Childcare Level

The expected stage of social development for a child age four is being able to eat with a fork and spoon, despite not being able to use a knife yet the child should be able to skillfully use a fork and spoon on their own. They should also be able to dress and undress themselves, but not yet expected to be able to tie laces, or back buttons. They should also be able to do more hygiene essentials such as washing and drying their hands without any support/ help, and brush their teeth.They should also have developed a skill to show sensitivity towards their friends and other people and show n understanding of how the other person may feel. They should also show a willingness to be around and play with other children, and Like to be Independent and take more control in what they do. They should start to show a sense of humor when talking In a conversation, or wealth an actively.The expected stage of social development for a child age five would be for a child to be able to dress and undre ss themselves with no help, and beginning to learn how to do laces, but may show some difficulty. They should be able to find an Interest In an activity for a longer period of mime, without needing the attention of an adult or getting bored. An example of this would be reading a story or watching a film.They should be able to show an understanding to other people's emotions, and show sympathy and comfort to their friends when they are hurt. As well as this enjoy looking after and petting pets. They will have certain likes and dislikes, and have strong opinions on it; some may have no apparent logic such as cutting a piece of food in a certain way for them to like it. They will be able to choose their own friends, and be able to make decisions whether they like someone or dislike someone for a reason. Childcare Level The expected stage of social development for a child age four is being able to eat with a fork and spoon, despite not being able to use a knife yet the child should be able to skillfully use a fork and spoon on their own. They should also be able to dress and undress themselves, but not yet expected to be able to tie laces, or back buttons. They should also be able to do more hygiene essentials such as washing and drying their hands without any support/ help, and brush their teeth.They should also have developed a skill to show sensitivity towards their friends and other people and show n understanding of how the other person may feel. They should also show a willingness to be around and play with other children, and Like to be Independent and take more control in what they do. They should start to show a sense of humor when talking In a conversation, or wealth an actively.The expected stage of social development for a child age five would be for a child to be able to dress and undre ss themselves with no help, and beginning to learn how to do laces, but may show some difficulty. They should be able to find an Interest In an activity for a longer period of mime, without needing the attention of an adult or getting bored. An example of this would be reading a story or watching a film.They should be able to show an understanding to other people's emotions, and show sympathy and comfort to their friends when they are hurt. As well as this enjoy looking after and petting pets. They will have certain likes and dislikes, and have strong opinions on it; some may have no apparent logic such as cutting a piece of food in a certain way for them to like it. They will be able to choose their own friends, and be able to make decisions whether they like someone or dislike someone for a reason.

The scene of a beach on a beach on a hot summers day.

I stepped out into a burning oasis. Somehow I suddenly forgot about my home it seemed a world away from where I was standing. My eyes fluttered as a peered at the sun, the grains of sand at my feet began to feel familiar. As I started to wonder over the dunes. In the distance figures darting across the white hills appeared. I stopped quiet abruptly, and turned to the sea. My eyes glittered as I studied the waves. Boats on the horizon seemed like pointless dots on a piece of paper; forgotten but will always purpose. I saw a lilo bobbing in the in the uncharted waves. A body was placed so lightly upon the plastic float with skin so tender the light kissed it. Children playing so innocently by the shore, sand castles scattered about all with a different story to tell. The children were white with sun block as they paddled in the tide. I carried on stumbling over the boiling sand. I noticed some surfers taming the waves, that tossed them carelessly aside. I started to walk closer to the sea, I felt the salty cooling breeze upon my face so pure. I took off my shoes and sat by the shore as I once did when I was a child, now I was no longer alone. The seagulls ‘cooed' gently, then I heard the complete opposite to the seagulls soft voices I heard people, yelling and laughing I turned and saw a busy promenade. The peer was in the distance, the old fun-fair temping me over though now the heat was overpowering me. I carelessly dragged my feet up the cobbled steps to the promenade. Shops piled upon shops, people piled upon people. Shops filled with food as I pushed closer I began to smell all too familiar smells, that all my life had reminded me of this wonderful place, the seaside. Fish and chip bars placed in every other window it was as if I was walking down I hall of mirrors. After looking around for a while I began to feel very hot and tired so I returned back to the beach, boiling and sticky I slipped onto the sand. I lay looking at the clear blue sky, blue like the waves that calmly lapped the shore. A mother and child sat quietly beside me, the child holding a green spade that caught the light and made my eyes squint whilst he dug furiously into the sand. His mother lay perched on a deck chair, sunbathing her eyes fixed on her child. â€Å"Alfie† she called â€Å"be carefully†, the young child covered in a white paste giggled and carried on. I turned over now alone with my thoughts, staring back at me was a huge grey donkey part of a fleet of them that marched like soldiers alone the beach every single day, tens of times. His eyes; seemed tired and weepy. I went on to imagine how thirsty he must be in this intense heat. Volley ball pitches were littered upon the flat open range to my left. The noise of laugher filled the air people were every where to be seen, deckchairs and coloured umbrellas with families around them continued in sequent's as far as I could see down the flat plain of sand. I turned to my right once again, it looked like a untamed world compared with what I had just saw it was much quieter here. There was only the silent mother and her child to be seen. The mother now cradling her child tightly to her chest. The child was now lapping up a ice-cream, it must have been ice cold to touch the child's lips. The sun began to set upon a day full of interest. The tide began to draw near, closer and closer the water came, the light bouncing off the tiny waves. As the water prudently teased my toes. I stood up and walked knowing away from my oasis.

Compare and Contrast National Athletic Association (NCAA) Coursework

Compare and Contrast National Athletic Association (NCAA) - Coursework Example The common situation among college participants is that they do not have the right to profit from their own aptitudes despite the NCAA doing so. Media and game giant, Electronic Art pays NCAA to use its bowl games and team names in videogames like NCAA Basketball as well as NCAA Football. This college version does not include players’ names; hence they do not share the splits with the NCAA for the governing body contends student-athletes receive enough benefits worth their caliber. These benefits comprise free college education to the athletes through sponsorships, which mainly is in terms of waiving tuition. Mainly, revenues emanate from broadcast agreements, tickets besides other sources like subsidies among the division I institutions (Burnsed, 2014). Regardless of all these funds, athletics associated costs rise at a fast rate such that expenses surpass the obtained revenue in all except 20 institutions in division I-A, for instance, the annual median proceeds from 2012 to 2013 augmented by 3.2% but their expenses managed to top by 10.6% (Burnsed, 2014). These institutions outside the 20 could not make profits therefore since expenses were more than their revenue forcing them to subsidies. Institutions like University of Michigan alongside other others with major athletics programs make profits, hence no need for subsidies for the sports fetch them quite a sum of profits. For instance, when The University of Michigan won the national championship in 1997, managed to realize proceeds of approximately 14 million dollars from the football program yet at that time many other institutions complained of poverty when advised to expand their financial aids (Rosner & Shropshire, 2011). The profit making institutions from athletics have managed to take their sports to another level by compensation of celebrity coaches,

The Drug Cartel Issues in Mexico Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

The Drug Cartel Issues in Mexico - Essay Example The demise of the Cali and Medellà ­n drug cartels in Colombia led to the rise of the Mexican drug organizations to fill up the vacuum (Jeffrey, 267). The U.S Closure of the Florida cocaine trafficking route pushed for the need of a new trafficking route hence increasing the role played by Mexican cartels in the trafficking. Weintraub (150) believes that Colombian drug organizations still maintain a significant control in South America mainly in cocaine and heroin smuggling to the eastern U.S. The Mexican government claims that there are seven major drug cartels that operate inside Mexico. They include; Gulf, Sinaloa, and Juà ¡rez which have their presence in much of Mexico (Leonard, 25). The Juà ¡rez drug cartel is found in at least 21 Mexican states while the Sinaloa cartel has its presence in at least 17 states. The Gulf cartel has its presence in at least 13 Mexican states. Also, the Tijuana drug cartel has its presence in 15 states (Colleen, 3). According to David Luhnow and Josà © de Cordoba (1) Mexicos cartels already have tentacles that stretch across the Mexican border. The U.S. Justice department estimates that Mexican gangs are operating in at least 230 cities and towns in both countries. David Luhnow and Josà © de Cordoba (1) reveal that the major drug cartels have formed alliances with one another in recent years. As a result of prison negotiations between their leaders, the Gulf and the Tijuana cartels have formed an alliance. â€Å"The Federation† is an alliance composed of representatives from the Valencia, Sinaloa, and Juà ¡rez drug cartels. They do work together, but remain independent and autonomous drug organizations (Colleen, 194). According to Perrya.hubpages.com (1), 90% of the automatic weapons used by the cartels are made and purchased in the U.S legally. The 2,000 mile border between San Diego,

Business- Its Legal, Ethical, and Global Environment - Quiz Essay

Business- Its Legal, Ethical, and Global Environment - Quiz - Essay Example offices. The four were catching up on their electronic mail. The four soon discovered each others presence on electronic mail. One commissioner wrote to the other three, â€Å"Lets get some business done so long as were all here. We could resolve that unfair competition case thats pending for next month. We can iron out our differences via e-mail.†Ã‚   The electronic exchanges of the commissioners would: (Points: 8) 5.  TCO C: Susan Sandren purchased a toaster from Standard Electric. While using the toaster the day after it was purchased, Susan discovered that the toaster slots were too small for a thick piece of bread. The bread was stuck in the slot. With the toaster still plugged in, Susan used a knife to pry loose the toast and was electrocuted.   In a suit by her family against Standard Electric: (Points: 8) Tort defense includes Volenti not fit injuria, which means there was no intensions to cause harm and the injured took a risk of being injured. For example, if a person goes to a hockey game and they get hit by puck, they are taking the risk of getting hit, which is not the fault of the hockey player. Illegality is where the injured is in the wrong doing while being the defendant’s property. In a case, a thief jumps out of a building to avoid being arrested, the property owner cannot be held liable. 7.  TCO C: Will Chancit, a 36-year-old attorney, was killed when his Ford Fairlane collided with some metal fence on the Harbor Freeway in Los Angeles.   He was traveling at a speed between 50 and 70 mph.   After the collision, the car spun and the driver’s door flew open.   Chancit was ejected from the car and sustained fatal head injuries.   Had the door stayed closed, his injuries would have been relatively minor.   Chancit was not wearing his seat belt.   Discuss the negligence theory for recovery in the suit Chancit’s widow has brought against Ford Motor Company, the

Andrei Sakharov Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Andrei Sakharov - Essay Example In the aftermath of the Second World War, Sakharov researched about the cosmic rays and other nuclear related technologies, thereby playing a prominent role in the development of Soviet’s first megaton-range hydrogen bomb. The same nuclear weapons specialist turned a new leaf, when in early 1950’s, he started proposing peaceful utilization of nuclear technologies like for power generation, and then in 1960’s pushed for the reduction of worldwide nuclear arsenal including Soviet Union’s. In that later period only, Sakharov started writing many books, essays and articles, which reflected on his life, Soviet Union, politics and importantly his views against nuclear weapons. His first as well as his path breaking work is an essay titled Reflections on Progress, Peaceful Coexistence, and Intellectual Freedom, which was published in 1968. In that essay, he took stance against the anti-ballistic missile defense system, which was being planned by both Soviet Union and USA, and in a way criticized the policies of the Soviet establishment. Because of this anti-government stance, the essay was first circulated in ‘samizdat’ (rough copies, which were circulated manually).

New Product Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

New Product Development - Essay Example The timeliness and precision associated with digital processes makes them the foremost choice for incorporation. Digital products are a step ahead of physically digitized products. These are products that are intangible and are available for use and transfer over the digital domain only. A perfect example of digitized products is Mobile Application Software which is more commonly referred to as a Mobile App. A digital product such as a Mobile App is a software that is either available as freeware or as a paid product. In the digitized world of today a Mobile App is a handy tool that is installed on the smartphone of the beholder. This software application program or Mobile App is a complete tool that does multiple things for its user. In accordance with the instructions embedded into a mobile app the software performs multiple handy or fun filled tasks. For example, a Forex converter app is very handy for an individual working in the stock market. In line with the most current preval ent Forex rates the app can make all the required conversions for you if the requirements are dictated to it. Similarly a prayer reminder app would not only remind you of the prayer times for your designated prayers but it would also provide you with responses to different religious queries that you may have. A Cooing app would become the Chef’s best mate for it may narrate each and every detail about an ingredient and may also suggest the use of it in preferable recipes. Thus, a Digital product is a completely different product when compared to its physical counterpart. It survives in a digital domain only and has no life in the tangible world of physical products. NPD for a DIGITAL PRODUCT The New Product Development processing for a digital product has a lot of user input involved in it. Basically the making of a digital product is all about its usability. The life of digital products is dependent immensely upon the way users need it and intend to make use of it. In fact e ach digital product is designed in line with the user requirements only. This implies that the main input for the new project development (NPD) for a Digital Product comes mainly from the prospective user itself. A set of prospective users of the digital product to be is chalked out in the initial stage of NPD. It is then then the way each of the possible users/ audiences would interact with the digital product is chalked out separately into each singled out scenario. Each of the scenarios is a complete set of execution of instructions that need to be embedded within the Digital Product to be. Once the list of processes that needs to be incorporated in the software of the digital product has been finalized the structure is then implemented in a favorable programming language. A final set of instructions governing the Digital Product then forms the backend of a polished fine user friendly front end based digital product. The NPD of a digital product is signified by another quality wh ich does not exist with the NPD of Physical Products. A digital product is often launched in two stages. Initially a test form termed as â€Å"Beta† form is released into the open market. The feedback that the Beta form of the Digital product gets enables the designers of the digital product to enhance parts of the digital product in line with user requirements. NPD for a digital product which is web based involves taking input from the users directly

The strategic management processes of KPMG Assignment

The strategic management processes of KPMG - Assignment Example This essay explores the Human Resource Management (HRM) practices of the company with focus given on the management of employee resources, employee voice and employee relations so as to understand the effectiveness of the management of KPMG in strategically managing the most significant resource of the organization which is the people resource. In relation to the study the company which has been selected is KPMG as one of the biggest professional services and consulting firm in the world. Along with Ernst & Young, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Deloitte Touchà © Consulting, KPMG is one of the Big Four auditing companies in the globe. The headquarters of the company are located in Amstelveen, Netherlands. KPMG is one of the most famous and preferred employers in the financial services sector. Currently, the company employs more than 162000 people in more than 16 geographical locations. The company has three main divisions of service which are advisory, Tax and audio services. The audit s ervices account for 42% of the revenues as of 2014, the advisory services account for 37% and the tax services account for 21% of the total revenue generated by the consulting firm in the year 2014. The company has been able to establish and maintain an ethical, sustainable and responsible image for the business over the years of its operations through a number of strategic management processes including employee management and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities.

My Opinion on Different Issues of Today (From a Democratic Point of Personal Statement

My Opinion on Different Issues of Today (From a Democratic Point of View) - Personal Statement Example Their role is to serve the common citizens, and thus they must readily accept to be taxed so that ordinary citizens do not suffer from the changing economy. Politicians should not pass any law or policy that reduces the status of our country and makes the citizens dig dipper into their savings. Increased taxes make employment stressful as it makes people earn less from their jobs. But this is what the government needs so that it can be able to manipulate the electorate. One would logically think that the money realised from increased taxation would enable the government to employ more people; however, in reality, employees work less and spend less as the government legally keeps small chunks of the employees’ hard earned money. This makes the economy to decline, even though the government gets richer with each cent they get from the citizens. The government is only concerned with the big bucks it gets from large corporations, and when it increases the tax rates, small business es are driven off the markets as every penny they earn is collected by the government. The small businesses entrepreneurs opt to wind up their business instead of giving everything to the government. The super rich individuals would be left to operate the majority of the businesses as they do not have any problem with the government taking a little more of their money through tax. They can also be able to employ many professionals who would ensure that they do not feel the effects of the increased taxation. Despite the increased taxation, everything becomes more expensive, and services and consumable products no longer move from the shelves in shops and supermarkets. The citizens opt to economize their money and they adopt healthy eating lifestyles. They also reduce their standards of living, and business owners and entrepreneurs opt to fire people. This is very good for the economy as the available resources can last longer in the country. The government increasingly invests and sp ends a lot of money in job creation to enable its citizens, especially the young generation, to get jobs after graduation from college. With increased taxation, the government clearly wants people to get unspecialized jobs as it already employed enough citizens. The rest should be contented in being fed and clothed by welfare programs and getting assistance from their relatives and friends. It is funny though that everybody goes to school to get a job, but the government does not see sense in more people working and uses all the resources and machinery to make people idle. Majority of people support the government in all its functions and would readily accept to pay additional taxes as they are patriotic. The revenue collection agencies of the government would have to be abolished as nobody would try to evade paying tax. Instead of increasing tax, the government should introduce tax rebates to the poor and tax the rich people more as poor people do not get to use the country’ s resources equally with the rich people. It is ironical that the rich people get tax cuts instead of getting heavily taxed; they have the money and they mostly control the economy and they have a lot of say in its appreciation and depreciation. The low earners should only enjoy the benefits because they are the ones who do most of the work in

Challenges Faced by Companies Entering Foriegn Markets Essay Example for Free

Challenges Faced by Companies Entering Foriegn Markets Essay 1. INTRODUCTION Companies move into foreign markets for various reasons. In certain cases, it is towards achieving a required sales volume. In other instances, it might be a bid to increase brand awareness. Other companies go into foreign markets to re-invigorate sales after their products have gone through their life cycle from inception to decline in home markets. Regardless of reason, moving into a foreign market tends to portend great opportunities for companies, particularly if it entails serving products in an emerging economy that has recently become wealthy enough to afford such products; or selling a new but needed product or service to a developed and wealthy market. However, in foreign markets, challenges are as numerous as opportunities. Some sources of challenges are discussed below. a) Socio-Cultural Differences Companies tend to adopt practices that were successful in home markets without adapting these models to fit the cultural inclinations of markets entered. When large cultural differences exist between the home country and that entered, such practices may result in ineffective business development and partnerships. An example is the now well known Chinese practice of longer meetings in the bid to become acquainted with potential partners, compared to the Anglo-American practice of brief to-the-point meetings. Adopting either approach in a market more inclined to the other, will no doubt hinder business development. Language differences are other examples of socio-cultural differences that posit challenges to companies entering a foreign market. Language differences make effective and efficient communication difficult between companies and local stakeholders. A light example is the Chevrolet Nova which was selling far below expectation in Latin America. Executives of General Motors could not understand why this was so until it was brought to their attention that, in Spanish â€Å"no va† means â€Å"it doesn’t go†. b) Differences in Levels of Bureaucracy – Efficiency of Procedures and Processes Company registration, the opening of a bank account, getting import permits, obtaining required licenses, etc, all reflect the ease of doing business in a country as well as the levels of bureaucracy that exist in that country. For companies used to relatively low levels of bureaucracy, entering a market with significantly higher levels of bureaucracy may result in unrealistic project plans translated into unachieved implementation. c) Differences in Availability of Skilled Human Resources Availability of a particular skill in a company’s home market may result in presumptions about the availability of the same skill in the market entered. 4This occurred in Nigeria in 2001 when the first set of GSM licenses were given to foreign companies MTN and Econet (both from South Africa). At the time, neither entrant foresaw a dearth of local skilled manpower. This ended up costing both companies an unprecedented increase in salaries and other expenses associated with bringing in expatriate workers. The challenge of sourcing skilled labour in foreign markets is further exacerbated when quotas exist on the number expatriates allowed into the country entered despite the dearth of local skill. d) Differences in Infrastructure Prevailing infrastructure affects how companies operate. Prevailing transportation infrastructure affect how companies move goods and personnel for service delivery; market infrastructure affect how players on a given value chain relate with one another; and the level of basic infrastructure such as power and water affect cost allocations and management. For companies entering a foreign market, failure to take into account the infrastructural base of the market entered may result in ineffective and or inefficient operating plans and processes. e) Legislation Favouring Local Companies Unsupportive legislation is another major source of challenges to companies entering foreign markets. Countries tend to enact laws intended to protect or enable local industries. These legislations take many forms. They could be outright levies on foreign businesses; or banning of the activities or management structure of foreign companies; or may be through more indirect means such as required licenses or permits to operate; cumbersome registration processes or permit procedures. 4 David Ogah, â€Å"Expatriates, some semi-skilled, take over even menial jobs from Nigerians†, The Guardian Newspaper Nigeria, December 21 2011, http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_contentview=articleid=71436:expatriates-some-semi-skilled-take-over-even-menial-jobs-from-nigerians-catid=72:focusItemid=598, accessed August 2012. 3. NIGERIAN E-COMMERCE E-commerce is the buying and selling of products or services over electronic systems such as the Internet and other computer networks. E-commerce uses the World Wide Web at one point in the transactions life-cycle, although it may include a wider range of technologies such as e-mail, mobile devices and telephones. - The major customers of e-commerce businesses are individuals living in major urban centres in Nigeria, notably Lagos, the commercial capital; Abuja, the political capital; and Port Harcourt, an oil rich city in Southern Nigeria; as these cities tend to house the highest number of internet users in Nigeria. 5Nigeria has over 47 million internet users, with a majority of them living in the urban cities. In the mid 2000s, a couple of e-commerce companies were launched in Nigeria. They barely survived. The reason for their demise, or in other cases, stagnant growth, was the difficulty of getting customers to embrace the e-payment options available in Nigeria at that time. This difficulty was due to known cases of fraud that occurred over the insecurity of Interswitch, the only e-payment platform available in Nigeria at that time. However, with the entrance of major card payment solutions like Master card and Visa card in 2006, coupled with the improved security features of Interswitch, the industry experienced an increase in the number of Nigerians executing online payments.6(online transactions grew by 25% in 2011) Prior to the end of the first quarter of 2012, the Nigerian e-commerce scene had been somewhat lukewarm as the only vibrant players were Dealdey.com and Wakanow.com. At the beginning of the second quarter, the sector experienced an increase in the number of e-commerce company in Nigeria, amongst which were Rocket Internet’s Sabunta.com and Kasuwa.com. The long-term outlook for the e-commerce industry in Nigeria is positive, with analysts predicting a significant increase in new entrants. The implementation of the use of mobile money in Nigeria by the Central Bank of Nigeria is expected to accelerate the development of the e-commerce industry in Nigeria, as mobile money allows a greater number of individuals engage in electronic transactions. Currently, the Nigerian e-commerce industry has slightly over 70 companies, though the industry is yet to have an estimated dollar value. Companies in the sector are categorized into: a. Fashion Retailers These are online fashion shops that primarily sell shoes, clothes and other fashion accessories. Major players in this category are Sabunta.com, Kamdora.com, Taafoo.com and 3stitches.com. The clear leader among them is Sabunta, despite the fact that the platform was launched less than 3 months ago while most other players have been in the scene for significantly longer. Sabunta offers a wider range of international brands and possesses a more integrated logistic supply chain. This makes them more capable of serving customers all around Nigeria than competitors. b. Travel and Tourism These are primarily online companies that sell travel and tour packages. The clear market leader is Wakanow.com with a current turnover of thirty-five million naira (N35 million) per month. Other players in this sector belong to private airline operators e.g. www.fly.arikair.com, www.myairnigeria.com, etc c. Electronic Gadgets and Books These are companies that sell electronic gadgets and books online. The major players in this category are Kasuwa.com and Konga.com. It is however difficult to tell who the bigger player is. Both players are less than 3 months old. Apart from electronics, Konga.com also retails baby and female make-up products. d. Broad Product Retailers Players in this category include group-buying deal sites such as Dealdey.com, Buynownow.com and Buyright.biz. The major player with the largest market share is Dealdey.com. It was launched in 2011 and possesses the most robust group-buying deal site in Nigeria. 2. SABUNTA.COM Sabunta.com is a fashion online retailer that offers a wide range of International and Nigerian fashion brands for sale in Nigeria. Sabunta.com is an e-commerce company owned by Jolali Global Resources Limited, a privately held company in Nigeria, set up and owned by the German Company, Rocket Internet. Rocket’s headquarters is the vibrant centre of Berlin, Europes Silicon Valley, home to a network of 25 international Rocket offices that cover the operations of the company’s subsidiaries in developed and emerging markets. Rocket Internet is the largest, fastest and the most successful international online venture builder. It currently has over 50 online ventures in 7 continents where they are all playing in the top segments of the market. The primary focus of Rocket is building proven, transaction-based business models in the online and mobile space. The company has been executing this model since 2007 and have created over 100 market leading companies in over forty (40) countries, dozens of which have been exited successfully. The Rocket Internet Company is best known for cloning successful online business in the US in other countries where they play at the top of the market. In Europe, Rocket’s Zalando is currently the largest online fashion retailer. Other well known companies owned and operated by Rocket include; Wimdu in France, Zidora in Azerbaijan, Dafiti in Brazil, Mizado in Egypt, Locondo in Japan, The Iconic in Australia and Zando in South Africa. Sabunta.com and Kasuwa.com are Rocket’s operations in Nigeria. Both operate from their headquarters in Lagos, Nigerian’s commercial capital, home to over 10% of the country’s $413 billion GDP. Sabunta.com and Kasuwa.com serve customers around using warehouses in major urban cities. However, Kasuwa.com sells electronic gadgets and books, while Sabunta.com sells fashion items. Sabunta.com provides customers with flexible online platforms to shop for fashion items from the convenience of their homes, and delivers these items at the doorsteps of shoppers. The company provides flexible payment options including bank deposits, online payment, and its innovative payment-on-delivery option, actually first introduced in Nigeria by Sabunta.com. Sabunta.com is young. The company started operations on the 8th of June, 2012 and is currently only three (3) months. Yet it has already become the largest and the fastest growing online fashion retailer in Nigeria, with over a 100 orders per day, The company aims to maintain its positions as the largest and fastest growing in Nigeria, as is being achieved in other countries by other Rocket Internet ventures worldwide. Sabunta.com currently has 71 staff, 24% of whom are foreign nationals. The workforce at Sabunta.com consists of graduates from Ivy league universities in the US and Europe, as well as top talent from Nigeria. Its management team consists of two foreign nationals and a Nigerian. 4. SABUNTA.COM TARGET MARKET The target market for Sabunta.com is Nigeria’s upper and emerging middle-class living in major urban cities in Nigeria. The age bracket of the typical Sabunta.com customer is between 18 and 65. This age range constitutes individuals who are capable of buying or making purchasing decisions with regards to fashion items. The company’s targeted customers are however less than 10% of the mentioned age range, as the company targets individuals with an annual income of not less than N2million ($12,500). Sabunta’s target market constitutes of individuals who live and work in major urban cities of Nigeria such as Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano, Kaduna, Ibadan, Aba, Warri and Benin. These individuals frequently utilize the internet and various social media platforms to interact with friends, family and colleagues. They are fashion conscious, trendy looking and want to express their personalities with the kind of outfits they wear. They also recognize and wear popular international brands and shop for these brands whenever they or friends and family travel abroad. 5. SABUNTA.COM STRATEGY Having carefully studied the Nigerian e-commerce scene, Sabunta.com concluded that the major problem hindering take-off of e-commerce in Nigeria is the sceptical nature of Nigerians towards online payments. The company responded by introducing the cash-payment-on-delivery option for its customers. Though the company offers regular credit card and online payment options for those who want to do so, the cash-payment-on-delivery option was an ice-breaker: it made sceptical Nigerians participate in online shopping. This enlarged the market of online shoppers, with Sabunta.com being the only company to enjoy the patronage of this new surge in online fashion shoppers. Good performance on the part of Sabunta.com further helped to enforce their dominance. On time delivery, even without having received payment, helped to instil confidence in its target market. To reduce problems associated with deceit and theft, usually by hoodlums posing as customers, Sabunta outsourced its delivery to Red Star Express, a leading Nigerian Franchisee of US global courier brand FEDEX a major courier company that has been in operations in Nigeria since 1992, known for its quality of service, Sabunta.com also introduced various practices that, though standard in mature e-commerce markets, were novel and innovative in the growing Nigerian e-commerce market. These innovations include: a. Free Delivery and Return Policy Prior to Sabunta.com entry, no e-commerce company in Nigeria offered free delivery or allowed customers to return purchased goods. Sabunta.com entered the e-commerce scene offering a nationwide free delivery plan as well as a return policy which allowed customers return goods bought within the first 14 days if they were not satisfied with the condition in which it was delivered. To return goods, customers are allowed to drop the purchased items at any of the 158 Red Star Express offices situated in all the states in Nigeria at their convenience. This reduces the cost which customers incur during the return process. The ability to purchase goods at no extra cost of delivery and to return these goods if dissatisfied at minimal costs make Sabunta.com a provider of high quality at low costs – attributes that appeal to the price sensitive and yet quality sensitive Nigerian market. b. International Product Offering Sabunta.com recognizes that its target market constitutes those familiar with and who wear International fashion brands. Consequently, the company partners with sister fashion companies around the world, owned by the parent, Rocket Internet, to offer a large range of international brands over 150 different brands to the Nigerian market. Sabunta.com enhances the display of international products on its site, both those it has in stock as well as those in the stock of its sister companies around the world. This allows the company serve the diverse international tastes of the Nigerian market, and to respond to trends regardless of its current stock. 6. SUCCESS For a company that has been in existence for less than three months in a foreign market, Sabunta.com has been able to achieve a lot of success and has been able to overcome a significant number of envisaged challenges. Sabunta.com successes include: a. Exceeding Projected Revenue Prior to entering the Nigerian market, the management of Sabunta projected revenue of â‚ ¬15,000 from about 150 orders in the first quarter of business. This projection was exceeded after the company’s first month of operations. The company found itself operating in a large market with a greater potential for online products than it had envisaged or planned for. The result was a restructuring of its operations to meet the demand. b. Obtaining Local Supplies Being an online fashion store, the ability to get local suppliers goes a long way in determining the amount of profit made. Local supply eliminates the various cost associated with getting supplies from outside the country – [The average mark-up for goods sold on Sabunta.com is 50%]. The Sabunta.com team was concerned about getting high quality local supplies for their business as the number and industry size of local fashion suppliers were not obtainable from official records or research archives. However, the company was pleasantly surprised at the large number of local fashion suppliers resident in Nigeria. The result has been high mark-ups on locally produced and sold products. This has lead to profitability in less time than projected.[Sabunta.com currently makes an average gross profit of 40% while their operating and net profits are still in the negative]. c. Finding Adequate Logistic Providers To ensure timely and accurate nationwide delivery, Sabunta.com required services from delivery firms who possess best practices as well as offer cost-effectiveness as a value proposition. The firm understood that a weak or inconsistent logistics arm (for example due to different qualities of delivery by several logistic partners) will result in negative customer perception. This challenge was overcome through a partnership with Red Star Express – a Franchisee of the US international courier and logistics service provider, FEDEX, that has been operating in Nigeria since 1992. Red Star Express knowledge of the country’s transportation infrastructure aids in its optimal logistics service delivery. Moreover, Red Star Express provides support with more than just delivery and return of goods. It also collects cash from customers who chose to pay in cash upon delivery, and remits these funds to Sabunta. This saves the company costs associated with cash management. d. Recruitment of Required Personnel Another envisaged challenge was availability of skilled local labor. Given the poor state of Nigeria’s I.T. infrastructure and sophistication, the company was unsure of the availability of I.T related skill sets to carry out Rocket’s model as practiced in various other markets. The company was however relieved to find competent local talent. Sabunta.com operates with a 100% local I.T team, capable of carrying out functions required by the Rocket model. 7. CHALLENGES Despite Sabunta.com successes, the company faces a myriad of challenges, most of which result from differences between Rocket’s countries of operation and the Nigerian market. Some of these challenges include: a. Challenges Resulting from Socio-Cultural and Socio-Economic Differences Unlike successes gained in recruiting and maintaining local personnel, Sabunta.com has not been able to maintain its international staff. Over seventy percent (70%) of Sabunta’s international staff who started out with the company left within two (2) months. The reason? Inability to acclimatize to the Nigerian environment with particular regards to the type of readily available food as well as the lack of or the high costs of, basic amenities such as food, water, regular electricity supply, health services, cooking gas, transportation, internet connectivity, etc. Other reasons for the departure of international staff included health concerns. As at August 2012, over 90 percent of international staff who resumed operations with the company (in June 2012) were diagnosed with malaria, a tropical disease most had never experienced. Unanticipated costs and time associated with replacing and training international staff continues to plague Sabunta.com. b. Challenges Resulting from Unavailability of Infrastructure. Being an e-commerce company, Sabunta.com core operations involve the use of the internet. Consequently, the company requires reliable and (preferably) cheap internet connectivity and power. Yet, neither internet connectivity nor power supply exists cheaply or reliably in Nigeria. Nigeria generates and distributes less than 4,000Megawatts barely enough to serve the nation’s power needs and resulting in frequent power outages. Sabunta.com spends over N640,000 (â‚ ¬3,200) per month on diesel to fuel their stand-by generators, and is constantly plagued with this high cost of power. The company also has high internet connectivity expenses N450,000 (â‚ ¬2,250) per month for a bandwidth size of 4/4Mbps. Even with such huge sums spent on internet connection, Sabunta.com continues to experience less than optimal services from Nigerian internet service providers. c. Challenges Resulting from Legislation A key component of Sabunta’s strategy is offering a wide range of international brands in Nigeria, using stock held by sister companies around the world. Research and studies of Nigerian importation laws suggested that importation of fashion stock into Nigeria would be relatively easy. This left the company vulnerable to the shock it received when the first set of drop-shipment was seized at the airport by the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS). The NCS claimed that the goods contained items that were contraband in Nigeria. Sabunta responded by removing such items from their offerings fragrance and perfumes.. Notwithstanding its response, Sabunta continues to face ever present threats associated with bans on importation of fashion related items including textile, leather, clothing, and shoes. Nigerian history reveals frequent policy changes and inconsistencies with regard importation of goods into the country, long identified as a major cause of failure of businesses in Nigeria. Another challenge faced by Sabunta from the Nigerian legislation is the restriction placed by the CBN on the sale of Foreign Exchange to companies and individual except for special purposes like the importation and exportation of goods and services and also the payment of services abroad. This meant that Sabunta had to buy foreign exchange at a higher price in the black market to settle all its international staff’s salary and other payments which were denominated in US dollars.(Official rate is 1$=159Naira as against the black market rate of 1$=163Naira). d. Challenges Resulting from Corrupt Practices. Despite the absence of contraband, Sabunta’s management continue to experience delays in the release of their consignment by Nigerian Customs officials. Further inquiry revealed that the logistic company they employed (FEDEX) to handle importation of their goods did not have a good relationship with the Customs officials due to the company’s implemented policy of not offering bribes as is the order of the day. Sabunta’s management continue to experience and consequently to remain alert to the constant threat of fraudulent and corrupt practices that plaque business in Nigeria. The company continues to face the challenge of local business partners who try to cut corners and deliver less. Prior to partnering with FEDEX, a Nigerian courier company was chosen and partnered with for local delivery. Similar to FEDEX’s collection and remission of cash, the courier company collected payment from customers on delivery. However, the company frequently fell short of its obligations in terms of timing and amount of cash remitted. The courier company also failed to report accurate figures collected from customers, and till date, owe Sabunta over 40% of payments collected. Sabunta was quick to recognize this problem and swiftly partnered with FEDEX for its logistics services. Nevertheless, other sources of corrupt practices persist especially from small independent service providers. This is particularly so with artisan related services such as plumbing, equipment repairs and office maintenance, and are frequent sources of lost funds or delayed services to Sabunta. 8. SABUNTA’S FUTURE: THE MERGER Plans are currently being made for a merger with Kasuwa, Rocket Internet’s other company in Nigeria, also launched in June 2012, to form Jumia. The merger is expected to result in the biggest e-commerce retailer in Nigeria a one-stop shop for all products related to fashion and electronic items. The new website, Jumia.com, will offer a wider variety of international brands, using strategies currently employed by Sabunta. Jumia is intended to provide benefits associated with scale such as discounts and bargaining power (in relation to suppliers), while addressing current challenges faced by both companies. They include: a. Staffing: The merger is expected to reduce the number of required staff. This will result in the reduction of salary expenses and will result in the need for fewer international staff. In other words, international staff who have acclimatized to Nigeria from both companies may continue to provide required services to Jumia without the need to recruit and retain new staff. b. Office Space: The merger is expected to result in shared office space at a cost smaller than the combined cost of Sabunta and Kasuwa’s current office cost. c. Fueling and Power: Similar to the effect on office space, the merger is expected to result in fueling and power costs that will be smaller than the combined current cost of both companies current fueling and power needs. d. Internet Connectivity: More than just reduction in costs, the merger is expected to result in Jumia’s ability to purchase larger bandwith sizes directly from internet providers in South Africa, Europe, and North America. This will address the unreliability of internet connectivity currently faced by Sabunta and Kasuwa. e. Repair and Maintenance: It is expected that the larger Jumia will be able to partner with large and reliable providers of office and equipment repairs thus eliminating small service providers who have corrupt or unreliable practices. 9. RECOMMENDATIONS 11Doing a proper market research and analysis When entering a foreign market, it is recommended that a firm carry out proper market research and analysis on that market prior to entry. Top on the list is an environmental analysis that needs to be taken also. There are uncontrollable forces which are external forces upon which the management has no direct control, and it can exert an influence. There are also Internal forces which are controllable forces upon which the management to adapt to. 12Form Strategic Alliances When entering a foreign market, it is recommended that a firm forge strategic alliance to enable them get the following * Great synergy with the partnering local company. * Opportunity to access assets that are not readily available in the market. * Access to larger market and technology for small companies. 11 Jusuf Zekiri and Biljana Angelova, Factors that Influence Entry Mode Choice in Foreign Markets, European Journal of Social Sciences – Volume 22, Number 4 (2011), http://www.eurojournals.com/EJSS_22_4_12.pdf, accesses August 2012. 12 Mihaela Belu, Strategies of Entering New Markets, The Romanian Economic Journal, http://www.rejournal.eu/Portals/0/Arhiva/JE%2027/JE%2027%20-%20Belu%20Caragin.pdf, accessed August 2012. Appendix 1 Mobile Money In NigeriaMobile money as the name implies is the transfer of monetary value from one person’s mobile phone to another. It has been made waves and affected commerce greatly in certain parts of eastern Africa where it was launched in 2009. In Nigeria, the CBN (Central Bank of Nigeria), granted license to 11 mobile money operators in 2011. The CBN rolled out the Mobile money campaign in Lagos State, Nigeria commercial nerve center in January 2012, and planned launching it around the federation by 2013.The CBN also put in place some incentives for using the Mobile money services, by placing charges for Bank cash transactions above 500,000 for individuals and 1million naira for companies.| Appendix 2 Economics of Lagos StateLagos State is the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria. Located in the western part of Nigeria, it is home to over 18million people and has over 2,000 industries. 65% of the countrys commercial activities are carried out in the state. Two of the nations largest seaports -Apapa and Tin-Can Ports are located in Lagos State.| Appendix 3 Income Distribution of the Nigeria Population in 2010 Nigeria Population in 2010-156,051,000 (Source: International Monetary Fund 2011 World Economic Outlook) This report shows the distribution for seven groups within the Nigerian Population in 2010. Percentage of population in income bracket of 0-500 PPP Dollars –55.68% Percentage of population in income bracket of 500-1000 PPP Dollars-28.22% Percentage of population in income bracket of 1000-2500 PPP Dollars- 14.61% Percentage of population in income bracket of 2500-5000 PPP Dollars- 1.17% Percentage of population in income bracket of 5000-10000 PPP Dollars- 0.17% Percentage of population in income bracket of 10000-20000 PPP Dollars- 0.05% Percentage of population in income bracket of 20000+ PPP Dollars- 0.1% Source-Marketline analysis based on information from National Statistical Organization

The Problems And Solution Of Hacking Computer Science Essay

The Problems And Solution Of Hacking Computer Science Essay Its crystal clear that hacking is one of the famous topics that the daily 80 million user of the World Wide Web search for, as whenever you type the word hacking on any search engine about 165,000,000 results appear only in a about 0.08 of a second. The English word hacking means re-configuring of a system to work in ways not served by the owner, which is probably illegal. Hacking doesnt only stop on hacking another computer, or someones account on social networks, however it can be hacking banks, websites, companies, etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. . The biggest problem is that people do and cant be stopped by either government or IT companies is that people hack software and things without them knowing as a lot of people daily download software, music, movies, and games for free from random websites and its now considered a normal thing to do. On the other hand, what people dont know is that NOTHING FOR FREE, although these random websites give the people software and music for free, but when you click DOWNLOAD the owner of the website will easily know your IP Address and based on it he can hack your computer check your private files, take software, photos and a lot of things which will make for the owner of the personal computer a lot of problems in the future. Simply hackers seek to gain unauthorized access to computers to steal what we have stored on our computers, such as credit card numbers, bank account details, address books or other personal, financial or business information. The problem is how to make people stop hacking? Criterion B: The IT background of Hacking: Hacking is a very complicated method of accessing someones personal computer in an illegal method. There are 4 types to access those computer first Port Scanners second Malicious Programs third Vulnerability Scanners last but not least Password cracking. Computer cracking can involve port scanners. Port scans have some uses, as they test your firewall security and they scan random blocks of internet addresses once they find unprotected one. the malicious hacker may decide to enter your PC. Hackers use viruses such as Trojan horses and root kits, viruses, and worms to invade systems. Trojan horses they are designed to appear as a game or video but while downloading videos or games it automatically download Trojans which allow the hacker to gain access of the computer. A rootkit is a piece of software that can be installed in a similar way to a Trojan and hidden on the computer without the knowledge of the owner. Attackers may be able to access information, monitor the actions of the o wner, modify programs, or perform other functions on the computer without being detected. A virus is a program that continuously makes a lot of viruses and spreads copies of itself to all the programs and software and the computers in the same network. A worm is also a self-replicating program, it can spread copies of itself to other computers. It may carry random viruses as Trojans and much more, which allows the hacker to ruin the security of the computer and the anti-virus so he can enter the pc easily. The hacker will make note of the site, return at a later time, and hack into the network to search for vulnerabilities. A password cracking program guesses users passwords, whereas a sniffer program watches information passing through the Internet. The aim of using these computer hacking programs is to obtain usernames and passwords for unauthorized access. Criterion C: The impact of Hacking: Hacking effects can be categorized into three types; effects on individuals, organizations, economy and effects on countries. The most important issue to recognize is that victims are the only ones who feel the threat and effects of hacking attacks, and our duty is to inform other people about the danger of hacking to be cautious and alert which helps in preventing hacking attacks from happening. Based on some banks they state that there some people whom their individual information was sold and was used for bad purposes, and when they focused on the psychology of those people after they are hacked, they found out that they will always have the fear of being watched when they accesses internet , as their privacy has been penetrated. According to researches credit card details and passwords can be stolen causing financial damage to individuals added to that computer systems can be hacked causing the machine to stop working which will make people stop using e-banking. Companies and org anizations arent safe too as Hacking caused and still causing till the moment bankruptcy to plenty of companies, thats because companies are being hacked plenty of times which leads to the loss of customer confidence or belief in the security capabilities of the company. One of the big problems is that some companies hire hackers to hack competitor systems to steal precious information. Last but not least, some countries train hackers to hack other countries systems to damage their economy or to know their security news. Criterion D: Solution to the problem arising from Hacking: How to make people stop hacking? This is the first thing comes to anyones mind when he thinks of solutions for people to stop hacking. First countries should be role models for their citizens by stopping hacking other countries systems or at least dont make it so clear that they do it. Then they can make advertisements everywhere to encourage people to put Firewalls to prevent access to their computer from the outside, so that only those that they give permission to can connect to their system from the Internet. Effective and secure firewalls also ensure outbound control, watching for and preventing a Trojan, spyware or any other program from communicating out of their computer, unless they provide permission. Governments should encourage people to counter password cracking or sniffing, change Use complex passwords and make sure to change them on a regular basis, and operating system and other software should be patched as soon as updates are released. Maintaining the most recent ver sions of software and operating systems will help block hackers from getting through any vulnerability. All their computers should be running the most recent version of an anti-virus program. The program should be set for automatic updates to ensure the latest virus, worm and Trojan definitions. After doing so some hackers will give up so at least 60% will stop and the rest will be threatened by serious legal punishments.