, scholars tapped into the notion of unilinear social evolution, based in part on the ideas of American anthropologists Lewis Henry Morgan and Edward Tyler, and German social philosopher Karl Marx. The idea (long ago debunked) was that cultures progressed along a series of more or less fixed steps: savagery, barbarism, and civilization. If you studied a particular region appropriately, the theory went, you could track how the people of that region had developed (or not) through those three stages, and thus classify ancient and modern societies by where they were in the process of becoming civilized. Invention, Diffusion, Migration Three primary processes were seen as the drivers of social evolution: invention, transforming a new idea into innovations; diffusion, the process of transmitting those inventions from culture to culture; and migration, the actual movement of people from one region to another. Ideas (such as agriculture or metallurgy) might have been invented in one area and moved into adjacent areas through diffusion (perhaps along trade networks) or by migration. At the end of the 19th century, there was a wild assertion of what is now considered hyper-diffusion, that all of the innovative ideas of antiquity (farming, metallurgy, building monumental architecture) arose in Egypt and spread outward, a theory thoroughly debunked by the early 1900s. Kulturkreis never argued that all things came from Egypt, but the researchers did believe there was a limited number of centers responsible for the origin of ideas which drove the social evolutionary progress. That too has been proven false. Boas and Childe The archaeologists at the heart of the adoption of the culture-historical approach in archaeology were Franz Boas and Vere Gordon Childe. Boas argued that you could get at the culture-history of a pre-literate society by using detailed comparisons of such things as artifact assemblages, settlement patterns, and art styles. Comparing those things would allow archaeologists to identify similarities and differences and to develop the cultural histories of major and minor regions of interest at the time. Childe took the comparative method to its ultimate limits, modeling the process of the inventions of agriculture and metal-working from eastern Asia and their diffusion throughout the Near East and eventually Europe. His astoundingly broad-sweeping research led later scholars to go beyond the culture-historical approaches, a step Childe did not live to see. Archaeology and Nationalism: Why We Moved On The culture-historical approach did produce a framework, a starting point on which future generations of archaeologists could build, and in many cases, deconstruct and rebuild. But, the culture-historical approach has many limitations. We now recognize that evolution of any kind is never linear, but rather bushy, with many different steps forward and backward, failures and successes that are part and parcel of all human society. And frankly, the height of civilization identified by researchers in the late 19th century is by todays standards shockingly moronic: civilization was that which is experienced by white, European, wealthy, educated males. But more painful than that, the culture-historical approach feeds directly into nationalism and racism. By developing linear regional histories, tying them to modern ethnic groups, and classifying the groups on the basis of how far along the linear social evolutionary scale they had reached, archaeological research fed the beast of Hitlers master race and justified the imperialism and forcible colonization by Europe of the rest of the world. Any society that hadnt reached the pinnacle of civilization was by definition savage or barbaric, a jaw-droppingly idiotic idea. We know better now. Sources Eiseley LC. 1940. Review of The Culture Historical Method of Ethnology, by Wilhelm Schmidt, Clyde Kluchhohn and S. A. Sieber. American Sociological Review 5(2):282-284.Heine-Geldern R. 1964. One Hundred Years of Ethnological Theory in the German-Speaking Countries: Some Milestones. Current Anthropology 5(5):407-418.Kohl PL. 1998. Nationalism and Archaeology: On the Constructions of Nations and the Reconstructions of the Remote past. Annual Review of Anthropology 27:223-246.Michaels GH. 1996. Culture historical theory. In: Fagan BM, editor. The Oxford Companion to Archaeology. New York: Oxford University Press. p 162.Phillips P, and Willey GR. 1953. Method and Theory in American Archeology: An Operational Basis for Culture-Historical Integration. American Anthropologist 55(5):615-633.Trigger BG. 1984. Alternative Archaeologies: Nationalist, Colonialist, Imperialist. Man 19(3):355-370.Willey GR, and Phillips P. 1955. Method and theory in American archaeology II: Historical-Developmenta l interpretation. American Anthropologist 57:722-819.

GLOBAL WARMING Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

GLOBAL WARMING - Assignment Example But as long as they are unable to bring out the clear guidelines for identifying the offenders of the past , it would create a huge void in their initiatives to mobilize public support. Again the lack of confidence that they show for a open forum discussion exemplifies the political diplomacy rather than political commitment. And, being a commercial organization, the stand taken by Exxon cannot be refuted. Unless a clear evidence and scientific reasoning of the global warming is not related to the specific industrial emissions , it would be impossible for a commercial operator to limit their operations when their role as environmental culprit is still unproven. Hence, from the business perspective the action of Exxon cannot considered as unethical but could be branded as environmentally indifferent organization due to the dubious role for mobilizing other industrial owners for their own specific

FAMILIES IN CGLOBAL CONTEXT Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

FAMILIES IN CGLOBAL CONTEXT - Research Proposal Example In other words, families have become more pluralistic in recent times then ever before. Changes because of globalization mean the decline in the American families. Charles Murray, a reporter in Wall Street Journal directed illegitimate births as the most critical problem with more devastating affects than any crimes. American families have to confront challenges like high divorce rates, illegitimate births, pre-marital sex, decline in birth rates, loss of family functions, etc. The highest official divorce rates are in United States when compared to other developed nations. The high divorce rates are a threat to the continuation of familial institution. Children experience mental illness, perform poorly at their schools or display other signals of maladjustment. The sexual revolution is also the dominating factor that threatens the existence of American families because it promotes premarital sex and illegitimate births. Transformation in American society had been escorted with decli ne in fertility. Before the era of globalization, families were considered to be miniature society (Roopnarine, 2005). The shifting of functions from the family to other institutions has made it less important because of decrease in social responsibilities. With the advent of globalization, families in Mexico that were once customarily closely knit, appear to be dispersed, specifically among the young rural migrants who go to urban areas for better job opportunities. Meanwhile, the elders of the family are abandoned frequently to fend for themselves while the young male members of the family are lost in the intermediary regions of the urban centers (Grusky, 2001). The migrations of young people have made them abandon their cultural values for which they were known for. Also, there has been a decline in equally positive close relationship and bond that existed between the elders and the youngsters of