Super Retail Group Financial Report Analysis

This Report was commissioned on the request of the Board in relation to ACACIAS press release: '12-MURMUR ACACIAS areas of focus for 30 June 2012 financial report'. A review of the relevant disclosures made In Super Retail Group Lad's 2012 Annual Report is assessed against relevant polices that relate to element 8, estimates and accounting policy Judgments under ACACIAS press release.Executive Summary release: '12-MURMUR SAIS'S areas of focus for 30 June 2012 financial report'. A review of the relevant disclosures made in Super Retail Group Lad's 2012 Annual Report is assessed against relevant policies that relate to element 8, estimates and accounting policy Judgments under Sais's press release. The outline of SAAB standards 108 Presentation of Financial Position, CASABAS Impairment of Assets, SAAB'S 38 Intangible Assets and SAAB'S 37 Provisions, Contingent Liableness and Contingent Assets are disclosed.Super Retail Group (SIR) Lad's accounting practice is determined in regards to t he standards examined. From this analysis, differences can be determined in the ways SIR applies the relevant standards and the requirements of the standards in relation to estimates and Judgments. From this analysis, it is determined that SIR has failed to disclose any Judgments and certain estimates and assumptions that may affect significant amounts seen In the financial statement and the entities positions. Recommendations of refining the presentation of the disclosures and the ways in which it should be structured are outlined.ASIA has identified the need for disclosures within this area for users to assess the reported financial position, as entities did not make material disclosures of sources of estimation uncertainty and significant Judgment in applying accounting policies. An analysis of the relevant counting standard, ISOBAR in particular paragraph 17-124, Disclosure of Accounting Policies and paragraph 125-133, Sources of Estimation Uncertainty, CASABAS Impairment of Ass ets, CASABAS Intangible Assets and CASABAS Provisions, understand Grog's current accounting practices reflected in the 2012 Annual Report.A further discussion into the differences between the accounting standards used and its requirements and the application of them are examined. Through this, recommendations are then outlined into refining the gap between Grog's current accounting practices and the requirements of the standards. Relevant Accounting Standard The relevant accounting standard related to disclosures of sources of estimation uncertainty and Judgments can be found within ISOBAR Presentation of Financial Statements.Other key standards that are relevant to Grog's disclosure of assumptions, estimates and Judgments are SAAB'S 36 Impairment of Assets, SAAB'S 38 Intangible Assets and CASABAS Provisions, Contingent Liabilities and Contingent Assets. 2. 1 ISOBAR This standard outlines the presentation of financial statements for general purpose financial statements, in order to ensure that there is comparability between the entities reporting periods as well as between other industries reports. The standard discusses the minimum requirement for reporting content and guidelines for the structure in which it is to be set at.Paragraph 117-124 distinguishes the disclosure of accounting policies in relation to Judgment. Management's Judgment made in applying accounting policies that may have effected significant amounts found in financial statements and the financial position. Seen in paragraph 125-133 ‘Sources Of Estimation Uncertainty, it is vital that entities disclose the key assumptions made grading future prospects and other uncertain estimates that are used in identifying carrying amounts of assets and liabilities.Along side this, the nature and carrying amount must be disclosed at the reporting date. 2. 2 SAAB'S 36 Under SAAB'S 36 it is essential for assets to be tested for impairment when the carrying amount exceeds its recoverable amount. In und ertaking these annual proceedings, a number of related Judgment and estimated assumptions need to be encountered. There is a need for Judgment when determining cash-generating assets (Para's. 68). Paragraph 30-57 outlines the associated requirements for calculating value-in-use.Paragraph 30. A specifically identifies the need for an estimate of future cash flows that the entity expects to generate from the asset. These cash flow projections are outlined in paragraph 33. A, where it is based on reasonable and supportable assumptions made by management's estimates, re- stated further in paragraph 34, where this assumption is based on the difference between past cash flow predictions and actual cash flow amounts. These projections need to be consistent with previous projections.Paragraph 38 continues to detail the significance for management to use the appropriate assumption that would best fleet management's estimates of economic conditions that will continue throughout the assets use ful life. When calculating the value-in-use, there is a need to determine a discount rate and under paragraph 55 the rate is a pre-tax rate. Paragraph 126-137 states that entities should be encouraged to disclose the assumptions and various estimates taken in order to determine the CHUG recoverable amount during the period.Paragraph 134 requires that a disclosure of the group's key assumptions, description of managements approach to identifying these assumptions, the period future cash flow as well as the discount rate applied. . 3 SAAB'S 38 SAAB'S 38 details the accounting procedures applied for intangible assets that are not specified otherwise in other standards. This standard deals with a number of assumptions and estimates that are required when applying it.Paragraph 22 examines the need for entities to assess the prospect of anticipated future economic benefits using reasonable and supportive assumptions that will exist over the useful life of the asset. Paragraphs 33-41 ident ify the requirements regarding acquisitions as part of a business combination, these intangible assets must be recognized separately from goodwill. Paragraph 41 examines the principle of entities being allowed to use techniques that have been developed for estimating fair values. The standard requires certain disclosures outlined in paragraphs 118-128.These disclosures provided basis for understand of assumptions and estimates involved in determining: Finite or indefinite useful lives, amortization rates and the reasons for identifying an intangible asset having indefinite useful life Amortization methods used for definite lives The gross carrying amount for any accumulated amortization Reconciliation of the carrying amount at start and end of period Information grading any restrictions on the face of intangible assets or any assured as security for liabilities 2. CASABAS SAAB 137 outlines the accounting procedures for provisions, contingent liabilities and contingent assets. Under paragraph 36 the best estimate required to settle the present obligation at the end of the financial period is the amount recognized as a provision. This estimate discussed in paragraph 38 is determined by the Judgment of management and takes into account risk and uncertainties, the discounting of present value (discounting at a pre-tax rate) and future events that may affect present obligations.Further Judgment needed by management is necessary when dealing with risks and uncertainties in order to avoid overstating or understating accounting elements. When disclosing the application of this standard paragraph 84-92, in relation to Judgments and assumptions, an entity shall detail the major assumptions made relating to future events further addressed in paragraph 48 that is the description of future events that may affect the amount of the provisions likeliness to occur. In summary an entity shall disclose the reconciliation of the movements of each class of provision and detailed i nformation regarding the nature f the obligation.Under note 3 found in SIR Ltd 2012 Annual Report, three significant factors have been disclosed that may result in an alteration of future material adjustments due to estimates and assumptions (Refer to Appendix 1): I. Estimated impairment of goodwill I'. Estimated value of intangible assets relating to acquisitions iii. Estimated make good provisions The associated SAAB standard, previously discussed are SAAB'S 36 Impairment of Assets in relation to point I, SAAB'S 38 Intangible Assets corresponding to ii, and iii, is the reflection of CASABAS Provisions, Contingent Liabilities and Contingent Assets.Specific paragraphs have been discussed earlier in order to understand the Grog's accounting practices. 3. 1 Critical Accounting Estimates and Assumptions SIR Ltd applies SAAB'S 36, CASABAS and SAAB'S 38 regarding estimates and Judgment disclosures under ISOBAR paragraph 125-133 as discussed previously. Estimated impairment of goodwill de als with the application of SAAB'S 36 disclosed under note 1. 0. In applying SAAB'S 36. 68, SIR has classified the recoverable amounts for CHUG, which are determined based on the calculated value-in-use.The assumptions require the application of paragraph 134, outlining the assumptions under note 14. (Refer to Appendix 2). The growth rate and discount rate for each subsidiary and the period of which these assumptions are based on, that is a five-year period approved by the Board has been outlined. The assumptions disclosed regarding value-in-use is that budgeted gross margins are determined by past and expected future performance. There is consistency between the use of weighted average growth rates and forecasts included in industry reports.Disclosures of management's explanation as to why certain subsidiaries were not calculated using value-in-use is present. SIR Ltd has identified the intangible assets that undertook assumptions and estimates as brand names and supplier agreement s, as well as put options. The use of paragraph 41 has been performed by SIR Ltd in valuing brand names using the relief from royalty method and multi-period excess earnings method in valuing supplier agreements. In determining these calculations, assumptions are made by management.The value of put options has undertaken estimations. These three intangible assets were acquired as a business combination. SIR disclosures of the assumptions and estimates reflecting the application of SAAB'S 38. 18-128 are found under note 1 . Q. Iv-v (Refer to Appendix 3). Brand names are determined as indefinite, supplier agreements have a useful life of 20 years, and amortization is calculated in regards to the timing of projected cash flows over the estimated useful life. Reasons for specific brand names being classified as indefinite is outlined under note 14. . The key factors that management has taken in depicting brands useful life is also estimates in accounting for provisions for make good on the removal of leasehold improvements or return leasehold premises to the original state. The make good provision is recognized when SIR has a present obligation from the occurrence of past events. Leasehold improvement costs are capitalist and amortized over the useful life or the shorter of the period of the lease disclosed in note 18. C (Refer to Appendix 5). Note 1 . States that the amounts for provisions have been reliably estimated, and are not recognized for future operating losses (Refer to Appendix 6). Further disclosed under note 1 . Z, is Grog's application of make good costs. They are recognized as a provision at the beginning of the agreement and these estimated true payments are discounted using appropriate market yield at reporting date. (Refer to Appendix 7). 3. 3 Significant Judgment Significant Judgment is essential for SIR to disclose when applying the listed standards. There have been no Judgments disclosed under note 3.Accounting Standard Requirements The one si gnificant gap found between ISOBAR and the current practices of SIR Ltd is the failure of disclosing significant Judgment. ISOBAR . 122 details an entity should disclose a summary of the significant accounting policies of management Judgment's (apart from those of estimations) dad in applying the entity's accounting policies, which has affected significant amounts recognized in financial statements. SIR Ltd has failed to disclose a summary of Judgments made that may affect significant amounts on financial statements.However SIR has disclosed estimates and assumptions however certain areas are not successfully outlined. Assumptions are clearly outlined in the notes, however a detailed description and reasoning of managements approach to identifying these is not present. Management estimates relating to put options have not been clearly stated within the notes. The assumptions regarding the valuation ethos of brand names and supplier agreements have not been outlined (royalty method a nd multi-period excess earnings). ISOBAR . 125 has not been effectively applied in Grog's disclosure of assumptions.There is no information regarding the assumptions of future events. Assumptions and estimates overall have been disclosed, however briefly without detail, as required by ASIA. In order for SIR Ltd to comply with the standard of disclosures of estimates and judgments by which ASIA requires, certain adjustments for future disclosures are needed. The need for ease of locating information requires the implementation of fined structure essential. Under note 3, Critical accounting estimates and judgments, a clear distinction between estimates and Judgments is integral.A distinct need can be seen within note 3. A. I to ‘refer to note 14 for details'; and should be outlined in ii and iii. It is difficult to locate the relevant information regarding estimates value of intangible assets relating to acquisitions and estimated value of makes good provisions, however assumpti ons are still outlined throughout the notes despite a lack of clarity regarding referral to note 3. Any related estimates and judgments made by management need to be discussed under note 3, regarding the nature of the element relating to estimates or Judgment.The differences mentioned previously need to be refined; assumptions relating to the future events, estimates relating to put options and methods used to value brand names and supplier agreements need to be outlined. It is important for SIR to disclose all related information that may assist users in making economic decisions. Therefore it is essential for SIR to outline all assumptions, estimates and Judgments made that affect significant amounts within the financial statement and financial position.

Law Enforcement Agencies Essay

Identify three federal law enforcement agencies. Roles and responsibilities and comparison of local and state law enforcement duties, functions, and their two main differences. The duties, functions, and responsibilities of Local Law Enforcement agencies are as follows: They are required to arrest law violators, perform routine patrol, investigates crimes, enforce traffic laws (including parking violations), provide crowd and traffic control for example parades and other huge public events. Today they also have duties such as: Performing the duties of coroners, tax assessors, tax collectors, keepers of county jails, court attendants, and executors of criminal and civil processes, as well as law enforcement officers. The duties, functions, and responsibilities of State Police Agencies are as follows: patrol small towns and state highways, regulate traffic, and have the primary responsibility to enforce some state laws. They also carry out many duties for local police agencies, such as the managing of state training academies, criminal identification systems, and crime laboratories. Some of the differences between the state and the local police are as follows: State police cooperates with an assortment of law enforcement agencies such as local police, the highway patrol, and park or forest rangers. Really the differences between a sheriff and a police officer vary slightly from state to state, which sometimes lead to confusion. Three federal law enforcement agencies are: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Administration or Agency (DEA), and the Alcohol Tobacco Firearms (ATF). â€Å"The FBI is a threat-based, intelligence driven national security organization, their principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Justice and a full member of the U.S. Intelligence Community,†(FBI 2010). These agents are â€Å"dedicated men and women of the DEA are working hard to investigate and arrest the traffickers of the dangerous drugs.† These agents also help keep our schools and neighborhoods safe and secure. The â€Å"Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) seeks to reduce alcohol smuggling and contraband cigarette trafficking activity, divest criminal and terrorist organizations of monies derived from this illicit activity and significantly reduce tax revenue losses to the States,† (ATF 2010). These agents are also reducing violent crime, and enforcing the Federal explosives laws and regulations. These agents are working to enforce Federal firearms laws and regulations.  All these agents whether local, state or federal work together to protect the United Sates residents from all criminals activities.

Corporate Responsibility – Starbucks

How does Starbucks’ policy of corporate social responsibility impact the company’s bottom line? According to Porter and Kramer (2006), â€Å"Proponents of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), use four arguments, moral obligation, sustainability, license to operate, and reputation as justification for implementing CSR programs and practices (p. 3). Moral obligation is the duty to be a good citizen and do the right (socially responsible) thing. Sustainability requires responsibility managing both environmental and community needs, by meeting the needs of today without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.License to operate, every company needs permission from governments, communities and stakeholders to do business and reputation, to ones improve image, strength in brand, increase morale, and raise the value of stock (Porter, 2006). Based on the video â€Å"Starbucks Corporation: Serving more than coffee†, (McGraw Hill, 2011), Starb ucks follows the four Porter points quite closely, and these efforts have had a positive impact on the financial standing and public perception of the company.Starbucks spokesperson, Sue Mecklenberg states â€Å"Social responsibility is a boost to financial well being† (2011). Through the implementation of â€Å"Eco-efficiency†, the company is able to reduce waste and utility costs for water and gas. Additionally, Starbucks offers their employees, referred to as partners, good benefits that include health plans and stock options. These, in turn help to create partner loyalty to the company, leading to low turnover, which helps Starbucks to lower recruiting and training cost.Additionally, the Starbucks customer base appears to be motivated to frequent Starbucks based on their CSR, and also helps to attract socially conscious investors. Corporate social responsibility is also a valuable tool to report and communicate back to company stake holders, what the company is doi ng, and provides accountability by which metrics can be used to measure and monitor progress on these fronts. As Starbucks continues its global expansion, what must it do to ensure that the company maintains its socially conscious focus?Corporate social responsibility encompasses all aspects of the business provides a view into the heart of an organization. In referring to CSR, Sue Mecklenberg quotes the Starbucks CEO as saying, â€Å"We need to hit numbers and live values†, because CRS is no long simply writing a check to a foundation (McGraw Hill, 2011). To effectively maintain the CSR commitment, Starbucks must continue to evolve and improve partner and customer satisfaction, while aligning the business with the mission and guiding principles.This is evident in the way Starbucks encourages and supports those partners who contribution to non-profit organizations, such as â€Å"Make Your Mark†, where Starbucks contributes ten dollars per hour, per hour volunteered by a Starbucks partner. Additionally, on a global scale, Starbucks assures coffee farmers get fair wages, fair prices and maintain good social conditions for their employees. Schools and hospitals are funded for coffee producers who meet social and environmental criteria.In an effort to further monitor vendors, Starbuck is working to develop â€Å"real-time† updates of supply chain information, as well as an information pipeline for awareness and to manage social conditions at the vendors level (McGraw Hill, 2011). As Starbucks expands globally, management must continue to do the things they do so well with the current CRS program. However, to ensure the same responsibility as the company expands, it must have continuous improvement plan in place that is forward looking for both new ways to benefit employees, business partners, community and nations in which it does business.References Porter, M. E. , & Kramer, M. R. (2006). The link between competitive advantage and corporate s ocial responsibility. Harvard business review, 84(12), 78-92. McGraw Hill (2011). Starbucks Corporation: Serving more than coffee [Video recording] Retrieved October from 30, 2012 from https://blackboard. cmich. edu/webapps/portal/frameset. jsp? tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_58229_1%26url%3D

Introduction to Communications. Major essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Introduction to Communications. Major - Essay Example At start the film industry of Canada was in great slumber and there was no orientation and direction for the establishment of the film industry in the future. All the course of direction was dependent upon the American film industry. The paper will excessively look upon the historical evolution and galvanization of Canadian feature film industry and what were the main problems that were faced by the film makers and how they managed to solve these problems in order to cope up with the emerging trends of the global film and motion arts industry (Pratley, 2003). The early problems of Canadian feature film industry were really immense because there was absolutely no infra structure and the moving showmen always had to buy the film making equipments, pictures and reelers in order to carry on their business. Most of the picture ideas, equipments and production team consultancy were taken from France, America and Britain (Hoskins et al, 1996). The expansion of the single film reelers also started at that time and the monopoly factor was started to take effect because there was no competitive environment in the Canadian film industry. Producers were not able to supply the demanded number of films and that is the sole reason behind the rental film that was the main centric attraction in the Canadian film industry. The revolutionary event took place when a moving show man names John Schuberg was single film Reeler in 1902 at Los Angeles and proposed to establish a permanent electric theatre in Canada in order to promote the performing arts and fil m industry in Canada and deplete the dependency on the American film industry. As a result the electric theatre was established in Vancouver and people were really attracted towards this new entertainment outlet. Mount Peele in eruption and the Great Train Robbery were on the pioneer films that triggered the Canadian film industry Gala at this first electric theatre. The

Discuss the impact and possible effects of witnessing domestic Essay

Discuss the impact and possible effects of witnessing domestic violence as a child. Use psychological theory to explain your answer - Essay Example estimated that an alarming 41.5 per cent of women in society have been physically assaulted (Buzawa, Buzawa and Stark, 2012).Furthermore, domestic violence is not, however, just a phenomenon impacting women. Evidently, approximately 40 per cent of all domestic violence victims in the United Kingdom were men between 2004 and 2009, according to the British Crime Survey (Campbell, 2010).Notably, an international study involving a recruited sample of, 1,393 adolescents indicated that prevalence of domestic violence was an element of lifestyle. Evidently, with 67 per cent of respondents indicating experience with some form of symbolic parental aggression, in other words, symbolic aggression entails the use of vulgar language when referring to the child, disorderliness of the parent as a result of excessive consumption of alcohol among other factors. (Lepisto et al., 2011). Consequently, understanding the potential impact and effects of domestic violence on children is important as it has become a pervasive social problem. In fact, this essay seeks to highlight some of the causes of domestic violence in a bid to relate it to the growth and development of adolescents. Therefore, knowledge in this area will serve to improve the manner in which children are raised appropriately in the society On the contrary, there are compelling long-term psychological implications for victims who are harassed in an environment where domestic violence is prevalent. Fear, anxiety, depression, nightmares and even post-traumatic stress disorder are common psychological problems that occur as a result of being victimized domestically (Henslin, 2005). However, of much greater concern is the impact on children who have been witness to domestic violence. In fact, a study conducted by Adverse Childhood Experiences revealed that children who are regularly exposed to domestic violence were at a much higher risk for development of physical health issues, mental and behavioural problems, social

Airline industry Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Airline industry - Coursework Example During off season the supply of air travel exceeds its demand. The airline industry has many positive effects over the economy. Airlines provide a fast and safe transportation method that allows humans to travel long distances in short periods of time. This method of transportation is perfectly suited to serve the needs of tourist. The tourism revenues of countries depend on the ability of airlines to bring tourist into their country. There are millions tourist coming into the United States every year. These tourists help the economy by spending money in the consumer markets. Another way the airline industry helps the economy is by carrying merchandise from one location to another. The international trade system depends on the airline industry to transport goods between countries. The airline industry also positively impacts the economy by generating thousands of jobs. The billions of dollars generated in revenues by the industry pay income taxes to local governments. The labor marke t for the airline industry is composed of different positions including pilots, stewardess, maintenance crew, security crew, engineers, ticket sales representatives, and management. The most important position in the airline industry is the pilots.

Personal Action Plan Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Action Plan - Personal Statement Example The first thing scholars need to know how to do is an effective library and/or internet search. Before a search can be started the student needs to choose keywords which will narrow down the search criteria. For example, if a student is considering doing a paper on the Civil War and reconstruction then those would be your keywords. However, if you are given a broad subject area then you will need to narrow down your search. For example, you need to write a 10 page research paper in American History to 1877. That includes a large number of topics. During the course of the class you are drawn to the Jacksonian Era, so you decide to write a paper about Andrew Jackson. Next you need to narrow down even more because Andrew Jackson is just too big of a topic for a 10 page paper. So you decide to do your paper on his term as the President. That narrows down your time frame to just eight years, manageable but still too big for your assignment. Next decide on what aspect of Andrew Jackson Pre sidency you are going to focus on. You find yourself interested in the Nullification Crisis that involved South Carolina. Now you have a reasonable size topic for a paper and your keywords would be: Andrew Jackson, Nullification, and South Carolina. These keywords allow a student to perform an effective library and/or internet search. ... All students should know and understand the definition of plagiarism. My definition of plagiarism is using somebody else's ideas or words in your own paper without giving them proper credit. An example of a plagiarized quote would be if you were to use a direct quote without offsetting it with quotation marks and not giving the original author credit. Another thing that you cannot do is just replace two or three words and call that a paraphrase. The safest thing to do is to summarize an author's main point in your own words. Another area of upholding academic honesty is to not cheat. This means that you personally will not cheat on papers or test. Yet, it also means that if you find another student cheating you have a responsibility to report him or her. My personal action plan for upholding academic honesty is to follow all posted school rules regarding academic honesty. Developing effective study skills consists of finding what works for you and using it to the best advantage possible. The most important elements of effective studying are lecture notes, reading notes, place, and time. The lecture notes are important because they tell you information that will be on the test. Lecture notes should be read immediately after the lecture and again in preparation for any test, at a minimum. Reading notes are notes taken while you are reading your textbooks. Some classes use regular text books and other classes will use novels, fiction and nonfiction, so you need to learn how to take notes on booth types of books. The place you study is important also. It should be a quite place where you will not be interrupted by friends and family. It should be comfortable but not so comfortable you fall asleep. It

An analysis of a current product portfolio and recommendation of a new Essay

An analysis of a current product portfolio and recommendation of a new product for the UK market, taking into account the market - Essay Example Historically, company was given a royal warrant by Queen Victoria and also declared it as the official manufacturer of cocoa products for the monarch. Later in 1861, the business was taken over by John’s son due to his deteriorating health condition. Subsequently, the company started innovating newer products such as the milk chocolates made up of dried milk powder, sugar, cocoa solids and cocoa butter. The company increased its product portfolio primarily to compete with the leading Swiss milk chocolates in the market (Poulter, 2013). Even though Cadbury has a diversified product portfolio but its ultimate production has always been the chocolates and cocoa products. Their product range comprises from varieties of chocolates in the form of Christmas treats, bars and boxes to the drinking chocolate. The company also specializes on the products made up of vegetarian ingredients (Cadbury, n.d). The vegetarian products are free from the meat based items and are preferable by most of the customers who share vegetarian eating habit. This report focuses on the product portfolio of the company and makes recommendations for the launch of a new product after considering the factors such as market opportunities, marketplace scenario and completion associated with the UK market. Current Product Portfolio Cadbury possesses a wide range of product portfolio among which the major products include Dairy Milk, Milk Tray, Flake, Creme Egg and Roses (Woodgrange Technologies Ltd, 2012). Initially, the company started its operation with as a small chocolate selling business but later after the 100 years of its business, the company entails under its umbrella wide variety of products. If the history of the products is to be reviewed, then it can be observed that all the products were developed by the company primarily during the year 1905- 1938. The company has constantly been involved in adding products under its umbrella in order to strengthen its product portfolio [Dairy Milk in 1905, Milk Tray in 1915, Flake in 1920, Creme Egg in 1923 and Roses in 1938] (Macmillan Publishers Limited, 2013). The company has also diversified its product portfolio from chocolate related brands to many other stronger brands such as Bourneville, Green & Black’s and Jaffa along with other categories of chewing gums and candies which has proven to strengthening its product portfolio to a considerable extent. Cadbury has been focusing on the expansion of the products to make its market stronger and also with an intention of providing its customers with the best products. It is worth mentioning that Dairy Milk is the most preferred and popular brand of chocolate among the people almost all over the world. It was launched in the year 1905 with an intention of expanding its business. Notably, the products were produced by the company with lower costs within the intention to capture the customer’s interest along with earning substantial profit for their sale. . T he company has been manufacturing the products which are enjoyed by people of all age (Macmillan Publishers Limited, 2013). Targeted Audiences The targeted audiences for Cadbury include people from all age group. Almost all the people including children and adult are very

MICRO PORTFOLIO TASK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

MICRO PORTFOLIO TASK - Essay Example The six large producers have equal share of market demand and they have successfully threatened the entry of other firms in the industry. According to the viewpoint of the researcher, the firms in the above market are in an Oligopolistic market structure. In this type of a market structure, there are two to ten sellers in the industry. The price and output decisions undertaken by each firm is on the basis of strategic behaviour. In this type of a market structure, each of the above six firms have the power to influence the market demand. This means that each firm undertakes the decision about the prices and the quantity of output to be produced on the basis of the assumption of the business decisions undertaken by the other potential rivals in the market. However, it would be interesting to note that degree competition in the above mentioned Oligopolistic market is zero. The six large firms in the above case are enjoying equal market share and hence, equal profit. This means that the firms have undertaken the decision of Cartel in the Oligopolistic market structure. ... However, on the whole, the market demand curve is downward (Manne, 2012). Figure 1: Profit of Each Firm (Source: McEachern, 2012) The above graph shows the equal profit shared by each of the firm. Cartel in the Oligopolistic market structure which occurs when the nature of the product sold by each of the firm is less differentiated. In the above case, all the firms are engaged in the production of less differentiated cereals. The Herfindahl index is the index that measures the size of each of the firms in a particular industry and comments on the level of existing competition in there. It is calculated by the sum of the squares of the market shares by each of the firm in the industry. An increase in the value of the index indicates a fall in the level of competition on the industry and a rise in the level of market power. The value of Herfindahl index for the above concerned case: Where, N= number of firms on total. So, i = 1 to 16 (6 large and 10 small). S =market share of each firm . H= (0.152+0.152+0.152+0.152+0.152+0.152) + (0.012+0.012+0.012+0.012+0.012+0.012+0.012+0.012+0.012+0.012) = 0.136 (13.6%) The value of the Herfindahl index for the above market (13.6) indicates a high degree of market concentration among the six large firms. Under such a situation if the market shares of any of the six large firms decrease or increase then the value of the index would be increasing substantially. This is the reason for which the firms in the industry have adopted the decision of Cartel in the market (Riley, 2012). (c) It has been analyzed that the level of concentration among the firms in the above industry is high. Only six firms in the industry have occupied about 90% of the aggregate market share. On

Development & Implications of a Green Road Infrastructure Dissertation

Development & Implications of a Green Road Infrastructure - Dissertation Example Evidently, the technique presents requisite incentives that enhance trade and social integration that is essential for growth. It holds relevance especially in the current century where most nations are facing severe economic complications that hamper funding of road construction. It presents the application of re-usable and permeable materials that are less costly compared to ancient materials. The concept requires innovative and creative mindset to ensure its holistic integration with an aim of achieving its intended objectives. The green concept applies permeable materials, the road under layers and air purifiers that are critical. Technical elements that are vital in green highway development to ensure its conformance to set specifications are also analyzed. The elements entail development of porous pavements that facilitate the efficient flow of water to eliminate degradation of road networks. Application of environmentally friendly concrete, vegetation buffer and advancement of stream restoration systems also forms its credible elements. The elements are imperative in ensuring construction of sound infrastructural systems. Clearly, engineers should consider these elements including formulation of a superior plan of activities and project’s design to ensure sustainability. Consequently, various case studies of green road infrastructure in India, Canada, and Japan are contained in the study. The countries operate under superior road network system the embraces green technology. The technology has ensured improved performance economically and development of roads that are sustainable and easy to maintain. The paper adopted purposive research methodology where the use of electronic sources, case studies and questionnaires was adopted to facilitate in-depth study based on the topic to aid realization of its intended objective. The technique enabled application of relevant data gathering techniques that are relevant to achieving a purposive aspect of the study. Introduction Green energy is a concept that is gaining prominence in the world as it holds basic incentives to transform economic and environmental settings in diverse nations. Clearly, the idea facilitates the adoption of cost-effective energy systems and infrastructural development that are sustainable. Its sustainability nature has enabled most leaders to formulate potential strategies to adopt its use holistically. There are several challenges that are influencing the construction of infrastructural systems especially roads in various countries that require an amicable solution. This has led to powerful deliberations among stakeholders with an aim of ascertaining the root causes of infrastructure degradation and formulation of relevant solutions to avert possible dilapidation of the basic element. It is crucial for nations to construct infrastructural setups that are fiscally viable and friendly.

Women and Mothers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Women and Mothers - Essay Example his depicts mothers’ role as key advisors in their respective families, mostly comprised of instructing children on varied aspects that pertain to both moral and spiritual conduct. Therefore, it was the mandate of Carolingian women to instill both spiritual and societal morals among their children via emphasizing on the essence of God’s reverence in their lives. In Carolingian family, mother’s key role encompassed instructing children according to scriptural precepts. This was to ensure they embraced pious life while still young besides attaining other essential societal morals meant to help them succeed in their entire lives. Hence, ensure societal harmony and decency (Dhuoda 10). The entire book comprises almost of one persona, which is the mother who goes to the extent of elaborating what she says to her son. This is to ensure while William is young, understands well everything regarding earthly life besides benefits attached to being humble, respecting, obedient and Godly (Dhuoda 22). For instance, Dhuoda instructs William saying, If you love God with all your heart and study carefully the volumes of His scriptures in the Old and New Testaments, and if you do this reading with appropriate concentration, then the spirit of wisdom will come to rest upon you1. In addition, besides mothers instructing young ones to embrace piety, they emphasized the essence of children respecting their fathers (Dhuoda 22). This is via using examples from the Holy Scriptures that feature varied old patriarchs or saints who choose the same path and became successful, for instance, Isaac (Dhuoda 24). However, emphasis for mothers’ respect is not as per fathers’ in the entire book but calls for parents’ general obedience by their children. Hence, confirming the mothers’ role of instilling morals among their young children. This is also noticeable in the entire book, whereby there is no father’s intervention either in suggesting or indulging themselves with close

Factors affecting intellectual development Essay Example for Free

Factors affecting intellectual development Essay -Whichever has a bigger influence remains a debate until now because some studies proved that heredity has a bigger influence on intelligence while some studies showed the opposite. The important point is that the interplay of both heredity and environment is essential for maximum development of the intellectual abilities of the individual. Other factors affecting Intelligence: 1. Culture Different cultures foster different patterns of ability. For instance, students from Sri Lanka showed higher score in verbal ability than the Americans. -This can be explained by the fact that in Sri Lanka, the philosophers and the poets were admired rather than the scientists or engineers. 2. Sex It is not true that males are more intelligent than females. However, studies show that boys excel girls in spatial ability, in problem solving, and numerical ability whereas girls excel boys in memory, reasoning, and fluency. -The difference is not due to solve problems since they will be the heads of the families. Girls have been trained to do light work since they will be the homemakers, anyway. 3. Health Studies have shown that high IQ goes with healthy condition of the body. -In school; healthy children have better chances of learning, they can concentrate better in their studies and they are often active and enthusiastic about classroom activities. 4. Race No one race is endowed with better intelligence than others. -Differences in achievement of races are due to better opportunities and facilities found in developed countries. 5. Socio-economic status Studies have shown that children from higher socio-economic scored higher in  intelligence tests. -Again, greater opportunities and money account for this. The rich can send their children to better schools and can provide stimulating environment to their children. However, there are geniuses and idiots among them as there are among the poor.

Effect of North Korea on Peace and Security

Effect of North Korea on Peace and Security North Korea and North East Asian Peace and Security Current security issues in North East Asia, raised by North Korea Nuclear Test. Please examine how far North Korea can affect the peace and stability in Northeast Asia and how other countries such as America, Japan, China, and Russia react on this issue. And lastly, How to solve this security issues permanently and increases future stability in the area? Contents (Jump to) Abstract Introduction Chapter One North Korean defence and foreign policy misrepresented or a threat to peace and security? Chapter Two – Containing the North Korean threat to peace and security in the North East Asia Region Conclusions Bibliography Abstract The following dissertation will discuss and evaluate North Korea’s influence and effect upon peace and security within the North East Asia region. This dissertation will evaluate North Korea’s relationships with other countries in the North East Asia region such as South Korea, Japan, and China. Countries from outside the immediate North East Asia region like the United States, Russia (as the largest successor state of the Soviet Union) and to a lesser extent Britain and France also have an interest in the North East Asia Region. All these countries have an interest in preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons and nuclear tests. For instance these countries must consider how the actions or the potential actions of the North Korean government are able to influence or effect peace and security within the North East Asia region. Non-governmental organisations like the United Nations and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), as well as the International Atomic Energy Authority (IAEA) have taken a great deal of interest in how North Korea effects the peace and security of its immediately neighbouring countries. These organisations are taking North Korea’s nuclear programme as well as its ballistic missile capacity into account when they regard the North Korean threat to peace and security going beyond the confines of the North East Asia region itself. This dissertation will evaluate the development and changes in North Korean government policies that have influenced and arguably threatened peace and security of the North East Asia region from Korea’s initial division at the end of the Second World War through to the present day. North Korea has been regarded as a threat to the peace and security of the North East Asia region ever since Pyongyang’s decision to invade South Korea provoked the Korean War of 1950 to 1953. The Korean War as will be discussed set the mould for North Korean defence and foreign policies, whilst ensuring the importance of the relationship with China and Russia. The North Korean regime, as will be shown, has been very reluctant to embrace and adopt any kind of economic or political reforms, preferring to use its scant resources on maintaining and expanding its military capacity. It is also continuing its nuclear weapons programme, long drawn talks having yet to result in effective nuclear disa rmament, and thus undermining peace and security within the North East Asia region, and when issues of nuclear proliferation are concerned outside that region. Finally the following will explore whether there are any ways in which North Korea can finally become a country that its neighbours in the North East Asia region could trust and believe will not threaten their common peace and stability rather than a country that they mistrust. The United Nations is an organisation that could offer the North Korean assistance to overcome its failed economy in return for the ending of North Korea’s nuclear programme and potentially aggressive foreign policy. The main onus for international efforts to contain North Korean nuclear weapons development has been by the United States, China, Japan, Russia, and South Korea. The prospects for the international community being able to monitor and eventually close down North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme, dismantling any weapons already constructed will also be discussed and evaluated. Introduction Korea has a long history of being a definable and separate nation state, although it was for many centuries subject to Chinese and later Japanese control (Lenman, 2004, p.450). Japanese control of Korea was ended by its defeat in the Second World War, which would inadvertently lead to the partition of Korea (Whitaker’s, 2007, p.892). The division of Korea was caused by the way that the Allied powers liberated the country from Japanese occupation, United States troops cleared the south, with the Soviet Union being responsible for clearing the north. This was intended to be a temporary division along the 38th parallel that would provoke the hottest conflict of the Cold War, as well as creating a dispute that continues to destabilise the peace and the security of the North East Asia region. As with the division of Vietnam the division was purely carried out as a reflection of the distribution of American and Soviet armed forces at the time of the Japanese surrender in September 1 945 (Gaddis, 2005, p.41). It was Kim Il Sung who had previously fought the Japanese for many years that emerged as North Korea’s first political leader, and he would be the man most responsible for his country’s attempt to re-unite Korea by force. Kim Il Sung was also responsible for North Korea’s subsequently militant defence and foreign policies that has remained stridently anti-Western, militaristic, and potentially aggressive towards its immediate neighbours in the North East Asia region ever since. It was Kim Il Sung that decided to re-unite Korea by force, after his realisation that diplomacy would not bring about such a re-unification led to the plan to invade South Korea, although he seems to have pre-empted similar plans that the South Koreans had hoped to implement. Kim Il Sung went ahead with that invasion with the approval of the Soviet Union and China, and the apparent indifference of the United States, which had already withdrawn its military garrisons from South Korea durin g 1949. However, the North Korean invasion which, was launched in June 1950 persuaded the United States to lead the United Nation’s forces into defending South Korea and driving the North Koreans back across the 38th parallel. The United States had been able to take advantage of the Soviet Union’s representative not been at the United Nations due to the Soviet decision to boycott the organisation due to Communist China being excluded from the Security Council (Evans Newnham, 1998, p. 293). The United States decision to intervene in the Korean War started its long -standing military alliance with South Korea to guarantee South Korean security from the continued threat of North Korean aggression. The Korean War itself would drag on for three years with the North Koreans having to rely on large-scale Chinese military intervention and covert air support from the Soviet Union. North Korea only survived after the American led United Nations forces had captured the majority of North Korean territory due to Mao Zedong sending in the Chinese army. The conflict could have escalated, due to the involvement of Soviet aircraft that could have provoked a war between the superpowers yet both Moscow and Washington did not want an all out war to start due to the Korean War (Hobsbawm, 1994 p. 228). After the Korean War the prospects for Korean re-unification seemed to be remote, with the two Korean states being integrated into the alliance systems of the Soviet Union and the United States respectively. North Korea was therefore firmly in the communist camp, and initially enjoyed strong and productive political, economic and military relationships with both China and the Soviet Union. South Korea was a willing member of the United States alliance system and received substantial monetary and military backing from the United States, and later significant economic investment from Japan that would make it wealthier than North Korea. The United States government was not bothered by the Seoul’s regime lack of democratic practices just as long as it remained fervently anti-Communist (Hobsbawm, 1994 p. 228). Kim Il Sung’s North Korean regime was in contrast avowedly Marxist-Leninist in ideological outlook, whilst trying to create a strong sense of North Korean nationalism that was decidedly anti-American and increasingly isolationist in perspective (Heywood, 2003 p. 179). The Korean War meant that neighbouring countries such as South Korea, Japan, and China kept an interest in political and diplomatic developments that involved North Korea, the former as potential enemies, the latter originally as an ally. The balance of power during the Cold War meant that North Korea could only pose a threat to the peace and security of the North East Asia region if that suited the Soviet Union, and to a lesser extent China. The Kremlin to a large extent kept the regime in Pyongyang in check, not wishing to provoke further conflict, and realising that the United States would not tolerate North Korea attempting to invade South Korea again, or indeed developing its own nuclear weapons. On the other hand the Soviet Union exported missile and nuclear technologies to North Korea as part of its military and economic aid packages to the Pyongyang regime (Gaddis, 2005 p. 6 0). The fighting during the Korean War was heavy, the agricultural sector being particularly adversely affected, and the war had devastated North Korea’s economy. American bombing had also heavily damaged the North Korean capital city, Pyongyang. The number of North Korean fatalities, 419,000 was testimony to the high human costs of the conflict, with around 3 million people dying during its course (Castleden, 2005, p.299). The scale of destruction did not prevent a strong economic revival and rapid industrialisation, although most of those improvements were brought about by considerable amounts of help from China and the Soviet Union (Castleden, 2005, p.300). Large-scale industrialisation in North Korea would therefore have undoubtedly been much harder to achieve without that substantial aid that North Korea received from China and the Soviet Union. The Soviet decision to export nuclear technology to North Korea, for the non-military use of generating electricity would later allo w Pyongyang the opportunity to start its own nuclear weapons programme. That would have been unthinkable at the height of the Cold War, as neither the Soviet Union nor the United States would allow any of their satellite states to disturb the nuclear power balance between them. However, once the North Korean regime believed that the Soviet Union and China would no longer offer North Korea any meaningful kind or level of protection that is indeed precisely what the North Korean regime decided to do (Lenman, 2004, p.451). North Korea would continue to operate a planned economy even though that would eventually fail to adequately support its military build up and its civilian population. The North Korean government opted to keep its military infrastructure expanding rather than attempt economic reforms or adequately providing for its people (Heywood, 2003 p.137). The Soviet Union would have certainly disapproved of North Korean plans to develop its own nuclear weapons, yet the Soviet U nion’s influence upon North Korean military and defence policies had waned long before its own disintegration in 1991 (Gaddis, 2005, p.264). North Korea arguably became a threat to the peace and stability of the North East Asia region due to the nature and character of its hard line Stalinist regime. Kim Il Sung was a Marxist dictator in the mode of Joseph Stalin and Mao Zedong. However for the majority of the Cold War period the North Korean threat was seen to be much less pronounced to the non-communist parts of the North East Asia region than the more obvious threats of the Soviet Union and China (Gaddis, 2005, p.60). Kim Il Sung’s craving for power meant that North Korea dedicated and continues to dedicate a large percentage of its national budget and resources towards internal repression and building up its military strength to threaten the other countries of the North East Asia region. However, North Korea’s conventional weapons would not be enough to successfully invade South Korea whilst the United States continues to offer full protection against such attacks, even if their purchase had almost bankr upted the Pyongyang regime (Castleden, 2005, p.303). Despite the faltering of the North Korean economy in the last two decades or so, Pyongyang seems to be more interested in threatening South Korea and Japan with nuclear weapons and ballistic weapons than feeding its own population. Although North Korea should be wary of what happened to its erstwhile ally, the Soviet Union whose excessive and unsustainable military expenditure played a major part in its eventual collapse (Tipton, 1998, p.434). However, although the North Korean regime decided to start its nuclear weapons programme that decision violated North Korea’s formal and legal pledges not to proliferate its own nuclear weapons. North Korea had signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and had joined the IAEA, which meant that it was not supposed to start its own nuclear weapons programme at all (Evans Newnham, 1998 p. 68). For the North Koreans there were other examples of small and large sized states that had already broken their promises and legal commitments not to develop their own nuclear weapons. Those states nuclear weapons programme with varying degrees of reaction from the official nuclear powers of the United States, the Soviet Union, Britain, China, and France. Countries such as Israel, India, and Pakistan have gone on to successfully acquire their own nuclear weapons with little or no action been taken against them to make them give up those devices. The North Korean regime understood that it c ould develop nuclear weapons with the possiblity that the United Nations and the leading powers would not be able to take any effective action to take those weapons off North Korea (Fukuyama, 2006 p. 80). Chapter One North Korean defence and foreign policy misrepresented or a threat to peace and security? Since the foundation of North Korea as a separate nation state its defence and foreign policies have been geared towards the re-unification of Korea on Pyongyang’s terms, rather than South Korea’s terms (Rayner Stanley, 2006, p.234). As far as the North Korean regime of Kim Il Sung was concerned the re-unification of Korea was not an issue that should concern any other countries apart from North and South Korea themselves. It was the context of the Cold War that complicated the strategic, military and diplomatic situation concerning the dispute between North and South Korea about which country should over power the other to dominate a re-unified Korean state. In military terms North Korea is the strongest, in economic terms South Korea is the strongest (Tipton, 1998, 434). On the one hand the assistance of China and the Soviet Union was useful for the economic development of North Korea and also as a means of building up the country’s military power. On the othe r hand the Cold War meant that the United States was more alert about the need to protect the countries in the North East Asia region that were opposed to communism, like Japan, South Korea and South Vietnam (Gaddis, 2005, p.60). The Cold War meant that the United States was unwilling to allow any more parts of North East Asia to fall under communist rule. After all the presence of United States forces in Japan had allowed the United Nations forces to resist Kim Il Sung’s invasion of South Korea. North Vietnam would eventually overcome South Vietnam despite the best efforts of the United States, yet the terrain of Vietnam was different from that of Korea and the North Vietnamese had better military tactics than the North Koreans (Hobsbawm, 1994, p.228). Whilst the Cold War continued, North Korea was not seen as the main threat to peace and security in the North East Asia region, superpower rivalry meant that the Soviet Union and the United States mistrusted each other more th an they mistrusted any other state. China would also emerge as a major power within the region, one that eventually took independent policy decisions from those of the Soviet Union. The United States government however, remains wary of North Korea’s intentions towards the rest of the North East Asia region (Gaddis, 2005, p.61). The peace and security of the North East Asia region altered during the 1960s, not as a result of changes in the Cold War, but as a result of alterations in the relationship between North Korea, China, and the Soviet Union. The regime of Kim Il Sung had not wished for North Korea to be reliant upon either China or the Soviet Union as soon as the country had recovered from the Korean War and had become economically self sufficient. By the mid 1960s the North Korean regime believed that it become self-sufficient and no longer such high levels of aid from China or the Soviet Union. Kim Il Sung wanted to maintain military links with China and the Soviet Union, yet did not wish for North Korea to be a mere client state of Beijing or Moscow. North Korea was not going to be like the majority of communist states in Central and Eastern Europe were in relation to the Soviet Union. Although of course the North Koreans did not have to worry about invasion by the Soviet Union if it took much of a n independent from Soviet policy (Castleden, 2005, p.301). North Korea’s military power was originally reliant upon Chinese and Soviet built equipment and the regime could not afford weapons from any other countries outside of the communist bloc (Gaddis, 2005, p.61). Under Kim Il Sung’s leadership North Korea could not get away from its close economic links with the Soviet Union until the latter’s collapse in 1991, which in turn would have very detrimental affects upon North Korea (Watson, 1997, p.246). The strong relationship between China and the Soviet Union declined dramatically towards the end of the 1960s resulting in border clashes between the two states. The break down in the relationship between China and the Soviet Union meant North Korea’s most powerful allies would spend more time arguing with each other than the United States. Pyongyang did not back either state publicly although Kim Il Sung regarded the Soviet Union as a more reliable ally, and unlike Beijing, Moscow did not occasionally make insulting comments about the North Korean leader (Watson, 1997, p.240). Whilst the North Korean economy seemed to enjoy impressive growth rates from the 1950s through to the 1970s, the country arguably did not have or develop the infrastructure or indeed have the resources to become a serious threat to peace and security in the North East Asia region. North Korean economic policy was heavily influenced by the planned economies of China and the Soviet Union, and was as unsuccessful in North Korea as they had been in China and the Soviet Union (Heywood, 2003 p. 152). Kim Il Sung’s regime collectivised agriculture and began the process of large-scale industrialisation. The collectivisation of agriculture commenced in 1946 when estates with Japanese owners were confiscated in the north under Soviet guidance (Tipton, 1998,p.304). Collectivisation and the modernisation of agriculture increased the life expectancy of the North Korean population. Industrialisation at least during the 1950s and 1960s appeared to be impressive. However much of that economic growth was due to the revenues raised from the export of natural resources to the Soviet Union and the receipt of aid from the Soviet Union (Watson, 1997, p.246) Economic growth could have been stronger if it had not been hampered by Kim Il Sung’s decision to make expenditure on the military as high as possible, and his government’s main priority. The military build up was meant to unnerve the South Korean government. In terms of total expenditure South Korea spent more on its military expenditure than North Korea. This was mainly due to North Korea being regarded as an ever-present threat to South Korean security. There were differences as to how the two countries military expenditure was regarded in the North East Asia region and beyond. South Korea’s military expenditure was seen as being justified as it would deter North Korea. On the other hand, North Korea’s military spending was viewed as being unjustified, aggressive and a sign of Kim Il Sung’s megalomania, policies that his son, Kim Jong Il has continued (Gaddis, 2005, p.61). North Korea had one major disadvantage if its regime wished to outspend South Korea in terms of their defence budgets, as they were poorer. Whilst North Korea found it difficult to find foreign investors, South Korea was able to attract very high volumes of investment, especially from the United States and Japan. South Korea’s increasing levels of wealth meant it could easily match North Korea’s military build up, without reducing the living standards of its population, or driving its government towards insolvency (Tipton, 1998, p.304). In terms of any future conventional war between North and South Korea, South Korea held key advantages. Firstly, the South Korean population was twice the size of its neighbour to the north, potentially allowing for its armed forces to have twice the number of personnel in war- time conditions. In 1985, South Korea was estimated to have a population of 41.2 million compared to North Korea’s population of 20.1 million people (Watso n, 1997, p.262). South Korea was economically more productive and therefore wealthier than North Korea, with the latter’s seemingly impressive growth rates beginning to slow down by the start of the 1980s. An example of the growing disparity between the countries was the per capita income, whilst it was $790 for North Korea in 1982, it was $1,840 for South Korea in 1983. In economic terms, North Korea could not realistically afford its high levels of military expenditure, although Kim Il Sung’s regime was determined to carry on with spending money it believed kept the regime in power and made it a continuing danger to its capitalist neighbours (Watson, 1997, p.262). In the following decade North Korea was widely regarded as bring an increased threat to the peace and security of the North East Asia region, despite the country’s economy going in to a steep decline. Whilst the North Korean regime refused to scale down its military expenditure its agricultural sector, especially suffered an alarming drop in productivity that contributed to an estimated two million North Koreans dying of starvation during the 1990s. Despite famine and economic decline the North Korean regime still used scarce resources to develop its nuclear weapons programme. North Korea barely increased its economic productivity during the 1990s and was by then considerably poorer than South Korea. To give a stark contrast, South Korean per capita gross domestic product (GDP) reached an impressive $13, 700, whilst North Korean GDP languished at $900. It was a paradoxical situation in which, although the North Korean regime could increasingly threaten its neighbours with miss iles and nuclear weapons, yet it would eventually need emergency aid from those countries to prevent more of its own population starving to death (Pipes, 2001, p.152). On paper at least, North Korea has impressive conventional military strength with around 3,500 tanks and 2,500 armoured personnel carriers, whilst the army had 950,000 troops. The North Korean air force has 590 combat aircraft, whilst the navy’s 88 submarines could pose a serious threat to shipping in the North East Asia region in the event of a future war. However it is the potential development and possible of nuclear weapons that causes a greater concern than North Korea’s conventional arsenal (Whitaker’s 2007, pp.893-94). South Korea has smaller armed forces yet still has a standing army 560,000 strong and 2,330 main battle tanks. South Korea would no doubt have to increase those numbers if 94, 450 Americans were not based in South Korea (Whitaker’s 2007 p. 895). However, it was not just North Korea’s strength in terms of conventional weapons that means it is regarded as being a threat to peace and security in the North East Asia region. The United States government has long suspected that North Korea has played a part in sponsoring and supporting terrorism within the North East Asia region and indeed further afield. The suspicions of the United States have been founded upon the anti-American rhetoric that the North Korean regime its content to produce from time to time (Gaddis, 2005, p.261). South Korea had previously accused North Korea of trying to undermine internal stability by supporting dissident South Korean groups and calling for the re-unification of Korea (Tipton, 1998, p.304). North Korea was one of the countries that the administration of Ronald Reagan denounced as being terrorist states back in 1985. The Reagan administration viewed North Korea as being a risk to international peace and security within and beyond the Nort h East Asia region (Ward, 2003, p.349). North Korea did not have any moral or political hang ups about selling weapons such as assault rifles to other countries that found it hard to acquire weapons due to arms embargo’s or sanctions. For instance, North Korea sold surplus Soviet manufactured assault rifles to Iran during the early years of the Iran-Iraq War. Such arms sales may have contributed to the United States accusing North Korea of being a terrorist state. The North Koreans could have countered that these claims were hypocrisy on the part of the American government that sold a much greater volume of weapons to any state or organisation that was anti-Communist, or if it suited the United States interests to do so. Hypocrisy that was demonstrated by the Iran –Contra Affair in which the money from arms sales to Iran was used to fund the Contra forces in Nicaragua (Fisk, 2006, p.278). North Korea also supplied ballistic missiles to the Iranians and even sent engine ers to Iran to ensure those missiles successfully reached Iraqi targets, especially Baghdad. The willingness of the North Koreans to sell missiles to the highest bidders certainly increased concerns about Pyongyang posing a threat to peace and security (Fisk, 2006, p.281). Surveillance and interceptions of cargo ships have provided evidence that North Korea will sell weapons to terrorist organisations as well as any state that can afford them. For instance, the Spanish navy intercepted a North Korean merchant ship that was officially taking cement to South Yemen. Once aboard that ship the Spanish found ballistic missiles that could have been used by the terrorist group that had brought those missiles. The Middle East is a volatile region at the best of times, so the ability of North Korea to supply ballistic missiles to governments and terrorists groups in that region is another concern for the United States and other Western countries (Davies, 2003 p. 238). It was during the early 1990s that the prospect of North Korea carrying out a successful nuclear weapons programme became the cause of major international concern. In the United States, the administration of President Bill Clinton was determined to persuade the North Korean regime to halt that nuclear weapons programme peacefully by preference, or by force if necessary (Clinton, 2004 p. 561). Aside from the United States, South Korea, China, Russia, and Japan were, and still are the countries that are most anxious to prevent North Korea acquiring and keeping nuclear weapons. Britain and France have also been involved in international efforts to prevent North Korea acquiring nuclear weapons as members of the United Nations Security Council, and as signatories of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (Evans Newnham, 1998 p. 381). South Korea and Japan are particularly anxious and insecure about North Korea’s attempts to produce nuclear weapons because they would be the most obvi ous targets if North Korea ever decided to use nuclear weapons. That anxiety is increased because the South Koreans and the Japanese are well aware that the North Koreans have the technical capacity to fit nuclear warheads to its force of ballistic missiles that can reach all the major cities in South Korea and Japan. China is also anxious that the nuclear weapons programme of North Korea does not provoke a military confrontation between North Korea and the United States that would bring widespread destruction and shatter the peace and stability of the North East Asia region. China remains keen to continue its impressive economic growth rates and also hopes to maintain political stability in the region, a stability that North Korea has a strong propensity to disrupt. China is therefore willing to act as a go between to prevent conflict arising between the United States and North Korea that would be very damaging to the North East Asia region as a whole (Cheek, 2006 p. 136). That als o means that China is willing to back the efforts of the United States, South Korea, and Japan to reduce the North Korean threat to peace and security (The Guardian, February 14 2007). Russia, as the main successor state to the Soviet Union, on the other hand has attempted to maintain strong economic, military, and economic links with North Korea. Those links leave Kim Jong Il hoping North Korea has more leeway in its disputes with the United States and the United Nations over its plans to acquire nuclear weapons. Whilst Russia is caught between promoting its economic links with North Korea without harming its relationship with the United States that improved with the latter’s war on terror in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, it would normally put its relationship with the United States first. The Russians and North Koreans remain keen upon maintaining a strong relationship between each other, although that is based on pragmatism rather than a common ideological outlook. Whilst the Russian government believes that like the Chinese government it could help resolve the international disputes that currently mean that North Korea is regarded as been a threat to pea ce and security in North East Asia region (Meir, 2004 p. 417). North Korea’s defence and foreign policy was seen and remains seen as a serious and increasing threat to the peace and security of the North East Asia region because of the nature of the Pyongyang regime itself. That is due to Kim Il Sung and his son and successor Kim Jong Il concentrating upon the maintaining of their personal hold on power. That hold on power is through a strong military with undoubted loyalty to the national leader, and via a system of forced labour and prison camps that detain political dissidents or opponents of the regime. The regime’s internal position is also protected and promoted through a cult of personality for Kim Il Sung and now Kim Jong Il that rivals other cults of personalities witnessed in other communist regimes. It most closely resembles the cults of personality experienced in the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union, or China under Chairman Mao Zedong, especially during the tumultuous period of the Cultural Revolution (Castleden, 2005 p. 301). The North Korean regime during Kim Il Sung’s lifetime not only managed to copy Chinese and Soviet propaganda techniques; the North Koreans also managed to emulate their purges. Such pronounced levels of dictatorship have always managed to make the United States suspicious of North Korean intentions. The South Koreans and the Japanese tend to reinforce American concerns over the de-stabilising effects of North Korean defence and foreign policies. The South Koreans and the Japanese therefore have fears for their safety as without an American military presence in the North East Asia region they would not be

Factors Effecting Erp Implementation In Smes Management Essay

Factors Effecting Erp Implementation In Smes Management Essay Information systems gained popularity as these automate all management related function that an organisation needed. Large organisations implement ERP information systems that integrate all data and processes together. With increase in popularity of SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) and their collaboration with large enterprises, SMEs needed an ERP system which at first can automate all of their business functions and secondly they can work with large enterprises. However their successful implementation in SMEs remains an issue. As SMEs are short of resources and financially weak so they need to install an ERP system successfully so that they can avoid chances of failure. For this reason this research has been conducted to critically analyse success factors of ERP adoption. Case studies will be selected and analysis has been made on them to find out the successful elements of their implementation. At last in conclusion a general frame work will be made to help SMEs to implement ERP system successfully. Background: Today the whole world has become a global village in which organisations are competing with each other to improve their productivity and generate profits. This is not generalised to only large organisations as it has been observed from last decade that small and medium size organisations are also taking part in this race (Chen, 2001). Organisations are moving fast to adopt a package that can help their management and functional needs. They require an Enterprise package that can fulfil their demands. ERP is the solution for the enterprises, in current case for small and medium size organisations. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) gained its popularity in 1990 as an integrated application. Its functionality is to integrate different functions together and provide a common database to users and departments, with many advantages more specific to reduced inventory and improved profits. ERP evolution starts in earlier 70s when manufacturing companies were using MPS (Master Production Schedule) technique. Function of this technique was to specify the end or finished product that is required in planning period. This type of technique only did the production and scheduling of final product. Whereas manufacturing organisations required not only final product planning but they also needed planning and scheduling of raw materials associated with that final product. Therefore firms obtained MRP (Material Requirement planning) that can differentiate between final product, its parts and raw material. This technique performed production planning and inventory control in the manufacturing p rocess. Basic functionality of this system was planning and scheduling of manufacturing process. This technique became popular and in 1980s MRP systems were expanded and MRP II was introduced, it was not only production planning technique but it also integrated primary functions like (production, finance and marketing etc) into planning process. Because of this technique popularity and effectiveness in planning and production process organisations tend to move to this technique. In 1990s MRP II was further expanded into ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning). The main difference between ERP and MRP II is that ERP plans and schedule supplier resources by keeping customer service in mind (Chen, 2001 and Gupta, 2000). The purpose of the research is to identify success factors of ERP adoption in SMEs. Researches done in this area were deficient of some of the key points. From last couple of years research has been conducted to critically identify success factors of implementing ERP in SMEs. (Kale et al, 2010) did study in identifying success factors of Indian SMEs and their research was based on both qualitative and quantitative. (Snider et al, 2009) studied on five Canadian SMEs but some of their critical success factors lack cultural issues. (El Sawah et al, 2008) and (Woo, 2007) both did research in SMEs, in which they covered only one country and further they intended to enhance their research by taking more SMEs of different countries. (Woo, 2007) explained in study that if cultural differences were given then considered success factors can be same to case studies in China and case studies of Western organisation. (Doom et al, 2010) used Belgian SMEs to research success factors. (Muscatello et al. 2003) did their research on four US manufacturing companies but the companies they choose were linked to large organisations and had annual revenues more then SMEs .(Loh and Koh, 2004) carried out their research in UK and their target was SMEs, they conducted interviews and distributed questionnaires. Their research is found to be more competent as compared to others but still they did not cover demographic issues.(Yusuf et al, 2004) conducted their research on Rolls Royce and found out answers of few success factors. From above studies it is obvious that most of the work has been done in large organisation and little researches were carried out on SMEs. Although, those studies considered SMEs for the research but covered only one region and were short of justification that how success factors of some specific part of world could be implemented in rest of the world. Key issues in successful implementation of ERP Key issues are the problems that arise during the implementation process. There are lot of problems that can affect ERP implementation process in SMEs which are detailed as below (Chen, 2001). Cost is one of the main issues that can fail ERP implementation. As ERP package requires huge finances and companies fail to successfully implement ERP package so they find it difficult to continue with their project. To choose right ERP package is another issue that SMEs have to take into account before implementation. Hershey Food Corp accounts SAP for their failure so choosing right ERP package is a big issue. ERP in SMEs requires some time complex customization because it focuses mostly on corporate giants. So customization is another big issue that can effect ERP implementation. Another main issue is analysis, which projects are failure and which are successful. Project failure and success all depends on judgment and analysis. Fox Meyer as mentioned below, states that their ERP systems did not fulfil their functionality and they marked that project as failure. It is explained in detail in literature review section. Likewise some enterprises termed their project failure because of cost. Project can be termed as success if they meet these criteria. It should be delivered on time It should meet project cost The project should deliver the functionality which that organisation wants. Research aim and objectives The main aim of this study is to propose a frame work for effective implementation of ERP in SMEs. This requires in depth study of literature review and case studies to critically evaluate success factors. The research will be based on the following research question: What are the key issues and problems being faced in the successful implementation of the ERP in small and medium enterprises (SMEs)? To what extent the ERP software contributes to the success factors in SMEà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s? In order to answer the above stated research questions the following stages will have to be achieved: To review and carry out in depth analysis of literature review while focal point will be ERP adoption. Critically analyse and identify success factors from different case studies. Match and analyse success factors of literature review with the case studies Develop a frame work of success factors which can help in implementing ERP successfully for Small and medium size organisations regardless of their region and cultural issues. SMEs case studies will be taken who have generally less level of employees. Case studies will be taken from different regions so that more in depth analysis will be done and cultural and demographic issues will be covered in that. This point is explained in much more detail in method of analysis section. Companies who have successfully implemented ERP application will be considered. Literature review According to (Snider et al, 2009) ERP uses common online database whose functionality is to share common database among users and enterprise functions. ERP is an integrated information system that is composed of information system and managerial thinking. One of its core purposes is to integrate all the dependent and independent information systems together and optimise systems performance. ERP system comprises of a database which is online and shared, an application with an integrated interface which means different interfaces are incorporated into one interface. (AL Mashari et al, 2003). ERP achieved its level of popularity in large manufacturing enterprises in 1990s. Large enterprises implemented it to automate their functions and to integrate all processes and data together. On the other hand as SMEs were getting popularity so after implementing ERP systems in large organisations ERP vendors now moved towards SMEs. There are many factors that can encourage SMEs to accept ERP systems. Poston and Grabski (2001) believed there are certain factors that motivate SMEs to adopt ERP systems: It can reduce cost as computer systems increases the efficiency process It can make decision making process accurate. (Oliver and Romm, 2000) suggested these reasons for ERP adoption in SMEs: Data and processes integration Avoid critical business risk Improvement of ongoing business operations. ERP adoption in SMEs is a challenging task especially when cultural issues arise. Cultural issues can occur at organisational values, means it can impact organisational structure and management or at individual value where it can impact how job works and how employees will conduct themselves if they belong to certain culture. (Straub et al., 2001). Developing countries face many problems when they use western technologies from developed countries. ERP encapsulates best business reusable practices in it. For this reason it became a demanding technology that it can use (Sawah et al, 2008) outlined cultural issue to be an important factor responsible for high demand of ERP in SMEs. With these motivational factors that attract SMEs to adopt ERP there is terrible side of this adoption as well where many ERP enterprises fail to adopt ERP systems. Below mentioned are cases of large enterprises but small and medium size enterprises can learn lesson from them by not to adopt that type of implementation. Fox Meyer Drug, a multi billion pharmaceutical company which files for bankruptcy and they blamed ERP system for their down fall. In its case, problems in ordering system leaded as system generated excessive orders more than demand which lead company to down fall. Renowned companies like Dell scrap their mega expensive project as they found system inflexible for their business. These are not only two examples of ERP failures but many other companies like Hershey, Boeing, Dow chemical etc faced same situation (Chen, 2001). In all these companies ERP systems leaded to failure and this was due to not having proper planning before installation. Above mentioned companies a re all large organisations whereas in case of small and medium size organisations, these can not bear the cost of ERP systems failure. This leads this research to critically analyse and find out the success factors in ERP adoption so that SMEs can avoid these failures. Difference Between SMES and Large enterprises: Significant amount of differences can be noticed between large and SME organisations. SMEs have informal structure and culture, their top management are found to be involved in day to day activities (Mintzberg et al., 2003,) while large organisations have structured departments and processes and their top management is not involved in daily activities (Buonanno et al, 2005). At the same time SMEs have limited resources in terms of research development, finance, human resource with limited clients and operates only in small scale (Kale et al, 2010). Due to these limited resources they find it difficult to implement projects that can be reengineered (Mc Adam, 2002). Besides these limited resources they are generating profit very well and for this reason many multinational companies in recent years collaborated with SMEs which have ERP systems installed in them. This collaboration made SMEs to adopt ERP package so that they can operate in parallel with these organisations (Rao, 2000). The major factor which can affect SMEs more as compared to large organisation is the cost as their limited resources donà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢t allow them to bear high cost of implementation. This is one of the main reasons that SMEs do not want implementation to be unsuccessful. Large organisation can somehow bear the cost as large number of stakeholders bank credits etc but SMEs do not have enough resources. (Mabert et al, 2003). This research is conducted so that it can help SMEs to implement ERP successfully. Proposed research method Most of the researches conducted are in large organisations and only few of them were for SMEs. Out of these researches some used only one case study while some used different case studies and their research method remained different as well because they used questionnaires and interviews to find out success factors. After brain storming and critically analysing previous literature review I decided to use the case study approach. For this reason I decided to identify critical success factors in SME while using multiple case studies. (Stuart et al, 2002) suggested that using case study is the best approach when previous research does not find to be inline with new context while taking multiple case studies can provide even more in depth analysis and portray clear picture of critical analysis(Snider et al, 2009). In case of our research qualitative analysis will be used. First thorough literature review will be studied by means of online journals, electronic books etc. It will help to find previous critical success factors of ERP adoption in SMEs. To give practical edge to research eight different case studies will be searched and from them critically analysis will be done to find out success factors of successfully implementing ERP project. These case studies are selected with relevance to the project title and literature review. They will provide in depth analysis of ERP adoption success factors. With the help of literature review and case studies a framework will be formed of successfully implementing ERP project. Method of analysis For this research case study analysis will be used. Data will be collected from previous research that has been done in this sector and also from small and medium size enterprises that have implemented their ERP application successfully. Case studies will be collected from different parts of the world so that no demographic issues can affect our final framework of success full factors. Then final analysis will be done in between success factors of United Kingdom and rest of the world case studies to observe how much variation is there if different regions are selected. This will be the final analysis and framework of the critical success factors. Research Limitations: This study is limited to small and medium size organisations and in some cases some arguments can be taken from the large organization in order to clarify them. This research is self explanatory as it focuses in ERP adoption system of SMEs. In addition to this study concludes with the framework of ERP critical success factors which if SMEs follows can lead their implementation to success. A provisional Timetable Gantt Chart

Distortion in Brave New World Essay -- Brave New World Essays

Distortion in Brave New World    Distortion is an image of a thought or idea that appears to have a single affect on a society, but in actuality provides one that is totally different. Often times in order for readers to understand the realism of today's society and the point that the author tries to make in presenting its flaws, the writer must distort reality. In doing this he urges the reader to engage in a deep thought process that forces them to realize the reality of a situation, rather than perceiving it to be good or evil based on the dilutions of individuals. In his novel Brave New World, Aldous Huxley uses tomorrow's dystopia and distorts it by creating a utopian visage. By distorting religion and science, Huxley allows readers to realize the happiness that the inhabitants feel is in actuality the unhappiness they are trying to avoid.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Huxley's brave new world loathes the pain and agony of religion, as well as the complications that it creates; but in reality the inhabitants have a rigorous... Distortion in Brave New World Essay -- Brave New World Essays Distortion in Brave New World    Distortion is an image of a thought or idea that appears to have a single affect on a society, but in actuality provides one that is totally different. Often times in order for readers to understand the realism of today's society and the point that the author tries to make in presenting its flaws, the writer must distort reality. In doing this he urges the reader to engage in a deep thought process that forces them to realize the reality of a situation, rather than perceiving it to be good or evil based on the dilutions of individuals. In his novel Brave New World, Aldous Huxley uses tomorrow's dystopia and distorts it by creating a utopian visage. By distorting religion and science, Huxley allows readers to realize the happiness that the inhabitants feel is in actuality the unhappiness they are trying to avoid.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Huxley's brave new world loathes the pain and agony of religion, as well as the complications that it creates; but in reality the inhabitants have a rigorous...

Lanval and Yonec Essay -- Literary Analysis, Marie de France

Often times in literature the body becomes a symbolic part of the story. The body may come to define the character, emphasize a certain motif of the story, or symbolize the author’s or society’s mindset. The representation of the body becomes significant for the story. In the representation of their body in the works of Marie de France’s lais â€Å"Lanval† and â€Å"Yonec,† the body is represented in opposing views. In â€Å"Lanval,† France clearly emphasizes the pure beauty of the body and the power the ideal beauty holds, which Lanval’s Fairy Queen portrays. In France’s â€Å"Yonec,† she diverts the reader’s attention from the image of the ideal body and emphasizes a body without a specific form and fluidity between the forms. â€Å"Yonec† focuses on a love not based on the body. Although the representations of the body contradict one another, France uses both representation to emphasize the private and, i n a way, unearthly nature of love that cannot be contained by the human world. In both lais, the love shared between the protagonists is something that is required to be kept in private and goes beyond a single world into another world. In France’s â€Å"Lanval,† Marie de France emphasizes the ideal and pure body of Lanval’s Fairy Queen. France describes the Fairy Queen as â€Å"elegant, her hips slim, her neck whiter than snow on a branch, her eyes bright, her face white, a beautiful mouth†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (France, 109). The Fairy Queen is presented to the reader as the classic, ideal beauty that captures the attention and, unknowingly, the mind of her lover. After meeting the Fairy Queen, Lanval pledges his life to her. He states, â€Å"There is nothing you might command, within my power, that I would not do, whether foolish or wise. I shall obey your command†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (France, 108). ... ...tion of both methods can be used to show France’s idea of what love is. Patrick John Ireland argued that France’s idea of love â€Å"is a human force controlled by man with great difficulty; it is a spontaneous, natural, and all-consuming power, the experience of which leads to an almost blind passion at times† (133). To be in love, one must be entirely devoted and passionate to one another to the point of blind passion. This is so for Yonec (the Princess jumps out of the tower) and Lanval (Lanval’s complete rejection of the human world until he is brought into the world of his lover). Not only does France portray love as natural and all-consuming, but also shows the private and unearthly nature of love that cannot be contained to the realm of the human world. Rather, love transcends the boundaries of the human world and enters into a world where love reigns supreme. Lanval and Yonec Essay -- Literary Analysis, Marie de France Often times in literature the body becomes a symbolic part of the story. The body may come to define the character, emphasize a certain motif of the story, or symbolize the author’s or society’s mindset. The representation of the body becomes significant for the story. In the representation of their body in the works of Marie de France’s lais â€Å"Lanval† and â€Å"Yonec,† the body is represented in opposing views. In â€Å"Lanval,† France clearly emphasizes the pure beauty of the body and the power the ideal beauty holds, which Lanval’s Fairy Queen portrays. In France’s â€Å"Yonec,† she diverts the reader’s attention from the image of the ideal body and emphasizes a body without a specific form and fluidity between the forms. â€Å"Yonec† focuses on a love not based on the body. Although the representations of the body contradict one another, France uses both representation to emphasize the private and, i n a way, unearthly nature of love that cannot be contained by the human world. In both lais, the love shared between the protagonists is something that is required to be kept in private and goes beyond a single world into another world. In France’s â€Å"Lanval,† Marie de France emphasizes the ideal and pure body of Lanval’s Fairy Queen. France describes the Fairy Queen as â€Å"elegant, her hips slim, her neck whiter than snow on a branch, her eyes bright, her face white, a beautiful mouth†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (France, 109). The Fairy Queen is presented to the reader as the classic, ideal beauty that captures the attention and, unknowingly, the mind of her lover. After meeting the Fairy Queen, Lanval pledges his life to her. He states, â€Å"There is nothing you might command, within my power, that I would not do, whether foolish or wise. I shall obey your command†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (France, 108). ... ...tion of both methods can be used to show France’s idea of what love is. Patrick John Ireland argued that France’s idea of love â€Å"is a human force controlled by man with great difficulty; it is a spontaneous, natural, and all-consuming power, the experience of which leads to an almost blind passion at times† (133). To be in love, one must be entirely devoted and passionate to one another to the point of blind passion. This is so for Yonec (the Princess jumps out of the tower) and Lanval (Lanval’s complete rejection of the human world until he is brought into the world of his lover). Not only does France portray love as natural and all-consuming, but also shows the private and unearthly nature of love that cannot be contained to the realm of the human world. Rather, love transcends the boundaries of the human world and enters into a world where love reigns supreme.