Strategic Choice and Evaluation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Strategic Choice and Evaluation - Assignment Example Every business organization requires growth for its sustainability, profitability retention and increase in the market share. Growth strategies need to be constantly formulated for the retention of the organization in the existing market and also for its survival. The author of the study will deal with the various facets of growth strategies, which affect the survival of the business enterprises. It will deal specifically with the growth strategies to be recommended for Davivienda bank, which is one of the most esteemed banks of Colombo. The study will also highlight the various alternative growth strategies that have the potentiality of generating huge amount of revenue and also maintain its goodwill in the banking industry. Finally, the studies will conclude with recommendations, which provide the bank an opportunity to expand on a large scale without having to implement time consuming and expensive methods. Overview of Davivienda Bank Being one of the most esteemed and well establ ished banks of Colombo, Davivienda has been able to create a niche for itself in the banking industry and also gain the trust of the customers at the same moment (Davivienda, 2013a). Davivienda is a Colombian bank, which was established in the year 1972 and is known for providing credit to the individuals, organization and also in the rural sector (Davivienda, 2013b). It is regarded as a mortgage and saving banks, which has diversified its business of credit card portfolio and also retail banking services (Davivienda, 2013c). The essence of the bank is that, it provides banking services to the rural sectors and to various other corporate organizations for the betterment of the entire society. Presently, it has more than 21 percent of markets share in the banking industry in the credit card portfolio section. It is also regarded as the third largest financial institutions in Colombia itself. Alternative Growth Strategies & its Significance for Davivienda Bank The decline in the sudde n growth rates of the varied banking organizations in Colombo has had a dampening effect on the Colombian economy and also on the neighboring countries. The sudden decline in the growth rate of the Columbian banks has led to decline in the export –import growth rates also simultaneously. Therefore, growth strategies have become essential for the implementation and expansion of the banks on a large scale and offering tailor made financial products for each of the crisis and situations (Perkowski, 2007).The sales of financial products have been declining worldwide because of the sudden economic slowdown, which has made the customers cautious about investing and dealing in securitization, mortgage portfolio etc. To combat the ill effects of the economic slowdown, Davivienda banks need to adopt certain marketing strategies, which had been instrumental for the growth of other banking institutions. Firstly, the need of the growth strategies needs to be identified with the current s ituational analysis of the internal and external environment (Mills, 2001). After the assessment of the external and internal environmental analysis, the various forms and needs of the alternative growth strategies of the banks need to be identified and evaluated (Rice &

High School vs College Essay Example for Free

High School vs College Essay We all can’t wait to get to college so we party and live it up. The thing is college is a lot different than high schools were as in high school you had to follow rules and in college it is your choice to be responsible for yourself. In September of 2006, I enter the doors of Clifton high school as a freshmen only being my second year in public school so this was all new to me. I got to home room and the handed out our agendas with all the rules in the back of the book. As time went on we all got use to the rules not many listened, but those who did not were punished for whatever the person did. Some of the rules that we had to abide were that we could not wear shorts above our finger tips we also could not wear flip flops because of an incident that happened to a girl a couple years earlier that was not good. Ripped jeans also were not allowed the principle said it showed too much skin. Those were just some of the rules. Once I got to college I realized rules no longer applied. Since I was so use to the rules in high school it took me awhile to remember that I could wear whatever I pleased without getting in trouble in anyway. Another difference between high school and college rules are in high school you can count on your parent’s and teachers remind you of your responsibilities and your priorities. For example if you have an essay due they help get through what you need to write the essay. They also remind you day by day when your essay is due along with your homework and other things. In college you have to balance your responsibilities and priorities which will be hard for many people seeing that they always had help. Your college professors will give a syllabus with step by step instructions on what is due and when. If they tell you an essay is due a week from now it is your responsibility to get your work done, because they will not remind you as time goes on. To professors you are now an adult and are responsible for your own time and priorities. They will not baby you throughout your time in college. Lastly in high school when you were absent from school you had to bring in a note as to why you were absent. Whether it was a parent/doctor or hospital note. We had five days to bring in a note you teacher would remind you every day and if you didn’t it would be marked as an unexcused absents. If you were to receive three unexcused absents it would get you a cut. Once you get to college that changes your professor does not really care if you are absent because it is your grade that is being affected not theirs. As long as you show responsibility in getting your work in then your grade shouldn’t be affected that much and it shows that you care about what you’ve missed and have to make up along with caring for the class. In conclusion the differences between high school and college are major things though many people may not think that, but it shows who can be responsible with their priorities in college appose to high school. I have learned to manage my time a lot better since high school were everything was done for me. Though it was a little of a struggle to make the transaction it was extremely necessary or things would not get done on time or at all. I’m glad that college teaches you these traits because it helps you in the long run when you enter the real world as a family person, employee and or employer.

Animal Cells: Types and Functions

Animal Cells: Types and Functions I chose to do my research paper on an animal cell because I thought it would be interesting to see how an animal cell works. Animal are very complex when it comes to determining where the cell is found, the function of the cell, and all the organelles names and functions. An animal cell has many contents and thats why its very complex and important. The animal cell contents are cell membrane, Lysosome, nucleus, nucleolus, nuclear membrane, vacuole, mitochondria, centrosome, cytoplasm, rough er, smooth er, ribosome, and Golgi body. The cell membrane is a thin layer of protein and fat that surrounds the cell. This is also called the membrane semipermeable which means allowing some substance passing through the cell and blocking others. The Lysosome is spherical organelles that function as a recycling center and a garbage disposal. Powerful digestive enzymes concentrated in the Lysosome break down worn out organelles and ship their building blocks to the cytoplasm where they are used to construct new organelles. Lysosomes also dismantle and recycle protein, lipids, and molecules. The digestion of a cells nutrients takes place here. A nucleus is a spherical body containing many organelles including the nucleolus. The nucleus controls many of the functions of the cell by controlling protein synthesis and it also contains DNA chromosomes. The nucleus is also surrounded by the nuclear membrane. It is the largest organelle in an animal cell and it contains numerous strands of DNA. Long sections of eukaryotic DNA pack into the nucleus by wrapping the proteins. While the cell begins to divide, each DNA strand folds over itself several times forming a rod shaped chromosome. Another content of the animal cell is the nucleolu s. A nucleolus is an organelle within the nucleus and it is where the ribosomal DNA is produced. Also I believe cells have more than one nucleolus. A nuclear membrane is a membrane that surrounds the nucleus. A vacuole is a fluid filled membrane with surrounded cavities inside a cell. The vacuole is being filled with food that has been digested and wastes that are coming from the cell. The mitochondrion is a spherical rod shaped organelle with two membranes. The inner membrane is infolded many times forming a series of protections called cristae. The mitochondrion converts the energy stored into the glucose in ATP. ATP stands for adenosine triphate. This molecule serves as an energy battery for countless cellular processes, including the shuttling of substances across the plasma membrane, the building and transporting of proteins and lipids, the recycling of molecules and organelles, and the dividing of cells. A centrosome is a small body located near the nucleus and it has a dense center and radiating tubes. The centrosome is where the microtubules are made. During the process of mitosis, the centrosome divided into two parts and the two parts move to opposite sides. The cytoplasm is the jelly like material outside the cell nucleus where the organelles are located. There are two types of ER. The first type is rough ER. Rough ER is covered with ribosomes that give it a rough surface and appearance. Rough ER transports materials through the cell and produces in sacks called cisternae, which are sent to the Golgi body or inserted into the cell membrane. The smooth ER is a vast system of interconnected, membranous, infolded and convoluted tubes located in the cells cytoplasm. The space inside the ER is called the lumen ER. The smooth ER also transports materials through the cell. The next content is the ribosome. The ribosome is a small organelle composed of RNA and rich cytoplasmic granules that are sited of protein synthesis. The last content of the animal cell is the Golgi body. The Golgi body is a flattened, layered sac like organelle that is located near the nucleus. It also produces the membranes that surround the Lysosomes. The Golgi body packages proteins and carbohydrates into membranes. The overall function of an animal cell is that they are the building blocks of tissues, organs, and whole organisms. The cell also carries around DNA of an animal. The animal cell has no chlorophyll. Also the animal does not have a cell wall because the animal cell has only cell membranes that are made up of phospholipids bilayer and proteins that hold up and protect the cell and the parts of the cell animal cells are also smaller and have no permanent vacuoles. The animal cell has no cellulose and is made up of almost cytoplasm. The eukaryotic cell is a lot larger than the prokaryotic cell. The eukaryotic is different from the paralytic cell because the eukaryotic cell houses a nucleus and numerous other membrane enclosed organelles. These organelles enable specialized functions to be carried out efficiently. The building pf proteins and lipids take place in separate organelles where the specialized enzymes are located. I loved working on this research paper because it got me thinki ng about becoming a biologist. I thought that cells were just something in your body but now I know its more than that. There is a whole other world.

Illusion in The Great Gatsby :: F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   James Baldwin looked upon reality and illusion through the eyes of a great author. He saw that all authors live in reality, while everyone else lives in a sense of illusion, or not knowing the whole truth.   He shows us that the author must question everything, breaking down the illusions that are set up by people and by our society.   Baldwin shows that normal people don't question everything, and therefore are fooled by illusions may times. In The Great Gatsby Fitzgerald suggests many things about illusion and reality.   I think that the strongest thing Fitzgerald suggests is that you create your own illusion, and with this illusion, you shape the person that you are.   All of the rich people in this book have some sort of illusion surrounding their persona, but Gatsby has the greatest of all illusions surrounding him.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Gatsby is presented as living the charmed life, with plenty of friends, no problems, and an honest man.   In the end his whole illusion unravels and we find that he has plenty of problems, is very crooked and dishonest, and has no true friends.   He longs for companionship with Daisy, and still can never have that.   Gatsby's illusion surrounding him is totally shattered in this book, partly through the actions of Tom who feels that he must discredit his name.   Tom, however discredits name to draw Daisy away from him when he finds that Gatsby has become interested in Daisy.   When Tom confronts Gatsby, and begins to crumble his illusion, Gatsby is as cool and confident as he always is.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Tom's voice, incredulous and insulting: I told you I went there [Oxford]," said Gatsby.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "I heard you, but I would like to know when."   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "It was in nineteen-nineteen.   I only stayed for five months."   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Tom glanced around to see if we mirrored his unbelief. (136)    This passage shows that even Gatsby has bought into the illusion that he has created for himself.   It is as if he has thought out the answer for every question about his past, so that he can come off as being distinguished and honest.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It would be hard to read The Great Gatsby without analyzing if the narrator, Nick Carroway falls into the illusion of Gatsby.

Culture War? The Myth of a Polarized America

In Culture War? The Myth of a Polarized America,1 Morris Fiorina takes aim at the contention that there is a culture war in America, that our society is badly divided and polarized so that we are rapidly falling into two competing camps ready to do battle with one another. It is a bold argument.The idea that a culture war is raging in America is a staple of certain media outlets, especially AM talk radio, where the likes of Michael Savage, Bill O’Reilly, and Rush Limbaugh on the right, and Thom Hartman, Randi Rhodes, and Al Franken of left-leaning Air America constantly sound alarms, crying that whichever barbarians they dread are about to storm the temple. Against this popular belief, Morris Fiorina has impressive credentials: he taught at for ten years at CalTech, for sixteen years at Harvard, and he is now a senior fellow at the Hoover Institute and holds an endowed chair in political science at Stanford University.Using sophisticated sampling data, Fiorina shows that the A merican public holds a range of diverse opinions, but finds that instead of being increasingly polarized, the American public has generally been moving to the center of the political spectrum on many issues. Consider an issue which he admits is a â€Å"hot button† item: homosexuality. Fiorina finds that the American public has gradually but steadily become more accepting of homosexuals over the past 30 years.True enough, the public does not accept homosexual marriage, nor did they accept opening the military to gays, but these are not the entire question of homosexuality. On the issue of being willing to accept homosexuals in general, the public attitude has shown increasing moderation. To establish this, Fiorina considers polls in which the sample group was asked to rate homosexuals on a â€Å"thermometer†scale, in which 100 is total acceptance, and 0 is total rejection. In 1984, homosexuals earned a â€Å"0†³ score from 30 percent of Americans.By 2000, the perc entage of â€Å"0†³ scores has dropped to just 10 percent, and the overall acceptance rating for homosexuals has risen from 30 percent to 49 percent. (84) While these ratings do not show that homosexuals have managed to escape the stigma under which they have been compelled to live, they show that the shocking divide in which the issue is often portrayed does not exist. Similarly, the abortion issue, long considered the most divisive of social issues, is decidedly less divisive than it is pictured in popular media.A clear majority of Americans now support the basic decision in Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court abortion case. More than 65 percent of Americans support a strong right to choose. (54) Further, attitudes as to when abortion should be allowed are virtually unchanged since 1973. As of 1999, the last year for which Fiorina has data, 88 percent of Americans believe that abortion should be allowed if the life or health of the pregnant woman was seriously endangered. (5 5) In 1973, the number was 87 percent.If, like Fiorina, we accept the norm that a change of four percent or less in a survey of this type is not statistically significant, then the only factor about which the surveys have asked which has seen a statistically significant change is the right to a woman to have an abortion based on a claim that she has an income so low that she cannot afford another child. Even in this situation, some 40 percent of the general population would allow the abortion. (55) The change in attitudes, such as it is, is in the percentage of Americans who believe that all abortion is murder.While this saw a slight rebound in the late 1990s, it has fallen from 22 percent in 1973 to 18 percent, and since Roe, it has never been above 25 percent. (71) Another remarkable finding that Fiorina uncovered is that men and women have virtually identical attitudes on abortion, even though they differ markedly in their views on other issues. (71-72) The percentage of men and women who believe that abortion should be legal under all circumstances has varied between 21 and 36 percent for women, and between 20 and 30 percent for men, with the difference between sexes never being more than six percent.The percentage of men and women believing that abortion should be illegal under all circumstances has run between 15 and 23 percent for women and between 13 and 21 percent for men, with never more than a difference of four percent. (71) By contrast on other issues, the difference between men’s and women’s attitude is far more marked. Responding to the suggestion that all handguns except those carried by police or other persons in authority should be illegal, only 28 percent of men agree; 48 percent of women agree.Regarding the â€Å"caning† of an American teenage arrested in Singapore for acts of vandalism, 61 percent of men approved of the punishment; only 39 percent of women approved. While 43 percent of men consider themselves conservat ive, only 29 percent of women do. (72) In short, while abortion does not appear to be as divisive an issue as it is portrayed, there are other issues on which there is division. Fiorina presents a sweeping array of data, all of which shows far less division than is generally assume to exist.This raises a natural question: if there are fewer deep divisions than Americans believe, why do Americans believe that there are such division? Fiorina points to several sources, including political parties, media, and pundits. Media and pundits want to portray conflict, because conflict sells. (115-23) As the quip goes, â€Å"If it bleeds, it leads. † To reach his conclusions, Fiorina has to delve into sophisticated statistical models.The reader wishing to follow his argument in detail faces a daunting task, because Fiorina uses three dimensional statistical models ass he works through assumptions about voter and candidate behavior. (118-24) In the end, Fiorina argues that it is not the general populace that is divided, but the elites, the people who are active in party work. (125-31) In their turn, the elites are the most accessible to and the most accessing of the media and the pundits. (141-42) Party elite organizations tend to be strongly self-selecting.Only a true believer among Republicans can rise far through the Republican party organization; only a true believing Democrat gets to the top of the Democratic party. Once in the elite, these people tend to demand equal zeal from anyone else wanting admission, and to select people with the same ideals to join the elites. The result is set of self-perpetuating cadres of zealots, who believe, or at least would like to believe that they stand on the ramparts and fight for the Lord. In Fiorina convincing? He would probably find a certain irony in the response: maybe.Any serious reader must give pause. There is comfort in the idea is that we are not becoming constantly more polarized. Still we are conditioned to beli eve we are polarized. That idea appears so often that a refutation is hard to accept. But anyone who reads this book will probably ponder if Fiorina is right or not. He would probably approve of that response. AUTHORITY CITED: Fiorina, Morris, with Samuel Abrams and Jeremy Pope. Culture War? The Myth of a Polarized Amierca. New York, New York: Pearson/Longman, 2005.

Education and Society Essay

Education in the United States has become a crucial part of every American’s life. Completing high school opens doors for individual achievement and is directly linked to economic success. But equally important to the completion of high school is a rich and positive experience in the learning process. Educators are skilled in creating great learning experiences and to enhancing the curriculum, while parents are even more influential. Parents are the positive influence for many children who would otherwise be drastically falling behind, failing, or even dropping out of school. The child’s family background, combined with passed down values and experiences will determine the student’s high school education. The role of technology in early childhood education is an effective tool for students, so the lack of technology in a child’s upbringing can affect their educational career. For example, students who do not begin using various types of technology from kindergarten can fall behind. Studies found that students who are less likely to access technology at home can be at an academic disadvantage. This shows how vital technology is in a child’s education, however there is a challenge in making it available to everyone. Particularly low-income or minority college students could have trouble in succeeding in a technology-saturated environment. Some parents don’t parents don’t understand the importance of Internet access, since in their generation, the Internet was a luxury, not a necessity. However, the bigger issue seems to be the gap between Whites who have access to the Internet and minorities. Studies found that â€Å"56% of Latino adults and 60% of African American can use the Internet,compared to 71% of White adults. The same organization finds that while 42% of white families and 41% of Latino 2 families 666subscribe to broadband access,only 31% of African American households have such access. † Even if lower income schools computer labs students need to build their skills at home as well. Early childhood reading for children can bring a positive outcome to a child’s life. What a child learns in their early years are things that will continue to helps them along in their future in school and in the real world. When a child is introduced to early childhood education, they can get many benefits from it. Benefits include learning to interact in new situations, use critical thinking and basic speech skills before kindergarten. According to Maryanne Wolf, â€Å"In most underprivileged communities, no children’s books were found in homes; in the low come to middle income community there were, on average three books; and in the affluent community there were around 200. † Parents need to create an atmosphere where reading takes place in order to show the importance of reading, but low-income families are falling behind. Parents from affluent communities are able to gain access to understanding the importance of reading while parents from lower income don’t have the resources. Its unclear why low income families don’t have as many books in the home, but the issue might be attributed to a poor school library, lack of understanding for the importance of books, or the obvious issue with low financial resources to buy books. Parents from different language background and parents who aren’t literate in English, will likely raise children who have to play catch-up once they enter kindergarten. Reading can’t just happen over night– it needs to be developed over time. If books are limited, discussions and thoughts aren’t spoken out loud, and this can result in problems. Catherine snow of Harvard and her colleagues found that in addition to literacy materials,one of the major contributors to later reading was simply the amount of time for â€Å"talk around dinner† The 3 importance of simply being talked to, read to, and listened to is what much of early development is about†. In a low-income, busy and hard-working parents may not have time to have these simple talks, or even the financial resources to purchase books for there children. These are two important ingredients for a strong educational upbringing that many low-income family parents can not afford. Even though socioeconomic status and the access to technology are key a family’s behavioral and cultural backgrounds have an equal influence on a student. A child is instinctively drawn toward the background of their parents and social settings to learn what is deemed from right to wrong. According to David Brooks â€Å"Educated parents not only pass down resources to their children, they pass down expectations, habits, knowledge and cognitive abilities. Pretty soon you end up with a hereditary meritocratic class that reinforces itself generation after generation†. What David Brooks is saying is that even though the United States has universal access to higher education such as community college but some students may not be â€Å"physiologically prepared and culturally prepared for college†. Children are reaching their parents expectations and are just continuing a cycle. If parents aren’t showing their support in a educational and motivational sense, kids won’t feel the need to fulfill higher education. The time to instill values of education is not when a child becomes a senior in high school; rather the time to start discussing educational values to a child, is the onset of school, preschool. Education provides an individual their path to a successful future, but only through hard work, dedication and determination is this achievable. Education requires a parent to mold a child into an individual that is capable of contributing effectively to society. The drive to learn must be aroused in children and started at an early age.