PESTEL analysis and diamond theory of Cambodia

PESTEL analysis and diamond theory of Cambodia As a result of a worldwide competition being global is becoming more important for the companies. One good cause for the endless competition according to Daniels Radebaugh (1998) is that the global market is not large enough for all the companies. Anderson et al (1998) argue that the internationalisation is being more important due to borderless world. According to Daniels and Radebaugh (1998), there are several reasons for organisations to enter the global market today. The very first reason for going global is to expand sales. Sales dependent on two major factors: consumers interest in goods and services and the willingness or ability to buy those products. If theres a match of those two factors outside their home country, companies can get higher sale going global. Second factor is to acquire resources, when there is lack or inadequate resource in the home country; companies tend to move into global arena where they can seek out resources which can also help them reduce cost and getting competitive advantage. Third but not the least is for minimising the risk, diversifying sources of sales and suppliers by operating in different countries and different business cycles, helps businesses to reduce swings in sales and profit. Sales always decrease or dont grow much in a country that is in recession and sales increases in one that i s economically expanding. Example of Nestle in early 2000 shows that their sales was sluggish in Western Europe and United States but the growth in Asian, Eastern European and Latin American market was quite fast. Being in Apparel Industry of USA, it is very essential to do some research and study for finding out which country to select or which country is much better for the industry to operate smoothly and can give good returns. There are two known environmental factors which can affect the company, Internal and External. Internal environmental factor, to some extent can be controlled by the company being a internal one whereas the external environmental factors cant be controlled by the company itself. Such factors under external environment are Political, Economic, Socio-Cultural, Technological and Legal. So before selecting any country, it is necessary for conducting study on the various external environmental factors that may affect the company or can make negative impact. We have been proposed two different countries Turkey and Cambodia, where the Apparel Industry wants to expand its footprint. In order to get a clear picture for selecting the best country that is much suitable for expa nsion, PESTLE analysis and Diamond Analysis are more helpful strategic management tools we have that provides useful framework to analyze the environmental pressure on business. PEST Analysis of Cambodia POLITICAL LEGAL: Cambodia is one the developing countries of South East Asia, having constitutional monarchy with a multi party democracy and an elected government. No party got the proper majority in the elections held in July 2008, hence formed a coalition government. The constitution written in 1993 helped the country for a stable political environment in comparison of past decades of war and internal strife. Diplomatic relations with most countries have been established including the US. Cambodia has a membership of most major international organisations like UN, ASEAN, ADB, IMF, The World Bank and WTO. US-Cambodian bilateral relations have been deepened and broadened in past years. US has helped the country nearly $62 million through various USAID mission welfare programs. Economic: Cambodia has a GDP (2009) of $10.8 billion, Per Capita GDP (2009) of $731 and inflation (2009) of 4.5%. Garment, Textile and shoe manufacturing, rice milling, tobacco, fisheries and fishing, wood and wood products, cement, rubber, papers and food processing are major industrial sector of the country which hold 21.7% of GDP (2009 est.). Country has been able to export worth $3.9 billion in 2009 to its major partners like US, UK, Germany, Singapore, Japan etc. and has imported fuel, cigarette, vehicles, consumer goods, machinery worth $5.4 billion (2009).Sound macroeconomic policies, political stability, regional economic growth and government openness (100% share holding FDIs allowed) towards the investment has attracted growing number of investors, due to which FDI has increased 12 fold since 2004. Garment and tourism are the key industry which drove the countrys economy having sustainable 10% growth during 2004-2007. In 2009 during global recession, it was near zero, but i s considered that it will gain the momentum again in 2010. Infrastructure are not adequate, however road networks are improving rapidly. Corruption and lack of legal protection for investors are the two main reasons which may hamper economic opportunity and competitiveness. Socio-Cultural: Population of Cambodia (2008 census) is 13.4 million and 95% of those have faith in Theravada Buddhism and rest Islam, Christian etc. Country is a mixture of 90% Cambodians, 5% Vietnamese, 1% Chinese and others 4% ethnic groups. Cambodia has a literacy rate (2007) of 75.1% and Khmer is a first language spoken by 95% of population and English is increasing as a second language. Cambodians mainly eat rice and fish and they are known for silk and cotton weaving, silver work, silver and gold jewellery and basketry. Garment industries mostly comprise of female employees and the labour cost is very low $ 50 80 per month (NPRS PRF article). Turkey has the labour force (2003 est) of 7 million. Police and judicial systems are believed to be corrupt. Technology: Cambodia is way behind in their technological sector. As most of the FDIs have entered the country, they have also brought their own technology with them, so possibility of spill-over of the technological knowledge to the country can be seen. PEST Analysis of Turkey Political Legal: Turkey is a large and republic country having democratic, secular and parliamentary government system. Its first constitution was written in 1982 and was amended in 1987, 1995, 2001 and 2007. Referendum of October 2007 has made president more strong and powerful and the president is elected directly by voting. The politics and government of Turkey is considered to be stable. Economic: Turkey has a GDP (2009 est.) of $608 billion and GDP per capita (2009 est.) of $8,456. Inflation rate (2009 November) is 5.53%. Turkey had exported (2009 September) of $73.1 billion which comprises of textiles apparel industry, machinery, electronics, motor vehicles etc. and imported (2009 September) worth $99.9 billion of petroleum, machinery, vehicles, electronics, iron, steel, plastic and precious metals. Turkeys economy is moving from agricultural industrial to large and globalised services sector. It has opened its economy in 1980s and also signed customs union agreement with the European Union in 1995, and Turkey is also working hard to get the membership in EU. Instead of economic downturn, high unemployment rate and high inflation during 1990s, in the year 2001 it started recovering faster since then with an average of 6% per year due to the help and support from IMF and The World Bank. Turkeys economy has already attracted $18.3 billion net FDIs in 2008. However there are several disputes with the investors regarding high taxation, it has a number of bilateral investment and tax treaties as well with many countries including the US, which has guaranteed free repatriation of capital in convertible currencies and eliminate double transaction. Socio-Cultural: Turkey has a population of 76.8 million. Turkish, Kurdish are the major ethnic groups of which 99% are Muslims and rest of them are Christian, Bahai and Jewish. People in Turkey speak Turkish, Kurdish, Arabic, Armenian and Greek and has a work force of 24.4 million and 70% of the population live in urban areas of the country. Turkish law prohibits the labour of child under 15 years of age, however if they are 13 14 and are enrolled in school can do light and part time work. Technological: Turkey has various research institutions and organisation which are focused on RD along with many ancient Technical universities which is benefiting the country in advancement of technology such as telephone lines, mobile phones, radio stations, television stations and Internet. Turkey is famous for its telecommunication development. Possible Impact of the environmental factors PEST analysis reveals that there lie some similarities and some differences in each of the environmental factors of both the countries. We may examine that politically at the moment both Cambodia and Turkey have stable governments even if they had violence and disturbances in the political situation of the country in the past. Both the countries have maintained good relationship with the United States and have also invested a lot in both countries. Both have open economy allowing other nations to come and do business in their country using their available resources such as land labour etc. Having a stable and sound political environment is always a boon for both the host and the home nation for starting any business. Economic analysis reveals that Turkey is way ahead than Cambodia. GDP of Turkey is 60 times bigger than Cambodia, which means there is a sound economic environment for doing business. If we have a look on the exports and imports sector, Turkey is doing pretty good. From the apparel industrys point of view, in both the countries, Garment and Textile industries are flourishing since long time and have aided the economy of both the countries with positive effect. As we can see that the number of FDIs in Cambodia have increased very dramatically (12 fold since 2004) in very short time, it may be due to the reason Cambodia due has a very low cost labour. Also, Turkey has been able to attract a lot of FDIs in their country. Turkey has signed customs union with EU and also has bilateral treaties with US, it may help Apparel industry to have much competitive advantage. Having sound and stable economy is very much helpful for any business who wants to expand and in these criteria both countri es have 50-50 chances of selection. Socially and culturally, both the countries are very different. Cambodia is considered as a Buddhist country and Turkey has 99% population of Muslim religion. People in Turkey are much educated or have higher literacy rate than Cambodia. Technological environment has also got much difference in both the countries. Turkey in comparison to Cambodia is much advanced. In Cambodia, the FDIs which have started their operation are transferring their technological knowledge to the country, whereas Turkey has developed much in telecommunication and textile industry. Turkey used to import the textile machinery from Germany, but recently they have begun manufacturing on its own from small to medium sized companies involved in manufacturing. According to German Engineering Federation Textiles Machinery Association, German textile machinery exports had gone down by 62% in 2008 as compared with 2007. So, we can see the development in technology in Turkey is much more than Cambodia. Porters Diamond Theory: We can use the Diamond model of Michael Porter to assess the viability of both the countries. Classical theories of international trade and business propose that comparative advantage lie in the factor endowments that any country has got. Those factor endowments include, Land, Natural resources, labour and the size of local population. Porter argued that a nation creates new advanced factor endowments such as skilled labour, a strong technology and knowledge base, government support and the culture. Porters diamond model consists of four major aspects 1) Factor Conditions 2) Demand Conditions 3) Related and supporting Industries and 4) firms strategy, structure and rivalry which creates competitive advantage amongst the nations and now there are two additional variables 1) Government and 2) chance also influence the system. Factor of condition: It represents the position of factor of production, input which is necessary to compete in any industries, which are Land, Labour, Capital, Infrastructure, Natural resources etc. Appleyard and Field (2001) argue that all the classical theories in trade rest on the factors of production for example Adam Smiths absolute advantage, David Recardos Comparative advantage and Hechesher-Ohlin theorem etc. If we compare Cambodia and Turkey, Turkey has the competitive advantage over Cambodia due to these factors of productions discussed above. Turkey is a large country, have huge population, huge work force (unskilled and semiskilled), good infrastructure and more capital than Cambodia, so Turkey gains the high priority for any business willing to go global. Demand Condition: It represents the demand condition for the industrys products or services in the local and global market. As it is revealed through PEST analysis, that both the countries are doing pretty good in textile and garment industry, attracting and encouraging the investors to come and invest because there is a huge demand of this industry worldwide, because of the cheap labour in Cambodia and Location factor of Turkey. Both countries are different in creating demand conditions. Turkey has got huge potential than Cambodia. Related and Supporting industries: Third determinant of national advantage in an industry is to have suppliers and related industries which can give the industry a competitive advantage. If local supporting industries are competitive, any business can enjoy the cost effectiveness. Scanning both the countries, we can find out that, Cambodia has least supporting industries than of Turkey. Turkey is developing and has many textile machinery manufacturers currently, if business needs, they dont have to look outside the country and also they can save much cost over it which gives some competitive advantage of low cost leadership in comparison to the countries where businesses have to import the machinery at higher cost and taxes. Firms Strategy, Structure and Rivalry: As this factor clearly says that, strategy of businesses operating in the country, its structure and the rivalry or competition amongst them creates competitive advantage of the nation. While doing PEST, we saw the trend of FDIs going to both the country is very much increasing, hence, this factor is growing. Various international firms operating there are teaching the countries how they do business back home, which is adding something to the country. Both the countries are learning from the investors. The huge attraction in the garment, textile and apparel industry has also increased rivalry among the businesses, which is considered good because it increases pressure to improve and innovate on what they are doing, which helps nation to get advantage. We can find out that Turkey is dominant in this factor than Cambodia. Government and Chance: Chance events are developed in the period of time by new innovations, new technologies, positive political developments and shifts in foreign demand, where any nation can capitalise using this chance to get the competitive advantage amongst the nation. Government on the other hand is also equally important to be considered because it can improve or detract from the national advantage due to the policies which may influence (negative and positive) on each of the determinants of diamond model discussed above. In the case of Cambodia and Turkey, both the countrys government are interested in attracting more FDIs in their country and have opened their economy which we can see in the GDP growth rate of both countries reflect it and can compare the two nations which one is more attractive. Market entry mode for foreign business: Making decision of how to enter the market or the country for business is so crucial and can have significant impact on the business. There are various modes of entry into international marketing such as the Internet (use of internet or e-commerce), Exporting (direct sale of domestically produced goods), Contracting, Licensing, International Agents and Distributors (use of distributors for selling goods), Strategic Alliances (joining hand with the competitor), Joint Ventures, Mergers and Acquisitions, FDIs etc. Some of them are discussed below and we will examine which mode will be much suitable for our apparel industry to enter both Cambodia and Turkey. Licensing: This entry mode permits a company in the target company for using its technology, brand, expertise, where the organisation charges a fee or royalty for that use. Licensor has to invest very little, but it has got a huge potential of providing very large return on investment. Licensing includes franchising, turnkey contracts and contract manufacturing . We can have examples of franchising strategy applied McDonalds restaurant, Coffee Republic and Dominos Pizza entering into the target country. Joint Ventures: In this entry mode foreign business selects a local business and invests some shares in it. Doing so, both the firms share the risk and the rewards while doing business, their technology and the government regulations and other legal obligations imposed in the country. In some countries there is a legal requirement to have local partner to do business by any foreign company with limited number of shares. Foreign Direct Investment: In FDI, business has the direct ownership of facilities in the target country. They open wholly new subsidiary (Greenfield investment) or they can use Merger and Acquisition strategy. In this they have to transfer their resources such as capital, technology and the skilled personnel. In this kind of entry mode, business has a high degree of control in the operations. Best entry mode: Cambodia: As we did the PEST and Diamond analysis of the country, we can see various factors that may affect the operation of the business. Cambodian government are flexible enough to get the foreign business to come and start up a business and the foreign and local apparel and textile industry are also flourishing in the country due to the low cost labour available in the country. For Cambodia, we can have a licensing mode of entry; because there are still many things need to be improved in the country such as labour skills, government fiscal and monetary policy, infrastructure and technology. If the business adopts the licensing entry strategy, business will have less risk due to various factors like, language problem, exchange rate risk, labour obligations, and government regulations. Turkey: For Turkey, we can propose the FDI form of entry in the market. Instead of opening a wholly new subsidiary, company can think of acquiring or merging with the local firm already established and doing considerable business, which will help the company to gain the existing customers, market, talent of the company. As we have seen the trend of FDI going to Turkey, which has increased tremendously in the recent years, because of the less risk and the market is growing enormously in comparison to the neighbouring countries and the demand for apparels and textiles produced in Turkey is also quite high so the company will not have to invest much of their time to create the environment as it is already created. Government is also flexible enough for the FDIs and the political stability will help, pool of skilled labour availability will also help reducing cost of transferring the knowledge from US to Turkey where as it is quite high in case of Cambodia.

Sonnys Blues Essay :: Free Essays

Sonny’s Blues By James Baldwin Sonny’s Blues the author is presenting the past from the perspective of the present in order to understand his own feelings concerning the role of a father. The two brothers in the story had different life choices. Both Sonny and the narrator have found their own mode of escaping the violence and harshness of the ghetto, different though those modes might be. After the death of the mother the narrator feels he is his brother’s keeper, because of the promise he made to the mother. He is not exactly happy about it and especially Sonny’s life style. Nevertheless, this is his only brother and he made a promise not to turn his back on him. Sonny was more like his uncle a music lover. Before the mother died she told him about his father and the pain he went through after the death of his brother. His father’s brother was a music lover and somewhat like Sonny. So, by telling this story it would help the narrator to understan d Sonny. Now he knows a little about his family background and roots. At the end the narrator was finally able to see and understand what music did for Sonny; it allow him to be himself and express himself to other. Explore the implications of the allusion to the Book of Isaiah 51:17-23 in the concluding sentence. What has the narrator learned as the result of his experience? All of the desolation, destruction, famine, sword things that we (the narrator) go through in this life, are learned through other who have shared these same experiences. Our oppressor (Satan spiritually, mankind physically) causes a trembling in our lives; but just like Jerusalem, who was and still is oppressed; God has already taken our â€Å"cup of trembling†. We are delivered through the sharing of our experiences with one another, freeing ourselves from one who causes the trembling.

Self-Acceptance is the Key to Happiness :: Happiness Essays

Is life really about the 'money', the 'cash', who has the biggest gold chain or who drives the shiniest or fastest car, who sells the most albums or who has the most respect? Today happiness is viewed in many different ways. Everyone defines happiness according to their personal perpectives. Each individual describes their inner feelings in a way that you can't compare with another. Happiness originally and logically means the inner state of well being or a pleasurable or satisfying experience. It enables you to profit from your highest: thoughts, wisdom, intelligence, common sense, emotions, health, and spiritual values in your life. What makes you happy and what makes me happy are different things. Whatever it is that gives you warm fuzzes is determined by you, and only you. This difference is what makes the world interesting. Most of the happiness that we experience comes from the feeling of love. So many people look to their love relationships,especially marriage to give them the happiness that they cannot find on their own. Love is not enough to provide happiness, then there must be many frustrated lovers in the world. The belief that love gurantess happiness is left over from the ideology of romantic love that tells us we will live happily ever after if we can only find the right person with whom to spend our life with. If we realize that love by itself will not bring happiness, then hopefully we will be more tolerant of the imperfections of those we love. If our relatioships have their problems and if those we love do not always meet our expectations it doesn't mean that we have lost our chance for happiness. When we do not expect love to give us the happiness we seen, there will be more room for forgiveness of the imperfections and problems that always accompany love. What makes us happy is so varied. To be happy is a fleeting thing, which we enjoy so much and often want it back as soon as possible .The things that make me happy in my life can seem boring to others.My happiness is my health,my success and my marriage. My happiness is to have a shoulder to lean on when my days are going bad. Marriage has helped me look forward for my future. It opened my heart and my mind to the true existing world. It's not like I wasn't happy before I got married.

Disagreements Between Experts in Natural Sciences

What are disagreements? Often an image of an argument between friends or spouses is associated with this word. However, this is very stereotypical because the word can have many interpretations. Disagreements occur in forms other than between individuals. For example, the argument between religion and atheism is a disagreement between two schools of thoughts, and the conflict between the scientist and the public on global warming is a disagreement between two communities of people. These disagreements sometimes narrow our perspective on the issue at hand.It prevents us to see the world with an open-mind to try and work through the conflict. Although this is true, can disagreements aid the pursuit of knowledge? To what extend does disagreements in natural and human sciences aid the pursuit of knowledge? In what ways are the pursuits of knowledge different in human and natural sciences? Human sciences study and interpret experiences, activities, constructs, and artifacts associated wit h humans. While natural science gives us insight into the world with the lack of the â€Å"human factor†.Although the human science is generally known to be less â€Å"scientific†, due to the fact that not all variables can be controlled, it is by no means the lesser of the two areas of knowledge. But because of this added â€Å"human factor†, the results from human science experiments normally have a larger deviation from the mean. This means more trials and larger sample sizes are required to overcome this disadvantage. Is there a difference between the disagreements in human and natural sciences? Some theories in human sciences are asserted without a way to disprove it.An example of a theory that is not able to be falsified is Freud’s theory on the ego-superego-id structure of human behavior. Any story could be made up about a patient to explain their psychological problems through the basis of ego, superego, and id, but it does not prove the cause of the disorder. Human science theories in general posit some facts about the internal behavior of an individual based on their outward behavior, and then predict future actions on the basis of the internal facts. We have now disproved Freudian psychology, because it is highly unlikely.But have we really disproved it? The fact that ego, superego, and id do not relate to anything definite prevents scientists to study each individually, thus there is no way to prove or disprove the theory. These unfalsifiable theories lead to a list of theories that could be true, but could not be proven true or false. This prevents the elimination of wrong theories; instead we mark them as â€Å"unlikely†. How do we know which theory to accept as the truth? Thus, a disagreement between two theories in the human sciences can never be resolved with hard evidence.It is rather resolved by weighing the likeliness of the prospect, a very unscientific way to gain support. This is the reason it is harder to reach the truth through the process used by the human sciences. However, this does not mean knowledge cannot be gained from disagreements in human sciences. In fact, it is easy to gain knowledge of trends in observed data, but it is extremely hard to reach the right conclusion based off the data. Theories in natural sciences are known for their falsifiability.They are created to encompass the evidences already present, instead of inferring evidences based on the theories as mentioned in some cases in the human sciences. When there is a disagreement between two theories in the natural science, although there is not always a definite â€Å"winner†, there are always definite â€Å"losers†. If the theory can give an explanation for all of the evidence then it wins a temporary victory. I say temporary because new evidences can emerge that the old theory does not encompass. This is the way to falsify a theory.For example, Newton’s law of gravitation was supplanted by Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity when it failed explain the motion of extremely small and extremely large objects. It is when none of the theories provide an explanation for the evidences that we can continue the pursuit of knowledge. Science makes progress precisely because there are disagreements. Without these internal conflicts, science does not renew its basis, and is cold and dead. Just because during the disagreement a theory came out as the â€Å"loser†, does not mean the theory is discarded forever.A â€Å"loser† can undergo small modifications to provide an improved fit to the evidence. Theories might be defeated now but later come out as the new winner. As a scientifically minded individual, I understand that I should not always trust the current paradigms in science. I learned that just a century ago we did not believe that we could land on the moon. Looking back at it now, this belief was absurd. We landed on the moon only sixty-six years after the Wright Brothers. This is the reason as a student I enjoy intentionally creating disagreements when it comes to scientific concepts.These healthy competitions between scientific ideas are what weeds out the weak hypotheses from the strong ones. In the long run, this ability to falsify is what leads humans to discover knowledge and uncover the truth. So in the case of natural science, disagreement leads to a truth to the best of the knowledge at the time. Disagreements in science do not only occur in the form of conflicts between theories. Scientists often produce controversial discoveries that the general public do not want to accept. Why is it in our human nature to resist change?Most of the time change leads to knowledge, but it is almost like we are trying to protect ourselves from the facts. For example, there are many people out there that deny global warming. This is due to the fact that the media puts the spotlight on the controversial scientists that are mostly con fined to non-participants in global climate science. Since their theories are often not published in the scientific journals, they resort to the media to gain support for their ideas. Their poorly evidential theories gain support from the public because most of them trust these â€Å"experts†.I know I stated before that we should never regard anything as impossible, but this is absurd because the theories are asserted without evidence. People are against putting funds to resolve this â€Å"fake† problem, thus prohibits the pursuit of knowledge. Can we ever assert anything without evidence in science? According to the scientific method, an inductive method, any statements must start with observations and evidences in nature. Based on the scientific method, nothing can be asserted without evidence. But the scientific method is only exclusively used in a perfect world, or when you are in elementary school through high school.In the real world of science many researchers d o not follow the scientific method to a tee. They are able to assert a falsifiable statement instead of a hypothesis before their research, and during their research will try to disprove their statement. Although I believe this opens the results to a lot of conformational bias, it is widely used in the scientific community. Disagreements in science do not only occur in the professional field. Many students seek the pursuit of knowledge through classroom discussions. In biology class this year, we were talking about telomeres. I asked Mr.Creighton â€Å"If we age because our cells chop off the ends of our DNA after each replication, how can we produce sperm and eggs which create a baby with young DNA? † This question led to a whole class discussion on the theories of aging. Although there were many disagreements, at the end of the class period, I found myself to have a better understand of the process of aging and cellular division. If the whole class decided that the cutting of telomere was the only theory to the process of aging, then there would not have been arguments, and I would not have gained any new knowledge.Disagreements come in many forms. From verbal arguments to all-out war, disagreements permeate our society. Most of the time they are known to reverse the pursuit of knowledge because it closes the participant’s mind to further ideas, but disagreements in science are different. Scientists understand that their ideas improve with the criticism of their peers, and that is the only way science can advance. However, this does not mean that all disagreements in science promote the pursuits of knowledge, because there are certainly different forms of disagreements in science.Disagreements in humans sciences tend to create a deadlock because none of the ideas can be disproved. The deadlock can be only solved through â€Å"popularity† contests. This can be easily demonstrated in politics. Politicians claim that their policies are the best for the United States. Since there are no ways to disprove them, they are selected mostly depending how they are viewed by the public. Disagreements can occur between two scientists and their theories or ideas, this is constructive because it allows mutual aid to improve their hypotheses. But some disagreements in science can be unconstructive.This is especially true when the public is misinformed and actively prevent the pursuit of knowledge. The public has a need to know the truth. I believe people have to be able to think for themselves and be able to identify pseudo-science from real science. They have to able to identify demagogues from people who are trying to create a better future. Does science have an absolute truth? I do not think so. Science is not a religion, but an instrument for people who want to discover the world through an organized fashion. I appreciate its willingness to entertain disagreements to pursue knowledge.

Significance of Black Madonna

Notwithstanding its sociological, historical, literary and religious significance to the life of many people in different parts of the world, the origin and essence of the Black Madonna which serves as the holy icon of the Virgin Mary and Poland's national symbol remains to be a debate to many people as far as the history, literature and religion are concerned. The presence of Black Madonna are widespread all across the country and they are mostly found insidethe churches and cathedrals and they all point towards the image of Mary and the Christ.This image may have been formed centuries ago but its historical significance and importance travelled and withstood the test of time. The word Madonna originated from Italy which means â€Å"our lady†. Thie term connotes a title of respect for the Virgin Mary and it is often applied to works of art, most especially to the mother andchildimagewhich is popularly known as Madonna and Child . Religion tells that Black Madonna is the repre sentation of the image of Virgin Mary which was tested by times that is why it was transformed into its today's black image.Also, church leaders claim that Black Madonna has noting to do with the Culture of the African-Americans. It is stated, nevertheless, that the Black Madonnas became black they were greatly influenced by the cultures and traditions of the Black Americans. The icon transformed into black because it was affected by the place where most of these images can be found. On the other hand, history and literature dictate that Black Madonna is the changed representation of the early statues of the African Goddess Isis and her son Horus which greatly influenced most of the religions of the world today.Society has associated the color black with something negative but in the past, this was not the case. For instance, black was connected with fertility and growth and it is good to think of it not as a color bt as an absence of color. From this perspective, the Black Madonna became an icon for inclusion. She became a guide and a comfort for people from all walks of life and race. In terms of psychology, darkness represents somethin unknown to consciousness and more often than not, thse gifts involve qualities of the females like intuition and emotion.It must be born in mind that the term feminine does not necessarily refer to the female specie because both sexes have masculine and feminine qualities. With this in mind, it can be said that the Black Madonnas symnolize transformation because this image helps people discover their inner gifts and assists them in bringing those gifts into the surface . Amid these numerous explanations from the different perspectives in the society, until today, there are no clear and definite position on the real origin of the Black Madonna which is believed to be the representation of Virgin Mary.Even though the different claims seem to contradict each other with regards to the origin of the icon or image, the Black Madonn a is considered to be one of the most influential religious icon to most of the people in the present generation. The origin of Black Madonna A Black Madonna may refer to an icon, painting, fresco or sculpture of Virgin Mary which is usually found in churches, sanctuaries and chapels. It is also called as Black Virgin since Mary is portrayed with dark or black skin.Some believe that this portrayal of Virgin Mary was originated from the culture of the Black Americans since many of these Black Madonnas were found in the areas with large black populations such as in the United States. Some claim that the color of these images have no significance or value since they were only repainted by black color after being restored to its original pale-skinned coloring brought by the age of time. Nevertheless, amidst its sociological, historical and religious significance to many parts of the world, the origin of the Black Madonna still remains a question left unanswered to many of its devotees.S ome of the famous Black Virgin shrines, which we usually see in the cathedrals and churches, are Loreto, Zaragoza, Chartes, Rocamadour, Guadalupe and Montserrat . Black Madonnas are found throughout the world including Belgium, Croatia, Ecuador, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, Mexico, Poland, Romania, Sicily, Spain, Switzerland and the United States . The first â€Å"Black Madonna and Child† portraits and statues were believed to be from Isis and Horus . Isis was a black African goddess from Nile Valley civilizations whose worship diffused to most of ancient civilizations.Before the first Egyptian dynasty, Isis was worshiped by the Nubians for more than 300 years. It is believed that Isis religion had a lot of similarities to the to the world's religions which include Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity. For instance, Horus, the son of Isis, was from a virgin mother's immaculate conception and said to walk on water like Jesus Ch rist. The husband of Isis named Osiris was also resurrected, like Jesus, after he was murdered. When other religions became popular, the â€Å"Black Madonna and Child† statues of Isis and Horus were not destroyed but their names were only changed.For example, Isis and Horus were changed to Devaki and Krishna in Hinduism or Maya and Buddha in Buddhism. The Japanese called Isis as Kwannon while Chinese changed the name to Kwa-yin. In the 1985 book of Ean Begg entitled The Cult of the Black Virgin, there were 450 identified images of the Black Virgin and Child in Europe with 190 statues in France only. Because of the dominating influence of the Isis religion, it is believed that the African goddess had significant contributions to the civilization of the continent.For instance, Paris is actually believed to be named after Isis since Para-Isis signifies â€Å"Place of Isis†. Likewise, Note Dame which means â€Å"Our Lady† is a manifestation that the cathedral of the Catholics is nothing but more than as enlargement of the temple of Isis in the ancient civilizations . Some also believe that Black Virgin, aside from its resemblance to the portrayal of Isis and Horus of the ancient Egyptians, has the strong connection to the medieval Knights Templar and Mary Magdalene .For instance, the famous Black Virgin – la Madone des Fenestres which means â€Å"The Madonna of the Windows† was believed to have folk traditional significance since the place where this statue was believed to be a place where many Templars were massacred. Some associate Black Madonnas with African-American cultures. Nevertheless, church literature strongly denies this claim since church officials insist that the Madonnas became black because of the smoke from candles and dirt and eventually because of the old age of the statues .Meanwhile, the Black Madonna in Southern Provencal tradition is associated with the patron of the Gypsies called St. Lara . The patron sain t is considered to be the black assistant who accompanied the three Marys to France when they escaped from the Holy Land after Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Meanwhile, during 1934, an icon of the Virgin Mother and Child was brought to the Pauline monastery of Jasna Gora or the â€Å"Bright Mountain† in Western Poland. The icon was said to be donated by the Prince of Opole in Silesia. Some told that the icon was painted by St. Luke on boards from table of the Holy Family in Nazareth.And the face of the said icon is black . There are other countless theories about the origin of the Black Madonnas or Black Virgins but until today, there is no concrete explanation about the history or origin of the now famous image in the religious sectors of the world. There are many who look at Black Madonna in relation to some of the goddesses know to men like Kali of India, Hecate and Medusa of Greece and Isis of Egypt. These grounds generates a spiritual as well as a psychological substance t hat raises the Black Madona to a level of great importance and significance in the modern world .Today, the statues of Isis and Horus are now called Mary and Jesus and there are millions of pilgrims who are visiting the Black Madonna shrines since they are believed to be miraculous to the devotees. Some claim that the statues can help heal towns of plague, make infertile women pregnant, bring back dead babies to life, save countries from war and the like. One of the obvious testimonies of the miracle from the Black Virgin in Poland was the experience of Pope John Paul II when he prayed to the statue for his recovery from his gun shot wound .After the miracle happened to Pope John Paul II, several miraculous events were credited after the Black Virgins including saving Poland from Russia in 1769. In fact, in 1968, the Black Madonna shrine in Poland received over 66, 000 thank you letters for healing and other miraculous events . The meaning of Black Madonna Theories about the definit ion of darkness of the figure and mystery behind the dark image have been established everywhere. What Black Madonna represents is not an easy question to answer.There is a tendency that one answer may lead to several more questions which demand plenty more explanations. One of the possible reasons for this dilemma lies in the difficulty of consciously incorporating the feminine aspect of life in a particular culture and most especially, a darker side of it. Another reason is the characteristic and nature of the dark feminine itself which clearly defies any attempt to generate limits as to what she really represents. However, no matter what many people may say and observe, the Black Madonna mirrors herself in the personal as well as collective lives of the people.This dark side generates intimations to the most essential of meanings through the use of images, literature, works of arts and even dreams . It is noteworthy to mention that the word black can be a misnomer for some of the Madonnas because not all of them are color black in its literal sense, some of them are painted with different shades of black. The original artists of many Black Madonnas are lost in time but most people know that the most powerful representations of the Black Madonna were made during the 11th and 12th centuries.The Shrines of the Black Madonnas are often located in the seat of great power and in the locations where the earth emits energies. From a religious perspective, the Black Madonna represents the honor and devotion of the female form. Christ, the center of Christianity is a male and it was from Mary that the church found a representative of the female specie towards divinity . Theories about the meaning of Black Madonna are often connected to the image of pre-Christian ideas and their religions.Because the Madonna and Child looks like the Egyptian images of Isis and Horus, there is a possibility that the dark skin of the Black Madonnas may be a referene to the Egyptian root s of the image. The Dark-Skinned madoonas may likewise be based on other pre-Christian figures. There are also other theories that the Black Madonnas were made as a representation of a mother or a feminine figure by using earthly tones. This theory suggests that the light-skinned Madonnas depict purity and chastity while another theory holds that the Black Madonnas were intended to bea historically accurate imageof a Semitic woman from the Middle East named Mary.There are some historians who said that the Black Madonnas were conceptualized after Middle Ages because during these times, the light-skinned images were the norm but regardless of what the case maybe, the Black Madonnas captured the attention of believers and non-believers for centuries . During the Victorian society, there was a time when the black female writers seemed to lean towards binding their female characters in an image of chastity because they want to overcomea heritage of concubinage.The women then were portray ed as either a martyr or a saint and in the attempt of the writers such as Harriet Jacobs and Frances Harper to remove the stereotype of a sinful woman, they robbed the personalities of their characters of their sexual identity thereby makingthem pure and holy much like the Virgin Mary. This situation combined with the gender dilemma becomes a double jeopardy. According to Faith Pullin, the black woman faces a painful situation of the double strain of being a woman in a dominant male society and being black amidst the racial discrimination.Novels about the early African American women talks abou the situation of double jeopardy for black women. These women are marginalized by race and gender. According to the notions of the period during that time, the true woman is a character of virtue like Madonna: pure, pious and submissive . Some theologians say that Black Madonna represents diversity. The femininity and the blackness of the Black Madonna calls men towards gender and racial div ersity. This figure calls for uniformity of the masculine and feminine sex, the combination of the white and the dark goddess in order for the wholeness and unity can arise amidst the diversity.The Black Madonna may be interpreted as a symbolism of man in the form of a metaphor as men moves towards the newreality of the modern wornd. The survival of men in this age will depend on their willingness to appreciate and understand the unity amidst the diversity . Conclusion There are plenty of images of Black Madonna that exist worldwide. Reports showthat at one time, there may have been more than 500 images that are mostly in Europe and France. In today's world, there are many people whose interest in the Black Madonna's have increased over the years.Some of her most popular incarnations are found in countries from all over the globe in the form of literature, art and paintings. The Black Madonna may mean many things to many people but everyone must bear in mind that this image serves a s a powerful reminder of the inspiration that it brought to the society. In her image, many people found their comforter, guide and power. She has been and always will be the feminine side of men that will never fail to shed light during trying times. Bibliography Davies, Norman. Europe: a history. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996.Dickson, Elinor, Woodman, Marion. Dancing in the Flames: The Dark Goddess in the Transformation of Consciousness. Toronto: Canada Publishing, 1996. Faqs. org. â€Å"Madonna, Religious†. Faqs. org. http://www. faqs. org/childhood/Ke- Me/ Madonna-Religious. html (Accessed May 6, 2010). Foster, Nikki. â€Å"What is Black Madonna? †. WiseGeek. com. http://www. wisegeek. com/ what-is-a-black-madonna. htm (Accessed May 6, 2010). Gustafson, Fred. The Black Madonna. USA: Daion Verdag, 2008. Kaiser, Laurie. â€Å"The Black Madonna: Notions of True Womanhood from Jacobs to Hurston†. South Atlantic Review, 2008, 60 (), 97-09.

Financial Forecasting Checkpoint

Financial Forecasting CheckPoint FIN/200 Axia College of University of Phoenix Write a 200- to 300-word explanation of the reasons the following types of companies would need a financial forecast: brand new company, family-owned company, and a long-standing corporation. The reason type of companies such as brand new companies, family-owned companies, and long-standing companies would need a financial forecast is to develop projected financial statements; a series of pro forma.The information developed by a series of pro forma provide a sort of estimate on inventory, payables, receivables as well as what would be required for profit and borrowing. A projected financial statement provides a kind of advantage in any of the companies listed above as it gives the firm an insight on operations. A pro forma would help guide companies in deciding how to best operate and succeed.When starting a brand new company a financial forecast is essential. A financial forecast would help a brand new co mpany decide on how much inventory would be needed, cost of start up and production, and how much capital is needed. Obtaining a financial forecast would also help guide a brand new company on how much profit the company can make, whether a bank loan would be needed to start up and how many individuals can be hired.Family-owned companies need financial forecast just as much as a brand new company. A family-owned company would need a financial forecast for obtaining information from the simplest of things like how much inventory is in stock, profit sharing, expected expenses and profit for the future. A family-owned company would need a financial forecast to also make good decisions on continuing a successful business, which department needs revamped or tweaked.It is essential for a family-owned company to obtain a financial forecast to also estimate whether sales income would be enough to cover expenses and whether cutbacks need to be made. A long-standing company, even though it ha s been in business for a long time (hence the phrase â€Å"long-standing†) needs a financial forecast for the same reasons a brand new company and a family-owned company needs it. A pro forma (financial forecast) would provide a long-standing company with estimated future profit, expenses, cash budgets, and sales income. A inancial forecast can also help guide a long-standing company in making decisions on things like increasing sales, whether advertising is needed and whether certain investments prove to be worth it. Although, a financial forecast is just basic estimation of what is to be expected in the future it provides essential information that could help guide any type of company in the right direction. Starting a brand new company, a family-owned company, and a long-standing company all have something in common: producing a successful company in all aspects.

How might a Christian apply Essay

Through out Jesus’ teaching we see that justice, forgiveness and reconciliation are all the most important features of keeping the peace of the world. However war and conflict are two of the most significant issues in today’s world and will be for many years to come therefore it is hard for a Christian to ignore this and know what is right or wrong. A current example of this is the international conflict in Iraq between many of the western countries. â€Å"Blessed are peacemakers for they will be called the children of God. (Mt 5:9)† This quotation is showing that a person who forgives and makes peace with any enemies will be rewarded by God although Christians have to live in a world where people often make war against each other. Therefore they have to develop an attitude to war campaigning against war and violence in various ways, using different examples from the scriptures to explain their position and different church teachings to help them through. Christians recognise that war is not compatible with the teachings of Jesus, as they believe in peace, and peace is essential for forgiveness to work. Jesus taught his follower to always love and respect, no matter how hard it may be they should forgive their enemies, â€Å"Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. † The principle being that although good does not come from evil, destroying evil allows us to repair the damage and do well. For example, the catastrophic bombs were dropped on Japan and killed thousands, the disaster will never be forgotten but we see that Japan is now one of the most powerful countries in the world and there is peace. Iraq and the Allies were and still are at war. Christians are divided over this war; some believe that there is a moral case for war against Iraq to free the Iraqi people from evil whilst others feel that the people of Iraq are the most affected and something else could have been done to prevent war to reconcile the countries instead. The Pope declared that war is a â€Å"defeat for humanity† and no the way to solve the Iraqi situation, his diplomatic efforts accord with Catholic teachings as a war should be the last resort. However Gaudium et Spes contradicts the Pope, teaching that the war is just to protect the people of Iraq. S and C Danes once stated that, â€Å"Peace is more than the absence of war. Peace is the effect of righteousness. † A just war is one that must be fought but is conducted to certain conditions, they are designed to prevent a war and to limit its effect on people. Christians agree that anyone who engages in war should do so only after every other means have been worn out. In the past there have been many occasions when Christians have fought wars and when Christians countries have fought each other. We see this is wrong because Jesus taught this; â€Å"A new commandment I give you; to love one another. As I have loved you. † Pacifists believe that all war is wrong and support that; for example, Jesus called â€Å"the Kingdom of God† the peaceful solution. Also Lord Donald Soper’s pacifism led him to being banned from broadcasting during the Second World War showing that his beliefs and feelings were very strong and he would stand up to what he believed was right, â€Å"Violence is always wrong and doesn’t always create new beginnings and solve problems. † In 1980 there was a conflict that arose between Iraq and Iran, America and the West came to the aid of Saddam Hussein in this war, supporting a moderate bulwark against Islam. This war lasted until 1988 and the Iraqi government expected the war debts to be written off as they had justifiably defended the entire Middle East against Islamic radicalism. The Christian response should have been to help aid CAFOD and other Catholic organisations. However, Bishop David Konstant argues â€Å"No war is just and reconciliation and justice are the only two grounds for true and lasting peace. † To be reconciled with God , Christians must be able to forgive and to be reconciled with each other, as there is no peace with out justice and no justice without forgiveness.