Systematic Approach of World Wide Web

Getting your course onto the World Wide Web (WWW) is best done using a systematic approach. There are a number of steps that need to be taken prior to starting any of the actual web work. Meetings should be held with various groups within your institution. Once the actual coursework is begun, there are some essential components and some optional components. There are specific skills and talents that you either need to acquire or you need to access. Each web-based course is unique, but they often have many components in common. Some are essential, others may be optional. Resources can be found on your campus, from the many web companies and from the web itself. World Wide Web, WWW, Distance Education, HTML, Web-Based Instruction The number of degree credit courses available on the World Wide Web (WWW) has increased at the same astonishing rate as other activities on the WWW. There are some specific steps that can be taken that will help to transport the professor from the idea stage to the delivery of a course over the WWW. Also, just like any other educational technology, web-based instruction works better for some situations than others. Web-based instruction is useful when you want to create a virtual environment which is not easily or, perhaps, safely accessible. An example is sending learners to a virtual nuclear lab or on a â€Å"virtual tour† of the Louver in Paris. Web-based instruction it allows learners to gain knowledge and skill more effectively than traditional methods. Simply transferring material such as lecture notes to the web is not using the technology to its best advantage. Lengthy text such as lecture notes are, in fact, best printed because most learners experience eye strain and sensory disinterest reading long passages of text on a screen. Some specific situations tend to lend themselves to web-based instruction. You want to encourage communication through conferencing. Through internet conferencing learners may participate in discussions or group work with one another with or without the participation of the instructor. Role plays, simulations of historical events and debates are also examples of how learning can be facilitated through the conferencing option. You want learners to use â€Å"source documents† to complete assignments such as conducting an analysis or designing a project. These source documents may not be readily available to learners or perhaps, based on the assignment, will not be equally significant to all the learners. For example, you may ask learners to research and analyze issues pertaining to Canadian elections. To complete the assignment, various learners may access archived information such as newspaper and journal articles which specifically relate to their particular interest or point of view. One example is a site operated by the University of Victoria (http://web.uvic.ca/history robinson/index.html) which contains letters, maps, biographies and newspaper articles about the murder of William Robinson committed on Saltspring Island in 1868. The information at the site allows learners and the public to pursue their research as they please and to access original documents which are not generally available. Individuals are free to interpret the meaning of the documents and reach their own conclusions. You want to provide maximum flexibility to allow learners to undertake learning and research in the order which best suits them. Because the web allows learners to â€Å"move around† at will, they do not need to follow a structured hierarchy. Generally learners need and want some direction but the web allows a more flexible approach. You want learners to pool data and/or analysis to find patterns and trends or to undertake further study. For a starting point and to keep us on track in this paper, I will discuss degree credit courses delivered by the University of New Brunswick. I will assume that for your case there is ready WWW web access for the professor as well as web access for students. Again, for consistency, I expect my students to have at least Netscape 3 (or its equivalent), their own internet service provider (ISP), and the skills necessary to access the WWW. These are my starting points – but most concepts discussed will transfer across institutional lines. There a number of things that you should do before you begin to do any coding, contracting or late night computer hacking. There are meetings to setup, there is paper work to be done and decisions to be made. Then, and only then, do you get to â€Å"play† with the computer. I would advise that you consider the following meetings as part of your endeavors. They will help you set the ground rules, help you avoid some of the mine-fields, and start you off on a working relationship with groups that can be either wonderful allies or formidable combatants, and hopefully help keep you on track as you work towards a finished product. 6.2.1 Your initial meeting with your own department I feel it is imperative for any relationship you and your delivering agency (Department of Extension, Continuing Education or â€Å"University of the World†) to start with a good relationship with your own department. In this meeting you may need to get the approval of the supervisors of your department to be able to deliver in something other than the traditional face to face, on campus mode. Those in authority may have to guarantee the academic support for some period after the first start of delivery of the course (at UNB, the period is three years). At the University of New Brunswick, instructors delivering courses through the Department of Extension are recommended by the faculties. This is something you might also wish to discuss with your own department at this time. It is often assumed that the person(s) developing a course will be the one(s) that wish to teach the course and the one(s) that the faculty will appoint to teach the course. This is not always the case. You should also discuss possible sources of help for the development of your course. There are times when stipend relief may be available from various sources. There may also be funds available from other agencies. 6.2.2 Your first meeting with your delivering agency Having gained the approval of your faculty, you should next meet with your delivering agency. In this meeting, you should discuss the ways that they can help you in the development of your course. They may also share with you what they know about possible funding sources. As Web-based learning is different from regular face-to-face lecture learning, they will want you to make use of good instructional design methodologies. This is often an area where they can help. Here are some items you may wish to discuss at that meeting: a. possible methods of web-based delivery for your course, b. method of payment to the instructor, c. ancillary support materials and their delivery to the students, d. how the materials, assignments, marks and communications flow between parties g. on-going checkpoint meetings with your delivering agency. At regularly scheduled intervals, you should meet with your delivering agency as they will wish to monitor the development of the course. Your delivering agency should be checking with you to: * keep abreast of your time lines. They need this to be able to best market your course and to see that it receives the coverage it deserves, * ensure the consistency of an Academia â€Å"look and feel† * ensure the consistency of any standards for web-based courseware development (for an example, please see http://www.unb.ca/home/webinfo/guide.html) * keep abreast of your needs and successes. These meetings are intended to insure the standards and formats consistent with the delivery of your institute's courses, and should in no way be an attempt to interfere with your teaching. There is an ongoing debate as to whether one should do all or some of the web work oneself, or if the work should be jobbed out. I enjoy working with the web, I have instructional design training and have been involved in courseware development for quite a few years and so, as long as I have more time than financial resources, I will do the work myself. There are many very good professional agencies that can be contracted to produce courseware for you. These agencies can be contracted to do a wide range of the jobs necessary to complete any type of web-based application. There are probably agencies within your institution who specialize in instructional design and courseware development. These units should be consulted. For certain areas of the development that you do yourself, you will need some specific skills. You will need to be very familiar with these or will need access to people who are and can do these aspects of the job for you. 7.1.1.1 HyperText Markup Language – HTML Stands for HyperText Markup Language, and on a scale of one to ten, learning the basics of HTML is about a three. The web is a great resource (see the Resource list below), and there are a plethora of good books on the subject. I keep the most current version of Teach Yourself Web Publishing with HTML in a Week by Laura Lemay near my computer. As with all aspects of the WWW, the print support is changing constantly, but the most recent edition is usually the best. Again, there a large number of excellent resources and my favorite is Jerry Kemp's The Instructional Design Process (New York: Harper & Row, 1985). It is however, out of print, and this is one case where I do think the next edition was not as good as the first. Another good choice is, Robert Branch's Common Instructional Design Practices Employed by Secondary School Teachers, Educational Technology, 34, (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications, 1995). The more familiar you become with HTML, the more you will be able to enhance your course's web site. This can be a good thing, and it can also be not so good. Adding components and extra â€Å"bells and whistles† to your web site should be done as a conscious choice to support your educational objectives and not just because the â€Å"bells and whistles† are there. Stands for Common Gateway Interface and is the coding that allows the information collected from forms on webs sites to be manipulated. This can be as simple as allowing students to send specific assignments to you, or can be as elaborate as on-line registration. Every Web-delivered course will have a number of components. These will vary depending upon your needs, your style and the degree of interactivity in the course. There are some components that should be part of your site, in order to make the course appealing to your customer. I feel that some components of a web-based course are essential and others are optional. These can be divided into static and dynamic. These components change very little. They can be put on your web site and only updated as needed. This will often come directly from your University calendar. This can be as informal or as formal as you like. What kind of first impression do you wish to make? How much do you wish to add? Do you wish to link to your own personal Web site (if you have one)? Again, this can often come from your university calendar. It is always a good point to specify any particular computing hardware, software or skills that will be required for students to be able to take your course. Here is a nice place to put a scanned cover of the text – along with the ISBN, the publisher and all of the information needed for your potential students to acquire this text. Here is a good place to put a link to your institute's bookstore – assuming it has a web site. This is where you put as much information as you can about how students can reach you. Will you have office hours? Virtual office hours? Can they reach you via Email? How do they reach each other? Is there a listserv, a secure server? Students all seem to want to know what they have to do to get a mark. This is a good place to tell them about assignments, quizzes, mid-terms and finals, and any other expectations you have of them. These components may change often. They might be updated, or supplemented once a week or every few days. This gets used much more in the first part of the class. As the class gets â€Å"into it† this seems to be used less frequently. These can be placed on the web site before the class begins for all assignments, or can become readable at given times or as new assignments are given. These are the actual components of the web site that allow interactivity in the course. The real power of the WWW is global communication. And this is what makes web-based courses so exciting. Your course's communications may include any number of the following: These use standard Email to allow all members of the class to send and receive messages from any other member of the class, including the instructor. Messages are automatically sent to all of the individual's personal Email addresses. These are places where people can interact. Student-to-student, student-to-teacher and teacher-to-student or teacher to the entire class. These are sections on the web that students go to and are able to read messages and participate in on-line, asynchronous ‘conversations.' 7.2.1.2.6 Interactive ‘real time' two-way audio or video There are numerous pieces of software available now that allow desktop two-way video and audio. These tend to require very high bandwidth, and because they are ‘real-time' they require the participating parties to all be on the web at the same time. This is a place where your marking scheme can be listed. It is also a place where you can post marks or assignments in (if you have a secure server that only your class can access). As each week progresses, or just prior to each week's work, students may need to have the equivalent of lecture notes to supplement what is covered in the text book, or what has been assigned on the web. Some web software will allow you to put the all the notes on the web site – and as certain dates arrive, students then have access to the notes. These may be essential, depending upon your requirements. These may be as sound files (.WAV or .AU), audio streaming (Real Audio, Soundstream, Shockwave) or MIDI files. These may be as animated .GIFs, QuickTime, Shockwave or Java applications. 7.2.2.3 Quizzes, especially â€Å"self-correcting† quizzes These may be as part of a web educational software (WebCT) or can be developed by yourself or your institution. These may be as included as text pages or may be referenced to other sites. This is one area where copyright can really come into play. The cost of clearing copyright on a set of Harvard business case studies can be out of the question. These may be as QuickTime © video or may be done with the new Real Video that allows real-time video streaming. These will allow you to maintain and provide access to databases over the web. These may be as simple as step-by-step instructions for any topic with branching provided to additional sites. They can also be we intelligent tutorials with on-line interactive testing. An â€Å"open server† will allow anyone, anywhere on the web to access your information. A â€Å"secure server† will only allow persons with some type of authorization code to access your information. (This list does not constitute an endorsement on anyone's part. These resources are a jumping off points to help you get your course on the web.) Please do not overlook the many resources on your own campus. This site has links to courses, resources, helper sites that aid you in choosing which type and format of media to use, sites that check your HTML for errors or idiosyncrasies, and much more. http://www.unb.ca/web/wwwdev/resources.html 8.2 Conferences, on-line or face-to-face NAWeb '98 – The Virtual Campus (October 3-6, 1998). This international conference is in its fourth year. It is intended solely for those developing courseware for delivery on the WWW or for those delivering courseware over the WWW. http://www.unb.ca/web/wwwdev/naweb98/ 8.3 Books, listservs and associations Badrul Khan's Web-Based Instruction (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications, 1997) is quite good. I host the WWWDEV listserv. This listserv hosts the NAWeb conferences, and has 1400 members from around the world – developing for delivery over the WWW or actually delivering courseware over the WWW. The DEOSNEWS listserv is involved in all aspects of distance education. You can join that one by sending this message DEOS-L is a service provided to the Distance Education community by The American Center for the Study of Distance Education, The Pennsylvania State University. Opinions expressed are those of DEOS-L subscribers, and do not constitute endorsement of any opinion, product, or service by ACSDE or Penn State. The Canadian Association for Distance Education (CADE) can often help The Association for Media and Technology in Education – Canada (AMTEC) is another favorite of mine. Use every and any resource you can. Join groups for support, and support others in similar projects. This is a rapidly emerging field, and it is evolving and growing just as fast as it is emerging. Here is where you add ideas you pick up at the conference. This site has links to courses, resources, helper sites that aid you in choosing which type and format of media to use, sites that check your HTML for errors or idiosyncrasies, and much more. http://www.unb.ca/web/wwwdev/resources.html 8.2 Conferences, on-line or face-to-face NAWeb '98 – The Virtual Campus (October 3-6, 1998). This international conference is in its fourth year. It is intended solely for those developing courseware for delivery on the WWW or for those delivering courseware over the WWW. http://www.unb.ca/web/wwwdev/naweb98/ 8.3 Books, listservs and associations Badrul Khan's Web-Based Instruction (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications, 1997) is quite good. I host the WWWDEV listserv. This listserv hosts the NAWeb conferences, and has 1400 members from around the world – developing for delivery over the WWW or actually delivering courseware over the WWW. The DEOSNEWS listserv is involved in all aspects of distance education. You can join that one by sending this message DEOS-L is a service provided to the Distance Education community by The American Center for the Study of Distance Education, The Pennsylvania State University. Opinions expressed are those of DEOS-L subscribers, and do not constitute endorsement of any opinion, product, or service by ACSDE or Penn State. The Canadian Association for Distance Education (CADE) can often help The Association for Media and Technology in Education – Canada (AMTEC) is another favorite of mine. Use every and any resource you can. Join groups for support, and support others in similar projects. This is a rapidly emerging field, and it is evolving and growing just as fast as it is emerging. Here is where you add ideas you pick up at the conference.

Deutsche Brauerei Essay

Deutsche Brauerei was founded in 1737 and has been in the Schweitzer family for 12 generations. The company produces quality beer and has won awards over the years and is owned entirely by 16 uncles, aunts and cousins. In 1998, Deutsche Brauerei expanded into Ukraine. Despite the Russian debt crisis, the popularity of Deutsche’s beer increased its sales greatly and within three years of launch, Ukrainian consumers accounted for 28% of Deutsche’s sales. Furthermore, most of the unit growth in sales during that time period was also contributed by Ukraine. In an attempt to market the beer even more aggressively, Lukas hired Oleg Pinchuk, a marketing guy who understood the Ukrainian markets and had previous experience of marketing beer for a major Ukrainian beer producer. In the following report, we aim to evaluate the past and prospective financial performance of the company, dividend policy and to critique its liberal credit and inventory policies. An appropriate compensation scheme will also be recommended. Adoption of a Compensation Scheme for Oleg Pinchuk It is our belief that Oleg Pinchuk does deserve an increase in his compensation package to provide incentive for him to stay and provide future results. His strategies for setting up infrastructure in the Ukraine have been fundamental to the company’s sales growth. We are also concerned that some of his current policies may not be profitable and are taking on too much risk as the economy shows signs of a recession. Also, we highly recommend that the design of the compensation package be changed as it currently creates a large agency problem. In 1998, Deutsche Brauerei employed Oleg Pinchuk as the Company’s Sales and Marketing Manager. Previously Pinchuk has worked for a major beer producer in the Ukraine giving him invaluable insight into the industry and environment. The main goals he was placed with was to market Deutsche Brauerei’s beer more aggressively while taking advantage of the large opportunities existing in Central and Eastern Europe. â€Å"Our beer almost sells itself; discount pricing and heavy advertising are unwarranted. The challenge is getting people to try it and getting into a distribution pipeline. † Pinchuk quoted. Initially in 1998, Ukraine had no beer distributors, presenting a large problem – the company had no means of distributing the product amongst ustomers. Distributors in the Ukraine had no capital and could not receive financing from banks to set up their business because they had no collateral, low profits, negative cash flows and were seen as a high risk. They were also not able to bear the credit terms that were currently implemented on the German distributors . This is where Pinchuk’s strategies have been essential for our expansion into the Ukraine. Pinchuk, on a small budget, managed to organise five distributors and set up warehouse arrangements. He relaxed the credit policy for the Ukraine distributors from 2% 10, net 40 to 2% 10, net 80 – essentially financing their business and making it possible for them to set up and operate. Carrying a substantial part of the distributor’s inventory also took pressure and costs away from the distributors while making it possible to respond rapidly to changes in demand. These strategies have increased customers in the Ukraine from 0 to 211, with even more expected in 2001. For Oleg’s strategies to be implemented, the business has required large working capital investments. Particularly in accounts receivable where days in receivables is nearly 90 days. We believe that Pinchuk’s analysis of the return on investment has been overstated because he hasn’t taken into account the investments in inventory and capital expenditure that would also be needed. Exhibit 3 shows our adjusted analysis of the return that the business is receiving after taking into account changes in inventories and capital expenditure. We assumed that 85% of changes in inventory and 90% in capital expenditure were attributed to investment in the Ukraine. These assumptions are explained in the exhibit. Our results still produce a high return of 42% in the year 2000 which is much higher than the cost of financing long-term debt at 6. 5%. Notably, these investments are risky and the company needs to compare the return to their risk adjusted cost of capital for the Ukraine and not the cost of financing the debt to see if it is worthwhile. Exhibit 4 gives a good analysis of how these policies have affected the business’ performance and situation. Although sales growth has been consistently large, operating profit margin has decreased overall since his strategies were implemented. Return on equity and net assets have increased and in the year 2000 were 10. 3% and 8. 4% respectively. This is a good result for the business and shows efficient management of assets. It seems that Pinchuk’s strategies were possibly harmful to the business by decreasing the profit margin and taking on a lot of risk. It is our belief that the credit policy should not be relaxed and could even be tightened to less than 80 days. Unfortunately, reducing risk by tightening the policy would be accompanied by a decrease in sales. Although Pinchuk’s strategies have been potentially damaging, we do believe that he deserves an increase in his salary for expanding the company despite facing difficult conditions. His current compensation package is a base salary of EUR40,000 plus an incentive payment of 0. 5 % of sales growth. The current compensation package provides Pinchuk with an incentive to pursue projects that are risky to the company like extending large credit to distributors who are unable to pay it back. This would increase sales, thus increasing his salary, but would have a negative effect on both profits and the company. His incentive payment needs to be aimed more at collection and profits rather than sales growth. Our recommendation is to increase his base salary to EUR50,000 and have his incentive payment tied to annual profits (0. 6% of the annual increase in profits). However, in our recommended financial plan for 2001, there is a projected net profit of EUR 2,712,000. This is a decrease in profits from the previous year and would imply that Pinchuk would receive no incentive payment for 2001. Hopefully this would motivate him to increase the following year’s profits by revising his marketing and collection strategies. Analysis of Dividend Declaration Traditionally, DB pays out 75% from earnings as dividends each year to shareholders. At the moment, the company has a cash shortage as it is holding high levels of inventory and is extremely relaxed in credit terms for their Ukrainian distributors. Paying out dividends at 75% would mean increasing debt in order for the company to fund their proposed investment in a new plant. This would add strain on the already huge short-term debt that they have taken on. The possibility of a financial downturn in 2001 adds to the uncertainty of an increase in profits as projected in the financial plan. Guaranteeing that the company will pay out EUR698,000 in dividends might be too risky. Rather than rely on more bank borrowings, Deutsche Brauerei should retain more earnings to cover their bank borrowings and to also finance their future investments and projects. In addition, should there be a financial crisis, the retained earnings would help to cushion the impact from the crisis. As most of the shareholders are older members of the Schweitzer family, and are retirees who depend on the dividend payout, reducing the dividend payout might cause some upset. However, paying out a dividend percentage of 75% is causing more harm to the company. By reducing this percentage to 60%, the company is able to retain 40% of their net profits for reinvestment and financing future projects. These retained earnings would also help ease the problem of their current cash shortage. Dividend Payout| 50%| 60%| 75%| | 2001| 2002| 2001| 2002| 2001| 2002| Net Income| 2712| 3439| 2712| 3439| 2712| 3439| Dividends| 1356| 1720| 1627| 2063| 2034| 2579| | | | | | |   | Retention of Earnings| 1356| 1720| 1085| 1376| 678| 860| The table above shows the changes in retained earnings according to the changes in dividend percentages – the higher the dividend payout, the lower the retained earnings. It is recommended that, in the first quarter of 2001, the company should pay out the same amount of dividends which the shareholders received in 2000 (EUR 546, 500). It should be explained that if the forecast for 2001 is correct, and there is no financial crisis, the shareholders can expect a larger dividend payout in the next quarter. From our recommended financial plan (i. e. net profit is EUR 2,712,000), paying out dividends of 60% would mean that the shareholders can expect to receive a payout of EUR 406,800 in the second quarter. Analysis of Deutsche Brauerei’s 2001 Financial Budget One of the main concerns for Deutsche Brauerei’s financial budget for 2001 is its heavy reliance on short-term debt financing. This is mainly due to operating strategies, policies, large sales growth, dividends and capital expenditure being financed through working capital. These have all attributed in draining the company’s cash and causing the business to finance the investment through working capital using short-term borrowing. The overall reliance on debt financing has stayed around 42% (debt/total capital ratio, Exhibit 4). The main borrowing used by Deutsche Brauerei has been short-term debt, so the company has incurred a large cash drain. Short-term debt requires fast repayments to be made and normally charge a higher interest rate than what is charged on long-term debts. Short-term bank borrowings have increased dramatically from 1997 to 2000 and are projected to increase further in 2001 and 2002 (Exhibit 1). As for long-term debt, it has been steadily decreasing since 1997, further showing Deutsche Brauerei’s heavy reliance on short-term debt as their main source of financing. The 80-day credit policy given to Ukraine distributors has resulted in large increases in sales and accounts receivables. Exhibit 4 shows a large growth rate in sales and receivables mainly from the Ukraine. In 1998, accounts receivable in the Ukraine were EUR 424,000 and by 2000 have dramatically increased to EUR 6,168,000. In comparison with Germany, the Ukraine accounts receivable has grown at an extremely large rate. This is mainly due to the fact that most of the new Ukrainian sales are on credit. The credit policy gives distributors 80 days to pay, but in reality, in 1999 and 2000, the days in receivables was 85. and 87. 1 respectively. The fact that it is taking such long periods of time to receive cash from sales is forcing Deutsche Brauerei to finance working capital in other ways such as short-term borrowing. The company also holds a large amount of inventory for the Ukraine distributors. This requires extra investment in inventory and that this inventory is held for longer . This results in it taking even longer to receive cash from our investment, thus increasing the already stretched cash conversion cycle. Exhibit 1C shows that Deutsche Brauerei’s inventories have been steady right up until 1999 and have approximately doubled. The large dividend payout ratio has also resulted in the increased use of short term financing. Although the business has substantial profits to pay out these dividends, the cash is already tied up and these payouts have required more short term financing. The business’ 25% plough back ratio is not sufficient for reinvestment, requiring even more future borrowing to pay for capital expenditure. Capital expenditure of EUR 7 million has been forecasted for both 2001 and 2002, requiring even more short-term borrowing. To prevent large cash drainage in the upcoming years, Deutsche Brauerei needs to re-evaluate their debt financing choices. Long-term debt should be considered as an alternative to short term debt. Not only will this decrease the strain on the company’s cash, it will also allow for the investment in a new plant and equipment for 2001 because of the availability of funds. Long term debt can also be used in 2002 as a source of financing for the proposed new warehouse. Since the cost of the warehouse is considerably high (EUR 6. 8 million), it would be unwise to finance it using short term debt, thus, long term debt would be the appropriate choice. Proposed Amendments to 2001 Financial Budget: To produce more accurate predictions for the coming year, there are some amendments that need to be made to Pinchuk’s forecasts and assumptions. Firstly, in Pinchuk’s financial plan, sales growth in Germany and Ukraine were projected to be 3% and 45% respectively. Germany’s growth is believed to be a fair representation but the predicted sales growth for the Ukraine seems to be overestimated. New projects initially have large growths per year but they also decrease rapidly. In 1999, actual sales growth for the Ukraine was 312% but in 2001, Ukraine’s actual sales growth was 47%. Therefore, for the year 2001, it is believed that sales growth should decrease to a figure considerably less than 45%, for example, 30%. Also, the operating margins seem to be optimistically high at 7%. An average of the operating profit margin from the past 4 years is 6. 88%. This is possibly still too high in comparison to Germany and Ukraine’s operating margins of 6. 10% in 2000. Our recommendation is to use 6. 1% again for 2001 because you would not expect operating profit margin to increase if the predicted global recession occurs. We have also changed the dividend payout policy to a recommended 60% as explained earlier in the dividend declaration section. Increasing the credit policy in the Ukraine to 90 days could be seen as a very risky strategy to pursue especially with the current signs of a global financial crisis. Sales would increase in terms of accounts receivable but the company already stands to lose a lot of money if distributors start to default. A financial crisis would cripple the distributors in the Ukraine and they would be forced to default their accounts. It is suggested that the policy should be left at 80 days to prevent that potential loss. It is also suggested that allowance for doubtful debts should be increased from 2% to 6% to account for the potential recession. As mentioned earlier, it would be wise to tighten the policy rather than let it increase to 90 days in 2001. A sensitivity analysis on allowance and net profit was undertaken in Exhibit 2C, the purpose of this analysis is to determine how net profit would change given our assumption for the allowance of doubtful debt. Pinchuk assumed in his projections that the allowance percentage for the year 2001 is going to be 2%. However, it is believed that this is a considerably low percentage and should be increased to 6% to account for the potential recession as mentioned above. Our sensitivity analysis yielded the following results, in 2001 – if the allowance percentage is set at 2%, then net profit would be EUR 3,083,000. On the contrary, if the allowance is set at 6%, net profit will decrease to EUR 2,712,000. We believe that this decrease will account for the potential recession that may strike in 2001. The company is also advised to take on some long-term borrowing as well as reducing their investment in working capital. This will reduce the reliance on short-term borrowing. It is believed that the firm should get a long-term loan of EUR 14 million because under our assumptions, it would reduce short term borrowings to EUR880,000 which is significantly less than the firms forecasted cash of EUR12 million. This would get rid of the firm’s short-term borrowing reliance and greatly enhance the firms liquidity. Exhibit 2D shows a sensitivity analysis of the effect of changing the quantity of long-term debt and the effect dividend policy has on short-term borrowing required in 2001. Keeping the current dividend policy of 75% and under the assumption the firm borrowed EUR 14 million, short-term borrowing would be EUR 1,292,000. Reducing the payout to our recommended ratio of 60% would reduce short-term borrowing to EUR 881,000. Reducing the ratio to below 30% would eliminate the need for short-term borrowing in 2001. Though due to the large quantities of cash the firm has, eliminating short-term debt completely is redundant. Exhibit 1A shows our forecast of Deutsche Brauerei’s income and balance sheet for 2001. We believe that net income for 2001 will be just over EUR 2,712,000 which is about EUR 1 million less than Pinchuk’s forecast. We have incorporated all our suggestions of policy changes including a long-term loan which will help finance the planned capital expenditure for 2001 as well as fix the current cash problem. Recommendations for Deutsche Brauerei Firstly, in regards to a compensation scheme for Oleg Pinchuk, it is recommended that his base salary of EUR 40,000 to EUR 50,000. Also, instead of having his incentive payment be 0. % of sales growth, it is suggested that the incentive payment be 0. 6% of annual growth in profits. This implies that Pinchuk might need to reconsider his marketing and collection strategies. However, it is believed that this would give him the motivation to increase profits every year and this is beneficial to both him and the company. After our analysis on dividend payouts, it is recommended that the company reduce the dividend payout ratio from 75% to 60%. This would enable the company to retain more earnings for future investments and also to cover their short-term borrowings. This also improves their current cash shortage situation. Lastly, it is recommended that several changes be made to Pinchuk’s proposed financial budget for 2001. Instead of a predicted growth rate of 45% for sales in the Ukraine, it is recommended that a more conservative figure of 30% is used. Also, instead of using an operating margin of 7% for both Germany and Ukraine, an operating margin of 6. 10% should be adopted for 2001. In addition, instead of relaxing credit terms from 80 days to 90 days, the company should keep it at 80 days and aim to reduce that in the future. It is also advised that the company take on a long-term loan of EUR 14 million for the building of the warehouse. Lastly, it is recommended that the allowance for doubtful debts be increased from 2% to 6%. These proposed changes take into account the possible recession that may take place in the coming year. Overall, Deutsche Brauerei has been successful in its expansion into the Ukrainian market despite difficult conditions. With slight changes to their current strategies, the company has the potential to achieve even greater success.

The Relationships Between Politicians and Media Essay

The Relationships Between Politicians and Media - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that empirical research has long confirmed that for most people the mass media are the major sources of information about world events and about political affairs. However, despite television's growing importance as a source of information, regular readers of newspapers continue to attach a great deal of weight to the print medium. Non-readers show a greater dependence on television for political information. Both tables conceal significant variations in responses between readers of 'quality' and 'tabloid' newspapers: the former remain wedded to their preferred medium, using it much more extensively as a means of surveying the world in depth, whilst readers of tabloid newspapers rely more heavily on television and also tend to attach greater credibility to it as a source of news. These tables confirm the centrality of the media for the public. They are the means by which the public acquires information about the world and, more importantly, through which the public derives its knowledge and perceptions of current political and social problems and of the means to their resolution. Traditionally, the study of politics and its relationship to the mass media has focused on institutions and bona fide political actors. Governments, politicians, departments or voting patterns have usually been the political scientists' fodder. When married to an interest in the mass media, the result has been an over-concentration on institutions, structures, and the political à ©lite. à ©lite. While this remains of importance, this sort of approach overlooks the part the mass media play in generating public perceptions of political and social change as well as of policies and decision-making processes. The political significance of the political goes far beyond such questions as 'who controls the media?' and 'how do people get elected?'; even concerns over 'bias' and 'objectivity' are too narrow to take in the full significance of the political Politics and the political infuse all aspects of our lives, our attitudes, and our behaviour. And because the mass media are at the heart of the processes of communication through which 'problems' and their 'resolution' are framed and discussed, they deserve extensive analysis. 5 THE NATURE OF 'MEDIATED' KNOWLEDGE This broad approach to the political significance of the mass media is reflected in many contemporary writings. These emphasize the media's role in providing information-both images and texts-which forms the basi s of public perceptions and responses to events. The media provide, in Blumler's words, 'the informational building blocks to structure views of the world†¦ Table 1.3 Regular readers of: Telegraph, Times, Guardian or FT Express or Mail Mirror, Sun, or Star Main source of news % % % television 32 62 65 newspapers 57 28 24 radio 25 14 14 Table 1.4 Regular readers of: Telegraph, Times, Guardian or FT Express or Mail Mirror, Sun or Star Most believable source of news % % % television 30 59 66 newspapers 35 13 11 radio 20 16 13 from which may stem a range of actions'. 6 Although these 'informational building blocks' combine with a multiplicity of political and social factors to direct an individual's action, they determine the limits of our knowledge and of our perceptions of events and

Analyse an existing food and wine festival in Australia. 2750 Words Essay

Analyse an existing food and wine festival in Australia. 2750 Words - Essay Example â€Å"The festival celebrated its 60th Anniversary in 2007. With the theme Celebrate the Blend the festival showcases the rich diversity of the Barossa region and celebrates the food, the wine and the people. Today, the Barossa is South Australias leading wine tourism asset along with the Barossa Vintage Fest.† (Barossa valley events 2000). Variety of wine products is available in the festival, some of them rare. The ‘Rare and Distinguished wine auction is a peculiar event in the festival. We can meet the manufacturers of the wine through the â€Å"legends behind the barrel† program. Many types of family programs and entertainment activities are arranged in the event. The event commencing from Easter Saturday lasts over nine days. All of the Barossa community take part in the event. More than 100 stage events are presented by many groups of the community. Along with food and wine, arts, crafts, music an historical events are also staged. The vintage festival encompasses all the aspects of the Barossa community such as businesses, civic groups, churches and individuals. They all participate by engaging in different activities and this is the major factor for success of the event. (Barossa vintage festival n.d.). In this report the potential tourism development opportunities related to the Barossa Vintage Festival are discussed. The report first discusses the potential opportunities of the destination as a food and wine and event tourism location in connection with the festival. Vision, Planning, SWOT analysis, marketing and sponsorship, legal and risk management and evaluation relating to the event are analyzed in order to find out its current marketing position for providing appropriate recommendations for improvement. Tourism is an important sector of the economy of Australia. There are many special events conducted in the country as part of their tourism development activities.

Campus (college and university) speech codes and the First Amendment Research Paper

Campus (college and university) speech codes and the First Amendment (topic and - Research Paper Example Because of the growing number of students using online communication and incidents involving students having been disciplined through the use of code of conduct in colleges and universities, it is important that there be an analysis made on the said issue. This paper will focus on public colleges and universities and cite some incidents wherein these institutions have disciplined their students based on a cyberspeech made. A presentation of case laws will then be made as to how the US Supreme Court, federal courts and district courts have ruled on First Amendment challenges on penalizing speeches on the basis of the codes of conduct. An analysis will then be made as to the impact of these rulings and finally will attempt to conclude that there has been minimal guidance on how federal courts have addressed this specific issue (Beckstrom, 2008, p.261). Conduct codes for students are ground rules or guidelines promoted in various institutions â€Å"in an effort to maintain a safe, yet productive, campus environment† (Berenson, 2005, p. 803). The purpose of these conduct codes generally are the following: â€Å"(1) to guide student behavior and (2) to establish procedural mechanisms that safeguard the rights of the students accused of conduct that violates a campus code† (Bach, 2003, p.1). Since public colleges and universities are considered as state entities, they are obliged to follow the US Constitution by providing procedural due process and other rights to its students, (Goss v. Lopez, 419 U.S. 565 (1975), including the right to free speech provided in the First Amendment of the US Constitution (Beckstrom, 2008, p. 261). However, there have been moves to â€Å"revisit student conduct codes† for the purpose of examining â€Å"whether off-campus conduct by students should be disciplined by the university† (DeJong & Vehige, 2008). This was to address the increasing â€Å"amount of purposeless

Extended Self and Consumerism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Extended Self and Consumerism - Essay Example For example, some of us are focused on personal comfort and buy cars; some other people want to collect money or some trifles to satisfy their aesthetic desires, needs and wants. It is possible to claim that Oscar Wilde's main characters were often considered about their appearance to the greatest extent. These ideas are relevant to the modern context, because they underline that people appreciate their appearance and buy the objects of art, luxury or jewelry just to look good. In other words, people create their own images by means of different products and objects. To correlate the principles of consumerism with our daily behaviors in the market, it is necessary to have a strong theoretical background and up-to-date empirical material. The works by Belk (1988) and Goffman (1990) are illustrated by blogs of the consumers in the Internet. Consumerism and Blogs Belk claims that "if involuntary loss of possessions causes a loss of self, one of the primary reactions following such loss should be an attempt at self-restoration. This phenomenon has been observed in psychoanalysis and has led to the hypothesis that, along with body loss, object loss is the fountainhead of creativity" (Belk, 1988). Therefore, we can claim that the things we own reflect our inner stability. We are well-balanced personalities in case we feel all right and feel our ability to buy a thing or object we want. It sounds like individuals are not complicated individuals. We do not need much, but we want much. Now, when there is a perfect opportunity to share your aspirations with the global community, we are pleasantly sharing this opportunity and use this chance perfectly. When we buy pets, very often we subconsciously chose those breeds, which will look like us. We extend our selves in our dogs; we want to become their masters and parents at the same time. In one blog post there was a commentary about a similar nature of a dog and a master of a dog: "We spend money on our dogs,  pampering them with fancy collars and toys.   Investing in our pets has become a part of being a pet owner, and it speaks of our morals as pet owners.   If someone refuses to take their sick pet to the vet it’s similar to declining to take a child to the doctor" (The Extended Self). From this perspective pets are associated with our desire to nourish ourselves, or extended part of us as much as we want.    On the basis of several blog posts by Chinese consumers we will talk about correlation between the extended self and intentions of buyers to get some products or goods. A purpose of modern blogs can be considered as a means for consumer culture promotion. Cyberspace is a modern plane for promotion of desires and interests of the customers in some goods. Blog is a unique means for self-expression online. It is a kind of a modern diary, which can include up-to-date photos and music. Incomes and urban consumer culture is being developed at a full pace in China. Of course, it is mo re natural of women to update their information about blogs if they talk about their purchases. Thus, "Jessie† updates the world on her blog about new additions to her private closet, and discusses her favorite possessions ranging from a pair of Converse shoes to Abercrombie shirts. She writes about what she already has and laments what she could not afford to have" (Xin Zhao, Belk 2007). On the one hand, this girl does not have any problems and she can

Mandarin Oriental Bangkok Human Resource Management Practices Essay

Mandarin Oriental Bangkok Human Resource Management Practices - Essay Example Organizational support With talented employees Mandarin Oriental Bangkok provides them with an opportunity to experience working aboard at Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong. Work environment There is a locker room with toilet and shower for both male and female employee.Uniforms and suits are provided by the hotel. There is laundry service for all employees’ uniform and suits. All restaurant equipment provided by the hotel.There are employees’ areas to hang out there before/after work or during break-time, which consist of cafà ©, library, computer room, sitting areas and flat screen TV with Play Station 4 in the living area. Thai customs are applied throughout the hotel, which is the purpose of showing respect between employees. Flexibility The hotel understands employees who have children and allows them to have adjustable work hours to meet their preferred time or have split shift if they needed to. The hotel allows employees to use their public holiday and annual vacatio n usually this depending on the seasonality. In some serious or important the case HR manager will decide upon the case and will inform the employee of the result. Internal and External Factors Analysis The Mandarin Oriental Hotel is a multinational organization that invests in and manages a chain of luxury hotels, resorts as well as residences all over Europe, Asia, and America. This paper analyses and evaluates both internal and external factors in relation to the Human Resource Management practices at Mandarin Oriental Bangkok.

Medieval Times in Europe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Medieval Times in Europe - Essay Example As the report explores one of the most notable was the difference in the appearances of those who attended church. Wealthy bourgeoisie merchants were rich in their clothes while the serf families were clad in dirty rough wool. In the middle ages there was a great level of inequality between the classes of society seen. The serf families lived in terrible hardships and it was not an uncommon happening in winter for either the youngest or oldest of poor families to die of cold and hunger. Where the serfs lived in cold stone huts with straw roofs, the noble lords lived in comfortable castles. A large difference was seen when comparing the living standards of the rich and poor. This discussion declares that there was no known cure for this disease and this lack of knowledge led to many different (and rather useless) remedies. These included allusions to alchemy, magic, miracles by the Church and various other cures. Of course, at the time none of them actually worked to help the countless people suffering from the blackening of their skin (due to hemorrhaging under the skin) and the painful swelling and wounds in their bodies and general fever. What was noted was that there was extreme fear for the disease as no one actually had any explanations for how and why it was spreading and killing millions. In their blind and futile search for a cure their frustration was directed at minority groups of society as the Jews and those already suffering from the disease.

Principles of manegement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Principles of manegement - Essay Example Each level of management has its role and contribution to the overall affairs and processes of running an organisation. This is because each unit and each section of an organisation has its function and this comes together in the organisational chart of an organisation which coordinates affairs. The strategic level of management is the topmost level of management and it is involved in the long-term planning and setting the tone for the running of the entire organisation (Hill & Jones, 2012). The strategic level of management is involved with defining the tone of business and affairs because it is made up of the topmost managers who derive their authority directly from the owners of the organisation (Cole, 2013). The operational level management of an organisation consists of the middle ranked managers and they take up management roles that are based on targets and standards set by the top level management (Freeman, 2010). They take up instructions from the top of the organisation and implement them. Usually, they also give instructions to the tactical level management. They are involved in medium term planning and functional units of an organisation (Freeman, 2010). Tactical level management are in charge of the actual implementation of ideas and instructions from the operational level on the ground (Barlow, 2013). They are seen as the frontline managers and they act as supervisors to the working core and the main workers. They are responsible for short-term decision making and they deal with the operational core of the organisation. In Tesco, the CEO and the Board members form the strategic management unit. Down the line, the regional functional managers and store managers who come below the top managers in the organisational chart form the operational core. The supervisors and teams on the retail floor are the tactical managers and they take decisions that are in charge of the day-to-day running of the organisation. Management culture refers

Social Media Essay Example for Free

Social Media Essay A few years ago I jumped on the social media bandwagon after being introduced to it by my husband. I was always a little skeptical about social media because of all negative that I had heard about it. Now, I love it because there is a lot of positive about social media as far as I am concerned. Social media is an asset to marketing, and it is fun for personal use as well. I am fan of Facebook so I will discuss how it can direct consumers to a better source of purchasing. A Legally Astute Marketing Manager  According to our text a legally astute manger has four components; a set of value-laden attitudes about the importance of law to the firm’s success; a proactive approach to regulation and legal issues; the ability to exercise informed judgment when managing the legal aspects of business; the appropriate use of legal tools and context specific knowledge of the law (Bagley, 2013, p. 11). The legally astute social media marketing manager has to take those components a step further. The legally astute social media marketing manager must embrace social media and its networking power to drive sustainable change in the business world. In his book, We First: How Brands Consumers Use Social Media To Build A Better World, Simon Mainwaring shows how brands can leverage social media to build consumer goodwill, loyalty, and profit. One of the components of the legally astute manager stresses the importance of values. The We First value of accountability is what builds trust between institutions and the public and between brands and their consumers. Building trust helps the marketing manager take a proactive approach to regulation and legal issues. Trust is declining daily in today’s economy rapidly. According to the Edelman Trust Barometer, trust in American companies fell to an all-time low of 36 percent in 2009, but it rose to an unimpressive 54 percent in 2010. Companies must understand that they cannot by trust, but it must be earned and renewed. They can be easily exposed these days through social media if they fail to live up their promises. Goodwill is another component of accountability. Trust makes people want to buy from your company, and goodwill makes them want to recommend your company to others. The last element of accountability is transparency. Transparency means that individuals and companies must operate with honesty, credibility, and congruency between their words and deed. Transparency helps the manager stay focused on the law and the use of legal tools. It works against backroom deals, hidden agendas, false pretenses, and unethical conduct. All of these values of accountability help the legally astute social media marketing manager mitigate the risks involved in doing business in cyberspace (Mainwaring, 2011, pp. 82-83). Alternative Dispute Resolution Negotiation, mediation, and arbitration are methods of alternative dispute resolution procedures that can help companies maintain keep a relationship with an opposing party. Negotiation happens when the two opposing parties engage in give-and take to come to an agreement. Negotiation can be seen along different dimensions. It can be concerned for future or desired relationships or it can be seen to address past events that have caused disagreements. Mediation happens when parties agree to a solution with the help of a neutral third party. It is a cheaper alternative to a lawsuit, it costs less, and resolutions are speedy. Arbitration is the resolution of a dispute by an arbitrator, the neutral third party. It is the most formal alternative dispute resolution, and it is more like a trial. I think that mediation is most effective for resolving issues that arise with consumer who make purchases from businesses that provide links to social media. One reason why I chose mediation is because it is a flexible process, and it allows for different procedures, rules and structures. Mediation is an appropriate option when parties have a desire to settle their dispute, and they want to preserve their relationship. I think that Facebook would want to continue to grow as it is by the millions so mediation would a beneficial ADR for the company to use. The company’s need for privacy would also be a reason for it to use mediation to resolve any genuine disputes that may come about (Bagley, 2013, p. 67-71). Social Media Across State Lines State governments have general powers, also known as police power. These powers include the powers to protect the health, safety, welfare, and morals of state residents. The Eleventh Amendment immunizes states from lawsuits brought by individuals from another state or nation. There is a Supremacy Clause that makes federal laws supreme over state laws. The federal government should allow the states to have more control over how transactions that occur across state lines are handled. Managers can pursue change through political action committees and direct lobbying (Bagley, 2013, p. 92). Three Branches of Government There is a separation of powers within the federal government. The judicial branch, (the courts), the executive branch (the President and cabinet departments), and the legislative branch (the Congress) all make up the federal government. The Constitution provides the judiciary its power through Article I and Article III. Congress has the authority to establish federal courts through Article I and Article III provides the basis for federal courts judicial power. The President’s executive power is defined in Article II. The President has the power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, and he has extensive power over foreign affairs. He can also appoint Justices of the U. S. Supreme Court with the advice and consent of the Senate. He also has the power to approve or disapprove acts of Congress. The Legislative Branch consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate. They have the power to regulate commerce with foreign nations and among other states, spend to provide for the common defense and general welfare, coin money, establish post offices, levy and collect taxes, issue patents and copyrights, declare war, and raise and support armies. Congress can also make laws as necessary (Bagley, 2013, pp89-91). In m any ways, peaceful change is the ultimate benefit that social media can offer. Social media can reach millions of people with enough leverage to create change without any violence. Consumers do not have to beat down the doors of an irresponsible company. They can use Facebook to gain its cooperation. It is so important to look at the positive role that technology can play and to see how its uses will be increasingly oriented toward meaningful ends. The tools of social media are allowing consumers to shop more consciously. Dozens of websites help weed out wasteful or poorly made products. It is easier to get information about companies that are exposed for having unhealthy, unsustainable, or unethical practices (Mainwaring, 2011, pp. 59-160). Campaigns on Facebook work well because its viral communications tools enable large numbers to become aware of an issue and join together quickly. Facebook has been called digital democracy. Jared Cohen, a former student of Condoleeza Rice said, â€Å"Facebook is one of the most organic tools for democracy promotion the world has ever seen. † As Facebook began to grow globally, it was also being discussed in the White House Situation Room, where President Bush and his National Security Council staff gathered during crises. Because President Obama mastered digital tools in 2008, it was called the â€Å"Facebook election† (Kirkpatrick, 2010. p. 290). Even though the President is known for his use of social media, mainly Facebook, I think that the legislative branch can effectuate the most significant impact on regulating consumer transactions via social media outlets. One of the powers that it has is to regulate commerce with the foreign nations and the states. Because consumer transactions are an element of commerce, I would say that this branch would have the greatest impact. The legislative branch also has another important power that could benefit social media, and that is its ability to make laws as necessary (Bagley, 2013, p. 91). Agency Relationships Agency is considered an important legal relationship in today’s business world. Corporations could not function without the law of agency. Facebook introduced engagement ads as a form of advertisement. In its first year engagement ads generated close to a hundred million dollars of revenue. Facebook charges at least $5 per thousand views for those ads. Facebook gives advertisers more targeting options than most websites. Facebook is an awesome marketing tool for many businesses. For a well-known company like McDonald’s the number of mentions on the site is in the millions. Facebook is an agent for many businesses as well. Mazda asked its fans on Facebook to help it design a car for 2018. They received contributions from all over the world. Some consumer-oriented companies now put less emphasis on their website and more on their Facebook page. The relationship between people and companies will continue to evolve rapidly on Facebook and yield some startling developments. It is the perfect platform for building customer loyalty (Kirkpatrick, 2010, pp. 263-265)

Moulin Rouge Analysis

Moulin Rouge Analysis Nowadays we live in democratic society and all members take action in shaping our culture. From all forms of mass communication, from all types of art the cinema occupies in society unique position. Many critics take the cinema to hot facilities of mass-media, i.e. to such, which fully seize spectator perception and compel a spectator to be identified with the heroes of film, and sometimes and with a movie camera. Specific of cinema spectacle is in its comprehensive affecting deep layers of consciousness, in a breach to archetypes of collective unconscious. An audience that gather together even today submerge in this world of dreams, appellant to bottomless and ancient archaic character of our consciousness, affecting all strings of the soul and simultaneously reflecting the most topical problems of contemporaneity. Id like to analyze one musical that has a title Moulin Rouge and I like it very much. Getting through the fashionable salons of Paris, through the fairs of beginning of a ge, finding a sound and color, surviving the competition of television and video, films continue to unite people, giving oneself up the magic twinkling of illusion, able to unite emotions, passions, expectations and dreams of millions together. Not a single art passes with such authenticity exactly because of that is not a locomotive picture, copying reality, and shows by itself the product of collective creation and consumption, our everyday life, our habits and consuetudes, doing them maximally accessible to the greatest masses. I want to say that it is too easy to be critical of things we dislike. Additionally, we tend to be cynical about things we dislike, rather than critical and for this my assignment, I will be required to employ the critical process to something that I like, of my favorite film or it will be better to say to my favorite musical. First of all it is necessary to pay our attention on the next information that the nature of the cinema socializes people, unites them and it has a place not only because it is the synthesis of all other arts (and in this sense has one analogy temple action only) but also that is why, that the cinema is industry which must be covered a cost, functioning like the kind of independent thing in itself, but not burdening society financial dependence, compensated submissive execution of social order. Only the cinema is able to engulf practically all spheres of public consciousness, however much it is a sphere of mythology, i.e. cognition of the world by immersion in the difficult structures of archetypes and phenomena, by their emotional research from within. Putting in order and taking away individual and social myths in the sphere of consciousness, the cinema reconsiders them in a spirit every new decade, for history of cinematographic being art by a whole epoch. Intruding in a daily o ccurrence, the glimmered ray of projector compels us to comprehend and experience our life as nothing much more valuable and considerable, than that, how we perceived it. And herein is a true of the cinema, because it does not substitute by itself reality, but mythologized private and public life, giving every action and motion of the soul of man unique and epic scope. Much more unbelievable things happen in life, there are coincidences and chances, far more surprising, than on the screen, but the cinema offers to us problems, characters and signs in more bare and dramatized kind. It is a way of an old proverb appearance: As in the cinema! I want to make my first step of critical analysis with musical description. Moulin Rouge is a romantic musical film produced by Baz Luhrmann in 2001. In accordance with Red Curtain Cinema principles, the film is based on the Orpheah myth and also on Guiseppe Verdis opera La Traviata. It tells us amazing love story of a young English poet Christian (Ewan McGregor) and the star of Moulin Rouge, cabaret actress and courtesan Satine (Nicole Kidman). Chriastian fall in love with this girl and as a result of it we receive wonderful musical that take away our feelings and emotions. The film won two Oscars (for direction and costume design) and was really nominated on 8 of them. In Sydney, Australia it was filmed at Fox Studios. We should mark that it is the first musical in 22 years that was nominated for the best picture. Analyzing this musical we can say that the first half of film is a continuous furious show, dances, cancan, songs, phantasmagoria, shocking sceneries, humor and slapstick. Dynamics of development of events is quite shocking. You do not have time to regain consciousness from one most magnificent shot, as it is replaced other, yet more magnificent, chic and impressive. But from some certain moment, when all protagonists of this theatrical are certain, it loses all dynamism and grows into viscous and a few snotty melodrama. Dynamism at once is lost, the masculine half of hall begins frankly to be sad and reaches mobile telephones, to read the SMS-massages got in times of cancan, however nice ladiesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Nice ladies look at this simple history not attentively, nervously pinning handkerchiefs against the charming noses. It is love story for them. An old love story! Old words of love! However, I do not have claims against that bright, magnificent and a very dynamic action suddenl y whipped off steam and rolled at a speed of light carriage, spreading wheels on an asphalt old as the world story about a love triangle and about that, how harmful and it is wrong to fall in love in courtesans. In fact, it is laws of genre! It is a rule of construction of such films! Show, whirlwind, slapstick, whereupon sudden viscous melodrama. Describing and summarizing actions of this musical I want to say that personally for me the first half of film atoned everything. Because it is the real show. Because it is perfectly taken off and looks at oneself simply splendidly. Moulin Rouge was filmed without the observance of some age-old canons and traditions, giving vent unrestrained flight of fantasy and allowing artists, computer designers, decorators and ballet-masters to create something new and interesting. A quite phantasmagoric spectacle went out from their hands, describing it with more details and bright images. I like this musical Moulin Rouge very much and I want to emphasize that separate brilliant idea was to take plenty of modern hits and rehash them for this film. Thus, part of hits interlaced in magnificent pot-pourri, and some are carried out as independent works, but with quite by other accent and with quite by other serve. As you understand, to use for this film immortal Show must go on is a very risky step, taking into account a few specific orientation of film and awe which tests most audience to immortal and great singer. But in spite of the fact that in Moulin Rouge this song performance far from it due fervor, it sounds completely another faint notes and overflows span-new paints. If to be honest and critical in this film analyzing part of audience was disappointed with this film. Almost on every session a few persons (however, quite two-bit) leave cinema hall. Probably, they expected a not musical, but melodrama and they did not simply have patience a bit to wait the same tears and sobbingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ De autre part, somehow foolishly from a film with the name Moulin Rouge not to wait songs and dances. And they there are fully enough. Abort from film a love-story and it will turn out into a few quite shocking video clips. Especially as Luhrmann, as that is required by modern realities, feels free for surveys to use the clips manner of the endless changing of personnels and plans. But it does not irritate, because it done enough fairly. This musical forced me to think about interesting eternal questions. Is it correct to behave to the cinema spectacle as to the next type of public entertainments? It depends on the term that is understood under entertainment. As major socially-psychological force, the cinema releases a spectator from frustrations and tension of the last day, from an existential melancholy and numerous phobias, from sense of guilt or vulnerability. It is not an escape from problems, but clearing of the soul and returning of individual society  «resting », and sometimes and finding the new understanding of own life et al. Complexes and affects  «hatch » from the psyche of audience the masses by different cinema genres. The film of horrors is cleared by a subconsciousness from fear of death or illness, a comedy takes off a conflict between society and individual; fervor of detective not only in romanticism of city but also in proclamation of right for every human personality on protecting from any encroachments from outside. On consisting and development of such cinema genres of country it is possible effectively to define the degree of democracy of every society. Thus, taking into account all above mentioned and my personal emotion it is possible to conclude that it is really good musical, with interesting easy plot and emotional its presentation. I can recommend this film to all my friends, but it is necessary to watch it on a large screen, because exactly big screen allows spectators to receive all necessary impressions from a brilliant show. I would recommend men to go away from the half of film, from that moment, when Kidman begins continuously to die, can however, because Like and virgin is carried out in the second half of film, and Roxanne and quite in the end. But if you will not look these shocking numbers, it means you did not see this film. And it needs to be looked. It is satisfied unusually and very amusing. In my opinion you should remember that it is not a film but musical and wait wonderful show but not great films plot.

On Iron Laws of Economics :: Economics Essays

On "Iron Laws" of Economics ABSTRACT: 1. A strong interest shown by modern society to the sphere of economic attitudes, and connected to it the growing authority of the economists. - 2. Perception about the "iron" laws of economics as highest criteria of economic activity and life in general (economic fatalism). - 3. An exploration of the most widespread motives of housekeeping: struggle for a survival, earning one's "life", earning on "the black day". - 4. Logical "circumvention" of all these motives confirmed by the daily facts. - 5. Managing for the sake of managing - professions for amateurs. - 6. Narrowing the sphere of action of the economic "laws" from "all" to "wishing". - 7. Optionality of the "iron laws" of economy, even for those wishing to be engaged in it. (with examples). Dependence of economy on ethics and psychology. - 8. The essence of the moderate fatalism, its incompleteness and discrepancy. - 9. Economics as a game, initiated and regulated by the government. Decreasing of the status of econo mic game with the eldering of the population. - 10. Inevitability of occurrence of "shadow" sector in economy, which considers as its basic purpose the obtaining of the profit. 11. A dilemma rising before any man without preconception: to admit economy to be a "dirty business", fun for the adults, or to search for the "third" way, which... 12. ...on my sight, consists of returning to the initial sense of the word: economics-a reasonable running of an economy, or keeping house keeping) - 13. The elementary analysis of this definition. - 14. The task of philosophy of economics in the given context. - 15. Concept of "organic economics" demanded by real life, instead of the obsolete, and diminishing influence of the exclusively mechanical approach. Universal character of this concept. "Economics is a special world, with it's own laws and problems, dramas and contradictions" — The textbook "Modern Economics" Respectable colleagues! It's unlikely, that I need to explain to any of you, what place in our life the phenomena of economic order has achieved. The well-known "market attitudes" have penetrated into practically every, sphere of our life, even most intimate. The leading economists, beginning from Marx and ending with the present "liberals", habitually incur the role of critics and prophets, predicting the possible and even the certain future. In their own declarations, they have the right to do it, because of a vast knowledge of the nature of economics.

Acupressure and Shiatsu :: Health Therapy Asia Papers

Acupressure and Shiatsu Massage Therapy/ Oriental methods/ Acupressure and Shiatsu The Purpose of Acupressure/ How Acupressure Works/ Claims of Acupressure/ Support of Claims/ The Purpose of Shiatsu/ How Shiatsu Works/ Claims of Shiatsu/ Support of the Claims/ Conclusion/ Tests ans Studies Massage Therapy Massage therapy is a procedure that affects all systems of the body; digestive, respiratory, lymphatic, circulatory, endocrine and the nervous system. Massage can change the blood by increasing the oxygen capacity, affect the muscles, increase the body's secretions and excretions, affect the nervous system, enhance skin condition and it affects internal organs. Massages benefit you physically, emotionally, spiritually and mentally. Examples of such benefits are stress relief, a relaxed state, quicker recovery time and a bigger sense of self awareness. Massage aids in the circulation of blood, the movement of the lymphatic fluid, the release of toxins, the release of tension, mind/body integration, reduction of stress, energy and enhancement of all bodily systems. It was found in a study of University of Miami students that " a month's worth of massages heightened brain wave activities, decreased anxiety and helped students complete math problems in half the time and with f ewer errors." ( http://www.latimes.com:80/CNS_DAYS/980831/t000079147.html) There are many different methods of massage therapy such as traditional European massages, Contemporary western massages, Structual/Movement/Functional/Integration massages, oriental methods and energetic methods. Oriental Methods " The goal of oriental medicine is to diagnose the nature of imbalance- to discern the 'pattern of disharmony', not to diagnose the name of the disease. There is a saying ' illness is goodness'. Health is balance- illness is a signal of imbalance, and of the body's action to regain that balance." (http://www.shiatsucanada.com/shiatsu/oriental.htm) Oriental methods are taken from the fundamentals of Chinese medicine which are based on flow of energy or chi through the meridians. The oriental way of thinking is the yin and yang. Therefore, the oriental view of good health is when there is a balance between the yin and the yang. The yin is cold, dark and interior while the yang is warm, light and exterior. Despite the fact that they are complete opposites, the Orientals view them as one. " They create each other, define each other, control each other and transform into each other." ( http://www.shiatsucanada.com/shiatsu/oriental.htm) Health includes one's physical, spiritual and emotional roles.

Armistice :: Creative Writing

It was raining. I was crouched in a large burrowed hole, surrounded by sandbags and half filled with sky water. I had not heard a single gun fire in what seemed like forever. I poked my head up, still clutching my gun with both white-knuckled hands. The dust and debris, everything along the empty street collectively turned to mud. Uniformed bodies lingered face down in the mire. The stucco buildings were sprinkled with bullet holes. Our snipers were on the cracked roofs to both sides, looming down on the center street like wicked angels with rifles. I could see Cleveland positioned in the shadows of a cracked building that once resembled a library. The big black figure masked in an ominously volleying afternoon shower. Joe Soap from Florida was hunkered in a leftover trench adjacent to where I was. The Sergeant and the other men assembled in a tall brick building to my left, stitching Healy and hopefully trying to contact head quarters. We had been lost for days with no word from any one, trekking from Caporetto almost to Vienna, through the worst carnage imaginable. We got lost somewhere and happened on a deserted mill town, twenty-three guys reduced to nine, including the Sergeant. Marky, the Sergeant’s messenger boy caught my attention running over to Cleveland unarmed without cover, then calmly to Soap, and then towards myself with something of a smile on his face. â€Å"Henry!† he said out of breath. â€Å"Is everything cleared?† I nodded. â€Å"Well then, the Sergeant would like to see everyone right away!† Marky turned and ran into the big brick building and at first I was uncertain to follow until I saw Cleveland emerge from the shadows with his rifle resting casually on his shoulder. Everyone was crowded around Healy’s lifeless body. He was still alive but the morphine had him now, his eyes swayed back and forth in his skull, his hands bloody and clenched. The Sergeant stood over him, smoking a giant cigar. I don’t know where he got hold of it, but he puffed and smiled and grabbed at his belt like a proud father. â€Å"Boys,† He gleamed. â€Å"I got something to tell y’all.† He paused for a moment. â€Å"The war is done†¦It’s all over. The powers that be had some sort of truce, signed some treaty.

Significance Study of Kanlda Port

S I G N I F I C A N C E O F S T U D Y O F K A N D L A P O R T 2. 1 R e s e a r c h P r o b l e ms Statement of the problem I have chosen this topic to study about economic pattern of Kandla & Non Major Ports with socio economic conditions and port development in Saurashtra and Kutch region. The study is mainly focused on various types of ports that are developed in the said region. This study highlights the problems during the development of ports and on other side gives suitable suggestions to improve their performance. 2. 2 O b j e c t i v e s o f R e s e a r c hTo study the income and expenditure statement of Kandla Port. To study how port facilitate foreign trade volume. To study about the cargo traffic of major and non major ports. To study the ports infrastructural development. To find out the income and expenditure pattern of Kandla port. To identify the benefits and problems of ports. To study future prospects and SEZ development of port. To give suggestions for the improveme nt of ports. 2. 3 A r e a o f R e s e a r c h – G u j a r a t , K a n d l a . Kandla port plays a major role in the country's international trade.Having notched up a string of success, it has emerged as a forerunner, and has carved a niche for itself, by its steady growth and economy of operations. The Port of Kandla was declared a major port in 1955. The Kandla Port Trust was created by law in 1963 to manage the new port. The Port of Kandla Special Economic Zone (KASEZ) was the first special economic zone to be established in India and in Asia. Established in 1965, the Port of Kandla SEZ is the biggest multiple-product SEZ in the country. Covering over 310 hectares, the special economic zone is just nine kilometers from the Port of Kandla.Today, the Port of Kandla is India's hub for exporting grains and importing oil. This self-sufficient port is one of the highest-earning ports in the country. Major imports entering the Port of Kandla are petroleum, chemicals, and iron and steel machinery, but it also handles salt, textiles, and grain. Figure 2 Kandla Port, a national port, is one of the eleven most important ports of India. This port is situated on Kandla stream. The first investigation of this stream was undertaken by the British Royal India Navy in 1851 and a detailed survey done in 1922.This port is developed by Joint project of Maharao Shree Khengarji-III and British Government in the 19th century. The Kandla port came into existence in the year 1931 with a single Peir construction. Later on with the loss of Karchi port to Pakistan during partition, after independence the government of India chose Kandla as an ideal sea outlet. Thus the Kandla Port was developed and since then Kandla port has played a pivotal role in enhancing country`s maritime trade. Standard dry cargo treatment capacity of Kandla Port is 24,000 metric tons per day.The port is under Ministry of Commerce and is managed by a Port Trust with a Chairman as its head. The Kandla Port Trust is run by a board of trustees. There is an administrator – representative of the ministry of Commerce – appointed for the management of a free trade zone known as the Kandla Free Trade Zone placed near the port where hundreds of small and international companies are also sited. Owing to fast progress of Kandla port close city like Gandhidham also developed faster. Kandla port plays a major role in the country`s international trade.Having notched up a string of success, it has emerged as a forerunner, and has carved a niche for itself, by its steady growth and economy of operations. Kandla port is well equipped with infrastructural. It has 10 berths, 6 oil jetties, 1 maintenance jetty, 1 dry dock and small jetties for small vessels, which can accommodate from large to small vessels. Near all these terminals and jetties there are storage facilities for cargo from containers to petroleum. The port is also outfitted with Sixteen Wharf cranes. Apart from this, the po rt also provides for additional facilities for international traders.Due to its strategic location it is the connecting hub for Northern, Western and Central India. Kandla also has the country`s only Free Trade Zone Kandla Port, the foundation stone for which was laid by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, has 1800 metres of dry cargo berths where in a straight line, ten ships could easily be accommodated. It has berths for a tanker also where chemicals, vegetable oil etc are handled. Kandla today has become the hub of India`s foodgrains and oil imports. Kandla is a self sufficient, self enhancing Port.It is also among the highest revenue earning Port of India. The Port is the nearest, most economical and most convenient for handling imports and exports of the highly productive granary and industrial belt stretching across Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Himachal Pardesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat. Kandla Port is the most economical major port in terms of tariff and operational expenditure. The efficiency and all requisite user facilities nevertheless confirm to international standards. The Port is up to date with the latest technological innovations.Happy labour-management relations and economical handling of heterogeneous cargo is considered the key element to the success of the Port of Kandla. The port has floated a global tender for a two-year capital dredging contract of 20 million cubic metre at an estimated cost of Rs 100 crore. Kandla Port attained new levels of performance in fiscal 2006-07, establishing a new record by handling a cargo volume of 52. 98 million tonnes, in the process entering into the select league of ports that have registered a throughput of 50 million tonnes or more.Excellent infrastructural facilities, well-connectivity with the rest of the country by road and rail networks, all-round services provided with efficiency and transparency, lowest port tariff and the envious cost-effectiveness are the major strengths of Kandla Port. LOCATION The Ma jor Port of Kandla, situated about 90 km off the mouth of Gulf of Kachchh in the Kandla Creek at Latitude 23 degree 1 minute North and Longitude 70 degree 13 minutes East, is the lone Major Port on the Gujarat coast line along the West Coast of the country.Amongst the 12 Major Ports in the country, Kandla occupies an enviable position, both in terms of international maritime trade tonnage handled and financial stability and self-sufficiency attained year after year. A gateway to the north-western part of India consisting of a vast hinterland of 1 million sq. km stretched throughout 9 states from Gujarat to Jammu & Kashmir, the Port has a unique locational advantage. The Port's hinterland is well connected with infrastructural network of metre gauge and broad gauge railway system as well as State and National Highways.HISTORICAL LEGACY: As a humble beginning in the year 1930 by the great visionary, the late Maharao Khengarji III of the princely State of Kachchh, for a deep-draught cl osed port in his kingdom, the Kandla Port on, with the loss of Karachi port to Pakistan during partition, independent India was deprived of a sea outlet in its North-West region. In order to offset this loss, the Indian government chose Kandla Port as an ideal sea outlet to be developed as a Major Port on the West Coast for arrying on the international maritime trade of the country and thus, Kandla Port was developed as a Major Port. Port of Kandla, since then, has been playing a pivotal role in the country's international maritime trade, contributing its mite for the growth and development of the national economy. The Port has grown and matured itself not only in age but also in creating infrastructural facilities in and around the Port, handling volumes of import and export trade year after year and attaining a very sound financial status ahead of a number of other Major Ports in the country.Thus, Kandla Port has been playing a pivotal role in the national economy and contributing a handsome amount of foreign exchange earnings to the national Exchequer every year. THE EVOLUTION Due to the loss of Karachi Port to Pakistan after independence, the onus of entire Indian trade was shifted to the Mumbai Port putting tremendous strain on its facilities.Under the inspirational and able guidance of the great visionary and the Iron Man of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the Indian government on 17th February, 1948 constituted an Expert Committee known as the West Coast Major Port Development Committee to explore the possibilities of establishing a deep-sea port to cater to the vast hinterland comprising the north-western states of the country. The Committee submitted its report on the 30th April, 1948, recommending that a Major Port should be sited at Kandla.Accordingly, on January 20, 1952, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the then Prime Minister of India, laid the foundation stone at Kandla for the new port on the western coast of India. It was declared as a Major Port on April 8, 1955 by Late Lal Bahadur Shastri, the then Union Minister for Transport. The Kandla Port Trust was constituted in 1964 under the Major Port Trusts Act, 1963. Since then, this Major Port of Kandla has come a long way in becoming the ‘Port of the New Millennium'. V I S I O N â€Å"To be Asia's Supreme Global Logistic Hub† M I S S I O N To transform the Port of Kandla into a most globally competitive logistics hub with nternational excellence leaving imprints in the international maritime arena by exploring its fathomless growth potentialities. S T R A T E G I C & C L I M A T I C A D V A N T A G E All-weather port. Tropical and dry climatic conditions to handle any type of cargo throughout the year Temperature varying from 25 degree Celsius to 44 degree Celsius. Scanty rainfall facilitates round-the-year operations. Uninterrupted and smooth port operations on 365 days a year. No adverse wave effect, being a protected and sheltered harbour situated in the Creek.The only Indian Major Port nearest to the Middle East and Europe. T H E P O R T L O G I S T I C S NAVIGATIONAL FACILITIES: Round-the-clock navigation. Permissible draught 12. 6 mtrs. Ships with 240 mtrs. length overall and 65,000 DWT are accommodated presently. Safe, protected and vast anchorage at outer harbour for waiting and lighterage purpose. 22 lighted navigational buoys with solar lights, as per IALA system, are provided in the navigational channel. Light house as an aid for night navigation. Fully equipped signal station operational round-the-clock. Four lighted shore beacons. STEEL FLOATING DRY DOCK:

Geopolitical: Nursing and Phenomenological Community Essay

A geopolitical community is defined by Maurer & Smith (2013) as â€Å"a spatial designation–a geographical or geopolitical area or place. Geopolitical communities are formed by either natural or human-made boundaries.† A river, mountain range, or a valley may create natural boundaries. An example of this is most of the villages in Nepal, the country where I was born. Nepal is full of mountains, rivers, lakes, valleys and plateau. Most of the villages are naturally divided by hills, mountains and rivers. Human-made boundaries can be structural, political or legal in nature. Structural boundaries can be roads, canals, bridges or rail road tracks, while, legal boundaries can be comprised of city, county, state, provincial, territorial or country lines (Maurer & Smith, 2013). The differences in the geopolitical boundaries can be observed between counties of New York City or any other in major cities of USA. Political boundaries could be exemplified by school districts or congressional districts (Maurer & Smith, 2013, p.396). A phenomenological community can be thought of as an assembly of individuals who share the same viewpoint, relationships, values, interests, beliefs and goals. A phenomenological community is looked at as a â€Å"relational rather than spatial designation† (Maurer & Smith, 2013). Geographical boundaries do not necessarily have to be shared in a phenomenological community. Religious, cultural and social groups are prime examples of a phenomenological community because their values and beliefs set them apart from other groups (Maurer & Smith, 2013). All of us live in a geopolitical community and most of us are part of many phenomenological communities. Public health nurses have to face certain challenges while working with different community group. First of all there will be language and cultural barrier. Public health nurse are large autonomous. They practice without professional supervision. They practice collaboratively with other public health disciplines that have different perspective. To overcome the challenges some of the best practices for ensuring on going competencies include peer review, reflective practice, goal settings, obtaining knowledge of different cultures/ practices and self-evaluation. References: Maurer,F.A. & Smith, C.M.(2013). Community/public health nursing practice. Fifth edition. Retrieved from http://evolve.elsevier.com Relevant challenges and considerations for public health nursing practice.(2011). Retrieved from www.health.state.mn.us/divs/cfh/ophp/consultation/phn/practicecouncil/docs/relevantchallanges

Controversy Behind Qatar 2022 Bid

Qatar 2022 On 2 December 2010 it was announced that Qatar would host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, after the FIFA Executive Committee voted in a secret ballot in Zurich. The government of Qatar’s successful proposal bid defeated four other candidates to stage the 2022 edition of the world’s greatest sporting event: Australia, Korea Republic, Japan and the United States of America. Qatar, with a population of 1. 69 million people will be the first Arab state to host the World Cup. Consequently, Qatar is the smallest nation, both by relative population and by area, ever to have been awarded the tournament hosting privilege. The Qatar bid was emphasized as the only one representing the Arab World (which has never hosted a World Cup prior) and positioned their bid as an opportunity to bridge the gap between the Arab World and the West. Their hosting of the 2006 Asian Games as well as the 2011 Asian Cup proved to legitimize their capabilities of hosting the tournament. Further, its superior financial capabilities were evident in their proposals for new stadia and infrastructure. While the decision on 2 December 2010 brought delight to Qatar, it inversely brought concern and controversy in the West. A number of rival candidates, western groups and media outlets have expressed concern over the suitability of Qatar to host the event, with regard to climatic conditions, interpretations of human rights, press freedom and allegations of corruption. Climate: Winter World Cup? The World Cup is traditionally held in the northern hemisphere’s summer. During this season in Qatar, the temperature can get to 50  °C  (122  Ã‚ °F). The Qatar bid’s chief executive, Hassan al-Thawadi has attempted to quell fears of an unbearable environment by stating â€Å"heat is not and will not be an issue† and that the 2022 World Cup would benefit from â€Å"state-of-the-art air cooling technologies. † The Qatar 2022 Bid’s official site explains this: â€Å"Each of the five stadiums will harness the power of the sun’s rays to provide a cool environment for players and fans by converting solar energy into electricity that will then be used to cool both fans and players at the stadiums. When games are not taking place, the solar installations at the stadia will export energy onto the power grid. During matches, the stadia will draw energy from the grid. This is the basis for the stadiums’ carbon-neutrality. Along with the stadiums, we plan to make the cooling technologies we’ve developed available to other countries in hot climates, so that they too can host major sporting events. † This method of cooling techniques is theoretically able to reduce temperatures from 50 to 27 degrees Celsius. The bidding committee also proposes to use such cooling technologies in fan-zones, training pitches and walkways between metro stations and stadiums. However, the architect in charge of one of the venues has abandoned their project claiming that a more old-fashioned solution would be cheaper and better. Leading firm Populous, which is designing the Sports City stadium in Doha, is trying to persuade Qatari organizers to scrap plans to have air conditioning at the venue. Populous director John Barrow said the system is too expensive and â€Å"notoriously unsustainable† for the environment when used on a large scale. Given the debate on the subject, a proposal of hosting a â€Å"Winter World Cup† has arisen. Backed by the likes of Blatter and Platini, the proposal suggests for the tournament to be held in January of 2022, rather than the summer. Blatter has told reporters â€Å"Personally, now that the decision has been taken [to have the tournament in Qatar], we must play at the most adequate period to have a successful World Cup and to have a successful World Cup we have to do it when it is best for the actors which means winter. † However, Mr. Blatter has failed to provide a solution on the effect it would have on European domestic leagues which operate in this period. There is nothing in FIFA’s rules to prevent a host changing the time of year when a World Cup is played. It is only tradition that dictates this. And the FIFA executive committee has the authority to change any aspect of the World Cup after the decision is made. Worker’s Conditions Given its lack of sporting infrastructure, the Gulf state must build nine football stadiums in the next ten years- and they’ll be using primarily migrant labor (over 90% of Qatar’s workforce is made up of foreign migrant workers). Trade union activists are now lobbying FIFA to highlight what they say are poor working conditions in Qatar. International trade unionists say FIFA has the power to impose decent working standards on Qatar and will campaign for the tournament to be moved unless FIFA presses for better conditions. If Qatar is unable to support the tournament on its own, Secretary-General Jerome Valcke has suggested the tournament be shared with neighboring states, such as Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. Alcohol and Homosexuality Qatar is not a dry country. Alcohol can currently be consumed legally in a few clubs, bars, certain hotel restaurants, and the Pearl Island by showing your passport for reporting. Hassan Abdulla al Thawadi, chief executive of the Qatar 2022 World Cup bid, said the Muslim state would also permit alcohol consumption during the event. Specific fan-zones will be established where alcohol can be bought. Though legal with a permit, drinking in public is not permitted as Qatar's legal system is based on  Sharia  law. The selection of Qatar as hosts attracted controversy, as  homosexuality  is illegal in Qatar. FIFA President  Sepp Blatter  stated that â€Å"we (FIFA) don't want any discrimination. What we want to do is open this game to everybody, and to open it to all cultures, and this is what we are doing in 2022. Corruption: Bribery Scandal Six members of Fifa’s executive committee — a quarter of the membership – were accused by Lord Treisman (Chairman of England’s bid) of â€Å"improper and unethical behaviour† with two members, Issa Hayatou, of Cameroon, and Jacques Anouma, of Ivory Coast, alleged to received $1. 5 million each in bribes from the Qatar 2022 bid in exchange for their votes. The bribery allegations against Qatar were made in evidence from  The Sunday Times  and published by the committee. As a result, in November 2010, two ExCo members,  Reynald Temarii  and  Amos Adamu, were banned for one and three years respectively. Temarii was also fined 5,000 Swiss Francs, while Adamu was fined 10,000 Swiss Francs. More corruption allegations emerged in the summer of 2011. In May, ExCo member Chuck Blazer claimed fellow members Mohammed Bin Hammam and Jack Warner offered bribes for votes in the upcoming presidential election. As a result of this scandal, Bin Hammam stood down from the June 2011 presidential election and FIFA later suspended both he and Jack Warner. Sepp Blatter stood unopposed and won the election with 186 out of 203 votes. Bin Hammam’s suspension had been met with widespread anger in the Middle East- He was subsequently banned for life in July. Warner responded to his suspension by exposing an email by Valcke in which the Secretary-General suggested Qatar had â€Å"bought† the right to host 2022 tournament. Valcke defended his statement, insisting he was referring to Qatar using financial muscle to lobby legitimately for votes. â€Å"They were a candidate with a very important budget and used it to heavily promote their bid all around the world in a very efficient manner,† he said. â€Å"I have made no reference to any purchase of votes or similar unethical behaviour. Qatar 2022's bid team said they â€Å"categorically deny† any wrongdoing, and asked for clarification from FIFA on the meaning of the Valcke e-mail. Nevertheless, the scandal has raised concerns over $10 billion of investment and development contracts related to stadiums and hotels for the World Cup in Qatar. Possibility of a Re-Vote Given the developments in corruption and bribery scandals, as well as questions concerning the Qatar’s capabilities of hosting the tournament effectively, there is a ground swell of popular support to re-hold the 2022 vote won by Qatar. Blatter has said that a FIFA inquiry into persistent and increasingly detailed claims of corruption could lead to the Executive Committee (ExCo) making the unprecedented move of rerunning the vote. Blatter also conceded that support for re-running the vote was â€Å"circulating around the world†. Such a move would be a monumental embarrassment to FIFA but that has to now be balanced with the equivalent embarrassment of more allegations leaking out.