Academic Cheating Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Academic Cheating - Essay Example Students are adept and exam cheating methods are dynamic and this fact reduces the chances of catching students cheating. Exam administrators prefer to discourage exam cheating by severe punishment and proactively, positively altering student’s idea of cheating in exam. Cheating is a desperate move that results from desperation and luck of confidence in one self. It does not however guarantee success. Loyola Marymount University like many other academic institutions have set up systems and procedures of dealing with academic dishonest. Punishment if found guilty depend on severity of the violation of examination codes and extenuating circumstances. Such Punishment may include cancelation of exam, suspension and expulsion. Server punishment when caught, still show how important passing exam is. Education should not be about passing exam, there would be no difference anyway between those who cheated and those who passed the paper honestly. Education should be learning. It is evident; cheating in exam cheating is a moral behavior that is triggered by luck of confidence in one’s self, and probably pressure from parents and teachers. Exam should test skills that are useful at work place or in contemporary life. It is not sufficient to condemn our academic system by looking at what it has done to our society (where those failing exam and dropping out of college employ those who pass and graduate). Students should be at the center of anti-cheating policies and results of exams should not be allowed to be the basis of discrimination and scale if it should determine whether a student is graduating or not. Habit of honest should be built. The academic community should therefore shift there focus from creating anti-cheating policies to addressing the cause of cheating. McCabe, Trevino and Kenneth found that students not only develop academic dishonest be observing peers but also actively learn how to

Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Essay Example for Free

Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Essay By Gregg Keizer Courtesy of TechWeb News Even as spyware has become a dirty word and users have been bombarded with stories its pervasive,pernicious nature,criminals have dramatically expanded their distribution chhanels and infected and overwhelming majority of enterprise PCs anti-spyware vendor webroot said tuesday as it rolled out its latest stats. The number of malicious sites hosting spyware has quadrupled sense the star of the year,siad Richard Stienon, Webroots director of treats research, and now number over 300,000 URLs On average,enterprise PCs have 27 pieces of spyware on their hard drives,a 19 percent encrease in the last quarter alone,while a whopping 80 percent of corporate computer host at least on one instant of unwanted software,whether thats adware,spyware,or trojan horse. â€Å"The actual maliciousness of it is increasing,†said Stienon. â€Å"theressimply more malicious activity per piece of spyware.Theyre not satisfied with making their seven cent a click by flooding systems with adware ;now theyre focussing on identity theft,sometimes from within an organization spywares is being used by insiders,insane hack their employer or boss.† ll.do the following instruction and write your answer on space provided 1.Press Ctrl+A What happened? The all words that im typing is highlightened. 2.be sure nothing is selected.using the muose,in the first paragraph,select or highlight with out losing the selection,hold the Ctrl key and highlight the other â€Å"spyware†words on the first paragraph. What happened? 3.Position the cursor at the very start of a paragraph.hold the Ctrl+shift key then press the right arrow key 3 or more times. What happened? 4.position the cursor anywhere in the first paragraph.hold the shift key and click anywhere in the 3 paragraph. What happened? 5.position the cursor anywhere in the first paragraph.hold the shift key and click on arrow key 3 or more times. What happened?

McDonalds Global Expansion

McDonalds Global Expansion Companies all over the globe are looking for expansion and ways of entering new markets which are profitable through different entry modes (Deresky, 2006). Managers look at different strategies that can be used to expand internationally (Deresky, 2006). There are many reasons for companies to go global or expand overseas. There are reactive and proactive reasons for the same. Increased global competition, customer needs, potential opportunities, declining foreign trade barriers, increasing expenses in domestic markets are some of the reactive reasons for companies going global. To achieve economies of scale, expanding base for growth and profits, cost savings, access to different resources are some of the proactive reasons for companies going global (Deresky, 2006). An example of a company which looked to expand beyond its borders is McDonalds, one of the most successful companies in terms of implying international strategies successfully. 2.0 Company Overview McDonalds, the most renowned fast food chain of the world, started in 1955 by a visionary named Raymond Kroc (McDonalds : The Ray Kroc Story, 2010-2011). Kroc played a significant role in revolutionizing the fast food industry in America and currently Mc Donalds is serving over 60 million customers in over 117 countries on a daily basis (McDonalds : The Ray Kroc Story, 2010-2011). The company has a global brand value and worldwide recognition. It is one of the most widely recognized icons of the world in the fast food restaurant industry. By reaching saturation levels in the United States, McDonalds looked to expand internationally amidst increasing regulations. But they approached with a strategy by controlling standardized products, clean and green environments and American origin. With experience, localization started increasing and the entire model was redone to appeal the localites of the foreign country. This strategy has been a turnaround point for McDonalds but it has thed potential of losing brand equity in the future (McDonalds Fact File 2007, 2007). Inspite of an American base, McDonalds respects the markets, cultures, beliefs and likings of other nations. Customers identify with the brand name and the Golden Arches are recognized not only in America but in foreign countries as well (McDonalds Fact File 2007, 2007). 4.1 Franchise Model: McDonalds franchising process is that of a strategic network (Hitt, et.al 2007). Around 85% of the restaurants are operated by franchisees. McDonalds follows a standardized set of procedures across all its restaurants in terms of quality, service, cleanliness and value propositions. Basically, the central control is in its headquarters where different financial and strategic controls are used to create value for the entire network (Hitt, et.al 2007). 5.0 Expansion Strategies in Different countries 1. CHINA: The strategy used by McDonalds in China is quite different from the way the restaurants are otherwise managed in the United States. The prime reason for the success of McDonalds in China is the involvement of McDonalds to adapt to Chinese Culture. Local people manage the operations in McDonalds in China, thereby reaching out in an easier way to the locals of the country. Additionally, the managements ability in Europe slowly changed the taste of the Asian consumers towards fast food which is an unusual aspect of the Chinese culture. Locals in China responded positively to the fast food concept of McDonalds thereby making the investment in China a successful one. Some of the other ways the approach in China was different as compared to the United States was that McDonalds customized the menu by adding teriyaki burger which gave locals the flavour of their native food taste (McDonalds Fact File 2007, 2007). Customization of products to suit local needs is a key factor that sh ould be considered in the global expansion plan. 2. South Africa: A relatively unique strategy has been used by McDonalds to serve customers where they can enjoy their meal while shopping and playing. This approach is used in highly populated areas with busy lifestyles of South Africa. Additionally, the drive-through approach works well in the South African region. Therefore, there are superior number of drive-through as compared to Australia and United States. This particular facility gives McDonalds an upper hand in South Africa. The base of the approach is to provide comfort to the customers in shopping malls, towns and other areas. Different marketing strategies are used to attract people from different sections of the society. The returns for McDonalds in South Africa have surpassed the initial targets of turnover and profits. With over 90 branches in South Africa, employment opportunities are high for local people and are expected to rise. Furthermore, McDonalds is currently using the vertical integration approach to improve its productivity with efficient software packages. All these factors contribute to the high revenues and with advanced software systems; the aim is to enhance bottom line as well ((McDonalds Fact File 2007, 2007). 3. Brazil: McDonalds opened its first branch in Brazil in 1979. The franchise model has been successfully used in Brazil and the management team has been praised for consistent performance and high standards of quality. One of the accolades received by McDonalds in Brazil is the Hallmark of Quality. One of the challenges that exist for McDonalds in Brazil is bankruptcy because of which it is difficult to meet the expenses on a monthly basis. Inspite of the fast growth in Brazil, franchisees have difficulty in reducing costs ((McDonalds Fact File 2007, 2007). 4. Saudi Arabia: Another example of adaptation to the local culture is the way McDonalds has managed the business in Saudi Arabia. McDonalds closes five times in the day for prayers and they do not serve pork to respect the Islamic culture in Saudi Arabia. There are some exclusive outlets of McDonalds in the Holy City of Makkah which serve to Muslim customers only with only Muslim staff in every department ((McDonalds Fact File 2007, 2007). 5. India: The approach to adapt locally to the country has been a highlight for McDonalds success. In India, the menu is highly customized to suit the Indian tastes and this justifies the inclusion of aloo tikki and paneer burgers. The Big Mac becomes Maharaja Mac in India and another highlight of the menu is having separate vegetarian kitchens with separate utensils and cooks. This feature has been particularly taken care off for making sure that the needs and requirements of the vegetarian population are fulfilled ((McDonalds Fact File 2007, 2007). 6.0 Organizational capabilities Organizational capabilities look at a firms ability to manage resources in order to gain sustainable competitive advantage (Hitt, et.al 2007). The internal analysis of the firm are carried out to understand its strengths and weaknesses either which are existing or are potentially going to exist in the future as compared to its competitors (Deresky, 2006). 6.1 Strengths of McDonalds 1. Adaptability: It is one of the major strengths of McDonalds. Customization of activities and menu to suit local needs is the single most factor contributing to its success. This takes care of blending with the local culture and values of the foreign country. McDonalds is an example of a company which is centralized in its core but still customizes the menu and the operational activities for local needs. 2. Innovation: With wide variety of options available from snack wraps to coffee to burgers to McCafe, McDonalds is very innovative with reference to its products. Also, the processes or the way every country operations are managed are innovative in a way that they are suited to fulfill the local needs. 3. Corporate Social Responsibility: McDonalds has programmes for having a better society. Some of the programmes they have are the greener than ever programme; recycle, renew programme; animal welfare program to name a few. McDonalds believes in having sustainable supply chain consisting of 3 ES: Ethical Responsibility, Environmental Responsibility and Economic Responsibility (Sustainable Supply Chain, 2010-2011). 4. Marketing: The McDonalds logo is a popular one amongst children and adults all across the globe. This compliments the marketing efforts which are carried out through market analysis thereby giving positive returns to McDonalds. 6.2 Weaknesses: 1. Customer Service: Long queues, insufficient employees at the counters are frustrating for customers and many times the employees are rude in terms of their behaviour with customers. 2. Currency fluctuations: When companies go global, there is always a risk associated with currencies as they keep fluctuating based on the markets. This can cause difference in planned returns for McDonalds. 3. Franchisees Challenges: There is an increase in the fee that franchisees have to pay to McDonalds thus resulting in selling of the businesses and dissatisfied franchisees. Additionally, it is important to understand the opportunities and threats that potentially exist for McDonalds to consolidate its global position in the fast food industry. 6.3 Opportunities: 1. Expansion: Even though it serves over 60 Million people on a daily basis that accounts for just about 1% of the worlds total population. There are a lot of emerging markets particularly in the BRIC countries such as Brazil, Russia, India and China. 2. Increase in fast food category: Based on statistics from Euromonitor, there is a growing demand for fast food. For example: In Australia, sales of fast food grew by 7% in terms of value in 2008 to reach A$ 10,921 Million. This demand is increasing due to stressful lifestyles and constant time pressures (Consumer lifestyles- Australia, 2009). 3. Growing need for drive through facilities: Drive through facilities is highly visible in South Africa. They can look at expanding these facilities in other parts of the world with dense populations. 6.4 Threats 1. Competition: With globalisation and increased number of companies looking to expand internationally, it is a challenge for McDonalds to keep up to or enhance its already existing powerful status in the market. 2. Unexpected circumstances: Uncertainties such as natural calamities, unexpected diseases can affect the smooth flow of activities for McDonalds in terms of procurement of goods and food contents which can decline the sales drastically. 7.0 Organizational Structure to support the international Strategy While understanding the organizational capabilities and the external environment, it is crucial to understand the organizational structure of McDonalds. McDonalds sets an exemplary example of a company which implements global strategy and a centralized organizational structure. With operations in over 120 countries and a huge number of 31,000 restaurants, McDonalds procures its food and packaging from the same set of suppliers. It shows the uniformity of a branch in United States and India. The decision making takes place centrally in the United States (Hebert, 2011). In terms of the way McDonalds organizational structure is oriented, it is relatively organized in terms of how the growth and expansion takes place internationally. But to fulfill the ever changing customer demands and customization strategies in every country, the structure needs to be a combination of centralized and decentralized forms. It also means the structure is relatively a mix of formal and informal forms which is quite a challenge to manage successfully. 8.0 Recommendations As described in the above sections, McDonalds has huge potential in global markets to venture out in different areas specially the BRIC countries. As these cities are the centre of research and growth opportunities, McDonalds should focus their internationalization in these areas much more than they are currently doing. McDonalds should focus on high and low areas of population, reaching out to more and more sections of the society. Joint ventures can be taken up with established companies in foreign countries with inclusions of coffee shops, bakery, internet access add-ons in all high profile metropolitan cities McDonalds currently have restaurants. For example in Germany, McDonalds has a tie up with T mobile for hot spots. McDonalds should work on increasing these facilities in a lot of high profile, metropolitan cities across the world. McDonalds can look at diversifying into other areas of food industry for example; McDonalds Hotel in Zurich is a distinctive venture. The road ahead for McDonalds should be to increase the nutritive value of the burgers and look at certain health aspects to control the increasing waistlines among children because of high consumption of fast foods especially burgers (Consumer lifestyles- Australia, 2009). They should look at improving their customer services at the counters by avoiding long queues and providing high levels of customer satisfaction. 9.0 CONCLUSION McDonalds is the number one brand in the fast food industry. They have successfully implemented international strategies where in they have used localization and customization processes to adapt to the foreign countries along with maintaining its American origin by having centralized procedures as well. The organizational structure is in sync with the strategy used by McDonalds to be ahead of its competitors. It is challenging for managers to consistently keep in pace with the right balance of centralizing and decentralizing the operations. Even though weaknesses and threats exist, the strengths and opportunities make it a strong player in the market in the fast food industry.

Michael Anthony is the writer of Enchanted Alley and Drunkard of the ri

Michael Anthony is the writer of Enchanted Alley and Drunkard of the river Michael Anthony is the writer of 'Enchanted Alley' and 'Drunkard of the river'. He was born in Mayaro in 1932, in Trinidad. He claims, ' My desire was to write about something I knew and experienced'. The Short story 'The Drunkard of the river' is based on the lives of a family that he knew though the tragic ending is made up. 'Enchanted Alley' is one of two stories set in San Fernando by Michael Anthony, it is based on a young boy and the people he encounters during the early hours of the morning on his way to school. Michael Anthony spent a childhood year and many of his adolescent years in San Fernando. There are rational differences in, 'The Drunkard of the River' and 'Enchanted Alley'. 'The Drunkard of the river' has a depressing atmosphere and feel. The main character is insulted and not taken into consideration; eventually it makes him feel insignificant and ends up murdering his father. Characters in the story are referred to animal characteristics; "The lion in him had changed into ...

Article Analysis of Supply and Demand Essay

The software business a few years back was at its peak and the growing demand for software gave software companies the leverage to raise prices. When firms bought software it was in the form of a perpetual license and was costly for them. In this context, a perpetual license gave the consumers unlimited access to the software and usually tried to utilize the software more efficiently. Thus lowering the demand for software, prices were also lowered because fewer consumers were willing to pay for something they could not effectively use. With a decrease in demand, supply also decreased. This paper is based on the article Supply and Demand: Software Pricing by Jeffrey Rothfeder, which was published in PC Magazine (2004). This paper presents an analysis of the article using the economic theories of supply and demand. Demand is comprised of the desire of the consumer to buy something, the consumer’s ability to pay and willingness to pay. Thus, in the peak years of the software industry, business and firms, both multimillion companies and smaller ones bought software like pancakes because of their desire for efficiency, which the software companies promised them. Then, business firms had the ability to pay for it since it was seen as an investment and would help them reap more profits. Which also made them more willing to pay for it. When companies bought additional software to complement what they already had resulted to marginal utility of the software, then as companies bought more software that the software company told them to use but could not effectively maximize it contributed to a diminishing marginal utility. Thus, the demand for software begun to decrease, coupled with this the dot.com crash came, the supply of software in the market was high, but the demand was low which eventually resulted into a lowering of the prices of the software license. This cycle meant that the software industry is dependent on what the consumer is willing to pay for. On the other hand, the changes in the supply and demand and prices of software can also be brought about by a number of factors, like the rapid technological advancements in IT, the operational costs of using software and even the attitude of managers towards the usefulness and effectiveness of the software. In the past, software companies offered perpetual licenses to its consumers, this meant that consumers would have unlimited access to the software but because of the technological advancements in the information technology, most of the software bought in the past could not run and its usefulness diminished. This entailed getting an upgrade or replacing the software entirely, but because of the past experience of mangers with the huge expenditure in buying software, it made them unwilling to pay for it the second time. A new breed of software companies also capitalized on the existing business environment, wherein they knew that consumers were looking for alternatives and options. This is what they gave the consumers, instead of making software that would replace the original software, they developed a program that would enhance their existing programs, and they could buy it by subscription, which they can renew for the time they want to use it. This gave consumers the psychological feeling of being in control, instead of being at the mercy of the software companies. Thus, demand for this kind of software and this approach in licensing also spurned the increase in supply and also in prices. But since many vendors offer this alternative, and the losses of software companies made them more careful in their business strategies, they have to remain competitive in their prices. Consumers generally would want to pay less for what they need, which the subscription approach answers. Then with the development of the new way of delivering software through the internet (ASP) which reduces operational costs of software companies again moved the prices of the product. At first, the public was hesitant in using this technology because of security and quality issues. However, big companies utilized it and therefore led to the belief that the risks associated with using this form is low and since them it has gained acceptance in the consumers. This again demonstrates how the growth in one aspect of the product can lead to an increase in demand and supply. More and more consumers have also become intelligent in what they want and need out of softwares, thus the idea of paying for a software like a utility commodity has not gained much credence. The use for softwares in business firms are numerous and a pay as you use approach is not viable since people nowadays depend on technology to become efficient in their jobs. On the other hand, the software industry have also responded with a few measures that would somehow change the quantity demanded of their products by going after software piracy and misuse of software licenses, thus effecting changes in the demand of the products like when a pirated software is confiscated or shut down and since people rely on it for their business they would probably go out and buy the real one. In conclusion, the software industry still has power over the market of their programs, but with the increasing knowledge of consumers on the intricacies of using a software, their power over the supply, demand and prices of their products would slowly wane. References Articles Rothfeder, J. (2004). Supply and Demand: Software Pricing. PC Magazine (February).Retrieved May 10, 2006 from http://www. eweek. com/article2/0,1759,1539611,00. asp Pombriant, D. (2003). â€Å"Hosted CRM Popularity Continues To Grow—But How Far Will It Go? † Aberdeen Group Websites www. softlicense. net/ webcomment. htm Software licensing tips and hints www. siia. net//divisions/software/pubs/statpage. pdf Software industry statistics.

Marriage in Other Countries Essay

This paper will be about a traditional dress from my native land and other countries. The traditional dress I will be writing about is called a wedding dress. A wedding dress is used throughout the world in various countries including China, Japan, India, and Vietnam. This paper will also detail different cultures, religions, types and colors of wedding gowns that symbolize the bride or groom wealth, occupation and or belief. In the Americas, weddings performed during and immediately following the middle ages were often more than just a union between two people. They could be a union between two families, two businesses or even two countries. Many weddings were more a matter of business than love, particularly among the wealthy people. Brides were therefore expected to dress in a manner that made their family seem more presentable, for they were not representing only themselves during the ceremony. Brides from wealthy families often wore rich colors and exclusive fabrics. The amount of material a wedding dress contained also was a reflection of the bride’s social standing and indicated the extent of the family’s wealth to wedding guests. In the 1920s, wedding dresses were typically short in the front with a longer train in the back and were worn with cloche-style wedding veils. Today, Americas traditional wedding color is white because of the marriage of Queen Victoria to Albert of Saxe-Coburg. Victoria wore a white gown for the event to incorporate some lace she prized. Before then, white was a mourning color, it represented a bride whom had recently lost a loved one. Black was actually a color that was worn by the lower class because it was more favorable and could be worn again on many occasions. In the eastern cultures, the traditional wedding color was red, the color red symbolizes good luck and favorable. In modern Chinese weddings, the bride will opt for Western style dresses and traditional costumes for the official tea ceremony. In India a choice for a bride is a wedding sari, which is a traditional garment for Indian women. Over time color options and wedding fabrics have changed throughout the eastern countries. Fabrics have expanded and today, fabrics like crepe, georgette, tissue, silk, and satin have been used. Colors such as gold, pink, maroon, brown and yellow have also expanded. It seems as if the other countries around the world are starting to adopt the western tradition. At Japanese weddings, brides will often wear three or more dresses throughout the ceremony and subsequent celebrations with a traditional kimono, white and color dress combination being popular. The Javanese people of Indonesia wear a kebaya, a traditional kind of blouse, along with batik. The Native Americans have traditions different from most other countries. A Hopi (A Native American tribe) bride traditionally would have her garments woven by the groom and any men in the village who wished to participate. The garments consisted of a large belt, two all-white wedding robes, a white wedding robe with red stripes at top and bottom, white buckskin leggings and moccasins, a string for tying the hair, and a reed mat in which to wrap the outfit. A Pueblo bride wore a cotton garment tied above the right shoulder, secured with a belt around the waist. In the traditions of the Delaware, a bride would wear a knee-length skirt of deerskin and a band of wampum beads around her forehead. Wedding dresses are very diverse and unique. There are a few things that all weddings dresses have in common among all cultures. The most important thing is that bride’s want to look and feel beautiful. The wedding dress is plays a significant part in the wedding ceremony. The wedding dress gives the bride the opportunity to stand out. A wedding dress represents one of the most precious garments that a woman will wear in her lifetime. It represents religions, cultures and family traditions. Although it’s just material, the wedding dress is very important because it symbolize marriage, the union of two people who love each other.