Muslims and the west a never ending conflict Essay Example

Muslims and the west: a never ending conflict Essay When it comes to the relationship between Middle East Muslims and Western Christians, both communities, the Islamic and the Western, divide taking either side. Husain Haqqani in Why Muslims Always Blame the West wrote about how the Islamic communities, particularly in the Middle East, blame many societies, but mostly western, for all of the problems they currently face in their own countries. Haqqani believes that if people in the Middle East solve such problems; conflict between both sides would be minimized. Even though Haqqani has stressed numerous points that people in the Middle East and in the West should ponder upon, his essay does not put into account recent events found in the Muslim world, it helped the reader in envisioning a simplistic picture of West-East political relationships, and in addition, he jumps to several conclusions in which his support is either too little or non-existent. Haqqani misrepresented the recent events in the Islamic world in his essay. Haqqani claims that the conduct and rhetoric of Muslim leaders and their failure to address the stagnation of their societies has also fueled the tensions between Islam and the West (Haqqani, 1). For such conclusions to be made, fair amount of knowledge of both societies must be kept into consideration. On the other hand, Amil Imani, the author of the article of Is Islam Misrepresented? believes that Muslims are misrepresented through the media, especially through the news. She argues that A case in point is the medias portrayal of Islam, articulated by politicians and pundits-the talking heads on television and radio, as well as the analysts who write for newspapers and magazines (Imani). Imani believes that most politicians and media exploit the Islamic communities; however, Muslims have been tolerant towards non-Muslims from the days of Prophet Muhammad up to this very day (Imani). She also mentions that e arly on, Muhammad was meek and proclaimed, For you, your religion, and for me, my religion (Imani). Such a statement made by the Prophet himself shows how much the Islamic community bears with other people and their different religions. Quoting something that has been said by the Muslim prophet proves her credibility and her strong support. We will write a custom essay sample on Muslims and the west: a never ending conflict specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Muslims and the west: a never ending conflict specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Muslims and the west: a never ending conflict specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Furthermore, Haqqani does not provide enough hard evidence and support to his mentioned issues and uses irrelevant pieces of information to support his ideas. For example, Haqqani uses the words generally and usually excessively, showing the audience that his argument is based on implications rather than on hard evidence, which decreases his credibility and shows his lack of support. For instance, the author mentions that instead of hard analysis, which thrives only in a free society, Muslims are generally brought up on propaganda, which is often state-sponsored. This propaganda usually focuses on Muslim humiliation at the hands of others instead of acknowledging the flaws of Muslim leaders and societies (Haqqani). In addition, Haqqani states that the focus on external enemies causes Muslims to admire power rather than ideas. Warriors, and not scholars or inventors, are generally the heroes of common people (Haqqani). This proves that once again, the authors lack of concrete support given to his claims, hence, diminishing his credibility. In addition, the foundation of the whole articles involvement to the topic is leaning more towards emotions rather than the statements of facts which could have given the essay a good and strong foundation. Moreover, Haqqani did not heavily emphasize on the political relationship between Middle Eastern Muslims and Western Christians, implying that Christians living in the west are becoming more civilized and are gradually moving forward, while the Muslim worlds obsession with military power encourages violent attempts to restore Muslim honor, the real reasons for Muslim humiliation and backwardness continue to multiply (Haqqani). Haqqani also states that relations between Muslims and the west will continue to deteriorate unless the internal crisis of the Muslim world is also addressed (Haqqani), implying that he believes that the only way of resolving the conflict between Islam and the west is by tackling the obstacles within the Islamic community itself. On the other hand, the author of the article The Roots of Muslim Rage, Bernard Lewis, disagrees. Lewis believes that Muslims have their problems, but these problems could be traced back to the people in the west. He also believes that the cause most frequent adduced for anti-American feeling among Muslims today is American support of Israel (Lewis). The Islamic community presumes that their main problem is based upon the support to Israel given by America, making them concentrate on destructing their enemies rather than solving problems found in their society. Also, the author of The Roots of Muslim Rage believes that another reason why Islams rage increases throughout the years is because it all goes back to the westerners. Believing that Islamic communities were trying to imitate the west; however, the whole idea backfired. This attempt to imitate the West brought them poverty when they tried to change to the western economic style, tyranny when they tried to utilize the western political institutions, and defeat when they tried to make use of the western-style warfare (Lewis). This strong support by Lewis emphasizes one of the main reasons why Islam blames the west. Overall, the article Why Muslims Always Blame the West is not a strong one mainly because the author does not have firm and solid support to the claims he stated, Haqqani did not put into consideration the recent events that took place in the Islamic community and lastly he did not quite stress on the relationship between Islam and the west. Haqqanis article was mostly based on propositions or implications he made and was more emotional-oriented rather than leaning towards real life facts, thus decreasing his credibility towards his audience.

Operating a Franchise Management Essay

Operating a Franchise Management Essay Operating a Franchise Management Essay Operating a Franchise Management Essay Franchising refers to a business relationship in which the owner of a business (a franchisor) provides an independent business or an individual (franchisee) with a licensed privilege to operate under its trademarks and name. In this arrangement, the franchisor may provide the franchisee with a varied assistance, depending on the type of a contract the two entities have signed. Some of the assistance extended to the franchisee by the franchisor include organizational training, marketing strategies and resources, and an access to the franchisor’s business concepts. Franchising is attractive to small businesses because it offers an opportunity to start a business easily. Its attractiveness results from the support afforded by the franchisor. Moreover, since the franchisor is experienced in the business, the franchisee gets a chance to use tested concepts and receives a constant guidance. The franchisor, on the other hand, benefits because franchising provides a cheap way of expan ding business since a little investment is required. Therefore, the agreement is a win-win strategy for both parties. Since the development of this concept, many businesses have adopted it because it helps businesses penetrate markets at a faster rate than when using their own subsidiaries. The franchisee, especially in the international market, is a local business. As such, the franchisee knows and understands the market better than the franchisor. Culture is an aspect that has had a great impact on international organizations when entering foreign markets. The failure to understand culture may prevent an organization from successfully penetrating a foreign market. The presence of a franchise that is conversant with the local culture helps in identifying and serving the local needs efficiently. Types of Franchises There are two main types of franchises, which include product distribution franchise and business format franchise. Product distribution franchise provides the franchisee with the rights and license to distribute its products in designated regions. The distributor uses the company’s logos and trademark, which identifies the franchise as an authorized dealer of the manufacturer. In this type of franchise, the franchisor does not provide the franchise with the entire system to help in running the business. This type of franchise is found in soft drinks, gasoline and automobile industries. To operate a product distribution franchise, the owner of the franchise must pay a specified fee or purchase a certain amount of products from the franchisor. The business format franchise is the most popular form of franchising and involves full rights to the franchisor’s business processes. The franchisor provides the franchisee with a full access to its business format, a quality control process, methods of operations, a marketing strategy, a license for its trade name, a two-way communication system and services, as well as some products to be sold. In addition, the franchisor can help the franchisee set up the facility within which the franchise will operate. This is the fastest growing type of franchise across industries. Franchising Arrangements Single-Unit Franchise Business owners have different arrangements under which they can operate franchise businesses. The most common arrangement is known as a single-unit franchise where the franchisor permits the franchisee to operate one franchise unit (Awe, 2006). Once a single-unit franchise has become operational, the franchisee can buy additional single-units. This is known as a multiple or single-unit relationship. Multiple-Unit Franchise The second arrangement is known as a multiple-unit franchise. It is divided into two sub-units. The first sub-unit is called an area development. In the area development relationship, the franchisee can open more than one unit in a specified area. The franchisor provides the franchisee with exclusive rights to develop the chosen territory. The second sub-unit is known as a master franchise. In this relationship, the franchisor grants the franchisee more rights than the area development franchisee. In master franchise arrangement, the owner of franchises can have multiple units and has the right to sell them to other people within the franchise territory. This arrangement transfers most of duties, tasks, responsibilities and benefits formerly enjoyed by the franchisor to the operator of master franchise. Representative Franchise In addition to these two main arrangements, there may arise another hybrid relationship known as an area representative franchise. The area representative purchases a territorial franchise to service and sells it as unit franchises. The contract signed by the representative is not with the unit franchisees, but with the franchisor. This representative receives a portion of the fees paid by the unit franchisee to the franchisor. The fee received by the representative is as a result of servicing the unit franchises in the territory. How to Evaluate a Franchise Starting a franchise involves some risks because the investor wishing to operate it must invest and pay fees to the franchisor. Moreover, since the franchise agreement allows the operation for a specified period, the franchisee must be cautious when choosing the franchisor with whom to enter into an agreement. The franchisee must make sure that, by the time the franchise is terminated, the business has earned some profits and returned on investment. There are two essential qualities that determine a successful franchise, i.e. trust and understanding between the franchisee and the franchisor. Therefore, the franchisee must assess the opportunities available and the trustworthiness of all the franchisors. The second aspect that the business person wishing to start a franchise must assess is a financial position and track record of the franchisor. Financial records are crucial because they indicate the profitability of the franchisor, which may provide a possible prediction parameter for the franchisee’s profitability. The investor wishing to operate a franchise must analyze the market within which this franchise will operate (Bisio Kohler, 2011). Market evaluation is critical because the franchisee will be able to determine whether the prospective market has some potential customers that will be willing to purchase products at the expected prices. Moreover, this assessment can enable the investor to analyze the trend of the population purchasing the products to ensure that the market is expanding and not shrinking. Comparing disclosure statements from various franchisors helps an investor to relate the fees, benefits, restrictions and risks associated with every potential franchisor. Therefore, such an evaluation guides the investor to make an informed decision on the right franchisor to work with based on the details contained in disclosure statements. The prospective franchisee must assess the potential franchisor on the type of activities involved in the business. The business activities may require special skills that the franchisee may not have. The franchise must match the skills and capabilities of the franchisee so that the management will be excellent and profitable. Another assessment criteria to use is whether the franchisor has been market tested. During an initial business setup, the franchisor must have tested the business model through pilot tests in the market. Such a study must have been guided by professionals. On the other hand, the market testing could be based on the number of years the franchisor has been operational and successful. Market testing is crucial because a tested franchisor is likely to survive in the market for a longer time than a new one. The franchisee must also assess how existing franchisees are operating and their level of satisfaction with the franchisor. The franchise system may look viable on paper, but frustrating in practice. To have the practical information on what it takes to operate a franchise with the franchisor, evaluating existing franchisees is essential. The business model of the potential franchisor is crucial to the prospective franchisee because it can determine whether the business is based on a fashionable foundation or a permanent base. Every investor would wish to have the security assurance that the business in which to invest will be in existence for a long time. A franchisee must, therefore, assess the permanence of a franchisor before investing. It is essential for a prospective franchisee to understand the amount of capital required to start a franchise with different franchisors. Different organizations have different capital requirements for their franchises. The franchisee, therefore, should evaluate potential franchisors and choose depending on the amount of the capital available. In addition to evaluating the minimum capital requirements, the capital required in a worse case scenario should be assessed. Different franchisors provide support services to franchises, but there is no uniformity in this provision. The type of relationship between the franchisor and franchisee may determine the level of support available for the franchisee. The support services extended to the franchise can either increase or decrease its chances of survival. The more the support services provided the higher the chances of surviving and becoming profitable. Advantages of Operating a Franchise to a Franchisee Professional Guidance In a franchise relationship, the franchisor is experienced in the field of management and operating businesses. On the other hand, the franchisee may not have managed a business before, which means that there is the lack of expertise on the side of the franchisee. Depending on the level of assistance provided by the franchisor to the franchises, the franchisee can get some technical and managerial assistance from the franchisor. This assistance can be provided before the franchise is launched and during its operations. The advantage in operating a franchise is that the franchisor provides training and offers the progressive assistance in the course of the franchise’s operations. The technical help that the franchisor can provide the franchise with includes a business layout, design, equipment, purchasing and location. Efficiency The efficiency of operating a franchise is high compared to a start up business because the franchisor has leant through the own experience where problems were arising during a business start up. The franchisee is, therefore, provided with the information that will help the franchise evade common mistakes that lead to high start-up capital requirements (Hetten, 2011). As s result of having a prior knowledge on the processes to avoid and those to focus on, the franchise that is being efficient expands easily. Opportunity To Learn The presence of experienced franchisors in a franchise relationship enables investors to operate a business without any prior knowledge and experience. This advantage is crucial to people who decide to change their careers. They can own a franchise without any experience in the field of business. Some of the organizations sell that franchise with the operations to people with no prior knowledge. Such people are trained from scratch and are able to adapt to the system’s culture at a faster rate than a person who has worked in an organization with a different culture. Therefore, the franchise allows the franchisee to learn how to operate a business practically. Recognized Standards Franchisors require standardization in many aspects of their operations to be adopted by franchises. These aspects have been tested either through experience or a research and have proven to work for the franchisor. One such aspect is quality control. The quality of products can differentiate a business from another and initiate customer loyalty. The application of these uniform standards in all the franchisor’s operations differentiates brand names and create preferences among customers. Although franchisees have the limited independence, the compliance requirement helps them to apply proven methods and practices, which lead to increased revenues and profitability. Potential for Growth The learning and experience gained by operating one franchise can help the franchisee to operate other franchises elsewhere. An opportunity to operate the franchise in another location may arise. Franchisees with experience and knowledge can expand their operations to new locations where they would increase their profits and a scope of operations. Distinctive Trade Identification A franchise has an advantage over other start-up businesses because its association with a recognized franchisor improves its goodwill in the market. The franchise, therefore, enjoys the success in market penetration by being associated with a known brand. Since building a brand name is costly and dependent on time, franchises become famous within a limited time and using fewer resources than other start-up businesses. Advertisement Programs Advertisement is crucial for the success of any organization, irrespectively of the products being sold or the industry in which the business belongs to. An advertisement consumes large portions of marketing budgets and reduces profits and returns on investments. The franchise is exempted partly from the advertisement costs because when the franchisor advertises on a massive scale, the franchise benefits for being associated with the brand name. Disadvantages of Operating a Franchise to a Franchisee Cost of Franchise Although the franchises are assisted during the start-up and the progress of business by the franchisor, the help comes with the price. Once the business becomes operational, the franchisor starts charging loyalty fees in the form of sales revenue percentages. This cost is invisible during the start-up, but becomes evident once the business starts making profits. Since the charges are continually charged, they become a burden to the franchise because the business has to ensure sales up to a certain limit to guarantee that the business can pay the fees. Risk of Misunderstanding or Fraud Not all franchisors are genuine in their business. Some of them promise many things to franchises, but rarely fulfill them. Franchisees may not see the need to involve an attorney in the transactions, but it is crucial because the contract may contain faults that only people involved into the legal profession can understand. Therefore, franchises represent opportunities and risks in an equal measure to franchisees. Over-Dependence The help that franchises receive from franchisors may limit the involvement of franchisees in managing the business. The franchisor may not understand the unique needs of the customers in local regions. This means that methods and means used by the system may not apply to some localities. At such times, the franchisee should decide on how to serve the needs of such customers without relying on the franchisor. The control exercised by the franchisor on the franchise may make the franchisee over-dependent on the franchisor to the point of not being able to adapt to unique methods that would fit localities. Restricted Creativity and Freedom Franchisors place numerous restrictions on the way their franchises conduct their businesses. They have to follow procedures and standard ways of doing things. Any creative franchisee cannot conduct a business differently without offending the franchisor. Moreover, franchises are geographically restricted because they may enter another franchise territory. The restriction can be destructive such that even when the franchisee notices that some products are not suited to the market. They have no remedy because the franchisor has the final word to say. Negative Effects from Other Franchises’ Poor Performance When other franchises licensed by the same franchisor perform poorly in terms of quality or customer service, the effects can be felt even by those franchises that perform well. Since the franchises have the same brand name, customers aggrieved by one franchise are likely to view other franchises with contempt. This may lead to poor sales in high performing franchises. Therefore, franchising may be detrimental to franchises when the franchisor allows low standards in some of its business units. Termination or Transfer Problems A franchise is a contract between two parties and has a time frame within which it can be terminated. Either party may decide to end the contract even when the other party does not wish to end the relationship. This is a disadvantage, especially to the franchisee who has devoted time and energy to build the business. Another aspect that is problematic in this relationship is the transfer of ownership. During the contract signing, the franchisee may not have considered that the business may need to be transferred to another person such as a family member. For this reason, a clause detailing the procedure of such a transfer may not have been included in the contract. It, therefore, becomes difficult to transfer the ownership to another person. Advantages of Operating a Franchise to a Franchisor The franchising relationship is like a double-edged sword because it benefits and receives disadvantages both the franchisee and the franchisor. From the franchisor’s point of view, the following advantages result from the relationship: Rapid Expansion with Little Capital Investment In conventional business models, expansion requires a heavy capital investment. However, this is different when franchising is concerned. The franchisee comes up with the capital to invest. It is given the assistance in establishing the franchise using the money by the franchisor. This means the franchisor can reach new markets at a faster rate without investing capital. The relationship is, therefore, beneficial to the franchisor because the inputs are few, but the outcomes are numerous. Highly Motivated Franchisees In terms of performance, franchising is likely to outperform other modes of investment because the franchisee has a personal interest in the business and is more motivated than a company’s employee. As such, the business of the franchisor can perform better than organizations that rely on the employees’ motivation. The performance of the franchise is high because of the motivation from franchisees. The Expansion Is Controlled Within a corporate chain, rapid expansion sometimes occurs and out-paces the central management of an organization. When this happens, the management may lose control of critical processes and its ability to control all the organizational aspects. In a franchise relationship, the expansion is controlled because franchises are territorial and limit the extent to which the franchise can operate. The franchisor is, therefore, able to control the expansion of the business and has a tight control over its operations. Ability to Purchase in Bulk Purchasing goods in bulk is cheaper than buying fewer items. The presence of many franchises allows the franchisor to purchase supplies and products at great discounts. These discounts increase the franchisor’s profitability and reduce franchisee’s costs. Multiple Revenue Sources Having different sources of revenue is the strength to any business because it diversifies risks. The various sources of income for franchisors include the fee that is paid upon signing a contract, revenue from sales of various products and a portion of franchise’s revenue. The arrangement differentiates the franchising relationship from other corporations and diversifies its sources of revenue. Disadvantages of Operating a Franchise to a Franchisor Franchisee Dispute Conflicts are common between franchisees and franchisors regarding the payment of loyalty fees, hours of operation and expansion. Initially, the franchisee does not envisage such conflicts because the mind is usually focused on a positive side of the business. This changes when the reality of business dawns; and the franchisor starts demanding fees and other compliance issues. These disputes can disrupt business and harm trust, which is essential to the success of the franchise business. Loss of Control Although the franchisor controls several aspects of the franchise business, there is an individual aspect of the franchisee that must be respected. When the franchisor needs to implement changes, consultations between the parties involved must take place. The consultations do not always result into an agreement, and the franchisee may not agree with the franchisor. This makes it difficult for the franchisor to implement changes. The result of this loss of control is that the franchisor may be unable to respond to changing tastes and preferences in the market. In such a case, the franchisor turns to the company owned units. Any testing on a new product is done through these units. The results from the tests are crucial during the negotiations because they act as the evidence of success that can be achieved by the proposed changes. Profit Sharing Once the franchisee recovers the initial investment, subsequent earnings may represent 30-50% return on investments. Such high levels of return on investment are the indication of money that would have otherwise been earned by the franchisor using the company’s owned units. The franchisor would receive all the earnings taken by the franchisee through the company’s owned units. Therefore, franchisee’s earnings are foregone revenues for the franchisor. Legal Issues of Franchising The legal issues affecting franchising involve two documents. These include the Disclosure Document and Franchise Agreement. The state and federal laws in the United States govern the relationship between the franchisor and the franchise. To perform this role, the government requires the franchisor to supply the franchisee with the information that outlines the nature of the two parties’ relationship. The legal aspect of the franchising relationship is contained in two documents known as the Disclosure Document and the Franchise Agreement. The Disclosure Document The Disclosure Document provides the franchisee with information about the franchise system, the franchisor and agreement to be signed. The franchisee should be provided with the document before the contract is signed so that there is enough time to scrutinize the issues therein and make informed choices. The law prohibits a franchisor from selling a franchise before presenting the disclosure document to the prospective franchisee. In the United States, 14 states require franchisors to register their disclosure document with the state to notify that they will offer franchises. This document is important to the prospective franchisee because the vital information that can affect the performance of the franchise is contained in it. Some of the vital information that can help a prospective franchisee to make a wise decision is management’s experience in franchise management. The franchisor’s experience in managing the business can determine whether the franchise will have a prolonged future or not. A franchisor with the limited experience may not offer a profitable and reliable franchise. Another vital piece of information contained in the disclosure document is the litigation history and bankruptcy records. The number of litigation cases in the document can inform the prospective franchisee on the type of legal problems the franchise is likely to face. The franchisor with a long history of legal cases is less attractive to franchisees. On the other hand, bankruptcy records can provide the essential information about the ability of the firm to remain profitable in future. The franchisor with several bankruptcy records indicates inefficiency in managing the business. The information regarding territorial rights informs the prospective franchisee on how large the operation territory is. Sometimes, the franchisor may have many franchises competing for the operational territory. The disclosure document provides the franchisee with details of the geographical size within which the franchise is allowed to operate. The existence of numerous franchises sanctioned by the same franchisor within a small territory can limit the prospects of a new franchise. Such information is crucial because the franchisee prefers a large territory to serve because it provides a large market share. The disclosure information outlines the responsibilities of both the franchisor and the franchisee. This information may be unclear to the franchisee when the document is not provided prior to the contract signing. Consequently, the relationship between the two parties may be strained in the future regarding their duties towards each other. The responsibilities such is the level of support available to the franchisee is crucial when the decision to operate a franchise has been made. The franchisee is likely to choose the franchisor who provides the best support among other considerations. The Franchise Agreement Compared to the disclosure document, a franchise agreement is more specific in defining the relationship between the franchisor and the franchisee (Selden, 2011). The agreement specifies how the system works and the extent to which the franchisee can use trademarks and products. This is essential because the franchisee can understand the extent to which the franchise will benefit from the use of trademarks and licenses. In the franchise agreement, the rights and obligations of both parties are clearly defined and the standard procedures of operation outlined. The importance of this legal document is that the written procedures and standards illustrate the amount of control the franchisor exercises over the franchisee. When every activity of the franchise is strictly guided by operational procedures and standards, the franchisee has a little freedom and creativity curtailed. On the other hand, when the procedures only apply to some activities, the franchisor has limited control over the franchise. This is beneficial to the franchisee because the personal innovation can be incorporated into the business and improve its performance. The franchise agreement contains the information that indicates when the franchise relationship will be terminated. The franchisee benefits from knowing when the franchise will be terminated because forecasts can be done to determine whether the business will have earned returns on its investment and profits. When the forecasts predict that the business will have earned substantial profits, then the franchisee can enter into an agreement with the franchisor. However, when the business is likely not to make any profits by the time of termination, the franchisee may opt not to operate the franchise with the franchisor. The crucial information about the amount of money the franchisee should pay the franchisor is contained in the franchise agreement. The money to be paid out can affect the business performance; and it is, therefore, important to compare such payments across a number of franchisors. The cheaper the payments are, the more profitable the franchise is likely to be. This is because the money paid out to the franchisor either comes from the franchise profits or revenues. Having this information before signing the contract helps the franchisee get the best deal based on facts and figures. The franchise agreement details the terms and the rights to transfer the franchise. At the initial stages of the franchise formation, the franchisee may not have thought about the transfer of the business to another person, such as a next of kin or selling it. However, the procedures required must be known before signing the contract because the agreement may omit such information or write in favor of the franchisor. Even when the franchise duration is long, the franchisee may wish to transfer ownership. The agreement details the procedures. The franchisee should engage a legal counsel when examining the agreement to ensure favorable terms regarding the franchise transfer that should be included in the contract before signing it. Finally, the franchise agreement contains some information on how the franchisor conducts training of franchises; how the franchisor offers assistance and marketing strategies to the franchise. Training offers the franchise a good chance of survival than other forms of start-up businesses. The training methods that the franchisor uses are tested through experience and, therefore, provide the franchisee with the practical knowledge and skills that other start-up businesses lack. Some franchisors create advertisement programs that cover their franchises. The franchise agreement should detail the advertisement strategies used by the franchisor and the role of the franchise in the process. This knowledge helps the franchise plan the marketing budget. Between the two types of franchises, the business format franchise is capital intensive and provides more opportunities than the product distribution franchise. The choice between the two ones may be determined by the amount of capital and skills the prospective franchisee has. The franchise arrangement adopted by the investor depends on the investor’s skills in management and capital availability. Investors with advanced skills and large capital reserves have the ability to operate multi-franchise units or an area representative franchise. From the analysis of the merits and demerits of franchise business to both the franchisee and franchisor, the advantages seem to outweigh disadvantages. This is why there is an increasing number of franchises being operated throughout the world. The choice of the franchisor, which is informed by the evaluation before signing the contract, can reduce the demerits and maximize the merits. Therefore, the prospective franchisee should carefully evaluate the franchisors using the identified criteria to choose the one that will meet the needs of the franchisee and profitably.

Charlie Parker

A discussion of the life and works of Jazz musician Charlie Parker and the influence he had in the field. This paper sheds light on important aspects of Charlie Parkers life and times. It introduces a jazz musician who completely transformed this type of music through his talent, originality and improvisation skills. The paper discusses the changes that he brought into jazz styles and also focuses on Parkers influence on society and economy of his days. For this reason, many magazine articles and few books were consulted and research in this paper is appropriately supported by expert views and comments. Charlie Parkers name is synonymous with innovation in jazz music. This is because in his short life of 34 years, the man was able to transform the world of music by introducing new and better tunes and jazz styles that made him immortal. Charlie Parker was born in 1920 in Kansas City but later moved to New York where he found a more intelligent audience that appreciated his alto sax tunes and helped him in discovering new techniques including the famous Bebop. Bebop was probably the greatest achievement of this man and this jazz style became extremely popularly in that era. It is important to understand that this man was not simply a musician but was a legend in himself because not only did he transform Jazz, he also created awareness regarding this type of music. It was because of him that Americans from every social class started taking an interest in this kind of music and thus the man left an indelible mark on the United States and not particularly its one field.

The death Penalty versus Life Without Parole Research Paper

The death Penalty versus Life Without Parole - Research Paper Example 1. Development of capital punishment & life without Parole: Capital punishment or death sentence developed in United States â€Å"as society searched for more humane ways for killing its condemned† & as a substitute of the brutal ways that the society used throughout history to punish the offenders of society (Hess and Orthman 534). It evolved gradually with the â€Å"first electrocution in 1890, the invention of the gas chamber in 1923, the use of a firing squad and the adoption of lethal injections in 1977† (Hess and Orthman 534). Till 2005 â€Å"38 states and the federal government had laws authorizing capital punishment† whereas the minimum age for capital punishment set by 18 states & the federal government following the court’s ruling in Ropper v. Simmons(2005) was 18 (Hess and Orthman 534). Life imprisonment without parole developed in U.S. as a means to portray that the punitive statutory law was strict. As of 1996, 12 states with capital punishmen t had no life without Parole option, 20 six states of U.S. ... Table 1 Life without Parole (LWP) and capital punishment (CP) 1996, of United States (Adapted): States LWP CP State LWP CP Alabama Yes Yes Montana Yes Yes Alaska No No Nebraska Yes Yes Arizona No Yes Nevada Yes Yes Arkansas Yes Yes New Hampshire Yes Yes California Yes Yes New Jersey Yes Yes Colorado No Yes New Mexico No Yes Connecticut Yes Yes New York No Yes States LWP CP State LWP CP Delaware Yes Yes N. Carolina No Yes Florida Yes Yes North Dakota No No Georgia Yes Yes Ohio No Yes Hawaii Yes No Oklahoma Yes Yes Idaho Yes Yes Oregon Yes Yes Illinois Yes Yes Pennsylvania Yes Yes Indiana No Yes Rhode Island Yes No Iowa Yes No S. Carolina Yes Yes Kansus No Yes South Dakota Yes Yes Kentucky No Yes Tennessee No Yes Lousiana Yes Yes Texas No Yes Maine Yes No Utah Yes Yes Source: Keith D. Harries, and Deral Cheatwood, The geography of execution: the capital punishment quagmire in America.(Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 1997) 110. Print. In the table 1, it can be seen that 34 states out of 38 states accept capital punishment as a means of punishment to its offenders that is 89% (Approx.) of the total no of states. Whereas, in case of life imprisonment without Parole 25 states out of 38 states accept it as a means of punishment, thus amounting to 67% (Approx.) of the total no. of states. Hence, it can be noted that capital punishment had greater acceptance as a means of punishment in comparison to life imprisonment without parole. 3. Differentiation between capital punishment & life imprisonment without parole, as a means of punishment: In case of capital punishment the prisoner is permanently incapacitated from doing any harm to the society, whereas life imprisonment without Parole does not prevent the offenders from harming the inmates of the prison &

DQ1 pg 322 -323 Medical Center Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

DQ1 pg 322 -323 Medical Center Case - Essay Example The employee appraisal sheet is first completed to check on self appraisal. The second step entails response of the questions raised by the employees by the supervisor based on observation and performance of the employee. The third step involves the employee and supervisor meeting to discuss the ratings through evolution and finally the evaluation results are used as a tool for appraisal determination for the employee (The National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2010) The value of documentation in performance evaluation entails streamlining the performance of the hospital standards. This is done through ensuring professionalism, respect, quality work, and efficiency. The other important value involves evaluating the competencies of individuals. This is relevant as it provides employees with an opportunity to improve the consistency of the appraisal processes (Stewart & Kenneth, 2012). Similarly the use of the appraisal system was aimed at ensuring consistency in the evaluation process. Healthcare organizations have developed guidelines to be followed when an employee scores a certain

Political Climate of the 1970s Essay Example for Free

Political Climate of the 1970s Essay The 1970s were times of chaotic events held over from the chaos of the 1960s. The 70s brought Americans an end to the Vietnam War and a change in the political and social perspectives, another presidency term with Richard M. Nixon, and his policies of engagement, and the Watergate scandal, leading to the first resignation of an American President. The end of the Vietnam War led to political and social fallout around the globe, especially in America. All of the chaos of the 1970s also led Americans to have a changed perspective in their government. People were beginning to notice similarities between Nixons policies of engagement and strategies used during the Cold War, and the aftermath of the Watergate scandal led many Americans to doubt the role of their government and its power. In 1969, Nixon built his presidential campaign on the idea of ending the Vietnam War. Early in his administration, the president outlined a foreign policy based on a low profile and on reductions in the U.S. role abroad. Many believe this was the reason for Nixons election. Fed up with the war in Vietnam, Americans were ready to get our soldiers home. Nixon considered his engagement strategy peace with honor. Nixons priority was the settlement of the Vietnam crisis while using the peace with honor code. Nixon found an ally in Henry Kissinger who was the Nation Security Advisor and working together to end the crisis in Vietnam. One strategy was called Vietnamization, a carrot on a stick method, which would to gradually move the troops away and force the South Vietnamese to fight for themselves in order to advance peace talks in Paris. (Davidson et al., 2002 pg 895) The truth of the matter is that Nixon continued with the Vietnam War for nearly four more years. Nixons peace with honor code or policy of engagement was similar to Truman and the Cold War. Truman used the treat of nuclear arms attacks to scare the communist bloc from expanding. When the peace with honor code did not work, that is when Nixon took action on an earlier threat by using troops, force, and weapons. Nixons policy of engagement also differs somewhat from the strategies used by others during the Cold War. Where containment assumed a bipolar world, Nixons policy of detente saw the world as multi-polar. (Davidson et al., 2002, p. 907) By the end of March 1973, The Vietnam War had ended. All U.S. fighting forces  had been withdrawn. (Vietnam War, 2007) The political and social aftermath of the Vietnam War hit America almost immediately. In July 1971, for the first year in the century, it appeared that the U.S. would import more merchandise than it exported, and consequently it faced a severe deficit in its balance of payments. A federal budget deficit of about $20 billion was projected for fiscal 1971. In August, a crisis in world monetary stability was evident, and the value of the dollar was threatened for the second time in a year. (The Vietnam War Period, 2007) By the end of the 1970s, the National Debt was nearly $382 billion. From spending money during the war and cutting costs to federal programs, the nation was experiencing severe recession in 40 years. This recession affected many families, which became dual income households due to necessity. The government tried to fix this spiraling problem by raising minimum wage, but with each wage increase came inflation and higher unemployment rates. To curb this growing problem, reversing his previous refusal to impose price and wage controls, Nixon announced a 3-month freeze on wages, prices, and rents. (TVWP, 2007) Before Nixon had a chance to work on changing the economic problems in America he was surrounded by the Watergate scandal. From the fall of 1973 through the summer of 1974, the evidence steadily mounted that President Nixon himself was implicated in the Watergate burglary and its attempted cover-up, and that it was indeed only one aspect of a series of lawless acts committed by the administration. As a result, by the beginning of August 1974 the president was faced with imminent impeachment. He resigned on August 9, the first president of the U.S. to do so. (TVWP, 2007) Americans have come to believe the worst about government, politics, and politicians. It didnt start with Watergate, but Watergate turned an erosion of public confidence into a collapse. The downturn came to a climax with Watergate. Americans saw a presidency disintegrate before their eyes, criminal conspiracies at the highest level of government and a president driven out of office. The effect on public trust was immediate and dramatic. Watergate crushed the publics faith in government. In 1974, a little more than a third of Americans 36 percent said they still trusted the government. (Americans in the 1950s and 1960s saw there government as successful. They had led the country out of a depression and won a World War. The 1970s did  not carry that same prestige, instead the American public saw there elected leader in the center of a severe scandal, the worst recession in 40 years, and an embarrassing loss to an un-winnable war. Since Watergate, nothing has happened to restore public trust. (Bill, 1997). By the end of the 1970s, Americans were ready for change. The Vietnam War had ended, Nixon had resigned from office, and there was a lack of trust in government officials. Many Americans believed the 1980s were going to be that time of change. Nixon was a professional politician when elected president. Since that did not fare well, there was heightened contempt in professional politics. This created a market for outsiders and non-professionals for the job of Presidency. Many Americans today still crave for the Eisenhower or Kennedy era, but not since then has there been that kind of support for an elected president. Only when special interests groups stay out of politics or presidents remember they are leading by example will that return. Lets all hope that day will be sooner rather then later. References Vietnam War. (2007). _World Almanac Encyclopedia,_ Retrieved November 19, 2007 from facts.com database. Davidson, J. W., Gienapp, W. E., Heyrman, C. L., Lytle, M. H., Stoff, M. B. (2002). _Nations of Nations: A Concise Narrative of the American Republic_ (3rd ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill. Bill Schneider, (1997). Cynicism Didnt Start With Watergate. _allPolitics_. Retrieved November 19, 2007, from http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1997/ _United States of America: HistoryFrom Watergate Through the 2000 Election._ (n.d.). Retrieved November 21, 2007, from The World Almanac Encyclopedia @ FACTS.com database.

Buddhism :: essays research papers

Everything is suffering. Humans define their existence by misery and suffering. The four Noble Truths are all about suffering. Suffering, the origin of suffering, Nibbana, and the Path. The word suffering is utilized throughout all the texts and teachings of Buddhism. Suffering is defined as; to feel pain or distress; sustain loss, injury, harm, or punishment. Buddhist uses a deeper meaning of suffering, which is a change or ultimate unsatisfactory. Even if one is happy they can not be happy forever, so when they are no longer happy they are suffering. Birth, aging, sickness, death is suffering. General unsatisfaction of life. Suffering is an elemental fabric of life. Happiness doesn’t last; Buddhism provides ways of increasing it. Life is ever changing, and change is suffering. Spiritual ignorance causes suffering. An origination of all this suffering, a connection to ongoing desire, clinging to material possessions this is suffering. Cling to nothing because there is nothing anywhere solid enough to cling to. The Buddhist path aims not only to limit expression of craving, but ultimately to use calm and wisdom to completely uproot it from the psyche. A more than temporary undefiled state of mind is necessary for enlightenment. Freedom from suffering, the cessation of the unsatisfactory state which everyone is in. Nibbana means extinction of a fire. Nibbana is achieved through the cessation or craving, when there is total non-attachment and letting go. Nibbana is the end of the rebirth cycle, an awakening from suffering. The unconditioned cessation of all unsatisfactory, conditioned phenomena during life or beyond death. Even thought Nibbana is reached consciousness is not non-existent when it stops. Loss of self appears to be part of Nibbana. As well as the practice of the Noble Eightfold Path. The Eightfold path is eight steps to thinking and acting correct so that enlightenment can be achieved. These paths are as follows; right understanding, right directed thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. The path to enlightenment is to overcome human characteristics. For instance, fear a basic human instinct that inhibits and protects us. If there is fear there can not be acceptance of the unknown and in not knowing there can be no learning. Temptation, a very powerful vice. Be it sexual, physical, mental or material temptation is all around. To be able to ignore is the ability to have a clear and pure mind.

American Quail

In Europe, it refers to several kinds of game birds of the pheasant family. A brood may include from 10 to 18 eggs or more. Bold face markings and tilting crests identify the males from the females. Their feathers usually are slate blue, olive-brown, and black and white. Other kinds of American quail are the California quail, Gambles quail, mountain quail, scaled quail and mearn`s quail. These small plump quail prefer open woodlands, chaparral and grassy valleys. Hunters have killed so many of these birds that many states have hunting laws to protect them. Quails scatter at the approach of an enemy. Then they sound a gathering call. Bird authorities believe quail gather together this way. In Europe, it refers to several kinds of game birds of the pheasant family. A brood may include from 10 to 18 eggs or more. Bold face markings and tilting crests identify the males from the females. Their feathers usually are slate blue, olive-brown, and black and white. Other kinds of American quail are the California quail, Gambles quail, mountain quail, scaled quail and mearn`s quail. These small plump quail prefer open woodlands, chaparral and grassy valleys. Hunters have killed so many of these birds that many states have hunting laws to protect them. Quails scatter at the approach of an enemy. Then they sound a gathering call. Bird authorities believe quail gather together this way. In Europe, it refers to several kinds of game birds of the pheasant family. A brood may include from 10 to 18 eggs or more. Bold face markings and tilting crests identify the males from the females. Their feathers usually are slate blue, olive-brown, and black and white. Other kinds of American quail are the California quail, Gambles quail, mountain quail, scaled quail and mearn`s quail. These small plump quail prefer open woodlands, chaparral and grassy valleys. Hunters have killed so many of these birds that many states have hunting laws to protect them. Quails scatter at the approach of an enemy. Then they sound a gathering call. Bird authorities believe quail gather together this way. In Europe, it refers to several kinds of game birds of the pheasant family. A brood may include from 10 to 18 eggs or more. Bold face markings and tilting crests identify the males from the females. Their feathers usually are slate blue, olive-brown, and black and white. Other kinds of American quail are the California quail, Gambles quail, mountain quail, scaled quail and mearn`s quail. These small plump quail prefer open woodlands, chaparral and grassy valleys. Hunters have killed so many of these birds that many states have hunting laws to protect them. Quails scatter at the approach of an enemy. Then they sound a gathering call. Bird authorities believe quail gather together this way. Doug Ose was born in Sacramento on June 27, 1955. He graduated from Sacramento's Rio Americano High School. Then went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of California at Berkley in 1977. Doug worked in his family†s business, Ose Properties, for eight years as project manager. There he was responsible for developing three sub-divisions of approximately 273 residential lots in Sac and Roseville. He started his own real estate development and investment company in 1985. It specialized in mini-storage development projects. Today, Doug is recognized as an expert in mini-storage facility development. Doug and his wife, Lynnda, have two daughters, Erika and Emily. He has been a member of the Board of Directors for the California State Automobile Association, the Board of Directors for the Citrus Heights Chamber of Commerce, and the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Commission. Doug also served on the Citrus Heights Incorporation Project, where he was a leading force in the drive to incorporate the City of Citrus Heights in Sacramento County. On Nov.3 98, Ose was elected to the u.s. house of reps. He represents California's Third Congressional District, which includes Yolo, Sutter, Glenn, and Tehama Counties as well as portions of Sac, Solano, and Butte Counties. In the 106th Congress, Congressman Ose serves on three committees: Agriculture, Banking and Financial Services, and Government Reform. Sub committees include: general farm commodities, resource conservation, and credit/risk management, research, and specialty crops, Banking and financial Services: sub committee: domestic and international monetary policy, and Government Reform sub committees: criminal justice, drug policy and human resources/ government management, info and tech. This was a hard paper for me. I waited too long to start and could not find much information. Next time I†ll work harder to get my assignments done to my full ability. Anyways, I went to search on AOL, Net Explorer, and the Doug Ose website.

Strategic Planning of General Electric

Jill Ridgley General Electric Strategic Planning During the 1980s General Electric’s Chairman, Jack Welch, became highly influential and equally controversial in the world of strategic management. Although Welch focused on gaining competitive advantage for his organization, he also began downsizing and restructuring GE. GE’s strategic planning and operational efforts began a shift toward Total Quality Management and improving productivity. (WriteWork contributors. â€Å"Levels of Planning in Management† WriteWork. om) The 1990s brought about a renewed interest and obsession with strategic planning, as mergers and acquisitions increased in frequency along with a rising rate of complex joint ventures. Such trends focused strategic planning on innovation through decentralized models, leveraging core competencies and emergent strategy. In order to develop a plan, there are several guidelines that need to be remembered. The main goal is to maintain business operations , looking closely at what you need to do to deliver a minimum level of service and functionality is important.Thus far in the 21st century (2000s), GE’s strategic planning continues towards an orientation of gaining competitive advantage, but with the added dimension of developing and nurturing organizational innovation. As General Electric looks to strategy to help them grapple with issues that include reconciling size with flexibility and responsiveness, planning has grown more complex. This can be attributed in part an increasingly interwoven global marketplace and growing number of competitive forces that have accompanied that change.Likewise, planning complexity has been affected by the economic woes of the 2000s, which have driven businesses to form many new alliances, partnerships and mergers. The net effect of these changes has resulted in the need for cooperative strategies, resulting in more planning and execution complexity. Additionally, the 2000s have brought abo ut changes in environmental commitments and corporate social responsibility. Within the past several years, GE has been looking into how their strategic planning will help with the ecomagination for the new â€Å"greener† products that are a ig competition now for the environment. Faced with the worst economic conditions since the Great Depression, businesses across the board are adapting their behaviors and strategies. GE’s strategic planning has transitioned from a process of trying to predict the future to one of looking backward at what we â€Å"know†, examining current-state realities in order to build effective transformation strategies for the future and leveraging lessons learned from the past.

Compare and Contrast the European Rulers essays

Compare and Contrast the European Rulers essays Throughout this worlds great history there have been many great rulers. Some of these great rulers to note would be Philip II of Spain, Louis XIV of France, Catherine the Great of Russia, and Peter the Great of Russia. These monarchs can be compared in various areas including domestic policies, foreign policies, their religion and how it affected their policies, any wars they were involved in, and their achievements that left lasting impressions in the European continent. Each of these rulers had unique domestic policies. One of Philips problems was that he took a very long time to actually do anything. However, because of this, many of his long-term policies were able to work. For example, he wanted to Castilise Spain. To do this, he filled many of the top positions with Castilians. Although he had a cabinet of advisors, he still considered himself an absolute monarch. One major issue during his control was the extremely deficit in the national budget. In fact, he went bankrupt three times. Louis revoked of Edict of Nantes that protected the Huguenots. Louis strengthened the central governments control over regions of France, incorporating the claimed lands into his territory. This caused hardship to many people who suffered starvation; which led them to fleeing their homeland. Catherine allowed a little bit of religious tolerance and banned torture. She tried to have better laws, and appointed a special legislative committee, but it fel l through. No new unified code was ever made. She tried to improve education and have a stronger local government. She freed the nobles from taxes and state service. The nobles also had absolute control of their serfs. During the reign of Peter, he was able to construct the Russian navy from scratch. Also, during the Great Northern War, he was able to modernize the army of backwards Russia. He tried to westernize all of Russ...

INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY,unit 4, question #1, Essay

INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY,unit 4, question #1, - Essay Example tions to philosophy Thomas White states â€Å"Aristotle is very much a commonsense philosopher, and commonsense tells us that people should be held responsible for what they do†(White, 2008). Therefore, because Aristotle believed and philosophized that people are responsible for their own lives and actions, which is the definition of commonsense in the realm of philosophy, Aristotle would definitely fit into such a category of philosopher. The idea of Aristotle being a commonsense philosopher is further shown through his discussions and thoughts on voluntary and involuntary actions. White defines voluntary actions as those that are â€Å"under our control,† and involuntary actions as those that â€Å"result from constraint or ignorance†(White, 2008). In Aristotle’s view, humans should be held responsible and accountable for the actions that they themselves have chosen and should not be held responsible for actions that were forced upon them or done through ignorance(White, 2008). However, Aristotle does seem to make the distinction between responsibility and accountability in regard to involuntary actions. It appears that this is where morality plays a large part as a person should be held more accountable for involuntary actions if those actions had a negative impact on the overall well-being of humanity. These voluntary and involuntary actions may be positive or negative, and both types of actions are related to the concept of well-being (White, 2008). By maintaining this viewpoint that humans must be held responsible or accountable for their actions, both good and bad, Aristotle is showcasing his commonsense approach to philosophy. Commonsense generally means knowledge that everyone has or should have. Aristotle’s contribution to philosophy uses a lot of the moral and ethical reasoning that already exists in a civilized society, but was not fully understood at that particular point in history. Aristotle brought this kind of thinking and reasoning to the

Diversity Exercise Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Diversity Exercise - Essay Example While I watched the movie I believe that I would not bring myself to do most of the cruel things that people did in the movie. I would not have the courage to harm my fellow countryman. I had mixed emotions such as sadness for the citizens of Rwanda who were made to fight each other, and anger for the way the police treated them and for those who killed others. Looking at the Tutsi who were the minority, and were chased from their homes, killed and tortured, I thought they had every right to retaliate even though they were the minority. I learnt that there is the need for care when handling people around you, whether a stranger or a familiar person. Simon Birch is based on a young boy born with a growth disability. From watching the movie, I learnt that self belief is important and everything that happens happens for a reason. Looking at the character of Simon Birch, he made me realize that am sympathetic but also realistic by how he still managed to enjoy his early life by being funny, going swimming, and playing baseball. The movie made me believe that there is God. Initially, I thought that most disabled people are sad, hopeless and cannot do anything to help themselves and the people around them. However, this changed after watching the movie ans saw how Simon birch once saved children from a sinking bus. That made me look at the disabled people different, as people who can also do amazing things. The movie made me respect the disabled, while interacting with them give them credit and believe in them. Companies should give equal opportunities to individuals concentrating on their merit and not their race, tribe, nationality, religion or condition. In the United States, there are 36 million people with disabilities representing 12% of the civilian non-institutionalized population. 34% of disabled citizens in the U.S are working, their median earnings are approximately $18,865 compared to the able