Explain the position of Dualism and physicalism Essay

Explain the position of Dualism and physicalism - Essay Example This philosophical thought has been applied for instance in the mind-body relation to claim that a human being is a physical system with the central nervous system and brain without a mind or soul (Crumley 5). For instance, physicalists postulate that the mind or soul is not an immaterial substance but occurs in physical form that is consisted of cells at one level which can be broken down further into atoms at their smallest level. This makes the mind and the brain to be same substance in an outlay where the mind is a consequence of neural connections. This positioning of the mind and the brain based on the assumptions make in physicalism means that damage to the brain translates to the same damage in the mind. This is true for example in the case of the brain which contains multiple elongated cells referred to as neurons whose function is to carry specific impulses. Contacts between neurons take place through points of contact named synapses. A specific neuron in the human nervous system is the C-fibers whose function is to supply the skin with nerves and transmit pain impulses. According to Physicalist, when a person experiences an occasion of pain or occurrence of a thought these are believed to be physical events related to C-fibers transmitting or certain electrical and chemical events taking place in the brain and central nervous system (Crumley 64). Apart from the assumption that the mind and brain are the same, another condition of physicalism is based on the belief that the physical world is causally closed. The thesis of causal closure fundamentally argues that any physical event must equally have a physical cause. This assumption by the Physicalists means that for every occurrence in world, there must be an explanation on the basis of causal interactions occurring at the physical level. Therefore, this worldview is

Career Development of Muslim Women Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Career Development of Muslim Women - Essay Example The research design that is selected for the study is an exploratory research design, in order to understand the things deeply. As explained by Zechmeister et al., (1997) survey research represents a general approach to be used when the research design is implemented. Survey research is the method of gathering data from respondents thought to be representative of some population using an instrument composed of close structure or open-ended items (questions). It is one of the most dominant forms of data collection in the social sciences gives for the proficient collection of data over broad populations, agreeable to self-administration, administration in person, by telephone, via email, and on the internet. The primary data is to be collected by conducting field research that involves face to face interviews, surveys, questionnaires and focused group interviews. Primary research involves the use of primary data for the collection of data. Primary data are that information that is collected for the first time. The primary research will be especially useful since it will provide a guideline to the most current data available on this topic from Muslim women who are about to reach either supervisory or managerial positions and also from female who are about to enter the workforce. This will help to give an idea about what challenges they face and how they feel they will compare themselves with foreigners in the workplace. There are many advantages that have been identified in the use of the survey method.

Smart Goals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Smart Goals - Essay Example I will begin at the end of my final semester in school. Goal 2 Smart: I would like to acquire the require expertise in running my own business Measurable: I want to have the best effective skills in business management Attainable: I will seek attachment in a business oriented establishment in order to acquire required management skills. Realistic: I will work in the company for a full time basis, but within a period of three months in order to venture in my own business Timely: I will begin at the beginning of my final semester in school Goal 3 Smart: I want to acquire the required market research market skills to develop exceptional operational strategies Measurable: I want to implement the most effective market research strategies in my business venture Attainable: I will take part in market research project used in existing business ventures Realistic: I will occasionally take part in research projects regardless of my occupational ventures Timely: I will begin taking part in rese arch projects immediately

Correlation Discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Correlation Discussion - Essay Example Fisher’s z-Transformation (Zr) is another method which enables a skewed sampling distribution to be transformed into a normal distribution scheme. In particular, this may be applied when the value of r (Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficient) deviates from zero, in which case, the sampling distribution becomes skewed progressively and Fisher’s z-transformation may resolve to normalize this condition. Though the mean and variance do not follow a common transformation, functions pertaining to cumulative distribution and probability density can still be determined statistically via such method. The following graph demonstrates how ‘zr’ varies with ‘r’.Evaluation of Pearson ‘r’, on the other hand, may indicate the correlation between two variables based on tests to figure whether the ‘r' varies from -1 to +1, with 0 in reference to the absence of relationship and 1 for the perfect relationship. Test reports with this method incorporate critical one-tailed and two-tailed ‘r’, Fisher z-transformation, t-statistic, and population correlation figures.Calculating Spearman’s rank-order correlation non-parametric coefficient ‘Ï Ã¢â‚¬â„¢, likewise, formulates a nearly similar output as does measuring the Pearson’s ‘r’. It takes two numeric variables to carry out the method through which each variable is converted to ranks.  

The Determination of an Equilibrium Constant Essay Example for Free

The Determination of an Equilibrium Constant Essay During our experiment, it became clear that there were a variety of errors due to procedure that has culminated in anomalous results producing an inaccurate Kc value. There are two main sources of inaccuracies; systematic errors and equipment errors. The main sources of systematic errors were:  ( i ) The amount of phenolphthalein added to the solutions  ( ii ) The difficulty in judging the exact point of colour change from colourless to pink during the titration. ( iii ) The difference in judging where the bottom of the meniscus is.   The systematic errors are non-quantitative; therefore it is impossible to predict the effect of the errors mathematically. But, due to the repetition of the titration, we are increasing the precision of our results, thereby decreasing the event of an error being produced. Therefore the systematic errors have a relatively insignificant role in our errors.  The experimental errors were a result of the inaccuracies from the equipment:  ( i ) The burette has an inaccuracy of +/-0.05cm3, thus resulting in a cumulative error of 0.1cm3 and the pipette had an error of +/- 0.1cm3. ( ii ) Minor inaccuracy from the 100cm3 standardizing flask.  As the results of the experimental errors produced quantitative errors, it is possible to work out the results in account with the percentage of errors due to the equipment. The calculation has been shown on the analysis sheet. The error due to the burette was (0.05/16.8) x 100 = 0.3%, and the error due to the pipette was (0.1/1) x 100 = 10%. Therefore, the total error due to equipment was 10.3%, ignoring the inaccuracy due to the standardizing flask as it is so small it can be ignored. Another large source have error cannot have been foreseen. We based our experiment on the fact that the solutions we were given were in equilibrium, but we cannot be sure that this is true. Although the solution were left for a week, to make sure that our solutions were in equilibrium, we could leave the solution for a longer period of time to improve the likeliness of an equilibrium being maintained. As my results can prove, the precision was very good as my results were close together, but my value of Kc was almost 30% of the data book value of 4.0 for this reaction. As a class, all the solutions should have produced the same Kc value, therefore having the class averages for all the solutions can allow me to analyse the accuracy of my results in comparison to the other experiments: Kc Averages for experiment:  1. 3.49 no units  2. 1.28 no units  3. 4.11 no units  4. 2.55 no units  The overall average for the Kc is ( 3.49 + 1.28 + 4.11 + 2.55 ) / 4 = 2.86 no units. Therefore, as my result for the Kc was 2.82 (no units), with respect to the class, my results were very accurate. Unfortunately with respect to the actual data book value of 4, my experimental error was off by 30% resulting in a fairly inaccurate real result.

The different types of Terrorism Research Methods

The different types of Terrorism Research Methods Terrorism is a subject matter, not a discipline. It has been approached by scholars from various academic perspectives with political scientists in the lead. In an effort to get a firm hold on a slippery subject, those studying the phenomenon of terrorism were obliged to define it more precisely. Terrorism could be described simply as the use or threat of violence to create an atmosphere of fear and alarm and thus bring about a political result. But making this definition operative in political debate, rules of war, or criminal codes was anything but easy. Is all politically motivated violence terrorism? How does terrorism differ from ordinary crime? Should terrorism be considered a crime at all, or should it be seen as simply another form of armed conflict that is no less legitimate than any other form of war? Is the term properly reserved for those trying to overthrow governments, or can governments also be terrorists? Definition was crucial because it ultimately determined the way in which terrorism has been studied. A major problem was that terrorism almost always has a pejorative connotation and thus falls in the same category of words as tyranny and genocide, unlike such relatively neutral terms such as war and revolution. One can aspire to objective and dispassionate research, but one cannot be neutral about terrorism any more than one can be neutral about torture. Thus, defining terrorism became an effort not only to delineate a subject area but also to maintain its illegitimacy. Even the most clinical inquiry was laden with values and therefore political issues. The very study of terrorism implied to some a political decision. Terrorism can be defined objectively by the quality of the act, not by the identity of the perpetrators or the nature of their cause. All terrorist acts are crimes, and many also would be war crimes or grave breaches of the rules of war if one accepted the terrorists assertion that they wage war. All terrorist acts involve violence or the threat of violence, sometimes coupled with explicit demands. The violence is directed against noncombatants (Lesser, 1999). The purposes are political. The actions often are carried out in a way that will achieve maximum publicity, and the perpetrators are usually members of an organized group. Terrorist organizations are by necessity clandestine, but unlike other criminals, terrorists often but not always claim credit for their acts. Finally the hallmark of terrorism the acts are intended to produce psychological effects. This introduces a distinction between the actual victims of terrorist violence and the target audience. The connection between the victim and the target of terrorism can be remote. The identity of the victims may be secondary or even irrelevant to the terrorist cause. Pure terrorism is entirely indiscriminate violence. Terrorism differs from ordinary crime in its political purpose and its primary objective. However, not all politically motivated violence is terrorism, nor is terrorism synonymous with guerilla war or any other kind of war. Terrorist techniques can be used by governments or those fighting against governments: however, scholars generally use the term terror when discussing fear-producing tactics employed by governments and terrorism when referring to tactics used by those fighting against governments. The distinction is primarily semantic. Both groups may use threats, assassinations, or abductions, but government terror also may include arbitrary imprisonment, concentration camps, torture, mind-affecting techniques, and the use of drugs for political purposes. Antigovernment terrorists generally lack the infrastructure for such tactics. Government terror produces more victims than terrorism does. Terrorists tend to seek more publicity than do governments (Lesser, 1999). Although a prerequisite to empirical research, the attempt to define terrorism inevitably lent greater coherence to disparate acts of violence than did any analysis offered by the terrorists themselves, few of whom thought of assassinations, bombings, kidnappings, and airline hijackings as elements of a unified tactical repertoire, let alone the basis of a strategy. Ironically, in an effort to understand a phenomenon, researchers ran the risk of attributing to terrorists a level of strategic thinking they may not have possessed. Qualitative, case-study research method has dominated the terrorism topic for many years. Since the number of observations in the greater part of this work is really small, researchers have been cautious to delineate terrorism to fit the cases under examination. The undersized quantity of observations, regrettably, often disallows unreliable dubious parts of the definition. In one country, for instance, hostility against the military might take place, but in the second country it might not. In an assessment of the first country, one could diverge the definition beyond civilian targets to military targets. In an assessment of the second country, one could not diverge the definition to investigate the implications of unreliable degrees from minimal to maximal definitions (Lesser, 1999). In current research on terrorism in the science writing, there is plenty of room to diverge the definition of terrorism to identify with its consequences. Specifically, there is no need to decide on one particular definition of terrorism; multiple definitions can be allowed and then the effects can be empirically sorted out. Empirical analysis might generate two measures of terrorism: one with civilians as the target and the second with both civilians and the military at peace time as the target. Moreover, empirical analysis may demonstrate whether results are alike or diverse dependent on the measure. And any results would have implications for future theoretical and empirical research (American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2004). As science research on terrorism is turning out to be more and more quantitative, enough deviation is present within most databases on terrorism to investigate variations on definitions. Researchers should make lucid conceptual and conjectural arguments, but on main points of contention, empirical analysis can clarify what significant role the contention plays when implemented in a large quantity of cases. Research on terrorism has been very prolific in some fields, but carries on to spin its wheels in other ones. In general, the primary requirement is that units of scrutiny should be chosen to fit the theoretical argument, which often does not take place. Carrying attention away from definitional subject might result in great progress in the research of terrorism (Lesser, 1999). Among the latest applications of agent-based modeling to terrorism is Leweling and Nissen (2007). They apply ABMs to assess how various counterterrorism choices influence horizontally versus vertically organized terrorist groups. Here goes one impending frontier for terrorism research: applying dynamic agent-based models to create predictions about which policies by governments can efficiently trim down terrorism. Akin to many of the formal models in the records of terrorism articles, there is no empirical analysis of the predictions of this exacting model. Combining event data on terrorist attacks with agent-based models is a would-be promising way to the fore. Much research on terrorism has focused more narrowly on the topic. In part, this reflects the desire of researchers to avoid the murky, politically loaded area of underlying causes, where any discussion might be seen as condemnation or rationalization of terrorist violence. Nonetheless, there have been excellent case studies of individual groups and their tactics. Defining terrorism in terms of the act has enabled researchers to maintain a theoretically objective approach and conduct at least some primitive quantitative analysis. Event-based analysis has enabled them to discern broad patterns and trends and chart the growth of terrorism and its diffusion around the globe. They have been able to demonstrate statistically that as terrorism has increased in volume, it has also become bloodier. Researchers were able to illustrate a clear trend toward incidents of large-scale indiscriminate violence in the 1980s and infer that terrorists tend to be more imitative than innovative in their tactics. Event-based analysis also has permitted researchers to distinguish the operational profiles of specific terrorist groups, and these profiles have been useful in identifying changes in a groups modus operandi. At the same time, event-based analysis has led the analysts into some methodological traps. An exclusive focus on terrorist actions, for example, resulted in terrorists being viewed first as if they were all part of a single entity and second as if they were almost extraterrestrial. While there are connections and alliances among some terrorist groups, the only thing the terrorists of the world have in common is a propensity for violence and certain tactics. Moreover, each group is rooted in its own social, political, and cultural soil, and cross-national comparisons are difficult. This has led to the question of whether there is such a thing as a terrorist-prone society. It is, however, dangerous to attribute the actions of a few to perceived political defects or cultural flaws of a society as a whole, and researchers attempts to discern deeper causes or conditions that lead to high levels of terrorism in certain societies have produced meager results. Terrorism is not demonstrably a response to poverty or political oppression. The liberal democracies of Western Europe have suffered high levels of terrorist violence, while totalitarian states are virtually free of terrorism. Overall, countries with perceived terrorist problems tend to be comparatively advanced politically and economically. They are more highly urbanized and have higher per capita incomes, larger middle classes, more university students, and higher rates of literacy. One may ask whether political and economic advancement simply brings a more modern form of political violence. One obstacle to linking high levels of terrorism with environmental factors is the problem of measuring terrorism. For the most part, this has been done by counting terrorist incidents, but international terrorism was narrowly and, more important, artificially defined to include only incidents that cause international concern, a distinction that has meant very little to the terrorists. Counting all terrorist incidents, both local and international, is better but still inadequate. Terrorist tactics, narrowly defined, represent most of what some groups, particularly those in Western Europe, do but for other groups, terrorism represents only one facet of a broader armed conflict. In civil war situations, such as that in Lebanon in the 1970s, separating incidents of terrorism from the background of violence and bloodshed was futile and meaningless. And what about the extensive unquantified political and communal violence in the rural backlands of numerous third world countries? Broad sta tements about terrorist-prone or violence-prone societies simply cannot be made by measuring only a thin terrorist crust of that violence, if at all. The problem, however, is not merely one of counting. Although terrorists arise from the peculiarities of local situations, they may become isolated in a tiny universe of beliefs and discourse that is alien to the surrounding society. German terrorists were German, but were they Germany? In the final analysis, one is forced to dismiss the notion of a terrorist-prone society. If terrorism cannot be explained by environmental factors, one must look into the mind of the individual terrorist for an explanation. Are there individuals who are prone to becoming terrorists a preterrorist personality? Encouraged by superficial similarities in the demographic profiles of terrorists many of them have been urban middle and upper class (not economically deprived) males in their early twenties with university or at least secondary school educations researchers searched for common psychological features. Behavioral analysts painted an unappealing portrait: The composite terrorist appeared to be a person who was narcissistic, emotionally flat, easily disillusioned, incapable of enjoyment, rigid, and a true believer who was action-oriented and risk seeking. Psychiatrists could label terrorists as neurotic and possibly sociopathic, but they found that most of them were not clinically insane. Some behavioral analysts looked for deeper connections between terrorists attitude toward parents and their attitudes toward authority. A few went further in claiming a physiological explanation for terrorism based on inner ear disorders, but these assertions were not given wide credence in the scientific community. The growing number of terrorists apprehended and imprisoned in the 1980s permitted more thorough studies, but while these studies occasionally unearthed tantalizing similarities, they also showed terrorists to be a diverse lot. Much research on terrorism has been government-sponsored and therefore oriented toward the practical goal of understanding terrorism in order to defeat it. While social scientists looked for environmental or behavioral explanations for terrorism, other researchers attempted to identify terrorist vulnerabilities and successful countermeasures. They achieved a measure of success in several areas. Studies of the human dynamics of hostage situations led to the development of psychological tactics that increased the hostages chances of survival and a better understanding (and therefore more effective treatment) of those who had been held hostage. In some cases, specific psychological vulnerabilities were identified and exploited. With somewhat less success, researchers also examined the effects of broader policies, such as not making concessions to terrorists holding hostages and using military retaliation. The conclusion in this area were less clear-cut. Another area of research concerned the effects of terrorism on society. Here, researchers viewed terrorism as consisting of not only the sum of terrorist actions but also the fear and alarm produced by those actions. Public opinion polls, along with measurable decisions such as not flying and avoiding certain countries, provided the measure of effect. Some critics who are skeptical of the entire field of terrorism analysis assert that the state and its accomplice scholars have invented terrorism as a political issue to further state agendas through manipulation of fear, the setting of public discourse, preemptive constructions of good and evil, and the creation of deliberate distractions from more serious issues. Terrorism, a pejorative term that is useful in condemning foes, has generated a lot of fear mongering, and the issue of terrorism has been harnessed to serve other agendas, but one would have to set aside the reality of terrorist campaigns to see terrorism solely as an invention of the hegemonic state. While such deconstructions reveal the ideological prejudices of their authors, they nonetheless have value in reminding other analysts to be aware of the lenses through which they view terrorism. Over the years, research on terrorism has become more sophisticated, but in the end, terrorism confronts people with fundamental philosophical questions: Do ends justify means? How far does one go on behalf of a cause? What is the value of an individual human life? What obligations do governments have toward their own citizens if, for example, they are held hostage? Should governments or corporations ever bargain for human life? What limits can be imposed on individual liberties to ensure public safety? Is the use of military force, as a matter of choice, ever appropriate? Can assassination ever be justified? These are not matters of research. They are issues that have been dictated through the ages. The free creation and exchange of knowledge by scientists can present dangerous, unintended consequences for society. A paper by Ronald Jackson and other researchers found that the insertion of IL-4 genes into mousepox viruses resulted in near total immunosuppression (Jackson, Ramsay, Christensen, et al. 2001). This advanced valuable knowledge about immune system functioning, but it also evoked fears that terrorists could use such knowledge to engineer hyper-virulent viruses. Similarly, the journal Science published a paper in 2002 that showed how to assemble a poliovirus from readily available chemicals (Cello, Aniko, Eckerd 2002). The threat of terrorist acts has caused political leaders and members of the scientific community to question whether such knowledge should be created, and if so, how its publication and exchange should be regulated. The twentieth century provided several examples of tradeoffs between security and openness in the pursuit of knowledge. The Manhattan Project that produced the first atomic bomb cultivated a culture of secrecy. A similar culture developed among researchers studying microwaves during World War II. During the Cold War, the U.S. government attempted to constrain information exchange in some areas of mathematics and the physical sciences that may have aided Soviet nuclear weapons development (Monastersky 2002). In 1975, an international group of scientists held the Asilomar conference to debate the proper use and regulatory oversight of recombinant DNA research. During the late 1970s, the National Security Agency (NSA) regulated cryptographers developing new algorithms, but the two groups eventually agreed to a system of voluntary submission of papers for review. In 2002, the U.S. government began to withdraw from public release more than 6,600 technical documents dealing mainly with the production of germ and chemical weapons. In a controversial move, the U.S. national policy for the restriction of information that may threaten national security was altered in the wake of the September 11 attacks to include restrictions on publication of federally-financed research deemed to be sensitive but not classified (Greenberg 2002). As these examples illustrate, limitations on research and the availability of technical knowledge can come in the form of self-imposed screening mechanisms by the scientific community or government regulation. The Asilomar conference, for example, led to a suite of self-policing mechanisms within the scientific community, including the decentralized system of Institutional Biosafety Committees (IBCs). This same mechanism has been proposed by the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) as a way to prevent the misuse of biological research by terrorists. The NSABB also works to develop codes of conduct for researchers and laboratory workers, which underscores the importance of ethical conduct by individuals, especially where no rules exist or where the precise meaning of rules is unclear. Some professional associations and journals, including Science and Nature, have instituted procedures to give special scrutiny to papers that raise security concerns (Malakoff 2003). P utting such control in the hands of journal editors has caused some to argue that an advisory group like the Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee (RAC) would be a better mechanism. Mitchel Wallerstein (2002) points out that the dangers posed by terrorists acquiring sensitive science and technology information differ from the state-related threats that were of primary concern during World War II and the Cold War. Terrorists generally do not seek out and would not be able to use the results of most basic research, but states may possess the intellectual and financial capital necessary to turn basic research into weapons. Daniel Greenberg (2002) contends that terrorists do not rely on new science. Rather, readily accessible information that has long been available suffices to fulfill most of the goals of terrorist organizations. Restricting the publication of information deemed sensitive and controlling access to technologies and research materials can help achieve security goals, but not without costs (Knezo 2002a). Some impacts are relatively minor, such as new standards for the construction and management of laboratories. Other impacts are more severe, including the impact of national security policy measures on the research process. Tightened laboratory access policies, publication rules, and visa restrictions may reduce the number of applications by foreign students to U.S. universities and colleges. This could hamper cross-cultural understanding. According to State Department rules, consular officials may deny visas for study in the United States in sixteen categories specified on the Technology Alert List to students from countries listed as state sponsors of terrorism. Additional exemptions to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the withdrawal of information from federal agency websites have al so sparked concerns about constraints on legitimate scientific work and academic freedoms. Scientific research and technological innovations can improve performance of all phases, from threat analyses and vulnerability assessments to post-attack investigations and restoration of services. For example, the Bush administration established BioWatch, a nationwide system of sensors to detect the presence of certain pathogens, and a public-health surveillance system that monitors the databases of eight major cities for signs of disease outbreaks. Early warning systems can detect the presence of certain pathogens by utilizing computer chips and antibodies or pieces of DNA (Casagranda 2002). Explosives-detection technologies have also been spurred since September 11, 2001 in order to bolster airline security. Other examples include the use of biometrics (e.g., fingerprints and retinal signatures) to develop national security identity cards. The shipping industry is slowly adopting new security measures such as sophisticated seals and chemical sensors. Other researchers are developing strategies for securing information systems. Military infrared countermeasures for surface-to-air missiles may be used on civilian aircraft. Technologies for decontamination, blast-resistant walls, and protective gear for first responders are other components of research programs. Increasing flexibility and innovating measures to isolate failing elements could increase security of more complex technical systems such as transportation and communication infrastructures. Researching and developing broader applications of renewable energy can harden the energy infrastructure. Social scientists and psychologists also provide research for understanding causes and motivations of terrorists as well as the dynamics of terrorist group formation. Some (e.g., Susser, Herman, Aaron 2002) have demonstrated that, because terrorists choose targets to maximize psychological impact, mental health must be considered a top response priority. With all of these potential applications of science and technology, decision makers need to address questions about how to coordinate, organize, prioritize, and evaluate investments to serve the goals of security and public health. Genevieve Knezo (2002b) reported that prior to September 11, 2001, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and other authorities had questioned whether the U.S. government was adequately prepared to conduct and use RD to prevent and combat terrorism. Partially in response to the need to better coordinate counterterrorism efforts (including RD), the cabinet-level Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was created by legislative act in 2002. This incorporated half of all homeland security funding within a single agency. In addition to legislative activity, new advisory bodies such as the NSABB have been formed to guide the creation of new rules and development of new institutions to maximize the benefits of science and technology while minimizing unintende d negative impacts. Increased scientific research on counterterror measures will create new knowledge and opportunities for terrorist exploitation, which will create new challenges for securing that knowledge. Given that security, health, and civil liberties are at stake in decisions about science and terrorism, it is important that measures be taken to involve and inform citizens. This entry has focused on actions by the U.S. government because it plays a leading role in matters of science and terrorism. But other countries and international coalitions face similar ethical dilemmas and policy choices. Private companies own many of the infrastructures that are targets for terrorist attacks, so regulations may be required to induce the private sector to invest in counterterrorism technologies that may not have commercial markets. Some scientific research, however, may have viable market applications, meaning that some of the RD burden can be privatized, which raises other ethical issues that partially mi rror those involved in the privatization of war.

LOreal SWOT Analysis Essay

LOreal SWOT Analysis Essay Prior to the establishment facial cosmetics, LOreal can be identified as a hair-colour formula which has been introduced by a French chemist known as Eugene Schueller in 1907. At this time it was called Aureole. Schueller brought and idea of manufacturing it on its his own products which were later taken to Parisian markets hairdressers to be sold. It was only in 1909 that Schueller registered his company as Societal Franà §oise de Teintures Inoffensive pour Cheveus,the future LOreal. Scheuller started to export his products, which was then limited to hair-colouring products. There were 3 chemists employed in 1920. In 1950, the research teams increased to 100 and reached 1,000 by 1984. Today, research teams are numbered to 2,000 and are still expected to increase in the near future. Through agents and consignments, Scheuller further distributed his products in the United States of America, South America, Russia and the Far East. The LOreal Group is present worldwide through its subs idiaries and agents. LOreal started to expand its products from hair-colour to other cleansing and beauty products. The LOreal Group today markets over 500 brands and more than 2,000 products in the various sectors of the beauty business. Such includes hair colours, permanents, styling aids, body and skincare, cleansers and fragrances. Indeed, the LOreal Group have reached the peak that all cosmetic brands sought after and also identified many factors that can contribute to the success of the Company. In the early 1980s LOreal achieved high level of global of distribution which was barely in the sights of its senior managers. Since LOreal was known to be Frances leading beauty company, it was international presence was so limited that many believed and had a conception of Parisian beauty as being expensive and high culture. The image of LOreal brands at the time e.g. Lancà ´me in cosmetics and LOreal professional in hair care limited the company ability to expand into international markets. When a person is infected the infection could be coming from inside the body or outside, similar to the organization where by some of the decision/changes being made are being influenced by factors outside the company and sometimes its hard to resist them. Non exceptional LOreal is one of the organizations being subjected to these factors. The factors can be put in one word SWOT (Strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats factors) (http://loreal.exteen.com) Internal Influences (S)trengths The on going success of the LOreal Group is without if not for the ingenuity of the concept of their vision as a team. LOreal Chairman and CEO Lindsay Owen-Jones consider passion as the key to the well-renowned accomplishment of the said Company. The primary strength of the Company is the continuing research and innovation in the interest of beauty which assures that the LOreal Cosmetics offers the best to their consumers. Their dedication to their continuous research makes them the leader in the growing cosmetics industry despite the competition in the market. On the other hand the LOreal group also had of Strength of developing activities in the field of cosmetics as well as in the dermatological and pharmaceutical fields in order to enhance and put more concentration in their particular activities. The cosmetics activities of LOreal are divided in to three groups. First is the Consumer Product Division which encompasses all the brands distributed through mass-market channels, ensuring that LOreal quality is available to the maximum number of the consumers. The Luxury Products Division includes the prestigious international brands selectively distributed through perfumeries, department stores and duty-free shops. The Professional Products Division offers specific hair care products for use by professional hairdressers and products sold exclusively through hair salons. The Active Cosmetics Department creates and markets products for selective distribution through pharmacies and specialist health and beauty outlets. The LOreal Groups dermat ological activities are linked with Galderma, which is basically a dermatological firm that contributes to the innovation of the LOreal Groups products. The pharmaceutical activities of LOreal are also handled by Sanofi-Aventis. These divisions and subdivisions ensure the quality that the LOreal Group offers to its customers. To further add to the enumerated strengths of the company, LOreals advertising strategy also plays a major part to its growth. Through adapting to the culture of their target market as the main tool of their advertisement, the Company brought LOreal products within reach of other women from different parts of the world. (http://loreal.exteen.com) (W)eaknesses Perhaps one of the weaknesses that a big company faces is the decentralized organizational structure. This is also part of the difficulties that LOreal is facing. Due to the many subdivisions of the Company, there is also the difficulty in the control of LOreal. This slows down the production of the Company because of the need of giving reference to the other Board members and directors of the Company. LOreal will also have a difficulty in finding out what division is accountable for the possible pitfalls of the Company. Another weakness that LOreal faces is their profit. The profit margin of LOreal is comparably low than that of the other smaller rivals. While LOreal projects certain rise in digits as their profit, the result does not usually meet the expectations (Sang, 2003). Perhaps, this is also due to the high-end advertising and marketing as well as the width of the Company. Also the coordination and the control of the activities and image in the worldwide market are also view ed as a weakness in the part of LOreal. Due to its worldwide marketing strategy, there are also dissimilarities brought about in the campaign of LOreal products as to what iMac. (http://loreal.exteen.com) External Influences (O)pportunities The LOreal Company concentrates on cosmetic products that enhance women of all ages. The growing demand for beauty products gives LOreal the opportunity to focus in their field of specialization, particularly on hair styling and colour, skincare, cosmetics and perfumeries. Being the leading cosmetic brand gives them the edge for their well-known image. Opportunity also emanates from their growing market that ranges from the affluent, the aging and also the masses of the developed countries. Another opportunity that LOreal must take advantage of is their greater market share because of the numerous patents registered by the Company. This enables them to have the top of the line products only to their name and therefore would lead costumers only to them for they could not find any of the said cosmetics in other brands. (http://loreal.exteen.com) (T)hreat A threat to the LOreal group is also the growing competition within the field of cosmetic brands. Due to the on going addition to the field of cosmetics, there is still the danger that other brands could surpass the profit of LOreal. Another threat to the Company is the economic downturn that is quite evident in other countries. Such could thus hurt the possibility of higher profit for the company. Most products of LOreal are within the reach of the citizens of developed countries, but LOreal may have problems reaching out even to the average people from the underdeveloped countries. Also a threat to the LOreal Group is the spending habits of consumer and the economic crunch that most countries are experiencing as of present. While the LOreal Group may be producing the best of its line, people may find that their products are not of their basic needs and would skip buying LOreal products. However, with the growth of the market, the damage could be far from taking place. Another signi ficant threat that LOreal faced was competing against leading U.S beauty makers. In the professional division, Clairol was the leading U.S hair colour brand, with 70% share of the U.S market. Although hair colouring was LOreals strength, it was the firms original and most profitable product line. Hair colour was the really the business they were fighting to get in, but Clairol seemed unbeatable. (http://loreal.exteen.com) Task 2 How globalisation influences policies and decisions making in LOreal When the Red ken managers initially launched new products independently of LOreals corporate headquarters in New York city, several of these post acquisition launches were unsuccessful. The Red ken brand management was later relocated to LOreal U.S corporate headquarters in New York City where it was rebranded Red ken 5th Avenue NYC. The Red ken acquisition triggered a reassement of LOreal entire hair care division where the senior managers realized that they needed a division focused entirely on sales to salons and hairdressers because the U.S professional market was unlike the professional market in Europe where a mid luxury hair care products were sold in department stores. By contrast, most of the mid to luxury hair care sales products in the U.S were sold in salons and other American speciality beauty supply stores. Since Salon sales had a larger profit margin than mass market hair care products, the sales eventually in professional division made up a third of all LOreal hair ca re sales. And the managers realized that Red ken had a global potential as an American brand of American origin. Since every country has its own way of lifestyle on how they perceive things, the LOreal management team has to consider some issues on their policies before making their decisions. Like in the case above , the Red ken is American brand that has it own way of selling in the market unlike in Europe , the LOreal managers therefore , has to do how the products is perceived in making American market compared to European . Its here that we find how the senior managers changed their policy and make a decision to suit how the product is liked in that particular market. Evaluating the effectiveness of LOreal response to globalisation. While LOreal was enjoying its 19th consecutive year of double digit growth in 2004, it had become an international beauty products that was focusing almost exclusively on the manufacturing , developing and sale nine of French , six American one Italian ( Giorgio Armani perfume) , one Chinese( Yue-sai acquired in 2004) and one Japanese brand ( Shu Uemera acquired in 2001) . Its organizational structure, marketing, strategy, and culture were all oriented to the fast growing global personal care market. According to Owen Jones , LOreal s U.S brands were a significant component of the whole orientation and they recognized that they wanted to be a truly global company that they would like to promote around the world American brands because it was the other great alternative in the beauty industry. However , the did something that was basically unthinkable for most multinational companies since they didnt just stopped having local brands rather they tried to put their brand everywhere as s ell United States to Americans , the United States to Chinese, Italian elegance to the Japanese , French beauty to Africans , and Japanese chic to Brazilians and many others. At the time when the Maybelline was acquiring the market, it had lost the focus as many of the analysts and watchers said. Two years before the acquisition, Maybelline branched out into the lucrative anti-aging cosmetics market with its Revitalizing brand. Revlon quickly responded with aggressive and well capitalized advertising campaign for its age -defying brand, overwhelming Maybellines poorly preforming revitalizing. It is here that the brand managers decided to drop for a brief time one of Maybellines most famous tagline when they realized the Maybelline is losing focus again. During the research, they found that the other competing brands had unique positions within the market place but consumers were unable to define what Maybelline was. It was sort of sleepy almost a stale brand because it seems most the consumers get confused about the brand and start putting it and mentioning in a different way. Maybelline to some individuals meant mothers pink nail polish, since the mangers got some comments about pink and green Great Lash mascara which they wanted to point out that they were proud of that day because its leading mascara in the world. The international potential of Maybelline was perhaps just as compelling as its domestic potential which has incredibly powerful value as its an American brand which corresponded to the idea that in America girls are so well made up, and therefore, the idea of perfection coming from America. This had a big appeal with young people all over the world. LOreal promoted close relationship between Research and development and international brand teams when the Garnier managers decided that the brand needed a fruit based shampoo for the European consumer market and they worked closely with LOreal European scientists , who realized that fructose , a type of sugar common in fruit , strengthens hair Japans fast growing wet lipstick market . Not only these but also the Maybelline global brand team built on water shines success in Japan creating water shine Diamonds a lipstick that contained small microscopic glass beads coated with silver and the international brand teams were responsible for not only developing new products but also ensuring the integrity of a given brands positioning . With international brand teams based in the brands home country, the teams global product plans were skewed toward the needs of the country. In the U.S market are sometimes easily influenced by the fact that the U.S market is so large that the managers hav e to put some extra cautious to ensure that global plans are compatible wit other markets a cross the world and not just U.S but also when creating the plans of the other regional offices execute and by sustaining a consistent brand positioning in a far-flung markets was at times a challenge that they had a U.S brand in Japan that allowed to get away from the global marketing plan where the advertisement and promotions were oriented more to Japanese market rather than the brands global message which involved democracy, independence and freedom . They had too much local adaptation and maintaining the brand message in every country. LOreals strategy focused on internal growth, disciplined global marketing continuous product innovation, creating a strong presence in every distribution channel of each product division all over the world and acquiring an important role in expanding LOreals product portfolio and generating revenue growth.