Writing Prompts for Journal Topics and Writing Ideas

May is often a beautiful month, full of flowers and sunshine. May also celebrates a week for teachers during  Teacher Appreciation Week. Many of the following writing prompts for each day of May are written to take advantage of this time of year. These prompts provide teachers a great way to add more writing time in class. Some have two suggestions, one for middle school (MS) and one for high school (HS). These can be simple writing assignments, warm-ups, or journal entries. Feel free to use these any way you wish. May Holidays American Bike MonthFlower MonthAsthma Allergy Awareness MonthNational Bar-B-Que MonthNational Physical Fitness and Sports MonthOlder Americans MonthNational Hamburger Month Writing Prompt Ideas for May May 1 - Theme: May Day(MS) May Day is a traditional celebration of Spring in countries around the globe, often including dancing and flowers around a maypole. However, May Day is rarely celebrated in the United States. Do you think that Americans should celebrate May Day? Why or why not?(HS) In Chicago 1886, 15 people were killed during the Haymaker Riot strikes held to protest poor working conditions. In sympathy, European nations, many  socialist or communist, established May Day to honor the cause of the worker.   May 2 - Theme: Holocaust Remembrance DaySome people argue that the Holocaust is too disturbing for students to learn about  in middle school or even in high school. Write a persuasive paragraph explaining why it should be included in the curriculum.   May 3 - Theme: National Day of Prayer is usually observed on the first Thursday of May. This  day is an inter-denominational event when faiths from across the country pray for the United States and its leaders. The word pray was first used in the  early 13th century to mean ask earnestly, beg. What would you like to  ask earnestly, beg for  in your life?  Ã‚     May 4 - Theme: Star Wars DayThe date comes from the  catchphrase, May the 4th [force]  Be With You.What is your opinion about the Star Wars film franchise? Do you love it, hate it? Are there reasons to appreciate the series? For example,   from 2015 to the present, the   film series has made millions of dollars: Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)   over $900 millionStar Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) over $600 millionRogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)   over $500 million May 5 - Theme:  Cinco de MayoMany people across the United States celebrate the day, but they do not know what Cinco de Mayo commemorates. The day recognizes when  Mexican Armys victory over the French at the  Battle of Puebla, in 1862. Should there be more education on knowing this holiday or other international holidays?  Ã‚   May 6 - Theme: American Bike Month(MS) 40% of Americans have a bicycle. Do you know how to ride a bike?   Do you have a bicycle? What could be the advantages of having a bicycle? What are the disadvantages of riding a bike?(HS) Urban planners include more bike lanes to reduce car traffic. The benefits of bicycles in cities are the reduction of car emissions and the increase of exercise. Is this planning a good thing? Or, is this planning something cities should do? Could this planning be like the idiom the says something is needed like a fish needs a bicycle  ? May 7 - Theme: Teacher Appreciation  (Week May 7-11)What qualities do you think a great teacher must have? Explain your answer.Do you have a favorite teacher from your school experiences? Write a letter of appreciation to that teacher. May 8 - Theme: National Train DayHigh-speed trains can travel fast with some prototypes with speeds over 400 mph. In theory, a high-speed train could race up the East Coast, from NYC to Miami, in seven hours. The same trip would take a car about 18.5 hours. Should Americans invest in high-speed rails for trains or in roads for cars?     Why or why not?May 9 - Theme: Peter Pan DayPretend you were in J.M. Barries story about Peter Pan, a boy who never grows up and remain eternally young. Which part would you most like to see or do: fly, visit with mermaids, fight the pirate Captain Hook, or meet the mischevious fairy Tinkerbell? Explain your answer. May 10 - Theme: Civil Disobedience.In 1994, political activist  Nelson Mandela was sworn in as South Africas 1st black president. Mandela followed the example of the civil disobedience practices used by Gandhi and Martin Luther King.   Consider Kings statement, Any man who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust and willingly accepts the penalty by staying in jail to arouse the conscience of the community on the injustice of the law is at that moment expressing the very highest respect for the law.For what injustice would you practice civil disobedience?ORMay 10: Theme: PostcardsIn 1861, the US Post Office authorized the first postcard.  Postcards are usually sent from a vacation place or as a greeting card to mark an event, or even just to say hello.Design a postcard and prepare a message. May 11 - Theme: Asthma Allergy Awareness MonthDo you have asthma or allergies? If so, what are your triggers? (What makes you have an attack or sneeze, etc.) If not, do you think that schools do enough to help those who have asthma and allergies? Why or why not?May 12: Theme: National Limerick DayLimericks are poems with the following scheme: five-lines of an anapestic  meter (unstressed syllable, unstressed syllable, stressed syllable)   with a strict  rhyme scheme  of AABBA. For example: There was an Old Man in a tree,Who was horribly bored by a Bee;When they said, Does it buzz?He replied, Yes, it does!Its a regular brute of a Bee! Try to write a limerick.   May 13 - Theme: Mothers DayWrite a descriptive paragraph or poem about either your Mother or someone who is a Mother figure to you.ORMay 13 - Theme: Tulip DayIn the 17th century, tulip bulbs were so prized that traders would mortgage their houses and fields.   (provide a picture or bring in real tulips). Describe a tulip or another flower using all five senses. May 14 - Theme: Lewis and Clark ExpeditionWilliam Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition was able to create a map of the Louisiana Purchase by merely walking through and exploring it. Today Google uses  cars with custom cameras over  five million miles  to develop their Google Maps apps. How do maps figure in your life? How might they figure in your future?May 15 - Theme: L. F. Baums Birthday - Author of the Wizard of Oz books and creator of Dorothy, the Wicked Witch of the West, the Scarecrow, the Lion, the Tin Man, and the Wizard.Which character from the world of Oz would you most like to meet? Explain your answer. May 16 - Theme: National Bar-B-Que MonthThe  word barbecue comes from the Caribbean word â€Å"barbacoa.† Originally, barbacoa was not a way of cooking food, but the name of a wooden structure used by indigenous Taino Indians to smoke their food. Barbeque ranks in the top 20 most popular foods in the USA. Whats your favorite picnic food? Do you like bar-b-que, hamburgers, hot dogs, fried chicken, or something else entirely? What makes it so special? May 17 - Theme: Kentucky Derby(MS) This horse race is also called  The Run for the Roses for the draped blanket of roses placed over the winning horse. This idiom uses a rose, as do many other idioms. Choose one of the following rose idioms, or any other idiom you know, and give an example as to when it could be used: a bed of rosesa rose by any other namebed of rosesbloom is off the rosebring the roses to (ones) cheekscome out smelling like a rose (HS) Just before the race at the Kentucky Derby, the crowds sing My Old Kentucky Home. The revised lyrics of the original song by Stephen Foster changed the  word darkies,   and substituted the word people. Crowds now sing: The sun shines bright in the old Kentucky homeTis summer, the people are gay... Should songs with questionable lyrics from years ago continue to be used for public events? Are there songs that are so inappropriate that they should be dropped entirely? May 18 - Theme: International Museum DayThere are numerous world-class museums around the world. For example, there is The Louvre, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Hermitage. There are also some oddball museums such as Museum of Bad Art or the National Mustard Museum.If you could create a museum about any topic, what would it be about? Describe two or three exhibits that would be in your museum.May 19 - Theme: Circus MonthIn 1768, the English equestrian  Philip Astley demonstrated trick riding by trotting in a circle rather than a straight line. His act was named a circus. As today is circus day, you have a choice of topics: If you were in a circus, which performer would you be and why?Do you like circuses? Explain your answer.Do you think circuses should feature animals? Why or why not? May 20 - Theme: National Physical Fitness and Sports MonthEach state requires a specific number of minutes that students should participate in physical activity.   If your state requires  physical fitness activity for the next 30 minutes, what activity would you choose? Why? May 21 - Theme: Lindbergh Flight DayOn this day in 1927, Charles Lindbergh took off on his famous flight across the Atlantic. Would you like to learn how to fly a plane? Why or why not? May 22 - Theme: Older Americans MonthDo you believe that older Americans are treated with enough respect today? Explain your answer. May 23 - Theme: World Turtle/Tortoise DayToday is World Turtle Day. Conservation efforts are demonstrating success, and turtle populations are up.   Tortoises can live long lives. One,  Adwaita the Tortoise (1750-2006), is reputed to have lived over 250 years. What events would a tortoise who lived that long have witnessed? What event would you like to have seen? May 24 - Theme: First Morse Code Message SentA simple substitution code is when you replace each letter with a different letter. For example, all As become Bs, and Bs become Cs, etc. I have written the following sentence using this type of code so that each letter of the alphabet is written as the letter that comes after it. What does my sentence say? Do you agree or disagree with it?Dpef csfbljoh jt fbtz boe gvo. May 25 - Theme: John F. Kennedys Speech About Sending a Man to the MoonOn this day in 1961, John F. Kennedy said that America would send a man to the moon before the end of the 1960s.   We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too. Why is this speech so significant? Should Americans continue space exploration because it is hard?   May 26 - Theme: National Hamburger MonthOn average, Americans eat three hamburgers a week. What is your favorite type of hamburger or veggie burger? Is it plain or with toppings like cheese, bacon, onions, etc.? If not a hamburger, what food do you (or could you) eat three times a week? Describe a favorite food using at least three of the five senses. May 27 - Theme: Golden Gate Bridge OpensThe Golden Gate Bridge is a symbol of San Francisco, recognizable by people all over the world. Do you have any symbols or monuments for your city or community? What are they? Even if you dont have a symbol that you can think of,   explain why you think these types of symbols are important to people. May 28 - Theme: Amnesty International DayThe goal of Amnesty International is to protect and promote human rights across the world. Their motto is, Fight injustice and help create a world where human rights are enjoyed by all.  In some countries, genocide (the systemized killing of an entire ethnic group) is still being carried out. What is the responsibility of the United States? Do we have a duty to step in and stop these types of human rights violations? Explain your answer. May 29 - Theme: Paper Clip DayThe paperclip was created in 1889. There is a paperclip game  to play that pits you against market forces. There is also a movie,  Paper Clips, featuring middle school students who collected  one  paper clip  for each  person  exterminated by the Nazis. The paper clip was also a symbol of resistance in Norway against  Nazi  occupation.   This small everyday object has made its way into history. What other uses could you come up with for a paper clip?ORTheme: Memorial DayMemorial Day is a federal holiday that originated when decorations were placed on the graves of Civil War soldiers. Decoration Day gave way to Memorial Day, the last Monday in May.What are three things that we can do to honor those men and women who died while serving in our military?   May 30- Theme-Emerald GemstoneThe emerald is Mays gemstone. The stone is a symbol of rebirth and is believed to grant the owner foresight, good fortune, and youth. The color green  is associated with new life and the promise of spring. What promises of spring do you see now?   May 31 - Theme: Meditation DayA combination of anecdotal and scientific evidence  suggests that meditation in schools may help improve grades and attendance. Yoga and meditation may help students at all grade levels feel happier and more relaxed. What do you know about meditation and yoga? Would you like to see meditation programs brought into your school?

Amina, African Warrior Queen of Zazzau

Known for:  warrior queen, extending the territory of her people.  While stories about her could be legends, scholars believe she was an actual person who ruled in what is now the Zaria province of Nigeria. Dates: about 1533 - about 1600Occupation: Queen of ZazzauAlso Known as: Amina Zazzau, princess of ZazzauReligion: Muslim Sources of the History of Amina Oral tradition includes many stories about Amina of Zazzau, but scholars generally accept that the stories are based on a real person who ruled Zazzau, a Hausa city-state which is now Zaria province in Nigeria. The dates of Aminas life and rule are in dispute among scholars.  Some place her in the 15th century and some in the 16th.  Her story does not appear in writing until Muhammed Bello wrote of her accomplishments in the  Ifaq al-Maysur  which dates to 1836. The Kano Chronicle, a history written in the 19th century from earlier sources, mentions her as well, putting her rule in the 1400s. She is not mentioned in the list of rulers written from oral history in the 19th century and published in the early 20th, though the ruler Bakwa Turunka  appears there, Aminas mother. The name Amina means truthful or honest. Background, Family Grandfather: probably ruler of ZazzauMother: Bakwa of Turunka, ruling queen of ZazzauBrother: Karama (ruled as king, 1566-1576)Sister: Zariya, for whom the city of Zaria may be namedAmina refused to marry and had no children About Amina, Queen of Zazzau Aminas mother, Bakwa of Turunka, was the founding  ruler of Zazzauas a kingdom, one of many Hausa city-kingdoms involved in trade.  The collapse of the Songhai empire left a gap in power that these city-states filled. Amina, born in the city of Zazzau, was trained in skills of government and military warfare and fought in battles with her brother, Karama. In 1566, when Bakwa died, Aminas younger brother Karama became king. In 1576 when Karama died, Amina, now about 43, became Queen of Zazzau. She used her military prowess to expand the territory of Zazzau to the mouth of the Niger in the south and including Kano and Katsina in the north. These military conquests led to great wealth, both because they opened more trading routes and because conquered territories had to pay tribute. She is credited with building walls around her camps during her military ventures, and with building a wall around the city of Zaria.  Mud walls around cities became known as Aminas walls. Amina is also credited with initiating the cultivation of kola nuts in the area she ruled. While she never married -- perhaps imitating Queen Elizabeth I of England -- and had no children, legends tell of her taking, after a battle, a man from among the enemy, and spending the night with him, then killing him in the morning so he could tell no stories. Amina ruled for 34 years before her death. According to the legend, she was killed in a military campaign near Bida, Nigeria. In Lagos State, at the National Arts Theatre, there is a statue of Amina.  Many schools are named for her.

Buddhism During The Heian Period - 1510 Words

Buddhism During the Heian period (745-1185AD) Buddhism spread throughout Japan and thrived in the imperial court in Heiankyo (Kyoto). There were two sects of Buddhism that were most popular during this time, one was Tendai and the other was Shingon. Both of these sects of Buddhism came from China and were brought over to Japan by two different people. Saicho or Dengyo Daishi brought over Tendai sect (767-822) and Kukai or Kobo Daishi brought over Shingon sect (774-835) known as Esoteric Buddhism. Tendai sect beliefs were also of Esoteric Buddhism, but Saicho teachings were based on Chih-I form inspired by the Lotus Sutra, the practice of Chines Ch’an, the commandments of the Mahayant, and part of the esoteric teaching of the â€Å"True Word† (History of Buddhism). Due to both Saicho and Kukai being introduced to Esoteric Buddhism, some might have thought there was a rivalry between them, but that was not so due to Kukai was consider an expert due to his training he had with his mentor. Out of the two sects it would be Kukai that would still have a strong hold in the Japanese culture today. It is important to understand how Kukai came to understand his beliefs and what Esoteric Buddhism was for him and the influence Kukai would have on Esoteric Buddhism. Esoteric Buddhism (Shingon in Japanese) â€Å"refers to the mantra words and syllables that convey the essence of the Buddha-teaching (Symbols).† Esoteric is about the word of presence, the word of God, a divine word, aShow MoreRelatedThe Tale Of Genji By Murasaki Shikibu877 Words   |  4 Pagesprominent tale among the Heian court. The novel illustrates the rise of Prince Genji , as the son of a minor consort of the emperor, to a higher stature in society. The Tale of Genji symbolized the preeminent values and moral principles that society admired and honored during the Heian Period. Life during the Heian Period was nothing short of remarkable. Society accepted and embraced certa in regimes that were established and enforced by the Emperor. The Heian Period (794 to 1192) was depictedRead MoreThe Heian Period Essay746 Words   |  3 PagesThe Heian Period from about 794-1185 A.D. was an impressive era in Japanese history. Considered Japan’s Classical Age, it was a period of wealth and sophistication. Peace and prosperity, high culture, powerful clans, new ideas and relative independence of foreign influence marked this time. The move to the capital of Heian-kyÃ…  (modern day Kyoto) was motivated in large part on a desire by Emperor Kammu to reduce the substantial influence exercised by the monasteries in HeijÃ… -kyÃ…  (modern day Nara)Read MoreThe Golden Age Of Heian1553 Words   |  7 PagesDorf Samantha Ms. Lee Global History 23 March 2015 The Golden Age of Heian Periods of time with peace and stability politically and religiously, paired with flourishing arts, are called Golden Ages. 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Its complicated plot focuses on the significance of the Heian period and portrays in detail the life of the upper society in the Heian court. A court lady named Muraski Shikibu who had first hand experience of Heian society and Japanese aristocracy having served the empress wrote this literary work. She managed to pull the reader deep in to her world of women’s aristocratic lifestyle that reveals the patriarchal and hierarchal nature of Heian society by showingRead MoreSummary Of Genji : A Lover Who Transcends The Boundary Of The Heian Court1596 Words   |  7 PagesEric Sands Professor David T. Bialock EALC 342 September 30th 2014 Genji: A Lover Who Transcends the Boundary of the Heian Court One thousand years ago, when art, poetry, and literature were flourishing at the height of the Heian court, a noble Japanese lady-in-waiting named Murasaki Shikibu wrote a story that was not entirely fiction but also not non-fiction. 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The changes in Japanese literature during the Kamakura Period can be readily observed in many works, including the innovation in poet devices found in the Shinkokinshu, as well as the subject matters of different stories. We have the introduction of another ancient Japanese classic in Heike Monogatari, where theRead MoreZen Gardens Essay1489 Words   |  6 Pages Zen Buddhism began to show up in Japan during the eighth century. It went through various periods of popularity and disregard, but constituted one of the most important influences on Japanese culture. All Buddhist temples include gardens. The first temple gardens evolved from well-groomed landscaping around Shinto shrines. Later, the gates and grounds surrounding Buddhist temples began to use gardens to beautify the temple, similar to the Heian mansion gardens. 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Final Examination For The Psychology Of Personality

Final Examination for the Psychology of Personality Summer 2015 Due Date: 7-28-15 at 11:59pm Seham Azzamel @02773623 Seham_z@hotmail.com Dr. Elbedour College of School of Psychology Washington, DC 2015 Question 1 Personality Traits Personality is defined as â€Å"consistent behavior patterns and intrapersonal processes originating within the individual† (Burger, 2010, p. 4). In order to measure personality, psychologists focus on personality traits. Personality traits are simply actions, attitudes, and behaviors an individual possess. These traits are the elements that make up each individual’s personality. There are five most widely accepted traits of personality (Pappas, 2013): †¢ Openness †¢ Conscientiousness †¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦show more content†¦153). Basic Types of Personality Proposed by Eysenck Eysenck, a British psychologist, proposed a model of personality based upon just three universal streams: 1) Introversion/Extraversion, 2) Neuroticism, and 3) Psychoticism (Cherry, n.d; Burger, 2010). Introversion is concerned with directing attention on inner experiences, whereas extraversion focuses attention outward on other people and the environment (Cheery, n.d). Neuroticism indicates an individual’s tendency to respond emotionally (Burger, 2010). Eysenck’s third element of personality model, that was added later, is psychoticism. People, high on this trait – psychoticism, tend to have difficulty dealing with reality, and are usually anti-social, non-empathetic, and hostile (Cherry, n.d). Question 2 The Nature-Nurture Controversy Nature versus nurture debate (also written as nature-nurture) is one of the oldest and enduring controversy in the history of psychology. Nature relates to hereditary factors that influences who we are – from our physical appearance to our personality characteristics. On the other hand, Nurture is related environmental variables that impact who we are, such as early childhood experiences, the way of being raised, and social relationships. The nature-nurture debate is concerned with the degree to which specific aspects of behavior are a product of either hereditary or acquired (learned) characteristics (McLeod, 2007). Plato and Descartes proposed

Right, Duty and Obligation/Responsibility a Search for Ethical Free Essays

string(54) " in violation of the law or any attendant obligation\." 1 RIGHT, DUTY AND OBLIGATION/RESPONSIBILITY: A SEARCH FOR ETHICAL FUNDAMENTALS By Dr. Ani Casimir K. C 2 1) Introduction: Immanuel Kant gave philosophy four fundamental questions with which it is to concern itself and they are: (1) What can I know? ; (2) What is man? ; (3) What can I hope for, and, (4) Finally, what ought I to do. We will write a custom essay sample on Right, Duty and Obligation/Responsibility: a Search for Ethical or any similar topic only for you Order Now The latter—‘what ought I to do? ’ is the central subject of ethics,or what is variously called moral philosophy or philosophy of morality. With the concepts of ? right‘, ? uty‘ and obligation‘ and responsibility, we move into the science of ? oughts‘ that define the moral foundation of human society and the stability of its social fabric. The Kantian challenge here is that before we can build a morally strong and ethically virile social order the citizens should know the fundamentals of ? righteousness‘ or the values that build a right and moral citizenship who knows his rights, carries out his duties and compels the state, within the bounds of a good moral-legal order, to fulfil its obligations to the citizens. Before we can delve into the meaning of the terms– right, duty, obligation,and its allied responsibility, let us carry out a brief survey of what is meant by ethics or science of morality. 2) Ethics – A Brief View: A lot of people fail to appreciate the fact that back in antiquity, ethics did not constitute an independent study as such,but was part of a bigger course of study. For it was simply known in classical antiquity as the science of ? worth’ or ‘value’ so that what was popular was the study of ? axios’ and not ? ethos‘. Axios’ translates to a meaningful 3 expression ? to be worthy‘ root word for axiology – a more popular science than ethos – the root word for ethics. Ethics meant ? character or the custom‘ so that one can talk about individual character being good or bad and a society‘s custom could be worthy or not. Axiology as the science that propels society and guides her as to what is v aluable, worthy or honourable came from the Greek; it determines and properly classifies the subjects and disciplines which are worthy of being pursued, engaged in or discussed by citizens. From such discussions emerge values which are worthy of emulation by citizens and the state and are classified and codified accordingly. Over time such classifications and codifications became a study and was called ? ethics‘ – or ? worthy of character or valued behaviour. ‘ Professor Egbeka Aja also threw light upon the origins of the ethical science when he did a supportive expose in his book ? philosophy: An Introduction’: ‘Axiology is from the Greek: Axios meaning worthy, of philosophy and logos,meaning discourse. This is the branch that deals with values – both intrinsic and extrinsic values. Values are described as intrinsic when they are pursued for their own sake; while extrinsic values are pursued as a means to other ends. For instance, education can be said have intrinsic value when it is aimed at the improvement of man. It can be said to have extrinsic value when it seen as a means to attaining political power or to acquire material wealth. Axiology can be conveniently divided into the following sub-branches– ethics, aesthetics, social and political philosophy, philosophy of law and education†¦(1) 4 One seminal distinction that has emerged from this classical history is that ethics was only part of a bigger discipline that included law, politics, education and aesthetics. Except in Indian universities, Britain and some Middle Eastern schools, the study of axiology as the science of values (i. e. human values) have almost disappeared. In its place, ethics – its sub-branch– is taking the centre stage as the ? worthy‘ discipline of value for the society. The word ethics comes from the Greek root word – ethos- ? eaning custom or characte’r, defined by professor Aja as: ‘that branch of axiology which is sometimes called moral philosophy. It deals with the values concomitant with human conduct and human character. Ethics should be distinguished from morals or morality. The morals or morality of a person or society are the sum total of all the moral judgements (or moral beliefs or moral beliefs implicit in certain acts or behaviour) of that perso n or society2 3 Right In an ethical sense, a right is any action by man in society seen and interpreted to be into tune with the moral law of a people in such a society. At this juncture, we readily see that right makes us to remember the idea of duty. The concepts of justice, right and fairness, stand to each other as correlatives. But in a legal sense, a right translates into ? a claim which a person can make against others with the backing of the law. The person pressing for a claim to secure his right does so with explicit or implicit knowledge that the law recognizes that right and will justly rationalize his claim to award a compensation where necessary‘. An ethical right must conform to not only the moral law but also to the principles of natural rights embedded in natural law. On the other hand, legal rights must conform to the principles of positive rights whose validity derive from the positive law or the man-made law of the state. Currently there is an increasing movement for the establishment 5 of an African legal system or jurisprudence which will be based upon not only what the law is (positive law) but also what the law ought to be (African public moral values). A June 2008 international conference with the theme ? the law and Africa‘ organised by the Department of Philosophy University of Nigeria, centred upon exploring such possibility of harmonizing state law and African public morality in a new African jurisprudence. Conceptually considered, a right is a moral power that a person possesses to do something, to keep something and to exact something from another so long as the action is not in violation of the law or any attendant obligation. You read "Right, Duty and Obligation/Responsibility: a Search for Ethical" in category "Papers" 4 My right, as Dr. Ani Casimir, as a citizen of the Universe and Nigeria in particular could be used to illustrate the morphology of somerville‘s conception of what is a right: Dr. Ani has a right to do something, to keep something, and exact something provided in so doing Dr. Ani does not disregard the rights of others or their interests. So in essence, Dr. Ani‘s right and his enjoyment of them must end where the rights of other members of the society starts. 5 A right is judged by its impact upon the interests of mankind. When a right has a good effect upon others‘ interests it is alled just rights. Otherwise, it is called an unjust right, when it does not promote the well-being of man in the direction of life, liberty, health and reputation. Just rights are interests recognized and protected in law for which people are accordingly punished when they are violated. Violating any of them both in ethics and the law constitutes what is defined as ? wrong’. In other words, when we violate a right we are ? wrong‘ and the law states the punishment for those who have become wrong doers, that threaten the stability of the social order. It becomes immediately clear from the discussion above that we can categorize a right into that of 6 the moral and the legal order. What determines whether a right is classified as moral or legal depends a lot upon its nature, the nature of its source and the importance with which the society within which it operates attaches to it. A moral right invokes a correspondent duty whose violation by the moral agent is against the principles of natural justice. But a legal right is prescribed, recognised, known and protected by the law (positive law). Moral and legal rights are performable and enforceable only within human society and between persons since human beings are rational beings with intelligence to know them and guide their actions accordingly. In what I have insistently decided to call ‘moral sphere’—the stability of subsisting atmosphere of moral values in every society—every right has a corresponding object to which it must perforce relate to. This object makes it possible for the owner of the right to identify and claim his interest, protected and given recognition by the law of the state and the social conscience of the public. The object could either be material, immaterial or even services. In the context of human rights, this is what I define as a social, economic, political or an even environmental benefit, advantage or a constitutional entitlement. Rights can also be classified as either perfect or imperfect. A right is perfect if it corresponds to a duty that is in turn recognized and enforced by the law. A perfect right has both moral and legal correlatives in its source, recognition and execution. In otherwords, we are talking about a moral power that makes a law of society to b enforceable. For according to Nyasani: The enforceability here means that an action, and or criminal, will be taken against a person in breach of it, and if need be, judgement will be executed against him using physical force of the state. where a right is recognizable by the law, the state using its machinery, will have an interest in making sure that the 7 duty of respecting that right is enforced resorting to physical compulsion if necessary. 6 A right can also be classified as either positive or negative. According to the positive right perspective, it enables an individual to receive something more than he already has, whereas under the negative right perspective, the individual goes on to retain what one already has, such as the right to money in his pockets. 7 Another classification of rights is real rights as against personal rights. Real rights (jus in rem) entitles one ? to require that a duty is imposed upon all other persons to respect that person‘s interest? 8 On the other hand, personal rights(rights in personam) ? imposes a duty on a particular or determinate person or persons to respect the other‘s legally protected interested? Professor Nyasani illustrates this new classification with a telling example: My right to the occupation of my house or vehicle is in rem in the sense that all other people†¦ have to respect that right and the interest I have in the house or vehicle if on the other hand, I have my house to a tenant for occupation, the arrangement of its lease and use in between me and him exclusively and that arrangement does not directly enteret other people†¦ this kind of jus in personam which exclusively avails against no other persons but the tenant alone imposes a duty on the tenant to comply with the interert in the property ;eased to him. It is a person to person arrangement which creates an obligation on the party accepting the offer of lease hence personal and not real right with its attendant obligation; on the world at large†¦108 Rights can also be referred to as proprietary and personal if they relate to the person‘s estate, assets and property or to his status or personal condition. 11 Property rights are convertible to monetary values while personal rights relate to status and cannot be converted into money or made an object of commercial exchange. The latter cannot be taken away by any body. This is why such personal rights relating to 8 reputation and the integrity of the human person are described as inalienable and not transferable. On the other hand, proprietary rights are transferable 3 What is a Wrong? As we can see from the foregoing discussion, a right– moral or legal- has several classifications and it is the heart and soul of justice as a virtue. At the opposite end of that pendulum where the first position is occupied by right is what is known as wrong or injury. Just as we did with right, a wrong could be moral or legal in its texture. A moral wrong is an act that is repugnant and contrary to the accepted morals of a community; it is a natural wrong which need not always be a legal wrong10 On the other hand a legal wrong is any act forbidden by law and therefore not contrary to rules governing the proper administration of justice by the state. 11 A legal wrong may not necessarily be a moral wrong. In Britain, for example, the law prohibits the killing of wild games as meat by citizens. But naturalized Nigerians who are living there in Britain are home to a common African delicacy we call ? bush meat‘ as a delicacy. By consuming bush meat Nigerian – Britons who live have committed no moral wrong but they have violated a law prohibiting its consumption in Britain. A legal wrong: don’t kill nor eat wild games; if you do so, it is legally wrong and punishable. 4 Duty/obligation The complexity found in ethical discourses and subjects is fully consummated in the twin concepts of duty and obligation. But we shall attempt to dissemble the complexity through the simple process of marrying the concepts of duty with obligation and drawing out its meaning in bits followed with illustrations. 9 The word duty also comes variously as devoir, il dovere, pflicht or obligation. Duty has to do with the rightness of human actions regardless of whether it has happiness as its goal. Man is seen as having a duty, to live a life of virtue whether it conduces to his happiness or not. In other words, happiness is not that goal of duty but it is what we must do because we have to do it – either in accordance with personal conscience, public morality or the demands of the law. Duty is seen by many ethical scientists as a necessity in human moral conduct that helps to establish a moral society. For Immanuel Kant, duty is relegated to the higher order of the categorical‘ as against conditional or hypothetical imperative – that which we must do when and whenever we are called upon to do it: The categorical imperative makes it the supreme, absolute moral law of all rational, self-determining beings and in such a way that we (as human beginsare able to act on maxims which can at the same time have for their object themselves as universal laws of nature†¦ it posits the necessity of action at an end in itself and not as a possible action posing as a means to something alse that is alled or might be willed†¦12 Kant insists that if there is something whose existence has in itself an absolute worth, that is, something which is an end in itself, that same thing, pursued for its own sake, must become a source of definite laws and that inversely will be the source of a possible categorical imperative13. Kant gave the concept of duty to a humanity that makes public morality a desirable ethical inevitable good for the state and for its citizens a good worthy of being pursued. According to professor Nyasani: The objective principle is that the categorical imperative is beween the supreme practical law and the source of all laws of the will. In this sense then the practical imperative will require everyone of us to act in such a way as to handlet the rest of humanity in the most charitable manner possible so as to see them as an end in themselves and never as a means to an end. It is every one’s duty as a rational being to treat others in the same way as he would like them to treat him. This is the community that Kant so elaborately preached and practised14. 10 We can glean the core idea of duty from the trend of our discussion – duty is a kind of obligation we owe to ourselves, to others and to the society of which we are a members. But duty is a special kind of obligation: Duty as an obligation entails some kind of necessity†¦ not physical necessity by sheer implied command rolled up in the categorical must. It is a moral necessity imposed upon the human – will that ultimately derives its validity and force from the law of human nature which in term upon the eternal law of the author of creation15 5 Duty as Obligation: Duty comes across as a kind of obligation which is fundamental and basic to ny other responsibility we owe to any one because of its divine and natural correlates. As an obligation it comes either as a natural (moral) or legal category. We have a moral duty to obey our parents and not to steal from our neighbour. A moral duty and a legal duty could coincide in the burden imposed upon the individual citizen. If I steal from my neighbour, for example, I could get legal positive measures as punishment. Also, my neglect of my parents could attract social sanctions. So it is the rules that govern particular duties given recognition by their generators (makers) that will make a particular duty either moral or legal. Lacey gives an etymological conception to duty when he relates duty to ? ught obligation, duty-connected to others;‘ we ought‘ suggests a gap which ought to be filled . Obligations are primarily moral or legal. They are also always traced to some moral agent. 16 As against obligation, duty is primarily connected with roles, whether or not there are voluntarily undertaken. Duties tend to be of longer standing and not as ad-hoc as obligation: one meets one‘s obligations as one incurs them, but does one‘s duty or discharges as one incurs them in the normal course of things17 . 11 A ccording to Lacey they have similarities: ?duties and obligations are therefore special kind of things we always ought to perform them since they may be overridden, whether by other duties etc or even by something non-moral 18. Kant, however, has distinguished perfect duties which were absolute and could never be over ridden by other duties or even by, inclinations. As against object of material duties, we have also subjective or putative duties19 which are ? what we think we ought to do? 20 while material duties are ? what we really ought to do21. Finally, we can say with regard to duty that it is an ontological impulse which compels us (by the power of conscience) to act in a particular way, refrain from doing something which could harm or dismay another citizen from enjoying his or her own rights. The object and subject of duty is justice, doing right to oneself and to all . rofessor Nyasani‘s own conception tallies with my dialectical linkage of duty and conscience: It is a positive moral intuition that links in our subconscious conscience that drives an individual to make a crucial decision vis-a-vis the enhancement, protection and preservation of the self and by extension that of the community w hich happens to be the object of any legal legislation and moral norms22. Duties arise from the relationship of parties – say between father and son, husband and wife, duties also arise from commands given to citizens under a statute say tax return. Duties equally arise from contracts for which non-performance may lead to serious damage to public interest. 12 6 Responsibility: How does one‘s duty translate to one‘s responsibility? If I say that I have an obligation to perform a particular task or carry out an action ,can we say it is the same thing as saying that ? I have a responsibility to perform the same task or carryout the action. These questions throw more light on the law segment of our discourse, seeking to know the relationship between a person‘s moral actions, duty and responsibility . what is the single element that holds the three moral concepts together? The word is accountability23. According to Wallace ? responsibility designates a person‘s moral accountability for his actions. The same general idea is expressed by the related term imputability – as a quality of actions, facts or consequences by which they are attributable to an agent, and responsibility is the quality of the agent to which they are attributed. 24 Responsibility can be applied ethico-legally in the following three ways: 1) Descriptive Employment 2) Prescriptive usage 3) Ascriptive application 1) Descriptive Employment: This is the expression of a cause- effect relationship between an agent and an action or a consequence, without implying anything with regard to the ethical character of the act. 2) Prescriptive Usage: This is an expression of a moral obligation bidding one to do or to avoid doing something. For example, when Peter tells his friend Emeka – Emeka it is your 13 responsibility to take care of your parents in the village? It becomes an objective responsibility which Emeka carries for his parents in the village. 3) Ascriptive Application: The term ascribes blame or credit to an agent who acts with or without due conformity to moral norms of conduct. This portrays a more personal and subjective sense of responsibility different from the prescriptive model above. In all moral situation in which the sense of responsibility is questioned, ascertained, prescribed, ascribed or described, before and after the actions, there is a problem introduced when it is no longer a question of one moral agent but two or more agents committing a particular moral action. The name given to that problem is ? cooperation‘ – how to ascertain the degree of responsibility of the agents in carrying out the action. For example, a dead one can aid another living agent to commit evil, but is no longer living. A situation when an agent shares in the intention and modus of an action is defined as formal cooperation. While in a situation such an agent does not share in the intention and refuses to participate on the modus of the action is known as material cooperation because he may unintentionally do something that will lead to the committing of the evil. Conclusion: In dealing with the concept of right, duty, obligation and responsibility as ethical considerations, we have basically dealt, as briefly as we could, with the levers of morality, which is defined as the quality attributable to human action by reason of its conformity to rules according to which it should be regulated. 25 This means that there 14 is, in every society, a subsisting standard to which every human action can be measured. It also means that man is responsible for his moral actions and the consequences. Hence every citizen has a right which the state and every other citizen owe a duty to protect, cherish and promote as an ethical and legal obligation. The moral principles exposed under this chapter become the ethical foundations for the global experience which we define as human rights – which will be treated under another heading in another project. Notes 1 Aja Egbeke, Philosophy: An Introduction, Eungu, Auto century †¦ Ibid p. 13) 2 publishing co Ltd, 1991, p. 12 3 Nyasani; J. M. Nairobi, consolata institute of philosophy press, 1995, 255 4 Ibid 5 Nyasani, Ibid see also Somerville, Francis, Christ is king: A manual of catholic social Doctrine (catholic social Guild, oxford, 1962) p. 12. 6 Ibid pp 29-31 Salomon, John jurisprudence ed. Brullians, London, sweet and maxawell Ltd, 1957, pp 265-266. 8 Ibid 9 Ibid 15 10 Ibid 11 Ibid p. 33 12 Ibid p. 35. 13 Ibid 14 See also imanuel Kant, â€Å"fundamental principles of the metaphysics of morals† oxford, the Clarendon Pr ess, 1954 pp 85-110 15 Nyasani, cit p 22). 16 Ibid p 23 17 ibid 18 Lacey, A. R. A dictionary of philosophy)London, rout ledge and Paul,1976, pp. 148 – 151 19 Ibid p 150. 20 Ibid 21 Ibid 22 H. N. Castanenda Imperative, duties and moral ought, Australian Journal of philosophy, 1966 pp 50-120. 23 Nyasani, Ibid p 24 24 Wallace, W. the elements of philosophy, New York, Alba, House, 2008, p. 53. 25 Wallace, 162 How to cite Right, Duty and Obligation/Responsibility: a Search for Ethical, Papers

Competitive Position of Qatar Airways free essay sample

1. Introduction Facilitating international trade, economic relations between countries as well as stimulating exchange of people and ideas, the airline industry has proven to be a vibrant and dynamic industry, playing a key role in the development of world economy. Increasing demands for mobility, globalization of society and the constant change of consumer needs lead to growth in traffic flow and segmentation of the airline industry. In recent years, increasing consumer awareness of service quality has added to the competitive nature in the air travel market. Apart from establishing more convenient routes, airlines have introduced promotional incentives such as mileage rewards, frequent flyer membership programmes and other benefits to attract more customers and retain them. However, the attractiveness of these marketing strategies decreases over time because most airlines offer similar benefits. Recognizing this, Qatar Airways have positioned themselves based on a commitment to fur ther improve the quality of customer service instead. 2. Literature review 2. 1 PESTEL Analysis Figure 1: PESTEL Analysis PESTEL analysis is an acronym for Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal analysis. It is a strategic tool which describes a framework of different macro-environmental factors that affects the marketing strategies of a company. The outcome of PESTEL analysis is an understanding of the overall picture surrounding a company in its respective market. 2.1.1 Political Factors Political factors are about how and to what degree the government intervenes in the economy. It includes areas such as government policy, government stability, taxation policy and foreign trade regulations. 2.1.2 Economic factors Economic factors have a major impact on how a company operates its business, makes decision and also how profitable they are. It includes areas such as economic growth, interest rates, exchange rates, disposable income and inflation. 2.1.3 Social Factors Social factors affects how a company operates depending on which country it is in since the cultural aspects of a population varies by country to country. It includes areas such as population demographics, educational level, ethnic issues, career attitudes and lifestyle changes. 2.1.4 Technological Factors Technological factors affect the way a company provides services and communicates with a target audience. It includes areas such as internet usage, computer usage, rate of technological innovations and rate of obsolescence. 2.1.5 Environmental Factors Environmental factors affect the way a company operates ecologically and environmentally. It includes areas such as environmental protection laws, waste disposal, energy consumption, pollution (carbon footprint) and scarcity of raw materials. 2.1.6 Legal Factors Legal factors affect a company’s operations through various regulations. It includes areas such as monopolies legislation, employment law, health and safety law, product safety and consumer rights. 2.2 Porters Five Forces Figure 2: Porters Five Forces Porter’s five forces is an analytical tool which describes a framework for industry analysis. The five forces help to determine the competitive intensity and profitability in the respective industry and shape a company’s marketing strategy. 2.2.1 Threat of Entry A market that yields high profits will attract new entrants. Over time, the profits will start to fall. Thus, threat of entry is dependent on barriers to entry which acts as obstacles for new entrants to gain a foothold in the respective industry. Some of the common forms of barriers to entry are economies of scale, capital requirements of entry, access to supply or distribution channels and customer or supplier loyalty. 2.2.2 Threat of Substitutes Threat of substitutes exists when buyers find a substitute product with cheaper price or better quality (price/performance tradeoffs) or when the cost of switching one product to another is little. 2.2.3 Power of Buyers Size and concentration of buyers determine the power of buyers. It becomes prominent when buyers are able to put the sellers under pressure with strong bargaining leverage. When power of buyers is high, they tend to be more sensitive to price changes, force down prices while demanding better quality and may threaten to integrate backwards. 2.2.4 Power of Suppliers With strong bargaining leverage, the power of suppliers becomes prominent, allowing the sellers to raise prices or reduce quality. This occurs in situations whereby there are no substitute products or when the switching costs to another seller is high. Forward integration is also a credible threat when power of suppliers is high. 2.2.5 Competitive Rivalry Evaluating competitive rivalry helps to determine the competitiveness and profitability of an industry. This rivalry intensifies when there are many competitors in the industry, competitors are of equal size, industry growth is slow, exit barriers are high and product differentiation is low (products are direct substitutes). 2.3 SWOT Analysis Figure 3: SWOT Analysis SWOT analysis is an acronym for Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threat analysis. It is a framework that analyses the internal strategic capabilities of a company (Strengths and Weakness) and the external opportunities and threats from the industry. Strengths (characteristics that gives a company an advantage over other companies) and weaknesses (characteristics that places a company at a disadvantage relative to other companies) can be directly managed by the company while opportunities (favourable situations that a company could exploit to their advantage) and threats (unfavourable circumstances that could spell trouble for the company) can only be anticipated and react to accordingly. 3. Company Background Qatar Airways is a relatively new regional airline that has set its sight on being a global and recognized brand and is one of the fastest growing airlines in the world. The airline has grown to over 120 destinations worldwide, fulfilling its growth strategic objectives. Increasing brand recognition and awareness and offering the highest level of service excellence has helped the airline to become part of an elite group of airlines to have been awarded a 5-star rating by Skytrax. The image that it portrays is that of a young, progressive and high quality airline with ever increasing efficiency that offers first class customer service. Having its image directly associated with the image of the country, the employees of Qatar Airways, who have come from various backgrounds, have presented themselves as goodwill ambassadors to the country, adding a touch of the traditional Qatari hospitality while embracing modern society and promoting service quality of the airlin e itself. Figure 4: Qatar Airways Logo 4. Data Analysis and Inferences 4.1 PESTEL Analysis 4.1.1 Political Factor Qatar Airways is the state-owned flag carrier of Qatar with the government holding 50% stake in the airline. Politically, Qatar is a stable country. This guarantees airlines that their company can operate successfully without any conflicts with the government. The impact this has is that it provides opportunities for airlines to operate their business in a large and favourable market, which in turn leads to competition amongst the airlines. Other political issue that has affected Qatar Airways is the deal conflict with European airlines where indirect taxes have been imposed by the European airlines and political barricades that deny the taxation procedure. 4.1.2 Economic Factor According to the current economic crisis, factors such as GDP (Gross Domestic Product), globalization and increase in international trade would affect the airline. Qatar GDP growth reaches 7% by current statistics and rise in passenger traffic points at 5.5%. Therefore, price policy fluctuations would not affect the airline drastically. However, in light of the current economic crisis in the rest of the world, most passengers tend to look for cheaper alternatives for travel. Stiff competition from the more favourable LCC (Low Cost Carrier) airlines on the international stage would lead to a reduction in passengers for Qatar Airways. 4.1.3 Social Factor Social factors such as demographics, consumerism and attitude of the passengers affect the performance of Qatar Airways. In light of the recent wars in the Middle Eastern region, passengers have become reluctant to fly to Middle Eastern region or fly with Middle Eastern airlines. The airline has addressed this issue by showing a positive response to the community with the campaign of their products and services in an effort to rebuild confidence in travelling with Qatar Airways. 4.1.4 Technological Factor The partnership between Qatar Airways and Ooredoo, an exclusive telecommunications provider promotes technological advancement in the business, in areas such as routing and service delivery where passengers can book flights from the comfort of their homes. This technological alliance reduces costs of infrastructure, leading to overhead savings. 4.1.5 Environmental Factor As one of the fastest growing airlines in the world, Qatar Airways ensures that their carbon footprint remains minimal. As the airline continually invest heavily on newer and cleaner aircrafts, efforts have been made to maintain minimal carbon emissions to reduce the impact on the environment. OSyS has provides Qatar Airways with analytical tools to advance their fuel efficiency and achieve carbon-neutral growth. This enables the airline to have more control over fuel usage and improves their emission compliance. This solution reduces operational expenditure and emissions while promoting new saving opportunities, improving the airline’s competitive advantage. 4.1.6 Legal Factor Qatar Airways follows a discretionary system of law since it is state-owned by the government. The employment law requires women to obtain permission from the airline if they choose to marry. Female employees must also notify the airline immediately if they are pregnant, allowing the airline to dismiss these employees. This result in the inability to reach an agreement that regulates favourable working conditions and denies the right for an individual to leave according to her own choosing.

Management Decision Making for Google Strategy - myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about the Management Decision Making for Google Strategy. Answer: Google Strategy Googles individual goal formulation stresses its customers focus. In the Googles IPO documents, the Googles founders posited: Our goal is to develop services that substantially improve the lives of as many people as possible. In the pursuit of this goal, Google could undertake things which the Company believe have positive impact on the world, even when the near-run financial returns are never apparent. In the Googles 2005 Annual Report, the Company stated; they are devoted and committed to serving the users with the best feasible experience (Cusumano, 2016). The statement continued and indicated that what such a customer service entails is explicated more precisely in the Google Mission statement: to organize the information of the world and make such information accessible as well as useful universally. Yet, the Companys swift as well as seemingly chaotic growth has engaged an array of diversification initiatives. Among them remain consistent with the Companys mission like Google Book Search, which entails the digitization of a huge share of the global books, and the Googles search engine mobile version. Some of the Googles diversification, however, are never directly connected to the companys focus on the organization as well as provision of access to information. Such include; (i) selling ads in the magazines, television and newspapers; (ii) ushering a suite of the online office software the company is selling for the small portion of the price of the Office of Microsoft; (iii) offering the e-mail service also known as the Gmail; (iv) provision of free Google WiFi; (v) development as well as acquisition of software for scheduling as well as monitoring radio advertisements; (vi) entrance into the online video sharing, for example, the acquisition of YouTube in 2006 November at 1.65 billion dollars; and (vii) entrance into the in-game advertising by acquiring Adscape in 2007, January. The driving force behind such Googles initiatives seems to be the Companys desire for the exploitation of Googles core resources as well as capabilities. Particularly, the position of Google as the global dominant search engine (Google has fifty-seven percent of the global total internet searches) implies that the traffic volume via the Googles website provides the Company an enormous market access potential. Googles dominance of the online advertisement being greater than percent of the United States online advertising revenue similarly provides Google a powerful position in the whole advertising industry. Googles incentive for expanding past the search engine business are further strengthened as well, by the Companys enormous capacity for the acquisition of other firms, as evidenced by the 2 major resources: Googles eleven billion dollars cash mountain besides Googles one-forty billion dollar market capitalization. The vivacious, entrepreneurial corporate culture alongside the Companys human resources (who are renowned for their energy, technical skills as well commitment) alongside the Companys capabilities for the informal collaboration provide marvelous potential not only for the generation of novel initiatives but also for the integration of such initiatives as well as acquired business alongside technologies within the Companys prevailing business system. Can Apple sustain its leadership in this market? Apples sustainable competitive advantage must stem from software and the firm needs to utilize their market share as the key shield. In the absence of more innovation, the company will be flirting with catastrophe. The Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) is just everyone, from other tech giants to the small startups gunning for them. In the face of all these, the company has succeeded to sustain and maintain its leadership position in high end smartphone sector/market. Apple has a huge margins, huge loyal base as well as generate enormous quantities of hype with each release of smartphone. Hardware matters so little to Apples long term success, and hence Apples software is the core to Apple maintaining leadership. Apple has for a long time established an insular, differentiated ecosystem as well as a stronger brand of quality. These together have culminated in Apples competitive advantage, however, these are already being washed away. Maintaining Apples competitive advantage will remain its key to keeping its leadership position in the high-end smartphone market (McGrath, 2013). At the moment using the VRIO (Valuable, Rare, Imitable and Organize to Value) method points towards Apples sustainable competitive advantage. The value of Apple is unhidden and its rarity lies on its software design, its high cot to imitate emerges from its network effect, software design and brand and Apples evidence that it is organized to capture value lies on its income statement. The firms future sustainable is questioned as its sustainable competitive advantage it has enjoyed since the iPhones launch is fast eroding. Nevertheless, Research and Development expenses have surged by four billion over the previous two years, hence it is good that Apple is working on something (Johnson, Whittington, Scholes, Angwin Regnr, 2013). Unless Apple does something substantial with IOS 11 release, it will be opening itself up to Google and Samsung to assume market share. The future value of Apple seems not look like it has space for moving upwards. Apple investment appears increasingly risky due to the stiff competition and Apples innovation uncertainty alongside high valuation. Apple needs to prove its ability to innovate without Steve Jobs at its helm. Advising Illy StarbucksStrengths include high profitability, quality as well as highly ethical. The firm has created itself premium coffeehouse-chain notwithstanding the firms enormous global presence relative to rival food-chains. It has outstanding quality products, apparently environmentally-friendly as well as comparatively consistent between its locations (Pisano, 2015). Consequently, Starbucks is able to charge its clients higher prices that many individual are willing as well as ready to pay. Not solely does it imply enormous profits, but further has internationally acknowledged as 1 of the superlative coffee-shop chains. Higher efficiency alongside effective reinvestment strategy: A great portion of Starbucks profits are reinvested back into its expansion as evidenced in its ongoing-growing quantity of locations which it boast. It is evident that Starbuck has an effectively-schemed strategy for growth that appears to be functioning well for the business. Excellent employees treatment. It is acknowledged for treating its staff extremely well, and has been in the past listed as 1 of the Fortunes Top 100 Places to Work For. Starbucks weaknesses include higher price point. Whereas its higher price-point was its strength, it is also the main weaknesses. Starbucks hefty price tags on certain products including basic coffee alternatives bar abundant of clients who could else make it a share of their everyday lives (Geis, 2015). Whereas Starbucks premium quality alongside good ethical values could be appealing, some people lack such much cash to spend on the coffee cup. Another weakness is lack of exceedingly exclusive products. Whereas it could be recognized for its frappucinos, pumpkin spice lattes, as well as big chocolate chip cookies, it lacks most of rare and inimitable market. Several of other coffee chains, shops or else, offer identical products though solely outstripped by its huge brand name. Illys strengths include lower price point and overly unique and rare products. Illys weakness include lack of reinvestment strategy. For Illy to build a competitive advantage it should maximize on the Starbucks weaknesses and turn them into its strengths and use Starbucks strengths to strengthen its weaknesses. Principal challenges of cheap chic strategy design and implementation Merging low cost with differentiation advantage remains an appealing mixture for any firm. The challenge, however, is pulling it off. Differentiation characteristically adds cost-in enhanced design, variety, quality as well as additional attributes. Hence, for the cheap chic strategy to work there is a need for differentiation gains to compensate the extra cost engaged. For IKEA, TARGET, HM and Zara among other successful exponents of this strategy, the core is to uphold a basic model of a low-cost operator yet to add a few of distinguishing features of increased upscale operators. Nevertheless, reconciling stylishness alongside low cost might be challenging (Frank, George Narasimhan, 2004). It needs reconciling scale with pace and nimbleness. It calls for fast-cycle design, production alongside distribution, as well as alertness to market trends are required in fashion retailing. Major retailers like Wal-Mart ad Sears lack systems which allow such pace alongside responsiveness. Designing a Cheap Chic Strategy For a novel restaurant chain, a cheap chick approach might engage a range of strategies: A McDonalds kind fast-food operation which encompassed an increasingly higher standards of the cuisine. The restaurants with the ambiance as well as dcor linked with increased upscale restaurants but with a degree of turnover as well as standardized menu which allowed low cost of the operation like the UKs Pizza Express. References Cusumano, M. A. (2016). Is Google's alphabet a good bet?. Communications of the ACM, 60(1), 22-25. Frank, R. J., George, J. P., Narasimhan, L. (2004). When your competitor delivers more for less. McKinsey Quarterly, (1), 48-59. Geis, G. T. (2015). Semi-organic growth: Tactics and strategies behind Google's success. John Wiley Sons. Johnson, G., Whittington, R., Scholes, K., Angwin, D., Regnr, P. (2013). Exploring strategy text cases (Vol. 10). Pearson. McGrath, R. G. (2013). The end of competitive advantage: How to keep your strategy moving as fast as your business. Harvard Business Review Press. Pisano, G. P. (2015). You need an innovation strategy. Harvard Business Review, 93(6), 44-54.