john kerry :: essays research papers

John Forbes Kerry is the candidate I would chose in the up in coming election. Some of the issues that would decide my vote are environment, the economy, homeland security, social issues, and Iraq. I would also vote for John Kerry because he has done good things for Massachusetts and I know he will do good things for this country. My last reason for voting for John Kerry is because he will bring our troops home safely. On November 2, 2004 I would vote for John Kerry.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  John Forbes Kerry was born in Colorado on December 11, 1943 at Fitzsimons Army Hospital. John Kerry graduated from Yale University. He joined the Navy and became an officer during Vietnam. He was awarded both silver and bronze stars and 3 purple hearts for his heroic efforts. John Kerry went to law school at Boston College. He was elected lieutenant governor of Massachusetts in 1982. After he was elected senator of Massachusetts in 1984 followed by three more terms. John Kerry seems to be a perfect candidate for president. John Kerry supports the war in Iraq. John Kerry believes in having our allies join in with us. John Kerry says if elected he will boost international effort to secure peace. He also sates that he wants to improve social, economic, and political conditions in the Middle East. John Kerry believes he can restore International Policy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  John Kerry also believes in social issues. He supports a women’s right to an abortion. John Kerry opposes the death penalty. John Kerry will also appoint judges committed to law in the Supreme Court. Last, John Kerry will full fund the â€Å"No Child Left Behind† law. John Kerry really knows the views of the people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  John Kerry wants to make a better environment. John Kerry opposes oil exploration in the Artic refuge. John Kerry will push new gas requirements, hybrid cars, and the use of hydrogen fuel. John Kerry will set goals, incentives to reproduce dependence on fossil fuels. Finally, John Kerry promotes clean, renewable fuel sources. John Kerry is well concerned about the environment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   John Kerry also believes in a better Homeland. John Kerry is against labeling U.S. citizens as â€Å"enemy combatants.† John Kerry also wants to the speed up immigration process. Last, John Kerry wants to reform domestic intelligence. John Kerry will make this country a better place.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  John Kerry says he will stop raising taxes.

PESTEL Analysis of K-Mart Essay

Understanding the general environment of a certain business requires knowledge regarding the key factors and trends in broader society. PESTEL Analysis gives a business the ability to break down the general environment into six different categories: Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental, and Legal. By analyzing and studying each area, a company can create a strategy that most benefits them. Sears and K-Mart are two retail businesses that can gain from understanding the general environment through PESTEL Analysis. They could use it bad. One way to take a step forward is by creating new innovative strategies and conducting a PESTEL analysis is a good place to start. The first step of PESTEL is to try to understand the political environment. Sears and K-Mart focus on what political factors might affect the way they conduct business and create strategies based on this information. Sears and K-Mart are a part of many companies owned by Sears Holdings Corporation. Sears Holdings Corporation engages in government and political affairs that will benefit them. They openly express interest in politics on their website, stating â€Å"In some jurisdictions, Sears Holdings is engaged in the political campaign process to help elect candidates of both major political parties who support the retail industry and believe in the free enterprise system.1† Engaging in the political arena helps a business like K-Mart understand political trends. Political factors that may be lobbied on by Sears and K-Mart are ones that involve tax policies, labor laws and tariffs. Sears Holdings Company would most likely back the candidate that most benefited them. In 2008 former CEO of Sears, Alan J. Lacy, was one of many retail executives who supported John McCain for President.2 Being open about political affiliations can possibly affect customer opinions. This may not have affected the customer base of Sears, but Sears believes that the Republican Party best helps them. Economic and Social conditions are two major areas that any retail company must focus on in order to create effective strategies. These two areas have can have tremendous affects on the success of retail companies. If the Economy is down then people don’t usually like to spend a lot of money, and this takes a toll on sales of retail businesses. In 2011 Sears and K-Mart closed over 100 stores in an effort to raise cash. According to an article in the Huffington Post, the â€Å"problem is the weak economy that is hurting virtually  all retailers that cater to low- and middle-income shoppers, who are being forced to cut back on spending.3† Today, Sears and K-Mart are being affected by the changing retail landscape, where shoppers are going online for convenience and finding better prices. In order to be successful Sears Holdings must try to get on top of this changing landscape before it passes them by. Social factors go hand in hand with economic factors. If the economy is doing well that does not immediately translate into a major boost in sales. Social factors, like perception, play a gigantic role in the success of today’s businesses because of the affects of social media and the internet. Social perception is an area Sears and K-Mart have been lacking in. Preschool teacher Sara Kriz expresses a view that captures the perception of K-Mart beautifully by saying, â€Å"It seems easier to go to Target and Wal-Mart to get the same thing at the same price,† adding â€Å"the stores are cleaner, and they’re better stocked.4† If Sears and K-Mart want to become more profitable and generate more sales then they must direct their attention to trying to change this negative view associated with their stores. Social media and internet give customers a platform to share their opinions and experiences with the whole world. If most experiences are negative, then the general consensus will be to shop at other places. Technology like the internet has brought about a lot of change and it is another area of the external environment that businesses must try to understand in order to gain a competitive edge. Technology is everywhere we look and its getting better and better. Technology has affected the way Sears and K-Mart strategized in the past. In an attempt to bridge digital and in-store shopping, Sears and K-Mart rolled out iPads and iPod touch devices to almost 450 stores around the country in October 2011.5 Kimberly Freely, spokeswoman for Sears, Chicago, explained the move: â€Å"We wanted to enhance the relationship between customers and associates and improve the overall shopping experience,† adding that, â€Å"it is part of our strategy to become more of an integrated retailer a nd combining the digital and retail formats within the company.† This goes to show the impact that technology is having on the retail market. Today Sears and K-Mart are still striving to incorporate advanced technology in order to improve. Environmental and Legal factors are the last two pieces of PESTEL analysis. Sears and Kmart have aligned their environmental goals with that of the general public.  Sears and Kmart realize promoting a clean environment can benefit both themselves and society as a whole. Many of the appliances Sears sells tout the label of being energy efficient. This reflects Sears and Kmarts efforts to educate customers about a variety of environmental issues, including carbon and energy management, waste reduction and recycling, and water and transportation management. On Sears Holdings Company’s webpage you can learn about all the steps it is taking to promote a clean and sustainable environment. By continuing to engage in this type of activity, Sears and Kmart demonstrate responsibility and a genuine care for protecting the environment. This can go a long way in terms of changing social perception of Sears and Kmart. The Legal aspect of the external environment plays an everyday role in the way Sears and Kmart do business. Sears and Kmart must follow strict legal guidelines covering accounting and reporting practices, antitrust laws, and bribery and corruption among others. Failing to stay within the boundaries of the law can be detrimental to any business. Sears addresses its willingness to comply with laws in the Corporate Governance section of its main website. It states that â€Å"Sears Holdings Corporation values honesty, integrity, and adherence to the highest ethical standards. As part of this commitment, SHC has instituted a series of policies and procedures to reaffirm its dedication to the highest ethical standards.6† Keeping a keen eye on the legal aspect of the external environment will allow Sears and Kmart to focus on its corporate strategy without unnecessary distractions. Understanding the general environment of a certain business requires knowledge regarding the key factors and trends in broader society. It is essential for a business to know the aspects of the external environment so that it can create and enforce an effective strategy. Performing a PESTEL Analysis is the first step in understanding the external environment. Sears and Kmart can greatly benefit from knowing what external factors impact business operations. SWOT Analysis is the next step in collecting information to help understand what capabilities Sears and Kmart should focus on. Works Cited 1 â€Å"Government Affairs.† Sears Holdings. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2014. . 2 Farfan, Barbara. â€Å"Democratic and Republican Parties Both Get Strong Support from Retailers.† About.com Retail Industry. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2014. . 3 Berman, Jillian. â€Å"Sears Kmart Stores Closing: At Least 100 Stores To Shut Down Retailer Says.† The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 27 Dec. 2011. Web. 17 Apr. 2014. 4 Berman, Jillian. â€Å"Sears Kmart Stores Closing: At Least 100 Stores To Shut Down Retailer Says.† The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 27 Dec. 2011. Web. 17 Apr. 2014. 5 Tode, Chantal. â€Å"Sears Puts IPads in Shopper Hands to Enhance In-store Shopping.Napean LLC, 17 Oct. 2011. Web. 17 Apr. 2014. 6 â€Å"Corporate Governance.† Sears Holdings Code of Conduct. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2014. .

Understanding the US Homeland Security

On June 2002, President George Bush proposed to create the Department of Homeland Security – a move considered to be the most significant transformation of the US government whereby a single department has been tasked to protect America’s homeland from terrorist attacks. As noted in the Department’s website, the vision of the organization is to preserve the freedom of the United States and its homeland. Its mission is to lead the unified national effort to secure America. It has aimed to prevent and deter terrorist attacks and protect against and respond to threats and hazards to the US. Furthermore, the organization has vowed, as part of its mission, to safe and secure borders, welcome lawful immigrants and visitors, and to promote the free flow of commerce. (US Department of Homeland Security website, 2002) The organizational structure of the Department of Homeland Security has several components which involve resources within Federal, state and local governments. The following are the directorates and their components: Directorate for Preparedness, Directorate for Science and Technology, Directorate for Management, Office of Intelligence and Analysis, Office of Operations Coordination, Directorate for Policy, Domestic Nuclear Detection Office. The Directorate for Preparedness works with state, local, and private sector partners to identify threats, determine vulnerabilities, and target resources where risk is greatest, thereby safeguarding our borders, seaports, bridges and highways, and critical information systems. The Office of the Directorate for Science and Technology is the primary research and development arm of the Department. Â  It provides Federal, state and local officials with the technology and capabilities to protect the homeland. The Directorate for Management is responsible for Department budgets and appropriations, expenditure of funds, accounting and finance, procurement; human resources, information technology systems, facilities and equipment, and the identification and tracking of performance measurements. Finally, the Directorate for Policy works to enhance the nuclear detection efforts of Federal, State, territorial, tribal, and local governments, and the private sector and to ensure a coordinated response to such threats. (US Department of Homeland Security website, 2002) Aside from the Offices of the Directorates, the US Homeland Department also has independent organizations including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Customs and Borders Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, Citizenship and Immigration Services, the US Coast Guard, and the US Secret Service. The functions and main responsibilities of these agencies are as follows: FEMA prepares the nation for hazards, manages Federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident, and administers the National Flood Insurance Program. TSA protects the nation's transportation systems to ensure freedom of movement for people and commerce. Customs and Borders Protection is responsible for protecting America’s borders in order to prevent terrorists and terrorist weapons from entering the United States, while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel. ICE is responsible for identifying and shutting down vulnerabilities in the nation’s border, economic, transportation and infrastructure security. Federal Law Enforcement Training Center provides career-long training to law enforcement professionals to help them fulfill their responsibilities safely and proficiently. Citizenship and Immigration Services is responsible for the administration of immigration and naturalization adjudication functions and establishing immigration services policies and priorities. The US Coast Guard protects the public, the environment, and U.S. economic interests—in the nation’s ports and waterways, along the coast, on international waters, or in any maritime region as required to support national security. (US Department of Homeland Security website, 2002) Conclusion and analysis The aftermath of 9/11 has made America more conscious of its homeland security. And rightfully, it is so. The loss of innocent lives and the repercussions it made to the economy of the United States will serve as a reminder that we have to be on vigilant on the evil motives of some countries. The current structure of the US Department of Homeland Security has so far proven itself effective in carrying out its primary task of protecting America and its citizens against any threat to the nation’s freedom and independence. After carefully identifying and studying the organization chart of the Department of Homeland Security, I am of the opinion that everything has been placed exactly where they should be. Obviously, the move to cluster all agencies related to security and the protection of America’s homeland was carefully thought out. So far, the issue on security and preparedness in terms of calamities, whether natural or otherwise, has been properly addressed by this Department. Since America has not yet experienced another 9/11, it would seem to me that the Department of Homeland Security has been doing its job perfectly. References: The US Department of Homeland Security [online] Available at: http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/ Cited on: April 30, 2006 The White House [online] Available at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/homeland/index.html Cited on: April 30, 2006 ;

Managing Capability

Outline the patterns of Amazon’s strategic evolution. Discuss Jeff Bezos’s role in this. Amazon. com is probably one of the most well-known on-line marketing hub nowadays. The primary strategy of the said online store is being directly connected with its customer. Since people who are using the internet are increasing, it is not hard to believe that Amazon. com found its niche in allowing online users to purchase products and services through their website. Amazon. com is also considered to be the starters in the utilization of Internet as a channel of business endeavors.Amazon. com was founded by its Chief Executive Officer named Jeff Bezos in the year 1994 (Barros et. al. 1). Bezos wants to open a store which is not akin to traditional retail stores. Basically, the good choice of purchasing platform is the Internet wherein many people are using. In Amazon. Com, the selling of books was being developed because of the unlimited amount of book titles and it is easy to de velop search methods and retrieval functions and systems. There are various advantages of an online store just like Amazon. com.These advantages include direct customer advantages and cost advantages. For direct customer advantages, there are many factors which contributed to the strategic evolution of Amazon. com. First, the business of Amazon is available for about twenty four hours paer day and seven days a week. This makes the online selling convenient for purchasers or buyers and advantageous for the company itself. Second, there is a virtual unlimited shelf space for the books which makes it easy to store book products and convenience for customers. The bulk of the books stored in amazon.com stores is four times larger compared to traditional book stores. In connection, the third strategy is that it is easy for customers to access search engines and retrieval systems developed by Amazon. com in finding books to buy which provides convenience and comfort for busy customers. In other words, search job is made easier due to the search scheme developed by Amazon. com. Fourth, Amazon. com also develop a scheme which includes a value-added content wherein experts provide books reviews and title recommendations which could help the customers decide on what to book to buy.And lastly, the company also exploited the advantages of sales and distribution of books in relation to global accessiblity worldwide. With respect to cost advantages in relation to the strategic evolution of Amazon. com, there are also factors that affects its fame in the online business industry. First, Amazon. com has a centralized and largely automated operations which made the business easier to manage. The supply chain is not complicated compared to traditional business models.And second, it cannot be denied that in online business, there is no need to prepare high investments and it is also not expensive in terms of real assets. Moreover, business analysts provided various reasons why th e company will continue to grow in the coming years. First, Amazon. com was able to develop itself as the leading online book seller in the Internet. The company also developed a brand extension plan which allows it to sell not only books but also CDs and videotapes.Besides, books ansd music sales has increased tremendously and predicted to increase more in the coming years. Amazon. com also tapped the most visited sites in the Internet which includes Excite, Geocities, AOL, Netscape, and Yahoo (Barros et. al. 1). And lastly, Amazon. com has built a database containing customer's information and patterns of purchasing their products in order to maximize sales. Bibliography Barros, L. et. al. (2009). Value of E-Commerce. [Internet]. Web. Mit. Edu. Available from: [Accessed 19 May].

Economic Policy and Vocational Training in the United Kingdom Essay

Economic Policy and Vocational Training in the United Kingdom - Essay Example In comparison to other countries in the European Union the United Kingdom lags in literacy and numeracy rates. At age 16 the 'staying on' rate for students transitioning into vocational education is below desired rates with the majority of students not 'staying on' being from poorer or minority families. The United Kingdom's attempt to change the course of decline in educational outcomes has met with limited success. The United Kingdom has made three major policy changes that should affect literacy rates and staying on rates. The U.K. has chosen to lengthen the compulsory education mandate from 5 to 16 to 5 to 18. The U.K. has also mandated a 'literacy hour' each day where students and teachers focus only on literacy education. The United Kingdom has also mandated that public schools follow the National Curriculum so that all students are educated using the same standards. The desired outcome of these changes are higher literacy rates, increased staying on rates, and standardization of curriculum across the U.K. The long term outcomes of policy changes would ideally give the United Kingdom a competitive advantage in the E.U. marketplace. If the United Kingdom continues with current trends businesses in the U.K. may look elsewhere in the E.U. for qualified workers thus taking business away from the U.K. The end of World War Two and the creation of the European Union have brought changes to how children are educated in the European Union. This paper examines those changes and evaluates current policies in place in the United Kingdom. For the purpose of this study three member states and their educational systems have been examined. The United Kingdom is the focus of this paper while data and educational programs in Germany and France have been examined for comparison. All three countries have compulsory education laws that require children attend school during certain years of childhood. All three have tracks that children can follow with some transitioning into vocational education while others transition into higher education (university study for example). And, all three are European Union member states. How these member states prepare their 'human capital' is important to the European Union as a whole. The move toward open borders, open markets, brings forth the need to have qualified workers in all sectors of the economy. It only makes sense to prepare future workers in the European Union in a similar way with those performing the same jobs having attained the same qualifications. This was not so important pre World War Two when each country had its own isolated economy. The completion of the Chunnel connecting France and England and the completion of the land bridge connecting Sweden and Denmark further opened borders to more commerce. Countries are responsible for preparing their 'human capital' to function (work) in the global market place. As the European Union moves closer to social and economic cohesion it is more important than ever for it is for workers to be trained or educated to function in this new marketplace. Human Capital Human capital is best understood as "the physical means of production" (Becker, G 1993). Investing in human capital is much the same as investing in equipment. The equipment desired to

Western European music Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Western European music - Assignment Example The compositions made during this time normally consisted of three or four movements, and all of them had their own particular features. Corelli took over the art of San Petronio directly whilst he was staying in Bologna for four years. The sonatas he wrote were for violin. Besides, he also wrote sonatas called sonate a tre (trio sonatas) which had two violins as well as organ for the church. There was also a violone, called a double bass in contemporary terms, or a harpsichord from the chamber. After the sonatas took place the development of concertos.Corelli himself wrote the first concerti grossitogether with Torelli. Vivaldi wrote the concertos later, one being The Four Seasons, composed in 1723. This is termed as Vivaldi’s best work and lies among the most famous Baroque music.The Four Seasonsis made up of four violin concertos and every concerto has a different texture, corresponding to the respective season.When Vivaldi wrote The Four Seasons there had not been the development of modern solo form of concerto. And thus, this composition had basically solo violin, string quartet and basso continuo which together defined it. Orchestral Suites were composed by Johann Sebastian Bach and are made up ofseveral compositions. These suites are also called overtures which are opening movementswherein there is a part of slow dotted note rhythm after which comes a fugue. The instruments used for thesecompositions were oboe, bassoon, violin, viola, and basso continuo. Through his orchestral suites Bach provided amazing pieces and these are great examples of the composer’s innovative mastery of the several types of dances which had been extremely famous in the European courts during the 18th century. Suite No. 1 is inC major. After the previous sequence ends and before this one begins there takes place kind of a quiet pause in the action. Pifa is known as the pastoral symphony and it allows for a quiet

Financial derivatives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Financial derivatives - Essay Example While common types of derivatives include assortment of financial contracts which are; Future contracts, options, deposits, forward contracts and swaps. However, derivatives are categorized into three main parts including financial instruments, equities (stocks and shares) and debt (mortgages and bonds). Foreign exchange risk is the risk embodied to earnings or capital arising from change of foreign exchange rates. Foreign exchange risk is related to cross- border investing and operating activities. Position-taking and Market-making in foreign currencies should be placed under price risk. Foreign exchange risk is also branded as translation risk. The risk ascends from holding accrual accounts with foreign denomination currency, including bonds, debts and deposits. This also embodies foreign currency denominated derivatives such as structured deposits, synthetic investments, structured notes, and off-balance-sheet derivatives used to mitigate accrual exposures (Shim & Siegel, 2008). Accounting conventions need periodic revaluation of these accounts at current exchange rates. Periodic revaluation decodes the foreign- denominated accounts into U.S. dollar currency. Banks should record these accrual-based products under appropriate systems that detect, calibrate, monitor, and regulate foreign exchange exposure. This may be useful to banks in managing Foreign exchange risk (Shim & Siegel, 2008). Financial derivatives are used either for management of risk i.e. hedging risk by provision of compensation in case of unwanted situation arbitrage between markets. Derivatives can be used for speculation purposes i.e. making financial bet. This difference is vital because risk management is a discreet aspect of financial management and operations for a lot of companies across different industries while speculation purpose offers managers and investors a risky chance to increase profit, which may not be revealed appropriately to